FREE 16/11/00 Issue no: 994 Your Student Surrey Shout Council Pride Reef Interview p3 p6 p20 p9 USSUShuts Down The University of Sussex stu-Tuesday. Although the budget was dent’s union is now back up andpassed at the new meeting, it is running as usual after spendingbelieved that a quorate was reached a week and a half being tem-this time. The sabbaticals were said to porarily disbanded resultingbe ‘very relieved’ at the outcome of the from having failed to reach aEGM, which lasted over three hours quorate at its annual generaland ended a ‘hectic time’ for the team. meeting. The turn-out at the The Sussex EGM came on the AGM was below the minimumsame day as our very own Student required level of student atten-Council meeting in the union, the dance (quorate), which meantdetails of which can be found inside the that the budget for the yearpaper, but did serve as a timely could not be voted through,reminder of the possible consequences leading to no union activities ofof low turn-outs. Our AGM is in any kind. The matter was thenDecember, and the example of Sussex rectified at an extraordinarycould be repeated here without good general meeting on Tuesday. numbers. As it happened a quorate was The AGM, which took place lastreached in this months Student Council week, was carrying along nicely until ameeting, but the minimum level is high-ing a quorate by default. now would make you think that nothing student from the floor asked the chairer for AGMs and was not reached Kevin Marston, vice presidentever went wrong, with no mention of the dreaded question (if a quorate wastoday. for Communications and Marketing,the incident anywhere. How different present at the meeting), it has been This year is not the first timespoke of the importance of attendingthe story could have been. suggested that the chair then asked forthat Sussex’s Students Union has shutthe AGM: “Our AGM is on December the question not to be asked, but thedown after a quorate was failed to be12th, it is imperitave that as many stu-by Luke Hickey. student repeated their question. As areached, a similar incident happeneddents attend as possible, not just so result of this, the chair was forced tolast year. This has led to suggestionsthat the budget count the attendance and answer no tothat a student is in fact asked to ask theand motions, the question. The meeting was immedi-so-called dreaded question if thebut the meeting ately abandoned and the union shut-turnout is not deemed to be acceptable.is also a great down, with no money or minibusesThis then leads to a higher turnout atway of finding being allowed to leave the building andthe EGM, with the student populationout what is cur- no sporting fixtures being allowed to beworried that the future of the union mayrently happening fulfilled. be seriously affected, with no events,in your union It is widely accepted that in thesocieties or sports. Thus indirectly cur-and learning event of a quorate not being reacheding apathy, at least for the immediateabout the work the meeting can carry on as usual, pro-future. being performed viding nobody asks the dreaded ques- The ‘dreaded question’ hasby your sabati- tion. been asked here before, which has ledcals.” After the disbanded AGM, theto a resultant Student Council meeting A quick USSU president, Toby Rumford, andtaking place in the middle of the Unionlook at the his sabbatical team called an EGM forduring a Friday Night Out, thus ensur-USSU website SAS in the House of Commons The start of November saw the dawn ofofficial response from the Primeshowing just how seriously the a new chapter and yet further successMinisters office was received. issue of water quality is now for the pressure group Surfers AgainstSAS’ influence was also reflected inbeing taken. Although asked, no Sewage. an hour-long meeting inside the House.Conservative representatives Over 150 wetsuit clad members fromThe discussion regarded calls forwere present. various different water sports camechanges to the EC Bathing Water Mr Mullin was able to report from all over the country to the HouseDirective. Chairing the meeting onthat the Government is behind of Commons in the biggest Demo sincebehalf of the SAS was Chris Hines andSAS’ proposals and agree that the SAS formed 10 years ago. ThisVicky Garner. Chris Mullin, the Underall water users should be reflects the new direction taken, toSecretary of State sat on the panel onacknowledged by the legislation. campaign for cleaner waters for allbehalf of the Government as did Tom For full report see back page. recreational water users, both at theBrake the Liberal Democrats coast and at inland waters. The ‘SASEnvironment Spokesperson. OtherChops (Sports Editor) Water Alliance’ gave a strong messageLabour and Liberal Democrat MP’s to politicians and for the first time, anwere also present at the meeting, [email protected] News 1-3n Features 4-6, n Barearts 7 - 14n Lifestyle 18 n Sport 19-20 News 2 16/11/00 Editorial Hi ya, only me again....I bet now you getting bored of Editorial Team me writing these editorials, but hey its something for Editorr you to laugh about. Kevin Marston Tomorrow(Wednesday) sees the March Against Deputy Editorr Tution Fees hitting the Capital so look out for photos Luke Hickey and article in forthcoming barefacts. Production Editorr Well thats it for me this week.....seeya around Andrew Thomas Oh yeah.....watch out for the colds/flu stuff going News Team Film Editors around. I’ve managed to catch it again.....Hmmm, I James Buller Sariqa Wagley think i m burning the candles at both ends too much. Arthi Veerupillai Libby Hurt (Not a very good thing to do) Features Editorr Science Editorr Vacant Nick Walsh Music Editorr Sports Editorr Owen Hazelby Dave Chapman Arts Editorr Marketing Team ChrisMorton Ali Danby Ellen van Keulen by Arthi Veerupillai Tunnelling Inferno Contributers Gay Sex Law Ali Danby A weekend ski trip ended in tragedy as 170 people were killed as their cable train caught fire in anOnce again, there was an attempt to change the legal Ellen van Keulen Dave Abbott Austrian mountain tunnel. Some of them were Britons.age for homosexuals to have sex under 18 to 16 Only a few survived, but scared for life as most ofyears. The age was not changed earlier to prevent Susie Westwell Gisela Böhnisch them lost their loved ones in this terrible accident. Itpeople in the “positions of trust such as teachers etc was impossible to physically identify the dead as thefrom taking advantage of their role to have sex with a Tom Sugarman Melanie Wilberforce bodies were completely burned; genetic tests have toyounger person.” be carried to find out the details of the dead. Baroness Young, wants no change as she said “_By Andrew Gale Greensoc Experiments are being conducted on the variouskeeping the age ..at 18, we are protect young 16-year- chemicals found at the site in the hope that it wouldolds from the most dangerous of sexual practices..” MWC Claire Hathway provide some clue to as how it started. Someone hasLord Ali, the gay Labour peer, said, “ Ours is a case of to pay for all this and it isn’t gonna be nice as USprinciple and equality. It is a case of fairness and jus- Rebecca Lambert Stella Webb lawyer Ed Fagan said, “Lawsuits will come”. Finallytice. We are not asking you to approve homosexuali- the search for the bodies have now come to an endty_what I am asking you to do is to remove the penal- Madeleine M Samuel Hardwick but the investigation on whom to blame has just start-ty and weight of the law from young men aged 16 and ed. 17, who consent to have sex with other men.” The & Dr Russ issue of HIV and Aids were raised in the House and Never ending story??? the Government was once again was defeated as the House agreed not to “ place young people in danger”. Will it ever end? The election, which was only sup- posed to last for one day, has gone one for a whole Remembrance Sunday barefacts week now. Democrats say that the some voters failed Union House, University Of Surrey to punch proper holes in the ballot paper. SeveralPeople all over the UK fell silent to mark the moment, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH recounts took place to find out who won, but every“as Britain honoured its war dead.” Thousands of war time the votes totally differed. Now the votes are beingveterans of all religions and cast took part in the Tel: 01483 879275 hand counted. On Tuesday (at time of writing) awreath-laying ceremonies. On Sunday exservice men Fax: 01483 534749 Florida Judge overruled Al Gore’s appeal to recount,and women marched past the Cenotaph, among them email: [email protected] and said to stop the recount today at 10pm thatwas First World War veteran Private Merikizadeki K evening (U.K time), as this has gone too far. TheSsempira, aged 116, who also paid his tributes to the Deadline for Publication results so far are, show that Bush leads and may wellWar heroes. Monday 12pm be the next President of US. Truckers Day Out Submissions Strike!!!!!!!! The day out has finally ended, as the protestors pre- preferably on disk / email in Word 6.0 Format, sented a petition to No10 Downing Street on lowering Text in Arial, size 9 font University lectures are set to strike next month due tothe tax on fuel. The demands were: an immediate min- the level of their pay. A one-day strike is alreadyimum 15 pence per litre cut in fuel duty for heavy barefactsis an editorially independent newspaper, published by the University of Surrey Students' Union Communications Office.