Bangor Remembrance 2018 100 Years On - Bangor Remembers The Fallen FREE Page AU Match 9 Reports Inside AU Focus Fixture: Ultimate Frisbee Page 53 November Issue 2018 Issue No. 273 seren.bangor.ac.uk @SerenBangor Y Bangor University Students’ Union English Language Newspaper Bangor University To Cut £5m VICE-CHANCELLOR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW “Protect the student experience at all costs,” says Vice-Chancellor John G. Hughes FULL by FINNIAN SHARDLOW also mentioned as a reason for these However, Hughes says further cuts unions. Plaid Cymru’s Sian Gwenllian cuts. will need to be made to secure Bangor’s AM expressed “huge concern,” INTERVIEW angor University are aiming to 50 jobs are at risk as compulsory long-term future. maintaining that the university must make savings of £5m. redundancies are not ruled out. “What we’re doing is taking prudent avoid compulsory redundancies. Sta received a letter from Vice- In the letter, seen by Newyddion steps to make sure we don’t get into a In an exclusive interview with Seren, INSIDE BChancellor, John G. Hughes, warning 9, Prof. Hughes said: “Voluntary serious situation.” Hughes said that students should of impending “ nancial challenges” redundancy terms will be considered Hughes added: “ ere was a headline not feel the e ects of cuts, and that facing the institution. in speci c areas, but unfortunately, in e Times about three English instructions have been given to “protect PAGE 4-5 e letter cites the demographic the need for compulsory redundancies universities being close to bankruptcy. the student experience at all costs,” decline in 18-20 year-olds which has cannot be ruled out at this stage.” An important point is that Bangor is especially in “student facing areas.” impacted tuition fee revenues as a is letter comes 18 months a er nowhere near that. We have a relatively Seren also spoke to John G. Hughes major factor. Bangor University announced cuts small problem, but it could become a about the school restructuring, Increased pension provisions as a of £8.5m without making any sta big problem if we don’t deal with it.” administration and nancial result of the previous year’s strikes is redundant. e university will be consulting trade transparency. See more: Page 4-5. LIVED IT, LOVED IT LIVE IN ONE OF OUR AWARD WINNING COME BACK TO IT STUDENT VILLAGES NEXT YEAR BOOK ONLINE NOW! HALLS Halls, notj ust NO PRE-PAYMENT for year FROZEN FEES your UNTIL JANUARY 2019! LOVE First # JOIN FB GROUP: Seren Members 2018/19 GOT A STORY? SUBMIT IT EMAIL: [email protected] OTHER OPPORTUNITIES WE OFFER: FEATURE WRITING NEWS REPORTS LIVE SPORT COVERAGE WRITERS PHOTOGRAPHERS DESIGNERS PROMO TEAM PROOFREADERS BROADCAST JOURNALISM & MORE SEREN | November Issue 2018 3 CONTENTS VC Interview 4-5 News 6-9 JOIN Politics 10-11 Comment 12 FB GROUP: Seren Members 2018/19 Union 13 FINNIAN Sabb Space 14 SHARDLOW Campus Life 15 14 EDITOR Science 16-17 [email protected] Photographic Society 19 Well, it’s that time of year, the Travel 20-21 library is 24 hours again. Great news for me – a Masters student. I can Food & Drink 22-23 now bring my sleeping bag and get Lifestyle 24-25 my post forwarded to Main Arts. GOT A STORY? At the start of November, Seren was unanimous in the decision Fashion 26-27 to display the poppy on all of our Arts & Culture 28-30 branding. Furthermore, it was an honour to attend the truly humbling International 32-33 Sunday Service at Bangor Cenotaph. The turnaround between the Social 35 October Issue and November Issue is always reasonably swift. Film 36-38 However, it bears no re ection the 19 30 quality of the paper. Once again, TV 40-41 I have nothing but admiration for Music 42-43 our 2018/19 Team. They’ve worked tirelessly, sourcing another huge 56 SUBMIT IT Books 44-45 pages of high-quality content. EMAIL: [email protected] From interviews with international Games 46-47 comedians and award winning directors, to a review of Public Creative Corner 48-49 Service Broadcasting who graced Pontio late last month. Not to Societies 50-51 mention consistently covering Sport 53-56 events from societies such as: BEDS, Rostra and Bangor Indian Society. In addition, it’s with great excitement that Seren announces 38 its yearly event in Academi. Inside, you’ll nd an initial promo poster for our ‘Super 80’s Party,’ taking place on Friday 1st March. Tickets and promo to be revealed soon. Though, above all, Seren was extremely proud to go and interview the Vice-Chancellor for this issue. We felt a palpable atmosphere 22 42 of uncertainty regarding Bangor University’s nancial state. Indisputably, to know about the situation in which our institution nds itself is an absolute right held by every student. We hope our interview on Page 4-5 will provide OTHER OPPORTUNITIES WE OFFER: clarity on what is an exceedingly important matter. TEAM Our front page represents how Editor - Finnian Shardlow John G. Hughes Sabrina Ahmed Ryan Stephen Seren is YOUR paper. We took Deputy Editor - Jack Hollinshead Grace Worsley Rory Formstone- Wright concerns verbalized by students/ News - Darby Higgins Natasha Judd Roberts Amy Hughes sta and took them to our Vice- FEATURE WRITING NEWS REPORTS Politics - Kayleigh Lavornia Joe Tett Paul Scho eld Aaron Brunger Chancellor. It’s you, the students, Comment - Simran Prasad who decide what news is. And so, Write For Any Tom Qwen Stephen K Amos Storm FM never hesitate to contact Seren with Science - Charlotte Bilsby Section! Charlotte Thomson Jim Cummings Brian Harrop your views or suggestions. Environment - Anna Ray Muhammad Fir- Muhammad Asad Arron Williams Travel - Sophie James LIVE SPORT COVERAGE WRITERS daus Khan Peace. Love. And may your Food & Drink - Paige Brook Head to our deadlines be evenly spread. Lifestyle - Courtney McHugh Oli Hewson Niamh O’Connell Fashion - Isabella Timpany website for sub- Fergus Elliot Stephen Owen Be A ----- Matt Foster Zach Reading Arts & Culture - Laura Pätäri Editor contact Contributor! PHOTOGRAPHERS DESIGNERS International - Libby Shaw Emily Stephenson Jayden Irving The views presented hereinafter Social - Abi Rose Robinson details Jess Eaves Tomos Ewing do not represent the views of Seren Film - Jordan King Sam Hardy Megan Robertson Bangor, Bangor Students’ Union or Contact: Bangor University. TV - Ciaran Gri ths www.seren. Georgio’s Pizza Hannah Eccles PROMO TEAM PROOFREADERS Music - Vicky Wilkes bangor.ac.uk StreetBox Patrick’s Alish Harker ----- Books - Beth Smith Bar Laura Labno editor@seren. Games - Sinclair Davis Domu Kafe Briony Collins bangor.ac.uk Seren is printed by Mortons. Creative Corner - Alec Tudor Cove Pop Up Erin A. Louis EDITORS BROADCAST JOURNALISM & MORE Sport - Corie Allan CONTRIBUTORS 4 SEREN | November Issue 2018 VC INTERVIEW INTERVIEW: Vice-Chancellor John G. Hughes Amid a challenging nancial climate for Bangor University, Seren went to interview Vice-Chancellor John G. Hughes to address various concerns echoed to us by sta and students by FINNIAN SHARDLOW huge amount of competition. And with become a big problem if we don’t deal aggressive about it. erefore, getting own near Menai Bridge. the cap being li ed in England, some with it. into what would normally be our We’ve not been lling vacancies unless of the bigger universities are dropping One of the things we did was cut non- market. For instance, many universities they are essential – such as student Tell me what was in the letter you their standards in order to increase pay by 10% - money that departments around us have dropped their entry facing areas. We’ve been lling posts in sent to Bangor University sta ? their numbers. spend on equipment and travel. at points. marketing and international because ese are di cult times for A university’s main source of income alone is a saving of £4m as our non-pay Students that had rmly accepted they’re generating income for us. the university sector as a whole. is tuition fees. Bangor weathered the is around £40m a year. And what we’ve Bangor were being contacted by other Students don’t have to worry at all ere’s multiple factors which are storm for a number of years, in fact we said to heads of schools is that they are universities and being asked: “why don’t about the nancial situation. We’re not e ecting many universities. ere’s a saw a large increase in students 2013/14. there to protect the student experience you come to our University instead?” in signi cant nancial di culties. We demographic decline in the number But in the last few years, the numbers at all costs. Many of the student facing We lost about 100 students because of have a short term nancial de cit that of 18-20 year olds which is quite have dipped. Not hugely, about 6% or areas will be protected and have been that aggressive marketing behaviour. we have to deal with. Students shouldn’t signi cant. We’re about to hit the 7% percent. If you couple that dip with protected for the last few years. Strictly, that’s not supposed to happen. see any of the e ects of the cuts that bottom of that dip next year before it the fact that there’s going to be empty Yes, we could reduce the number of And even among those 18-20 year we’re making. starts to climb again. is means there beds in student halls, the accumulative sta . But there’s 2100 members of sta olds that could come to Bangor, many Our cuts are relatively small.