The Gaudie 21st February 2018

Free 21.02.18 facebook/thegaudie | go_gaudie | @the_gaudie The Gaudie For more exclusive, up to date and interesting student content, check out our website: www.thegaudie.com IV Magazine Inside 08 The University of Aberdeen has responded to the announcement from the University and College Union (UCU) that its members overwhelmingly support strike action regarding the University Superannuation Scheme pension row. The strike action is being taken following a pension row, which saw a proposal by Universities UK to end the defined benefit element of the scheme. The UCU claim that this would leave reduce the annual retirement income of lecturers by £10,000 per year, on average. Aberdeen University voted in favour of the action, with 367 of 428 votes cast in the ballot, voting ‘Yes’. The strikes will take place over a period of time of four weeks starting on 22nd of February and ending on the 16th of March. The university will remain open on the days of the strike and students are told to attend classes as normal, unless directly told otherwise. Professor Peter McGeorge, Vice-Principal of Learning and Teaching, said: “The University will remain open on these days and is committed to ensuring that no student is disadvantaged by the strike action. We are committed to a positive student experience and will take all appropriate measures to ensure this continues to be provided. “Some staff may choose to take strike action which may lead to some classes being cancelled. Where staff inform us in advance, Schools will inform you by email of any such cancellation. “If you have not been informed of any cancellations, you should assume that your classes will go ahead as planned, although you should be aware that some classes may need to be cancelled at very short notice.” University staff and lecturers are not legally required to announce participation on the strikes, meaning that students are likely to find out about cancelled lectures and tutorials on the day, though some staff may informally tell students about their participation in advance. There will be picket lines in front of academic buildings on the day of the strike. This means that striking workers establish a boundary at the entrance of their place of work to draw attention to their cause. AUSA has released a statement in support of the strike action and encourages students not to cross the picket lines. Lewis Macleod, AUSA’s Communities Officer, said: “Our lecturers are overworked and undervalued and it is crucial that we stand alongside them to prevent these cuts. Staff are striking to defend pensions and, as a result, to defend our education: their working conditions are our learning conditions.” Students who wish to support the strike action have been informed to not crossing the picket line, bring picket staff hot drinks and snacks, talk to friends about the strikes, join ‘Students Support the Staff ’ Facebook group or write a letter to Sir Ian Diamond, the University Principal. Students who have questions or concerns regarding the strikes are told to contact the University’s Academic Services. By Johanna Jakab University of Aberdeen Responds to UCU Strike Action Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Aberdeen will join over sixty other campuses in a series of strike days over the end of February and into the beginning of March. The strikes, which will disrupt classes and inconvenience students, come after talks broke down between the UCU and Universities UK (UUK) over fundamental reforms proposed to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). Whilst many students will feel affronted by a disruption to planned lectures and tutorials (especially international students who pay the most to learn), those same students likely don’t understand the wider context within which this industrial action comes as a last resort. Continued on p.7 By Matthew Keracher I n the run-up to the 22nd of February, it seems that the proposed strike concerning lecturers’ pensions is one of the most discussed topics on campus – and sadly, also one of the most misunderstood. Misconceptions and a lack of information about motives, duration and impact of the planned action have led to much frustration and the feeling of being left alone. The strike has been portrayed as a conflict of interest between staff and students, those who supply education and those who demand it, those who make a living of teaching and those who have to pay for it. It is necessary that we move beyond these dichotomies and recognize our lecturers’ interests as our own and stand together against those who really hold the executive power. Continues on p.11 By Fiona Sprack The Right to Strike In Opine... In Features...

21.02.18 Editorial Edition 08: Stare at the Sun You couldn’t blame the average undergraduate student for having a very inclusive, selfinterested perspective of university life. It’s the only way to truly remain sane. Often, one limits their experiences to that of their own degree, their own small social group and a handful of societies without even daring to peer beyond and look directly into the complicated and terrifying cosmic nightmare of politics, bureaucracy and administration that collectively structures the university as a whole. The levels of administration and procedure that are necessary to lay the foundations for a functioning university is overwhelming. Somewhere, hidden within the relatively small space that makes up Old Aberdeen, are a thousand offices staffed with a thousand people who no one has ever met yet they all have personalised emails. When do these people start their days? When do they they leave? Do they sleep? This is not to mention the mythical characters of senior management who pass from corridor to corridor like wailing phantasms, grasping project reports and press releases in bomb proof briefcases. No wonder we choose not to look at it, it’s like the centre of the sun - one stare into its intense solar flares would burn out your corneas and boil your mind into an unpleasant soup. However, it seems that the sun has now reached critical mass and has supernov-ed all over our stupid, expressionless faces. The sun has erupted and we are all covered in its searing hot magma, unable to avoid the splurge of university related shenanigans that are coming our way. The otherwise quitely complex pantomime of university management and politics has sprung forth out of the shadows and we’d be damned to miss it! Strike action, rector elections, senate meetings, AUSA elections and AGMs as far as the eye can see. To try and avoid the full scope of campus action this week would be not only challenging, but downright foolish as contrary to popular belief, the events of this week might genuinely change your life in the short term. From the perspective of us on The Gaudie editorial team, it’s both an exhilarating and terrifying time to be alive. But beyond all else, we implore you, throw aside your blinkards and get stuck into the scrum of important university action this week. It’s going to be a doozy. The Hub Elphinstone Road Old Aberdeen AB24 3TU Tel: 01224 272980 We voluntarily adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (www.ipso.co.uk) and aim to provide fair and balanced reporting. Head Editors News Editors Features Editor Deputy Features Editor Opine Editor Deputy Opine Editor Science & Environment Editor Deputy Science & Environment Editor Satire Editor Puzzles Editor Sports Editor International Editor Alex Kither and Mira Bagaeen Emily Craig and Gabija Barnard Alice King William Lamb Marijke Kirchner Michael McKean Déborah Gillard Rebecca Clark Andrew Meechan Sarah Geddes Daniel Rees Tomas Pizarro Escuti Editorial Team Head of Production Illustrators Copy Editors Social Media & Events Team Marketing Team Photographers Juliette Schroeder Simona Sima Hodonova Julia Vallius Pavel Dostalik Uju Ofomata Erika Purdy Julia Vallius Lewis Macleod Matthew Angell Shona Boyd Lea Rattei Kai Glahome Alistair Swan & Malwina Filipczuk Wanting to advertise with The Gaudie? Get in contact with our Marketing Director at [email protected]. Go to our website to download our Media Pack with all our prices, online and print statistics—http://www.thegaudie.com/advertise. Production Team p.2

21.02.18 News Editor: Emily Craig and Gabija Barnard A parade which celebrates the work of charities, volunteers and third sector organisations will take place along Union Street on the 25th August. The event was first launched in 2011 and saw involvement from over 150 organisations last year. Local charities, social enterprises, voluntary groups, musicians and city sports groups are invited to register for the event before April 27. The money raised during the 2017 parade provided a donation of £2,500 to Aberdeen Play Forum, a local charity. Morven Mackenzie, the leader of Celebrate Aberdeen, said: “Preparations are well underway for this year’s event already which we hope will build on the success of last year. To ensure that it does, we need as many third sector groups, sports groups and musicians as possible to sign up. “The organisations that are on board already are remarkable in the work they carry out, and being able to offer them an opportunity to celebrate and gather support is great. We are delighted to have another parade this year and we are working on plans for activities and performances throughout the weekend, which will be fun for all the family.” George Adam, former Lord Provost of Aberdeen, said: “Celebrate Aberdeen is a fantastic event, which provides an excellent platform for local third sector, organisations and clubs to promote their work in a carnival atmosphere. “I was delighted to pay a visit to Aberdeen Play Forum to hand over funds raised during the Union Street parade last year which will cover the cost of two of the charity’s largest events in 2018. “The city has many third sector organisations, which provide first-rate services because of the dedication of their volunteers. It is only right that we give them the recognition they deserve.” Celebrate Aberdeen Parade Returning for 2018 By Emily Craig National Lottery Awards for All Fund has granted £10,000 of funding to Four Pillars, a LGBT+ charity based in Aberdeen. Four Pillars supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the North-East and is one of the organisers of the Grampian Pride Parade coming up on the 26th May. Together with Grampian Regional Equality Council and the charity Pink Saltire, the charity will invest all of the newly gained funding into the event. The organisers are currently half-way to their target of raising a total of £50,000. The Grampian Pride will be the first of its kind in Aberdeen, and will be opened with a parade along Union Street, led by Hollyoaks actress Annie Wallace and see both local and international artists are going to perform on stage. The singer/songwriter Sandi Thom, known world-wide for her single ‘I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)”, has been announced to be the headliner. Deejay Bullock, founder of Four Pillars, said he is very happy about the funding from the National Lottery, as it will allow free participation for everybody on the day of the event in all pride activities, including the on-stage entertainment. Over 1,000 people have already registered for a free ticket. The members of the Aberdeen University LGBTQ+ community believe that the Grampian Pride will be a great way for students to become part of a wider community “We are incredibly pleased to see Aberdeen hosting its first pride this Spring”, said Lise Bos, the Equality Forum Advisor of Aberdeen University LGBTQ+. “Our university has an active forum for queer students, but not everyone has access to such communities. This event will provide an opportunity for people from all across the North East to come together to celebrate Pride.” Pride Parade Receives £10,000 of Funding By Sarah-Marie Thomas Figures released by UCAS have shown that fewer 18-year-old Scots from the most deprived areas in the country applied to universities by the 15th of January deadline, while there were more applicants from opulent backgrounds. Of the total applications, 16.7% came from students residing in the poorest parts in Scotland. This marks a decrease of 0.3% from last year and is the first decline for this group in the last ten years. Over the same period, the total number of applications to Scottish universities increased by 1%, with a 13% increase in applications from international students living outside the EU. The UK as a whole experienced a decline by 1%. Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Higher Education Minister, admitted that there was “more work to do,” while Liz Smith, the Conservative education spokeswoman, defined the new figures as “particularly worrying.” The Labour party directed criticism towards the government, claiming a “complete failure” to bridge the gap between the poorest and wealthiest pupils. Jodie Waite, NUS Scotland Vice President of Education, said: “It’s deeply concerning to see the applications from 18-year-olds living in disadvantaged areas moving in the wrong direction – for the first time in a decade. “The Scottish Government has, rightly, made widening access a priority. But we know that some institutions just aren’t pulling their weight. That needs to change. We need to see concerted action – from all institutions – to boost admissions from those from poorer backgrounds.” “We also can’t lose sight of the fact that just getting young people in the door is never enough in itself. We must ensure they have the support they need to remain, and succeed, once they get there.” The figures from UCAS also showed that the universities in Glasgow are more inclined to accept students from poor backgrounds. The University of Glasgow, Strathclyde, and Glasgow Caledonian offered a combined 1,870 places to underprivileged students in 2017. The University of St Andrews occupied the bottom of the chart with 45 such admissions. Ms Waite added: “We know that the current system of student support is broken – forcing the poorest higher education students into the most debt, and giving further education students no guarantee of support. “That’s why, as part of this budget, we’re calling on the Scottish Government to commit substantial new investment to deliver a world-class financial support system to match our world-class education system.” Reducing UCAS Applications from Scottish Students of Disadvantaged Backgrounds By Kiril Atanasov Photo courtesy of the Evening Express The nominees for Rector have been revealed to be Maggie Chapman, Fiona Kennedy, Angus Hepburn, Israr Khan and James Steel. On Monday 19th February, they participated in the rectorial hustings to answer questions from the student body and to debate. Another proposed nominee was Buttons the Cat, with sixty-two students signing the rectorial nomination form. Buttons ran with the slogan “Cats Not Bureaucrats” and the promise to be apolitical, present and engaged. However, even though Buttons gathered the required number of student signatures, he was disqualified by the election committee for not being human. A University of Aberdeen spokesperson said: “The role of the Rector is to represent and support the students of the University. The Rector also chairs meetings of the University’s governing body and as such is a charity trustee. Buttons has clearly caught the attention of our students as a potential candidate for the Rector role, but sadly cannot stand for election due to not meeting the requirements of a charity trustee.” At the time of writing, 415 individuals had signed the Change.org petition in the hope of overturning this ruling. Buttons has made it clear that his disqualification has left him as impartial as ever and that he does not support any of the remaining candidates. After the 2017 Rector Election ended in annulment, the rules have been altered to avoid such circumstances repeating themselves. A University of Aberdeen spokesperson said: “In light of the circumstances surrounding the previous election, the University has adopted a set of additional rules in order to provide enhanced oversight of the election process.” The statement continued: “[The rules] include the establishment of a Student Elections Committee, composed of four members of the Student Council and one Sabbatical Officer, which among its duties will take a role in identifying any infringements that might impact on a fair election.” However, there has already been some controversy in the current election cycle, with reports of campaign posters being torn down. Ms Kennedy, one of the candidates, said she found the situation “extremely disappointing, it’s not what’s supposed to happen in democratic elections. I don’t want to point fingers at any side, I think tempers flared a bit.” Students can vote for their chosen candidate from 9am on Tuesday 20th February to 5pm on Thursday 22nd February. The results are set to be announced at 6pm on the same Thursday. Additional information about the candidates can be found on the AUSA website. The Rector Election By Chris McKinnon Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons p.3

21.02.18 Plans to convert a building on Old Aberdeen’s High Street into a pub have been met with protest from a group of students. Julek Matraszek and Tomi Muller previously filed a application to convert 15 High Street into the Ivy Bar, a student pub with a beer garden. The students involved in the project believe that turning the property into a pub would be positive for Old Aberdeen. Jacub Cudak, a fourth-year student of economics at the university, responded with concerns regarding the location of the proposed pub to the High Street chaplaincy. The student believes that noise from the pub would impact the functions which the chaplaincy provides. Professor Claude Wischik, Chair in Mental Health and a resident at the Chanonry, joined the students in opposition to the plans. Mr Cudak, said: “It’s not the right place. I have friends in my flat who are both in support and against it, but those who support it just want to have a bar somewhere near, and those against it, even people who do not use the chaplaincy, really feel it wouldn’t be a good place for such a business. “I’ve been joining the activities of the chaplaincy over the last four years, and it really feels wrong to have people drinking every day next to a place where mass takes place daily. “It’s a place of refuge for people who go through difficult times in their lives, and this would really be disturbed by a pub. “The students in support do not give any deeper thought to it. They are enthusiastic about having a pub on the campus, and don’t think of the consequences.” Mr Matraszek, said: “The University of Aberdeen campus must be allowed to adapt to modern day standards, and we can take this step now. “I fear for the path Old Aberdeen is heading towards, and believe that concerns of it becoming an empty museum are very much on point. “Let the Ivy bar become a benchmark of high standards and acceptable behaviour.” Students Form Opposition to Proposed On-Campus Bar Medical students from the University of Aberdeen have raised thousands of pounds for a North-East charity for children by hosting a sports tournament for medical schools from Scotland and Northern Ireland. More than 1,200 students from the medical schools of St Andrews, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Queens University Belfast attended and competed in the annual Scottish and Northern Irish Medical Schools sports tournament in November of last year. Chiyokoma Kabaso, President of University of Aberdeen Medical Society, said: “Students spent the weekend in Aberdeen competing in football, rugby, netball, basketball, volleyball, hockey, badminton and squash. The University of Aberdeen’s team won overall and we raised £3400 for the children’s charity Charlie House in the process”. Charlie House is a locally based children’s charity which supports children with complex disabilities and life limiting conditions. Dominic Coates, of the University of Aberdeen Medical Society, said: “The sports tournament is always a fantastic event and we were delighted to host our fellow medical schools and to get such a great turnout made the event even better”. Donna Deans, fundraising co-ordinator for the charity, said: “We are hugely grateful to the University of Aberdeen’s Medical Society. Donations such as this will help us continue with the invaluable support we provide.” By Beth Godfrey By Emily Craig The University and AUSA to Address Sexual Assault on Campus The University of Aberdeen and AUSA have signed a statement of commitment to address sexual violence and harassment on campus. Both parties currently have a zero-tolerance approach towards sexual assault, but the statement will provide a framework to allow the AUSA and the university to work together to tackle the issue. The document states that members of staff and students have the ‘right to live, work and study in a safe and non-threatening environment,’ and that harassment and sexual violence on campus will not be tolerated. The university is also expected to release a new policy regarding sexual violence and harassment in the coming months. To assist with the commitment, a survey will be emailed to the university community, and the results will inform the university and AUSA’s steps to tackle the issue. Staff and students are also asked to add their signatures to pop-up stands across the Old Aberdeen and Foresterhill campuses. The National Union for Students released figures in 2010 that 68% of respondents to their survey experienced sexual harassment on campus during their time as a student. Caroline Inglis, Secretary to the University, said: “The statement of commitment is an expression of our determination to work together with AUSA to ensure that the University of Aberdeen is a safe environment where our students and staff do not have to tolerate any form of sexual violence or harassment.” Information on how to become involved is available on the university’s Clued-Up blog. Medical Students Raise Thousands for Charity By Ana Louise Lorang AUSA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place on Tuesday 13th February and saw attempts to revoked AUSA’s Safe Space policy and “no platform” Aberdeen Student Left. The AGM allows students to vote on the values and activities of the association, as well as informing those in attendance of AUSA achievements over the academic year and what it aims to do in the future. A motion to to abolish AUSA’s Safe Space policy was proposed by Rector Candidate Angus Hepburn. The policy which was approved in 2013 and is now included in AUSA’s Byelaws. The student argued that the abolition of the policy would enhance free speech on campus, while the opposition argued that it could lead to exclusion of minorities and possibly human rights violations. A motion to “no platform” the Aberdeen Student Left was proposed by Robbie Uriarte, but was not heard, with John Waddel arguing that the motion should not be allowed to proceed. An emergency motion was proposed, which stated that AUSA should not endorse nor take part in the lecturer strikes due to take place for four weeks, starting on 22nd of February. The motion was proposed by Orhan Ahmed, but was not heard, with 189 of those in attendance voting ‘No’ and 182 voting ‘Yes’. The Trustee Board responded to questions regarding the closure of on-campus the halls of residence, Crombie-Johnston, to say that the costs of bringing the halls up to residential standards are too high. A further question was raised regarding the extent to which AUSA represented the student body, to which Lawson Ogubie, the AUSA Student President, stressed the work AUSA was undertaking to improve the lives of students. Further motions included a motion to create a trans liberation forum to protect the rights of trans students and a motion to reinstatement the societies officer. By Derek W Gardiner Students Propose Motion to Revoke ‘Safe Space’ Policy and ‘No Platform’ Student Left at AUSA AGM Photo by Kevin Mathew p.4

21.02.18 Twenty eight years, two months, and 27 days – the exact time the Berlin Wall was standing between the 13th of August 1961 and its destruction on the 9th of November 1989. Every year Germany and the world are reminded that another year has passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall and Germany being a unified state again. On the 5th of February, the fall of the Berlin Wall dates back exactly the same amount of time as it was initially standing. The German media named this day ‘Zirkeltag’ which can be translated into Circle Day, a day which in the eyes of many Germans symbolises the end of the German reunification era. This landmark gives Germany the opportunity to show the world the amount in which it succeeded to unify itself. Germany is not divided by a physical barrier between the West and the East any longer. However, being fully unified on a general institutional level, the German people are arguably still living in two different societies. The nation was first divided by a 97 mile-long stone wall and the Inner German Border – which should not be mistaken for the Berlin Wall – is nowadays still divided in leading positions and voting behaviour by income, pension and origins of people. “The separation can still be seen in the mentality of people and the bidirectional exclusion”, says Klaus Schröder, professor of Political Science at the Free University of Berlin. Considering that Germany’s separation was not very long ago, scholars argue that the still-lasting East-West mentality is partially justifiable because of the effects that historical events cause on people. A whole generation grew up in a separated country and therefore it is thought that the wounds caused by this division will need more than 28 years to heal. Stating that ‘the youth is the future’ fits the current German context very well. On the one hand, the new post-wall generation is still tremendously influenced by the general mentality of the past and they are often trying to identify with one society. However, on the other hand, through recognising the separation of Germany as a historical event that happened before the new generation was born, they are trying to form a cohesive society between the East and West that knows no boundaries. The day of ‘Zirkeltag’ is an opportunity to remember and account the past while looking forward to a new untied horizon in a postreunification era. Hundreds of Spanish women have been murdered by ex-partners or male nonpartners in the last couple of years. Most of these cases go unnoticed to the common eye, but some of them catch the attention of the entire country. 9th of February 2018. A man is arrested in Valencia for pushing his ex-partner through her apartment window. Luckily, she survived the fall. The aggressor had several restraining orders. 4th of February. Another man is arrested in Granada after confessing to having killed and buried his wife in a local park. And these are just two examples. 5 women have been murdered by men in less than two months, since the beginning of 2018. Three of them were murdered by their partners or ex-partners; the remaining two were murdered by non-partners. And that is just the beginning. 22nd of August 2016. Diana Quer is walking back home at 3 in the morning, alone, after a party in the little Galician town where her family spends the summer holidays. Suddenly, a strange car stops next to her. “A man is calling me. He’s telling me to come closer” was the last text message she sent to a friend before disappearing. The press said she was wearing very light clothes, and that she should not have been walking by herself so late. They even accused her of running away. 31st of December 2017. The case, which had been archived in mid-August that same year, is re-opened when a man, alias “El Chicle” is arrested for attempted rape. Following police pressure, he confesses to the murder of Diana Quer after attempting to rape her unsuccessfully, and subsequently dumping her body in a well in an abandoned building. That same day, Diana’s body is retrieved. Cause of death: asphyxiation. In the past two years, over a hundred women have died in the hands of men in Spain. If one looks back to the past fourteen years, the number rises to 1,000. The number increases even more if one counts survivors. However, both the media and the Government try to ignore the problem by arguing that women ‘die’ rather than are murdered. Not enough cases of sexual violence are reported in the media. It is extremely important to raise awareness on this matter. We cannot continue living in fear of being murdered by our partners. And sadly, we are far from achieving it. It is also important to acknowledge that, even though the article focuses on Spain, this is a worldwide problem. Women are being systematically murdered everywhere. Their only crime: being women. 11th of February 2017. Laura Nieto Navajas is murdered by her her husband. He killed himself using the same gun afterwards. On the 18th of March, the first round of the Russian presidential election will be held. With eight registered candidates from various political backgrounds, the victory seems however already assured to Vladimir Putin, who is running for his 2nd consecutive term, and his 4th term overall. Polls and public opinion have been in his favour since the 2012 election, and since he is – although unofficially – supported by United Russia, the major party led by Dmitry Medvedev, the actual Prime Minister and former President, Putin is likely to be re-elected without even a second round. Power in Russia circulates behind closed doors. Putin has not left positions of power since the 1990’s, working closely with Boris Yeltsin and then Dmitry Medvedev, introducing an era of ‘tandemocracy’ in Russia. Unlike in 2012, he registered himself in December 2017 as an independent candidate, although he is loosely affiliated with United Russia, of whom he was the leader during his term as Prime Minister (but never a member). However, Russian elections have been highly criticised by the international community and characterised as ‘unfair’ and ‘non-competitive’ by several international organisations. Amnesty International has denounced the lack of ‘real electoral campaign battle’, and the absence of debates ahead of the 2012 election. Only one election out of six has seen a second round since 1990, and both Putin in 2012 and Medvedev in 2008 refused to participate in the debates with the other candidates, arguing that they did not have time for that due to their functions. The proper conduct of the forthcoming election and freedom of the media to report any faults are more than ever a concern for European institutions. Several cases of irregularities, or even corruption, in presidential elections have been denounced by journalists. For example, in the 2008 election Medvedev supposedly obtained 70% of the votes. However, after the votes were re-counted due to pressure applied by those unconvinced of the legality of the election, the results revealed that only 63% voted for Medvedev. The Russian government has nonetheless refused the presence of an exterior observer. Russia has been ranked 148th out of 179 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index and is the third deadliest country for journalists in the world. This has discouraged Russian media coverage on underlying corruption issues. The Aftermath of the Berlin Wall By Hannah Wenzel Russia Holds Presidential Election By Floriane Ramfos Sexual Violence as an Epidemic in Contemporary Spain By Alba Ferrándiz Gaudens Photo by Tijana Bosnjakov (pexeles) Photo by freepenguin (Wikicommons) International Students are left in an uncertain position after Childreach International ceased all operations. Approximately 30 students, each of who paid a £350 registration fee for a fundraising trip to either the Amazon or Mount Kilimanjaro, remain unsure if their money will be returned. Childreach International put out this statement on their website: “Owing to recent financial challenges we have taken the decision to cease all of our operations with immediate effect. Consequently we are not receiving donations or recruiting participants.” Kelsey Stewart, Aberdeen University student and fundraising coordinator, spoke of the frustrating miscommunication with the charity: “When we ask Childreach a question they tell us to contact Rare Adventures and then they tell us to get in touch with Childreach. We’re just going around in circles.” She explained, that it was unclear, if the students would be reimbursed their registration fees: “We don’t know if we’ll be getting our registration fees back or if the trips will be going ahead.” Childreach International trips were executed by Rare Adventures, a company that has now also ceased trading. In an announcement of their webpage, Rare Adventures stated: “Childreach have instructed Rare Adventures that they are in no position to pay for any of their participants travel obligations this season.” The statement continues: “Rare Adventures are now owed a materially significant sum of money. Rare Adventures have not received any payment whatsoever from Childreach International for any student trip in the season 2017/18 and have no prospect of receiving such given the insolvent status of Childreach. Rare Adventures Ltd therefore has no alternative than to cease trading.” On 14 February, Childreach International posted an update on their page, listing the organizations Dig Deep and Choose A Challenge as viable alternatives for fundraisers with their sights set of travel. Dig Deep has also agreed to waive their registration fees for former Childreach fundraisers. Aberdeen students were not the only ones affected by the closure of Childreach International. Among others, pupils of Chatham & Clarendon School in Ramsgate, England, lost £60.000 they had fundraised with the expectation of going of a Student Challenge trip to Kenya. Childreach International Charity Ceases Operations By Sophia Brooke Editor: Tomas Pizarro Escuti p.5

21.02.18 By Matthew Keracher Features Editor: Alice King Gilt Complex Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Aberdeen will join over sixty other campuses in a series of strike days over the end of February and into the beginning of March. The strikes, which will disrupt classes and inconvenience students, come after talks have broken down between the UCU and Universities UK (UUK) over fundamental reforms proposed to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). Whilst many students will feel affronted by a disruption to planned lectures and tutorials (especially international students who pay the most to learn), those same students likely haven’t been informed about the wider context within which this industrial action comes as a last resort. According to a press release on their website from 23rd January, talks over the future of the USS ended without an agreement between representatives from UCU and UUK. The UUK represents the interests of governing bodies across British universities. (Founded in the nineteenth century, it was originally called the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom.) Following the talks, UCU general secretary Sally Hunt, quoted in the press release, said: “Staff will feel utterly betrayed by their leaders. We are disappointed at how talks ended today, particularly after UUK suggested yesterday that it wanted more talks to avoid strikes. Universities must be on notice that unless there are dramatic changes in their negotiators’ position then strike action will be arriving on campus next month.” “There is much talk of a crisis of leadership in higher education at the moment, especially after the recent vice-chancellor pay and perks scandals. Now is the time for university leaders to recognise the scale of this problem, how angry their staff are and to work with us to avoid widespread disruption in universities.” Hoping to understand the specifics of the strike, and to investigate whether the disruption to classes and students could be justified, I went to talk to Dr. David Watts, a human geographer and trade unionist working at the Rowatt Institute out of the University of Aberdeen’s Forrester Hill campus. The USS is a pension scheme that pools and invests from members payments, including academic and academic-related staff in many UK universities. USS is the second largest of such schemes in the United Kingdom, with more than 390 participating institutions and more than 390,000 members. Most of these members work or worked at older institutions in existence as universities before 1992. Those incorporated after, previously polytechnics, enjoy the state-guaranteed Teachers’ Pension Scheme. This has created a ‘twotier’ system in the higher education sector, in which the USS is the less desirable of the two pension schemes: proposed changes to the scheme will have the effect of widening this gulf even more. Dr. Watts told me that for most members paying into the USS, the proposed changes to the pension scheme would see retiring academics receive between a 20-40% reduction in the lump sum they receive after retirement. Academia is often seen as a sector of the economy that receives lower pay in relation to how much they work. This is offset not just by scholars’ passion for what they do but also their pension. Those on the Universities Superannuation Scheme, as opposed to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, see the change as cataclysmic not only to their own pensions— but further into the future, widening the gulf in where the best scholars see it as desirable to teach, research, and live. Universities like Aberdeen seek to lose the most, due to being a smaller-league university compared to other pre-1992 institutions (like Edinburgh or Cambridge). For Dr. Watts however, and others who believe the strike is necessary, the calculus by which the proposed changes are justified is not only empirically flawed, but being used to wider ideological ends by both the UUK and the USS. Under dispute is the way in which money is given to academics earning under £55,000 a year when they retire. UUK advocate the wholesale transference of the future pension promises from one of Defined Benefits (DB)—in which pensioners are paid depending on a percentage of their salaries and the number of years they’ve worked under an employer—to one of Defined Contribution (DC)—in which both the employee and the employer’s contributions are invested, and the proceeds then used to buy a pension or other benefits at retirement. Under a DC scheme, pensioners’ income fluctuates based on investment earnings. Announced by then-chancellor George Osbourne in the 2014 Budget, the ostensibly labelled pension ‘freedoms and choice’ act relaxes a lot of regulations upon employers and imagines an active and highly informed investor base. Since then, the legislation has popularised the movement away from DB schemes. Under the DB system, pension scheme capital is still invested. (In 2012, USS Axle, a USS subsidiary, purchased Brisbane Australian train company Airtrain Citylink for A$110 million. USS also has shares in Thames Water.) The difference is, under a DB scheme, USS have to make sure the £60 billion accrued assets of the fund—money paid in by universities and individuals—is able to be paid to people when they retire, called a pension promise. The proposed movement to a DC scheme would see this money liquidated into a capital investment fund, into which members of the scheme ‘volunteer’ their contributions, taking on the risk of investments failing themselves. Government frames this as a movement towards individual choice and freedom, allowing employees over 55 to ‘unlock’ parts of their pension to independently invest to future benefit. However, this doesn’t candidly reflect that, as well as individual contribution of around 8% of income, the university contributes an equivalent 16%: individuals who choose to ‘free’ themselves from this arrangement, and consider a private pension, lose out on the University’s contribution. Staying within the DC scheme, as would-be pensioners of Norther Rock bank now know, would mean taking on all the risk and having none of the control over where that money is invested. For USS, as well as the Universities themselves, a DC scheme would mean no longer having to be accountable on the returns of people’s investments. As a result, the Universities contribution to future pension promises is to fall from 16% to 13.25% and will only be guaranteed at that level until 2023, when no doubt it will fall further. Ideally, the UUK don’t want to have to contribute to pensions at all, and would envision a neoliberal model in which USS’ investment portfolio is strong enough such that retirees would get the equivalent or more from the free market. The proposition to move to a Defined Contributions (DC) scheme comes after the USS reported a technical deficit of £17.5 billion in July 2017. Liabilities were projected to be £78 billion, growing by one-third over the previous year, over their £60 billion assets, which grew only by onefifth from £49 billion in the same timeframe. According to this assessment, the growth of its assets has not kept pace with the increase in its liabilities. To combat this deficit, reduce reliance on, and risk to, universities, USS sought in its 2017 Actuarial Valuation, to go about finding away to move “the scheme to a low-risk, ‘self-sufficient’ portfolio—one that would have a low probability of ever requiring any further employer contributions in respect to benefits earned up to that point in time.” In other words, USS and UUK want an investment portfolio strong enough to cover benefits without universities having to contribute 16% equivalent of employees salaries, as in the current define benefits system. According to Dr. Watts, there are diverse ways that pension funding is calculated and reported. (The Pensions Act 2004 requires schemes to ‘have sufficient and appropriate assets’ to cover its liabilities. The term “liabilities” means the promised benefits that have been earned by members in the scheme, calculated on a “scheme specific” basis. It is for the board of the Trustee Company, in consultation with the participating employers, to decide how to calculate the technical provisions of USS.) Rather than an objective reflection of reality, calculating futures depends on a “complex actuarial exercise” in which minor changes to a metric can have a big effect on the generated result. During a valuation discussion forum in 2017, USS applied what Watts calls “layered prudence,” in their calculation of how the pensions scheme—in its current DB form—would weather future markets. Dr. Watts claims that this deficit, which is being used to rationalise the move to a DC pension scheme, is projected following a series of peculiar and fallacious assumptions: The most salient and absurd one being the assumptions of where and what investments USS has. Dr. Watts told me that the calculus used by USS, in consultation with UUK, assumed that 100% of USS assets where invested in government-back gilt bonds. (Gilts are bonds issued by the British government, so-called for being issued on paper with gilded-edges.) Being backed by the government, they are supposedly a low-risk, high-value investment. In other words, they are a good place to keep pension monies since the government cannot default on repaying the loan. Making this assumption, that all USS assets were tied up in gilts, would yield the £17.5 billion deficit stated, given the falling yields of gilt bonds since 2007, and create the need for the proposed reforms. However, that assumption isn’t true. Before the 2008 Credit Crash, the USS pension fund was composed of about 84% equities. Equities are shares in private companies. Over the year of the Credit Crash, the fund’s assets fell from £32.6 billion to £23.1 billion because of falling equities. Following the 2008 Credit Crash, the government issued cheap ‘gilts,’ in order to raise liquidity. This was intended as a form of ‘quantitative easing,’ which means increasing the amount of money available and circulating in the market by buying others debt. In 2009, the Bank of England lowered interest rates to their lowest value since it was founded in 1694 (0.5%), and created £75 billion to buy gilts and corporate debt so both the government and corporations could spend again. Following 2008, USS did the same and invested heavily in gilts: Between 2007 and 2017, USS went from having just over £2 billion in gilts to investing over £15 billion. Following the 2016 Brexit vote, the yield of gilts plummeted from 2.2% to 0.98%, hitting historic lows. As of this month, gilt yields sit at only 1.80%: Compared to their sitting at 4.45% in 2009, around the time that USS increased its asset share of gilt bonds. USS want to make more profits from their lagging investments, so that universities don’t have to contribute other revenue to pension benefits in the future. However, changing their portfolio now, after buying these gilts during a period of historically-low gilt yields and interest rates would be very expensive for the USS, and would raise the level of liability and reliance on employers (read, UUK) to cover pension promises. Moving to a Defined Contribution (DC) scheme moves the risk away from Universities because they would no longer have to pick up the slack if USS investments slump; however, it would put that risk onto individuals, who would be left with whatever their investments look like at the time of their retirement. For Watts, overly ‘conservative’ assumptions by which USS make their calculations on future liabilities create a fatalistic opinion of the working DB scheme. According to him, over-estimating the amount of gilts in USS’ investment portfolio artificially creates risk and reliability on universities: A future that may never come to fruition because it only exists in USS’ sums. According to Watts, USU’ calculations use excessively prudent assumptions out of line with most pension forecasters in equivalent Individual Defined Pension (IDC) schemes, and are not even required by the pensions regulator. Dr. Watts assured me that, compared to other pension schemes, the USS is considered ‘young,’ in that more people are paying into the scheme than taking money out: On this basis, analyses show the fund healthy in its current form until ‘after 2080.’ If the USS moved to a Defined Contributions (DC) pensions scheme, it would be able to diversify its gilt-heavy portfolio back into pre-2008 equity investments at a cost to individuals paying into the scheme, rather than universities (UUK). A DC scheme would allow USS more liberty in what they can invest in, and especially in their ability to take a loss without endangering UUK coffers; that would come out of staff pension benefits. Right now, under a Defined Benefits (DB) scheme, because the pension regulator makes USS and UUK make a pension promise, they are trapped in the gilt slump and cannot shift assets without putting the bottom line of Universities at risk. This means that certain individuals within USS and UUK are unable to make personal profits from such investments under their oversight. To people in USS, it is like seeing all this investment capital just sitting in government gilts and going to waste. These strikes come within a wider context of increasing mistrust between staff and management not just at Aberdeen but across the UK, and a widening gulf between how they see the world and the University’s place within it. That these two opinions are reflected in the UCU and UUK shows that they are distinct groups within many university bodies, and that they have different desires and intentions about how universities should be run and what they should be for. One of the claims often used by advocates of the Reclaiming our University movement, whose manifesto is currently under deliberation by the University Senate, is that management’s approach to measuring and understanding the university reduces staff and students to numbers on a spreadsheet: The reader should take this story away as an acute example of this. The actions to change pension schemes, retract the pension promise, shift risk, and thus more confidently shift assets, are specific choices that show a lack of compassionate understanding about what pensions mean for people who work for something more than money. Move to defined contribution pension scheme means universities absolved from gilt sell off, and risk will be left to the people who teach Staff will feel utterly betrayed by their leaders Management’s approach to measuring and understanding the university reduces staff and students to numbers on a spreadsheet p.6

21.02.18 By Aidan Walker Zero Hour Contracts Last summer, the nation mourned the 71 victims of a fire that engulfed Grenfell Tower in West London. The fire should not have been able to escape its source and engulf the whole tower. Tragically, it has been taking the police some time to account for all the victims, given that the inhabitants were often the poorest of society and, in some cases, off the radar. The fire was started by a fridge freezer in a flat on the fourth floor. Safety standards for tower blocks such as Grenfell Tower dictate a construction that contains fires in the flat of source, preventing them from spreading to other parts of the building and causing more harm. The cause of the fire can be attributed to the type of cladding used in the Tower. The aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding is commonplace in buildings built in the 1960s and 1970s that, subsequent to being built, would’ve been added to help improve their thermal performance. Given that it is often the poorest of society that live in such buildings, the purpose of the cladding is to cut energy costs and help avoid the growth of mould due to condensation. Described by fire safety expert Elvin Edwards as the “chimney effect,” cavities in ACM cladding serve to draw the flames from the fourth floor upwards. If fire barriers are absent, this can result in the fire engulfing a whole building rather than being contained to one flat. In the aftermath of the fire, investigations have taken place in the UK to establish which buildings hold similar cladding and therefore may be at risk. With the news that the taxpayer is set to foot the £6m bill to replace similar cladding to that of the Grenfell Tower found in two newly built hospitals in Glasgow - the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children - it is important the Scottish public is aware of any other buildings where the cladding is still in use. To the Scottish government’s credit, they published a factsheet on their website titled ‘Grenfell Tower - Responding in Scotland’ on the 30th of August 2017. However, and disappointingly, this sheet hasn’t been updated since its first publication. It is initially noted that the building standards in Scotland differ from those in England, thus making the use of the cladding for domestic tower blocks such as that used in the Grenfell Tower illegal. The page continues by assuring the public that the government will not become complacent and will carry out further safety tests. According to the factsheet, all 32 public authorities in Scotland reported to central government that no social housing high rise tower blocks use the same type of cladding. Furthermore, the government reported a further 30 public authorities cleared private high rise domestic tower blocks of having used the cladding. Subsequently, the report explains that given Glasgow and Edinburgh are the two authorities with the greatest number of private high rise domestic tower blocks, they are yet to confirm the cladding in Grenfell Tower is not used. From information found online, 24 privatelyowned tower blocks in Glasgow did in fact use similar cladding. Twenty-two of these were deemed ‘low risk’, resulting in round-the-clock site patrols being installed at the two remaining sites: Castlebank Drive and Meadowside Quay Walk, in the Glasgow harbour development. Since, the Council have put in safety measures at these sites, including an increased fire response to any major incident and 24 hour, 7 days per week site patrols. In Edinburgh, it was found that ACM cladding was used in the student halls of residence, Bainfield Halls. Since, work has taken place to remove the cladding. In terms of schools that may be at risk, the government’s factsheet specifies that “ACM was identified on 30 buildings across 12 local authorities which represents 1% of the school estate.” However, cladding on buildings under 18metres is generally not considered as risky given that the fire service could more easily deal with the fire. In conclusion, The Scottish Government have taken commendable steps to deal with the issue of ACM cladding, though a further final report detailing progress made on the issue would be welcomed. I n the UK, a zero-hour contract is effectively when a person is contracted to work but has no set or guaranteed hours. Although they will not have guaranteed hours they are not obligated to accept hours offered, meaning it is very flexible. This type of contract tends to be particularly popular for people who desire casual work and cannot commit to 9 to 5 hours five days a week, such as students. While they are legally employed, they have worker rather than employee status which affects the rights they are entitled to. Contrary to popular belief, workers under zerohour contracts are entitled to numerous rights in line with other workers, such as annual leave. This means you are entitled to a certain amount of paid time off work depending on how many hours you have worked. For example, most who work 5 days a week must receive at least 28 days paid annual leave per year. Workers are also legally entitled to National Minimum Wage, which is allocated by way of a gradient scale dependent on your age. Furthermore, there are rules which concern payment for traveling time as a requirement of the job for those under zero-hour contracts. This does not include being paid for commuting but applies to any travelling undertaken during the work they are being paid for. Recent controversies in the media concerning zero-hour contracts involve large companies such as McDonalds and JD Sport. McDonalds recently announced it will offer workers an opportunity to switch from fixed-hour contracts to zero-hour contracts, leading to many fearing they will not be entitled to the same rights or have the job security they had previously. The controversies highlighted by the media have led to firms such as Sports Direct to move away from zero-hour contracts in recent months. The media debate has resulted in prominent political figures speaking out either in favour of or against the contracts. Current Prime Minister Theresa May refuses to condemn them stating “There are people who genuinely say… it is a benefit to them to be on those contracts.” However, leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn has made it clear he is against the continuation of the contracts and believes they are exploitative. Corbyn’s opinion is the one largely favoured by the mainstream media in recent times. There are numerous articles petitioning for the ban of zero hour contracts in the UK. This argument is largely based on the misconception of the extent and number of rights the workers hold, and the continued exploitation of workers by employers who aren’t respecting employment rights. Common complaints relating to zero-hour contracts generally revolve around the idea that the workers must be free at all times but are never guaranteed work and so this is highly restrictive with regards to having a second job. This should not be the case if employers fully respect their rights. Workers should generally have protection from exclusionary clauses which prohibit them from undertaking other work. Furthermore, it is not only workers under zero-hour contracts that have complained about this issue. Workers in many types of contracts have similar complaints of hours being changed last minute and not being respected. Therefore this issue is not specific to zero hour contracts, and it is arguable that this relates more strongly to exploitative employers in general. Zero-hour contract workers who have an employer who adheres to the laws regulating zerohour contracts generally benefit from the flexibility and freedom that comes with no set hours. Increasingly in modern times people are looking for more casual work that fits around their lifestyle. Students, single parents, and those unable to work full-time due to illness or disability are some of those who benefit most from the flexibility that zero-hour contracts offer. Students in particular benefit as it is becomes easier to balance work commitments alongside studies. Without access to less restrictive contracts, many students would be unable to support themselves throughout their studies without sacrificing much required study time. Likewise, single parents and those who for health reasons cannot work full-time often look for zero-hour contracts. They are not required to accept all shifts offered to them when it doesn’t suit. This makes it possible for them to earn an income that their circumstances would otherwise prevent. Other groups of people who benefit, and aren’t generally mentioned by the media and politicians, include oil industry workers, who are in a job type which does not require them to work with much regularity because of the nature of their role within the industry. Retired people looking to subsidise their pensions without too intense a time commitment also enjoy the flexibility. Additionally, zero-hour contracts are simply preferred by many people over fixed-hour contracts. Employers can also benefit from the contracts as they can easily access staff when needed but there is not a consistent need to pay people when they are not necessary. For example, substitute teachers are often needed inconsistently and at a moment’s notice. Therefore, fixed-hours contracts are not the most effective form of employment in this context. Other types of employment that require workers sporadically include waitressing for events and working as a front of house assistant at venues such as theatres, as there is not a consistent flow of work available. Many companies would not be able to function without access to flexible workers, therefore a ban on zero-hour contracts would potentially cause irreparable damage for employers across the UK. As so many different sectors of the workforce and employers benefit from zero-hour contracts, it is clear that the suggested ban would be detrimental in the UK to both workers and employers. As MSP Liam Kerr has stated, “A ban on zero hour contracts would be an unnecessary manipulation of the market.” Accepting that there are clear issues for people on both zero-hour contracts and other contracts being exploited, there may be room for potential reform in the law which allows zero-hour contracts to continue but with additional protection for workers. In the year of 2016 New Zealand ‘banned’ zero hour contracts, as reported by some UK mainstream news outlets. The media went on to suggest that the UK should follow suit in implementing a similar ban. However, the word ‘banned’ in this context, is very misleading as zero-hour contracts are not actually banned. The only substantial change is that they are now more efficiently regulated. On the New Zealand government’s website (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) an example of this is shown as it is stated that there is a prohibition on, ‘employers putting unreasonable restrictions on secondary employment of employees.’ The legislation relating to this is the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2016, which was originally stated to have the aim of “mak[ing] workplaces fairer and more productive, for both employers and employees” (Report from the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee, 12 February 2016). It is very much still possible to have a ‘zero-hour contract’ in New Zealand as it is not necessary to have set hours, however, if you desire set hours per week they are contractually obligated to give them to you. This has therefore fulfilled the aim of the Act, which had underlying principles of fairness and productivity in the workplace, without an outright ban of zero-hour contracts being implemented. As such, a complete ban would not be required in the UK to emulate a similar policy which was also focused on fairness and productivity for both employees and employers. The hotly contested topic of zero-hour contracts is one which has received a lot of attention in the media in recent times. A large portion of the issues revolve around the misconception that workers on zero-hour contracts are victims of unfair treatment exclusive to zero-hour contracts. As discussed, these issues are not limited to zero-hour contracts but can be found in many employment contracts. The use of zero-hour contracts in certain sectors and for certain individuals is too valuable to be ‘banned.’ Zero-hour contracts are beneficial as they allow such employees to work when and where they are needed, and not be tied down to one area. Employers find benefits in flexibility also, especially where consistent work is not available. Despite this there is clearly room for potential reform to aid the protection of all workers under contracts in the UK, while maintaining the useful aspects of zero-hour contracts for employers and workers. A possible resolution to this aforementioned issues is that UK government could amend zero-hour legislation, in an effort to reflect the fairness created by the 2016 New Zealand reform. £6m Cladding for New Glasgow Hospitals in Wake of Grenfell By Susannah Scott and Iona Garland An Exploration of Zero-Hour Contracts in Modern Day Britain p.7

21.02.18 Sepsis Awareness Campaign Launched by Scottish Government By Graeme Souter A new campaign to raise awareness of sepsis is currently being launched by Scottish Health Secretary, Shona Robson. In what has been described as a ‘milestone day’ by campaigners, the Scottish Government intends to launch a campaign to raise awareness of sepsis. Spearheaded by Health Secretary Shona Robson, with £70,000 in government funding and delivered by the sepsis charities FEAT and Finding Your Feet, the campaign intends to educate 1.3 million people on the symptoms of the condition via social media, radio and print. Sepsis, also known as septicaemia, is caused by infections in the body. While most infections are fought off by the immune system, some can spread very quickly. In such an event, the immune response is much more extensive, which can result in damage of healthy tissue, leading to shock organ failure, or death. Due to how quickly sepsis can develop, it must be spotted and treated immediately. As a result, deaths are quite common, numbering at 60,000 a year in the UK out of 200,000 cases. Ms Robson agreed to the campaign after meeting the founder of FEAT, Craig Stobo. Mr. Stobo’s wife and unborn child died of sepsis six years ago. As part of the campaign, materials will be displayed in GP surgeries to inform medical professionals. Ms Robson will also be meeting health care practitioners at the University Hospital Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, where an early warning system has been developed for the identification of sepsis in patients; this will allow for treatment to be implemented upon their arrival at the hospital. Also leading the campaign is Finding Your Feet founder, Connie Hutton, who had both hands and lower feet amputated after she contracted pneumonia, which lead to sepsis. Although still suffering from the illness, having had two-thirds of a lung removed due to scarring from her pneumonia, she became the first female quadruple amputee to climb Ben Nevis, holds the world record for a 10k in a quadricycle and has taken part in assault courses and a triathlon. The campaign still has a long way to go, however, it offers hope of a life without sepsis. Science & Environment Editor: Deborah Gillard Café Meds is a series of free talks run by The University of Aberdeen. It aims to bring people from all professions together to learn about current health topics, the first of 2018 being titled ‘Oral Cancer – whose problem is it?’ Dr Karolin Hijazi explained oral medicine as a combination of medicine and dentistry. Oral cancer represents 2% of all cancers in the UK, however it is on the rise having doubled in the last 20 years. A further 30% increase is estimated by 2030, proving it is a growing problem that requires our immediate attention. Males have five times greater risk of getting oral cancer than women, and it mainly affects people over 50 years of age. However, over the last decade the demographic has changed and more people outside of that range are being diagnosed. The one-year survival rate is 81%, however the five-year survival rate is only 56%. The area oral cancer affects is important for eating, breathing and speaking, and so can have a serious impact on a person’s quality of life. Symptoms include sore throat, a change in voice and trouble swallowing or breathing. The primary risk factors are smoking and alcohol. Smoking tobacco increases your chance of getting oral cancer by 20 times and alcohol increases the risk by 4 times. This is because both of these substances increase your chance of infection to human papillomavirus (HPV), of which certain strains are also risk factors for oral cancer. However it is important to note that 25% of people diagnosed do not smoke and only drink occasionally. Patients with immune system abnormalities are also at a higher risk, such as HIV patients or patients with transplants. Prevention is achieved primarily by reducing alcohol consumption to 14 units per week and by not smoking. Staying fit and healthy is also vital as it keeps the immune system strong. Oral cancer is treated like many other cancers: chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery to remove the cancerous growth. Radiotherapy uses radiation to kill the cancer cells and prevent them from spreading. Chemotherapy is the most familiar of treatments, and is used to improve the results of radiotherapy as well as kill the cancer cells alone. Dr Rasha Abu-Eid, a senior lecturer in oral sciences at The University of Aberdeen, also talked about advances in research into oral cancer. An emerging preventative tool is testing saliva, as it provides markers to help identify patients at risk. Microscopy is being used to conduct smears on the oral surface, helping to diagnose and determine the area at risk and thus the area to treat. Developments in radiotherapy and surgical techniques have allowed treatment to be both safer and more effective. Cancer immunotherapy is also being developed using the patient’s own immune system to help fight the cancer cells. There are fewer side effects due to the treatment not being of foreign material, and the success rates are dramatically improving. Café Med Talks Oral Cancer By Rebecca Clark Overview of the Deadly Disease: Malaria Malar ia has been accompanying humankind since the beginning of our history. It silently creeped in the form of a mosquito bite, and along the way, it gave us gin & tonic, killed Oliver Cromwell, Dante, Tutankhamun, Alexander the Great and more people than all wars, plague or any other diseases combined. And till this day, it’s the deadliest disease on the planet, killing over 1,200 people every day, with children under five years of age being the most affected, and with more than 90% of cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since the year 2000, deaths attributable to malaria fell by 60%, mainly due to the application of insecticide-treated bed nets and combination of antimalarial drugs. But in the past three years, the rate of decline has stagnated and even reversed in some regions. Paradoxically, this turnabout is attributed to the Chinese government – that has either become extremely humanitarian, or has seen an opportunity in African oil – which has invested billions of dollars to construct new dams in Africa. These dams not only provide electricity, but also an ideal setting for mating mosquitos. What makes the malaria problem truly intriguing is the fact that the disease itself is not difficult to treat. In theory, all it needs are insecticidetreated beds to prevent spread of the disease and medicine that costs less than £2. But many other economical and socio-political obstacles lie in the way. The absence of infrastructures disables the distribution of medicine into all areas, and the non-existence of clinics or doctors in the remote hamlets doesn’t allow much treatment. Without any access to treatment, the main key to malaria control has become the prevention. Millions of insecticide-treated bed nets have been widely distributed, but supposedly only 20% of the bed nets were actually used. Thus, culture plays a very important part in this problem as well. Some people in African regions have learned to live with malaria and they take it as a natural part of their life, even though hundreds of thousands of them die each year. Ethnic minorities can hold different beliefs about health and illness, and a general lack of health awareness among marginalised societies greatly reduces the understanding of the importance of prevention. However, in the past, malaria has been eliminated from several regions with the usage of much less modern technology than is available today. Malaria used to afflict countries like Panama, Cuba, Madagascar or Italy, but the authoritarian regimes of the past century made the control of malaria the country’s political and economic priority. Western governments spewed in, splashed everyone in quinine and thus “solved” the problem for the “natives”. But in post-colonial era, this attitude is no longer possible. Instead, the WHO needs to urge and persuade, and it needs to realise that simply distributing free bed-nets and medicine won’t solve the problem, as the political will of the countries is not strong enough to ensure that the provided tools will truly get to the people most in need. An astonishing amount of the drugs provided annually “disappears”, probably ending at the black market, as much of the staff working in the public health system in Africa feel underpaid. New hope has dawned as the Holy Grail of malaria research has been finally found (to some extent). The first vaccine has been developed in 2015, with the support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (MBGF). It requires four injections and the first part of the immunization has already taken place at the beginning of this year, where 60,000 children from Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have been vaccinated. Undoubtedly, this discovery will save thousands of lives, but with the efficacy of only 26-50%, this vaccine still doesn’t solve the problem. What a complicated problem it is. The public constantly criticises Western governments and pharmaceutical companies for not providing enough finance, and while it is obvious that way too much cash is being put into the treatment of baldness and development of iPhones, eradication of malaria is not only a question of money. In order to truly eliminate the parasite, an aggressive military attitude might be the only chance. New infrastructures are needed to ensure that newborns get vaccinated in time, and they need to reach into all of the remotest puddles hidden between tropical bushes, and inevitably, into the core of the African culture itself. By Adéla Mišove Photo by artsybee (pixabay) Deaths are quite common, numbering at 60,000 a year in the UK out of 200,000 cases. p.8

21.02.18 The Three-parent Babies Offer Hope to Millions – But They Also Raise Concerns J ust recently, in February 2018, the first two women in the UK were given approval to conceive a baby using the controversial mitochondrial donation therapy. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has granted the license to carry out the treatment to Professor Mary Herbert and her research team at the Newcastle Fertility Centre. The UK isn’t the first country to conduct this experimental treatment: the firstever three-parent baby was born in April 2016, in the US. If everything goes according to plan, this groundbreaking procedure could offer hope for a better, healthier life to children of mothers with genetic diseases. The mother of the first three parent baby carries a rare neurological disorder – Leigh syndrome. This disease is caused by defective mitochondria which are structures providing energy to the cells. The condition becomes apparent in the first year of life; it’s progression leads to a loss of mental and movement abilities. Children with Leigh syndrome typically don’t live beyond their second or third year of life. The research team, led by Dr. Zhang from the New Hope Fertility Center in New York City, has carried out the experimental procedure by exchanging the defective mitochondria of the mother with those of a healthy, unrelated donor – the third parent. The nucleus from the donor’s egg was removed and replaced with the mother’s nucleus. This way, the healthy mitochondria in the egg remained intact. The egg was then fertilized with the father’s semen, after which the researchers implanted the egg into the mother’s uterus. The Newcastle team will attempt to recreate the procedure using fertilised eggs of two women with Merrf syndrome, an extremely rare type of epilepsy which causes brief seizures. The seizures progress to a loss of muscle control, deafness, dementia and often lead to early death. Unfortunately, the procedure is extremely flawed. In Dr Zhang’s procedure, some of the diseased DNA was transferred into the donor’s egg which could cause serious long-term issues for the child’s health. As the procedure is in its early experimental stages, the scientists are not sure what amount of defective mitochondria would trigger the development of a potential disease. So far, it can only be confirmed that this possibility is a legitimate concern: studies in mice have shown that mixtures of mitochondria can result in neurological or metabolic diseases. Of course, we cannot predict whether these results would be applicable to human organisms. Furthermore, the parents have refused any further testing on the baby unless a medical need arises. This prevents the scientists from monitoring the child’s development and noticing any issues that may be a result of the procedure. On this note, the study has involved some ethical concerns that have to be mentioned. The editorial, published with the paper detailing the procedure, notes that the consent form signed by the parents has described the procedure superficially. It did not contain any information about the potential risks associated. It is easy to express excitement and optimism at the thought of what the mitochondrial donation therapy could offer us. At the moment however, the treatment carries too many implications of serious risks to children’s health. More careful and controlled research has to be carried out before we can allow ourselves to hope to finally win with some of the most damaging genetic diseases. By Patrycja Domeradzka Some sunlight is skimming through the Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the Moon, and it also gets refracted or bent towards the Moon a little bit. Space Lasers to Track Earth’s Ice By Mairi-Netta Young Deploying two new missions, 2018 hopes to be a dramatic year for the measurement of global ice trends. For many years, scientists have relied on ice as an indicator of the progression of global climate change. Acting as a ‘canary’, there can be a lot said from tracking rate of ice loss. The current estimates of Arctic seaice retreat – measured at about 14% per decade – strongly correlates with rising temperatures. Understanding the importance of monitoring ice trends has led to vast improvements in the technology available, the latest of these technological advancements being the ability to accurately track ice from space. In 2018, two missions will be deployed in order to gain the best understanding of global ice trends: Grace Follow-On and IceSat-2. Acting as a successor of the highly successful US-German spacecraft, Grace Follow-on, similarly to previous missions, will use gravity variation to ‘weigh’ the ice sheets below. The difference this time, however, will be the addition of a laser range finder – the first of its kind in space – that will allow measurement precision on the scale of large viruses. However, calculating the area of ice cover is not wholly effective in understanding ice reduction. According to Anna Hogg from Leeds University, during extreme melting periods, a new layer of ice forms in the snowpack as the water trickles down from the surface and refreezes, giving the impression of ice growth when, in fact, there has been an overall loss in mass. To overcome this, IceSat-2 - the second of the two 2018 missions - will also use lasers in order to detect changes in ice thickness. Firing beams of light at the Arctic will allow for the calculation of range and, furthermore, elevation. Replacing the existing technology, CyroSat, IceSat-2’s lasers will have the ability to penetrate the snowpack for many tens of centimeters allowing for the most accurate sea-ice thickness measurements. These recent advancements in technology are extremely important in understanding current effects of climate change. Being able to accurately track the depletion of sea-ice will allow for more accurate predictions of global change – information vital for formation of mitigation measures. Furthermore, secure figures could help convince policy and stop politicians, such as Trump, from declaring, “They’re (ice caps) at a record level”. Sky-watchers see ‘Super Blue Blood Moon’ On the 31st of January, a rare lunar event was witnessed by many sky-watchers. As the Earth passed between the sun and the moon, a lunar eclipse was visible for some parts of the US, Australia, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Coincidentally, the event also occurred during the second full moon of the month, which is commonly known as a ‘blue moon’. The eclipse itself began at 10:51 GMT, and ended at 16:08 GMT, producing a red haze — an occurrence caused by the red colour of sunlight filtered through Earth’s atmosphere. Sky-watchers refer to this phenomenon as a ‘super blue blood moon’, and its last recorded appearances date back to 1866 and 1982, for US and European audiences respectively. The event was, in fact, a combination of three separate lunar occurrences: a blue moon, a blood moon, and a super moon. A super moon can be observed when the moon is at a point closest to the Earth, while a blood moon —owing its name to its deep red colour— can be seen only during a lunar eclipse. Dr Shannon Schmoll, director of Abrams Planetarium in Michigan, explains: “Some sunlight is skimming through the Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the Moon, and it also gets refracted or bent towards the Moon a little bit. So, we have this process of filtering out the blue light and leaving the red light to see.” On average, a super moon is about 15% brighter, and 7% larger. Professor Tim O’Brien, from the Cheshire Jodrell Bank Observatory, admitted to some concerns about the excitement surrounding the event in an online article. While a super blue blood moon is rare, the Professor stated that some people may be disappointed: the size difference between a super moon and a normal moon is not, in reality, as dramatic as expected. All scientists agree, however, that the event was still worth spectating. Petro, deputy project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, says that the blood moon is “really the most spectacular of the events” and is certainly “visually stunning”. By Natalia Dec Photo by Irvin Calicut (Wikicommons) p.9

p.10 21.02.18 Trump, Europe, and World Peace Trump likes to play dirty, although in secret Photos left to right: Evan Vucci via Israel Times; Minnesota Public Radio Opine Editor: Marijke Kirchner I t is undeniable that the Trump era is an era of change. The previous administration was keen on maintaining the status quo which could also be called plain old stagnation. Sadly, stagnation on the international scene leads to nothing but slow deterioration, because our world is not the kind of world that can just stop turning. It is unclear whether Trump is a changemaker on account of his abilities or rather because of his inabilities. At this point, it doesn’t really matter. Last year Trump was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for pursuing a “peace through strength ideology.” I think that “peace” pursuit deserves a second look. Starting where things seem most hot, North Korea is probably the most obvious success of the Trump diplomacy. If we can call it that. People who look at the peninsula and tremble in fear over the vision of nuclear war are wrong and they do not know what they are looking at. No matter how many talking heads show off the diverse variety of concerned looks and prophecy damnation, alas it is not so. If I could, I would scream off every rooftop in the world that no South Korean wakes up in the morning concerned about North Korea. North Korea is an insanely impoverished country led by a class of brutal, yet smart, elites. Since it is cut off from the world, it has only one tool of diplomacy left. The threats that we see on television are not actual threats. It is just North Korea saying: ‘Hey, pay attention to us pretty please’. Virtually no one in the region wishes a renewal of the conflict and so raising tension is North Korea’s only way of gaining leverage prior to negotiations. The higher the tensions, the better the bargain. Trump, unwittingly, gave North Korea all it wanted by trying to isolate it. It allowed them to look like the good guys, sporting colours of peace at the Olympics, and to send Kim Jong Un’s sister to the South for the first time ever. While this success is likely to be just temporary, it is still a success for Trump’s peace effort. Even if he did not mean it. Next on the list of positive outcomes lies the kick in the behind that Europe had needed. Let’s face it people... we have been complacent for a very long time. For at least two decades, we have been lounging in our cushioned chairs, blissfully oblivious to the problems in our backyard, while the mighty U.S.A. was guarding the door. Relative to GDP, the United Kingdom’s defence spending has been steadily declining for years and the recent encounters with the Russian navy in the English Channel have shown that Britain is far from ready to face any sort of serious enemy. That might have been fine as part of the EU, but, despite the NATO membership, the UK must be prepared to defend its interests. Moreover, other countries in the EU have now started to realize that they cannot do away with military altogether, and the plans for joint military organization within the EU seem to have been resurrected. Calling Europeans free-riders, dependent on American help, was surely not pleasant or very diplomatic, yet it was precisely that what has led to a stronger Europe and thus a more peaceful world, which all can be attributed to Trump. Overall, it is a good thing that Trump did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize, because his contributions to world peace are far outweighed by the contributions to current conflicts. Trump likes to play dirty, although in secret. It is a little known fact that by 13th July 2017, as The Independent reported, the US air strikes had killed more than 2.200 civilians in Syria, which is about as many as the total number of civilians killed under the entire Obama presidency. We may be beating ISIS, but at what cost? I doubt that the people whose family members have died through no fault of their own will forgive and forget. Even if the coalition annihilates every last member of ISIS, we will still be left with a backyard full of people who hate us as much as they hated them. The world is still turning under Trump and it seems to be turning towards a more pluralist world where not one but multiple giants struggle for or co-operate in global governance. I chose to see that as a good thing, but we are walking on thin ice. With every step back, China and Russia take two steps forward. Unless we want Beijing and Moscow to be the new shining cities on the hill, we would do well to act before it is too late. By Michael Vilímek Trump, unwittingly, gave North Korea all it wanted by trying to isolate it. [...] While this success is likely to be just temporary, it is still a success for Trump’s peace effort A House Divided How Trump’s state of the union address lays bare the divisions of a nation As President Trump reflected on the first year of his administration, his inaugural State of the Union speech was less of an affirmation of the unity of the United States, but more of a testament to its divisions. The joint Houses of Congress were split down the middle between the ecstatic, rapturous reception of the Republicans and the steely reticence of their Democrat counterparts. Taking centre stage in the Address was the President’s much-loved issue of immigration, or desired lack thereof. In setting out the ‘four pillar’ plan aimed to remove and restrict the path to immigration and citizenship in the US, Trump took a further step in closing the door to immigration, against the traditional American grain. In his justification he proclaimed that “Americans are dreamers too”, deriding the term used to describe those brought to the country illegally as minors. The struggle for these ‘dreamers’ to remain in the country in which they have spent most of their lives is now set to become more difficult than ever before. This point of contention produced the most infuriated reactions of the Address from the Democrats in the chamber. By stark contrast, each point, plan, and soundbite of the speech was met with ecstatic applause and repeated standing ovations by avid Republicans. Former foes and friends of Trump, however bitter their history with the divisive President, now rushed as one to show their support. In truth, whatever past conflict Trump stirred within the Republican party during his campaign, the policies now presented for the consideration of the joint houses is vintage conservative. Although Trump’s approach has been unorthodox to say the least, he has now positioned his party to implement policies on which they have widespread consensus; anti-immigration, anti-abortion, gun control, and the December tax cut to name a few. But however strong this surprise unity may in fact be, not much more could be done in pushing those on the opposite side of the isle further away. Declining the emphatic encouragement during the President’s speech to join in the celebrations, the Democrats remained virtually silent throughout and made swiftly for the exits at its conclusion. Never one to let a slight go unnoticed, or indeed to keep opinions to himself, Trump addressed another of his innumerable rallies with an attack on the silent opposition. Labelling the lack of applause and perceived disloyalty as “treason,” “un-American,” and (ever the aspiring wordsmith) “very, very, sad.” Not only is Trump’s divisive attitude unlikely to bring about any political consensus in the near future, but it raises the unprecedented issue of a sitting President who accuses those in dissent as treasonous. The brand of “Make America Great Again” has clearly been a zero-sum one from its outset; if you are not with them you are against them. This ideology is very definite in separating those who are with Trump’s vision of America, and all other “un-American” individuals who are viewed to be working against the state itself by being opposed to Trump. Certainly a great deal more grandstanding for his supporters to lap up, and to make the rest of the nation ever more concerned. Trump’s State of the Union Address was a showcase not only of his plans for America’s future, but more significantly, the divided America over which he presides. Never before has this event so vividly exposed the divisions of the nation, and the political gridlock in which it is seemingly trapped indefinitely. A microcosm of the nation at large, the reaction of the joint houses reflects significantly on the public’s view of Trump’s envisioned America: either engaged or impassive, fanatical or furious, and ultimately distrustful of the opposing side. Trump’s United States is perhaps the most divided in its history, and one which shows no sign of shifting any time soon. By Alastair Lockhart

21.02.18 p.11 Drone Regulation in the UK A Necessary Evil or is the Department of Transport Overreacting? By Gabija Barnard With this mentality, keyboard gangsters wield conceived power to crusade against whoever may disagree or threaten their position Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Where does common sense law end and infringement on personal rights begin? This question, relevant in many cases these days, also applies to drones, with the government set to tighten the laws regulating them. In the UK, drones are already tied up by a variety of rules. For one thing, one cannot fly a drone higher than 120 metres. The drone must also be kept at 50 metres from people and private property, and at 150 metres from crowds. Further, the drone must be in sight of the operator at all times. Flying over prisons and near airfields is also prohibited. However, according to new proposal which should be part of the Government’s Spring Bill, drone owners are about to become even more restricted: no more drones weighing over 250 grams can legally be flown, unless the owner gets a licence by passing a competency test. To be able to carry a camera, a drone must weigh considerably more – around 5 kilograms, meaning part of the fun of owning a drone, the interesting photos, would be more difficult to get at. Currently, the casual drone user can own a machine weighing up to 20 kilograms without any testing at all. Of course, there is some reasoning behind this decision. In 2017, there were 81 incidents involving drones, a number considerably higher than the 29 incidents of 2015. One such incident, on July 9th 2017, involved a drone flying dangerously close to an aircraft which, had it made contact, could have endangered 130 lives. According to drone pilot and trainer Elliott Corke, a lot of the incidents occur due to the ignorance of users: “Most people don’t read the manual or learn the safety features before they use their drones”. Crime through ignorance can also be thwarted, with the government looking into using geo-fencing to enforce no-fly zones and programming the drones themselves to not exceed a set height limit. Drones are often seen as fun toys, suitable for Christmas or birthday presents. This might be why the idea of regulating them to such an extent intuitively feels foreign and oppressive. Looking at them as potentially dangerous machines, on the other hand, justifies a stricter approach. As a toy, a drone is a dangerous one: one might injure passers-by, get in the way of traffic or invade the privacy of others. In addition, to the average consumer, a drone is just a luxury. With the exception of photographers and artists, I struggle to think of anyone who actually needs a drone. It’s hardly outrageous to instil safety regulations and being outraged about something this minor suggests that something more important is slipping through the cracks. Right now, drones are edging their way into everyday life all over the world. Amazon has dabbled with delivery by drone; blood samples have been transported a record distance; in China, a driverless drone has even transported passengers. They can be a highly destructive weapon in the hands of the military, as well as a useful commodity when used by commercial or medical professionals. When used by amateurs – or criminals, for that matter, drones can, and do, become a problem that requires resolving. While sitting a test before flying a 250-gram-or-more drone seems quite reasonable, the potential problem here is enforcing these laws. Even now, many individuals post videos on YouTube, featuring illegal drone stunts. Are officers capable of enforcing even more regulations? If so, the new laws may in fact benefit public safety. Otherwise, we’re looking at empty rules that make it more difficult to buy a present during the festive period. As important as safety is, we must stay realistic: can the thousands over thousands of drones in the UK all be watched over? Their Jobs, Our Education By Fiona Sprack I n the run-up to the 22nd of February, it seems that the proposed strike concerning lecturers’ pensions is one of the most discussed topics on campus – and sadly, also one of the most misunderstood. Misconceptions and a lack of information about motives, duration and impact of the planned action have led to much frustration and the feeling of being left alone. The strike has been portrayed as a conflict of interest between staff and students, those who supply education and those who demand it, those who make a living of teaching and those who have to pay for it. It is necessary that we move beyond these dichotomies and recognize our lecturers’ interests as our own and stand together against those who really hold the executive power. While being an invaluable experience for so many aspects in life, university, for many, is also an effective way of preparing for future careers. Now it looks like the careers of those who provide us with this education might end in poverty. Plans put forward by the UUK (Universities UK) propose making staff ’s pension dependent on the stock market, possibly resulting in an average loss of £10,000 a year in income. This is the first time such a change is being proposed; should it be successful, the pensions of other civil servants could be tied to the stock market as well, resulting in dramatic cuts for nurses, doctors, etc. After months of talks between representatives of the University and College Union (UCU) and the UUK, the decision to go on strike has been the absolute last resort. Yes, students will miss out on important parts of the curriculum, but not because lecturers enjoy failing us at exams. Out of 70% of the Union members at the University of Aberdeen, 86% voted in favour of the strike – not to damage our education, but to be able to provide it to us in the future without the fear of retirement poverty. Especially non-EU and English students have been angered about the missed time at University because of the tuition fees they have to pay. According to a student of the University of St. Andrews, the strike could result in a loss of around £770 worth of lectures. This is certainly a legitimate concern, and lecturers are well aware of this. Solidarity, however, is not a zero-sum game of calculating one’s opportunity cost. Solidarity should be about acknowledging the struggles of another group and supporting them, even if one has to make sacrifices for it – so do those who go on strike by losing out on pay for these days. It is not the staff of individual universities who set the high tuition fees for students. On several occasions, the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) have organised demonstrations to demand free education, the last taking place last year. During each demo, representatives of the UCU have shown solidarity with students by sending speakers in support of their cause. Now it is time for us to support them. 14 days (not an entire month, as it has been reported by some) are planned for the strike. If negotiations do not result in compromise beforehand, the strike will start with a two-day walk-out on the 22nd and 23rd of February and then increase to three, four and five consecutive days of lecturers refusing to work (exact days can be found on AUSA’s website). There are many ways how students can support the strike and help to avoid escalation on strike days. The easiest way is to simply stay at home. Students who want to directly take action can join lecturers on the picket lines outside the university buildings. The most important thing however is to make sure not to cross picket lines around said buildings. Staying out of the library or lecture halls can be inconvenient for us, but what we need for an early success is disruption of everyday life at university. Disruption can only be achieved if we make a conscious effort to cooperate with staff. We as the student body are at university because we want to learn, and lecturers are at university because they want to teach. Education (or lack thereof, during the strike days) is not a tool by staff to harm students, but rather what brings us together. We might lose time to cover parts of the curriculum, but we also hope to gain fair conditions, so that in the future, there will still be people willing to educate us. Why we should support our lecturers in the upcoming srike

p.12 21.02.18 Social Media: Blessing or Curse? Despite Some Dangers, Social Media is Beneficial for Children The main benefit of social media is that it is a free, quick and easy way to keep in touch with friends and family. Saying that, it shouldn’t be used as a substitute for faceto-face contact but as a supplement to it; for example, as a way of arranging a meet-up with friends, or to talk more once you’ve gotten home. Plus, in today’s millennial world, social media is a good way to form connections and engage with others. The disciplinarian idea that you should study or do homework all day, or be outdoors all the time, is a bit too strong. Like everything, the goodness of social media depends on the person using it. Social media is not so much a bad influence as a way for bad people to have an outlet. It is equally a way for good people to have a good influence, and you can certainly use it in moderation. You have to sift the wheat from the chaff. It is impossible to generalise about social media, saying it is on the whole good or on the whole bad. Very few things are so black and white. Technically, the majority of social media services like Twitter and Instagram require people to be at least 13 years old to sign up for an account, but the majority of 10 to 12-year-olds use social media anyway, according to a survey by Newsround. After all, there’s nothing stopping you saying your name is Terrence Thrumpington who was born in 1950. Therefore, I don’t think we can go down the route of tightening the regulations on certain people of certain ages from using social media. It goes back to the idea of the forbidden fruit; if you ban something it may become more desirable, and people will all too often find a way around it. There is of course a dark side to social media. The latest statistics, which mark Safer Internet Day, reveal that one in four teenagers suffered hate abuse online in the last year, whether due to sexual orientation, race, or religion. Social media also bombards you with fitness and health advertisements, instilling unrealistic expectations in children and stressing the need to conform, leading in many cases to depression. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said in January 2018: “I don’t have a kid, but I have a nephew that I put some boundaries on. There are some things that I won’t allow; I don’t want them on a social network”. Hence, much of this depends on whether parents think their child is mature enough to use social media and take the risks that come with it. “You are the best judge of your child. Ask: Can she use it in ways that are healthy and respectful of others?” said Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital. We should be wary about children below 13 though. “At ages 7 to 11, children are still thinking very concretely, and they haven’t yet developed the ability to consider hypothetical situations”, explains Lisa Strohman, director of the Technology Wellness Center and co-author of Unplug: Raising Kids in a Technology Addicted World. An 8 or 9-year-old can’t take that next step and consider who else might watch a certain video of theirs and write nasty comments. There is maybe a definite limit we should set, therefore. What I’d also worry about is the addiction factor. Personally I find myself logging back into Facebook again and again, but that’s just me and I can’t speak for everyone. I do try to cut down of course – there’s only so many pictures of people’s dinner I can take! Luckily, in my school days it was MSN Messenger that we used, which was basically a run-down and less addicting version of Facebook. Studies actually say that social media sites like Facebook activate the same part of the brain as drugs such as cocaine do. Seriously. Thankfully, these same studies also show that it is much easier to quit Facebook than drugs, or to at least reduce the addiction. Overall, then, children should use social media. Or rather, ‘should’ is perhaps too strong a word, in the same way that you ‘could’ drink red wine without meaning that you should. The option to use social media should be left open to children, within certain parental supervision at earlier ages. There are negative sides to it that we should all watch out for. As I said, though, much of it depends on the individual. By Michael McKean Sticks, Stones and Diane Abbott Theresa May’s Response to Online Abuse of Public Figures By Ninian J. Wilson Image copyright Jonathan McHugh via The Financial Times DISCLAIMER All opinions expressed in the Opine section are those of the authors of the articles and do not necessarily represent views held by The Gaudie, AUSA, or any company which advertises in The Gaudie. Social media has empowered us. Its birth has utshered in an age where it has never been so easy to share ideas, organise mass groups and hold the powerful to account. These ideals are essential to the health of our political system. Why then, has Theresa May recently described social media as a ‘threat to democracy’? This is worrying language when used by a government official, but it is not totally unreasonable. It is because the opaque veil of the screen has facilitated unprecedented levels of mindless abuse of our representatives, especially women and minorities. The right to self-expression was historically seen as fundamental, but now it seems it has been corrupted through abuse, if such a thing is possible. It is for this that May has announced a crackdown on the intimidation of public figures. The backdrop to this announcement is nuanced in its cocktail of personalities and events. Two of the most recent flashpoints are the ‘scuffle’ at Bristol University, involving Jacob Rees-Mogg, and the resignation of Claire Kober, the Haringey Labour council leader, amid allegations of sexist bullying among her party’s supporters. Interestingly, neither of these incidents directly involved social media. What these two events have done is expose what has gone wrong in our political zeitgeist. We have become intolerant of ideas. We no longer seek to engage in debate and we don’t argue our point. We state the inherent infallibility of our view and demand our opponent’s fealty. This is because through social media, a world where there is an infinite spectrum of opinion, we choose to insulate ourselves with the like-minded. Through mutual assurance we convince ourselves that we are right and the tribalism of association makes us feel powerful. With this mentality, keyboard gangsters wield conceived power to crusade against whoever may disagree or threaten their position. No one has fallen victim to the attacks worse than Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary. Abbott is nothing short of an inspiration. She was the first black woman to be elected to parliament and has served as an MP for 31 years. She is also a human-being that, like anyone else, is prone to error. She had some unfortunate interview performances in the run up to the most recent General Election and attributed the form to her type-2 diabetes. Sadly, her cultural significance and vulnerability made her a target of the extreme right. Amnesty International reported that almost half of the abusive messages sent to female MPs in the run up to the General Election were directed at her. The only words that do her abuse justice are her own: “We are not talking about robust debate… We are talking about mindless abuse and in my case, the mindless abuse has been characteristically racist and sexist”. She goes on to say: “I have had death threats; I’ve had people saying I should be hung… I’ve had rape threats”. It feels pertinent that PM May’s announcement came on the centenary of some women gaining suffrage, as the worst of the abuse is clearly directed towards women. So much so that, in May’s words: “I think [this] is leading to some women feeling that they don’t want to put their head above the parapet, they don’t want to take part in public life”. Meanwhile, The Independent has reported that lawyers are concerned that there would be a ‘chilling’ effect on free speech and said current legislation adequately covers threats and harassment. A balance has to be struck between these two valid arguments. If only there was a way to constructively find consensus on a public forum. Maybe, we can learn from a similar social phenomenon. In Scotland, the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 was introduced to tackle pervasive sectarian behaviour which had dominated the central belt. Much like the current debate, it was argued that previous legislation was sufficient and that more of it was not the answer. That Act will be remembered as a failure and is currently in the process of being repealed. The abusers must be punished but the focus should be on prevention, not sanction. We need a new approach. We have seen that policy centric legislation has been ineffective but that’s not to say there aren’t solutions. Social media is still a new phenomenon and, clearly, we still don’t fully understand its effects or use. Hopefully we can find a solution for the next generation. In the meantime, let’s publicly promote the value of an open mind. It is tempting to ban or refute what seems unpalatable to us but we cannot sweep it under the rug. Let’s teach each other civility in public discourse. Let’s learn again to communicate. no fault of their own will forgive and forget. Even if the coalition annihilates every last member of ISIS, we will still be left with a backyard full of people who hate us as much as they hated them. The world is still turning under Trump and it seems to be turning towards a more pluralist world where not one but multiple giants struggle for or co-operate in global governance. I chose to see that as a good thing, but we are Like everything, the goodness of social media depends on the person using it. Social media is not so much a bad influence as a way for bad people to have an outlet.

Rousting AUSA To roust; verb: Cause to get up and start moving; to rouse By Hans Alias The Aberdeen University Students Association is, according to the blurb used by the first three news articles that come up on a topical Google search, an autonomous charity which represents the student community of the University of Aberdeen. It is the glue which holds our societ[ies] together; binding students and university, providing sports and arts the means to fill the lives of our student body with joy and meaning and nice things for our CV’s. They are the bank we rely on, our shoulder to cry on, the fundamental systemic framework we simply would not know what to do without. When my society, Highland Frontier, elected a new Treasurer last year who ran on the platform of actually being able to do maths, the first question he asked, as a competent keeper of accounts, was how we were managing our funds. Two days later, every committee member who had run a trip over the previous three months and the two keepers of our main accounts arrived to pass on the burden, handing over wads of cash in dirty envelopes and jars of coins and crumpled notes. The majority of our society’s funds, we explained, had been kept in our President’s mattress for the past two years. Why? Well, AUSA, our kind and thoughtful overlords, had, in the interest of minimizing fraud and promoting legitimacy (you see how well this worked; see bundles of cash above) and asserting some kind of control over every society’s general financial functioning, set up a bank account for us. This was very nice of them. However, they had overlooked the fairly minor detail that students tend to graduate after a set period of time, and so the only names on the account were those of members who hadn’t even been in the city for over three years. Nothing had been mentioned, nothing had been done, and every time we asked for something like this to be fixed we were met with unfulfilled promises. We began formal proceedings to have access to our bank account – which contains, relevantly enough, what is a veritable goldmine of completely inaccessible membership fees – three months ago. And yet, still, after repeated submission of the same documents, we are no further along. We ask ourselves regularly, while sharing inspirational dreams of our next adventure or arguing about how to price a trip, reliant on minibuses AUSA is now apparently willing to cancel with three days warning if one of their more prized Sports teams needs one, how such examples of sweeping oversight are possible. Then again, when we’re told that a minibus we’ve formally booked is no longer available less than a week in advance of needing it, and then, after scrambling to find a spare driver and only managing to fit all of the equipment we need for basic purposes of outdoor survival, seeing not, one, not two, but four of the same minibuses pulling into the same parking lot for the sports teams, does not inspire an awful lot of benevolence or confidence. I mean, it’s not like we, an outdoor hiking and camping society, need any storage space in the vehicles we mosey into the highlands with. And it’s not like I dragged myself out of bed one Saturday before the hour of 8AM to pick up a minibus only to be told that the booking had been cancelled – after, fittingly, I had actually made the effort to go, in person, to the AUSA office the week before to confirm all was well. At that same meeting I learned that in fact they’d been charging us for an extra day’s hire every time they’d scheduled our key pick-up for the night before. Not that we should ever have been asked whether that sort of procedure was okay or if we would prefer to change our reservation so as to not spend, say, an extra fifty quid to have a minibus sit in a parking lot overnight. It’s a sign of great governance when the thought of having to do something bureaucratic elicits moans and rescheduling so as to leave time and space for literally everything to go wrong. Don’t misunderstand me – everyone we’ve ever spoken to at AUSA has been incredibly nice, helpful, and willing to address our needs. However, the slow and protracted decisions – or no decision at all – have been a huge problem. It seems that the conversation always stops at a vague promise to get something done, and suddenly it’s three months later, nothing has changed, and we get the creeping sensation we’re being ignored because they’re just waiting for ‘the annoying ones’ to graduate. Or the higher-ups don’t really care. Which, you know, is great for an organizational body which is supposed to be passionate about enabling students to have a fulfilling, well-rounded university experience. The concept of transparency, within the organization as well as externally, seems to be – for lack of a better phrase – lacking. We’ve asked for financial quotes on abnormal rentals, and been met with approximations – approximations which are not good enough when we need to make sure to cover costs and the difference of £10 is a lot for most students. We’ve asked for access to our bank account, and our treasurer has had to fill in the same form more than once because no one either knew or cared where the original had gone. We’ve asked for invoices so as to know whether or not we are in immense amounts of debt, and been told we couldn’t see them yet as AUSA likes to triple-check them before sending them out, which is interesting given that they do not even record which society or responsible member hires which car (something we were made aware of by being asked which cars we’d driven), nor do they do their own inspections for damage (which they’ve asked us to do in advance), much less keep track of any other expenses we as a society might have. We’ve recently received our first invoice ever, just at the end of last semester, and it included two refuelling charges we hadn’t been aware of and an AUSA booking fee which no one ever bothered to mention, however reasonable it may be. We’ve applied for grants, heard nothing back for months, and been told that due to exams and holidays they were behind schedule. After all, it’s not as if these are annual features in the academic calendar which are totally expected and can be adequately prepared for. The fact that no one we ever speak to seems to even know what it is they don’t know that is making their own lives and ours more difficult is concerning. Also worrying are the accusations which have been levelled at AUSA of alleged malfeasance within the organization. This should cause us to question the wisdom of allowing it any sort of administrative function over student societies. But then again, we’re still happy to submit our grant application and rent some affordable cars using some affordable University insurance, and I’m graduating at the end of the semester, so I suppose there’s not much point in complaining. After all, we’re just students – what do we know? I appreciate AUSA’s function, and every university needs something like it, but something must be done about the slowmoving, inefficient complacency within its ranks. And done fast. There’s a lesson to be learned here. After all, what is University about but to teach us employability and life skills? Editors comment: When asked for a statement, AUSA representatives refused to comment p.13 21.02.18 AUnited States government shutdown. It sounds both frightening and slightly absurd, at least to European ears. A government can’t just shut down, can it? Who will be running the United States if its government shuts down? Well, it can, or at least parts of it. In the US, a government shutdown is triggered when Congress, i.e. the legislature, cannot agree on a federal budget. In the most recent shutdown from January 20th to January 22nd, there would have been another ten votes needed in the Senate for the budget bill to pass. The major disagreements between the two parties were on immigration and CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Programme. During a shutdown, many government employees’ paycheques are delayed which can be a serious hardship, as is easy to imagine. A three-day shutdown likely won’t make a big difference to most people. For example, in 2013 one shutdown lasted over two weeks, while two shutdowns in the time between November 1995 and January 1996 under Clinton lasted almost a month in total. During these shutdowns, agencies designated non-essential to the running of the federal government shut down. These include for example the National Park Service, but also the military is affected. It’ll still be working but soldiers may not get paid. Whose faults are government shutdowns? According to Donald Trump’s recent tweet, using the hashtag #DemocratShutdown, and a message on the White House’s answering machine saying that Democrats were “holding government funding […] hostage,” it seems to be the Democrats who are to blame. During the 2013 government shutdown, Democrats blamed Republicans for being against Obamacare to such an extent that they would not agree to a budget bill including funding for it. It’s a blame game, but many people affected aren’t playing at all. Sure, some may say that legislators are only defending their constituents’ best interests by not voting for bills they don’t believe in. But what about those constituents who may only get paid retroactively and miss deadlines for their bills, thus suffering consequences through no fault of their own? Their interests seem to matter little during shutdowns when agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are temporarily shut down. However, guess who does get paid, even during a shutdown! Congress people. During the most recent shutdown, some of them, such as John Delaney, Rick Allen, and Mia Love, asked for their pay to be withheld and said they would donate it later. But is this enough? After all, it doesn’t lead to anyone else affected by the furloughs being paid on time. This is really what it comes down to. In case of a government shutdown, the people responsible aren’t even punished for it. The same Congress people who cannot manage to negotiate a budget bill to keep the country functioning can still get their paycheques. It might look bad on them, and it might mean they don’t get what they want, but in the end, to them, it doesn’t really make that much of a difference. Meanwhile, to the people working under them, and living in the country they govern, it does – from people not being able to visit the zoo, to not being able to request a passport, to soldiers potentially not getting paid while in combat. To the children insured by CHIP and to the Dreamers protected by DACA, it proves that they are bargaining chips. That is what most tragedies are, of course: individual. We may grieve for America, but probably not for a specific person whose life is seriously impacted by this. Even if a deal comes out of a shutdown on issues like the above acts, it still means that politicians were comfortable using their own constituents as leverage. People whose health and futures is not guaranteed by the once representing them. Congress is elected to represent the people of the United States. Some Congress people may not agree on a budget bill because they want the best of their people. But the fact that prolonged shutdowns are possible, with all the negative consequences for the people of the United States, while the legislature responsible is getting paid, is, in the words of Donald Trump, “Sad.” By Naomi Haeker Playing the Blame Game in US Government Shutdowns The same Congress people who cannot manage to negotiate a budget bill to keep the country functioning can still get their paycheques.

Satire Editor: Androo Meackan p.14 21.02.18 This morning, many students and staff awoke simultaneously to discover that the last five months have in fact all been a horrible dream and none of it really happened. Those who experienced this ‘crowddream’ noted that it involved a neverending elections process which became increasingly more emotionally draining each time the cycle restarted, despite its relative insignificance politically. It was also noted that many of the characters devised as ‘candidates’ within the dream were so farcically exaggerated that many are shocked they didn’t realise it was a dream sooner. This is the first recorded time where almost 13,000 people have shared a collective nightmare experience and it has left psychologists stunned. Professor Kruger, a specialist in psychosleep studies, stated, “I’ve never seen something this incredibly strange before. There is neither scientific nor medical knowledge that can answer this. I’m sorry,” and with that Professor Kruger resigned his position and ran into the nearest field, screaming and vomiting blood. After this unfortunate event, many students have gone to the preventive measures of never sleeping again in fear they may have to relive yet another unbearable hustings. The university has warned against such drastic action but as one student told us, “I know that if I don’t sleep I will go mad and die, but I just can’t face having that nightmare again. The faces will haunt me until the end. To have that dream again would be to walk through a living hell.” Rector Election was all just a ‘Terrible Dream’ I n the wake of his runaway success uniting the students in The University of Aberdeen Rectoral Elections, Buttons – also known as ‘The Taylor Building Cat’ – has expressed political ambitions outside of student politics. His success has been attributed to his natural charisma, fluffy demeanor, and his appeal to the 90% of students who “don’t give a shit” about the entire Rector process. Buttons has expressed an interest in mirroring this strategy in the next General Election, where galvising the vote of ‘people who don’t give a shit’ could gain him more than 30% of the vote across the country. This isn’t including those who would defect from their usual voting preferences in favour of a more appealing cat-didate. His current campaign manager, Professor Fluffles, has assured students that he will not be ignoring his rectoral duties and shall remain resident in Aberdeen. The Gaudie suspects that this may be an attempt to avoid conflict with the cat already resident in 10 Downing Street. Professor Fluffles recommended any critics of this ‘absentee government’ should refer to the year and a half Belgium spent without an elected government and everything was “Basically fine.” At this point in the interview both Buttons and Professor Fluffles realised we had run out of tuna and decided to return to campaigning. By Martin Van Buren By Spoderick Rectom DISCLAIMER All opinions expressed in the satire section are written primarily for the sake of comic value and therefore do not necessarily represent the honest views held by the author, The Gaudie, AUSA, or any company which advertises in The Gaudie. Katie Hopkins has recently been travelling through South Africa to collect footage for a new documentary which she claims will focus on “the ethnic cleansing of white farmers.” Things don’t appear to be going well for Katie; so far she’s had her passport confiscated on account of inciting racial hatred and has collapsed after taking Ketamine for a dislocated shoulder. Following these reports the poet felt compelled to compose a few lines to our national treasure (Ketamine, that is, not Katie Hopkins.). Katie gets K-Holed Katie’s on a mad one She’s gurnin on the ground Katie’s lost her bucket hat It’s naewhere tae be found She’s shootin a documentary About black-on-white ethnic cleansin Katie misses South Africa’s good auld days Of Apartheid segregation Katie’s half-cut in a field Cryin tae Wonderwall Yer MCM’s underneath her And all thur clothes are off Katie’s chuggin Strongbow Dark Fruits At a BNP convention She’s spreadin racial hatred Now her passport’s been suspended Katie claims reverse racism Actually exists She calls Mandy a designer drug Katie talks a lot of shit The lass is doing wee bumps Fir medicinal reasons Katie’s a very sick wummin She disnae appreciate yer accusations With Ketamine and Eccies She’s one MWI rekt bird Auld Katie’s getting K-holed In the streets of Johannesburg Now the authorities have her detained It seems the sesh is done Fingers crossed cause with some luck Katie won’t return Katie gets K-Holed By Tyler - Charmaine Buttons Sets Sights on Westminster Han Solo makes a disappointing comeback in this somewhat misplaced Star Wars offshoot. Supposedly it’s based on something by somebody called Ridley Dick: I cannot confirm. There are orange parts, and loud bits. Worth watching on an 11” laptop screen for best experience. Verdict: Phantom Menace much better. Blade Runner 2049: A Concise Review

Puzzles 21.02.18 p.15 SIMPLESUDOKU MEDIUMSUDOKU Fill in the missing numbers. Each row and column is a maths equation to be solved in sequence. Use the numbers one through nine to complete the equations. Each number is only used once. Across 5. _____, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen (5) 7. The name given to someone from Los Angeles, (8) 9. Goodness ______me, (8) 10. Goitre, (6) 11. Disputatious, (12) 13. Old Age (6) 15. A children’s toy that shoots a cork (6) 18, 19. Inflatable real estate at children’s parties, (6), (6) 21. Informal word for plethora, (6) 22. Stretching beyond your limits, spreading your message, (8) 23. Retaliated after a previous harm, (8) 24. Threaten, approach, (6) Down 1. The primary ingredient of humous, (8) 2. An audition for a sports team, (6) 3, 10, under 18, 18-24, 25-30, (3), (5) 4. Interweaving strands of hair, straw or rope, (6) 6. Doing something in a carful or skilful manner, (8) 7. Profitable entities owned by a company or a private person, (6) 8. That’s the ____, (4) 12. A person who owns or manages a public house, (8) 14. To combine two liquids which are normally unmixable, (8) 16. A form of street art using pre-printed elements, (8) 17. Hogwarts, St. Trinians, Hailsham, (6) 18. A light coloured whale with a distinct rounded head, (6) 19. A long hanging flower found on wind pollinated trees, (6) 20. Found in Christmas Crackers, (4) SIMPLESOLUTION MEDIUMSOLUTION MATHSSQUARE PUZZLESSOLUTIONS Across 1: Byword (6) 4:Warmup (6) 8:Insofar (7) 9: Upbraid (7) 11: Compliancy (10) 12 Arty (4) 13 Pleat (5) 14 Endanger (8) 16 Metrical (8) 18 Sacks (5) 20 Tusk (4) 21 Facepowder (10) 23 Pivotal (7) 24 Besiege (7) 25 Efface (6) 26 Broker (6) Down 1 Banjo (5) 2 Whoopee (7) 3 Realistic (9) 5 Amply (5) 6 Murrain (7) 7 Pointless (9) 10 Intellect (9) 15 Disappear (9) 17 Rakeoff (7) 19 Cowlick (7) 21 France (6) 22 Eager (5) MATHSSQUARE GAUDIECROSSWORD

21.02.18 Sport Editor: Daniel Rees By Tom Molnar Christian Volodiev Stars as BUCS Approaches Aberdeen University Sprinter Takes Two Individual Bronze Medals Ahead of British University Championships in Sheffield Next Week Aberdeen university sprinter Christian Volodiev completed his preparations for the British University Indoor Championships in style with an impressive double bronze at the Scottish University Championships on Saturday. The Italian-born economics student, now in his senior-honours year at Aberdeen, achieved two personal bests in both the 60m and 200m before running a strong leg in the 4x200m relay to bring home two individual bronze medals and a relay gold. This was a particularly satisfying day’s worth of competition for Volodiev, who had struggled at the Scottish Senior Championships two weeks prior with a back injury; but having comfortably qualified for the 60m and 200m finals, he was left with little doubt that he had recaptured the form he has been trying so desperately to display in a competitive setting: ‘It was a must for me to perform well at Scottish Universities, but I didn’t let my performance at Scottish Seniors put pressure on me. I tried to run in between all the niggles I have in my body and just worked on running with the flow in the week running up to the competition.’ Volodiev set a time of 7.25sec in the 60m heat, well ahead of his nearest rival in second, to ease into the semi-final stages, where he again came out on top, this time running 7.16sec. The final, however, presented far sterner competition, and though Volodiev didn’t manage to challenge Edinburgh’s Michael Olsen for a gold medal, he did hold off St. Andrews’ George Payne to hold on for a very creditable bronze. More satisfying still, he set a new personal best of 7.12sec, a 0.04sec improvement of his previous PB, to prove that he can perform at the competitions which matter most. If the Scottish University Indoor Championships are known for anything, it’s the intensity of the day’s competition timetable, and no sooner had Volodiev stepped off the podium with a bronze medal around his neck than he started preparing for his preferred event, the 200m. His road to the 200m final was as straight and as narrow as that which took him to the 60m final – first place in his heat and semi-final, with times of 23.22sec and 22.78sec respectively, saw him qualify as the fourth-fastest athlete for the 200m final. Volodiev then managed to go one better by finishing third in his final, again ahead of his St. Andrews’ rival George Payne, to take his second bronze of the afternoon, as well as set a second personal best of 22.57sec. Despite this, Volodiev feels he still has more to give at the British University Championships in Sheffield where, historically, he has previously seen his performances tail off: ‘2018 has been the latest start I’ve had for an indoor season and I don’t think I’m at my peak yet for the indoor season – I think my peak will be at BUCS. I really look forward to it, because this indoor season has been my fastest ever – each indoor season I’ve done has been faster than the previous one, and I’m looking to do much better than I did last year at BUCS. I want to PB in both my events, 60m and 200m. I am pleased with what I’ve achieved at Scottish Universities, but I’m looking for faster times in Sheffield.’ Volodiev capped an excellent day’s work in setting the AUAC team on course for a gold medal in the 4x200m relay – Gavin Irvine, Thomas Carter, and Ross Freck ran the succeeding relay legs to narrowly beat the University of Stirling by 0.94sec. There were notable improvements made by other athletes too, however, including AUAC’s Jacob Scott, who ran 7.76sec in the 60m, a personal best by 0.15sec, and then 24.92sec in the 200m, a personal best by well over a second. Sharon Jakisa, a second-year sports medicine student, reached the final of the women’s 200m, where she improved upon her previous best by 0.26sec. Her 60m also showed serious signs of progress, as she sliced 0.3sec off her previous PB in the final to place fifth behind her training partner, Rebecca Matheson, who took third for RGU. So often the warm-up act for BUCS – the climax of the indoor season – the Scottish University Championships offer athletes the final chance to experiment with tactics and preparations before beginning the annual pilgrimage to the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, where the best of Britain’s university students gather to pit themselves against some of the best young talents athletics has to offer in the UK. AUAC track and field captain, Ross Freck, analyses the chances Aberdeen University’s athletes have against the likes of Bath, Brunel, and Loughborough: ‘In general, I think the university will do well, but we’re missing some pretty crucial athletes – Kelsey Stewart’s pulled out, Hannah Cameron’s pulled out, Caitlin Arnott’s pulled out, which isn’t ideal. Kelsey was our biggest hope of a medal, but with her foot issue and the Commonwealth Games coming up she has bigger things to worry about. But despite that I still feel we still have a strong team.’ Indeed, Freck singles out the men’s 4x200m relay as having the best chance of making a BUCS final, and is particularly determined to do so after having come tantalisingly close in previous years: ‘We effectively qualified for the final in 2016 but didn’t get through due to a disqualification, and were one place outside qualifying last year, so hopefully this will be third time lucky. Based on Saturday’s performance, we can probably dip under 1:30.00sec if we can all run our fastest and get our relay changeovers sorted – which we’re going to have to do if we are going to have a chance of qualifying for the final.’ With BUCS only a few days away, Aberdeen University’s athletes are agog at the prospect of how they and their teammates will fare in Sheffield’s competitive but febrile atmosphere, and once again, with yet another outdoor season around the corner, they will be confident, hopeful, and determined to complete the indoor season with the strongest results possible. By Sandy Wilson AU Boxing Club The Secrets to Our Success Aberdeen University Boxing Club is Scotland’s most successful university boxing club. We have won the Scottish University Boxing Championships fifteen years consecutively and are holders of the Millennium Cup. We’re one of the oldest sports clubs in Aberdeen University and one of the largest with over one hundred members attending training sessions. 50% of the members are now female. Reasons for our Success Coaching – a huge amount of volunteered time is offered by quality, experienced coaches who see members progressing quickly and successfully to sparring and competitive standards. Training – effective one-to-one and group sessions develop beginners to a competent standard seeing members able to perform in the ring at a level they could not have aspired to previously. Coaches who Lead the Way Sandy Scott-Wilson – club coach from 1978 to present! Tony Chapman – 2013-present; former Scottish and District Champion and Ph.D. student. Kris Buckley – 2007-present; former Scottish Champion and British Universities finalist. The club compete in local shows, district, and university championships. Those members who have the time and experience to progress to national level can also join other public boxing clubs to fulfil extra training. Current Aberdeen University Boxing Club Captain, Eddie Eadie, and his committee work very hard in keeping on top of increasing required regulations, communications, and demand to keep the club’s camaraderie and interest at a high level. He leads from the front by taking the fitness sessions and competing successfully. University of Aberdeen: Club Highlights p.16