Felix Issue 1131, 1999

4 May 1999 KEEP THE CAT FREE EST. 1949 The Students' Newspaper at Imperial College Sports Fields On Rocky Ground A leaked copy of College's Capital Invest• elect Tim Trailor, however, who is stick• ment Plan for the next five years confirms By David Roberts ing by his election promise to back keep• that a major "rationalisation" of Imperial's ing Teddington, even if it means delaying sports grounds will have to take place small, yet in contrast we have four out• believed to be on the table (the old peo• the sports centre redevelopment. next summer. Ostensibly, this has been door sports grounds with about 73 ples home which bought a small area of Despite the fact that in senior Col• in preparation for some time (see Felix hectares in total, which is roughly double the Teddington site some years ago is lege circles the sale is apparently seen as 1136), but the report shows that it is what we will ever need". In order for the rumored to have a continual interest in "inevitable", Mr Murray is keen to point now a necessity, which will provide cru• project finances to balance, the sale expanding), a lucrative sale would be out that the exact shape of future sports cial funding for the proposed Sports Cen• must coincide with the beginning of easy to arrange. provisions is still unclear, with his depart• tre redevelopment. building work, and the report goes on to Reaction to the proposed sale has ment currently "investigating all options According to the report, which was pinpoint the "release" at July next year. been mixed. Understandably, it will face open to the College to rationalise sports passed by the last meeting of the College Whilst the Investment Plan docs not stiff opposition from ICSM, who view grond provision... these included the Council, the total cost of the Sports Cen• explicitly state which ground will be sold Teddington as one of their traditional possibility that an entirely new ground be tre project is estimated at £9 million, of - and Sports Centre Manager Frank Mur• homes (the ground itself was given to found closer to the College to replace which £3 million will come from "the ray is at pains to point out that, at present the St Mary's Medical School to provide one or more of our existing facilities". money achieved through the rationali• "all grounds are included in the review... a base for its rugby team); ending Ted- Indeed the onc-big-ground concept is a sation of the College's sports grounds", any comment would be unsubstantiated dington's status as a premier rugby particular favourite of Mr Murray's, and following the recommendations of a speculation" - a quick look at the figures ground would also face stiff opposition is yet another reason why Teddington is recent Athletics Committee study, which would seem to point the axe squarely at from traditionalists, as the ground was far more likely to be sold than Cobham, showed that we currently have around Teddington. If the target figure of £3 once the home of England, and the orig• as the former offers no scope for expan• twice as much space as we actually need. million is to be accomplished, then only inal pavillion was the site of the signing sion, whereas the latter could potentially As Estates Manager Nick Black put it, the sale of teddington or Harlington will of the RFU charter. Senior figures in ICU, become a very large site via the pur• "we have one of the largest University suffice, as the combined value of Col• however, would appear to view the chase of the playing fields currently used estates in the UK... if we were starting lege's other two grounds - Warren Farm move as a unavoidable loss which will be by GKT Medical School (they too are in with a clean sheet today, we would prob• (in Ealing) and Cobham (near Kingston) massively outweighed by the benefits the process of rationalising sport provi• that the new sports centre will offer. Not sion, and a sale is expected to take place ably build 30% less space. The sports - is far less than the target figure. More• so Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) soon). centre at South Kensington is much too over, with a longstanding offer already Southside Barred Inside... Residents of Southside halls came back year. To combat this fans have been from the Easter holidays to find many of By Ed Sexton installed in all of the affected rooms. I ur- their windows had been barred. The thermore, although the opening of the Letters - Summer Balls 6 alteration, designed to prevent resi• cated in previous incidents have been windows has been severly restricted, dents from throwing items out of the hall residents. In fact in the last two there is still a large enough gap to throw Editorial - Net regulation 7 window, was carried out by Estates over cases it has been students that have objects out of: Dr Hassard agreed, com• the vacation, with work being com• menting "I hope people don't test it Columns - Voice or Reason 8 pleted the day before students returned. out". These problems, coupled with an The move was a response to various apparent lack of student consultation Science-widgets 10 incidents over the last few years, and in concerning the scheme, have raised particular last term, in which nearby res• doubts as to the justification and effec• Film - Heart 12 idents have suffered near-misses from tiveness of the idea. One student com• items being thrown out of hall win• mented "we have done nothing, but are ArtS - William Kentridge 14 dows. The issue came to a head last being blamed anyway. It makes you term, with both ICU President David wish you lived in your own flat." BOOkS -Book of Work 15 Hellard and the Director of Estates, Ian While denouncing those who threw Caldwell, warning about the damage items out of hall windows, an action he Games - civilisation 16 done to the college's reputation by such Bolted, but not blocked found "totally incomprehensible", Dr action. Photo: Rachel Hassard expressed concern over col• Competitions 18 Interestingly, the students at the lege's motives,- "I hope no one's imply• centre of the most recent incident were helped tracked down the guilty parties. ing our students can't be trusted". Sport - Man Utds Chances 19 found not guilty at a college tribunal There are problems with the action, Whether or not they are to blame, it and, according to Dr Hassard, Warden however. The rooms in question tend to appears that it is Southside residents CrOSSWOrd -bySheep 20 of Tizzard Hail, none of those impli- overheat, particularly at this time of that are being punished. 2 News 4 May 1999 Accommodation's Adverse Advice By David Roberts issue 1143 An alleged incident in the College's Accommodation Centre has thrown 4 May 1999 the new, much publicised, 'student friendly' drive into assistance with pri• Editor: Ed Sexton vate sector accommodation into stark Assistant Editor & Films: David Roberts relief. Arts & Books Editor: Helena Cocheme A group of students looking for Games Editor: Gary Smith somewhere to live next year noticed Clubscene: Giles Morrison, their current house (which cannot be Gurminder Marwaha & Joel Lewis identified for legal reasons) listed in Sports Editor: Gus Paul the Centre's lists - at £90 per week, Photographic Editor: Jonas Lindsay compared to the £65 per week they arc paying at present. Understandably intrigued to discover the reasons behind this 40% increase, they asked the member of staff on duty if they mmmsmmm knew anything about it - and were Photo: Rachel shocked when they were informed dard nine-month let, this advice stands NEED SPACE ? that the College "recommended that to cost each resident in the house the landlord increased her rent to £90, concerned a massive £950 in the next One cubic metre available- as the present charge was far too low academic year. Less than £100pw lexc bills) and doesn't represent the market Moreover, as the College does not Renew your contract for only a value". provide any vetting service (instead 40 rent increase' Ignoring questions over whether simply providing regularly updated While boxes last' £90 a week for a room in West Bromp- lists, advice and information) the stu• ton does actually represent market dents concerned were surprised that value, every senior figure questioned the accommodation staff feel they can has viewed this incident as a shocking offer any advice on prices, comment• indictment of the Accommodation ing that "suggesting prices without Office's attitude toward student hous• viewing the property would seem to ing - particularly as the running of the be a complete lottery". office is paid for out of Hall fees (ie by Whether this 'advice' represents Is your the students) and not by any form of standard policy, or is the result of the commission from landlords. Alterna• actions of one rogue member of tively, from a simple financial outlook, accommodation staff, is at present pint really Pm-He housing office 15 Pmios's Vzntem assuming each student accepts a stan- unknown. e mat! pnvate hottslogi&fcac ub tel. 0171 SS494J? Of 0171 5S4 necessary?\ Imperial Second Best KOSOVO Imperial College is now the second polytechnics, coming ahead of several best university in the country, according By Ed Sexton of the 'traditional' institutions. to the ever reliable Times league tables. With such a diverse range of uni• APPEAL The league table, published on Ihurs- an inability to reform (something, versities and academic disciplines rep• day 23 April, revealed that Oxford has apparently, Imperial has excelled in).

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