Bangor Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper ISSN 1755-7585 Issue No. 218 End of Year Issue 2011 WILL BANGOR INSIDE: Summer Ball: All you need to HEE CHARGEL £9K? W know OF £7000 F £9000 £8000 E E S e Teetotal £6000 £6000 Student experience £8000 £7000 £9000 £7000 Page £9000 14 £6000 £8000 Who’s who of £6000 £8000 £9000 £7000 Page • Bangor to Declare Fee Plans at the End of May 24 • Aberystwyth Opt to Charge the Full £9,000 Fee Gemma Ellis cally about what they intend to charge, All fee increases in Wales have to ever there are still question marks over however the increasing number of ­ rst be approved by the Higher Educa- what this entails. With an increased What best universities charging the highest fee tion Funding Council for Wales who number of Universities charging the niversities in Wales have been surely puts pressure on other univer- will look into them before giving them maximum there are growing fears that asked to declare their plans sities to appear just as worthwhile as the go ahead. Any welsh students wish- the Government will have to save mon- to wear Ufor tuition fees for 2012 by the highest priced institutions, making ing to study at a Welsh University will ey somewhere else, with the unsettling the end of this month raising the big choosing a university more of a market not feel the full force of a fee increase possibility of this cut coming from the this question, will Bangor be the next to place than ever before. Seren believes as they are to be subsidised by the number of University places available. charge £9000? Aberystwyth University that construction on the Pontio project Welsh assembly Government, however Jo Caul­ eld from Bangor Students’ may encourage Bangor University to students from outside Wales will not Union said “to date, over two-thirds of Summer have recently announced their plans to push for a higher fee as entrants a er have this luxury. e government have the universities that have declared their charge the full £9000 fee, making them 2012 should see the bene­ ts of the 27.5 promised that despite these fee increas- tuition fee plans have decided to charge the ­ rst Welsh University to con­ rm million pound project centred around es, e orts will be made to make sure £9,000 a year, including Aberystwyth. their intentions to charge the highest the arts. Furthermore it would come universities widen their access to stu- Page possible fee. as no surprise if Bangor were to mirror dents from poorer backgrounds while Continues on Page 5 Bangor have not yet spoken publi- Aberystyth’s decision. looking at the bursary scheme, how- 27 2 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk End of Year Issue 2011 Editorial Students of Bangor, Here ends my reign as Editor of Seren. This year the Seren team has done me proud. I have been very fortunate to fi nd such friendly, hardworking and creative people who have kept me constantly entertained and don’t make a bad cup of tea. I could make a list as long as my arms (that’s right, both of them) tell- ing you what each of them have achieved in the time dedicated to putting Seren together, but I believe this heartfelt dedication to their efforts should suffi ce. So here’s to the best-looking, most hardworking bunch of journalists I have ever laid eyes on (which includes the ever-fl y Fiona Bruce and the silver fox that is Peter Levy, I might add). I would be nothing without you and neither would Seren. So I hope you enjoy this, the very last issue of the year - in it, you will fi nd all the information you should ever want about the summer ball, including what your ticket money is spent on, as well as a great interview with Liam Burns, the new president of NUS. I don’t have favourite pages this time; instead I think you should dedicate your time to reading each and every one of them until next time when you will be graced with the genius of Aaron Wiles. You may remember him from pages such as music, games and gadgets and, most recently, the centrefold. He’s very good. Lastly: if, like me, you are graduating this year I wish you the very best of luck for the future. We will fi nd jobs, we won’t sponge forever - hell, we might even be famous someday! Good luck and much love, Gemma Sponsored by Willow Smith, Pro Plus and the cheap energy drink you get from the supermarket. The Seren This months Contents Contributors Page 3-5 Page 16-17 Page 28 Andrew Gadie News Features Health&Beauty Team Ben Evans Luke Dobson Editor: Gemma Ellis James Berry Page 6-7 Page 18 Page 29 News: Andy Trigg Politics Creative What’s Up Features: Nicole Nally Rebecca Carey Creative Corner: Nayab Khan James McGough Page 8 Page 19 Page 30-31 Music: Joe McNally Rich Gorman Interview Quick Break Music Whats On: LJ Taylor Antony Butcher Whats In: Kaden Wild Heather Boyles Page 9 Page 20-21 Page 32-33 Food and Drink: Steven Freeman Scott Burrows Societies Centrefold Games&Gadgets Politics: Anna Hatfi eld Amy Westlake Health & Beauty: Emily Tearle, Tomos Davies Becky Sage Page10-11 Page 22-23 Page 34-35 Dave Hudson Food Travel and Sara Royle Ball Whats up: Jennifer Krase Will Osborn Page12 Page 24-25 Page 36 Travel: Rowena Nathan Peter Weale Union What’s On Fitness Sport: Matt Cox Vicki Harman Secretary, Games and Gadgets: Michael Ironside Page14-15 Page 26-27 Page 37-39 Aaron Wiles Robert Trigg Treasurer: Tom Knott Christy Sago Comment What’s In Sports Social Sec: Hayley Neill Shon Prebble Design: Dan Turner Georgia Mannion RECYCLE ME! Hello hello! Seren is made from 100% recycled paper so Get in on the action and recycle me when you are done! End of Year Issue 2011 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk 3 News Osama Bin Laden: e A ermath tions are being asked as to how signi­ cant go undetected in sending emails and My View Steven Freeman his killing was in relation to the war on ter- communicating by other methods to Were the American’s Right to Rejoice the ror. Directly a er the event experts were the sub-divisions of Al-Qaeda. saying that Bin Laden was mainly just an merica’s most wanted man, Osama Despite the ­ ndings that Bin Laden Death of Osama Bin Laden? inspirational ­ gure for Al- Bin Laden was killed by US forces Qaeda and that was as ever so earlier this month in Abbottabad, due to his high “Bin Laden will have a involved in the APakistan. e news of Bin Laden’s death re- pro­ le status planning and sulted in much celebration across America prominent position in history” NO he tried to lay running of YES and to some extent Britain, but now the low and not hype has calmed down a number of ques- A l - Q a e d a , Matt Cox Joe McNally have many direct dealings with particular terrorist experts are warning that Al- (Sports Editor) (Music Editor) events, leaving coordination and Qaeda’s decentralised nature means planning to the sub divisions of that they can easily go forth with plans Al-Qaeda. they may have and have warned states However, a er the sting September the 11th wasn’t an atroc- that may be at threat to be vigilant and I wasn’t surprised to see Americans operation where a unit of 25 ity directed just at America. It was an not let their guards down amongst the rejoicing when they found out Bin well rehearsed US Navy Seals attack by a fundamentalist group on a air of celebration. Laden had been killed. In my opinion, stormed Bin Laden’s com- Western ideology and culture that radi- Amongst all the action of the past Bin Laden was more of a symbol. He pound, it appears that a vast cally di ered from their own. e per- few weeks with regards to the death may be only one man in a vast terror- amount of intelligence, in the ception of America as an arrogant na- of Osama Bin Laden, it is clear that ist network, but he has been seen as form of thousands of docu- tion will not be lessened by the scenes Bin Laden will have a prominent po- America’s greatest enemy for the last ments and handfuls of lap- of celebration at Ground Zero following sition in history for being one of the decade. To ­ nally ­ nd and end him tops and desktops were taken the death of Bin Laden. If anything, it most ruthless leaders of a terrorist or- has huge symbolic signi­ cance for the back to Virginia for exami- is likely to encourage more ill feeling ganisation who caused fear and terror war on terror and for all the people nation. Arabic analysts from amongst the fundamentalist groups worldwide. Some experts reckon that who still keenly feel the e ects of 9/11. across the globe have been in the middle-East. Celebrating at the he will become a ­ gure head some- at’s why I did not mind the celebra- handpicked to help decipher scene of one of the worst terrorist at- what like Che Guevara and say that tions as such. Killing Bin Laden was the ­ les and till present the tacks in history felt slightly shameful.