Friday April 24th 2009 e Independent Cambridge Student Newspaper since 1947 Issue no 694 | varsity.co.uk »p19 Arts »Centrefold Special pull-out »Back page Sport We speak to Varsity don’t make tabloids. The Boat Race: Stephen Frears But if they did... view from the river Shoe trial moved MICHAEL DERRINGER for Tiananmen anniversary Patrick Kingsley e trial of the student who threw a shoe at the Chinese prime minister has been changed on the advice of the Chi- nese Embassy. e trial of Martin Jahnke, a Universi- ty researcher, was originally planned for June 4th, the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, when hundreds of pro-democracy protesters were shot dead by police in Beijing. It was brought forward to June 1st a er a request from the Embassy. Punam Malhan, appearing on be- half of the Crown Prosection Service, told Cambridge Magistrates Court that there were “security issues” concerning the original trial date. David Howarth, MP for Cambridge, and the Liberal Democrat Justice Spokes- man, condemned the decision. He told Varsity: “I would be very concerned in- deed if the CPS requested a change in the date of the hearing as the result of pressure from the Chinese government. I will be asking the Director of Public John’s Cripps gets listed status Prosecutions to look into the issue.” A spokesman for Free Tibet, which Controversial modernist block recognised for its ‘exceptional architecture and historic special interest’ campaigns for an end to Chinese rule Helen Mackreath materials, were other reasons cited for been mixed. St John’s student Ket Fit- e building was funded by the in Tibet, also expressed outrage: “If this the decision. ton summed up those in favour of the donation of C. Humphrey Cripps, is true, it beggars belief. It is not the role St John’s College Cripps Building is to Grade II* status is assigned to “par- proposal: “It’s a beautiful building which founder of the Cripps Foundation, who of the CPS to save the Chinese govern- become a Grade II* listed building fol- ticularly important buildings of more should be preserved,” she said. But her graduated from St John’s in 1959. His ment from political embarrassment.” lowing a decision by English Heritage. than special interest”. Cripps’s new views have not been shared by all. donation of £75,000 made up most of e Chinese Embassy did not re- e modernist building has been ranking has quali ed it as a construc- Particularly strong in his condemna- the £1 million total cost, and the use of spond to a request for comment. listed by the government in recogni- tion possessing “exceptional architec- tion was Peter Stovall, who described high-quality materials will ensure that A spokeswoman for the CPS played tion of its success in combining mod- ture and historic special interest.” himself as “distraught” at the news, and the building ful ls his stipulation of down the issue. “ e Chinese Embassy ern architecture with sensitive ancient Nestled between the Grade I listed expressed a desire to “knock it down lasting 500 years or more. just made the prosecutor aware that surroundings. e ingenuity behind New Court and the Grade I listed 12th- and catch up with the modern age”. e building’s architectural merits there might be quite a lot of protests on the design, particularly at its time of century School of Pythagoras, Cripps’s Meanwhile St John’s Domestic Bursar have already been acknowledged by the that date and she in turn felt it prudent creation, and clever use of construction objective of providing contemporary is ambivalent about the decision, saying RIBA award in 1967 and a Civic Trust to let the court know.” She added: “ e accommodation without detracting that “it was neither a good thing nor a award in 1968. Chinese didn’t make a formal applica- from the ancient setting is not an easy bad thing” and highlighting that it was is status places Cripps on a par tion. ere was nothing untoward.” one; nevertheless in the view of English a status conferred on most other of the with the University’s other distinguished But a spokeswoman for Cambridge- Heritage the zig-zag planned concrete University’s buildings. post-war buildings, such as Churchill shire Police said she was “not aware” of 152 building, raised o the ground with Cripps Building was built between College (Grade II), Murray Edwards any planned demonstrations. The number of listed buildings in cloistered areas beneath, ful ls its crite- 1964 and 1967, and is one of the many College (Grade II*) and Fitzwilliam Col- Free Tibet denied they were planning Cambridge as listed on Heritage ria and proves that ancient and modern Modernist buildings designed by criti- lege (Grade II), which are among 152 any protests. eir spokesman added: Gateway, the English Heritage’s listed can coexist. cally acclaimed architects Powell and listed buildings in Cambridge, accord- “Besides, there is nothing illegal about buildings directory Reactions to the listing of Cripps have Moya. ing to an English Heritage directory. peaceful protest in the UK.” Minister attacks Cambridge’s decision to require A* at A-level Gemma Oke In March, Cambridge’s Director for A* in its rst year of operation. How- the standard AAA o er. ence last Wednesday, Mr Lammy Admissions for the Colleges, Geo ever, Cambridge rejected more than Dr Parks said, “We’ve gone for the voiced concerns over the new grad- Universities such as Cambridge which Parks, con rmed that for prospec- 5,000 applicants who achieved at least decision to use A* because we need ing system. He warned that there must intend to make conditional o ers to tive students applying for entry in 3 A grades at A-level. something to di erentiate between be “assurances that A* grades can be students using the new A* A-level 2010 the standard o er would be set It is hoped that the requirement of students. e alternative is more ad- predicted accurately” to prevent “un- grade risk seeing the access debate “in- at A*AA. an A* grade will help to address the missions tests which are massively un- dermining” public con dence in the amed”, according to Higher Educa- In 2007, Cambridge said that it di culty of di erentiating between popular with schools.” admissions systems. tion minister David Lammy. would be “highly unlikely” to use the highly quali ed candidates meeting At the UCAS Admissions Confer- Continued on page 4 Something to say? [email protected] Friday April 24th 2009 2 Editorial Call the Editors directly on 01223 761541 varsity.co.uk A special tabloid edition of Varsity can be found inside the centrefold. It is not to be taken too seriously. Contents Cripps is a warning to us all he listing of St John’s Cripps Building is undoubtedly a controversial move; we think that the move is a mistake, and Tthat the building is outstandingly ugly. However, we must be careful not to extrapolate from this to condemn all of News p1-8 Cambridge’s modern architecture: Cripps is not ugly because it is new, but simply because it is ugly. Many architects do bril- liantly well at blending new buildings in with the old: Trinity Hall’s Jerwood Library, for instance, is a beautiful addition to Cows on Midsummer Common p3 the none-more-historic Backs. Cows! ere are loads of cows on Perhaps we may be permitted to draw a wider lesson from this aesthetic example. Modernisation in the University is no bad thing: it has led to the admission of women, world-class scienti c research and the end of the public-school monopoly. the common, aren’t they great? When done thoughtlessly, however, the consequences can be awful; who would not long for the days when students were Look opposite. more important than conference guests. Stumble blindly into the future, and we end up with Cripps. Varsity Pro le p6 We speak to a Cambridge boy band. Badass. Tabloid Varsity: fun in exam term any argue that the ‘Page 3 girl’ is a sexist tabloid tradition. Some in the Varsity o ce (see letter below), and no doubt Cambridge Spies p8 some others, think printing a parody of a Page 3 girl in Tabloid Varsity is perpetuating this sexism. Nudity is not People embarrassed themselves while drunk, again. sexist,M however; it is only its exploitation which can be considered so. We are, in the best satirical tradition, attempting to parody a genre through mocking imitation. While one could argue that by doing something, even ironically, one is still doing it, the lack of full frontal nudity makes it clear that our Page 3 is merely a light-hearted impression of the genre, rather Comment p9-11 than a serious recreation of it. All of Tabloid Varsity is intended to have a similarly light touch. Hopefully, it serves as a parody of the o en implausibly e Essay p9 rubbish tabloids, as well as looking at how a student newspaper might report on the local news if it were such a paper. We Classicist Paul Cartledge on the hope that the supplement will be taken in the spirit in which it is intended. dangers of seeing Ancient Greek democracy as a model for our own Twitter is, like resistance, futile p10 ank you and goodbye Tom Cheshire is lost in New Media and terrorist tweeting his issue of Varsity will be the last for this team and these Editors. We o er unbounded thanks to our amazing team, to our hundreds of contributors, thousands of readers and above all to our Business Manager, Michael Derringer, a joy Tto all who know him.