Thursday 9 October 2003 Published by the USSU Communications Office issue number 1063 free www.ussu.co.uk THE UNIVERSITY OF SURREY STUDENTS’ NEWSPAPER IN THIS WEEK ’ S PAPER INTERACTIVE BAREARTS - MUSIC Ben Berryman brings you The barefacts music team CHALLENGE CHOPS | this week Chops tries the best the distractions bring you reviews of all the out women’s waterpolo. | page 24 around - just right for that best singles, albums and gigs SOCIETIES| Find out what’s going on in the Monday morning lecture! they can get their mits on. world of USSU Societies | page 7 Interactive| page 20 Music| pages 16 & 17 REALITY BRUTALITY | Chris Ward wonders about modern TV | page 6 Lights. Camera. Powercut. Students are left in the dark as suspected powercut leaves the Tesco’s underpass unlit from Monday night BY CHRIS WARD AND SARAH BUTTERWORTH team to inspect the current situation and any further progress that may have been made. In the wake of the recent advances of the The Southway underpass and shorter one Lights, Camera, Action campaign in which on the way to Tesco’s had been painted, the Tesco underpass next to the Ashenden although five of the thirteen lights were estate had been painted with brighter lights out of action on the Southway underpass. installed, the long underpass was completely Despite it appearing that some of the blacked out by a suspected power cut on undergrowth had been cut back, much of it Monday evening. Students leaving the to the sides of the path on the University side University to use the underpass were forced of the Southway underpass was described as to either walk through total darkness, or “dark, sinister, and a possible hiding place across the A3. By Tuesday night, the for attackers”. The Tesco’s underpass was situation was still not rectified. pitch-black. Barefacts contacted local Liberal Democrat USSU’s Vice President Communications Councillor Tony Phillips on Tuesday and Marketing commented that “although afternoon to enquire about what was being the painting of all three underpasses is done to resolve the problem. Mr Phillips commendable, we still have a long way to revealed that this was the “first he had go until students feel safe walking across heard of it”. He assured barefacts that the campus. We are still awaiting the installation council take matters of student safety “very of the promised CCTV camers.” seriously” and will do “what he can” to get There have also been reports of another it fixed as quickly as possible. incident around the Southway underpass, Claire Iles, the Vice President Education an attempted mugging on a Surrey student. and Welfare visited all three underpasses on Barefacts has no futher information on this Tuesday night with a couple of the barefacts at the time of going to print. the blacked out Tesco’s underpass on Tuesday night | photo: chris ward New USSU Executive Committee Committe Elected scott farmer briefs the candidates before their election speeches BY SARAH BUTTERWORTH 104 votes cast on the Union dance floor, and after the count, EDITOR IN CHIEF results were annouced at 4.30pm. After three rounds of re-counting, Neil Christie emerged as the new Academic TUESDAY AFTERNOON SAW the cultimation of the USSU Affairs Officer, with only 2 more votes than his opposition, Executive Elections, held every October to elect a new and the other seven elected officers are as follows: Union Executive Committee to help run the Students’ Union along Chair: Jay Butcher, Placement and Employed Students’ with the Sabbatical Officers and permanent staff. Officer: Doreen Kiambuthi, Ethics and Equal Opportunities There were nine candidates standing, with one contested Officer: Michael Ogunseye, Culture and Events Officer: position, that of Academic Affairs Officer. The main events Catherine Lee, Campaigns Officer: Claire Hammonds took palce at Union Council on Tuesday lunchtime, with and Non Portfolio Officers: Ben Berryman and Zoe Kilb. speeches from all the candidates and the opportunity for Congratulations to all candidates, and many thanks to the anyone to ask questions before voting began at 2 o’clock Deputy Returning Officer, Scott Farmer, for his hard work for an hour. surrounding the elections. photo: chris hunter During the hour that ballot boxes were open there were Full results are on page 8 of this week’s barefacts. Sandy’s Stars | page 12 Film Reviews | pages 14 & 15 The fun of Ultimate Frisbee | page 24 2 NEWS 9 October 2003 EDITORIAL TEAM 2003-4 Now Clarke is Worried Editor in Chief Charles Clark shows his worries about top up fees to a Universities UK fringe meeting Sarah Butterworth comms BY PHILIP HOWARD additional resources.” undergraduates. @ussu.co.uk NEWS EDITOR Mandy Telford, as ever, has been vocal on The battle over fees is showing no signs of the issue, writing for the Guardian: “As a sibsiding as the Tories push the issue in their Editor “I will be candid, debt aversion is the issue new academic year begins, so too does the battle for recognition in the run-up to the that worries me most. There is support for battle against top-up fees. Students starting next general election. Their proposed policy Chris Ward people from poorer families, either through this year do so in one of the most important of scrapping fees back by the argument that cs21cw fee remission or through grants or other years in the history of student activism. 80% of voters are against fees. This has @surrey.ac.uk means. And we are discussing whether that Top-up fees pose the biggest threat to the been slated as popularist, seemingly a left- could be extended to students paying the full university experience as we know it and wing policy from the supposedly right wing Music Editor £3,000 through a combination of bursaries if the government succeeds in introducing Conservatives. and fees remission” said Charles Clarke at them then higher education will become the Matt Badcock a UUK (Universities UK, the committee preserve of the privileged.” ms01mb of heads of universities in the uk) fringe Government-funded research recently @surrey.ac.uk meeting. found that working class students will The UUK has taken the position of be 4 times less likely to attend university supporting the top-up fees, assumed to be than those in the middle classes, if top- Music Editor due to the threats of the elite Russell Group up fees were introduced. The research, Jon Allen to break away if UUK didn’t support the carried out by Claire Callender, professor bs21ja government’s scheme. A UUK spokeswoman of social policy at London’s South Bank @surrey.ac.uk had this to say: “Universities UK has had University, was funded by the government’s a series of discussions with government own funding agency, the Higher Education and is continuing to do so. Our position is Funding Council for England (HEFCE). News Editor clear. We should invest a proportion of fee A twist in the research, however, was that Philip Howard income to help avoid deterring the poorest ethnic minority students are less likely to be ph02ph students. But the new system needs to bring put off by the introduction of tuition fees, @surrey.ac.uk in extra resources to all universities. And we perhaps attributable to the fact that they would be worried if it did not bring in these represent 6% of the population, but 12% of Film Editor Neil Boulton cs21nb @surrey.ac.uk Uphill Struggle for Welsh Merger Theatre Editor BY PHILIP HOWARD Daisy Clay dismayed that this action has been taken Cooper, Glamorgan’s pro vice-chancellor. NEWS EDITOR unilaterally as much work needs to be If the merger goes ahead, there will ps21dc done over the next few weeks if the target be discussion over its status within the @surrey.ac.uk The ongoing merger plans between the date of August 2004 is to be acieved” said University of Wales - Glamorgan has its University of Glamorgan and the University Glamorgan’s VC in an email to staff. own degree-awarding powers, making it a of Wales Institute Cardiff are running into Picking the VC of the new university is “university within a university”. Literature Editor problems at the top. Disputes have broken yet to start, as there is disagreement over The welsh merger is the latest in a long line Jennifer Walker out over the name of the prospective who should even be considered. Whilst of mergers as institutes and universities ph21jw entity, and who should be considered for UWIC wants only internal candidates (ie attempt to reach the critical mass required @surrey.ac.uk the VC spot. The status of Glamorgan as a its own VC) to stand, Glamorgan would to have high teaching and research scores university within the University of Wales is open the place to competition from external in government funding assessments and also an issue, reports the THES. candidates: “we are looking at a university compete for the higher spots on league tables. Sports Editor “Cardiff Metrolopolitan University” was that will be a big new dynamic institution, King’s college is apparently considering Peter Nichols resisted by Glamorgan locals, staff and some and we want to be assured that we have the merging its threatened chemistry department 20 MPs as “inappropriate in denying the best possible person to lead it” said Professor with UCL due to its unsustainable defi cit. cs11pn @surrey.ac.uk importance of the Glamorgan valleys”, with the name Cardiff Glamorgan University put forward instead. barefacts notices CONTRIBUTORS Talks were suspended without explanation Matt Adams Zoe Kilb by UWIC, but have since resumed: “I am Paintball Society AGM | Sunday 12th October