Established in 1964 TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2005 www.nouse.co.uk Be the boss STUDENT ENTREPENEURS Pages M2- M5 ASECRETUniversity report has been uncovered by nouse, which reveals that the Heslington East plans are so flawed, that there are now even louder calls for an independent The real public enquiry into the suspect nature of the development. The Vice-Chancellor has refused to accept a dossier of concerns which reasons nouse has compiled on the development, which includes the suppressed report and a range of statements and crticisms from local residents, aca- demic staff and students. for York’s Admin have reacted angrily to our findings by pressurising nouse jour- nalists, accusing them incorrectly of being in breach of their “media code of conduct” and expansion unprofessional behaviour for attempting to hand the documents to Cantor. However, four senior Government ministers; John Prescott, Margaret Beckett, Ruth Kelly and Bill Rammall have all accepted the Heslington East Dossier from nouse for their consideration and meanwhile concerns have taken on a national dimension, despite the inflexible stance of the University. The University has a poor case for expansion into greenbelt land and this, nouse can reveal, is undermined by three major issues: Firstly, the unrealistic requirement to make 5,000 students stay in campus accommoda- tion for the duration of their degree; secondly, plans for 38 per cent of Campus three to be a busi- ness site (to fund the whole project) and finally a serious disregard for environmental concerns. Inside Full report into the roles of University officials Plans for Public Enquiry headed by John Prescott What you can do to help fight Hes East Sponsored by NOUSE : THE UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENT NEWSPAPER 2 News Snappy Snaps 21st June 2005 Heslington East proposal fatally By Simon Davis live together on the ‘Friends’ NEWS EDITOR model, and has not released any plans to do so for Heslington YORK UNIVERSITY has East. been accused of ‘losing the The preference is to build plot’ by a senior academic over single hotel room cells, without its plans for Heslington East, communal lounges, which which requires students to live maximise income from confer- on campus for the course of ence guests. their degree, when its own Dr. Jeffrey Stern, one of report shows this is impractical. the local residents heading the The forty-five page report, campaign against Heslington condemned as “shoddy work”, East, to whom we showed the has not been made public by report, said that one major the University as the implication is that the Accommodation Officer, David University won’t be able to Maughan, insisted that it was stop students from wanting to still being considered for move off campus, away from release by the University. what he has described as a This report which nouse “boring open prison”. This secretly obtained, shows the influx of students would drown Student Housing Preferences the local housing market, push- study was done too late, the ing up rents and forcing out methods flawed and if its local residents. observations are ignored, Dr. Stern expressed con- expansion plans could prompt a cern that this report concluded housing crisis throughout York. that private landlords were It has exposed the attracting more students than University’s poor record of the University and commented: addressing the housing needs of “Private landlords have already current York students, and taken the initiative both in shows that it is failing to pro- offering lower prices and vide enough accommodation greater facilities, and are run- for its current students. In 1995 ning rings round University 58 per cent of students were plans – a typical case of quick- provided for, a figure which has witted private enterprise defeat- since dropped to 43 per cent. ing ponderous public institu- Despite its poor record, tions.” The University of York have He fears that if Campus assured the Council that they Three goes ahead, it could are committed to housing the spark a “feeding frenzy” with additional 5,000 students landlords buying up houses for Heslington East will bring. students at an unprecedented However, the report shows that rate. This already is a serious students consistently leave problem in Badger Hill, campus after their first year, Heslington Road and parts of From top to bottom: John with only ten per cent of second Fulford and Fishergate. Prescott, Ruth Kelly and years choosing to stay on cam- Following the environ- Bill Rammell Simon Davis, News Editor, presents Margaret Beckett with Heslington East dossier pus and fourteen percent of mental concerns of Dr. Richard third years. Firn, of the Biology away from the city, which adds that this could be an excellent for a repeated survey by an online based survey. The most controversial Department, reported in the last fuel to the argument of building model. independent group on a larger The survey, which he statistics in the report reveal edition of nouse, this report some of the new campus on In light of this report, Dr. sample (only 29 per cent believes should have been per- that 84 per cent of off-campus even gives legitimacy to dis- existing brownfield sites, in Firn remarked, “to plough on responded), with standard formed before the University respondents in the survey want- carded plans of building on buildings which are subject with a weak case could just interviews taken over a long assured the Council it could ed to continue renting with sites in the city centre, instead dedicated, with accommoda- involve the University in lots of period and professional review house all its new students, actu- friends in flats in their next of using up valuable greenbelt tion halls or groups of flats costs and maybe a failure to get techniques. He has castigated ally manifestly shows the year. However, the University land. nearby. The successful example full permission. What a waste the survey as flawed, because University doing its market has not in the past built flats for A third of students found of the Centre for Medieval of money that would be.” of the largely female response research after it has launched groups of students who want to it to be a disadvantage to be Studies at King’s Manor shows Dr. Stern is now calling and the limited nature of an its product. 21st June 2005 in this issue www.nouse.co.uk Grimston House (V/X/010) NEWS DEPUTY: FILM EDITOR: LISTINGS EDITOR: Vanbrugh College Toby Green Tom King Hannah Burnham News 1-7 University of York Heslington COMMENT EDITOR: FILM DEPUTY: CARTOONIST: Politics 8-9 York Daniel Fairbrother Olly Chadwick Rob Taylor YO10 5DD Comment 10-12 FEATURES EDITORS: ARTS EDITORS: SPORTS EDITOR: Tel: 01904 434425 Becky Mitchell Anna Fletcher Luke Chiverton Email: [email protected] Rachel Ringstead Nan Langfeldt-Flory Sport 13-16 SPORTS DEPUTY: EDITOR: FEATURES DEPUTY: ARTS DEPUTY: Daniel Whitehead Crossword 15 Lauren Carter Joanne Grant Rebecca Hammond WEB EDITOR: Student businesses M2-M5 DEPUTY EDITORS: POLITICS EDITOR: CHIEF COLUMNIST: Adam Roney Elliot Taylor Jessica Levy Robbie Dale Heloise Wood WEB DEPUTY: Summer fashion M6-M7 POLITICS DEPUTY: SCIENCE COLUMNIST: Emma Gawen PRODUCTION MANAGER: Amit Thaker Luke Boulter Fightstar interview M9 Toby Hall STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: MUSIC EDITORS: B & R EDITORS: Georgi Mabee At a glance M12-M13 MANAGING DIRECTOR: Laurence Newman Danusia Borucka Jonathan McCarthy Chris Spillane Flora Bradwell Reviews M19-M22 ADVERTISING MANAGER: MUSIC DEPUTY: B & R DEPUTY: Stefan Wojtulewicz Lucy Peden Vicky Hallam The views expressed in this The last word M23 Get on your bike. Change publication are not necessarily NEWS EDITOR: MUSE EDITOR: LAST WORD EDITOR: those of the editorial board, Listings M24 the world for a fiver M8 Simon Davis Post Open David Cole writers or advertisers NOUSE : THE UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENT NEWSPAPER Sponsored by 21st June 2005 Snappy Snaps News 3 flawed but University press on ‘SU President is just a puppet of the University’ By Simon Davis and Richard Firn, from the Biology Lauren Carter Department, commented: “The scale of the Science City is YORK STUDENTS feel they clearly described in the plan- are not being represented by ning documents, of which there their SU President who has are copies in the library if the swallowed wholesale admin’s SU Pres ever decides to read ideas about Campus Three. them. To be ignorant of that Alexander has belittled student aspect of the scheme is to campaigns against the campus betray a lack of serious study.” development and has explicitly When asked what his stated that he does not support opinion was on Dr. Firn’s them. extensive environmental con- Alexander is convinced cerns for the development of that Heslington East students Heslington East as reported in will want to stay on campus for the last edition of nouse, the duration of their course, Alexander stressed that he did which will be assured he says not remember any of these “by agreeing to share being put forward. [University] rent models with Dr. Firn accused the SU the City of York Council to President of “lazy thinking”, make sure they are locally com- and remarked: “I presented my petitive and by providing opinion to the Council in writ- decent facilities.” ing and presented them at the He also insisted that stu- Council meeting which I think dents had been properly repre- he attended. The Pres does sented in the Heslington East admit it may be a fault of his development. However Politics memory and clearly it is. student, Nick Baron, comment- “The President is entitled ed: “We haven’t been consulted to his opinions but I wish he properly, and have certainly not was better informed about the been asked if we would like to issues.” In this, Dr.