FR IDAY, 1ST JUNE, 2018 – Keep the Cat Free – ISSUE 1695 Felix The Student Newspaper of Imperial College London NEWS Imperial slips down Guardian League Tables PAGE 4 MUSIC The perfect soundtrack for your revision PAGE 18 Professor Gast's expenses totalled £43,965 last year // Imperial College London FOOD Imperial President's expenses bill among highest of entire Russell Group NEWS Freedom of Information Group vice-chancellor, Professor Koen Lamberts, expense claims were for Felix taste-tests requests show Professor with the average Russell Vice-Chancellor of the taxis, gifts, and ‘hospital- Fred Fyles Gast last year claimed Group university head University of York, who ity’. on-campus Editor-in-Chief nearly £44,000 in ex- claiming under £10,000 claimed £20,743.20, Other members of instant ramen penses, mainly for travel a year. The next highest under half claimed by senior leadership at Im- abroad. expenses bill came from Professor Gast. perial had a wide range of PAGE 22 Professor Alice Gast The expenses claimed The vast majority of expense claims: Professor last year claimed back are slightly higher than the £43,965 claimed back James Stirling, Provost £43,965 in expenses, the median salary for em- “Professor by Professor Gast was of Imperial, who will ployees at Imperial, and spent on trips abroad: be retiring this summer, TRAVEL one of the highest for come on top of her annual Gast's in 2016/17 she claimed last year claimed under any head of a Russell salary of £433,000. A back expenses for 16 trips £1,500. This included Group university. Felix report earlier this expenses around the world, includ- nearly £500 for office year revealed Imperial were higher ing over £26,000 spent equipment. The furthest rofessor Alice spends more on senior on three trips to America. trip he claimed for was a Gast, President staff salary than any other than the She spent a further £6890 visit to Cambridge. of Imperial Russell Group university, on a trip to India, and The three Vice-Presi- College London, with key management average salary over £7000 on trips to dents of Imperial – Sarah Plast year had one of the personnel receiving £5.6 other countries in Europe, Waterbury, Vice-President The best largest expense claims million last year. for Imperial including a visit to Davos, (Advancement); Luke UK seaside of any Russell Group Professor Gast’s College staff” where she spoke on Blair, Vice-President destinations head, Felix can reveal. expense bill is one of the ‘Maintaining Innovation’. Data obtained from highest for any Russell The remainder of her Cont. pg 3 PAGE 24 FR IDAY, 1ST JUNE, 2018 FELIX FELIX ISSUE 1695 EDITORIAL NEWS [email protected] CONTENTS EDITORIAL 2 The end of days… Professor Gast's £44,000 expenses bill included over NEWS 3-5 les – Felix E COMMENT 6 or many of the Fy dit do so, we’ve moved a bit team this year, ed or further away from when The Felix Team £26,000 on trips to America Fr SCIENCE 8-9 the Felix Office we started, and a bit closer has become a sort to the end of the year. It Editor-in-Chief Cont. from front ARTS 10 Fof refuge – a place they feels bittersweet. Fred Fyles • can come to chill out, This year has gone by Deputy Editor (Communications and BOOKS 11 or to work; where they incredibly quickly, but Joanna Wormald Public Affairs); and have unlimited tea and when I look back at when • Professor David Gann, FILM 13 coffee; and – recently – we first started, what I am News Editor Vice-President (Inno- where people have been amazed by is how little I Joanna Wormald vation) – claimed over GAMES 14 • £43,965.01 sleeping after pulling knew our editorial team. Politics Editors £18,000 between them, Vice-chancellors within the Russell MUSIC 18-20 an all-nighter to revise. So many of our section Avirup Banerjee with a significant propor- Group had a wide range of expenses This week, it’s become and copy editors are new Divyen Vanniasegaram tion spent on visits abroad. • for the year 2016/17. Professor Alice FOOD 22-23 a refuge from something this year, and before Sep- Comment Editors A spokesperson for else: the weather. While tember I didn’t even know Alan Perfect Imperial College London Gast, President of Imperial College TRAVEL 24-25 it might be blisteringly most of their names. How Charlie Titmuss told Felix it was “vital that London, had one of the highest bills hot, unbearably muggy, or things have changed: this • senior staff can build and LIBERATION 27 skin-drenchingly wet out- year the editorial team Science Editor strengthen relationships in the Russell Group, mainly for Rosie Dutt side, in the office we’ve have been like a family, • with industry, academic international travel HANGMAN 28-29 got the A/C on full blast, and I will genuinely miss Tech Editor partners, government, and are luxuriating in its seeing their faces every Tom Mrazek philanthropists, and C&S 30 cool puffs of air. single week when I return • alumni.” Arts Editors PUZZLES 31 I know it’s a stereotypi- thunder and sheets of rain to bear. to my studies next year. Indira Mallik They went on to say: cally British phenomenon feels apropos, since we At Felix, we’ve only got And, on that note, I JJ Cheng “All senior staff play a SPORTS 32 to talk only about the are coming to a sort of two more issues left after want to offer an invitation Adam Gellatly role, but President Gast weather, but have you ending: for many of you, this one – the culmination to all of you: you are • has a particular respon- been outside this week? It exam season has either of a year of producing welcome to get involved Books Editors sibility for safeguarding JJ Cheng feels like wading through already finished, or is papers that have covered in producing Felix. It’s a the College's financial Alice Peberdy £20,743.20 a steam room, with close beginning to wind down; all the latest developments student paper, produced • future and maintaining hot air clinging to your many of our editorial on campus, from the UCU for students, and created Music Editors academic excellence and clothes, pressing down team have been counting strikes through to sexual by students. It’s your voice Andy Djaba is expected to give greater Felix Office Adrian LaMoury £16,763.59 Beit Quad, Prince Consort on you. And if it’s not down the days until their misconduct scandals. And we want to represent, but Henry Eshbaugh emphasis to Imperial’s Road tropically humid, the last exam desperately, along the way there’ve we can’t do that without external relationships, de- London, SW7 2BB • air is being rent by great anxiously awaiting the been plenty of centre- your involvement. We’re Film Editors velopment and fundrais- Tel: 020 79548072 flashes of lightning, as the time when they can stop folds, Hangman articles, a friendly, welcoming Mikhail Demtchenko ing. She regularly travels Email: [email protected] downpour of rain reaches spending all their time at and puzzle sections to bunch – there may even be Ashley Luckyram abroad to raise Imperial's Mark Aduol £11,273.52 felixonline.co.uk biblical proportions. It Central Library, and are keep you entertained. some cake for you in the international profile, forge @feliximperial Michael Purdy feels uncomfortable and instead free to spend all We’re still using the office – so, if you’ve got • new partnerships, and Printed by Mortons Media strange, like there’s some their time at the Union layout templates from our any questions about how TV Editor host meetings with key Group, Boston Road, Andrew Melville Horncastle, Lincolnshire kind of impending apoca- downing pints. And yes, first issue, meaning every you can help, or want to figures, including alumni lypse waiting to sweep us I know some of you still week we need to change join the most wholesome • and philanthropists.” Registered Newspaper Games Editor ISSN 1040-0711 all away. haven’t even exams yet, the date from September society in Imperial, you Saad Ahmed All this booming but we’ve all got our cross to today – every time I know where to go. • £3,229.69 Copyright (c) Felix 2017 Food Editors “On average, Alice Davage £891.70 Andrada Balmez £27 £0 • heads of Travel Editor Russell Group Felix is recruiting! Edita Pileckyte • course of 2016/17. Other claims for 2016/17. Pro- first and business class. findings, Robert Halfon claims: some Russell Puzzles Editor universities Hamish Beck high spenders, aside fessor Sir Keith Burnett, Vice-chancellor MP, chairman of the Group institutions, such • claimed back from Professors Gast and of the University of Shef- expenses hit the news Commons Education as the University of Sports Editor Lamberts, included Pro- field, claimed for a single earlier this year, when an Select Committee, com- York, publish all their Imraj Singh £9,578 last fessor Stuart Corbridge taxi journey last year, investigation by Channel pared the situation to the vice-chancellor’s expense • of Durham University, which cost £27. 4’s Dispatches pro- MP expenses scandal claims on an annual basis; Head Photographer year” Joseph O'Connell-Danes and Professor Dame A report from the gramme found university of 2009. He called on others, such as Imperial, • Janet Beer of the Univer- University and College senior management had universities to publish in- do not make this informa- Centrefold sity of Liverpool. They Union (UCU), published claimed nearly £8 million formation on the expenses tion publicly available.