InQuire 5.7

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Issue 5.7 16th September.

500 first year applicants left without accommodation Hanisha Sethi

The University of Kent Accommodation Office has informed approximately 500 new students that they will not be given a room on campus for their first year at the University. It was as late as 2nd September that the University of Kent was informing both domestic and overseas students that they would have to look for a property off campus. The letter e-mailed to the hundreds of hopefuls stated ‘student demand has resulted in far greater numbers of individuals accepting places than reasonably anticipated.’ It is for this reason that Kent University are unable to satisfy the demands for on-campus accommodation. This has caused frantic uproar and leaves many desperately looking for a place to live, with only two weeks to search until the official moving in date, on the 18th September. The problem of first year students being forced to live off campus is not a new issue at the University, with over 200 first year students living off campus in the academic year 2009/10. Nor is it a local problem, with universi-

Ed Atkins

Writer

ties across the country struggling to deal with the demand for both course places and accommodation. Although there may be help at hand with the University of-

fering support and advice to these homeless students, as well as and recommending estate agents, these agencies are rapidly running out of available sin-

gle bedrooms - let alone houses for groups of students. Worried prospective students feel that they are being left with very few options. The question of wheth-

er to defer entry (guaranteeing on campus accommodation for the next academic year) is a particularly pressing one for those whose plans have been thrown into confusion. According to reports, some are even considering spending their student loan on staying at bed & breakfasts until rooms becomes available. The ordeal has led to the creation of Facebook groups, one in particular, named ‘I need a Housemate’, which is specifically for freshers looking for lodgings near the Canterbury Campus. The fact that this group already has over 370 members has enraged some on the page, with students fighting over rooms on a first come, first served basis. Gary Hughes, from the university said “Those still looking for accommodation have been placed on a waiting list...We have written to the students affected to explain the situation and are doing everything we can to help them find accommodation near the university.” It is still to be seen how many of the 500 will arrive at the university in September, and whether the problems will hinder their experience of university.

In InQuire this week: Canterbury MP welcomes students to Canterbury Kent scores 8/10 in Stonewall’s “Gay Friendly Universities”- Comment IQ reviews Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

klap4music

victorpatterson.com

The Interview, page 8.

2 Ne ws Welcome (back) Hello all, We would like to welcome all newcomers to the University of Kent. We hope that you enjoy your ‘Kent experience’ and grow to love this University as much as we do. We also hope that all returning students enjoyed whatever adventures they have had this summer. For those interested in volunteering at InQuire this year, we have a number of vacant positions: IQ Editor Newspaper Features Newspaper Entertainment Website News Website Entertainment Website Features. If you are interested in occupying any of these positions, please contact our Chairwoman, Anna Maysey on chairwoman@inquiremedia.co.uk

Editorial contacts: Anna Maysey - Chairwoman chairwoman@inquiremedia.co.uk Ed Atkins - Newspaper Editor

Young people harrassed by ID checks Steve Ostler Writer

A civil liberties organisation has published a report criticising retailers for performing overzealous identification checks on young adults. Research carried out by the ‘Manifesto Club’ found that thousands of entirely innocent people each year are asked to prove their age in order to buy alcohol. The report reserved special criticism for the currently voluntary ‘Challenge 21’ and ‘Challenge 25’ schemes that some supermarkets operate, which are increasing in prevalence. These guidelines mean that checkout staff are compelled under threat of heavy fines to demand photographic identification even in cases where the consumer is seven years older than the age of prohibition. The report, entitled “28 3/4”, found that there have been a number of problems in the application of age-restriction guide-

of checks made and also inadequate knowledge of the relevant laws. In the latter case there are examples of people having been refused service while attempting to purchase household items such as bleach, UHU glue, paracetamol and even Christmas crackers due to their failure to carry a passport or driving license. The group also attack the new government’s plans to increase the severity of punishment for those found serving alcohol to under18’s. The current law prohibiting sale of alcohol to children limits the maximum fine to £10,000 and this is due to be doubled in the near future. Dolan Cummings, who wrote the report, is dismissive of the tactics used by retailers to appear jovial whilst accusing a customer of deception. In an interview with the Press Association he said ‘It’s not flattering, so supermarkets should stop telling us that it is. Constant ID checks create the idea of alcohol as an illicit substance, rather

than as a normal part of adult life to be enjoyed in an adult manner.’ When contacted by the Guardian, the Home office replied: “The Government believes that regulation should only be used as a last resort, and that alternatives to regulation should be used wherever possible. We want to give people the chance to comment on the necessity, cost and impact of the provisions and

welcome all contributions to the consultation, which will close on September 8.” It is believed that despite the disadvantage represented by the creation of ‘a disrespectful and unfriendly atmosphere’ retailers are more concerned with avoiding heavy financial penalties, and the continuation and increase in the severity of current policy is unlikely to alter the situation.

newspaper.editor@inquiremedia. co.uk IQ Editor iq.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk Tom Warner - News newspaper.news@inquiremedia. co.uk Katherine Graham - Comment newspaper.comment@inquiremedia. co.uk Jacob Brant- Culture newspaper.culture@inquiremedia. co.uk Features newspaper.features@inquiremedia. co.uk Entertainment newspaper.entertainment@inquiremedia.co.uk Sally Gower - Sports newspaper.sport@inquiremedia. co.uk Carl English - Website Editor website.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk Web News website.news@inquiremedia.co.uk Rebecca Bright - Web Comment website.comment@inquiremedia. co.uk Web Features website.features@inquiremedia. co.uk Web Entertainment website.entertainment@inquiremedia.co.uk

Kent lecturer’s blog post entertains Eastern Europe Rebecca West Writer Politics students at the University of Kent have become inadvertent celebrities after a lecturer’s blog post was seized upon by the European press. Dr. Florian Bieber, a distinguished expert on the politics of South-Eastern Europe, posted an entry entitled “A history of Yugoslavia according to some of my students” on May 26th, the contents of which were then reported in newspapers throughout the continent. The submission was composed of anonymous excerpts from exam scripts and featured a mixture of factual errors, poor syntax and bizarre assertions. The revelation that students at British universities knew little about the politics of the Western Balkans sparked debate, outrage and even a little soul-searching in the region, with agencies in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia Hercegovina, Slovenia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Bulgaria all reporting on it. According to a later blog post from Professor Bieber (dated July 29th) responses to the story had been mixed. Some correspondents had expressed dismay, especially in the instance of a (presumably) Serbian man who lamented

that “with such students, it is no surprise that they bombed us.” Other interlocutors had been more sympathetic to the students: “For Britain we are like Turkmenistan for us. So I ask you, what we, citizens of Serbia, know about Turkmenistan? … You expect that everything revolves around us.” Kent Union’s Vice President of Education Lauren Crowley has criticised Dr.

Bieber, who has since left the university to teach in Graz, for what she described as “unprofessionalism and lack of foresight”. She also expressed disappointment at the damage to the University’s reputation. When contacted by InQuire, the Professor responded that he did not find the matter “morally problematic”, as the students’ identities were concealed, even from himself.

Castro in nuclear threat warning to Cuban students Katie Furze Writer Fidel Castro has reached a significant milestone in his recovery from the long illness that has kept him from the spotlight for the last four years. Standing on the steps of the University of Havana at the end of August, he addressed students there to warn them that Cuban society and its government must endeavour to curtail a brewing nuclear war between the USA, Israel and Iran. In an impassioned 44-minute speech, the former President concluded that “the problem for the people today, I mean the more than seven billion human beings, is to prevent such a tragedy from happening,” The speech marks his return to the forefront of Cuban politics, from which his conspicuous absence has been the cause of much speculation. Castro revealed this week that he believed himself to be dying back in 2006, when he allowed his brother Raul to take over as President. Since then he has made only sporadic appearances at low key events, and this public rally was his first since he relinquished the role he had held since the revolution in 1959. The choice of venue for his first major public address was highly symbolic, at is was from the University of Havana that the young Castro graduated with a law degree in 1948.

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Rape victims in Kent fall victim to spending cuts The safety and well-being of women in Canterbury is being jeopardised by chronic underinvestment in support for victims of sexual assault. It was revealed in August that rape victims in the East of the county are being subjected to ‘sub-standard’ conditions while in police care, and that the overall level of provision is ‘sadly lacking’. To further compound the problem, the much-admired East Kent Rape Line has had its governmental funding cut by 90%, leaving it with an insecure future. The service, which provides counselling and support to thousands of sex abuse victims each year, has been awarded £7,000 emergency funding by Canterbury City Council so that it has time to look for alternative funds. According to the charity’s project co-ordinator Sue Hemsley, the organisation should be able to keep ‘hobbling along for the rest of the year’ but is now run almost entirely voluntarily. In the event that the serv-

ice was discontinued it would mean that around 50 people per week would be without psychiatric support and 3,000 callers annually would be without a confidential helpline to use. The claim that Kent Police are dealing inadequately with sexual assault victims was made by one of its forensic medical examiners, who blew the whistle on what she saw as an unacceptable situation. Dr. Lucy Love gave disturbing details about some of the force’s shortcomings. There is only one Sexual Assault Referral Clinic (SARC) in the entire county and “It doesn’t have some of the crucial elements required by the Department of Health to make it an SARC. We failed an assessment 15 months ago showing we didn’t have all the essential requirements.” The absence of local SARC’s (which provide medical assessments and forensic examinations during the immediate aftermath of a sexual assault) means that victims are often examined by regular policemen with no specialist training. Further to this, the lack of customised facilities has

led to situations where the victim has no access to emergency contraception or medical advice. When questioned, the Department of Health said that “Further funding is being invested by the Department of Health and Home Office this year to support SARCs in developing care to meet minimum service standards.”

Though Canterbury’s level of sexual crime is not unusually high, it is important to exercise vigilance and to be aware of the provisions available. Campus Watch offer a walking escort service to lone students on campus who consider themselves vulnerable, and can be

contacted by dialling 3300 from a campus telephone or 01227 823300 directly. Free personal alarms are available from Kent Union outlets. The East Kent Rape Line is open from 1830-2130 Monday-Friday on 0800 458 28 18 and anybody wishing to assist the charity or get more information is invited to call their office on 01227 451753.

Tom Warner

Tom Warner News Editor

Have Your Say: Will banning cigarette displays help smugglers? Conducted by: Tom Warner

“I don’t think changing the way cigarettes are displayed will make any difference to whether they are bought from shops or from criminals. I do think that it will help people quit though.”

Dimi Papadopoulou, 21

“I’ve seen a lot of smokers in my life, and they can be pretty determined to get cigarettes. People will still smoke, and I can’t see why putting them under the counter will encourage them to change their buying habits.”

“The fact that shops will still be selling cigarettes and that you have to ask for them anyway makes it unlikely that people will simply decide to root out illegal cigarette dealers. Banning displays might also tempt people less.”

Fatma Salahioglu, 22

Lauren Crowley, 21

Chris Gibbs, 48

Daniel Warrington, 19

“Smuggling has increased because of the existing cigarette laws. The more they try and restrict these things the more they’ll be helping smugglers. The government are always trying to stop people doing things they enjoy and they always fail. ”

“I can’t see why this will make any difference really. I don’t smoke, but as far as I can tell you have to ask for them anyway, so the fact that they’re removed from view means very little. I don’t think this will make any difference to smuggling.”

4 Ne ws

Kent Union retaliates against council plans

The Archbishop of Canterbury is expected to meet Pope Benedict XVII in London on 17th September. The spiritual head of the Church of England will accept the Pontiff at Lambeth Palace, and will later address an audience at Westminster Abbey. The two men will almost certainly publicly address the ongoing dispute between their organisations over the role of women in church life. The appointment with Archbishop Rowan Williams is one of the most crucial elements of the Pope’s visit and comes at a volatile time in the relationship between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. Tension between the two has been heightened in the last few years, as both figureheads have successively sought to undermine the other’s policy on the ordination of women. In 2009 the Archbishop flew to Rome to remonstrate with the Pope after it was announced, that in answer to the Anglican decision to begin creating female Bishops, the Catholic Church was to loosen restrictions on those wishing to convert from the Church of England to Catholicism a switch, incidentally, which was gratefully accepted by former Maidstone MP Ann Widdecombe in 1993, in protest at the idea that women could ‘represent Christ at the moment of consecration’. The controversy surrounding the visit extends beyond the issue of female clergy however, and secular groups have come out in opposition

in a pastoral capacity, much of the cost of the trip will be absorbed the British taxpayer. The British Humanist Association, which co-founded the ‘protest the pope’ campaign asserts that “as a head of state, the Pope is an unsuitable guest of the UK government and should not be accorded the honour and recognition of a state visit to our country. The state of which the Pope is the head has resisted signing many major human rights treaties and has formed its own treaties (‘concordats’) with many states which negatively affect the human rights of citizens of those states.” Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols rather unsurprisingly disagrees with opponents of the trip, claiming that a visit from the head of the Catholic church will go a long way to curing Britain’s social ills. “He is coming here because he has a message that is relevant to our lives and times, because he wants to discuss important moral and social issues in our joint search for what is best for all of us. Pope Benedict speaks from the heart of the Christian faith which has so shaped our way of life for almost 2,000 years. He will invite us to look again at that treasure house of wisdom and beauty.” In addition to meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury the Pope is also expected to beatify the venerable John Henry Newman. The Cardinal, who died in 1890, has now been officially recognised by the Vatican as a miracle worker, after a Massachusetts man came forward in 2001 to reveal that Newman had recently healed his spinal cord complaint. Other official engagements include official lunches and meeting with victims of Catholic paedophiles.

David Rose

Julian Timms Writer

Ted Robinson Writer Kent Union has launched the NUS supported Right to Rent campaign against Canterbury City Council plans to limit the number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in any one area, with the law stating that an HMO is any property with three or more unrelated occupants. The campaign is designed to mobilise both students and non-students against the proposition by the council, similar to a proposal in Scotland, to limit HMOs to 20% in any 100m radius. This limit has already been adopted for development control purposes while the consultation on the official adoption of the limit takes place. The summer has seen several applications for the development of HMOs in Canterbury denied by the council and an exchange of views between residents, complaining about the perceived anti-social behaviour of students, and student groups, led by Vice-President (Welfare) of Kent Union, Samantha Kennedy, citing the importance of the student role in the community, with Kennedy stating

Closing time for Kent’s pubs? Sam Booker Writer The coalition government has announced that it is determined to reverse the recent trend towards pub closures. Since 1997 Kent has lost about 200 pubs, a 10% decrease in the total figure. Canterbury itself has lost about 20 of these, though the actual number of closures is far higher as bars and gastropubs have moved in to replace them. Conservative Local Government Minister Grant Shapps blames the disappointing figures on the previous government, who he says “hiked taxes on pubs and did nothing to stop unfair loss-leading by supermarkets.” Canterbury has lost such haunts as The Leopard’s Head - now a Domino’s pizza outlet. Despite the closures, Canterbury still boasts an excellent selection of pubs with around 40 within the city’s Roman walls and many more outside.

Kent Union

Papal visit for A of C

are still not being seen as an integral part of our community. Students give a substantial amount back to our communities and it is unfair to treat them as outsiders.” In a statement, Kent Union stated that, although it does agree that work does need to be done to improve student – community relations, it believes that the potential limits on where people can choose to live represents discrimination and sends the message that students and young professionals are not welcome in the area. Right to Rent

of residents and landlords are responsible for the problems associated with HMOs and believe that the recommendations given by the ‘Student Impact Scrutiny Review’ of Canterbury City Council should be actively followed rather than the councils attempt to disperse problems using planning laws. A petition website (www.kentunion.co.uk/rightotrent) has been set up by Kent Union and provides information of the councils stance on the proposed quota, as well as up to date information on the campaign’s progress.

Ne ws 5 Sabine Debenham Writer A group of tobacco retailers has claimed that a government ban on in-store cigarette advertising would fuel the trade’s black market. An organisation known as the ‘Tobacco Retailers Alliance’ (TRA) published a survey in August which showed that 67% of its recipients felt that the removal of tobacco gantries from shops would ‘displace trade’ to illegal smugglers. The TRA, which is funded by the Tobacco Manufacturers Association, represents 26,000 tobacco purveyors from around the UK, though it is understood that their survey was only completed by 1,040 of that number. Of these, 67% felt that the ban would increase the illegal trade in cigarettes, though slightly less than half were aware of an illegal tobacco trade in their area. The group has made headlines in the past by lobbying the Treasury to reduce the duty on tobacco products, and used to claim that

‘there is absolutely no evidence that higher taxes reduce consumption.’ This popular myth was debunked by the British Medical Journal, which published the finding in 2002 that ‘tax related and other price increases lead to significant reductions in smoking’. The peerreviewed journal elaborated by saying that ‘tobacco control efforts that aim to raise prices and limit price related marketing efforts are likely to be important in achieving reductions in tobacco use and the public health toll caused by tobacco.’ Shopkeeper Ken Patel, a representative of the TRA claims that “The widespread availability of cheap tobacco products completely undermines the public health policy of higher taxation and creates disorder in an otherwise heavily regulated market. The illicit trade in tobacco...exacerbates health inequalities and de-

prives legitimate businesses like mine of much-needed trade.” The group have also cast doubt over the idea that the banning of tobacco displays inhibits the uptake of smoking, and claim that in Canada youth smoking actually increased following such a ban. When InQuire questioned the organisation’s spokesperson for the South East region, Katherine Graham, over the validity of these claims, we were directed to a website which demonstrated that while there has been a 2% increase in teenage smoking since 2005, academic consensus in Canada places the blame squarely on undertaxation of cigarettes and cuts to anti-smoking programmes in schools. The rise comes after a dramatic 15-year fall from 19% to 7% between 1994 and 2009. The proposed ban on tobacco gantries is currently under review by the coalition government, who welcome comment at

Tom Warner Facebook

Cigarette display ban to boost smuggling, claim shopkeepers

Sandeep Sharma Writer Canterbury campus is playing host to more than a makeover, as the University strives to improve the student experience. InQuire takes a look at the developments over the summer... Kent Union has responded to calls from the students about the need for facilities to host live music events, in the “reconceptualising” of the Venue. Upstairs, The Lighthouse has been rebranded as the Attic, and will feature bands such The Holloways. The fast food outlet, ‘The Kitchen’ has been removed to increase capacity though a hatch service may be available through Essentials, pending license approval. Over the last two months, the interior has undergone a significant overhaul; the dancefloor has been extended to better accommodate the 1200 in the Venue, more service points have been installed, including a ‘bottle bar’, the DJ booth has been relocated to the ground floor and there is

now a larger smoking area. Urban music fans will welcome the return of ‘R&B’ nights as they “Hustle” on Thursdays in the Attic, while the “Traffic” rumbles downstairs, with the likes of Andy C, DJ Hype and BBC Radio 1’s Fabio headlining. Chris Dachtler, Entertainments Manager, said there will be “more emphasis on fun” this year, with the promise of the Venue’s first Roller Disco later this term. Level 1 Centre of the Templeman Library has also been revitalised, with the introduction of a Welcome Desk, where IT and library enquiries can be directed. The Assistant Director for Customer Support at Information Services, Sam Thornton, described it as a ‘continuing programme of reform’, aided by better dialogue with Kent Union and the student community. The café and core text collection have been in place for the last two years, and the front of the library is now more accessible

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with four turnstiles and a disabled lift. An electronic booksorter will be coming at Christmas to speed up the time between items returned and put back on the shelf for lending. Kent Hospitality will now operate in the Pavillion café bar and the Sports Centre café, as Kent Union focus their efforts on Woody’s and Rutherford Bar. Keith Williams of Kent Hospitalty advised that there was too little time to effect any changes to either establishment, although he hinted that a juice bar may feature in the latter after the Christmas break. Origins will reopen in time for the new term, after thorough refurbishment of the Darwin bistro, with emphasis on good food and value for money. The “Tex-Mex” menu has grown to introduce the first Rump Steak on campus, while vegetarian options now number nine. In addition, Origins have fitted a breakfast bar and a wireless zone, along with a lowered counter which will increase

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Kent Hospitality

Campus ringing the changes after summer spending spree

6 Comment

A student’s guide to freshers week Fresher’s Week is arguably the best week of the student calendar and there’s no doubting why. Packed with meeting new people, partying, sports, societies, it’s the ultimate social event and you can see why it’s a favourite for all students across Britain. Surviving Freshers Week is easier said than done and hopefully these ‘Top Tips’ will help provide you with the best fresher’s week experience possible. Speak up – One of the most important things to do in Freshers Week is to say hi to everyone and anyone! Whether it’s someone in your halls or flat, an old friend you think you recognise or a ‘randomer’ walking through campus, Fresher’s Week is the time where it’s acceptable to introduce yourself to everyone! Although you might think it’s a little awkward and don’t really want to be repeating the famous phrase ‘What’s your name, where d’ya come from?’ like a parrot all week, it really is worth it. Sign up – Signing up to sports and societies is a great way to show off

think of UoK... www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/sep/18/freshers-week-commercialism-university

Julian Timms Writer

What the Students

your talents and make lots of friends. It helps balance out your degree with a hobby you enjoy. Kent has a very wide range of clubs to suit everyone’s liking, from cheerleading to chess. Be careful not to sign up to everything though, as you’ll have a year of unwanted emails if you’re no longer interested. Drink up – Freshers Week is a great excuse to go out drinking with your newfound friends. With six bars and our own student nightclub on campus there’s great choice to enjoy your evenings . For a quiet drink visit Rutherford Bar, and to play pool and watch football visit Woody’s or dance ‘til

the early hours at Venue. there’s something for everyone. Turn up – It’s understandable that for many students, studying is the very last thing on your minds during Freshers Week, but it is important that you attend any meetings about your course. No matter how boring they may be, all will be of use to you, and the last thing you want to do is get behind before you’ve even begun. Save up – When money (a.k.a. ‘your student loan’) lands in your bank account it’s very easy to think ‘I’m rich!’ and blow the lot on drinks for you, drinks for

your flatmate and drinks for everyone you know don’t. Although you may want to seem generous, your student loan is precious and once it’s gone, it’s gone! Also be aware to not buy every book on your reading list - just wait and see which are essential, as text books can cause a considerable dent in your bank account. Dress up – Get involved with the fancy dress events throughout the week, whether it be a school disco or superhero night. They provide lots of laughs and whether you buy your outfits or make them yourself, there’s lots of choice with two fancy dress shops in Canterbury.

‘Probably the activity I enjoyed the most was the bar crawl. It was like an open day at the university, minus the parents, add the booze and hundreds of friendly new faces everywhere you went all having a great time at the great variety of bars around campus.’ Will Neild, London ‘K-Bar was the place to go to meet people, in fact it still is. With it you can’t go wrong!’ Joss Burchell, Sussex. ‘Freshers Week was by far the best week of Uni, everyone is just so friendly and will talk to anyone in the most random situations. The best bit about my week was definitely meeting loads of new people.’ Emma Farrell, Essex. ‘To be honest I didn’t get up to much during Freshers Week, because I was so jetlagged from my flight and the time difference! Fresher’s Week is a great way to meet new people, especially those who don’t live in the same accommodation as you.’ Hasina-Deepti Pokardas, Indonesia.

Is freshers week really a good idea? Tom Warner Rather like terrorism, God, or cooking, the idea of ‘Freshers Week’ means different things to different people. For firstyear students it is an expedition into a new epoch, a chance to use the egg-tooth of freedom to escape the confines of parental domesticity. For older students, it can represent the bitter commencement of another precious degree year, or possibly the opportunity to try out some half-

remembered Descartes on one of those first-years. To make a value judgement on this process would probably be to miss the point as, in its most literal sense, the term simply denotes the 7 days prior to the start of the academic year. As such, there are as many different Freshers Weeks as there are students, and they won’t all be going to Leeds Castle. However, much like the ethereal period between Christmas and the New Year, Welcome Week has acquired a character and role all of its own. As the start of the academic

year is the only time that everyone has both time and money, hazardous levels of consumption are ubiquitous. Consumption here denotes excessive drinking rather than lung infections, which materialise slightly later. In the haze of disorientation strange decisions are made: “Maybe trilbys are acceptable headwear”, “cigarettes? Sure!” and “Yes, maybe it will be fun to spend the evening dancing around in a loud and sweaty room full of aroused teenagers.” Welcome Week is also the only time in life where he or she has virtually

no control over their choice of companions, to the extent that even the most articulate and well-meaning character can find him or herself lurching down to Ocakbasi’s in the dead of night, part of a cast of characters Fagin himself would find reprehensible. For all this, the importance of getting all this hedonism out of the way before the learning starts is difficult to dispute. If arrivals weekend were to be shunted into alignment with the beginning of the lecture season, it isn’t difficult to imagine scenes reminiscent of

the marauding First Crusade’s arrival in Jerusalem, whereupon they purportedly filled the streets ankle deep with the blood of their enemies. In our metaphor however, the Grimond building plays the role of medieval Jerusalem and the blood is replaced with last night’s alcopops. A dramatic comparison perhaps, but if Pope Urban II had followed the University of Kent’s crafty policy of sanctioned, preemptive debauchery back then, the proceeding three years would probably have gone off far more smoothly.

Comment 7 Jon Cornejo Guest Writer Over the last few weeks prospective students have been making final decisions on which university to go to and have been figuring out which university caters to their specific needs. To help make this decision a little easier for LGBT people, gay charity Stonewall has published a guide to universities ‘gay-friendliness’. Stonewall has chosen not to create a league table because many universities are making an effort to improve and that ‘gay-friendliness’ means different things to different students. Instead they created a 10-point checklist covering a wide range of issues faced by the LGBT community. While no institution scored 10-out-of-10, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff and King’s College London among others, meet 9-out-of-10 of the criteria, while Huddersfield, Strathclyde and Teesside meet only two. Contrary to expectations there was no big rural/city divide in the guide, many institutions in big cities did well across both checklists and the more general criteria, as did institutions in much smaller places such as Aberystwyth. The University of Kent did well in the guide, scoring 8-out-of-10 in the checklist. While this is a good result, it does show there is more to do to improve our status. UoK has been praised for hav-

ing a strong society/campaign and staff group, policy against LGBT bullying, welfare support for LGBT students, consultation with LGBT students, events for LGBT students, providing counselling services for LGBT students, compulsory staff training on LGBT issues and providing specific career advice for LGBT students. However we have missed out on two key points for a lack of information for students on LGBT issues and for not being members of Stonewalls Diversity Champions scheme. These are areas that we must work on improving; it is shocking that information on LGBT issues is not widely available to students. We also must continue work on improving the criteria we have already met - for example there is much more that could be done to improve staff training on LGBT issues and improving existing services for LGBT students. While the 8-out-of-10 score is certainly something to celebrate, we should look at this as proof that we are going in the right direction on the path to improve LGBT students experience at UKC. There are many things that could be done to this end, such as making information on LGBT issues available and raising the profile of the LGBT liberation campaign. We must continue to improve the services we provide to LGBT students as many of them are in their infancy. In my

opinion this score is representative of UKC, it shows that we are better than most on LGBT support but makes it clear that there is more that could and should be done to further improve our status as an LGBT friendly campus. Below is the review of UoK that’s been published in the guide as well as Stonewall’s checklist on gay-friendliness: “Kent is a friendly university with campuses in Canterbury and Medway. London is a short train ride away, so it’s become a popular choice for applications. Kent also has sites in Brussels and Paris (neither of which we were aware were in Kent), where students can spend a year learning langua_ges in between eating crepes, looking aloof and listing to French hip-hop. LGBT activities are divided between the social events of the UoK LGBT soc and the more political leanings of the Liberation Campaign. Canterbury’s gay scene is small, with a mix of gay and gay-friendly venues, but the train to London is an easy option. Kent Union also runs an LGBT night called ‘Stardust’ at the Student Union.” Below is a checklist of what is expected of each university to qualify them as being LGBT friendly: 1. Have a harassment policy that specifically mentions sexual orientation

kentlgbt.webeden.co.uk

How gay friendly is the University of Kent?

2. Train staff on LGBT issues, and make the training mandatory 3. Have an LGBT staff network – if staff feel comfortable about being open, so will students 4. LGBT

Have a student

strong society

5. Make sure information on LGBT issues is widely available 6. events

Organise for LGBT

7. Make selling 8.

Consult

LGBT

specific students counavailable

LGBT

students

9. Offer LGBT targeted careers

student advice

10. Be a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme, a forum for sharing good practice and research on sexual orientation.

Kent Union LGBT officer Tom Pengelly commented that “As fantastic as the results are, the guide is flawed. The Equality Challenge Unit released a report in 2009 revealing how LGBT student experiences were negative for a plethora of reasons. The University of Kent and Kent Union are doing fantastic work, but as the ECU report documents extensively, we still have a major issue of silent victims who feel they have no other choice but to tolerate it all; we cannot truly measure how future LGBT students will fare at Kent as, like elsewhere, universities are still heterosexual and gendered spaces.” You can see the full guide and how well Kent has fared in its own right and in comparison to other Universities. All the information is freely available on the Stonewall Guide website: http://www.gaybydegree.org. uk/university/university.html

The case against Cable’s graduate tax

Phillip Hall Writer

It has become clear to me that the funding for universities must change. The current system is unsustainable: not enough money comes from the students themselves, and the government cannot afford to continue to subsidise universities so heavily. With this in mind, Vince Cable has floated his concept of a graduate tax. Cable wishes to make university free at the pointof-entry, and create a tax

which all graduates must pay on their earnings. Importantly, graduates will not simply pay back what they owe, but will be subject to a lifetime income tax. Even moderate earners would expect to pay many times the cost of their degree. This idea is more a result of Cable’s redistributive leanings than it is a pragmatic policy for university funding. It’s absurd to attempt to fix the problem of students not contributing enough for their education with a policy where they will pay for it several times over. Students

ought simply to pay the actual cost of their degree. Education is an investment; if one wishes to gain a competitive edge in the job market (and on average secure a lifetime income some £190,000 more than non-graduates), it is not unreasonable to expect them to pay for it. Going to university should be a choice based upon the costs and benefits to the individual. Of course, we shouldn’t dissuade the poorest in society. The graduate tax, it is supposed, will allay fears that higher educa-

tion will leave them struggling with debt. However, the current student loan system already solves this problem sufficiently. It makes university education a riskless investment; we do not pay for our degree until we are reaping the benefits by earning a decent income. I suggest that the simple solution to this simple problem is to maintain the student loan system, but remove the cap on tuition fees. Perhaps some tweaking may be necessary: for example, lower earners

could be given lower rates at which to pay back their loans. One may reasonably object that some graduates in low-income jobs will never pay off a full loan, but this is no cause for alarm. In the current system the government pays the vast majority of the cost of university education for every student. It would not be hard-pressed to absorb the cost of a small number of unpaid loans when most students are cut free from government subsidy. As such making it a fairer system for all.

8 The Inter vie w

Katherine Graham Comment Editor

Julian Brazier has been the Conservative MP for Canterbury and Whitstable for over twenty years. Here he talks to InQuire about his thoughts on the issues currently impacting on Canterbury students. What can be done about the negative image portrayed in the media about students? First of all I would like to say welcome to the new students to Canterbury. Canterbury is unusual in that it has the highest density of students in the country – the only other place that comes near is Durham. The result of this is that there is some scope for friction. But I welcome the way in which the University and Kent Union have gone a long way to encouraging engagement with the community. 15 years ago the then-Lord Mayor and I set up ‘town and gown’ which was designed to bring the two sides together. The City Council took over a few years ago and we now have structures that help, such as the approved list of student landlords. Student who get a property on the approved list know that they’re not going to be cheated and will get value for money. If the community has a problem with student neighbours they can complain to the landlord, and if that doesn’t work they can complain to the university who, if necessary, can take the landlord off the list. I have two children at university and one just applying, so I’m

very conscious of the pressures that students are under - especially the financial pressures. You say you have done things to alleviate the pressure between students and Canterbury residents. Last year the headline of the local Gazette in September was ‘residents fear as students return’ - is there any more that could be done? I think that the Students’ Union do a good job in terms of publicising the good work they do out in the community. The issue is that we have a bit of a problem with numbers. People just feel hemmed in if, in a street with thirty houses on it, twelve are student-occupied. Wheelie bins are problematic because there isn’t enough space for the rubbish. Students often don’t cut the grass, and it only takes one or two to party at night for all to get the blame. But I think we need to publicise the positive things. The other thing which does work much better now is that the university authorities are willing to take action where there are problems. A graduate is expected to earn £100,000 more than a non-graduate over their lifetime. If we work until we are 70, then that’s 45 years of work equating to just £2000 extra per year. You’re against the graduate tax. How do you think students should be taxed ? I think that the current debate on financing university has lost its way, and we’ve got a series of decisions that are missing the main point. I sympathise with people that say students are too heavily burdened with debt. Since Labour broke the economy

and debt is running out of control, we have to look again at the size of the student sector. I think we’ve got to recognise that it’s too big and we are producing too many graduates. There have been three big studies on the figures you quoted and what they all show is that, economically, the gain from the whole range of ordinary arts and humanities subjects is very small indeed. It’s been suggested that arts subjects produced a net gain of about £30,000 over a lifetime and humanities about £50,000. But given that everybody knows that getting a top result in one of their subjects is worth a lot and given that these figures didn’t include the cost of the course itself, the reality is, that for a large proportion of people, a university education results in no net economic value. One of the studies suggests that people are less employable with a poor degree than they were before they started it. So I think the way we ensure that universities are properly resourced without resulting to burdening students with more debt, is by shrinking the sector. We could reduce the present size of the sector by 10-15% and we would still have more people graduating than worldclass economies like Germany or Switzerland.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-522947

Thirty minutes with Canterbury MP Julian Brazier

Is it better to encourage sixth form leavers to look at vocational courses and apprenticeships? A number of people who didn’t go to university say that they’re now in similar jobs as graduates but without the debt.

point that the vocational courses can be the way to great success, along with courses which are partly degree and partly training. These courses are also much cheaper for the tax payer and a huge benefit to employers. We have to be more imaginative about it. We have to ensure that we protect academic excellence at all costs, and we have plenty of that here at the University of Kent. We’ve got to protect economically-crucial degrees in those subjects and then we can have a wider but smaller sector which can be properly funded without crippling the students with too much debt.

We’ve got to look at the huge queues of people that want to get into university who are not going to get places. The cases you’ve highlighted make the

A lot of Kent students fund themselves through part time work but a lot are exploited, feeling obliged to work too many hours, resulting in work

interfering with their studies. Is there any way we can solve this? I’m afraid if you passed a law then there would just be less students in work. There is an issue but part of that problem relates to the fact that we have so many students for the size of the community. I’ve said to university authorities that I approve of them expanding other campuses because we probably have reached saturation point, and the students themselves are suffering - not just for space in the community, but there’s also competition for jobs. I’m afraid there really isn’t an answer. There is work for those that are willing to work hard at it, but as you say it often comes with some unsatisfactory strings on it.

9 Editorial Anna Maysey

Chairwoman

UNIVERSITY: SHINY, NEW AND SCARY I did a Fresher’s welcome last year as my editorial and I feel it’s only appropriate to continue what I started, so hello to all of the fresh meat of the University of Kent. For those of you who were here last year, bear with me. I promise to try and not repeat myself. I am now in my third year and deeply, deeply envious of those of you who are only just starting out on your three (or more) years of debauchery and study. I will say only one thingdon’t waste your first year. Seriously. Don’t go home regularly, don’t spend all your time in the library and for the love of God don’t be sensible with your student loan- they’ll give you more in three months time anyway. Possibly not the most adult advice I could give anyone, nor the best advice for your health, but I trulyregret not making the most of my first year and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, because you can’t go back and do it again (well, you can, but it’s just not the same when you’re older than everyone else). I pulled the virtuous “I did all my hardcore drinking when I was younger, I don’t feel the need to now” and I’m sure my liver and bank account thank me, but at the beginning of my third year I suddenly have the desire to do all the things I didn’t, and now I can’t. First year is almost a stepping stone- it’s a way to ensure that you can cope with self-education whilst drinking too much and going to bed at 5am, which is basically why it doesn’t matter in terms of your grades (although that’s not necessarily the party line of the University, so don’t quote me on that). As long as you’re passing it, you’re fine.

Ed Atkins

Newspaper Editor

I do feel a great deal of sympathy for the 500 of you who were unlucky enough to not get on-campus accommodation this yearall of us at InQuire were shocked to hear the number was that high due to the University accepting too many students and if you’re still having trouble with accommodation (finding it or keeping it) then do contact Kent Union and they will do their utmost to help you out. I have to say, I was rather touched to see a great deal of messages on Facebook from students trying to help out members of the “University of Kent (UKC) Fresher’s 2010-11” group. We’ve all done first year, it’s bloody scary and it doesn’t help when the ground beneath you keeps shifting so please do take advantage of the above group. One of my closest friends is a fresher this year, was lucky enough to get accommodation (and make no mistake, it is to do with luck- you didn’t mess it up for yourself) and she’s still nervous, so don’t feel alone. There is specific support for off-campus students at www.kentunion.co.uk so if you’ve not checked it out yet, do so- it will almost certainly prove useful. Not only that, but if any of you are having real trouble adjusting, there is an on-campus counselling service. Obviously we’re hoping you won’t have to use it, but it is there and you won’t be the first or the last student to need it. University is an enormous lifestyle change, there’s no denying it. But if you embrace it (the drinking, dancing and debauchery as well as the studying and seminars) rather than panic, you’ll find yourself having a bloody amazing time and you won’t even realise how!

Editors Rant #1 *For the purposes of potential complaints, the language used and the views expressed in this editorial are my own and do not represent the InQuire Media Group or Kent Union as a whole.* Upon my arrival in the InQuire office three weeks ago I was greeted by a news story that decreased my love for this city. Unlike certain national tabloids, it is InQuire protocol for there to be an absence of judgement in news articles – we trust your intelligence to formulate your own opinion. Luckily for me however, I have an editorial to voice my dismay at Canterbury City Council’s exploration of HMO quotas. In my opinion, the decision made by the council to investigate the possibility of imposing a quota on the number of houses of multiple occupancy within a 100m radius represents a blatant knee-jerk reaction to the complaints of the few residents who have either forgotten their youth or have grown embittered as it fades into memory. It symbolises a mentality of discrimination against the students and young professionals who bring so much to this city. Without us this city would be nothing but a town of overpriced restaurants, a Cathedral and the stream of European tourists who visit during the summer. We spend our money in Canterbury’s local shops, supply them with a labour force, pack out their bars and volunteer at their charities and schools but still some see us as a nuisance, complaining of the behaviour of a minority who overturn wheelie bins, urinate in doorways and shout naughty words at the dead of night. Yes, it does happen and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t know of anyone who indulged in such dastardly activities, but it is the minority and they are knobs. Just like it is the minority of residents of Downs Road who throw stones at my windows on winter nights or own ridiculously aggressive dogs (if you live on Downs Road you know which dog I’m talking about. Seriously, put it down.)­The majority of the residents of Canterbury are welcoming, respectable folk without an ounce of intimidation between them. It’s the

little ones who cause the trouble, issue demands for the cigarettes and race wheelie chairs down the roads but we don’t write into local newspapers and complain about these miniature ruffians and demand that their growth in numbers be capped – we leave such problems to Jeremy Kyle. I understand why locals fear the creation of so-called ‘student ghettos’ but surely such quick, ill-advised measures will not result in the desired effect. These measures will push landlords underground, allowing for substandard (and possibly hazardous) accommodation to be rented out to students. HMO measures are already active in Scotland and have not made a difference, only creating a black market of student accommodation. Therefore, these measures not only represent a unconsidered, discriminatory approach but a total disregard on behalf of the council for student’s welfare. With the university failing to provide 500 students with accommodation, these plans are more important than ever. Where can these students live if these quotas are properly enforced? Coming to the University this week are hundreds of first years who do not have the comfort of having housemates in the same position, on the same course or even at the same university. They are scared and vulnerable - support them. (A note to these first years – I was in the same position two years ago as you are now and I’m fine. I have a group of friends that I would not change for the world and the chance to write the word ‘knob’ in a newspaper. Dive headfirst into this world and enjoy it. I wish you the best of luck). I will not stand back and allow these measures to go through without a fight and I hope you feel the same. Samantha Kennedy’s Right to Rent campaign is the start of what will be an up-hill struggle and I urge you to sign her petition, read articles, write letters and join this debate. Just please do not indulge in vigilante justice. If that dogs dies, I’ll get in trouble.

Saturday

18th Sunday

19th

Neon rave This night will have a rave feel and will be a hectic and rough and ready environment. Music is electro and house and will appeal to the thursday night drum and bass crowd.

UV Party

The Girl Who Played With The Other Guys Fire (15) 18:20 (12A) 13:00, 15:30, Commercial 18:00, 20:30 music, face Resident Evil: painting, Afterlife 3D (15) Ultraviolet 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, paint and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse 20:45 light can(12A) 21:10 Shrek: The Final nons. Chapter 2D (U) 11:00 Toy Story 3 3D (U) 11:45

Live & Unsigned at the Attic -

Back to the The Attic will be rep2000’s resenting the best and Film VDJ brightest new music from Set the South East of England

Monday

Ibiza Beach Party -

20th

Bongo percussionist to play the beat along to a Beach decent commerical Dance themed DJ. party.

Tuesday

The Loud Zone -

Wednesday

Festivals Revisited -

21st

Music, loud and hectic Drum and Bass. Conveniently, staff will be handing out earplugs.

22nd

Everthing will have a festival feel and bands will be introduced by a DJ/presenter. Anybody wearing wellington boots gets a free shot.

Thursday

Cocktail Party -

23rd

An ‘upmarket’ occasion with Pimms, smart shirts and a relaxed atnmosphere.

Friday

Hustle -

24th

R&B night, the first of a regular Froday night theme.

Lost in the Caribbean

The Girl Who Played With Fire (15) 14:50, 20:50 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (12A) 18:10

The Other Guys (12A) 13:00, 15:30, 18:00, 20:30 Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (15) 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 20:45 Shrek: The Final Chapter 2D (U) 11:00 Toy Story 3 3D (U) 11:45

The Other Guys (12A) 15:30, 18:00, The Girl Who Played With 20:30 Fire (15) 18:50 Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (15) 16:15, 18:30, 20:45

The Other Guys The Girl Who Played With (12A) 15:30, 18:00, Fire (15) 18:50 20:30 Silent Disco Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (15) 16:15, Cellist Robert Cohen 18:30, 20:45 20:00

School Disco

Ministry of Sound

Libertines and Babyshambles play a DJ set

The Other Guys (12A) 10:45, 13:00, 15:30, 18:00, 20:30 The Girl Who Played With Resident Evil: Fire (15) 18:50 Afterlife 3D (15) 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 20:45 Letters to Juliet Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin (PG) 11:00 19:45 The Other Guys (12A) 15:30, 18:00, 20:30 Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (15) 16:15, The Girl Who Played With 18:30, 20:45 Fire (15) 21:10 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (18) 17:50

TBC at time of going

Tamara Drewe (15) 18:20 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (12A) 20:50

to press

The straw that broke the camel’s back

Will the Gulf coast oil spill force humanity to change its ways?

Kylie Grant and Nik Williams Guest Writers Well it has been stemmed. After billions of dollars spent, a reshuffle at BP that showed blundering Tony Hayward the door and numerous presidential visits to the Gulf Coast (the paddling president splashing around attempting to woo back tourists) the oil leak in the Gulf has been plugged. But the damage has been done and we will not know the true extent of the damage for perhaps years. At its worst it was estimated that the equivalent of 19,000 barrels of oil a day was escaping from the crack in the Deepwater Horizon pump. The damage to the water, the ecosystems,the coastline and indeed the economy is incalculable. Fishing communities along the Gulf Coast have been decimated, fish stocks have decreased at alarming rates and many species of already endangered animals are under threat. Now attention is directed at the court rooms as BP braces for round after round of hearings deciding on how much compensation to award people and businesses that were affected. Oil has come to epitomise modern culture; if the steam

engine came to signify the nineteenth century, the twentieth and twenty-first century will be known by an oil drum. This iconography is brought into stark relief by the failure of last year’s Copenhagen Treaty - oil it seems is still here to stay. The failure to cement a future away from fossil fuels and towards renewable futures has been issued a damning metaphor with the sight of the Gulf coated in oil, but if this is to do anything, the disaster needs to readdress our relationship with oil, with corporations and ultimately with the earth. The Gulf spill is the largest in American history, but it is by no means the only crisis inflicted on nature and the environment by corporations and humanity. Nigeria, (specifically the Niger Delta) is an oil rich area that displays a complex relationship between the population, oil companies and oil itself. Writing about the Niger Delta in the French newspaper Le Monde, JeanPhilippe Rémy commented that: “In May 2009, the local subsidiary of Shell announced that 14,000 tons of crude oil had been dispersed in nature.” It doesn’t have the sheer scale,

the mindbending figures that the Gulf spill does but it does elicit something far more sinister. This goes on without remark, it is almost accepted. It is not news any more and so companies such as Shell and BP can operate,seemingly unrestricted. It only took the sheer scale of the Gulf spill to break into the front pages across the globe, but even before the explosion the conflict between man and nature was heating up. Whether it is logging in the rainforest spread across South America that has resulted in armed conflicts between loggers and conservationists, waste disposal as seen in the Trafigura case in the Cote D’Ivoire or slicks as in Exxon Valdez and now the Gulf, our dependence on fossil fuels is slowly unravelling the fragile coexistence of nature and humanity. The Trafigura case is an interesting one as it displayed the full extent to which large corporations will go to defend or conceal their actions. Accused of illegally dumping toxic waste, Trafigura restricted The Guardian’s ability to report the story (even stopping the paper from releasing the fact that they havdbeen restricted in the first place). It can be argued that the super injunction placed against the paper demonstrated an admission of guilt but the ability of the corporation to hide behind such restrictive legal manoeuvring, without any real consequences, truly highlights the power they hold in our society. Cases like these illustrate what is at stake. Never has our effect on nature appeared so distinct, clear and damning. BP has started to rebuild its image in the public. In a TV advert, BP CEO Tony Hayward addresses the camera, stating his sorrow at the event and BP’s new endeavour to repair both the pipe and the area. Alongside an advert placed in the New York Times and under the slogan ‘We will get it done. We will make this right’, they are attempting to construct BP as a company ready to learn from its mistakes and a company willing to put itself in the firing line for the good of the world. It’s hard not to let

cynicism take over; businesses will do anything not to harm their image (and ultimately their customer base) but in the face of a potential $60 billion fine they need to appear up to the challenge. But the trappings of a business become apparent enough with the proposed $10 billion shareholder pay out. Hayward reiterates the need for BP to retain a sense of ‘financial buoyancy’ but, to the local residents of the Gulf, to conservationists and to politicians, this will reinforce the image of a self-serving business man attempting to confront an environmental catastrophe in the most profitable way possible. This will not change even with Hayward’s exit. BP’s new Chief Executive Bob Dudley will need to appease his company, the US government, the world press and the affected population on the Gulf Coast and, as this disaster has shown, the needs of BP run at tangents, in opposite directions to the needs of others. But there is hope: in April, Bolivia held a climate change conference that attempted to repair what was left undone in Copenhagen. The Bolivian Presiden Evo Morales gathered scientists, policy makers and the indigenous population in an attempt to demonstrate that it is not only large, powerful and developed countries that can make a difference. Out of the conference emerged the ‘Universal Declaration of Mother Earth Rights’ which endeavours to assign mother earth the same protection under law as humans enjoy. This is

a profound and revolutionary idea that aims to make people and businesses accountable for their actions. It will take time to see whether this has enough teeth to deter corporations from acts that are profitable but at the same time intrinsically damaging for the environment. How much money BP will have to fork out in compensation will demonstrate how willing Obama’s government and the law courts are to punish their actions. To make a dent, to make BP recoil in fear due to the amount of money demanded of them, the company needs to be held accountable. But the more their army of lawyers are able to manoeuvre, to save, to limit compensation, the more obvious it will be that companies like them act and operate with seeming invulnerability. They work under the guiding ‘divine’ light of profit margins and to hit them at all, to leave a mark, money needs to be shed. It is the only language they understand. The impunity that businesses operate in, the seemingly endless streams of money and lacklustre regulation, has allowed them a world without real restriction or consequence. Whether it is the radicalism seen in Bolivia’s endeavour or a grass roots boycott of damaging products and behaviour, our mentality concerning our effect on the world needs to be addressed and fundamentally changed. There is more at stake. The balance between man and nature is fragile, break, to sever, forever staining our generation.

Obama surveying the disaster, one which may greatly influence his presidency

Interview - East Kent Rape Line Under-threat charity speaks out over lottery funding cuts Ed Atkins Newspaper Editor

“To briefly explain what East Kent Rape Line is, we’re the only specialist centre in East Kent that deals with victims of sexual abuse, speaking to women, men and children. We are reliant upon volunteers, with only one full time and two part time members of staff. We offer face-toface counselling (which can involve hours of anything from 10am to 8pm and a phone helpline) for both emergencies and support which is open from half past six to half past nine in the evening, Monday to Friday. These phones lines are frequently busy with two volunteers manning them at all times. In 2009 we received over 870 phone calls and we see on average forty to fifty clients a week for face-to-face contact.” “In the months between April and July this year, there were 12 reports made by women and six by men of sexual abuse in the Canterbury area alone. This is compared to 22 reports by women and only one by a man in the whole of 2009. This either illustrates a rise in sexually motivated crimes in the area or an increase in the number of people coming forward. Either way it shows that we need to be here. If we weren’t here, where could these people go? For us not to be here is awful. What if somebody rings and we can’t answer? It is a brave thing for a victim to even think about discussing what has happened to them with a stranger. How will they feel when the phone rings off?” What are the circumstances of

Tom Warner

As I open the door to a small office housing three desks, Debbie Lapthorn greets me with a wave, a smile and a cup of tea. We exchange pleasantries before starting one of the most informative, and at some points shocking, conversations I have experienced. East Kent Rape Line is a charity based in Canterbury that provides support for victims of sexual assault. However, in the past weeks, it has seen its lottery funding withdrawn and its applications for government funding declined. Debbie is now forced to work full -time hours on a part-time wage. Over tea, biscuits and the sound of passing traffic we delve into the problems faced by Debbie, her colleagues and the victims of sexual assault across the local area.

withdrawal of funding from the National Lottery Fund? “The lottery granted us funding for three years to aid our development and to fund our expansion. When it came to us reapplying for funding this year, we got asked ridiculous questions such as “Can you predict how many victims of sexual assault there will be in the next year?” Even with great references from schools at which we stage workshops, our inability to supply adequate responses to these unanswerable questions resulted in our funding being withdrawn. Funding from the government was also withdrawn this year, due to too many applications.” What are the effects of these cuts? “Basically, projects that have proved extremely successful have had to be stopped. Educational workshops in schools through our Openness Project have had to stop immediately. We have worked incredibly hard and have only just started to get our

name out there in the local community and now we have to calm it down. It’s a massive shame.” What steps have been made to continue the existence of the charity? “We’re now playing the waiting game. We’re applying for funding all over and hopefully something will come from that. The local council have been amazing; they’ve given us £7,000 of emergency funding. That should keep us going for a while longer. Public fundraising hasn’t always worked for us. When I stand outside Tesco with a charity tin, people just walk past. People just aren’t as willing to run a mile for us. We’re not a pink and fluffy charity, but we are definitely a worthy one. People at the University of Kent and Kent Union have been a great help. RaG are always willing to help us and Ben Alonso (VP Activities 2009/10) and Laurence Carver (VP Activities 2010/11) are little stars, always willing to help. We need students to help us. We need

young, energetic, passionate and knowledgeable students to help us. We need help with admin, with marketing, with contacts. We will always manage to scrape by, I am sure of that. We have to continue supplying this service but right now we need a bit of help.” Before I leave, I am given the official tour of the counselling rooms. The phones are currently silent but they won’t be this evening. For calls of this nature to go unanswered would be unforgivable. The people who run this charity should act as an inspiration to us all, not only for their work and the traumatic stories that they deal with every day, but in their refusal to entertain the idea that this centre may one day be empty. As I open the door I ask: “If the situation stays the same, how long can you continue?” “At the moment we may be able to sneak past Christmas. After that, we’ll see.”

The album that changed my life Each issue, someone is asked to write about the album, film or book which changed their life, or which has some special significance to them. IQ’s Culture editor gets the ball rolling. If considered too seriously, the question ‘which is the album which changed your life?’ is a fairly stupid one. Never before has one album invoked within me a revelatory experience of a spiritual, political or ethical nature. I think that those kinds of revelations are best experienced as the result of some kind of sequence of thoughts of one’s own; rather than the desire to become a simulacrum of that which you admire. No, the music of Paramore and Underoath affected me just as little as that of Gorgoroth. Although there have been bands in my life who have influenced me to think in a way I perhaps would not have otherwise – for instance, Refused’s politically charged post-hardcore masterpiece The Shape of Punk to Come – I believe that it was always the rhythms, melodies and bass-lines which pricked my ears, rather than the thorns of any political belief which wind their brambles amid the noise. Music, for me, is primarily about catharsis and escapism – about tapping into something infinitely purer and more beautiful than yourself in the knowledge that it will eclipse whatever is worrying your poor little human mind. In art, messages about lifestyle choices are less important than the ability to become unaware of any concept of ‘lifestyle’ whatsoever. I can talk about the album which I can most vividly remember listening to for the first time. On Christmas Day 2003, a less hairy and considerably smaller version of myself fetched the CD of The Mars Volta’s debut album Deloused in the Comatorium from the small stack of CDs I had received from friends and relations (who knew full well that the best way to take an angstridden teenager’s mind from their trivial problems is rock n roll). It was evening, maybe around 9pm, and my parents had long since dozed off after too much red wine and Only Fools and Horses. I grabbed some headphones, and lay alone in the living room of the small house on East Street. I remember opening the case, inhaling the smell of fresh printed magazine paper, leafing through the sleeve for the first time, and getting that special feeling of anticipation for what I knew was going to be an amazing album; a feeling which only a pubescent music nerd can feel to its full extent. I never quite got over what I heard in those headphones in the following hour. Music is so much better than sex has become. I can still clearly recall hearing each of the album’s tracks for the first time. I had never heard such abstract and beautiful music in my life. Over the next year I became obsessed with the album. I would spend hours trying to decode Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s surreal lyrics, which told the story of Cerpin Taxt, a drug addict who attempts to take his own life by overdosing on heroin and rat poison, but who instead winds up in a coma where he experiences visions of the nature of humanity juxtaposed against the archetypes of his own psyche. Up to that point, music for me had been confined to the cookie-cutter formula of verse-chorus-verse, and the majority of the bands I listened to explored little more than their own neuroses within the framework of a billion other people. Deloused in the Comatorium taught me that music, that art, could do and explore so much more than that which is conventional within Western popular music. It taught me that there was such a thing as meaningful escapism. It is also the album which inspired me to try and create as much as I possibly can, in the hope that this creation will surpass the negative aspects of existence. So I guess that it is an album which changed my life, after all, but that I hate to admit it because of the ferocity of my disdain for what The Mars Volta, in later years, became. Jacob Brant

If you know of, or are responsible for, any cultural happenings on or off campus which you would like to bring to the attention of InQuire, please email newspaper.culture@inquiremedia.co.uk

Culture

IQReview Music

The Arcade Fire The Suburbs Annie Smith The Arcade Fire’s first album, Funeral, essentially introduced a large portion of our generation to the bizarre genre of ‘post-rock’. I am not saying that the type of music which this term refers to is bizarre, but that, as with all genres, the term itself is rather strange. What does ‘post-rock’ mean? The infallibly Wikipedia describes post-rocks origins “a musical genre characterized by the use of instruments commonly associated with rock music, but using rhythms, harmonies, melodies, timbres, and chord progressions not traditionally found in rock.” It is supposed to be an experimental genre- a progressive one. This is certainly true of bands from the nineties such as Tortoise and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who produced this kind of music without knowledge of the post-rock musical template. However, these days, bands which are most often termed post-rock in the popular music press seem to eschew the overuse of traditional rock instruments, and instead post-rock seems to be characterised by the use of alternative instrumentation within pieces of music which conform to the rhythms, harmonies, melodies, timbres, and chord progressions traditionally found in… ‘post-rock’. It seems as if post-rock now encompasses the exact opposite of that which the term was originally established to represent – it’s almost like ‘post-rock’ is being

used to mean ‘indie with violins’. And so now to Suburbs, The Arcade Fire’s latest album, released in August. Suburbs seems to have divided the post-rock community. Firstly, we have the die-hard fans of the band, who insist that it is perhaps the band’s finest collection of songs, and we have the fans of Funeral, who could never betray the debut but who will nonetheless enjoy Suburbs as an album. Secondly, you get the people for which Suburbs is just a little too catchy. Just a little too anthemic. Just a little too... f*cking ‘post-rock’. That’s what I’m tempted to think. Of course, you also get a third group who really don’t care. Suburbs will certainly be a very popular album. But opinion is so divided that I couldn’t possibly tell you whether it is a ‘good’ album, or whether you’ll enjoy listening to it. But I do encourage anyone who is interested enough to have got this far into this review to listen for yourselves and to develop your own opinion.

Film

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World Hannah Cassidy The summer of 2010 was calling out for something different, some

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thing to stand out from the customary Hollywood blockbusters. It was a long and dreary few months, a disappointing season some might say and then along came this little beauty. Scott Pilgrim Vs the World graced our cinema screens nationwide this August and it was definitely worth the wait. With an arguably weak premise for a narrative, this film has outdone the limitations set for it by its critics. Actually, it positively chewed up its critics and spat them back out. With edgy graphics and quirky details this is my quintessential film for comic book fans worldwide. Move over Kickass, there’s a new kid in town and he brings everything Kickass was afraid to do. It smashes through boundaries that were merely pushed by its predecessors in the comic book world. Boundaries that need to be removed, to truly embody what a comic book movie is. The plot is based around Scott Pilgrim, your stereotypical twentysomething layabout, with aspirations of one day being a rock star idly making his way through life, breaking many hearts along the way. This is brought to a sudden halt, when at a frat party Scott meets the literal girl of his dreams. Enter – Ramona. Ramona is the perfect girl, beautiful, stylish and ultra cool. There’s only one hitch. Ramona has seven evil exes. Set the challenge to defeat all of Ramona’s exes before he can date her, Scott has to engage in a series of epic battles. Never has the crusade for love been depicted with such imagination. Each faceoff is there to provide an outlet for director Edgar Wright’s eccentric humour. Possessing a stellar cast, skilful cinematography, an excellent soundtrack and special effects that breed excitement Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has become the surprise hit of the summer, pleasing the fans of the original graphic novel and attracting a number of fans unaware of its roots. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is being shown at the Gulbenkian on the 24th, 25th and 26th September.

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Bare News London based

international public art enterprise, Art Below, are offering aspiring artists the chance to showcase their artwork at London Underground stations. Applicants should register at http://www. artbelow.org.uk/ab/ Registration.action Mike Edwards, former cellist of Electric Light Orchestra, died on Friday 4th September after a freak collision with a rolling bail of hay. Edwards was 62. Morrisey, former frontman of The Smiths, is yet again in trouble over a purportedly racist remark he made. Defenders of Morrissey claim the sleight on the Chinese has been taken out of context. 50 Cent has reportdly landed a cameo role in an episode of Eastenders. The rapper is a huge fan of the show thanks to Rio Ferdinand. This news comes hot on the heels of Snoop Dogg’s revelation that he would like a role in Coronation Street. Former air steward, Brian Dowling has won Ultimate Big Brother. Nikki Grahame and Chantelle Houghton came second and third respectively. Films in 3D, such as Toy Story 3, have helped boost UK box office takings by 8%, compared to figures last year. Willow Smith, Will Smith’s nine year old daughter, has signed a record deal with Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation. Lady Gaga has won eight MTV Video Music Awards. Sam Riley has signed up to play Canterbury playwright Christopher Marlowe in a forthcoming biopic, A Dead Man in Deptford, based on the Anthony Burgess novel.

Culture

Readers’ Writings Primrose Flower

Gravity

I am hooked on this picture, Merely of a flower, Nothing special or petite, Nothing quite so intricate, Or sweet, No no, Only a picture of, A Primrose yellow, Vivacious and callow, Filled with life and vitality, Life and the Primrose flower, Compares me to a lulling song, Quaintly restoring my heart, To feel free from hurt, Or Woe or pain or dismay, Or tragedy or fear of anything, Everything is left to be a fight, Not violent or aggressive, But passionate and slight, Like the Primrose flower.

I remember those Kings Queens of Ketamine Before the hands of those fields we walked Free of pretence and idle talk Clasped shin like iron and pulled under Beautiful, naive, empty-eyed plunder. Just a little. Just enough. Not too little. Not too much. These catalysts can only take one so far When tripping in more about travelling Than leaving, arriving and tethering The insides of mind shall drive themselves out. I must see again! See the clouds, the sky, The hurtling, plummeting, devastating ground as it should be seen And hear gravity’s promise whistling in my ears. You can’t escape the ground. I’m so fucking scared. But keep walking those fields Keep snapping those fingers which Try to grab from beneath the grass And when the skin is wrinkled When your moment’s nearly passed You’ll sit a while and think of those Pulled underneath the grass.

James R. Yorke www.todayconcerns.blogspot.com

THE TORCH Back to the room with the unobscured glass, The windows uncurtained, unveiled, unbarred. Back to the land of the radiant hue, Back on the ship unladen with crew. The water beneath us, pellucid as ice, Sea-sickness the only, and trivial price. Leaving a calming and crystalline wake, Back to Columbus, to Peary, to Drake. Back to euphoria, to enlightened delight, Back to the pulsing and awesome clear light, Incandescent around us, but no sting or scorch, Back to our friend, the good ship ‘The Torch’.

Anonymous.

Dave King

We are looking for short creative writing contributions from readers of Inquire. Poems should not exceed 40 lines, and flash fiction should be 350 words or under. Please email contributions to: newspaper.culture@inquiremedia.co.uk

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Unfinished Business Theatre Company: Inventive, original and slightly bizarre Sarah Everest Writer New student theatre company ‘Unfinished Business’ have created dynamic theatrical experiences in the form of experimental artistic theatre performances aimed at getting the student community involved in the Arts. Alex Israel and Danny Pegg along with production manager Faith Austin set up the company in order to ‘bring a bit more original theatre to the table’ and that they have. The 2010 tour of ‘The Penis Monologues’ is explained on their website [www. unfinished-business.org.uk] as being ‘a bit darn out there!’ and it is just one example of their inventive and unique theatre. The company continues to encourage a following and has spread its seeds throughout the world wide web with Facebook and Twitter keeping their influence flowing, wracking up over 175 Facebook followers. Unfinished Business performs in and

around Canterbury area, and with The Penis Monologues capturing a vibrant following with a nearsell out tour and their latest show ‘The Best Panto Ever’ reaching the local news with great praise, they are set to storm Canterbury with their next project Table for Two. This extraordinary and inventive new project will explore the social relationships between restaurant goers and test how much we really know about the lives of people surrounding us. The dynamic duo are the best thing to happen to students so far this year and are providing followers with a real access point to world of theatre with great prospects for future success. The group have continued to perform for worthy causes such as the saving of Westgate Hall [18th July 2010] and any and all support strengthens the campaign whilst bringing together the community with exploratory performances devised

and centred around local contemporary social relationships. The Unfinished Business Theatre Company have been reviewed by Rob Green of the Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News as ‘outstanding’ and ‘mature’. Green warns the acting world to ‘watch out … they will only get better’. Students are urged to au-

How arrogance destroys youth and young manhood Garry Vince Writer Groove Armada recently published a blog post detailing their experience of August’s V Festival and their run in with the fiery sexpot Followill brothers, the Kings of Leon. Andy Cato described how, when waiting to use the artists’ shower facilities, he was turned away from a fenced off section ‘reserved’ for KoL (that ultimately was never even used). He goes on to tell of how their cavalcade of separate land rovers turned up in the most annoyingly pompous manner and apparently even demanded other artists were removed from the vicinity, joking “was Paul Weller going to hound them for autographs?” Kings of Leon were once a pretty good band, playing a version of their local southern styled rock in short pop sized bites. De-

cent albums followed and aside from Zane Lowe on MTV2, there was no real mainstream exposure. That all changed with the release of ‘Sex on Fire’. It’s not the success or the extended radio play that I begrudge, but their attitude towards it all. They were quick to release a range of tat masquerading as clothes at more-than-extortionate prices as well as putting ridiculous expectations upon venues. Following the bird poo incident in July they gathered to publically slate the venue as best they could. Overnight these Lynyrd Skynyrd revivalist hippies who’d garnered a small-yet-decent following had one taste too many of Tennessee and declared themselves as the kings of rock and roll throughout all the world, effective immediately. Tickets to see the band in London on December 21st have a face value of £60-80 in some places. Those are the type of prices that The Rolling Stones command. You know, that band with over 200 million records sold worldwide and who broke America like no other band aside from The

Beatles. And let’s face it none of them can dance like Mick Jagger. In many ways I feel sorry for those who feel that the £80 is worth parting with to see a band who want to re-write themselves as the most temperamental performers in history over the likes of Guns N’ Roses. In other ways, however, I have no sympathy for those that part with such colossal sums of money in order to see that ‘hot’ band they have heard repeatedly on the radio. The new fans are the ones most likely to pay those sums of money, the majority of whom are out of touch with the ethos and songs of the band early on, much like the band themselves.

dition for upcoming performances and information of this process can be found at the UFB’s website, the groups Facebook page [by searching ‘Unfinished Business Theatre Company’], and by following them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ubtheatre. Be sure to join them, spread the news and help increase the com-

panies already growing fan base. The Group are set to come alive this year with their website anticipating 2010 performances as providing ‘bigger and better juicy chunks of theatre’ so GET INVOLVED and explore what this new theatre has to offer the world of acting and entertainment.

Competition promises recognition William Smith Writer A music video website is offering aspiring musicians the chance to help write the score for a new film. Muzu.tv, in collaboration with the BAFTA award-winning director Michael Baig Clifford, is inviting independent artists to download a scene from a movie and set their own tracks to it. The competition, called “Soundtraxs” is completely free to enter and the 10 eventual winners will, in addition to having their work appear in the film have the opportunity to re-record their track in a professional studio, be paid a fee upfront for the use of their music in the film and receive revenue from sales of the film’s soundtrack. The uploaded entries will be whittled down to the most popular 50, taking into ac-

count the number of views on MUZU.tv, ratings and comments, tweets and plays on social networks. The remaining 50 will then be judged by a panel of experts who will choose the 10 which are most suitable for the film. The film is called ‘Relative Desire’ and shoots this October. The story is described by the director as “full of action, sexual tension and cinematic vision”, and features Imogen Poots, who is well-known for her role in 28 Weeks Later. The deadline for the competition is 19th November, and further details and instructions can be found at www.muzu.tv/soundtraxs

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Young band prove that opportunities are endless Eliott Farr Guest Entertainment Editor

So, you’ve just started at UKC, your parents have waved you a tearful goodbye but now that you know they’ve got home safely and your flatmates are alright, it’s time to start thinking about what to have as a creative outlet. Whether it’s football you’re into, basketball or even medieval warfare, you’re bound to find something that suits you – and with the vast array of freebies on offer at Fresher’s Fayre, you’ll probably sign up to societies out of guilt anyway! But what if you still want something more? What if you want that independence that societies just can’t quite give you? What are your options? Well you can always form a band. Forming a band is one of the best ways to showcase your own talents as well as the talents of your friends and get yourself known around the campus, and around Canterbury, and if you’re really savvy, maybe even in London. Forming a band couldn’t be simpler either – there’s

no right or wrong way to go about it – and you don’t need permission from the union, nor do you need funding. Many individuals advertise on campus notice boards. Some go a step further and hold open auditions. But what bands are there on campus right now? Where do they perform? And how did they form? To answer these questions – I’m focusing on one band in particular – Let by Rain. Let by Rain are relatively new to the campus band circuit, having formed late into the Spring term of 2010. The band was started by Lonnie Storey who along with his friend Robert Boulton decided they wanted to fill a musical void after meeting in Kent Uni’s T:24 Drama Society. After getting tired of playing acoustic shows Lonnie decided it was time to increase the tempo and do something altogether different and, he says “started to take my written material to the band when we met” The band was thus formed, Lonnie and Rob were joined by James Hogan (Drums) and Kelsey Mayhew (Bass) from the Live Music Society.

Interestingly, all four members of the band were freshers when they met and formed Let by Rain, proving that if you’ve got the talent, age is no boundary - something which should prove to be something of an inspiration to all budding freshers with that musical flair. With their relevant lyrics, likeable personalities, and a great live presence, Let by Rain could (and I think will) go onto great things at UoK. They are living proof that no idea is a bad one, and Lonnie’s attempts at putting a band together has clearly paid off. On top of that, Let by Rain demonstrate the importance of getting involved in societies, particularly in your first year with Lonnie and Rob meeting in the drama society, T:24, and James and Kelsey meeting in the Live Music Society. So sign yourself up for everything at Fresher’s fair, follow it through and you might just end up being a campus celebrity, ala Let by Rain! You can follow Let by Rain on Facebook.

‘International act’ plays Whitstable Leroy Stern Writer

The Kings of Lyon are playing in Whitstable on Friday. The band, a tribute to the popular Tennessee rock act Kings of Leon, are warming up on the Kent coast in anticipation of a 26-date national tour which will see them perform to thousands in the coming months. The East Quay Bar on Whitstable harbour will be hosting the event, which starts at 21:00 and finishes two and a half hours later. The event has been organised by Whitlive, a local music promotion company. In a statement, the organisation’s founder Jane Lindsey said of the event “For those who don’t know it, it is a fantastic venue - low ceilinged with a rather hip cellar club vibe in a refurbished warehouse on the beach - a great place to see a live band and a bit of a hidden gem.”

The Kings of Lyon themselves have attracted a great deal of interest since their performing debut in March 2009, and find themselves among the elite of British tribute acts. Their act consists of highly competent covers of some of the most celebrated Kings of Leon releases, or as the Belfast Empire puts it “Four extremely talented musicians playing the best from ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ to ‘Only By The Night’ as only the Kings themselves could”. Stage 2009 went even further, proclaiming that “The Kings of Lyon are the number one tribute to the Kings”. Anybody wishing to go and watch the Kings of Lyon can purchase tickets in advance for £10 from a number of shops in Whitstable or from Canterbury Rocks, on Whitstable Road ( Following the Kings of Lyon in the coming months are ‘Lets Zep’ and ‘Coldplace’.

Puppet masters pack a Punch Eliott Farr Guest Entertainment Editor There was a huge variety of acts at this year’s ARTSFEST and I’m sure they’ll be even more next year, but for me: one act in particular shone out, that of ‘Crash Bang’ - a student puppetry group who perform Punch ‘n’ Judy-esque shows specifically aimed at children (and big kids too). Comprising three male members; all of whom are drama students at UKC, Crash Bang represent a by-gone era of refreshingly innocent and sweet-natured street performance. With clear binary oppositions of good and evil and brilliantly simple storylines the trio have thought very carefully about who their target audience is and, judging from the raucous laughter of the 50-strong audience they have succeeded. Crash-Bang are living proof that you really can do anything at university be it puppetry or something more conventional!

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Free screening of ‘Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ at Gulbenkian Cinema Natalie Bradbeer Writer Calling all freshers: start booking your FREE tickets now for the screening of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’. If you missed it in theatres in March, this well-received thriller is playing at the Gulbenkian at 5.50pm on Thursday 23rd September. Readers may recognise the title as that of the first novel in author Stieg Larsson’s popular ‘Millennium Trilogy’. Here it is transformed to the big screen with great success as Swedish actors Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace give fascinating performances as the main protagonists. The Metro calls it “easily the best thriller of the year so far…” and the Daily Mirror promises it: “Grips from electrifying start to breathless finish”. In this award-winning film, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Nyqvist) is aided by hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) in his investigation into the dark secrets of the Vanger family. Fans of androgynous, pierced gals are

great success as Swedish actors Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace give fascinating performances as the main protagonists. The Metro calls it “easily the best thriller of the year so far…” and the Daily Mirror promises it: “Grips from electrifying start to breathless finish”. In this award-winning film, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Nyqvist) is aided by hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) in his investigation into the dark

secrets of the Vanger family. Fans of androgynous, pierced gals are bound to rejoice in Rapace’s portrayal of Lisbeth and the film is a step back from Hollywood crime movies. Remaining faithful to the novel, the mystery builds bit-by-tiny-bit and director Niels Arden Oplev ensures the Swedish countryside is beautifully filmed. Richard Hanson, a student at Kent, comments: “Students will particularly enjoy reading between the lines and into the social commentary of the film, which

penetrates further than just – it is certificated 18. Swedish society. The psychoTo book your tickets visit logical aspects are also well the Gulbenkian box ofworth paying attention to”. fice or call 01227 769075. At around two and a half hours long, it is worth making an event out of the viewing with your new-found friends before going to one of the many campus bars. Our short-sighted readers are advised to bring their glasses as there are subtitles. Have your student ID ready and younger ones be warned

Spor t “Time to reign” - says Kent Football Club

Reputation Briefly deemed to be run by a segregated group of students, the club has cut an isolated figure amongst the other sporting societies (especially evident is the divide between university football and the inter college league). Following a mixed season of triumph and defeat, the club is making significant strides in turning the team from an undervalued entity into one of the focal points of campus life. The unpopular reputation of Kent.FC was epitomised by the atmosphere during the college elect game this summer. An overwhelming support for the college team seemed to be as much about the animosity felt towards Kent .FC as it was about a generic empathy for the underdog. Ironically, those students who decide to represent their peers

Last season perspective Although last season ended in the disappointment of relegation, it’s time for some perspective. Having only been promoted the season previous, going back down wasn’t a major shock. Despite this, nothing less than promotion is expected. The successful cup run in the nationals proves there is a definite quality within a squad that never reached its full potential. Whilst the third team were promoted winning the BUCS league in some style, there is clearly a great foundation to build upon this coming season, contrasting the misconceptions of a club in the doldrums of football.

The season ahead The task for newly appointed

chairman Nathan Ashley, the club captains and other members of the faculty has been to address the discrepancies both within and external to the club itself. They must maintain the many positives already set in place and make it a priority not to disregard the progress made over the last couple of years. As well as this they must express what a great opportunity it is to play for the university football team. Behind the scenes, new sponsorship deals including that of Woody’s campus bar have been secured. A slick design courtesy of EAW promoting the forthcoming trials leads with the sentiment, “Time to reign.” There will be open trials for not only the new arrivals to the university but also to those entering their second and final year, marking the dawn of a new era for university football. The acquisition of Quinton Naidoo as first team coach shows an intent to create a more professional and ambitious environment. With an impressive C.V. Naidoo has clearly set the bar high, aiming to help develop Kent FC into one of the major forces of university football in the South East. And why shouldn’t it be? With first class facilities, including the multi-million pound sports pavilion, with both grass and third generation pitches at its disposal. Take that and multiply it by the vast array of students actively involved in football through various avenues across the campus. This equation results in an evolving project that will make it a very exciting time to be part of The

Christopher Lee

First-class facilities, highly qualified coaches, and with an abundance of footballing talent at its disposal, isn’t it about time the university stood up and took note of Kent FC? Following a World Cup campaign that instigated a national inquest into the state and structure of English football, a demand for change has swept the nation. This revolutionary atmosphere has filtered its way into the minds of those left with the task of rejuvenating the image of university football at Kent.

on a weekly basis against other universities have become the campuses very own “Boo boys”. The volume of players and spectators at college matches (and the elect game in particular) illustrates the high level of interest for football across the campus. Surely this obvious passion for the game should be directed towards those representing the university at the highest level rather than against them. The fresh look Kent.FC have gone through a mini metamorphosis over the summer and emerged as a group looking to shake off the tag of a political clique, and present a diplomatic structure concerned with the benefit and enjoyment of all concerned with university football.

Kent FC

Christian Alexander Hurley Sports Writer

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Three Kent women named in England squad for Sri Lanka tour Sally Gower Sports Editor Kent Cricket’s Charlotte Edwards, Lydia Greenway and Susie Rowe have all been selected in a 15-player England squad to take part in the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka in November. Captain Charlotte Edwards’ squad will play two One-Day Internationals and an International Twenty20 series in Columbo between 14th-22nd November. Head of Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, said: “The selectors have named a dynamic England women’s squad for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka. Without three influential players, opportunities are being given to Academy graduates Fran Wilson, Susie Rowe and Lauren Griffiths. All three players have had excellent seasons for their Counties: Somerset, Kent and Cheshire respectively. They also impressed for the Academy in India earlier this year and against New Zealand in July. It is essential that we always have a keen eye on player succession planning. Blooding some of our Academy talent on the full international stage in Sri Lanka will show exactly where we are in terms of the journey towards the World Cup in 2013.” The One Day International matches will take place on Sunday 14th November and Tuesday 16th November, both at 9:30am. The Twenty20 Series will then commence on Friday 19th November, and carry on through the Sunday 21st November and Monday 22nd November. The departure of fast-bowler Amjad Khan has recently been announced, as he plans to leave at the end of the 2010 season when his existing contract ends. He started off at Kent in 2002, catching eyes as he claimed 63 wickets. So far, he has taken

248 wickets in first class cricket. His England debut came in 2009, where he played against the West Indies, and during this tour he also played his part in an international Twenty20 fixture. Jamie Clifford, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Amjad has been with the club for nine seasons and we are very sorry to see him leave. These are financially difficult times for the club and sadly we are not currently in a position to make Amjad a meaningful offer. This has been a very hard decision; however we believe that it is the right one given the financial context. I am sure the club’s members and supporters will join me in thanking Amjad for all his efforts and wish him the very best as he moves on.” Not to be deterred, Khan’s comment was: “I am sorry to be leaving having been with the club since 2002. Ideally I would have liked to have continued my career with Kent but it is not to be. I sympathise with Kent’s off-field financial pressures and know that that the key people wanted me to stay. I look forward to new challenges with renewed vigour and believe I have what it takes to put myself back in the England frame.” Kent Club Captain Rob Key, also expressed his regret at his team-mate’s departure. Club Captain, Rob Key, added: “It is disappointing that the club couldn’t offer Amjad a contract that would have seen him stay. He has been a pleasure to play cricket with over the last nine seasons and I have no doubt that our loss will be another county’s gain. I wish him the very best.” But all will not be doom and gloom, as Kent Academy batsman Daniel Bell-Drummond becomes the latest player to be awarded the John Aitken Gray Trophy, after being named Academy Scholar of the Year.

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Kent Sport: more than ample to keep you active! Lacrosse

Hockey

Lacrosse is a fun, fast-paced, thrilling game and, with an evergrowing presence on campus, we want you to be part of it. Whether you are looking to play seriously or just learn some new sporting skills (with some guaranteed great nights out on the side) UKC Lacrosse is the club for you. Come along for a throw about at 1pm on Wed 22nd Sept 2010, Keynes Pitches or contact Maia Peacock 07858289795/mep7@kent. ac.uk (Women’s Club President), or Simon Johns 07972203210/ sj247@kent.ac.uk (Men’s Club President), for more details. It won’t be long before you love Lacrosse as much as we do! No experience necessary.

American Football Ever wanted to try a different sport at university? Ever wanted to put on a helmet and pads and see what real contact feels like? Ever wanted to be part of a team that hangs out with cheerleaders? You can get this from the Kent Falcons: the University of Kent American Football team. We’re a great team, we have a lot of fun and we’re always welcoming to anyone, so there is a position for you! American Football is an upcoming sport in the UK and the university league is right at the fore-

front of the development, so there are a lot of different university teams to play, and of course the chance to crush our rivals from Christ Church during Varsity. We also have ties with a team from France, so we play international games. At the moment we are the only university team in England to do this. We train on weekends, play matches on Sundays and have fitness sessions mid-week. We have a great coaching staff consisting of ex-players who have

more than 40 years of American Football experience combined. Not only all this, but we also have a great social side to the team. For example, every Sunday evening we watch the NFL games at our sponsor bar on campus, K-Bar. We also host Canterbury’s biggest Super Bowl Party. We have some great nights out, accompanied by the Kent Falconettes Cheerleaders! So why not branch out and try a completely new sport?

Join Kent Hockey - the best mixed club on campus. Trials are Sunday 26th September, Parkwood astroturf, Women be there 12-2 and Men

2-4. And why not join us for some booze and good Chinese food afterwards? It’s good fuel!

Now begins a week of drinking, socialising and ungodly headaches each morning. During this week you are also going to be asked to join every and any society and club that can get you. And rugby, that towering epitome of professionalism, the sport that likes to stand apart, is no different. We want you to join - those that have played rugby before and those who have never stepped onto a pitch in their lives. While playing rugby is our main focus, it is not our only one. We are very much a family and a close knit one at that. We train together, socialise and party together and tour together. Want to find out more?

Come along for a taster session on Wednesday 22nd September at the Parkwood pitches as part of the “Try a Sport” element of Freshers Week. We will also have our own stand at the Sports Fayre on Friday 24th September. Here, you can sign up to our mailing list, buy your first piece of stash or just ask some questions about the club in general. There will be ample amounts of players and club members around. Finally, we will be holding trials (full contact so bring mouth guards) on Sunday 26th September, once again on Parkwood pitches. Shortly after this you will receive your UKC Rugby Tie to signify that you are now part of the family.

Women’s Rugby Fancy trying something new? Meeting new friends? Keeping fit whilst at university? If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, come and give women’s rugby a try. Each year we have girls who are complete beginners to those who have played before at college, club, county and national level. We have weekly socials and an annual tour. Our training takes place on Tuesday evenings from 7.30 to 8.30 and on Sunday mornings 10.00 to 12.00 and there are BUCS games to participate in on Wednesday afternoons, competing against other universities. We will be taking part in the Sports Day on Wednesday 22nd so come and have a go. There’ll also be another taster day which is joint with men’s rugby at Canterbury Rugby Club on Wednesday 29th September, where England’s inside centre, Rachael Burford, will be at hand to give you tips (should you desire any!). For more information, come and Rachael will also be helping find us at the Freshers’ Fayre. out at our training sessions.

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So here’s the latest lowdown of what’s on offer... Capoeira

Women’s Football

Sesen Ghezai

UKC WFC

If you play football or would like to try it out for a bit of fun, get yourself down to our training session on the 3g pitches on Mondays from 6-7.30pm (starting Monday 27th September). Matches take place on Wednesday afternoons and are followed by a social. All abilities are welcome! To find out more, come and check out the Women’s Football stall at the Freshers’ Sports Fayre on Friday 24th September.

How about trying something new in your first year of university? Capoeira is an exciting and unique martial art, which combines music, dance, fighting and history. Its Afro-Brazilian roots have spread far from its origins in Brazil and can now be found in countries all over the world. The UKC Capoeira Sports club is known for its friendly and fun environment and is coached by a true Brazilian Capoeirista. This coach has recently returned from competing in the World Championships in Brazil and is eager for new members. If you are interested, look them up at the Sports Fayre or take a look at the capoeira page on the Kent Union website.

Netball Fancy trying something different? For those new to the sport, Kent Rowing is the perfect opportunity to be taught the basics (and later more advanced elements) of rowing. Established in 1966, the rowing club has always held an ‘anyone can take part’ attitude, so if you want to have a go at one of the most demanding and addictive sports, simply find us at the Freshers’ Fayre on Friday. If you have experience in rowing let us know and we’ll be able to talk you through our training plan and our expectations for this year. All heights, weights

and years of experience welcome! Last season was particularly successful for Kent Rowing with victories in the vast majority of the races we entered, BUCS finalists and our women’s first crew racing at Women’s Henley Regatta. Thanks to these successes, our charitable fundraising events, and for giving our members such a great time, we were awarded Club of the Year 09/10. Our aim is for this season to be even more successful! So if you want to be a part of it, sign up at the Freshers’ Fayre for our taster sessions held on the weekend of the 25th and 26th September. Visit our website for more

UKC Netball

Rowing

Would you like to keep fit or are you a real lover of netball?! Here at the University of Kent we have many different levels, leagues and training sessions, suitable for all. The club includes a range from Sunday league, for individuals seeking to experiment with sport and get fit, to the four University of Kent BUCS teams who are based on a more commitment seeking thrill into the world of netball. Come down to our trials on Tuesday 28th September in the Large Sports hall to check out the Netball scene.

Sport news in brief University Cycling

International Football

University Cricket

County Football

International Rugby

Three Kent students have plans underway to do a sponsored cycle from Canterbury to Gibraltar in Summer 2011. Keep an eye on

England picked up six points out of six in their opening two Euro 2012 qualifiers this month through a tasty 4-0 triumph over Bulgaria at Wembley and a 3-1

Kent Men’s 2s have had a prolific summer as they turned several close matches into victory. They now sit top of the table in the Southeastern Men’s 2b league.

Manager Andy Hessenthaler praised the Gills as they won 2-0 against Shrewsbury, giving them their first win of the season. Both goals came from Chris Palmer.

Kent’s Rachael Burford is pleased with the recognition of Women’s Rugby gained from the recent World Cup tournament, but devastated at the defeat in the final to New Zealand.

InQuire

Kent Rowing Club

SPORT

Smiles aplenty as the women’s coxed four come sixth in their heat.

River wide, mountain high: rowers on course Training camp proves Kent rowing club will reach peak performance no matter the weather Jen Fisher Whilst most students use the Easter break as a chance to go home to their family or revise for their upcoming exams, the Kent rowers know that the holiday is synonymous with Easter training camp- a relentless three week session in which they will spend up to five hours a day training under the critical eye of their coaches. The camp, which took place this year on the Peterborough Rowing Club Lake, begins every day at 7.30am with a 5km run to the boathouse followed by three water sessions where the athletes can be expected to row in excess of 40km per day. The gruelling training plan is designed by the club’s captains

in order to prepare the rowers for regatta season: the most exciting part of the rowing year. Last year Kent kicked off the season with some truly phenomenal results. BUCS regatta (the pinnacle of the rowing calendar to many university boat clubs) is perhaps one of the most difficult competitions many university rowers will ever face. However this didn’t deter Kent. The intermediate category (notorious for how fiercely competitive it is) saw two Kent crews through to the final- a first in Kent Rowing history. The women’s coxed Four: Sarah Fish, Alice Mason, Briony Rose, Antonia Gerlach and cox Catherine Pateman came sixth overall in one of the tightest heats of the day, a mere ten sec-

onds behind Cambridge who took gold. The crew, who all began rowing at Kent and who have been rowing competitively for just over a year, were up against athletes who have been competing since their school days; yet Kent still managed to knock out crews such as the goliath Oxford University in the semi-finals. The Kent women’s Double, comprised of the accomplished Kate Tatchell with many wins to her name and novice Sarah Harvey who began sculling this year under the guidance of her experienced teammate, placed fourth overall in the intermediate category. The race had fellow Kent students screaming in support as they watched the Double cross the finish line less than a second

behind third place, battling it out in the final heat against two Durham crews, two Oxford Brookes crews and a Reading crew: all universities infamous for their wins in the rowing world. Kent’s other crews who raced the day previously were not only up against some fierce competitors, but also some fierce weather conditions. Nottingham’s water centre where the competition was held is famed for offering very little shelter when the wind picks up; this year saw crews capsizing, boats breaking halfway down the course and the commentators musing over the tannoy, “well these athletes are simply eating water.” In spite of these conditions, all other Kent crews went on to finish

their races in respectable places. Kent Rowing club, recently named sports club of the year, has moved from strength to strength recently. The last coxed four to reach the BUCS final was back in 2005. In 2006 Dan Ritchie, now rowing in the stroke seat of the GB Eight, competed under the Kent name to come third in the Championship Sculls category at BUCS. Following the success at BUCS, the women's coxed four have already tasted further triumph, winning the Bedford Amateur Regatta and in doing so, promoting themselves from Novice to Intermediate 3 status. Now, with the prestigious Marlow and Henley Women’s Regatta in sight, the Kent rowers plan to put themselves

Which sport will you try out? - page 22-23