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KEEP THE CAT FREE Founded 1949 [email protected] Felixonline.co.uk THE 2021 FELIX SEX Fill it SURVEY IS NOW OPEN out here FelixISSUE 1772 FRIDAY 21ST MAY 2021 Union Council vote not to condemn Shell exhibit COUNCIL VOTES NOT TO CONDEMN SHELL SCIENCE MUSEUM GREENWASHING By Calum Drysdale FELIX EXCLUSIVE EUROVISION he Union Council voted last week against rais- ing even the mildest objection to the funding Meritocracy is a myth - of an exhibition on carbon capture technolo- 2021 gy at the Science Museum by Shell, the fossil Engineering department VIEWING GUIDE fuel giant. T Calum Drysdale Editor in Chief The Council voted last Tuesday by a margin of 48 to 21 with 31 abstentions against a paper proposed by he Engineering Department has issued a course on DON’T MISS Ansh Bhatnagar, a physics masters student and long Tmicroagressions that it says is recommended to all term campaigner for Imperial to divest from fossil fuel staff and students. The course is 15 minutes long and OUR 6 PAGE investment. The paper would have required the sabbat- covers what microaggressions and microaffirmations PULLOUT WITH ical officers, students taking a year out of their studies to are as well as giving examples of harmful behaviours. work in paid leadership positions in the Union, to write The course was reported on in The Telegraph which ALL THE ACTS, A a letter to the Science Museum “Expressing the urgency described it as “a list of phrases to avoid on campus”. of the climate crisisand the need for all of us to step up The Telegraph also quoted Toby Young, the general sec- SWEEPSTAKE AND and take action” as well as “Expressing the Union’s dis- retary of the Free Speech Union, who said that “protec- approval of Shell’s sponsorship of this exhibition”. tions from ‘over-reaching diversitycrats’ trying to police MORE Bhatnagar told Felix that “This was the fourth in a speech and thought are urgently needed.” and that Page 7 number of motions on worker’s rights and climate jus- IF YOU PICK UP THE PAPER PLEASE TAKE IT AWAY COVID WARNING WITH YOU 2 [email protected] Felixonline.co.uk KEEP THE CAT FREE NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 WHAT IS FELIX? Bhatnagar condemns former Felix is the newspaper of Imperial College Student comrades in arms as ‘vacuous liberals Union. We provide entertainment, information and spineless cowards’ and news while also being a space that members of tice that have fallen at Council in the motion on climate change because “it the Imperial College community can use to pub- past year. Members presented inco- can hurt our student societies that are lish their views and respond to the views of others. herent arguments and used under- sponsored by Shell” is appalling”. handed tactics to oppose the motion, Some might say that Bhatnagar with one member using a procedural went too far with some of his com- intervention to advance arguments ments. CAN I WRITE FOR FELIX? against the motion before it was even Katie McCann who criticised Bhat- presented. nagar’s stance and who he criticised Yes. We welcome all submissions and aim to pub- A separate point to this specif- on Twitter said “I find Ansh’s response lish everything we are sent. An editor will work ic motion; the truth is that Council inherently one-dimensional, judge- with you to make sure your article is in the best follows the will of the [sabbatical of- mental, and illegitimate. Of course I ficers] and abdicates it’s responsibility am aware of the nuances of CCS, and condition it can be for publication. We also pro- of being more than a rubber stamp- I find the grasp at publicly insulting duce video and audio content if that interests you ing body. Regardless of whether you my intelligence laughable, consider- more. agree or disagree with individual ing we appear to be in the same stage decisions, the current state of affairs of our lives. I find it creepy and weird is a disservice to the students we are that his response to his paper being meant to represent.” rejected was to attack a young wom- HOW DO I SUBMIT AN This statement reflects a schism en, whom he’s never previously met in a group of people that have dom- before, and insult her intelligence. If inated the top level of Union politics he views my intelligence as inferior, ARTICLE TO FELIX? for the last two years, many of whom I’d suggest he discuss this topic with Bhatnagar campagined for and are our soon to be Head of Department • If you already have an • If you want to write personal friends of his. Tina van de Flierdt, who taught my but don’t have a topic Bhatnagar also continued his at- ‘Climate’ module and the pros and article in mind or have tacks on Council on Twitter, writ- cons of various methods of geoengi- written one already then in mind, check out or ing “imperial SU is full of vacuous neering, with data and analytics from send it to the section section specific writers liberals and spineless cowards...The the IPCC. editors via email. These Facebook groups that we amount of resistance to any sort of email addresses can be update every week with CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 found at the top of each topics we would like page in a section. articles about or email Engineering department microagression the section editors advice warns against encouraging SE Send your article to us by 8 o’clock on Tuesday and Asian students to “Speak up more” we can then have it ready for publication that Fri- ““Surely, the way to create a welcom- The College also provided a day! ing environment for BAME students statement defending the course and at a university is to assure them they the messages in it. We support and We are also always recruiting editors, will be treated in exactly the same defend free speech, including con- way as every other student? To hold versations about racism and inclu- copy editors, photographers, artists BAME students to a lower standard sion. A video on the experiences of than white students is incredibly BAME colleagues does not ‘threaten patronising.” free speech’, and we would reject any and more. If you would like to get However, Imperial staff and stu- efforts to shut down these important dents seem to be behind the initia- discussions. invovled in Felix in a regular capacity, tive calling it “necessary” and “not For more on this topic we encourage that big a deal” particularly after 28% you to read the Felix article “Do you email [email protected] of staff said that Imperial was not an sometimes feel like you are in Chi- inclusive employer. na?” by Isabelle Zhang in issue 1721. [email protected] Felixonline.com 3 FRIDAY 21ST MAY 2021 NEWS Brexit unlikely to have any major impact on Imperial research funding Samuel Lovatt News reporter being around 30% higher than that of EU funding of that year. ma was that the EU was strangling in- rexit has had “no discernible im- Horizon 2020. The UK has previous- While the EU is not a major funder novation and science. Boris Johnson’s Bpact” on Imperial College’s fund- ly been the second largest beneficiary of Imperial research, the sudden loss ‘levelling up” agenda is an attempt to ing from the EU, vice provost Nick of these funding schemes, lagging be- of ~10% of research budget is not triv- make use of this putative opportuni- Jennings has stated. When approached hind only Germany. Thankfully for ial. The College’s March 2021 shows ty. Measuring the flow of state money regarding potential discrepancies the College, post Brexit negotiations that the 2020/21 funding year has had to Imperial is complicated by the nu- between departments’ funding after agreed full access to such EU research the lowest funding application success merous research councils that chan- Brexit, Professor Jennings highlighted funding programmes for UK institu- rate on record. Projecting forward nel public money into universities, Imperial College’s exceptional track tions, however, did not include access data from the first half of the year, each of which receive money from a record in acquiring funding from all to Erasmus, which will instead be re- funding from the EU can be expected number of sources. In addition to this, avenues, and added “As for Brexit, it placed by the new British-funded Tu- to be a 1/3 than it was when Britain some government departments have The Turing Scheme will replace the Erasmus programme and will allow students to study abroad. The Turing scheme will send students all over the world rather than just the EU has only just come into effect and so ring Scheme. was still a member of the European been known to award smaller sums there is no discernible impact yet”. While the EU Commission has his- Union. This is compounded further of money targeted at specific research The College carries out a bi-annual torically awarded Imperial a signifi- by weak application success rates from initiatives. Despite inexact figures, it report on the state cant amount of mon- non-EU sources. is suggested that Imperial still man- of funding from ey, totalling £192 However, there remains hope that ages to receive a significant share of all sources, the million between Imperial’s reputation as a centre of re- the research budget, being awarded results of which 2015 and 2020, and a search excellence will insulate it from ~£194 million in total from the gov- can be found record £44 million in the worst effects of Brexit.