Accommodation Office University unveils Wide halls fiasco Lane Sports Centre wessexIssue 299 October 2005 Priceless! News SCENE Winchester School of Art’s £14,000 LICENCE LETDOWN facelift Features Beryl is back with her inimitable wisdom Music Edge Festival Round-up: the Sounds of Summer Sport Ultimate Frisbee review last year and look ahead! Highfield Residents’ complaints about nuisance students have led to the imposition of a reduced late-night licence at the Cube Laura Fewell Local residents living around drunken students as they make argue that students disturb them the University of Southampton’s their way home is unacceptable every night of the week – despite With the frivolity that is Highfield campus claim that their and results in disturbed sleep the Cube only being open 2 or synonymous with Freshers’ lives are being made a misery as well as vandalism to their 3 nights out of 7 - and two of Week in full swing, the Wessex by the antisocial behaviour of property. the Local Residents Associations Scene can sensationally report students leaving the club in the Southampton City Council has have joined forces to block the that the Cube nightclub is under early hours of the morning. They been inundated with complaints Students’ Union renewing its threat. say that the late night antics of from Highfield residents who (continues on page 2...) www.bamuk.com Student Media Buyers www.wessexscene.co.uk 0845 1300 667 News Page 2 (...from page 1) late night licence. As a result, licensing bosses have ruled that the Students’ Union has its 2am Have you got it SUSSED?! licence reduced to a 1am close who have been responsible for (SRN) provides all you need growing number have created and no entry is permitted to the Ben Rogers the implementation of this new to survive university life, such online web spaces where building after 10.30pm. This year the University system highlight that SUSSED as information on fees, study members can post photos, share Students are outraged by celebrates the launch of its new can be customised to the way assistance and support, and files and news, chat with other the ruling and feel that the Portal, named SUSSED, which you want it to look and work. loans. members, send announcements authorities are treating them it sees as a new way to access Your own ‘tabs’ can be created Other great uses for the and emails, or discuss all their unfairly. A second year student your online student life. to suit what interests you and Portal include a Classifieds club happenings in the Message who does not wish to be named It follows in the footsteps of the RSS newsfeeds on the main section (Ebay without the cost!) Board. If you are a club or society told the Wessex Scene, “it is Yahoo, Excite and AOL which page may be customised so and Southampton University leader you may be interested in absurd. It always seems that are all portals, just a lot bigger that you get feeds from your Students’ Union has tapped into the Awards programme where Southampton overlooks all the and more commercial. The favourite websites. BBC News the Portal with their website you could win up to £100 to money that students bring into University’s Portal is a hub and the Guardian are obvious providing information on all the spend on the club! See page the local economy. It is not of useful information and is choices but MTV or even Hello goings on you’ll need to keep number 19 for more details. just students who make noise available at www.sussed.soton. magazine can be added! you sane when you need a break SUSSED looks set to become late at night but we are an easy ac.uk. Students are able to see If you are struggling with from work - and of course you the online equivalent of a target.” all their courses, timetable and coursework, SUSSED provides a can catch up with the Wessex supermarket where all you need The Students’ Union feels their school website as well as couple of handy resources that Scene Online! is under one roof - or website that licensing chiefs have based having direct access to their will interest many a stressed out SUSSED also provides its own in this case! You’re only one their decision on circumstantial University Webmail account. student. The Library’s online online communities with the click away from anything you evidence. Andy Wilson, SUSU The University’s Informations resources are a tab away and Groups function which is great could ever need from an online President is quick to point out Systems Services Department the Student Resources Network for sports clubs and societies. A resource whilst at university. that the Students’ Union does more to tackle student drinking and respect for the local community than any other venue in Southampton. He admits that while a small proportion of A Wide Open Space... students are rowdy, he feels that they are not returning from the awarded a record £1m grant Students’ Union and that it is the from the Football Association best-run premises in the city. and Eastleigh Council also The feeling is that the Union contributed £1m as part of is being punished for the its 10-year leisureplan. Local behaviour of a small number of people will be able to use the students returning from venues facilities through a book and that do not put any measures in pay system, but there will be no place to try and combat drunken community use on Wednesday behaviour and that it is being and Sunday afternoons when AU targeted because its licence just clubs hold their practise sessions happens to be up for renewal. as well as BUSA and intra-mural Andy says, “we do not allow games. University clubs will also students to get ridiculously drunk have priority use of the centre. on our premises and request that The brand new facilities include they return home quietly in order 26 changing rooms, a bar with to respect local residents who an 11pm licence, 10 football are sleeping. We put on buses pitches, 4 rugby pitches, 4 cricket back to halls and lodgings so grounds, 10 mini soccer pitches that students get home quickly, and a baseball diamond. quietly and safely.” Originally the University Andy is backed by the Vice- pledged to have a regular bus Chancellor, Bill Wakeham, who service to the site, where there said in a statement that “we is also parking for 240 cars, 5 understand that young people minibuses and 3 coaches in the enjoy letting their hair down main car park. Now bosses have at night and believe that with The brand new Wide Lane Sports Complex boasts synthetic pitches done a U-turn and there will be facilities on campus we are no bus service. Tom Kenward, better able to encourage safe Laura Fewell after initial meetings it became tractor and trailer were stolen. Vice President Student Activities and sensible drinking.” clear that this was an unrealistic This has led to concerns over says, “this is unacceptable and The Union will appeal The University’s new Wide target. The revised open date security at the site but measures SUSU will campaign for regular against the decision. Andy says Lane Sports complex should be was the 25th August, but the have been put in place and there buses for the safety of our “ultimately it is down to our open in time for AU club trials University changed its power will be a live on steward, CCTV student users”. students to help us by behaving on the 8th and 9th October, supplier, resulting in the facility will scan the entire compound Paul Cook, Sportrec Facilities more responsibly and respecting Sportrec bosses have claimed. not having any gas, electricity and the synthetic pitches will be Manager, told the Wessex Scene local residents when returning The £4.3m project was supposed or water so contractors were fully floodlit. The car park will that although the showers home after nights on the town. to have been finished and open unable to complete by this date have a barrier in place. are still out of order, AU clubs If a small proportion of students for use by the end of August but and safety chiefs were unable The development of the 86 already have access to all the cannot behave themselves then has been plagued by setbacks. test power sockets. acre site has totalled £4.3m, and new facilities, and assured us the Cube and the whole student It was originally intended Last month the compound has been funded largely by the that they should be working in body will suffer”. that it open on 25th July but was also broken into and a University but the project was time for Freshers’ Week trials. www.wessexscene.co.uk News in Brief Uni Hallschoice may end up in a ‘twinned’ and that “theyFiasco should simply us that since ‘[we’d] been lying James Laidler room, despite guarantees to the turn up [at a Hall of Residence] [to students] for three weeks Hundreds of new students contrary. The Union is working on the day they want to move [we] should just keep doing were left in a state of with the University to come up in”. One member of student- it’. Things were just as chaotic accommodation limbo, not with a suitable compensation staff was so angered by this last year, the only difference Simon Cable knowing if they would have package. response that she “screamed being that fewer people a roof over their heads, Students began to find down the phone” to the AO complained.