Issue 60 - University of Surrey's Student Union

It’s the 

last one 

Newspaper of the students of the University of Surrey Issue 60 – Wednesday 29 th May 2013 

The Games Maker 

As a punishment, each year (just 

this year) The Stag will publish 

the attendances of every 

member of the Sabbatical 

Team and Part Time Exec to 

the weekly Exec Meeting. 

There can be only be one 

Victor. Let the Exec Games begin! 

The Tributes 

Dave Halls - President 

Sam Ratzer - VP Education 

Bakita Kasadha - VP Welfare 

Em Bollon - VP Societies and 

Individual Development 

Arabella Gilby - VP Sports and Recreation 

Charlie Eastaugh - Union Chair 

Anna Lawrence - Events 

and Trading Officer 

Katie McManus - Ethics and 

Environment Officer 

Kat Heneghan - Communications Officer 

Munya Mundariki - Equality 

and Diversity Officer 

Imogen Jones - Postgraduate 

Development Officer 

Maria Sklirou - International 

Development Officer 

Jade Roberts - Community Officer 

Inforgraphic by Ankur Banerjee, everything else is the distrssed brainchild of Alexandra Wilks

2 EDITORIAL 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

News Editor: Rachel Thomason | Copy Editor: Tina Morman 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 

NEWS 3 

Editor | Alexandra Wilks 

editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Editor-in-Chief | Abbie Stone 

ussu.editor@surrey.ac.uk 

Deputy Editor (Design) | Hannah Roberts-Owen 

design@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Design Team | Paul Richmond, Ankur Banerjee, Tina Morman 

Deputy Editor (Marketing) | Becky Richmond 

marketing@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Marketing Team | Emily Gill, Natasha Cruz-Millheim and Georgie Wood 

News Editor | Rachel Thomason 

news@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

News Team | Hannah Craig, Sam Bradbury and Rachel Thomason 

Opinion & Analysis Editor | Justine Crossan 

Opinion & Analysis Team | Mathew Haine, Bea Marques, Melissa Bolivar 

Features Editor | Ellis Taylor 

features@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Features Team | Sophie Vickery, Nicole Tillyrou, Laura Colledge, Ankur 

Banerjee, Pippa Tollow, Jhora Sangha 

Science and Technology Editor | Alex Smith 

sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Science and Technology Team | Fahmid Chowdhury, Siobhan Harris, 

Ankur Banerjee, Mike Colling 

Societies Editor | Shalini Thondrayen 

societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Societies Team | Zoe Field, Betty Kelly, Jess Blake, Beth Goss, 

Fiona Buckland 

Dance and Theatre Editor | Tiffany Stoneman 

dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Dance and Theatre Team | Alexandra Vickerman, Rebecca Tubridy 

Film Editor | Candice Ritchie 

film@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Film Team | Arran Coe, Siobhan Harris, Jim Onyemenam, Ankur 

Banerjee, Alexandra Wilks 

Music Editor | Becky Worley 

music@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Music Team | Tay Noronha, Shiri Shah, Thea Spalding, Ankur Banerjee, 

Jason Hough 

Literature Editor | Emily Smart 

literature@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Literature Team | Rachel Burgess, Ankur Banerjee, Sophie Vickery, 

Alexandra Wilks 

Sport Editor | Anna Giles 

sport@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Sport Team | Arabella Gilby, Owen Davis, Riccardo Imbriano, Katy Iliffe, 

Gareth Raynes 

Charlie Taylor, Marketing 

I 

’ve had such a great year with The 

Stag! Being behind the scenes, I’ve 

dragged my fair share of newspapers 

around campus, so if anything, this 

experience has given me a good work 

out! My highlight has definitely been 

helping run and promote the Latitude 

competition this month and being 

Hannah Roberts-Owen, Deputy Editor (Design) 

can’t believe a year is over already! 

I I’ve had such a blast being Deputy 

of making-things-look-pretty on the 

Stag team, personal highlights being 

the naked Boux Avenue photo shoot 

and the ruckus we caused with the 

Latitude ticket competition. It’s been 

so much fun working with such a 

brilliant, friendly team, and I’d really 

encourage anyone and everyone to get 

Ankur Banerjee, all round good guy 

Working as part of The Stag 

team in my final year has 

been a big part of my life, and for 

that I have Alexandra Wilks and 

Hannah Roberts-Owen to thank for 

welcoming someone they did not 

know into the team so warmly. It’s 

easy to underestimate the amount of 

Abbie Stone, Editor in Chief 

Wow-oh-wow what a year! It has 

been chaotic, emotional and a 

heck of a lot of fun. I cannot say that I 

have enjoyed every moment of being 

the Editor in Chief, but I can say 

that I am glad to have done it. I have 

found a new love and appreciation 

for each individual media and all the 

able to get involved in more of the marketing. This year 

has given me an insight into how the paper is run and put 

together and I hope to get involved with more of the design 

and marketing aspects on my return from placement. I’m 

not going to lie, I’m not going to miss lugging stacks of 

newspapers up and down Stag Hill but I will miss the energy 

and friendliness of the team and I wish the new editors all 

the best for next year! 

involved next year – being part of the student media, no 

matter how big or small, is such a valuable experience. 

Everyone’s been great, but I’d like to especially thank 

Aaron Salins for being such a great go-to man and helping 

me out in many a tough spot, Andy Smith for his internet 

wings and Ankur for being a general all-rounder. Next year 

I’m (hopefully!) going on placement, so will be handing 

over to the more than capable Paul Richmond. Thanks 

for reading The Stag guys, and for ignoring the (very 

occasional) typos! Cheeeers then xo 

effort that goes into putting together a newspaper every 

fortnight, none of which would have been possible or fun 

to do without the amazing people that I have worked with 

over the years at The Stag. 

I have made some of my best friends at Surrey working 

for this newspaper, and this is what made those countless 

late nights, caffeine overdoses, chain smoking, and high 

drama worth it for me. 

hard work that students put in to run them. I feel blessed 

that this role has introduced me to brilliant people, all of 

them passionate, ambitious and some I now call my best 

friends. Andy, I have no doubt you will do amazing things 

next year, and remember a wise man once said, with great 

power comes great responsibility. 

Hwyl fawr dear Stag readers. Dw i’n dy garu di. 

well done to sam ratzer and charlie eastaugh, this year's winners. Guildford was at first 

not surprised. Charlie Eastaugh, the boy who was on fire, seemed an obvious victor. However, 

it is interesting to note that the Union Chair does not have to attend Exec meetings. If he 

wishes, another person can chair. 

Copy Editors | Sophie Vickery, Emma Fleming, Hannah Wann, Tina 

Morman, Tessa Morgan 

copyteam@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Webmaster | Andrew Smith 

webmaster@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Webeditor | Samantha Murray 

webeditor@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Campus Marketing | Charlie Taylor 

campusmarketing@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

The Stag is an editorially independent newspaper and is published 

by the University of Surrey Student’s Union. 

The views expressed in the paper are those of the individual 

authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the educational 

team, the Students’ Union or the University of Surrey. 

Trinity Mirror (South) 

8 Tessa Road, Reading 

RG1 8NS 

The Stag reserves the right to edit all submissions and the right to 

decide which articles are published. 

My last Editor’s note *sob* 

Firstly, I’d like to thank 

the academy.... No I’m just 

kidding, but in all honesty this 

is going to be a bit of a vomfest 

of emotion. So this is it. My 

last issue. To everyone who 

read the newspaper this year, 

THANK YOU, without you it 

would be epicly pointless. My 

involvement with The Stag has 

really made my time at Surrey. I 

am so proud of all that we, The Stag team, have achieved. To 

all my girls and boys, thank you for all the effort and more 

you’ve put in. We’ve had an amazing year, and we have so 

much to be proud of. Whether you’ve been a Section Editor, 

Writer, involved in marketing, distribution or design, I want 

to thank you for all that you’ve done. We kicked ass. 

Surrey has left its mark indelibly on me forever. 

The shy girl ruled by insecurities is gone, and replaced 

with someone who finally knows their own worth. I want 

to dedicate this issue to a few people. I know that is not 

customary, but as you can probably tell from this year, I’ve 

never been one for custom. 

A million hugs and kisses to my best friends Genevieve, 

Rupert, Alex W, Imogen, Ankur, and Bakita. You guys have 

been behind me every step of the way and always, always 

had my back. I love you. 

A special mention to Charlie for his unwavering 

support, for picking me up when I was down and giving 

me a few excellent scoops (my lips are sealed). Jamie, as 

well, for giving me the best piece of advice when I needed 

it most. Surrey English department need some recognition, 

especially Paul Vlitos, Beth Palmer, Greg Tate and Bran 

Nicol, you were patient and kind even though I was all over 

the place with The Stag and final year! Andy Smith, the hero 

of all things Student Media, was forever wonderful. I know 

you’ll be a fab EIC. Abbie Stone, we had our fights, and we’re 

both hot heads, but you know I have the utmost respect for 

you. Finally, Alan Sutherland. You gave me confidence to be 

the best Editor I could be. Thank you Alan. 

It’s a well-known fact that the only way to fulfil one’s role on the Union Executive is to attend a weekly one hour 

meeting. The other 167 hours a week (and trust me, some weeks it comes a lot closer to that number than many 

would dare to imagine) of work and effort are simply leading up to that golden hour. 

Sarcasm aside, attendance at Exec is an important facet of being a member of the Union Executive- it is the 

highest policy-setting body in the Union, and all elected officers should make every effort to attend. 

Of course, though, officers, both part-time and full-time contribute in other ways. Full-time officers are paid 

to be here, and therefore should have the highest attendance percentages (accepting of course, that University 

meetings are often held at the same time as Exec); part-time officers have to balance their courses, placements 

and work commitments though, and simply publishing raw data of attendance figures doesn’t reflect this. 

Research into the impact of visas on international students, overhauling the way student staff are trained, 

and working closely with the university to further the green agenda, are all projects undertaken by part-time 

executive officers that has required a huge time commitment. Funnily enough, these are also contributions to 

student life at Surrey that were achieved outside of that one-hour-a-week meeting. 

As you can now clearly see, during about a fifth of Union Exec meetings, I have simply been apologising. I shall 

continue to castigate myself until I finish office; it’s what my predecessors would have wanted. 

It’s the beginning of the end: Exams 

loom, coursework edits scramble and 

dissertations print. For the thirteen 

members of the outgoing Union Executive Committee, it’s a combination 

of relief alongside an uncertain feeling of ‘what will I do next year?’ OK, 

maybe some won’t miss the weekly meetings, chaired by yours truly 

and minuted by the delightful Leonie, but all in all it’s been an eventful 

ten months. The committee room has seen blood, sweat and tears (not 

so much blood and sweat) and numerous heated debates spanning 

Fresher footfall, the politics of protest and media malarkey. We even 

spent an hour talking about whether I should write this article. Clearly, 

attendance at a weekly meeting isn’t the only measure of activity as a 

Union official. Some were on placement, others live a commute away, 

and we all have various commitments. As your Union Chairperson this 

year, I felt it right to submit these figures, and I hope they go some way 

to clarifying the shroud of mystery around who sits on the committee 

which oversees the SU, and perhaps who doesn’t. Take the graph with 

a pinch of salt, but it’s a tangible starting point for the almost twitchinvoking 

buzzword: Accountability.

4 NEWS 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 news@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Union Contact: ussu.information@surrey.ac.uk 


UNION 5 

University awards nights recognise 

outstanding student achievments 

By Rachel Thomason, News Editor 

Two of the biggest awards 

nights for Surrey students 

ended this year on a high. The 

Student Awards and Colours 

Ball 2013 saw students get out 

their best dresses and suits 

and celebrate great stduent 

achievements at the university. 

This year Colours Ball 2013 

took place on Saturday 11th 

May at Epsom Racecourse 

for sports clubs to celebrate 

their success this year as part 

of Team Surrey. The evening 

gave students the chance to 

sit down and have a three 

course meal while watching 

the presentation of awards. VP 

Sports, Arabella Gilby, hosted 

the evening with awards given 

to the Rifle Club, Netball Club, 

Men’s Football Club, Fencing 

Colours Ball 2012 

Club, Mountaineering Club and 

Trampolining Club. 

Individual awards included 

the Sports Exec trophy going 

to Gillian Lord from Netball; 

the Sally Edie Trophy to Andy 

Reynolds, fencing coach; 

Mayors Trophy to Lowell Lewis 

from Hockey; Team Surrey 

Trophy to Ana Rita Morgado Da 

Silva from Volleyball; Leggett 

Trophy to Ross Abrahams 

from Trampoline; the Sue 

Jupe Plate to Stephanie Gooch 

from Archery, Badminton and 

Taekwondo; and the Nicholls 

Trophy to Liz Ng from Fencing. 

Some students also picked 

up Club, Half or Full Colours 

awards for their participation 

within each club. For a full list 

of winners, visit www.ussu. 

co.uk. 

The Annual Student Awards 

The annual Team Surrey Colours Ball on Saturday 

11 th May was held at Epsom Racecourse this year 

with the highest attendence yet. 

The evening recognised students and coaches at the 

University of Surrey for their sporting achievements, 

with the night hosted by outgoing VP Sports and 

Recreation, Arabella Gilby. Awards were presented 

by members of the university, the Students’ Union 

and Surrey Sports Park staff and volunteers. 

Congratulations to the achievements of everybody 

involved in Team Surrey clubs this year! 

celebrate the achievements of 

Surrey societies and individual 

students over the whole year. 

University Hall provided the 

venue for a lovely evening and 

was attended by many who 

have been getting involved 

this year and those who 

celebrated friend’s and peer’s 

achievements. 

Society winners included 

Chem Soc as the Departmental 

Society of the Year; Arts 

Society of the Year was won 

by Gospel Choir; the Nepalese 

Society won International 

Society of the Year; Faith and 

religious Society of the Year 

went to the Christian Union; 

CoppaFeel! won Political and 

Campaigns Society of the Year; 

the Special Interest Society 

of the Year went to Enactus; 

the Student run service of the 

year was St John’s LINKS; and 

GU2 Radio, part of Stag Media, 

won Society Improvement and 

Development. Overall Society 

of the Year went to Christian 

Union. 

Individual awards 

recognised some of the most 

dedicated students at the 

university with awards going 

to Tom Windibank as Best 

President and Maria Sklirou for 

Outstanding contribution to 

Representation and Wellbeing, 

to name but a few. Mike Frazer 

also picked up two awards, the 

Student Media Award and the 

Outstanding Contribution to 

the Student Community. 

The university and the 

Students’ Union would like to 

congratulate all winners and 

nominees for their contribution 

to the university this year. 

Rachel Thomason 

News Editor 

Being News Editor of 

The Stag has been such 

an amazing experience 

for me and I am so 

grateful for being voted 

in this year. Thank you 

to our readers, to the lovely Stag team, and 

to my team of writers who have met every 

deadline I’ve given them with incredible 

dedication. Best of luck to Shunayna Vaghela 

who has been a part of my fantastic teams of 

writers this year. Have a great summer! 

UNION AWARDS 

2012 

And the winners are... 

• Best Newcomer – Sophie Ruffett 

• Fundraiser of the Year – The RAG 

Kilimanjaro Fundraising Team 

• Student Staff Member of the 

Year – Tom Heywood-Pope 

• Student Media Award – Mike Frazer 

• Departmental Soc of the Year – Chem Soc 

• Arts Society of the Year – Gospel Choir 

• International Soc of the 

Year – Nepalese Society 

• Faith and religious soc of the 

year – Christian Union 

• Political and campaigns soc 

of the year – CoppaFeel! 

• Special interest soc of the year - Enactus 

• Student run service of the 

year – St John’s LINKS 

• Academic rep of the year 

– Salim Ramjean 

• Academic staff member of the 

year – Dr Caroline Catmur 

• John Hoborough Award for volunteer 

of the year – Katy Sawyer 

• Outstanding contribution 

to representation and 

wellbeing – Maria Sklirou 

• Student run event of the year – 

‘Ahadadream’ by Ahad Alley 

• Most active society member – Freya Poole 

• Best society committee 

member – Chris Medley 

• Best President – Tom Windibank 

• Society Improvement and 

Development – GU2 Radio 

• Society of the Year – Christian Union 

• Outstanding Contribution to the 

Student Community – Mike Frazer 

Researchers from UniS help find iodine 

deficiency affects foetal development 

By Hannah Craig, News Team 

Iodine deficiency in pregnant 

women has been found to 

have a negative impact on foetal 

cognitive development. 

The finding was made using 

data from Bristol-based Avon 

Longitudinal Study of Parents 

and Children. The health research 

project followed over 14,000 

pregnant women from 1991 and 

1992, tracking their children’s 

health and development. This is 

why the study is also known as 

‘Children of the 90s’. 

Researchers from University 

By Sam Bradbury, News Team 

The Surrey Sports Park has 

recently received £115,883 of 

lottery funds in order to get more 

people involved in sports. 

The National Lottery’s Sport 

England’s Community Sport 

Activation Fund has distributed 

£5.1 million among 32 projects, 

all of which are trying to support 

local sporting activity. The aim is 

to create a legacy after last year’s 

successful hosting of the Olympics 

and Paralympics. 

Surrey Sports Park, in 

partnership with the Guildford 

Borough Council and the 

University of Surrey, will use the 

investment in order to fund the 

new Game on Guildford project. 

of Surrey and University of Bristol 

collaborated on this research 

project. Iodine concentrations 

were measured on a group of 

1040 pregnant women’s urine 

samples in the first trimester of 

pregnancy. 

Children’s cognitive abilities 

were assessed at age eight 

and nine years. The lower the 

mother’s iodine concentrations 

in pregnancy, the lower the 

children’s IQ and reading ability. 

External factors which could 

influence children’s cognitive 

development such as, parental 

education and breastfeeding 

SSP lottery fund helps to 

launch ‘Game on Guildford’ 

Game on Guildford will deliver pay 

per play sessions, introductory 

coaching courses and social sports 

leagues. It will also offer funding 

for coaching courses for potential 

project workforce. 

The project will launch next 

month on Saturday 24th August at 

Surrey Sports Park with an open 

day sporting event. 

Surrey Sports Park Sports 

Development Officer, Claire 

Shapland, said: “We are excited to 

have been awarded funding to be 

able to make a real difference to 

sport and activity in the Guildford 

Borough. We hope that this fund 

will enable us to tackle current 

issues such as lack of coaches and 

waiting lists for clubs by offering 

further sporting opportunities.” 

Surrey Sports Park recieved lottery funds for a new Game on Guildford project 

were controlled for. This ensured 

findings were solely based on 

iodine levels. 

The research should inform 

pregnant women’s diet to ensure 

adequate levels of iodine. Dr 

Sarah Bath, a dietician and 

researcher, said: “Pregnant 

women and those planning 

a pregnancy should ensure 

adequate iodine intake; good 

dietary sources are milk, dairy 

products and fish”. 

More information on iodine 

sources are provided on the 

University of Surrey and British 

Dietetics association web-sites. 

Forever Surrey alumni network host free 

beer and pizza event for final year students 


Forever Surrey are set to host an informal but 

informative event with free drinks and pizza on 

Tuesday 11 th June. 

The event is being hosted by the university’s 

alumni relations team for all final year students and 

aims to welcome students who are set to graduate in 

July to Surrey’s alumni network Forever Surrey. 

Forever Surrey has an active global network of 

87,000 alumni and has many supporting benefits to 

help graduates develop their career. 

Trudy Monk, alumni relations manager, said: 

“We look forward to welcoming final year students 

to our relaxed evening to give them an insight into 

our alumni network which they will soon be a part 

of. Forever Surrey is here to support graduates and 


Lecturer in the School of 

English and Languages at the 

University of Surrey, Dr Gregory 

Tate, has been named as one of 

the New Generation Thinkers for 

2013. 

BBC Radio 3 and the Arts and 

Humanities Research Council 

(AHRC) named Dr Tate as one of 

their New Generation Thinkers 

for 2013 out of 60 candidates. 

The ten who were selected went 

through a series of challenging 

written presentations and all-day 

workshops. The final decision was 

made by senior staff from BBC 

Radio 3, BBC Television Arts and 

the AHRC. 

Dr Tate researches the 

connections between literature 

and science, and particularly 

investigates how Victorian poets 

reacted to and employed new 

scientific ideas to do with the 

mind in the 19th century. 

He will have the opportunity 

to work on programme ideas for 

BBC Radio 3, and will participate 

in regular New Generation 

Thinkers slots on several of their 

programmes. 

At Radio 3’s Free Thinking 

festival in November 2013, Dr Tate 

may also have the chance to be a 

guest speaker as part of the New 

Generation Thinkers event and 

could work with BBC Television 

Arts to create a short taster film 

which might potentially be shown 

at www.bbc.co.uk/arts. 

Dr Tate commented: "I'm very 

excited to be given this fantastic 

opportunity to discuss my 

research with a national audience. 

It's a wonderful chance to share 

my love of literature, and to let 

we want Surrey to remain an important part of 

students’ lives. 

“The event will also provide an opportunity for 

students to tell us what they would like from their 

alumni network. All washed down with a free drink, 

whether that is beer, wine or a soft drink, and some 

pizza!” 

The evening is set to take place from 5.30pm to 

7.00pm in the Living Room, part of the Student Union 

building. 

Please register by Monday 10 th June by 

emailing alumnievents@surrey.ac.uk. 

For further information please call 01483 

683143 or visit: 

www.surrey.ac.uk/alumni 

Surrey English academic named a 

BBC New Generation Think 2013 

the BBC's listeners know about my 

research area: the relationship 

between literature and science in 

the 19th century." 

Alongside Dr Tate as part of 

the ten New Generation Thinkers 

are academics who hold positions 

at universities such as Oxford, 

Cambridge and Edinburgh. They 

also undertake research in arts 

and humanities topics. 

Dr Gregory Tate named as a New 

Generation Thinker for 2012

Union Contact: ussu.information@surrey.ac.uk 


UNION 7 

Sabbaticals Say... 

Welfare woes and wins 

Bakita Kasadha 

Union Vice-President 

Welfare 

Wow. It’s actually nearing the 

end of the year. After four 

years, of contributing to The Stag 

newspaper, this will be my last 

article. Not only am I saying good 

bye to the VP Welfare role, but a 

five year stretch in Surrey... not 

that I’m trying to make it sound 

like a prison sentence! I’ve recently 

been writing up my successes 

and challenges for the year, so I 

thought I’d share a couple with 

you. First up, the Welfare Warriors, 

they are a team of absolute stars. 

Not only have they helped to 

promote welfare campaigns, but 

their enthusiasm and creativity 

have shaped and bettered the 

campaigns. I would like to thank all 

of them for their willingness to get 

involved and patience, as I figured 

Thanks for an amazing year Surrey! 

out what campaigns to organise 

and how to arrange a team. 

With them, there has been 

the opportunity to arrange more 

campaigns (than I could have 

managed on my own) and it has 

also mean that knowledge of 

Welfare campaigns have reached 

more people on campus. 

But of course not everything 

was a success; there were many 

challenges and some plans didn’t 

quite work out. Unfortunately, 

with lack of time and prioritising 

various campus focussed tasks I 

wasn’t able to spend as much time, 

as I would have liked, building 

stronger links with the local 

community and capitalising on 

those benefits. 

When looking at the year as a 

whole (more detail on my latest 

blog- ussu.co.uk), however, I feel 

that it has been a productive 

and positive one. Hopefully you 

will feel that I’ve had a beneficial 

impact. 

Moving forward? There is one 

more campaign to go, the last of 

the Every Body Campaigns. The 

Every Body: Chill Out Campaign 

will be an online campaign giving 

you practical stress reliever tips 

over the exam period. Don’t forget 

to let us know how you manage 

stress over exam periods using the 

twitter hash tag #StressFreeSurrey. 

So this is it- the last Stag 

article from me (as VP Welfare). 

Many thanks to the Student 

Union staff, Welfare Warriors, and 

University staff. The help, advice 

and motivation they have given 

over the past year has made this 

an amazing experience and my 

productivity/successes have been 

better by with their input. Finally, I 

would just like to say good luck and 

all the best to my successor Tom 

Windibank, I hope you have a great 

and memorable year. 

Unitemp of the Year Awards 2013 

By Alexandra Wilks, Editor 

To mark Unitemp’s second 

birthday, they held an 

award’s ceremony to celebrate the 

wonderful temps who work with 

them. 

The winning temp, Jamshid 

Salimov, along with runners up 

were selected from the hiring 

manager’s nominations by Acting 

Branch Manager, Louise Kelly 

and Consultants, Rosie Hill and 

Winner - 

Jamshid Salimov 

Runners up - 

Phil Balfe 

Holly Christmann 

Ben Gibbons 

Brian Lewarne 

Richard Morgan 

Daniel Rolfe 

Laurence Gent-Randall. 

All nominated temps and 

hiring managers were invited 

to attend an awards ceremony 

so they could all be recognised, 

share the positive feedback and be 

personally congratulated. 

Jamshid was nominated for his 

work as a Student Ambassador for 

Amanda Hargreaves in Student 

Recruitment and as an Outreach 

Ambassador for Sarah Linington 

in Widening Participation and 

Outreach. 

He is an undergraduate 

Chemical Engineering student in 

his final MEng year. 

Jamshid said, "University of 

Surrey gave me an opportunity 

to succeed in my life. Unitemps 

gave me an opportunity to give a 

little back and show my love of the 

university. I highly appreciate the 

award, it made my last week at the 

university the best one yet. Thank 

you." 

The Winner and Runners up celebrated their achievements at Roots Bar 

Goodbye from our lovely 

President Dave! 

Dave Halls 

Union President 

So here we are, the end of 

another academic year. Well, 

sort of; it’s the start of exams, 

and the undergrads are soon to 

be leaving. But much as we still 

have the postgrads with us for a 

few more months, your Students’ 

Union is going nowhere over the 

summer. 

There are still a whole variety 

of things going on here whilst you 

enjoy the sun. The staff and sabbs 

The final edition of the Stag 

before the next academic year 

and time to finish on a high – The 

result of the KWAF campaign, 

from September 2013/14 there 

is now a policy stating that 

teaching hours on a Wednesday 

will be between 9-12. KWAF (Keep 

Wednesday Afternoons Free) was 

launched this time last year but 

was re-launched in November/ 

December 2012. The campaign 

aimed to gather support from the 

student body in favour of keeping 

the entirety of Wednesday 

afternoons free. What started off 

as a sports campaign became more 

and more widespread. Societies 

were affected, people wishing to 

study the Global Graduate Award 

and simply those catching up 

with a high intensity course. The 

campaign tailed of at the Christmas 

break but there was 1058 signing 

in favour and some very strong 

quotes and percentage evidence. 

The University announced that it 

would be writing a Timetabling 

Policy to take effect from 2013/14 

and asked the Union’s opinion. In 

are here year round, so don’t feel 

you can’t come to your Union for 

support just because it’s summer. 

Of course, come July, there’ll 

be a new sabb team in place. 

Whilst that’s a while off yet, as 

this is the last Stag of the year, this 

is the last time you get to spend 

your valuable time reading my 

mundane thoughts. So thank you 

for sticking with me this past year, 

it’s been a complete honour being 

your President for 2012/13, and I’ll 

be leaving Surrey with this year 

capping off six pretty great years 

here. 

Good luck in your exams, and 

best of luck for the future, Surrey! 

KWAF: The Results! 

Arabella Gilby 

Union Vice-President 

Sport & Recreation 

April, myself and VP Education, 

Sam Ratzer sat on the steering 

group and presented strong 

evidence as to why teaching 

should be moved from Wednesday 

afternoons to other areas of the 

week and this was agreed. The 

final test was when this draft 

policy was taken to University 

Senate to be passed as official 

policy on May 14th. Despite 

some disagreement and lengthy 

discussion this part of the policy 

was passed, so from September 

there can be little less worry about 

missing lectures for matches and 

more time playing. Although this 

has taken a whole year to come to 

light, it was so worth it! Enjoy your 

free afternoons next year and 

keep winning! Go Team Surrey!

Awards! 

Best Design: Becky Worley 

Becky has shown some real talent in her section. It always looks amazing. 

Best Marketing Campaign: Hannah Roberts-Owen & Charlie Taylor 

Hannah and Charlie worked tirelessly on our Latitude competition, from obtaining the tickets to Charlie’s amazingly 

designed posters. 

Most enthusiastic: Alex Smith & Ellis Taylor 

Ellis and Alex are full of ideas and always willing to get involved in whatever we have going on. Alex’s science section 

was incredibly impressive all year and Ellis single headedly ran Re-Fresher’s Fair. 

Stag girls get glammed up for red carpet night 

Journalist of the year: Rachel Thomason 

Rachel has found the best scoops throughout the year and contributed a wealth of articles. 

Columnist of the year: Adam Lodowski 

Adam’s ‘A Geek…’ column in the Sports Section was hilarious and consistent! 

Writers of the year: Siobhan Harris, Katy Sawyer, Beth Goss, Rachel 

Burgress, Sophie Vickery & Melissa Raske. 

All have penned a vast amount of informed and exciting articles. 

Liam and Alexandra at Student Awards 2013 

Most innovative: Shalini Thondrayen 

Societies can be a tough section, but Shalini has brought a new lease of life to it and come up with some really exciting 

ideas. 

Impressive Dedication: Candice Ritchie 

Despite being on placement in London, Candice has been provided excellent content for the Film section. 

Best connections: Tiffany Stoneman 

Tiffany has managed to blag so many free tickets to shows and always writes up the performances in a clear and exciting 

style. 

Most Controversial Section: Justine Crossan 

Justine has found some of the most pressing issues of the day and provided excellent commentary on them. 

Alexandra and Ankur at SurreyDecides 

Most Improved: Anna Giles 

Anna struggled with InDesign at the beginning but quickly became one of the most dedicated Editors. 

Widest range of articles: Emily Smart 

From Twitter fiction, to Literary news, to reviews, Emily has provided a wealth of material for the Literature Section. 

Unsung heroes: Tina Morman, Paul Richmond, Andy Smith, Sophie Vickery, 

Hannah Wann 

These are the people who haven’t had enough credit this year for all the hard work they have put in. 

The Stag team having a laugh at Fresher’s Fayre 

Best newcomer: Emma Fleming 

Emma is the only first year on the team. She is a through copy editor and was invaluable to us at Surrey Decides. 

Outstanding Contribution to The Stag: Ankur Banerjee 

Ankur is involved in every step; he has written for almost every section, averaging about 4 articles an issue! He has also 

been heavily involved in production. A true asset to the team. 

Thank you all for your hardwork this year. I have loved working with you. Alexandra x 

Alexandra and Ankur admire their hardwork!

Opinion & Analysis Editor: Justine Crossan | Copy Editor: Emma Fleming 


OPINION & ANALYSIS 9 

Opinion & Analysis 

©theguardian 

Goodbye message from Justine Crossan 

Mathew 

Haine 

Dear Editor, 

I am writing this article 

in response to Sam West’s article, 

‘The Freedom of Page 3’ featured 

in last week’s issue. He postulated 

that the absurd culture of ‘political 

correctness’ is depriving working 

class readers of ‘The Sun’ from 

their freedom to enjoy “harmless” 

photographs of “semi-nude female 

model[s]”. I’d like to present my 

argument for why his perception 

of the photographs as ‘harmless’ 

is informed by entitlement and 

patriarchal privilege, and why his 

accusation of a “disregard towards 

the freedom of others” is noninclusive 

of the kind of freedom that 

millions of women are deprived of 

on a daily basis. 

Millions of women across the 

globe have dedicated their lives to 

Hey everyone!! I have really 

enjoyed writing and editing 

for The Stag this year, we 

have had some controversial 

and interesting articles which 

I have enjoyed reading. 

There is a problem with Page 3 

No More Page 3 campaigners outside The Sun HQ 

fighting the oppression of what’s 

known as the ‘patriarchy’ – the social 

and institutional ‘norms’ that create 

a power disparity across gender 

lines and support male dominance 

over women and their bodies. With 

this view, the “freedom” of the 

models to model nude in the Sun 

is a freedom that is constructed. 

Page 3 is a manifestation of the 

epistemologically embedded view 

that a woman has nothing of value 

to offer except her sexuality. The 

message that it gives is this –“you 

are defined by your appearance and 

you owe your appearance to the 

sensitivities of our readers.” The 

real message should be this – “you 

don’t owe your looks to anyone, 

certainly not to random men.” 

Recently the Sun have 

transitioned (seamlessly) from 

their patently editor-written 

inclusions of “lol I’m a blonde!” style 

quotations to churlishly mocking 

quotes about high art, the economy 

and physics. This frames education 

and self-reliance not as virtues that 

lead to female empowerment but 

I have gathered many skills through 

working with The Stag team. This will be 

my last time I get involved as I will be on 

placement in Australia next year. Continue 

writing guys thanks for all your articles! 

J-Pak xxx 

as masculine traits that warrant 

tongue-in-cheek journalism if it’s 

to be associated with women. 

I urge Sam to go away and read 

some of the other racially oppressive 

quotes by Norman Tebbit and see if 

they deserve the same reverence 

and to consider how authoritatively 

he can speak for the working class. 

My final comments are that the 

privilege of privilege is that it is 

unable to recognise itself. Gender 

is not a central feature of mine or 

Sam’s life and it doesn’t affect how 

he or I are perceived by others. It’s a 

luxury to not have to view yourself 

in the terms that are given to you. 

We don’t pay psychological rent for 

occupying a space of privilege but 

women do for occupying a space 

labelled ‘female’. The value of a “free 

society” is that we should be free to 

challenge it. 

Sam - please contact the editor 

for my e-mail address if you’d like 

to discuss anything related to this 

article. 

Follow me @haineontheweb 

Woolwich attack, 

“Terrorism”? 

Justine 

Crossan 

The Woolwich events 

yesterday were deeply 

disturbing on so many levels, 

the fact anyone could carry out 

such gutless, inhumane acts to 

another individual makes me 

question humanity itself. What 

appeared to be a meat clever was 

used to hack to death a British 

soldier in broad daylight by two 

men. The attack was caught on 

video and saw the perpetrator 

citing Islam and quoted “This 

British soldier is an eye for an 

eye, a tooth for a tooth”. He also 

went on to justify his actions, 

“The only reason we have done 

this is because Muslims are 

dying by British soldiers every 

day. Remove your government, 

they don’t care about you. Do you 

think David Cameron is going to 

get caught in the street when we 

start busting our guns? Do you 

think your politicians are going 

to die? “No, it’s going to be the 

average guy like you, and your 

children. So get rid of them. 

Tell them to bring our troops 

back so we, so you can all live in 

peace.”(The Telegraph) 

Instantly, every media outlet 

and British politician labelled 

this as an act of ‘terrorism’. Given 

the deep legal, political, military 

and cultural significance can we 

really label this act terrorism? 

Many argue for an event to be 

classed as terrorism it is to be 

targeted at civilians, as this was 

a deliberate attack on a soldier 

stationed at an army barracks 

and not random civilians can 

this be given the terrorist label? 

In David Cameron’s speech, 

he says “Terrorism has taken 

more Muslim lives than any 

other religion”. I wonder who 

has made those numbers up. To 

quote an article I read in The 

Guardian today, “The US, the 

UK and its allies have repeatedly 

killed Muslim civilians over 

the past decade (and before 

that), but defenders of those 

governments insist that this 

cannot be “terrorism” because 

it is combatants, not civilians, 

who are the targets. Can it 

really be the case that when 

western nations continuously 

kill Muslim civilians, that’s not 

“terrorism”, but when Muslims 

kill western soldiers that is 

terrorism? Amazingly, the US 

has even imprisoned people at 

Guantanamo and elsewhere 

on accusations of “terrorism” 

who are accused of nothing 

more than engaging in violence 

against US soldiers who invaded 

their country.” I think this 

perfectly explains the paradox 

we are currently experiencing, 

labelling Western “intervention” 

as terrorism would infer they 

were the main culprits for the 

many Muslim lives being taken 

today. David Cameron needs to 

rethink his foreign policy it is 

ironic to call the death of one 

British soldier terrorism but not 

the thousands that have died due 

to British Soldiers in the Middle 

East. 

My main issue with this 

‘terrorism’ label is that they are 

implying that this senseless act 

of violence had a purpose, and 

when I say purpose, I mean the 

implication that this act will 

benefit a wider community, 

realistically the only lasting 

effect from this event will be 

fear in the community! What 

are two violent psychopath’s 

in Woolwich really going to do 

for Islam on larger scale. If you 

just think about it logistically. 

Middle Eastern people are angry, 

they have had to witness their 

family’s suffer on a daily basis. 

The U.S and the U.K cannot 

think that their actions will not 

have consequences. The brutal 

sanctions regime imposed by the 

west on Iraq and Iran, which kills 

large numbers of people, clearly 

has the intent of terrorizing the 

population into changing its 

governments’ policies and even 

the government itself. With 

this one man being targeted 

on Wednesday, undoubtedly 

horrific, we cannot class this as 

terrorism without including all 

other acts that the west have 

done toward the middle east. It is 

what this label ‘terrorism’ brings 

as well, fear and instability that 

using it cannot be taken lightly.

10 OPINION & ANALYSIS The Stag | 29 th May 2013 opinion@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

The new normal 

Google Glasses, are 

we seeing too much? 

Melissa Bolivar 

Have you heard of the new 

Google glasses? They pretty 

technologically advanced and 

you will feel like James Bond 

when you’re wearing them, they 

recognise voice commands, has a 

built in camera and users will be 

able to scroll around on the glasses’ 

tiny screen using small head 

motions. The camera monitors 

the world in front of the user as 

they go, you’ll also be able to use 

Google Maps to get directions and 

the ability to translate the words 

being spoken to you into your own 

language on the display. Obviously 

you’ll need a WiFi connection 

or a hefty data plan if you’re in 

another country, but it’s certainly 

a neat trick if it works, messages 

can be received, viewed on the 

display, and answered using the 

microphone and Google’s voiceto-text 

functionality. It’s basically 

the niftiest gadget that’s been 

invented so far and you don’t look 

like a terminator wearing them! 

However, there are obviously 

privacy issues at stake with the 

camera feature: Police could 

begin wearing them and innocent 

civilian’s could be recorded and 

heard casually everyday. Of course 

if you’re not doing anything 

wrong you have nothing to worry 

about but shouldn’t we have the 

choice who gets to film us and 

who doesn’t? A definate invasion 

of privacy and an abuse of our 

freedom as this feature could 

be abused. Furthermore, Jay 

Freeman, a Santa Barbara-based 

programmer who specialises in 

cracking smartphone security for 

both iPhone and Android devices, 

discovered that Glass has a “root” 

capability which can be enabled by 

attaching it to a desktop computer 

and running some commands. 

That would then give a hacker the 

ability to take control of the Glass’s 

output – meaning a hacker could 

monitor everything the owner was 

doing from a smartphone in their 

pocket. 

“Once the attacker has root 

on your Glass, they have much 

more power than if they had 

access to your phone or even your 

computer: they have control over a 

camera and a microphone that are 

attached to your head,” explains 

Freeman in a blogpost. “A bugged 

Glass doesn’t just watch your every 

move: it watches everything you 

are looking at (intentionally or 

furtively) and hears everything 

you do. The only thing it doesn’t 

know are your thoughts.” 

He points out that “it knows all 

your passwords, for example, as it 

can watch you type them. It even 

manages to monitor your usage 

of otherwise safe, old-fashioned 

technology: it watches you enter 

door codes, it takes pictures of your 

keys, and it records what you write 

using a pen and paper. Nothing 

is safe once your Glass has been 

hacked.” Even if the device shows 

a red light to show others when its 

video camera is on, a user probably 

wouldn’t notice it – because the 

light would be facing away from 

them. 

So although this gadget 

looks like it could solve all your 

problems, the ones it could create 

could damage your life. Allowing 

something to store every aspect 

of your life, especially where you 

live and work could have severe 

implications. 

Bea Marques 

Media is such a powerful 

tool that we sometimes 

underestimate or forget about. 

What we watch on TV sets 

some our societal norms and 

makes things seem more or less 

favourable. 

Something which I recently 

found interesting is a new 

American show aired on 

Channel Four, The New Normal. 

Simply put the show is about a 

homosexual couple who want 

to have a child and have to find 

a surrogate. Quickly finding the 

ideal candidate, they welcome 

the surrogate into the family 

and her nine-year old daughter. 

One of the interesting twists 

within the series is the surrogate 

grandmother who is a right-wing 

racist and homophobic, whose 

opinions can be found challenging 

and rude. Through the approach 

of having a sweet and innocent 

surrogate whose characteristics 

are strongly contrasted with 

the grandmother’s, the show 

successfully brings to light 

several issues that gay couples 

face in their daily life and how 

homosexuality is by far an 

accepted aspect of life. 

I do not believe that 10 years 

ago this show would have been 

aired nor would it would be 

successful enough to reach the 

United Kingdom. Although it was 

rejected to be broadcasted by KSL- 

TV (associated with NBC) it still 

won the People’s Choice Award for 

best new TV comedy. What does 

this say about the public? 

The new normal 

KSL-TV rejected the show 

because it was not suitable to be 

aired on prime family television 

time, highlighting how some 

parts of society still struggle to 

accept homosexuality. I am not 

one to make a judgement against 

homosexuality, personally I 

believe that each individual 

knows what they like and what 

feels right for them. However, I 

have never really had an opinion 

about gay parents adopting a 

child. Although this show is not 

unique in bringing to light some 

of the issues gay parents face 

when adopting, with Desperate 

Housewives among others 

having touched on the issue, 

it does fruitfully demonstrate 

contrasting opinions. 

One of the strongest 

arguments against homosexual 

couples adopting a child is 

that the child will not have the 

appropriate role models: a father 

and mother figure, which may 

cause confusion for them. But in 

a society with increasingly more 

single-parents the argument is 

thinning. Moreover, in many 

cases having a mother and 

father does not necessarily lead 

to a structured individual. Each 

generation is becoming more 

and more insecure and distant 

from their parents, so what is the 

problem with same-sex parents? 

The role of this show has been 

pivotal in my understanding of 

gay parents adopting a child. Not 

personally knowing many gay 

couples, the issue of them being 

able to adopt children has been 

distant. However, having started 

to watch this new TV comedy 

I have begun to formulate 

an opinion on the issue and 

understand it more. I experienced 

first-hand the role of media in 

formulating opinions.

Features Editor: Ellis Taylor | Copy Editor: Tessa Morgan 


FEATURES 11 

Features 

Our year in events - the good, 

the bad and the unforgettable 

By Laura Colledge, Features Team 

Considering the success of 

British events over the 

summer of 2012, the union and its 

societies faced a tough job at the 

beginning of the academic year; 

everyone’s expectations were high 

after national events such as the 

Olympics, and the high quality of 

last year’s events around campus. 

So how did we do? 

Fresher’s week started the 

year with a bang (no, literally) 

with Monday’s act Wiley causing a 

twitter row after he turned up late 

to a crowd of unimpressed students 

who had effectively paid £10 for him 

to prance around for 10 minutes on 

stage. A number of tweets sent by 

students sparked his memorable 

insult of ‘reptile students’ as 

well as an array of completely 

unprofessional comments towards 

the union. 

However, this year has been 

one of great success for the arts 

societies. In addition to brilliant 

individual events, societies such 

as the Musical Theatre’s Fame 

and the Theatre Society’s The 

Importance of Being Earnest seen 

at ‘Surrey Arts Live’ brought all 

the arts societies together for 

two nights showcasing the wide 

range of talents our students 

have. Hopefully the success of 

this student-run production will 

become an annual highlight on the 

events calendar. 

Additionally, the union 

organised a wide range of themed 

nights this year, from the 1940s Blitz 

party in Channies to the ‘Playtime’ 

party, which transformed Rubix 

into a giant children’s play area. 

Despite the minor injuries it 

caused, the mixture of alcohol and 

bouncy castles was an undeniably 

popular idea. Perhaps the highlight 

of the union’s events was the 

Snowfall Christmas Ball; with the 

Black Tie dress code, stunning 

decorations (including fake snow) 

and live music, this event really 

showed how classy Rubix can be. 

Winning Varsity against 

Kingston was the climax of the 

incredibly successful season our 

sports teams have had. On top of 

this 61-37 victory, this year has 

seen a number of league wins, 

including the 4 netball teams who 

all finished top of their own. 

Student Awards effectively 

summed up the successes of each 

society this year; a special mention 

is needed for CoppaFeel! which 

won ‘political and campaigns soc 

of the year’. In its debut year at the 

university, it has provided us with 

entertaining events such as ‘Boob 

Ball’ all the while raising money for 

a brilliant cause. 

After reflecting on what has 

been a year of great success for 

the union, we can now only hope 

that The End of The Year Show 

maintains this high standard, and 

that we finish on the bang that we 

started on - although perhaps not 

quite in the same way! 

To say I’m in denial about leaving Features and The Stag 

is an understatement. This year has absolutely flown by 

and I have loved having the oppertunity to work with 

such a fantastic and talented team. I’m going to miss being 

Features Editor so much, but I know Rebekkah is going 

to do a fantastic job with the section. I hope you have 

all enjoyed reading Features this year, toodles! 

On the road with Ankur 

By Ankur Banerjee, Features Team 

The onset of summer always 

has me excited like a puppy 

let loose– there are simply too 

many amazing sights and sounds 

around the world, and not enough 

time in the summer break to visit 

them all. Here are my top tips for 

anyone planning to travel around 

in the summer. 

Find cheap flights: Flight prices 

are undoubtedly the biggest 

component in any travel plan, and 

it’s no wonder that my friends keep 

asking me how to find cheap flight 

deals all the time. Unfortunately, 

the airline industry is complex 

enough that I can’t explain the 

best tools in a short article such 

as this. The most accessible tool 

that I use though is Kayak.com, 

particularly because it includes 

every kind of airline (some others 

such as Travelocity and Expedia 

only show specific airlines). Kayak 

also allows setting flexible dates 

for travel, as well as showing 

recommendations on whether 

it expects prices to fall or rise 

(only in certain sectors though). 

If you’re undecided on where to 

go, Skyscanner.net is my go-to 

tool as it allows locking departure 

airport to one place and setting 

destination to ‘Everywhere’ – thus 

showing you the cheapest flights 

to any destination in the world for 

a given date / month / period. 

Pack your clothes rolled up: 

Being restricted to one piece of 

carry-on luggage with low-cost 

airlines is a nightmare. The trick 

is to pack your clothes rolled up 

– like a tube – as it saves massive 

amounts of space as well as 

ensuring your clothes don’t get 

creased. Try it, it works! 

Sleep at an airport! Flying with 

low-cost airlines usually means 

being at the airport early in the 

morning or late at night, and can 

be affected by times when public 

transport to an airport runs. I 

know friends who avoid travelling 

by low-cost airlines purely because 

of their flight schedules, or spend 

ridiculous amounts of money 

getting there by taxi. The solution 

to this is sleepinginairports. 

net – a user-contributed guide to 

airports around the world on the 

best places at any airport to catch 

a nap while you wait for a flight. 

Save money staying at hostels: 

Get a Hostelworld Gold Card. 

Hostelworld has an almostcomplete 

monopoly on the hostel 

booking market – especially 

after they acquired their only 

big competitor Hostelbookers 

a couple of months ago – and 

if a hostel exists in a city, it is 

almost certain that they would 

be listed on Hostelworld. What 

the Hostelworld Gold Card gives 

you – for the cheap price of £10 – is 

the ability to not pay any booking 

fees. For multi-city trips or if you 

expect to have a couple of trips 

in a year, it is excellent value-formoney 

in terms of savings made in 

booking fees. 

…but if you want to stay at 

a hotel: Different hotel booking 

sites will give you the best offers 

for a particular sector, depending 

on how much market share they 

have. For instance, within Europe, 

you’re more likely to find better 

deals on Booking.com; for Asia, it’s 

the same with Agoda.com. Keep an 

eye on ‘opaque’ booking sites such 

as lastminute.com, priceline.com, 

hotwire.com, and HotelTonight 

(a mobile app, a new kid on the 

block) for hotel deals. 

Ask the experts: There are 

vibrant travel communities 

online where you can get answers 

to questions you have about your 

travel plans. The two best places 

are Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree 

(lonelyplanet.com/thorntree) and 

Travel Stack Exchange (travel. 

stackexchange.com). Chances 

are there’s someone who has onthe-ground 

experience with your 

travel queries and will give you 

an authoritative answer to your 

queries. 

And with that, that’s a sign-off 

from me for this travel column. I 

love hearing travel stories, so if 

you have any exciting ones over 

the summer, get in touch with me 

over Twitter @ankurb.

12 FEATURES 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 features@thestagsurrey.co.uk Features Editor: Ellis Taylor | Copy Editor: Tessa Morgan 

CAREERS 

By John Watkins, Director of Careers Service 

The Careers Service is 

celebrating being accredited 

with the matrix Standard; a 

nationally recognised quality 

mark for organisations that 

provide support to individuals in 

order to make learning and work 

more accessible. 

During a thorough review 

of how the service operates, the 

independent external assessor 

interviewed members of the 

careers team, students in groups 

and individually, as well as 

graduates, academic staff and a 

range of employers. 

There was one significant point 

that arose for attention – more 

people should take advantage of 

the excellent support available. 

Amongst the good practice 

areas that are available for 

students to access are: 

Visit us in the Philip Marchant Building or at: 

www.surrey.ac.uk/careers 

www.uniofsurreycareers.wordpress.com 

www.facebook.com/surreycareers 

By Jhora Sangha, Features Team 

Ahad is a DJ/Producer who 

has hosted a radio show on 

Nasty FM for almost two years 

and currently hosts a show on 

GU2 Radio. In the past he has 

supported acts such as Jack Beats, 

Beardyman, Dismantle and XXXY. 

His "Elsewhere" EP received 

support on many radio stations 

including BBC Radio 1xtra, 

BBC Asian Network, Rinse FM, 

Reprezent FM and many more. 

The Ahadadream remix of Ellie 

Goulding's "Hanging On" was also 

featured on the Spotify version of 

her album "Halcyon". 

What’s the #1 most played song on 

your iPod? 

I don't have an iPod but on iTunes 

it's Novacane by Frank Ocean. I 

was obsessed with that for a while. 

- An informative timeline of how 

to build your future career 

- Comprehensive in-house and 

online resources 

- Personal support and 

commitment to students whatever 

their needs 

- A fantastic programme of events 

with a wide range of employers 

- Some excellent initiatives that 

develop employability skills 

- Increasing effectiveness 

in measuring the success of 

interventions 

- A philosophy of seeking to 

continually improve 

All this gives great 

encouragement and allows 

confident preparation for 2013/14 

and beyond. It is not too late 

for final year students to seek 

information, advice and guidance 

as the academic year draws to a 

close. 

If you could witness any event past, 

present or future, what would it be? 

Michael Jackson concert is the 

first thing that comes to mind. 

If you could throw any kind of 

party, what would it be like and 

what would it be for? 

I'd run a festival with a lot of grime 

artists and DJs. I don't think there 

is one at the minute. 

If you could choose anyone, who 

would you pick as your mentor? 

Kanye West 

If you could learn to do anything, 

what would it be? 

I'd learn to fly. 

If you could know the answer to 

any question besides “What is the 

meaning of life?” what would it be? 

I'd wanna know KFC's secret 

ingredient 

What was one of the best parties 

you’ve ever been to? 

In Berlin at a club called Wilde 

The Stag’s guide to graduation 

By Pippa Tollow, Features Team 

Graduation is nearing and we’re 

sure you’re full of worries and 

questions, but luckily for you, we 

have Pippa to guide you through 

the do’s and don’ts of the day 

WHAT TO WEAR 

DO book your robes in advance! 

Last year there were some very 

relaxed graduands strolling into 

AP to collect robes they hadn’t 

ordered, and then looking far less 

relaxed when they realised how 

essential pre-booking was! 

DON’T wear anything under 

your robes that is too ‘on trend’ or 

that you don’t feel comfortable in. 

You want to feel mega-confident 

on the day and will potentially 

have your graduation pictures 

forever. It sounds boring, but a 

classic look will never age. 

DO take a pair of flat shoes 

Renate. We didn't leave till 3 pm 

the next day and even at that point 

people thought we were tame for 

leaving. At like 1 pm, the people 

running the club started bringing 

out watermelons and vodka jellies 

for people. So good. Berlin is my 

favourite. 

What is something you learned in 

the last week? 

That doing a dissertation sucks. 

What course other than your own 

would you like to attempt? 

Probably some kind of music 

related course - I do chemistry 

atm and its long! 

What is the one thing you are truly 

passionate about? 

Music 

What is the one thing that makes 

you extremely nervous? 

Heights. 

You can get in contact with Ahad 

via his email ahadadream@gmail.com 

to walk across the stage. Girls, 

there are steps and there are a lot 

of people watching - the chance 

of you tripping in flats is slim, 

the chance of you tripping in 

your heels is not worth the risk! 

Leave heels with your guests, and 

change back after the ceremony. 

WHAT TO DO 

DO get a picture of you in your 

robes in essential Surrey locations. 

Popular spots include; the Stag at 

the entrance to campus, chilling 

out with Alan Turing outside AP, 

and various beauty spots by the 

Lake. Equally, take advantage of 

the weather for pictures. If it’s 

sunny when you collect your robe, 

don’t wait around, get snapping! 

Sods law says it will be cloudy 

later in the day. 

DON’T forget spare batteries 

for your camera, or a spare camera! 

This is no time to be camera-shy. 

In fact, also remember tissues for 

tearful relatives, a safety pin for 

securing your robe or unexpected 

wardrobe malfunctions, and an 

umbrella to protect against the 

not so reliable British Summer. 

DO take a disco nap between 

Graduation and Grad Ball – after 12 

hours of funfair rides and dancing, 

making it to the survivor’s photo 

and free breakfast feels like a 

bigger achievement than your 

degree! 

WHAT TO REMEMBER 

DO NOT stress out about the 

day being perfect or if things don’t 

go quite to plan. This is unlikely 

to be the most important day of 

your life, but it is certainly a day 

to remember. Make the most of 

the day, take a tonne of pictures, 

and enjoy the moments that are 

a product of many years of hard 

work! 

Want to get involved or know someome who 

would be interested? We are looking for all types 

of people including athletes, musicians, writers, 

artists, actors, dancers, photographers, DJ’s and 

producers to take part. Simply email: 

features@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Awesome vs ugly 

By Ellis Taylor, Features Editor 

So, here we are, at the end of 

the academic year, the end of 

some readers’ degrees and the 

end of my time as features editor/ 

fashion writer. It has made me 

rather pensive and I have been 

mulling over the fashion trends 

that shouldn’t end and ones that 

definitely should. Anyone who has 

read my little fashion column over 

the past two years will have come 

to know that I hate a lot of stuff, 

but I also get easily excited and 

end up overusing “splendid” and 

“awesome”, so what better way to 

say “goodbye little fashion column” 

then a piece about hatred vs. love? 

There is no better way. 

Things that should go away: 

1) Any top that says “GEEK”, 

“NERD”, etc. - Making a stereotype 

(these particular terms generally 

have negative/mean connotations 

used by bullies) into a fashion 

‘statement’ just makes me want to 

cry. Would you wear a tshirt saying 

“Chav”? No. 

2) Jeffery Campbell Litas – 

The spawn of Lookbook that once 

were cool but due to a million 

copies and additions of weird 

prints/studs/various other things 

they now just look tacky. Don’t 

get me wrong, I love ugly shoes as 

much as the next person, but these 

have just crossed the line… Also, 

how the heck do you walk in them?! 

3) ‘Mom’ jeans – Honestly, 

I’ve really tried to like them, but I 

just can’t. They look super comfy 

but super unflattering. 

4) Sports Luxe – Go home 

trackies, you’re drunk. This trend 

reminds me of “fetch” in Mean Girls 

i.e. “stop trying to make sports luxe 

happen, it’s never gonna happen” 

5) Flower headbands – It was 

a tough decision to put this on my 

list but basically it is down to the 

highstreet feeding shamelessly 

off of Rookie mag. I also partially 

blame Lana (I still love you.) 

Things that should stay…forever: 

1) Crop tops – A slither of 

waist (no belly button, cheers) 

adds a little bit of excitement to a 

standard outfit. A good crop top 

also allows us to pretend that it’s 

the 90s again and we’re part of the 

Spice Girls. 

2) Shirts/Collars – Smarter 

than a tshirt and a nod to 

androgyny. They have detail and 

versatility…they also have my 

eternal love. 

3) Chelsea boots – Heeled or 

flat they scream ‘classic cool’ and 

are an absolute staple. 

4) A good tea dress – You can 

swish and prance and feel fabulous 

in one of these bad boys. Another 

key staple that suits everyone and 

can be as simple or wild as you 

like. Also it has the word ‘tea’ in its 

name and tea is good. 

5) Prints – Cover any item 

of clothing in a nice print and it 

shall have my love. Paisley, floral, 

geometric, leopard, stripy, polka 

dot, graphic, I want them all forever. 

So this season, so interesting. 

Well, there you go. Hopefully 

you agree with me, and if not, well, 

that doesn’t even matter because 

you should wear whatever the heck 

you want to wear anyway. Be free 

fashion babies. 

By Nicole Tillyrou, Features Team 

Congratulations! The first year 

is coming to the end and 

you have realised the meaning 

of independent life and shared 

living. Now that you have to leave 

halls and get a home, either alone 

or with your friends, there are 

some essentials that you need 

to bear in mind in order to have 

the best living experience. As 

you have found the right place to 

live for the next academic year, 

you need to make a “to do” list to 

provide your home with the most 

necessary things. 

Considering that halls gave 

you the opportunity to be stressfree 

by avoiding paying bills, now 

with the new home you need to 

know how you will manage to pay 

for your own. Unless the landlord 

hasn’t provided you with specific 

bills, you will need to set up your 

account for electricity gas, water 

and broadband. Check out all 

the companies like O2, Virgin, 


BT and get the best offers. The 

main benefit of living in your 

own house with your friends is 

that it is relatively cheaper as you 

share the bills, the cooking and 

commodities therefore the living 

cost will be lower. 

However, before you set up, 

you need to look at the home 

essentials and provide yourselves 

with some of those. Considering 

kitchen appliances, you could 

purchase a kettle, microwave, and 

toaster. Moreover, some dishware 

and some storage for your food 

will be necessary to purchase. 

Argos, Homebase, B&Q are few 

examples of where you can buy 

those in better prices. Tip: If you 

are environmentally friendly 

people you could get some 

recycling bins and recycle any 

unnecessary things that you have. 

For your bedroom, you will 

need some linen, duvet cover, 

extra sheets and some extra 

storage as well. There are cheap 

underbed storage containers if 

FEATURES 13 

Moving from halls to house 

Terry and Garry were excited about their new place on Guildford Park Avenue 

Do you procrastinate? For 

many of us the dirty laundry 

pile continues to grow, hoover 

becomes dusty, cupboards 

chaotic and revision is simply 

left for another day. On average, 

each person wastes 69 minutes a 

day procrastinating, totalling 3 

years over a lifetime. As we age, 

the problem becomes worse and 

females put off nagging jobs much 

longer than men. However, some 

claim that procrastination can 

actually hold benefits by allowing 

time to consider things with 

greater thought and subsequently 

act with a more rational decision. 

Plus, life is short, so is getting 

stressed over something met with 

gritted teeth worth it? Frank 

Partnoy has even written a book 

about the matter, entitled; Wait: 

The Useful Art of Procrastination. 

He argues that not every e-mail 

requires an immediate response 

and the messy closet does not 

necessarily have to be organised 

today. 

However, procrastination can 

result in utter chaos with cluttered 

environments and minds. A lack of 

organisation and ignorance of the 

jobs we simply have to do could 

result in serious consequences 

like bills left unpaid, unhygienic 

kitchens, over-growing gardens 

and failing grades, where revision 

notes remain besides the thank 

you note waiting to be sent to 

the space in your room is not 

enough and it is an easy way to 

keep yourself organised. A desk 

lamp will be necessary as well, 

and if you have lots of books you 

can buy a small bookcase. 

And for the entertaining part, 

you could provide yourselves with 

a TV, cozy couches and a “home 

cinema” to enjoy the movies with 

your housemates. Speakers will 

help you to organise your house 

parties as well (if neighbors will 

allow you to have house parties.) 

Moreover, if the weather is 

good, and you have a garden, 

get a barbeque and some garden 

equipment to enjoy the sunny 

days with your mates. Although 

do not purchase any unwanted 

items as you may one day you 

need to get rid of them. 

We can certainly ensure you 

that living in your own home is a 

great experience. Hence, do your 

lists, purchase the essentials, and 

enjoy your new home with your 

mates. 

Procrastinate with this article 

By Sophie Vickery, Features Team 

Auntie Sue. 

Yet, perhaps if trivial things 

are avoided, then time can be 

dedicated to more significant 

things that bring enjoyment 

and satisfaction, like building 

careers, writing a book or actually 

booking tickets for that dream 

holiday. Many psychologists 

claim that no one is remembered 

for an organised DVD shelf or 

chronological photo album, but 

for much greater achievements, 

which procrastination has allowed 

them to do. Unfortunately, these 

big achievements often come 

from dedicated study, removing 

another excuse so that revision 

simply cannot be put off any 

longer!

14 FEATURES 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 features@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Games 

Answers in the next edition of The Stag. Send correct answers to letters@thestagsurrey.co.uk to get a mention in the paper. 

Sudoku 

Issue 59 Solutions 

Wordsearch 

4 9 2 5 7 3 1 8 6 

5 8 7 6 4 1 3 9 2 

6 3 1 2 9 8 5 7 4 

9 6 5 7 3 2 8 4 1 

2 1 3 4 8 5 7 6 9 

8 7 4 1 6 9 2 3 5 

7 2 9 8 1 4 6 5 3 

1 4 8 3 5 6 9 2 7 

3 5 6 9 2 7 4 1 8 

A E R Y Y G H J I O L D P B G 

B A M S T E R D A M A E N K E 

O P A D Y N H J L I O E E T N 

O H O L I D A Y W C T E C H I 

K R B O P L T A E I B N R R T 

S O B G J Y O P J U E A O E A 

L D E G Y H Y O P L A E P E L 

A I B U O L A W F E T G H S S 

M S C O N T R A C E P T I O N 

A I E R B K Y O A D B O L M P 

E A R Y J A B G T U J A I E K 

A C I P V E N I C E E S A D A 

B N R R Y I L R A E D T G K L 

U S E X S F H L K L T I O I P 

A V B R Y J K S A E R E H U L 

SEX 

CONTRACEPTION 

apHRODISIAC 

VENICE 

AMSTERDAM 

TOASTIE 

HOLIDAY 

THREESOME 

BOOKSLAM 

GIRLS 

GENITALS 

NECROPHILIA 

7 8 2 9 

1 8 7 

9 2 7 5 

4 3 6 

9 1 2 

2 9 3 

4 6 7 8 

9 6 1 

8 3 4 6 

A F G H Y S E T Y G X B I O L 

O E N D O F Y E A R A T P O B 

P O L O H O L I D A Y R H L R 

R E T H O A F V X D G K L I P 

O V H U U A E S B U M T O B R 

C I G E S F D E X A M S B R Y 

R T K O E A P G E T O U N A L 

A J I K S A R B X I V M M R T 

S U T N C D X A M O I M P Y O 

T E A D R E S S E N N E D E A 

I O L F E T N M R E G R A U J 

N L R E V E N T S A E T G K O 

A P E R T U J D A Z X V R E B 

T Y U K S A E G Y N U L O P E 

E E G B Y E F E A T U R E S E 

End of year 

exams 

procrastinate 

tea dress 

graduation 

moving 

house 

holiday 

events 

library 

summer 

bye features

Sci/Tech Editor: Alex Smith | Copy Editor: Sophie Vickery 


SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 15 

Science & Technology 

First ‘unmanned’ aircraft 

takes it’s maiden voyage 

Unmanned full-size aeroplane on the tarmac. The UAV to become commercialised into a passenger jet? 

©BAE Systems 

By Mike Colling, Science & Tech Team 

BAE Systems Jetstream 

A research aircraft has become 

the first pilotless aircraft to fly 

through UK shared airspace. The 

500 mile flight from BAE Systems’ 

in Warton Aerodrome, Lancashire, 

to Inverness in Scotland was 

controlled by a ground-based pilot, 

with navigational instructions 

provided by the National Air 

Traffic Services (NATS). Known as 

the ‘Flying Testbed’, the aircraft 

was controlled by onboard sensors 

and complex robotics. 

The flight was the latest in a 

series of trials carried out as part 

of the ASTRAEA (Autonomous 

Systems Technology Related 

Airborne Evaluation & Assessment) 

programme and was not technically 

unmanned; two safety pilots were 

on board in case anything went 

wrong, and were responsible for 

the take-off and landing. 

The ASTRAEA programme aims 

to investigate the “technologies, 

procedures and regulations” 

necessary for autonomous aircraft 

to operate safely in UK airspace. 

Funded by commercial companies 

(including BAE Systems) and the 

UK government, its achievements 

have helped place the UK in “a good 

position globally on unmanned 

aircrafts”. 

The technology required for 

unmanned flight is not new; for 

many years militaries around the 

world have used Unmanned Aerial 

Vehicles (UAVs), or ‘drones’, for 

both reconnaissance and armed 

attacks. The latest ASTRAEA flight, 

however, marks the first time such 

an aircraft has been flown through 

UK airspace shared with passengercarrying 

airliners. 

It is hoped that the programme 

could pave the way for new search 

and rescue operations, and perhaps 

even unmanned passenger flights 

in the future. Whether customers 

will be willing to pay to fly on 

a pilotless aircraft, however, is 

another matter altogether.

16 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY The Stag | 29 th May 2013 sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk Sci/Tech Editor: Alex Smith | Copy Editor: Sophie Vickery 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 17 

Experiments 

gone wrong 

By Siobhan Harris, Science & Tech Team 

If there’s anything worse than 

nurture intervening with 

nature, then it’ll surprise me. 

Nature is innate in all species 

and although this is an on-going 

debate, it is one not to be presumed 

until explored or experienced. 

What I am attempting to argue is 

in support of nature. Not a specific 

nature such as humans, primates 

(chimpanzees, gorillas etc.), or 

even insects such as spiders; but 

for all nature big and small to put 

it simply. 

Therefore, I feel compelled to 

justify my own reasons for human 

and animal rights, with a look at 

the controversial documentation 

of Project Nim. Nim Chimpsky, 

named after linguist Noam 

Chomsky, was a chimpanzee 

involved in a research project 

led by behavioural psychologist, 

Herbert S. Terrace, of University 

of Colombia in 1973. Although 

warned against the project by 

researchers of Project Washoe, an 

earlier experiment, he progressed 

anyway, believing that he could 

intervene with nature to a new, 

potentially dangerous extent. 

Dangerous indeed it was, for 

taking Nim from his mother at 

two weeks old, Herbert spent 

little time with the baby chimp 

before passing him on to a human 

family. The irony of Nim being 

named after Noam Chomsky is 

that in fact, Chomsky’s thesis 

argued against this proposal, 

arguing instead that only humans 

have language. Terrace set out to 

challenge this on a larger scale, 

ignoring critics and warnings, and 

eventually losing funding for the 

experiment. 

As Roger Fouts declared: “98.7% 

of the DNA in humans and chimps 

is identical, some scientists (but 

not Noam Chomsky) believed that 

a chimp raised in a human family, 

and using ASL (American Sign 

Language), would shed light on the 

way language is acquired and used 

by humans.” Therefore, was not 

Terrace putting his own human 

rights against animal rights? 

Terrace focused on Nim’s 

ability to make different responses 

to different sequences of signs and 

to emit different sequences in 

order to communicate different 

meanings. Fouts then reported 

on early results of Project Nim, 

declaring that they were in no way 

equal to those of Project Washoe. 

Terrace, sceptical of Project 

Washoe, attempted to discredit it. 

After learning 125 signs at an 

early age, clearly impressive for a 

young chimp, Terrace proceeded 

to push Nim further. A colleague 

of Terrace and a trustworthy 

friend of Nim’s, Laura-Ann 

Petitto estimated that Nim’s true 

vocabulary count was closer to 

25 than 125. Other students at the 

university involved in the project 

disagreed with Petitto, and also 

with Terrace. 

Terrace and his colleagues 

concluded that Nim wasn’t 

showing any meaningful 

sequential behaviour that 

rivalled human grammar. Upon 

reflection, and Petitto’s assertion, 

was not Nim’s language strictly 

pragmatic? In learning only what 

was required according to his 

needs, as Petitto has stated. This 

is unlike a human child, which 

can serve to generate or express 

meanings, thoughts or ideas. 

The ‘language’ Nim acquired 

could not equally be taught 

to a pigeon, according to the 

psychological principles of 

operant conditioning. When 

Terrace ended the experiment, 

Nim was transferred back to the 

Institute for Primate Studies in 

Oklahoma, who later sold him to 

the Laboratory for Experimental 

Medicine and Surgery in Primates, 

a pharmaceutical animal testing 

laboratory managed by NYU. 

After efforts to free him, the 

Black Beauty Ranch, operated by 

The Fund for Animals in Texas, 

purchased Nim. 

Nim died in March 2000 at 

the age of 26 from a heart attack. 

Evolutionary psychologists that 

agree with Chomsky argue that 

the apparent impossibility of 

teaching language to animals is 

indicative that the ability to use 

language is an innately human 

development, not a primate one. 

It is fundamental to remember 

that this is an on-going dispute in 

science; no subjective opinion can 

be discredited without evidence. 

The documentary film which 

explores Nim’s story, and footage 

of it, attempts to consider these 

ethical issues, the emotional 

experiences of Nim’s trainers 

and Nim the chimp himself. (See 

‘Project Nim’ in film section for 

more information.) 

The ‘humanity’ within our ape cousins is visually recognisable and easy to empathise with. 

Why my brother 

resembles an ape 

By Alex Smith, Science & Tech Editor 

trail of thought that gives us that experience the U-shaped trends 

inter-species empathy and even of ‘ups and downs’ of the mid-life 

round shaped head, patches leads us to calling the great apes crisis that was once considered 

A of fur, and the all-familiar ‘brother’. Enter science - and we’re human-exclusive. With data, 

forward-leaning jaw; all tell-tale 

features of a creature so closely 

related; my brother. But this isn’t 

a piece filled with petty squabbles 

and the unresolved soap-opera of 

our youth; this is a tribute to our 

long-lost family – to creatures that 

walk like you and talk like you, too. 

left with irrefutable data and 

emotive similarities that define 

where we stand in the animal 

kingdom; alongside the great apes. 

A recent study at the AAP in the 

Netherlands, a conservation group 

for primates and exotic mammals, 

showed that chimpanzees who 

the orangutan becomes only as 

strange as any passer-by in the 

street. 

Our great ape cousins are 

so cognitively similar to us that 

research bans are in place in 5 

European countries, as well as 

in New Zealand where apes were 

A quick flick through the top found themselves emotionally even given basic rights. And the 

videos on YouTube on any given 

evening will reveal our obsession 

with pugs who like hugs and 

adorable yet nasally explosive 

isolated and unable to adjust after 

having been retired from animaltesting, 

had a positive response to 

human anti-depressants and were 

Great Ape Project, an international 

campaign group for the rights 

of all apes, are campaigning to 

get the United Nations to agree 

pandas. However, every now able to integrate with the group. to a Declaration of the Rights of 

and then you’ll stumble across a 

video equally as noteworthy – a 

particular one in mind is of an 

infant great ape that’s just found 

a mirror and discovered its own 

identity. 

It is a profound and remarkable 

thing to look at videos of apes – 

gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans 

– and to see all the traits, virtues 

Speaking to the BBC following 

treatment of the apes, Dr Godelieve 

Kranendonk commented: “It was 

as if they were zombies in their 

enclosures and now they are 

happy, playing with each other. 

They are chimps again - that was 

really nice to see…” 

And a paper published in 

the Proceedings of the National 

Great Apes (including us humans) 

– granting the right to life and 

liberty and the prohibition of 

torture. 

My brother reminds me of 

apes. But apes also remind me 

of my brother. So don’t think of 

them as banana-crazed animals, 

flinging feces around the place and 

covered in unruly patches of fur. 

and hallmarks of humanity. Academy of Sciences showed Instead treat them like your long 

Without DNA testing and without 

figures of x% similarity between 

human and chimp, it’s a natural 

that in a total sample of 508 

great apes of 2 varieties and in 3 

separate habitats, that they too 

lost cousins; cautious to approach 

you, but bonded by genes and a 

common experience of life. 

©Meneer Zjeroen 

App Corner 

Flipboard 

(iOS / Android) 

By Ankur Banerjee, Science & Tech Team 

Hardly any 

university students 

buy newspapers or 

magazines these days; 

it’s an industry-wide 

trend that has led to 

drops in subscriber 

numbers. The way that 

most of my friends get 

news is when someone 

shares a link on 

a social networking 

website, or by browsing 

through websites 

themselves. Yet, as a 

medium for scanning 

through content, 

websites tend to be poor because it’s hard to scan 

through large quantities of information. 

Flipboard is an app available on iOS and Android 

(for free) that offers a solution to this problem. 

The app allows you to create a personalised 

magazine to include your favourite news and media 

sources online, whether it be broadsheets, blogs, 

fashion magazines, or YouTube channels. The user 

experience is gorgeous, as you can flick through 

items with rich, vivid images just like you would in 

a magazine – and then easily save or share stories 

online that you like on Facebook / Twitter. Lost 

for ideas on what sources to add? Flipboard has 

editorially-curated lists of best sources of news in a 

range of categories to quickly take your pick from – 

or you can add your own source. This app is perfect 

for any news junkie. 

Goodbye from the Science & Tech editor 

I’d be lying if I said that being the Science 

& Tech editor this year hasn’t 

been an utter pleasure. Not only have 

the team been outstanding, and Sophie 

Vickery as a fabulous copy editor, but 

we’ve covered such a great range of stories; 

from the death of Neil Armstrong to 

Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the edge 

of space. Science has come a long way 

in a year – to the point where we are 

©Flipchart 

At a home 

at the end of 

Google Earth, 

orphan finds 

his lost mother 

By Fahmid Chowdhury, Science & Tech Team 

To us, Google Earth/Maps is 

an application which helps us 

find our way around a new town, 

search bus timetables or just take 

a look at an old neighbourhood 

we grew up in. However, to a man 

named Saroo, it was the key to 

finding his beloved mother. 

It all began at the age of 5 

when Saroo fell asleep whilst 

working on the train as a cleaner 

with his brother. He laid down to 

take a nap but woke up 14 hours 

later to realise that not only was 

his brother gone, but Saroo had 

also gone to Calcutta – very far 

away from his home. 

As he was now lost, he 

wandered around the streets 

of Calcutta, begging for basic 

necessities. All the while he had 

people approaching him looking 

suspicious, offering him things 

that seemed too good to be 

true with malicious intentions. 

After some time, though, he was 

adopted by an orphanage and 

one day a couple from Australia 

decided to adopt him. 

Under their care, he grew 

up as a healthy man who got 

an education and various 

opportunities. However, as 

he became older the desire 

to establish contact with his 

previous family became greater. 

He could only remember vivid 

images about his home town 

in his head, but nothing more. 

With this, he scoured through 

an approximate radius of where 

he was found (Calcutta) based 

on how long he was on the train. 

From here he painstakingly 

sifted through satellite images on 

Google until he saw the familiar 

looking town of Khandwa, based 

on the similarity of certain places 

like the waterfall he used to play 

by with the image in his head. He 

then made his way to the town… 

When he reached there, he 

found his way around to his 

old neighbourhood based on 

his memories and soon found 

people to show his childhood 

photograph. One person 

recognised him and brought him 

to his mum. Upon seeing her son, 

she went, hugged him tightly 

and cried. Some looked on with 

scepticism, wondering if she was 

lying and had other intentions. 

However, this was soon 

eradicated as she explained that 

there was a scar on him from a 

childhood injury. Saroo got his 

wish - a happy reunion, one sure 

to inspire us all to never give up. 

almost wearing computers in-front of 

our eyes (courtesy of Google). 

I hope you have found this section as 

entertaining as I. Have a delightful summer 

and let’s look forward to next year’s 

issues under the reign of Siobhan Harris, 

who will be taking over as the next Science 

& Tech editor. Thanks for reading, 

and I hope you follow the paper next 

year as I take on the role of Editor. Ciao. 

Technology 

round-up 

By Fahmid Chowdhury, Science & Tech Team 

NASA signs off ambitious 

sampling mission 

Norwegian company is 

A researching into and 

creating a sort of underwater 

power plant. Basically, the 

company wants to use the vast 

pressures 800m underwater to 

pass water through turbines to 

generate electricity. Seems like 

an innovative solution to our 

impending energy crisis! 

Underwater electricity 

generation 

Bryan Heitkotter is one of 

the very few people to have 

turned his gaming life into a 

reality. He entered the Gran 

Turismo 5 GT Academy online, 

beat 53,000 online gamers 

and then was sponsored to go 

racing in real life! Wow. 

TRUCK can which can be 

assembled by hand 

The world’s first flat-pack 

truck has been created 

which can be assembled, 

as the creators say, in 11.5 

hours by 3 people. It’s been 

designed whilst considering 

people in Africa to improve 

the availability of transport. 

It is powered by a 2.2-litre 

diesel engine with manual 

transmission and will be rather 

cheap although no prices have 

been confirmed. 

Google Glass – a privacy concern 

U 

.S. politicians are seeking 

assurance from Google 

that there will be no invasion 

of privacy with regards to 

the use of their Google Glass 

product. The worries seem to 

regard the fact that the user 

could take images, videos and 

other data about whatever they 

see. This could be an intrusion 

to people’s privacy and lives in 

some cases.

18 DANCE & THEATRE The Stag | 29 th May 2013 dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk Dance/Theatre Editor: Tiffany Stoneman | Copy Editor: Hannah Wann 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 DANCE & THEATRE 19 

Dance & Theatre 

Wicked! A musical sensation 

By Tiffany Stoneman, Dance & Theatre Editor 

be reckoned with. Songs such as ‘Defying has its own flavour and emotion that oozes 

Whilst London is always awash with 

A 

Gravity’ have become so well known that over the heads of the orchestra and into glitzy posters, banners, and advertisements 

fter seven years, 5 million visitors, over many know and love them without having the stalls, coming together with brilliant for the countless musicals throughout 

90 awards, and breaking Broadway, seen the show in full. Indeed, many will have choreography (James Lynn Abbott) and its streets, there is one that people are 

‘Wicked’ is still going strong at London’s become familiar with these songs through lighting (Kenneth Posner). But it’s important continually coming back to, that is making 

Apollo Victoria Theatre. 

programmes such as ‘Glee’, who quickly took to note that they were not afraid to have just its way into popular culture, and influencing 

It tells the tale of two unlikely friends – hold of their growing influence. This ability one actor centre stage at times, enhancing children and adults alike. You cannot get 

Glinda and Elphaba – who meet as sorcery to produce popular music stemming from their own presence and bringing the focus away from the standard of this production, 

students, but whose paths change after the stage is both admirable and powerful, back to the words and melodies being created nor can you forget the tunes that take hold 

encountering the infamous Wizard of Oz. expressing the true skill and talent of by those individuals. This has a remarkable of your imagination. ‘Wicked’ is undeniably 

This is the untold story of how the two Stephen Schwartz who composed the music impact on its own, stripped back somewhat a theatrical and musical triumph, one that 

witches of Oz became known as good and and lyrics. 

to the actor and dry ice. The show wouldn’t is not to be missed or underestimated. Make 

evil... or as some like to say, ‘wicked’. 

As a whole, ‘Wicked’ has been the be the phenomenon it is today if they were sure you take time to catch it in London, or 

One cannot review such an winner of 6 ‘Best Musical’ awards, as well unable to pull this off, as well as the large keep an eye out for the upcoming tour this 

incredible show without giving credit to as The Grammy® Award for Best Musical ensemble numbers. 

Autumn. 

the outstanding cast, whose voices make Show Album, to name just a few of their 

the music the success it is today, whilst achievements. As such, they now have a UK 

entertaining audiences of thousands. Gina and Ireland tour starting this September year 

Beck as Glinda was as bubbly and blonde as in Manchester, bringing their vision to more 

needed, but captured the edge within the audiences across the country. What makes 

character well. Similarly, Louise Dearman’s the show so successful is its appeal for the 

Elphaba was the perfect counterpart, her whole family, and its memorable music that 

green hue belying her truly golden voice leaves you humming for days after leaving 

and presence onstage. And of course, not the theatre. Whilst songs such as ‘As Long 

forgetting Fiyero, the prince of the play, who As You’re Mine’ contain elements that would 

was made strong and a little less dim by Ben likely be above the heads of many children in 

Freeman, and Gemma Atkins produced a the audience, they provide a new layer that 

Nessarose to be loved and hated all in one adults appreciate and connect with. 

breath. 

It’s not just about good music and 

Not only is the acting superb, the set catchy tunes however – the key to musical 

phenomenal, and the costumes (Susan success is creating a spectacle on stage that 

Hilferty) intricately and lovingly detailed, leaves spectators in awe of the complexity, 

but the quality of the music is a force to style, and creativity. Every song and reprise 

Family Circles 

By Alexandra Vickerman, Dance & Theatre Team 

The classic comedy ‘Family Circles’ 

by Alan Ayckbourn is a play that 

toys around with the idea “What if...?”. 

“What if I had a different partner?”; 

“What if I had made other choices?”; 

“What if I were a better person?”. 

Throughout ‘Family Circles’ the 

audience is left questioning everything 

about the characters’ relationships and 

family life. The plot of the play is set up 

by the infamous quote from Edward, 

who proclaims: “Everyone marries the 

wrong person and doesn’t realise until 

it’s too late.” In the two-hour run we are 

given the rare insight into the unknown 

- what would happen if everyone was 

married to someone else... 

The three sisters, Deirdre, Polly, 

and Jenny all arrive for a dinner at 

their parents’ house to celebrate their 

40th wedding anniversary on a quiet 

Saturday afternoon. Each of them 

brings their partners: James, Oliver, 

and David. During the first scene we see 

the group bicker and tease each other 

as they get ready for lunch, discussing 

trivial family matters such as Daddy’s 

garden and Mummy’s terrible cooking. 

Despite the fairly light hearted 

conversation, we are given subtle 

hints that allow us to see all three 

relationships as dysfunctional. An 

undercurrent of mystery also exists as 

Edward and Emma (Mum and Dad) may 

be trying to murder each other. 

Just as the audience is adjusting to 

the possibility of the evening turning 

into a murder mystery, the scene 

suddenly changes - very dramatically. 

The characters come back onto the 

stage with different partners, shown 

through the use of matching colours to 

indicate who is now married to who - a 

good technique, if not a little cliché. 

The last few minutes of the previous 

scene are repeated, with the different 

married couples. We now see just what 

life would be like if the three sisters had 

married each other’s husbands. This 

sets up two hours of very interesting 

parallels and arguments, showing how 

much a partner’s behaviour can affect 

one’s own. 

Tackling such a well-known play 

can be a mammoth task for the most 

established of actors and it’s easy to 

understand why the Merrow Dramatic 

Society struggled a little. The script 

was very fast-paced and a lot of comedic 

lines were lost due to bad timing and 

slow deliverance. There were also a few 

forgotten lines that had to be whispered 

onto stage - a mistake which can be a 

result of nerves – however, it happened 

a little too often and the fourth wall was 

unintentionally broken because of it. 

I’m all for amateur theatre, and 

fiercely support it, but on this occasion 

I was very aware of the amateur nature 

of the performance. For £10 a ticket it 

was a little sloppy. A few more weeks 

of rehearsal would have improved the 

performance dramatically. 

Watch This Space: 

Arts at Surrey 

This is it, the last issue before the summer. Exams 

are looming, days are counting down, and End of 

Year preparations are beginning. But don’t forget to 

make time for some stage entertainment before you 

leave. 

What: The Woman in Black 

Where: Yvonne Arnaud Theatre 

When: 3 rd -8 th June 

Price: from £22 

What: Bernarda Alba (GSA) 

Where: The Electric Theatre 

When: 6 rd -8 th June 

Price: £9 (£10 full) 

What: Footprints 

Where: Various 

When: 5 th -7 th June 

Price: £4 (£6 full) - some events free. 

Three performances by groups of Theatre 

Studies Studnets - a Victorian Music Hall, a 

women’s prison, and a river. Follow the journeys. 

© Joan Marcus 

The Pitmen Painters 

By Rebecca Tubridy, Dance & Theatre Team 

Lee Hall’s ‘The Pitmen Painters’ is 

a deeply moving, yet extremely 

humorous, play based on the true story 

of the Ashington Group; a group of 

Geordie miners who in 1934 took an 

Art Appreciation class in the hope of 

bettering themselves. They developed 

a love of art, and their own paintings 

were exhibited in the Hatton Gallery in 

Armstrong College, Newcastle. 

Hall depicts not only the struggles 

of miners and working-class men in the 

1930s, but also the horrors and sorrows 

of war. However, he successfully keeps 

the play light-hearted with flowing 

banter between the hilarious characters. 

Joe Caffrey plays Harry Wilson, a keen 

socialist who quotes Marx at every 

possible moment and keeps us entertained 

with his uproarious outbursts. Jimmy 

Floyd (Donald McBride) is a dithery doglover 

whose child-like paintings and daft 

By Tiffany Stoneman, Dance & Theatre Editor 

I 

’ve no doubt that all of us have, at one time 

or another (most likely over a decade ago), 

banged pots and pans with wooden spoons, 

comments are extremely amusing. 

The set was very simple, with wooden 

chairs and floorboards, however, the 

scene changes were extremely effective 

with flashing lights and mine-like 

noises reminding you of the awful 

circumstances the miners persisted 

with. Projection was used successfully 

to show us the paintings, giving the play 

a ‘Brechtian’ feel, along with the onstage 

costume change and the socialist 

messages. 

Hall proves to us that the arts should 

be readily available to all, no matter their 

class or wealth. Sitting in comfy theatre 

seats in affluent Guildford, this play 

really hits home and makes you question 

society. The play ends with the miners 

extremely hopeful for a brighter future, 

but unfortunately we have the hindsight 

to see that none of their hopes or wishes 

came true. 

Passionate, witty and intelligent – it 

really is a gem of a play. 

STOMP! Get your pans out 

much to the disdain of our parents who 

gritted their teeth and remarked on how 

skilled a musician you were. 

Most of us then grew up, realised that’s 

not the way to make music or a living, and 

Bits O’ The Bard 

“We will meet, and there we may 

rehearse most obscenely and courageously. 

Take pains, be perfect. Adieu.” 

– Bottom, A Midsummer 

Nights’ Dream, Act 1 Scene 2 

got on with real life. For one group of people 

however, they decided to keep banging 

away... and luckily for us they became quite 

good at it! 

‘STOMP’ is now a global sensation, 

touring the world and invading theatres with 

huge plastic oil drums, rigs set up with all 

kinds of cans, pots, bowls, containers, and 

road sign. With gumboots on their feet, paint 

on their clothes, and a slightly manic passion 

in their eyes, they produce some of the most 

incredible music and dance I have ever 

witnessed. It’s been running for 11 years, and 

provides innovative entertainment. 

An astonishing piece of visual and audio 

art using Zippo lighters was one of 

the highlights for me, showing not o n l y 

ingenious use of everyday items, but skill 

and intricate choreography, with devices not 

known for their elegant nature. 

The performers all take on individual 

characters – the confident leader, the girl 

who just loves to move, the slightly nerdy 

Goodbye message from Tiffany 

one, and the one who’s always left behind – 

and these really enhanced the production, 

making it more than just a music and dance 

show, but giving a story line and people we 

could follow. Not only this, but the characters 

had us bursting into laughter at every turn, 

and then truly wowing us with their abilities. 

With talent that, in my opinion, is on 

a par with the likes of ‘River Dance’, the 

complex taps and rhythms they made in 

their heavy boots - sometimes enhanced by 

a sand-covered floor - mustn’t be forgotten. 

For all they can do with sticks and brooms, 

the high level of dance included in this show 

is irrefutable. 

If you like music, making a scene, dance, 

shopping trolleys, flashing lights, washing 

up liquid, and Mohawks, then you have to 

get down and see ‘STOMP’. You will not be 

disappointed. 

Somehow, it’s that time of year again 

- time for me to step aside as Dance 

& Theatre Editor. I’m proud to have 

been a part of a rising culture of theatrical 

entertainment on campus, and 

would like to say thank you to all of you who read and engaged 

with the Stag. If it wasn’t for you, I’d have nothing to do! I 

really hope you’ve enjoyed the section this year as much as I have 

making it, and I’ve no doubt that Rebecca Tubridy will continue 

pushing it to bigger and better things as next years’ Editor.

The Stag competion to win a free 

pair of Latitude Festival tickets 

went down a storm. 

Aaron ‘Freshmon’ Rush got the ball 

rolling with his dare devil feat 

gaining 50 likes in just 6 hours, 

while Laura Stoker and Ben Illsley’s 

(almost explicit) entry also gained a 

lot of attention. We’re still 

wondering what the beersplosion 

attempt consisted of though... 

65 LIKES! 

THE RUNNERS UP! 

147 LIKES! 

THE WINNING ENTRY! 

However, Saul 

Harris and Alex 

O’Farrell’s 

entry - with an 

added bonus of a 

story (which ended 

in a £500 fine from 

an angry Stag Hill 

warden) - was the 

clear winner. With 

over 250 likes on the 

Stag photo, they 

submitted their 

attempt to 

“Confessions of a Uni 

Student” facebook page 

where it gained an extra 

2500 likes! Unfortunately 

the photo was reported as 

inappropriate (obviously 

someone can’t deal with a 

bit of bum) and so was taken down. We 

still have a copy though! 

Enjoy Latitude boys! 

250+ LIKES!

Lit Editor: Emily Smart | Copy Editor: Sophie Vickery 


LITERATURE 23 

Literature 

Shortlisters for The Commonwealth Book Prize announced 

By Rachel Burgess, Literature Team 

The Commonwealth Book Prize is an 

annual prize awarded to writers of 

debut novels whose literary works 

have sparked the attention of critics 

and general readers alike. From 

a nominated shortlist, this year’s 

regional winners were announced 

earlier this month and are listed 

below: 

Canada and Europe – The Death of Bees by 

Lisa O’Donnell 

Lisa O’Donnell is a writer from the United 

Kingdom and has released her debut novel, The 

Death of Bees in 2012. It tells the story of two 

sisters who harbour a mysterious secret about 

their missing parents. Helped out by a lonely 

neighbour on their Glasgow estate, their lives 

become complicated when they are pursued 

by drug-dealers, social services and other nosy 

neighbours. 

Caribbean – Disposable People by Ezekel Alan 

Ezekel Alan was born and raised in Jamaica and 

his debut novel, Disposable People, is inspired by true 

events. Set in the 1970s during Jamaica’s socialist 

regime, the novel traces the life of Kenneth 

Lovelace as he reflects upon past memories from 

his new life in the USA. What ensues is a story of 

mischief, adventures, sex, violence, and prejudice. 

Pacific – The Last Thread by Michael Sala 

Michael Sala is an Australian writer 

who has previously published short fiction 

stories which were shortlisted for the 

Australian/Vogel Literary Award. Written as 

an autobiographical fiction, The Last Thread 

tells the story of Sala’s own life, detailing 

his relationships with his adorable mother, 

abusive stepfather and aloof older brother. 

Africa – Sterile Sky by EE Sule 

Dr Sule. E. Egya is an acclaimed 

professor of English at Ibrahim Badamasi 

Babangida University in Nigeria. Sterile Sky 

charts protagonist Murtala as he comes 

of age in Kano, amidst violent riots and 

family upsets. The novel gives a unique 

insight into modern life in northern 

Nigeria. 

The overall 

winner of the 

Commonwealth 

Book Prize will 

be announced 

on the 31st May 

2013. 

Asia – Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera 

Published in 2012, Island of a Thousand Mirrors is written by Sri Lankan author and artist, Nayomi Munaweera. An instant commercial 

success, it follows the fate of two families on opposite sides of the Sri Lankan civil war. The narrative is split into two halves, each told 

by the eldest daughter of each family, exploring how they negotiate war, exile, love and belonging. 

Escape from Camp 14 

By Ankur Banerjee, Literature Team 

When my friend Alexandra Wilks 

gifted me Escape From Camp 

14 - a book on North Korea - I couldn’t 

control my excitement to the extent 

that I found it hard to hold the book 

open because my hands were shaking 

so much. Those who know me will be 

aware that I have a huge obsession with 

North Korea. The country is almost 

cartoonishly evil; from thinking that 

breeding giant rabbits would be a 

solution to its famine problem, to a 

brother of Kim Jong-Il being disowned 

by his family after trying to sneak into 

Japan to visit Tokyo Disneyland under 

a fake Dominican Republic passport 

where his name is translated to “fat 

bear”. Much of the aura around North 

Korea comes from its relative isolation 

from the world at large. 

Escape From Camp 14 is the real-life 

story of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person 

born in a North Korean slave labour camp to 

successfully escape. Written as a biography 

based on Shin’s account by Washington Post 

journalist Blaine Harden, it tells how North 

Korea’s policy of subjecting “traitors” to three 

generations of hard labour is used as a means 

of suppressing political dissent. Growing up in 

such an environment, Shin hasn’t experienced 

human emotions, such as empathy or love, to 

the point that he ratted out his own mother 

and brother for execution in the hopes of 

getting more food. The narrative then follows 

Shin as he learns about human trust and 

trickery, eventually making his escape out of 

the camp on foot, crossing over into China. 

To his credit, Harden reviews all 

information objectively, often fact-checking 

with external sources on the veracity of 

Shin’s story, as well as giving background 

information wherever necessary, drawing on 

his experience as a correspondent covering 

East Asian foreign policy affairs. It’s an utterly 

bleak book that gives an insight into the kind 

of cruelty that goes on in slave labour camps 

and for the populace in general, made better 

by Harden’s narrative technique. 

Your summer reading list sorted 


Summer is all about travel, but as a 

student that can be more of a dream 

than a reality. Let these great books 

transport you to another place. 

1) The Beach by Alex Garland 

OK so you’ve probably seen the film, Leonardo 

Di Caprio looks smouldering and sexy and 

adorable for a whole hour and a half. It’s 

wonderful. The film is really good, but the 

book is even better. The ending adds a much 

bigger punch as well! 

2) Are You Experienced? by William Sutcliffe 

The hilarious story of Dave who travels to 

India during his Gap Year because he wants 

to sleep with Liz. Unfortunately, it turns out 

he hates India, and Liz. The best book to read 

when you’re stuck in England wishing you 

weren’t! 

3) On The Road by Jack Kerouac 

The ultimate ode to travelling, and it’s 

practically a hipster rite of passage to be 

able to quote reams of this text extensively, 

“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so 

just keep on rolling under the stars.” 

4) The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald 

Not only is this the perfect time to read 

this treat of a novel as the most hyped Baz 

Luhrmann film is coming out very soon, but 

this book is all about one summer in 1922 on 

the fictional town of West Egg on affluent 

Long Island. An exquisite book that will stay 

with you forever. 

5) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter 

S Thompson 

Another book to read and feel cool about. If 

your summer sucks, read about someone else 

taking a lot of drugs in America. 

6) Down and Out in Paris and London by 

George Orwell 

This book is proof that someone is always 

having a worse time than you. Orwell’s 

memoir of poverty in two of the most affluent 

cities makes shocking reading. 

7) The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 

This is one of those books that everyone really 

likes and I think is totally lame. Either way, 

it’s apparently ‘moving’ and ‘uplifting’. A man 

travels around searching for something only 

to find that it’s not about finding anything, 

it’s about what you left behind or whatever. I 

don’t know. Maybe you’ll like it. 

8) Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 

Not strictly a travel novel, but you will feel like 

you’ve travelled after reading it. A fascinating 

novel about the life of a Japanese Geisha in the 

1940s. 

9) My Vintage Summer by Jane Elmor 

Another trendy novel about being a punk in 

the 1970s. Full of music and vintage clothes. 

It also appears to be summer throughout the 

entire 400 page novel.

24 LITERATURE 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 literature@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Reading about grannies; act like one 

By Sophie Vickery, Literature Team 

Research within the Journal of Personality and 

Social Psychology has found that encountering 

information regarding certain stereotypes influences 

our own behaviour as we are influenced by the 

stereotype’s characteristics. One experiment showed 

that participants faced with concepts of rudeness 

interrupted the experimenter more quickly than 

participants primed with polite-related stimuli. 

Another experiment found that participants shown 

elderly stereotypes walked more slowly down the 

hallway when leaving the experiment. 

Therefore, reading about certain stereotypes can 

influence our own behaviour. If a book focuses on 

a teenager’s anger or a hero’s courage, will we then 

become more aggressive or brave? It may sound a little 

far-fetched but consider the tragic moments in a book 

which then leave you feeling a low for the rest of the 

day. Or when you read an inspirational, feel-good story 

and then walk holding your head that little bit higher, 

with a spring in your step. Does reading about smart 

characters inspire you to revise? Perhaps a novel with 

plenty of speech could motivate us to be more chatty. 

So be aware when you next read about characters 

with particular noticeable characteristics as you may 

become that stereotype yourself; whether its a daring 

action hero, little old lady, or aggressive villain. 

Reading said to provide more 

self-esteem than going to the gym 

The Stag’s twitter 

fiction from 

throughout the year 

Here is the some what dis-jointed, complete twitter fiction 

story. Thank you to Marilyn Johnston, Ellis Taylor, Alex 

Smith, Sophie Vickery and Becky Richmond! I hope you had 

enjoyed the fortnightly installments of twitter fiction. You 

may now have a read of the whole text and see if you can 

work out what is going on... 

“Running is not fun. Especially when you’re running away from 

something, or someone. I had no idea where to go, how was I going 

to escape?” 

“I was trapped in a body that didn’t feel like mine. What is this 

tail?! Where were my eyebrows and hands?! I needed a wizard or 

something...” 

By Sophie Vickery, Literature Team 

Kara Tointon, famous for playing Dawn Swann 

in Eastenders, is supporting a new campaign to 

encourage Britain to read by particularly focussing 

on those who suffer with dyslexia. Sponsored by 

galaxy, the charity, Quick Reads, are introducing a 

new collection of bite-size novels, each shorter than 

128 pages. They are aimed at those who find big novels 

daunting and simply lack the time to read. The charity 

wants to illustrate reading’s ability to relieve stress 

and expand knowledge. It has even been argued that 

books give more self-esteem than going to the gym. 

Quick Reads project director, Cathy Rentzenbrink, said: 

“Reading can bring so much to your life, from giving 

you something to discuss with friends to helping you 

relax or taking you to another world, so it’s sad to think 

that one in four people are in such a reading rut that 

they hardly ever pick up a book.” 

Tointon has backed similar campaigns before since 

her acting career highlighted her own difficulties with 

reading as she found she particularly struggled to 

learn lines. The documentary raised awareness of the 

large number of us who suffer from various degrees 

of dyslexia and found that 12 million in the UK suffer 

from reading difficulties, while 4 million have never 

read properly. 

The project was originally launched by Tony Blair 

in 2006 and has been very successful since. 60 titles 

have been published and over 3 million copies have 

been sold. This year’s Quick Reads were released on the 

14th February and are all priced at £1 and include titles 

by Kathy Lette, Simon Kernick and Andy McNab. 

“but this is real life, no wizards. I’m running from real life problems. 

Money, friends, love. Too much of some and too little of the others.” 

“I nearly lost it all that night. He was so close to finding out what I 

had done. I cannot be deceived though. I am far too clever for that... 

Or am i? “ 

“I dont know. I’ve never known. I’m very off topic! I dont know if 

I’m chasing something or running. Ive somehow deceived myself”. 

“But I don’t blame myself. Instead I just run away from judgement. 

Escaping the clutches of old, veering towards a forest of new 

beginnings.” 

“I decided to make a new start. I thought escaping to the manor 

hotel on the moor would be a good idea… “ 

Emily Smart 

Literature Editor 

I cannot believe that this time has come already. Being the Literature Editor for The Stag has been a fantastic opportunity 

and something that I will definitely miss. The whole Stag team has been great and I will severely miss working with you all. I 

want to say a big thank you to my team of writers; Rachel, Ankur, Alexandra, Joseph, Marilyn, Lauren and not forgetting the 

best copy editor going, Sophie Vickery. I will leave you in the capable hands of writer, now Lit editor, Shiri Shah. Good luck, 

you’re going to be great!

Film Editor: Candice Ritchie | Copy Editor: Sophie Vickery 


FILM 25 

Film 

This year has flown by; I can’t believe it’s the last issue already! I’ve had an amazing time as Film Editor of The Stag, it’s given me great 

opportunities and I’ve loved reviewing all of the new big screen releases. However, I couldn’t have done it without Tina Morman, who has 

been my designer this year – a big thanks to her! I also want to thank Beth Goss and Ankur Banerjee, who have been my regular writers. I am 

confident to be leaving the section in the extremely capable hands of Sophia Field. See you next year, Surrey! 

Fast and Furious 6 

Candice Ritchie - 

Film Editor 

By Arran Coe, Film Team 

This month, the Fast & Furious franchise returned 

to the big screen. As expected, the high-octane 

sixth installment delivers numinous outrageous 

stunts and will fill the hole in your heart that can 

only be filled with exploding bridges and gearcrunching 

drag races. Federal agent and muscle 

man, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), recruits the 

old team to take down a group of highly-skilled 

havoc-wreaking international criminals. Despite 

being settled with a new baby and a surprisingly 

understanding wife, Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) 

joins the team in an attempt to take down the gang 

and locate Letty, who by use of poetic license joins 

us from the dead. 

The movie provides its audience with the 

standard array of edge-of-your-seat action and 

snappy one-liners. The chase scenes pertain to their 

usual rearrangement of the laws of physics, inviting 

us into a world where cars can bring down planes 

with ropes, and gravity can be defied if you are Vin 

Diesel. It did seem, in the movie theatre, that the 

implausibility was not only felt by me; on numerous 

occasions an intense moment of action was met 

with a ripple of laughter. Despite its overdose of 

cliché speeches, and the way bullets bend away 

from point blank targets (a little too regularly), Fast 

6 did not disappoint. This is not a film to be taken 

too seriously, you get exactly what you expect; 

speed, violence, muscle, and a great, up-to-date 

soundtrack. 

You may be thinking that the series has 

exhausted itself, and you may be right, but all I 

know is that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I will 

always have a soft spot for unrealistic action, and 

this franchise is yet to let me down. The seventh Fast 

and Furious film has already been commissioned for 

next summer, and I know I will be forking out my 

green; it will be a familiar 90 minutes well spent. 

The Baader- 

Meinhof Complex 

By Ankur Banerjee, Film Team 

The Baader-Meinhof Complex (originally Der Baader Meinhof Komplex) 

explores the growth and downfall of a radical leftist group in 60s/70s 

Germany called the Red Army Faction (RAF) that engaged in terrorist acts 

as a form of political protest. It is named after its two main leaders, Andreas 

Baader and Ulrike Meinhof. Unless you are German, it’s unlikely that you will 

be familiar with the events depicted in the film - based on real-life events 

- which makes the film an interesting lesson in modern history. In tone, it 

reminded me of Munich due to the similar subject matter - the attack on 

the Munich Olympics is acknowledged in this film too - except in this case 

the film focuses on the terrorists. The Baader-Meinhof Complex does a good 

job of explaining the motivations of the terrorists without glorifying them. 

Recommended watch for any history buff. 

The Wave 

By Ankur Banerjee, Film Team 

The Wave, originally Die Welle, is a German 

film that does not shy away and does 

not tread lightly. The setup for the film 

depicts an anti-establishment teacher in a 

high school who decides to offer a class on 

autocracy as a way of showing how fascism 

could have taken hold in Hitler’s Germany, 

a supposedly-democratic country - and 

things escalate quickly when the students 

let the power go to their heads. While 

not quite as disturbing as the Stanford 

prison experiment (and films based on 

it), it is nevertheless considered a classic 

in Germany for its presentation of how 

national socialism can take root even in 

the modern-day world. The film just feels a 

tad contrived to be a rated as a “good” film.

Star Trek Into Darkness 

By Jim Onyemenam, Film Team 

Just like the original, Star 

Trek Into Darkness is an 

incredibly stylistic adventure, 

with graphics nothing short 

of what one would expect 

from a J.J. Abrams movie. 

Many movies that go to such 

lengths tend to favour style 

over substance which results 

in an incredibly grand and 

wonderful experience that’s 

ultimately unfulfilling. Star 

Trek Into Darkness, on the 

other hand, balances style 

and substance in an equal and 

effective measure. 

The story again follows Jim 

Kirk, recently demoted due to 

his typically excessive and 

adventurous escapades, when 

a particularly devastating and 

brutal attack, orchestrated by 

the genius and emotionless 

John Harrison, (a.k.a. Khan), 

drives him into a chase that 

will test his inventiveness, 

worth to his crew, and 

relationship with Spock. 

The entire film shuttles 

on at warp-speed pace with 

a constantly twisting yet 

watertight and solid plot. 

But that is not the greatest 

achievement. 

The greatest and most 

resounding achievement 

has to be the acting. Firstly, 

the entire story tests the 

relationships between 

characters. For instance, 

Kirk is willing to break the 

rules to protect Spock, but 

as we see early on, Spock’s 

adherence to the rules could 

make him undermine Kirk. 

Kirk’s nonchalance is overly 

dangerous. Spock’s adherence 

is overly safe. There is an 

intricate but fragile dynamic 

to that relationship - a 

dynamic that Khan tests, 

and pushes to the limit. The 

entire source of the film’s 

gravity is Spock, Kirk, and the 

pressure imposed by Khan. So 

obviously the quality of the 

leads, and the cast as a whole, 

is paramount. Chris Pine and 

Zach Quinto return in the 

same incredible form as the 

film’s predecessor. 

“The greatest and 

most resounding 

achievement has 

to be the acting.” 

The one character that 

gives this film its edge - the 

edge that I feel makes it even 

better than its predecessor - 

is Benedict Cumberbatch who 

is fearsome and captivating, 

manipulating and versatile, 

formidable and incredible. He 

carries a Bane-like presence 

without the larger-than-life 

mass. His deep, resonant, 

captivating voice pulls you 

in, letting you know that this 

brutal, savage, amoral human 

is not an anarchist. He has 

a purpose, he has an aim, 

and you had better fear him 

because of it. 

Cumberbatch’s portrayal 

was amazing and his character 

was extremely intriguing. 

“Khan is a genius; 

intellect and action 

all rolled in one.” 

The filmmakers did nothing 

to hide the similarities he 

bore with the leads. He is the 

dark version of Spock and 

Kirk. In Cumberbatch’s own 

words – “Same coin, different 

sides”. He has Kirk’s resolve, 

his “end-justifies-the-means” 

attitude, accompanied with 

Spock’s intense rationality 

and emotionless nature. 

This renders him almost 

indestructible, but possibly 

also shows why Kirk and 

Spock need each other so 

much. Khan is a genius; 

intellect and action all rolled 

in one. He is what Kirk and 

Spock can be, what they are 

when they are together, and 

ultimately it is through that 

camaraderie, (and eventual 

understanding of both what 

they mean to each other, and 

what they are willing to do to 

save the other) in which they 

finally defeat him. 

The characterisations are 

fantastic, graphics stunning, 

acting top-class all round. 

The recurring theme of “what 

one is willing to do to save 

their crew/family” permeates 

every second of the plot. This 

is a perfect carry-on from the 

first instalment, a definite 

must see, and will definitely 

be classed as one of the most 

riveting movies of 2013. 

Project Nim 

Film Editor: Candice Ritchie | Copy Editor: Sophie Vickery 


FILM 27 

Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby 

By Jim Onyemenam, Film Team 

Baz Luhrmann brings us here what 

must be said to be a glorious and fairly 

accurate reimagination and modernisation of 

Fitzgerald’s timeless classic about love, hope, 

aspiration, and inevitable disappointment. 

That definition is important because the 

movie is not an adaptation, strictly speaking, 

not a transmutation from paper to film. No 

– rather it is a modern retelling, veritably 

affecting in its own right, stunning and 

emotionally gruelling. 

The Great Gatsby follows Nick Caraway, who 

moves to New York and experiences the grand 

nature of life in the Big Apple. He becomes 

a mediator for the doomed relationship 

between Jay Gatsby, his lavish neighbour – a 

man fuelled by hope, and his cousin, Daisy 

Buchanan, who was previously romantically 

involved with Gatsby, but is now married to 

Tom, a cheating but wealthy and provident 

brute who lives across the lake. 

In typically Luhrmann extravagance, 

the first half of the film definitely favours 

style over substance or mystery, but the 

film is made in the second half. The Great 

Gatsby is a story of remarkable depth and 

meaning. Jay Gatsby himself represents the 

existential power wielded by men, the power 

to refashion one’s self and become someone 

greater, and his failure showing the futility 

of that power. It is a story of lust and hope, 

reaching for a dream which may seem so close 

but can never be grasped. It is also a critique 

of the careless, wealth-driven lifestyle of the 

rich and powerful. Without revealing major 

spoilers, these are the core themes explored 

by Fitzgerald in his landmark novel, and 

although Lurhmann’s rendition cannot be 

said to be the most accurate, it does retain 

these themes, and that is what is important. 

The actors were all near-perfect. Carey 

Mulligan embodied Daisy, sweet and in her 

own words, “a pretty little fool”. Her character 

is more than Gatsby’s love interest, she 

symbolises the target of aspiration. Mulligan 

does fail however to portray the complete 

depth her character deserves, because she is 

not just a frail and petite sycophant, but also 

the cause of tragedy. She is child-like, not just 

in the sense that she is excited at the prospect 

of attention, but also that she is careless 

with it when she gets it. These aspects of her 

character are breezed over. Nonetheless, her 

performance was moderately impressive. 

Tobey Macguire as Nick Carraway, the 

naive spectator to the events, may be seen 

as possibly bland, but rather it was possibly 

the most consistent thing with the book; him 

being innocent and callow. He was however 

unconvincing as a broken and depressed 

alcoholic undergoing therapy, scenes which 

were not in the book but may be seen as 

necessary to frame the narrative in the film. 

Transmutating Carraway’s narration from 

book to film has been and will forever be an 

impossible issue. In the novel, we are Nick; 

we see what he sees and respect and trust 

his judgement. He is, in essence, an empty 

shell that we fill. A film cannot achieve this, 

it cannot have one of its leads be an empty 

vessel. Making Nick Carraway a broken 

alcoholic may not have been the most astute 

move, but it was necessary and did more good 

than ill to the film. 

Leonardo DiCaprio on the other hand 

was more than flawless. He was nuanced, 

every aspect of him bleeding Gatsby, bleeding 

hope and ambition. Gatsby’s entire life is 

a performance designed to enthral Daisy, 

and DiCaprio makes this known in every 

movement, in every word, with his solid 

poise, his forced accent, and perfectly coiffed 

hair. And in the moments where his charade 

slips, where you see a man straining to the 

limit to get what he wants, being so near yet 

so far, his tension and frustration is palpable. 

Before seeing the film it was difficult to 

imagine anyone playing Gatsby. After seeing 

the film, it is impossible. 

The original score is mellow and 

soft, a welcome release from the riotous 

amalgamation of jazz and rap that makes up 

Jay-Z music contribution, which does help in 

reflecting the extravagance and decadence of 

1920s New York, but came very close to being 

headache-inducing. 

One may argue that the film was 

overhyped. One may suggest that the film 

trades in Fitzgerald’s original depth and 

pensiveness for spectacle and decadence. 

Admittedly, when adapting such a renowned 

novel one has a duty to be consistent with it, 

but in my honest opinion, Luhrmann’s Great 

Gatsby made Fitzgerald’s novel new again, 

drowned us in the relatable splendour till we 

were just as exhausted of it as Nick was by the 

end, whilst maintaining the true heart of the 

story, of Gatsby; that die-hard ambition, that 

“extraordinary sense of hope” that may not 

be rewarded, but indisputably makes a man 

Great. 

By Siobhan Harris, Film Team 

Nim Chimpsky was no ordinary chimpanzee. 

That is, after he was taken from his mother 

at birth in 1973. After this, humans nurtured 

him as part of a research project led by Herbert 

Terrace of the University of Colombia, aiming 

to determine whether or not a primate raised 

by humans could develop a limited language 

based on American Sign Language. 

The film walks through the very first steps 

in Nim’s life right through to its tragic ending. 

It is heartbreaking but also warming to see 

the affection of some of Nim’s human friends, 

and his attachment to them. However, it also 

shows the dangers. Nim died of a heart attack 

in 2000. It was produced in 2011 as a British 

documentary film. It has highlighted the 

effects of research projects going wrong, when 

nurture tries to intervene with nature. 

Perhaps best described as watching a baby 

grow up and then be rejected for his nature, 

emphasises the implications of such research 

projects on primates. Nim was eventually left 

alone and isolated, unable to accept anyone; 

human or primate. He was showing all the 

signs of mistrust. The end of the film shows 

Nim accepting a primate as his friend during 

the last few years of his life, which is warming 

to say the least. 

Watching it, I was attached and so happy for 

Nim, seeing him accepted by the many humans 

he interacted with. However, his nature to 

gnaw when angry and hit out was evident 

later on, and the full effects of realizing this 

were felt. I would highly recommend giving 

it a watch; it is an eye-opener into the world 

of primates and just how similar they are to 

us. Not only that, but also the implications of 

trying to alter nature. At only an hour and a 

half long, it is well worth a watch. 

The Place Beyond The Pines 


Ryan Gosling? Check. Bradley Cooper? Check. Eva Mendes? 

Check. I thought I was going to see a predictable film 

about impossibly beautiful people. Probably some sort of love 

triangle, involving a good shot of Miss. Mendes’ tits. What 

I did see wasn’t about beautiful people. Ryan Gosling looks 

distressingly unattractive in this film. I did see a lot of Miss. 

Mendes’ nipples, but only because Romina (her character) 

rarely seemed to wear a bra with her tank tops. 

Gosling and Cooper give the performance of their lives 

in The Place Beyond the Pines. It’s one of the most ambitious 

Hollywood films I’ve ever seen. Luke (Gosling) is a motorcycle 

stunt rider and has a one night stand with Romina (Mendes); 

she becomes pregnant and has a child. Luke is desperate to 

provide for his child, and turns to robbing banks, a decision 

which puts him in direct collision with Avery (Cooper), a 

young police officer eager for advancement in a corrupt 

police force. 

The Place Beyond the Pines is a strange film. It feels more like 

something one would watch at the Sundance Festival, rather 

than the local Odeon. The film is long and slow. But it’s not 

boring. The script is incredibly realistic, and the characters 

are beautifully drawn (and acted). Visually stunning; this 

film will appeal to anyone who loves Instagram (so almost 

everyone, apparently). 

My one point of contention with The Place Beyond the 

Pines is that the incredibly realistic script is rather at odds 

with the didactic message of the film. This film is all about 

doubling; the sins of the father being repeated endlessly by 

the son. It’s kind of depressing really, the implication is that 

no matter what you do in life you can’t break the cycle. It’s an 

interesting point and poignantly expressed, but this slightly 

heavy-handed metaphor breaks what otherwise would have 

been incredibly realistic. 

A wonderful film that I very nearly loved.

28 FILM 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 film@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

21 & Over 

group of males go out, get drunk and 

A a series of mishaps unfold – it’s not a 

By Candice Ritchie, Film Editor 

surprise that 21 & Over comes from the writers 

of The Hangover. There are certainly a number 

of similarities, from reflecting on the drunken 

adventures of the night before, to getting 

the party boy so drunk that the rest are left 

to fix the mess. In fact, they even go as far 

as to include an obligatory Asian wild-child 

named Jeff Chang (Justin Chon), probably to 

replicate the infamous Mr. Chow. But, to my 

disappointment, they were missing an Alan. 

The only real differences I could see were 

the reason for celebration (birthday as opposed 

to stag-do), age of the characters (college 

students rather than middle-aged men) and 

the fact that, rather than trying to find their 

friend, they are trying to find their friend’s 

house. It’s entirely unoriginal and predictable. 

Writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore clearly 

couldn’t wait for the release of The Hangover 3 – 

and clearly had some time to kill. 

Nonetheless, being from the writers of The 

Hangover, we expect hilarity – and that’s exactly 

what we get. What’s not funny about a wasted 

guy acting like a total idiot? But it almost felt 

as though the entire film was just a series of 

funny moments. Undoubtedly, that’s what the 

film intended – the plot is so simple that it 

lacks any real development and the characters 

are completely void of depth. There are times 

when a bigger storyline begins to develop, such 

as when Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar 

Astin) find a gun in Jeff’s pocket and learn he 

was previously arrested. But such possibilities 

for an intriguing plot are wasted on boring 

conclusions. 

Miles Teller, whose last film was Project X 

(three teenagers, a party and, of course, the 

same writers – I’m sensing a theme) is mediocre. 

Skylar Astin, who was far better in Pitch Perfect, 

is equally as disappointing. The only actor 

that I felt really embraced the role of their 

character was Justin Chon – perhaps owing to 

his recent roles in the Twilight series. He was the 

single provider of comedy in this film, despite 

appearing unconscious for half of it. 

If you’re going to enjoy this film, you need to 

accept it for what it is: ninety-three minutes of 

laughing at a drunken twenty-one year old. It’s 

not something that’s going to change your life 

or create any thought-provoking issues – apart 

from maybe steering you away from drinking 

at that party next week.

Music Editor: Becky Worley | Copy Editor: Hannah Wann 


MUSIC 29 

Music FESTIVAL SPECIAL 2013 

The best of all the festivals 

Two music writer’s compare reasons for their chosen festival, but where will you decide to go? 

Headliners: Slipknot, Iron Maiden, Rammstein 

DOWNLOAD 

Headliners: Elton John, Fatboy Slim, Snoop Dogg 

© Guardian © mixmag 

By Tanya Noronha, Music Team 

like my rock. I like metal. I 

I really do like my loud music. It 

made sense, therefore, to opt for 

Download this year, the only major 

rock and metal festival in the UK 

(since Sonisphere got cancelled for 

the second year running, anyway). 

The good thing about a 

festival like this is that I will be 

seeing around 12 of my favourite 

bands (weather and energy levels 

permitting) in the same weekend, 

rather than going to see them all 

individually. That option is a) far 

more expensive – a festival ticket 

BESTIVAL 

By Thea Spalding, Music Team 

Bestival is the ‘quirky’ four day 

festival held down in the Isle 

of Wight that seems to grow in 

popularity every year. The initial 

Bestival back in 2003 attracted just 

10,000 people but now it seems to 

be one of the top places for festivalgoers 

to try, with up to 60,000 

people trudging up in their wellies 

last year. And it would appear that 

they all had an amazing time, after 

it was awarded the prestigious title 

of the ‘Best Major UK Festival’. 

I can give validation to this, 

after going for the first time last 

year myself and having the best 

weekend of my summer. The thing 

about Bestival is that oddly enough, 

it’s not just about the music. So, 

dancing to Stevie Wonder last year 

was a memorable experience but 

what really made it for me was all 

of the activities you could do on 

the side. From a disco in a willow 

isn’t cheap, but if you’re going to 

see several acts I like to think it’s 

value for money, b) plays havoc 

with stress levels, especially for a 

popular band, where you HAVE to 

be on Ticketmaster at 9:01am on the 

day in question and poor you if you 

mistype your credit card number 

when buying tickets because they’ll 

be sold out if you have to try again 

and c) there are certain bands I’ve 

been wanting to see for a while, 

but they’re American (or German – 

Rammstein) and don’t come over to 

the UK to tour as often as I’d like. 

And there will be so much rock 

music. Did I mention I like rock? 

tree, to an inflatable church where 

you can get ‘married’ the list of 

things to take part in is endless. I 

even spent a day last year making 

clay figures and sipping on a 

cocktail in a Bollywood themed 

London bus! On top of that it is of 

course renowned for its fancy dress 

theme, only adding to the fun and 

outrageousness! 

With its 10th anniversary 

this year, it promises to be bigger 

and better than ever before, and 

everyone’s expected to go all out 

for the HMS dress theme with 

headliners including Elton John 

and Snoop Dogg (or should I say 

Lion now?). The line-up ranges all 

the way from musical legends such 

as Fat Boy Slim to new found talent 

like Bastille and Jessie Ware. So if 

you have a varied music taste, a love 

for the arts and enjoy getting your 

hands dirty, Bestival is definitely 

the one for you!

30 MUSIC 

The Stag | 15 th May 2013 music@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

Festival pick ‘n’ mix 

There’s a perfect festival out there for you this summer 

By Becky Worley, Music Editor 

Why I love... 

Foo Warpaint Fighters 

© nme 

GLASTONBURY 

Glasto is the go to festival for your 

standard music lover, with a range 

of genres and a feel-good atmosphere. 

Acts include: The Rolling STones, Arctic 

Monkeys, Laura Mvula, Mumford and 

Sons, Ben Howard, Two Door Cinema Club, 

Bastille, Everything Everything, Dizzee 

Rascal, Alt-J, the list just goes on... For the 

sheer quality and amount in their line up, 

Glastonbury continue to reign the festival 

scene, especially with celebrities such as 

Kate Moss and Alexa Chung frequenting. 

26th - 30th of June. 

By Jason Hough, Music Team 

Just to save getting this pun 

done and out of the way: 

yes, Dave Grohl is my hero. Foo 

Fighters, all my life (enough 

references now I promise) have 

been a band that have seemingly 

interwoven themselves through 

moments in my childhood, but it 

wasn’t truly until 2005’s In Your 

Honour came out that I started to 

pay attention. 

At a difficult time in my life, 

around the same time music 

started to mould the person I am 

today, I heard Best of You and in 

awe of how powerful it was, I took 

refuge inside it, forming part 

of a heavily influential group 

of songs I held important to me 

in getting through that time. 

There is so much unbridled raw 

emotion and almost anguish in 

I’ve ever listened to as of right 

now and All My Life will most 

likely remain my favourite song 

ever. 

In my opinion, it’s the best 

song ever written: it is completely 

flawless. The intro is instantly 

distinguishable, only being 

one note repeated but that one 

note and that speech bears such 

channelled intensity that I don’t 

believe many songs can match. It 

bursts to life with such enjoyable 

ferocity, the sheer catharsis 

caused by screaming the lyrics as 

loud as you can is immeasurable 

and when that explosive twin 

guitar assault comes in, I jump 

off walls and head-bang so hard 

to the point I endanger my life 

regularly. To me, it is the epitome 

of chaos and sheer perfection. 

A signature moment of modern 

rock that unifies every person in 

LATITUDE 

“It was like hearing the music equivalent of 

an avalanche and that’s what struck me. ” 

Congratulations to Surrey’s own Saul Harris 

and Alexander O’Farrell for winning The 

Stag’s competition and are now heading off to 

Latitude 2013! The line up includes: Bloc Party, 

Maccabees, Kraftwerk, Foals, Grizzly Bear, 

James Blake, Cat Power, Jessie Ware, Alt-J, 

Disclosure, Rudimental as well as comedians, 

writers, dancers and artists. It definitely 

promises variety to spice up the usual festival 

format. 18th - 21st of July. 

CREAMFIELDS 

Creamfields is a dance music festival 

featuring DJ sets and live acts. It 

originated as an offshoot event by the 

nightclub Cream in Liverpool. The line up 

includes: Duke Dumont, The Prodigy, Aviici, 

Knife Party, Zane Lowe, Paul Oakenfold, 

Julio Bashmore, Baauer, Skream, Benga, 

Danny Howard, David Guetta, Otto Knows 

and Groove Armada. If you love strobe 

lights and dance music then this is the one 

for you. 23rd - 25th August. 

© Bafta 

Dave’s grizzled screams that it 

was like pain relief to hear such 

saliently relevant lyrics tearing 

through his vocal chords, with 

roaring guitars, absolutely 

visceral and ear-splitting in their 

tone, reinforced by a seismic 

drum performance. It was like 

hearing the music equivalent 

of an avalanche and that’s what 

struck me. The album remained 

on repeat for months, a rugged 

road companion of 11 rock songs 

that never deteriorated or dulled 

in quality. Each listen was a 

moment of sheer bliss. It was a 

haven I could call my own. 

Fast forward somewhat eight 

years and not too much has 

changed. I have moved on from 

In Your Honour to much more 

extravagant music endeavours, 

but I very much still have a soft 

spot for the album. I probably 

consider the debut Foo Fighters 

album as the second best album 

a singular objective: go ballistic. 

This is the essence of why 

I love Foo Fighters. An 18-year 

back catalogue of memorable 

anthems that captures the 

minds and hearts of people 

worldwide. Dave Grohl clearly 

cares a lot about his craft from 

his outspoken views on American 

Idol and X Factor to his SXSW 

speech this year, but is one of the 

most funny and kind-hearted 

individuals on this planet. He is 

single-handedly the only person 

that can cheer me up without 

fail. Without Foo Fighters, my life 

would be so different and I can’t 

even imagine I would be the same 

person I am today. If I should ever 

meet Dave Grohl, other than 

uncontrollably screaming like 

an overexcited fan girl, I wish to 

tell him of the impact he and his 

music have made on my life and 

buy him a drink because he really 

is my hero. 

© JuiceFM

32 MUSIC 

The Stag | 15 th May 2013 music@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

The Great Gatsby 

Soundtrack: 

Transcending time or simply 

hit-and-miss? 

By Shiri Shah, Music Team 

With great confidence I can 

assure individuals who have 

not yet encountered the music of, 

or the film The Great Gatsby, that it 

is not to be missed. Bryan Ferry has 

cleverly used the contemporary 

tracks of well-known artists such 

as Jack White, Gotye, Florence + 

The Machine, Jay Z, Emile Sandé, 

etc., and restyled them completely, 

jazzing them up to fit the 1930’s 

settings and sultry aesthetics of 

the movie. 

But whilst Kanye West’s voice 

is heard over the trailer, and fastpaced 

dance music is being enjoyed 

by the hedonists at Gatsby’s 

extravagant parties we might miss 

the transcendental qualities of 

this idea, and feel a bit thrown off 

and confused and the complete 

irrelevance of will.i.am and 

Myrtle’s apartment. 

I would be lying if I didn’t say 

the music pleased me, I found 

myself almost moving to the beats 

on the cinema chairs; Ferry’s 

work on the tracks have not been 

ignored, and it can be said that 

the music allowed the hedonistic 

qualities, the absurdity, and the 

intense romance to be exemplified 

with the jazzy overtones. 

It is probably a matter of 

opinion; others may appreciate the 

mash up between time and culture 

a lot more than some. Personally, 

I would rather be entertained by 

the soundtrack at home, separately 

from Carraway’s 1930’s New York. 

Becky Worley 

Music Editor 

Goodbye Stag Readers! It has been a fun, stressful and crazy year on The Stag, also 

happening to be my final year at Surrey University, so this is very sad on all counts. 

I would like to say a big thank you to anyone who has read and enjoyed my music 

section this year as well as my lovely team of writer’s who have been there helping 

me out. Thank you also to my copy editor Hannah Wann. Good luck to The Stag team 

of next year! Farewell, my beautiful readers.

Societies Editor: Shalini Thondrayen | Copy Editor: Hannah Wann 


SOCIETIES 33 

Societies 

SUNS Inter-Uni dance competition 

By Neelam Gurung, President of SUNS 

One of the highlights of the 

International Festival 2013 

at the University of Surrey was 

non other than the Inter-Dance 

Competition, held by Surrey 

University Nepalese Society (SUNS) 

and led by the president, Neelam 

Gurung. It was undoubtedly the 

most successful event of the year, 

all the contestants delivered raw 

energy and pumping moves. This 

involved a diversity of dances 

from North to South Nepal, from 

hip-hop to cultural, Bollywood to 

Hollywood, from past and present, 

to emphasize the influences and 

contexts of dances in Nepalese 

culture. To add more diversity to 

the show, the Pakistani Society 

exhibited their traditional cultural 

wear, as well as getting the 

whole audience singing classical 

Bollywood songs. 

The SUNS was established in 

2009 and was nominated the “Best 

International Society of the year 

2012”. The society has found success 

over the years and has featured and 

headlined at most international 

events held by the University. 

Inter-Uni Dance Competition, 

which was held on 9th March, 

wowed the crowds with dynamic, 

thunderous dances. Ten different 

Nepalese Society from universities 

across the UK participated in the 

competition and the retired Lt 

Lal Bdr Gurung (choreographer), 

Sashi Thapa Subba (theatre artist/ 

performer), Sexy Shishi (B-Boy 

dancer) and Parika Ale (1st runner 

up of Miss Nepal UK, dancer) were 

on the judging panel. The event 

took a formal start at 2.30 pm with 

the inauguration by his Excellency, 

Dr Suresh Chandra Chalise. 

With an astonishing 

performance the first prize of 

£500 was won by Bournemouth 

University Nepalese Society (BU- 

NS) with dancers Kevin Rai, Kewal 

Rai, Brik Shahi and Suju Gurung. 

These performers dazzled the 

judges and the audience by their 

improvised moves on “The Harlem 

Shake” and their breathtaking 

sexy dance steps that set the dance 

floor on fire. The all-girl group 

from Brunel University Nepalese 

Society, who performed the famous 

Bournemouth University (BU-UN) with their gold medal. 

Nepali classic song “Darpanchaya”, 

won the second spot and took 

home the price of £300. Following 

closely on third place was South 

London College (SLC) who made a 

tremendous effort in delivering 

mesmerizing moves to the 

evergreen Nepali song “Mero Geet”. 

The event would not have been 

successful without the wonderful 

audiences, 

hard-working 

volunteers, judges, sponsors, and 

media partners. This event was 

kindly sponsored by SO Asia, Thai 

Express and Gurkha Global Security 

Services. The net amount raised 

from this event will go towards 

a worthy cause, Health Camp in 

Nepal. The event ended around 

7.30 pm but the fun continued 

throughout the evening where an 

after party was held for everyone 

to show off their dance skills. 

Surrey Student PEN welcomes new committee 

By Zoe Field, PenSoc 

Surrey Student PEN has been a 

society at the university since 

2011, and in that short time has 

produced events and campaigns 

to recruit new members and raise 

campus awareness of English PEN. 

English PEN is a charity that works 

promoting free speech, human 

rights and literature, and Surrey 

Student PEN was established to 

promote its work. 

The AGM was held on 30th April 

and new committee members voted 

in. The new position holders are as 

follows: President – Sophie Smith; 

Vice President - Sophie Vickery; 

Treasurer & Press Officer - Annie 

Driscoll; Press Officer - Zoe Field; 

Student Liaison Officer - Bimotife 

Ayanbadejo; Marketing Officer - 

Apria Hunjan. 

There are still spaces available 

on the committee to be filled, so 

if you are interested in joining 

the committee or becoming part 

of the street team, then email 

ussu.englishpen@surrey.ac.uk. 

As always, everyone is invited to 

attend meetings, events, socials 

or to take up a position! It doesn’t 

matter what year you’re in or what 

degree you’re doing, this is your 

chance to get involved. 

So far Surrey PEN has 

collaborated with The Stag, GU2 

and Stag TV, and plans for the next 

academic year include connecting 

with other societies, particularly 

politically-minded ones. There 

are also hopes for more trips and 

activities to create opportunities 

for more students to be engaged and 

have their own impact on human 

rights and freedom of speech. 

Previous events held or 

attended by PEN include promoting 

international authors at the USSU 

International Festival, insightful 

book readings with featured guests 

(and free wine!) and visits from 

award winning, internationally 

renowned authors. 

As well as offering valuable 

experience and helping you to 

provide a positive impact on the 

world, joining PEN is a great way 

to have fun and make new friends. 

Look out for us at Fresher’s Fayre 

and like the society page on 

Facebook for updates and plenty of 

chances to get involved. 

Do something more with your 

time at University; become a 

member of PENSoc. 

Shalini Thondrayen 

Societies Editor 

Hey all Stag readers, 

I’m going to try and refrain 

myself from crying as I write 

this message. It has been a 

really a fantastic year, I honestly cannot believe how 

fast it has gone! It feels like I was laying up the very 

first issue back in September, yesterday. Despite trying 

my hardest to do it myself, I remember it ended 

up with me calling Alexandra for a STAG EMERGENCY! 

Anyways, I’ll keep this short. I want to say thank you 

to my reliable copy editor Hannah Wann and Societies 

writers that have sent me emails this year. You’ve all 

been great. It’s sad knowing that this is my final issue 

but I know I have left it in the capable hands of Alice 

Wilkinson; who I am sure will continue to make the 

Societies section as fun and colourful as it 

should be! 

Alice Wilkinson 

New Societies Editor 

A brief low-down about me: I’m currently going into 

my third year as an English Literature with Creative 

Writing student, whilst doing my second year as Marketing 

Director for LitSoc. As you may have already 

figured, you are at ‘the’ hotspot for societies’ news, 

events and updates where I hope you will be left feeling 

in the know, and thus ravenous for more juicy information. 

If you’re an aspiring writer/journalist and 

are dying to be part of my section, well, SOCIETIES 

NEEDS YOU! (Yes, I’m pointing at you.) I’m a one (wo) 

man band at the present, and it would be a delight if 

those willing to get involved join, so we can hypothetically 

become an orchestra and make sweet music. Simply 

drop me an email! 

Well done to all Society Committees, 

you’ve had a fantastic year! Best of 

luck to next year’s leaders, who I’m 

sure you’ll be reading about in these 

pages.

34 SOCIETIES 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk Societies Editor: Shalini Thondrayen | Copy Editor: Hannah Wann 


SOCIETIES 35 

GU2 Radio’s best year yet? 

By Adam Ladowski, GU2 

don’t think I’ve ever been prouder to be a 

I part of 1350AM GU2 Radio. If you were at 

the Student Awards, you may have seen your 

student radio station picked up the Society 

Improvement and Development Award. I may 

be a little biased, but I can’t think of a more 

deserving group to take home the award. 

I’ve been a part of the radio since I started 

at Surrey three years ago, but I think the 

station has come further this year than ever 

before. 

The process actually began more than a 

year ago when James Bale and Sarah Cooper, 

the previous Manager and Deputy Manager 

of GU2, spent weeks putting together an 

application to the Alumni Fund and raising 

funds to pay for a brand new desk in the 

studio. We’ve been using the same hardware 

for almost 30 years so this couldn’t have been 

more appreciated. 

Thanks to their hard work, and to the 

technical team for putting it all together over 

the Summer break, GU2 had the best possible 

start in September. The studio had a new lease 

of life and a fresh new batch of Fresher’s eager 

to get on air! 

I think the biggest thank you of this has to 

go to the Marketing team and every member 

who got involved this year in making sure 

every single student knows what they should 

be tuning in to (hint: it’s GU2 Radio). 

You may remember the infamous GU2 

scarf draped around the Stag statue this 

Winter to keep his neck warm. Thanks to the 

hard work of Samie Curtis, knitting almost 20 

foot of woollen scarf, everyone coming in and 

out of the Uni saw our name. 

GU2 also managed to attract national 

attention with the Battle of the Sexes music 

videos. Looking to do something funny for 

money, the boys and the girls of GU2 recreated 

some of the greatest moments in pop history 

to decide the best Comic Relief single of all 

time. Between them, the videos attracted 

over 10,000 views on Youtube, but the boys 

pipped the girls to the post with their rather… 

unique… interpretation of One Direction’s 

‘One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)’. 

It’s easy to get hung up on the amazing 

publicity stunts of your presenters, but 

without the hard work of the entire committee 

making sure everything ticks over behind the 

scenes, none of this would have been possible. 

Technical have been working non-stop since 

September to make sure that the GU2 studios 

don’t explode, and Music have been keeping 

your playlists up to date with the latest music 

from the top 40 right through to local bands 

from ACM. 

I don’t want to reveal too many plans just 

yet, but with an entire studio refurbishment 

happening over the Summer break, winning 

the Society Improvement and Development 

Award was just the beginning! 

Next year is set to be the biggest and best 

your student radio station has ever had. When 

you come back in September we’ll be Stag 

Radio, so pop over to our stand at Fresher’s 

Fayre and sign up. I’ve never regretted getting 

involved and I can guarantee you won’t 

either. With opportunities in everything from 

presenting to producing to web design, there 

really is something for everyone. 

The ‘Gatekeepers of Gay’ 

By Zoe Field, PenSoc 

Literary bad boy Bret Easton Ellis is no 

stranger to controversy, and has spoken 

out in recent weeks against the way members 

of the LGBT community are treated by the 

media. 

The author of ‘American Psycho’, which 

received an outraged response upon release 

in 1991, has been at the centre of contentions 

for most of his career due to his no-holdsbarred 

attitude to violent and sexually 

graphic content. 

Ellis’ issues lie with the way in which 

celebrities are patronised, alongside 

empowered, for their decision to come 

out. Sparked by the recent coming out of 

American Basketball star Jason Collins, Ellis 

states that the media and gay campaigners 

impose a sanctified vision of homosexuality 

to the public, assuming that straight culture 

does not necessarily want, or need to see, 

‘real’ or ‘flawed’ gay people. Ellis claims that 

when Collins came out as gay on the cover 

of Sports Illustrated, that he was treated 

like a child who needed to be honoured and 

praised for being ‘good enough’ to project his 

sexuality to the public. 

But what about all those gay people 

who do not want to become campaigners 

or teachers about all things good and gay, 

and would rather just live their lives not 

worrying what the media is claiming about 

them? Ellis claims that a “straightjacket of 

sweet, sexually un-threatening and supersuccessful 

gays” is forced on individuals 

such as himself (he recently described 

himself as gay after years of refusing to label 

his sexuality) and is almost a new form of 

victimisation. 

Around the same time as Jason Collins’s 

sexuality was revealed, another American 

pro basketball player came out, Brittney 

Griner, a woman. Griner’s revelation received 

little response and was treated nonchalantly, 

most probably because she is a woman. 

Jim Buzinski, a founder of Outsports.com 

(a Web site about homosexuality and sports) 

said “Can you imagine if it was a man who 

did the exact same thing? Everyone’s head 

would have exploded.” And that’s exactly 

what did happen when Jason Collins came 

out. The media was shocked that a masculine 

man, who tackled other players aggressively 

and showered with his team mates, could 

be homosexual. Why is there such a double 

standard when a woman reveals the same 

thing? 

The organisation that Bret Easton Ellis 

projected much anger at is GLAAD, an 

American group that aims to improve the 

status of the LGBT community through 

media portrayal. Ellis has tweeted certain 

comments in the past few years that GLAAD 

have taken offence at, including "I like the 

idea of Glee, but why is it that every time I 

The boys and girls of GU2 Radio fight it out to decide the best Comic Relief single of all time… 

watch an episode I feel like I've stepped into a 

puddle of HIV?". 

The organisation recently held an awards 

ceremony and actually banned Ellis from 

attending. He reacted by calling the decision 

to choose which gay people can and can’t 

attend a ceremony - supposedly representing 

the LGBT community - “ridiculous”. He 

branded the organisation the "gatekeepers 

of politically correct gayness"; claiming 

that any individual not presenting as “a 

happy homosexual with healthy mainstream 

values” is seen as somehow defaming the 

‘cause’ and is assumed to be self-loathing. 

Ellis’ tweets are demonstrative of his 

right to free speech and his own opinions of 

the gay community. However, a spokesperson 

from GLAAD claimed that Ellis’ remarks were 

crude and offensive and his ‘attack’ on them 

was a publicity stunt. 

Surrey Student PEN is a society built 

to encourage freedom of speech and to 

encourage the breaking down of 'taboo’ 

subjects. As well as promoting free speech, 

PEN works to defend human rights and 

combat censorship throughout the world. 

©Benson Kua 

Year of the jugglers 

By Mungalo Bain, Juggling and Circus Skills Society Sec. 

What a year it’s been for the Juggling and 

Circus Skills Society! To begin with, 

our membership has risen dramatically. 

Whilst there have been a lot of new members 

from the student body, we are proud to say 

that we have begun to draw in members 

from Guildford and the surrounding areas 

as well. 

Our meetings have also become more 

varied – rather than the traditional, 

juggling-focused evenings, we have begun 

to branch out into other disciplines. The 

most successful of these has been acrobalancing: 

standing on each other, in what 

should be impossible positions and looking 

outstandingly cool in the process. This has 

become very popular within the society, 

to the extent that we even ran a dedicated 

acro-balance workshop. We have also bought 

in different apparatus, including hula hoops 

(think they’re easy? You can’t be doing 

anything interesting with them, then!), as 

well as poi and staffs for all those aspiring 

Jedi out there. Recently, we have also taken 

to slack-lining – think tightrope meets 

trampoline, but with more excitement. 

Now that summer’s (kind of) here, we 

can often be found enjoying the sunshine 

on PATS field of a Wednesday, from around 

six onwards. If you aren’t sure if we’re there, 

just look for the people juggling, or walking 

on an impossibly narrow line between two 

trees. We really aren’t hard to spot, but if 

you’d like to find out more, then find us on 

Facebook: just look up “Surrey University 

Juggling and Circus Skills Society”. If you’re 

still not sure about turning up, remember 

that people pay money to see some of the 

stuff we do, but don’t get to learn how to do 

it afterwards. Plus you get to enjoy the sun. 

You have nothing to lose, but a whole host of 

crazy skills to gain! 

Tunisian blogger sentenced 

to 7.5 years for his words 

By Annabel Driscoll, PenSoc 

Tunisian Blogger, Jabeur Mejri, was 

arrested on the 5th March this year 

for using social networks to promote the 

release of his satirical book ‘The Illusion of 

Islam’ .The nature of this charge has come 

under much speculation, what with PEN 

International stating that this arrest is a case 

of human rights. Mejri has been charged by 

a primary court in Mahdia, Tunisia, with 

“disturbing the public order and violating 

social morals” and “publishing articles 

which violate good morals”, resulting in a 

sentence of seven and a half years in prison. 

Although indeed Mejri’s writing clearly 

employs controversial subject matter, surely 

he deserves the right to the freedom of 

speech which is so integral to any form of 

writing. Furthermore, I hasten to add that 

Dan Brown received no such treatment 

after his critique of the Catholic Church in 

his fictions. Whether we agree or disagree 

to this individual’s writings, we can surely 

all agree on the assertion that no writer 

should be condemned to nearly a decade of 

imprisonment should the government have 

distaste for their subject matter. There is 

also another issue to consider, that of Mejri’s 

personal safety should he be forced to remain 

in prison for the extent of his sentence. 

Mejri’s lawyer has stated that he has been 

attacked several times by fellow prisoners 

once the word spread that he had ‘insulted 

Islam’. Furthermore, Mejri reports that he 

was tortured during his interrogation. It is 

in this case that we witness first hand the 

dangers caused by Penal Codes that permit 

the persecution of individuals for their 

words, and omit the human right of free 

speech. To hear more on the development of 

this case, please visit the PEN International 

website at http://www.pen-international. 

org. You may also state your solidarity with 

PEN’s campaign to free Jabeur Mejri, by 

sending your thoughts in to the website. 

Politics Society: A great 

end to a great year! 

By Denise Juvane, Politics Society 

This academic year, the Politics Society 

has endeavoured to maintain that 

members engage through various events. 

Being a small departmental society, one 

of the major goals for this academic year was 

to make sure all students were catered for 

and that membership went beyond politics 

students. Having successfully engaged 

students through constant Model United 

Nations meetings and regular nights out, 

we hope that all members have thoroughly 

enjoyed all the effort put in by the 2012-13 

committee. 

With MP, Anne Milton, being our first 

guest speaker at the beginning of the year, 

the committee thought it was appropriate 

to end the year with yet another speaker. 

MP for South West Surrey and Secretary of 

State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, will be at the 

University on Friday 24th May from 2pm at 

TB02- all welcome to attend. 

Thank you to all our members for 

making this academic year a memorable 

one. 

Literature Society trip 

to The Great Gatsby! 

ABy Shiri Shah, Litsoc Social Sec. 

s soon as the film was released (16/05/13), 

LitSoc were ready and rearing to make 

an appearance at Guildford’s Odeon cinema 

to catch a viewing of Luhrmann’s (also 

known for ‘Moulin Rouge!’ and ‘Romeo 

and Juliet’) anticipated film, which seems 

to have promised sultry and striking 

aesthetics with powerful dialogue. 

The cinema was fairly dull at the four 

o’clock viewing as people were still at 

work or just getting home from school, 

so our experience was left undisturbed 

by unwelcomed noises. Being book 

fanatics, most of us can safely say that 

because of Fitzgerald’s astounding talent 

and eloquence, ‘The Great Gatsby’ is an 

incredibly moving piece of writing. 

Therefore, the excellent narrative 

framing from Nick Carraway was thoroughly 

enjoyed. I personally appreciated that 

Fitzgerald’s influence was not ignored, 

and that the story was embedded into the 

aesthetics of the movie and the tumbling 

of words around the screen solidified the 

emotions felt by the characters and the 

writer. 

Nikki Barret and Ronna Kress (the 

casting directors) did a fairly good job with 

the cast. Leonardo DiCaprio, once again, 

stunned us with a fantastic performance, 

and Toby Maguire fitting perfectly into 

Nick Carraway’s docile and self-conscious 

character. With regards to Maguire, it was 

certainly refreshing to see him bestowed 

with a fantastic role alongside DiCaprio. 

After his poor Peter Parker performance, it 

was more so to see him deliver! 

As this was LitSoc’s first event with the 

new committee, we can safely say that it 

went exceptionally well. The Literature 

Society can promise more merry events, 

social and academic, in preparation for the 

new academic year - so watch this space! 

Strictly ballroom 

By Amy Billington, Societies Team 

On the Friday 17th May, The Surrey 

Ballroom and Latin Dance Club 

performed at the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice 

fundraiser at the Lakeside Country club in 

Farnham. This was the first external public 

performance the club has done this year and 

it was a great success. 

The evening was a fundraiser for the 

hospice with the theme of ‘Strictly Come 

Dancing’. The host for the evening was 

Richard Arnold, two strictly professionals, 

Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe, also danced as 

part of the evening’s entertainment. The 

evening also included a live jazz band, dance 

lessons and a charity auction. The Surrey 

BLDC were asked to perform two routines; 

choreographed by their President Michael 

Stevens. The first dance was a Cha Cha to 

‘Let’s get loud’ by Jennifer Lopez and the 

second a Quickstep to Amy Winehouse’s 

‘Valerie’. They performed to over 600 people 

and were thoroughly well received. 

After their performance, they were 

treated to a showcase of dances from Ian 

Waite and Natalie Lowe; the professionals 

performed a Jive, Waltz, Quickstep and 

Foxtrot. The Surrey BLDC also met the 

professionals and had the opportunity to 

ask questions and have photos taken. 

The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice is a Surrey 

based adult hospice for people with terminal 

cancer. They support over 140 patients and 

carers daily and do some fantastic work. 

They are aiming to raise £325,000 to fund 

hospice care at home. If you would like to 

donate to their appeal then visit www.pth. 

org.uk. 

It was a fantastic evening and a great way 

to round the busy year off for the club. For 

more information on the Ballroom and Latin 

Dance Club please contact ussu.ballroom@ 

surrey.ac.uk.

36 SOCIETIES 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk Societies Editor: Shalini Thondrayen | Copy Editor: Hannah Wann 


SOCIETIES 37 

10 

13 

6 

9 

5 

7 

16 

14 

15 

1 

3 

2 

11 

4 

Highlights of 2013 

1. Do>More President, Katy Sawyer, “By far the highlight of the year was when Do>More 

organised a Performance at Park Barn Day Centre with Gospel Choir and Jazz Orchestra. It 

was a great day and we were really able to make a difference in the community. A massive 

Thank you to everyone involved!” 

2. Go Green President, Kathryn Humbey, “We dressed in recyclable clothing for Go Green 

Fashion Show as part of the national Go Green Week at re-fresher’s fair.” 

3. Coppafeel! President Jess Blake, “Winning ‘Political & Campaigns Society of the Year 2013’ 

- an incredible end to a spectacularly boobilicious year!” 

4. Litsoc President, Sarah Duarte, “Litsoc’s traditional quote crawl: a good start to a great 

year, thank you to everyone who has helped Litsoc grow in any way shape or form. I only 

hope to see Litsoc get bigger. Good luck to the new committee!” 

5. ChemSoc President, Amy Burton, “ChemSoc Ball 2013, biggest event for the society in 

years, with over 100 people attending! Big thank you to Zivi, Beth, Niko, Amy, Rachel, 

Hannah and Toby for all their hard work!” 

6. PenSoc President, Shaun Gosta Millis, ‘Students at the International Festival got involved 

with English PEN’s Writers in Translation programme’. 

7. EARS Publicity Officer, Joshua Tyler , “We are EARS! This photo shows our biggest event: 

the 2013 ScraphEEp challenge. It was great fun and let us show the rest of the department 

some of what EARS does.” 

8. “Enactus Surrey team share their amazing progress supporting the local community at 

the national competition.” 

9. Gospel Choir, “Our photo represents the unity formed throughout our year as a Gospel 

Choir. The highlights include workshops, our hugely successful showcase and being invited 

to perform live on the X Factor” 

10.PhotoSoc President, Irina Niculescu, “This photo defines what our Photosoc is all about! 

We had great fun getting together to exchange new ideas and techniques in photography as 

well as going out and being creative in the way we capture a moment. It was an incredible 

year and the best is yet to come!!” 

11. Indian Students Association: “The International Gala Festival was our greatest success 

as it brought a lot of new faces together. It changed us from being a small society into a big 

family. Not to mention the performance itself, this gave the University a small glimpse into 

our colourful culture.” 

12. The Stag Editor, Alexandra Wilks, “Here is a small section of The Stag team at the Red 

Carpet Night, which was organised by Editor in Chief, Abbie Stone, for all three medias. We 

had a brilliant night.” 

13. Politics Society: “Model United Nations conference on the history of Yugoslavia. 

Last Model UN organised by the Politics Society to wrap up a successful year” 

14. GU2, “GU2 gathered for the filming of GU2 They Know It’s Christmas…” 

15. LBGT: LGBT+ at Student Pride, Brighton, March 2013 

16. Spanish Society, The Spanish society provided people with Spanish traditional food and 

promoted the trip to Barcelona which was held during the Easter Break. Both were a success!” 

17. StagTV: “StagTV at the National Student Television Awards in Exeter before they won 

Best News and Current Affairs in the country and Highly Commended in Best Factual!” 

8 

17 

12

38 SPORT 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 sport@thestagsurrey.co.uk Sport Editor: Anna Giles | Copy Editor: Emma Fleming 


SPORT 39 

Sport 

Colours Ball 2013 

Award Winners 

2013 

Sally Edie Trophy (Best Coach) 

ANDY REYNOLDS 

Mayors Trophy (Community) 

LOWELL LEWIS 

Sue Jupe Plate (multiple clubs) 

STEPHANIE GOOCH 

Team Surrey Trophy (best committee member) 

ANA RITA MORGADO DA SILVA 

Nicholls Trophy (sportswoman) 

LIZ NG 

Leggett Trophy (sportsman) 

ROSS ABRAHAMS 

Sports Exec Trophy (commitment) 

GILLIAN LORD 

Club Awards: 

Steve the Stag award (charity) 

FENCING 

Barry Hitchcock (sustainable) 

TRAMPOLINE 

Warden of Colours (administration) 

MOUNTAINEERING 

SSP’s Team of the Year 

WOMENS 1st TEAM VOLLEYBALL 

University of Surrey (improved) 

RIFLE 

Student’s Union (Non-BUCS) 

MEN’S FOOTBALL 

Caroline Newman (successful) 

NETBALL 

By Arabella Gilby, VP Sports 

Colours Ball on Saturday 11th May at 

Epsom was a fantastic success with 

the biggest ball ever, the night saw 520 

students arrive by the coach load, ready 

for a night of celebrating all things 

student sport over the last academic 

year. The night was full with tears, 

vommiting before 8pm, countless rodeo 

rides, casino winnings, Steve the Stag, 

the drunken coach ride back to campus 

and of course the presentation of the 

awards. 

After last years amazing effort 

on the Olympic themed ‘Opening 

Ceremony’ at G Live, the pressure was on 

to up the game this year. Steve the Stag 

– everyones favourite, was on top form 

and the opening was featured around 

his life journey, going to Univeristy 

(Surrey of course) climbing trees and 

leading to him competing at last years 

Olympics with finally a live on stage 

dance-off with the Surrey Sapphire 

Dance squad, who did an amazing job. 

The presentation of award winners 

and shorlist spanned the length of 

dinner, which luckily didn’t get thrown 

around too much, despite hundreds 

of nominations, they were narrowed 

down to the shortlist and winners. 

The awards were highly sought after 

and clubs were ecstatic about winning, 

which was discovered later as after only 

30 minutes there was one shattered 

trophy, a handful of lost Colours ties and 

an action plan to steal the box of cups. 

The award highlights were the Sports 

Executive Trophy for most committed, 

which was awarded to Gillian Lord for 6 

years 1st team service to Netball as well 

as various committee positions. The 

trophy with the most nomiations - The 

Team Surrey Trophy, went to Ana Rita 

Morgado Da Silva for her outstanding 

work in creating a womens Volleyball 

team this year and despite a late entry 

managed to have an undefeated season 

resulting in a league win, amongst other 

things. The most successful club for the 

second year was awarded to netball 

for getting all four teams promoted, 

having a healthy social team and an 

outstanding administative side. 

The presentaion was rounded off 

by a look back at Varsity 2013, a pretty 

great day for all who were involved. The 

video captured the highlights of the day 

and finished with a massive cheer for 

Team Surrey from the room. With that 

aside the night progressed with many 

more drinks from the bar, the dance 

floor soon filled up with the help from 

a live band followed by a DJ. After the 

Rodeo started up, much of the black tie 

attire had been stripped back and the 

flat shoes replaced heels. Some students 

spent the whole night switching their 

sporting talent to the Casino table, 

others on the playstation games and 

some dancing the night away – or 

skipping around the room snatching 

any remains of the dinner wine. 

For some, the night had ended hours 

previously when their memory seemed 

to disappear, for others the half hour 

return coach journey was a chance to 

finish up the drinks before heading 

out to town or the Union and for the 

rest, a nap after the long night. I think 

everyone would agree that the whole 

day of getting glammed up with their 

club, heading to a very proffesional 

venue, the awards and the awesome 

party after made for the perfect way to 

end the year of sport and a great send 

off for those members graduating. 

The one thing everyone was 

impressed with was the proffesionalism 

of the stage set up, videos and awards. 

It did seem like a real awards evening, 

worth the ticket price. This would not 

be possible without some amazing 

people giving up their time, a massive 

thank you to Richard Hoare, James 

Lackovic, tireless work from Stage 

Crew, Jade Johnson, Kara Glassborow 

and Sports Exec. It really was a great 

night for celebrating Team Surrey, the 

only challenge next year is going to be 

finding a big enough venue! 

Colours awarded to... 

Club Colours: 

Alex Newman (Hockey) 

Andrew Piggott 

Annika Pittaros (Cheerleading) 

Bill Thorniley (Rugby) 

Brian Starkey 

Dominic Smetham (Hockey) 

Emily Chadwick-Vint (Dance) 

James Krestovnikoff (Rugby) 

Jason Graves (Ultimate) 

Jenny Cusselle (Fencing) 

Joanna Minch (Cheerleading) 

Joel Saltmer (M Football) 

Jordan Vine (Hockey) 

Josh O’Neill Rugby) 

Katy Johnston (Netball) 

Kim Hooper (Cheerleading) 

Kimberley Gallagher (Dance) 

Luisa Richardson (Netball) 

Mark Lennon (M Football) 

Mazin Hussein (Dodgeball) 

Nicole Holbrook (Trampoline) 

Philycia Clarke (Trampoline) 

Sam Mullet (Surf and Wake) 

Scott Lee (Rugby) 

William Martin (M Football) 

Helen Piggott (Trampoline) 

Dan Jacobs (Badminton) 

Ruth Jones (Dance) 

Em Bollon (Surf and Wake) 

Paul Platt 

David Ativie (Boxing) 

Dave Kingsford (Rugby) 

Hadley White (M football) 

Rob Beaumont (Squash) 

Full Colours: 

Matthew Sharp (Archery) 

Nicole Constantinou (Ballroom 

and Latin) 

Ashley Epps (Boat) 

Goodbye message from Anna Giles 

This year as sports editor 

has flown by, and thanks 

to such a successful year 

for Team Surrey, the articles 

have been a joy to include 

as mostly they have 

consisted of the fantastic 

sporting achievements of 

so many clubs and individuals 

here at our University. 

I have had my eyes 

opened to the vast range 

of sports on offer, and I 

hope that their extensive 

coverage over the past 

year will have encouraged 

even more people to get involved. 

Congratulations to 

all the clubs for an exceptional 

year and let’s hope 

the success continues! 

Daniel Bodey (Canoe) 

Stuart Skeldon (Canoe) 

Jonathan Grilo (M Football) 

Stavros Panagiotou (M Football) 

Anthony Hage (Rugby) 

Guy Cologne-Brookes (Rugby) 

Melissa Dee (W Rugby) 

James Lovell (Rugby) 

Christopher Lyde (Ultimate) 

Half Colours: 

Tsz (Christy) Ngan (Badminton) 

James Horton (Canoe) 

Bianca Millan (Cheerleading) 

Sam Willstrop (Cheerleading) 

Pravir Sharma (Cricket) 

Robert Wareing (Cricket) 

Stuart Warner (Cricket) 

Sarah Grimshaw (Equestrian) 

Shelley Watkinson (Equestrian) 

Adam Duke (M Football) 

Anastasios Rossides (M Football) 

Liam Hark (M Football) 

Max Gray (M Football) 

Robert Wareing (Golf) 

Anya Roberts (Hockey) 

Madeleine Retter (Hockey) 

Scott Daughters (Hockey) 

Bethan Conroy (Netball) 

Stacey Warren (Netball) 

Adam Cole (Rifle) 

Charlie Paxton (Rugby) 

Joe Winstanley (Rugby) 

Matej Fuchs (Snowsports) 

Chris Phillips (Sub Aqua) 

Daniel Waller (Sub Aqua) 

Callum Spray (Swimming & 

Waterpolo) 

Danielle Robinson (Trampoline) 

Alix Henry (Ultimate) 

Riccardo Imbriano (Ultimate) 

2012/13 BUCS winners 

Atfer a hugely successful 

year for Team Surrey 

overall, we can now give 

credit where it’s due to the 

teams who have won their 

BUCSs league this year. 

Volleyball Women’s 1st Team 

Netball 1st Team 

Netball 2nd Team 

Netball 3rd Team 

Netball 4th Team 

Basketball Women’s 1st Team 

Fencing Men’s 1st Team 

Fencing Women’s 1st Team 

Football Men’s 2nd Team 

Squash Women’s 1st Team 

Waterpolo Men’s Team 

And in addition to these huge 

successes, we should also recognise 

the teams who participated in BUCS 

for the first time this year: 

Canoe Slalom 

Canoe Polo 

KWAF a success 

By Arabella Gilby, VP Sports 

You said … Wednesday Afternoon 

Teaching was an issue, so what 

happened? 

Before Christmas there was a relaunch 

of the KWAF (Keep Wednesday 

Afternoons Free) campaign, we 

managed to get a total of 1062 people 

signing the petition equating in 

14.2% of the total Surrey population 

in support. 

Some key stats are as follows, 

64% of respondents missed out on 

extracurricular activity because of 

teaching on a Wednesday afternoon. 

“I am in favour [of Wednesday 

afternoons being free] because 

sports/societies are key to increasing 

an individual’s employability.” 

“Sport isn’t just about 

participation, it’s about being proud 

Women’s Volleyball 

American Football 

How can you get involved next 

year? The Sports Executive Elections 

are coming up on Tuesday 4th June 

at Sports Standing; this is a really 

great opportunity to get up close and 

personal with the running of Team 

Surrey. You have roles as a sports 

executive team but also head up your 

remit. For any more information on 

how to run or the positions email 

ussu.sports@surrey.ac.uk 

A huge thank you to the Sports 

Exec team of 2012/13: 

VP Sports & Recreation – Arabella 

Gilby 

SE Chair - Jordan Thomson 

SE Secretary - Hannah Waterhouse 

SE Development - Jenny Cusselle 

SE Management - Veronica Melkonian 

SE Communications - Nat Nabi 

SE Events & Recreation - Georgie 

Smith 

SE Coaching & Volunteering - Dan 

Jacobs 

to support your University outside 

of league tables... Not only will it 

build a greater sense of community 

among the students but there would 

be massive health benefits involved 

with active participation.” 

In January the University started 

to write a Timetabling policy and 

things didn’t look to great, but in 

May VP Education Sam Ratzer and 

VP Sport, myself, sat on the draft 

policy review and the student voice 

was heard. There is now an official 

policy which states that teaching 

on a Wednesday afternoon is now 

between the hours of 9 and 12. 

Previously there had been no rule, 

but the unofficial policy was 9-1, this 

is a massive change and step in the 

right direction. From 2013/14 there 

will be no teaching on Wednesday 

afternoons.

40 SPORT 

The Stag | 29 th May 2013 sport@thestagsurrey.co.uk 

2012/13 club round-ups 

Netball 

Ultimate Frisbee 

By Katy Illife, Netball President 

Winning ‘Most Successful 

Club of the Year 2013’ 

illustrates just what a spectacular 

year Netball has had. With a 

step up of training and extra 

sessions, plus an introduction of 

a fourth team and a third coach, 

all squads were able to improve 

at a spectacular rate. Across all 

four teams, we only suffered 2 

losses and 1 draw, having played 

40 matches, resulting in winning 

all four BUCS leagues, being 

promoted, and making Team 

Surrey history in the process. 

Social Netball has 

progressed hugely this year, 

with numbers increasing and 

there being more opportunity 

for players to play competitively 

if they wished in local netball 

leagues. 

I’d like to record my 

thanks to Head Coach Tamsin 

Greenway, the committee, Sharon 

Garner, Naomi Taylor, and all the 

players this year for their hard 

work and commitment. 

It has been a brilliant 

year, and has solidified Surrey 

Netball as being a force to be 

reckoned with. 

By Riccardo Imbriano, Ultimate Frisbee Committee 

The Ultimate Frisbee club is 

coming to the end of its most 

successful season since it was 

founded in 1999. With a number of 

Freshers recruited, building on the 

previous year’s intake, the club is 

in a healthy position with over 40 

members to progress in the next 

few years. This has not only meant 

improved results on the pitch, but 

has also meant the social side has 

been excellent as well. 

Some highlights of the year 

include the Open team finishing 

2nd at both Indoor and Outdoor 

Regionals and therefore gaining 

qualification to Division 1 Nationals, 

(which had previously never been 

done Outdoors), but the real success 

came in Mixed tournaments. This 

began in February when the team 

came 2nd in the country at Mixed 

Indoor Nationals, having never 

previously finished in the Top 16. 

We had prepared extensively for 

this by attending a couple of warmup 

tournaments and training 

together for months and it paid off 

with many of the players getting 

to play in their first National final 

against local rivals Sussex. This was 

a massive result for the club and 

definitely made a big impression 

in the Ultimate community. The 

team also played at Mixed Outdoor 

Nationals for the first time, coming 

10th and further cementing 

ourselves as one of the top mixed 

teams in the UK. 

The club is in a good position 

to build on the achievements of 

the year, taking on the strengths 

developed throughout the club to 

progress into next year stronger 

than ever. 

Tennis 

Fencing 

By Gareth Raynes, Fencing Club 

This year has been a fantastic 

one for Fencing in all areas 

of the club. In particular, our 

Women’s first team are now the 

first Team Surrey team ever to be 

in the premiership for their sport, 

which is a fantastic achievement. 

The Men’s teams have had 

a great year too, with the first 

team being promoted to Division 

1. Outside of BUCS, we 

have had a great deal of successes 

including our 24-hour fencing 

marathon which raised more 

than £6000 for charity and earned 

us the Steve the Stag award at the 

recent Colours Ball, an emormous 

amount of money for a great 

cause. Liz Ng is now the women’s 

national champion for foil, a welldeserved 

title recognising her 

work and achievements in recent 

times. We’re all looking forward 

to next year, and all the successes 

it will hopefully bring! 

By Owen Davis, Tennis Club President 

As this year draws to a close, we 

can proudly say that that we 

have had another very successful 

year at the tennis club! 

From shouting into megaphones 

at Freshers’ Fayre right up to 

hosting our AGM and writing an 

annual report to rival the length 

and depth of War and Peace, it 

has constantly been a vibrant and 

exciting club to be part of! 

With over 65 members we have 

cemented ourselves as one of the 

largest clubs at Team Surrey, and 

have introduced new additions 

to our weekly routine to provide 

for people of different standards; 

such as beginners coaching and 

intermediate hitting sessions. 

Our BUCS sides continue to 

perform in the higher divisions of 

the tennis leagues, with our ladies 

team (captained by Stag Sports 

Editor Anna!) coming close to 

gaining promotion to Division 1A 

this year. 

Social tennis, despite 

unsurprisingly being unable to 

maintain the average of 40 people 

for 6 courts that we started with in 

October, has remained successful 

despite regularly suffering 

conditions that make the Indian 

monsoon season look like a light 

shower. On the social side the club 

has continued to make the most of 

drinks offers at Citrus, as well as 

making our return pilgrimage back 

to Saloufest, with involuntary hair 

shaving and bus chundering never 

in short supply! 

Looking forward to next year, 

we’re lucky to have a committee 

full of enthusiasm and ideas to take 

the club to new heights! For anyone 

around next year; don’t miss out! 

See you next year, 

Surrey!

Issue 60 - University of Surrey's Student Union

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