Felix Issue 1131, 1999

24 May 1999 KEEP THE CAT FREE EST 1949 The Students' Newspaper at Imperial College Imperial Staff Will Strike Tomorrow Members of the Association of Uni• By Ed Sexton be given to student hardship funds at versity Teachers (AUT), which includes Imperial, an action which could be the majority of Imperial's academic later this term. Ms Laura Barker, IC's that strikers would merely "seek to per• seen as an attempt at compensation staff, are to strike tomorrow, Tuesday AUT president, hoped "that the stu• suade peacefully". for the disruption. 25 May. The strike is likely to effect lec• dents do not come in that day", as a The strike action has the support of It is unlikely that the strike on its tures and examinations, as well as dis• sign of support for the strikers, adding the National Union of Students (NUS), own will achieve the AUT's objectives. rupting other services throughout that she "will stand behind students as well as other unions representing Ms Barker agreed, describing it as "a college. The strike, which is the result who skip exams", suggesting the col• university staff. In a letter dated 10 demonstrative action - the start of a of an ongoing pay dispute, will only lege could successfully reschedule May from NUS President Andrew process". That "process" is likely to affect the South Kensington campus, them. David Hellard, ICU President, Pakes, to the AUT, he described the involve a four day boycott of exami• as clinical staff have received a differ• was more wary, suggesting that if stu• 3.5% salary increase that had been nation administration in June, which ent pay settlement to other acade• dents had exams or other essential offered to AUT members as "a derisory could further disrupt students' exams, mics. work to do, then they should come in pay offer". The letter continued; "I have and action during the hectic recruit• As Felix went to press, the scale of to college. On a more conciliatory note every faith in you and your union that ment period in late summer. the strike's effects was unknown. It is he added "if you don't need to come you will do your utmost to minimise possible that some or all of tomor• in, I wouldn't bother, as a sign of com• the impact of this action on students row's examinations will go ahead, with radeship". Students will not be pre• at exam time." Ms Barker agreed, the college finding alternative exam• vented from entering the campus and, emphasising "students aren't our tar• More on the strike on page 2 iners. Alternatively, the day's acade• although it is likely that there will be get". She went on to explain plans for and on page 5 mic work could be rescheduled for picket lines, Ms Barker assured Felix the pay deducted from striking staff to London Student Blows Up a Storm Inside... London Student, the newspaper serving By Mansoor Choudhury mented, "If... Matt was trying to get it Letters - TravelcardTrouble 4 the students of the University of Lon• censored, it was pressure from above". Pit Stop Challenge don, was threatened with legal action wrote a letter to London Student, pub• He also added that he believed in the Ball Ticket Prices as a result of an article published in lished in May 14 issue, criticising the freedom of the press and concurred CM Foods their issue of April 30. Professor Zellick, article as being "somewhat misleading" with what had been stated in the Lon• Internet Rules the Vice Chancellor of the University of in its criticism of Professor Zellick since don Student article. Praise for Hellard London, allegedly threatened to sue he had not been Vice Chancellor when Matt Hyde dimissed allegations London Student and its editor, as well the Education Act was drafted, when an that he tried to stop the release of the as the University of London Union, in exemption from cross-campus ballots issue in question as "unsubstantiated Editorial -AUTStrike 5 response to the article, entitled "Mad for ULU should have been obtained. rumours"; Professor Zellick was unavail• Prof Demands Barmy ULU Ballots". Dave Hellard ICU President com• able for comment. Columns-Matt Salter 6 The article in question reported that he had caused some disturbance in Feature - Cycling in Nepal 8 union circles with his judgement that the recently held ULU elections "didn't MAO PROF DEMANDS Opinion - Cannabis 10 comply" with the Education Act. Pro• fessor Zellick ruled that all future elec• Film - Best Laid Plans 1 7 tions to ULU posts had to be done with DARMY OLD BALLOTS a cross-campus ballot. This was widely Music - Mishka's debut album 12 criticised as being impractical, too Senate cWef sats expensive (estimated cost £60,000) and Clubscene -Trance Nation 14 logistically horrendous, since over 100.000 must rote 100,000 students would need to be GameS - Tank Racer 16 polled. According to one source the cur• Sport - Cricket 1 9 rent ULU president and publisher of London Student, Matt Hyde, was pres• Crossword - by Sheep 20 sured by Professor Zellick to withdraw that issue of London Student. Mr Hyde The offending article disputed the practicality of the VC's proposals Competition Results 20 2 News 24 May 1999 Nightline to Hold Band Night On June 1 ULU and London Nightline Roger, are supporting. a confidential listening and practical are holding a band night at ULU with XFM are sponsoring the event, Information service from 6pm to 8am all proceeds going to London Night- with DJ John Kennedy playing a set. every night of term. It has been run• line. Coldplay, an up and coming Indie The evening will finish off with sets ning for 28 years, originally starting in 24 May 1999 band, are headlining the event; their from student Djs until closing at 2am. response to a number of student sui• first single received critical acclaim Tickets will cost £3 for students in cides here at Imperial. Covering 31 Editor: Ed Sexton from much of the music press, and advance (ULU ticketline 0171 664 institutions across London, Nightline Films Editor: David Roberts they recently supported Catatonia for 2030), or £4 on the door (non-students provides a service for 150,000 students. News Editor.- Andy Oforl Radio 1. All the band members are £5/£6). For further information about the Music Editors: Dennis Patrickson London students and this will be the The event is being held to publi• bandnight or about London Nightline & Jason Ramanathan first gig they play after completing cise and raise money for London call 01 71 636 71 95 or email coordina- Games Editor: Gary Smith their finals. Two more student bands, Nightline, a telephone helpline run by [email protected] Sports Editor: Gus Paul The Fantastic Super Foofs and Hal and students for students. Nightline offers Clubscene: Giles Morrison, Gurminder Marwaha & Joel Lewis Want to Join an LT Hunt? Behind the Pay Dispute Last Monday was a itself displays a three- The reasons for the union will be special day for any• By Suilll Rao dimensional graphi• tomorrow's strike By Ed Sexton open, and will publi• body with any sort of cal display portraying stretch back to a pay cise the strike as and interest in "aliens", it was the inauguration a chart of the signal; participants also dispute that has been ongoing for sev• when necessary. He also offered moral of SETI@home ("SETI = Search for Extra-Ter• have the opportunity to view a map dis• eral months, and were outlined in last support to the AUT, thinking "they've restrial Intelligence"). The ambitious pro• playing the area of sky being analysed at week's issue of Felix. In a letter to David got a just reason [for striking]... they ject Involves thousands of volunteers the time. Hellard Ms Barker explained "the aim of aren't getting paid enough." Ms Barker downloading, installing and running a The data recorded from the Arecibo this action is to persuade the employers urged students and ICU to do more, screensaver that processes a chunk of Observatory telescope is essentially to improve their offer of a 3.5% salary however; "I would hope that Dave could data from the massive Arecibo telescope placed onto 35 gigabyte tapes daily- these increase." According to AUT ptess give more active support... we would in Puerto Rico, the largest radio tele• tapes are then mailed all the way to releases, average earnings in Britain have welcome the support of ICU". scope in the world. SETI@home will run Berkeley where they are split into down• increased 40% in real terms (i.e. above Clearly most students are unlikely for a period of two years, analysing a sec• loadable chunks about a quarter of a inflation) in the past eighteen years, to support the strike by boycotting tion of the sky. Scientists and engineers megabyte each in size. Fundamentally, while academics have only seen a 3.1% exams. Ms Barker appealed to those stu• attached to SERENDIP - Search for Extrater• the project involves a search for strong increase. In contrast, vice-chancellors' dents to "look at the bigger picture", restrial Radio Emissions from Nearby singals in a narrow band, and will analyse have seen their pay increase by 7% a suggesting that the quality of future stu• Developed Populations - have pioneered signals an order of magnitude weaker year for the past three years. dents' education could suffer if the pay this project based on their belief that than any previously done. Measures are Anothet issue of importance to dispute was not resolved.

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