fb.com/warwickboar twitter.com/warwickboar Wednesday 11th March, 2015 theYourboar award-winning student newspaper Est. 1973 | Volume 37 | Issue 10 However Mr Slater responded, Matt Barker saying: “it sets a dangerous and chilling precedent … I suggest that the University scraps this clause so Warwick University has been as to ensure this never takes place”. Censorship at ranked as red for censorship and The SU’s red rating was based on restriction of free speech, accord- several policies and actions, includ- ing to a Free Speech University ing its equal opportunities policy, Ranking table. the removal of the Sun and the Dai- The rankings, commissioned by ly Star from campus, and the SU’s website Spiked!, employed a traf- campaign launched against Moo Warwick? fic light system to categorise 115 Bar’s allegedly sexist wallpaper. universities. Green rankings were Spiked! criticised an equal op- awarded to universities deemed portunities policy that stated: “The to have a hands-off approach to union, and all of its clubs and so- free speech, and red rankings were cieties that organise events, must given to universities described as be fully satisfied with an agency’s hostile to free speech and free ex- Equal Opportunities policy be- pression. fore contracting any artists on that 41 percent of the universities in- agency’s books. volved, including Warwick, were “If an artist under contract is marked as red. Meanwhile, 80 per- deemed to be racist, sexist, ableist, cent were seen to censor free speech homophobic or transphobic (or not beyond what the law recommends. adhering to this bylaw), that artist Each university was broken should not be re-engaged and the down into the university manage- agency from which the artist was ment body and the students’ union, obtained should be reviewed.” with the overall rating representing Mr Slater said: “If we want to the average result. take on prejudice, we need to take Warwick University manage- it on in debate. How can we hope to ment was given an amber rating, destroy prejudice by simply hiding whereas the Students’ Union (SU) it from view?” was given a red rating. However, Isaac Leigh, societies The rankings were decided from officer and next year’s SU presi- policies and one-off bans or acts of dent, emphasised: “All students had censorship. the opportunity to democratically The main reason stated for the decide whether to lobby the Uni- University management’s amber versity to remove the Sun from sale rating was that, in the University’s on campus. ‘Dignity at Warwick’ policy, the “This is not censorship - it’s definition of harassment includes a campaign which aims to raise ‘displaying material that is likely to awareness and discussion on what cause offence to others.’ is becoming an increasingly promi- Tom Slater, the project coor- nent social issue. dinator, said this clause was cited “There is a difference between a because: “This could mean practi- boycott and a ban – one is a demo- cally anything, and could be used cratic tactic used to effect change, to restrict all manner of speech and while the other is an autocratic, expression.” reactionary measure imposed arbi- Peter Dunn, director of press trarily.” and policy at the University, told The SU also felt that the rankings the Boar: “I am not aware of any as- were limited and “are part of a pub- pect of the University’s ‘Dignity at licity-seeking and politically loaded Warwick’ policy being accused of campaign on the part of Spiked!” being employed in any actual act of However, Mr Slater asserted: Warwick has been ranked red for its ‘restriction alleged censorship. “Censorship on UK campuses has “[The rankings] would appear reached epidemic levels, and it’s not to reflect some of the most ba- time something was done about it of free speech’ on campus sic legal obligations placed on any …Students across the UK are sick public body which would therefore to the back teeth of these patronis- » photo: Vincent Diamante / Flickr make the utility of those rankings ing and illiberal measures.” limited at best”. Continued on page 3 Kick-start your leadership career. Apply now for the Leadership Development Programme or our exciting undergraduate opportunities teachfirst.org.uk/graduates Change their lives. Change yours. TF4187Sponsored The Boar Warwick by: 265x44 Banner.indd 1 23/01/2015 13:39 theboar.org/News | @BoarNews | NEWS 2 2 News theboar.org Card-mageddon: over 1,900 posters swamp campus » Campaign posters on the Piazza Photo: Ann Yip Ann Yip ficer-elect Charlie Hindhaugh, fol- potential ability as a sabbatical of- Creasy and Sports Officer Alex lowed behind with over 160 pieces ficer, is so important. Roberts were also in the lower of circle posters. “I just hate cardboard now.” spectrum with 70 and 40 pieces of Campaigns for Students’ Union sab- The ‘average’ number of cam- Mr Hindhaugh recalled that cardboard respectively. batical officer positions resulted in paign posters for each candidate his campaign “involved sever- Commenting on the amount over 1,900 pieces of cardboard dis- was 92. al trips with armfuls of card- of cardboard used, Mr Pilot tributed around campus, the Boar Candidates with the lowest board to the back of Costcut- said that most of his card- can reveal. number of cardboard used includ- ter, many scoutings out at board was recycled in the The Boar asked each sabbatical ed presidential candidate Stanley Tesco, and a trip to Ikea for end. officer candidate how many piec- Dodd and Democracy and Devel- the quality stuff”. Sam Parr, Welfare and es of cardboard they used around opment candidate Cayo Sobral. However, there was no Campaigns Officer can- campus. The survey did not take direct correlation found didate, described how into account poster sizes and did “I just hate cardboard now” between the number of he tried to cut down on not include posters of part-time of- Luke Pilot cardboard used and votes. weight by using “corrugat- ficer candidates. Three of next year’s elect- ed cardboard... covered by The candidates that distribut- Luke Pilot, next year’s Welfare ed officers used the lowest sheet cardboard on one side”. ed the highest number of posters and Campaigns Officer, who used number of posters compared Andrew Thompson, who were Education Officer candidate 90 pieces of cardboard, comment- to their rivals. Mr Hindhaugh ran for re-election, explained Jasmine Jones and Democracy and ed on the importance of cardboard used 100 pieces of cardboard, how he “tried to be as efficient as Development Officer candidate in campaigning: “I massively un- Democracy and Development Of- possible”. Tom Diamond. derestimated the importance of ficer-elect Oliver Rice used 35 and He said: “I always tried to…get Postgraduate Officer Andrew cardboard, but at the same time it’s Postgraduate Officer-elect Nat at least two out of a box... I used the Thompson, deemed “the cardboard frustrating how cardboard, some- Panda used 65. » A typical sabb candidate’s room three biggest boxes I had to make don of the week” by Education Of- thing completely unrelated to your Elected Societies Officer George photo: Charlie Hindhaugh my six massive circles.” theboar Editorial Team NEWS Ann Yip FILM Paulina Dregvaite Editor Rebecca Myers [email protected] Rosie Hurley [email protected] Andrew Russell [email protected] Samuel Lovett Arthi Nachiappan GAMES Gabriella Watt Deputy Editors Raghav Bali Connor O’Shea [email protected] Joe Baker [email protected] Daniel Cope April Roach Charlie Roberson Sian Elvin COMMENT Hiran Adhia MUSIC Sam Evans Sub-editors Samantha Hopps [email protected] Eloise Millard [email protected] Jacob Mier [email protected] Florence Vane Nour Rose Chehab Grace Rothwell-Williams Hannah Bettison TV Laura Primiceri Shaquille Basar [email protected] Ellie Campbell Helena Green FEATURES Rami Abusamra Sandeep Purewal [email protected] Roxanne Douglas Director of Business Alessandro Presa Jasmine Johnson SCIENCE & TECH Cayo Sobral [email protected] Lauren Bond [email protected] Selina-Jane Spencer Blessing Mukosha Park Head of Sales Pamela Rajadurai TRAVEL Samantha Hopps [email protected] LIFESTYLE Bethan McGrath [email protected] Farah Chaudhry [email protected] Elizabeth Pugsley Maaike Spiekerman Head of Marketing Kate Mant [email protected] ARTS Catherine Lyon PHOTOGRAPHY Ife Akinroyeje [email protected] [email protected] Tom Lord Head of Logistics & Distribution Derin Odueyungbo Alex Sturtivant [email protected] BOOKS Emily Nabney [email protected] Carmella Lowkis SPORT Luke Brown Webmaster Haseeb Majid Lucy Skoulding [email protected] Warren Muggleton [email protected] Sam Nugent Shingi Mararike Get in touch: WE WANT YOU! SUHQ, Floor Two theboar is printed on 100% recycled paper University of Warwick Leave your paper for someone else when finished To write for your student paper University Road Coventry theboar is the University of Warwick’s CV4 7AL editorially independent student newspaper Email the section editors above if produced entirely by and for students. Except where otherwise noted, theboar and the you want to write for the paper works in theboar are licensed under: [email protected] http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk theboar.org/News | @BoarNews | NEWS 3 3 News theboar.org Is there censorship on campus? (cont.) “University Continued from front page “The survey has become so over This ranking also follows inci- ambitious and so complicated in censored dents on campus which include the the information that it requests that On censorship: editor’s note University’s refusal to take part in we are no longer willing to assist s News editor, I would the campaign against Moo Bar’s breakdown the green league, the violence at with the survey in its current form.” like to say that while I am wallpaper last year.