Students Protest As Cardiff University Revealed to Still Invest £2 Million In
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gair rhydd | freeword Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1063 gair rhyddy Monday 2nd November 2015 Also in this issue Advice: Handling long-distance relationships at uni P9>> Comment: The Germaine Greer Students protest as Cardiff debate P13>> University revealed to still invest £2 million in fossil fuels t People and Planet members stage lie-down ‘oil spill’ protest outside SU t Cardiff University has over £2 million of investments in fossil fuel companies t Despite descrease of around £450,000 since last year, complete divesment unlikely to sustainability at the highest level”, ground outside the Students’ Union EXCLUSIVE it is unlikely that it will completely and get covered in oil to encourage Pictured: Politics: Plaid Cymru Conference Anna Lewis & Joseph Atkinson divest from fossil fuels. students to sign their petition. People and They said: “We recognise that this The petition calls for the Uni- Planet protest review P19>> Freedom of Information is a complex issue but do not con- versity to “screen for and exclude outside the (FOI) request has revealed sider that University disinvestment the fossil fuel industry from their Students’ Union A that Cardiff University con- from the fossil fuel industry is the investment portfolio” and “immedi- (Photographer: tinues to hold over £2 million in in- solution.” ately freeze any new investments.” Joseph vestments in the fossil fuel industry The news comes despite a Student Instead, it was suggested that funds Atkinson) despite continued student protests. Senate motion that was passed last be transferred to lower risk, ethical Last year, the environmental so- November lobbying the University investments” within five years. ciety People and Planet showed to divest. The motion also specified During the protest, the petition that the University was investing that the Students’ Union should re- gained approximately 150 signa- £2,504,881 in nine corporations in quest quarterly updates of the Uni- tures. the oil and gas industries. versity’s investment folio and lobby In addition to the ‘oil spill’, People The FOI released by the University for student representation on Uni- and Planet will continue to lobby shows that now this figure has fallen versity investment committees. the University to stop its invest- by £459,030 to £2,045,851, a drop of In light of the figures released, a ments. This will include coinciding almost one fifth, emphasising the protest staged by People and Planet events with the upcoming COP21 University’s apparent commitment last Thursday has shown that stu- talks, which will be held in Paris to disinvesting from fossil fuels. dents are still committed to lobbying in December. According to Sean However, a Cardiff University the University to stop the invest- Langdon-Dark, the President of Car- Science: Is red meat really that spokesperson has stated that al- ments. Named the ‘oil spill’, the event diff’s People and Planet society, the Continued on though the University is “committed saw members of the society lie on the University should also make effort page 4 bad for you? P25>> 2 EDITORIAL Gair Rhydd Coordinator Elaine Morgan Editor Joseph Atkinson Deputy Editor the free word Shanna Hamilton News Anna Lewis Confl ict at university Shanna Hamilton Joanna Beck With a number of contentious issues featuring in the paper this week, it Toby Holloway Advice just goes to show that students do still value free speech Gwen Williams ple, it currently holds shares worth It must be noted that a counter- dents DO actually hold opinions Comment Joseph Atkinson £139,073 in the supermarket chain petition arguing that Greer should and are not afraid/oppressive to- Em Gates Sainsburys, £379,327 in mobile com- not be prevented from lecturing at ward free speech as some people, Charley Griffiths his week we’ve re-explored munications giant Vodaphone, and the University is very nearly neck- including the well-known evolu- David Williams some issues that we looked at £407,141 in the recently scandal-hit and-neck with the original petition. tionary biologist Richard Dawkins. Tlast year, namely the Univer- bank HSBC. The Greer debate is certainly po- Even Edward Snowden has had his Columnist sity’s investments in the fossil fuel Personally, I don’t think that the larising and I personally am unsure say on the Greer issue, saying that Helena Hanson industries. While the University has University should be invested in of what I think. Greer is set to de- “An individual trying to limit speech opted to divest around £450,000 in an industry that is contributing to liver her lecture on women and at universities is interested in neither Politics the last year they still hold over £2 global climate change. As a research power in the 20th Century, and her university nor justice.” Carwyn Williams million in investments in oil and gas, institute dedicated to solving some problematic views of post-operative Another article in Comment this Luke Brett including the likes of oil giants Shell of the problems faced by human- transgender women seem unlikely to week argues that Welsh is not point- Sam Patterson and BP. kind, to invest more than £2 million come up in such a lecture. Surely she less from the point of view of a Welsh With People and Planet continu- of their general fund into the fossil should be allowed to speak on an is- language campaigner. The article is a Science ing to lobby against the University to fuel industry is dramatically contra- sue on which she is a leading figure very clear riposte to views put for- Maria Mellor divest fully, students are once again dictory. However, it is encouraging in the field of literature? ward in The Tab. A lot of articles Lizzie Harrett demonstrating the power of protest, that (a) they have recognised stu- However, on the other hand, of late have attempted to counter and the fact that they have managed dents’ concerns to an extent and (b) Greer’s now well-publicised views the views put forward on the online Societies to reduce the University’s invest- students continue to protest against pull no punches and clearly cause newspaper, and it just goes to show Aletheia Nutt ments in fossil fuels by about one perceived injustices. huge offence to many people; is it once again the multitude of views fifth is pretty encouraging. Another recent student dem- right that someone who causes of- that exist in the student sphere. Taf-Od In their statement to us the Uni- onstration has of course revolved fence so readily should be allowed So, three contentious issues that Carwyn Williams versity insists that they remain com- around feminist icon Germaine to transmit her views to a group of students are arguing over feature mitted to sustainability but believe Greer’s visit to Cardiff University impressionable students. in this week’s paper, and hopefully Park Life that complete disinvestment is not to give a guest lecture. At the time The Comment section this week you’ll have your own views on them Vacant necessarily the answer to the issues. of writing, Greer is still set to de- have presented a very well-balanced too. If so, please do get in touch with These revelations come from an liver the lecture and the University page arguing the fors and againsts our Comment section to have your Sport FOI regarding the University’s gen- is refusing to back down despite an of Germaine Greer visiting Cardiff say - if you can present your case for Jim Harris eral fund and the investments that it online petition led by the Students’ University. The debate has certainly an article effectively and with good James Lloyd holds. It’s interesting to look through Union’s Women’s Officer Rachael educated myself as to the multi- reason, then you can get your work Jason Roberts and see exactly where parts of our Melhuish garnering nearly 3,000 sig- tude of views held by students in published and have your own word Jamie Smith student loans are invested. For exam- natures. Cardiff and demonstrates that stu- on some huge topics. Social Media Editor Jack Boyce Thank you THIS WEEK IN HISTORY: To all the proofreaders who GAIR RHYDD 729 helped with this issue! 28/10/2002 Get involved Editorial conferences are Th is week we go back to a more brazen Gair on current politics. 20 per cent of Welsh each Monday at 5pm. Rhydd in 2002, who apparently “enjoyed the interviewees couldn’t name a single world Proofreading takes place at view” of the crowning of Miss Wales, a student leader, but in contrast 56 per cent could name 6pm on Thursdays in the media from our rival University of Glamorgan. fi ve characters in Eastenders, “making Peggy office during print weeks. Siemans Mobile were also a little more risqué 13 Mitchell more notorious with Saddam Hussein”. years ago, running the Urban Challenge to fi nd As a soap-lover myself, this is something I Write us a letter the most ‘up for it’ student, with competitions sympathise with – rumours of the return of [email protected] including ‘get your bra off ’ and ‘blind man’s Grant have me far more hooked than Cameron Tweet us buff ’. Apparently the winning campus would blundering over PMQs. @gairrhydd have the ‘best looking people and the best set Little world news made the cut in this issue, up campus’. other than a German man being eaten by an Th e Student’s Union’s very own Xpress Australian crocodile, and a bull escaping a radio station could boast about receiving ten livestock market in Flintshire and causing quite nominations for the Radio One National Student the scene.