Sabbatical Review passes at packed GM - Scan - Lusu

COMMENTFEATURESARTSKyle Pattersonon the plightof the campusrabbits 13Alex Lainsburyon celebrityperfumes 17Richie Gartoninterviews Eastenders’JackRyder 21Read more at scan.lusu.co.ukWeek 10, Michaelmas Term, Tuesday December 9, 2008Sabbatical Reviewpasses at packed GM• 527 students squeeze into350 capacity lecture theatre• Athletic Union turn out inforce to save sports Sabb• Accusations of ultra-vires asEWD amendment fallsPeeks threatensSCAN with legalactionSCAN WAS “DISAPPOINTED” toreceive a solicitor’s letter threateninglegal action on behalf of aUniversity officer, following a recentheadline over the financialstate of the Commercial Servicesdepartment.The Students Union, as the publisherof SCAN, is also under threat oflegal action.David Peeks, the Director of CommercialServices, filed the claim againstSCAN after the paper printed an articlewith the headline, “Accounts showbars’ new boss is a loss-maker”, amonth ago. According to the solicitor,Mr. Peeks feels this headline in SCAN –which has a distribution of 3000 - washighly damaging to his professionalreputation and has therefore sued thepaper for defamation.The disputed headline related specificallyto the £20,617 deficit recordedagainst University Catering in the University’sGold Report.LUMS altersstudent CVswithout inputManagement School students applyfor third year placement schemes havehad their CVs altered by Universitystaff without their consent.The most troubling aspect for studentsin the inclusion of David Simm,the Director of BAA in Management, asa referee. In most cases Mr. Simm haseither never taught the student personally,or the student is on acompletely different course 3 >to that which Mr. Simm is Director.‘Quack Attack’fundraiser forhomelessFive students are organising a fundraisingevent in Furness JCR as partof the YMCA’s ‘Don’t Duckthe Issue’ campaign, which 7 >aims to raise awareness of homelessnessaround Lancaster.The event will coincide with drinksoffers at the bar and will include a rafflefor a giant rubber duck.The five students organised theevent as part of a events managementshort course run by the Centre for Enterprise,Employability and Careers.Students call forwater companyboycottThe Lancaster University Friendsof Palestine Society plan to initiate acampus wide boycott of Eden Springsmineral water.The Society has raised issue withthe company’s (un)ethical trading activities,in particular their sourcing ofwater from Golan Heights: an Israelioccupiedterritory, which legally belongsto Syria. The Syrian populationof the Heights have been deprived ofwater due to Eden Springsactions. 7 >Full story: 4 >Packed: LUSU President, Michael Payne, takes the stage infront of over 500 students at the General Meeting last Wednesday. (Photo: Rob Miller)£10m Arts’‘Greenhouse’unveiledPlans for a new central ‘hub’ for theLancaster Institute for the ContemporaryArts (LICA) have been released bythe University.However, despite the £10m putaside for the ‘Greenhouse’, one ofLICA’s component departments, thePeter Scott Gallery, hasseen its income fall drasticallyover the past two years. The Uni-8 >versity has just completed a review intohow the Public Arts facilities can beimproved on campus.Clarification: David PeeksIn the issue of SCANews of 30th October2008, we ran a lead article under theheadline “Accounts Show Bars’ New Boss Isa Loss-Maker”. The sub-headings followedthe same theme.The issue of SCANews of 30th October20078 contained incomplete and inaccurateinformation concerning the financial resultsfor Trading (Commercial) Services for theyear ending July 2008.Trading (Commercial) Services madea profit of £824,000, prior to deduction ofgeneral charges to other University Departments.Whilst it is correct that there was a shortfallof profit against budget of £137,000,Trading (Commercial) Services made a netprofit of £524,000 after charges. Havingregard to this financial information, whilstTrading (Commercial) Services did not hitits targets, it still made a significant profit.Mr Peeks is Commercial Director ofthe University and responsible for Trading(Commercial) Services. In our article weincorrectly referred to Mr Peeks as ‘A LossMaker’. Also, it was incorrect for us to referto Trading (Commercial) Services as “haemorrhagingmoney”. The statements wereinaccurate and we withdraw them withoutreservation.SCANews apologises to Mr Peeks for theembarrassment caused to him by the inaccuratestatement in our issue of 30th October2008.

2 scan.lusu.co.ukLancaster University Students’ UnionSlaidburn HouseLancaster UniversityLancasterLA1 4YAEditorDan Hoganscan@lancaster.ac.uk01524 592613Voters turn out for JCRs, butNon-Sabb elections fail to inspire• New JCR and Non-Sabbs elected• Students have “noidea” what they’revoting forNon-Sabb and Sabbatical election turnoutLUSU Election turnoutAssistant EditorRob Millerr@robm.me.ukNewsChris Davisscannews@hotmail.comMeets in Furness Bar,Tuesdays, 4pmCommentLiam Richardsonscancomment@gmail.comMeets in Bowland Bar,Tuesdays, 5pmFeaturesscanfeatures@hotmail.comMeets in Furness Bar,Fridays, 1pmArtsLizzie O’Brien &Richie Gartonscanarts@hotmail.comMeets in County Diner,Wednesdays, 1pmMusicScott Al-ZobaiydiMark McGlashanscanmusic@hotmail.comMeets in Pendle Bar,Wednesdays, 1pmSportsCharlotte Parkerscan_sport@hotmail.comMeets in Fylde Bar,Mondays, 6pmAdverts & MarketingMartin Ennism.ennis@lancaster.ac.uk01524 593422by Chris DavisNews EditorELECTION RESULTS FOR bothJCR officers and LUSU Non-SabbaticalOfficers were revealed lastweek, following a campus widevote.Over 2,500 students turn out to decideon the makeup of both the JCR Executivesand the Non-Sabbatical teamfor the fore coming year.Following the trend of previousyears the JCR elections generated ahigh level of interest, with all collegesmanaging to fill the majority of positionson their Executive.Both Grizedale and Fylde Collegehad their current vice-presidents takeon the presidential role, with JamesDuncan voted in for Fylde and LaurenEmery for Grizedale. Emery, however,will share presidential status withcurrent acting-president Chaz Ginn.Lonsdale is also set to have a sharedpresidency this year, with Matt Windsorand Katy Bloor both elected to theposition.Elsewere, Cartmel elected currenttreasurer Robbie Pickles as president.Bowland elected Tom Sharhoh-Wazynshi,Chloe Themistocleous becomesCounty president, and Rachel Faulknerwill take on the position for GSA. PendleCollege generated the closest electionrace, with Ben Staley closely beatingrival presidential candidate DavidKennedy by the narrowest of margins.However, questions are still beingasked regarding the active involvementof students with University politics.Many students admitted not votingin Non-Sabbatical elections, and takingpart in JCR elections only at therequest of friends standing for Execpositions.An anonymous Cartmel student ad-in thisNewsSabbatical Review General Meeting -Full story and analysis. 4,5Friends of Palestine lead boycott ofwater cooler company. 7Tory think-tank calls for uni fees capto be lifted. 8ArtsRichie Garton interviews Eastenders’Jack Ryder, performing in Romeo andJuliet. 21The Max Payne movie reviewed. 23CommentBAE and its links to the University. 11Liam Richardson on the SabbaticalReview. 13Some thoughts for paranoid bullyboys.14MusicThese Arms Are Snakes, live andinterviewed. 25Cage The Elephant, live and interviewed.26mitted she only voted in the JCR electionsbecause her friends pestered herand that she had “no idea” about theNon-Sabbatical elections at all.Fylde student David Beverage saidthat as he lived off campus and “hadno lectures that Thursday”, he “didnot want to come onto campus just tovote”.Pendle student Hannah Hardy echoedthis, adding: “I didn’t know who tovote for, and I didn’t feel the need tolook into it. I figured there were enoughpeople to vote without me, as bad asthat sounds.”The position of University CouncilRepresentative was contested betweenSimon Rimington and AndrewJohnston, with Rimington elected by amargin of 754 votes to 735. Often seenas the penultimate step on the path tothe office to LUSU President, the racewas on a knife edge, neither candidatehaving run a proper campaign. Expectationswere that Johnston would bere-elected, however due to a largely uncontestedJCR election in Johnston’son college, County (the largest on campus),his core constituency failed toturn out.Speaking to SCAN, Rimington said:“[I] always expected it was going to beclose, being between two college presidents,[but I’m] pretty happy to havewon.”It was a similarly close contest forthe position of Green Officer, withMichael Keegan elected over GemmaEvans by 788 votes to 724. In othercontested elections, Vern Shah waselected over Mali Habra for ManagementSchool Faculty Rep. Joss Hicksonnarrowly saw off Beau Martinez for theposition of Science & Technology FacultyRep. Kat Goodling won her contestagainst Patrick Allison to become thenew Chief Returning Officer, and SueWynes was elected over Caroline Sprattto become the new AU Non-Sabb.All of the candidates running uncontestedwere elected, with no nominationsbeen re-opened. The full list ofcandidates elected to Non-Sabbaticalpositions can be found at http://democracy.lusu.co.uk/current-candidates/.NewsFeaturesLancaster University Peace Festival. 16Daniel Ash takes a look at theLGBTa. 17Rob Miller examines the political crisisin Thailand. 19Crossword. 19SportsThe Big Debate: How much freedomof speech for club players? 28Inter-College round-up. 30,32Furness JCRaccused of‘characterassassination’ ofelection rivalCRITICISMS HAVE EMERGEDover the actions of some outgoingJCR Executives in the electionsprocess.An anonymous source expressed“severe disappointment and disgust”at events during the Furness JCR Hustings,claiming that the Exec made a“concerted effort” to “embarrass” and“degrade” a candidate running againsta current JCR member. The source accusedFurness JCR of “protecting oneof their own”.SCAN believes that the source wasreferring to the contest between DanOwens and current Furness SocialSecretary, Jo Walker, for the positionof Vice President, which Walker eventuallywon. When contacted by SCAN,however, Owens was quick to defendthe JCR from the criticisms.“At the time, I was absolutelyfuming,” Owens said. “Looking backthough, I don’t think there was anyintention to embarrass me. It was alwaysgoing to be difficult for me runningagainst an experienced and wellrespected candidate. I get on well withJo Walker and I look forward to workingwith her in the future.”Furness JCR Chairperson RobinHughes, was equally dismissive ofthe claims, stating that he did not allow“anything provocative” during thehustings. Hughes maintained that “noone brought any concerns forward’ inthe aftermath of the event and, whenquestioned about the accusations offavouritism levelled at the JCR, thathe did not allow anything provocativeto happen during the hustings. He saidthat he would take any form of bullying“very seriously”.

student comment and newsLuMS: use our references, or else• Management Schooldrastically altersthe cVs for BBaplacements• Students toldthey must usedepartment head asreferee, instead ofown referencesby Lizzie HoughtonNews EditorSecond year StudentS at theLancaster university ManagementSchool have been told theymust use cVs radically altered byuniversity staff when applyingfor placement schemes.A number of Management Schoolstudents – all of whom asked to remainanonymous – have said that their CVshave been “completely redone” in somecases by LUMS staff, to the point wherequalifications have been dropped andpersonal statements altered.David Simm, the Director of theBBA in Management, as also been addedas a reference to a number of students’CVs, replacing the students own,respected referees .This is the case evenfor students not studying Managementcourses.One student explained how she wasleft feeling “patronised” by the ManagementSchool’s actions, adding: “Fora university that is supposedly encouragingindependence and creativity instudents I thought this was a bit off.[It] got me thinking about how muchcontrol the University should reallyhave over us.”At the start of term students weretold by staff at LUMS to compile a CVwhich could be sent off to perspectiveemployers, in conjunction with theLUMS’s work placement programme.Under the placement scheme studentsspend a portion of their third year inpaid managerial employment. Whenstudents had their CVs returned tothem, they found that they had been“practically rewritten” by staff in theLUMS’s undergraduate office.These changes were followed up byan e-mail from the Placement and ProgrammesSecretary, Sophie Smith, askingstudents to “please use this versionwhen a CV is requested by a potentialemployer”.The e-mail added: “If you wish tomake any changes to this documentyou MUST do so centrally on AnneWelsby’s [LUMS Placement Manager]PC in her office.”According to Management Schoolstaff the only changes made were stylistic,and were done so to comply with“corporate image”. The main issue forstudents however is the inclusion ofMr. Simm as a referee.“Many people aren’t happy withthis,” one Management School StudentRepresentative told SCAN, adding:“David Simm has never personallytaught many of them, just lectured toa class of about 200. People think theycould get a better reference off an employerwho can comment on them personallyand how hard they work, notjust about how they are achieving atuniversity, which can be seen from thegrades anyway.”One student commented that Mr.First LuSu InternationalStudents night a ‘success’by Rachael AbrahamsWeek 7 SaW Lancaster universityhold its first InternationalStudents night in the newly refurbished,Fylde bar.The event - which was made possiblewith the help of JCR representativesalong with the Non-SabbaticalInternational Officer, Jon Krumbach- saw around 75 International Studentssqueeze into the bar to enjoy thefree food, supplied by Sultans, and aquiz with a ‘money can’t buy’ prize of 5Platinum Sugarhouse tickets and a freebottle of Cava.Following this, buses were madeavailable to take those who wished tocontinue the fun to The Sugarhouse,where DJs entertained the front roomwith music catering to the tastes of allinvolved, including R&B, Salsa andBhangra, providing a fresh change tothe common mainstream variety thatcan usually be found at the SugarhouseIncluded: International students in the Sugarhouse on International night.on the weekends.Feedback from the overall eventwas mainly positive, with many thanksgoing to the LUSU Women’s Officer,Sara Dunn, for what was described asa night with a “great turn out, reallyfriendly crowd and the chance to havemet lots of lovely new people”.However, criticisms were raisedover the lack of activity within thebar. Ms. Dunn explained how she wasalready thinking of solving this issuewith “a karaoke or dance competitionsfor next term”.Simm would “not be able to pick meout in a room of faces”, while anothersaid: “He’s my reference and he doesn’teven know who I am. If he says anythingabout me he’ll be talking a loadof rubbish because I’ve never spoken tohim on a one-to-one basis.”Ms. Welsby denied any changes hadbeen made to Student’s CVs. She said:“We format the form because they’vejoined the scheme. We don’t changeany of their words, but we make surethat they fit in with the corporate image.”On the subject of Mr. Simm’s inclusionshe said: “It’s up to them [thestudents] to change the name on thepaper. If they [the students] have anyproblems they should be coming to seeme.”International Student, Sarah Clark,told SCAN she felt the night was a “reallygood idea”.“It gave a lot of international studentsthe chance to interact with peoplein the same boat as themselves,”she said.“I think anything that encouragespeople to mingle and learn somethingnew about different cultures is a positivething. I would like to see more suchevents held throughout the year, alongwith more events aimed specifically atgetting national and international studentsto socialise together.”However, plans to hold furtherevents maybe hampered by the InternationalUnion’s budget. At the momentonly £100 is put aside per termfor such events.“We’ll struggle, [with the currentbudget],” Ms. Dunn said. “Thereforewe plan to lobby the University formore money for International Studentsrepresentation.”by Dan HoganEditor3NewsLeaked Bnpmemberlist revealsnumbers inLancastera Leaked MeMBerShIp list ofthe far-right British national partycontains the names of 39 peoplewith addresses in the Lancasterand Morecambe area.There are 13 names listed in Lancaster,12 in Morecambe and 11 in andaround Heysham. There are an additional3 names from Slyne, which is tothe East of Morecambe.Among the members contained inthe leaked records is Lancaster UniversityPhD student Christopher Hill, whostood as a local election candidate forthe BNP three times in Skerton Westward. He was beaten convincingly byLabour candidates on all three occasions.LUSU’s Race Relations Officerelect,Kate Fry, said: “This needs to bebrought to the attention of students.“The British National Party are Nazisand attack people because they arenot white. It is dangerous for them tobe working in an environment as ethnicallydiverse as this University.”But according to a spokesperson forthe University, it has no policy againstthe employment or enrollment of membersof the BNP or any other dangerousgroup.Many names on the list appear nextto notes detailing their employment,age and even hobbies. One serving policeofficer and a prison officer appearon the list as well as 16 servicemen inthe Armed Forces. Members of theBNP are banned from serving in thepolice or the prison service to avoiddamaging race relations. Although partymembers are allowed to serve in theArmy, they are barred from any politicalactivity. Additionally, 15 teachers,four nurses and 17 former police officersappear on the list. Former Talk-Sport radio presenter Rod Lucas willnot be used again by his now previousemployers, following the revelation ofhis membership.However, not all the people who appearon the list are BNP members. Thelist includes details of people who havesigned petitions, or whose membershiphas lapsed.The name of one member of Universitystaff appeared on the list, butthey deny having joined the party.The information is contained in thelist is estimated to be approximately ayear old.Following the insight into the varietyof positions that BNP membershold, several trade unions have calledfor BNP members to be banned fromall public sector workplaces.Train drivers’ union, Aslef, won alandmark case in the European Courtof Human Rights in March last year.The court ruled that unions have theright to set conditions of membershipbased on political beliefs—a right ensuredby Article 11 of the Human RightsConvention, which protects freedom ofassociation.

4 scan.lusu.co.ukNewsIn focus: Sabb Review GMew Sabbake-up passesfter sports VPompromisePresidential address:LUSU President, Michael Payne,speaks from the stage in theGeorge Fox Lecture Theatre toofficially move the Sabbatical Reviewproposals at the General Meetinglast Wednesday. (Photo: Rob Miller)by Chris DavisNews EditorProposals for the controversial‘Sabbatical Review’ were passed by anoverwhelming majority at the GeneralMeeting held last Wednesday.Over 500 students turned out todiscuss, debate, and ultimately vote ona motion which will dramatically reformthe structure of the Union’s SabbaticalTeam. Next year’s Sabb Team isnow set to consist of a range of newlycreated positions which, it is hoped,will allow for wider and much more effectivestudent representation.Only one amendment was eventuallypassed, that which removed theresponsibility for societies from theproposed Vice-President (Student Activities)job description, and renamingthe position Vice-President (Sports).The position now resembles that of thecurrent Athletic Union President, ensuringthat sports teams still have anofficer solely dedicated to them. Theresponsibility for societies will fall tothe Vice-President (Finance Events &Democracy), the role equivalent to thatof the current General Secretary whoholds the responsibility for societiesunder the current constitution.Prior to the meeting, many differentopinions were put forward overthe likelihood of the proposals beingpassed by the student body. FutureNon-Sabbatical AU Officer, SusanWynes, had warned that she and othersports teams would be “attending themeeting with a view to vote against thenew Sabb positions”.Speaking to SCAN before the meeting,student Kayleigh Thornton said: “Iwant the AU to win. I oppose MichaelOffer wk10 The LUSU Shop• Get a free fl apjack with every Wicked CoffeeT&Cs apply

student comment and news5NEWSPayne. The suggestions in the revieware ridiculous.”Indeed, the meeting was increasinglyviewed by many as a clear battlebetween LUSU and the Athletic Union.This theory bore fruit as students beganto make their way into the GeorgeFox Building, where the meeting tooplace. The AU visibly dominated theentire affair, with many of its membershaving met in Alexandra Square beforethe meeting began.Following an opening speech theLUSU President Michael Payne, beganthe debate by arguing for the passingof the review. He highlighted the needfor “democratically elected officers”to have “truly democratic job descriptions”,and claimed that the reviewwould “ensure justice and fairnessacross the whole union”.Following Payne’s proposal, studentsthen had the opportunity to debateand vote on the three amendmentsto the review submitted to LUSU by thestudent population prior to the meeting.The third amendment, to create aVice-President (Sports) which wouldbe unrelated to societies was, as mentioned,passed comprehensively. Thesheer weight of AU members attendingthe meeting assured that result. Theother two suggested amendments - theremoval of the Vice-President titlesand making the proposed Vice-President(Equality, Welfare and Diversity)position one open only to women candidates- were voted down by the students.After several rounds of debate, studentsfinally voted against the proposalwhich argued for the ‘Vice-President’titles to be dropped. The ‘Vice-President’prefix will now remain part ofeach officers’ title.More controversial was the failureto pass the amendment resolving tomake the new post of Vice-President(Equality, Welfare and Diversity) aposition which only women may standfor. Supporters of the proposal arguedthat the replacement of the Women’sOfficer by this new position paved theway for the possibility of having an allmale Sabbatical Team. After debatingthe issue students voted against theamendment, meaning the new postwill be open to all who wish to stand,regardless of gender.Speaking after the meeting the currentWomen’s Officer, Sarah Dunn,expressed her disappointment at theamendment’s failure and with the reviewin general.“That room was not representative,”Ms. Dunn stated. “The review shouldnever have gone to a General Meeting.The AU took over, and this review waspassed by pandering to them. If it hadbeen passed by a referendum, I wouldhave accepted it, but it has been passedby less than 2% of the student population.”After passing the third amendment,Ben Nye, the Vice-President ofBowland College and a fierce critic ofthe Payne administration, gave a finalspeech urging students to vote againstthe newly amended review in which hedemanded a cross campus referendum,which all students could vote in, to ensurefull student representation.Despite Nye’s efforts, though, whenChairperson Janie Coleman finally requestedthe room vote on the passingof the review, it was met with little opposition.The majority voted in favourof the new proposals going ahead, albeitin their amended form. With theissue of AU representation resolved,students appeared firmly in support ofthe restructuring the Sabbatical Team.Current Sabbatical officers also expressedsatisfaction with the result,General Secretary, Janie Coleman, oneof the most vocal supporters of the review,said: “It’s a step forward, whichis what we want.” The Athletics UnionOfficer, Gareth Coleman, claimed to be“over the moon”, stressing how “very,very proud” he was of his AU.“Seeing them marching from AlexandraSquare to George Fox was amazing,”Mr. Coleman said. “It was somethingelse.”Charlotte ParkerSports EditorTHE MAIN STICKING point withthe proposed Sabbatical reviewwas the role of Vice President(Student Activities); leaving oneperson in charge of running bothSocieties and the Athletic Unionclubs.The main bone of contention waswith the AU clubs who believed thattheir interests would be overlookedif there was not a Sabbatical positionsolely in charge of running the AthleticUnion.Despite initially supporting the StudentActivities proposal, after discussingthe matter with the AU and intercollegesports representatives, AUPresident, Gareth Coleman, realisedthat the AU would not stand for theproposed changes. It was clearly a matterthat the Athletic Union felt stronglyabout and it showed in the turnout atthe General Meeting: almost all of theattendees were sporting Lancastersports team attire.Among the amendments submittedto the motion was one to changethe Student Activities remit to Vice-President (Sports), with matters regardingsocieties being handed over tothe Vice-President (Finance, Events,Democracy); to effectively stick withthe existing format of the General Secretaryhandling society issues and AUPresident dealing purely with sports.For the AU clubs, desperate to hitthe Carleton or Christmas socials, thediscussions leading up to the StudentActivities amendment were tedious,but they were rewarded when almostthe whole meeting voted their amendmentthrough. With the Sabbatical Reviewpassed, the Athletic Union Presidentwill, as of next year become LUSUVice-President (Sports), but the roleremains broadly the same.The main argument against theamendment was that the membersthat make up sports teams are in theminority of students at Lancaster. Butthe Athletic Union proved that it is notquantity of people that matters withbut the strength of their views and thepassion towards their cause.AU Non-Sabb, Tan Farrell, said “Alot of people have made the point thatsocieties need this and need that – ifthey truly needed anything they wouldhave came out in force to vote and raisetheir issues. ”The overwhelming majority of peoplesupporting the notion of a Sabbrole solely for sports shows the importanceof the AU at Lancaster. Althoughother universities manage successfullywith a Student Activities Officer, theseuniversities do not have to deal withorganising Roses, the biggest inter varsitycompetition in Britain, possiblyeven Europe. The inter college sportsstructure is also a key part of the rolethat does not take place at universitieswhere there is no ‘sports only’ Sabbaticalrole.The Athletic Union gained whatthey set out to achieve and proved thatit is their Student Union too, and thattheir voices matter just as much asthose running LUSU.How next year’s Sabbatical Team will look:PresidentVice-President (Finance, Events, Democracy and Societies)Vice-President (Academic Affairs)Vice-President (Equality, Welfare and Diversity)Vice-President (Media & Communications / SCAN Editor)Vice-President (Sports)Dan HoganEditorLAST WEEK’S GENERAL Meetingwas a culmination not only ofwhat has been a long, drawn outprocess of reforming our constitution,but also the moment atwhich several ongoing politicalbattles came to a head.Unseen to most outside of UnionCouncil, both the current SabbaticalTeam and the Non-Sabbaticals, weresplit almost straight down the middleon the proposals.And contrary to what many ofthe people at Wednesday’s meetingthought, there were no clear dividinglines: It was not the AU versus LUSU,any less than it was women versusLUSU, or postgraduates versus LUSU.Though some of the opponents ofthe reform tried to create some grandcoalition of objection: A Facebookgroup called ‘‘A Union for Students?’- The Other side fo the Coin’ was setup, declaring “Due to lack fo studentconsultation this group will be votingagainst the Sabb Review” in some kindof attempt to unite all those with doubtsunder one banner. But despite its 300members, the review, once amended,passed by a landslide.500 people packed intoa cramped and stiflinglecture theatre for twohours will do anythingIt was a mistake for the review’s opponentsto assume that any objectionmeant a complete objection. Advocatesof guaranteed women’s representationdidn’t all necessarily think that the AUdeserved the same privelege. Similarly,most AU members had little time fortalk of women’s liberation. And mostimportantly, they forgot that 500 peoplepacked into a cramped and stiflinglecture theatre for two hours will doanything to avoid going through thesame process again.But it is too flattering to MichaelPayne to imagine that proposing todo away with the AU President was anelaborate ploy to boost turnout in orderto stitch up the passage of the rest ofthe review. From inside ‘the Bunker’, itwas always obvious that the future ofthe Women’s Officer was going to be abattle fought only among officers anda few interested observers, but by fewothers —a theory borne out by the relativelylow turnout of women comparedto the hordes of AU men at the meeting.But it was less obvious whetherthe AU would vote en-masse to keep asports Sabb by passing an amendment,or vote en-masse to keep the AU Presidentby voting down the whole review.With the numbers of sports team membersin the meeting following their signals,AU Non-Sabb, Tan Farrell, or AUPresident, Gareth Coleman, could havedone either.On all sides, there was an assumptionthat opponents of the review wouldvote straight down the line to see it off,and that supporters would vote to keepit pure and unamended. But on that,nearly everyone got it wrong.

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student comment and news‘Quack attack’ fundraiser plannedfor yMca homelessness campaignby Sam NewshamFUrness coLLeGe is set to hosta ‘duck themed fundraising event’on Wednesday 10th december,with students invited to take partin a range of fairground activitiesand games, including bowling,hoopla, and ‘hook-a-duck’.Starting at 8.00pm in FurnessFoyer, the event has been organisedto raise money for the Lancaster andDistrict YMCA. Activities will have asmall fee, with all proceeds donatedto the YMCA’s ‘Don’t Duck The Issue’campaign, a strategy to raise awarenessof and prevent homelessness in andaround Lancaster. Drinks offers will berunning at the college bar throughoutthe evening, available to all studentswith Purple Cards.‘Quack-Attack’ has been organisedby five third-year students whoattended the two day course ‘Insightinto Project and Event Management’,ran by the University Careers service.Following the course, the group had atotal two weeks to plan and carry outan event that would raise funds in aidof the YMCA.Much of the funding has come fromlocal businesses. Solicitors Jobling &Knape have donated £100, and £10has come from both Byron’s Hairdressersand FDUK. In addition, many businesseshave donated prizes, including aFriends of Palestine call for boycott ofwater from disputed Golan Heightsby Lisa StallardLancaster University’sFriends of Palestine societyhave proposed a campus-wideboycott of eden springs mineralwater over the company’s tradingactivities in the Golan Heights, anisraeli-occupied territory, overwhich syria claims legal ownership.The Israeli-owned water companyis responsible for supplying water fordrinking fountains all across campus,but it has recently come under firefrom the LUFPS for its violation of internationallaws.The controversy surrounding thecompany stems from their activities inthe Golan Heights, an area of Syrianterritory occupied by Israel since 1967,which was illegally annexed in 1981.Since the take over, 90% of the Syrianpopulation of the Heights have beenexpelled by Israeli forces.Eden Springs have been sourcingtheir water from the Salukia Springwithin the Israeli-occupied territory,and have in turn apparently been deprivingthe Syrian population of amuch needed water supply.The LUFPS believe that by boycottingthe company’s provision of waterlitre bottle of Red Square Vodka fromBar Eleven and an hour long ‘luxurymanicure’ from Jo & Cass Hairdressers.In addition, the YMCA have supplieda novelty ‘gigantic rubber duck’,which is set to be raffled throughoutthe evening.Vicki Cole, one of the studentsorganising the night, said ‘We haveworked extremely hard to organise theevent, having only two weeks to planit. We started off without any funds forthe project, and are very grateful for allthe donations made.’She urged students to come alongand join in on Wednesday, adding ‘It isreally important to come out and supportthe event, as the YMCA works reallyhard in our area and any donationscan make a real difference.’Desolate: A child looks out toward the Golan Heights, in Isreali-occupied territoryto Lancaster University, peace couldpotentially be brought not only to theGolan Heights, but also to Syria and Israel- two countries which are officiallyat war.The LUFPS’ argument is that EdenSprings, a member of the DanoneGroup, is violating articles 28 and 47 ofthe Hague Regulations, which declaresthat “pillage is formally forbidden”.The LUFPS hope this illegal activitycould be brought to a close by limitingthe power of the water company withinthe UK.Lately the company was forced toclose its East of Scotland depot afterIn prayer:A homeless manon a street offers aprayer to God.‘Don’t Duck The Issue’ was launchedby Lancaster’s YMCA in 2006 and hasinvolved a variety of fundraising eventsincluding a Giant Duck Race and aDuck Swim in Lake Windermere. Inaddition to hosting the ‘Quack Attack’event, Furness College has agreed todonate the proceeds of its Week 9 quizto supplement the total going towardsthe campaign.losing “hundreds of contracts” followinga boycott at Edinburgh University.Now Lancaster students want the sameto happen here.Tom Hastings, of the Friends of PalestineSociety, has recently addressed aletter to the University asking it to terminateits contract with Eden Springs.Mr. Hastings said: “Eden Springs isnot just a silent partner in violations ofinternational law, it is itself the activeviolator”.Using Article 55 of the Hague Regulationsas proof, which ‘limits the rightof occupying states to utilize the watersources of occupied territory’, Mr.Hastings added: “The criminal behaviourof a company violates LancasterUniversity’s commitment to ethicalbusiness policies.”This is not the first time Lancaster’sethical policies have been brought intoquestion. Controversy over the university’sinvestment in companies whichtrade arms has been at the forefront ofdebates recently, and after a fellow successfulboycott by many Scottish Universities,the LUFPS are hoping theytoo can make a difference in Syria.Mr Hastings asks if anyone wishesto support the boycott and sign the petitionfor the removal of Eden Springs’water from across campus to email himat t.hastings1@lancaster.ac.uk.councilreluctantto funddisabledstudentsby Fiona Hutchinson7NewsstUdents receivinG FUndinGfrom Wirral MetropolitanBorough council have allegedlyhad their disabled students allowance(dsa) cut and promisedfunding for help withdrawn just aweek before the start of term.A member of University staff involvedin the University’s Disability’sServices told a SCAN reporter thatwhenever someone mentions the WirralBorough Council she gets “a coldshiver down my spine” and that theyare widely known as the council thatsays “no”.Wirral Borough Council could notcomment on the individual cases, butdid report that DSA for most studentshas increased this year and any decreasein funding will be due to changesin personal circumstances. Jill Gwatkin,the Council’s Press Officer, toldSCAN that students should have beengiven an adequate explanation of whytheir funding had changed, but wouldbe willing to investigate further anycase where students required furtherexplanation.The DSA is part of a scheme by centralgovernment, but is administeredby Local Education Authorities, leavingthe final say over who gets the allowancewith local councils.The University believes it is “vitalthat disabled students are empoweredto take control of their own living arrangementsand not have control diminishedas it might be in a school orspecial college.” The University saystheir welfare system is available equallyto all students, including pastoraland academic welfare, and works withstudents to enable them to operate asindependent adults at university.Over the years, the University’s Disability’sService has seen variation insupport from different LEAs but hopesit “may be evened out when the StudentLoans Company takes over the administrationof local authority DSAs”.Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)is a non-means tested grant, which isavailable to help students pay for extracosts incurred in education becauseof their disability, such as specialistequipment or carers. The medicalhelper support component of DSA canbe used for mobility assistance to andfrom teaching sessions, note-takers,interpreters, library support and specialisttuition etc. There are currentlyabout 600 students at Lancaster Universitywho may be eligible for DSA.Depending on the nature of the disabilities,some students may also be eligiblefor Social Care Support, to aid inday-to-day tasks.Disabled Students Allowance hasrecently been raised from £12,400 toapproximately £15,000 a year. The DisabilityService report that the numberof students provided with support bytheir LEAs has not dropped since theintroduction of the larger allowance.

8 scan.lusu.co.ukNews£10m spent on arts ‘greenhouse’while £18,000 gallery squeezedby Robert Maidstonethe LancasteR institute forthe contemporary arts (Lica),is to receive a new £10m central‘hub’, as the university seeks toimprove its arts reputation on aninternational scale.The new building, which has beennicknamed the ‘Greenhouse’, is set tobecome the public face of LICA. It ishoped that the new building - for whichconstruction is due to begin in June2009 - will also provide a venue for region,national and international workto be staged at Lancaster University.The ‘Greenhouse’ is to be situated inthe northern area of campus, and theUniversity is aiming for it to achievea Building Research EstablishmentEnvironmental Assessment Method(BREEAM) excellent rating.News of the multi-million poundproject however, comes at a time whenthe Peter Scott Gallery has seen its incomesignificantly cut. Over the last twoyears the Gallery has seen its incomedrop from £12,880 to just over £9000.Unfortunately no one was available tocomment on this discrepancy, so it isunknown as to why this has happened,especially as the income for LICA as awhole has risen by about £1.5m.LICA has also recently undergonean internal review, looking at the PublicArts at Lancaster University. Thereview recommends a big reshuffleto unite the various sections of LICA,and is due to be implemented as soonas Spring 2009.The aim and ambitionof the restructure is to make sure that“the Public Arts must have one consistentvision and strategic plan”.Dr Andrew Quick, a key figure inthe review process, gave as an exampleof the benefits of a reshuffle that ofan up-and-coming composer involvedwith music at the University, helping toproduce music for a theatre productionor provide inspiration for an artist. Hesaid that the review provides an “excitingopportunity” for students from allA architect’s impression of what the planned £10m atrium for the Institute of Contemporary Arts will look like.areas of the university.The restructure will also endeavourto strengthen the existing links betweenthe Public Arts and teaching inthe University, along with creating newlinks and giving more opportunity forstudents to get involved with the differentfronts of the Public Arts and LICA.Dr Quick believes the long term aimof the department is to provide an “incubatingarea for emerging artists”.The review was carried out over thelast academic year and comes threeyears after the Public Arts were integratedinto the Lancaster Institute forthe Contemporary Arts (LICA). Threedocuments were produced as a result,which were then sent for review tothree leading experts in the field whothen all held meetings and took partin further consultation within departments.Other universities have also undertakensimilar reviews and used asbasis for the restructuring, such as thethriving Warwick Arts Centre.A final consultation with Sir BrianFollett, who chairs the Government’sTraining and Development Agency forSchools and was closely involved withthe success in Warwick, was then heldand a list of recommendations wasproduced.Despite this the Public Arts andLICA seem to be at the start of excitingtimes and this could prove to be akey part of the University in the nearfuture. The aforementioned Peter ScottGallery, for example, plays host to awide variety of exhibitions. Currentlyit is displaying the “Art of China”, withprints and paintings from various Chineseartists, and next term will displaywork from Welsh sculptor David Gilbert.The Nuffield Theatre and InternationalConcert Series also have a widevariety of theatrical performances andrenowned concerts respectively. Part ofthe aims for the restructure are to allowstudents to interact and learn fromthese different establishments.tory think-tank: lift the cap on uni feesby Sam NewshamRight-Wing think-tankRefoRm has released a reportwhich states that the country’suniversity system would be farbetter if the cap on tuition feeswas scrapped.The report, entitled ‘The MobileEconomy’, was launched late lastmonth by David Willetts, the ConservativeShadow Secretary of State for Innovation,Universities and Skills.Suggestions within the report includetaking the budget for post-18education, currently £9.6 billion ayear, and using it to set up IndividualEducation Accounts. This would giveeach young person £13,000 to use towardtheir education. There would alsobe plans for a student loans system butthe initial £13,000 would not be meanstested.The report also recommends thecomplete removal of all limits on tuitionfees, thereby giving universitiesfree rein to charge whatever fees theylike, to whatever height they like. Itclaims that British universities need“genuine independence” in order tocompete on an international scale. Forthem to gain this they need the freedomof “independent decision-making overfees, student numbers, curriculum,and staffing and capital investment”.This, the report states, justifies the removalof the current £3,000 tuition feelimit. It also argues that higher feeswill give students the responsibility ofchoosing a course that will be right forthem and “an incentive to ensure thattheir courses are high quality.” This,the writers of the report say, will leadto higher education institutions raisingthe standards of the courses they offer.Nick Vose, the Chair of LancasterConservative Future, told SCAN, “thepolicy that is being considered is onethat will open up choice in universitiesby providing competition as each universitywill seek to offer a better coursefor less money. In the long term, overallfees could go down.”However, the President of the NationalUnion of Students, Wes Streeting,disagrees with this sentiment. Hesaid: “Against the current economicbackdrop, it would be extremely foolishto trust the provision of any major publicservice entirely to the market. TheseReform andderegulate:Tory ShadowSecretary of Statefor Innovation,Universities andSkills, David WillettsMP (left) has beenrebutted by his ownparty for launchingthe report. TheConservativeParty want to avoidmaking a decisionabout universityfees until the lastpossible moment.proposals would put the long-termsecurity of thousands of vital coursesserving our most deprived communitiesin jeopardy. They would confinethe vast majority to a utilitarian educationsystem based on weighing upfinancial risk.”The Reform report comes off theback of the NUS launching its new campaign,‘Broke & Broken’. The campaignis based on the NUS’ own report intothe current state of student finances.LUSU President, Michael Payne,said of the campaign: “It is a constructivecriticism of the student supportpackage for higher education and highereducation finding as a whole. [It is]looking at bursaries, tuition fees, howmoney is distributed around differentstudents from different socio-economicbackgrounds.”He added: “It is a criticism essentiallyof that package. It is calling fora proper review of higher educationfunding.”The government is due to review thestate of HE funding next year, whichwill include a debate on the tuition feelimit. The Secretary of State for Innovation,Universities and Skills for theLabour Government, John Denham,has already commissioned seven reportson the subject. Speaking at theend of February, Mr. Denham said:“We need to decide what a world-classHE system of the future should looklike, what it should seek to achieve,and establish the current barriers to itsdevelopment.”The Conservatives have been quickto play down the link between the Reformreport and their party, especiallyin light of the infamous Policy Exchange,‘northern cities’ report over thesummer. A spokesperson for the partysaid that it did not endorse the findingsof the report and they do not representthe party’s policies.

student comment and news11COMMENTFranziska BartelsThe University’s BAE linkshave bloodied all our handsFor a seat of learning founded by pacifist Quakers,why are we cosying up to arms companies like BAE?Fascists donot forfeittheir right tofree speechPaul MillFraud and bribery. All the recentnews involving the armsgiant BAE Systems, Europe’slargest arms exporter, alwaysseems to contain those two words. Andthat is only the recent news. So youwould imagine the University mightthink twice before jumping into bedwith such a notorious company, that atthe end of the day, deals in death.Instead, the University’s ManagementSchool offers a degree programmespecifically aimed at securing studentemployment with the BAE. And asreported in the last issue of SCAN, italso holds several thousand pounds ofshares in the company, despite numerousopportunities to introduce an ethicalinvestment policy.In 2000, strange payments by BAEinto trusts named Havana and Yaheebwere discovered. Investigators foundmore than £100m in these trusts, theultimate beneficiary of these being theQatari government’s Foreign Secretary,Sheik Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, the uncle of the Emir of Qatarand a man of huge wealth and influencethroughout the Persian Gulf.These trusts, in operation for almost10 years, were promptly frozen bythe authorities while they carried outtheir investigation. But after the hor-Patrick AllinsonChair, Bowland JCRBAE Systems’ prototype Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon fi r-ing its 1,000th round earlier this year.How can a computer screen bemore fun than a ballot paper?Debate about e-voting must not take for granted thatit would be either transparent or remotely enjoyableThe debate on e-voting is simpleisn’t it? Students get thechance to vote on their computerand we get more peopleinvolved and a bigger turnout. Simple.Or maybe it’s a bit more complicatedthan that. With the advent of thenew LUSU constitution and the writingof a new elections bylaw; itself statingpolling can “stay open for a maximumof a week”, General Secretary, JanieColeman, has promised a good old “fulland frank debate” on the issue. LUSU’sElections Sub-Committee (the bodyin charge of all elections on campus)has paved the way and it will soon beup to the Union to decide. So, what todecide?Being a campus university, Lancasterhas always had a problem with theoff-campus student vote. Moreover,students living on south-west campus,or registered with a college sited there,show little effort in making the trekdown to their Porters’ Lodge. The largestcollege on campus, Graduate, havetheir polling station in the library andwith most resident GSA students livingin south-west, their turnout is alwayspoor. So e-voting would solve theseproblems surely? The intimidation ofvoters, and complicated voting slipscan be overcome with a single click,with links to manifestos, pictures andother such gimmicks making votingmore accessible and fun for the electorate.The response comes sevenfold - forrific events of September 11, Qatar wasan increasingly important strategic allyfor Britain and the US. Nine monthslater, the investigation was dropped.In 2004, files were seized by Ministryof Defence police alleging corruptionon a massive scale by BAE Systems.Payments totalling more than £60m toprominent Saudis were listed.Previous BAE customers includeSaddam Hussein and Chile’s GeneralPinochet, and in 2007, it was announcedthat BAE contracts in sixcountries: Chile, the Czech Republic,Qatar, Romania, Tanzania and SouthAfrica, were being investigated by theSerious Fraud Office for “suspectedinternational corruption.” And the listgoes on.Now these statistics and facts werenot difficult to find. All that was necessarywas the ability to type and accessGrad, a new ballot box was set up in thecollege this year and proved successfulfollowing their first quorate AGM for along time. South West College Cartmelhas shown a huge turnout in recentyears, with all positions on their JCRcontested this term. The fact is that incomparison with other student unions,Lancaster has a high turnout in Sabbaticalelections - widely believed to bedown to the college system - so woulde-voting make any difference? The collegesystem is incredibly important inthe elections, with college chairs beingthe eyes and ears on the ballot boxes.This ensures fairness - it is impossibleto stop candidates setting up computersin their room even though the newbylaw forbids it. Or opening ‘unofficial’to the internet. After a while, case aftercase was throwing itself at me. Even theBAE website is not exempt of reproach.In an attempt to widen their audience,they have introduced games, for smallchildren and for teenagers, that are onlypossible to reach by searching throughthe whole site, which contain, amongstother things, a list, embellished by photos,of all the things they sell. Lots andlots of weapons.In attempts to draw attention to thisless than shining record, the People &Planet and Amnesty International societieson campus organised a seriesof events, including a debate and a‘die-in’, with students lying motionlessoutside the Management School, inprotest against the unethical standardsof this company it is so closely associatedwith.Now the holidays are coming upand the affair has, since, been largelykept quiet. But it would be a shame toleave it at that. Just take 5 minutes tolook the stories up in detail and decideon your opinion.So, while the University makesmoney out of the arms trade, try tohave merry Christmas and a happyNew Year. Hopefully you will not mindthe blood on your hands too much.polling stations - with e-voting, everycomputer becomes a potential pollingstation.Would voting really be more fun?The count wouldn’t be at all exciting;it would all be done with the click of amouse. There would be no ballot box,no checking of the turnout, no exitpolls – e-voting would take away allthe checks and balances but also thefun of voting.If the students of this Union decidewe should follow Kings College, Durhamand the other Unions who employe-voting, then we have to listen to them– that is democracy. But having cowrittenthe new bylaw, I for one will bemaking sure it is done absolutely properly,because a lot is at stake.I’m sure you will agree that freedomof speech is one of - if notthe - most important freedomswe in the Western world own.Therefore, when extremist attitudesoccur within a society, is it right thatthey should they be censored? Are wenot sacrificing our own freedoms bysubmitting to censorship? The minorityBNP are considered by the publicmajority to be racists. Put simply, theBNP would like to ‘repatriate’ any personwith the ‘wrong’ skin colour and/or ethnicity. I hate that they believesuch a thing. But is it wrong for them toexpress those views, if those views areexpressed in a manner that does notphysically harm or intimidate others?If we say ‘Yes,’ we imply that theperson expressing themselves is abusingthe right to freedom of speech;violating the rights of those receivingverbal discrimination. It could even beargued that some issues are simply undeniable,and that no opposing opinionmust be entertained: should anyone beallowed to deny the atrocity that wasthe Holocaust? The Germans don’tthink so: Holocaust denial is an offenceunder German law.To argue ‘No,’ however, creates victims:those who cannot exercise freespeech – no matter how abhorrent thecontent – become a silenced minority.And the existence of that minoritysignifies a censored society. There areso many issues, such as the aforementioned‘Holocaust denial’, that could bedeemed an abuse of free speech, that ithas so far been impossible to create aclear, practical law that prevents boththe abuse of free speech, and allow usto speak our minds. As a result, manyare afraid to articulate arguments thatrevolve around racial issues. Furthermore,the ramifications of enactingsuch a law would be immeasurable. Theever-looming danger of an Orwelliansociety would be that bit nearer to ourdoor: consider some of the recent lawsParliament has attempted to implement(the proposed 42 day detentionterror laws spring to mind). The loss ofour right to speak our minds will heraldthe loss of civil liberties.Free speech, regardless of thespeaker, is the basis of our civil liberties.All other rights and freedomsstem from it, and it is something thatwe need to cherish. We should be ableto speak our mind, with no fear of anyconsequences, whether it is the dangerof losing our jobs, or simply facing thewrath of the majority. Regardless of theethnicity, race or culture of the speaker;whether it is BNP members, Communists,Islamic Extremists or Tories; we,as a society, should be lining up behindVoltaire to shout, ‘I do not agree withwhat you have to say, but I’ll defend tothe death your right to say it.’

12 scan.lusu.co.ukCOMMENTNo, he can’t - Obama has set himself atask too big to complete in eight yearsAlex Harrisarack Obama was a betterpick than John McCainfor the Presidency. Talkof experience is meaningesswhen you factor in the erratic andangerous nature of McCain’s temeramentand his record with regardso national security and elite businessnterests. He generally tends to serveig business in the same way most ofis Republican colleagues do and inatters of national security is on thear right of the spectrum. His lack ofnowledge with regards to the econoycoupled with his obsession with warould have undoubtedly seen Americanvolved in more armed conflicts in anttempt to jump-start the economy,uch like World War II drew the USut of the Great Depression, or at theery least make little actual progress inconomic terms aside from bailing outankers and auto-industries. In termsf national security, which McCain isrroneously considered some kind ofemigod with regards to his expertisen the matter, imagine Bush/Cheneyn steroids.So we dodged a bullet there right?es and no. Historically speaking, theeneral population of the US does beterunder Democratic administrationsthey tend to engage more in sociallanning and social programs andon’t rack up record deficits like Reublicansseem to be so fond of doing.linton left the country with an $80illion surplus; Bush II, with a severalrillion dollar deficit. In foreign policyerms Democrats engage in less machohetoric than Republican administra-In the spotlight: US President-elect, Barack Obama, addresses the crowds on results night in Chicago.tions, but in practise are only slightlyless hawkish, barely enough to noticea difference. Obama, judging on hisactual campaign promises and currentpicks for cabinet, shows all the signs ofbeing a typical centre-right, Clintonesquedemocrat. Change we can believein? Hardly.In terms of the economy, Obama isunlikely to provide the radical economicchange that the US desperately needs,even if he wants to do so. Granted,greater regulatory measures are calledfor on financial institutions and largecorporations, but Obama knows quitewell that he can ill afford to upset thefinancial and business sectors, whichhave become the core constituency ofWashington. His economic plans areaccepted by large corporations, evenleading to a few endorsements duringthe campaign.All of this doesn’t compare to themain reason Obama will be unable todeliver on his promises - the damagedone is too deep for four or even eightyears to undo. Under Reagan, Bush I,Bush II and to a lesser extent, Clinton,the government has embraced its fate,and become dominated by the businesssector. Former efficient governmentagencies have been sold off to the highestbidder. The Environmental ProtectionAgency is run by anti-regulatorylobbyists, the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency is a national disgraceand this is only the tip of the iceberg. In1928 the President of the US Chamberof Commerce wrote a highly influentialarticle entitled ‘The best public servantis the worst one’ and the RepublicanParty has followed that philosophypretty closely. It is now common practiseto place people in charge of governmentinstitutions who are hostile totheir purpose, all because, as Reagansaid in his inaugural address: “Governmentis not the solution to our problems,government is the problem.”That is the fate of the American federalgovernment. The wheel is alreadytoo far in motion for Obama to make areal difference - part of the right’s philosophyis to make irreversible changesto federal agencies so that they eitherserve the interests of business (theFAA now considers the airline industriesits ‘customers’ as opposed to thepublic) or to dismantle them entirely,outsourcing their jobs to the privatesector. Large deficits allow them to dothis with immeasurable public support,because cutting certain programsis deemed necessary when the federaldeficit is so high.Public support is also an importantpoint to consider. Ever since the Watergatescandal, the US population hasbeen inherently cynical. Reagan capitalised(literally) on that cynicism betterthan any US leader before or since.It’s a fate that any Democrat with bigplans for the American worker or lowerclasses ends up meeting. The Republicanattack machine instantly characterisesany social program as a tyrannicalexpansion of government power overthe people of the United States.Clinton told us “The era of big governmentis over” and Obama has beenpretty clear that “People don’t expectgovernment to solve all their problems”.Obama may have run on a fairlyliberal platform, but he, like manyDemocrats before, has to tread on eggshellswhen talking about any form oflarge-scale social planning, so that itisn’t seen as government growth. It’s atthese times he tends to fall back on his‘hope’ and ‘change’ rhetoric.So for all the great things to besaid about Obama, he is unfortunatelybound by the US business sector’s unendingassault on government. I getthe impression, when talking to peopleabout Obama, that the kind of changethey expect him to bring is precisely thekind of change that he has been preventedfrom bringing before he’s evenstarted. A good pick? Probably. Changewe can believe in? Not as much as somewould like to think.No amount of cheap booze is worth thesocial hangover of our bingeing cultureSam Newshamo drink, or not to drink, thatis the question. Or at least inthe House of Commons thisweek as MPs suggest thatappy hours should be banned and ainimum price imposed upon alcoolsales. The motivation behind thisppears to be an attempt to cut downn binge drinking and its associatedssues of crime, violence and healthomplaints.The Government is finally recogisingthat the answer to the problemf our binge-drinking culture involvesore work than asking us to ‘pleaserink responsibly’. In the last thirtyears alcohol consumption in Britainhas risen by 50%. The annual costto the economy of alcohol misuse isaround £20 billion; the cost in livesaround 22,000. Alcohol was 69% moreaffordable last year than it was in 1980,and it’s advertised exhaustively in themedia. It is impossible to go shoppingor watch a TV programme or listen tothe radio without exposure to somekind of alcoholic marketing, whetherit’s supermarket shelves stacked highwith cut-price wine or adverts for a£6.50 litre of vodka.Since the early 1990s, when pubattendances began to drop as partygoersopted for the effects of drugs suchas ecstasy, a large part of the bingedrinkingculture has involved youngpeople. In response to the decliningnumber of drinkers, the alcohol industryrelaunched alcohol as a newproduct strictly aimed at the youngermarket and increased its strengths togive effects more like those obtainedfrom ecstasy. The rise of so-calledalcopops such as WKD and Reef areevidence of this. Now we’re at the stagewhere we struggle to find a universityfreshers’ week activity that doesn’t involvedrinking in copious quantitiesand events such as the recent Carnagebar crawl can invoke such horrifyingprospects that the Student Union feelsobliged to entirely disassociate itselffrom it.The Government’s proposals aren’tentirely new. In 2004, a report by theAcademy of Medical Sciences, CallingTime, called for limitations on the priceand availability of alcohol. Raising taxto increase prices by just 10% wouldcut alcohol-related deaths by 28.8% inmen and 37.4% in women.It goes without saying, especially inthe current economic climate that anincrease in alcohol prices would lead toa decrease in alcohol sales. Such wouldbe the size of the decrease that the associatedincrease in tax would not giveany more revenue for the economy. Sowe can’t completely see this as yet anotherway for the Government to fill itsdepleted coffers.We can only hope it will be moresuccessful that the last attempt tocurb binge-drinking. The LicensingAct 2003, which came into effect inNovember 2005, allowed completelyflexible opening hours in an attempt torecreate a more Mediterranean drinkingculture. On the continent, bingescommon to most British towns andcities are almost unheard of (thoughit should be noted that incidences ofliver cirrhosis are higher per capita inFrance than the UK).But is this all that is needed tochange the way we drink? Raising pricesand restricting access may force usto cut down, but will it end the cultureof drinking to get drunk? Surely in additionto these preventative measureswe have to develop a culture in whichwe take responsibility for looking afterourselves and our bodies, and it isonly through education that this willhappen. Current PSHE programmesare full of facts about the effects oftoo much alcohol, but does this reallywork? Ask anyone who smokes if theyknow what cigarettes will do to theirbody and chances are they will say yes.Health Education should change to reflectthe importance of respect for one’sself and one’s body. During the past tenyears attitudes to smoking have begunto alter. This has been brought about bylegislation, education and high-profilemedia campaigns, although it needsto be noted that the tobacco industryhas fought tooth and nail to repudiatethis. Unless the same effort is ploughedinto our binge-drinking attitudes weare unlikely to see the reduction inalcohol-related issues that the Governmentwants.

student comment and news13COMMENT‘Decisionsare made bythose whoshow up’Simon RimingtonPresident, Fylde JCRLiam RichardsonComment EditorDid the ends justify the means?Payne wanted the Sabbatical Review to be his legacy,so why did he let it become such a farce?Last Wednesday I was leftwith a strange feeling. Despitegetting exactly what Ithought was right from theSabb Review, I was left disappointedwith how the whole affair was handled.Ultimately, just over 500 studentsout of a campus population of over16,000 have decided the future of ourStudents Union. That is a tiny percentageof people to have such a massivesay. The scheduling of the meetingcould have been described as cynical; aWednesday being a day that AU clubscompete in BUSA. Couple this with thefact that one college (Pendle) had littleor no representation due to the timingof their Christmas ball.In the last issue, I commented onhow I was vehemently against the ideaof the AU and Societies falling underone remit. The AU President, GarethColeman, should be very proud thathis people appeared and backed him insuch large numbers. The only problemwith this is that once the AU got whatthey wanted they seemed quite happyto go along with the rest of the reviewand ultimately pass it. Everything else,such as the issue of women’s representation,the titling of positions andwhether the review should be passed atall, was swept through the back door.Conversely, the AU felt they were opposingchange; yet their votes havecaused the most radical shake-up of theUnion in nearly two decades.My major concern with the reviewis that it appears rushed. The LUSUPresident has preached the importanceof consultation, yet I feel that the processhas not been lengthy or exhaustiveenough. How can consultation havebeen effectively incorporated into thereview when two members of his ownteam, namely the Women’s Officer andAU President, have been outspoken intheir opposition Surely consultationbegins at home, and without the backingor satisfaction of other officers, howcan he convince the majority of studentthat their views have been listened toas well.Also, because the debate has beencentred on the issue of the contentiousStudent Activities Officer and the removalof the current Women’s Officerrole, there has been no public discussionof the changes to the Scan sabbaticalposition or the creation of anAcademic Affairs officer. The reviewneeded multiple forums to pick overin detail, the new positions and remits,yet the GM merely skimmed over theissues in broad terms without highlightingthe many points that shouldhave been considered.The proposed amendments weresweeping and ill judged. The notion ofstill having a EWD officer who is representedonly by women is clearly absurdand not properly thought out. TheWomen’s Campaign could not havepossibly fought for that amendmentdue to its wording and clearly paradoxicalnature. Similarly, once the dustsettles people will surely realise thatthis review has done nothing to gainincreased representation for societiesor ease the workload of the Finance,Events, Democracy and Societies (formerlyGeneral Secretary) position. Theproposed amendment satisfies the AUbut has done nothing to solve thesefurther issues. The review has failed utterlyin this respect.The Sabbatical Review has been abrave attempt at updating and changingthe Student Union for the better bybringing it in line with other studentsunions and the NUS. Ultimately, theintention to get these changes made intime for the Sabbatical elections nextterm has created major areas of contentionwithin the student body and withinLUSU and its associated hierarchy. Iunderstand the need and importance ofeverything proposed but feel that timeshould have been dedicated to perfectingit with wider consultation. Also, interms of image, it has looked very unprofessionalfor an elected team to beso publicly split and divided. Surely ourelected representatives should be sendingout one clear message, not a multitudeof mixed ones.Finally, for a momentous event suchas the systematic overhaul of our SabbaticalTeam, the whole campus shouldhave had the opportunity to voice itsopinion in a referendum. The apparenthaste and narrowness of vision of thoseco-ordinating and participating in thisoverhaul, which culminated with thehistoric General Meeting in GeorgeFox, should be remembered for missinga unique opportunity in creating along lasting change for the better forour Union and selling democracy downthe river in the process.So Lancaster students seizedtheir chance to make historythis Wednesday, a packedGeneral Meeting voted nearunanimously in favour of the muchhyped Sabbatical Review.Personally I am very pleased withthe outcome of the General Meeting.Our dedicated sports Sabbatical officerhas been retained, though unfortunately,once again at the expense ofsocieties. They have remained in theremit of what was previously the GeneralSecretary, now the Vice-President(Finance, Events, Democracy and Societies).Who however can sympathise withthe societies, they have an enormousmembership on paper, enough of abase to challenge the AU attendance.Further to the point it would have beengreat to see them gain a better setup,they had a chance tonight, only societiescouncil chair elect Edwin Burrowswas there to defend them.The mobilisation of the Athletic Unionfor this meeting is something thateveryone should be proud of, the waythat a group of people supported somethingthat they believed in shows thatthere is hope that student apathy hasa cure. I hope that the AU clubs showthe same passion for Roses and bring itback. if they feel so strongly about thisthere will not be the teams turning upto events still drunk like last year andthat they show the AU can achieve thefeat of winning in York.As for the position of Women’s Officer,I was handed a leaflet on my wayinto the building that told me now wasnot the time to take two steps back andthat only two out of 27 candidates foropen places on the Sabb team werewomen last year. But if we need topreserve the Women’s Officer to tryand work to stop women being afraidof running; what have consecutiveWomen’s officer’s been doing over thisperiod of time, the situation admittedlywas not good last year but clearly it isnot the Women’s office that improvedthings or it would have been far betterafter eighteen years.Also I think it’s important to pointout that talented women seem to winelections at Lancaster. Janie Colemanat the last round of elections, defeatedfour males to take her place on theteam, two of them being college presidentsas well. Lancaster is far frombackwards in women’s representation,evident in our colleges as well where wehave three female presidents.‘Decision are made by those whoshow up’ was a line quoted frequentlylast night and the new Sabbatical teamrepresents what the most passionategroups wished to happen. This morningthe AU stand happy, they mobilisedand got what they wanted. If the Women’sorganisations had mobilised aswell we could be looking at a very differentreview to the one which passed

14 scan.lusu.co.ukCOMMENTLeaks are essential in scrutinising theestablishment, whatever its formMichael PayneLUSU PresidentStrong-arm reactions to scrutiny and oversight are both outrageousand counter-productive. Surely that wouldn’t happen here?Brown was oftenfound waving secretdocuments in the facesof Tory ministershe news last week of a policeraid on parliamentarianDamian Green’s officeshas left people wonderinghether we are in fact living in Zimbaweunder the Mugabe regime ratherhan the UK under a supposedly demoraticone.The detention of Damian GreenP, for the terrible crime of doing hisob as a parliamentarian, is worse thann outrage. It is insanely stupid.Leaks, and their use holding theovernment to account are and alwaysave been part of our parliamentaryemocracy. Unfortunately, so has thearanoia and bully-boy tactics that areeployed in response. Looking backver our history it soon becomes aparentthat without the leaking of inormationto Winston Churchill by dissidentcivil servants in the 1930s, theuseless appeasement of the Nazis bythe then government would have goneunchallenged. In short, we would neverhave known the true severity of AdolfHitler’s aggression until it came to ourown shores.Paranoia, bullying, censorship, intimidationand strong-arming in a situationlike this casts the government ina poor light, the Metropolitan police astotally out of control and the Speaker ofthe House as feeble and out of touch.Another dose of hypocrisy is throwninto this melting pot when you considerthat it was none other than GordonBrown himself who was on the receivingend of a string of leaks in the early1990s. Brown was often found wavingsecret documents from Whitehall inthe faces of embarrassed Tory ministers.Following last week’s actionBrown would have ordered the antiterrorsquad heavies to barge into hisprivate office and arrest him at once.Although, thankfully, none of theinformation leaked was of significantrisk to national security, the Home Secretaryhas maintained that she wouldrefuse to interfere in police operationand action. The question then has tobe asked, if she is not in charge of thepolice force, who is?It is also true that the Speaker wasnot aware that the Met had no warrantfor arresting Mr Green. Can the Housetruly maintain their confidence in aman they elected to protect their rightsas parliamentarians when his reactionto such nanny-state action is to passthe buck to the Serjeant at Arms andwash his hands of any responsibility?This fiasco has proven that whenfury combines with paranoia, the resultis never sound judgment. This wholeaffair has put several reputations onthe line. The House has been left feelinguneasy about its independenceand MPs have been left feeling uneasyabout how to fulfil their roles in publicoffice to a proper standard with the policebreathing down their necks.Never in history has silencing thepolitical opposition or intimidatingthose who scrutinize you been a soundtactic. More often than not it results inegg on the faces of the paranoid puppeteerswho try to completely controlthe arena they operate in. The properuse of leaked information, when it is inthe public interest and does not breachor jeopardize national security, is as aanother check and balance against unbridledexecutive power, and is the cornerstoneof scrutiny in many organizationsand institutions across the world.Those who fear the consequencesof sharing information with the public,and place their public reputationbefore moral principle or respect forthose who scrutinize them, often findthemselves acting like bulls in a chinashop. But more often than not, theyleave themselves with no way out.Perhaps some of those in positionsof authority a little closer to homethan Zimbabwe, or even Westminster,should take note.Debate: The point of Part IDegree flexibility catersonly for the indecisiveand the cynicalOur degree structureopens doors that wouldotherwise be shutJacqueline CurleyThe major-minor system in the first yearis rubbish. Lancaster University is agreat academic institution but I simplycannot agree with its approach to subjectchoices for first-years.OK, maybe it does provide students with increasedflexibility when considering their optionsbefore entering the second year. And maybe itdoes allow students to study subjects they mayhave missed out on in the past, or not had theoption to - but those are not reasons enough forforcing those of us who are not annoyingly indecisiveinto taking subjects we do not necessarilywant to.You may think it sounds callous, but all theflexibility system does is pander to the pamperedpoor little ones who can’t make up their mind.The University is practically saying, ‘let’s givethem more options and maybe a year from nowthey might be able to grow some testicles andmake a straightforward choice for themselves.’University is supposed to be about preparing usfor the real world. When you go out to buy a car,they don’t say ‘well, since you can’t make up yourmind, we’ll let you take all three home and youcan just bring back the two you don’t like at theend of the year’.Aside from this, there’s also the fact that it’sslightly twisted. Say you are 17 again and youwant to choose a particular subject for Universitybut you know you can’t make the grade forit. What Lancaster is letting you do is apply fora degree with lower requirements or fewer applicants,and take on the one you wanted to do asa minor and switch it as your major for part twofrom second year. That is backward thinking toallow, and undermines everyone who did get thegrade to do the subject in the first place. The onlypeople who are advocates of this system are thepeople that play it.As for giving students the opportunity to studyother secondary things they might be interestedin, if they were that interested they would study itof their own accord. If someone says, ‘I really likeCreative Writing, I just don’t have the free timeto do it’ then I would argue that they do not likeit all that much at all. If it interests you, then youshould make the time. Do not use it as a reason todefend the system put in place at this Universitybecause it isn’t not one.And please don’t get me started on the fact thatthe first year isn’t even part of the degree. I’m payingscary amounts of money to do a third subjectI didn’t actually apply to do, which doesn’t countfor anything anyway.Zoë NicholsonIlove the degree scheme we have here atLancaster. Though people moan about howconfusing it can be, and how annoying it isfor people who take lots of different subjects,for me this is what makes it so interesting.In the first year of university, or before youhave even got there, it can be hard to choose aspecific path or degree scheme, especially if youhave lots of interests or subjects you are good at. Iknow some of my sixth form friends have changeddegree schemes this year because they were doingsubjects in the first year that were not right forthem, and were unable to change without startingagain in the second year. Rigid schemes such asthose can be upsetting when you get it not rightthe first time and ‘waste’ a year doing the wrongthing.This can also have other consequences. At theend of the day, most people have to pay for theirown degrees, and wasting a year doing the wrongsubject is not only wasting time, but money. Itmight even be possible that a student would notbe able to continue with a different degree due toissues of paying the money back.Personally, in addition to my interest in literatureand desire to become a writer, I have a greatpassion for science; specifically biochemistry. Thisstretches to the extent that I wanted to do forensicsat University before choosing English Literatureand Creative Writing. So I was overjoyed tobe able to take Universe as an Art for the first yearalongside my other subjects. In my opinion, it’simportant to expand your knowledge beyond yourspecialist subjects at university, because surelyisn’t that what university is all about? Gaining notonly a detailed understanding of a few things, buta keen interest in other subjects too?The scheme also has the power to open upnew doors to other subjects you might not havethought too much about before. I know someonewho took Philosophy and English Literature withCreative Writing as a minor in their first year, buthated English. They were glad to drop it in thesecond year, and even more happy to be able totake Creative Writing forward, as it wasn’t a subjectthey would have taken if it wasn’t an option.Not only this, but a good CV is a broad CV.Knowledge on lots of subjects will be more attractiveto an employer than someone who takes onesubject in depth. Not to say that either student willhave studied harder, but the student who takes awide range of subjects could be seen as having alarger sight of things. The degree scheme heregives you more options, and can create new onesyou wouldn’t have thought about before.

student comment and news15lettersLetters to theEditorSend your letters to scan@lancaster.ac.uk together with you name and college (even if you would like your letter printed anonymously).Letters longer than 150 words (not including signature) will be shortened. SCAN reserves the right to edit your letters forpublication.Furness JCR hustings ‘a farce’I write to express my severe disappointmentat the actions of certainmembers of Furness JCR. Their actionsat hustings merely served to reinforcethe criticisms that have been levelledat them earlier on in the term.[Hustings] dissolves into a puerilefarce when the persecution of onecandidate overshadows the other contenders.While the individuals of theJCR have every right to question thecandidates, the concerted effort to embarrassone candidate demeans anddegrades the democratic process.Members of the JCR are bannedfrom endorsing or promoting a candidateyet they are not banned fromattempting to character assassinatea candidate. Why is this? Picking upa theme from an article in this newspaper,(14 Oct.), I must warn the JCRthat their actions smacked of favouritism.I was given the impression thatthe current JCR were protecting one oftheir current members who is standingagain for a different position bytargeting their main opposition.With voter apathy high and candidatesrunning unchallenged the JCRcannot afford to become even moreof a self-edifying clique. If they do notunderstand and fulfil the responsibilitiesof their positions then we shouldnot place our trust in them.Anon.Furness Hustings were carried outfairly and democratically.Questions were disallowed thatwere unrelated or provocative nomatter who they were from or whothey were to.That the behaviour of the JCR Executivehas been brought into questionsurprises me, I’m sure that the behaviourof Furness was one mirrored byexec’s across campus; they know hownerve-wracking it can be, and showgreat respect for those putting themselvesforward for the task.Personal attacks did not occur. Bullyingdid not occur. Outside observerswere present, including two Sabbaticalofficers who raised no concernswith myself or any member of the electionssub-committee.Complaints about any electionmatter have a clear and fair process torun if they are serious and that neithermyself, the Chief Returning Officer orthe General Secretary were contactedstrikes me as surprising.However it is also true that the officialprocedure does not allow for anonymityand it does require evidencethat is so far completely lacking, maybeI shouldn’t be so surprised after all.Robin HughesChair, Furness JCRCartmelturn out fordemocracyI would like to express my gratitudeto members of Cartmel Collegewho turned out in force last night toaffect change in our Union and to seethe new Sabb Review put into force. Atmy count we had around 50 members,not including those who turned outwith the AU.On that note, hats off to the AthleticsUnion who showed that democracyis still relevant to our modern lives bycoming down and making their opinionknown in such large numbers andwith a great solidarity which reallypaid off for them.I think it’s a tribute to MichaelPayne’s hard work and effort early inhis term in office that he was able topass this, at times, controversial reviewand I hope he is as proud of Cartmelas we are of him.Robbie PicklesPresident-elect, Cartmel JCRCarnage fall outI really do not see what the fuss,mollycoddling and worrying thatLUSU was giving for the recent Carnageevent.I chose to attend this event and Ihad a really good time. LUSU wereworried that the event would damagethe reputation of Lancaster University’sstudents and encourage massdrunken behaviour, but on the night itwas simply not the case. From what Icould see, it was well organised, everyonebehaved themselves and throughoutthe night I did not feel unsafe at alldue to the huge police presence.Whether LUSU didn’t like a studentevent rolling into town without theirblessing or involvement, or were worriedthat the Sugarhouse would takean inevitable hit in attendance andrevenue that night I’ll never know, butoverall I enjoyed Carnage and will beattending it next time they’re in Lancaster.So what are LUSU going to doabout that?Alex Roberts,Lonsdale CollegeWhy should a ‘watering hole’ be just that?NUS governanceDear unbiased SCAN,As one of the NUS delegates citedin your article, (25 Nov.), I thought I’dsend in some points.a) Those who did not support thisgovernance review want change, butwant change that benefits students,not just any change.b) Those who broke mandate atAnnual Conference at Easter were notforced to pay for their accommodation.It was still paid for by LUSU.c) Mr Welsh and myself did notbreak mandate. Punishing us for theheight of our voting cards (which werecounted regardless) is just petty.d) I think that it is pretty poorshowing that I had to find out thatI am being punished and what I ambeing punished with via SCAN ratherthan LUSU telling me.Congratulations LUSU, anotherjob well done.Kate Fry,disillusioned member of LUSU.Watership down?Having read the article of Week 8Michaelmas term, I was left ponderingthe welfare of our campus wildlife.It seems unclear whether any cull tookplace and if it did due to an outbreakof myxomatosis, fair enough, myxomatosisis an awful disease for rabbitsto catch.However, I was disgusted to readthe idea of a bunny massacre by pestcontrol. The wildlife and surroundingsof campus (ducks, deer, rabbits,and pheasants) are what attractmany students and culling would beunnecessary. What have they done?We should be looking out for the environment;it’s not our place to destroyGod’s creation.Anon.I have been aching to write a responseto the deluded anonymous anddare I say cheap student that wrotethe article about the availability ofBowland Bar’s tap water.As a member of Bowland Bar staff Iwas frustrated with the accusations insaid article on several matters. Firstlywater is available from the toilet taps,it is clean and perfectly safe drinkingwater and the Bowland Bar Staff, myselfincluded, are more than willingto provide a plastic cup which comesout of bar funds for you to take and fillup.‘Pissed’ or otherwise the rules mustapply to everyone and the comment ongiving water out at rounds when otherdrinks are being bought is fictitious.Secondly questioning Chomper’smanagement and conduct on thegrounds that he is ‘Scottish’ is bothincorrect and not very funny. I havebeen an employee of Bowland Barfor over two years and find him to behumorous, light-hearted and moreknowledgeable than most on the subjectof dealing with drunken students.I therefore suggest that you eitherfork out for bottled water, swallowyour pride and go fill up in the toiletsor man-up and have a Guinness.Alex Denham,Bowland Bar Staff

16 scan.lusu.co.ukFeaturesWar, Huh? What is it good for?“Inspirational” Peace Fest highlights globalissuesby Alex LainsburyThursday November 27 sawthe arrival of Lancaster university’sfirst ever ‘Peace Festival’,held in alexandra square. The organiser,Nat Walker, said that themain idea of the event was about“spreading awareness” of ethicalissues and working towards a futureof “peacefulness and equality”.You might think such aimsare commonplace these days,with climate change a globalagenda, and charities constantlyadvertising for more money, yethow often do you question everydaymoral issues?The atmosphere at the festival wasexcited, with brightly coloured bannersand passionate stall-holders all tryingto convert the typical apathetic studentinto an ethical enthusiast. Leafletsabounded, while some stalls also hadfair-trade chocolate and home-madecake to entice people.While on a fairly small scale, theevent was completely free, and most ofthe university’s ethical groups had representationpresent. The Green Committeefor example, had large bags tobe filled with cans and bottles for an inter-collegeeffort to improve recycling.The winner would receive money fortheir chosen endangered animal. Therewas also the chance to join a petition tosave seals by boycotting Canadian seafoodproducts.The LGBT chose to decorate theirstall with handprints, and offered freecopies of the ‘Pink Paper’ for interestedon-lookers. ‘Speak’, a national charity,were offering the chance to writeyour own suggestions of how the worldcould be made more peaceful on ablackboard, with a view to creating anexhibition from the photographs.Also in attendance were AmnestyInternational, Stop the War, StudentsAgainst Racism, the Labour Club, andPeople and Planet. The interactive elementof many of the stalls made whatcould have been a slightly intimidating,possibly even ‘preachy’ event intoan approachable, friendly gathering oflike-minded people.The second part of the festival occurredlater that evening, with an openmic night at Pendle Bar. Despite a latestart, the bar was decorated in colourfulbanners, and politically based leafletswere dotted around on tables. Themain attraction of the night was DannyChivers, a professional performancepoet from Oxford, who got into theactivity after winning the first SlamPoetry event he entered. He describedperformance poetry as a “way of communicating”to people that the moretraditional forms of protest may alienate.Lancaster student Pete MacMillanalso performed some of his poetry,while Fraser Welsh played several songson the guitar. Many other students alsovolunteered poetry or speeches.While the audience turnout waslow—I got the impression that mostpeople present were already involvedin one of the ethical groups—the mix ofpoetry, speeches and live music helpedto ensure there was something to interestmost people. The topics were diverse,ranging from light-hearted looksat recycling and consumer culture, tothe weightier issues of terrorism anddomestic abuse.Some Lancaster students at theevent found it “inspirational” with a“good atmosphere”, and rated the eventas a good night out. Others, however,felt slightly alienated by the “overly leftwing overtones” of the evening.Altogether, the two-part peace festivalcan be concluded to have been asuccess even if it only persuades oneperson to act more ethically. In a widerway, it provided students with not onlyaccess to information on such issues,but in the case of the evening, a fun andalternative night out. Organiser NatWalker hopes the event will become anannual occasion, so come along nextyear and maybe we can bring back thecaring, hippie culture of the sixties, at atime when the world really needs a differenceto be made.Activists man stalls in Alex Square during “Peace Fest”,November 27 2008. (Photo: Rob Miller)

student comment and news17FeaturesThe politics, and partying, of the LGBTby Daniel AshYOURlgbt —the University’s lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender society—isan often overlooked part of thestudents’ union. An active group, theyparticipate in movements and pressuregroups to help raise awareness ofissues affecting the LGBT community.The society aims to represent the issuesand opinions of the community withinthe University, from fighting politicalcampaigns for equality to hosting socialswhich are inclusive of everyone.YOURlgbt is not a society in theconventional sense; it works more asan association and as a representativecommittee within the Students’ Union.It has no membership fee and thereforeno members, but exists as a legitimateand recognised part of LUSU, allowingthem to be able to influence key universitybodies and decisions, bringingthe concerns of the LGBT communityto the necessary people should they seechange as being required.The LGBT often try to influencethe highest levels of government, tothis end marches are regularly organised,alongside government petitionsand pressure groups. One example ofwhich was the work done to promotethe cause of Prossy Kakooza from beingextradited to Uganda, where she wouldhave faced almost certain incarcerationand possibly death due to her sexuality.The case took 15 months and 3 courtdates before the Home Office could beconvinced into granting her asylum tolive, work and study in Britain for 5years, after which time she can applyfor permanent residence. Many caseslike this are constantly ongoing and beingsupported by LGBT communitiesacross the country.The effect of the work undertakenby active members of the LGBT communityis epitomised when we look atour accommodating and inclusive societytoday. The radical reform cominginto effect in January 2009 is an effectivebenchmark in showing how far ourculture has progressed. From Januaryit will be illegal for adoption agenciesto discriminate against a couple on thegrounds of their sexuality.as we can see fromthe recent passing ofproposition 8, societiescan move backwardsas well as forwards.Such achievement as this would nothave been possible were it not for thosebringing such issues to the fore of ourcountry’s attention, and were it not forthe open and equal-minded mentalityof the MP’s who voted for the change.Looking at Lancaster University itselfit is evident that gay rights and opinionsare an important part of our university’smake-up. LGBT officers siton the college JCR’s and in the Non-Sabbatical team, representing thosewho feel they are in a minority and ensuringthat their student life is the bestit can be. The LGBT can often be seenengaging in charitable and worthwhilecauses across the University.Every year a Pink Team has beenpresent at the 24hr relay for CancerResearch UK and on Thursday of Week8 they could be seen supporting thePeace Festival in Alexandra Square,despite the less than sunny weather onthe day.Many other campaigns are engagedin which aren’t as visible to the casualstudent eye. Recently they’ve been activelyparticipating in the World AIDSDay campaign, which tries to draw theworld’s attention to the AIDS epidemicin Africa. They’ve also been involvedin the ‘Donation not Discrimination’Hello: blah blah blah (Photo: Someone)cause, which tries to bring an end tothe policy of the National Blood Serviceto refuse blood donations from gaymen.Alongside political activation,Lancaster University’s LGBT are alsoprone to organising nights out and parties,which are aimed at raising awarenessof the LGBT itself and to try to getas many people as possible involved inthe society. The best known would bethe Pride events which take place allacross the country, Lancaster being noexception. A frequent event specificallyaimed at Lancaster’s students is ‘Outrageous’,which is a gay-friendly nighton the last Sunday of every month heldin Toast. Annual trips are also organisedevery December to the famouslygay-friendly Canal Street in Manchester.On a more serious note, talks arebeing held every term under the title‘Born that Way’. These talks debate thequestion of whether homosexuality isgenetic or not and are open to the studentbody at large.YOURlgbt can be seen to embodythe two core student principles of politicalactivity and partying. The importantand ongoing work of making Englanda truly equal society is undertakenwith enthusiasm and this open mindednessis epitomised by their desire toinclude as many people in their politicsand their parties as possible.As we can see from the recent passingof proposition 8 —a measure tomake illegal same-sex marriages inCalifornia— societies can move backwardsas well as forwards. The knowledgethat such attitudes against homosexualityexist, however, provides theimpetus for the pioneering and vitalwork of equal opportunities groupssuch as LUSU’s YOURlgbt.Celebrity perfumes: a step too far?by Alex LainsburyPerfume: the substance that inspireda best-selling book and a hitmovie. And now, as Christmas approaches,every celebrity with an ounceof capitalist sense will be on the lookoutfor a chance to launch their ownperfume. Some have been around foryears, others are new additions, andnow even television shows are gettingin on the act. Yes, it’s true: Hollyoakshas launched its own his-and-hersscents.It’s not just soaps jumping on theperfume wagon, though. Children’sperfume-making kits have been aroundfor years but now, like most aspects oflife, they are celebrity endorsed. ThisChristmas, your cousin or youngersister could be creating her very own‘Hannah Montana’ perfume or evenreceiving the ready-made ‘High SchoolMusical’ scent, ‘Light Up’.The success of celebrity perfumes inthe adult market is debatable, however.Leading perfume retailer The PerfumeShop maintains a list of the bestsellingfragrances; only one celebrityperfume squeezed into the female topten —Christina Aguilera’s eponymousscent at number 9 —and in the maletop ten there were none at all. ElizabethTaylor’s scent ‘White Diamonds’,however, recently celebrated its 15thanniversary as one of the best sellingfragrances of the past decade. Is thisreally all that surprising, though? Afterall, who would you rather smell like—Paris Hilton, or a Hollywood starlet?after all, who wouldyou rather smelllike—Paris Hilton, ora Hollywood starlet?Celebrity perfumes do have theiradvantages, however. They are oftencheaper than designer scents, with differencesof around £5-10 per 100ml.Celebrity perfumes are also available insmaller amounts, allowing for greatervariety and cheaper prices. It couldbe seen, therefore, that the influx ofendorsed perfumes is a leveller of themarket, allowing people of all budgetsto experiment with their scent. I carriedout a survey to determine popularopinions on the subject. While everyparticipant questioned wore a designerfragrance for everyday use, almost allthought perfumes should be judgedon their smell alone. Most replied thatthey would not buy a celebrity fragrance,yet every one would give thescent a chance if they were given it as agift. It was agreed, however, that a perfumefrom a soap opera was one steptoo far. As one participant mentioned:“who would want to smell like VeraDuckworth?”So, while the future seems bleak forsoap opera perfumes—except possiblyin the realm of pre-teen girls—in thecase of celebrity scents it seems thatbrand only influences choice in a limitedway. At the end of the day it comesdown to only one thing: what it smellslike.Cheeky: Kylie Minogue is just one celebrity to capitalise on her fame—anddistinguishing features–by marketing her own perfume. (Photo: Rob Miller)

18 scan.lusu.co.ukFEATURESMichael &SarahA Womanwith who Carrie has aBradshaw never say die,delusions give em’ hell andan attitude emotionally andand young sexually manilliterate who wishes young weman could take all just onthe get along, burning rustlerelationship up a serving ofand moreish personal advice.issues ofLancasterUniversity.Note: Wait till the advicecools or you will burn theskin off the roof of yourNote: if your issue ismouth.burning in the nonmetaphoricalsense, see adoctor.Dear Michael and Sarah,I can’t deal with it anymore. There is nothing left usable. Ourcupboards lay bare except for a few waxy amber rings that signifywhere piles of plates used to lie. Our sink is piled to the brim withdishes that have half-eaten spaghetti Bolognese fused to them.Something needs to be done. But I’m just one man.Help me.XSARAH: Within the confines of yourhouse you are just one man, but in thewider spectrum of university cleanlinessyou are an everyman figure. Thisis a frustrating and disgusting situationto find yourself in but take heart inknowing every student can empathise.Perhaps a fun way to clean your kitchenwould be to acquire a copy of ‘SnowWhite’ and enjoy the musical advice of‘Whistle While You Work’. Also MaryPoppins offers advice through songwhich could make the task far morelight hearted and similar to a childhoodgame. So approach all of your housematesand organise a time to all helpwith the cleaning up, pop on a moviethat will encourage a friendly and jovialatmosphere and get scrubbing! Failingthat watch ‘Withnail and I’, as a similarscene occurs with a disastrous sink.They however decide the pub is the betteroption and leave the mess - so takemovie advice where you will, and investin some rubber gloves.MICHAEL: The young man wanderedhalf-awake into the room. The lightcaustically flickered on, illuminatingthe festering mess that had plagued hisstudent kitchen for too long. He hadonly gotten up to get a glass of water,in the past he would have simply goneto the bathroom and taken a gulp fromthe tap, but there and then the youngman stared at the pile and then he realised.He wasn’t afraid anymore. Hethrust himself towards the sink lunginghis hand straight into the dark heart ofthe mound, pulling out a hairy sludgethat had been bullying the plug holesince the first week of term. He excitedlyand vigorously set about his taskwhen another of his housemates blunderedawake, eyed what he was doingand silently yet passionately joined in.The two of them continued for a time.Then another housemate joined thefray, then another, then another. Thewhole flat was united in a commonpurpose, until before they knew it thesink had been cleared...Dear Michael and SarahDespite my best efforts I find myself morbidly attracted to DeborahMeaden from the popular BBC One program ‘Dragon’s Den’.All of my friends tell me they fi nd my persistent erection duringthe program to be both ‘distracting’ and ‘disturbing’. Is thereany foolproof way to dislodge a stubborn crush?XDear Michael and Sarah,I am in possession of a pet Rabbit that I keep as a pet at myOff-Campus accommodation in town. Recently I took the Rabbithome. I let the Rabbit roam around the family Garden, only to findthat he was unaccustomed to the luxury of grass. He nibbled at ittentatively and then was hooked. He bounded around the gardenwith an energy I’d never seen him possess. Living inside our notall too spacious student digs I hadn’t realised that the Rabbit hadlikely never seen or touched grass before. Now he’s back with mein Lancaster and is suffering from Cabin-fever in his cage. I nowfeel incredibly guilty for keeping him cooped up. Iwant to give him to a home that will treat him the way he deserves,but I have a ‘Special’ housemate who would be distraught ifI were to give the Rabbit away. What should I do?XSARAH: I’m wondering if you haveany yard space in which you could placea run and some grass for your rabbit toenjoy? Unfortunately I fear your answerwill be no so I have to recommend yougive your pet to a loving and safe home.Whilst this will upset your housematethe bunny is undoubtedly more upsetabout being cooped up in doors whenhe wants to be running free. Perhapssuggest a variety of other indoor pets toyour housemate to replace the bunny,I hear fish are charming to watch forhours and require less maintenancethan a grass hungry rabbit. Or perhapsfill your house with stuffed toys acquiredfrom charity shops to give yourhome a menagerie or zoo like appeal.This will probably cost less than the vetbills and the fluff from stuffed toys willnot lose you your house deposit: rabbitpoo will.MICHAEL: Firstly you should thankyour lucky stars that we at ‘Michael &Sarah’ promote anonymity above allelse or no doubt your Rabbit wouldhave met with a little visit from LUSUhousing’s patented portable pet-incinerator(If you rent with ‘Yellow DoorLets’ I am afraid I can’t comment ontheir pet dismemberment policies, Iheard that they used a cheese-grateron a Budgie once, but that was mostlikely an isolated incident). CountlessHollywood motion pictures would tellyou that the most righteous course ofaction would be simply to release theRabbit into the wild. Do not attemptthis under any circumstances. MotherNature has a harsh unforgiving teat!Some sort of ethical happy medium isneeded here methinks. Why not cookthe Rabbit and serve it to a hungrytramp? Conscience cleared.If you have an issue you’d like to askMichael & Sarah about, write to them atmichael_unt_sarah@hotmail.co.uk.Anonymity guaranteed.SARAH: Inappropriate crushes can betricky to dislodge as part of the appealis the sense of obscurity knowing youare potentially the only person to findyour love interest attractive. However,if your crush is spoiling social time withyour friends perhaps it is best to slowlywean yourself off of your crush by cuttingdown on the number of episodesyou so avidly consume. If you are primarily“morbidly attracted” to agingblondes who are power crazy perhapsswitch to ‘watching Spooks’ and oglethe more attractive, younger lady whoappears to adopt the same hard facedlook there, until you feel confidentenough to move onto real such women.In the meantime, perhaps try hidingyour erection with a cushion to keepthe peace.MICHAEL: Deborah Meaden syndrome(or D.M.S.) is a widespread afflictionamong young men aged 16-28in this country. Many men feel uncomfortablewith the sensation as in thewords of an anonymous D.M.S sufferer“she looks like she’s made out of ham,wrinkles and lipstick”. A common occurrenceamongst D.M.S sufferers isthat they find themselves using DeborahMeaden as a scapegoat for a deepseateddesire for Duncan Banatyne (orin some extreme cases Evan Davis). Ifthe problem persists the BBC i-playercan be used to watch Deborah in thesolitude of the bedroom, thereby keepingyour erection from causing any furtherdistress to your friends. (DeborahMeaden is aware of the issue and hasopened a charity dedicated to helpingsufferers and raising awareness.)For official LUSU Advice, go to the LUSU Advice mini-site at advice.lusu.co.uk or pop intothe Advice Centre (open 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday in the LUSU Building, underneath SPAR)

student comment and news19FeaturesThailand in crisisby Rob MillerAssistant EditorFor the last six months Thailandhas been splashed across our headlineson an almost daily basis, as itsgovernment disintegrated and violentprotests gripped the Southeast Asiancountry. Our newspapers and televisionnews programmes have been filledwith stark images of clashes betweenprotestors and the police. But manyoutside Thailand only sat up and tooknotice last week, when protestors occupiedBangkok’s Suvarnabhumi internationalairport.This is a conflict that has been simmering—andat times boiling over—fornearly a year now, in a country as populousas Britain, that has the world’stwenty-fourth biggest economy,through whose borders pass 750,000British tourists each year; and yet it remainsa situation that the general publichas little knowledge of, somethingnot helped by the media’s often shallowcoverage of the crisis.This particular crisis has its roots inJanuary of this year, when Samak Sundaravejbecame Prime Minister, butits real origins lie with Samak’s formerally, the notorious former Prime MinisterThaksin Shinawatra.Thaksin is famous to many in Britainfor being until August 2008 theowner of Manchester City F.C., but isinfamous in Thailand for his brutalfive-year premiership in which thousandsof Thais were murdered, politicalfreedoms were trampled, and governmentinstitutions were subverted forthe gain of Thaksin and his family.Public and institutional support forThaksin finally ran out in September2006, when the military overthrew hisgovernment while he was visiting theUN in New York City. His Thai RakThai party was dissolved, his assetswere frozen, and he was charged withcorruption. Thaksin settled in Britain,and pursued an interest in football bybuying Manchester City for £81.6 million.Thaksin returned to Thailand inFebruary 2008, after Samak had takenpower, despite facing charges of corruption.He was arrested and releasedon bail, but fled Thailand for Britain inAugust 2008. He was tried in absentiaand sentenced to two years imprisonment.In response to Thaksin’s returnto Thailand, the People’s Alliance forDemocracy (PAD) was reformed. PADhad been a thorn in Thaksin’s sidethroughout his time in office, but hadvoluntarily dissolved itself when Thaksinwas ousted in 2006. The return oftheir old enemy to a country run by oneof his old friends was the last thing theywanted, and in late March PAD threatenedto resume their anti-Thaksin protests.In May, with Samak still in officeand Thaksin still free, protests beganin earnest. Calls for Samak’s resignationwere followed by a vote of no confidencein the Thai parliament, whichSamak managed to survive. Thingsremained relatively calm until late August,when PAD invaded GovernmentHouse—the official residence and officesof the Prime Minister.Violence seemed likely, but Samakpromised to pursue only a peaceful solutionwhile steadfastly refusing to resign.A court ordered the arrest of PADleaders and the dispersal of the protestors,but their occupation of GovernmentHouse continued.Tensions rose, and a state of emergencywas declared by Samak on September4 2008. Public assembly wasbanned, and free speech was heavilyrestricted. Immediately legal complaintswere launched, accusing Samakof tyranny, and the foreign minister,Tej Bunnag, resigned in protest. Samakwas found guilty of conflicts ofinterest—relating, bizarrely, to hishosting of popular television cookingshows while in office—and was forcedto stand down as Prime Minister onSeptember 9.The removal of Samak and appointmentof Somchai Wongsawat, anotherPPP member, as Prime Minister didlittle to dissuade anti-governmentprotestors. In October, demonstrationsbecame still more intense. Hundreds ofprotestors were injured in clashes withthe police, and several PAD leaderswere arrested. Protestors on October 7attempted to take parliament hostage,and Somchai only barely managed toescape parliament.Further fuel was added to the flameswhen, in mid-October, Queen Sirikitapparently came out in support of PADand the opposition movement. Themonarchy is supposed to remain impartialin political matters, but SirikitQuick crossword No 11,834Quick crossword No 11,8341 2 3 4 5 61 2 3 4 5 67 87 89 1011 12 1311 12 1314 15 1614 15 16171718 19 2018 19 20publicly attended the funeral of a PADprotestor and donated THB 1 millionto cover the medical expenses of thoseinjured in the clashes. The King hasremained largely impartial, but he hasthe staunch loyalty of PAD, whose yellowclothing is a symbol of their monarchism.In November, PAD escalated theirprotests further still by occupyingThailand’s newest and busiest internationalairport, Suvarnabhumi. Armedwith clubs, knives and metal bars theprotestors managed to overpower riotpolice stationed at the airport and tookcontrol of roads leading into and out ofthe compound. Between 100,000 and350,000 foreign tourists were stranded,unable to leave the country, andthe stand-off has so far cost the Thaieconomy an estimated US$1 millionevery day.The stand-off at Suvarnabhumibrings us to the precarious situationThailand now faces. At the time of goingto press, the PPP has been forciblydissolved by the Supreme Court andSomchai has been ousted from thepremiership. The PPP has reformedas the For Thais Party (FTP) and haslaunched a protest against the court’sdecision, calling it a “judicial coup”.The crisis looks certain to continueand, unfortunately, to get worse beforeit gets better.9 1021 22 2321 22 23Quick crossword No 11,8342424Want more? Access over 4,000 archive puzzles at guardian.co.uk/crossword.Stuck? Want more? Then Access call our over solutions 4,000 line archive on 09068 puzzles 338 at guardian.co.uk/crossword.248. Calls cost 60p per minute at all times.1 2 3 4 5 6Service Stuck? Then supplied Acrosscall our by ATS. solutions Buy 10 line great on 09068 Guardian 338 puzzle 248. Calls books 7 cost Building for 60p only per £20 minute inc equipped p&p at (save all times. over to view £50).Visit Service guardianbooks.co.uk supplied by ATS. Buy or 10 call great 0870 Guardian 836 0749 puzzle books for1 Tool for checkingthe only heavens £20 inc p&p (save (11) over £50).Visit guardianbooks.co.uk or call 0870 836 07497 8 horizontality (6,5)8 Excessive loss of water9 Common meadow flower from body (11)9 10(9)12 Visitor to famous locations10 One in a suit (3)(9)11 Come after (5)16 Letter (as in bible) (7)13 Firmness of allegiance (7) 17 Describing a delivery in11 12 1314 Whim (6)which the baby is inverted(6)15 Bully — hero of Troy (6)19 Divulge (3,2)18 In name only (7)23 Digit on foot (3)14 15 1620 Unresponsive (5)21 Regret — wild shrub (3)1722 Number of players on pitchat start of soccer match Solution No 11,83318 19 20(6-3)24 Disease common amongtroops in WWI (6,5)21 22 23Want more? Access over 4,000 archive puzzles at guardian.co.uk/crossword.Stuck? Then call our solutions line on 09068 338 248. Calls cost 60p per minute at all times.Service supplied by ATS. Buy 10 great Guardian puzzle books for only £20 inc p&p (save over £50).Visit guardianbooks.co.uk or call 0870 836 0749Thai police monitor a demonstration in Bangkok, August 28 2008. (Photo: Craig Martell.)24Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2008Down2 Mine (3)3 Antlered woodlandcreature (3,4)4 Light touch, excitinglaughter (6)5 Void (5)6 Shoulder badge orornament (9)C A R D I A C F C GO I N A N O M A L YU P S T A I R R N RL K P E S T O N I AD R Y U P S U O TO R E S O N A N C EL O E OB L U E P R I N T SR N R N E I G H TO B E L I S K L U RW V A J O L L I F YS P E C T R E E D SE N E T O R M E N T

22 scan.lusu.co.ukArtsA festive fairytale Twilight: The new-agegothic romance?Sleeping Beautyby Charles WayThe Dukes TheatreDirected by Kevin Dyery Richie Gartonrts EditorWhen a show based on a fairytaleppears around Christmas time, it’snly natural to assume it will be a panomime.I was assured this was nothe case with Sleeping Beauty, though,hich is apparently classed as ‘familyheatre’. Sadly, I was already inside theheatre when I remembered that ‘famly’is usually a euphemism for ‘chilren’s’-I was surrounded by gurglingots and their parents, which was notpromising start for the evening. Depitethe unbalanced audience demoraphic,I resolved to make the most ofhe situation and watch the play withn open mind.This version of Sleepingeauty, performed with a small cast andlavish, dynamic set, draws on Celticmagery and creates a few new twists inrder to re-invent the classic fairytale.t’s about as far away from Disney asou can possibly get; for example, theale protagonist, Prince Owain (GarethCooper) is not a chiselled demigodwho confidently strolls in, rescuesthe girl and carries her to the nearestwedding chapel. He begins the storyas a timid, fairly useless coward, andwhen the princess Briar Rose (SophieTrott) is put to sleep he is forced intoa perilous quest to wake her up. Duringhis trials he gradually overcomeshis failings (including his shyness withgirls) and succeeds in the end.There was something veryadmirable about what this show aimedto do; it simply presented a classic fairytalein a less stereotypical and blandway. It was humorous, but the humourwas never silly and it never resorted toShrek-style pop culture references oradult jokes. It’s very much a kid’s thing,but I enjoyed it regardless; there’s a lotof Hobbit-esque adventure and action(very good fight scenes), and the actorswere fun to watch. If you’re a big kid atheart, or just fancy a very quiet eveningout, I can think of much worse thingsto do than check out this highly originalproduction.ot at all left in the darklack Comedyancaster University Theatre GroupBook Review: Twilightby Stephenie Meyerby Amanda Skelson“About three things I wasabsolutely positive. First, Edwardwas a vampire. Second, there wasa part of him – and I didn’t knowhow dominant that part might be– that thirsted for my blood. Andthird, I was unconditionally andirrevocably in love with him.”Isabella Swan is just a normal teenagerwhen she moves to live with herfather in the cold and gloomy town ofForks - uncertain, self-conscious, lonelyand unable to relate to those aroundher, she struggles to adapt to her newenvironment, and particularly to hernew school. Her life only becomes morecomplicated on meeting Edward Cullenand his family. From the moment theireyes meet she is inexplicably drawn tothe beautiful boy and the attraction isintensely mutual. The problem, however,is that Edward is a vampire and hasa desperate craving for her blood.Twilight is a love story between ahuman and a vampire, but this bookis so much more than simply anothervampire romance. Meyer excels atcharacterisation. Edward is beautiful,deeply devoted to the woman he lovesas well as being exceedingly dangerous.He is, quite literally, a deadly combination.He both dazzles and mesmerisesnot only Bella, but the reader as well.Bella is strangely mature for her agebut nevertheless Meyer’s depiction of ateenage girl’s mind is incredibly realisticand relatable, emphasising the confusionand complexity associated withbecoming an adult.Meyer has created a couple whoserelationship is a brilliant narrative ofyoung love, exploring the initial uncertainty,burgeoning desire and the depthof sudden and devoted emotional attachment.The chemistry between Bellaand Edward is raw, intense, magneticand erotic. Twilight is a modernisedversion of true romance, the relationshipsurrounded by an impossibilityand desperation similar to that foundwithin Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.The Gothic twist on this traditionalform explores the vampire myth in newways, and often eroticises death.Bella’s tale is continued in NewMoon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn,and I highly recommend the entire series.One can only hope that the film,which is released in cinemas mid-December,will be even half as good as thebooks.Porno spoof leaves muchto be desiredy Kathi Michaelis“Be nice!” – that’s how I was greetdby Michael Holt, Assistant Director/tage Manager for this LUTG producion,as soon as I entered the theatre.here was no need at all for him toe concerned – from the moment theights went off (or rather, on), I enjoyedvery minute of this performance.Before seeing the play, I was warnedhat it would be “experimental” – andranted, being led into a completelyark theatre in the light of a torch didave something unusual and slightlyerie about it. But once you got to gripsith the lighting concept (that the stageas properly lit when it was supposedo be pitch black, and nearly dark whencharacter lit a match/lighter), thereas really nothing that would stand inhe way of any viewer engaging withhe play.That’s not to say that it wasn’t chalenging.To keep up with the plot tookp so much of my attention that I totallyorgot to be annoyed by the person beindme jamming their knees into theack of my seat. For those who missedhe performance: “Black Comedy” tellshe story of the poor artist Brindsleyiller, who is about to meet both theather of his fiancée and a German milionaireinterested in buying one of hisculptures. To make a good impression,e ‘borrows’ his neighbour’s furniturewhile he is away for the weekend. Sofar, so good…That is, until a fuse blows and thewhole scene is cast into darkness (sofor the audience, the stage is lit up). Theunexpected arrival of both Brindsley’sneighbour and his ex-girlfriend furthercomplicate the matter, as he has to (a)move all the furniture back without hisneighbour noticing, (b) hide from hisfiancée and her ‘Daddy’ that his exgirlfriendis still very much in the picture.What followed were 90 minutesof pure chaos – highlights includedBrindsley’s, (played Robert Cattell)facial expressions as he snuck aroundthe room trying to avoid being heard,Stacey Norris’ amazing performanceas Ms Furnival, the drunk neighbour,or Colonel Melkett (played by JamieWard) falling off a rocking chair.While some might have found BlackComedy too farcical for their liking, Ithought it offered exactly what it saidon the cover: light-hearted entertainment,a cast that really seemed to enjoythemselves, and just a thoroughly enjoyableevening.On a completely different matter:One might think it a rather stupid ideato send the only German SCAN Artswriter to watch a play with two actorsputting on a German accent. Can I justsay that particularly Ross McNamara,as the electrician, probably managedbetter than I would have done. Althoughhe did sound slightly Swedishto me.Zack and Miri Make a PornoDirector: Kevin SmithStarring: Elizabeth Banks, SethRoganby Christine WildeA Ronseal title if ever therewas one, Zach and Miri Make aPorno is the latest high conceptcomedy from Clerks directorKevin Smith.Two housemates are stuck for cash,and decide to make a low budget pornmovie together in order to raise enoughmoney to pay their utility bills and rent.It is difficult to know what to say aboutthis film really, as it was such a mixedbag. It offered both the hilariously funny,stomach curdlingly cringe-worthyand just plain awful. When it was good,it was OK and when it was bad it wasterrible.On a positive note, Elizabeth Banks(of Scrubs fame) and Seth Rogan (Superbad,Knocked Up) gave strong performancesdespite the appalling script,as did many of the other peripheralcharacters. Their confident delivery ofthe comic lines made parts of the filmfunnier than it otherwise might havebeen, and made the weaker bits semibearable.As a comedy pairing theyworked well together, making for aninteresting character dynamic.The comedy wasinconsistent, and whenthe regular laughsfailed, shock and grossouthumour werecheaply substituted.However, things began to fall apartwhen the predictable and painfullysentimental romantic elements beganto push their way through the crasshumour. Scenes that were supposed toshow a deeper, more emotional side tothe characters’ relationship were bothcliché and unbelievable, jarring withthe rest of the film. The comedy was inconsistent,and when the regular laughsfailed, shock and gross-out humourwere cheaply substituted. Often highlyexplicit in content, these scenes justbecame farcical and awkward to watch.Though the strong use of language andovert sexual nature of this film rates ita definite 18, the tone and general sillinessmade it feel more like an extreme,uncut version of teen comedies such asAmerican Pie, perhaps signifying thatruder is not necessarily funnier.Overall, it was a bad film with a rubbishconcept (that some could arguebordered on misogynistic at times).However, the acting was surprisinglystrong and despite being predominantlypoor, on occasion the film wasgenuinely funny. It definitely appealsto a certain kind of humour, so peoplewho are fans of comedies such as VanWilder, Superbad or other Kevin Smithcreations might enjoy Zach and Miri inplaces. Otherwise stay clear, as you willprobably find it excruciating.

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student comment and news25musicPlugged-in: live musica blinding set ofcrazed electronicsthese arms are SnakesThe Star and Garter,ManchesterMark McGlashanMusic EditorOne lOOk at the Star and Garterand its surroundings, you’dthink you’ve made a wrong turnand ended up at the arse end ofthe industrial revolution. a ratherbleak place set within a evenbleaker landscape populatedsolely by prostitutes and the occasionaldrug fiend. So, the perfectplace to sit back and listen tosomething a little more intensethan the usual.Russian Circles took to the stage.A three-piece instrumental post-rockoutfit from Chicago. Despite the giggetting off to a bumpy start (technicalissues) RC found their feet and delivereda set possibly better than headlinersThese Arms Are Snakes. Like theirbig brothers, Pelican, RC are similarto being punched with a gossamer fist.Schizophrenic movements from the intenselyheavy to the some of the mostsublime and ethereal passages I’veever heard. From the looped guitarsto the crushing bass and the insanelytight percussion RC amount to no lessthan an aural journey of all you loveand hate – cleverly Skillful, beautifullyunderstated. A blinding headwind ofrestrained vitriol. A kiss from poisonedlips. A trip. Five out of five.Next came the headliners, TheseArms Are Snakes. A four piece of spazzycock-thrusting rock. Shirtless vocalist(and Kaoss Pad mentalist) Steve Snaretook to the stage and surely gave themost charismatic performance everseen at this little venue. A blinding setof crazed electronics, off kilter rhythmsand an attitude screaming ‘revel in thedecadence’. A great band; out of the ordinary.These Arms Are Snakes and RussianCircles have just released a split12” on Sargent House.Before the gig I had chance to catchup with TAAS:SCan – How’s the tour going?Steve Snere (Vox) – Yeah, very well. It’sbeen very good. About 6 weeks now, soit’s long.Ryan Frederikson (Guitar) – Windingdown.SCan - How many dates?SS – Around about 40. Not too manydays off at all. We haven’t had a day offin about 3 weeks.SCan – How would you describeyour sound? Would you sayyou’ve been lumped in with thepost-hardcore thing?SS – I dunnoRF – We felt like we were kinda gettingaway from it for a while, away from theBotch, Kill Sadie tag – kinda cominginto our own. Then I made the terribledecision to join another band calledNarrows that’s got another member ofBotch in it, and it’s more hardcore, sonow that keeps coming back.SS – I’m sick of being sick of it.SCan – You’ve done splits withPelican and toured with ISIS. arelinks with Hydra Head a big partof the band?Chris Common (Drums) – It’s more ofa family thingRF – YeahCC – They’re all our tight brosRF – They’re all great to us. ISIS areour big brothersSS – We’ve learned to be cautious ofwho we work with and your friends arethe best people. I trust everyone I’mworking with.SCan – Out of the band, whowould you kiss, who would youmarry, who would you kill?SS – Probably marry Brian (Cook -Bass), sometimes I wanna kiss and killboth of you (to CC + RF). But I’d marryBrian because I think he’d take care ofme.CC – I’d marry Brian, but I’d kiss Steveand then I’d kill myself[All laugh]RF – I’d probably kill all 3 of them.SCan – With the new releasescan we expect anything new?CC – A little like this… [Hawaiian islandmusic plays in the background]SS – Yeah, a little Margaretaville…CC – …Piña coladaburghSS – The new record is a little…RF – I think it’s less manicBC – It’s not as spazzy as OxeneersSCan – Brian, how do you feelbeing in both bands on the tour?BC – I don’t get any downtime. I haven’teaten dinner yet.SS – So, how many months have youbeen on tour this year?BC – 2 months… 2 and a half?RF – We’re all feeling the burn a littlebitCC – My hands are, like, as hard as cementRF – I’m excited about not wearing thesame socks 3 days in a rowCC – Booze has been our saving grace.It’s been the only thing keeping us going.RF – Lots and lot’s of booze…‘I have no idea if we are a metal bandanymore or not’OpethManchester AcademyMark McGlashanMusic Editor“I Have nO idea if we are a metalband anymore or not. It’s not importantanyway” – some of whatPers Wiberg (keys - Opeth) hadto say about his band. and on anight like tonight, in a packedManchester academy, I think hispoint hits home as clear as it evercould, and with supports from fellowboundary blurrers the Oceanand Cynic, this night is going to beone hell of a show.The Ocean opened up with a crushingset. Straddling the boundaries ofpost-metal at points, The Ocean havequite a modern progressive sound.Touching samples melded with sludgyagro-ridden doom passages. Big synths,even bigger soundscapes. And with vocalsreminiscent of Mastodon (circaRemission) and intense power grooves(See: Knut, Neurosis, Threat Signal) Ithought they kicked the gig into gearrather tastily. Definitely worth a listen.Four out of five.Following the younger batch werethe extraordinary Cynic. Undergroundlegends in their own right, their uniquebrand of virtuosic technical metalbrought the crowd under a spell. Sporadicmovement, flawless musicianshipand calculated precision all deliveran experience close to spiritual. Musicis supposed to make you feel like this.I had goosebumps throughout the entireset. “It’s cool to tour with Cynicbecause, you know, that’s one of thebands I listened to when they put outtheir first album Focus, in ’93 I think. Ithought they were a breath of fresh airbecause it didn’t sound like anythingelse and still it was considered extrememetal.” (PW) More than a little good.Five out of five.Then the lights went down.“OPETH! OPETH! OPETH!” shouts thecrowd. They went mental. “It’s alwaysa blast to play over here. There’s sucha good tradition for all kinds of rockand metal music. A lot of the stuff thatwe listen to like the classic rock bandsand metal bands are all from here, youknow.” (PW) Oh, they know and theyknow what’s good.Embarking on their hour-and-a-halflong, 5 song set, Opeth tore the place upwith their epic soundscapes and mutifacetedmetal journeys. “Our problemis that we want to be metal but nobodycalls us metal. I don’t know, it doesn’tmatter that much. Obviously, this bandhas its roots in the more extreme sideof metal like black metal and deathmetal. I guess that’s the roots but as theband went along lots more influencescome. I have no idea if we’re a metalband anymore or not.” (PW) But whocares about the labels? Opeth manageto blend so many diverse influencesinto a brand of music they’ve got theirnames written all over. They don’t needto prove anything to anyone. The sweatdripping from the walls says enough.Plugged-in

26 scan.lusu.co.ukmusicunleashed into the wildage the elephant,anchester Club Academyames Barkerweat drenched, bruiSed,nd loving every minute of it.This is what a Cage The Elephantig will do to you. Crammed insidehe tiny Manchester Club Academye waited to believe the hype. Touteds one of the hottest new live bandsround Cage The Elephant had to prouce,and they certainly did. Chargingnto the stage and jumping straightnto Voodoo followed without a gaspor breath by Tiny Little Robots, withts choppy stooges style riff, the partyas on and it didn’t stop. Stompingheir way through Lotus guitarist Bradade his first of many dives into therowd sending the pit crazy. Then eveythingstopped, like a preacher to hisock vocalist Matt stood pouting likeick Jagger and went straight intoin’t No Rest For The Wicked to whichvery word was chanted back at him.ack Against The Wall followed Blacktabbing Betty giving us all some resite,with its quirky drum work andouthern drawl. Rested, the band burstnto In One Ear sending the 200 crowdmental, chorus yelled back in full anthemicstyle. Judas saw the end of partone which found both brothers (Mattand Brad) stuck in the crowd sendingus more wild as we jumped around totheir punk assault. Now for the encore,“Does anyone here like Iggy Pop?” spatMatt, as his brother burst into I WantTo Be Your Dog frenzy ensued as theband pounded away. Jared drumminglike a man possessed. Free Love sawthe climax and a total mess, Matt andBrad back in the crowd getting mauled,with his T-shirt ripped to shreds Mattfinally finds his way back onto stage.Just in time to yell his way through thelast verse, his brothers smashed guitaron stage is all that’s left of Brad as theband smash their way off stage. Thatwas it an hour of mindless, raucousfun. On this showing punk is far fromdead.Before the gig I had a chance to talkto drummer, Jared Champion...You are halfway through the tournow, how are you finding it?Great, we’ve been living here for abouta year, based in London where ourrecord label is located. I love it here,the fans are great.why do you think it is that americanbands like yourselves findmore success here than in america?Well I can’t speak for other bands, butfor us it was down to the record deal.We were meant to sign with a major label,but they wanted too much controlover us so we signed with a smaller label.Which is why we’ve spent so muchtime over here. However, in Americawe have an indie following, and we’vedone the festival circuit like Lollapalooza,which was great.what is it like having brothers(Matt, Vocals and brad, Guitar)in the band?(laughs) I’ve known those guys for tenyears and they love each other, but theyfight like crazy specially when they’redrunk. It’s a volatile relationship bothhave threatened to quit a million times,but they do love each other.what would you say your mainmusical influences are?Pixies, Mudhoney, The Meat Puppets,Nirvana obviously. I love the classicBritish bands, Led Zeppelin, TheStones, and The Who.are their any new bands that areexciting you?I really like The Foals and Arctic Monkeysand The Wombats are a greatband.have you started work on the followup to your debut album?Yeah we’ve got half of it done, aboutsix songs, and we are in the studio inSeptember to record. Should be out byfall next yearFew of our readers will haveheard of your hometown, bowlingGreen, Kentucky. tell us a littleabout it?It’s in the south, bible belt. Just a littlecollege town really, in the countryside.And there is only one place for bars.what’s your view on the u.S election?Oh I was so drunk that night! I couldn’tremember the next day who had wonthen someone was like, Obama wonand I’m happy about that, I like hispolicies.do you have any strange ritualsbefore you go on stage?We pray, then have a few beers, somejägermeister and listen to Rage AgainstThe Machine really fucking loud.will we be hearing any new trackstonight?Yeah were playing four new ones, itsreally exciting can’t wait to see thecrowds reaction.Cage The Elephant’s Debut Album isout now. For fans of: Iggy Pop, TheClash, and Nirvana.

student comment and news27musicRipped: AlbumVibrant, powerful and validQ-TipRenaissance(Universal Motown)Meer ShahIf any album title reflected itscontent so perfectly in three decadesof hip hop, it would be this.It isn’t just because of the obviousnotion of a ‘comeback’ from a rapperwhose last album was released in thelast century. No, the fact is that Renaissancecaptures very clearly what theAbstract’s record could be for the rapworld, showing that rap music can stillbe vibrant, powerful and valid in today’smarket.The album’s opener, Johnny isDead, oddly evokes memories of Excursionsin the way the song begins.And, like the Tribe’s catalogue, Renaissancecontinues with esoteric beauty.Q-Tip proves why he is renowned asone of the truly great MCs, with somedeft rhyming (as highlighted in Move),and incredible flow (Won’t Get Up).His lyrics are educational as ever, withseveral observational tracks; yet theyrefrain from becoming preachy thanksto Tip’s playful ability to make listenersbop along, like in sex jam Gettin’ Up.He also manages to take time torep the game in Life Is Better, giving ashout to everyone from Biz Markie toBone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ludacris –and that’s what this album really is: athrowback to hip hop’s past but developedto remain relevant and cool.The production – almost exclusivelyby Q-Tip himself – is nothing shortof brilliant. There are some beautifulinstrumentals, juxtaposed with DJPremier-esque scratchings. This musicaleclecticism is also evidenced withguests ranging from soul man D’Angeloto jazz crooner Norah Jones. The thingis, all this works because Q-Tip makesit work. This album is tightly producedand the transition between tracks issatisfyingly smooth, so it plays like areal cohesive piece of music – refreshingin itself.It isn’t perfect, however. Aestheticsaside, the content doesn’t explore anyreally original ideas. Also, while mostsongs are good, nothing matches theoutstanding Breathe & Stop from Q-Tip’s last album, Amplified. And for allof Tip’s great production, there is theoccasional slow spot, although this isnitpicking.Overall, however, Renaissancehas enough depth to make you fall inlove with hip hop – and Q-Tip – allover again. It is a breath of fresh air.It is hopefully the kick up the backsidecurrent wannabe MCs so desperatelyneed. Easily the best rap album of theyear.Similar artists: Kanye West, Blackalicious,Common, The RootsBrett Domino TrioChristmas (This Year) EP(The Very Cool Music Company)after ChrIs moyles’lauding of their Youtubevideo cover of MichaelJackson’s Beat It, audiopranksters The BrettDomino Trio have goneand decided to release afew Christmas songs.The new single Christmas(This Year) is prettymuch the quintessentialChristmas tune. However,watch the video. It will makeyou LOL! The EP rests onthe charming lispy deliveryof front man Brett Domino,an unhealthy penchant fora certain cult children’s instrumentand a quite awkwardhumor… that’s justgreat! Check them out onall your favourite socialnetworking sites, Youtubeand iTunes – just search forBrett Domino.Singles/EPs

28 scan.lusu.co.ukSportsBig Debate: Freedom of speechhould players be allowed to speakut against their own clubs?Players have a right tovoice their opinionsOliver Holmeshe outburst from William Gallas isuch a rarity in sports these days that itppears from the moment he opened hisouth, his days at Arsenal looked to beumbered.After an indifferent start to the season Gallasccused team-mates of not being strong enough,ghting amongst squad members and insultingehaviour. Despite the media condemning hisriticism which has resulted in him being strippedf captaincy, I feel the matter has been blown outf all proportion.As a more experienced member of the squad,allas should be able to vent his frustrations andake the fans who support the club aware of suchvents. It is not the best type of news a fan wantso hear, but nevertheless, as a fan, if there wasome sort of unrest going on at my beloved clubwould want to know about it. This is what Galasdid. He felt the lack of respect being showno him and other members of the squad was notcceptable. I have no doubt that Gallas would notave spoken out had he thought the matter wasot serious.However, Gallas showed passion and commitenttowards the club in hope of dealing with theatter. It has to be said, the amount of passionpparent within the game appears to be disinterating.Such outbursts show the player is conernedwith the situation, rather than suggestinge is more interested in picking up his pay-packetike the abundance of footballers in today’s Preiership.In retrospect, his comments proved a disastrousmove who has suffered the brunt of abusefrom the media and football followers. I cannothelp but think that if it John Terry came out withthe same line of comments then he would be seenas a leader, a fighter, a player that has the best interestsof the club at heart.Roy Keane was often prone to venting his angerof what was happening at Manchester United,constantly criticising teammates publicly. WasRoy Keane condemned? No. Instead he waspraised for keeping the players on their toes. Whyshould Gallas’s comments be treated as any different.As a more experienced memberof the squad, Gallas should beable to vent his frustrationsand make the fans who supportthe club aware of such events.There is one reason. Gallas has not won anythingat Arsenal. Furthermore, when his teammateEduardo horrifically broke his leg againstBirmingham last season, a distraught Gallascould not watch as Birmingham were awarded apenalty, instead he sat on the half-way line.Admittedly this could be seen as childish, butit also shows that Gallas is human. He was soshocked at seeing a leg break of a close friend hecould not concentrate on the game. Any personwho plays football would feel the same. Captainor not, such a terrible incident would affect eventhe most strong-hearted of person. Such doublestandards are harsh, particularly when you rememberthat Roy Keane once spoke out abouthow he intentionally injured Alfe-Inge Haaland ina career-ending tackle. This act was not leadingby example. In comparison to this, Gallas’s statementis trivial.What happens behindclosed doors should staybehind closed doorsCharlotte ParkerSports EditorIt is not so much what William Gallassaid about his Arsenal team mates, he isperfectly correct in stating that they havenot been playing to their usual standard,but it is the way in which he made his feelingspublic that should not be deemedacceptable and that has lead to ArseneWenger making the correct decision todrop Gallas as captain.The role of a captain has certain connotations.A captain is the back bone of any team, the onethat sets an example for all the other players, andwho is capable of motivating the team and pickingthem up when they are down. By airing his viewsin public, Gallas has acted exactly the opposite tothis. If a team who are already lacking confidencehear their own leader belittle their performances,far from improving motivation, their confidencewill no doubt dip even further. The commentsalso created unrest within the fans, who werealready uneasy about the poor performances theclub were producing, to hear their captain publiclyspeak out against the club will have only fuelledtheir doubts about Arsenal’s chances of a successfulseason. The last thing that Arsenal needis their fans getting on their backs; players oftenrely on the fans support – ‘the twelfth man’ andby causing unease amongst his own fans Gallas ismaking matters worse.Of course it is not the fact that Gallas is acaptain that has angered the media and fans– the question has to be asked whether professionalsports people should be allowed to speakto the media against their clubs wishes. Playersare at the end of the day employed by their cluband should therefore respect those involved. Ifthere are matters that need discussing amongstteam members, or between management staff,the board, and players, this should all be donebehind closed doors. If a member of a companywas to openly and publicly criticise other membersof staff then they would expect to be disciplined,professional sports people should receivethe same treatment. A quiet word and reasoneddiscussions can achieve much more than heatedoutbursts to the whole world.If a team who are alreadylacking confidence hear theirown leader belittle theirperformances, far from improvingmotivation, their confidencewill no doubt dip even furtherPlayers speaking out against the wishes oftheir club is a sign that their egos are so inflatedthat they really do believe that they are bigger thatthe club. Take the example of Cristiano Ronaldoover the summer. He openly flirted with otherclubs despite being under contract to ManchesterUnited. He should not have been allowed todo this as it sets bad examples to the rest of theplayers as well as causing unrest within the cluband fans. Players may kiss their badges as a signof loyalty to their club, but if they were truly loyalthey would keep their opinions to themselves, anddiscuss issues with their club – their employers –rather than with the whole of the world throughthe media.As finals approach, Carter shield heats upy Charlotte Parkerports Editorith the finals day ofichaelmas term just around theorner, the final two events of forhe inter college Carter Shieldompetition were fiercely cometed.Firstly came 6-a side women’s inoorfootball, which unfortunately sawhe first disqualification of the tournaent,with Fylde and Lonsdale beingisqualified for not having enoughlayers on time; leaving both of theroups with only three teams. The firstgroup drawn saw Pendle, Bowland andFurness competing against each other.Furness must have been hopeful ofreaching their first semi final of thisyear’s competition but they were nomatch for the other two teams.Bowland in particular lookedstrong, going through top of their groupand will fancy their chances of beatingCartmel in the semis to reach the final.In the other group there was no-one capableof stopping County, who turnedup with enough players for two teams.They went through as clear winnersof the group and will be tough competitionfor Pendle in the semi finals.Grizedale would have been slightly disappointednot to qualify for the semisbut will never the less be pleased with agood start to the Carter Shield.The final event of the term was indoorvolleyball. Pendle were unfortunatelydisqualified for not turning upon time, leaving one of the groups withthree teams in. Furness once againcould not quite manage a performancegood enough to see them reach thesemis. The other teams in their group,Fylde and Grizedale were both strongteams but Fylde were dominant, beatingGrizedale to go through top of theirgroup.They will play County in the semi final,who once again had by far the largestamount of players (hardly surprisingwhen they are the biggest college),including AU President Gaz Coleman.County’s achievement of reaching threesemi finals is their best start to theCarter Shield for several years. HoweverFylde, who have also reached threesemi finals, will, based on the performancesin the group stages, surely be thefavourites to take the place in the final.The other semi final sees Grizedaletake on Lonsdale. Lonsdale lookedstrong in the group stages but Grizedaleare a good team and it will no doubt bea close encounter as both teams battleit out to gain vital points by reachingthe final.With every college but Furnessreaching at least one semi final, finalsday of Michaelmas will be an excitingday. With so many points up for grabs,teams will not be taking it as easyas they may have done in the groupstages, with every sports rep desperatefor their college to be head of theCarter Shield leader board going intothe Christmas holidays.Finals day takes place on 7th Decemberso after this issue goes to print,but for a full round up of the termsevents and the results of the finals day,go to the SCAN website.

30 scan.lusu.co.ukSportSA blip in the season for LUWFCFootball:LancasterWomen 0 -3 LiverpoolWomenby Susan WynestabletennisChamps• Lancaster promotedto northern 1Adivision• sights now set onrosesWith neither teAm havingyet lost a match, both Lancasterand Liverpool were up for thisgame and after chasing the geeseoff the pitch, the referee blew forkick-off.Lancaster seemed to get off to agood start, opening with a good crossinto the box by Jen Murphy, which wascollected by the goalkeeper. 10 minuteslater, Sue Wynes had a one-on-one withthe keeper, but good Liverpool goalkeepingprevented a Lancaster goal.In the 17th minute Liverpool madetheir first attack on goal and, withLancaster starting to look sloppy, Liverpool’sefforts were rewarded in the35th minute with the first goal of thematch.Lancaster then decided to pick uptheir game and came close to equalisingwith a one-on-one with the goalkeeperfrom Caroline Murphy and anexcellent opportunity for Sue Wynesbeing blown offside… at which pointthe referee appeared to be wearing aLiverpool shirt.After halftime, Lancaster justLancaster and Liverpool played a hard-fought match, but Liverpool ultimately proved too much to handle.couldn’t get back into the game andsloppy defending led to a Liverpoolgoal in the 71st minute, followed immediatelyby another straight from thecentre. Lancaster managed to hold offfurther Liverpool goals, but were unableto get the ball into the Liverpoolnet before the fulltime whistle blew.Lancaster University Women’sFootball Team welcomed several newfaces to the squad this season, after losingsome experienced players at the endof last year. The team quickly bondedtogether, however and they got off to afantastic start to the season, winningtheir first two games 5-0 and 4-2 respectively.Unfortunately, the next twogames did not go quite so well, howeverthe team still occupies a very respectablethird position in the table. Theyalso got through to the third round ofthe cup, with a 2-0 win in atrociousweather over Manchester Women’sSeconds and they are looking forwardinter College round Up:michaelmas termCounty and Fylde joint top after impressivestart to seasonGrad, Grizedale and Lonsdale hope to breakinto top two when season restartsy James Waite,liver HolmeshAphAzArd stArt to theeason has seen very few gameslayed this term. however, heres a round-up of the performancsof what has gone on so far thiseason.County and Fylde are joint leagueeadersfollowing their impressive starto the campaign with two wins fromwo games. County marginally headhe table on goal difference after ahumping 7-0 victory last week againsthelpless Bowland side. County hadtarted the season by cruising to victoyagainst a Lonsdale side that appearo be struggling for form going into theew season.Fylde are yet to concede a goal thisseason with impressive performancesagainst Cartmel and Furness, runningout 4-0 and 5-0 winners respectively.With such a goal-scoring threat, and arock solid defence it certainly looks asthough Fylde will be in contention tochallenge for the title again.Grizedale currently lie third in theleague, despite only playing one gamedue to the rain-sodden pitches. A 2-2draw against Lonsdale saw them surrendera two-goal advantage beforeseeing a controversial decision rulingout an all important winner.Pendle sit fourth in the league followinga point against Furness. A latepenalty ensured they salvaged a pointin a game that saw both teams maketheir first appearances of the season.Lonsdale are 5th after playing twogames and managing a point. A negativegoal difference will need to beturned around for them to make an impressionon this year’s league but theyhave shown glimpses of their talent.Furness are next having concededone more goal than Lonsdale but willconsider themselves unlucky not tohave sewn up the game against Pendlein which they will view as two pointsdropped rather than a point gained.Cartmel are second-bottom followingtheir disappointing 4-0 defeat at thehands of Fylde but will hope to build animpressive run of form to build on lastyear’s position.Bowland are bottom due to theirseven goal deficit that will take time tobe overturned. However, with so manygames to go it would be daft to writeoff anybody’s chances of success thisseason.At the Christmas break the Inter-College Football B league looks all toofamiliar with Fylde leading the way,although it must be noted that positionsare far from settled with Fyldehaving played five of eight whilst Furnessand Lonsdale have only competedin one single game. The surprise outfitthis year have been Graduate, earninga well fought draw against currentchampions Fylde as well as winningto beating Manchester Women’s Thirdteam in the next round come January.The team’s aims this season are towin both the league (after coming soclose last season only to be defeated atthe last hurdle) and the cup, provingthat they are one of the best teams inthe North West. They also look forwardto winning against York in Roses, retainingtheir record of winning all threegames. The entire team is training hardto achieve these aims.their other two matches. Contendersfor the title County have two victoriesin two with Lonsdale also picking up awin in their only match, the only twoteams left capable of obtaining a 100%record. Grizedale and Pendle prop upthe lower end of the table having sufferedthree defeats each. Bowland areseemingly out of it having accumulatedonly one point in threeInclement weather in week eightmeant that the possible title decideragainst Fylde and County was abandoned,but it did little to dampen eithercollege’s hopes of claiming the title.With the unprecedented differencein the numbers of games played so farthe silverware is still very much up forgrabs.Last year the championship was decidedon goal difference, this year couldbe equally as close. Graduate, Countyand Lonsdale and outsiders Cartmelwill all be especially optimistic abouttheir chances of uprooting Fylde fromthe top when Inter-College football returnsafter the winter break.by Seth ButcherAn emphAtiC Win over rivalsLiverpool men’s 1st (9-8) wassubsequently followed by thekind of categorical, vigorous demolishingover Leeds metropolitanmen’s 1st (16-1) that we havenow come to expect. At the endof the hard-fought BUCs leagueseason, Lancaster sit firmly at thetop of the table, earning themselvespromotion to the northern1A division.These results come as no greatsurprise to those who have witnessedfirst hand the transformation of recentyears within Lancaster University TableTennis Club. For years the club wasin dismay.Lancaster has always attractedmany great (often foreign) players butholding on to them was never easy; alack of organisation and poor facilitiesfrequently led to a lack of intereston their behalf. Trying to field teamsto play week in week out sometimesseemed more of a chore than an honour.The revolution of the last year ortwo, peaking under current LUTTCPresident Robin Honey, has been nothingshort of miraculous. Dedication,passion and the buzz and joys of playingare back.Under strong leadership the clubis flourishing, with both the A and Bteams currently topping both the PremierDivision and Division One of thehighly rated local league and the largelyinexperienced C team are currently arespectable 3rd in Division Two.The clubs internal-coaching programmeis also producing a vastamount of sophisticated players; competitionfor places is becoming fierce.With the core of the championshipwinning BUCS team (Stephen Arliss,Lok Wong and Antoine Schvartz) onlyin their first year, LUTTC are only lookingforward, hoping to make this yeara platform from which to build futuresuccess upon, rather than sitting backand basking in a glorious one-off interludeof sporting triumph.Over the next few months seniorclub members shall be representingthe university at respected nationaltournaments such as the NottinghamUniversity held BUCS individual contestand the highly regarded Blackpooland Wolverhampton Opens, rubbingshoulders with some of the countriesbest talent. But there’s only one thingon everyone’s minds: Bring on Roses!

Read more at scan.lusu.co.uk Week 10, Michaelmas Term, Tuesday December 9, 2008LancasterBombers hitby explosiveNottinghamFirst away game ends in defeatSmall squad saw Bombers spreadtoo thinby Jack WhiteheadA TYPICALLY FROSTY Sundaymorning saw a battle of two 1-1teams striving to improve theirplayoff credentials in the Bombersfirst away fixture of the season.The first quarter saw an impressiveshowing from both defenses. Each waseffective in shutting down the otherwith high intensity and good line play.Special teams really set the tone of theafternoon with some massive hits, leavingplayers floored for several secondsafter the whistle. Both offences showedpotential, but “D” seemed to be the wayof the game early on.The second quarter saw both coachestrying inventive offensive packagesfeaturing unbalanced lines and thechess match was in motion. After a longdrive, the first score of the day went theOutlaws way with a 2 yard touchdownpass. The resulting extra point wasgood. The Bombers ensuing possessionwas hopeful but soon stalled, giving theball back to the in tune Nottingham offence.After another steady possession, theOutlaws drove to the 1 yard line andproceeded to punch it in the endzonewith a missed extra point. The scorestood at 13-0. A turnover from Lancastergifted good field position to theOutlaws, which they wasted no time inconverting into a lofted 20 yard touchdownpass, with the resulting kickagain missing wide right.At half time the score was 19-0, withthe Bombers looking to build on theirfirst quarter performance to start thesecond half.However the Bombers lacked thenecessary intensity to bring the gameback in the second half. The Outlawscontinued their efficient rushing attackand capitalized on the performancewith two further rushing touchdowns.Nottingham also converted a two pointconversion, but missed an extra point,making the score 33-0 at the end ofthree. Running backs Tim Barton andBombs Away: Lancaster get stuck in against Nottingham.Dave Barnett broke some promisingruns, but the front eight of the Outlawspenetrated hard to shut down the Lancasterground attack.The fourth quarter saw the chessmatch transfer to the defensive side ofthe ball, with the Bombers changing toa 5-3 front. The change resulted in twoturnovers from the Lancaster “D”: aninterception from linebacker MichaelMcFadden, and a fumble recoverycaused by linebacker George Bedford.Nottingham capped an impressive performancewith a 32 yard touchdownrun to take the final score to 39-0.The small squad meant many playersplayed multiple positions, whichcaused fatigue and in turn injuries tosome of the squad. Inexperience wasevident, and could not overcome anOutlaw squad which had made theplayoffs the previous year.Club President Tom White hadthis to say of the defeat: “The size ofthe squad today made conditions evenharder along with the grass pitch weplayed on. At the end of the day, Nottinghamdeserved the win, they playedhard.”The Bombers look to reboundagainst the 2-1 Loughborough Acesnext week in their final home fixturebefore the Christmas break.nter-college leagues reach half waytagey Charlotte Parkerports EditorS THE MICHAELMAS termomes to a wintry end, one canmagine St. Michael looking backn the past few months feast ofport as an exemplary advert forll that is great about Inter Colegecompetition.George Wyatt round-upThe George Wyatt competition hasroduced several surprises. The men’sarts league has been largely domiatedby one team that over the pastew years hasn’t fared too well in theompetition, Furness. Their team haveanaged to win an emphatic sevenout of seven matches, including hammeringGrad college 9-0, leaving theircompetitors with a lot of work if theywant any chance of catching them; butit is looking unlikely. Bowland have,as usual, started the league well buteven they were no match for Furness,although of course you can never writeoff Bowland, there is no doubt they,and many other teams, will be lookingfor revenge against Furness next term.The women’s darts league is considerablycloser, with just four points separatingthe top four teams at the timeof going to print. County once againlook on course to be competing for theleague, with Fylde also a strong teamlooking capable of over turning theirbad luck of the past few years. GraduateCollege also look like a team to keepa watchful eye on in the women’s darts;keen to take advantage of their gamesLooking for the Crossword? Go to page 19in hand before Christmas and climbthe table.Bowland are leading the way in themen’s A team pool competition but withPendle and County close behind with agame in hand it seems as if this yearspool league is going to go right down tothe last game of the season. The introductionof new rules to the men’s poolleague have been accepted well, after afew minor disagreements at the startof term, and the effect is noticeable aswe no longer see games dragging on allnight long, with players being forced tomake their own decisions rather thanrely on their team mates for advice.The men’s B team pool league is alot more open, with County five pointsclear at the top of the table with a gamein hand. However, the B league has agreat deal of talented players this year,who only narrowly missed out on theircollege A teams, and with Bowland andFylde sitting second and third respectivelywith strong teams, County will belooking over their shoulder warily.The women’s pool league shows thesame teams as the men’s league dominatingthe top of the table. With justtwo points separating Pendle, Countyand Bowland, the skill from femalepool players this year has been impressive.Pendle in particular have beennoticeable for their consistency weekin week out.Noticeable performances from thePendle and Furness dominoes teamssee both sides fighting it out for theleague along with the possibility ofFylde snatching it from the two with amatch in hand.Inter-college Netballround-upMichaelmas term has producedonly one winner with regards to the intercollege netball competition: Fylde.Sitting loftily at the top of the leaguewith a massive score difference of 91points, they will definitely be the teamto beat next term. However, at the halfway stage of the competition, it wouldbe hard to see them losing their grip onthe league.Of course everything can changein a term and with Bowland, Countyand Grizedale all sitting behind Fyldewith 12 points a piece, Fylde only needto slip up in a couple of games beforethe other teams close in. It is hard toimagine anyone other than the aforementionedteams standing a chance inthe league: with Pendle yet to secure apoint at the time of going to print, andFurness and Lonsdale both languishingon six points, it would take a massivecome back for these teams for befighting for top place at the end of theseason. Anything’s possible, though.