Magazine p20 Features p16 Comment p10 My Degree: this week Eating disorders amongst Jonny Walker on the the lawyers are under Cambridge students awkward future facing the the spotlight Facebook Generation FRIDAY 5TH NOVEMBER 2010 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1947 ISSUE NO 728 | VARSITY.CO.UK ANDREW GRIFFIN CUSU Varsity survey reveals Co-ordinator silence around elected at last CATHY BUEKER sexual assault Alex Wood, running unopposed, has won the second by-election held this ■ Sexual assault among Cambridge students is in line with term for Cambridge University Stu- national average, survey says dents’ Union (CUSU) Co-ordinator. The fi rst by-election for the posi- ■ Uncertainty persists among students regarding the tion was called in October after the definition of sexual assault original Co-ordinator chosen in the May CUSU elections, Chris Lil- sexual assault. Most notably, Var- lycrop, resigned in August amid OLIVIA CRELLIN & JESSIE WALDMAN sity found that sexual assault among controversy about his radical pro- Sexual assault and rape continue students continues to remain vastly posals for reorganising CUSU staff. to occur at striking rates amongst under-reported: only 1 in 6 respon- In the October election, Luke University of Cambridge students, dents who admitted to being Hawksbee, like Wood, was the only an exclusive Varsity survey has assaulted reported the incident to candidate, but, in the system of revealed. authorities. Single Transferable Voting, failed to According to the survey, which was For the overwhelming majority win enough votes against the option conducted online over a two-week who did not report the incident, the Re-Open Nominations (RON). period, 16 per cent of respondents reasons were numerous: nearly 27 With a voter turnout of 4 per cent, admitted to being victims of sexual per cent said they did not report it Wood won 602 votes, while RON assault and/or rape. because they “didn’t think it was a won 258, in a voting period which The fi gure seems to be in line with serious matter at the time.” Another ran from 8am, on Wednesday 3rd national statistics relating to sexual 11 per cent said that they did not November to 5pm the following day. assault amongst university and col- press charges because they “felt In comparison ,Hawksbee received lege students. A recent survey acquainted with the perpetrator”. 275 votes, to RON’s 286 votes. conducted by the National Union of CUSU’s Women’s Offi cer, Sarah In his campaign manifesto, Wood Students (NUS) showed that 14 per Peters-Harrison, was not surprised stressed his experience as the Sec- cent of female students were sexu- by this trend. She cited embarrass- retary of Trinity College Student ally assaulted during their time at ment and lack of education as the Union from 2008 to 2009 as well as university or college. most likely causes for limited report- being its Services Offi cer from 2009 The survey responses paint a ing of sexual assault, both in the to 2010. Wood also mentioned that he remarkable picture of student atti- University and more generally. was Captain of the First and Third tudes and experiences regarding She added, “It also throws into Lower Boats from 2009 to 2010. question those anecdotal stories of This experience, he wrote, would how students are discouraged from be employed “towards building a Key Findings: reporting incidents as it may be better support system for Univer- ■ Sexual assault is not damaging to the perpetrators’ aca- sity societies and sports clubs”. reported to the police demic record as well as their own.” He also stated that he would ■ One anonymous survey-taker improve funding for welfare by Only a minority of sexual made the following comments: “The “working with the Executive assaults were by strangers response from my college regard- towards securing a block grant for ■ There is a spectrum of ing the issue of sexual assault of CUSU from the University”. sexual misconduct and a student was not good enough – Mystery of Trinity Great Gate revealed CUSU President Rahul Mansi- people have different the victim was told to feel sorry tudents and tourists alike have wondered why the statue of Henry gani said: “Congratulations to Alex for the attacker by her Tutor who VIII on the Trinity College Great Gate carries a chair leg. Varsity got on defeating RON; it is an increas- defi nitions as well as said that the attacker was feel- S ingly rare occurrence. I look forward to the bottom of the enduring Cambridge mystery. SEE FULL STORY ON PAGE 3 varying sensitivities ing picked on.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 to working with him.” Brutal attack on Cambridge vets save Investigation: sexual Tuition fees could rise News Interview: Peter The Essay p12 Sidney student tiger’s life assault in Cambridge to £9,000 Tatchell Why science A brutal, unprovoked attack A team of veterinary experts In an exclusive survey, Var- In a move that is being criti- Renowned human rights is never on a Sidney Sussex student at the University of Cam- sity set out to fi nd attitudes cised as a “tragedy for an activist Peter Tatchell sits last month, which resulted in bridge saved a tiger at the and experiences relating to entire generation of people”, down with Varsity to talk enough the student requiring medi- Shepreth Wildlife Park from sexual assault within the stu- universities minister David about his recent Equal Love Keith cal treatment, has raised life-threatening illness by dent body. Results show that Willetts has announced that campaign which fights to Ward concerns among students performing complicated sur- sexual assault continues to annual tuition fees could rise achieve civil marriage and about safety on streets, par- gery. According to all reports, occur at striking rates, while to as high as £9,000, sparking civil partnership equality for 44 > ticularly late at night and in the tiger has made a speedy remainining vastly under- concerns about higher educa- same-sex and heterosexual areas of low-lighting. ❯❯ p3 recovery. ❯❯ p3 reported. ❯❯ p4 tion access. ❯❯ p7 couples alike. ❯❯ p8 9 771758 444002 5th November 2010 Something to say? 2 EDITORIAL www.varsity.co.uk [email protected] Online this week Established in 1947 SATIRE Issue No 728 Find all this week’s satire Old Examination Hall, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RF online, including Redboy Telephone: 01223 337575 Fax: 01223 760949 Reports NEWS Stay up to date with all the latest news and Sexual assault survey commentary he results of Varsity’s sexual assault survey should 12 per cent had been involved in sexual actions with their be a cause for concern for both students and college perpetrator. Tauthorities. Our survey found that 16 per cent of There is a common misconception that sexual assault respondents had been victims of sexual assault and/or happens primarily in public places and that offenders are rape. These fi gures are in line with national averages for unknown to the victims. Our statistics show that this is not SPORT university and college students but this does not relieve the case. University and college welfare authorities of their responsibility to do more. All results as well as student bodies should be doing more, Cambridge included. articularly worrying is students’ reluctance to report sports comment The view that being in line with national averages is instances of sexual assault in the face of apparent acceptable is indicative of worrying attitudes expressed Pindifference from some college authorities. The in our survey. Only 34 per cent of respondents thought anonymous claim that one tutor told a victim to “feel sorry” that educating men about consent was the most important for her attacker is worrying and shocking. thing that could be done to prevent male-on-female sexual Though it seems crass and unnecessary to state it so assault. In contrast, 44 per cent took the view that provid- explicitly, the damage that sexual assault can do to victims’ ing free night-time transport or rape alarms for women was lives is clearly not being taken seriously enough by some Inside this week the best solution. authorities. This latter view is symptomatic of the opinion that there CUSU Women’s Offi cer Sarah Peters-Harrison has THEATRE is a degree of inevitability to sexual assault, that male atti- complained about a “lack of training in these issues for key tudes can’t be changed and that it is the responsibility of members of pastoral systems” that ought to be addressed Cambridge theatre reviewed and victims to recognise the threat that men may pose to them promptly and fi rmly. rated, plus Edward and to protect themselves against it. As our survey shows, protecting victims is not enough. Herring’s View from The ineffi ciency of this view is made explicit by the fi nd- There are more fundamental problems with attitudes to the Groundlings ings that 71 per cent of victims knew their offender and sexual assault that must be addressed through education. REVIEWS so much that they asked to to start focusing on the Olympic Games is proof of Le ers to the join in. Over ten years later, potential to cement positive that. All the latest reviews, Scriptural Reasoning is a relationships between people including this week’s Jewish-Christian-Muslim text of faiths, rather than solely on Type 2 diabetes can go unde- album releases Editor study practice thriving both our divisions. tected for up to ten years, Sir, inside and outside the acad- so by the time people are emy, and creating strong Miriam Lorie diagnosed around 50 per cent I was delighted to read such bonds of friendship between Cambridge Inter-faith already show signs of compli- a positive interview with its practitioners.