Survival: Fun for some was a distraction for others. Photo: Snapshot Photography

Source’s Summer Survival sparked a number of complaints from students studying in the library.

As many as 40 complaints were lodged with the library throughout the course of the day about the excess noise coming from the SU bar and Atrium from midday on Saturday 12 May until 4am the following day, when the event ended.

Summer Survival usually marks the end of the university term each year, however for the past few years it has also overlapped with the middle of the exam period, when many students are still revising for upcoming assessments.

Computing student David Steele was disturbed by the noise. He said on Facebook: “I was in the library trying to study for my final year exams being disturbed by drunken idiots running around.”

Architectural Technology student Adesope Shakirah was also in the library that weekend: “Events like that should be done after exams, I was in the library and the noise was disturbing.”

Student Johannes Christian von Voges agreed: “It was a bit random for something like that to occur slap bang in the middle of exam season, post-exams great but not in the middle.

“Granted some need it as a stress release…next week when the majority of exams were completed would have been spot on.”

But Students’ Union (SU) President Reni Eddo-Lodge stated that it was the students who ultimately determined when Summer Survival would take place.

She said: “The students were polled with an online survey after the event last year and 70 per cent said they wanted it on the same weekend, and so we delivered.

“What went wrong is that students should have been notified in advance that the event was taking place and that it might interrupt their studies.”

The event was approved by senior university officials, but it is unclear as to whether the library was aware the event was due to take place, and so students were left without any direct notification that their studies may have been interrupted.

Reni added: “We act on what students ask us to do, and we act on the evidence we get.

“If they want it the same weekend next year, we’ll learn from what has happened this time and make sure we properly notify students on the days running up to the event.”

However the latest results from Source’s Facebook poll asking when students would like the 2013 Summer Survival shows almost 89 per cent of students who have already voted would prefer that it take place after the end of exams.

Ms Eddo-Lodge feels the focus should be on improving available study resources on campus rather than stopping or postponing SU events: “The real issue here is not about events that the Students’ Union puts on during exam weeks or assessment times, it’s about the complete lack of study space on campus.

The library is the only place on campus that anybody can even attempt to get silent study done and that is open to all students.

“That’s the real issue here, because if we had more study spaces on campus then students wouldn’t feel like the library is the only option and then feel disturbed by the Students’ Union which is right next to it.

“If the university really wants to start attending to student need then they need to start looking at different study spaces around campus, and that would absolutely avert situation like what happened last Saturday.”

George FC 4

An injury time penalty from Mark Johnson sealed an incredible comeback from Eamonn Holmes Sofa Club, who came from two goals down
to win 5-4 over George FC and complete their league and cup double.

George FC had looked on course for a shock victory when Jamie Husband had put them 4-2 up with just 11 minutes to go, but three late goals gave Sofa Club the victory in an extraordinary game.

Sofa Club started brightly and wasted a couple of early chances, before George took the lead in the 5^th minute as Martin Finnerty headed home a corner from six yards out.

Both teams squandered several chances during the first half, before Sofa Club levelled on the stroke of half-time when striker Stuart Baillie slotted past goalkeeper Craig Naylor.

George regained their lead just before the hour mark when Hollister beat the offside trap to fire in to the corner before Dan Wood’s side added a third five minutes later as Sofa Club could only half clear from a set-piece and Finnerty grabbed his second by scoring through a congested area.

Sofa club continued to press to try and find a way back in to the game and Baillie fired home to score his and his side’s second goal of the game.

Despite the setback, George restored their two goal advantage in the 79^th minute when Mike Newton cut the ball back across the six yard box for Jamie Husband to tap in from close range, although Sofa Club reduced the deficit less than a minute later, when Baillie burst through to complete his hat-trick.

The league champions pushed for an equaliser and levelled in the 88^th minute, when Joe Whiteley scored a bullet header from a corner.

With extra time looming, Sofa Club were awarded a penalty in injury time, when George keeper Naylor tripped Johnson in the area. The forward decided to take the kick himself and coolly slotted home to complete a remarkable comeback for Eamonn Holmes Sofa Club and hand them the cup which will sit proudly next to their league trophy.

By Alistair Stafford

Only 23 percent of elected students were present at the last meeting in April, and concerns were voiced at the time regarding the legitimacy of any votes taken. During the meeting before the Christmas break, just 31 percent were present, and the highest recorded attendance was 77 percent last October.

Current Council Chair Jason Smith said: “I can’t drag people in by their heels, I can’t do that. I can just make sure that the process works properly.

“As the Chair it has been my responsibility to make sure that the SAC and the full-time members of staff and the organisation are held to account. I believe that I have done that very well, and I am sure that most of the other council members and the SAC believe that too.”

Reni Eddo-Lodge, Students’ Union President, said: ““I understand it’s a difficult time of year with dissertation and other deadlines, but I’d stress to all councillors, let the chair know if you can’t attend.”

To those who haven’t attended for some time without apologies, she advised: “If you feel you can’t take on the responsibility, don’t commit to it.”

The student council is made up of elected student officers including a representative for female, disabled, lesbian gay bisexual and transgender, international and black and minority ethnic students, as well as five additional councillors in open positions and reps from each school within the university.

The council is headed by the elected Chair, and all positions are voluntary and part-time. Meetings are held once every month. During meetings, policy motions are put forward by the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) or councillors are a vote is taken as to whether or not it passes.

A by-election was held in October to elect more student councillors. When asked whether students run in student elections for the wrong reasons, Jason said: “Definitely. Without a doubt. I have seen it and we will see it year in and year out in student politics – students don’t realise it’s politics.

“There are a lot of people who ran in this year’s elections who don’t know what the jobs they have run for are; they don’t understand the jobs. We saw that in hustings, we saw that in the debates – people just don’t understand the issues.

“There is far too little involvement, people just see it as a way to further their career, or are CV builders or careerists. I guarantee you that most of the people who ran this year didn’t understand the jobs that they ran for.

“For this year, I would say it has been disappointing that for whatever reasons. For the people who did it for the wrong reason, and have got to the point where they think “I can’t be bothered with this anymore, I have got more important things to do like go to the pub”, then, shame on you.”

Christina Frey, the International representative believes that students should not be forced to attend meetings. She said: “I think that volunteer councillors can definitely not be obliged to attend the meetings, because this would not solve the problem of them being interested what is happening in the Students’ Union.

“Councillors should be motivated themselves to go to the meetings and maybe this could be solved by letting students who stand in elections know more clearly what they are awaiting in their position. Student council can only operate effectively with every voice in every meeting.”

Robert Jukes, a school rep, said: “I believe that student councillors should be obliged to attend all meetings as when committing yourself you commit to putting in the time and effort at the very least turning up should be no problem.”

Other student councillors declined to comment when asked.Students are offered the chance to submit apologies if they know they will be absent from the meeting. Jason said: “If people have got a change in circumstances or family reasons, I understand that; I will always accept apologies from people.

“We should accept apologies and we should understand and be mindful of each other’s circumstances.”

Attempts have been made to ensure that councillors have the chance to attend meetings. “We change the dates so that some people who have regular evening lectures on a particular day don’t miss all of the meetings. We have tried to mix them on on Thursdays, Wednesdays and Mondays,” continued Jason.

List of UCLan student councillors

Chair Jason Smith

BME Students’ Rep Daniel Scott

Disabled Students’ Rep Gordon Pollock

Women’s Officer Kim Quayle

LGBT Students’ Rep Sam Whalley

International Students’ Rep Christine Frey

Burnley Students’ Rep Amabelle Tejan-jalloh

Student Councillors Lee Bradshaw, Megan Reynolds, Claire Wilkinson, Courage Aiguobasinmwin, Sarah Desiree Tiemann

School Reps Keara Lynch, Steven Seymour, Robert Jukes, Shaun Cayhill, Nicole Rebucha

Percentage of councillors attending meetings

April 23rd - 23.5 percent
February 29th - 64.7 percent
January 18th – 64.7 percent
December 14th - 30.7 percent
December 1st - 61.5 percent
October 26th - 77 percent
September 28th – 66.6 percent

By David Stubbings and Hannah Breeze

53 Degrees aim to repeat scenes like this on a regular basis next year

Significant changes are to occur at 53 Degrees following an extensive survey into usage of the venue.

Earlier in 2012, the club joined forces with NUS Services to research student socialising habits in Preston, in order to attract more people to the venue.

53 Degrees has now promised students that drinks will be one price across all events, unlike many other venues located in Preston city centre in a bid to regain its reputation.

UCLan students will no longer have to pay extra booking fees to any of the venues events from regular student nights to huge entertainment names. Students’ Union (SU) President, Reni Eddo-Lodge said the changes were attempting to ‘put the fun back’ into events held at the venue which ‘put students at the centre of what we do’.

“Over the next 12 months we plan to introduce a series of student club nights with the aim of re-establishing 53 Degrees as the number one place for students to have fun and make the most of their university experience,” she said.

“The new events will focus around key dates in the calendar, kicking off with a reinvigorated freshers’ programme.”

53 Degrees have also guaranteed to increase the figures of student exclusive events, promising to bring 60 new events along next year.

As a result of recent changes, there will also be a new and exciting space called ‘The Dark Room’ within 53 Degrees, an intimate space which will be available to hire, whether it be for a 21st birthday party or a society social.

The survey’s purpose was to gain a greater understanding of current social trends, and to weigh opinions on Preston’s night life and 53 Degrees as a student venue.

“We also plan to deliver club nights that suit mainstream and niche musical tastes,” Ms Eddo-Lodge added.

“Feedback, which is the largest of its kind, showed that students like 53 Degrees, but there was room to improve on.

The SU continues to enjoy amazing support from its members, and we are sure that these changes will continue that relationship going forward.”

Accompanied by focus groups, the survey encouraged students to voice their opinions regarding the venue.

Over 1,500 people filled in the survey which was conducted in February and March 2012.

After launching in 2002, the local group attracted 16 people, including guest speakers and the founder of MAV, Christopher Flux.
The meeting was in aid of sexual awareness month which happened throughout April.

Guest speakers included Bikers Against Rape (BAR) founder, Tamela Burckhardt, and Sue James, Development Manager of the organisation Survivors Trust.

Survivors Trust is a group which was set up for the benefit of helping those who are victims of sexual harassment.
Sue James, the Development Manager said: “We try to promote, we try to support victims.”

Sue is currently putting together a proposal for the Ministry of Justice to get funding for Survivors Trust to operate as a specialised service.

Gender violence according to MAV costs the UK 40 Billion per year.

MAV’s chairperson and event organiser, Christopher Flux, in reference to the event said: “I was really pleased with the turn out, the guest speakers were excellent and we had some really interesting discussions about violence and male identity.”

Flux later added: “Hopefully this is just the start of a wider conversation about these issues.”

Janine Conroy, 20, a first-year Sociology and Social policy student commented: “I really enjoyed the meeting (event), and was particularly surprised of the variety of different people who campaign against sexual violence.

“The stories the speaker from BAR moved everyone in the room, and I was particularly impressed with the range of issues MAV addresses, as before I assumed they only focused on rape and sexual violence against women”, she later added.

MAV is currently in the process of organising an event to raise funds for Lancashire’s SAFE Centre.

‘Walk a mile in her shoes’ hopes to take place sometime later this year.

If anyone wishes to find out more about MAV as an organisation, please visit their Facebook page.

By Chloe Vinden

Distance learning is a popular choice for UK undergraduates. PHOTO: Ed Yourdon (Flickr)

This new scheme of distance learning is looking to replace the classroom experience with a virtual one, offering a cheaper and more convenient alternative to higher education studies. The virtual course is aimed both at full-time workers and students who cannot afford the raising costs of the classic, on-campus student life.

Astronomy enthusiasts now have the chance to enroll in UCLan’s BSc (Hons) Astronomy degree from home. This course, endorsed by the Royal Astronomical Society, is unique in the UK.

Bristol-based architect Alan Cardwell, who studies the course, referred to the experience of replacing lectures within a virtual environment which, similar to the traditional course, brings together students from all parts of the world: “It’s good to be part of a world community.”

The course is divided in 18 modules and comprises three levels: certificate, diploma and full honours. Distance learners study up to three modules per year and pay as they progress.

This is the most cost-effective way of studying for your university diploma. Cardwell later added: “At the moment it costs less than £400 a module for UK and EU students.”

The course is also ideal for students working full time, offering the convenience of studying at their own pace by spreading their studies over six to nine years.

The programme, available only part-time, enables distance –studying is by offering all course materials in PDF format, while all assignments are submitted online. Later in the course, students will be able to work with students from other countries, re-creating the team work experience.

Starting from 2012, students enrolled on this course can start with a single-module university certificate and build up to a full BSc (Hons) degree.

Distance-learning is the answer for more and more students, providing them with the self-motivation necessary to keep a sustained learning process and organise their study according to their own schedule. It is, ultimately, the flexible version of the university experience.

By Paulina Botez

Around 1,500 runners are set to take part in this year's Run Preston. PHOTO: martinjyoung (Flickr)

A special Guild full and half marathon will take place, starting and concluding in the city centre.

The route will include Penwortham, Cottam, Lea Town, Salwick and Treales.

The city centre will shut down on Sunday 28 October, when the race is due to take place.

Guild organisers are also organising entertainment for during the race, to create a fantastic atmosphere for all the running.

UCLan Sports Journalism student, Liam Geraghty, who is running the marathon has said: “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and something I wanted to be a part of from the moment I heard about it.”

Applications to run the marathon are now open and the event costs £35, for the half marathon it is £17.

The popular ‘Run Preston’ is due to return as preparation for the Guild events.

The Run Preston event will take place on Sunday 30 September from 10am; entry is also available for those who wish to take part.

By Chloe Vinden

Dark Tourism: Trips to historical sites like Auschwitz are belcoming increasingly more popular

UCLan is setting off on a journey to uncover the mysteries of dark tourism by opening the world’s pioneering academic centre for dark tourism research.

The name of this increasingly popular travelling trend stems from the touristic potential that places which housed mass deaths and disaster, such as Auschwitz, Ground Zero or Chernobyl hold for the visitors.

The Institute for Dark Tourism Research (iDTR) will become a global hub for studying this new trend, trying to explain people’s fascination with these places from an ethical and social perspective, as well as studying the organisation and advertising of dark tourism sites and exhibitions.

The institute comes after six years of studying dark tourism and its implications at UCLan and the research will be aimed at scholars, industry experts, but also students and the general media.

iDTR will be headed by Dr Philip Stone, who had been previously involved in research into Auschwitz-Birkenau, Ground Zero, the Body Worlds exhibitions, the London Dungeon, Chernobyl, and the Pendle Witches, explaining the importance of the past victims to today’s tourists.

The opening was celebrated at a one-day symposium at UCLan’s Westleigh Conference Centre on 24 April 2012, in the presence of seven internationally renowned experts on dark tourism. Dr Stone’s keynote speech was followed by discussions on ethical and social scientific developments in understanding dark tourism and its legacy.

Dr Stone said: “Dark tourism is a compelling subject that draws people in, attracting us to visit macabre sites and ultimately leading us to explore our own mortality.”

Stone later added: “UCLan is proud to host the world’s first academic centre for dark tourism research. We hope the iDR will act as a global hub for these studies, attracting experts from around the world to help further our understanding of how dark tourism impacts on society from a cultural, historical and political perspective.”

by Paulina Botez

T-total: The ban would stop the sale of any alcohol on campus areas

The newly suggested alcohol ban at London Metropolitan University is said to “demonize” Muslim students and accentuate “Islamophobia” both on university grounds and society at large.

Vice Chancellor Professor Malcolm Gillies’ decision to ban alcohol sales within the university’s two campuses on behalf of the Muslim community has sparked off anger among many students, with the decision being called “ill-advised and misleading”.

His suggestion is apparently based on the idea of “cultural sensitivity”, considering that many students from London Metropolitan consider drinking “immoral.”

Earlier this month, Gillies said: “There are students who do come from a tradition that stays alcohol is evil and they need to feel that they have a place at London Metropolitan University.

“They don’t have to feel that this is an alcoholic environment, we are an educational environment, we are not seeking to push particular cultural or gastronomic values, we meet the needs of our students as they actually are.”

However, students insist that banning alcohol on religious grounds has led to tension and a strong anti- Muslim feeling within the campus, which includes up to 20 percent students from an Islamic background.

Some students said: “It is only a matter of time before a Muslim student is physically assaulted.

“We find your argument to ban alcohol on religious grounds baseless, divisive and irresponsible and we are concerned about the welfare of the students.“

In an open letter adressed to him, students insist they are being maliciously individualised and used as scapegoats for masking the unpopular decision of refusing a bar’s lease.

Vice-Chancellor Gillies’ response came in an e-mail, stating that the ban is trying to create an all-inclusive, supportive and educational environment to all students.

This, however, led to conflicts within the student unions, with students calling the decision immoral and publicly demanding for an unreserved apology.

They commented: “If the university finds that running the bars is not economically viable then you should put forward a ‘business case’ and not a ‘religious case’ to justify the closure of bars and the creation of an alcohol-free campus.”

London Metropolitan University currently has 30,000 students from 190 countries at the moment.

by Paulina Botez

The winners on stage with their prizes

UCLan hosted its third annual Student-Led Teaching Awards last month in a ceremony which celebrated the best of UCLan’s educators.

Set up three years ago, the awards night has continued to grow. This year’s event, coordinated by current Education Officer Becca Vafeas, was UCLan’s biggest to date. A record number of nominations were cast for the categories which included ‘Best Supportive Tutor’, ‘Most Passionate Lecturer’ and ‘Best Subject’.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Becca said: “I was shocked at how many nominations we received, we got twice as many as I had originally aimed for.

“Normally, it’s only the negative things that come to me, so when students began submitting nominations for their tutors, it was so lovely to see. It’s so important that good practice is recognised, especially with all the changes that are happening.” She added.

Guess speeches were also made by members from outside UCLan, including the NUS Vice President (Higher Education) Mr Usman Ali.

He talked about how the awards helped to promote feedback, which in turn fed back to the NUS and helped improve education standards: “All this feedback that students have given based on what their lectures are like and so on, we want to use all of that to try and help develop something bigger.

“We saw a good number of nominations come in this year, especially compared to last year, so that’s absolutely amazing to see.

“When you have such a diverse set of students like you do here, it’s really important to see how they perceive education and what education quality looks like to them. The context of education has completely changed and to make it relevant you’ve got to know the student voice is embedded at its heart.”

Student-Led Teaching Awards are current ran at 21 different Students’ Unions across the country.

Becca has hopes to see UCLan’s teaching awards continue to grow under next year’s Education Officer, Joey Guy:  “Student-Led Teaching Awards are beginning to happen at most Unions around the country, which is amazing to see. I’m really proud of ours and even more proud of the students who took the time to nominate and encouraged others to do so.

“I really hope the awards continue next year.”

by Emily Childs

 Below are a full list of the winners:

Outstanding Personal Tutor – Nicola Halenko (TESOL)

Outstanding Feedback – Samir Vohra (Pharmacy)

Most Supportive Tutor – Rod Train (Events Management)

Best Module Tutor – Andy Owen (Sports Turf Science at Myerscough)

Best University Support Service – The ‘I’

Best Course Team – Counselling and Psychotherapy Studies

Best Teaching Award – Susan Twist (Law)

Most Passionate Lecturer – Shaun Mills (Law)

Best Subject – Pharmacy

Special Mention – 4 Week Challenge