the stag - issue 15

8/14/2019 The Stag - Issue 15

1/40

Issue 15 I 22nd February 2010 I www.thestagsurrey.co.uk

In this issue:

Union Elections:

What you need to

know!

Learn about Go

Green Week!

WIN! Beach Break

Live

tickets in the next

edition!

The Science of

Listening to yourMother

Lets Talk about the

Oscars

Join the Guildford

Mavericks

Check out The Stags

NEW website:thestagsurrey.co.uk

And much more...

Recycle

Your Stag!

Issue 15

Editor: Sara HadfieldEditor-In-Chief: Elizabeth SimosProduced in USSU,

University of Surrey,Guildford

Est. 2008

FREE

Surrey Students Union Seeks toMaintain Charity Status

The University of SurreyStudents Union has proposeda new core constitution in a

response to significant requirementslisted in the Charities Act 2006.Students unions listed as a charityhave previously remained exemptfrom registering their status, butthe latest Act has removed thisexemption and given students

unions until June 2011 to registerwith the Charities Commission.Surrey Unions proposed newconstitution is part of the decisionto create a new union as a limitedcompany named The University ofSurrey Students Union Ltd.

Memberships Services Directorof the Students Union Alan Royspoke to The Stag and describedthe situation: From the momentthat registrations are open, everycharity has exactly a year to gettheir registration in. If you dontregister, then youre no longer

a charity your charity status iseffectively removed. So we donthave to register, but if we dont wecease to be a charity.

Students unions have formerly beenregulated by their parent universityand were therefore exempt fromregistering since the first CharitiesAct was introduced in 1960. TheStudents Union exists because theUniversity exists... and because theUniversity is of charitable status,so too is the Students Union, Alan Roy explains. However, theCharities Act 2006 now states

that all charities, aside from thosethat remain exempt, must proveits public benefit. The charitableidentify of students unions are nolonger protected by their parentinstitution or the Education Act1994, and all students unions withan income in excess of 100,000are required to register.

Charities benefit from taxexemptions, VAT reductions anddonations, to name a few, but manyinstitutions have faced scrutiny in a

time when the government is shortof money and the public are askingwhy certain charities deserve suchbenefits. Students unions hopingto maintain their status as a charitywill have to justify these benefitsand the NUS have provided threecharitable objects for every unionin an effort to prove their benefit tothe public.

The objects of the union arethe advancement of educationof students...by promotinginterest and welfare of students,representing and supportingthem being the recognisedrepresentative charitable betweenthe students and the university,and providing social, cultural,sporting and recreational activitiesfor the personal development of itsstudents, Alan Roy clarified.

These are generic objects forevery students union. We could

write our own, but these are theones that NUS have come up with,gone through a lawyer, gone to theCharities Commission, [who hassaid] if they are the reason youexist, you can be a charity.

The new constitution will havea considerable impact on thestructure of the University of SurreyStudents Union. Currently, theUnion is governed by sabbaticalofficers and partly overseen bythe University. Alan Roy suggestedhow students can be reassuredthat the new constitution states

the union will be governed by twoadditional bodies Youve got theCharities Commission overseeingwhat the union does, plus theCompanies Act 2006.

Every registered charity must havetrustees who are responsible formanaging the institution. However,a trustee paid by a charity maycause a conflict of interest becausethe trustee could make decisionswhich are not in the best interest ofthe charity. The Charity Commission

has therefore stated only a minorityof trustees can be paid. This is acritical component in the unionsnew constitution, which statesthere will be five officer trustees(sabbaticals), one student officetrustee (union chairperson), oneuniversity trustee and five externatrustees.

The proposed new union, nameThe University of Surrey StudentsUnion Ltd, is an attempt to attracquality external trustees. Currentlythe union has unlimited liability andthe individuals responsible for theinstitution, the trustees, are liablefor everything. The only way thayou are going to get good qualittrustees is to be able to limit theliability. So thats when we try toincorporate as a company AlanRoy explains.

What happens is we create a newunion...it sits in the background

and then we constitute that withrules and at an appointed date wetransfer everything from the oldunion to the new union and closethe old union. So thats why thisyears AGM will be the last AGM andhopefully if the constitution getsfiltered through and we dont haveany problems between now and August, the Students Union wswap over to a new organisation..and that means if it does go bustthen the liability is limited to a 1per student. And I cant see manypeople trying to chase 14,000students for a 1 each.

The new constitution is available atwww.ussu.co.uk and will be votedat the AGM. This is an incrediblyimportant opportunity to have youquestions answered and find oumore about the Unions decisionto adopt a new constitution andcreate a new organisation. The AGM is taking place on Thursda25th February.

by Ben Pook


2/40

Editors Letter

In this issue...

News Pages 3 - 7

FeaturesPages 8 - 21Fashion I Page 11Science I Pages 14 - 15

Health I Page 19

SocietiesPages 24 - 27

Arts Pages 28 - 37Music I Pages 28 - 29

Dance & Theatre I Pages 30 - 31Film I Pages 32 - 35Literature I Pages 36 - 37

SportsPages 38 - 41

Editor I Sara Hadfield : [email protected]

Deputy Editor (Design) I Position Currently Available : [email protected]

Deputy Editor (Marketing) I Jack McWaters : [email protected]

News I Ben Pook : [email protected]

Features I Mariam Nasir : [email protected]

Science I David Pugh : [email protected]

Societies I Bakita Kasadha : [email protected]

Music I Mark Allen : [email protected]

Dance & Theatre I Rachel Gildea : [email protected]

Literature I Eunice Njagi : [email protected]

Film I Ollie Sim : [email protected]

Sports I David Holt : [email protected]

Copy Editor I Ankur Banerjee

The Stagis an editorially independent newspaper and is published by

the University of Surrey Students Union.

The views expressed in the paper are those of individual authors and do not necessarily

represent the views of the editorial team, the Students Union or the University of Surrey.

Printed by Surrey and Berkshire Media Limited

Stoke Mill House, Woking Road, Guildford, Surrey GU1 1QA

The Stagreserves the right to edit submissions.

Please direct all enquiries to the relevant section editors.

Sa x

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back to another jam-packed edition of The Stag. Wehave once again been inundatedwith articles and adverts to includein this edition. Thank you so much!If we havent included your articlesfor any reason we apologise but wemay have run out of space! How-ever, we will definitely include youin the next edition so please bearwith us!

Theres a lot of talk about The Os-cars in this edition; from fashionto nominations so make sure youcheck that out! If you have any com-ments please feel to leave them on our website at www.thestagsurrey.co.uk!

This week its Go Green Week and Islamic Awareness Week so go along and sup-

port your fellow students with the events they have planned!

Its the time of year when the new Sabbaticals are elected for the fourth-comingyear. If you would like to nominate yourself for a position make sure you get yournomination form in my March 1st and make a difference to your University nextyear!

The Societies section is over-flowing with information for you this fortnight! Makesure you check out the new societies that have been ratified and new ideas thatsocieties are having for the next few weeks! No doubt, itll probably involve agreat line up of events at some stage!

Once again, we have some great science features for you, which Im sure youllenjoy and all your regulars including Campus Boy, This Week in Welfare and The

Mishaps of Jennifer Lee. If you have a regular feature that youd like to write forus, please let us know at [email protected].

I hope you enjoy this edition and feel free to get in touch with any ideas that youmay have!

Have a fantastic fortnight!


3/40

3

Surreybucks: Ben Pooks ResponseSurreybucks: the discussion continued

The objective of our students union newspaper, in particular the newssection, is to increase visibility of activities and developments on our campus.Meanwhile, opinions are an essential feature in The Stag and represent acore value in the papers personality. While there is an understandable needto report in an unbiased manner, a factor which The Stag editors striveto maintain, attitudes will inevitably surface because of the nature of ournewspaper; content which is written by students, for students.

Furthermore, the objective of the article in the last edition of The Stag (Issue13) headlined Surreybucks opens second coffee store on campus, wasnot to needlessly instigate negative connotations. Rather, the purpose ofthis article in question was partly to invoke a discussion about the qualityof the University of Surreys management of hospitality and catering onour campus. With this in mind, The Stag would personally like to thank theUniversity for contacting its editorial team and fulfilling the articles objective.My response is an effort to continue this valuable discussion.

The Stag is in no dispute that the University has no records of my attemptto contact the Hospitality Catering Services. However, what this statementfails to indicate is that I did attempt to contact the department; record or norecord. This process began with a referral to the Hospitality Catering Servicesfrom our Students Union; via twitter. And as an adopter of anything web-based, I completed the comments form on the HCS site. Sadly, no recordhas been found of my submission. I couldnt agree more to the notionthat solid communication between both parties would have led to a morebalanced article and improved credibility. Unfortunately, Im not responsiblefor managing the process of submitting online comments to the HCS.

Its important to clarify that the article does not criticise the single presenceof Starbucks on our campus. The sole presence of a corporate branddoesnt necessarily pose a threat to student welfare. However, the article iscritical of the growing partnership between Starbucks and the University; apartnership which has led not only to the announcement of one additionalStarbucks coffee store on university property, but a third, which is due to

open at the new Surrey Sports Park, hence:

a second Starbucks store [is] completely unnecessary and The partnershipbetween the University and Starbucks has led to the announcement of plansfor yet another Starbucks coffee store. This third store, which will be locatedat the new Surrey Sports Park...

With the growing evidence of a corporate partnership on our campus, itseems perfectly understandable to question, and attempt to conclude, theimpact this will have on the life of students. Within the article in question,this conclusion referenced the negative impact on competition. However, itseems this conclusion requires further clarification.

The opening of a second store within a few hundred yards of the first isdetrimental to competition on campus. Competition has declined due to afailure to capitalise on an ideal opportunity, now lost. This lost opportunity

comes in the form of introducing different products and services. Additionally,there is a lost opportunity to support a local business, or possibly even sustaina student business - young, adventurous and personal. This support holds

unprecedented value considering the current torrid economical situation fosmall to medium sized businesses. These are simply suggestions.

Bens argument that choice has been reduced since the introduction oStarbucks is simply wrong.

Also, this clarification doesnt even consider the opening of a third Starbuckscoffee store, consideration which should seem superfluous. The termunnecessary, used in the article in question, relates to the geographicproximity of the first and second Starbucks coffee stores, as well as thislost opportunity. The University of Surrey have kindly identified the extent ofdifferentiation in coffee services on campus; however this still ignores theloss in opportunity.

Importantly, there appears to be evidence of neglect from not only theUniversity, but also from our own Students Union, which leads me torespond to another point.

[the Students Union] was involved in the creation of a campus wide reta

strategy that aims to increase choice of all retail and catering services oncampus

As mentioned earlier, its disappointing that communication between botparties wasnt established. The article in question was reported on factsrealistically available at the time. And as such, the above information wasntaken into consideration. However, information that the Students Unionhas a distinct involvement in retail and catering services on campus formsequally balanced questions on why an opportunity to improve competitionwas lost. This leads to another topic, thankfully picked up by the Universitin their response to the article in question, which is the student voice othe University of Surrey. Are students being heard? Its encouraging that thefirst Starbucks is passing student tests - but this was never in dispute andis directly linked to the impact of our student voice. Also, it seems thesetests are not related to the disputes surrounding the opening of the secondstore; which was the topic of the article in question.

Finally, the University of Surrey pose a very interesting enquiry about theplacement of the article in question. This enquiry is precisely relevant to oneof the objectives of the article - improving discussions and reader feedback

While I remain adamant that the article in question is newsworthy, due to itsnature as an announcement of campus developments, and that a balancedapproach to the news was maintained which considers both argumentsIm also aware that a comments section in the paper represents an veryinteresting proposition. The critical advantage of a comments section isthe distinction between news and disputed biased articles; thus improving

visibility to the reader.

I would like to take this opportunity to again thank the University for contactingThe Stag and disputing the content of the article in question. I hope thidiscussion will continue and consequently provide the student communitywith a reliable representation of this debate.

Are you interested in joining the discussion? Add The Stag on Twitter bsearching for thestagnews and let us know what you think.

Surreybucks: Reader ResponseDear Ben,

I just wanted to express my support of your articleabout the new Starbucks in the Stag beforeChristmas.

I decided to write this email after reading theUniversity response to your article in the mostrecent copy of the Stag. I think this response isclearly not addressing the issue at hand: not a

single one of the alternative providers of coffee on

campus it lists actually is a cafe that could offer acomparable atmosphere to the one in Starbucks.

The author has the audacity to include the library(with a coffee machine) and the Varsity Centre(clearly not on campus).

Anyways, enough of the moaning for you areprobably long aware of all of this. Just keep upthe resistance against the taste and politics ofStarbucks coffee. I know of quite a few people out

there who support this kind of thinking!

Best,

Johannes

Want to join the debate? Do you agree or disagrewith Ben Pooks comments about the partnershibetween the university and Starbucks? Send youthoughts to [email protected]


4/40

4

by Ben Pook

Ahead of next months union elections, News

Editor Ben Pook caught up with Elizabeth Simos,President of the University of Surrey StudentsUnion, to discuss how it feels to represent the

voice of our student community. Listen to the fullinterview at www.thestagsurrey.co.uk, including thePresidents opinions on higher education fundingand student media at Surrey.

[Ben] Thank you for agreeing to talk to The Stag.Firstly, would you mind introducing yourself andwhat your responsibilities are as President of theStudents Union.

[Elizabeth] Im Elizabeth Simos, Im President ofthe Students Union and my responsibilities are

very varied. The most important one is that Im thepresiding officer of the union, which means Im the

senior representative for students on campus. Thatwill include being the main point of contact with theuniversity and running all the day-to-day activitiesof the union. So, that means overseeing all thesocieties, all the sports clubs, union support, all theevents and all the commercial activities as well.

[Ben] And with union elections due to take placethroughout March, what advice can you give tocandidates running for President of the StudentsUnion?

[Elizabeth] Whats great is there has been a lotof interest in the upcoming elections and I thinkthat is because we have an extended nominationperiod and weve tried our best to make it public

that these elections are coming up. In terms ofadvice to people who want to run for president,is for them to be massively passionate about therepresentation of students and have an interest inwanting to help students and enhance the studentexperience throughout their time at Surrey.

[Ben] So what have been your favourite experiencessince being elected president?

[Elizabeth] There have been many. I would thatsay my favourite ones are the opportunities I have

to really engage with students on a one to onebecause its very often the case that through thisrole you will be in the office, there will be so much

to do and so many meetings to attend with theuniversity, and often that student engagement canbe slightly lost. But, then you have events such asFreshers Fayre and ReFreshers Fayre, when youhave lots of active, passionate students, and itsso fantastic to get to talk to those students as well.But, the other experience that I would say wouldbe top of this list would be this interview with youBen.

[Ben] Ha, I would like to believe it was so. Whatlasting impression would you like to leave asPresident of the Students Union?

[Elizabeth] Ive been in this role now for two yearsand I am the second president who has done it in ahistory of 50 years of this union. What I would like

to be remembered for is that I have done my bestin terms of student democracy, that I have beena good representative on a wide range of issuesand that I have engaged to the best of my abilitywith Surrey students. But, I havent done this toleave a legacy, at all, and I think the best thing Icould leave behind is a union that is structurallyand operationally is in a position to allow thenext sabbatical team, the future of this union, tocome into the role and be very confident and verycomfortable with all the available resources. And Isay that particularly in terms of the constitutionalreform that is currently taking place - that wereregistering now as a charity, and so the form ofthe union is changing. The form of the union thatwe know of it today will be dead in a few months

time, and hopefully reborn as a phoenix for the newteam to come in and do fantastically well for ourstudents.

[Ben] Moving on to another topic, if you also hadcontrol over university policies, what would be thefirst thing you would change?

[Elizabeth] Well, currently I have the opportunity toinfluence decisions, and I think I do quite well inrepresenting students. I give students a very strong

voice within the university and Im very confident

that I do that. If I had control over university policiI would try my best to ensure that students wegetting the best possible circumstances in termsfees, higher education funding, and as the universI would put the pressure on the governmentterms of the higher education funding cuts, whfrankly are completely and utterly unacceptable

[Ben] So lastly, do you have any regrets so far sinbeing president?

[Elizabeth] I really want to say no no I dont reganything. I think the reality is, that being in a rlike this for two years, while Ive fully been mysand Ive fully enjoyed aspects of it, and I have be

very vocal about many issues I think there atimes when I could have been more expressiveterms of particular operational issues within tunion.

Dont forget to listen to the full interview at wwthestagsurrey.co.uk and leave your commeabout this interview.

An interview with the President of the Students Union

by Ben Pook

Responses to a student survey on universitytuition fees have highlighted significant variationsin willingness to pay on subject areas, types ofinstitution and social background. The largest

variation in willingness to pay is on subject areas,with 40% of Medicine and Dentistry studentsindicating they would reject their course if tuitioncost 6,000, compared with 60% of studentslooking to study education-based degrees, includingteaching.

The survey, conducted by Opinionpanel Research,collected responses from 37,000 universitystudents and asked what price would be considered

so cheap that they would doubt the quality of the

course, and what price would be so expensivethat they wouldnt consider paying it at all for thecourse.

Importantly, 54% of students from state schoolswould reject their degree if tuition cost 6,000,compared with 44% of students from fee-payingschools. This poses a serious risk to the governmentsscrutinised higher education strategy to persuadehalf of school leavers to attend university, whilesimultaneously agreeing to increase tuition fees tobetween 5,000 and 7,000.

Students from less privileged backgrounds withequal rights to attend university will be priced outunless sufficient financial assistance is available.

The recent announcement of higher education

funding cuts by Business Secretary Lord Mandelscontradicts the governments long-term goal open opportunities to as many school leavers possible and the results from this survey suppthis argument.

Perceived value is another factor for students. 5,000, 35% of Russell Group universities woreject their degree, compared with 48% of studeat Alliance universities the report suggests. increase in tuition fees could therefore fosome universities out of business. Establishuniversities with a superior reputation and imaare considered more valuable, while less reputauniversities might not be able to attract a sufficienumber of students.

How much would you pay?


5/40

It seems inevitable that the higher education sectorwill soon go through a capitalist skimming processwhere underperforming institutions will collapse,while the demand for established institutions willremain unchanged. Aside from an increase in tuitionfees, funding cuts will provide another immovable

obstacle for underperforming universities.

This process could be perceived to benefit thehigher education sector by increasing the averagequality in standards. However, this contradictsthe governments policy to increase the number

of students attending university. If this policy isstill the long term objective of the government,then the focus should not be on weeding outunderperforming universities. Instead, the sector iscrying out for an improvement in management anddirection; set by the Higher Education Minister.

The government must make a choice - eithercontinue to encourage as many young peopleas possible to attend university and invest inimproving the standards of universities across thecountry, or restructure the sector by reducing the

number of opportunities for young people and cout underperforming universities. Its incapabledoing both.

5

The Students Union Annual General Meeting shall be held at 6pm

on Thursday 25th February in Rubix. The agenda is as follows:

1 Minutes of Previous AGM

2 Matters Arising

3 Presentation of Students Union Annual Report4 Presentation and Approval of the Students Union Audited Ac-

counts

5 Approval of Traded Services budget

6 Approval of Membership Services budget

7 Approval of Trustees Report

8 Notification of External Affiliations

9 Motions

10 Amendments to Constitution, Rules & Appendices

Item 10 has one resolution which is as follows:

1. That the Union currently constituted as an unincorporated as-sociation may set up a company limited by guarantee called Univer-sity of Surrey Students Union (NewCo) for the purpose of acquir-ing the business (including all the assets and liabilities) of the Union.

2. That the Memorandum and Articles of Association of NewCo be in thesame or similar form as placed before the meeting, subject to any amend-ments requested by the Charity Commission or the University of Surrey.

3. That pursuant to the powers of amendment in Clause 21 of the Un-ions constitution a new Clause 7.7 shall be added to the Unions constitu-tion as follows:7.7 The Trustees of the Union have the power, which can be exer-cised after the passing of a members resolution at a general meeting inaccordance with Clause 21.3 and upon completion of all legal formali-ties, to transfer the Unions assets and liabilities, which it is in the pow-er of the Union to transfer, to a charitable company limited by guaran-tee (NewCo). The Trustees can delegate the execution of the transferagreements and arrangements to two nominated Trustees. If a trans-

fer takes place, NewCo shall become the sole corporate trustee of theUnion and can, by resolution of the Board of NewCo, once the transferhas been properly effected, dissolve the Union so that it ceases to exist.

4. Pursuant to Clause 7.7 set out in Resolution [3] above, providedthat the Trustees are satisfied that all legal formalities have been compliedwith, the Union acting under delegated power by two of its Trustees underClause 7.7 of its constitution, may transfer on such date as is agreed bythe two delegated Trustees and before December 2010, all of the assetsand undertaking of the Union (subject to its liabilities) on such terms asthe two delegated Trustees reasonably see fit to NewCo (the Transfer).

5. That the Union acting by its two delegated Trustees may execute transfer deed and such other documents as are necessary to give effect tthe Transfer.6. That the trustees of NewCo may take all decisions and actio

necessary to give effect to the Transfer and to take such action subsequent to the Transfer as may be strictly necessary or consequentia

7. That in accordance with Clause 7.7 of its constitution, the Union cadissolve after the Transfer and upon a resolution of NewCo cease to exis

8. The Bye-Laws of NewCo shall be brought in on a phased basis.

9. The elections for the Officer Trustees, the Student Officer Trustee anthe Part-Time Officers for the academic year 2010/11 shall take place March 2010. The Appointments Committee shall be set up to appoint thExternal Trustees (whose appointments will be ratified by the Student Parliament) and to ratify the appointment of the University Trustee who shall bappointed by the Council of the University of Surrey.

10. If the Transfer takes place on 1 August 2010, the trustees shall takoffice as the trustees of NewCo and their appointment shall take effect othe date of the Transfer (or on such date on which the appointments aactually made if the appointments are made after the date of the TransferIf the Transfer has not taken place by 1 August 2010, the trustees shall takoffice on that date as trustees of the Union and shall not become trustees oNewCo until such time as the Transfer takes place.

11. Subject to Resolution [13] below, depending on when the Tranfer takes place, where new bodies or positions exist which have not beeelected or selected identified old bodies or persons should assume relevaresponsibilities and powers until such time that an election or selection aappropriate can be held in the normal course of business.

12. All matters not covered by Resolutions 1 to [11] above and/or pend

ing the adoption of the Bye-Laws shall be resolved by the President of thUnion for the time being.

This resolution effectively gives the current sabbatical team, plus the Uniochair the authority to create a new Students Union with the constitution thais published on www.ussu.co.uk/agm, transfer all the assets, liabilities anstaff from the current Union over to the new Union and then abolish the oUnion.

The Union Executive committee ask you to support this resolution.

Notice of AGM

[email protected]


6/40

6

NOMINATE

www.ussu.co.uk/elections

Nominations close

on Monday 1st March

Its Election Time

YOURSELFNOW


7/40

77

Nominations for union elections opened this month as hopeful candidatesbegan submitting their entries for a variety of positions at the University ofSurrey Students Union. Students have until Monday 1st March at 12:00 noon

to enter the race and begin the stressful period of convincing the ruthlessstudent community why they deserve to be the voice of students at ouruniversity.

Any student can run for the positions of President, Vice President forEducation, Vice President for Welfare, Vice President for Societies andIndividual Development, and Vice President for Sport and Recreation. Ina recent interview with The Stag, current union President Elizabeth Simosoffered advice to potential presidents, identifying a need to be massivelypassionate and a desire to enhance the student experience at Surrey.

Online voting will take place between 15th and 26th March, with announcementsbeing held on 26th. Visit www.ussu.co.uk/elections for more information andpick up your nomination forms from the Union reception.

Union Elections: What you need to know!

There is only a week left now until nominationsclose for the 2010 Sabbatical elections. If youhave not considered standing for election, now isthe time to think about it.

Campaigning for an election is a unique experi-ence, and will give you valuable skills that you willneed in later life. Think of an election campaign likea job interview where there are 14,000 memberson the interview panel. Campaigning can also be astressful experience, you are in essence enteringin a popularity contest, and you must be preparedfor the fact that some people are not going find

you popular; you will also find out who your friendsreally are ...

Becoming a member of the Union Executive is abig commitment, and a full time sabbatical officereven more so not just in terms of time, but physi-cally and emotionally as well. Nomination formsmust be returned to the Students Union receptionby 12 noon on Monday 1st March 2010. It is agood idea to return them beforehand if you can incase there is a mistake.

Of course, with five positions to be filled, and morethan five candidates standing in the election thereare going to be winners and losers; however theexperience of campaigning in an election itself can

give you a new found confidence in your abilitiesthat you never knew you had. You dont have to be

very political you just have to care.

In order to nominate yourself you will need to coplete a nomination form. This will require somenominate, second you and four proposers. The pson who will nominate you should be a close friewho will support you through the campaign.

To find out more, pick up a nomination pack frothe Students Union reception of download ofrom www.ussu.co.uk/electionsIf you want to talk about any of the positions comand speak to any of this years sabb team.

The Best Graduate Job in the World?

The University of Surrey Students Union is affiliated to the National Union ofStudents, and we pay an affiliation fee towards the National Union. As an af-filiated Union, we have an entitlement to send a number of delegates to theannual National Conference (NUS Conference) each year. This year we willhave 4 delegates, 3 of which will be elected by University of Surrey students.

About NUS National Conference

National Conference is the sovereign body of NUS which takes place each

spring and runs for three days. Every constituent member is entitled to send

at least one representative to participate in Conference, passing policy that

sets the priorities of the national union for the coming year.

2010 will be the first year of the new format for NUS Conference, where the

have already been a number of policy discussions earlier in the year, and t

amount of delegates will be smaller than in previous years.

NUS Conference is a hotbed of political debate, and can be a lot of fun, bremember you are representing Surrey Students while you are there.

If you want to be one of our delegates to the NUS Conference, then you hauntil Monday 22nd Feb to get your nomination form submitted. Forms can found in the Students Union reception or downloaded from www.ussu.co.

nusconference.

NUS Delegation


8/40

8

My older brother used to be a DJ and he alsoproduced a few tracks of his own. I rememberthere was one song I really liked and it was ona really cool CD (the front was nice). So onenight I was in my parents room and I wanted tolisten to the song. So I started looking for theCD, there was one CD on the hi-fi, but I wentstraight for the CD case. Now all these are burntand they did not have any labels on them, so Ihad to play each CD to find out which was theright one. Most of them looked the same so Iwent through quite a bit of them. Then it hit me- its like looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend, wifeor husband. You have an idea of what he/she

looks like, tall or short, fair or dark, light skinnedetc, but you also know how he/she should beon the inside - smart, funny, confident etc. Butthe first thing that draws you to the person ishow that person looks and then afterwards youmay discover that the person is or is not what

you are looking for. With the CD, I selected allthe CDs that looked like the one I was lookingfor and then listened to them and then decidedif that was it or not. Looks are generic and itgoes to show that what differentiates us fromeach other is beyond our looks, it's what's insidethat matters most. (Don't get me wrong though,looks do count.) But what I also realised is thatwhen I was going through them; I found a lotof songs that I actually liked. Which shows that

sometimes on your quest to find 'The One', youmeet other people, date other people and youenjoy it, who knows? you might even find that

you no longer want what you were looking forinitially. Or you might just be more appreciativewhen you do find that person. On that note,dont be involved in situations that just bringabout spent emotions on a person that you donot see yourself being with in the long term.

Funny enough, I found the CD on the hi-fi. I ig-nored it earlier because I thought it couldn't be,it's too easy. Well who said it has to be hard?Maybe the one for you is right in front of you,

you just don't want to believe it. Beauty is only

skin deep. Dont judge a book by its cover.

Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/decap88

by Don Decaprivano

Beauty is Only

Skin Deep"You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?..

Off-Campus Accommodation

Yes people its that time of year again when the University is about to kick you out of halls or your ocampus accommodation contract is coming to an end and you dont wish to renew it because whateattracted you to the house in the first place is now driving you mad, oryou dont really like your housmates anymore and therefore wish to forget that you ever lived with them in the first place!

Although this article could address an unlimited number of issues, this Grind My Gears special, will focon one - prospective landlords/ladies. How is it that they do not have the common sense to tell you whthe house you are planning to see, say tomorrow, has already been snapped up, say today? Instead thlet you trek around Guildford getting confused with a map which takes you the long way around becaua certain search engine hasnt figured out the short cuts yet. I mean its only been around since like tbeginning of time (well maybe not quite), but it should have realised something was up with its directioby now!

But alas no, after getting soaked, you end up at your destination with a perplexed resident wonderwhy youve come to the door today. Didnt you know another group signed the contract yesterday? T

landlady said shed rung around. No, I didnt, and no she didnt. Grrr.

I swear Im not a moany mare all the time; it just really Grinds My Gears.

For more useful advice about off-campus accommodation rather than these rants, go to the Accommodtion Office.

by Bakita Kasadha

Last month Amy Fearn became the first female toreferee a league match, during a game betweenCoventry and Nottingham Forest. As assistant to theoriginal referee Tony Bates, Fearn was called to step

into uncharted territory when Bates collapsed with astrained calf injury. It is a remarkable achievement.

And yet as soon as I heard, I was reminded ofthat Alexandra Burke song Broken Heels that iscurrently doing its run in the charts. For those of

you who have not yet seen the video clip, it involvesBurke and her backup dancers donning tight Ameri-can Football-style outfits before shimmying downthe playing field to the girl-power refrain of ,All theladies tell the fellas we can do what they can do /

We can do it even better in broken heels. Burkescentral message falls a little flat when none of thesingers actually approach anything like a ball, andone wonders what exactly they are at doing bet-

ter.

In the world of pop music it is standard, unques-tioned and utterly uncontroversial for a medium toassume there is a necessary antagonism betweenthe sexes. Burke herself is no stranger to a little

gender stereotypingjust take her last hit BBoys for example. But what about in the outsworld? Why is it so remarkable for a woman to coduct a Championship game? Amy Fearn officiatthe last twenty minutes of the Coventry-NottinghaForest game without incident. I wonder how mueasier it would have been in broken heels...

by Stephanie Davies

Girl Power on the Pitch

[email protected]


9/40

9

This month the crazy hype has been about Boston. It is thelargest city in New England and its one of the oldest cities of

the United States. Boston was the location for many historicalevents of the American Revolution in the 18th century, such asthe Boston Tea Party where a group of colonialists boarded Brit-ish ships importing tea, and dumped it into the Boston Harbor.Bostons cobbled streets and antique cafes are examples of thefact that the old colonial Boston has still been preserved. Unlikemany places in America, it has that old antique charm mixedinto this modern world. But I know we are all students and mostof us are not going to go to Boston to learn about the AmericanRevolution or the Embargo Act of 1807, but to go out and getthe student-life perspective of Bean Town.

Boston is home to over 35 universities including Harvard, Bos-ton College, North Eastern, Berkley and Boston University.

These are just a few of many truly amazing universities there.

This means that about 1 out of 5 people in Boston is a stu-dent or involved in some way with higher education. So in otherwords, Boston is the student city. This month a really goodfriend of mine got accepted in Harvard University to work for hisplacement year. I am very jealous and very proud. This is whatinspired me to write about Boston this week. So now its time forsome facts that you need to know about Bean Town wehey1. The BEST street hot dogs are NOT in New York, but arein fact in Boston Common Park. This little Indian guy servesthem to you hot and full of unbelievably fattening and delicioustoppings.2. You HAVE to go to a university house party. Yea, theypretty much are like the ones in the movies. The red plasticcups, the beer kegs and funnels, the crazy girls and the big

football guys with baseball caps shouting WOO! FUCK YEA!You must play beer pong, you must shot gun beers, and youmust strawberry short cake someone in the face.a3. On December 12, 1996, a dessert created in the 19thcentury known as the Boston Cream Pie, became the officialdessert of Massachusetts. And it is effin' good. So eat it.4. The best night clubs are the ones you need fake IDsfor.5. Boston is obsessed with lobsters. Im not even kidding.Everywhere you go theres a frickin' stuff toy lobster or pictureof a lobster or a restaurant serving lobster. I hope you like lob-sters.6. GO TO A FOOTBALL GAME. I know everyone doesnt like

American Football and says its for pansies, but you have to go.The atmosphere is incredible; everyone is just there to have a

good time. The people are friendly and crazy and its just soexciting. You meet some real weirdos but theyre pretty memo-rable.

Boston is one of my favourite cities in the world and I highlyencourage everyone to go there. Check out flights for summeror Easter and just spend a couple of weeks there and head upto New York after. Boston is so artsy, so full of life and colour.

The people are so friendly and the city is always buzzing. Noone can get bored there. If youre not into the whole partyingaspect, there are so many jazz bars, music cafes, art galleries,low-key theatres and amazing shopping. Theres a restaurantfor about every different type of cuisine and boat tours/boatparties around the harbor. There is so much to do and you onlylive once. So go do it.

TravelUnless you have been living under a rock for the past few months you will have heard of tnew hit TV show Glee. It is, of course, the new TV series that has hit Channel 4 in a fluof musical numbers, teenage dramas and sequins. Set in the fictional William McKin

high school in Ohio, it follows the haphazard adventures of the school choir, also known the Glee club, hence the title of the show. Facing an onslaught of adversity from the foball team, the cheerleaders coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), the fear inducing slushmachine, the money grubbing head teacher (Iqbal Theba) and individual crises along tway, the Glee club must overcome all the odds to use their talent and do what makes thehappy regardless of what other people think. (With such a sugary underlying messagecomes as no surprise that Glee has been hailed as High School Musical with an edge

Whether you hate it, love it or are still wondering why Jane Lynch seems to have her mixed up with her es Glee has, undeniably, made an impression in Britain. More ovwhelmingly, it appears to not have simply infected youthful pre-teens who are easily pesuaded to jump onto the all-singing, all-dancing band wagon but has also managed to wover most of the critics and capture the attention of an older audience. A little closerhome, perhaps, is the news that students at the University of Surrey are already atteming to start a Glee club as a new society and, with a Facebook group of over 180 membe

it seems that there is certainly enough support amongst the student body for the formatof a choral, vocal group.

It is obvious that, up and down the country, young and old adults alike have been bittby the Glee bug. What is less obvious is whether this craze is a fleeting passion or whettunes from the TV series will continue to crawl up the music charts for months to comto accompany the Glee version of Dont Stop Believin in the top 10. Having already wa 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Series, everything points to Glee being tNext Big Thing like the iPhone in 2008 or the wheel in the 5th millennium BC. Despthe current high flying status of the show, the question has to be asked; how much longcan it stay up in the air? Critics have claimed that the characters are too stereotypical, thdoing cover songs can only hold an audiences attention for so long and even that it m

just be a one-hit wonder. These criticisms are largely unheard if the size of the fan bais anything to go by and, with rumours that stars like Idina Menzel, Olivia Newton-John a

Taylor Swift are vying for guest roles in the second half of the first season, Glee seems

have firmly found its feet on the popular stage and will, almost certainly, be the talk of ttown, or at least Twitter, for the rest of the season.

by Amy Johnson

What The Buzz: Glee


10/40

BANG! And then the light bulb came on... Alrightso Ive been having a little trouble coming up witha topic for the enlightening discussion of this fort-night. Yet then, as previously mentioned the lightcomes on. Since when did I have to stick to somekind of script with what Im preaching to my read-ers? F**k for all I know I dont have any readers,everyone buys this paper for the Sports section andIm throwing myself against a brick wall of cripplingfrustration for the sake of my own ego. All I reallyknow is Ill be here until Im not anymore.

Thankfully this occurred about the same time asa friend reminding me The Stag is looking for theaverage joes to send in book reviews to the paper.

Ten minutes later and Im going on about Level 26:

Dark Origins by Anthony Zuiker (the guy who di-rects the CSIs) and as much as I futilely try to steerthe conversation away from it, we ended up on Twi-light. Now before I fly off the metaphorical handleand yell about how Im on neither Team I need to

you all to know I think the Twilight Saga of booksare great. Stephanie Meyer is a brilliant author whomanages can capture the point blank shock of teenangst, the depths of unrequited love, the inevita-ble despair that accompanies it and the unspokenstrength of family ties with a feeling of understand-ing that I admire. And although I dont agree withthe fact that her vampires..... sparkle *shudder* Ican see how it fits with the writing so its okay. Thatbeing said this is where my understanding ends,

because if I have to look at one more poster withRob Pattinsons face on it I swear to Lucifer I amgoing to hurt someone. I suppose though it wasto be expected, when the media get a hold of agreat story and start whoring it out to the masses.Suddenly youre faced with these die hard fanaticswith the Cullen family crest etched onto their skinin areas unmentionable. I read that Pattinson wasactually hit by a taxi trying to get away from hordesof screaming girls begging him to bite them! Thenof course following these come their polar oppo-sites, the people that despise the series with what

can only be referred to as a brutal passion. And theodd thing is half those who hate it havent evenread the books. Theyre just sick of having to hearabout it over and over from their best friend, theirgirlfriend or their mother for the love of god. Un-til it gets to the point a guy cant even admit heactually likes the story any more without gettingodd looks. To recap Mrs Meyer made good with theromance and the monsters. But when you try andtranslate that onto the big screen we end up withsurly looks and far too much topless guy action formy liking. So it may be difficult trying to compressthe raw emotion themes into a couple of two or sohour long films. But is it really worth the cost of theintegrity that gets lost in translation? I rememberwhen I first heard about the series when Eclipse

(third book) was still in the works and thinking whata waste of time, some writer making a poor at-tempt to combine vampires, werewolves and teen-age romance, but she made it work. This howeverall came before the concepts of Team Edward andTeam Jacob. Lets be honest, who cares?! Imsure I dont recall a precedent for quite so manygiggling schoolgirls over some fictional characters.I dont remember hearing about Anne Rice settingup Team Louis versus Team Lestat.

And if youre wondering exactly what I mean bywhoring out Im talking about the over 50 differenttypes of Twilight-related t shirts currently in distri-bution, there are these ridiculous products rang-

ing from Bella and Edward cookbooks with sappysounding titles for lasagne to vibrators with youknow whos face on them, on which the instructionsinclude leaving said object in the fridge! I meanseriously WTF!!! Are all girls now after the sociallystunted, probably unhinged sociopath whos asclose to killing you as he is kissing you? Becausethere are plenty of guys whove had the whole ro-mantically retarded loners thing down a lot longerthan this imaginary undead Adonis and Im prettysure we dont get mobbed on campus too often.

I guess what really gets under my skin is the effe

on other literature. On my last trip to WaterstonI found they are already recovering some of tclassics (Wuthering Heights & Jane Eyre) with whis now commonly known as a distinctly Twi-shlook. Reading is one of my favourite passtimes ait bugs the crap out of me that publishers are buing into this. Fine if it helps sell more copies for tstores but itd be nicer to have people read boobecause of their own merit and not because thlook like the latest replication of another geneboy meets girl/girl meets boy, significant other tuout to be a supernatural yaaaaawn. In that respeperhaps it would be better if some of the greastayed on paper.

So I urge you go lose yourself in a book, or anythfor that matter. And if youve got the time scribbledown and send it to the staff at The Stag, becaulets face it theyve only got a pair of eyes each aeven theyll run out of their favourite books to wrabout at some point.

Now if youll excuse me these pancakes arent ging to burn themselves to the pan

Campus Boy

10Oh Baby wont you cry?

Whyd you need to kill to feel alive?

WIN!Tickets to Beach Break Live...

Only in the next editon ofThe Stag out on the 8th March!


11/40

Hi! Hope everyone has settled back into enjoying Uni. life

as we bring you our third issue! Its an amazing time of

year for fashion as awards season is well under way

providing us with many fashionable treats and New York

fashion week is happening as we speak! Make sure to

check out our awards season section for our favourite

looks and stars to watch on the red carpet! We also have

our Were loving section where we bring you our favouritestudent buy of the week as well as our top looks of the

week!

On a sadder note- this month we say goodbye to legendary

British Fashion designer Alexander McQueen who sadly

passed away recently. A true innovator at the forefront of

style and fashion, the fashion world has suffered a great

loss in the demise of an amazing British talent. He will be

sorely missed so we commemorate him with our tribute

section: God save McQueen. As always we welcome any

feedback or requests that you might have, so please get in

touch! Hope you enjoy reading our first issue of 2010!

Love Christie and Nisha xxx

If you would like to make

any comments or have any

views on this issue please

contact us by e mail. We

would also really appreciate

any suggestions for future

issues.

Thank you Nisha and

Christie xx

[email protected]

Fashion note: Sonia Rykiel

pour H&M

French fashion designer Sonia

Rykiel will be launching her

second collection for H&M

after creating an underwear

collection for the clothing giant

last year. The collection

comprises mainly of knitwear

and accessories perfect for the

end of winter and beginning of

spring. The much awaited

collection debuts in stores on

February 20th 2010 but you

can see the collection now onthe H&M website. Rykiel is a

celebrated designer and her

collection for H&M enables us

all to have some Parisian

fashion in our wardrobes from

sophisticated stripes to cute

bow detailing, tres chic! Expect

a fashion frenzy!

Day wear: Miranda Kerr- Prada

Australian Victorias Secret model Miranda

Kerr demonstrates effortless but

sensational street style. Her stylish

ensemble is taken from the Prada Resort

2010 collection. Miranda has been

catching the eye of fashionistas

everywhere lately by upping the fashion

stakes with knockout after knockout. Her

outfit is perfect for day wear as it is not

too fussy but still provides a fashionable

focal point with the skirt, the perfect print

for transition into Spring. Mirandas co-

ordinated outfit proves she doesnt need a

runway to look good!

Top Looks of the Week

Evening wear: Camilla Belle- Marchesa

Beautiful brunette actress Camilla Belle is always

one of our favourites on the red carpet. Camilla

rarely makes a mistake as she seems to have an

innate understanding on what she looks good in and

what suits her. She is never one for letting the

clothes wear her! This breath- taking chiffon dress by

Marchesa is the perfect red carpet choice by

embodying the on trend styles of being one

shouldered and it is in a highlighter/ neon tone bothof which are style hits for Spring/ Summer. The

intricate detailing at the bust stops this dress from

being plain and the fabulous colour is great on

Camillas skin tone.

Like Camilla, we would expect nothing less than

perfection from Marchesa, which we get, as their

creations are always chic and feminine! Camilla and

Marchesa truly make an unbeatable pair.

The Joshua Foundation Miss University GB

The Joshua Foundation is a charity that raises money and

dedicates its time to making life an experience for children

with terminal cancer. In order to raise money I am

representing our University and taking part in an eventcalled Miss University GB which is taking place on March

1st. If you would like to help me and do your bit for this

cause you can donate as much or as little as you wish on

my just giving page,(www.justgiving.com/christie-campbell)

or you can call 0901 293 7950 (contestant number 01) or

text Christie Campbell to 81118 ( texts donate 1). For

more information on this event: www.missuniversitygb.co.uk

Thank you,

Christie x

God Save McQueen

11

Awards Season

Our FavouritesAwards season is upon us! Fashionistas everywhere will be taking inspiration from

awards season to get rid of the January blues! Awards season always provides

delectable treats and promises to showcase the amazing creations of world class

designers on our favourite celebrities. From the sophistication of The Golden Globe

Awards and the SAG Awards to the outlandish outfits at the Grammys, there is

definitely something for everyones taste. In this section we bring you a few examples

of our favourite designers at this years awards so far, a collection of our favourite

looks and four stars to keep your eye on for future red carpet events! Dont forget to

look out for the Oscar awards coming soon where the outfits will be nothing short of

sensational! Elie Saab: Elie Saab is definitely one of the go to

designers for luxurious gowns on the red carpet. The

Lebanese designer always creates dreamy design

using sumptuous material, elegant cuts and finishing

details like the exquisite detail on Fergies lilac gown

Anna Kendricks knitted LBD shows the classic side o

Elie Saab while Rihannas white dress adorned wit

feathers show the designers edgy twist on feminine

that suits Rihannas personality. Truly something fo

everyone!

Dolce and Gabanna: Dolce and Gabanna is always seen on the

red carpet and is one of the most well known design houses in

the world. Both Emily Blunt and Keri Hilson opted for nude

gowns and although the styles are different both women look

stunning!

Alexander McQueen: How could any red carpet event

be complete without the legendary Mr. McQueen? (From

left to right) From Anna Paquins intricate Spring 2010

printed mini dress, to Sandra Bullocks classic LBD with

a twist, to Cameron Diazs striking red gown, McQueen

displays an array of perfectly tailored dresses that show

his vast talents!

Male Fashion: Not to beoutdone the men were also

looking slick and stylish! From

the classic tuxedo to modern

twists on male suits, the men

were looking very dapper:

A collection of our favourite looks

There have been a huge variety of

dresses at the awards so far, from

long to short hemlines and some

amazing cuts and colours. Here are

just a few of our favourites:

This month Lee McQueen, founder and designer of Al-exander McQueen, was sadly found dead at his homeafter committing suicide. Condolences and messagesof grief have flooded in from designers, celebrities and

fans. He was an admired and respected designer andhis death comes at a great loss to both his family andthe fashion world. His innovative and somewhat con-troversial designs have been an inspiration to many

and we hope he will influence many other designers inthe future.Lee McQueen was always keen to shock, for examplewith the introduction of bumster trousers which were

modelled by Kate Moss; now many may find it difficultto believe these never existed before 1996! His designsare renowned for being impeccably tailored due to thefact he was an apprentice for Savile Row tailors Ander-

son & Sheppard. He would later enrol in the famed Cen-tral Saint Martins College of Art and Design and contro-

versially succeeded John Galliano as head designer forGivenchy. Since then we have seen breath-taking col-

lections inspired by death and destruction and anotherfeaturing reptilian prints. One of the best loved Britishdesigners; McQueens creations were rebellious, lavishand quickly became coveted in the fashion world. Alex-

ander McQueen liked to push boundaries, for examphe was the first London designer to use Indian mode

McQueen was named Best British Designer in 199

1997, 2001 and 2003; he won the Fashion DirectorAward in 2007 and even received a CBE in 2003. It truly tragic that we have lost such a talented and cretive British designer who was at the top of his game

and could have contributed so much more. Its sad tothink that we will never know what amazing designsthis fashion genius would have created in the future;we hope he rests in peace...


12/40

UNIVERSITY OF SURREY

BRANDED HOODED TOPS

INCLUDES A LARGE

RANGE OF COLOURS

AND SIZES

JUST 23.95


13/40

13

Ignore the posters. Its not happening. This yearthey arent bothering with elections, no need for

them. Just let me run the whole thing. Im talkingPresident, VP Welfare, VP Societies, VP Sports andVP Education. Ill even take permanent staff jobstoo. Leave it to me Surrey, Ive got the whole thingcovered. Heres a minor sample of my policies:- Lecturer cancelled a meeting with you? Youget to skip one of their essay deadlines.- Did your department recently get fundingcuts at a crucial time in your degree? Then you getfree membership to the 35 million Sports Park.- Grungers & Sluts night at the Union. Youget to dress up as a grunger. Or a slut.- All DJs must play at least one wrestlingtheme a night.- Ever used the computer shop? I havent ei-

ther. Lets turn it into a bakery.- Get drunk and chunder at the Union? Thenyou must do two hours unpaid work there beforeyoure allowed back again.- Summer. Lake. Slide.- Lego tables in Chancellors- Moan about the shit music/events at theUnion but still turn up every week? Your fault, notmine.- Buses are for losers. I propose an under-ground Mine-cart track from Manor Park to cam-pus. Like the one in Donkey Kong Country.- Your student loan fluctuates with thenumber of themed costume nights at the Union.- Once a term I will provide you with a map ofGuildfords pubs and bars. I will give you a date andsuggest a route. I will call up any that charge entry

and get you in free. Never again will you pay to goon a pub crawl around the main bars of a town that

you live in.- Rammstein at the Cathedral, a l openingscene of XXX.- Sod the University email. Just get them todo it on Facebook.- Your TV License just gets added to yourcourse fees, it cuts out those annoying advertsand unless I told you I was doing it right now youwouldnt notice anyway.- This years EOYS line-up will be Sting, Slip-knot and Hayseed Dixie.- Turn the union into a maze. Fill that mazewith white dots floating from the ceiling. 1 Pac-Manand 4 ghosts, winner gets to share 1 billion.

Nothing to worry about Surrey, Ill be at the helmand itll be an era of prosperity, success and ex-tortionate improvement in every aspect of studentlife. I will also do this job for free providing thatthe Union plug me relentlessly with Kopparberg andChicken Chimichangas. I am your man.

None of this is really happening. But if you dont doanything then an idiot such as the one above might

just end up running the place. If you think you cando better then why not run for one of the five po-sitions available? This year the Union have givenample time for nominations, campaigning and vot-ing so that at every stage of the elections you havetime to make an informed decision about who willbe representing you next year.

You have until the 1st of March if you would to be run for one of the positions, you can pick

a form from the reception desk at the StudeUnion. Here are the criteria for anyone wishingrun:

- ANY Surrey student can run for any potion- You do not have to have to work at the uion- You do not have to be a final year- You do not have to be someone who hanaround the Union all the time- You do not have to have to be a membera society- You do not have to have any experienanywhere in the Union

- You do not have to be a Rubix Monkey- You do not have to be doing well on yodegree course- You have to be passionate about doing yoabsolute best for the students of Surrey via yochosen position- You have to be alive

Voting will begin on the 15th of March and the sults will be announced at Chancellors on the 26of March. Best of luck to all involved and sorry

you thought that any of the above policies wgoing to come true.

by Andy Vale (No, Im not going for any of them)

Students Union Elections are Cancelled


14/40

14

[email protected]

David Pugh, your friendly neighbourhood Science Editor, is currently in training to run six miles (approximate

10km). Further than he has ever run in his whole life put together! He is braving the cold, moist, dark, horrib

conditions of the Guildford roads every morning to train and raise money forSport Relief, helping some of th

most needy people in the UK and Africa. He will be running on March 21st, from Surrey Sports Park, pleas

sponsor him and brighten up his day atmysportrelief.com/davidpugh your donation will give a dangerous

unfit individual a bit more motivation in his daily battle with the carbs! Thank you!

by David Pugh

What do Sat Navs, TV, the weather and the Moonall have in common? They are all satellites, orbitingearth at crazy speeds, whizzing information to andfrom Earth.

The first ever satellite was called Sputnik 1,launched from Russia in 1957, it was about 9 ft talland transmitted a radio pulse every 3 seconds, soit didnt really do a lot, but thats besides the point!Man was throwing things out to space. There are

now over 5000 satellites in orbit, clogging up theatmosphere with their shiny bits and radio waves.

So how do they do it? Well in the broadest senseof the term there are two types of satellites;geosynchronous satellites, like the ones producedhere on campus, orbit above a single point, at about22000 miles above sea level. They do a completerotation once every 24 hours. These are usedlargely for weather predictions. Then you have yourEccentricity satellites, and these go at whicheverspeed the people that make them decide, and goaround in a circle.

In a really short time, satellites have become anessential for global communication. In 1960, thefirst TV satellite, Echo, was launched. It wasnt

much more than a mirror, which bounced the TVsignals it received from earth. Two years later Telstarfollowed, which was the first active TV satellite.Instead of only reflecting the incoming signals, itconverted the signals in order to stop interferencebetween the incoming and outgoing signals.

Telstar had a rotational speed which was differentfrom the rotational velocity of the earth, so it hadto be followed very accurately by both transmissionand in 1964, this problem was solved, when thefirst geosynchronous satellite, Syncom receptionstations, was launched. Many others have gone upsince. The most well known is Intelsat I, which waslaunched in 1965. By 1969 the satellite net hadexpanded to a worldwide communication and TV

network.

In December 1982, the Astra I satellite waslaunched, which generated new interest in satellitesfrom the general public in Europe. With its comingit has become possible for people in Europe toreceive TV and radio transmissions with a smalldish antenna.

A small dish can only be used to receive satellitesin orbit not too far away from the equator. Outsidethat the distance to the satellites soon gets much

bigger and therefore the reception quality gets a bitrubbish. This is why small dishes are always fixedand are only go round the earth once a day.

A large dish antenna (like the ones that give youSky TV) has a larger focus which can be aimedmuch more accurately at a cluster of satellitesthat orbit closely together, and therefore is moreselective than a small dish. Consequently, a largedish will be less troubled than a small antenna byinterference problems of the various signals. Onthe other hand, a mini-dish is comparatively cheap

and can always be replaced by a larger dish. Sucha small dish can be installed easily, if need be on awindowsill, and copes better with disruptions, suchas weather conditions.

As more and more information is being handled indigital format, the future for satellite is also digital.In the near future, transmissions will probablytake place in digital format and this offers somepretty big advantages. The prime reason for digitalbroadcasting is that with analogue broadcasting onlyone channel per receiver (or transponder) can betransmitted, whereas with digital broadcasting thiscan be 10 channels per transponder. This meansa whopping cost reduction per channel. Because

you can make really tiny chips (micro-chips, if youwill), more information can be put on the samechannel bandwidth currently being used, which

allows more flexibility. For example, the sender cango for higher resolution, or for a lower resolutionbut more channels. In general, digital broadcastingwill bring an increase of choices to you, me andeveryone at home. Besides a likely increase of thenumber of programs, the same programs will alsobe broadcast several times per hour or day, to giveus more flexibility in when to watch a program.

We can already see that channels are becomingincreasingly focused on specific subjects, such asdocumentaries, movies and sports.

The one big drawback of satellite technologyspace, outer space is pretty big, but the satellitwe can build only work relatively close to us earth, as a result were cluttering up the sky, anddoesnt look set to stop any time soon.

Since 1991, there have been 8 major satellcollisions, the most recent in January 2009 wha Russian space forces satellite and an Americmobile phone satellite crashed 490 miles aboSiberia, the satellites were travelling at 17,0mph relative to Earth. As well as the huge co

involved with losing a satellite (some satellites cup to $100 million) satellite collisions create evmore debris in an already cramped environme

As you can see from the picture, we are completsurrounded by junk; those green dots represesatellites going about their daily business, bringus our favourite episodes of Glee, Lost and the lik

Those red dots you see are whats been left behiafter collisions with satellites.

With more and more satellites being sent iorbit, the potential for debris issues is becomrecognized. In a press release from the Union Concerned Scientists, issued shortly after the mrecent satellite collision, it was pointed out tha many countries have developed a set of debmitigation guidelines that have since been adopt

by the UN. One important issue was that countrremove old and useless satellites, such as Kosm2251, from overcrowded orbital areas. The papalso suggested that, as space becomes more amore crowded, the international community mbegin to develop and put in place measures space traffic management, similar to what we nhave with air traffic control around busy airports

You can learn more about satellites and the SurSpace Centre in an upcoming episode from M

TV, coming to a computer near you soon!!

Are We Running Out of (Outer) Space?


15/40

15

by Sophie Bryant

As a foolish and naive young person, you haveno doubt had a plethora of advice imparted to

you from older, wiser folks whove seen it all. Butas your mum, dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles,friends, older sisters and the old man next door tell

you all the things you must and mustnt do, haveyou ever stopped to wonder how they know thesethings, and if theyre even true? Lets have a lookat some of the classics, science style!

You cant freeze it, thaw it, and freeze it again!

By freezing food the movement of the moleculesinside it are slowed, so bacteria become dormantand cannot rot the food as they normally would ifit was in a warmer environment. If food is thawedout by leaving on the kitchen counter, chances areit will be left for longer than needed in a bacteria-friendly temperature. This will give the bacteriaa chance to start multiplying. If the food is thenrefrozen, the larger numbers of bacteria are then

frozen in with it, and will remain in the product whenyou eventually eat it. The safest way to defrost isin the microwave, so you can then cook the foodimmediately.

Mum: 1 You: 0

Dont sit close to the TV, youll go blind!

In normal life your eyes refocus all the time, asyou look at objects which are different distancesaway. By watching TV or being on a computer forlong lengths of time, you cause the muscles whichrefocus your eyes to stay in one position for longperiods of time. Over time, this can cause shortsightedness. However, there are no recordedinstances of loss of sight from prolonged screenuse.

Mum: 1 You: 1

Wrap up warm youll catch a cold!

Experiments into this theory have shown thatpeople exposed to colder temperatures have a 3xhigher incidence of subsequently developing colds

but why? Two possible answers have been touted the first is that vasoconstriction (blood vesselsbecoming smaller to reduce heat loss) results inless blood going to certain areas, therefore lesswhite blood cells the main immune response togerms. The second idea is that by exposing yourbody to cold temperatures, it immediately devotesits energy to keeping warm, instead of immunesystem activities, as this is a more immediatethreat. Either way, the statistics show that thisadvice probably is one to listen to.

Mum: 2 You: 1

If the wind changes, your face will stay like that!

The familiar end to all manner of inventiveface pulling, which fortunately holds little truth.However, it could be argued that repeated use ofcertain muscles (in the case of a face you pull alot) will strengthen them, and so cause the naturalbalance between agonist and antagonist musclesto change. This can be seen in your arms since

you use the bicep more than the tricep, your relaxedarm by your side will be slightly bent at the elbow,rather than perfectly straight. This effect would onlybe seen over a long period of time, in the case ofone motion repeated again and again. The originalargument is still false, as wind direction has noeffect on this whatsoever.

Mum: 2 You: 2

You cant go in the water yet, youve just eaten

After eating the blood flow to your gut is increasto help with digestive activity. If you get back the sea and start swimming, you will encourablood flow away from the gut, and towards arm a

leg muscles instead. The reduced oxygen to tdigestive tract can then cause cramps. Althouthis will undoubtedly be unpleasant, there are recorded instances of drowning because of thBut since Mum will have to be the one nursing yopoorly tummy, you can see why shed stop youthe first place.

Mum: 3 You: 2

Eat your vegetables; theyll make you big astrong!

We all know that vegetables are beneficial for thantioxidants, vitamins and fibre, but what about tbig and strong argument? In terms of calorcontent, its unlikely that weight gain could seen from vegetable consumption, so in this senthe big argument is somewhat flawed. Stronhowever, could be right. It has been shown t

vegetables can improve amino acid uptake molecules needed for building protein in muscleFurthermore, some vegetables contain significa

amounts of proteins themselves (notably peas aspinach), so I think well have to let Mum have tone.

Mum: 4 You: 2

After weighing up the evidence on some of most common motherly nags, we can see thalthough some were completely false, on othshe did have a point. So perhaps you should listto her next time... or maybe look it up first to tethe integrity of her claims.

The Science of Listening to your Mother


16/40

16

Hello, Im Trung the current Students Union Envi-ronment Officer. Have a read about whats going

on at the University and feel free to email me if youhave any environmental concerns, issues or sug-gestions at [email protected]. I shalldo my best to resolve them.

I have been primarily working with the Estates &Facilities Sustainability & Environment team to helpcut our carbon emission and to voice student opin-ions.

Okay now the report.

Progress Made: Firstbignewsisthatwearenowpartof

the 10:10 initiative. This means we are aiming to

reduce our carbon emissions by 10% this year2010.

Recyclingin Millennium andInternational

House. I spoke with Estates & Facilities about thelack of recycling in these halls of residence. WhatI found out was that these accommodation blocksare not run by Estates & Facilities. The main reasonto why they do not currently have recycling services.

The University is pursuing this student concern.

Morerecyclingstations arebeing placed

around campus. You may have seen them appear-ing in the Austin Pierce and Management Schoolbuildings. They will slowly appear all across campus

as we are aiming to eventually eliminate all outdoorbins with recycling stations

TherailwaybridgebyMillenniumHouse.I

have reported the poor condition of the bridgessurface to Estates & Facilities. I was told that itbelonged to British Rail and the University are cur-rently on the case to get it repaired.

Hotwaterandheatingissuesoncampus

accommodation. Estates & Facilities are currentlylooking into this student issue.

Rubix. OurStudentsUnion alreadyrecy-cles glass bottles and cardboard. I have raised theconcern for recycling the paper cloakroom tickets,cans and plastic bottles. We have just received thepaper recycling bin for the cloakroom but are stillawaiting bins for cans and plastic bottles.

Chancellors.OurStudentsUnionhasbeen

recycling its food waste since the start of the aca-demic year, the food is then sent to be turned intorenewable energy. Other food outlets on campussuch as Hillside, Wates House and lakeside alsorecycle its food waste.

TheUniversityhassecuredfundingtoup-grade lighting in the Library. Lighting in Splash floorwas the trial run and had been replaced over sum-mer. Lighting in Splash now consumes 80% less

energy, contributing in huge annual savings.

TwyfordCourt.Wehavejuststartedatrialtofeedback the energy usage back to each house.

Thereisaproposalforfoodwasterecycling

in accommodation. Food is already being recycledfrom commercial outlets such as Chancellors, Hill-side and Wates house.

Projects done through summer 2009: Battersea,SurreyandCathedralCourtfin-ished its refurbishment of windows and infrastruc-ture for better insulation.

AD B lock w as t he l ast o f t he l arger aca-demic blocks to have their single glazed windows

replaced for double glazed.

LectureTheatreBlockhadfinishedphase

3 of its refurbishment, including new lighting, re-roofing and improvements to controls and powerdistribution.

18halogenspotlightsinHillside(formerly

Seasons) have been replaced with LED spotlights. They use 93% less energy and have been fittedwith timer controls to further reduce energy con-sumption. This small project saves 1500 a yearin electricity.

159halogen fittingshave beenreplaced

with LED down lights in the Austin Pearce LectureTheatres. This has given a saving of approximately9000 a year. The high output of the LEDs has re-moved the need for fluorescent lighting which givean actual saving of 90% of the total energy thetheatres used before.

The Universitycurrently recycles approxi-mately 35% of its waste from the campus.

Line-up of future projects:The University has many projects, big and small,lined up for throughout the year. They are mainlyin terms of lighting, insulation, heating and hot wa-ter distribution improvements. This makes our uni-

versity more energy efficient and environmentallyfriendly. These will be implementing all across theuniversity including places like:

ThewholeStudentsUnionbuilding(includ-ing Rubix).

TheUniversitysonandoffcampusaccom-modation

MostoftheacademicbuildingsandtheLi-brary

Other buildings such as Senate House,

Wates House, Hillside, The Oaks Suite, PhillipMarchant and others.

TheUniversity hasa proposal forhav

wind turbines in the years to come.

Funding? You may think that Universitys money is bepumped into all these projects. In fact we are pof the Salix Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme. Tloan scheme allows public sector bodies, includschools and universities, to borrow funds interfree for four years in order to fund projects whwill reduce both carbon emissions and energy bi

This means that the savings made from the enebills will cover the cost of each of its projects.

Useful tip for lowering your carbon footprint!Many of you may be looking for accommodatnext year and the rest of us are well already liv

off-campus. Let these following tips become haIt will not only help our environment but also c

your bill money!!

Recycleasmuchasyoucan,paper,plas

bottles, glass, cans and tins. Doing this has a pratical use as well, you wont have take out the blabins bags as often from all that you've recycled.

Uselessspacebyunscrewingbottlecap

little, squeeze to reduce the amount of air and seit back again. Squash drinks cans. Avoid scruncing up paper.

Switchofforunplugyourelectricalap

ances and phone charges from the mains. Momobile phone chargers continue to draw electriceven when the phone isnt plugged into it.

Remembertoturnoff l ights whenyou

not in the room/kitchen, change them to enesaving ones if you can.

Useatimerforcentralheatingandhotw

ter rather than leaving them on 24/7. Trust mesaves you loads of money!

Lower y our c entral h eating by just 1 d

gree. You wont feel the difference but youll uselot less energy.

Onlyfillyourkettlewithenoughwater

the number of cups you are pouring, you will saenergy, water and time

Useyourownbagswhengoingtosup

markets if you can, re-use the ones you have clected.

Thinkaboutyourwaterusage,andreme

ber to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth

Keepyourwindowsclosedwhenheating

on.

Students Union Environment Officers Report


17/40

Monday to Friday

10.00am 6.00pm

(Subject to change)

New offers every

month. Make sure

you pop in.

The biggest brands.

The widest choice.

The cheapest prices.

We also sella wide range of

International food

and drinks!


18/40

18

This Week in Welfare...

2010 has been dubbed the Year for Change by the

Conservatives and by the public at large. Studentsacross the country are gearing up for the GeneralElection and want to know more about the differentparties and what they are proposing for Government.For many students this will be their first time votingand in this election students issues will be at the fore-front. The Conservatives have policies on every issueaffecting the country locally, nationally and interna-tionally, but what exactly are they and how will theyhelp students and graduates?

The Conservative Party has promised to create an ad-ditional 10,000 University places if they win the nextelection, currently Labour are capping the numberof places. Conservatives have also promised to in-troduce an early repayment bonus on student loans.

David Willets MP, Shadow Minister for Universities hassaid that We recognise that higher fees have broughtbenefits to universities, but we need to ensure thatthey are providing a better student experience in re-turn. We have called for the Governments ongoingreview of higher education funding to consider doingmuch more to help people from disadvantaged back-grounds get to university. Good news for studentsin the present and the future with greater access forall to higher education. But what of the parties otherpolicies?

The Conservatives will: IntroduceaBillofRightstoprotectallCiti-

zens rights RestorationofnationalcontrolfromtheEU

over social and employment legislation.

GreaterprotectionagainstEUencroachmentinto the UK's Criminal Justice System. FreezeCouncilTaxfor2yearssavingfamilies

money Improvethenationalrailnetwork,fastertrains

and greater reliability AchievetheUNtargetofspending0.7%of

national income on aid by 2013. EnsurespeedydeliveryofMilitaryequipment

to those on the front line Tacklethegendergappayinequality

Strengthen public support foraidb y giving

British people a vote over where and how some oftheir aid is spent. ScrapNHSTargetandlethospitalsandDoc-

tors decide what is best for patients, not Govern-

ment. Sustainable water management to protect

our future. Protecting the fragile environment for our

Children.

This is only a little of what the party is going to achieveif elected at the next election. Conservative policygoes much further and deeper in to areas that havebeen neglected by the current Government. Otherparties may promise the Earth to try and encourage

votes, but their promises are unrealistic and impos-sible to implement; Conservative proposals are fairand deliverable.

Guildford Member of Parliament, Anne Milton has

been fighting to protect students throughout her tiin Westminster and even long before. Anne was strumental in the campaign to save the Royal Surfrom closure and is now the Conservatives Shad

Minister for Health. Anne has a spotless record awas even praised in the National Media over her penses in which she was called a saint not havclaimed anything incorrectly and also Anne had claimed for a second home. Anne is a Guildford redent and visits the University regularly to meet wstudents and follows up on their concerns holdregular surgeries in Chancellors: the next one is dto be held on 26th February at 1pm.

More students than ever before are supporting tConservatives as it is clear that the other political pties do not represent realistic options for the futu

This is the Year for Change and you can find out moat www.Conservatives.com.

by Rowan Cole

Year for Change

Urban dictionary describes pre drinking as the actof drinking alcohol before you go out to the club tomaximize your fun at the club while spending theleast amount on extremely overpriced alcoholicbeverages....

Weve all seen pre drinking happening. Maybe youvebeen sat at a kitchen table, a deck of cards strewnbefore you in the distinctive ring of fire. Maybe

youve just been caught out by an unexpected Doeshe? causing you to ask rather reaching questionsabout a ducks private life. Or maybe youve just beenon your way to a Friday night library session only tobe greeted by a group of bottle wielding maniacswhose vocabulary seems to consist largely of theword wheeeyyyyyyy.

Like it or not, pre drinking has become an ever greaterpart of student life in the last few years. And for manyit sseenasagreatwaytosaveacoupleofquidon

a Friday night. After all, you might say, why spend 2on a quality glass of whisky and coke when you couldinstead sample such delights as Tesco Value Vodka a drink manufactured by a highly trained team ofprofessionals, working tirelessly to ensure their drinkhas that totally authentic toilet cleaner tang.

For many pre drinking is a good opportunity for somehouse bonding and friendly chit chat.

But unfortunately weve all seen the ugly side of predrinking too. The birthday boy who never made it out,

the girl in the queue desperately trying to convince thebouncer of her sobriety despite stumbling about likea disorientated giraffe, or even the friend who spentthe night in A&E getting their stomach pumped...

Just this year a girl collapsed on the dance floora mere 30 minutes after entering Rubix. Shedconsumed half a bottle of vodka during the 300metre walk to the venue from Battersea court.

So whether youve had good or bad experiences withpre drinking in the past just take a moment to workout whether that last half bottle of wine, that last 2inches of Vodka or that last triple strength cocktail isreally worth it...

In other news, its the Students Union AGM thisThursday evening in Rubix (you may have seen theUnion UNLimited flyers dotted around campus)!

Every 5 or so years the Union has a mahoosivereview of all its structures, aims, objectives and soon, allowing it to stay up to date, hip (yes, I said hip)and relevant to the student population. The processstarts with the executive team (all those people

you elected in) being locked away in rooms withflip charts, arguing about how they think the

the stag - issue 15

Documents