Newspaper of the students of the University of Surrey Issue 42 Tuesday 21

st
February 2012
IBEX space-
craft probes
the edges of the
Solar system
UNION NIGHT BAG
SEARCH RAMPAGE
P
resha music society has alleged
that Union security at the Presha
Bass Music night on the 10
th
February
illegally rifed through DJ and
customer bags in an argument over
graffti. Further allegations have also
been made about security aggression
and discrimination.
Members of Presha have
described how security staff
discovered abusive comments
scrawled on the wall of the gents,
causing the head bouncer to enter
the DJ booth area, where the night
organisers and other students were
keeping their belongings.
The bouncer is alleged to have
then started opening cases, bags and
coats looking for a pen.
Presha Treasurer JP said:
Someone wrote something against
the security guards in the toilet and
one of them started searching all the
bags behind the desk There were
lots of rare records too personal
collections.
We havent had this sort of
confict before, but they give us a
hard time treat us really badly.
Society President Oli Barton-
Wood added: I considered this
unacceptable and so stopped the
By Jack White, Editor
Continued on page 3...
Election campaign
gets under way
complete
the survey
DGL security staff, have been accused of illegal property searches and aggressive behaviour. This photo was taken last Friday, a week after the alleged property searches.
Presha accuses Union security of aggression
and illegal bag searches
Security guard alleged to have said, I cant
wait to hurt someone tonight
The frst candidates
forVPSocietiesgivean
idea of what is to come
in their manifesto.
OPINION&ANALYSIS
WhorunstheUnion?
Students look into
the running of our
Union prior to the 2012
elections...Page11
FEATURES
Pancake day recipe, the
woes of Valentines Day
and the exciting world of
British fashion...Page12
SOCIETIES
Issues of censorship
from PENsoc and
Surreys brand new
French Society... Page33
SCIENCEANDTECH
Twitter is proved to
be more addictive than
smoking on page17...
DANCE&THEATRE
WhatisanMAindance
worth? And reviews on
the best stage shows such
as The Kings Speech...
Page23
SPORT
Looking at issues of
race in sport and the
Liverpool-United match...
Page36
LITERATURE
Cupcakes and
Kalashnikovs: Literature
Editor Alexanda Wilks
looks at the best of
womens jounalism...
Page26
Pg 21 Pg 8
EDITORIAL 2 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
LetterfromtheEditor
Jack White Editor
editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
T
his late on in the year, The
Stag would be so lucky
as to have new contributors
coming forward... and yet
we have!
This newspaper thrives on the abilities and drive of
a whole host of different people and we met some more
of them at the recent Refreshers Fayre. We will no doubt
have some new perspectives for you over the coming
months.
Hopefully you are all still thinking about the new
experiences you might have during your stay at Surrey.
Part of being a good student is learning to cope with work,
work, work and play. Try not to fall into too regular a
pattern try new things and check out the list of societies
that have started up this year. Just the other week two
new societies were ratifed by Societies Standing: Can You
Solve This? which aims to highlight a denial of education
to students by the Iranian Government; and UKIP Society,
which adds to Surreys political societies (Labour, Lib-
Dem, Tory and United Anti-Capitalist) in favour of an
anti-immigration, anti-EU and pro-prison Britain.
With the continuing battle against austerity and
recession comes a growing politicisation of the public.
Perhaps now is the time for us all to become more at home
with politics, instead of waiting until graduation, when a
lengthy list of cancelled graduate schemes and low-paid
jobs may beckon.
Life is not always easy, so learning now to deal with
the hiccups and to confront head-on ones problems and
(dare I say it?) ones personal failings will mean a whole
lot less pain later on.
Editor | Jack White
editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Editor-in-Chief | Bakita Kasadha
ussu.communications@ussu.co.uk
DeputyEditor(Design) | Hollie Rowe-Roberts
design@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Design Team | Ellie Brodie, Paul A Richmond, Hannah Roberts-Owen,
Christina Morman, Louisa White and Alexandra Wilks
DeputyEditor(Marketing) | Tom Goulding
marketing@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Marketing Team | Shervin Hejazi, Imogen Jones and Eleanor Pearson
News
NewsEditor | Jyoti Rambhai
news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
News Team | Bethany Goss, Sophie Howard, Geoffrey Pullen
and David Williams
Features
Features Editor | Nicole Vassell
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Features Team | Peter Bailey, Ellie Brodie, Chris Thomas, Hannah
Wann, Becky Powell, Stephen Cartwright, Louisa White, Ellis Taylor
and Sophie Vickery
Science and Technology
Science and Technology Editor | Nathanael Roome
sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Science and Technology Team | Lawrence Finn, Dave Holcombe,
Shourya Khanna, Kate McAtamney, Melissa Raske, Alex Smith and Ruth
Smithers.
Societies
Societies Editor | Wait and see
societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Arts
DanceandTheatreEditor | Hannah Jelliman
dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Dance and Theatre Team | Emily Bourne, Sarah McDowell, Beth
Hedges, Lucy Jarvis, Tiffany Stoneman and Lexi Sutton
Film Editor | Tiffany Tucker
flm@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Film Team | Laura Howard, Caroline James, Kristie Marchant and
Christina Maria Webb
Music Editor | Sophia Field
music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Music Team | James Campbell, Liam Conroy, Dan Davidson, Amy
McGivern, Tanya Noronha
and Elliot Tyres
LiteratureEditor | Alexandra Wilks
literature@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Literature Team | Stephanie Davies, Tom Goulding, Candice Ritchie,
Emily Smart, Emma Thomas and Sophie Vickery
Sport
Sport Editor | Jordan Vine
sport@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Sport Team | Douglas Elder, Arabella Gilby, George Gigney
and Sam Limbert
Copy Editors | Megan Barnacle, Michaela Fulton, Emma Giles, Candice
Ritchie and Louisa White
copyteam@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Webmaster | Andrew Smith
webmaster@thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag is a newspaper editorially dependent on and published by
the University of Surrey Students Union.
The views expressed in the paper are those of the individual
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the educational
team, the whole Students Union or the University of Surrey.
Trinity Mirror (South)
8 Tessa Road, Reading
RG1 8NS
The Stag reserves the right to edit all submissions and the right to
decide which articles are published.
Even less diligent readers might have noticed a number of serious errors in the last
issue of The Stag. We apologise for these mistakes. We can only hold our hands up
and say that University work and family came frst.
The Stag would specifcally like to apologise to Lucy Jarvis, author of Resolution! 2012
in the Dance & Theatre section for a poorly judged text edit. In referring to the
Maxwell Dance Projects The B-Sides, what we referred to as dance hall moves
were specifcally reggae dance hall moves. We are moving to prevent this kind of
mistake happening again.
The
Grapevine
V
P Societies Jake Willis has
suspended the Union funds
of a long list of societies due to
their non-attendance of Societies
Standing, the regular meeting
where general societies business
is discussed and new societies are
passed onto the books.
The halt is embarrassing for
the societies involved, showing a
lack of organisation and drawing
into question the ability of their
account signatories to run the
societies.
Affected groups are:
sabbatical
elections
2012
Looking to stand in the
Sabbatcal Electons?
You can submit your nominaton forms during
Monday 13th February - Friday 9th March
Positons Available:
President
VP Educaton
VP Welfare
VP Societes and Individual Development
VP Sports and Recreaton
For more informaton visit:
www.ussu.co.uk/yourvoice
Apologies and corrections
Big Band
DMS
Presha
Accounting
and Finance
ChemEng
Sociology
Chess
Entrepreneurs
InvestSoc
Juggling and
Circus Skills
Arabic
CSSA
Nepalese
Nigerian
Pakistani
Polish
Russian
Speakers
Tamil
Conservative
Go Green
Skeptic and
Atheist
Nothing but the finest Surrey
opinion, rumour and conjecture
C
E
N
S
O
R
E
D
NEWS 3 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
music to tell the audience what was
going on, only to be hauled away
from the DJ decks fve minutes later
by [Union bar staff].
The allegations do not stop
there: Presha has also stated that
Mr Barton-Wood was initially
refused entry to the Living Room,
because security believed he had
taken drugs and was attempting to
bring drugs into the venue.
He was let in after a search, but
has said that this had also happened
on a previous occasion when he was
denied entry outright. Since then
he says he has been singled out
by Union security, being heckled
mushroom head and stoner.
During the most recent
altercation Mr Barton-Wood also
claims to have heard a security
guard say to a colleague, I cant
wait to hurt someone tonight!
JP called the Union security
team warped and said, We
do a lot of work for free this is
discrimination of a sort. It just
gives a bad vibe.
Union Chief Executive Bob
Anderson responded by saying,
We are aware of this complaint
and an internal investigation is
currently taking place. Once we
have the result of this we will move
to the next stage if any disciplinary
is required. This potentially would
involve talking to DGL, our door
staff provider.
It is important that we look
at this complaint in a fair way and
not pre-judge the outcome and not
have trial by media.
The Union has also raised the
issue of student provocation of
door staff, with tweets to the Union
recent 24-hour Twitter marathon
USSU 24 reading, #ussu24 hey
rubix bouncers, suck my PENISSSS
and #ussu24 so uneducated, yet
you work at a university. Rubix
bouncers, you know who you are!
The allegations raise
serious questions around the
professionalism of the Union door
staff. Other students who would
like to comment on security at
Rubix or the Living Room should
contact The Stag.
Union bouncers may have made illegal search
...Continued from front page
Royal Surrey Director sacked
over irregular transactions
A
director at the Royal
Surrey County Hospital has
been sacked over allegations
of irregular transactions
involving large amounts of
money.
Peter Lewis was an Associate
Director of Informatics until
his suspension and eventual
dismissal last December for
gross misconduct, after the
hospital carried out an internal
investigation following claims
made in November by an external
source.
It is thought the allegations
centre on around 600,000
spent within the Informatics
Department, including 200,000
of unbudgeted spend on one IT
project and 400,000 spent on
projects that the hospital has
now placed on hold pending
further reviews.
The chief executive of the
hospital, Nick Moberly, said the
reasons for dismissing Mr Lewis
included the breach of the Trusts
standards of business conduct
policy and the standing fnancial
instructions.
Mr Moberly also hinted that
there would be a number of
changes to the trusts controls
and management processes.
A spokesman for Surrey
Police confrmed that they have
launched a fraud investigation
after the Trust reported the
matter to Police.
Mr Lewis wife, Sue, was
Chief Operating Offcer and
Deputy Chief Executive of the
hospital but resigned from her
job on February 8
th
following the
dismissal of her husband.
Peter Dunt, the Trusts
Chairman, said the Executive
Board understood and accepted
Ms Lewiss reasons for stepping
down and paid tribute to her
signifcant contribution to the
hospital.
Mr Lewis was unable to
be reached to comment on
his dismissal, but reportedly
told the NHS magazine Health
Service Journal that he was
considering taking the Trust to
an employment tribunal.
By Chris Sibthorpe, News Team
Research shows privatisation put
UK railways to bottom of league
A
new research has revealed
that privatisation has
dumped UK railways at the
bottom of the league with worse
to come under McNulty rail
review.
A report commissioned
by rail union RMT from
research organisation Just
Economics has concluded that
two decades of privatisation,
alongside underinvestment in
infrastructure, has placed the
UKs railways as being the lowest
quality when compared to most
of Europe, whilst still having
ever-soaring fares.
Research shows that on four
out of six key factors fares,
electrifcation, high speed and
passengers to seats the UK
comes last or next to last.
In other parts of Europe facing
privatisation similar to that of
the UK, the system is currently 30
to 40 per cent cheaper to operate,
with predictions of privatisation
leading to similar costly disasters
if the plans are to go ahead.
The UKs railways also carry a
large social and economic cost for
both passengers and the public as
a whole.
Calculations show that a
more affordable, comfortable and
faster railway could generate 324
billion between now and 2050
(9.2 billion) the equivalent of
7 per average journey.
In terms of reduced
congestion, accidents and
emissions, Just Economics
estimate that the social,
economic and environmental
benefts of shifting the UK from
road to rail could potentially
reach 154.8 billion by 2050.
Report author, Eilis Lawlor
from Just Economics said: Our
research puts fgures on what
anyone who has been to France
or Spain already knows; the
UKs railways are poor value for
money.
Instead of proftability being
the primary measure of success,
the wider benefts of the railway
need greater consideration.
Government should act decisively
and make an objective and
transparent assessment of the
best way to organise Britains
railways so as to maximise social,
environmental and economic
value.
By Jyoti Rambhai, News Editor
O
n Wednesday 8
th
February,
NUS President Liam Burns
spoke out over the blocking of
the appointment of preferred
candidate, Professor Les Ebdon to
the post of Director of Offce for
Fair Access.
The block was made by members
of the Business, Innovation and
Skills Select Committee.
The appointment of Mr Ebdon,
openly endorsed by Conservative
Universities Minister David Willets
MP and Liberal Democrat Business
Secretary Vince Cable MP, to the
post of director of the OFFA, was
blocked by Conservative members
of the Business, Innovation and
Skills Select Committee (BIS).
In a committee report, they
state that their actions were due to
concerns over his suitability for the
post.
They argue that Mr Ebdon has
a lack of understanding of the root
causes of the obstacles facing fair
access to university in the UK.
The report recommended
that the department for Business
Innovation and Skills begin a new
recruitment exercise.
Mr Ebdon had previously given
evidence to the committee during
which he declared that, as director
of the OFFA, he would be prepared
to use the nuclear option of
preventing universities charging
higher fees if they did not meet
his criteria for the fair selection
of students from lower income
backgrounds.
Mr Ebdon has said that he is
still interested in the role despite
the outcome of the vote.
The National Union of Students
condemned the move; NUS
President, Liam Burns said: The
allegation that Professor Ebdon,
the respected vice chancellor of
a university with huge success
of widening participation, lacks
adequate knowledge of access
issues is so utterly bizarre and ill-
founded that is almost laughable.
In truth, this has nothing to do
with Professor Ebdons experience
of getting those from poorer
backgrounds into university and
everything to do with an old boys
network of elite vice-chancellors
thinking that they can pick their
own watchdog.
How are students expected to
have confdence in the Offce for Fair
Access if the proper appointments
process is undermined and the
preferred candidate of ministers is
nobbled because university heads
fear he might actually use his
powers to hold them to account?
After years of OFFA as a
toothless watchdogstudents
confdence in OFFA fulflling its
crucial mission is now at breaking
point.
The issue will now refer back to
David Willets and Vince Cable who
can still insist that Mr Ebdon takes
up the post.
NUS says blocking candidate for director of
OFFA could undermine students fair access
By John Kavangh, News Team
NUS favourite for the post of Director of the Offce of Fair Access, Les Ebdon

M
i
l
l
i
o
n
+
Weareawareofthiscomplaintandaninternal
investigationiscurrentlytakingplace.
UnionChiefExecutive
Icantwaittohurt
someone tonight!
Record collection
andbagssaidtohave
been left scattered.
NEWS 4 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
C
elebrate Surrey is an event
taking place this year, in
line with the UK hosting the
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
It is a programme of
public events, recognising
the contribution that the
University of Surrey makes to
the intellectual, economic and
cultural life of the community.
This event enables the
opportunity to mark and
participate in these wider
national celebrations and
includes everything from public
lectures and arts performances
to Olympic-themed master
classes and sporting fxtures and
competitions.
The University of Surrey is
recognised as one of the UKs
leading professional, scientifc
and technological universities
with a world-class research
profle and a reputation for
excellence in teaching and
learning.
The University is also
developing its reputation in
promoting the arts, through
events such as Celebrate Surrey,
and considers the arts both as
an academic discipline as well
as a way in which to support the
creative industries.
Chief Executive at Surrey
Sports Park, Paul Blanchard
comments: Celebrate Surrey
aims to build and strengthen
awareness among local, national
and international audiences
about our contribution to
intellectual life, the arts, sport
and well-being at a variety of
levels.
The University of Surrey
is a world-class provider of
learning, teaching and research,
and our state-of-the-art Surrey
Sports Park is a training camp
for a number of Olympic teams
and athletes. We hope that our
programme of lively events
will provide food for thought
and entertainment during this
important year.
Celebrate Surrey
By Sophie Howard, News Team
I
t has emerged that pay-day
loan companies, often referred
to as legal loan sharks have been
targeting cash-strapped students.
The website, SmartyPig.com
offers loans for students. They
advertise that students can have
the ability to borrow money until
they receive their next student
loan cheque and offers loans for up
to 90 days.
Despite SmartyPig presenting
themselves as an ethical loans
company, they still charge a
standard 855 per cent APR.
Although this is a lower rate
than some payday lenders, a
student waiting until their next
loan to come through, could end
up paying back almost as much
as someone borrowing a similar
amount, but who are getting paid
more regularly.
SmartyPig.com also goes
by its twitter username @
justforstudents.
NUS Vice President of Welfare,
Pete Mercer said: SmartyPig
should immediately stop aiming
their services at students. They
style themselves as a friend of
students but in reality they are
anything but.
Some of their tweets are
very misleading, even implying
that NUS would be supportive of
their loans when we have grave
reservations about such credit.
Chair of the National Associate
of Student Money Advisers, Lynne
Condell said: Adverts and websites
are made to look very plausible
and in some cases even affordable
but borrowing your way out of
fnancial diffculties is never a
good option no matter how easy it
seems in the advert.
We would urge students to
approach the support services
within their university or college
in the frst instance if they need
money urgently as there may be
other funds they can access that
are non repayable or in the least do
not come with such high interest
rates attached to them.
An average student loan in
the academic year 2010/2011 was
3,650, or 1216 per term.
A loan of 250 over 90 days
would mean 162.50 of just interest
and fees, which is 13 per cent of the
average loan payment. The total
payment of 412.50 would be 34%.
So it can be said that students
could potentially be trapped in a
cycle of loan payments if they keep
running out of cash.
Payday lender Wonga stopped
advertising loans that were
specifcally targeting students in
January following a public outrage.
MP Stella Creasy stated: We
urgently need the government
to act to cap the costs of credit
and give British consumers the
protection other citizens across
the world enjoy from this industry.
I urge students not to be taken
in by this company and to approach
their student union welfare
advisors or a local credit union if
they are in fnancial diffculties.
Outrage as another loan company targets students
By Jyoti Rambhai, News Editor
L
ast week, higher education
experts discussed the revelation
that two-thirds of larger graduate
employers use a 2:1 to flter
applications.
The recent Graduate
AnswerTime event heard that over
two-thirds of large employers
judge a graduates employability by
whether they managed to receive
a 2:1, a statistic which has risen
drastically in the last two years.
The Guardian Careers Site
recently created a poll which
revealed that 60 per cent of readers
believed that the method of
routinely sifting applications lower
than a 2:1 should be stopped.
Indeed, later this year the new
Higher Education Achievement
Report (Hear) will allow a fairer
measure of students abilities by
working in conjunction with the
already existing degree grades.
Whilst the Association of
Graduate Recruiters (AGR)
supported the results of the Hear
report, Carl Gilleard, chief executive
of AGR, revealed that 75 per cent of
its member organisations used the
2:1 to sift and select applications.
Gilleard justifed this way of
selecting graduate applicants by
explaining that it was an easier,
quicker and legal way of reducing
the volume of applications.
Furthermore, the employment
adviser for the British Chamber of
Commerce (BCC), Abigail Morris,
has suggested that for medium
sized and smaller enterprises,
there simply isnt enough time to
sort through so many applicants
and so use the 2:1.
However, she also revealed that
many employers have a lack of trust
in degree qualifcations in general
and only 45 per cent out of 6,000
said that they would be happy and
confdent to employ a graduate.
It has been suggested by Mark
Fuller, communications director of
the 1994 Group of universities that
some graduates tend to rely on the
degree itself and lack the skills with
which they could sell themselves.
He emphasises that candidates
dont use the experiences that they
have gained at university to realise
the potential of their employability.
A survey this week on graduate
skills, created by the Centre
of Applied Positive Psychology
and proposed by Ernst & Young,
revealed that students were
better at problem solving and
building relationships than time
management and lacked resilience
and the ability to take risks.
Stephen Isherwood from Ernst
& Young stressed that the degree
is no longer enough, with only 25
per cent of applicants having all
the skills required. He accentuated
the huge importance of building a
CV to enable that frst step on the
career ladder which is often the
hardest.
Isherwood further highlighted
that these experiences need to have
started in secondary school rather
than the last year of university. If
you want career success, dont rely
on a degree; experiences and skills
count for just as much as those
numbers.
Get a 2:1 and you have the
best chance at getting a job
By Rachel Thomason, News Team
R
oyal Surrey County Hospital
has issued a warning after a
sudden increase in the number
of people showing symptoms of a
stomach bug.
Anyone suffering from
diarrhoea and vomiting within
the last 48 hours should not go to
hospital.
Royal Surrey have said that
the bug is highly infectious;
therefore people who are
showing symptoms should not
visit patients because of the high
risk in spreading the illness.
Anyone who is showing
symptoms should go to the A&E
only, in a genuine emergency.
Those who have an urgent
appointment at the hospital
are advised to contact the
department to check before they
attend.
If you have not shown
stomach bugs symptoms in last
48 hours, you are allowed to
visit the hospital, but you are
advised to wash your hands at
every opportunity using the
hand rubs around the hospital in
order to minimise the spread of
infections.
Hospital warns stomach bug
sufferers to not visit hospital
By Jyoti Rambhai, News Editor
Celebrate Surrey will take place at Surrey Sports Park
NEWS 5 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
P
op legend Whitney Houston
was found dead at the Beverly
Hilton hours before she was due to
perform at a pre-Grammys party.
The singer was found in a
bathtub at the hotel on Saturday
11 February and pronounced dead
at 3:55pm. Offcials have said that
no foul play has been suspected.
There have been reports of
prescription bottles found in the
stars fourth-foor room, however,
investigators are yet to confrm
this along with any other evidence
recovered at the scene.
Assistant Chief Coroner
Ed Winter has stated that
whilst a post-mortem has been
completed, details would not be
released following a request from
detectives. The exact cause of
Whitneys death could take up
to six to eight weeks pending on
toxicology reports.
Whitney Houston was one of
the worlds best-selling artists
during the 1980s and 1990s; and
she carried this success into the
flm industry, appearing in the
blockbuster hit, The Bodyguard.
She was due to appear at the
annual pre-Grammy party of her
record producer and long-time
mentor, Clive Davis.
Houstons eighteen year-old
daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was
admitted to Los Angeles hospital
the following day (Sunday
12) suffering from stress and
exhaustion as a result of her
mothers death.
Houstons death has also
prompted tributes by some of the
biggest names within the music
industry including, Mariah Carey,
whom Houston recorded the duet
When You Believe in 1998, Simon
Cowell, and her Godmother,
Aretha Franklin are some of the
many who have spoken out.
Whitney Houston has been
described as one of the greatest
singers of all time a true
superstar that will be missed by
friends, family and fans.
Fans and friends pay tribute
to pop legend Whitney Houston
By Jyoti Rambhai, News Editor

a
s
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6
1
1
I
n an unprecedented initiative,
student union leaders from
around the world, including the
National Unions of Students
(NUS) will be joining the Peace
One Day movement to mobilise
international students on Peace
Day in support of Peace One Days
Global Truce 2012 campaign.
Peace One Day is one of the
largest global campaigns that
occurs annually on 21
st
September.
Its a day for wide-scale
community action for UN agencies
and aid organizations to carry out
life-saving work, contributing and
assisting to those in need.
The launch of this historic
student partnership coincides
with NUSs 90th anniversary and
NUS President, Liam Burns said:
Young people have the power
to make the changes the world
needs and as the largest student
organisation in the world NUS is
proud to be involved in the Global
Truce 2012 campaign.
Public commitment including
the support from students assists
in mobilising international
students on Peace Day using
creative methods to lead this
process world-wide.
Founder, Mr. Jeremy Gilley
stated: Students can gather and
encourage each other together
for music or sports events,
conferences, exhibitions and
debates all in the name of peace.
Actor and Peace One Day
Ambassador, Jude Law states:
The involvement of students
around the world will bring
us another step closer to the
institutionalisation of an annual
Peace Day and I am proud to be
supporting the process.
To date, the campaign has
travelled to Afghanistan resulting
in the vaccination against Polio
and reducing violent incidents in
countries experiencing confict.
For more information visit:
www.peaceoneday.org
NUS starts new partnership with
Peace One Day: A Global Campaign
By Hanane Zahrouni, News Team
O
n Wednesday 9
th
November, the
Duke of Kent visited Guildford
to unveil a plaque celebrating the
opening of G Live.
This London Road arts and
entertainment venue has been
open to the public since September
2011 and has since hosted 14 sell
out shows for over 35,000 visitors
including comedy nights, concerts,
family shows and live bands.
Previous performances have
included the Kaiser Chiefs and the
musical Blood Brothers.
The venue, which replaced
the Guildford Civic, was given
a 25,000,000 investment from
the towns borough council and
boasts a 1000 seat or 1,700 standing
auditorium, fexible 100 seat
studio, meeting rooms, a number
of bars and a caf.
On arrival the Duke was met by
a number of people including MP
Anne Milton, the architects on the
project and representatives of the
Guildfords arts organisations.
About 40 people, including the
Mayor of Guildford, attended the
unveiling which was preceded by
a reception in the venue which
allowed attendees to chat with the
Duke while a string quartet played.
The building which was built
by Wilmott Dixon Construction
and designed by Austin-Smith has
been awarded an Excellent rating
by BREEAM (BRE Environmental
Assessment Method) for its
environmental benefts and
sustainable design.
Upcoming performances
include comedian Jimmy Carr,
musician Joe Brown, rock band Thin
Lizzy and the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra.
Duke of Kent celebrates opening
of Guildford entertainment venue
By Melissa Raske, News Team
Once a darling of the pop music world, Houston fell prey to the excesses of that industry and became a well-known addict.
Duke of Kent celebrated the new G live theatre in Guildford town centre
Peace One Day collaborate with the NUS in support of the Global Truce 2012
campaign
NEWS 6 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
VisittheLRC
Concoursetofllout
theNSSandhelp
makeSurreybetter!
U
niversity of Surrey Professor
Alf Adams, aka the
Grandfather of Modern Lasers,
will present his groundbreaking
research at an Inaugural Lecture
at the Royal Society in London on
Monday 27
th
February 2012.
From 7pm and for 7.50,
Concessions 5, Professor Alf
Adams is the frst of hopefully
many lecturers to highlight the
research done at the University
with his Lecture entitled
Semiconductor Lasers Take The
Strain.
Professor Adams work on
strained quantum-well lasers
was recently named as one of the
Top Ten greatest UK scientifc
breakthroughs of all time.
Such lasers are being
used in everyday life, from
telecommunications and medical
technology to being a central
element in the new ultrafast
broadband and DVD players.
Because of their high wall-
plug effciency and high output
power, strained quantum-well
lasers are likely to play a key role
in the future for displays and
solid-state lighting.
During the lecture, Alf
will briefy explain how lasers
work and why the introduction
of strain into semiconductor
crystals enhances their ability
to produce light. He will present
examples and a demonstration
showing why they are now such
key components in modern
technology.
University of Surreys
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir
Christopher Snowden said: The
University is pleased to mark the
ground-breaking achievements of
Professor Alf Adams career with
the new lecture series.
It is particularly ftting that
Professor Adams is giving the
inaugural lecture which also
marks 25 years since the strained
laser breakthrough.
This laser technology, which
was commercialised, is now used
in almost all laser applications
worldwide at the heart of
applications as diverse as DVD
players to telecoms to checkout
counter scanners and was
recently classifed as the 5th most
important discovery of all time.
By Bethany Goss, News Team
Grandfather of modern lasers to
present research at Royal Society
A
new campaign calling for
fairer treatment of interns
has been launched by the Trade
Unions Coalition (TUC) and the
National Union of Students (NUS).
The collaboration between
the TUC and NUS aims to tackle
the perceived injustice towards
unpaid interns.
Internships are common
in industry, particularly
within popular careers such as
journalism and media, with many
young people working full time
jobs and forgoing pay for the
promise of work experience.
Rights for Interns, the TUC
initiative was launched along
with its NUS compatriot Unfair
Unpaid Illegal campaign on
Monday 6
th
January with the
assertion that unpaid internships
amount to exploitation and even
illegal labour.
TUC Deputy General Secretary,
Frances OGrady said: Too many
employers are ripping off young
people by employing them in
unpaid internships.
Ms OGrady also commented
that the current treatment
towards interns was both unfair
and probably illegal.
The TUC believes that full
time unpaid internships are only
available to those with wealthy
backgrounds whose parents can
support them through a period
of up to and beyond 6 months
without income.
NUS Vice President, Dannie
Grufferty said: This presents a
fundamental barrier to many of
the most competitive professions
for the millions of young people
who cannot afford to work for
free.
Social mobility within the UK
in recent years has hit an all time
low with an OECD report in 2010
reporting Great Britain to have
fallen below the US in terms of
opportunities for young people
from lower income families to
move away from their working
class background.
Without the necessary
experience to enter industry the
TUC is concerned that the more
competitive careers will become
exclusive to those from affuent
backgrounds. Currently over 50
per cent of the United Kingdoms
top journalists are privately
educated as are 70 per cent of high
court judges.
This comes a year after Prime
Minister David Cameron rejected
pleas from the Liberal Democrat
coalition partners to prevent
nepotism in internships. The
Prime Minister was reported
to be relaxed over offering
opportunities to the children of
close friends, neighbours and
relatives.
By David Williams, News Team
Campaign launched for
fair treatment of interns
T
he National Student Survey
(NSS) is an annual survey open
to all fnal year undergraduates
across England, Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland on their time
at their university.
The NSS is entering its eighth
year and the University of Surrey
has been taking part since the very
beginning.
The survey is a government
initiative that was introduced in
2005 as part of a Higher Education
quality assurance system, which
allows more information on
teaching quality to be obtained.
The survey is conducted by an
independent research company,
Ipsos MORI, and commissioned
by the Higher Education Funding
Council for England (HEFCE).
The NSS focuses on the academic
side of the students experience at
university. There are also other
surveys conducted throughout the
year that focus on other aspects
of the student experience, such
as accommodation, facilities
available, social life etc.
The questions asked in the
survey enable students to provide
feedback on a range of topics
including academic support
received during their study,
organisation and management of
their course, satisfaction levels
on lectures and communication
between staff and students.
The results of the survey are
anonymous and are made publicly
available to help prospective
students choose where to study.
Last year, the University of
Surrey received its best overall
student-satisfaction score of 87 per
cent, an increase of 5 per cent from
the year before.
The University also achieved a
73 per cent response rate last year
with 2410 students taking part in
the NSS. This year the university
is hoping to beat that by getting
80 per cent of the 2600 fnal year
students to participate.
A spokesperson for the
University of Surrey explained
why it is important for students
to fll out this survey: The results
impact the university in a number
of ways.
The frst thing we do with
the data is to look at how each
Department within a Faculty is
performing. This way we can work
on ways to improve specifc areas
of the University.
The second is that we compare
our results nationally amongst
other universities to inform our
overall approach to improving the
student experience at Surrey.
The survey went live on
February 6
th
and members of staff
and student have been promoting
the NSS around campus, with the
slogan I Love Surrey in order to
make students more aware of it.
The survey can only be flled
out once by a student and those
that do fll it out will receive a 3.50
voucher to spend on campus.
President of the National Union
of Students (NUS), Liam Burns
stated: The National Student
Survey is an important tool for
identifying areas of concern
amongst students.
...The results show only very
slight increases in overall student
satisfaction, and at a time of
severe funding pressures it is more
important than ever that students
are involved in shaping their
curriculum to ensure progress is
made in the future.
The survey can be flled out
online and accessed via SurreyNet
or through visiting www.surrey.
ac.uk
By Jyoti Rambhai, News Editor
Have your say in the
National Student Survey
Theannualsurveyoffnal-yearstudentsisthebest
chancetovoicepraiseandcondemnationofSurrey
UNPAID INTERNSHIPS
WE CANT WORK FOR FREE
For more details see www.nus.org.uk/unpaidinternships
or pop into your local students union
TELL YOUR CAREERS SERVICE THEY ARE ILLEGAL
AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE ADVERTISING THEM
Supported by
NUS and the Trades Union Congress have launched a campaign against unpaid
internships, which they consider illegal.
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UNION 8 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
UnionElections
ThenominationperiodfortheelectionofnextyearsmostseniorStudentsUnionoffcershasopenedandThe Stag is
talking to candidates about exactly what it is they want to achieve for Surrey students, and to current post-holders
aboutwhattheyhavedonethisyearandwhatcandidatesshouldbepreparedfor.
President VP Education VP Welfare VP Societies VP Sport
Remember!
Nominations are open until 5pm on Friday 9
th
March
YOU could be one of the successful candidates!
Visit: www.ussu.co.uk/yourvoice for details
Candidates for VP Societies
ChrisDighton Em Bollon
JadeRoberts StevenSalazar
O
ne main focus would be
to help to support new
societies starting up; making
sure they had all the available
resources they would need to
ensure a smooth start up, with
regular check ins in the frst
few months to make sure they
feel supported. I also want
more effective communication
in the handover period of
societies.
People often forget the
Individual Development part
of the job title. Therefore, not
only would I be looking at the
society as a whole, but also
helping the individuals within
it.
I believe it is vital to have
experience of being involved
with a society for this role. As
the current President of the
Nurses Society, I have already
gained many skills that would
help me as a VP. We organised
a Nurses Freshers Week for
the nursing intake of 2011,
which not only gave me the
responsibility of helping a
large group of people settle
into the University, but due
to turnout, doubled our
society funds. We also held
forums for worried students.
All of this has improved my
organisational, leadership and
delegating skills which are
fundamental for this role.
If I am to describe myself
in three words, they would be
enthusiastic, approachable
and trustworthy.
So, will you JoinJade?
F
irstly I want to change
Societies Standings I
believe that if a new society
wants to be approved, then
it must highlight how it will
beneft the Union and students
as well as provide ideas of
how it will raise the money
and interest to stay active.
This would lead to me helping
evaluate societies by having
these three criteria we allow
more scope for their success
can be judged and monitored
throughout the year.
Individual Development is
a vital aspect of the role and I
believe that more is needed in
this regard. This can be done
through society involvement
and I believe a large proportion
of the student body is missing
out. Societies should be
promoted all year around and
I will strive to carry this out.
During my time here at
the University, I have been
President of the Politics
Society, Vice Chair of Surrey
Labour Students, Deputy Head
of Music for GU2 and a RAG Rep
Team Leader. I have strived
to be involved in as many
societies as possible to give
something back to the Union.
I am also a Peer Mentor for
students in my department,
being a source of guidance
and help if required which has
given me the ability to listen to
problems and try to fnd a way
to solve them to bring out the
best in everyone.
S
ocieties have been a huge
part of my university
experience and I think
its important to discover,
explore and develop passions
beyond your initial studies.
If I were elected, I would
hope to ease the way for
better communication and
collaboration between
societies. I also believe that
in order for students to really
beneft from these incredible
opportunities, they must
be accessible and promoted
well! I am a big fan of videos.
I always endeavour to see
the best in people and I am
passionate about encouraging
and enabling others to step
out of their comfort zones
achieving more than they
imagined possible.
My experience includes
being President of the Gospel
Choir for two years and
Musical Director for three,
as well as being the womens
Captain for the Ultimate
Frisbee Team last year and this
years Creative Director for
iGala. I am involved in other
societies and sports clubs too.
Please keep an eye out for
my campaigning, and come
say Hi!
I
would like to promote more
inter-society development
and communication. What
Ive noticed with international
societies is that they often
fnd it diffcult to interact
with other societies. What I
would like to develop is some
sort of Societies Week with
events such as sports to draw
in the crowd so people can get
involved and feel proud.
As the President of
MechSoc I have noticed that
society training for new and
reactivated societies is rarely
available if they miss the
training given at the start of
the year. What I would like to
do is to provide regular society
training for committees so
people dont just meander
through the year. That way
they can fgure out what they
want to do with the society.
At the Societies Executive
I am the Departmental
Societies Offcer which
entails representing all of
the departmental societies. It
is diffcult for departmental
societies to get people involved
so I work on promoting
this with events such as a
departmental sports day.
I have a fairly
comprehensive background
of leadership, such as with
the Air Cadets and with Youth
groups. I am also an active
member of MadSoc and will
be in various productions over
the next few months.
Are you running?
Know a candidate?
GET IN TOUCH
We want to get statements from all
the candidates, and have all the
candidates responding to each other
in these pages.
If you know something or someone,
wewanttoknowtoo!
Email:editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
1. Confdence. Ive developed
much more confdence
in myself and the role
over this year, and could
have used more of it
at the start to really
get the ball rolling on
projects much earlier,
and standing my ground
on key issues.
2. Most common is talking
with students on the
issues that are affecting
them and fnding some
way to sort them out or
advising them on actions
to take themselves.
There are also the long-
form projects, whether
they be something
structural like the
Societies Development
Programme or event-
based like iFestival.
3. Criticism is always a hard
thing to take, especially
when youre in a job to do
what you believe is best
for the vast majority of
students.
4.Ive increased the
amount of training
and development
opportunities to
students, and this is
something that will
continue until I leave
offce. We now have
a Societies Start-Up
Budget, that will be
reformed slightly ready
for next year.
Jake Willis
Union VP Societies
UNION 9 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
A
few years ago when I was
in school in Sudan I was
nominated to run for schools
Head Boy. At the time I wanted to
challenge myself so I decided to sit
my IGCSE exams a year early and
leave my year group. I passed all
my exams and left the country to
come to Reading University for my
foundation program, and then to
study Civil Engineering I came to
Surrey University.
At that time I was wondering if
I had made the right choice to skip
a year, because I thought that my
chance to represent students and
infuence decisions had gone. So
when coming to Surrey University
I had enjoyed being at Reading
and being a part of RAG where I
helped raise 40, 000. In my second
year at Surrey I was elected as
president of a society as well as
class representative. Doing all of
this I still wasnt satisfed I felt
that I could offer more and help
the students so in my fnal year I
decided to run for Union offce.
I went for Vice-President
of Societies & Individual
Development, at the time I had
just come back from placement
and I didnt know a lot of people.
The ambition and the self belief
that you have in yourself will
always help you get what you want.
Please do not let anything get in
your way and if you are interested
in representing students or in
improving your fellow students
lives at Surrey then nominate
yourself and encourage others to
run in these elections as well.
In my Presidential election I
ran against my fellow colleague VP
Education at the time. The election
was called the Clash of the Titans!
Dont be scared to run against
your friends or colleagues or even
against someone with experience,
because at the end of the day if we
are passionate about something
then this will come across when we
engage with students when we are
running our campaign.
Elections are so exciting
because you get the chance to speak
to so many students and engage
with them. It also gives students
the opportunity to unite and vote
for the ones who will represent
them in the next academic year.
Please remember that if you get
elected that every time you are in
a meeting or making a decision it
is to the best knowledge what the
student want and not what your
personal preferences are.
Campaigning gives you a great
opportunity to develop your skills
and also teaches you to delegate and
allow your friends and supporters
to give you ideas and feedback.
This is important because it is a
very long and tiring process and by
having the support of your friends
this will give you the belief you
want to get through this.
The feeling of winning an
election is unbelievable, but as we
all know we cannot be so lucky all
the time. Sometimes you might
believe you are the best candidate
but you do not win the election, do
not be upset remember to always
take the positives out of it and this
will help you become a stronger
person. If you do win then also
consult the ones that ran against
you, there might be some ideas that
they wanted to achieve that can be
better than yours, at the end of the
day we all want the best for our
fellow students.
Introduction to Elections
Osama Salih
Union President
sabbatical
elections
2012
Looking to stand in the
Sabbatcal Electons?
You can submit your nominaton forms during
Monday 13th February - Friday 9th March
Positons Available:
President
VP Educaton
VP Welfare
VP Societes and Individual Development
VP Sports and Recreaton
For more informaton visit:
www.ussu.co.uk/yourvoice
The Stag asked the Sabb offcers
of 2011/12 a couple of questions
this week to fnd out what they
havegainedfromtheirroleinthe
Union:
1. What skills have you developed
in offce that you wish youd have
had more of when you started?
2. What are your most common
tasks?
3. When have you felt most
challenged?
4. What have you achieved, with
reference to your manifesto?
1. Financial management and
commercial awareness.
2. Team management, supporting
vps and communicating
with universities senior
management.
3. When we had to make a
discussion about changing the
pension provider that affected
all our staff.
4. Improved the communication
using the new website, pop-
up union, presidents surgery,
student media and review
panel.
Osama Salih
Union President
1. Your usual transferable skills
are really harnessed in this
role - the responsibility of
being a trustee alongside a
sabb means your time-keeping,
relationship-building and
decision making are improved.
Anything we do must be for
the beneft of our members;
that is all Surrey students.
Ive noticed throughout my
time as VP Welfare, that my
ability to think objectively
before undertaking any project
or making any decisions has
blossomed. What evidence do
I have that this is what Surrey
students want has become
something of an internal
catchphrase.
2. My regular tasks are liaison,
and relationship-management
with the Universitys care
services. Only through a
strong relationship and
mutual respect between these
groups can we achieve the best
outcomes for Surrey students. I
am always working with these
groups, and many others,
to ensure students current
opinion is represented and
acted upon. I also spend a large
amount of time speaking with
students/responding to emails
regarding non-academic
concerns, be they queries for
help, or complaints about a
University service.
3. The obvious shouts could be
the so-called stabbing or
burglaries, but if Im honest, I
didnt feel challenged at these
points; I felt as though I thrived
as a result of previous learning.
The biggest challenge for me,
I suppose, was building the
relationships with University
senior management at the early
stages of the year - failure to
build those relationships early
on could have led to poorer
outcomes for students for the
rest of the year.
4. Once Welcome to Guildford
is implemented ahead of the
2012/13 academic years new
starters; I will have completed
everything I promised in my
manifesto. This is planned,
just needs to be done! I have
worked with Security & the
Police on campus safety
matters, and whilst this is, of
course, an ongoing project, in
terms of my manifesto point,
it has been met. I have worked
alongside sports and societies
to broaden the impact of the
welfare provision for them. My
fnal point was to work with
University staff to maximise
outcomes for Surrey students;
through forging strong
relationships with University
staff, I feel I have done this, and
am able to leave a relationship
structure behind for my
successor to capitalise on.
Dave Halls
Union VP Welfare
1. Striking the work/life balance,
and making sure I was enjoying
my life outside of the role/
The ability to delegate tasks,
making sure I have the time
to do the most important
tasks./ The ability to effectively
communicate ideas in meetings,
it was very tough at frst.
2. Attending committee meetings
representing the student
viewpoint, answering Academic
Rep inquiries, analysing
academic appeal cases.
3. Attending a University
committee meeting when I
was isolated in my defence of
students, I had to work hard
to ensure that they took into
consideration and acted on
what was being presented to
them.
4. The Academic Rep system
continues to develop, we trained
more than ever this year,
offering more opportunities
for engaged academic reps to
attend meetings with senior
academics.
Sam Ratzer
Union VP Education
OPINION&ANALYSIS 11 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
Opinion&Analysis
Message to the Union:
Pay the Living Wage
T
he Living Wage is becoming
a serious issue on campus.
Recent Stag articles have advocated
it and Surrey Labour Students are
petitioning for the University to
pay at least the Living Wage to its
entire staff. This demonstrates a
get up and go attitude that has
got to be applauded. Sadly though,
the Students Union also falls short,
by only paying minimum wage to
many of its staff.
I raised this with a member of
Surrey Labour Students, who also
sits on the Union Executive. His view
was that it would be best if students
got the University to pay the Living
Wage frst. There is defnitely logic
to this. If the University changed
its ways, the Union would do too.
But, if the Union stepped up frst,
the University would also be more
inclined to do so. Regardless, the
Union should be trying to make
students better off and shouldnt
only act once the University has.
The Students Union, after all,
is meant to be dedicated to the
welfare of its members. Yet it pays
many of those members the bare
minimum. As a Union we provide
employment to students not just
to pull pints for other students,
but to help them pay their way
through University. To do this well,
the Union needs to pay a wage that
refects the costs of being a student
in Guildford. Of course theres a
cost to this, but paying students
the minimum you can get away
with is an appalling thing to do.
The rate we pay student staff is one
of the few things the Union directly
controls that has the potential to
make a huge difference to student
welfare. Its time the Union starts
thinking up creative ways to pay
for a Living Wage.
Matthew
Barker
Who runs the Union?
Its evidently not girls
T
his article has been inspired
by two others: one written
by Estelle Hart (NUS National
Women's Offcer) and the other by
Alexandra Wilks, The Stags very
own Literature Editor.
Harts article, Stand up and
be counted, available on the NUS
website, brings to light the
startling underrepresentation
of women NUS roles: last year
no women stood to be National
President; only seven of NUS
55 presidents have been women;
in the last four years there have
been 12 candidates for National
President only two of whom have
been women.
Wilks article, available on
page 26, comments on a new book
that identifes the best female
journalists of the last 100 years and
draws attention to the fact that,
in American national newspapers,
only 27% of front page bylines are
written by women (source:Centre
for Media Literacy).
Clearly, these articles cover
different felds, but unsettlingly
they highlight a possible trend.
Last year in the University of
Surrey Students Union sabbatical
elections, only three out of the
ffteen candidates were women.
Similarly for four months, until
this academic years by-elections
held in October, one out of the
possible thirteen Union Executive
positions was held by a female.
After said elections, two out of
the thirteen positions are now
currently held by women, none
of which include the fulltime
sabbatical roles. Just over 50% of
the student population is female.
This article was in no way
written to suggest that women
should be elected simply because
they are women, but it is
suggesting that the candidacy of
student elections held at Surrey
(across all positions) should
refect the Surrey student body.
No one can be forced to
stand in elections; if you want to
represented, be active and be the
change. Its your voice; use it.
Think: am I the change?
Bakita
Kasadha
The future NHS: service
cuts or patient choice?
A
squeeze on public funds
has led to calls for the NHS
to be streamlined and for it to
provide only the most essential
of healthcare services such as
A&E, life-saving surgery and
life-prolonging treatments such
as chemotherapy. The need for
fnancial restraint in the NHS is
clear: Liam Byrne MP was brutally
honest when he told his successor
at the Treasury that there was
no money left. However, I dont
believe that cuts are the right
answer.
Over the past 15 years the
NHS has not only developed into
a truly worldclass healthcare
provider, but it has also become
an institution that offers the
freedom of choice to its patients.
Not content with achieving the
lowest waiting times and highest
satisfaction rates in history, the
NHS under New Labour aimed to
empower patients by providing
additional optional services.
One of the many services
made more widely available on
the NHS in recent years is in vitro
fertilisation (IVF). Put simply, this
service provides those who are
unable to have children naturally
with a chance to have their own
family. IVF is expensive and the
service is generally subject to a
postcode lottery, but its general
availability has been praised
by the medical profession and
patients.
I believe that a womans choice
to have their own child is a right,
even if they require IVF to do so.
Others would argue that having a
baby isnt a life or death situation,
and that adoption should be
seriously considered. To argue this
is to ignore a number of emotional
arguments: whilst I fully support
adoption where appropriate, it
isnt unreasonable for a woman
to want to give birth to her own
child. For those who cant afford
to go private, why should they be
denied by the NHS?
For me the NHS is at its best
when it pushes the boundaries
of what is deemed as normal in
the world of public healthcare.
Our generation is lucky to have
received some of the best public
healthcare in the world where
the NHS goes, other public
systems generally follow. Offering
patient choice is no different and
Britain should be proud of being a
world leader in this area.
I frmly believe that patient
choice must be at the centre of
public healthcare in Britain.
Rather than economic challenges
automatically leading to cuts
we should instead re-build the
NHS for the future. This means
continuing to fund optional
services such as IVF: they may not
save lives, but they contribute to
the quality of life that we often
take for granted.
You often hear that you dont
know what you have till its gone.
We truly cant afford to let go of
the NHS and everything it offers.
Daniel
Stevens
Students, we must work to stop
our declining financial situation
W
ell over a year in and
student opposition to the
Governments changes to education
funding rumbles on.
Conservatives have been trying
to prevent Les Ebdon, currently
Vice Chancellor of the University
of Bedfordshire and Chair of the
Million+ group of universities from
being appointed as the Director
of the Offce of Fair Access (OFFA).
Ebdon is favoured by the NUS
because of his record on improving
access to Higher Education for the
working class. His appointment
however seems to be in the bag since
the Prime Minister announced
that he was not able to overrule
the wishes of Vince Cable. Cable is
also backed by Tory universities
minister David Willetts.
Unemployment in Britain has
now risen for the eighth month
running and will shortly hit the
three million mark. It is simply
ridiculous to think, as Cables
opposition does, that fair access
is solely about slightly higher
numbers of state-school entrants
to Oxbridge.
With ever-growing numbers of
middleclass parents falling lower
down the economic scale, Oxbridge
or even the whole Russell Group
will not suffce. With the new fees
arrangement meaning that lower
performing institutions will suffer
further, now is the time for a more
comprehensive overhaul of fair
access policy. We must mitigate
against the effects of the 9,000
fees by getting the best students
from the worst schools into
institutions where their motivation
is not stunted by anxiety over
their personal fnances. This must
include a return to cash bursaries
instead of the fawed idea of fee
waivers.
Surrey Union hopes to propose
a motion at the NUS National
Conference in April calling for
a halt to the declining fnancial
situation for students nationwide
and the start of new ways of
working to reduce our living costs
and catastrophic rents, by new
engagement with forward-thinkers
like Ebdon and Cable.
Jack White
FEATURES 12 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Features
C
ome the 14
th
February its roses,
chocolates and Clinton cards
galore, all in the name of romance.
An ordinary Tuesday transformed
in to, supposedly, the most
romantic day of the year partly
due to tradition, and largely down
to its Hallmark Holiday status.
Whether you love it or hate it, you
cant really escape it, with the
constant reminders in the shops
and restaurants from the beginning
of the month encouraging you to
show your love to your nearest and
dearest in the form of a 3 card and
an expensive bottle of wine.
But once the candlelit dinners
are over and the red hearts
disappear from the shop windows,
is that it? When it hits the 15
th
the
majority of the male population
breathing a large sigh of relief - is
that romance done for another
year? The pressure to show you
care is over, so, does everyone stop
trying?
Sure, no-one in a relationship
is really expecting or wanting
their loved one to present them
with red roses every day, as not
only would they lose their appeal
but, frankly, it would be fipping
expensive. But at the same time,
reminding whoever you care
about that youre glad you have
them shouldnt exactly be a yearly
thing, confned to one commercial
holiday. If the other 364 days of
the year go by without a hint of
romance, you kind of know youre
in trouble.
Grand gestures, although nice,
arent needed to simply show this
though, as a lot of the time it tends
to be the little things that are done
that are actually the most romantic.
I mean, other than convention and
what we see in the movies and
the media, what makes a bunch
of roses or a Bear Factory bear
holding a love heart so romantic
anyway? Theyre ultimately just
given to show that you care, a
gesture of appreciation. Whos to
say that ordering a Dominos for
your loved one for when they get in
from a long day is any less romantic
really? Its the same gesture, the
same intention. Just without the
commercial charade.
Even though the 14
th
has been
and gone, the romance shouldnt
need to - theres just no longer the
pressure for it to be in the form of
sparkly jewellery, silky underwear
or over-priced Thorntons
chocolates. Plus, the majority of
people I know would be just as
happy if not happier to receive
an extra large with all the toppings
than a bunch of roses any day of
the week.
The aftermath of
Valentines Day
By Hannah Wann, Features Team
As the intellectuals of tomorrow, are
we too ignorant to the world around us?
A
fter a nine oclock lecture,
and still pretty hung over
from the night before, I found
myself in the kitchen with my
frst year housemates playing
the thrilling game of naming
capital cities (dont judge
weve all done it). I was shocked,
however, when I found out that
one of my housemates questioned
whether Cardiff was really outside
England, nevertheless the capital
of Wales.
Funnily enough, this was
not the frst time that one of my
fellow academics perpetuated
a statement which was absurd
and left me either completely in
stitches or, slightly bemused. You
begin to question whether we as
the future generation really fulfl
the expectations and pressures
placed on us, to perhaps live up
to our roles to help emancipate
Britain from austerity and the
problems of recession.
Bringing me to the focus of
my article, how much do we really
know what is taking place in the
world outside the microcosm
we call university? I am not
ashamed to say that I do enjoy a
healthy debate here and there,
regarding the current affairs
which surround the 21st century,
and enjoy the odd YouTube video
regarding conspiracy theories
surrounding 9/11 or the roots of
Christianity.
However, once again this week,
I was involved in a discussion on
perhaps the two greatest fgures
of the civil rights movement of
the 50s and 60s, Malcolm X and
Martin Luther King Jr. When I
was interrupted by one of my
closest friends stating that he
did not know a great deal about
these fgures and the hardships
AfricanAmericans had to endure
in order to gain equality in the
United States of America.
This did not only shock me,
as the individual is a lawyer
in training here at Surrey, but
also for the simple fact that he
intended to study the Bar in the
country mentioned. This is not a
critique on who knows what, or a
perhaps cynical interpretation on
the state of University students
in the UK; it is a suggestion that
perhaps we hold a duty to educate
ourselves, and simply read what is
going on in todays world. Perhaps,
try and take fve minutes out of
our day watching Take Me Out, and
detach ourselves from the world
of TOWIE (The Only Way is Essex,
for those who have managed to
avoid the phenomenon). Sacrifce
an hour out of the average 13
hours we spend on Facebook, and
open any piece of literature which
may stimulate and help increase
your knowledge on what is really
going on in the world we live in.
By Stephen Cartwright, Features Team

k
-
m
o
n
e
y
Jake
VP Societies
& Individual Development
Trung
VP Sports & Recreation
Sam
VP Education
DAVE
VP Welfare
Osama
President
Jake
VP Societies
& Individual Development
Trung
VP Sports & Recreation
Sam
VP Education
DAVE
VP Welfare
Osama
President
Your Sabbaticals
ussu.president@surrey.ac.uk
ussu.education@surrey.ac.uk ussu.welfare@surrey.ac.uk
ussu.societies@surrey.ac.uk ussu.sports@surrey.ac.uk
FEATURES 13 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
Have some
flipping
good fun!
N
o, Im not an alcoholic - Im
currently on a one month
alcohol ban. By the time this issue
is published, I will only be seven
days away from the light at the
end of the long dark tunnel...
Surprisingly (this year) Ive
actually had my best nights whilst
being sober (whod-a thunk it).
However not drinking, in what
are typically drunk situations,
obviously makes you far more
aware of the situation at hand
sometimes for the better,
sometimes the worse.
Firstly, the smells: I know that
alcohol can affect many things
and many senses but I never
realised that it had the power
to affect ones ability to detect
aromas. For those of you out there
that have never ventured into
a club without a drunken coat,
Eau De Club packs quite a punch.
Naturally therell be some body
odour, but its more the effects
that the smell of sick can have
that I wasnt prepared for.
You see, drunken people
dont seem to be deterred. They
just carry on dancing; some of
them dont even take the liberty
of dancing around the sick. Even
when the puke powder is layered
on top and that I-want-to-cough-
and-move-away-from-this-for-
my- own- hea l t h- a nd- s a f et y
sensation takes hold - nope, that
doesnt faze drunk people either.
My short legs, on the other hand,
carried me as far away as I needed
to go.
Secondly, the drunken chat:
yeah... you dont appreciate
that so much when youre sober.
But youve got to commend an
intoxicated persons ability to
focus on one single and mundane
point for thirty minutes its
impressive. I mean really, no
seriously, its like so impressive.
You have no idea how truly
awesome it is.
Thirdly, the handsy guys
(oh yeah): ladies, you know that
situation that you refect back
on and wonder how he thought
he was going to get your number
and how he thought he could look
at you like hed already seen you
naked far more easier to detect
the warning signs, and who the
potentials may be, when theres
no alcohol in the system.
I swear Im not a moany mare
all the time; its just that my
eyes have been opened and some
discoveries have been troubling
and they just really grind my
gears.
Yknow what really grinds my gears?
Being
Sober
By Bakita Kasadha, Editor in Chief
Y
es, its that time again...
Pancake Day, or to give it its
proper title, Shrove Tuesday; an
occasion that will undoubtedly
bring back past memories of
pancakes getting stuck in various
places, most commonly the ceiling!
When people think of Shrove
Tuesday, most will think solely of
pancakes, but the day holds more
signifcance than that. Tuesday
21
st
February marks the last day
before Lent, a period of time in
which Christians abstain from
indulging in much-loved foods or
activities. So where do pancakes
ft into this? Well pancakes consist
of eggs, butter and milk, and
Shrove Tuesday is when all these
ingredients traditionally have to
be used up as they are forbidden
during Lent.
On Tuesday 21
st
from 11:30am
in the High Street, residents of
Guildford will take to the streets
to put those pancake-fipping skills
into practice and raise money for
charity in the process. There are
various prizes on offer and the
profts will go to Guildford Action,
a charity that aids the towns
homeless and less fortunate. It
promises to be an exciting event
whether you actually participate
or are simply a spectator.
Pancakes are very easy (and,
lets face it, fun) to make heres
how to make some from scratch!
Ingredients:
1 egg
300ml (1/2) pint milk
100g (4oz) plain four
Oil
Lemon juice
Sugar
Step1: Whisk the egg, milk and four together in a bowl until
the mixture is smooth and has the consistency of single
cream. Alternatively shake it all up together in a shaker,
or a bottle.
Step2: Heat a little oil in a frying pan and then pour in some of
the batter. Once the underside is done get ready to fip!
Step 3: Serve sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice. Yummy!
Or if youre feeling super lazy, supermarkets do instant mixes and
evencompletelyready-madepancakes.Buthoweveryoumakethem,
dontforgettosharethemwithyourlovelyfatmates!
By Louisa White, Features Team

r
o
b
o
p
p
y
The Honour of Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll
T
he university lifestyle: a chance to further your
education or a coming of age experience to
enjoy? These days it seems many students view the
university experience very differently to generations
before them. The pride and honour which used to go
hand in hand with degrees is replaced instead with
slacking students who view university as a prelude
to Alcoholics Anonymous and cant even summon up
the strength for a 9am lecture.
And I am no exception to this rule. I go out when I
could be studying, Ive slept through lectures and Im
always left with the same internal argument. I dont
want to leave university with a grade Im not happy
with, but I want to enjoy this time while Im young
and not in full-time employment as well. So where
did the culture of lazy, boozing students come from?
When universities were frst established, only the
privileged few could attend. Only men of a certain
status could educate themselves and a high regard was
placed upon these degrees. Women fought for their
right to attend universities and then to receive the
credit of a degree. Even in this current day, hundreds
of thousands of international students fock to the
UK for the beneft of our famous education system,
leaving families and lives far behind to concentrate
on the reputation of studying in Britain. And yet
many students squander this chance. Is it because
we are young? Just wanting to grab those hedonistic
years while we have a chance? Maybe were too
complacent about our opportunities after education,
knowing well never have to resort to anything too
desperate.
However, after the hike in fees starts taking its
toll, I have a feeling this might start to change. With
possibilities of 9000 a year loans, the student scene
looks set to accommodate a new type of student. If
youre parting with that much cash you surely have
to be much more motivated. I dont know if the rise
in fees is good or bad, but I think it will change the
perception of university indefnitely.
By Rebecca Worley, Features Team
FEATURES 14 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Iron Hills Clothing
I
ron Hills is a clothing company
based in the South of England.
Created by Karl Bailey, it is a
company with a vested interest
in the music industry, and in
particular promoting local
unsigned talent. He is a man driven
by his love for photography and
music, and this coupled with his
creativity and passion will no
doubt lead Iron Hills to further
success in 2012.

TS:Whatinspiredyoutoembark
uponthisbusinessventure?
Karl: I wanted to do something
creative that would keep me busy
at the time. I started the plans for
the business in 2010, but didnt
get started until November 2011.
Originally it was going to be some
sort of strange concept fantasy
story, but I change my mind so
much I never went through with it.
TS: What infuenced your
designs?
Karl: I take some of my
inspiration from the American
West in the 1800s. I like looking at
themes in the old Native American
culture, but really inspiration
can be found anywhere. I even
get inspiration for designs whilst
working at an egg farm!
TS:ItsclearfromyourFacebook
and Twitter pages that youre
keen to establish a connection
with the local music scene. Who
are your current top 5 local
artistsandwhy?
Karl: I love music and I love the
local scene down South, but the
local scene in Cornwall and Wales is
a favourite too. Southampton and
Portsmouth based bands include
Lucky One Dies First, who are
an awesome hardcore/punk band.
They have been established in
Portsmouth for quite some time
and it really shows! If you get the
chance you should defnitely check
them out. PurpleHarts Im not
hugely into indie/rock but these
are close friends of mine and
they are really good. They play
a lot of gigs in the local area and
genuinely have something that a
lot of similar artists dont. Veils
hail from Cornwall (basically my
second home, if I could live there
I would) are another hardcore act.
Theyre fronted by a female which I
particularly love, and they are huge
in the underground UK hardcore
scene. Goodtime Boys A Welsh
act and another hardworking
hardcore band, they put on a
great live show! The Long Haul
Hardcore/Prog hailing from
Southampton, another great act to
check out. (Okay, I like hardcore... A
LOT.)
TS: If you could change one thing
aboutthelocalmusicscene,what
wouldyouchangeandwhy?
Karl: This is hard as the hardcore
scene is thriving in the UK. It might
be the only real musical movement
that still exists. Bands will release
songs on tape and they will sell out
in a few days and then they will go
for three times the price on eBay a
few years later. The scene is huge,
everyone comes to shows, everyone
buys the music. Its brilliant. But
in terms of other genres, its not
as perfect. I think other bands
could learn from the hardcore D.I.Y
ethic. Unfortunately, the music is
just not sought after as much as
hardcore. There are not enough
people to support the alternative
music scene (metal, indie, rock,
whatever) and this is because of
things like the mainstream music
scene and shows like X Factor.
Some promoters dont help either,
they dont really put on a show and
place few advertisements. There
are promoters who dont know
what theyre doing or are only it in
for the money.
TS:WheredoyouseeIronHillsin
fveyearstime?
Karl: Five years time? I cant
even see myself in fve years
time. But, if I was being realistic, I
would like to have a thriving solid
business that I could live off of. At
the same time I hope Im continuing
to support the local music scene,
the local art scene and I would love
to do some charity based t-shirts.
TS: Is there anything else youd
liketoadd?
Karl: We want to appeal to
everyone with our designs, quality,
service, and price. If you are after
affordable clothing then come
and check us out. We reward
continuously returning customers
with unique one off discount codes.
Enter one of our competitions and
get involved. If youre in a band
or youre an artist/illustrator or
anything cool give us an email
(ironhillsclothing@hotmail.com) and
lets talk.
YoucanfndIronHillson:

www.facebook.com/
ironhillsclothing

and on twitter
@TheIronHills
By Lorna Salmon, Features Team
FEATURES 15 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
London Fashion Week
H
appy London
Fashion Week!
Its time to get
excited at the
brilliance of design
that Britain has to
offer and to absorb
a variety of daring
collections. See
why Britain is great for style as
wonderful clothes foat down the
catwalks in Somerset House. Its a
fabulous reminder of how awesome
we dress and what potential there
is. So basically, were cool.
Now whilst most of us havent
been attending the shows, (my
friend iscue muffed cries of
jealousy), thanks to the wonders of
the internet we get a virtual slice of
the fashion cake (low fat, obvs) and
can view the shows live! I so havent
been sat with my Anna Wintour and
Karl Lagerfeld fnger puppets next
to me whilst I wear big sunglasses
during the live streamsahem. But
what I will admit to, is thinking
about who it is that represents and
moulds the presentation of fashion
in the UK. We have some amazing
designers who are so diverse in
what they have to offer; however
there is a running theme: they are
all pretty darn weird. The Queen
of odd British fashion has to be the
one and only Vivienne Westwood -
her clothes are eccentric and bold,
piled with colours and textures.
Quite frankly, I think that someone
should make her a crown made out
of fowers, old cans and some tartan
fabric to show our appreciation for
her weirdness. Shed love it.
As for the British fashion
King, well, that would most
certainly be the fashion house,
Alexander McQueen. Founder
Lee Alexander McQueen put on
some unforgettably controversial
shows, created that skull print
scarf that you see everywhere and
his successor and Sarah Burton
designed Kate Middletons wedding
dress. Worthy of the fashion King
crown? Of course. Now in the role of
Princess, Id like to nominate Mary
Katranzou (she puts pictures of
rooms on dresses! How awesome?!),
and for Prince, Meadham Kirchhoff.
Ignoring that the Kirchhoff part of
the design duo is from the south
of France, just take a look at their
S/S 12 collection, truly weird and
British.
Im starting to feel you all
saying cool story bro, stop
assigning Royal family positions to
designers - calm down cherubs, I
have some relevance to you as well
as some logical fashion maths. So,
its a new semester + new fashion
season + new books to carry + my
rant on British weirdness and
fashion = a new bag for you! YAY!
Because Im just so nice, Ive
tracked down some bags for you
with British origins, cool style and
enough space for the essentials.
This Ted Baker (1) bag, 35, has a
bold foral print, perfect for the
patterns and colours were about
to embrace in the coming season.
However, please do not hold me
responsible if butterfies and bees
start to follow you around when
the weather gets warmer. Next, we
have a smudged foral backpack
from Topshop (2) for 32. We should
be the University to bring back the
backpack. That would be awesome.
Plus the eccentricity and weirdness
gives it that British fashion edge.
If you prefer to go with a more
subtle style, then invest in a
leather satchel. Naturally my main
recommendation is Mulberry, but
then I remember that student loan
is for food and rent and not lovely
bags, so look to the Cambridge
Satchel Company (you can get your
initials embossed, nice touch of
individualism there) and ASOS also
have some cheaper options that
would still make our Royal fashion
family proud.
So next time you get dressed
or go shopping, just think WWVD:
What Would Vivienne Do.
By Ellis Taylor, Features Team
(1) Ted Baker Rose Shopper - 35 on ASOS
(2) Topsh
op Sm
u
dged Floral B
ackpack 32
W
hat I love most about the Spring term, is that
the Union always manages to put on such a
varied amount of events and activities for everyone
to get involved. Around the hubbub of SU elections,
we also manage to hold such events as RAG Week,
National Volunteering Week and Sport Relief, as well
as the annual iFestival, which this year starts on the
27
th
February.
iFestival is our way of recognising the vast
differences in culture that we have at Surrey. Our
student population comes from all four corners of
the world, and for two weeks we celebrate that
beginning with the iExhibition and culminating in
a night of performances at the iGala. The events we
have lined up over the two weeks brings together
all areas of the Union, and for the frst time ever we
are introducing the iFestival Football Tournament at
Surrey Sports Park.
The key thing to point out is that you dont have
to be an international student to get involved in the
iFestival all the events are for all students and this
is a great opportunity to get involved in something
new! Many of the events also feature contributions
from our Societies!
So, come along to the iExhibition on Monday 27
th

February at 6.30pm in Rubix where youll also be able
to pick up an iFestival Wall Planner your essential
guide to the two week celebration!
iFestival
By Jake Willis, VP Societies
S
o last week, it was that time
of year again Valentines
Day. The time which leads us to
questions like: what is love? Am I
in love? Have I ever been in love?
The answer may surprise you.
It is interesting how such a
strong emotional experience can
occur. We are restless and agitated.
We feel an irregular heart beat
and raised blood pressure and
pulse rate. We lose our appetite,
lose sleep and lose the ability to
think straight. Its all part of the
expectation that we have formed
by watching flms and reading
paperbacks about love and its
exciting and fascinating to feel it
really happening.
Falling in love however,
has surprisingly little to do
with forming a relationship.
Psychologists believe there are
four main requirements for love
to occur, which if all are present,
can cause anyone can fall in love
with anyone at any point in life.
Firstly, we need to have created
a fantasy image of the sort of
person who appeals to us. This
will have more or less developed
over the years unconsciously in
our minds. Secondly, in order to
actually fall in love, we must frst
expect ourselves to fall in love.
This is the reason why romantic
love generally occurs more in
western cultures because we
are brought up believing that
someday it will happen. Thirdly,
that person whom embodies
enough characteristics of that
fantasy image must be present.
Finally, research also suggests
that any emotionally arousing
can experience can lead us to
misinterpret our feelings for being
in love. So be careful on your way
into your exam rooms!
But often falling in love does
not end happily. Infatuation
with someone whom we are not
currently in a relationship with
almost always ends in failure to
create the connection we desire.
So why does this happen? The
answer lies within the amount
of time we spent thinking about
that person. If you think about
someone, to the extent they
repeatedly pop into your mind
and you cannot block the thought
of them out, you are unconsciously
making the mental image of them
stronger. This means when you
see that person in the real world
you will react more nervously,
thus often leading to failure.
So next time you fnd yourself
fantasising about that special
someone, remember it could
be the difference between your
happily ever after and nothing
at all.
Is it love?
By Chris Thomas, Features Team

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Osama became well aquainted with a meercat last iFestival
FEATURES 16 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Games
AnswersinthenexteditionofThe Stag.Sendcorrectanswerstoletters@thestagsurrey.co.uktogetamentioninthepaper.
5 8 6 2
7 1
9 2 5 7 3
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A I E Y N K R L G
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N O S W A L P B V
V Y D G H X X N I
T C A R T N O C N
D L C R K S T Z E
Wordsearch
The words to fnd are:
HOUSING
CONTRACT
BURPHAM
CRASH
LAWSON
BOXING
ELECTION
FACEBOOK
GRAPEVINE
Sudoku Wordsearch
9 1 4 2 6 8 3 5 7
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K A K P C K R D
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N K Y B R L U L I
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Issue40sanswers:
The words to fnd are:
NEWYEAR
MIDDLETON
LOL
BACON
DIET
KINKY
RAPTURE
CUPCAKE
SMOKE
RAG Bake Sale LT
05/03
to
11/03
12/03
to
18/03
19/03
to
25/03
EVENTS PLANNER
in Chancellors
in Chancellors
in Chancellors
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FLIRTDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
20/02
to
26/02
27/02
to
04/03
www.facebook.com/surreyunion
www.ussu.co.uk
twitter.com/surrey_union
26/03
to
1/04
in Chancellors
These are fundraising events for the University of Surrey Students Union
Union House
The University of Surrey
Stag Hill
Guildford
GU2 7XH
T: (01483) 689223
SMS : 07624 805349
Osama Salih
President
ussu.president@surrey.ac.uk
Sam Ratzer
VP Education
ussu.education@surrey.ac.uk
Jake Willis
VP Societies & ID
ussu.societies@surrey.ac.uk
Trung
VP Sport & Recreation
ussu.sports@surrey.ac.uk
Dave Halls
VP Welfare
ussu.welfare@surrey.ac.uk
Your
Sabbaticals
HELP OR INFORMATION - Any questions, then pop into the Students Union and go to the Information point or call on (01483) 689223 or email ussu.information@surrey.ac.uk
Photographic Workshop
Newcastle v Sunderland (12 midday)
Fulham v Wolverhampton (14.05pm)
Tottenham v Man Utd (16.10pm)
For more information please email ussu.giveitago@surrey.ac.uk
www.madtvsurrey.co.uk 1350am or www.gu2.co.uk
GR K
IN
Video Game Soc 6 - 9pm
in The Living Room
Video Game Soc 6 - 9pm
in The Living Room
GR K
Rempetiko Night
IN
Live Premiership Football
Newcastle v Liverpool (13.30pm)
Tottenham v Swansea (16.00pm)
Trip to OXFORD
Range of colours with
branded raised screen print,
branding on the inside lining
and zip pulls and thick print
stag logo.
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Ossie Hoodie
JUST 36.00
Range of colours with double
layered applique branding, and
thick print stag logo.
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Unisex Sweater
JUST 27.99
Range of colours with
raw double layered edge
applique branding and
embroidery with a thick
screen print of the stag
on the back pocket
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Unisex Jogging bottoms
JUST 26.99
Range of colours with
branded raised screen print,
branding on the inside lining
and zip pulls and thick print
stag logo.
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Ossie Hoodie
JUST 36.00
Range of colours with double
layered applique branding, and
thick print stag logo.
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Unisex Sweater
JUST 27.99
Range of colours with
raw double layered edge
applique branding and
embroidery with a thick
screen print of the stag
on the back pocket
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Unisex Jogging bottoms
JUST 26.99
www.thestagsurrey.co.uk
in The Living Room
Live Premiership Football
Chelsea v Tottenham (12.45pm)
Stoke v Man City (17.30pm)
Say Something and GU2 Radio
present GHOSTPOET
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
WEEK 5
WEEK 6
WEEK 7
WEEK 8
Greek Acoustic Night
in the Living Room
with Simon Baker
(Fabric / 2020 Vision) GR K
Carnival
PR Society in The Living Room
Greek Night in Rubix
Fashion Show - Rubix - 6pm
FREE International Movie Night
6pm LTL
with Lewis Ryder
(Space Ibiza / Wiggle)
Im in Essex
Get me out of here
SIFE Superheroes Vs Villains
IN
St Patricks
P
PARTY
ELECTIONS
IN CHANCELLORS
ELECTIONS
IN CHANCELLORS
flirt tiger new a6.indd 1 09/01/2012 23:05
in The Living Room
Catch the
FREE DUSK
bus from
Chancellors
Patio every
Monday
DUSK
In Chancellors
Pirate Party
MARDIGRAS
Easter
Extravaganza
in The Living Room
Fifa Tournament 6 - 9pm
in The Living Room Society and Club AGMSs begin
18th - 20th March 2012
Penny RAG 10-6 in Rubix
The RAG Showcase
Uni Hall 7pm
RAG Busking
for Cancer RAG Film Festival in AP
PEAS Pub Quiz
in Chancellors 7.30pm
Physics Society present
An Evening of
Astromony
PATS feld 6pm

Be > More. Volunteer.
ussu.domore@surrey.ac.uk www.surreydomore.co.uk
Feb 20
th
Feb 27th
February 20th
February 21st
February 22nd
February 23rd
February 24th
20 challenge LAUNCH event
6pm, Living Room
Online Micro-Volunteering
11-2, Lecture Theatre Concourse
Cranes for Cancer
Rubix, 12-3
Cyber Mentor
Training 12 - 6
VOLUNTEERING EXHIBITION
Lecture Theatre Concourse, 11 - 3
Leap Day Tree
Planting 12.30pm
Environmental Project
at Westborough Woods
Email ussu.volunteering for more info
Celebration of Volunteering
6pm in Rubix
Trip to Windsor and Eton
Sushi Making
in Youngs Kitchen
Trip to Brighton
Surrey Does Amsterdam 16-19th March
Trip to Lion King The Musical
Easter Egg Decorating Workshop
iChannies Challenge
FREE International
Movie Night 6pm LTF
Indian Students Association
Movie Night
iFLAG 6pm Chancellors
RAG Jailbreak RAG Jailbreak
Tango Taster
Session in
Chancellors
7pm
iGot Talent
7pm Wates
iFestival Tournament SSP
Community Quiz - Dray Court 8pm
International
Farmers Market
British Movie Day
AP1 1.30pm
Market Day in the Union
Market Day in the Union
10am till 5pm
Market Day in the Union
10am till 5pm
M
O
N
T
H
L
Y
F
O
O
D
S
P
E
C
IA
L
S

A
N
D
D
R
IN
K
O
F
F
E
R
S
WE ARE
NOW SERVING
COSTA COFFEE
AND TEAPIGS
IN CHANCELLORS

JUST 1p /min.
Pick up your
FREE SIM today
V - Suitable for Vegetarians
H - Suitable for Halal
OPENING HOURS
7.30am - 5.00pm
Youngs Kitchen
Serving the best chinese,
japanese, korean and thai food
on campus in The Living Room
Six Nations Rugby
Scotland v France
3.00pm
Liverpool v Arsenal (12.45pm)
Six Nations Rugby
England v France
3.00pm
Six Nations Rugby
Italy v Scotland 12.30pm
Wales v France 2.45pm | England v Ireland 5.00pm
Steve the Stag
wishes you all
a happy Easter
W
E
E
K
2012
VOLUNTEERING WEEK
P
a
r
t
y
Invitation to
THINK Week
Residency
Closing Party
in The Living
Room
RUBIX 6.30PM
iOpen
Mic Night
iGala - 7.30pmUniversity Hall
Video Game Soc
6 - 9pm in The Living Room
Health in Sports Day
in University Hall
glive
saturday 12th may
Tickets on sale now
from the students Union
Your Theme
Your Night
RAG Bake Sale LT
05/03
to
11/03
12/03
to
18/03
19/03
to
25/03
EVENTS PLANNER
in Chancellors
in Chancellors
in Chancellors
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FLIRTDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
20/02
to
26/02
27/02
to
04/03
www.facebook.com/surreyunion
www.ussu.co.uk
twitter.com/surrey_union
26/03
to
1/04
in Chancellors
These are fundraising events for the University of Surrey Students Union
Union House
The University of Surrey
Stag Hill
Guildford
GU2 7XH
T: (01483) 689223
SMS : 07624 805349
Osama Salih
President
ussu.president@surrey.ac.uk
Sam Ratzer
VP Education
ussu.education@surrey.ac.uk
Jake Willis
VP Societies & ID
ussu.societies@surrey.ac.uk
Trung
VP Sport & Recreation
ussu.sports@surrey.ac.uk
Dave Halls
VP Welfare
ussu.welfare@surrey.ac.uk
Your
Sabbaticals
HELP OR INFORMATION - Any questions, then pop into the Students Union and go to the Information point or call on (01483) 689223 or email ussu.information@surrey.ac.uk
Photographic Workshop
Newcastle v Sunderland (12 midday)
Fulham v Wolverhampton (14.05pm)
Tottenham v Man Utd (16.10pm)
For more information please email ussu.giveitago@surrey.ac.uk
www.madtvsurrey.co.uk 1350am or www.gu2.co.uk
GR K
IN
Video Game Soc 6 - 9pm
in The Living Room
Video Game Soc 6 - 9pm
in The Living Room
GR K
Rempetiko Night
IN
Live Premiership Football
Newcastle v Liverpool (13.30pm)
Tottenham v Swansea (16.00pm)
Trip to OXFORD
Range of colours with
branded raised screen print,
branding on the inside lining
and zip pulls and thick print
stag logo.
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Ossie Hoodie
JUST 36.00
Range of colours with double
layered applique branding, and
thick print stag logo.
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Unisex Sweater
JUST 27.99
Range of colours with
raw double layered edge
applique branding and
embroidery with a thick
screen print of the stag
on the back pocket
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Unisex Jogging bottoms
JUST 26.99
Range of colours with
branded raised screen print,
branding on the inside lining
and zip pulls and thick print
stag logo.
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Ossie Hoodie
JUST 36.00
Range of colours with double
layered applique branding, and
thick print stag logo.
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Unisex Sweater
JUST 27.99
Range of colours with
raw double layered edge
applique branding and
embroidery with a thick
screen print of the stag
on the back pocket
Offcial Limited Edition
University of Surrey
Unisex Jogging bottoms
JUST 26.99
www.thestagsurrey.co.uk
in The Living Room
Live Premiership Football
Chelsea v Tottenham (12.45pm)
Stoke v Man City (17.30pm)
Say Something and GU2 Radio
present GHOSTPOET
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
WEEK 5
WEEK 6
WEEK 7
WEEK 8
Greek Acoustic Night
in the Living Room
with Simon Baker
(Fabric / 2020 Vision) GR K
Carnival
PR Society in The Living Room
Greek Night in Rubix
Fashion Show - Rubix - 6pm
FREE International Movie Night
6pm LTL
with Lewis Ryder
(Space Ibiza / Wiggle)
Im in Essex
Get me out of here
SIFE Superheroes Vs Villains
IN
St Patricks
P
PARTY
ELECTIONS
IN CHANCELLORS
ELECTIONS
IN CHANCELLORS
flirt tiger new a6.indd 1 09/01/2012 23:05
in The Living Room
Catch the
FREE DUSK
bus from
Chancellors
Patio every
Monday
DUSK
In Chancellors
Pirate Party
MARDIGRAS
Easter
Extravaganza
in The Living Room
Fifa Tournament 6 - 9pm
in The Living Room Society and Club AGMSs begin
18th - 20th March 2012
Penny RAG 10-6 in Rubix
The RAG Showcase
Uni Hall 7pm
RAG Busking
for Cancer RAG Film Festival in AP
PEAS Pub Quiz
in Chancellors 7.30pm
Physics Society present
An Evening of
Astromony
PATS feld 6pm

Be > More. Volunteer.
ussu.domore@surrey.ac.uk www.surreydomore.co.uk
Feb 20
th
Feb 27th
February 20th
February 21st
February 22nd
February 23rd
February 24th
20 challenge LAUNCH event
6pm, Living Room
Online Micro-Volunteering
11-2, Lecture Theatre Concourse
Cranes for Cancer
Rubix, 12-3
Cyber Mentor
Training 12 - 6
VOLUNTEERING EXHIBITION
Lecture Theatre Concourse, 11 - 3
Leap Day Tree
Planting 12.30pm
Environmental Project
at Westborough Woods
Email ussu.volunteering for more info
Celebration of Volunteering
6pm in Rubix
Trip to Windsor and Eton
Sushi Making
in Youngs Kitchen
Trip to Brighton
Surrey Does Amsterdam 16-19th March
Trip to Lion King The Musical
Easter Egg Decorating Workshop
iChannies Challenge
FREE International
Movie Night 6pm LTF
Indian Students Association
Movie Night
iFLAG 6pm Chancellors
RAG Jailbreak RAG Jailbreak
Tango Taster
Session in
Chancellors
7pm
iGot Talent
7pm Wates
iFestival Tournament SSP
Community Quiz - Dray Court 8pm
International
Farmers Market
British Movie Day
AP1 1.30pm
Market Day in the Union
Market Day in the Union
10am till 5pm
Market Day in the Union
10am till 5pm
M
O
N
T
H
L
Y
F
O
O
D
S
P
E
C
IA
L
S

A
N
D
D
R
IN
K
O
F
F
E
R
S
WE ARE
NOW SERVING
COSTA COFFEE
AND TEAPIGS
IN CHANCELLORS

JUST 1p /min.
Pick up your
FREE SIM today
V - Suitable for Vegetarians
H - Suitable for Halal
OPENING HOURS
7.30am - 5.00pm
Youngs Kitchen
Serving the best chinese,
japanese, korean and thai food
on campus in The Living Room
Six Nations Rugby
Scotland v France
3.00pm
Liverpool v Arsenal (12.45pm)
Six Nations Rugby
England v France
3.00pm
Six Nations Rugby
Italy v Scotland 12.30pm
Wales v France 2.45pm | England v Ireland 5.00pm
Steve the Stag
wishes you all
a happy Easter
W
E
E
K
2012
VOLUNTEERING WEEK
P
a
r
t
y
Invitation to
THINK Week
Residency
Closing Party
in The Living
Room
RUBIX 6.30PM
iOpen
Mic Night
iGala - 7.30pmUniversity Hall
Video Game Soc
6 - 9pm in The Living Room
Health in Sports Day
in University Hall
glive
saturday 12th may
Tickets on sale now
from the students Union
Your Theme
Your Night
SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY 20 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Science&Technology
R
esearchers in Germany have
been studying a group of 18
to 85 year olds to see what they
most craved over a period of a
week. Several things were found
in the experiment; one was that
as the day wore on, peoples
resistance to their desires such
as smoking, drinking or tweeting
were signifcantly reduced. Other
desires were much easier to resist
as the day wore on, such as sports,
spending money and even sex.
Although the resistance to smoking
and alcohol desires was low as the
day wore on, the study shows that
the desires themselves were not as
prolifc as was predicted. Twitter
and other Social Medias proved
to be much harder to resist and
more people had greater desire to
use them than they did to smoke
or drink. It is thought that the
reason for these greater desires
and lower resistance is due to the
fact it doesnt really cost anything
to use social media and it is so easy
to access. The added bonus is that it
is a lot healthier than both alcohol
consumption and smoking. I write
this now with my twitter feed up
in the background, tweeting about
writing this article.
A
recent study published in the
journal, Microbiology, shows
how a better understanding of
microbial interactions in the mouth
may be important in preventing
oral disease.
The study discusses the way
the bacteria Treponema denticola
is able to enter other communities
of pathogenic bacteria to form
destructive plaques consisting of
microbes, saliva and food particles.
Researchers at the University
of Bristol discovered a molecule
called CTLP on the surface of
Treponema that acts as a key
to other communities where it
binds to other bacteria, leading to
problems such as decreased blood
clotting and tissue damage.
The study gives rise to the
belief that CTLP could potentially
be a target for new drug therapies
against dental diseases.
Professor Howard Jenkinson
commented on the study saying
inhibiting CTLP would deny
Treponema access to the bacterial
communities responsible for dental
plaque, which in turn would reduce
bleeding gums and slow down the
onset of periodontal disease and
tooth loss.
Periodontal diseases are
common and pose a particular
threat to certain groups of people
including the elderly, diabetics and
pregnant women.
Oral bacteria join forces to cause disease
Twitter more addictive than smoking?
By Dave Holcombe, Science and Tech Team
By Melissa Raske, Science and Tech Team
I
t can be a tedious thing to be
reminded of but when it comes to
keeping ft one cant underestimate
the importance of regular exercise!
Keeping active not only benefts
our physical ftness but also our
ability to fend off upper respiratory
tract infections (URTIs) like the
common cold.
According to Professor Mike
Gleeson from Loughborough
University, those who undergo
regular moderate exercise can
reduce their risk of catching a
respiratory infection...by up to
almost a third. However, it has
emerged in recent years that too
much exercise can have quite
the opposite effect, with those
partaking in marathons for
example showing a 2-6 fold increase
in the likelihood of developing a
URTI in the weeks that follow. The
question is- why?
One reason, explains Gleeson, is
that over-exercising can reduce the
number of natural killer (NK) cells-
an important part of the immune
system. NK cells are not killer for
nothing! They continually police
the bloodstream, actively seeking
and destroying cells infected with
viruses, by forcing them to commit
suicide.
Moderate exercise be it a
brisk walk, mowing the lawn or a
game of tennis, appears to boost
NK cell activity. However, intense
exercise can raise levels of stress
hormones like cortisol, which have
the reverse effect.
That said, the benefts of
exercise, intense or moderate, still
far outweigh the cons. Not only is
it something you can do for free but
it is also believed to reduce the risk
of colon cancer by up to 50% and
the risk of coronary heart disease
by 35%.
When it comes to exercise,
the key to maintaining a healthy
immune system appears to be
a matter of fnding a balance
between defciency and excess.
Intense exercise may increase the risk of catching a cold
T
he UKs second largest
pharmaceutical research
company, AstraZeneca, has
announced that it will be cutting
7300 jobs by the end of 2014,
increasing the total number to
30,000 in the past fve years.
The majority of the cuts
will be in the USA and Europe
with more than 250 in England,
most of which will be from the
research and development centre
in Cheshire.
This news came after the
company endured an 8.3% decline
in net proft in the fourth quarter.
The loss results from the
increase in low cost generic drugs
produced by competitors, and a
decrease in healthcare spending.
The company is aiming to
reduce costs by collaborating
with academic institutions and
small biotech companies during
the initial development stages,
and then carrying out trials on
the more promising drugs.
Although jobs are being lost in
Europe and the US, the company
has been hiring in emerging
market countries such as China.
It is also moving away
from the practice of using full
time sales reps, and is going to
use telemarketers and online
marketing instead.
The job cuts are also due to
a number of patent expirations
that will occur between 2012 and
2015 including the schizophrenia
drug Seroquel, the heartburn
drug Nexium and in the US, a
cholesterol lowering drug called
Crestor.
Currently the company has
no new real money making drugs
ready to be patented.
It has also suffered signifcant
losses after having to stop the
development of a number of
drugs in the trial stages including
an anti depressant and an anti
ovarian cancer drug.
The development of a single
drug can cost 100 million or
more, and it is estimated that
only one in 10,000 compounds
synthesised make it to the market
as a drug.
A patent lasts for 20 years,
however up to 14 years of that
time can be in development and
trials, during which time a drug
can be dropped at any stage and
the money invested in it is lost.
This is not a problem limited
to AstraZeneca, many companies
are experiencing similar
problems.
Professor David Williams
stated in a BBC interview that:
The easy targets for new drugs
in the body have essentially been
used up.
This is one reason why
pharmaceutical companies
are having diffculties getting
proftable drugs onto the market.
Patent expirations lead to
job cuts for AstraZeneca
By Lawrence Finn, Science and Tech Team
By Melissa Raske, Science and Tech Team

t
o
m
b
e
e

k
e
v
i
n
r
w
a
l
s
h

k
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t
F
I
N
SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY 21 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
P
arents and Grandparents have apparently
written to newspapers in droves in
response to an article on the subject of their
12 year old children learning about sex, or
more to the point the content within the sex
ED. lessons. They seemed to believe, that it
had gone too far and God would forbid their
children talking about anal sex. Many people
have argued that sex ED. has increased our
countys pregnancy rates and sexualisation
generally. Recently Nadine Dorries, a
conservative MP, has called for sex education
in schools to promote abstinence for girls.
Apart from the sexism (calling for girls to
be the gate keepers of sex), does this sort of
attitude help reduce teenage pregnancy and
general sexual activity among young people?
Europe tends to have very low pregnancy
rates in comparison to countries outside, for
example, Canada, New Zealand and the US
are among those with the highest teenage
pregnancy rates; however, they are closely
followed by the UK , which has the highest
teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. The US has
much lower contraception use among young
people than countries such as the Netherlands
and France, whereas the UK has similar
levels to them suggesting the contraception
use (or lack of) isnt immediately related
to the teenage pregnancy rates. So what
is different? What is causing teenage high
pregnancy rates in the UK? Adults in France,
Germany, and the Netherlands view young
people as assets, not as problems who need to
be told not to do it. Adults in these countries
value and respect adolescents and expect
teens to act responsibly.
So attitudes such as those promoted by
Dorries are contrasted by governments in
these countries that promote the respect of
young people, societies weigh the morality of
sexual behaviour through an individual ethic
that includes the values of responsibility,
respect, tolerance, and equity. An example
from within the Netherlands (one of the
lowest teenage pregnancy rates, along with
Switzerland) is a rule of thumb known as
RAP - young people have the RIGHT to have
sex, adults have to ACCEPT that young people
have sex and allow them to PARTICIPATE.
Unsurprisingly the countries with lower
teenage pregnancy rates rely on research for
the basis of public health policies to reduce
unintended pregnancies, abortions, and
sexually transmitted infections, including
HIV.
There is relatively little research on the
impact of specifc sex education strategies
what works and what doesnt. This should
help develop our understanding of what
causes these differences more effectively, in
order to fnd the best strategies decrease the
number of teenage pregnancies.
O
n 31
st
January, NASA
reported the frst direct
observations of interstellar
medium (ISM) beyond the
Solar system. Interstellar
clouds are thought to be
made of building blocks
of stars and planets, and
now by studying the
galactic wind using the
IBEX explorer composition
measurements of neon,
helium, hydrogen, and
oxygen in the clouds
surrounding the Solar
system have been made,
which has opened up new
puzzles to solve.
Results suggest that
the neon-oxygen ratio is
the highest in our local
cloud followed by the
Milky Way and then the
Solar system. Thus we
seem to be in an oxygen
defcient neighbourhood,
puzzling scientists over
the question where did so
much oxygen come from?
At the moment there are no
convincing explanations
except for the suggestions
that we may currently be in
a different neighbourhood
to the region of our
formation. Or that perhaps
essential oxygen is
locked up in cosmic dust.
Answering this question
should clear the air over
how differently the Solar
system evolved compared
to its neighbourhood.
Measurements from
IBEX have given not just
chemical compositions of
our surroundings, but also
clues to the Solar systems
dynamics in space. Our
Sun emits into space high
energy charged particles
called Solar wind. This
Solar wind forms a shell,
the heliosphere, which
defects away high energy
galactic radiation cosmic
rays but not neutral
particles. IBEX detects
these neutral particles and
can measure the relative
speed of galactic winds
by relating it to the time
of the year it encounters
respective fux. This is a
cosmic speedometer that
gives information about
the Suns relative motion in
space. Currently the Solar
system is at the edge of the
local cloud and is estimated
to have spent around
45,000 years there.
Thanks to the data,
corrections have also been
made to the estimates of
galactic wind pressure on
the heliosphere. This has
implications on the shape of
the heliosphere as it travels
through space, for example
there is 20% less pressure
due to the galactic wind
fowing into heliosphere
than previously thought,
so it is dominated by the
Solar systems external
magnetic feld and is
probably not too blunt.
Incidentally, Voyager 1 is
at 119 astronomical units
from the Earth and is at the
edge of the heliosphere, so
exciting times lie ahead!
Glimpses of space matter
Sex ed, contraception
and attitudes in Europe
By Shourya Khanna,
Science & Tech Team
By Ellie Brodie, Science & Tech Team
Science & Technology Quiz
Answersfromlastissue:
Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, Charles Darwin,
Louis Pasteur, Sigmund Freud, Galileo Galilei, Antoine
Laurent Lavoisier, Johannes Kepler, Nicolaus Copernicus, Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell,
Claude Bernard, Franz Boas, Werner Heisenberg, Linus Pauling, Rudolf Virchow, Erwin Schrodinger,
Ernest Rutherford and Paul Dirac.
1) Oxford Housewife wins
Nobel was the headline run
by the Daily Mail in 1964 when
which female scientist won
the Nobel prize in chemistry
for her work on the molecular
structure of complex chemicals
including antibiotics (penicillin
and cephalosporin C), cholesterol,
vitamins (D and B12 used to treat
anaemia) and hormones?
2) Hypatia of Alexandria was
a gifted teacher of philosophy;
students focked to her from all
over the Greek world. She wrote
treatises on geometry, algebra and
astronomy, including charts of
celestial bodies. She met her end
being stripped naked, dragged
through the streets and killed by
a Coptic Christian mob, who felt
threatened by her scholarship and
scientifc knowledge. But in which
year?
3) Rosalind Franklin is nowadays
credited with collecting and
publishing the X-ray diffraction
data that described DNAs double
helix structure. But in what year
did Watson and Crick publish their
now famous Nature paper which
made use of this data?
4) Beatrix Potter is perhaps
most famous for writing childrens
stories about animals, most
notably the Peter Rabbit books.
But her writing was more of a
pass time to supplement her real
specialism, which was what?
5) Sophie Germain took the
identity of a former student, M Le
Blanc at the Ecole Polytechnique in
1794, as women were not allowed
to study there. Under her own
name she was the only person to
submit a mathematical description
of the elasticity of metals to the
Institut de France which was the
basis for which famous structure?
6) What was Lise Meitners major
discovery in 1939 that led to the
Manhattan Project and atomic
bombs?
7) Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
discovered that which element
was the majority constituent of all
stars and hence the universe?
8) Christiane Nusslein Volhard
is currently Director of the Max
Planck Institute for Experimental
Biology. Her early work though, on
identifying the genes responsible
for forming body pattern, focused
on studies of which animal?
Which is now regarded as the most
studied creature on the planet?
9) Which famous female
invented and outftted ambulances
with mobile X-ray machines?
10) Mary Anderson invented
which integral part of every car in
the world, especially if expecting
bad weather?
Answersinnextissue
Women in Science:

G
o
d
d
a
r
d
S
p
a
c
e
F
l
i
g
h
t
C
e
n
t
e
r
Interstellar Boundary Explorer breaks ground in
human understanding of the edge of the Solar system
DANCE&THEATRE 22 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Dance&Theatre
Speechless for The Kings Speech?
T
he Yvonne Arnaud theatre was flled
to the brim for this World premiere of
The Kings Speech. Although having been a
huge fan of the flm, I was rather sceptical
of this beautiful and largely factual
flm becoming an awkward duologue
dominant performance. If you have not
seen the flm (or the production for that
matter), the story follows King George VIs
(or Berties) unexpected journey to the
throne. Being the younger brother of King
Edward VIII who abdicates for the love of
a twice divorced American woman, Wallis
Simpson, Bertie and his speech impediment
are thrown into public view whilst the
country and the world is on the brink of
World War Two. This is when Berties wife
(the future Queen Mother) introduces
us to Lionel Logue, an unconventional
Australian speech therapist, who helps the
King correct his stammer in order to direct
his country.
Originally written as a stage play and
then rewritten as a screenplay by David
Seidler, Adrian Nobles direction was
almost identical to that of the flm: whether
that was a good move depends on the
individual. The two leads were fantastic.
Charles Edwards portrayal of Bertie was
not only convincing but inspirational,
and Jonathan Hyde as Lionel Logue was
funny, yet his character had such depth
and relatability. Even though, personally
I feel this could literally be a two person
play with projection, I loved the character
of Myrtle, who we dont get to see in the
flm; Charlotte Randles feisty, no nonsense
character, who surprisingly moved me, is
sweet relief from the heavier issues in the
play. Unfortunately, Daniel Betts Edward
VIII is forgettable and doesnt highlight
the relationship between the brothers.
I enjoyed this performance and felt
that the acting and staging was beautiful.
Unfortunately, due to the fact I have seen
the flm, I did not feel I had seen anything
new or different and I thought that there
may be more to the production than the
flm. However, if you do get the opportunity
to watch The Kings Speech, I do recommend
it: it leaves an audience member feeling
inspired and slightly patriotic.
By Lexi Sutton, Dance & Theatre Team
Charles Edward as King George VI (left) and Jonathan Hyde as Lionel Logue (right).
The Olympics: the
largest piece of theatre
London has ever seen?
S
o its fnally here, 2012. Since the moment it was
announced on 6th July 2005, the country has been
counting down to what is set to be one of the biggest
events of the decade for the UK. Now, with just under
six months to go, it seems to be the word on the tip of
everybodys tongue, but is this just a sports event, or has
London become a huge stage, playing to the audience
of the world? For a country steeped in a recession, at
the end of a hugely controversial war, this is our time
to prove that the United Kingdom is still a great and
powerful country, and what better way to do this than to
host a performance as grand as the Olympics?
With Danny Boyle as artistic director of the opening
and closing ceremonies, it seems clear that the Olympics
is more than just a show of athletic prowess. It is an
elaborate performance aimed at bringing together both
the nation and the world: surely this is a piece of theatre
like no other. Behind the scenes are thousands of people
helping to build the set, rehearse each scene and of
course, learn lines. On Friday 27th July, breaths will be
held as athletes, commentators, judges and thousands
more will take their places to act in the biggest show
London has ever seen. And whats more, there lies the
greatest element of live theatre: nobody knows what will
happen.
By Emily Bourne, Dance & Theatre Team
Review Wizard of Oz
A
ndrew Lloyd Webbers
adaptation of the 1939 classic
flm is a fun and enjoyable family
show with likeable characters.
The moral of the story was clear
and fortunately the story was not
overly jazzed up for the stage.
However, the most impressive
feature of the show was designer
Robert Jones set.
A tilted revolving stage was
used to great effect, taking
Dorothy along the yellow
brick road, from the simple
surroundings of Kansas to
the sparkly green world of
Emerald City. In between, it was
transformed into spell ridden
poppy felds and the Wicked
Witchs dungeon, a spooky place
flled with her precious fying
monkeys. The costumes were
brilliant with the exception
of the lion, which had a vastly
oversized rear and an annoyingly
upright tail that looked as if it
was attached as a last thought.
Sophie Evans as Dorothy gave
a very convincing portrayal of
the fed up girl from Kansas. She
displayed a loving connection
with her little dog Toto, whose
adorable performance made him
the star of the show. Evans had
a great singing voice and it was
unfortunate that she only really
had one solo song: Somewhere
Over the Rainbow. This world
famous song was performed
delicately at the beginning of the
show and similarly in the fnale
to a bit of an anticlimax.
Other notable performances
came from the tin man, who
kept the laughs coming with his
deep voice reminiscent of the
great action hero Buzz Lightyear.
Paul Keating had a great
physicality and was believable
as the wobbly, jelly legged and
kind hearted scarecrow. Star
of the recent series of Strictly
Come Dancing Russell Grant,
gave a well-intentioned but
slightly lacklustre performance
with an accent that teetered
between American and English
throughout the show.
The Wizard of Oz is not a
musical with the wow factor, but
if you are a fan of the flm I do not
think you will be disappointed by
the stage version, and it is worth
a watch for Totos performance
alone.
By Julie Foord, Dance & Theatre Team
Yourfortnightlyguide
totheArtsatSurrey
S
ebastian Haffner wasnt a Nazi and he
wasnt Jewish. He was just a sensitive and
highly intelligent, but otherwise ordinary
German, striving to come to terms with the
madness that was Nazi Germany. Adapted
from the award-winning memoir of the same
name, Defying Hitler is the candid, witty and
extremely moving account of a young man
growing up in the shadow of Hitlers Third
Reich.
This production premired at the National
Theatre and has toured throughout the UK and
to the Brits Off Broadway Festival in New York.
Compelling theatre, immaculately performed.
Sunday Telegraph
DefyingHitler
PresentedbyTheatreUnlimited
When: Thursday 1
st
March, 7:30pm
Where: Ivy Arts Centre,
University of Surrey, GU2 7XH
How much: Tickets: 12, 10 concessions
Schools group discounts also available.
Book online: www.surrey.ac.uk/arts/
theatre or by phone: 01483 686876
DANCE&THEATRE 23 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
Frantic Assembly: Lovesong
I
f youve never seen work by the likes of
Frantic Assembly before, one can wonder how
they could effectively combine dialogue with
movement without looking stilted or cheesy.
Lovesong, however, melts together speech,
movement, and music, in a stunning and emotive
way.
Written by Abi Morgan (Iron Lady, FAs
Beautiful Burnout), we follow Billy and Maggie who
have been married for over 40 years and are now
reminiscing as Maggie reaches the end of a battle
with illness. The past is glimpsed through their
daily lives the frst time they stepped into their
house, numerous arguments, and lazy evenings
sitting beneath the peach tree. Its a simple story
of long-lasting love, the trials of marriage, but
ultimately the way it stays until the very end.
Sam Cox and Sin Philips play the present-day
couple, lovingly familiar, and no longer caring
about pretences; Cox portrays the older Billy
with a lightness that hides an undercurrent of
desperation as he watches his wife fade. Philips
performance is steadfast and honest, exposing a
reserve of both strength and vulnerability. The
young couple Edward Bennett and Leanne Rowe
show us the roller coaster of those frst few
years together. Heartache and happiness go hand
in hand as Bennett and Rowe provide believable
chemistry, along with graceful pieces of
movement that capture their moments together.
The two couples complimented each other
sensitively, brought to life by sequences where
the past meets the present, and enhanced by
thoughtful projections. The introduction of
cinematography in theatre really enhances
the piece, rather than detracts or overwhelms
it. In this case, the set of blank fats (designed
by Merle Hensel) acted as a canvas upon which
snapshots of memory were projected behind the
action the image of a hand running across cave
paintings showed Billys thoughts as he looked
back and welcomed us to share in his nostalgia.
For a piece of real affection, consciousness,
and refection, the direction of Scott Graham
& Steven Hoggett does well to provide its
audience with a sense of heart, drawing together
generations and ideas in a multi-disciplinary
fashion. Frantic Assembly brings a real gem to the
world of performance, to be seen as an example
of true feeling theatre.
By Tiffany Stoneman, Dance & Theatre Team
What Next? MA in Dance?
S
tarting to wonder what to do when
you fnish your degree? Do you need
further qualifcations? Or do you simply
feel like theres much more you want
to learn? Perhaps an MA is the next
step for you. As an MA Dance Cultures
student at Surrey, this time last year
I went through that exact thought
process. So, if its on your mind, this is
the time to get proactive!
Throughout the UK, there are a
wide variety of dance MA courses on
offer. If performance is your thing
there are a range of postgraduate
performance companies across the UK
from Labans Transitions, to Northern
Contemporary Dance Schools EDge,
to The University of Chichesters Map
Dance Company. These courses often
have the option of doing a full MA or
postgraduate diploma if you want to
avoid some of the written elements.
There is some pretty stiff competition
for the best companies, but if you are
determined, these are a great way to
get more experience.
If theory is more your bag there
are two options; you have the choice
of a research based MA or a taught
MA. Research MAs offer you the
opportunity to pursue one large scale
project in your specifc area of interest.
Taught courses, on the other hand,
are lecture and seminar based, and
you have the option of modules and
a larger dissertation; so you have the
chance to explore a range of different
interests. If you want to be taught, but
are particularly interested in areas
such as dance science or choreography,
some institutions also offer more
specifc postgraduate courses in these
areas. A range of different universities
offer theoretical MAs, including
Roehampton, Middlesex and of course,
Surrey.
As an MA student, I can tell you
the experience has been hard work,
but extremely rewarding too. The
atmosphere is much more relaxed and
professional at postgraduate level.
You have the chance to research what
interests you and tutors both challenge
and support you along the way. But,
dont jump in too soon. Even if you
found your undergraduate degree
a breeze, MAs are not for the faint
hearted; you have to be pretty tough
because theres a big jump in the level
of work that is required.
But, if youre still thinking of going
for it, dont forget these fnal tips... 1.
Research everything; talk to as many
people as possible and go to open days
there are no student loans now, so you
want to make the right choice, 2. Talk
to your tutors; get advice and ask for
references (start sucking up!) 3. Check
out professional career development
loans at Barclays and the Co Op, and
start applying for grants now! 4. And
fnally... Dont forget why you are
doing this; MAs are of course good
fun but, whether youre doing them
or preparing for them, keeping the
end goal in sight will always see you
through!
T
ango Conexion is launching the very frst
Milonga, (Argentine Tango Club where people
with basic to extensive experience come to dance
and socialise with friends), in Guildford on 18th
February 2012 hosted by the internationally known
couple, Marek and Olivera. They are also hosting a
special event at the University of Surrey Student
Union as part of the iFestival on 4th March 2012.
Tango Conexion aims to bring the beauty and
excitement of this social dance to the students and
residents of Surrey. Currently they offer a regular
beginners class every Wednesday from 7:30pm at All
Saints Church Hall where anyone can drop in and
enjoy learning the art of dancing traditional Tango
in a friendly and warm group environment.
Tango Conexion is very excited to work with
Surrey University, Students and residents of
Guildford and its neighbouring towns. We have
great plans for Guildford and we love the warmth and
quaintness of this wonderful town, says Olivera. For
more information visit: www.tangoconexion.com
Jellimans Gems
Acting is all about honesty. If you can
fake that, youve got it made. George Burns
Tango Conexion

T
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y
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a
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By Lucy Jarvis, Dance & Theatre Team
FILM 24 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 flm@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Film
T
he Devil Inside is unlike Paranormal
Activity, The Exorcist or The Poltergeist
because it borrows old traditions and
places them in contemporary society.
There is something awfully sinister about
ancient myths of the issues of exorcisms
still being relevant in the 21st century.
The documentary-style flm follows
Isabella Rossi, who is determined to
investigate the process of a person being
exorcised, and whether it is truly possible
to eradicate the devil which torments
its victims. Isabella is led to Italy, where
her mother is being treated in a mental
hospital, after killing three people when
an exorcism was being carried out on her.
The Devil Inside is not just another
horror flm set to scare audiences.
The theme of exploring exorcism is
interesting, as it probes questions
about the law surrounding the act of
exorcism, and how it is in desperate need
to be altered. What also makes this flm
interesting is its ability to distinguish
between mental illness and possession,
and the flm allows audiences to choose
a side to believe. The flm combines
both science and religion, showing
how modern day society is no longer
restricted to a belief of one or the other.
This genre of flm, which appears to
be over-run and far too familiar, is made
unique by its location in Italy, evoking
a sense of culture and history. Director
William Brent Bell does an expert job of
maintaining a horror story and allowing
audiences to jump with fright, whilst
encouraging minds to consider the
questions of society, culture and the
afterlife.
B
efore watching Chronicle I
was confused as to what
type of flm it would turn
out to be. From the adverts
it didnt appear to have a
certain concrete genre, and
perhaps this is what made
it so enticing. The few clips
that it shows, dont give
audiences much knowledge
about character types or any
real storyline. After watching
it, however, it is clear that
Chronicle fts into a new movie
category, which doesnt lend
itself to any particular genre
specifcally. There were traces
of action, drama, teen comedy
and sci-f, and director Josh
Trank does well to combine all
of these to make something
contemporary and original.
The movie follows loner
Andrew (Dane DeHaan) as
he decides to document
the events of his life. With
a critically ill mother and
violent, alcoholic father,
Andrew struggles to live a
normal life and fnds himself
isolated and bullied. His only
friend is his cousin Matt,
who frequently encourages
Andrew to lead a normal
social life. The real story
begins when Andrew decides
to go to a party, and along
with Matt, and the popular
Steve Montgomery, they
discover something which
will change their lives
forever. The three boys gain
superpowers enabling them
to fy and levitate objects.
Now, Andrewss life is
thriving and his new found
self- confdence allows him to
be happy. However, with any
good flm twist, you know that
something bad is inevitable.
Without ruining the whole
plot, things selfdestruct at a
dramatically fast pace. This
is where the flm appears
fawed. The midending of
the flm appeared rushed and
there was potential for a more
detailed account of Andrewss
downfall. The flm also fails
to satisfy because of the lack
of personal contact with
characters, which may be
due to the flms documentary
style. Viewing events through
a camera means that there is
no leeway for characters such
as Steve to expand.
Although the flm does
appear rushed towards the
ending, overall it is enticing
and enjoyable. There isnt
much to concentrate on, so
its a nice easy watch, theres
nothing too complicated and
the cast of fairly unknown
actors are extremely
convincing. There is nothing
like it; it is new and exciting.
Chronicle appears to pave the
way for more modern day
multi-generic flms to come.
T
his February, movie-goers will
be spoilt for choice with the
wide variety of flms available at the
cinema. Lets begin with the flm
adaptation of Susan Hills novel The
Woman In Black, that is sure to deliver
a stream of terror to audiences. Daniel
Radcliffe proves himself as much more
than the boy who lived, and plays
the part of the young lawyer Arthur
Kipps, who is called upon to London
to resolve the matter of the death of
Alice Drablow. Radcliffe reveals that
Theres unmitigated darkness, and
an hour and a half of keeping the
audience in a state of tension. A flm of
darkness and terror: certainly not for
the faint hearted. If youre in the mood
for a scare, head to the big screen on
February 10
th
.
Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry
also directs a book adaptation of
the novel by Jonathan Safran in the
emotionally charged Extremely Loud
and Incredibly Close. Starring Tom Hanks
and Sandra Bullock, it follows a young
boy whose life takes a dramatic turn
when his father (Hanks) is killed in the
9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre.
After the tragedy left with his mother
(Bullock), young Oskar embarks upon a
quest to discover hidden truths after
fnding a strange key within his fathers
possessions. His journey of discovery
leads him across New York, meeting
many different people along the way.
Greatly heartfelt and charmingly feel-
good: out on February 17
th
.
This Means War, also released on
February 17th, is not only going to
be a cinematic success because of an
abundance of eyecandy in the form
of Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, but also
due to the combination of fast-paced
action and laugh-out-loud comedy
scenes. Pine and Hardy play two CIA
ops that discover they have both fallen
for the same girl (Reece Witherspoon).
What follows are hilarious scenes of
friendship rivalry as the two go to
extreme extents to win the girl.
Following the action genre is Safe
House, starring Denzel Washington,
Ryan Reynolds and Vera Farmiga,
which hits cinemas on February 24th.
Washington plays Tobin Frost, a CIA
operative sent to a safe house after ten
years spent on the run. Reynolds and
Washington are a brilliant combination
and play the parts of unlikely allies
especially well. Audiences are sure to
be taken on a fast, thrilling and tense
ride!
The Devil Inside (2012)
Chronicle
(2012)
February Flicks
By Tiffany Tucker, Film Editor
By Candice Ritchie, Film Team
By Tiffany Tucker, Film Editor
FILM 25 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
H
ave you ever decided to watch a flm, but spent the frst
half an hour deciding which one to watch? This is the
story of my life. The best way to solve this ultimatum, and the
only way which is possible, is through emotion: choose your
flm based upon your mood, or current situation. Here is a list
of the best ones:
Happy:
Happiness will compliment almost all flms bar the tragic
sob-story, which will only turn your joyful mood into a
sorrowful one: avoid these flms at all costs. The best flms are
the classic romance: think The Notebook or The Holiday. Action
also works extremely well, whether it is Taken or the Fast and
Furious series. You can even venture into your childhood with
Harry Potter or a Disney classic. The moral of the story? When
youre in a great mood, youll still be stuck for choice!
De-motivated:
Theres no better flm to watch when youre lacking in
determination than Limitless. Writing a novel in four days and
learning to play the piano in three, Eddies life will make you
want to get a move on in your own. Plus, who doesnt want
to watch an hour and a half of Bradley Cooper working up
a sweat: if nothing else works, he will motivate instantly.
Scared:
Now, for this one I dont mean that if you can hear strange
noises in your house, or youre just about to walk home in the
dark, you should watch a horror flm. If youve got someone
to hide behind, youre geared up for some frights and youve
got a pillow at the ready, youre set to watch any horror flm
that might be thrown your way just dont watch Paranormal
Activity: you wont jump, ever.
Upset:
There are two ways you can approach your flm choice
when youre upset. The frst is to watch an emotional tear-
jerker such as My Sisters Keeper or Never Let Me Go. It will
make you even more upset, and youll probably need a hug
afterwards, but as long as youve got tissues close, well, we all
need a good cry once in a while! The second is to watch a feel-
good flm that will lift your spirits, and for this I recommend
a comedy: think The Hangover or The Inbetweeners Movie.
Break-up:
After a break-up, the last thing you want to watch is a
typical romance which comprises of a couple falling in love.
However - and this is one for the girls - Hes Just Not That Into
You fts into this category with a twist. In telling you what not
to do and showing you that youre part of the rule, this flm
will make you realise that youre better off without him!
What to watch, when
By Candice Ritchie, Film Team
LITERATURE 26 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 literature@thestagsurrey.co.uk
A
recent study by the Centre for Media Literacy in
America discovered that female by-lines on the
front pages of national newspapers only averaged a
shocking 27 per cent. This scary statistic proves how
vital Cupcakes and Kalashnikovs, edited by Eleanor Mills
and Kira Cochrane, really is. Cupcakes and Kalashnikovs is
a compilation of the best journalism by women from the
last one hundred years.
Eleanor Mills is the Sunday Times most senior female
editor and she stated that there is no other book that
gives the reader an overview of the incredibly diverse
journalism that women have been producing for over a
century. Cupcakes and Kalashnikovs very much lives up
to Mills description. Highlights include: Naomi Wolfs
Sex and the Sisters (2001) which brought Feminism to a
new generation; Martha Gellhorns Dachau (1945) which
details her visit to the concentration camp in 1945 and
Gitta Serenys On the Murder of James Bulger in which she
examines the motivations and evil actions of Robert
Thompson and Jonathon Venables.
Naomi Wolf described the collection as inspired
and she would be right. It chronicles just how far women
have come and also just how far we have to go. However,
it is also a brilliant look at some of the most infuential,
inspiring and sometimes shocking pieces of journalism
from the last one hundred years. A must read for anyone
interested in journalism.
Literature
...a brilliant look at some of the most influential,
inspiring and sometimes shocking pieces....
Creative writing competition
bans same-sex romantic fiction
L
ove, when looked up in the
Oxford English Dictionary,
states its description as a feeling
of deep affection or fondness
for someone. In this case, the
optimum word being someone
helps to argue the case against
the members of Romance Writers
Ink (RWI), to emphasize that love
is not solely shared and expressed
between a man and a woman but
also by the same sex.
This is the 21st Century,
where samesex sexual activity
has been legal in the United
Kingdom for forty-fve years and
in the United States of America
for nine. So why do the career
focused romance writers of
the RWI wish to go against the
law to discriminate against the
homosexual or lesbian members
of society?
The RWI has run a creative
writing competition called More
than Magic for many years, which
is focused on Romance fction,
and contains many subgenres
such as Erotic Romance, Romantic
Comedy and Romantic Suspense.
Of course, a competition has to
have a list of rules such as the
usual: All entries must be book
length, All entries must have
been published. However, this
year the members of the RWI
decided to adapt this slightly
by adding in an extra note:
More than Magic will no longer
accept same-sex entries in any
category.
The appearance of this
extra rule shocked and surprised
many competitors and authors
alike, leading to an uproar
of complaints and a possible
suggestion made by many authors
to boycott the competition
altogether. It is believed that the
RWI found previous same-sex
entries too uncomfortable and
simply too much to read. Yet
it is hard to understand, how
on any level they believed this
would be appropriate or socially
acceptable to publically state.
Although I am writing this
as a heterosexual member of
society, one can still comprehend
the unacceptable and ridiculous
appearance of this comment.
The leaders of this competition,
however, still believe that there
was no problem with this rule,
yet they should ask themselves
would it be okay to state, More
than Magic will no longer accept
entries containing African
culture. No, it would not, and
neither is what they have done.
RWI have recently stated
that the MTM Published Author
Contest has been cancelled and
understand that the decision
to disallow same-sex entries
is highly charged. They also
point out that they do not
condone discrimination against
individuals of any sort. Well, you
may agree that this is a little too
hard to believe.
By Emily Smart, Literature Team

J
.
P
a
x
o
n
R
e
y
e
s
Judging a book by its cover
W
e are all guilty of walking into Waterstones, looking
for our next holiday read or Sunday morning novel and
selecting books which look the most appealing. When one
assesses this concept, it can be labelled as rather ridiculous.
Why do we judge what were going to read on the colour, fonts
and graphics on a front cover? Surely it doesnt matter what
a book looks like, what matters is how it reads. Most of us
pick up a cover of great aesthetic appeal and then turn to the
blurb. Blurbs are useful insights into the texts key ideas or
plot, but are most readers aware that those few lines on the
back cover have been carefully constructed by publishers
as a sales pitch for the book? When one reads the promises
of a characters emotional struggle or a thrilling adventure,
they are really reading an advertisement comparable to the
seamless descriptions on a menu or an estate agents window.
Similarly, the quotations from newspapers and magazines
are often printed in fancy text as another way of selling a
book. They always sing a texts praises with such elaboration
that one should question why the book has been placed in the
promotion section if its this good. Yet we dont question it;
instead, we are easily led by constructed words of persuasion
and fancy graphics.
So next time you search the bookshop, be sure to check the
dusty corners of the shelves, where covers may only (shock
shock) use one colour or (dare I say it) have no picture! An even
better way to choose a text is to research approved reviews
beforehand, where critics explore a texts true pros and cons,
rather than adhering to the words of Puffns top-paid sales
executive!
By Spphie Vickery, Literature Team
100 Years of the Best
Journalism by Women
By Alexandra Wilkes, Literature Editor
LITERATURE 27 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
Happy 200th Birthday!
W
ith a 24hour readathon, an especially
dedicated Google doodle and a nod of
appreciation from royalty, it was hard for
Literature fanatics to escape the celebration
of Charles Dickens 200th Birthday on
Tuesday 7
th
February.
Countries from all over the world, from
Russia and China, to England and Pakistan,
participated in the 24-hour readathon on
Tuesday organised by the British Council.
Every hour an extract was read from one of
Dickens novels, with David Nicholls (author
of One Day) reading from Great Expectations
for the UK.A ceremony took place outside of
his birthplace in Portsmouth, where Dickens
great-great grandson Ian Dickens laid a
wreath, whilst extracts were read from David
Copperfeld. In Westminster Abbey, Prince
Charles and Camilla were among many
to further celebrate Dickens birthday by
attending a wreath-laying ceremony where
Ralph Fiennes also read an extract from
Bleak House. The celebration then moved to
the authors old house, which is now Dickens
Museum, on Doughty Street.
In addition, the BBCs recent televised
adaptation of Great Expectations (which
is defnitely worth watching if you havent
already), starring Douglas Booth, was
an obvious tribute to Dickens upcoming
birthday this year when it was aired back in
December. There is even a new flm adaptation
of the book currently being produced to star
Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter.
The British Council have also set up many
other projects over the coming year such as
integrating Dickens works into classrooms
and lesson plans; showing Dickens on flm in
over twenty countries worldwide, featuring
adaptations and documentaries, as well as a
creative writing competition to refect how
Dickens might perceive the 21st century
world.
This huge response to the bicentenary of
Charles Dickens birth highlights how highly
regarded he still is in modern society. One
of Dickens biographers, Claire Tomalin, has
suggested that children today have little
interest in his work. However, it is almost
impossible to avoid the numerous adaptations
of Oliver Twist or the countless retellings
of A Christmas Carol. Undoubtedly, Dickens
remains one of the most infuential writers
that the English language has ever seen.So
whether youve read, watched or just heard
of Dickens works, his memorable stories and
unforgettable characters certainly make the
200th Birthday of the inspirational Charles
Dickens an event to be celebrated.
By Rachel Thomason, Literature Team
Jake
VP Societies
& Individual Development
- As s is t and encour age Societ ies t o devel op
- Pr ovide Training and Vol unt eer ing oppor t unit ies
- Repr es ent s t udent s on Union Act ivit ies
C ont act me about : J oining a s ociet y or
s t ar t ing a new s ociet y and iFes t ival
Trung
VP Sports & Recreation
- Over s ee s por t s cl ubs
- N egot iat e wit h t he Spor t s Par k on behal f of s t udent s
- D evel op t he f ut ur e of Sur r ey s por t
C ont act me about : J oining a s por t s t eam, s t ar t ing a new
s por t s t eam, f eedback on t he s por t s par k.
DAVE
VP Welfare
- Run campaigns t o benef it s t udent wel f ar e
- E ns ur e high s t andar ds in Univer s it y s er vices
- Suppor t individual s t udent s wit h wel f ar e needs
C ont act me about : Accommodat ion, s af et y &
s ecur it y, anyt hing t hat coul d be impr oved
about Univer s it y l if e!
Osama
President
- Over s ee al l Union act ivit ies
- N egot iat e wit h Univer s it y s enior management
- Pl an t he f ut ur e dir ect ion of t he Union
Sam
VP Education
- E ns ur e high s t andar ds in l ear ning and t eaching
- Pr ovide t r aining and s uppor t t o t he academic r eps
- N egot iat e wit h s enior univer s it y s t af f on
educat ional mat t er s
C ont act me about :
Pr obl ems wit h your cour s e or pr obl ems wit h t he l ibr ar y
MUSIC 28 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Music
L
ana Del Reys debut single Video Games
was a viral success. Lana (or should
I say Lizzy?) has sparked controversy
herself, with her authenticity being
called into question by a number of
newspapers. Lana started her musical
career as dowdy Lizzy Grant, a plainly
dressed singer/songwriter. After a
complete image re-haul (her signature
look is 50s glamour, complete with the
most awe inspiring blood red lips) she
re-launched herself with Video Games
under the name of Lana Del Rey. From
then a star was born. Her album, the
dramatically named Born to Die, has
been eagerly awaited.
On frst listen Born to Die seemed a
little lacklustre compared to the high
glamour of Video Games and Blue Jeans,
Singing in the old bars/Swinging with
the old stars/Living for the fame. The
songs seemed to blend into one and all
that drama can be a little much for an
hour of listening. However, after closer
inspection the album does hold some
beautiful gems such as Radio and This
Is What Makes Us Girls. Radio has all the
retro decadence of Video Games and
Lanas voice sounds sultry and sexy.
This Is What Makes Us Girls is crying to be
released as a single; it tells the exciting
story of troubled and beautiful
youths, Sweet sixteen and we
had arrived...Teachers said wed
never make it out alive. Lana is
at her sexiest on this track,
whispering over seductively,
a freshman generation of
degenerate beauty queens.
Tracks to be avoided,
however, are Carmen, a song
in the vein of The Polices
Roxanne, which descends
into melodrama
leaving it akin to an
Andrew Lloyd Webber
production. Diet Mountain
Dew is also a little lifeless
compared to other more
exciting songs and
easily forgettable.
In short, this is
not a perfect debut
but with so much
riding on it was
never going to be
easy. One thing is for
sure, with Born to Die
beating Ed Sheeran
to the Number One
spot and the absolute
fascination held in those
perfect lips, Lana Del Ray
is here to stay.
By Alexandra Wilks, Literature Editor
REVIEW: Lana Del Rey Born to Die
...that David Bowie described the impact of frst listening to Little Richards Tutti
Frutti (1955) with the words I had heard God?
Didyouknow...
T
his one really is a mixed bag. Comprised
of rough recordings made during
the session for last album Death Magnetic,
Metallica has put out this four-track EP as its
own 30th birthday treat.
Hate Train kicks things off. While it claws
things back later, its opening is oddly, coldly
reminiscent of Metallicas single turkey
St Anger, with James Hetfelds laboured
melodic vocal style really setting a poor
precedent for the rest of the EP. Nevertheless,
the track pans out pretty well, with one of
the bands better clean sections.
It is with Just a Bullet Away though that
you start to wonder about Metallicas
quality control. While a little rough, it
hands-down annihilates a good half of Death
Magnetic, with its multiple signature riffs
and unusually sweet solo. Even the clean
rhythm/overdriven lead middle section
(ripped as it is from Budgies Breadfan) sounds
like the old Metallica we know and love.
Things start to slip again, led (alas, again)
by Hetfelds woeful vocal lines on Hell and
Back. While it features some suitably crushing
riffs and some good dynamics, these naff
vocals are ruining too much of Metallicas
music recently. Bring back Autotune!
Rebel of Babylon manages to fnish off
the Beyond Magnetic EP with some dignity,
but cant help sounding a little disjointed.
It clearly draws on Metallicas protopunk
infuences.
While the EP sounds a lot better than
Death Magnetic did, it is still brickwall-
compressed and just too laboured in both
performance and production. Without Just a
Bullet Away, this would be a poor performance
at best. Must do better!
By Jack White, Editor
REVIEW: Metallica Beyond Magnetic
MUSIC 29 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
T
here are only a few choice
performers who can seduce
me with the passion of their live
musical presence, and as I recently
discovered, Rainy Boy Sleep is one
of them. He bounded on stage,
holding his guitar, refecting the
future of the performance we were
about to see. Full of energy.
Rainy Boy Sleep sent the
audience on an emotional
rollercoaster through his live
performance, his voice is rough in
places and yet mesmerising, adding
an almost Americanised twang to
his sweet Irish accent. The sheer
passion is his vocals doesnt simply
take your breath away, it grabs it
from your lungs and you feel every
word. He used a loop pedal with
style and created the feel of an
entire band just using himself and
a guitar. His performance of the
song ambulance was particularly
enthralling as he jumped around
the stage and created a siren-
like rhythm set to hypnotise the
audience.
I completely encourage you
to go and see him live if ever you
get the chance. He is playing at
The Anvil in Basingstoke on the
1st March, and if you can go, you
should. You wont regret it.
Before the show I was lucky
enough to have a few words with
Rainy Boy Sleep aka. Stevie and
fnd out a little bit more about the
man behind the music.
The Stag: So, how does it feel to
beperformingwithanartistlike
JamesMorrison?
Rainy Boy Sleep: Its fantastic and I
dont think that at this stage I could
have asked for a better support act!
His fans are all very welcoming,
theyre loving it so far, so yeah its
a really good feeling.
TS:Howdiditcomeabout?
RBS: Well, a bit of magic really! I was
playing in a bit of a remote location
really, this time last year and one of
his crew happened to be there. We
had a few drinks after the show and
then the rest is history really.
TS:Foranyonewhohasntheard
of you yet, who would you liken
yourselfto?
RBS: Erm, well Damien rice is a
good place to start and also Alexi
Murdoch and there is a bit of
Suzanne Vega in there as well.
TS:Whatgenresinspireyou?
RBS: Ive got a very diverse mix.
Acoustic artists mainly, I love kind
of folk stuff as well which leads into
the whole folktronica direction
which inspires my music.
TS: What got you into music in
thefrstplace?
RBS: Damien Rice. I just loved what
he was doing. It was so simple and
I just wanted to learn all his songs
and that is when I picked up the
guitar. I was seventeen (now twenty
three), so I was a late bloomer but
I found the passion and it kept me
going.
TS:Tellusaboutyourname?
RBS: Ah yeah, Rainy Boy Sleep. Its
what I would like to call a condition,
which we have all gone through I
guess, more so students. Its when
you wake up in the morning
look up at the window and see the
weather outside and think its not
worth it and you just go back to
sleep.
TS:Oh,sowereyouastudent?
RBS: Ah yeah I gave it a crack for
about two months, studying art in
Belfast. It was mainly photography
and fne art painting.
TS:Whathasbeenyourbestlive
experiencesofar?
RBS: Erm, I would have to say here
at the Hammersmith singing Time
After Time with Cyndi Lauper. It is
hard to beat really. It all happened
so suddenly, and the next thing
I knew I was supporting Cyndi
Lauper. Shes a really nice lady.
TS:Howdoyoufeelbeforeyougo
onstage?
RBS: Im always going to be nervous.
I think it is a bad thing not to be
nervous, it keeps you on edge and
there has to be this back and forth
energy between you and the crowd.
So I do get nervous, but I do some
stretches and play some cover
songs to calm down. But it is so
worth the nerves. (Rainy Boy Sleep
then proceeds to show me some
elaborate body stretches!)
TS: Tell me something we didnt
knowaboutyou?
RBS: Well, I can only hear out of one
ear.
TS: Does that have any effect on
yourliveperformance?!
RBS: Well, it doesnt cause any
problems at the minute because
there is no big band... but I suppose
it could be trouble for hearing
the monitor. But yeah, that is
something you didnt know about
me!
TS:Anyotherhobbies?
RBS: I really like table-tennis. I go
climb trees sometimes.
TS:Youreleasedalimitededition
ep,wherecanwegetholdofthat?
RBS: It is available at all of the gigs
on the tour and it is also available
to download on itunes.
TS:Okay,whatshouldweexpect
fromyourperformance?
RBS: A lot of ups and downs because
my favourite artists are artists who
can rattle out a really monster tune
and then bring it all back down
again and be really quiet for the
next song so it will be dynamic.
TS:Finally,whatdoyouthinkthe
futureholds?
RBS: Well, we have festivals coming
up, and Ill be starting work on the
album once James tour is up and
that should hopefully be out before
the end of the year.
By Sophia Field , Music Editor
Rainy Boy Sleep supports James Morrison
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stag logo.
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MUSIC 30 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
I
ts been nearly three years
since The Maccabees second
album Wall of Arms was released
signalling a move away from their
earlier soft-indie debut and into a
more atmospheric territory with
soft vocals against furious hook-
laden guitars and drum rolls it
also signalled a move away from
mainstream success and although
Wall of Arms was considered a
critical success for the diffcult
second album due to the intelligent
and thoughtful route it took, that
didnt equal to popular acclaim
and there was a chance that The
Maccabees could have turned into
one of a million other bands that
had potential but somehow just
fade away.
However, with Given To The
Wild, The Maccabees seem to be
demonstrating that their refusal
to compromise to whats expected
of them, may fnally be yielding
the success thatll put them on the
next level.
From the instrumental opening
track Given To The Wild (Intro)
its clear that The Maccabees
are taking a more electronic
infuenced sound and applying
that to the production quality
creates an audio that in a word can
be described as big. As the intro
fades into the frst proper track
Child, this sense of epicsound is
reinforced, gentle guitar twangs
echo over a soft reverb, the voice
of singer Orlando Weers mumbles
out Never as a child/ Would you
give this time of day/ You would
take it from the shadows/ And give
it another name.. in that unique
voice which manages to sound as
if hes right next to you as well as
being on the stage. When the brass
kicks in around the one-minute
mark you get the sense of a band
that knows exactly how it wanted
their album to sound everything
seems perfectly timed and
incorporated into a soundscape
that totally justifes the three year
absence of The Maccabees.
The sound of grandeur is one
thats present throughout the
album, Feel to Follow builds up like a
tidal wave before a dam shattering
cascade of drum rolls and furious
guitar lines sweep into the vocals
and create a whirlwind of noise
that sounds free but never too
uncontrolled. The sense of size
seems to have come from more
electronic infuences on The
Maccabees sound, but they manage
to walk the tight line of utilising
their infuences without over-
stepping the mark for example
parts of Went Away in lesser hands
could have devolved into a poor
imitation Bloc Party track but
manages to utilise the pounding
drums and sharp guitar riffs to
make a track that The Maccabees
can claim proud ownership of.
One of the best things about
this album, in the context of The
Maccabees back catalogue, is that
its a perfectly organic evolution.
The intimate vocals balanced on
rising guitars and drums into
truly bombastic break-downs that
is best evidenced in the climaxes
of the excellent Child and equally
excellent Go. The soaring orchestra
blends seamlessly with the driving
guitar and vocals of earlier
Maccabees records.
That said there are a few weak
points in the album, frstly, its
just too long, nestled between
the beautifully simple Ayla and
the angrier, frustrated Forever Ive
Known, Glimmer just seems to waste
time on the album similarly
Heave seems one of the rare misses
in embracing this new stadium
sound, and instead sounds like
everything an individualistic and
intelligent young band should
avoid Coldplay.
Ultimately Given To The Wild
stands as an excellent third album
and an example of an evolving
sound a term that too often
means copying whatevers the
new musical trend or doing what
the band thinks will give them
commercial success Im looking
at you Kings of Leon, Green Day,
U2, Metallica, Dr. Dre, etc. There
will be inevitable comparisons to
The Suburbs by Arcade Fire, which
seems to demean the Maccabees
reputation as an individualistic
band. To be perfectly honest I think
this is simply due to both of them
sharing a similar epic sound but
really, is it such a bad thing to be
compared to one of the best albums
of the last decade?
REVIEW: Maccabees Given To The Wild
By Eliot Tyers, Music Team
H
aving been on the road for
twelve years spreading their
atmospheric Post-Black Metal
symphonies to the global metal
scene and beyond; French metal
duo Alcest, have returned with yet
another masterpiece. Les Voyages
de LAme (The Journey of the
Soul) follows on from the bands
Shoegazy 2010 release: Ecailles de
Lune, (Scales of the Moon).
Alcests signature style is
their combination of the early 80s
Alternative Rock sounds of Cocteau
Twins and My Bloody Valentine-
with the 90s Black Metal grinds
of bands like Burzum, Immortal
and Darkthrone. Mix those two
beautiful elements of alternative
music together and youve got the
atmospheric melodies of front man
Neige (Stephane Paut) and other
half Winterhalter.
Each of the bands releases has
focused on the subjects of fantasy
and far off lands which frontman
Neige claims he had visions of at a
young age. Many say the mind of a
child holds the greatest treasures
of imagination, and sure enough,
Alcest have managed to capture
imagined beauty and set it to their
wall of sound. Luscious images of
fantastical purity leap from the
fowing guitar riffs of opening
track: Autre Temps (Another
Time) to the high pitched screams
of Beings of Light, and end track
Summers Glory. To be a tad picky,
the song lengths are a bit big in
length-with the longest clocking
in at just under 9 minutes. But,
for anyone whos always hyped
by fantasy, the weird and the
extraordinary, this release sure is
worth a listen.
Alcest are best described as an
epic adventure novel put to music.
If you wish to live that adventure,
then check out Les Voyages de
LAme. Or if you prefer to live out
your adventures on the live music
circuit, Alcest will be appearing
alongside fellow French Metallers,
Les Discrets and Soror Dolorosa at
the Purple Turtle, Camden Town on
Saturday 18th February. See you all
down there.
REVIEW: Alcest
Les Voyages de LAme
By Demitri Levantis, Music Team
MUSIC 31 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
O
ut of all the artists still
able to produce bestselling
records, few can equal Tony
Bennett in terms of longevity.
With a commercially successful
career spanning over six decades,
the eighty fve year old enjoys a
distinct status as a singer of the big
band era who has never retired and
shows little sign of slowing down.
Despite being remembered mostly
for such 50s and 60s recordings as I
Left My Heart in San Francisco (1962),
Bennett has proven his willingness
on several occasions to recognise
talent from younger generations.
This is starkly evident with his
most recent outing Duets II (2011),
which serves as a follow-up to his
2006 collaborative album Duets: An
American Classic.
The guest line-up is of a
surprisingly varied nature,
featuring singers accustomed to
traditional pop, such as Michael
Bubl, as well as musicians of
other popular genres. This variety
is extended further by featuring
long-established artists like Aretha
Franklin alongside contemporary
performers. Despite the obstacle
that such differences in style
and age could present, Bennett's
decision to record together in the
studio allows the duets to convey
a genuinely amicable atmosphere.
The orchestration is also worth
lauding, with the arrangements
easing the less jazz-orientated
guests into their newfound roles as
swingers and crooners.
Arguably the most surprising
standout amongst Bennett's
partners is Lady Gaga, whose
vivacious and period-appropriate
vocals on the widely covered The
Lady is a Tramp play off Bennett's
with a delightful sense of shared
enjoyment. Another 21st century
star who distinguishes herself is
Amy Winehouse, whose appearance
here on Body and Soul was her
fnal studio recording before her
untimely death last year. Bennett's
fellow veterans still make their
mark, however; most notable
amongst them is Willie Nelson,
who lends his characteristic guitar
sound to The Sunny Side of the Street.
It would also be unwise to not
praise Bennett himself, as his voice
remains in admirable shape for an
octogenarian.
Bennett also appears to have
not forgotten the Latin market,
teaming up with Spanish singer-
songwriter Alejandro Sanz
for a bilingual rendition of
Yesterday I Heard the Rain.
Yet for all the album's
strengths, it unfortunately
is somewhat restrained
by its very nature. As a
collection of pop and jazz
standards, the tracks
will unavoidably attract
comparisons to classic
recordings by the likes
of Sinatra, Holiday and
even Bennett's younger
self. As such, whilst
the album makes for
fne and even interesting easy
listening, one must nevertheless
question how much it favourably
distinguishes itself from the
multitude of similar albums by
legendary performers.
However, whilst Duets II is not
amongst the most artistically or
intellectually stimulating of recent
releases, its mood of spirited
collaboration certainly merits a
listen from those intrigued by
the guests on the track listing.
Bennett may not demonstrate
the 'new tricks' this series is
intended to highlight, but to
hear a 20
th
Century
icon guiding
h i s
partners through timeless songs
to such effect nevertheless
makes for a fun and heart-
warming experience.
O
n Thursday 2
nd
February I
attend the Jazz Caf in Camden
for Loick Essiens intimate gig
featuring up and coming stars
for the year Luke Bingham and L
Marshall.
Luke Bingham from Leicester
was up frst and it was apparent
from his initial reception that
he had a lot of fans already and
it wasnt long before he was
cementing new ones. Personally I
was already a fan before I got there
so I didnt need much persuading
but for those who werent familiar
with him before they will certainly
be remembering his name now.
Luke put on a great set alongside the
hugely talented Charlee Drew. He
performed fve songs on the night
all of which he had written himself.
He defnitely had some of the girls
in the audience mesmerised! His
vocals were spot on and he even
exposed his piano playing skills,
the frst live performance he had
done since learning how to play
just two months ago! Most artists
would have been a bit apprehensive
but he looked like a natural up
there. All in all it was a great set.
Look out for Luke Binghams album
as it is due to drop this year.
Local London boy L Marshall
was up next, Luke Bingham was
clearly a hard act to follow but
he didnt seem fazed at all. He
performed a compilation of tracks
of his mixtape The Wait which is out
now and is free to download from
his website: www.lmarshallmusic.
com. I hadnt actually heard of L
before this night but was impressed
with his performance, the boy can
not only rap but he can sing very
well too. It was quite refreshing
to watch someone who is equally
talented at both, as it is not
something you see every day. He
frst became known for his feature
on Wretch 32s debut single Traktor
and his acoustic version of this
track at Jazz Caf on the night was
fantastic. He is defnitely one to
look out for this year.
Now for the act everyone had
excitedly waiting for, the headliner
of the night: Loick Essien. He came
on around 10pm and although his
support acts were amazing and
created a buzzing atmosphere,
Loick was defnitely worth the
wait! I had seen him live previously
on Radio 1 Live Lounge but seeing
him in person in such an intimate
venue was amazing. His vocals
were next level, it sounded as if
it was just his CD playing in the
background as they were pitch
perfect. He performed numerous
of his famous tracks including,
How we Roll, Love Drunk and
Stuttering and as well as some
amazing covers including Ed
Sheerans Lego House and Jessie Js
Who You Are. There really was a
song in there for everyone. I would
defnitely go see him again. 2012 is
going to be a very successful year
for Loick, watch this space!
By Dan Davison, Music Team
Old Dogs, New Tricks: Tony Bennett Duets II
Jazz Cafe Loick Essien with Luke Bingham and L Marshall
By Sophie Jackson, Music
MUSIC 32 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
G
reetings fellow headbangers
the international metal scene
looks set to overthrow a bedazzling
plethora of new releases this year
so heres the lowdown on confrmed
releases so far.
Coming to a record store near
you at the end of this month, British
Grindcore godfathers Napalm
Death will be releasing their
ffteenth album, Utilitarian. Almost
directly after this, American Death
Metal fagship Cannibal Corpse will
release their twelfth LP, Torture
new material of which will be
showcased on the Destroyers of the
Faith tour in April, so see you there
at the HMV forum, Kentish Town if
youre into musical putrefaction.
Elsewhere along the calendar,
Iron Maiden will bring us their
latest live album En Vivo containing
live performances of their 2010
release, The Final Frontier. Whilst
German Thrash Metal elders,
Kreator will once again unleash
their guitar driven chaos upon us
with Phantom Antichrist the follow
up to 2009s Hordes of Chaos.
On the more melodic front,
British Power Metal group
Dragonforce will be releasing
their ffth album The Power Within,
the frst release featuring their
new vocalist, Marc Hudson, the
replacement of frontman ZP Theart
who left the band in 2009.
But most excitingly there is
rumour that classic metallers
Slayer are currently writing and
recording a new album with the
release date rumoured to be in
December. Lets hope the year
can be rounded off with another
terrifyingly brilliant onslaught
of Thrash Metal to show that
2012 will be a year of loud music
capable of withstanding any kind
of apocalyptic activity.
Brace yourselves for another
year of headbanging tunes to blow
your mind once more.
By Demitri Levantis, Music Team
2012 in Metal: Upcoming releases to look out for
UNISChamberChoirandOrchestra
T
he University of Surreys prolifc Chamber Choir and Orchestra
present Faures beautiful requiem mass, Stravinskys Dumbarton
Oaks and a UK premiere of Koeluhs Concerto in B fat major for Piano
4 Hands and Orchestra. Conducted by Russell Keable, with Maureen
Galea and Margaret Roberts at the piano.
UniversityofSurreyChamberChoirandOrchestra
Friday 9thMarch,7.30pm
GuildfordUnitedReformedChurchPortsmouthRoad
AdmissionFree
T
he idea of performing this concerto is part of an initiative to
promote piano duet repertoire after Maureen Galea launched
a biennial 4-hand piano competition for University music students
called Quattro Mani! in March 2011. It is written by a Czech composer
who was Mozart's rival and successor, and is also one of the few pieces
written for this genre. This promises to be a wonderful and varied
concert.
USSUBigBand
USSUBigBand
Saturday10thMarch,8.00pm
IvyArtsCentre
8,6senior&staff,5student
B
ig tunes big sound. The University of Surrey's award-winning
and talented Big Band returns to the Ivy with another lively and
fun-flled programme of Big Band standards through Latin jazz to
modern funk. Irresistible rhythms, toe-tapping tunes and exciting
performances make every Big Band concert and event - not just a
performance.
HipHop
HipHop
Saturday17thMarch,6.30pm(mainshow7.30pm)
IvyArtsCentre
8full,5students
A
s part of Woking Dance Festival's Spring Shorts 2012 season, The
University of Surrey and Woking Dance Festival join forces to
create an evening dedicated to celebrating hip hop and the vibrant art
forms that have stemmed from its surrounding culture. The evening
will include: DJing and MCing, graffti artists, free style dance circles
and a main stage show featuring dance acts from the local area and the
excellent Rannel theatre company (the guys decorating a house in the
McDonalds advert).
SurreyGuitarDay
SurreyGuitarDay
Saturday24
th
March,12.30pmvarioustimesafterwards
PATSStudioOne
40fullday,25studentfullday,10individualconcerts
H
osted by Milton Mermikides (Lecturer, University of Surrey and
Professor of Guitar, Royal College of Music) this promises to be a
fantastic day for any fan of guitar music in all its wonderful forms. The
School of Arts at the University of Surrey hosts a packed day of superb
performances by some of the best guitarist from Britain and beyond.
Artists include chart-topping Australian guitarist Craig Ogden,
Austrian steel-string maestro Thomas Leeb, virtuoso/composer Gary
Ryan, popular guitarists Bridget Mermikides and Amanda Cook, and
jazz master john Wheatcroft.
Performance will include exquisite guitar music from the Baroque
era to contemporary electronica and across a diversity of guitar styles
from folk to classical to gypsy jazz. The day also features a performance
by EGO (The Eclectic Guitar Orchestra) providing a rare and exciting
opportunity to hear these modern masters perform together, and with
some very special guests. Proceeds will go to the Richard Hand Forget-
Me-Not memorial Fund in aid of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
Whats on March 2012
A
fter being a Feeder fan for a
couple of years, I fnally got
the opportunity to see them live on
the 2
nd
February. I knew the tracks
that everybody seemed to know,
judging by the volume of singing
as they played old classics Just
A Day, Buck Rogers, and Feeling A
Moment, but I instantly fell in love
on frst listen with their newest
single, Borders. Listening to one of
their most popular songs, Just the
Way Im Feeling reminded me why
Feeder appeal so much their
music is, despite its popularity,
real. They write their own material
and raw emotion comes through as
a result. This tune in particular was
a poignant moment for any listener
aware of Feeders biography.
Grant Nicolas, the lead vocalist
and guitarist, had been a member
of various bands from the tender
age of 14, but upon meeting and
befriending Jon Lee, he unwittingly
laid the foundation for a musical
partnership which was to lead,
after several false starts, to the
formation of Real. After fring the
original bass player and recruiting
Taka Hirose in his place, not to
mention a name change inspired
by Grants pet goldfsh, the band
eventually signed a recording
contract with The Echo Label in
1996. It was only upon the release of
Buck Rogers in early 2001, however,
that they achieved mainstream
success and recognition as it
reached number 5 on the UK
Charts.
2001 could be seen to have been
Feeders year. They completed a
sell out tour, won Best British
Live Act in August at the Kerrang!
Awards, and in December they
supported Stereophonics. For any
band, especially one who had
been releasing music for six years,
this had to have been a perhaps
dizzying, but certainly successful
year.
However, Feeder were, and are
still, also a band who write their
own material, pour their heart
into their music, and Jon Lee and
Grant Nicolas were also good
friends a feat in itself, considering
the amount of stress involved
in musicianship as a profession.
Therefore, Feeders meteoric rise
to fame came to a screeching halt
in January 2002 when Jon Lee was
discovered to have committed
suicide.
The band did not appear in
public for several months following
this unsurprisingly. During that
time however, Nicolas was writing
a lot of new material, leading
to Comfort in Sound, their fourth
album, from which Just The Way Im
Feeling is taken.
When Nicolas sang You feel
the moments gone too soon/
Youre watching clouds come over
you, I could feel the depth in the
song. Since Lees death, they have
continued to write music and
release songs, with varying critical
reception. They are undoubtedly
talented musicians and their
performance refects their genuine
love of music. However, they
have never settled with another
permanent drummer since. I dont
think I was the only one to think
about Feeders lost third member
during the song.
By Tanya Noronha, Music Team
Feeder comfort in sound?

S
c
a
n
n
e
r
F
M
SOCIETIES 33 TheStag | 21
st
February2012
Societies
A
re you a French language student?
Do you study on one of the GGA courses?
Are you French or have an interest in France?
We want to bring together the year groups to create
a vibrant French community at the University of Surrey.
We have a lot up our sleeve for the coming months, and we
would like to get you involved, even those of you who have
never studied French or just fancy seeing what its like! We
are thinking of offering some form of tutoring scheme for
people who need help with anything, as well as potential
trips to France and nights out to get to know each other.
So you can get a better idea of what we will be doing, and
so you can have your say, we will be organising a meeting
for everyone who wants to come! Anyone whos interested
can contact Katie, your President, on the following email
address.
President: Katie Wilson , kw00117@surrey.ac.uk
Join our group and like our page on Facebook- French
Society- University of Surrey.
Join Surreys brand
new French Society
A
re you interested in cooking?
Or just have a mouth-watering
mood for food? Perhaps the
occasional desire for tomato toast
or a Sunday roast? If so, then we
have something to tantalise your
taste buds and get you some sweet
and savoury satisfaction.
Sometimes when you watch one
of the many cookery shows on the
television, its easy to get boiled up
about all of the confusing lingo like
chiffonading and dredging, so
simmer down because the Culinary
Society is here to get you sauted
(sorted)!
Our aim is to teach students how
to prepare a proper meal and enjoy
the food that they eat. True, a 3am
culinary masterpiece of jam and
chicken may not be to everyones
taste, but it is often to the case that
students are more accustomed to
the microwave than boiling and
baking. We all know student living
is very budgeted, but Tesco Value
baked beans and chopped tomatoes
dont need to taste economical. It
is simple to create a fve minute
dish, packed full of favour, rich
aromas and all the healthy bits
too. We want to help students who
come to university with no clue
of how to slap up a tasty oriental
stir-fry or lamb roast, or who lack
the confdence in the kitchen to
experiment with ingredients by
learning from each other. And
thats just for starters!
Since our creation in the
frst semester, we have attracted
students from a range of different
cultures and backgrounds. This
means we have a diverse selection
of tastes, interests and styles
of cooking and preparing food
from cooks eager to share their
knowledge. So if a chippie tea and
a cuppa isnt quite wetting your
appetite, we can show you how to
prepare munchies from the deepest
depths of South American cuisine,
to the delicate delights from East
Asia, and on to hearty-soul food
from the sizzling Caribbean.
At the Culinary Society, we
are much more like a community,
who work together to help others
and ourselves. Due to our recent
sponsorship, in May we should
have our own kitchen, and we
hope to be able to get bi-monthly
meetings up and running. We
will prepare themed dishes and
swap recipes, and if all of this is
sounding too savoury, we will be
sweetening it up with our monthly
Birthday Bash where we bake cakes
and yummy treats for all those
members celebrating another
year on Earth that month. It is the
perfect opportunity to gain a better
understanding of different recipes
and cultures, as well as make new
friends! And, we have food.
Now, without meaning to
crack open a can of chopped
incredibleness onto the page,
our most recent activity was a
Q&A with one of UK Master Chef,
Kevin Hooper, who gave us a
demonstration at the end of January
on a variety of kitchen skills.
Fantastically, he will be visiting us
again on regular occasions to treat
us with his top tips for tasty titbits.
On top of that, we have plenty of
plans so keep your eyes peeled
and your ears pricked, because
the Culinary Society is rocket-ing
onto the Surrey campus! Come on,
indulge yourself.
By University of Surrey Culinary Society
The best food for everyone
the beginners and improvers
Free speech is not for sale
S
ince its inception, PEN has been committed to
preventing censorship caused by the unjust libel
system in England. Combining forces with Index for
Censorship and Sense about Science, English PEN
created The Libel Reform Campaign in an attempt
to preserve freedom of speech. The libel laws in
England promote an archaic system that benefts
the wealthy and powerful. Pursing libel trials often
costs an excess of 1 million, forcing individuals like
journalists, academics and performers to drop their
appeals for justice.
A recent example of a victim of this system is Dr
Ben Goldacre, a scientist and journalist. He visited
South Africa in 2007 and was shocked to discover a
company claiming that antiretroviral drugs were
ineffective in treating AIDS. Matthaias Rath, a
German millionaire, began an advertising campaign
in South Africa built on claims that lacked any frm
evidence. He stated that the commonly prescribed
antiretroviral drugs should be replaced by his own
brand of vitamin pills for successful treatment of the
disease. On his return to England, Dr Goldacre wrote
a number of articles exposing the injustice of what he
saw, and was consequently sued for libel by Mr Rath.
The ensuing case lasted for nineteen months, before
Mr Rath dropped his charges and cost The Guardian
newspaper 535,000 in legal costs. They were
eventually awarded over 200,000 to compensate for
their losses, but were forced to pay highly for their
perusal of justice.
Another case of the negative effects of libel laws
in England is that of Simon Singh, an acclaimed
author and journalist. In 2008, he published an article
in The Guardian newspaper stating his opinion on
the British Chiropractic Associations treatment
of children. He wrote that there was not a jot of
evidence to support the treatments promoted by the
BCA for younger patients. Singh was sued personally
by the BCA and in early 2009 the judge ruled in their
favour. As a result of the case, he was charged 20,000
in fees and lost two years of his salary.
These are just two of many cases where the right
to express personal opinion is being suppressed. The
Libel Reform Campaign acts to help those who are
abused by this system and restore justice to our legal
system. Show your support, join English PEN at Surrey
at: http://www.facebook.com/SurreyEnglishPEN and
sign the petition at: http://libelreform.org/
By Victoria Ashdown, PENSoc
Journalist Ben Goldacre is a victim of corrupt UK libel laws
which place burden of proof of innocence on the accused.
SOCIETIES 34 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
I
f you are in a band or are producing
music,yourstudentradiostationcan
getyouheardbythewholeuniversity.
GU2 Radio is giving the opportunity
to new and up and coming artists to
get played regularly on the radio,
by putting tracks from local and
universityartistsontheirplaylist.
GU2 is the student radio station
at the University of Surrey. It is run
completely by students for students,
andanyoneiswelcometogetinvolved.
Ifyouareamusician,youcangetyour
musicheardbyeveryoneatuniversity.
Simplysendyourtracktomusic@
gu2.co.uk as an attachment or drop
them off at the GU2 studios, just
opposite the entrance to the new
library building, under Battersea
Court reception. Listen at gu2.co.uk
and the next thing you hear could be
your music.
GU2 Radio offers new
artists a chance to shine


























In association with...
Thurs 23
rd
Feb
AP Lab 4, 12-5pm
Cyber Mentor
Training
70% of people experience bullying. You can
help support young people through this bullying!
Contact c.mulcaheybanks@surrey.ac.uk or
ussu.domore@surrey.ac.uk for more details.
SPORT 36 TheStag | 21
st
February2012 sport@thestagsurrey.co.uk
COME AND WATCH SURREY DESTROY KINGSTON AND CELEBRATE A TEAM SURREY WIN
!
SURREY VS KINGSTON
2012
WEDNESDAY 28TH MARCH 12-6PM
SURREY SPORTS PARK
SURREY'S BIGGEST SPORTING EVENT!
great sport, games, competitions, prizes, music, food and drink!
special guest appearance
For more informaton visit - www.ussu.co.uk/ClubsSocietes
COME AND WATCH SURREY DESTROY KINGSTON AND CELEBRATE A TEAM SURREY WIN
!
SURREY VS KINGSTON
2012
WEDNESDAY 28TH MARCH 12-6PM
SURREY SPORTS PARK
SURREY'S BIGGEST SPORTING EVENT!
great sport, games, competitions, prizes, music, food and drink!
special guest appearance
For more informaton visit - www.ussu.co.uk/ClubsSocietes
A
nyone who has any passion for
Rugby Union simply adores the
Six Nations. Often described as a
thugs sport played by gentleman,
last weekends games proved this
notion still rings true. In spite of
the Arctic conditions, two highly-
anticipated games went ahead, and
neither disappointed.
The frst game was played
between a vastly improving Italy
and an England side still searching
for a magic formula after their
disgraceful World Cup campaign
last autumn. Played in hitherto
unseen conditions in the Italian
capital, the hosts attitude of when
in Rome served them well, as a
more ambitious approach than
usual saw them to two tries late in
the frst half, earning them a half-
time lead.
Italys momentum continued
early in the second half, but just
like last weekend against Scotland,
England claimed a lucky break
as an attempted clearance was
charged down by England fy-half
Charlie Hodgson, who was clear to
claim his second charge-down try
in two matches. From there on in,
England gradually took control,
but not without further alarm.
Handling errors cost the home side
every time they built up a head of
steam, and England were just able
to hold on to record a second away-
win in two matches, albeit against
arguably the weakest sides in the
competition.
Saturdays later game between
France and Ireland ultimately
succumbed to the icy conditions, as
a late pitch inspection and frantic
efforts were not enough to start the
match. The match will be hastily
re-arranged in the next few weeks,
but for the Irish supporters who
made the long journey to Paris, this
will be of little solace.
That last match of the weekend
was arguably the match of the
competition so far. Wales, off the
back of a thrilling, last-gasp win
over Ireland the week before,
faced a Scotland side who had
dominated much of their game
against England, but wastefulness
saw them leave empty-handed.
Unfortunately for the Scottish
side and their supporters, it was
the same story in Cardiff. At the
end of a frst-half which the Scots
just about shaded, the visitors
put together phase after phase
inches from the Welsh line, but a
combination of impatience and
handling errors cost them as the
half-time whistle blew with sides
level at three points each.
The game was essentially lost
within four minutes of the restart.
An error by Chris Cussiter handed
the Welsh side a lineout deep in
Scottish territory, from which they
were clinical enough to secure a
frst try. In the next ten minutes,
Scotland lost two men through
disciplinary indiscretions to the
sin-bin, whilst conceding two
further tries. This quarter of an
hour of madness ultimately turned
a potential shock win into a glorious
failure. Despite a supreme effort,
Wales aided by a laissez-faire
approach by the French referee to
using the available technology
were able to hang on to take a vital
victory.
The scores say that England
and Wales were the victors last
weekend, but the games that did go
ahead showed why the Six Nations
is held in such high-esteem.
Despite the tensions of both the
match itself and the cross-border
rivalries, the players were able to
transcend their sport to display
a great regard for both national
pride and sportsmanship, which
calls into question the attitude of
certain players from a different
ball game!
RugbyRound-up:ItalyvsEngland&ScotlandvsWales
By Douglas Elder, Sports Team
H
istory will show that
Manchester United beat their
bitterest rivals Liverpool 2-1 last
weekend. Unfortunately, that is
starting look little more than a
side-note.
Last October, in the reverse
fxture between the sides,
Liverpools Luis Suarez is alleged
to have racially abused Manchester
Uniteds Patrice Evra. In the months
that followed, football has become
embroiled in an ugly row over
racism, with allegations and mud-
slinging going hand in hand. Last
Saturdays match at Old Trafford
provided the teams and football
as a whole the opportunity to
move on at last, to let football take
centre stage. Unfortunately, Suarez
didnt see it this way.
Evra, the alleged victim, was
prepared to be the bigger man
as the pre-match handshakes
the necessity of which is now the
subject of debate began. The
United defender held out his hand
to his abuser, football was about
to resume...and Suarez walked on
by. The snub seemed to take the
whole stadium by surprise, as frst
silence and then upon realising
what had happened - booing
resonated around the ground. In
the ultimate drama, the Liverpool
striker was immediately cast as
the pantomime villain, a role he
seemed determined to fourish in
throughout the match.
In the ultimate sub-plot loaded
with allegations and half-truths,
one thing remains certain: Suarez
is a great player, but one who
will always divide opinion. The
brilliant Uruguayan is no stranger
to controversy, biting an opponent
whilst playing for former side Ajax,
and stopping a certain goal for
Ghana in the World Cup by using
his hand. Suarez showed plenty
of both, frst worrying the United
defence, before berating the referee
after being legitimately tackled at
the end of the frst half. Not getting
his way, Suarez proceeded to boot
the ball provocatively at the United
dug-out.
As the second-half (yes there
was a football match) began, United
struck twice in quick succession.
Old Trafford roared, Liverpool
folded as the game appeared to be
dragging to an inevitable home win.
But wherever there is uncertainty,
Suarez is rarely far away. A free-
kick deep into the home sides
penalty error exposed a brittle
defence, allowing the antagonist in
the drama to once again take a lead
role, as he prodded Liverpool back
into the game. Ultimately, much
like his talent is to his reputation,
it changed little.
At full-time, the victorious
Evra had the moral high-ground
as well as the win but served to
keep the fames fickering when he
chose to celebrate wildly in front
of his own fans in close proximity
to Suarez. Evra was bundled to the
safety of the tunnel as Old Trafford
collected its breath, a victory
against their main rivals coupled
with the drama of all that had gone
before. Ultimately, this issue will
be done to death, but like Suarez,
will divide opinions. As with most
football controversies, very little
will ever be black and white.
by Douglas Elder, Sports Team
Poisonous actions in Liverpool-United match
Sport