Felix Issue 1131, 1999
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The Student Newspaper of Imperial College "Vital" Ericsson phone deal on the line ANDREW OFORI men. In response to the general offered on the lines, banning all is little danger of Imperial making unrest Ericsson changed the Uni• charge card numbers. The phone the same mistake: the Union, The vastly improved communica• versity's lines to 0870 numbers company further endeared them• Estates, IT, Residences and Com• tion network expected at the which had previously belonged to selves by charging a £10 fee for munications have all had an input beginning of this new year has Chat & Date lines. According to a the privilege of having a working into the deal which is being run become the latest victim of Col• report released by St Andrew's phone which could receive all as a private finance initiative. Stu• lege bureaucracy. Prolonged con• Student Union, confusion caused incoming calls and apparently dents can expect a decrease in tractual negotiations have held by Ericsson's subsequent market• refusing to publish their rates, the cost of their out-going calls, up the installation of Ericsson's ing campaign explaining the which range from 8p to 1 6p for a but although the cost of installa• new system which is set to replace change led to some interesting call to an Ericsson phone, their tion is being subsidised by the and add new telephone lines all calls between unsuspecting par• "normal" rate. College the package will still over College. Some have taken ents and chat operators offering "Most of the problems at St. have a capital cost of £60 per the delay as an ominous sign in disturbingly dubious services. Andrew's should not arise here" student, £40 of which will be the wake of Ericsson's controver• St Andrew's Union have been said an optimistic Ian Clifford, added on to annual rent bills. sial deal with St Andrew's. left fuming. They claim that Erics• ICU Deputy President for Finance 10Mb internet connections Work was finished four son have inflated their rates in and Services. St Andrew's were will be available in each room for months late at the Scottish Uni• order to make a profit out of the the first University Ericsson dealt a fee of £10 and there are even versity and the completion was unfeasibly low bid they originally with and the DP(F&S) felt a great plans to develop an Ericsson greeted by a flood of complaints tendered to the University and deal of their problems stemmed mobile phone deal for IC stu• about the havoc caused by work• have monopolised the services from a lack of consultation. There dents. UCL Researchers place Ecstasy on special offer SUNIL RAO tainly isn't the first ever study of the biochemical evidence of terminal ing her at 020 7504 5993, faxing effects of this drug, it certainly damage to brain tissue. Since the her at 020 7916 1 989 or via email If you're a healthy adult male, here appears to be the first to get wide• banning of the drug, research into at [email protected]. As Ms could be your chance to take part spread coverage and publicity in its effects has naturally diminished, Verheyden told Time Out maga• in a study investigating the long-, the popular press. and as a result, very little is known zine, the study will attempt to deter• term effects of MDMA, the drug MDMA (3,4-MethyleneDioxy- about the long-term effects of mine if, among other things, ecsta• better known as ecstasy. N-MethylAmphetamine) isn't a new MDMA. sy causes permanent damage to Research is being carried out at drug, having been patented by Consequently, if you are the brain. the Clinical Health Psychology sub- German drug company Merck in healthy and fit and: When Felix attempted to con• department of the UCL Psychology 1913 as an appetite suppressant, • Used to take ecstasy regularly but tact Ms Verheyden, our reporter department into the effects of this though the patent was allowed to have not used it for over a year, was informed that a test was actu• massively popular substance on the lapse. The drug was legitimately • Have been taking it at least twice ally in progress at the time. All typical taker - young, fit, healthy used as a therapeutic aid by a a month on average for a year, or expenses of volunteers are to be adult males - in a bid to assess number of psychiatrists to break • Take other drugs but have never paid, all information volunteered is exactly how much risk to human life down barriers to communication, tried ecstasy, to be completely confidential, and regular use of this semi-synthetic before animal studies revealed its you are invited to get in touch those who take part will be entitled potential ill-effects - in particular compound poses. Though this cer• with Suzanne L Verheyden by call• to receive a copy of the results. ) News Felix . 11 October 1999 Mary's bears brunt of crash tragedy ANDREW OFORI When two packed commuter trains collided last Tuesday St. Mary's was inundated with patients as it took the bulk of the injured. Hospitals across London were forced to implement their emergency plans, but as the near• est hospital by far it was Mary's '7w'7;M which took the brunt of the most seriously injured. Robin Touquet, a St. Mary's : consultant said the injuries were the worst he had seen in his career, likening them to those suf• fered by World War II casualties. He commented "You had people Anonymity rules os MishMash is coming in with their faces band• :jblne|:|y SreokPoig;1:7u>. aged and just their two eyes look• ing out and the smell of burnt flesh". At time of going to press, events surrounding the accident were still unclear, and reported doorstep, and they,ro not happy. body counts still rising. Rescue teams drag yet more bodies from the wreckage With 28 bodies counted as of Thursday morning, police were billion is not a big considera• across the tracks, it was brought advising that the final toll could tion...the public want to be onto the line being used by the be as high as 1 70 once the remi- assured that they have the best Paddington Express. Rumours fly ans of one first class carriage - possible safety system now." that one of the drivers went engulfed by a 1000C fireball - The crash happened at through a red signal, but until a are fully recovered. In response to 8.1 lam at Ladbroke Grove when full inquiry has been carried out it the tragedy, the Government has the 6.03 from Cheltenham collid• will be impossible to determine promised a full scale enquiry into ed with a two-carriage Thames who (if anyone) is to blame - and the safety of Britain's railways. service from Paddington to Wilt• that could still be many months 7 . John Prescott promised that "£1 shire. As the smaller train crossed (or even years) away. FELIX NEEDS YOU !h!s we WE'RE LOOKING FOR WRITERS, REPORTERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, Sei COPY EDITORS, REVIEWERS, SPORTS PUNDITS, ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, PROOF READERS AND SUB-EDITORS NO EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY (OR EXPECTED), PERKS INCLUDE They FREE CDS, VIDEOS, TICKETS AND BEER, AND YOU CAN DO AS LITTLE OR AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE. SO COME AND FIND US IN THE PORTACABINS BY PHYSICS, OR EMAIL [email protected] Career starter kit for highfliers Unilever is offering a limited number of places on two Management Courses to final year students and postgrads. The courses are designed to help you develop analytical and management skills essential to making effective business decisions, as well as giving you an insight into Unilever and its culture. The Technical Management Course, open to students with any engineering or science degree, will be held on 4th - 7th December 1999. The Business Management Course, open to students from any degree discipline, will be held on the 12th - 16th December 1999. Applications must be in by 5th November 1999. For further details contact your Careers Service, phone our hotline: 0541 543 550, or visit our website: www.ucmds.com UNILEVERMANAGEMENTCOURSES Unilever Companies Management Development Scheme 11 October 1999 * Felix Interview | Who Really Runs This Place? In the first of an occasional series of interviews with College's senior staff, Felix interviews Tim Clark and tries to work out what the title Pro Rector (Educational Quality) really means... So, what do you do? to that of the Dean of Students, except that they're happy with what we're doing, I think here I don't have an office. The distinction is that would be very important. Well, I act on behalf of the Rector on matters that here the Pro Rectors have a kind of over• Another target I have before I leave is to educational, and although the title says Edu• arching view over all College activities, but we improve the prospects for learning and teach• cational Quality it's more about the totality of operate through the established machine - but ing, and we're about to set up a centre for quality of the students life, so it's not only the I actually think that that's a good thing educational development which, I hope will quality of their education, it's about the quali• because it means that we can't try to exert our bring together the various aspects of the ty of their life, so halls of residence, the Union, influence through management control, courses we run, to look critically at how our health matters and so on, and I try to act on because we don't have any managerial con• students learn and how we teach, and thus we behalf of the rector, promoting the students trol..