The Stag - Issue 71
Content
Newspaper of the students of the University of Surrey
All things spring! Societies
Come to The Stag AGM on Monday 12th
and Features make the most of the new season
May in 05A 05AC03 C03 year’s at 6pmteam! at to be a part of next
NEWS Union Vote Shakeup? The Students’ Union may be making a change in the way we elect sabb and part-time roles - Page 3 OPINION & ANALYSIS Is this a Christian country? A debate about the comments made by David Cameron - Page 8 FEATURES Library spotting An Attenborough-esqu Attenborough-esquee study of the characters of the UoS Library & Learning Centre - Page 11 SCIENCE & TECH Are beards hot or not? A study suggests that the clean-shaven look is more attractive - Page 24 LITERATURE 50 Shades of Jane Austen Is it okay thatclassics some ofhave the 19th century been transformed into erotic ction? Page 25 SOCIETIES Surrey and we know it Enactus and Gospel Choir have been competing hard recently - nd out more on Page 34 SPORT Doping dramas The frequency of drug scandals threatens to undermine the spirit of sporting Page 35
Issue 71 – Tuesday 6th May 2014
Inside:
The Guildford Flasher
Who wants to be on a beach this summer?
• Police urge witnesses to come forward over asher reports • Incidents described as “distressing...for the women involved” By Emily Smart, News Team
urrey Police is appealing for
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connected.
witnesses after a anumber of women have reported man who was seen indecently exposing himself in the Guildford Guildford area. Police are on the look-out for a man, described as ‘white, aged in his late 50s, of chubby build with short hair’, who has reportedly been ashing himself to a number of women between 16 February and 21 April. The latest incident occurred between 7:15 and 7:30pm on the Easter bank holiday weekend. A man was seen standing in Warren Street exposing himself, just two miles from The University of Surrey campus. Several female joggers were in the area at the time.
Road and Epsomwhere Road are Warren among the list of locations a man has been seen naked from the waist down. Detective constable Nicola Bartholomew said: ‘These are clearly distressing incidents for the women concerned and we are appealing to anyone who may know who this man is, or with any other information, to come forward to help us catch him. ‘We are carrying out a thorough investigation to nd out who this man is and I would urge anyone else who believes they may have been similarly targeted, to come forward and report it to us.’ If you can help, contact Surrey Police on 101 quoting crime reference 45140031768 or, if you
Policeincidents have also in received reports of other the Guildford area, which they believe to be
prefer remaincharity anonymous, call the independent Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
WIN festiv festival al tickets t ickets
d 1 v 4 d : r k c i l F ©
THE STAG IS GIVING AWAY TWO TICKETS TO ONE OF THE BEST FESTIVALS IN EUROPE:
BENICASSIM! Find out how to enter the competition on Page 6
Young Kato interview
Caffeine truths
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EDITORIAL
The Stag | 9th December 2013
[email protected]
AGMs aplenty aplenty Editor | Nicole Vassell [email protected] Deputy Editor (Head of Design) | Paul A Richmond [email protected] Design Team | Sophia Field, Hannah Kaine, Josie Pullen, Candice Ritchie, Alice Wilkinson Deputy Editor (Marketing) (Marketing) | Matilda Tasker [email protected] Marketing Team | Vacant News Editor | | Shunayna Va Vaghela ghela [email protected] News Team | Emily Smart Opinion and Analysis Editor | Sam West [email protected] Opinion & Analysis Team | Dan Davison, Joshua Langley, Katie Sands, Anastasia Ulyanova, Ting Wei Features Editor | Rebekkah Hughes [email protected] Features Team | Sean Burby, Ardy Che Cheung, ung, Daniel Gautrey, LLily ily Pearson, Jas Smith Science and Technology Technology Editor | Siobhan Harris [email protected] Science and Technology Technology Team | Fahmid Chowdhu Chowdhury, ry, Li Sa Choo, Francesca Gillard Dance and Theatre Theatre Editor | Ambar Parker Moreno [email protected] Film Editor Editor | Sophia Field [email protected] Film Team | Joshua Langley, Jim Onyemenam Music Editor | Candice Ri Ritchie tchie [email protected] Music Team | James Campbel Campbell,l, Kyra Hanson Literature Editor | Shiri Shah [email protected] Literature Team | Joseph Harrison, Emma Hawken Societies Editor | | Alice Wilkin Wilkinson son [email protected] Sports Editor | | Santiago Avilés [email protected] Web Editor | | Alistair Walker [email protected] Copy Editors | | Laura Ball, Oliver Go Gosling, sling, Harriet Knight [email protected]
By Nicole Vassell, Editor
Over the next fortnight, many sports clubs and societies will be holding their Annual General Meetings, in which round-ups of the year’s successes will be discuss ed, along with plans and ideas for the future. However, the most pressing of matters dealt with is the election of the new teams for 2014-2015. I’ve attended my fair share of AGMs – I’ve been on The Stag team since my rst year back in 2010, and I’ve had many different roles – from Copy Editor, to Features Editor, to Head of Marketing before nally being elected as Editor in December 2013. It goes without saying that The Stag has been a major part of my Surrey experience, and I would highly recommend running for a position. The rst clear benet that I have to point out is, of course, the illustrious boost it can give to your CV. How better to back up stock terms like “reliable”, “responsible” and “team player” than with the hard evidence of running a club or society? Extracurricular activities can be a real help for a career in a similar sphere – for example, alumn i of The Stag have gone gone on to write for national and regional newspapers and magazines. You’re more than likely to learn something useful that your course doesn’t necessarily teach. Since being on The Stag, not only have I improved my writing skills, but I’ve learnt how to use InDesign and Photoshop. Plus,
The Stag Team say cheese before heading off to Citrus
when you take on a larger role in your group, you are forced to get yourself more organised = more organisation in your studies! (Sometimes.) But more than this, plain and simple, societies and clubs are fun. You’re surrounded by people with similar interests to you – be that creative, academic or physical – which gives ample opportunities for unforgettable times. Though your degree is a main priority, the university experience as a whole is about more than your course. The three, four or more years you spend here will move faster than you’ll imagine – so many memories can come from the time you spend running a society or sports club. Though prior involvement can be a plus, AGMs are open to any student who wants to participate – old and new
faces alike! You’re only at university for a short amount of time, so don’t let the fear of standing up and trying stop you – you could be missing out on a great experience.
The Stag AGM will be on Monday 12th May at 6pm in 05AC03. If you’d like to be on the team next year, come along and run! All positions are up for grabs:
Editor • Head of Design • Head of Marketing News Editor • Opinion and Analysis Editor • Features Editor • Science and Tech Editor Music Editor • Film Editor • Dance and Theatre Editor • Literature Editor Societies Editor • Sports Editor Webmaster Designers Copy editors If you want to know more, get in touch – all contact details are on the left!
Letter from the Editor
H The Stag is an editorially independent newspa newspaper per and is published by the University of Surrey Students’ Union. The views expressed in the paper are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the editorial team, the Students’ Union or the University of Surrey.
Trinity Mirror (South) St. Albans Road, Watford WD24 7RG The Stag reserves the right to edit all submissions and the right to decide which articles are published.
ey everyone, Welcome back to campus and to another issue of The Stag! It feels like I say this a lot, but time is really moving fast – it’s May already. Despite what the very modest temperatures outside would indicate, there’s only six weeks until campus
goes into leave hibernation the majority students for theas Summer breakof *turns on Madonna – Holiday* Personally, I know that it ’s going to be so nice to not feel the too frequent panic of all-nighters just before an essay deadline – instead, I can spend the wee hours on Wikipedia, searching the
important things, like the differences between porcupines and hedgehogs. The approach of summer also means that festival and holiday season is coming up. Have you got your tickets yet? If not, never fear – I’m really excited to announce that this year, The Stag is giving away two tickets to Benicassim Festival! Find out how to win on page 6. However,obstacle before course we reach summer, there is the inevitable of exam season. Everyone’s beginning to up the ante and work that much harder to secure those high grades – look out for spring focus tips and a caffeine special in Features. Let’s make this nal push count! Until next time, Nicole
News Editor: Shunayna Vaghela
The Stag | 6th May 2014
NEWS
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Union Voting Shakeup? By Nicole Vassell, Editor
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he University of Surrey Students’ Union will suggest a change in the voting system used in campus elections at the upcoming Annual Members Meeting. As it stands, the method used by all higher education unions is the Alternative Vote (AV). However, USSU will soon propose a shift to First Past The Post (FPTP), the system in use in UK parliamentary elections. Under AV, voters rank each candidate in order of preference, as was the case in the sabbatical and part-time elections in February. If no-one wins with a 50% majority in the rst round, the last placing candidate is eliminated and the remaining votes get redistributed among the other remaining candidates. If, after this, no-one has reached the 50% majority mark, the 2nd least popular candidate gets eliminated, with his or her votes distributed again amongst the remaining contenders. This process is repeated until someone reaches the 50% mark. In comparison, the FPTP system entails favouring one single candidate. Also known as ‘simple majority’, whoever receives the highest number of votes will win the election. In May 2011, there was a nationwide referendum asking whether UK voters wanted to change how MPs are elected in General Elections. Out of 19 million respondents, 67.9% decided to retain FPT P voting. The proposal from Surrey’s Students’ Union, published Friday 2nd May, states a belief that “AV will never be adopted for general elections”. Interestingly, 57 of the 58 cross campus elections since 2010 would have had the same outcome if FPTP had been used instead of AV. The Union states: “The adoption of FPTP in Union elections would have no effect on the outcome, but the simplication may increase voter participation. It is important for every possible area of the election process be looked at for improvement.”
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Voters choose only one candidate with First Past The Post
If the majority of union members vote in favour of changing to FPTP, the University of Surrey Students’ Union will be the rst and only higher education union in the country not to use Alternative Voting. To have your say on this, and many other Surrey student issues, the Union AGM will be on Thursday 15th May at 6pm – the location will be conrmed in due course.
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NEWS
The Stag | 6th May 2014
[email protected]
LIFE AFTER SURREY
Supporters raise over £10k by abseiling down Guildford Cathedral
Inaugural Grad Sport 2014: celebrating celebratin g sport at Surrey
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Rachael Lowe - Alumni and ome and cheer on your Development Ofce
student teams when they take on our alumni at our rst ever Grad Sport. The Forever Surrey Alumni and Development Ofce, together with the Students’ Union and Surrey Sport Park, are hosting the University’s inaugural alumni vs students sports day on Saturday 17th May. Alumni A lumni have been invited back to relive their student sporting days and to ofcially become members of Team Surrey. The fun-packed day will run on a similar format to the Varsity Day but this time involves competitions between current and former students, with 14 sports featured. It will culminate i n a formal prize-giving for winning teams. There will be a lunch-time BBQ and, in the evening, there will be a screening of the FA cup nal in the Bench Bar and a continued party at the Students’ Union.
s w e n y e r r u s ©
Always a popular event: a fundraiser abseiling down the Cathedr Cathedral al in 2011. By Candice Ritchie, Music Editor
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group have raised more than £10,000 in sponsorship money by abseiling down the 160ft tower of Guildford Cathedral. The charity abseil, which took place on Saturday 26th April, was in support of the Cathedral’s Make Your Mark fundraising campaign, in an attempt to raise money towards the £7million needed to repair the building and ensure its survival. By August 2014, £1.3mmust be raised, which will allow the Cathedral to apply for a £4.5m grant from theinHeritage Lottery Fund. members Partakers the abseil included of the Surrey Advertiser team, including chief reporter Nick Edmondson and reporters James Watkins, Jennifer Morris and Matt Strudwick. Guildford Mayor, Diana Lockyer-Nibbs also did the drop, as did Cathedral Dean, Dianna
Gwilliams, and Vice President of Surrey University, Greg Melly. Despite a few showers, the Cathedral’s enterprise director, Caroline Simcox, said that the weather had largely been pleasant for them, and that they had a great day. She went on to say, “The abseil is always a popular event because there are some fantastic views from the top of the cathedral and people are always keen to take on the abseil.” And some were even inspired by the event to take on higher abseils. Mrs Lockyer-Nibbs said that it abseil wasn’tdown high London’s enough, and that she would like to The Shard. To donate towards, and to nd out more information about the Cathedral’s Make Your Mark Campaign, visit: https://www.guildfordcathedral.org/makeyourmark?highlight=370.
More UK students to study abroad ccording to the British Council, the number of UK students willing to study abroad is increasing rapidly. A survey of over 2,500 students established that the
overseas. Rising tuition fees in the UK have been the main contributing factor, with 57% of students polled stating it had affected their choices in Universities. The poll also showed the predominant academic reason
those offered in the UK. The USA, Australia and France ranked amongst the top destinations for UK students to study abroad. Dr Jo Beall, the British Council's Director of Education and Dociety, said: "It is
number students that would considerof a degree overseas had almost doubled in percentage in comparison to just a year ago. There seems to be a number of factors that are driving more and more students to study
was to gain eld of choice, ascredit well asina their chance to improve their language skills. The British Council found the prevailing non-academic reason was the opportunity to travel overseas and gain different life experiences to
essential for the UK's competitiveness that global our next generation gain more international skills and understanding, so it's very encouraging to see that more UK students are considering studying abroad.”
By Shunayna Vaghela, News Editor
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For further information, please visit www.surrey. ac.uk/gradsport. Any current students wishing to take part should speak to VP Sports & Recreation, James Love Lovell, ll, on 01 01483 483 6899 689981 81 or email ussu.sports@ ussu.sports@ surrey.ac.uk
News Editor: Shunayna Vaghela
The Stag | 6th May 2014
Pearce Re-Elect e-Elected ed as NUS President
NEWS
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CAREERS COLUMN
By Shunayna Vaghela, News Editor
oni Pearce has been re-elected as President of the NUS during this year’s National Conference. Pearce formerly held the position of Vice President of Further Education, and last year became the rst NUS President not to have attended University. She won the 2014 election with a majority of 62% of the vote. Pearce’s manifesto prioritised ending exploitation in the workplace, ending student poverty and promoting women in leadership. After reminding delegates of previous NUS campaign wins, such as scrapped fees for apprentices, Pearce urged members to recognise that change is tantamount in the year of a general election. Pearce declared her vision of “a student movement that’s more representative than we’ve ever been. A student movement that listens.”
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During the Students’ Union election period earlier in the semester, Ms Pearce visited Surrey and appeared as a special guest on the third night of Surrey Decides: Question Time.
Charity Pool-a-thon in Guildford By Chris Lucas, Contributor
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he weekend of the 10th and 11th May sees Guildford Guild ford Rileys and the West Surrey Pool league host a 36 hour non-stop pool marathon to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Starting at 9am, the event will see eight players continuously play pool for 36 hours. Of the eight players participating in this chal lenge, three represent the University of Surrey, including the fans favourite Gurpal Cheema. The players will need more than caffeine and alcohol to get them through the weekend
so why not come down for a few hours and support them? Both charities work tirelessly to improve the lives of thousands of people each year, relying heavily on fundraising from events such as this. Everyone is welcome to take part in the side competitions run over the weekend, including speed and killer pool. Each being £2 entry with 50% going to charity and 50% to the winner. Come down, bring some friends, and help support a good cause whilst having fun.
Any support or donations are greatly appreciated. Donations can be made online at: http:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/poolmarathon
By Sarah Kendall, Hannah Roberts and Alex Tromp, Careers Ambassadors
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elcome back! We hope you had a restful break and have managed to enjoy some of the recent sunshine! The Careers Service has been open for the majority of the Easter holidays, however for those of you who are yet to secure a placement, graduate job or would just like general advice before the stress of exam season is upon us, just a reminder that the Careers Service is open as usual; Monday – Friday 9-5pm and everyone is welcome to drop by. As usual, we have a packed events schedule planned for the forthcoming weeks with a vast array of employers - make sure to check out the Careers website to book your place. ht tp:/ tp://www.surrey.ac.uk/careers/. /www.surrey.ac.uk/careers/. In addition to our usual employer events, we also have our annual summer Careers Fair taking place on Wednesday 28th May from 14:00 until 17:30 in a marquee on PATS eld. eld. 70+ exhibitors wil l be attendi ng, including Allianz, Estee Lauder, Hay, Targets Jobs, the Department for Education and the University of Law. The full list of conrmed exhibitors can be accessed on the Careers Service website. Open to students of any academic year who are wanting to meet with employers, establish relationships, are looking for a summer job or want to gain clarication on which direction of eld you would like to work in, the Careers Fair is the place to do that before the lengthy summer holidays commence. A few of the company representatives will be graduates, who have likely undertaken a placement year themselves, so be sure not to m iss the opport unity to talk a bout any career anxieties or worries as they will be able to relate! We’d love to know your opinions of the Careers Service. What’s been your favourite event o f the acade mic year or how can we i mprove? Please let us know by dropping into the service or alternatively email us at [email protected]. Thank you for reading and we look forward to seeing you in the Careers Service or at the summer Careers Fair!
* COMPETITION * Win Tickets to the Benicassim Festival! In the summer of 2014, Benicassim, one of Europe’s biggest and best festivals will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. To celebrate, The Stag is giving away two tickets to the event, which includes the four day festival along with eight days at the campsite! For your chance to win, we want to see how you’ll be reading The Stag on the beaches of Benicassim. HOW TO WIN: 1. Create a beach scene scene featuring a copy of The Stag 2. Take a photo 3. Post it to The Stag’s Facebook page 4. Get as many likes as possible! The photo with with the most most likes by by 23:59 on on Monday 26th May will win the tickets. GOOD LUCK! d 1 v 6 d : r k c i l F ©
Situated in the Spanish city of Benicassim, the festival is known worldwide for its young crowd, the beach parties that last all night long and for always having a stellar line-up - and this year is no exception. Headlined by Kasabian, this year will feature the likes of Paolo Nutini, Lily Allen, Chasemore, & Status, MIA,this E xample, Example, Tbest empah, Ellie Goulding and many making one of Tinie their Tempah, line-ups yet. Though the festival runs from the 17th to 20th July, the site is open from Monday 14th for four days of early camping fun! Sea, sun and sound - this July, there’s no other place to be!
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OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Stag | 6th May 2014
[email protected]
Opinion & Analysis DEBATE: Is England a Christian Country?
Cameron, We Are Not A Christian Country Katie Sands
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his Easter, David Cameron called Britain a ‘Christian country’. He told the Christian Times that “we should be more condent about our status as a Christian country, more ambitious about expanding the role of faith-based organisations, and, frankly, more evangelical about a faith that compels us to get out there and make a difference to people’s lives”. His statements have divided, brought forward critics, and even led to a group of 50 prominent individuals (ranging from actors, scientists and philosophers to comedians) to sign their names on an open letter in the Daily Telegraph. The letter’s message argued that the UK is largely a “nonreligious society”, stating that “most British people…do not want religions or religious identities to be actively prioritised by their elected government”. Concerns were also raised that his public statement alienates other religions and beliefs in our society. By prioritising Christians, we are denying Britain’s growing cultural diversity the appreciation and respect it deserves. Freedom of belief cannot be fullled whilst one religious group receives preference and help from the government, and others do not. Inequality in the treatment of religious groups is a dangerous and undemocratic move, and I
disapprove of Cameron for being so old-fashioned about the issue. Statistically, the 2011 census in England and Wales reported that 59.3% of the population dene themselves as Christi an, a decrease in 17.8% from the 2001 census. A quar ter of people answered that they had no religion at all, alongside 7.2% opting not to answer the question. Here we can see that the reality of British religion is far more complex than the Prime Minister has acknowledged. Britain, I would argue, is in fact slowly following the likes of Sweden to become an ‘irreligious country’, and moving away from the traditional church (England alone was forced to close 1,500 churches between 1969 and 2002, due to issues such as low attendance levels). If we were a Christian country, our laws relating to abortion, same sex marriage and the teaching of homosexuality would not be what they are today. The University of Lancaster conducted a survey in 2013 on the beliefs of British Catholics in relation to their spiritual leaders. According to the survey, only 9% would feel guilty using contraception and just 19% would support a ban on abortion. The fact that these citizens still consider themselves Catholic is likely to reect a cultural attachment to religion, rather than a faith-based following. Christianity will always be part of Britain's cultural history, but its effect on our religious beliefs and daily lives is becoming more and more distant. Cameron’s sudden willingness to put his personal faith into politics can cynically be seen as being voiced at a time where Christian supporters of his party may feel disillus ioned
with Conservative policies. The party’s implementation of gay marriage laws were not welcomed by some Christian voters, and it seems the party is worried the move may lose them votes in future elections. His statement also puts forward the worrying assumption that charity work is a Christian vocation, with Cameron’s promise to fund more Christian charities. Christian groups contribute some invaluable charity work to Britain, but it seems ludicrous to exclude other religions and nondenominational organisations from extra government support, purely because they don’t adhere to a particular faith. He seems to be endorsing the age old myth that Christianity and morality are inseparable terms. Christian morality can offer some great guideli nes such as love, ccharit harit y and respect. Yet these values are perfectly capable of being followed regardless of a belief in God (or a Christian God). In fact, Humanist, Muslim and non-denominational charities (to name but a few) can be just as charitable and contribute to communities, and do not deserve to be side-lined because of not being in the majority faith. I am not trying to argue that the presence of our Christian history isn’t felt in modern Britain. We are still a Christian State whilst there is a Church of England and Bishops sitting in the House of Lords. However, I do believe that we are in a period of disillusionment with the churches’ connection to the state, and it is foolish to disregard the distance between Christi anity and our modern day lives. As a nation, we should acknowledge and celebrate the religious diversity in British culture, rather than clinging to our Christian past.
Loud Secularists, Secularists, We Are A Christian Country ver the Easter period, when David Cameron referred to Britain as a ‘Christian country’, he stated this is all sensibleness. After Af ter all, it is not a matter of debate, but a matter of fact. Yet surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, there was a loud criticism from a loud minority. In writing to the Daily Telegraph, a selection of public gures warned that claiming Britain is a ‘Christian country’ would foster ‘alienation and division’. The criticism wasn’t by people from other religious groups who may suffer from this apparent ‘alienation’ and ‘division’. The criticism was from a particular class of people, predominantlyy atheists, humanists and secularists. predominantl However, these people seem to ignore the statistics. In the 2011 Census, when everyone across the country stated their religion, 59% identied as Christian. This is a large and signicant amount. Although most may not attend
secularists who brought up theofcriticism are justpeople one class, not representing the majority ‘non-religious’ who are likely to be a lot more tolerant. Being a ‘Christian country’ is surely a statement about identity and culture, rather than religiosity. Although religiosity has declined over the years, this doesn’t change the fact that Britain is a Christian country. It would be very different if David Cameron called Britai n a ‘religious country’. country’. Christianity is tied into the foundations of Britain. Although there are some pagan foundations going back, it is Christianity that has been practised as the main religion for well over a thousand years, perhaps going as far back a s 1,400 years. As time has passed, Chri stian ity has become more and more engrained in our history and culture. Our history and culture is not something that can simply be rewritten just for a few people. Christianity is very much part of Britain today and sometimes we don’t even realise. We have the established Church of England. A Royal Family with their role in it. We have Christmas and Easter. Churches all over the country.
as being Whathumanist. the militant secularists are most misguided in, are in their claims of ‘alienation’ and ‘division’. Christianity is not about these values at all and does not seek to preach them. Britain is founded on Christian ethics and we should celebrate them, as they also represent the values we hold today. Values of tolerance, liberty, responsibility, charity, morality, respect, kindness, hard work, love, justice, and fairness. The perception that Christianity is intolerant, whether in religiosity or cultural heritage, is far from the truth. It is better to live in a country which identies itself as Christian, as this culturally recognised and celebrated heritage helps to protect the freedom of religion for all. It protects Christianity itself, as well as Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and any other faiths that may sprout up. Take France, for example, where there is a proud and interventionist secularism. Not only are Muslim women banned from wearing a Niqab while walking down the street, but Christian children are also banned from wearing a simple
church or believe The in the depthslargest of thewas faith, identify with Christianity. second ‘Nothey religion’ at 25%, followed by Islam at 5%, and Hinduism at 1.5%. But just becau se some may identi fy w ith no rel igion or a nother religion, this doesn’t equate to an offense of the phrase ‘Christian country’. The Muslim Council of Britain agreed that this is a largely Christian country and the Hindu Council UK stated they were ‘very comfortable’ with it. Likewise, the
Biblical rst names are still very common. Place names and roads named after saints. Sunday is still the ma in resting day. British marriage, even if non-religious, follows the Christian format. The vast majority have Christian or Christianintegrated funerals. Other religions have their own send-offs too, but one which remains very low in comparison to their secularist shouts, are the humanist funerals. In 2011, the Cooperative Funeralcare recorded only 12% of their funerals
cross in schools. While a loud minority may disagree due to illusions of their own utopia, Britain is a Christian county. Not only do the majority identify with Christianity, but it is part of our heritage, history and culture, which cannot be changed. This is something that we should hold on to. Not for the sake of it, but because it is a positive force in the British society that we live in today.
Sam West Opinion & Analysis Editor
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Opinion & Analysis Editor: Sam West
The Stag | 6th May 2014
OPINION & ANALYSIS
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What Should We Believe? The growing link between politics and media can lead us to question: what is the truth? Anastasia Ulyanova
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owadays, the close connection between media and politics exists in every aspect of our lives. Their close cooperation might be both helpful and destructive for society as a whole, and for international relations between countries. Social and political implications that result from media development might be used to inform people and help regulate problems and possible conict. However, this could become an inuence machine in the hands of political structures. Media involvement might bring negative effects to the political arena and society. The problem mainly occurs because media workers want higher pay, but sometimes government inuence threatens people, pushing them to do something they do not agree with. For example, during the Ukrainian crisis in 2013, Russian journalists were threatened by the state media to write what they were told to; not the truth. The media can also be harmful for international relations between counties because of information wars, which occur when governments use the media to present themselves in the most desirable way, engendering certain thoughts and feelings in people’s minds. Again, this was used in media sources by the Russian Government in the ongoing Ukrainian situation. Jens Siegert, head of Moscow’s bureau associated with the Russian Presidents, stated the difference between independent media and ‘government propaganda’. He stated the effects on ‘big picture’ issues, worsening
relations between Russia and Ukraine after misinformation, owing from Russian state television since December 2013. Siegert named Russian media as a ‘propaganda machine’, creating false impressions on relations between Ukraine and the European Union, to gain their own benets by presenting the ‘ugly truth’ which people should start to believe in. ‘Something is bound to stick in the end’ Siegert stated about Russian media, which made a focus on the extremes which disappointed people and provoked them to ght back. This res up anger and resistance within the nation, creating huge cracks in mutual trust and the cooperative process. In other words, Russia has created conict globally and in Ukraine internally, despite being asked to allow the Ukrainian government to solve their own problems. Just several months ago, in December 2013, Russia stepped into the information war with the Ukrainian media. This increased aggression by the Ukrainian people, expanding the ethnic conict between the two nations. Russia called Ukraine a ‘war zone’ where everything is out of control, presenting a horrifying picture of a decaying nation that provokes further negative reactions from Ukraine. This is shown by the BBC, as it presents the Russian approach as an ‘information offence’ against Ukraine, calling it a country of ‘bandit excesses’ that ‘had brought democracy to its knees’. It illuminates the fraternal nation in a humiliating and unacceptable light that goes beyond any positive aspirations. It destroys the reputation of the Ukrainian people, who were ghting for their freedom and a better life for their children. To conclude, the cooperation and
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Newspapers from 1930s Soviet Ukraine
relative process between media and politics is an issue of high importance. As stated by Friedrich Nietzsche in his recollections, ‘The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind’. People need to be more critical and give a correct interpretation of information they receive. Opinions constructed by media sources should be based on individual, personal thinking, and used to inform, not to inuence. Only an honest approach may help reduce damage caused by incorrect and false information. As previously stated, the situation
between Russia and Ukraine could be less harmful for both sides if there was no media manipulation from Russian state sources. But still, there is always a chance to change attitudes, and this is a real issue to think about. Do we want to be informed or deceived? What can we do to become less dependent on media sources and start to believe in what we can understand ourselves? Our personal attitude towards the media constructs the world we live in nowadays, and ‘big issue’ problems might be cured if media sources and political forces were able to create a cohesive structure for the benet of the people.
Do You Eat Fish? A vegetarian’s dreaded question or almost a decade, I have lived on a vegetarian diet. Over the years, I have learned to dread one question from people who become aware of this: ‘Do you eat sh?’ This is not to say that I do not grasp the reason for the question. There are those with what can broadly be termed semivegetarian diets (in other words, those who consume some forms of animal esh, but
expressly dene a vegetarian as someone who does not eat meat or sh. Accordingly, I wish to present my argument for discontinuing the colloquial use of ‘vegetarian’ to describe semi-vegetarian semi-v egetarian diets. The most likely objection to this argument is that the common, but erroneous, use of a word becoming an accepted meaning is an inevitable part of how language evolves. On this basis, one could argue that discouraging the non-standard use of ‘vegetarian’ is overly prescriptive; that if the use of a word meets sufcient acceptance, that should be the end
considered worth labelling to begin with. By using the term ‘vegetarian’ to describe, say, vegetarians and pescetarians, one not only treats the conceptually distinct as conceptually identical, but loses sight of why these concepts were worth distinguishing. In the case of vegetarianism, it was that the lifestyle did not involve consuming animals; an essential feature which pescetarianism lacks. This leads to the second overlooked point: by perpetuating the incorrect use of ‘vegetarian’, immediate problems are created
Similarly, a vegetarian used to being in the minority may experience understandable joy in having met a ‘fellow vegetari an’, only to disappointedly discover that he had been misled. Before drawing to a close, I would like to make clear that all this is not a criticism of semi-vegetarian diets: contrary to popular stereotyping, I do not take every opportunity to ‘push’ my vegetarianism onto others, no matter the strength of my ethical opinions. I therefore am not asking for pescetarians to discontinue their diets. What I am asking
not who self-identify as ‘vegetarian’. Mostothers) notable amongst the semi-vegetarians are pescetarians, who eat sh but not poultry or red meat. Nevertheless, the fact remains that such persons are not vegetarians: both the Vegetarian Society, who popularised the term itself, and the Oxford English Dictionary
of theoverlooks matter. Whilst understandable, this view two important points. First, as I have come to learn on my Law degree, conceptualisation is signicant. Whilst it is easy to describe categorical distinctions as mere labels, what is important is not so much the label itself as the fact that something was
in practice for actual vegetarians. Imaginewas if a vegetarian were informed that a product vegetarian-suitable, only to discover after consumption that it contained sh and that the seller or maker of the product had simply believed that vegetarianism only involved abstinence from eating land animals.
for is greater usingthetheadverse term ‘vegetarian’ so care that when we avoid results of poor conceptualisation. And believe me: no vegetarian ever wants to hear that dreaded question!
Dan Davison
F
10 OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Stag | 6th May 2014
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The European Elections: ‘It’s All About You’ Joshua Langley
This debate is about you” was the opening salvo of Nick Clegg’s speech, as he set out his position in the LBC hosted ‘in-out’ referendum debate with Nigel Farage back in March. Staring down the camera, it was obvious that Clegg was trying to channel sincerity in the way that he did in the 2010 leader’s debate. However, this is a hard task for a man who once promised not to raise tuition fees, but ended up being instrumental in the passage of the legislation. But this is beside the point. What Clegg said was true; this debate is about you and it begins in earnest in the forthcoming European elections on the 22nd of May. Turnout in British elections amongst the 18-24 age bracket is abysmally low, because it is felt that the political class in this country are not representative of our views. There is certai nly much to be said for this perspective, with the largely white middle class men that make up Westminster, clearly not reective of the British public or its values. However, choosing to disengage with formal democracy serves no purpose other than
“
to make it easier for politicians to continue the current business as usual approach, and avoids bringing about the changes to the status quo that are needed. Moreover, lower turnout often serves to make politicians of different political parties more similar, because they feel it is a wasted effort for them to spend time differentiating themselves from one another. It is this contrast with the Westminster parties that UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) represents, which has allowed it to gain so much media coverage and a rise in popularity in the polls. Similarly, UKIP will do well in the European elections because the cohort that can be reliably counted on to vote, the over 65 age group, are the most likely to support them. At the same time the fact that the under 30s, who are likely to be more cosmopolitan in outlook and less anti-European Union, vote less, makes it easier for UKIP to hold sway. Furthermore, the consequences of failing to vote in the European elections could be huge. Imagine a scenario in which UKIP does extremely well in the European elections, achieving second place after the Labour party. This increases the media attention the party receives, increasing its popularity and support. With the possibility of a referendum on Europe after the next Westminster election, a UKIP
i t n a r a C o l o c c i N ©
with a strong voice will make the prospect of leaving Europe far greater. Leaving the European Union will be a bad thing. The openness in trade, greater job opportun ities, and t he greater gre ater exposu re to diversity we experience in Universities through the ERASMUS study programme and other exchange programmes like it, will be lost. Regardless of what Nigel Farage might say, Britain will not be stronger outside of
Europe. If a house is so well protected that no one can get inside, but equally no one can get out, the greater security gained will not be worth it. Equally the question becomes, if Westminster has a greater say over decisions, but loses the benets of being part of Europe, is it worth it? This is a question we will all have to ask ourselves, and I hope it will start with you having your voice heard by voting in the European elections.
Idealistic And Realistic: Realistic: No Mor More e Hesitation Hesita tion To Ch Choose oose Your Standpoint Standpoint Ting Wei
A
In my opinion, there is no clear-cut line between these two doctrines. They appear in your mind intertwined according to different situations and stages in your life, and help you to make decisions. In other
week ago I went to the National Gallery to appreciate the Sunowers by Vincent Van Gogh. Although I love his unique, vivid and distorted way of presenting real-life subjects, I list Claude Monet’s work at the top. Van Gogh belongs to postimpressionism, while Monet belongs to the controversial impressionism (coined by the critic Louis Leroy, after Monet exhibited the work Impression, Sunrise). Impressionism is characterised by its accurate depiction of light on ordinary subject matter (e.g. great scenery). Later I found an article written by Alain de Botton in The Guardian about art therapy. When discussing Monet’s work, he said some people worry about this taste for ‘prettiness’, because it is a sign of forgetting the actual conditions of life, which of course, is not all roses. As a result, Monet’s
words, of them why servedous our growth.both For example, weduring need fairy tales for children? Isn’t it time-saving if we let them know the cruelness of the world and Darwin’s ‘survival of the ttest’ as early as possible? Furthermore, why do we need literature? Isn’t it more practical and useful if we just publish the ‘How to…’ books? Can Harry Potter bring you a higher position and increase your salary (unless you are J.K. Rowling)? The answer is no. However, we need them. We need fantasies, happy endings, and even the boldness for revolutions to inspire our imagination and keep moving on with hope. Because the most powerful force in the world is a heart lled with hopes and dreams. And ‘hope’ is Botton’s caption for Monet’s Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies. Hope is the remedy of fury, depression and despair caused by the evils of existence.
fans might ‘end up deluded as to what life is actually like’. This reminds me of the problem; whether to be idealistic or realistic. Does that mean that the nickname for idealistic must be ‘utopian’, whereas realistic always represents a materialistic and sophisticated world?
However, in being realistic is also indispensable one’s life. One parameter of identifying an individual’s maturity is to see if most of the decisions made by this person are reached by a careful thinking process, which requires a knowledgeable mind with a certain amount of life experiences. Being
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A representation of Monet’s ‘hopeful’ painting in Japan
realist ic means are engaging in our society and being morewe careful about our decisions and behaviour. It awakens the idealists to the fact that the world is not dualistic - good and evil. There is a third dimension of grey the mixture of merits and sins. This in turn proves the need for idealism, to bring us hope
to copenot with of society, whicha should be the in a sickness violent way, but by using more patient, realistic approach. In sum, life is not all roses. We need idealism to bring us hope to ght for our realistic pursuits.
Features Editor: Rebekkah Hughes
FEATURES 11
The Stag | 6th May 2014
Features What would David Attenborough make
The Last Semester:
of the Univ University ersity of of Surrey Lib Library? rary?
Re-Spring Your Study by Ardy Cheung, Features Team
W
ow, time sure does y! We’re nearing the end of the last semester already and we all know what that means: exams and coursework. If like me, you got a bit too excited about the sun over the Easter break and got less work done than planned, now is the time to knuckle down and tackle it! Here are some tips to help refresh your study routine.
n o s n i k l i W e c i l A ©
Re-Fuel
By Alice Wilkinson, Societies Editor
W
e students, like animals, are creatures of habit. And where better to analyse our habits than a university library? It becomes a second home during exam and assignment period; we work, eat, drink, (occasionally sh*t and shower) and even sleep in there. We all have our favourite ‘spots’. I for one have spent my entire university life experimenting with various different spots, waiting for an epiphany type moment where I will nd the one that will make my degree easy. During rst semester, experimenting in the level one silent area, I sat next to the same stranger for three weeks straight. Despite not having spoken one word to each other, I felt like I knew her inside out. Name: Jessica (only rst name terms as shown
on our coffee cups – Starbucks don'ttitles) yet require surnames, middle names and preferred Snack of choice: Bag of cashew nuts. Occasionally Cadbury’ss Dairy Milk. Cadbury’ Hobbies: Outdoorsy (judging by her canvas back pack and footwear choice)
positioned myself during another experiment, by the library’s equivalent of a watering hole, to write my dissertation I found my biggest (and most enjoyable) procrastination was people watching and I have decided that every university student falls into one of these three categories: The Gurus, The Procrastinators and The Gremlins. The Gurus. For these adults, university is the most critical time in their young lives. Exam periods present their 'make or break' months and you'll see these young adults desperately looking for silence. Having migrated miles from home, these students settle in the silent areas, single study booths and the single study rooms, which resemble wardrobes with desks stuffed inside. These students are the envy of the university world, the crème de la crème, the ones
Where to sit in the library presents a daily dilemma for us as university students. Do you sit on level two, knowing that you're bound to bump into your friends and spend your day chatting, with a bit of work here and there? Or do you opt for solitary connement in a fth oor single study booth and abolish any possibility of spontaneous human interaction? Noise levels, food availability, and the level of sh*t you'll be in if you don't don't do some work work immediately a ll come into this decision. Once upon a time we were all taught "how to revise" and we were told that we t into one of three types of learners: kinesthetic, visual or auditory. I
that the University Surrey will be proud to feature in their prospectus.ofSipping on ice cold water and nibbling on cucumber sticks, they are the gurus. Their cucumber (or carrot) sticks are prepared at home the night before, refrigerated and carried in impressive Tupperware cases which resemble a very elite brand of hamster cage – multi-coloured, triple tiered and with rotating and removable compartments. Another type of this species found here is The Procrastinator. These creatures, although ambitious and hard working, get very easily distracted by their fellow primates and are usually seen on level two and in group study areas. Long term studies have given us new perspectives on how this creature has developed to share one hundred per cent of its student loan equally between Starbucks and The Surrey Shop, in order to survive. If, like for many of us with deadlines looming and exams just around the corner, you are spending considerable time in the library you may even
would argue that I relate more Pavlov's dog than I do however, these types of learning – the to only thing that gets me into the library is chocolate. When I get there I sit right by the vending machine in Whisper's cafe so I can get my x. Like Pavlov's dog I need to be conditioned; this has proved prosperous – many a time I have picked up a chocolate bar or coinage that has fallen out of the machine. Having
be enough spotresilient one of the breeds, Thelucky Gremlin. Thetomost andrarest longstanding members of its species – this creature is the slowest of them all, only able to move, at its quickest, at 0.5 mph. These students very rarely leave the connes of the library and will be found wearing ip-ops in all weather conditions, slumped over desks fast asleep or showering in the library.
Swap that hot latte for an iced one. The ice will wake your brain up and leave you feeling less puffy. Or for an earlier taste of summer, sip on refreshing fruit juices to boost your brai n. Costa serves iced lemonade which you can also get in strawberry and peach avours. If you have leftover Easter chocolate, melt and blend it with your favourite yoghurts or fr uits. Pop it i n the fridge for a chocolate shake that will help kick up a happy brain pre-revision!
Working amidst your favourite things makes you happy! In those drizzly spring showers, it may be a good idea to park yourself at a window seat in the library or a quiet coffee shop. It sounds a bit romantic but some people say that working whilst listening to the pitter patter of rain against the windows can be calming.
Re-Organise Buying or organising new stationary gives you the sense of purpose to start studying! Use your favourite pen or buy postit notes in rainbow colours and fun shapes. Organise by colour codes, long lists, alphabetical or date order. Preparation is your key to a successful revision and work session. Of course, if you prefer chaos and clutter, then work in the way that you do best!
Re-Fresh
Enjoy the longer daytimes by taking your books and laptop outside. Soak up the sun whilst you work in the garden or the park – now that is good multi-
Remember that we are not robots and can not operate for 24 hours. Take time out from work to do the things that you enjoy. Sleep, chat with friends, watch TV or go food shopping. Taking a stroll by the campus lake or visiting nice views will relieve your study st ress. There is grea t leafy woodland at St Anne’s Hill
tasking. Surrounding yourself with greenery is good for those eyes, which are oh-so-tired from all that reading. If you cannot be dragged from your room, why not place mini plants and owers on your study desk? You can get them from homeware stores such as Wilkinsons.
in Chertsey or the calming sea,Sisters cliffs and sheep at Seven Country Park in Sussex. Having some time ‘off’ is important to give time for all that revision information to ‘digest’ in your brain. Happy working and good luck!
Re-Locate
12 FEATURES
The Stag | 6th May 2014
Why Mentor? A brief insight into Student Life Mentoring By Annie Driscoll, Campus Blue Mentor
The main basis of being a Student Life Mentor is to provide ongoing support to rst year students as they learn the university way of life (we all nd it scary at rst!) and to be a regular friendly face should they need impartial advice, or even just a casual chat. Mentors work especially hard at the start of the year to ensure that they are available on campus to anyone nding their rst weekend at university particularly tough. From this point onwards, mentors are assigned several houses in an area of accommodation to visit on a weekly basis. Mentors get to know and provide support for a set group of rst years, meaning they are able to build good rapport with students and that this students friendly relationship means always have someone to turn to. Before starting, mentors
undergo a week long training
part of the support network here at Surrey and a re able to pick up on early signs of emotional distress or personal difculties and point the student in the right direction for help. We work closely with the Centre for Wellbeing andmaking other student support networks, this role extremely important for the welfare of students at Surrey. Being a mentor myself, I’ve found the role incredibly fullling. I have met so many interesting people and enjoyed every moment of the job. All mentors work as part of a team, which means you are constantly supported by a lovely bunch of people too. In terms of a job, this is a great source of employment if you are a student as the timings t around your studies. It’s also great experience to put on your CV to show potential employers you have excellent interpersonal and problem solving skills!
program them to involved If youthen are we interested getting deal with that a wideteaches range of issues. want to in hear from These include cultural awareness, you! Applications for 2014/15 2014/15 are empathy and an incredibly helpful open so go to the Surrey website session on active listening skills and search for mentoring, or nd us from the Samaritans. on social media at www.facebook. Whilst mentors are not trained com/surreymentoring and www. counsellors, they are an integral twitter.com/surreymentoring
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Investing that Makes Cents by Sean Burby, Features Team
T
he world of nance can often be perceived as complicated, overwhelming and perhaps a little boring by those who don’t have an interest or work in the industry. If this reects your feelings, you have probably asked yourself: why should I care? What’s in it for me? Isn’t it best left to the professional s? Rest assured - this is n’t a lesson on the ins and outs of how nancial ma rkets work but rather a chance to explore and even benet from common misconceptions that you may have about nance, particu larly investing. Investing is a term used to describe any activity aimed at generating a return (prot) – for example, buying and selling stocks are shares, houses and even ne wine! Why should you care? The truth is, if you are aiming to lead a comforta ble life (as I’m sure all of us are!), working hard and putting your money in a standard bank account unfortunately won’t be enough. Investments provide a powerful vehicle through which you can continue earning even when you are eating, sleeping, in lectures or on a night out. In effect, you are creating your own business; what I mean by that is when you invest, you are essentially ‘employing’ your money to try and make more money, gradually building wealth over time. Sounds good, but isn’t investing really risky? Of
course you can lose money when investing, but what is essential to overcoming that fear is developing a long term mindset and not panicking when things aren’t going well. To keep things simple, let’s say you bought 1,000 shares in Apple at £1 each and overnight the share price dropped by 50% - leaving you with £500. It It is reasonable to sell your remaini remaini ng shares and avoid further losses but then again, suppose Apple’s share price tripled from 50p to £1.50 a few months later; you could’ve made yourself £500. One way to overcome overcome such irrational ity is to think of investing like buying your favourite product. If its price goes down, you don’t immediately think to sell it. In fact, your natural instinct would be to buy more wouldn’t it? If you adapt this mindset to investing, then buying more Apple shares (from my earlier example) when the price was 50p could have delivered an even larger return than £500. Yes, things can swing the other way but you get the idea. You don’t have to be a nancial guru either to invest either – I did allude to the example of Apple but there are simpler ways to invest that can deliver decent returns. All it takes is an open mind, willingness to learn and an interest in paving the way to a more comfortable fut ure! If you want to nd out more, simply type in a search term like ‘how to invest’ into Google and take it from there.
Something Strange Has Happened
e e t n E c a M n a e S : r k c i l F ©
by Jas Smith, Features Team
like to think more often than not, that I take real life experiences and turn them into writing. So this is exactly what I’m going to do right now in this article, because something strange has happened. I was minding my own business, watching a few episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? as any student does at 2am on a Sunday morning, when I get a Facebook noticat ion. “Person-You-Haven’t-Spoken“Person-You-Haven’t-SpokenTo-Since-Year-7 has commented on your photo of Your-Uni-Flatmate-He-Has-Never-Met”. Instantly, I was intrigued, so I clicked the link. Now, I’m not quite sure what happened. I believe this is a part of human behaviour that scientists will be studying many years into the future, under the Latin term ‘Facebookus Rageus’. For no obvious reason whatsoever besides a prole hijack, this guy I went to school with decides to call my atmate the dreaded ‘C word’. And I don’t mean cuddly.
I was “damn retarded”. So naturally, I blocked him. This got me thinking: what should I really dene this act as? Was I (and my lovely atmate who bared the brunt of the abuse) at age 20 experiencing cyber bullying? Or was this just a common, run of the mill Fac? Personally, I believe it was the latter. But still, why should I be subjected to this random abuse? Why should my Whose Line Is It Anyway? time be interrupted for someone I once sat next to in French nine years ago? And the strange thing that happened to me was that someone who I now consider a stranger, under the term ‘friend’, who has nothing to do with my life, made a seemingly unfair, random judgement. And that shocked me. It seems to me that Facebook is slowly becoming ‘Facelessbook’, with people hiding behind a persona on a social media page. Although my experience was just a petty ‘joke’ quip, there are people on the internet who receive
It’s beyond me why, but nevertheless I decided to respond. I joked about how my atmate has made a friend, and enquire that this is obviously not him, believing I handled it well; I’m not one for drama on social media sites. In return, I received more abuse targeted at my atmate, and then get told that I’m “not as retarded” as he remembers and also decides to add, almost on a whim, that he remembers that
abuse on social media sites every day, from so called ‘friends’; abuse which leads to the real horror stories of teenage suicide. I got over my 2am social crisis pretty quickly, but there are people out there who don’t. People who can get really hurt by snide, little comments. So next time, think before you post, joke or comment. The internet can be just as harmful as the real world.
I
Features Editor: Rebekkah Hughes
The Stag | 6th May 2014
Debunking the Student Stereotype
FEATURES 13
Gotta Search 'Em All by Daniel Gautrey, Features Team
ou've just left home with nothing but a backpack and a red cap, you nd yourself terried of tall grass and your weird uncle has just a sked you a series of obvious questions like "what sex are you?" and "what's your name?" Don't worry though, he's also letting you pick a new pet at random in his laboratory, because it turns out that tall grass is actually full of dangero dangerous us creatures. No, you're not dreaming, you've entered the world of Pokemon. On April 1st, the Google Maps app for Android and IOS was updated to include a new Pokemon themed quest. It compelled people everywhere to be the very best, that no one ever was, to catch them was the real test. Training them is the cause. Lyrical referencing aside, it gave players everywhere the chance to search through the map to nd Pokemon with a simple 'tap to catch' system that made it more like a sticker collection than an actual Pokemon game. Although geeks everywhere were going crazy for this wonderfully creative April fools joke, personally I don't think that's the
fact that they created an April fools joke with Google means they were probably already working together on a bigger project. This project could be any number of exciting things as currently there isn't any information on this mysterious partnership although it seems like a long shot to assume they teamed up simply to create a little April Fools joke. Personally, I like to entertain the idea that Nintendo may have nally decided to enter the mobile gaming market and have teamed with Google to do so. If they've decided to adapt their early hit games like Super Mario, Donkey Kong, any number of the gen I-III Pokemon games then they could be setting themselves up to dominate the mobile gaming market for some years. I would love to play Mario Kart on my phone, especially as the key to that game is the lean controls. Nintendo have been a massive player in the gaming market and its time that they adapt to the new technology, we all love our classic GameBoys and look back fondly on them, but not many of us are willing to carry around a separate gaming console
exciting to part. Forthe years Nintendo been hesitant enter mobile gaminghas market, relying on their mobile console devices (the Nintendo DS series) when the Wii (and Wii U) failed to keep up in the console market. The
anymore. Although gaming remain popular with their the under 12s systems market, that's not where big money is, especially with mobile phones being given to younger and younger children.
Y
e n i h c a m t n i l : r k c i l F ©
by Lily Pearson, Features Team
A
s I write this, the second week of our Easter holidays is coming to an end. Tomorrow is Good Friday and of course, the start of a four-day weekend. This, for my non-student friends and family particularly is a national event saturated
past once I make the dreaded transition into adulthood . I do, however however,, ercely envy the stability and security of my friends in full-time, fullli ng employmen employment. t. Instead, students are charged with balancing the stresses of essay deadlines, innite reading lists and postmodern theory with fruitless job hunting with an empty purse,
with joy,and excitement and excess. My Facebook Twitter newsfeeds Twitter bri m with intentions of intoxication and the dizzying prospect of sleeping in until ten. I try to join in with their enthusiasm but I feel like a fraud. I have, effectively, been on my "holidays" since I handed my dissertation in two weeks ago and, considering I quit my job before my third year started, I don't really have many responsibilities that's how everybody else sees it, anyway. I've even started to believe it myself - continually telling people I'm on my Easter holidays when they ask what I'm up to, choosing to ignore the ever-expanding mound of duties that await me. I have been sent on daily errands and called a 'lady of leisure' by my boyfriend who works fulltime and, clearly, views the university life as one that is merely part-time. 'You look
all as graduation These are just an example of thelooms. stereotypes directed my (and probably your) way; myths that require a radical debunking.
like a student,' my morning, mum scoffed, as I camesuch downstairs in the wearing a hoodie and pyjama bottoms. The notion that students are lazy, messy, professional sleepers is hardly controversial; it is, in fact, an opinion held by many people. Of course I am savouring the exibility that accompanies life as a student: not having to get time off work, lay-ins and mid-week drinking will all be joys of the
night exam season and the as queue for theduring bar will be as non-existent our social lives.
1.Firstly, not all of us sleep 14 hours a day. Sometimes, when workloads hit a critical point, library all-nighters are inevitable. Getting up at 1pm isn't so bad when you only left the library at 10am. 2. Tracksuits/pyjamas/questionable onesies are the uniform of choice for students. Wrong, these clothes are merely the most confortable for aforementioned long library stints. 3. Perpetual drunkenness is crime for which students are repeatedly accused. This, again, is undeserved. Visit a student
The picture of students painted by society is one crafted with misperception. Next time someone casts you a judgmental eye because you don't have as much responsibility as them smile - at least you don't have work tomorrow.
The Big Spring Clean S
pring cleaning will be the death of me. I recently started to have a little ‘sort out’ of all the things (aka crap) that lies around and tries to look pretty in my room. I was very mistaken as to how much of a task I was
that need turning over during Spring Cleaning, and when it happens, my room turns from clean, tidy and acceptable on the surface to a bomb having exploded and utterly ruining my room. I’ll paint the picture: most of my oor space is covered
undertaking, however… I started with the apparent stuff: everything to the visible eye. This was easy enough, and I cleared a few tops and felt instantly clean. Once that surface is clean though, the surface is scratched and the cracks begin to show. I have several spaces/drawers/crevices in my room that hoard all the unsightly bits and bobs that I either don’t want to deal with or I can’t bear to throw away. It’s these areas
in random items and things, some of which I haven’t seen in years or I forgot I even owned, and I have to actively clear my bed every night before I sleep because it’s covered in so much stuff I can’t even see the duvet. Ultimately, it leads to a box for charity, a box of rubbish and a box of ‘keeping, but it needs a new space’. Eventually, and I really, really stress that, eventually, signs of life begin to creep back and normality ensues.
By Rebekkah Hughes, Features Editor
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You You’ve ’ve cleared out some things that you don’t need any more and you feel somewhat lighter for it. In the lead up to exams, a good working environment is pretty essential. I know if my room just isn’t working, I have to go the library just to be in a decent environment. Another area that may need a bit of a ‘sort out’ though – your folder or notes may need a bit of attention too. Spending an hour or two organising and sorting notes for a module will help you massively when you need to access some information for revision. Spring Cleaning, for me at least, doesn’t mean ing blitzing your room (although that’s exactly what I’ve done), it can mean organising yourself and getting a little of that light, clean feeling however you can. Not only will you feel better, you’ll be geared up and ready to revise.
14 FEATURES
The Stag | 6th May 2014
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Getting ready for exams by Margaret Dunne, Nurse Advisor, Centre for Wellbeing
CAFFEINE AND OTHER STIMULANTS: The Pros and
s i k a s t o K s s t o i r h C : r k c i l F ©
Cons
Caffeine is very much a part of our lives and is extremely hard to avoid in food and drink. Taken in moderation it does have some health benets, but like so many things… too much can have the opposite effect! Pros:
and increased uri nation.
Caffeine is a natural stimulant commonly found in coffee and tea, cocoa and kola nuts. Extracted caffeine is added to most soft drinks. Caffeine stimulates the
How Much Caffeine is Safe? A cup or two a day of
body's centralin alertness, nervous system, which results and an increased ability to concentrate. It also increases dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine is a naturally occurring chemical responsible for feelings of wellbeing and happiness. Therefore, caffeine tends to improve one's mood: this is thought to be the primary reason that caffeine is an addictive substance. Additionally, 130mg of caffeine taken in conjunction with painkillers has been shown to improve headache relief by approximately 40% - a substantial difference in results. Some people nd that they don't need to take as much of a given pain kil ler when it is taken in conjunction with caffeine, and some doctors advocate taking medications with caffeine to reduce the likelihood of developing an addiction to a given pain killer.
Cons: “Caffeine intoxication" is a jittery state resu lting from drin king too much coffee or other caffeinated substances. A feeling of restlessness and excitement, trembling, accelerated heartbeat, increased urination and occasionally digestive upset are all signs of caffeine overdose. An excess of 300 milligrams of caffeine can bring on this state. An added increase in adrenaline puts pressure on the adrenal glands, which in turn can suppress immunity. Being regularly stressed isn’t good for any part of your body in the long-term. The effect of caffeine on the body can include a raised heartbeat, anxiety, diarrhoea, insomnia, dizziness, ushed face, headaches, sinus issues irritability
coffee or tea is enough to attain the positive benets of caffeine and for most people, about 300 mg of caffeine a day is a healthy level of caffeine consumption. That is roughly equivalent to three cups of coffee. However, caffeine levels in coffee, tea and chocolate vary widely, and some people are more sensitive, experiencing symptoms of excess caffeine consumptions after consuming as little as 100 mg of caffeine, so be sure to check how much caffeine is in your favourite products if you are concerned about your caffeine int ake.
Can Caffeine Help Someone Sober Up? There is a common myth that caffeine (or coffee) will help a drunken person sober up. This has been proven to be completely false, and consuming caffeine while drunk can actually cause more harm than good. For example, if someone has drunk enough that their natural physical reaction is to pass out and, by default, stop drinking, then caffeine can inhibit this reaction by making them more alert and allowing them to continue drinking. It can give a person a false sense of sobriety leading them to make unsafe decisions like driving home. Drinking lots of caffeine may seem the only way to keep up with your study deadli nes or make it through morning lectures, but think about moderating your intake. Cut back on the cuppas (gradually so you minimise withdrawal symptoms) and make sure you’re drinking plenty of water.
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n increasing number of university students are using so called “study drugs” or “brain boosting” medication to increase concentration and memory particularly during exam time. These are stimulant medications, which are used to treat conditions like Attention Decit Disorder and Narcolepsy and are only legally available via a prescription. They are being used either improperly by a person with a prescription, or (more (more often) illegally by a person without a prescription. The attractive effect s of using these drugs include increased motivation, an increased ability to stay awake, stay focussed and an improvement in memory. Students have described themselves as “unstoppable” and “driven” whilst taking these stimulants. However whilst these are legitimate drugs they are only legally available via a prescription from a medical doctor so acquiring and using them from another source is illegal and is considered a serious criminal offence. This includes buying them off the Internet or from a person who was legitimately prescribed them for a medical condition. Some of them are Class B drugs and possession without a prescription can lead to up to 5 years in prison, and 14 years for supplying. While most of the research in this area comes from American universities, a study of 1,000 students by Varsity, the campus newspaper for Cambridge University, revealed that 1 in 10 students have taken such drugs and one third of respondents admitted that, given the opportunity, they would take concentration-enhancing medication. However, there can be a “come down” effect: one third year student, who ha s t aken a 100mg tablet every d ay for a number of weeks, week s, d id repor t a feeling of “despondency” in the evenings. “Although [the drug] has undoubtedly aided my concentration, after a [the drug]-fuelled library day I nd it very hard to engage with people socially,” she said. Side effects listed by the manufacturers of this particular drug include anxiety, dizziness, abnormal thinking and depression alongside physical side effects. But if these are legal lega l drugs and they help me get through my exams, why not? Well apart from the fact that taking prescription drugs is only legal if a medical doctor prescribed them for you, if you buy from the Internet you can’t be sure what you are getting despite what it may say on the label. Likewi se, if someone gives you a couple of tablets how can you be sure what they are without the packaging? long-term pharmacological effect these when of used by someone who doesoriginal not have a medicalThe condition is also unknown. There is of also thedrugs possibility their use becoming habit forming. While the drug itself may not be addictive it’s effects can lead to a belief that you can only get through your exam/course work or any other stressful period with the help of these stimulants.
If you are concerned about any substance you have taken or are currently taking or are worried about a friend, get some expert advice. You can contact your GP or local hospital or have a look on www.nhs.uk/Livewell/ drugs/Pages/Drugsh drugs/Pag es/Drugshome.aspx ome.aspx and www.talktofra www.talktofrank.com nk.com If you nd you are struggling with concentration or motivation try some of the support available at the University:
The Centre for Wellbeing of fer advice and emotional support in person Wellbeing can offer or via leaets and the self-help section of the website www.surrey.ac.uk/ currentstudents/health Have a look also at what SPLASH can offer you at http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ library/splash/about/index.htm in regards to study skills and revising smarter. All support is free and comes with a guarantee of no long-term side effects that might damage your brain!
NUS Conference 2014 Between the 8th -10th April 2014, five elected delegates from Surrey attended the NUS Conference in Liverpool. Representing you were – • • • •
Hannah Waterh Waterhouse ouse – Hannah is the c current urrent Union Chairpers Chairperson on and is currently in her final y year ear of an E English nglish degree. Sheldon Ford – Sheldon iis s a student of biomedical science, chair of the mountaineering mountaineering club and works in the Union Shop. Ian Kugler – Ian is study studying ing for a politics degree and is currently currently the Union’s Union’s Ethics Ethics and Env Environment ironment Officer Simona Mari Mariuta uta – Simona is a firs firstt year politi politics cs student and has also just been elec elected ted as next year’s U Union nion Chairperson.
During their time there the following key decisions were made:
The future of education funding The conference voted for the NUS to focus its campaigning on higher education being free. The NUS originally came to the conference with a proposal for a new funding model which was affectively a graduate tax, replacing the student loans system. However, this was altered by a series of amendments which were put through by students’ unions at the conference, and the result was that the NUS must instead focus its attention and political lobbying on achieving a free higher education system, with no fees and therefore no loans.
Proportional representation At the last NUS conference, this proposal was unsuccessful, unsuccessful, and at this year’s conference, it passed. It sets out that all Unions need to ensure that their delegation is 50% female and 50% male. This means that Unions will need to work harder to ensure that election processes are accessible to women. The opposition in the room felt that fulfilling qu quotas otas is not the right way to achieve equal representation. representation. Nevertheless, this motion has passed and the next step will be for the NUS to explain in more detail how it impacts on Unions and how it will be achieved in practice.
The presidential vote A crucial decision decision is taken every year at conference – who will be the leadership of the NUS next year, representing students as a whole on a national level. You are likely to see the NUS President on the national news, or hear them speaking on the radio about what matters mos mostt to students. This year’s winner was T Toni oni Pearce, who will therefore continue to be NUS President for another year. year. Surrey’s delegation all voted for Toni Toni to continue in her presidency and send their congratulations.
How you can get involved Any student can stand as an NUS delegate through the Union’s election process. process. Information about next year’s NUS delegation will be widely publicised in the next academic year. year. The NUS also hosts a number of conferences throughout the year – Black Students’ Conference, Disabled Students’ Conference LGBT+ Students’ to name but a few – if you’re interested in representing Surrey students by attending a conference, contact and the Students’ Union forConference more information.
The full report can be viewed at www.ussu.co.uk/yourvoice
Surrey’s Delegates (from the left): Sheldon, Simona, Em, Hannah and Ian.
Our Aims, An Update At Freshers’ Fayre this year, you may have noticed our banners lining the marquee (see above). As well as over-sized over-sized images of each Unio Union n sabbatical officer, these banners included text that celebrated current successes as well as our aims for the year ahead, and have since lived on the walls outside Rubix.
Em’s banner In the 2013 the 2013 National Student Survey results, we were ranked 13th best Students’ Union in the country with regards to the level of satisfaction felt by our students. The 2014 results won’t be released until later this year, but engagement in Union activities this year has been at an all-time, record-breaking high with the number of members in our sports clubs and societies, candidates running in the Students’ Union elections, and voting turnout in the elections all surpassing our targets.
“We e have beenbeen been ranked ranked 4th best 4th best4th Students’ “W “We have ranked best Union in the country” Students’ Union in the country” iGrad iGrad Survey Survey Results Results 2014 2014
Priya’s Priya’sbanner banner The The iGrad iGrad survey survey is is held held once once aa year, year, is is open open to to all all students, students, and and benchmarks benchmarks student opinion across the globe. In this year’s set of results, by maintaining mai ntaining our student opinion across the globe. In this year’s set of results, by maintaining maintaining our percentage percentageof ofstudent studentsatisfaction, satisfaction,we wehave havebeen been ranked ranked 4th 4thbest bestStudents’ Students’Union Union in in the the country. country. With With higher higher demands demands from from students students year year on on year, year, itit takes takes aa great great level of hard work and dedication to keep the level of satisfaction high. level of hard work and dedication to keep the level of satisfaction high. This This year, year,we weare areworking workingwith withthe the university university to to allow allowcourse coursereps reps to tobe be elected electedin in the summer term in preparation for the new year, allowing us to train and prepare the summer term in preparation for the new year, allowing us to train and prepare them them well well and andfocus focus on onthe thefirst firstyear yearreps reps in inthe thewinter winterterm. term.
Tom’s Tom’sbanner ban banner ner The Inv The Investors Investors Investors estors In In People People accreditation accreditation is is reassessed reassessed every every 33 years years by by external external assessors in in order order to to ensure ensure each each organisation organisation is is keeping keeping up up standards. standards. We We will will assessors be be reassessed reassessed by by the the end end of of May May and and hope hope to to retain retain the the accreditation accreditation because because itit enables enables us us to to embed embed excellence, excellence, recognise recognise achievement achievement and and value value all all our our staff staff through throughcontinuous continuousimprovement, improvement,strategy, strategy,affective affectivemanagement managementand andperformance performance measurement. measurement. We Wehad hadaarecord-breaking record-breaking47 47 number number of ofcandidates candidates stand standin in this this year’s year’s Students’ Students’ Union elections, and hope to break our ambitious target of 50 with the up-coming Union elections, and hope to break our ambitious target of 50 with the up-coming Events Events&&Trading TradingOfficer Officerby-election. by-election.The Theincreased increasedlevel levelof of engagement engagement in inthese these elections elections is is shown shown by by our our voting-turnout voting-turnout which which was was 6% 6% over over our our target target and and broke broke our our 4-year 4-year target targetby by 1%. 1%.
Maz’s banner This year year we received 370 nominations for Student Awards, however it is important not to miss-interpret this statistic. Student Award nominations are really about quality, and the standard of entries this year was inspiring. Our annual Student Awards are a fantastic way to appreciate the hard work of our volunteers through both the individual and society awards that are up for grabs. So fewer, well-written nominations make the decision making process more accurate. This year’s iGrad survey results show that our clubs and societies continue to add great value to the student experience with 96.8% students being satisfied with the opportunities they provide. At 3570, we’ve more members than ever before, and our new society rewards scheme for committees (STARS) (STARS) and everpopular Colours Ball are celebrations of these great achievements.
James’ banner We continue continue to hold the title of undefeated champions after beating Kingston Cougars 61-13 in this year’s Varsity competition; competition; even after changing the pointscoring system to work in their favour. This year’s Varsity Varsity finale was watched by over 2000 students, after being streamed live online for the first f irst time. We are on course to finish the season in the top 40 of the British University & Colleges Sports (BUCS) league table, and have scored a record number of points already so far. There have been some incredible performances in both league and cup competitions as well as some outstanding individual success.
“We are on course to finish the season in the top 40 of the British University & Colleges Sports (BUCS) league table” James Lovell, VP Sports and Recreation
The Stag | 6th May 2014
Sci/Tech Editor: Siobhan Harris
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 23
Science & Technology The Study That Will Change
Stem-cell Skin to replace
Your Mind Mi nd About Cannabis
animals testing in drug & cosmetic
peak to any frequent weed user and most will argue that the occasional use of cannabis is harmless; some may even preach its benecial qualities – after all, they don’t call it ‘medical marijuana’ for nothing. According to statistics from the United Nations Ofce on Drugs and Crime, 3.9% of the world’s population are cannabis users, with cannabis being the most widely used illicit drug, particularly amongst young adults. With its decriminalization across several states in the US, societies in the UK continue to ght for the right to legalise its recreational use. A recent collaborative study conducted by researchers at Northwestern Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School appears to dispute these arguments with
(left or right) and years of education. The study observed that the size and shape of the nucleus accumbens and amygdala in the brains of cannabis users was changed in comparison to that of the control group. These regions of the brain are responsible for addiction, decision-making and memory. It was also noted that the size of other regions of the brain including the prefrontal cortex were reduced in users. However, there is no mention in the study as to whether these changes led to any disruption of behaviour in users. The study has received signicant media coverage which has also meant it has been subject to intense scrutiny with many questioning the validity of the experiment on such a small sample group of only 40 subjects in total. A more appropriate study would investigate the same individuals before rst using the
claims that even casual use of cannabis can change the structure of the brain. While there have been numerous studies on the effect of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on the brain structure of animal models, very little is known about its effects on the human brain. THC is the primary psychoactive element found in cannabis and thus is responsible for affecting brain function and subsequent alterations in behaviour. Using high-resolution MRI scans, researchers analysed the brain structure of 20 individuals who partake in smoking cannabis on a weekly basis. They compared the scans of these individuals to 20 ‘control’ subjects who were not cannabis users, but who paralleled the users in age, sex, race, handedness
drug andstudy, then isagain after prolonged this current it not possible to sayuse. thatWith this was the structure of the users’ brains prior to exposure to the drug, resulting in a disposition that means they are more likely to smoke it? In addition to this, the study was funded by a cohort of organisations which included the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Ofce of National Drug Control Policy leading to further concern that the study may be somewhat biased. Whilst the study has some obvious aws, it has only appeared to fuel the media’s perception on cannabis use. Regardless, further research is required before the population can be fully convinced in either direction.
By Li Sa Choo, Science and Technology Team
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By Siobhan Harris, Science and Technology Editor
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team of scientists from King’s College London have grown a layer of human skin from stem cells. Stem cells are the versatile cells of the body that can grow in a variety of ways to perform different functions. The scientists say that skin grown in the laboratory can replace animals in drug and cosmetics testing – a long-sought solution to the ethical problem of using animals. The skin is unlike any that has
been grown in labs before because this sample resembles real skin more than the previous models have. The team also said that it is cost-effective and reproducible. It was grown in a low-humidity environment which allowed the cells to form a protective barrier, the epidermis, which prevents moisture escaping and microbes entering the skin. This new method could be used to test new treatments for skin diseases in the near future.
Has The Next Habitable Planet Been Found? By Siobhan Harris, Science and Technology Editor
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he search continues for Earth-like planets capable of supporting human life, and astrophysicists are determined not to give up. Could their hard work be reaching its reward? Scientists reporting in the journal Science say they have found the most Earth-like planet yet. Kepler 186f, called a rocky planet because of its size, has the potential to hold liquid water, which is crucial for supporting life. It is part of a ve-planet system in the Milky Way that orbits around a cool dwarf star. It has been named Kepler 186f because it was discovered by the Kepler telescope, which has found almost 1,000 new
worlds since its launch back in 2009. The region it is in is called a habitable zone, and the team behind its discovery believe that it could hold water because it has an orbital path that doesn’t journey too close to it s star for the liquid to boil away or so far out that it would freeze. However, it is currently surrounded by stars so the likelihood that it would sustain life is low, even if it manages to hold water on its surface. Only time will tell if there is a planet out there that will truly support life-forms in the capacity that our Earth does, and the time will likely come with the emergence of new technologies.
24 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
The Stag | 6th May 2014
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Grab the Razor! Scientists Warn We May Have Hit ‘Peak Beard’
Top in Tech By Fahmid Chowdhury, Science & Tech Team
Apple announce OS X beta testing
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pple have allowed members of the general public to download and install a beta X was 10.9.3. The lastversion time it of didOS this in 2000 when it asked for $29.95 for allowing one to do so. Microsoft virtual assistant has a sense of humour
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icrosoft’s virtual assistant, Cortana, has been unveiled as a possible cross between Google Now and Siri. As an additional twist, Microsoft have added a sense of humour in its functionality.
“Nokia” is gone
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icrosoft, creators of the Windows Phone OS, are
going give a couple Indian phone makers their OSoffor free, foregoing their usual licence fee. It does this with the aim of increasing Windows Phone adoption in the country.
y h p a r g o t o h P d a r n o C t r e b o R
Google’s Project ara smartphone innovation
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ove a beard? Believe even a single bristle shouldn’t be allowed to grow? Or, like me, you quite like just a little bit of stubble on your man? Well it seems likely that there are many more haters out there right now. Scientists are warning that we may have hit ‘peak beard’. There are just too many hipsters sporting beards nowadays for us to nd the fuzz
the clean-shaven men were considered more attractive. For those of you with an aversion to the overgrown 5 o’clock shadow, this may not seem surprising. However, remarkably, the reverse test – showing more clean-shaven men than bearded – resulted in the bearded men seeming more attractive. The article concluded that we are conditioned to nd the unusual attractive, so due to the current popularity of beards, even
throughout the ages. A study, published in the American Journa l of Society, of of historical beard wear in the 1900s shows how the popularity of different styles changed over time. In 1853 you would most likely see a man walking around with a pair of sideburns, but by 1877 this was superseded by the sideburns-and-moustache combination. By 1892 the gaps in between had been lled and full beards were most popular. The report goes on to show that a long
attractive anymore. The study, carried out by scientists from the University of New South Wales, investigated the perceived attractiveness of men with differing amounts of facial hair. The 1,666 participants were shown a series of photographs of mainly bearded men – from full hairy bikers to neatly trimmed goatees – followed by a few images of clean-shaven men. This research found that
an immaculately groomed soul patch just won’t cut it anymore! This phenomenon is known as negative frequency-dependant selection and it is prevalent all throughout nature. It is thought to be one of the factors that has led to our world’s extraordinary biodiversity. It may also be a scientic reason to explain the rise and fall of facial hai r fashions
period of disappearance or near-complete dormancy of a style follows its decline. This period was calculated to be on average 103 years. I feel at this point I should advise all readers that the waning of the moustache began 95 years ago meaning we may begin to see a re-emergence of the soup strainers. Don’t say I didn’t warn you – Movember is just the beginning!
By Francesca Gillard, Science and Technology Team
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oogle’s project has come up with a new form of innovation – the possibility to swap components of a smartphone when needed. This allows smartphones to be customised to your specic needs.
BMW launch their rst electric
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aking their debut into the electric-car market, BMW has launched their rst hybrid electric vehicle. The car is an absolute beauty and drops the notion that hybrid vehicles can’t be great lookers.
Literature Editor: Shiri Shah
The Stag | 6th May 2014
LITERATURE 25
Literature Should our classics have been eroticised? By Lauren Boland, Literature Team
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instead of attempting to enhance it with somewhat
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fter the popularity of erotic ction such as 50 Shades of Grey, it’s unsurprising that more of this sexual genre is being published. However, recently the classic novels, like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, have found themselves being controversially rewritten with added sexual scenes. Renamed the ‘Clandestine Classics,’ these old novels have been enhanced and questionably corrupted for the 21st century reader. Despite the fact they keep the original authors voice and plot, the graphic passages added make for a much different reading experience than originally intended. These classic nineteenth-century novels prided themselves in portraying sexual tension, while respecting the moral values of their time. Yet, this 21st century twist has explicitly sexed up the relationships known greatly to us. For example, in the new works of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth denes Mr Darcy as “hot, spicy and al l man,” while Jane Eyre has “explosive sex” with Mr Rochester. Although this could make
poorly written randomly placed pornographic passages that do and not ow with the original narrative. In Wuthering Heights, Catherine Earnshaw now enjoys bondage sessions with Heathcliff, while Sherlock Holmes has homoerotic sex with Dr Watson, leading us to wonder what Emily Brontë and Arthur Conan Doyle would think if they could see their works of art cheapened in such a way. Undeniably these are being produced for prot, purely for the market that was boosted by E L James and her 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, yet these classics have now lost their decorum and subtlety in representing true love. The founder of the ‘Clandestine Classics,’ Claire Siemaszkiewicz, stated that “it’s not our intention to rewrite or distort them but to create a whole new experience, enhancing the novels by adding deeper relationships.” But questionably these novels have been distorted and tainted by this 21st century need for eroticism and sexual adventure. Were our classics not enjoyable before when they relied a
for new literature, JaneAusten Austenwrote fans have beenexciting left enraged, arguing that with passion and feeling and respected the morals of her time, all of which has been corrupted with these new added scenes. This appears to be an issue relating to our present society, as it questions whether sex is the modern way to represent love, or has love accidently been rewritten as lust? It appears Austen knew how to modestly represent true love and connection and did so without pornographic scenes. However, enjoyable and tantalising these ‘Clandestine Classics’ are to read, I can’t help but wonder if we should be preserving our literar y heritage,
little more on the reader’s imagination? additional sex necessary in our classic novels, forIsexample is sadomasochistic sex initiated by Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre what was really missing? These novels are what we have to remind us of a modest past era, and they remain an important historical document of societal expectations of the time. I can appreciate that they are striving to incorporate a new readership to the wellknown classics, and undeniably some of the raunchier scenes are quite entertaining. However, I can’t help but feel these classics should remain modest, as the authors intended it, and new erotic ction should be written instead for our generation to enjoy.
Perception of Erich Maria Remarque By Anastasia Ulyanova, Literature Team
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ithout a doubt, the world of Remarque’s books gives the reader a vivid unprecedented impression. These books might be named as good evidence that this world is different for everyone, decked with different colors and shades, and the variety of opinions and judgments could not say anything about the truth of one another. Considering our sophisticated view of the world, our universe through the prism of differences, similarities and contrasts makes it even more mysterious and unique. The world of Remarque shows the secret borders across which the consciousness of man has not yet passed. Heroes and nations, wars and revolutions, feelings, decisions and judgments deployed to the extent and unselshly offer us a map of these recognizable - our own mistakes. It is difcult to describe the indescribable, it is difcult to see the impenetrable, it is difcult to feel, if you are insensitive, and difcult to get to the truth, if your mind is not ready to work against the stereotypes. The characters of Remarque are on their way to the truth, which might be not appreciated by the society - but for the truth, which might make them happy.
Arc of Triumph: A Novel of
Happiness Ravik and Joan is fragile, weightless, but they almost learned to
a Man Without Country The most prominentaand popular of all
appreciate every moment, thank each other for what they have with no demand for more. The book states that everything in this life is short, not only life itself, but all what it means for us - love or hate, hurt or forgiveness, meeting the ones or farewell. Fate of Joan ends tragically; Ravik understands that losing her he loses something meaningful. War only acquires its shape; Ravik spots a long life, which might be full of the same deaths and disappoin disappointments. tments. But somewhere in the depths of his soul, he understands that his life without Joan is wrong, something is different, so different. Remarque describes life without embellishments, with all its dirt and outs of identifying witness of human sins. Here there is also the cruelty and murder, envy and pride. “The Arc” might be safely called a masterpiece of world literature, because that’s what this book has collected all those moments you paid attention to the writers of those times. Each heading - a separate life. Every utterance - quote. Without exaggeration - the book that deserves special attention and all.
of the works of Remarque - ‘Arc of Triumph’ opens the way for the mind freedom. Narrating the beginning of the Second World War, it characterizes the events in the late thirties, displaying those who have been victims of violence and oppression. Ravik - middle-aged man, a procient doctor experienced life with all its possible sides, both good and bad, immigrated to Paris. To gather your attention, his life is closely associated with a woman - Joan, the actress who became the object of his innite reections, subtle, casual, free from all sorts of obligations, but unable to resist the feelings emerging in it to Ravik. Reading ‘The Arc’ creates the impression of closeness to the characters, you begin to empathize with them, cry and rejoice with them, feel their indifference to each other. The book itself does not contain detailed descriptions of military or political action, it is based on the feelings and experiences of the characters, who are forced to ght for their happiness, to catch moments with their mouth agape, when life gives them a chance to smile briey.
26 LITERATURE
The Stag | 6th May 2014
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‘I Woke Up Like This’ - The Writing of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie By Leo Blanchard, Literature Team
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f you’ve listened to ‘Flawless’ from Beyoncé’s latest self-titled album (which you denitely should have by now,) then you’ll already know who Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is and the feminist principles she
sampled on her album. She points out the way women are discouraged from being ambitious from an early age:
stands Butfor. for those of you who don’t quite know who this increasingly inuential Nigerian author is, here’s some background: Born and raised in southeastern Nigeria, Adichie studied Medicine at the University of Nigeria before studying at various prestigious universities across America. Since then, she’s gone on to write a series of successful short stories, poems and novels, winning her the Reader’s Digest Author of the Year Award and the prestigious Commonwealth Writer’s Prize. Her writing addresses issues such as religion, domestic violence, and sexuality, as well as the political turmoil that followed Britain’s colonisation and exit from Nigeria. She published her third novel, ‘Americanah’ last year. It tells the s tory of a young couple from Nigeria divided by the challenges that come with living apart, but delivered with Adichie’s characteristic humour. Promoting gender equality has been a central
“We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls: ‘you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful otherwise you will threaten threaten the man.’” man.’”
part her work, highlighting thefrom unfair treatsofwomen using experiences herway ownsociety life as examples. In her TED talk titled ‘Why we should all be feminists,’ she add resses the stigma surrounding the word ‘feminist,’ which caught the attention of Beyoncé, leading to some of Adichie’s quotes being
than has everare been before,an before, authors like Chimamand Chimamanda NgoziitAdichie playing increasingly importanta role in the world of literature and what better way to learn about these changes than with Adichie’s charismatic wit?
Adichie has also been an important voice in the African literary community as a whole, bringing an audience to its work beyond the continent. In doing this, she’s sought to change the way Africa is perceived; tackling the misconceptions many Westerners have of its population, including the idea that it has no middle-class. With Africa’s inuence on the world stage greater
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From mingling with literary agents to reading with Dinosaurs: an exciting exciting couple of months for Guildford’ Guildford’ss literary scene t’s been an exciting time for the literary scene here in Guildford over the past couple of months. March saw the second
with a good know-how of marketing authors and their works, and a rm grasp of the money side of things. Ultimately though, he pointed out, a good literary agent is in their job because they love literature. For those
of Glasgow, In March 2006. Since then it’s quickly risen in popularity and esteem in the academic commu nity. Last year, Dr Greg Tate, professor of English at Surrey, became one of BBC three’s ten resident ‘New Generation
by the way). The speaker described Carol’s advice for seeing fairies: “it is best done on a hot day, without having anything to eat or drink”. Then in the ‘Reading with Dinosaurs’ panel, a paper discussed the progression
annual Surrey New Writers Festival, hosted at GLive. A range of panels on bookish subjects were at the festival, from how to write a novel, to the nitty gritty of getting one published. Then April saw the ninth annual Conference for The British Society for Literature and Science, or the BSLS, come to Surrey. The BSLS is a scholarly society which promotes interdisciplinary research into the relationships of science and literature. I got a ticket for the festival and helped to run the conference, and, of course, I was sure to take my notebook along with me. I’m here to give you the highlights. The New Writers festival hosted a range of panels, including one on recent technological developments and their impact on how we read literature. There was also a panel called ‘Industry Insiders: Agents and Publishers’, useful for aspiring agents and authors alike. Literary agent Alex Christo, of Conville and Walsh Literary Agency, had some tips for budding agents. A literary agent, he said, should strive to be a “diplomat”, keeping good relations with authors, publishers and fellow agents alike. They should also, however, “be a used car salesperson”. That is,
on the other side of the coin, Samantha Haywood, of Transatlantic Literary Agency, had some words of warning. It’s a good idea to be professional when writing a covering letter for a manuscript. However, agents are totally inundated with manuscripts, so it’s important that your covering letter is different in some way. It doesn’t have to be intricate. It just needs to be original in such a way that it “jumps out” at the person reading it. Holly Luhning, lecturer in the Creative Writing School at Surrey, who founded the festival last year, spoke about her motivation for starting it. She had been driven, she explained, by a desire to “search for writing connections in their local community”, and to share these with others. She stressed that it’s meant to be a “malleable” festival, ever open to change and development. Judging by the highly attended panels at this year’s festival, it would seem that the festival has some real potential for building and developing a writing community over the coming years. Now, to the conference. The BSLS hosted their rst conference at the University
Thinkers’, for his promising research into the interplay between poetry and developments in psychology in the nineteenth-century. This year, he was the force that brought the BSLS conference to our humble Lecture Theatre building. Over the course of three days, from the 10th to the 12th of April, academics from all over the world (seriously, one bloke ew from Canada), spoke in an eclectic range of panels, delivering their latest research into the interdisciplinary eld of literature and science. To start off with, our very own Jim Al-Khalili delivered a paper entitled “Science and Rationalism in Medieval Arabic Texts”. The paper shed new light on the important scientic work that went on in the East during the middle ages, and had said some quite surprising things to say about the history of science and mathematics. For example, it turns out that the ‘father of algebra’, Al Khwarizmi, didn’t use numbers, but rather pure prose, when he rst wrote about algebra. Other papers delivered at the conference included one on the supernatural in the writing of Lewis Carol (a Guildford man,
of the dinosaur in the public’s mind; from the lizard-like monsters of the nineteenth century, to the Jurassic Park-esque creatures we know today. Then rounding things off, Bernard Lightman, of York University, Toronto, delivered a fascinating key note paper called “Conan Doyle’s Ideal Reasoner: The Case of the Reluctant Scientic Naturalist”. The talk discussed the scientic ideas that made Arthur Conan Doyle an agnostic and how Holmes’s use of scientic echoes the beliefs of his author. Delivered in the style of a Sherlock Holmes story, all the different threads of the paper were drawn together with a ourish at the end, and we were left with an intriguing suggestion: Doyle killed off Holmes in 1891 as a reection of his growing doubts in the potential for science alone to explain the world around us. From commercially aware literary agents, to professors passionate about nineteenth-century dinosaur stories, I got to meet a range of very interesting people, and joined Surrey’s English department for a very memorable couple of months.
By Joseph Harrison, Literature Team
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Music Editor: Candice Ritchie
The Stag | 6th May 2014
MUSIC 27
Music At the Boilero Boileroom om wi with th Young Young Kato
The Stag reviews Young Kato’s show at Guildford’s The Boileroom, and has a quick chat with them after By Elizabeth Kadie Tyvesse Tyvesse,, Music Team
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ith appearances in Made In Chelsea, opening for You Me At Six, and havi ng one of the Top 1100 most listed songs on the Spotify chart, it's only a matter of time until Young Kato begin topping the charts, building up a larger fan-base and marking themselves on indie history. The band, comprising of Tommy Wright, Jack Edwards, Joe Green, Joe Lever, Harry Steele and Sam Henderson, dropped by the Boileroom, Guildford, for the third gig of their tour. And with such a portfolio building up, it was best to check out what the six-piece indie alternative band had to offer… The gig opened with support act The White Bicycles, an Indie Electro duo from Falmouth, Cornwall, who performed songs taken from their EP 'Volume I: Elegy', and captured the small teen-lled crowd's attention with their unique sounds. Throughout their performance, they created a relaxed
ambiance ballads like 'Lie'with and their 'Surrender' they were and trulywith ablestrong to hook the audience lyrics. The performance was truly an amazing way to start the night and though we were entranced they did have to end, leaving us to 'Capture and cherish the past, the present won't last, the future it's just out of reach'. Next up were Pixel Fix, a four-piece indie rock band from Oxford. The sound intensity of their set gave us a real feel for the instrumentals, though it did seem to overcloud the lyrics which created a slight disconnect ion with some of the audience. However, the synchronisation of most of the audience's head banging with that of the band's was admirable. With the ow of their innovative sounds and the improvement in the clarity of the lyrics as the set went on, it was clear why they had been picked new band of the week by The Guardian, Artist of the Day by Louderthanwar.com and have dates set to perform for XFM, Lainfest and the Truck Festival in the coming months. It was then time for the main act to grace the stage. From the moment they began, Young Kato captivated the audience with their beats, movements and heartfelt lyrics. Performing a mixt ure of songs including ‘Help yourself yourself ’, ‘Lights’, ‘Something Real’, ‘Life's Good’, ‘Ignite’, ‘Revolution’ and ‘Break Out’, the boys from Cheltenham lled the room with their rhythm, illuminating the crowd and encouraging us to sing along... ‘You watch the world go by... hold a fuse to my heart and I'll ignite'…and so they ignited the ame in the audience’s hearts, especially with their nale ‘Drink, Dance and Play’, which had the crowds jumping and singing along. Their lead vocalist Tommy had a great vocal range, guiding us through their amazing music until the end of their performance. After they nished, The Stag were lucky enough to be able to catch up with them for a quick interview; The Stag: What quality do you think has enabled you to make it this far? Young Kato: The fact that we are doing what we love, we just want to play our songs and make good music. TS: What do you think has ha s kept you guys together? YK: If there’s any animosity, it's always resolved and never built up - everyone communicates with each other. TS: At which point did you/would you feel that you had made it? YK: Never. As we continue to achieve things, we create more goals and more things we can aspire to. It’s an endless process where we will always continue to strive for more.
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Young Kato’s lead vocalist, Tommy Wright
TS: Tommy said that he'd “gone through every pain for this band”, what did you mean by that? YK (Tommy): That was elaborated from the rst video we shot for our single 'Somethi ng Real', where I had to do a 9 mile run. I was dragged in the sea on a winter day and in the end
about 200 in the past, though we don't feel the need to rush too much for an international fan-base – it’s best to begin at home, build up a fan-base in your town and spread out from there.
it was taken down because we felt we could improve it. We've re-recorded it and wanted to re-release it with a hopefully less painful video (laughs).
TS: How do you each contribute towards the creative process of the songs? YK: We all came from guitar groups and when we came together, Harry blew our mind with sync and keyboard stuff and introduced us to dif ferent ows, enabling us to branch out. He is the one, he changed the band and sound for the better, stepped us up from the average guitar band into Young Kato. We have some future projects in the work with everybody contributing, writing, producing and making demos, which are just bringing us closer as a band.
TS: How did you g uys get together? YK: Well, Jack and Sa m are stepbrothers. Tommy, Joe Green and Jack all went to the same school and Harry, Joe Lever and Sam went to a different school together, so the stepbrothers brought us together. TS: What are your major inuences? YK: We listen to different genres, from Grime or Jazz, to RnB or Rock. The mere fact that we listen to different types has contributed greatly to us as a band. We have very eclectic music tastes, which enables us to have a different sound from others. People can pull our songs apart and say that's a bit indie and that's a bit rocky, it's a pigeon hole of sound from each genre and we're just interested in good music really.
TS: Do you have any advice for people who want to follow in your footsteps? YK: Do what you like and be ready for it - some people just put out a song and are not ready to develop as a band. TS: What’s been the biggest crowd you've played to? YK: We played Alexander Palace as a supporting act which was about 9000 people, and headlined in London, which is like our surrogate home, to about 500. We have played in Russia to
One thing that denitely sparkled for Young Kato was their humility, making the time to sell to and speak to fans, their honesty when answering questions, and their emphasis on the fact that they were doing something that they love. And of course, their main goal, to remain true not only to their fans but to themselves – a quality which many acts often seem to neglect. Together, there was just something that clicked, which shone not only through them but also through their music. They truly have founded a fan in me and after a couple of listens they will surely make a fan out of you.
Check out their song ‘Drink, Dance & Play’ which reached 12 on the indie charts and their free download Ignite, as well as other singles on iTunes.
28 MUSIC
The Stag | 6th May 2014
[email protected]
Open Mic Night: An Insight By Kyra Hanson, Music Team
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caught up with Surrey University’s Open Mic host Alist air Cowan to nd out what makes Channies on a Thursday night such a success, as well as sharing his top tips for
popular – Tribute and ‘the other’ one.
anyone thinking about performing. The Stag: How long have you been hosting Open Mic? Alista ir: Something Something like 8 years. I was asked to come and do it by the then bar manager Tim Goodman. It was a real success because the bar staff and managers really got behind it, and listened to what I had to say regarding the setup and layout… after all, at that time I was running 3 other very successful Open Mic nights in Surrey.
do you thinkhas of his poetry? A: Nigel been performing at Open Mic for as long as I remember. He’s a great guy – very eccentric – and very polite and considerate, he appreciates that it is basically an Open Mic night centred on music. Regarding his poems – some of them are pretty out there, and he doesn’t hold back, but they are colourful, and if you get on his level you can follow it.
TS: What attracted you to Surrey University particularly? A: I’ve played countless times at Surrey over the past 20+ years, with my band Redwood, and various festivals, clubs and parties around Campus. The students are great; there are some real success stories that come of Surrey. Stagebunch, Crew who set up theout equipment areThe a great and it’s always good to see one of them carry on to greater things. It’s a friendly place to come and work, and the vibe from the audience is always so supportive… I get the feeling that the students are proud of their Open Mic night – and so they should be. TS: Do you ever tire of playing Tenacious D/ Billy Bragg’s New Engla nd? A: New England is a great song to warm up on, and a good good ‘sound-check song’. song’. I used to busk it in the subway in Bournemouth. I don’t actually get tired of playing it – it’s a song that people seem to love… and I can play it differently every time. Tenacious D is really a show off song… I can do it well, and it’s very
TS: I have to mention Nigel! Do you remember Nigel’s Nigel’s rst performance? What
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TS: Over the years, has there been any drastic change in terms of the talent or style of music being played? Do you see Open-Mic moving away from acoustic and opening up to d ifferent genres? A: I think I encourage live music – though some people don’t have a musician to play with, so they use a backing track. That’s ne, as it gets them up and playing. Some weeks we have more10‘rap’ artists, we had rappers playing years ago atbutOpen Mic’s. There is an ebb and o ow w with quality and type of songs… in the end people return to what they’ve been doing for the past 50 years… a good song with an acoustic guit ar. TS: Open Mic has quite a range of performers – Do you ever have any regrets about who you let perform? A: I always give people a chance… no-one wants to do a bad show. It’s not really for me to decide who is good and bad. People only get better when they are given the opportunity to perform in front of crowds, and that’s exactly what Open Mic is for. for. I’m strict on timings, just because I want everyone to get the same chance on the night.
TS: who Whatare arethinking your topabout tips for aspiring artists performing at Open Mic night? night? A: Just have a go. You learn so much getting up on stage, and in the end, what does it matter if you mess up? We all do it – I’m always messing up, but who cares? Other than that, look into Mic technique the sound engineer can turn you down, but NOT up if you are too far from f rom the Mic… that’s when you get feedback. Check out the page page on the openmicnight website - http://www. openmicnight.co.uk/hints-and-help/ - it’s a really useful piece I’ve written covering just this. TS: With the advent of social media, it’s easier for bands and artists to promote
their music online - doisyou think the role of Open Mic nights diminishing? In terms of Channies as a venue, what do you think makes students come back again and again? A: Bands use social media to promote their work, but they still need to be able to play it live. Actual ly most people who get up and play do it just because they enjoy performing – I guess it’s the human condition. The reason people come back to Channies – I think it’s because it’s a friendly, accessible venue – great to socialise in, where the music is presented in a professional format. And hopefully II’m ’m supportive, and can encourage as many people as possible to take to the stage.
SoundCloud Revolution By Leo Blanchard, Music Team
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t might feel like only yesterday that t he death of the CD was being rumoured, bidding farewell to the days of jewel cases and saying hello to the much more convenient alternative of downloads. But after only a short time as king, the download is already looking like it’s on its way out, with a big share of listeners already switching to the quicker and easier alternativee — streaming. alternativ Services like Spotify and Pandora have become popular in recent years thanks to their users’ demand for on-the-go listening that gives instant access to any song, all without the ordeal of syncing tracks across. Facebook integration and student discounts on subscriptions have also made it especially popular amongst young people. But apps like Spotify still work in a pretty conventional way, delivering music to listeners through big labels and forcing users to endure obnoxious adverts between songs unless they stump up for a subscription. This emphasis on paying to listen to music doesn’t appeal to everyone though, even if it’s cheaper than legal downloads; that’s especially the case for a generation that learnt how to pirate music before it could
walk. That’s where SoundCloud comes in. SoundCloud, with its huge surge in popularity in recent years, is maki ng music social again by adopting a fformat ormat similar to that of Twitter and Tumblr. Users follow each other and publicise artists by reposting to each other’s streams, and just like most social networks, there’s no membership fees or annoying ads. But most importantly, any artist can upload their music and instantly have it streaming to any user, making it a great platform for up-and-coming ones looking to increase their fanbase. By providing greater control, such as the ability to upload hours-long mixes, SoundCloud is handing power back to musicians and restoring them to their rightful status. This is especially important at a time when more and more high-prole artists are falling out with labels over creative control, such as the continued delay of Azealia
Banks’ debut album ‘Broke With Expensive Taste’ which she threatened to leak back in April. The same way Twitter revolutionised how celebrities interact with their fans, SoundCloud acts as a great platform for artists to listen to the music of those who listen to theirs. This has created a collaborative environment where creativity thrives, acting as a great place for music discovery as well as inspiring remixes and edits — sort of similar to the same ideas that are peer-reviewed in academic journals. As great as SoundCloud is, there’ll probably never be a single platform that we all listen to music through, especially now that vinyl’s miraculously regained its lost popularity. But, either way, it’s beginning to look like a great source of music, at least until we get the technology to beam the latest Arcade Fire and Drake straight to our brains.
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Film Editor: Sophia Field
The Stag | 6th May 2014
FILM 29
Film
Noah D
By Jim Onyemenam, Film Team
arren Aranofsky presents an intense character study, challenging our beliefs, understanding, and the folklore of the oft retold story of its eponymous lead. The story follows Noah, who has to build an ark to save the innocent animals from the deluge that God is bringing to wipe humanity and its sins from the world. In 10 generations, man has scavenged the earth and created a civilisation where food is scarce and people are so brutal that they resort to murder, rape, and cannibalism. The point of brilliance of the lm is not in its dark, gritty, realistic presentation of a story that we thought we knew, but in the complex portrayal of a character experiencing emotional turmoil as a result of the destruction he has witnessed, and to some degree facilitated. In this regard, the lm is not entirely biblically accurate, and a lot of creative liberties have been taken not only to create a traditional apocalyptic
The lm features an ark, which was actually built to Biblical specications, which was necessary to ground what was already a CGI-fest, particularly with the animals. Additional ly, its sharp stop-motion-esque editing technique makes its montage sequences where it illustrat es the creation of the world and the fall of man ‘visually’ catchy. Ultimately, Aranofsky creates a world which inherently feels very real and very familiar, but the little details, for instance the stars in the daytime sky, helps maintain the intricate balance between his world feeling real and familiar, and it feeling fantastic and miraculous. Generally, the cast was applaudable. Anthony Hopkins, as Methuselah, is a typical, charming grandfather-gure – a role which would not have stretched his acting chops one bit. Emma Watson on the other hand shows off a newfound ability to show wide emotional breadth, plus although her husband is
cinema, but also to inate the emotional climatic drama that ensues upon the ark. Films should never be regarded as text for historical or biblical accuracy, but lmmakers do have the responsibility to remain, at least thematically, true to the source material. Noah does that. The lm explores themes of not just the redeeming qualities of love, and the propagation of sin through necessity, but also the glory, but the ills of blind servitude. Thus, the greatest villain gradually becomes Noah himself, and this is the point of brilliance. Noah’s (masochistic) servitude to God is his greatest strength. The question therefore becomes how far can Noah go to do what is asked before he is overcome by love and mercy? In order to achieve this, Aranofsky took what must be said to be his greatest creative liberty – which would divide even the most religious and stoic cr itics. In the lm, Noah, when building the ark is not assured of his family’s safety. He believes that they too, as they are human, are destined to die in the ood. Although this is
Douglas Booth, she –seems to share genuine with Logan Ler man possibly due toatheir workchemistry together on The Perks of Being a Wallower. Logan plays Ham, Noah’s middle son who comes close to betraying his father (another creative liberty), and authentically shows the confusion that must have plagued his character. And Russell Crowe, as Noah, comes off as inaccessible, and thus his manic servitude convincing, but no less deranged. His character arch gradually becomes a horror story, made ever so convincing by his adept portrayal of its conicted lead. The true star of the production is Ray Winstone as Tubal, the main antagonist. He illustrates a self-important yet vulnerable tyranny, fuelled by a self-servient existential philosophy which is almost endearing, possibly because it is reective of us. Sometimes the lm becomes preachy, and at points excessively dumbed down – especially, in a few moments where speech is overused and silence would have been a more apt tool. But ultimately, for a lm which
not biblically accurate, it makes the lm a testament to the extent to which Noah would go to follow the will of God. Furthermore, its creative liberties were necessary to inate what is barely four chapters in the Bible to its 139 minute runtime – a perfect length.
is not designed to be biblically accurate, but rather an inventive character study of a man we thought we knew, Noah explores depths of that character we never imagined, inspires curiosity into the actual Biblical story, and encourages numerous rewatches.
IMDb Top 100 – Do You Agree?
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can’t be the only one who runs to IMDb for support when choosing a lm to watch. In an attempt to avoid wasting hours of my life watching terrible movies, checking out the rating it has received by our trusted peers and critics is essential in nding out the score. But do we all agree with these ratings?
#48 Back to the Future (1985) – IMDb rates 8.5
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ated as #48 in the IMDb top 100 movies, Back to the Future is one of the few light hearted movies to make the top ranks. The list is
mostly compiled of hardmatter, hittingbut dramas that profoundthat, and sometimes dark subject Back to theevaluate Future remedies and proves that comedies can still be critically acclaimed. Although its plot centres around a time travelling adventure, the heart of Back to the Future is situated rmly in the importance of family. The character of Ma rty Mcy, played my Michael J. Fox, is arguably one of cinema’s most lovable characters, and the audience follow him as he travels back to 1955, when his parents are in high-school. However, things get complicated and he realises that his presence may make changes to the future that would prevent the existence of himself and his siblings. The character who is the most iconic is Christopher Lloyd’s Dr. Emmett Brown, with his wild grey hair and eccentric behaviour; he is the epitome of a mad scientist. Great Scott, the man must be a genius, he created a time machine out of a DeLorean after all. If you are part of a rare species of student who have made it into their twenties (or heaven forbid, thirties) without participating in a Back to the Future marathon, tonight has got to be the night.
By Sophia Field, Film Editor
Film Editor: Sophia Field
The Stag | 6th May 2014
FILM 31
The Other Woman By Nicole Vassell, Editor
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smart lawyer meets a charming businessman and they immediately hit it off; weeks of hot dates and overnight hookups lead her to not only cut off her other suitors, but to invite him to meet her father. Life is going well for Carly (Cameron Diaz): great job – check; great wardrobe – double check; and now a great guy to boot.
Rapper Nicki Minaj also swaps her day job and features briey as Carly’s straight-talking assistant, and while not being particularly useful for the plot, she is an amusing addition to her handful of scenes. Directed by Nick Cassavetes, whose prior works
thingbefore aboutboth her amazing new boyfriend? He’s married. AndThe it’s only not long aggrieved parties discover each other and meet – but unlike other incarnations of the mistress vs. wife trope, they don’t engage in a hair-pulling, face-scratching ght over their mutual man: instead, they become friends and conspire against him. Perhaps one of the most anticipated comedy releases this year, The Other Woman had a lot to live up to – and to a large extent, it succeeds. For one, it really showcases the comedic strength of the majority female cas t in a way quite reminis cent of 2011’s 2011’s Bridesmaids. Though lms headed by women can unfortunately be prejudged as lacking in ‘true’ humour, the script was exciting and full of slapstick fun, with scenes involving handbag vomit, falling out of windows and crashing through glass walls being particularly memorable examples. Though Diaz played the ‘sensible character, silly situation’ role well, the majority of the laughs were undoubtedly elicited by Leslie Mann. A clear standout, her hilarious portrayal of wronged wife Kate manages to be ditzy, sweet and lovable without crossing the line into annoying.
include The Notebookpigeonhole and My Sist er’s some would automatically it asKeeper, little more than a ‘chick ick’. Though the prominent theme of unity and friendship between the women has a clear appeal, women and men in the audience alike were entertained throughout. All in all, despite the occasional venture into cheese, The Other Woman is a t ruly enjoyable watch. An unlikely story? Most denitely – but it’s funny enough that even the most sceptical of viewers should be able to hold back t he eye rolls and just enjoy.
About a third of the way into the lm, model Kate Upton joins the team as Amber, another woman played by Mark, the serial cheater (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Though an Academy Award winni ng performance wasn’t expected, Upton’s casting seems to have been motivated by her looks rather than talent; her few, fairly average lines did little more than reinforce the ‘dumb, busty blonde’ stereotype.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier By Joshua Langley, Film Team
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he sequel to 2011’s Captain America and the second helping of Marvel’s rst ‘Avenger’ is far superior in both script and story, to the original. With the superhero background having already been expanded upon, the lm is able to move quickly into its action sequences. However, the movie’s quality is not in the orgy of
Redford who simultaneously conveys both insidiousness and likeability, in a similar vein to his portrayal of John Gage in 1994’s An Indecent Proposal. However, he is merely a gurehead for plotline purposes, as the true villain of the movie is the technology that we all now possess at our ngertips. Harnessed by the full might of the
explosions and comic book violence provided by its $235million budget, but rather in the questions that it poses about the society in which we live today. One of the best action sequences of the lm involves a car chase through the streets of Washington DC. In this scene the character of Nick Fury (portrayed by the ever reliable kickass Samuel L Jackson) attempts to escape from the clandestine forces of Hydra. However, we do have to take the story weakness as a matter of course. Clearly, the plausibility of the Nazi elite science division, surviving for 70 years unnoticed and netting itself into the American military is not realistic, but you should surely expect this when going to see a comic-book movie. For me the lm’s superiority to the original comes from its script. Although, still cheesy, brash and predictable the dialogue adds to the lm. This allows us to actually appreciate the quality of the acting talent on offer with Jackson and Johansson shining throughout. The villain of the lm is Alexander Pierce, who is a long term ally and conda nt of Nick Fury. The characters are very similar in their political views and as realists they believe that humanity is fundamentally corrupt and dangerous. The character is played by veteran lm star Robert
US military industrial complex; or as it is known in the Marvel Universe ‘Shield’, the lm turns into one man’s struggle against a tremendously powerful and corrupt system. The conspiracy that underpins the entire plot turns Captain Rogers (played by Chris Evans) into public enemy number one. This for me is where the lm gains its merit as an art form. Obviously, the meaning of the lm is dramatically more overt than a French art-house movie, and does not take a lot of hard work to understand. However, by mirroring the likes of Edward Snowden, something I am sure the lm makers will deny vigorously, we are led to wonder whether the balance between freedom and security that we currently have in the western world, is the right one. As we know, the idea of ying robots that go around assassinating enemies of the state is not completely outside of the realms of possibility. However,, if you’re looking for a simple superhero However lm this is also what you get and well worth a see.
32 FILM
The Stag | 6th May 2014
[email protected]
Television Corner Top 3: Netflix Original Series
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t a time where watching television on a monitor, ruled by the timings of the TV Guide is becoming outdated, on demand television platforms, such as Netix and LoveFilm are on the rise. They are doing what they can in the ght against piracy and providing a cheap, legal service for those who just cant wait for the American shows to hit our British screens, or those who simply cannot afford a ‘real’ television in university digs. As students,
By Sophia Field, Film Editor you who dish out the £6 a month, Neti x has a cata logue of television a nd lm to blame for many, many hours of procrastination. In an attempt to set themselves apart, and become more relevant, Netix now acquire original content for their subscribers. Orange is the New Black, House of Cards and Hemlock Grove are examples of th is and have all been renewed for another season, to air across the next year. So now is the time to catch up, or get out.
we are perhaps the largest demographic to watch TV on our laptops, and for all those of
Orange Is the New Black
Hemlock Grove
House of Cards
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range Is the New Black was a stand out performer of 2013. With an original premise and addictive episodes, it quickly generated more viewership in its opening week than other Netix original series, including House of Cards. The show is based on the true story of Piper Kerman, whose involvement in laundering money from the trade of heroin landed her in jail. Her character provided the inspiration for Piper Chapman (Taylor Schill ing), a bisexual woman serving a jail sentence away from her ancé Larry (Jason Biggs, known for American Pie) and alongside her ex-girlfriend and the cause of her imprisonment, Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). The audience get an insight into the world of the female only prison, the corruption of
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evin Spacey plays ruthless democrat, Frank Underwood, in this intense political drama. His manipulative character grips you from the opening episode and becomes more vengeful towards those who have betrayed him over the course of the series. House of Cards is evidence of the changing tides and exceeding importance of online content, as Robin Wright, who plays Claire Underwood (Frank’s wife) in the series, won a Golden Globe for Best Actress, the rst major award to be presented to exclusively online content. Both Spacey and Wright provide extremely polished and commanding performances. The show delivers a bitter, dark and unique observation of politics and corruption, and is gripping
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guards and series the tension between inmates – both love and hate. The has everything: sex, violence, drama and humour. The characters are unique, and we grow to love and understand many of them before we encounter ashbacks of their criminal sides. Orange Is the New Black embraces the LGBT community by featuring both lesbian and transgender storylines, but also includes heterosexual love stories. It is truly for everyone. If you haven’t seen this series, please do. The second season is out in June 2014.
from theseason start. which House of Cards justFebruary been renewed for a third is set to has air in 2015, but until then, there are two seasons to catch up on.
from than fans the likes of Orange Is the Black and Housecritics of Cards, of horror series suchNew as American Horror Story should enjoy Hemlock Grove. The second season premieres in July 2014.
emlock Grove is based around a ctional town in Pennsylvania with the same name. The town encounters bizarre goings-on, suspicious behaviour and murders. After the recent obsession with the vampire in popular culture, Hemlock Grove offers a different insight into the supernatural and brings the werewolf into the spotlight once again. The series is a dark and sinister examination of both humanity and the supernatural world, revolving around the powerful Godfrey family, who are suspected of leading twisted experiments in their Institute of Biomedical Technologies, and the life of Peter Rumancek, a young gypsy with a damming secret. Whilst it has received more negative feedback
Societies Editor: Alice Wilkinson
The Stag | 6th May 2014
SOCIETIES 33
Societies All things spring C
ampus been library quiet over the last fourreturn weeks!toAs lectureshas restart, opening hours normal and many of you will be returning from home or holidays, this exciting edition of The Stag societies section has been pulled together to update you on what our societies have been up to over the Easter break.
One World Week
r ) e w o ( fl es n J o n i a l J u ©
By Fiona Buckland, International Societies Ofcer
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niversity of niversity of Surrey’ Surrey’ss One World World Festival saw another week of creative creative eevents vents across campus this year. Incase you missed anyth ing, here are the highlight s. We would like to t hank everyone who made this an incredible event; to the University of Surrey societies for sharing their traditions with us and creating a wonderful showcase of culture, to Em Bollon (Union President), Maz Hussein (VP Societies), Rachel Evans (Activities Coordinator) and Alice Bentham (Surrey Stage crew).
24 Monday
29 Friday
One World Week Exhibition. Societies from around the globe lled the Union with music, colour, chilli and a host of different activities; the famous Pakistani bus was outside Chancellors during the day offering tours around campus, and Tropical Inc. bought a selection of scary and scaly snakes to hang around your necks.
One World Week Gala. Packed to the rafters, this event attracted a whole range of people including the Mayor of Guildford. Showcasing the diversity of Surrey University’s societies who, assisted by Stage Crew, put on a beautiful display of their own individual culture and traditions with dancing, singing, acting with an innovative shadow performance from Vietnamese society.
25 Tuesday
30 Saturday
African Caribbean Society Afrofusion at Rubix; a cultural show telling the story of Yemi who learned about her heritage via song, dance and spoken word followed by an after part y in Rubix. Rubix. The Christian Union arranged International Cafe offering a friendly envi ronment for people from across the globe to socialise. In the evening Chancellor’s held an International Chancellor’s Challenge with
One World Week 6-a-side Football Tournament saw international teams play against each other at Surrey Sports Park. The sun was out maki ng it a perfect social sports afternoon from which Cypriot and Hellenic society left victorious.
questions all centred round the topic of all things ‘World’.
26 Wednesday
31 Sunday
Sushi making took place at Young’s Kitchen; students were able to sample a selection of sushi and taught how to roll roll rice. Malaysian Society, positioned in the Library Foyer, tempted passing students with traditional Malaysian food. Spanish Society had set up a Salsa class in Rubix; a talented professional took a group of students through the basic steps of this ery and passionate dance. Surrey Video Gaming Society brought the Living Room a FIFA 14 Tournament. To end a busy day, the International Ofce held their Home Away From Home event where students shared their difcult and humorous experiences of being away from home.
On Sunday Rubix hosted the One World Week Film Marathon. Screening lms from all corners of the globe, this event offered students a relaxing end to another of Surrey’s amazing One World Weeks. Until next year...
27 Thursday Portuguese Society brought some sexy samba to Rubix; students shimmied, swayed and swivelled around the dance oor led by two professionals. That evening, Rio Carnival night at Living Room, presented students with a chance to show off their newly developed moves, try the famous Brazilian drink, the Caipirinha while enjoying the Brazilian and Portuguese music.
34 SOCIETIES
The Stag | 6th May 2014
University of Surr Surrey’ ey’ss Big Allotment Challenge
[email protected]
MADSoc
Spring Awakening
By Alice Wilkinson, Societies Editor
O
ver the Easter break, as the nation saw Fern Britton donning her wellies for the debut of BBC’s Big Allotment Challenge, University of Surrey nalised designs for their very own Campus Garden. Plans, which
The project encourages institutions across the UK to form student-led growing sites and provides student specic gardening resources and information on plants that will harvest during University term times.
By Devon Ashley, MADSoc Secretary
and crew have been putting in for the
began over a year ago in afliation with the National Union of Students, Student Eats Project, are, at last coming together. In the coming weeks you will see visible improvements as the site of the garden, behind Guildford Court student halls, will be re-landscaped with paving and connected to a water supply. The team behind this, led by Victoria Johnsen Surrey University’s Environmental and Cultural Change Manager, are pushing to have the garden ready for planting by September this year. The garden will provide a hub for the community, promising to be a multifunctional space for a range of people; from academic staff conducting research to green ngered students eager to produce their own groceries. Elsewhere, the NUS Student Eats programme has been incredibly successful.
Unique projects are being launched across the UK with students building barbecues and pizza ovens on site to host student socials. With impressive projects emerging, such as Roehampton University’s “Growhampton”;an allotment-come-café project which will serve the produce grown on campus in a studentrun café, the team behind the University of Surrey Campus Garden are inspired and determined to make Surrey’s garden something special. YOUR GARDEN NEEDS YOU. We are forming a student society to manage and run Surrey’s campus garden project. This will be an incredibly rewarding, enjoyable experience and an opportunity to be instr umental in the future of Surrey’s garden. If you would like to be part of it, please send an email to [email protected]
fter a busy year of near-constant productions, one might think that MADSoc would be using the Easter holidays as a period to rest and recuperate. Not so! We have been using the time to prepare for our upcoming musical, Spring Awakening (14th-16th May, 7:30pm, University Hall). Based on Frank Wedekind's controversial play of the same name, the enormously successful, award-winning Spring Awakening depicts the story of eleven young people caught between childhood and adulthood. Dealing with themes such as adolescence, sexual awakening and the pressures of being a young teen, this coming-of-age rock musical cannot be missed! On top of the hard work our cast
A
musical, we recently came to the end of our last, extremely successful production, The Appointment. Based on the story of a young woman volunteering at a retirement home, this piece gave our members something more serious to sink their teeth into! We also celebrated the Easter holidays by taking a trip into town to see the fantastic Avenue Q at the Electric Theatre. And last, but not least, we have been making preparations for our AGM (6th May, 6:30pm, 15AC03)! Handover is always an exciting time for societies and we’re looking forward to seeing who will be a part of the next year’s committee! Tickets for the musical are available at www.facebook.com/ MADSocSpringAwakening
Gospel Choir
Enactus By Mark Boateng ,John Gonzales and Hayley Magorian
Enactus Surrey Jailbreak
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n March 15th Enactus Surrey’s rst Jail Break began. Four teams set off from campus with the challenge of getting the furthest distance away in 36 hours using no personal money to pay for travel. Using hitch-hiking, free or discounted tickets and kind donations from the public, all four teams managed to leave the country. The four locations reached at the end were Amsterdam, Cologne-Germany, MontreuxSwitzerland and nally the winning team travelled 634 miles to Nice-France. The total amount raised for charity was £825.50 which was split evenly between Enactus and Sport Relief. Thank you to all who took part and supported the event. Look out for Enactus Surrey Jail Break 2015!
Enactus National Competition 2014
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n the 14th 14th and 15th 15th April, after months of rehearsals, Surrey Enactus Society showcased the inspirational projects they have been working on infront of hundreds of students, advi sors and senior employees from supporting rms for the Enactus National Competition 2014. They presented about their Hives Empowers Lives project , located in Ethiopia working with poverty-stricken farmers to set up honey producing bee farms, their Oakleaf Project, working with a local mental health charity, and their Linden Centre project, working alongside expelled students, motivating them to seek a better future. Out of 54 Universities, Surrey took home 2 trophies and are proud to announce that our Enactus society was among the TOP 10 in the UK.
University Gospel Choir of the Year Year Competition By Calvin Jor
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ompetition day nally arrived on Sunday 5th April. Despite the cold, 6.30 AM start, everyone was in good spirits boarding the coach. On arrival at the Old Carlton Cinema, Islington, we were shown to our dressing room. Sharing this very small room with four other choirs presented us with quite a struggle as between rehearsals there was a lot of spare time. But with two of our members with their ukuleles in-ha nd, we managed to keep the Gospel Choir Spirit alive, jamming the hours away. away. As University of Surrey was the closing act, we were able to eye up our competition; it was strong and showcased the talent and individuality of each of the
UK’s Universities top Gospel Choirs. When it was nally our time to shine, we kept morale high backstage and encouraged everyone to have FUN and enjoy what we love doing best- singing! As we performed our favorite song ‘He Lives In You’ from the Lion King with our accompanying choreography, the atmosphere was unbelievable and the performers within us came alive. So, when we missed out on one of the top three spots in the competition, we weren’t too disheartened; we are all proud of each other for performing well and coming together as a choir. That is not to say we won’t come back ghting next year.
Sport Editor: Santiago Avilés
The Stag | 6th May 2014
SPORT 35
Doping Dramas Affecting Sporting Integrity? By Santiago Aviles, Sport Editor
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t has emerged that previous 100m world record holder Asafa Powell tested positive for the banned stimulant Oxilofrine. As a consequence, he is being served with an 18-month ban by the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO). The ban means he will not be able to compete in the coming commonwealth games in July. In the process of doping investigation, in light of the result, Powell’s hotel was raided by police whilst he positive was competing in Italy. What they found was an inordinate quantity of supplements considering the leng th of the competition. However, no illegal substances were reported. In his defence, Powell stated that this positive result was as a consequence of taking a supplement by the name of “Epiphany D1”, which is advertised to improve memory, focus and attention span. The former world record holder has claimed to have sent the supplement to two independent testing facilities, both of whom support the athlete’s claim
t t i W s a n o J ©
Asafa Powell, pictured, faces an 18-month competition ban
that doping was unintentional. Despite this, the sanction still stands. It must be noted that Powell’s national teammate Sherone Simpson, who shares the same coach and trainer, (Stephen Francis and Chris Chris Xuereb) also failed on the same grounds. This adds credence to the claim that it was unintentiona l and was merely caused by a routine supplement prescribed to the team.
However many anti-doping commissions and competitors have criticised JADCO. Allegedly no blood test has ever been performed at their humble facilities. Only a single urine test was performed on the athletes prior to the London games, leaving the possibility that athletes and coaches need only to consult a calendar to avoid detection. Veronica CampbellBrown was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, escaping a two year ban for a prohibited diuretic. Due to the weak methodology heropen samples were compromised and therefore left themselves to legal scrutiny. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) may impose disciplinary measures if JADCO fail to improve the situation which as a result, could seriously harm Jamaican athlete’s reputation. In terms of doping throughout the ages, here are some cases which may shed light on the severity of punishments for doping offences in sport:
Diego Maradona Maradona The proprietor of the Hand of
God was well publicized for getting his hands dirty outside of the football pitch, being caught no less than three times and even escaping drug trafcking charges. It is alleged that his Cocaine addiction began as early has 1983 during his brief stint at Barcelona, which leaves the possibility that he won the 1986 world cup with Argentina with the analgesic still in his system. Diego would only be caught in 1991, enduring a worldwide 15-month ban, ending his run at Napoli with his addiction overshadowing his remarkable achievements. During this inactive period, the Argentine ballooned in weight and never reached the same level of tness. For the 94’ World Cup he was required to lose a staggering even loosing around 16kg in preparation. Ultimately, this was his undoing. Testing indicated a suspiciously high level of Ephedrine (incidentally a precursor in the illicit synthesis of Crystal Meth) and ephedrine analogues. FIFA sent Maradona home after playing only a single game. Diego hit rock bottom after testing positive once again while at Boca Juniors, which ended his playing career.
in light of stanozolol (winstrol) being found in his urine analysis. In his defence he would go on to claim that he only resorted to taking banned substances in order to compete with the other top sprinters, who were also doping. He was merely a scapegoat for all the US. Time would be his ally in conrming th is. Of the 8 who took part in the n al, 6 would go onto test positive at some point in their career. This led to the race being dubbed as the “Dirtiest
race history”. In director fact, documents in 2003 by the WadeinExum, former of the USreleased anti-doping committee would indicate that over 2000 US athletes would fail drug tests, including Lewis (for ephedrine, pseudoephedrine & phenylpropanolamine) and several other gold medallists; yet this was swept under the rug so America’s Golden Boy could compete. British athlete Linford Christie (also testing posting positive the same year for pseudoephedrine) would be the rst to point out favouritism, with video footage proving Carl Lewis overstepped his lane several times and despite this, was still allowed to claim the gold medal. It should be pointed out that Christie would be banned for 2 years in 1999 for the detection of the heavy steroid Nandrolone.
Jones The BALCO scandal was the undoing Marion Jones of several notable athletes, including Dwayne Chambers, but no one fell into disgrace harder than the Sydney gold medallist Marion Jones. Implicated for her relationships with several individuals under investigation, she was in the public spotlight for several years, constantly contesting any cheating allegation, going as far as to provide false statements to agents. In the face of mounting evidence and testimonies, her statements changed and she nally admitted to doping. Subsequently she was charged with lying in a federal investigation as well as being involved in check fraud. As a result, she was sentenced to 6 months in prison. Mounting legal costs and the return of prize money resulted in a deterioration of the mother of two’s nances to the brink of bankruptcy.
Ben Johnson The 80s produced ne athletes, nonemore so than Canada’s Ben Johnson, America’s Carl Lewis and Great Britain’s Lynford Christie. The 100m in the Seoul 88’ games was one of the most anticipated athletic events of the decade, with a rivalry established between the Canadian and the Lewis. Johnson, built like a house, was the most powerful gure at the starting line. His technique was awless, possessing an explosive start and a spectacular acceleration.
Tyson Gay One of history’s fastest men recently failed
He would set amedal, worldtorecord speed of 9.79s only it, along with his gold be stripped from him twofordays later
efforts to purge competition of chemical assistance.
his ‘A’ sample with an undisclosed anabolic steroid, costing him his Adidas sponsorship. WADA is yet to announce their verdict, however a two-year ban is likely for the 31 year old. All these revelat ions, both old and new, cast a dark shadow over the integrity of sports and highlight the demand for all doping agencies and sport governing bodies to step up their
Surrey American Football
Surrey Stingers narrowly miss victory By Matthew Sadlers and Will Anderson
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n their 20th anniversary season, the Surrey Stingers American Football Team reached the playoffs, competing against the most successful Stingers teams of all time. Despite the Stingers’ unshakable determination to play hard and come away with that elusive rst ever playoff victory, it wasn't to be. The Stingers lost to Kent after a tense 0-0 game and the narrowest of losses in sudden death overtime- the nal score 0-6. The Stingers were left battered and bruised but proud of the achievements of the season. This feat is even more impressive considering two
years ago the Stingers recorded two walk overs, an 0-8 season, 0 offensive touchdowns and team sheets consisting of only 16 names. Today, the club boasts 50+ registered members, increasing in wins and touchdowns, conceding just three defeats to teams ranked in the national top 20, including a narrow 15-0 loss to #3 ranked Brighton. As it stands at the time of writing, the Surrey Stingers are now ranked 27th in the country and have secured 33 BUCS points for team Surrey. The Stingers are hoping to continue the great work of the team and committee from this season. As a society, their aims are to achieve that
rst elusive playoff win, also to expand the success of the club and getting as many people as possible involved to enjoy the great sport that is American Football. The team would also like to take thi s opportunity to thank the head coach Sharif Omar for his hard work over the last three years. Sharif who has been instrumental in the team’s success this season, will be leaving the team due to family commitments and the whole society would like to wish him all the best. The next Surrey Stingers game: 13 May: Old Boys Match - current team vs. Alumni, Farnham Rugby Pitch. A season of gridiron for The Surrey Stingers Stingers American Football Society
36 SPORT
The Stag | 6th May 2014
[email protected]
Sport How Roger Roger Bannister led the way for British athletes a thletes The 6th of May marks 60 years Bannister’s ter’s achievement achievement yea rs to the day of Sir Bannis
954 was a promising year. The year before, Queen Elizabet h II was crowned queen, Edmund Hillary’s team scaled Mount Everest, James Watson and Francis Crick publish all their ndings on the structure of DNA , British pride was rightly at an all-time high. The ability to run a mile sub four minutes was deemed impossible by the best athletes and journalists alike, one athlete of the era going on to say: “It’s like a wall.” One man rose to the challenge, the Englishman Roger Bannister. As a young student at Oxford, Bannister Banniste r showed great promise, being considered to represent Great Britain for the 1948 Games, an honour he would refuse believi ng he was unworthy. Several National and European Championships later, he would compete in his rst and on ly Olympics at Helsinki 1952. Expectations ran high back home, and the pressure proved all too much for the Medical undergraduate, leaving
Returning home he would set himself a nal challenge before pursuing his medical career. To redeem himself he would attempt the impossible and run a mile under four minutes. Many contemporary athletes had tried and failed, the best clocking in tantalisingly close at 4:02. It would require a further year to prepare for the feat, recruiting two of his friends, Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher, to set his pace for the four track laps. Both Chataway and Brasher would go on to become ne athletes in their own right. Bannister would push his body to new limits, all while juggling his academics. The morni ng of the 6t h of May was dreary, the weather unfavourable for any record attempts. However, this didn’t stop him as: “A man in England can’t wait for good weather”. And so, that evening, the trio set out to make history in front of a 3000 spectator crowd, breaking the record by a hairsbreadth - 3:59.4. Six weeks later, he would graduate in his degree subject and pursue a specialisation in Neurology. For his
him going home empty handed and frustrated after placing 4th in the 1500m. Great Britain would only win a single medal those games, in the show-jumping event. As a consequence, the entire team returned to the mercy and harsh criticism of the press, but none more so than Roger Bannister.
accomplishments and services as Chairman of the Sports Council, he would go onto be Knighted Sir Roger Bannister in 1975. Today,, elite athletes frequently outdo this time. In fact, Today the record stood for only six weeks. Bannister and his main
By Santiago Aviles, Sport Editor
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The Color Run By Zoe Taylor, Treasurer Treasurer of Team Surrey Running and Athletics
RACE RULES:
Rule #1: All participants are welcome… fast, he Color Run, also known as ‘The Happiest slow, runner, walker, old, and young. Rule #2: White shirt dress code at the ofcial 5k on The Planet’ is a ve-kilometre, untimed race in which thousands of participants start line. Rule #3: Finish completely covered from are doused from head to toe in different colours at each kilometre. The fun continues at the head to toe in a crazy coloured frenzy. nish line with a gigantic ‘Color Festival’, using Come take an afternoon off on Sunday 1st more coloured powder to generate happiness and lasting memories, not to mention millions June in Wembley Park, London, before exams kick off, for a well-earned endorphin infused of vivid colour combinations. revision break! Money raised goes towards the Save the Children charity.
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rival would both go on to run sub 4 minutes, the “miracle mile”, at the Commonwealth Games later the same year. But the rst to do so was a humble student, lacking in today’s army of nutritionists, masseurs, coaches and sports sciences specialists. It’s an inspirational tale as to what we students can achieve with our youth, perseverance and the countless opportunities open to us.
