The University of Surrey Students’ Union Newspaper issue 1043 www.ussu.co.uk THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2002 free FUNDING THE FUTURE Second year Turkish-Kurd student punched during unprovoked attack in fast food restaurant The start of the campaign- ing road as we missing 0-000 publish one of -5 Racial attack on student NUS’ posters fee a tuition Paying year will a our of £10,500 of y regarding the the cost A STUDENT WAS punched by three local By Richard Watts increase to £50,000. degree .education your . plunge will it. protect his accept . e! T youths as he sat eating his dinner in a fast funding issues brok . Don’t already hardship You’re into deeper | page 24 you food restaurant in Guildford town centre. compensation. The LIS React The student, who was passing the time department, of which the action. the at a future Take out have shout . students and TION Ensuring DEMONSTRA 4, 2002 don December Lon attacked is a student, has Street, whilst waiting for the bus back to his home Malet tion: orma LOTTIE For inf in Merrow at about 7pm on Monday 14th given him unconditional SPEAKS October, received a punch to the left eye extensions on all of his as he sat down in the lower seating area deadlines for the Law & An interview of Burger King opposite the Friary Centre. European Studies course with the woman The youths immediately fled the scene, but and are considering his who was on that when the police arrived some twenty min- examination arrange- television pro- utes later, they were found loitering outside ments for Christmas. gramme with and were arrested. They were released three The accommodation of- some other girl hours later and are currently on bail. fice have now moved the photo: chris hunter The student, whose left eye was so badly student from his house in and dj | page damaged that he has missed the majority of Merrow to university accommodation over Above: the Burger King fast food restaurant where the 28 incident took place. The CCTV system did not have his lectures since the incident, was origi- in Hazel Farm such that he does not have to any tape recording at the time and so the only possible nally recommended to go to hospital by the wait around the bus stations. evidence was that of any witnesses at the scene of the IN THIS WEEK’S PAPER authorities; upon considering the queues at Speaking to barefacts, the student said that incident. the hospital, however, which that night ap- he is now “worried whenever he goes out” The case is awaiting a trial date for the prosecuted. Compensation for accommodation proached upto seven hours, it was decided and “cannot concentrate on any of his essays that he be taken home. or work because he keeps thinking of what Students from the University of Warwick The case has been brought to the courts happened.” He was adamant that people INSIDE are demanding compensation for privately and, with the help of a three-page statement know about this incident so that they can owned halls News | page 3 from the victim, the three defendents are help to prevent things like this happening It does not need to be said, but racial dis- being charged with a “racial attack.” The again in the future. In the mean time, he just crimination of any sort is simply not accept- I have issues with Barclaycard student is currently seeking moral wants to try and carry on with his studies. able - barefacts believes | p.5 Rich Watts highlights why credit card com- panies are the only thing in this world that annoy him Comment | page 5 barearts survives the apocalypse USSU granted late license Disease wipes out London, but is 28 days Union now selling liquor until 2am on a Monday night out rally a genre-breaker or just a gimmicky The Students’ Union has been granted a 2am the act who was due to play - a Mr Tony load of rubbish? barearts | page 12 liquor licence from the local Magistrate’s Blackburn - had to cancel his arrangement Literature and poetry galore Court for Monday evenings, thus allowing it due to illness. to continue the “Sparkle” evening that was Subsequent applications were turned town More poetry and critical analysis from the launched at the start of semester. by the Magistrate’s court and it is only now literature team as the written word goes USSU Entertainments Manager, Alan Roy, that the night can once again be re-laung- double page spread barearts | page 22 USSU General Manager, Bob Anderson hed. Fetish night and the President, Paul Wright, all went to court last Friday to present the case and The first A review of fetish night and a full page col- were granted t h e evening will lage from barefacts’ very own photographer license uncon- entail a “Wheel funkyberry Lifestyle | page26 ditionally until of Fortune” the end of the style night, in which Stingers win on the road academic year students have the opportu- At the end of the 32 page bonanza lies a 2002-2003. nity to win £400. This will then story of heroicism, shoulder pads and the This license be followed by a reterospective night with American football team Sport | page 32 f o l l o w e d the ganag from “Funhouse.” The autumn the granting of an semester will culminate with the return of Entertainments license, which, “Little Sister” - the Big Brother type game before Friday, had meant that the in which students can compete against each Union was allowed to play music until 2am other for a maximum prize of £700. but had to close the bars at 11pm - the usual closing time. The successful application took place on INSIDE the first available hearing and followed some setbacks that meant the Sparkle evening had barefacts believes that the ents department A still from the impressive firework display at not quite taken off as anticipated. A one-off has a pretty tough job of it and has a thank- Stoke Park on Tuesday. photo: chris hunter license was granted some six weeks ago, but less task trying to please everyone | p.5 2 NEWS 7 November 2002 University “does not prepare Rifts develop over top-up fees By Sarah Butterworth & Philip Howard the government lifts the lid. Of the 17 graduates for work” universities in the ‘1994 group’ – which TOP UNIVERSITIES ARE becoming contains Surrey, just two establishments increasingly divided on the subject of top- have vice chancellor’s who would not MOST STUDENTS FEEL universities fail to By Richard Watts up fees, and the recent delay until January impose higher fees given the green light prepare them for the world of work, a survey of the publication of the government’s from the government. Fees of £10,000 released on Tuesday revealed. US every year. 1,026 students from 25 higher education strategy paper looks set were branded “unrealistic”, though, with While 67% of students said higher education universities in England, Scotland, Wales and to divide them even further. Last week the the figure of £3,000 being a truer estimate of should train people to embark on a career, the Irish Republic were surveyed. Russell Group of elite universities - Oxford, initial costs to students or parents according less than half felt it was successful, the The chief executive of Teach First, Brett Cambridge, Imperial College London, to those surveyed. Both Sussex’ and Essex’ poll by the internet-based MilkRound.com Wigdortz, said: “These results show that University College London, Warwick and chiefs said that they would raise their fees, showed. students would like to be better prepared Nottingham - met to discuss the proposals but both labelled the £10,000+ figures as far Oxbridge students were the least likely to for professional life. We believe that the for a joint approach to top-up fees. Although too high, considering them “way out of line” see a degree as a means to a job rather than experience of teaching in a London school, fuelling speculation that the Russell group and “fantasy figures”. an end in itself, with 39% of Cambridge and combined with business training and were preparing to privatise, the meeting The group that was surveyed – known as 47% of Oxford students saying university mentoring offered to successful Teach First only succeded in highlighting the divisions the ‘1994 Group’ – consists of Redbrick should prepare people for earning a living. applicants, will provide the preparation that within the group. They failed to set the and Sixties universities like Reading, In sharp contrast to these figures, 70% of many students lack and are looking for.” proposed fee levels and some members still York, Durham and Surrey. This group final-year undergraduates at the London NUS National President, Mandy Telford, strongly oppose the introduction of any top represents the views of those smaller School of Economics, King’s College, said: “For the thousands of students who up fees. institutions outside the 19-strong ‘Russell London and University College London said graduate with five figure sums of debt clearly As mentioned previously in barefacts, Group’ – the group of elite universities that degrees should be more work-orientated. getting well paid employment straight after Imperial College are planning to charge historically have bemoaned low funding and The survey also showed that having a family graduation is a necessity. fees of around £10,500, possibly rising to championed higher fees, such as Imperial would not figure in a student’s plans until at “NUS believes that higher education should £15,000 and UCL are looking at £7,000 per College, London.