e Independent Student Newspaper Issue 806 Friday 19th February 2016 Published in Cambridge since 1947 www.varsity.co.uk 3 News: May Week controversies 6 News: Vince Cable interview 18 Culture: e-Luminate 24-25 Fashion: CUCFS Homerton cancels bops after student damage Jack Hggns & Tom Freeman Homerton College has cancelled all bops for the rest of the academic year after excrement, urine and vomit were found after a bop held at the college. An email sent to undergraduates at the college claims that a bop that took place on Saturday 13th February caused damage worth a four-fi gure sum. Both accommodation blocks and the Mary Allan Building (MAB), which houses both the Porters’ Lodge and the college library, suff ered damage after the party organised by the college’s JCR. In the email, the Bursar, Deborah Griffi n, said that the college was “shocked and disappointed” at the stu- dents’ behaviour. “ e HUS [Homerton Union of Students] Committee have worked ex- ‘Positive repatriation process’: Students debated last night on proposals to return Jesus College’s Benin Bronze cockerel to Nigeria ceptionally hard to ensure that these events are safe and enjoyable,” Griffi n said. “However, the subsequent noise and damage caused by some students, in- cluding excrement, urine and vomit found across several of the residences Jesus votes in cockerel row and MAB, is unacceptable.” e damage during the bop, enti- Joe Robnson the committee set forth detailed plans Jesus since 1930 was recovered from He emphasised the need for a “posi- tled ‘Homerton’: e Great Unknown Senor News Edtor for “returning [the Benin Bronze] the royal palace of the Oba during the tive repatriation process” and sought Summer Ball Launch’ which was held to its place of origin”. In it, the argu- ‘Punitive Expedition’ in 1897. to illustrate the mutual benefi t that as a launch event for Homerton’s May ment put forward for doing so was In his opening speech, Amatey might be obtained from the cockerel’s Week event, meant that the college Fierce disagreements broke out in a twofold, with the document claim- Doku, a Sociology fi nalist at Jesus, repatriation. could “no longer safeguard the welfare Jesus College Student Union (JCSU) ing that repatriating the cockerel was stated that the motion called on Jesus After addressing concerns raised by of its students under such circum- meeting on ursday over proposals “both intrinsically and instrumentally members to support not only the re- a Jesus member over where the bronze stances,” the email read. put forward by the Benin Bronze Ap- good”. It claims that returning to the patriation but also for two further cockerel will go – it would reportedly e email, which was sent on preciation Committee (BBAC) to re- “community from which it was stolen” recommendations, as outlined in the go back to the Royal Palace – the op- ursday also accused students that patriate a bronze cockerel to Nigeria. was “just”, and that “the contemporary draft proposals. ese are, as the pa- position to the motion were given the were from other colleges of causing An amended motion was passed in political culture surrounding colonial- per notes, “that the College hosts a opportunity to make the case. damage to the college, but did not give favour of returning the statue, taking ism and social justice, combined with handover ceremony with representa- Nadine Batchelor-Hunt, a second- further details. into account the concerns raised by the University’s global agenda, off ers a tives from the Royal Palace, Benin, year Classicist, began her argument by “ ese were guests of Homerton opposition to the draft paper. perfect opportunity for the College to or the Nigerian Government” and stating that she agreed with the argu- students, who should therefore take a In an 11-page document entitled benefi t from this gesture.” that the “college commissions a new ment that the bronze cockerel... measure of responsibility,” Griffi n said. “Proposal to Repatriate Benin Bronze’, e cockerel that has resided in piece of their choice for the Hall”. Continued on page 3 Continued on page 5 INSIDE: DOUGLAS CARSWELL, REGENI INVESTIGATION PRESSURE, LOAN PROSECUTION THREAT 2 Editorial Friday 19th February 2016 Finding the value in student journalism Last Friday, as another copy of Varsity On Sunday, the Guardian ran a feature international Tab should pay its writers; ed as marketised commodities which rolled of the presses, the news broke online entitled: ‘he Tab picks up busi- that is a topic for ethical relection at Tab must be bought from writers. that as of the end of March the Inde- ness without paying.’ It begins innocent- HQ, and in suitably righteous Guardian pendent will no longer feature as a staple ly enough, charting the rise of he Tab, think-pieces. (As an aside, it is worth When we adopt this second approach to of newsagents’ shelves. As the irst major from Cambridge to international opera- noting that the Guardian has since been the articles which we commission, re- national paper to make the transition to tions. he piece then begins to doggedly accused of publishing articles written by ceive, read, and edit, we abstract them wholly online publishing, in one sense follow a line of questioning about the unpaid interns. Pot, meet kettle, it would from the intellectual value of their ideas. this is a brave step: a leap of faith which fact that some contributors to he Tab seem.) While looking to pay contributors for gambles on the fabled ‘death of print’ are not payed for their work, citing indi- their work is perhaps something which coming to pass. viduals and organisations who have con- What is at stake in this debate is the we feel would be fair and admirable, re- demned this as a form of “exploitation”. essence of student journalism. On the ducing the work which they produce to a his is, of course, a sad moment for jour- one hand, there is the argument (albeit raw material value based wholly on how nalism, and particularly for the art of his is a move which fundamentally a slightly woolly and potentially rose- much of a page it ills – or, in the case print journalism. Newspapers which can misunderstands the state and nature of tinted one) which positions he Tab as of online publication, how many clicks openly wear their editorial independ- student journalism. As he Tab’s execu- the modern-day of-shoot of the long- it generates – is a gross undervaluing of ence on their sleeve are sadly few and far tive editor Joshi Herrmann points out running convention within student print that content. With this in mind, it does between, and it is something of which in the piece, they think of themselves as journalism, according to which writers well to remember that it is the quality of we at Varsity are proud. both “a platform and a publisher”. his is ile articles in exchange for a platform, a a publication’s content which will make exactly correct; although he Tab may by-line, CV points, or even just the fun all the diference to a potential reader as However, this does not mean that other now be a multi-million-pound business, and experience of writing for publica- they decide whether they want to pick forms of journalism do not have value, student journalism did not start out that tion. On the other hand, he Tab’s inan- up a copy, click on a link, or engage in as we all choose to read very diferent way, and in most cases it still does not cial success is being used as evidence in some other way. It is, of course, crucial EDITORIAL things, from very diferent outlets. exist on that sort of scale. Let’s not get support of the counter-argument – that to the survival of any publication not to into the debate about whether the now- the articles they publish should be treat- lose sight of that. E James Sutton [email protected] M E Callum Hale-homson [email protected] B M Mark Curtis [email protected] A E Tom Freeman associate@ varsity.co.uk N E Jack Higgins & Joe Robinson (Senior), Anna Menin & Harry Curtis (Deputies) [email protected] S N C Sarah Collins, Daniel Gayne, Elizabeth Howcroft, Esha Marwaha, Kaya Wong & Siyang Wei C E Ethan Axelrod [email protected] I E Louis Ashworth (Senior) & Steven Daly (Deputy) [email protected] C E James Dilley (Senior), Charlotte Taylor, Anna Jennings & Maya De Silva Wijeyeratne (Deputies) [email protected] S E Nicole Rossides [email protected] E Imogen Shaw & Meg Honigmann [email protected] C E Will Roberts & Katie Wetherall [email protected] T E Eleanor Costello [email protected] F E Laura Day & Vicki Bowden [email protected] R E Charlotte Giford [email protected] M E Michael Davin [email protected] S E Ravi Willder & Felix Schlichter [email protected] I E Alice Chilcott & heo Demolder [email protected] O E Charlie horpe & Ellie Matthews C S-E Imran Marashli P E Simon Lock [email protected] I Ben Waters, Emma Wood, Luke Johnson, Ben Brown V B Dr Michael Franklin (Chairman), Prof. Peter Robinson, Dr Tim Harris, Michael Derringer, Michael Curtis, Talia Zybutz (VarSoc President), Tom Freeman, James Sutton, Eleanor Deeley, Callum Hale-homson, Rebekah-Miron Clayton (he Mays) ©VARSITY PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2016. 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