www.thegryphon.co.uk @_TheGryphon Issue 12 17/02/17 TheofficialnewspaperofLeeds University Leadership Race Turnout decreases This year 6561 students voted in the elections for the new Student Exec Page 3 Reshaping the Music Industry StVincent redesigns the guitar to makeitmorecomfortable for women In The Middle, page 4 Student Exec refuse to back NSSBoycott Six Nations Relegation? LUU Student Exec decide not to endorse nationwide National Student Survey boycott Sports debate whether the six-piece tournament needs ashake-up Page 21 Benedict Coltman LUU, said,“We as an Exec have taken ‘baselinequality threshold’, it will theposition that we do not believe a be allowedtoincrease itstuition fees TheLUU student exec have chosen not boycottwillhavethe desiredimpact in step with inflation.Government to endorsethe NUS’ National Student on theGovernmentchangestoHigher projectionspredict that theinflation- Survey (NSS)boycott,acampaign Education; rather that what it will inclusive fees forthe 2017/2018academic whichisattemptingtothwartthe do is very much fracture thestrong year will be £9,250.Other projections government’s planstolinktuition fees relationship andstandingthatwehave showthatfeescould be over £12,000per to teaching quality andthusraise fees with theUniversity, whichallowsusto year by 2020. around thecountry. representstudentseffectively.” Thegovernmentwillrelyonthree Around 25 student unions have joined TheNSS is asurveyfinalyear measures to judgequality of teaching: theNUS spearheadedboycott,including undergraduates areinvited to complete. NSSresults,student drop-outrates,and T2 Trainspotting Manchester student union whichjoined Thedatacollected provides prospective graduate employment.Inboycotting In The Middle reviewthe sequel of the afterthe Student Senate passed the studentsand interested partieswith theNSS,the NUShopes to preventthe cult classic motion with amajorityof90%. independentinformation on higher tuition feeriseand ultimately defeat the In The Middle, page 15 Otherstudentsunionshavealso opted educationinstitutions. TheNational TEF, whichitopposes completely. outhowever,suchasYork student union, Union of Students(NUS) is leading Callsfor theNSS to be boycottedare whichopenedthe issueuptoacampus- theresistanceand theboycott is also causingtensionsinsomeuniversities. wide referendum. 568voted to optout supportedbytheUniversitiesand NSSdataiscompiledbyIpsos MORI, of theboycott,and 379voted to join. CollegesUnion,alargeunion that an organisation independentfrom No suchvotewas held at LUU, with represents universitystaff. universities. It thereforehas respectful theStudent Exec deciding unanimously Underthe government’s Teaching standing andisusedonuniversityopen that theboycott wasthe wrongcourse Excellence Framework(TEF),university days to attractstudents. Universities of action. fees andfunding will be tied to quality have an interest in making sure that Melz Owusu, Education Officer at of teaching.Ifauniversitymeets a Read more on page 2 2 | News thegryphon.co.uk Editor’s Letter: Dear StudentsofLeeds, abouthow journalistsare tooscaredtotweet againstalt-right journalist Milo Yiannopoulosfor fear of evokingthe wrathof As members of Generation Y, hisTwitter mob. Even discarding theseextreme examples, the Contents it’s expectedthatthe internet and Twitterspherecan getoffended at theslightest word outofplace, social mediaare builtintoour theslightest nuance of meaninginterpreted acertain way. They consciousness, almost like asecond mobisalmostimpossibletoplease. 3-7 News language.Unlike ourparents we Emma Watson is aprime example of someonewho hasbeenon didn’t need to learnhow to use thereceiving endofthismob.She haddedicated alot of time these 8-11 Views Facebookand Twitter, we were part pastfew yearstopromoting women’srightsand launchingthe He of itsgrowth.Takingapicture of our ForShe campaign, butreceivedanextensive backlash on social 13-15 Features food in arestaurantisanintegralapartof mediafor her‘whiteprivileged’ feminism,and wasoften branded theprocess as ordering it in thefirstplace,and a‘feminazi’. In allthe abuse,there wassomevalidpoints-her 16-17 Business anight outisn’t anight outwithout adrunken blur of Snapchat campaignwas to an extent whitewashed, exclusiveand in some stories. Socialmedia hassoirrevocably wormed itsway into our ways reinforced existing powerstructures-but herintentions 18-19 Science dailylives itsalmostimpossibletoseparate. were in theright place, andlaunching vitriolicattacks is not the Butabacklashisstartingtobrew, andIforone am keen to join waytogoabout improvingthe dialogue surroundingfeminism. It’s 20 Society themassesturning away from Twitter. 2017 startedwith Guardian gettingtothe pointwhere even postingyourown views(however journalist Lindy West declaring ‘I’veleftTwitter.Itisunusable well intentionedtheyare)onaTwitter accountrequiresathick 21-24 Sports foranyonebut trolls,robotsand dictators’. Thestory caused quite skin.Inaweird,invertedway,Twitter is stiflingdemocracy. astorm on social mediabecauseIthink West’s comments rang If you’repreparedtowade throughthe vitriolicrubbish posted true foralot of people disgruntledwiththe currentstate of social by hateful trolls,orthe do-gooders readytopounceonevery media. slip up,thenTwitter is great. It canbeaforcefor good andhelp GryphOnAir: Admittedly,Twitter is greatfor anumberofreasons.It’san promotesomeworthwhilecauses,but as longasthisculture of open democraticplatformthatallowspeople to have theirsay on a hate spreadingand self-righteousness persists,Iwill struggle Mondays, number of issues,connect with people from acorners of theglobe, to maintain my love forthe platform Ioncehelddear. Debate is 12pm, LSR shareand reacttostories at lightningspeedand exercise freedom healthyand asymptom of aflourishingdemocracy,but aplatform of speech. whichanonymises andnormaliseshatetosuchanextentisnot Butwhilethere is so much good on Twitter, thereisalso so much thebestway to achievechange. CatchThe Gryphon hate.Somuchhate. Whetherit’sfromtrollsdeliberatelyseeking a radio show, GryphOn reaction, or virtue signallers keen topoint outthe faults of others JessicaMurray Air, every Monday to emphasisetheir ownvalues, itsdifficult to escape unscathed. Editor-in-Chief at 12pm on Leeds The NewStatesman’s Deputy Editor, HelenLewis,recentlywrote [email protected] Student Radio Continued from front page students respondtothe survey (iftoo fewstudentsrespond,the resultsare Editor of the Week Credits unusable). According to thegovernment’sWhite Paperonhighereducation reforms, Editor-In-Chief ~ JessicaMurray universities that,under TEF, receivearating of MeetsExpectationsorhigherwill be allowedtoincrease theirtuition fees.AsMeetsExpectationsisthe lowest rating AssociateEditor ~ (the others areExcellent andOutstanding), thenumberofuniversitiesthatwillbe DominicJohnson permittedtoincrease fees in autumn 2017 maybeverylarge. DigitalAssociate ~ MauriceSadler,athird year medical student, expressed concern at the proposed FloraTiley TEF changes. “Pricing universitiesonthe qualityoftheir teachingwill lead to less-affluentstudents deciding to go the lower scoring, cheaper universities, News ~Polly Hatcher, Sarah Berry,Euan while richerstudents willbeabletoafford thebetter andmore expensive Hammond, Christopher establishments. Tobin “TEF seemslike aslippery slopetodividing higher education alongwealth linesentirely,withanend point of thecompletecommodificationofeducation. Society ~ElsaAmri, Bea Warleta Ithinkanyone whobelieves in social mobilitywould be wrong nottotreat the government’s proposals with extreme scepticism.” Features ~Jessie Florence Jones, Hannah Macaulay, Ella Healing Sarah Berry News Editor Views ~RoryClaydon, LiamKerrigan, Jess Sarah worked tirelessly to ensure Readett that the News section of this Science ~Sam week’s issue was completed, even McMaster,Dougie though it almost meantstaying Phillips until the small hours of Friday Business ~Sam Bailey, morning! Matthew Moore Sport ~LukeEtheridge, JamesFelton, John Gibby Design ~Becky Nolan, Frazer Sparham Image: Lisa Murgatroyd thegryphon.co.uk News | 3 Brownleesget Bodington Base £5 million Brownlee Centre will be the UK’s first purpose built triathlon training facility Polly Hatcher Physiology,said“This is areal honour. Having the This year anew £5 million triathlon training base UK’sfirst purpose-built named after Leeds’ very own Brownleebrothers will triathlon centre in Leeds open. willensurethat thecity The University of Leeds’ Bodington playing fields continues to be ahub willhostthe new onemilecyclecircuit, which is one fortriathlon. It brings of thelongest of its kind in the UnitedKingdom. This togetherthe facilities top willbebuilt at the Weetwood Pavilion,which is just athletes need in oneplace overthree miles fromthe University. tocreate aworld class Cyclists of all ages and abilities, including trainingenvironment.” studentsand staffatthe University,and others in At the2016Olympic the community,willbeable to use this six metre- Games in Rio, Leeds widecycle circuitfor eitherrecreation, coaching,or alumni or current competition. studentsmade up the Image: leeds.ac.uk This willalso be theUK’sfirst purpose-built men’s triathlonteam, as triathlontrainingbase and willbecome the first current student Gordon permanenthomefor the Leeds TriathlonCentre. It Benson who studies Nutritionjoined theBrownlee named after two of ourmost successful sportsmen. willprovidestrength and conditioning, physiotherapy brothers. “Our graduates have dominated top leveltriathlon and supportservices to