“If I can’t dance, I don’t want your revolution” Can the arts world do anarchy? The Independent Cambridge Student Newspaper since 1947 | varsity.co.uk | Friday February 23 2007 | Issue 654 »Comment Streeting hangs Why airline environmental policy is pie in the CUSU out to dry sky »Exec members accuse former President of“betrayal” PAGE 9 that I now have responsibilities to ALICE WHITWHAM represent over a hundred other stu- »Features Chief News Editor dent unions. Although I know that EMI boss John my personal position on the matter is Former CUSU President Wes the same as the official NUS man- Gildersleeve Streeting has been accused of “betray- date, the NSS was a never a main ing” his former student union by plank in my manifesto”. talks to current Exec members after changing NUS President Gemma Tumelty Jossie his stance on the inclusion of Cambridge criticised the unwillingness of students in the National Student Cambridge students to participate in Clayton Survey (NSS). Streeting, who initiated the survey. “It only exacerbates the about the worth the CUSU boycott of the survey while reputation Cambridge has of being an President in 2004-5, went before the elitist institution, somehow separate of degrees PAGE 14 Common’s Education Select Committee from others and affected by utterly on Monday February 19 and accused different circumstances, which is not the CUSU policy of “perpetuating the the case”. She believes it is “valuable” old school tie and secret handshake” and for students who enjoy such a reputa- “doing themselves no favours”. tion as that of Cambridge “to be able »Food During his term as CUSU President to feed into a number of organisations Streeting promoted a policy which that make decisions on future stu- Varsity ponders described the government-backed dents’ experience”. how far the NSS as “not only harmful to student CUSU’s stance has attracted wide- feedback mechanisms, but not useful spread criticism in the academic boundaries of the either”. Currently NUS Vice- community. University of Leeds Vice- President (Education) and a member Chancellor Professor Michael Arthur sandwich can be of the NSS Steering Committee this week described the CUSU boycott pushed responsible for providing “advice and as “a great shame,” adding “this is an planning” on the survey, Streeting has opportunity for students to say what undertaken something of a volte-face. they want about institutions”. Higher He told Varsity that the survey’s Education Funding Council for “methodology” had improved because England (HEFCE) spokesperson it was “less intrusive”, adding that the Philip Walker agreed, stating the “NSS PAGE 26 inclusion of an optional “bank of ques- is very important in allowing potential tions”, which allow each university to students to make informed decisions obtain a more specific set of results, about which university they go to”. make the survey more applicable to Ferguson justified the continued ONLINE Cambridge. “NSS results are having a CUSU boycott by saying that while the direct impact on the enhancement of NSS is a “reasonable survey” for most student experience”, he argued. universities, in relation to Cambridge it ➡Features Streeting’s move has been met with obtains “no meaningful data”, adding indignation by the current CUSU that it is “not representative of the col- Rob Haworth dis- Executive. CUSU Democracy Officer legiate structure”. “At the end of the Jacob Bard-Rosenberg described it as day,” he concluded “we are a world cusses the role of “complete betrayal, given that he led class institution and our expectations charity and the Exec which initiated the boycott”. are higher than those of others.” Current CUSU President Mark Cambridge Pro-Vice Chancellor for the state with Ferguson urged Streeting “to remem- Education, Professor Melveena Peter Oborne ber his past as a CUSU President,” McKendrick has told all final year adding “I agree with Wes’ position on a undergraduates “it would be a glar- lot of things, but I am very disappoint- ing omission… for Cambridge to be ed at this”. Welfare Officer Sam Rose the only university not to have its said that he was “sad that Wes is failing [NSS] results posted along with those to support his old union”. of other institutions when prospec- These reactions were dismissed as tive applicants are making “cheap” by Streeting. “The reasons comparisons”. She urged all finalists why I’ve changed,” he argued, “are to participate in the survey. Streeting speaking at an NUS demonstration on student debt NUS Letter bomb suspect arrested p3 | Avian forethought p4 | Degrading investigated p7 Chief News Editors: Alice Whitwham and Lizzie Mitchell Friday February 23 2007 2 NEWS Email: [email protected] varsity.co.uk/news In Brief Ecclesiastical economics Cannabis garden »Cambridge research group reveals social deprivation of Catholics Following last week’s arrest of a cannabis growing health shop owner, police discovered a cannabis section of the Catholic community who farm of mammoth proportions in St CAMILLA TEMPLE are “facing tough living conditions, Neots this week. The leader of the harsh working conditions and constant operation described the eight hours Recent claims that Catholicism is over- economic and personal uncertainty”. it took to clear the area of plants and taking Anglicanism as the predominant One case in the report, that of 21 year- equipment. The owner, Mr Chien religion in Britain are at odds with the old Pavel, describes how he “ended up Thang Do, is thought to have been findings of a Cambridge research group sleeping rough in Victoria station” operating a long term enterprise which has uncovered deprivations in before being helped by the Cardinal and had cultivated plants at various the immigrant Catholic community. Hume Centre, a charity set up by the stages of growth. Do, “The A recent report published by a Catholic Archbishop of Westminster. Gardener”, may face deportation to research group at St Edmund’s College The report outlines how the Vietnam. Georgia Artus has exposed the extensive and unseen Catholic Church can help by offering problems of Catholic immigrant com- practical support and also by pro- munities in London. The research has viding a social network and sense of Addenbrooke’s prompted Conservative MPs John belonging for those new to the com- Battle and Bob Spink to call for a munity. Migrants have to struggle £85m expansion debate in parliament in the hope of with emotional isolation as well as sparking a national discussion about poverty and homelessness, and 41% Addenbrookes Hospital has the issues raised. of those questioned said they did not enlarged its capacity and created a The report focuses on the Catholic “feel at home in Britain”. The “much nicer environment” for immigrant community, examining the research has shown that the Church patients by unveiling a new treat- nature and distribution of this commu- serves as a first port of call, partly ment and research centre. The build- nity, the extent of the deprivation and because of its familiarity as “a home ing cost 85 million and includes a the role that the Catholic Church in away from home”, and partly more defined separation between Britain plays in immigrant lives. because of its disassociation with emergency rooms and those dedicat- The Von Hugel Institute Centre for “the authorities”. The Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs DYLAN SPENCER-DAVIDSON ed to planned care and up to date Faith in Society, which undertook the technology allowing more efficient research, is described by one of its gation of one church jumped from 20 to felt that the research had uncovered a treatments. The facility will act in directors as a “faith inspired and faith- “Catholic com- 1,200 in a week when they introduced “dark side of the British economy” conjunction with the NHS, Institute based scholarly think-tank”. The cur- Mass in Portuguese. According to which was taking no consideration of for Metabolic Research and the rent directors of the Centre, Francis munity facing Davis, the Cardinals became aware of either the actual numbers of immi- University. Was Yaqoob Davis and Andrew Badstock, are look- the difficulties their new congregations grants or the reality of their situation. ing to renew its reputation for high constant eco- were facing and were keen to have con- The recent influx of Polish immi- quality research with this report. crete information and evidence with grants as a result of Poland joining the Toxic gas scare at Francis Davis said that he felt encour- nomic and politi- which to tackle this new challenge. EU has meant that the Catholic aged by the extent to which the issues The research caught public atten- Church is feeling an immense pres- Trinity Hall raised had been taken up by both the cal uncertainty” tion when The Times ran an article sure on its resources and is “strug- press and parliament, and expressed about the report, suggesting that gling to keep up with the changing Trinity Hall fell victim to toxic gas excitement about extending their work Roman Catholicism may overtake pastoral reality”. Between May 2004 in the early hours of the week. to other areas in Britain such as The Institute was commissioned to Anglicanism as the dominant religion and June 2006 the government Drama took over the college on Yorkshire and the Midlands. carry out the research by the Cardinals in Britain. In reaction, Davis agreed approved 264,560 work applications Sunday morning at 6am when three The researchers at St Edmund’s of the Catholic dioceses of Brentwood, that immigration was significantly from Poland, and the challenge of fire trucks arrived after a porter College surveyed 1,000 immigrants, ran Southwark and Westminster when affecting the religious landscape of assimilating the 95% of Poles who are came across ‘a toxic smell’.