ISSUE 1625 FRIDAY 5th FEBRUARY 2016 The Student Newspaper of Imperial College London Taking a dive into Our name is colonial – we virtual reality should change it PAGE 30 GAMES PAGE 8 COMMENT RAG mag accused of "harassment and bullying" The handout will no longer be distributed after union tells RAG it's "an unacceptable personal attack" Grace Rahman Union President. who do get to see the Mag as-is will Editor-in-Chief FELIX has seen the 16 page realise how absurd the response of handout, which is mainly adverts the Union has been”. for RAG week events, including the 500 copies of the 2000 magazines esterday the union told bungee jump, tunnel tours and the RAG printed have already been RAG its magazine of Valentine’s Ball. There are three or given out around campus. This cost adverts and satire was four pages of ‘satire’ of the union- RAG around £400. “beyond the acceptable hack variety, which (obviously) Alice Gast, the president of bounds of satire or mockery”. RAG we are unable to print here. The Imperial, who wrote a short wereY also warned that the individuals offending piece was a mock diary introduction for the magazine, said involved in writing it could be entry, reminiscent of FELIX today: "This year’s RAG Magazine faced with serious consequences Hangman’s ‘Diary of a Fresher’ is a discredit to RAG’s legacy and to from the college if they continued written from the perspective of the the College". to distribute the magazine as this Union President. "I find the mean spirited approach would be considered “elevated Its writer told FELIX they were to targeting of individuals within harassment”. “appalled” at the union’s decision to the magazine disgusting and am Not banning it as such, the union “censor” the piece. sorry that I agreed to provide a note strongly advised RAG to surrender “I hope that the Union's attempts for inclusion in it". all leftover copies as well as issue to withdraw all copies of the "I’m pleased to see the Union’s an apology to all those affected, uncensored version will not be strong response..." The cover of the offending leaflet. understood by FELIX to be the successful, and that the students continued on page 4 with volunteering opportunities, independence. In an email to the including street collections, singing medical student body this week, in hospitals and other volunteering the ICSMSU president said: “The Medics' Circle Line will opportunities at stops on the Circle history of events has now led to the line. Any student involved will also heads of College questioning why get free entry to the club afterwards. the faculty of medicine should have The President of the Medical its own Students’ Union”. be alcohol free School’s Union told students on continued on page 4 Monday that scrubs may not be Circle Line changes will see drinking swapped for worn in the club afterwards. This comes after students on the Scrubs may good deeds medic boat club’s trip to Leuven were refused passage on a P&O ferry he ICSM Student Union Crawl usually involves a charity has announced to its members that after students were deemed “drunk not be worn has been forced to reign bucket election for ICSM RAG at pub stops will not be an official part and disorderly”. The ICSMSU has in its plans for RAG stations around the Circle Line, as of the event. Any student visiting since banned alcohol consumption in the club week, due to growing well as stops as multiple pubs along one on the day will be doing so on coaches. pressure from the college over recent the way. The night usually ends at “on their own actions, not as an This and other alcohol-related afterwards alcohol-fuelledT bad behaviour. the Clapham Grand. ambassador of ICSMSU”. incidents over the years now The annual Circle Line Pub However, this year, the ICSMSU Pub stops will be replaced threaten ICSM students union’s th PAGE 2 THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON FRIDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2016 felixonline.co.uk [email protected] Contents A word from the Editor Editor-in-Chief News 3 Grace Rahman News Editor Comment 6 ello there! Here we Yes, we could be doing worse things Matthew Johnston are again – it’s pre- on a gap yah – Goldman doesn’t Science 10 election time. Varsity is want to hear about a ski season or Comment Editors Tessa Davey and Vivien Hadlow just a sparkle in Sport six month stint writing poetry on a Arts 13 Imperial’s eye, and campaigning barge in Berlin – but there are also Science Editors is still far from beginning. If the offers that every year tempt some of Jane Courtnell and Lef Apostolakis Film 24 H Leadership Elections were the US the best people for the jobs away to Arts Editors Presidential Elections, we’d all be in more exotic pursuits. Indira Mallik, Jingjie Cheng and Music 28 Iowa right now. Sort of. I would argue that this pursuit is Max Falkenberg Undoubtedly, some people have a noble one, where yes, you really Games 30 been thinking about running for do have a frighteningly big impact Music and Games Editor Cale Tilford quite a while now, and they’ve been and influence. And if you do win, TV 32 planning kitch ways to nab votes people will remind you of that Film Editor since Christmas. That doesn’t mean throughout your tenure (which I Fred Fyles Puzzles 34 you, who occasionally slams a pint find odd, because if you tell me I’m Welfare Editor down at the union exclaiming that big and powerful that’s not going Noor Mulheron Welfare 36 you could really change this place if to shame me into doing what you you were given the chance, don’t still want, I’m going to think I’m the shit Puzzles Editors Hangman 37 have a fighting chance of winning. and probably disregard what you’re decide to run again the next year. Hamish Beck and Roxana Radu Nobody’s paying me to say saying). Often the votes are very close. Food Editor Clubs & Societies 38 this (although I am being paid, If you don’t win? Well, no one Working your arse off for a week Sanjay Bhattacharya indirectly, to say something) but will care except you. You’ll have met talking to people in the library could Sport 39 you should probably consider more people campaigning than you bag you a job. Initially approaching TV Editor Saad Ahmed FELIX, Beit Quad, running.This sounds ridiculous, but did in Freshers Week, and literally people is awful, but you’ll talk to so Prince Consort Road, even if your gut feeling is that you no one will remember you cried in many students who just don’t want Technical Babe London SW7 2BB shouldn’t really do it – that might Metric afterwards when everyone to know that eventually you’ll reach a Luke Granger-Brown Tel: 020 7594 8072 mean you’re the best person for the comes back after the summer. Not higher state of consciousness where, Copy Editors Printed by Iliffee Print Cambridge, job. Although we get accused of it even you. You will genuinely forget. genuinely, you are no longer able to Mattin Mir-Tahmasebi, Cale Tilford Winship Road, Cambridge all the time, us sabbs (cue the tiny Until the person who trumped you experience social awkwardness, and and Tessa Davey Registered Newspaper violins) aren’t really in it for the CV. does something terrible and you that’s a life skill. ISSN 1040-0711 Cover picture by RAG Copyright © FELIX 2015 Letters ISSUE 1623 FRIDAY 22nd JANUARY 2016 In response to Issue 1623 already staggering debt that one whole cover (right), you'll have A question of journalistic integrity accrues to study here. noticed that the maintenance - are we satisfied? This was excused in the ‘a word grants news story was also there. It Th e Student Newspaper of Imperial College London When a news outlet publishes from the editor’ section with lines is important, so we covered it. its findings every week, it has the such as ‘I love medics in all their I take offence at calling this well- Rewinding time in Where have all the opportunity to highlight the most forms’ and ‘one of my best friends researched story "gossip", Daniel! Life Is Strange. maintenance grants gone? important issues facing its readers. is a medic.’ For the more attuned, We contacted multiple sources, PAGE 10 GAMES PAGE 3 NEWS The FELIX stands in a privileged you’ll notice these lines fit the same including the coach company, the position, with a readership spanning formula used by any bigot to address med school, students on the trip, Medic boat club stopped on way some of the brightest young minds their bias since time immemorial. the Dover police and P&O ferries of this generation. It has, in my Replace medic with any minority to corroborate stories, and establish to Belgium for being too drunk opinion, the duty to inform its group and read it back to yourself. the facts. We didn't sensationalise. readers of the most relevant things This was a very poor choice of words As for my Editorial – sweet of you happening at the College, locally which reinforces the perception of a to read it by the way – it hurts most and nationally, that affect us as divide between ICSM and IC. of all that you didn't get my jokes.