The Issue University of No. 889 Surrey's Student Magazine 31 st October 1996 Remember, Remember, The Fifth Of November ost people know the 5th policy on education iunding from be forced to follow the trends of November as bonfire Free Education For Ali because other universities. night when you stand in they could see that it is no longer M Although this university is not the freezing cold for hours toasting possible to provide this with the going to be affected next year the marshmallows over a fire and present economie situation. This students have decided to make thinking about a group of blokes policy was referring to their feelings known. We have who tried to destroy parliament ali contributions to maintenance seen, from past years, that those years ago. This year we are grants ànd was a huge step within démonstrations have little or no going to do something similar, Sie student movement to agree to effect either through poor tumout blowing up the Houses of this; however, NUS never agreed or lack of commitment. This year, Parliament is not actually on the to top-up or tuition fees. Their to mark the event, it has been agenda but getting the govemment policy remains strongly opposed decided that students should dress to take notice of us is. to their introduction. in black to symbolise the As you have probably read in the November 5th is an opportunity mouming of lack of money within last umpteen additions of Bare for universities throughout the higher education. Facts and every newspaper in country to protest about tuition and It is a simple thing that everyone existence, the govemment over the top-up fees which can be can get involved with through little last 10 years has cut student grants introduced as early as next year. or no effort at ail and yet the and éducation funding. In Our own Vice-Chancellor, impact, if everyone does it, can be response to this there is now the Professor Patrick Bowling, has quite dramatic. Look forward to talk of introducing top-up and assured the Students* Union that seeing you on Black Tuesday. Just tuition fees starting as early as next he will not be introducing top-up remember, remember the fiflh of year. fees next year. However, if the November! govemment cuts funding in this At the NUS National Conférence year's budget the university may Meîanie Dean in March, NUS changed their Communications Officer Mtoüm Whinging Women Last weekend I attended the This is called pro- CONTENTS NUS Student Media Confer- gress...something I welcome. ence which is a chance for A couple of weeks ago I REGULARS student journalists to leam a wrote about how social bit more about the industry change comes about through 17 Personals and consisted of a series of people's acceptance to new 18 Clubs and Socieiies workshops ran by profes- ideas and attitudes, well times sional journalists. are a changing. My first workshop was on the In the 60s and 70s women design of the publication (you weren't well represented in 6 Nude Certitude 7 Large It in November have to admit that Bare Facts society but we have had a 8 Chat Up Lines 12 Drugs Special needs it). Anyway, due to my revolution and, in my opin- late arrival to the workshop I ion, we have done alright. 15 Cinema didn't realise until it was in Yeah okay so we still don't full swing that I was in the earn as much as men and con- wrong room. I had attended ditions at woric with regards women's journalism by mis- to childcare and part time 1 No Fees Day 4 Student Media Awards take. As a sociology student I work etc. could be better but 5 Environmental 5 Safety Week have studied feminism within it takes time. We are a lot Conference society, women in the work- better ofif than some people, place, women and the family, men and women, in other 16 Careers News etc. so I knew more or less countries. Sometimes I think what this was going to be it is just an excuse to have a about. Now anyone who whinge about something. knows me will laiow that I 12 Single Reviews have got no time for femi- I'll give you an example: 13 Album Reviews nism or women's issues but I Dcea's advertisement urging decided to overcome my housewives to "chuck out 14 Live Reviews prejudices and give it a go. your chintz". This advert has provoked 23 complaints of Unfortunately, it confirmed sexism and wastefulness - do my worst fears and proved to me a favour. This advert is 19 Canoe Club Trip me exactly why feminists tongue-in-cheek, some peo- 20 Rugby's great winl have got such a bad image. ple can't see irony when it Claire Longrigg was the jumps up and smacks them in speaker and wi^in the busi- the face, ness she has done very well for herself, until recently she The complaints said that was editor of the women's viewers "found it sexist and page of the Guardian. What patronising, that it was irre- sponsible to encourage such she didn't realise was that her University of Surrey Students' Newspaper audience wasn't entirely wastefulness and that it of- sympathetic to the idea that fended those who like every publication in the coun- chint^'. You see, now this is Union House, University of Surrey, try should have a women's the REAL issue 'it offended Guildford, Surrey. GU2 5XH page or somewhere that could those who liked chintz', these people have climbed on the address and promote Telephone: 01483 259275 women's issues. feminism bandwagon be- cause Dcea have slagged off Fax: 01483 34749 It seems, however, that my their taste in home furnish- Advertising: 01483 259275 opinion was shared amongst ings. E-mail: [email protected] the audience. One girl ex- By making a difference be- http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Union/barefacts/ plained that a few weeks ago tween men and women and her paper had run an article on Editor - Melante Dean creating things called anorexia and that they had Feature Editor - Tania Rocks 'women's issues', 'femi- had more response from male Ne/i^ Editor - Sam Blrmingtxim nism' and political positions readers than female. Now Music Editor • Rob Wirder for these people, you are seg- anorexia and other eating dis- Spcxts Editor - Mark 'GInga' Cusack regating the sexes even fiu-- orders have always been mar- Photographer - Matt Panneli ther. I believe that feminism keted as 'women's issues' Cartoonist - Stuart Parker as an issue is detrimental to which you can see here is to- Editcxial Contributions: Andy Gale, Miles Hedgehog. Bruce the things women are trying tally wrong. There are very to achieve and I think we Chapman, Matt Pannell and others... few issues in the 1990s that would do a lot better if we Music Reviews: Mel Odedra, James Hemingway. Mark De Lange, concern just women; rape, stopped harping on about VIcW Snelgrove, Numnuts domestic violence, sexual how hard done by we are as a discrimination in the work- Bare Facts is an independent newspaper, published by the sex. place all effect men as well - University of Surrey Students' Union Communications Oftke. The views expresseo within the paper aré those of the Editor, the it is just that, until recently, Right, I've said my bit - now Editorial board and the author, and do not necessarily represent no one has openly admitted the views oftheUnhnrsity of Surrey Students' Union or The read on and enjoy... University of Surrey. this. Mel XXX USSU Communicattons Office 1996 Mtm Dear Editor Dear Editor the constant bombardment of Re: BT Phone Cards Re: The Hedgehog Conspir- pro-hedgehog propaganda acy eminating from the media. In response to Joanne Dickin- The conséquence of the prolif- son's letter in Bare Facts of 25 Is it my imagination or are we ération of hedgehogs and their October, I would like to say in being invaded by hedgehogs? supporters is that these prickly the University's defence that I see their smiling, cartoon déviants of nature are no despite anticipating installa- représentations everywhere I longer ivewed with the healthy tion of the new style card- look these days from computer suspicion that they deserve. It phones since last April, in the games to birthday cards. There seems I now stand alone in event we only received two is only one logicai explana- thinking that their behaviour is days' notice of when they tion. Namely that, incredible slightly Strange. Of course, it would actually be installed. though it may sound, these is wrong to relate human val- As such, there was barely suf- horrant little .undergrowth ues to animais but if I went out fícient time to obtain stocks of dwellers have become a sym- late every night and crawled donyms and eroding the credi- the new cards, and no time to bol of cuteness. This is a truly aroimd the streets of Britain's bility of one of the last great do anything else. bizarre and worrying phe- towns and cities at very slow bastions of truth, and good nomenon. speeds people would think that sense. By the way, did you However, I have some good I was a bit dodgy. Hedgehogs know that 'Miles Hedgehog' news for Joanne and anybody The idea of taking something do it ail the time and no one is an anagram of 'Hedgehog eise who still has an old style as ghastly as the hedgehog and bats an eyelid or raises an eye- Slime'? ^at sort of depraved phonecard.