ISSUE 1653 ...the filler issue FRIDAY 20 JANUARY 2017 THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON elix Union helps f with TEF submission PAGE 3 News hang in there The Central Library AC Dream PAGE 5 News Study drugs | Yay or Nay? PAGE 8 Science Why Sherlock why? an analysis PAGE 18 Culture boo How to not fall in love with that Metric hook-up PAGE 26 Millennials 2 felixonline.co.uk [email protected] Friday 20 January 2017 felix EDITORIAL Hang in there kitties lue Monday, alternatively known as the would explain how nobody seemed to care that I was most depressing day of the year, came and being served a jacket potato with chilli con carne and went this week. (Blue like hands without cheese by the Iron lady in her tighty whities.) gloves flaunted at passing strangers on the And if you’ve made it thus far, prepare for the event street. Wait what?) By now you’ve come to of the year (so far) – Donald Trump’s marriage to terms with the fact that you probably spent America during the 45th presidential inauguration in Bway too much money over Christmas. You’ve also Washington. been spending a disproportionate amount of time in But wait. All is not wrong with the world. For starters bed, barricading yourself with every piece of spare kittens and puppies are still a thing. Also looks the linen you can get your hands on, trying to stave off Central Library will be getting some air con! And sure the cold that Snowmageddon has brought. You’re also you might not be getting a cool study space to revise, involuntarily taking part in dry January, because you despair and meltdown till at least September but if caught a nasty bug and are on antibiotics, while at humanity survives till then, at least the Central Library the same time praying that it’s not some untreatable will be cool and breezy. Though if let’s say £13m have superbug you’ve got and that dem sweet meds are failed to fix the library’s thermal regulation we can’t actually working. say we’re particularly optimistic that another £13.5m You successfully emerged from the worst Monday will. blues of the year only to be met with Theresa May, the Maybe we shouldn’t be so jaded though. I mean it UK’s new iron lady, making chilling claims about the was Kim Kardashian who said “Hope dies last. Unless single market, the hard Brexit and the Library Cafe. you’re out of lipgloss. Then there is no hope.” Or (Wait no. I think I dreamt that last bit. I mean that maybe I also dreamt that. Editor-in-Chief | Lef Apostolakis || Deputy Editor | Mattin Mir-Tahmasebi || News Editor | Matt Johnston || Comment Editors THE | Vivien Hadlow, Tessa Davey, Jonathan Masters || Culture Ringmaster | Fred Fyles || Culture Editors | Indira Mallik, , Tom Stephens, Meryl Anil, Anurag Deshpande, Theo Farah || Puzzles Editor | Hamish Beck || Clubs & Societies Editor | Abigail de TEAM Bruin || Science Editor | Lizzie Riach, Ipsita Herlekar || Millennials Queen | Tessa Davey || Millennials Editors | Saad Ahmed, Sanjay Battacharaya, Matt Johnston || Sports Editor | Sam Smith || Illustrator | Nathan Macabuag || Copy Chief | Mattin Mir- Tahmasebi || Copy Editors | Alex Adler, Ipsita Herlekar || Cover | Joe O’Connell-Danes ||Editorial Photography | Fahdi Canavati ||Centrefold | Joe O’Connell-Danes Address | felix, Beit Quad, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BB || Telephone | 02075948072 || Printed by | Ilifee Print Cambridge, Winship Road, Cambridge || Registered Newspaper | ISSN 1040-0711 || Copyright © felix 2016 Friday 20 January 2017 [email protected] felixonline.co.uk/news 3 NEWS felix Union to participate in TEF submission Alex Adler felix reports on the extraordinary Council meeting An extraordinary Union This put the Union in a dif ficult On the other hand, good council meeting was held on position, since it had previously relations between the Union January 10th with the specific adopted a policy not to and the College have been purpose of discussing the support measures that would key to several advances response the student body and result in further fee increases, obtained by the students the Union representing them and against the marketisation in the last few years. The should adopt with respect of higher education: both College is asking the Union to to the upcoming Teaching co-write the TEF submission, Excellence Framework (TEF). a mark of goodwill that The meeting was also \\ This put the enables the students to have an opportunity to discuss a real say (some universities other government efforts to Union in a difficult reduced ‘student input’ to a assess the quality of higher position, since it couple hundred words on the education, with an attempt to submission according to ICU introduce a motion calling for had previously President Nas Andriopoulos). the boycott of the NSS. It was “extraordinary” in the fact that people actually turned up \\ felix adopted a policy After energetic discussions, The motion was rejected the motion mandating the due to having been submitted not to support fee Union to engage with College too late, but the wider theme their funding accordingly. As (currently in the Chamber increases \\ on the TEF was finally passed of student evaluations being part of TEF, every university of Lords) linked the results with minor amendments, in a used to justify cost increases is required to submit a short obtained by universities in the victory for the ICU President hung over the assembly for the document outlining how TEF with new fee increases. stated objectives of the and the Deputy President for remaining of the evening. exactly they ‘excel at teaching’, Fee increases would be HERB. (Imperial was the Education, Luke McCrone. TEF is a new framework with input from students and indexed on inflation, either only university in the country However, the subject of tuition originally established by the bodies representing them. at half the inflation rate for to approve of the 2011 fees is bound to return to the Higher Education and This seems innocuous enough, universities awarded a “meets fee tripling). Therefore, the limelight sooner or later, Universities ministry to evaluate however the introduction of expectations” rating, or at the participating in the TEF could and the Union might have the quality of teaching at the government’s new Higher full inflation rate for the other be seen as infringing on that a tougher time defining the English universities, and adjust Education and Research Bill categories. policy. course of action to follow then. Deputy President Education gives us his side Luke McCrone uring this week’s should continue to be a strong to HEFCE requires institutions opting to rebel against the TEF, extraordinary advocate for the improvement \\ By opting to rebel to measure the impact of for example by boycotting council meeting, of education at Imperial or their teaching, which should the National Student I proposed a whether it should make a against the TEF, encourage academics to be Survey (NSS), we would be paper to seek political stance against the by boycotting the more evidence-based in their neglecting the educational permission TEF. Following discussion, National Student pedagogic approach. TEF experience of 40% of our Dfrom Council to approve the Council agreed that continuing also aims to better inform members, whilst jeopardising following: firstly, for the Union our activity around striving for Survey (NSS), we student choices when deciding our NSS Response, one of to make contributions to educational excellence would between universities by making the Union’s most powerful Imperial’s Teaching Excellence be of greater benefit to our would be neglecting more information about tools in lobbying College on Framework (TEF) submission members than making efforts the educational teaching quality available to educational matters. and secondly, for Council to to rebel against the TEF. prospective students. I am personally pleased at the review the Union’s existing Council members came experience of 40% International students, which final decision made by Union Higher Education Funding to respect that the TEF of our members \\ comprise a staggering 40% of Council and look forward policy. The paper was passed is inevitably going to be our member population, are to continuing work around successfully. implemented and that some not affected by the TEF since educational improvement for The argument ultimately aspects of the TEF, aside from positive implications. The very the inflationary fee rise only all members of this institution. rested on whether the Union the inflationary fee rise, have nature of the submission sent concerns home students. By 4 felixonline.co.uk/news [email protected] Friday 20 January 2017 Friday 20 January 2017 [email protected] felixonline.co.uk/news 5 felix NEWS NEWS felix Imperial to face LSE at City Varsity Lef Apostolakis Central Library to get air con Lef Apostolakis mperial will be taking be featuring matches from O’Donnell, the rivalry with the rivalry with the medics on Hopefully turnout will be appy days. autumn 2017. Phase one saw set in stone and there are still on LSE this year during Imperial’s men’s and women’s medics has simmered down the back burner, Imperial’s high unlike the 2011 inter- Imperial College the Central Library improve on many sign-offs the proposed a showcase event to rugby. This means there won’t over the years and there’s internal Varsity with the collegiate Summer Ball will finally be issues with overcrowding and project needs to pass before take place in March. be any medics playing. When been a great appetite to find School of Medicine will not which suffered a loss of taking steps to limited computer availability; promises are made and plans The event, christened the asked if there were plans to a new rivalry through an be scrapped.