11 FEB 2013 / ISSUE 13 FREE

WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COMSALFORD’S ONLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Chris Packham, a naturalist and television presenter for the BBC, recently hosted a special event which will benefit both Salford students and the local community. Accompanied by representatives from local charities and Dean for the University of Salford College of Science and Technology Jim Yip, The Springwatch presenter spoke to pupils from a local primary school about the importance of preserving the environment. He then delivered a tree planting demonstration outside

Newton Building on the Peel Park Campus for the children, who had travelled from St Friars Primary School for the afternoon.

The aim of the event was to further enhance the green spaces the University campus has to offer by planting an arboretum trail, which mixes different trees from all over the world. The first to be planted at the event was the first of many - 100, in fact! Throughout the course of the afternoon, Chris helped the youngsters to plant 99 more trees.

Chris believes that trees in the city benefit the environment and the people surrounding both physically and mentally. He said: “This is about

creating a future of well-being for people who haven’t been born yet.”

The event marked the start of the creation of the vital green space as part of the tissue brand Velvet’s Campaign for Trees. Velvet plant three trees for every one tree used for tissue and are creating the trail alongside Trees for Cities and Salford based charity, Red Rose Forest. The campaign aims to highlight the importance of having greenery in urban areas.

Chris said, “They’re going to plant trees from all over the world to reflect the cultural diversity of the University.”

Wildlife TV presenter hosts symbolic tree planting on campus

THIS WEEK

C o n f u s e d about the Elections? Want to nominate yourself but not sure what the roles involve? We answer all your questions on page 4

L o w r i W i l l i a m s bring you the best from the catwalks on page 6

Thinking of persuing a career in PR? Turn to page 29 for a great opportunity

Elections 2013

Fashion fix

Careers and employability

inside

Emily Burgin and Amanda Mace

The University of Salford Students’ Union awards and Elections season is well underway. The nomination period for the 2013 Teaching Awards have officially opened.

The awards are sorted into five categories: Best Teacher, Best Personal Tutor, Best Postgraduate Supervisor, Best Academic Support Staff and Best Student Representative.

The best people to identify excellence and passion in teaching are you - the people who sit in lecture halls, meet with tutors, read assignment feedback and generally interact with academic staff on a daily basis!

One of the award categories has changed from last year, following a large number of requests. Students who voted last year may remember the Best Supervisor category. This has now been changed to Best Postgraduate Supervisor to ensure that it can dedicate a category entirely to the staff who support, guide and mentor Postgraduate students at the University.

In addition, a new ‘Best Academic Support Staff’ category has been introduced. This will allow you to recognised those who are not teachers but play an equally vital role within University staff, such as the technicians around the MediaCityUK campus, or the librarians of Clifford Whitworth.

To nominate, all you have to do is simply visit the Salford Students’ Union website and fill out a form stating why the member of staff you are voting for should win. The Students’ Union ask that you be specific; the more evidence and examples you can give, the greater chance the member of staff you nominate has to win.Last years’ winners were Neil Withnell, for Best Personal Tutor, Song Wu, Best Supervisor, Elaine Norton, for Best Student Representative, Paul Tracey, for Best Teacher and the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work won Best Overall School.

To vote, go to www.salfordstudents.com/teachingawards

Nominations open for Students’ Union Teaching AwardsJonathan BlackburnDeputy news editor

One of last year’s winners, Paul Tracey

Editor: Amanda MaceEmail: editor-ussu@salford.ac.uk

Postal address: Univerity of Salford Students’ Union, University House, The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT

News Editor: Cassandra Ward C.Ward4@edu.salford.ac.uk

Comment Editor: Jonathon Norrey J.Norrey@edu.salford.ac.uk

Arts Editor: Sally Leibovici sally.leibovici@yahoo.com

Features Editor: Lowri Williams lowrix@hotmail.co.uk Sports & Activities Editor: Bryony Pearce B.Pearce@edu.salford.ac.uk

Careers: Amanda Mace

Advertising : Stefan Redfernstefan.redfern@manchester.ac.uk Tel 0161 275 2930

ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2012WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM02 : NEWS

Visit Our Website www.salfordstudents.com

University gym launches new � tness classes

The start of the New Year and new semester is the perfect chance to become healthier or to restart your regime after a festive slump. On Monday 28 January, The Sports Centre introduced a new fi tness class into their already extensive list of fi tness classes. They also introduced two new swim sessions to the swimming pool timetable.

The new fi tness class is called S.W.E.A.T. it runs on a Monday 7pm until 8 pm during term time. The cost to attend the class is £3.00 for students, £3.50 for staff and all classes are free to platinum members at the sports centre. It is recommended that all who wish to attend this class arrive 5-10 minutes prior to the star. For any fi tness class it is recommended to bring a bottle of water as you will need to hydrate afterwards.

Both of the new swim sessions run Monday to Friday in the swimming pool at the Sports Centre. The fi rst new swim session is ‘Get Up and Go Swim’ which is held from 7am until 9am. During this morning swim session, swimmers can request diff erent styles of music to be played whilst they swim. The second session is ‘Lively Lunch Swim’ which is held 12pm until 2pm. During this session upbeat music is played to create a lively and upbeat swim session. If you wish to part take in one of these sessions, it costs £4 for both students and staff to purchase a one day swim pass. If you wish to use the pool more frequently you can purchase a bronze membership for unlimited swimming which starts at £28 for a student three month membership or £38 for a staff three month membership.

ContentsPages 1-3NewsPages 4, 5 and 6FeaturesPage 27CommentPage 28ArtsPage 29CareersPage 30Your UnionPage 31ActivitiesPage 32Sports

Manchester’s Northern Quarter is getting a make-over thanks to Graphic Design students.

University of Salford student were commissioned by TechHub’s Manchester base to create art to show the cities computer science and art history.

Students worked for 40 hours to create a number of large wall

paintings using illustration and typography.

Natasha Willcocks, Graphic Design lecturer at the university, said “This was a fantastic project for our students because the work they produced will be seen by other graphic designers and technology professionals, giving the students the opportunity to showcase their work and get noticed by people who are in the same industry.”

TechHub aims to help technical start-ups develop faster by getting

like minded individuals together to develop confi dent entrepreneurs. The Manchester base is in a prime location in a ‘uniquely inspiring, dynamic city with a strong pedigree in the fi elds of computer science and creative arts’.

Doug Ward from TechHub said “The Graphic Design course at the University of Salford comes highly recommended within the industry as being very creative and dynamic and the standard of students’ work was very high.”

Salford design students help to brighten up the Northern Quarter

EditorialHello all!

Welcome to issue 13 of The Salfordian. I would love to know what you think of the newspaper, so if there’s anything you liked, hated,

or would like to see more of, let me know by emailing editor-ussu@salford.ac.uk. Thanks to everyone at the Better Union Forum last week that gave feedback about The Salfordian. There were some fantastic ideas, so watch this space!

Have a good week everyone!

Amanda MaceEditor

Emily Burgin

Madeleine Larmour

The Students’ Union Annual General Meeting was scheduled to take place on Wednesday 6 February in the main lecture theatre in the Mary Seacole Building on Fredrick Road Campus. Unfortunately, due to an extremely low turnout, the formal AGM meeting has been re-arranged for 13 February at 12.15pm in University House to review the Student Union’s accounts in more detail.

In order for an AGM to take place 220 students needed to attend, making it so that one percent of the student population is present.

Of the few who did attend, many were Student or School Representatives. Hafsa Momoniat, Representative for the School of Health Sciences said it was important for more students to come to Student Union meetings: “because students need to be more aware of what the SU is doing for them.”

A reminder about the upcoming Students’ Union elections was made. Nominations are open until 21 February whilst voting will take place between 8 and 14 March. It is a great opportunity

to take on a leadership role and make the changes you want to see a reality to improve the student experience here at Salford. For more information, or to nominate yourself go to www.salfordstudents.com/elections.

Christina Kennedy, President of the University of Salford’s Student Union, who chaired the meeting, raised the issue of the potential cutting of the Block Grant. The Block Grant is the Students’ Union main source of income, and provided the Union with £820,000 during the academic year of 2011-2012. The Students’ Union was becoming concerned that the grant would get cut as the University’s funding declines with less students on campus. To maintain the funding the Union are campaigning to get over a thousand Valentine’s cards signed by students for the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Martin Hall.

Christina said: “We wish more people would’ve come to show that they are interested in what we do and so that we could have gone through the full AGM meeting with them.”

To keep up to date with the Student’s Union news and events visit www.salfordstudents.com

Students’ Union Annual General Meeting RescheduledJayna Patel

Volunteer call for Bolton dig

ARCHEOLIGISTS of the University of Salford are currently looking for volunteers to help excavate buildings in the Halliwell Bolton area to reveal what life was like for workers and owners during the Industrial Revolution.The Dig proposed to take place in the March at Moss Bank Park aims to uncover the remains of a series of workers cottages and the owners mansion built in 1786, later demolished in the early 1950’s.Founded by Peter Ainsworth in 1739, Halliwell Bleach Works were reputedly the oldest established bleaching concern in the country.The history of Halliwell Bleach works started when Ainsworth acquired a bleach croft on an older farm. He later developed it with Richard Ainsworth who was the one of the fi rst to discover the use of chlorine gas in the process of bleaching in 1807. Continuing with Halliwells’ development John Horrocks Ainsworth built a large chimney which still survives on site today. The Ainsworths were notable local philanthropists who also funded the building of schools and churches so were well appreciated by the community.The park in which the dig is to take place is also thought to include the Holy Well which dates back to medieval times. However it was fi lled in after tragedy struck the Peter Ainsworths’ three year old daughter who fell in and was killed.Today Archaeologists of Salford University are asking for Community Volunteers help as part of a new project scheme “Dig Greater Manchester”. The four year project has already seen success in the local communities of Bury Tameside and Stockport.Brian Grimsditch from the centre of applied archaeology at the university has said “We’ve seen huge numbers of people attending our previous digs to learn some new skills and a bit of local history.”

Catherine Heuston

News: 03ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2013WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM

AN EMERGENCY summit is to be held in defence of NHS services in Greater Manchester later this week due to further cuts imposed by the Government.Campaigners are calling out to the community to help fight and save Greater Manchester local NHS services after further cuts have been issued by the Government.This comes as a surprise after the PM’s earlier visit this year to Salford Royal. The PM denied claims made by Local Labour MP Hazel Blears that “200 jobs would be cut from Salford Royal” the birth place of the NHS. It is now expected up to 150 jobs are the minimum to be cut from Salford Royal this year putting increased pressure on quality of care for patients. It is thought up to 5 A&E departments are facing cuts with the unit at Rochdale already closed in recent months. A further 350 staff nurses from Wigan Royal Infirmary are expected to be cut this year . In stepping hill 77 beds have been cut from wards with Prestwich Mental Health hospital being forced to cut 3 social workers from the community service. The summit is to be hosted by local campaigners including Greater Manchester Keep Our NHS Public and a further 17 protest groups to prevent privatisation of the NHS by the Government. Workshops on the day include information on everything needed to successfully combat cuts with protests ranging from communal unity to precise statistics from Government clinical commissioning groups. A major seven day demonstration will be organised at the summit to take place across Greater Manchester. The president of the Association of Trade Union Councils Hosting the summit Stephen Hall has said “This is the biggest threat to hit Manchester since it’s birth in 1948.”The Summit will take place at 12 noon, Saturday February 16th, Friends Meeting House, Mount Street Manchester, M2 5NS. For more information contact Stephen Hall. Tel:01942 886645 Mob: 07724139278 Email: stevechik@talktalk.net

Emergency meeting to be held for NHS Greater ManchesterCatherine Heuston

Rec night returns!

It’s back again! One of the biggest nights of the year for each of our Sport and Activity Groups.It’s a chance for you to get fancy dress-ed up and take part in plenty of games (with prizes!) throughout the night!This time around the fancy dress is ‘countries’, so get thinking of an idea for your group! The event will take place on Wednesday 13 February.

Thank you to everyone who fed back to us on the Students’ Union shops before Christmas.

If you gave your views to a student staff member with a clipboard, you’ll be playing an important role in what the shops offer students at Salford. As our members, your views are really important to us and help shape the services we deliver.

You told us that you wanted to see hot food on sale in the shops. This was a great idea and we’re going to be running sessions with students shortly to find out precisely what hot food you’d like most. We already have some ideas up our sleeve that we’d like to hear your thoughts on! Look out for an advert soon for focus group participants, if you want to have your say.

We know how annoying it can be when you want to pay on card and there is a minimum spend of £5. However, did you know that for every card transaction our customers make, the Union is charged? So the less we spend on card charges, the more money can be invested into the Union to be spent on students. Remember, every penny you spend in our bar, shops and café is reinvested into the Union.

Some of you wanted to see a greater variety of magazines in our Adelphi Building shop. We wanted to make you aware that you can actually order any magazine from any of our shops, just see a member of staff for details.

Got any more ideas for our shops? Then tell us at: students-union@salford.ac.uk or be part of our upcoming focus groups!

Give us your views on the Students’ Union shops and receive a £10 Amazon

Voucher!If you think that the Students’ Union

shops should be selling hot food or healthier options, we want to hear from you. You could receive a £10 Amazon voucher for telling us your views!

The Students’ Union has shops at Horlock Court (opposite The Library) and in the Adelphi and Allerton Buildings. When we asked students what products they would like to see introduced to our shops, hot food and healthier lunch choices were the most popular answers. The Students’ Union will be running a focus group at 10am on Tuesday 19 February to find out a bit more the specific foods you’d like to see on offer.

The focus group will last for an hour and will involve you sharing your views with other students. You don’t need any prior knowledge to come along, but you must be a regular customer of one of the Union shops, feel that either hot food or healthier food should be provided by the shops and be prepared to share your opinions.

If you’re interested in letting us know your thoughts, please contact Helen Robinson at h.robinson@salford.ac.uk by 5pm on Wednesday 13 February. Those selected to take part in the group will receive a confirmation email and everyone involved will receive a £10 Amazon voucher for their time.

Can’t make 19 February? Get in touch anyway, as we may run a second session on another day that week.

Student feedback: Students’ Union response

Better ForumsFollowing last term’s successful forums, Salford Students’ Union is running three events in February with the aim to obtain student feedback. ‘Better Union’ was be held on 5 February. ‘Better University’ will be held on 12 February, and ‘Better City’ on 19 February.

Polish students have been awarded £100m of the taxpayers’ money over the past five years.

This money has allowed around 23,000 students to take degrees courses in the UK.

However, this is leading to fears that many students may return to Poland after graduating and not pay the money back, a big hole in the public finances.

The Government-backed loans can cover tuition fees or living costs under the European Union rules that allow Europeans to have the same funding as British students.

The Student Loans Company has suggested that the loans have gone up by 50% to match the increased university fees.

In total, £21.5m was awarded to 3,580 Poles in the current academic year – an average of just over £6,000 per student.

Andrew Percy, the Conservative MP for Brigg and Goole, said: “It is unacceptable at a time when British students are paying increased tuition fees that £100m is being used to provide loans to Polish students. A large number of them will never pay it back.” He believes that the government needs to reopen negotiations with the EU on these issues.

Despite university fees rising, Scottish

universities have seen a rise in applicants from other parts of the UK.

There has been an 11% rise from would be student from Wales, England and Northern Ireland whereas only 4.5% rise in Scotland.

University fees are rising to around £9,000, however, Scottish students don’t have to pay.

A student wanting to go to St. Andrews University will have to pay £36,000 for a four year course. Despite this, St Andrew’s has had a

rise in applicants of 6%, with 14,355 applications for 2013. This means that there are around 12 applications per one place in the university.

However, not all Scottish universities are following the rising trend. Dundee University applications from outside of Scotland are down 16.5%. There has also been more interest from EU countries but not much from non-EU countries.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) shows that submissions to Scottish universities have risen by 7.1%.

Gordon Watson, president of the University and College Union, said the rise from England could be explained by the lack of a cap on their numbers at Scottish universities.

Recent government figures are showing that more females are going to universities than males.

In 2010-2011, 55% of undergraduates were female, with a drop of 22,000 male students enrolling, according to UCAS.

At the University of Salford, there were over 7500 full time female undergraduates compared to 6610 male. However, in the Leeds College of Music, the men outnumbered the women largely with just under 78% of undergraduates were men.

This is a great achievement for women since in 1979; women took up 40 per cent of places at university.

Even so, males are outnumbering females in subjects like engineering and technology and computer science. However, girls are doing veterinary and educational degrees.

The reason for the surge in female education is unknown but it is believed by Educational officials that it may be cultural. Bahram Bekhradnia, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, “The change was first noticed around the introduction of GCSEs and the

move towards more continuous assessment and coursework in schools, though there’s no evidence that this is the cause of the gender differences. This is an international phenomenon, it’s not restricted to the UK.”

The Education System has undergone another change this month.

First the raising of university fees, then the changing of the GCSE system and now the reform of A-Levels.

A-Levels will now be a two year linear course with one examination at the end of the course. AS Levels will survive but will not count towards the final grade.

The education secretary, Michael Gove is also bringing in new school league tables, which will give credit to pupils who get AAB in their A Level’s in what he has named “facilitating subjects”; like chemistry, biology, Latin and maths. These subjects are more likely, in Gove’s view, to get pupils into elite universities, but this is not giving pupils an incentive to pick other subjects and is therefore limiting the English curriculum.

Last year, university fees shot up to £9,000 a year; three times the current amount. This encouraged many younger students in college, to give up any hope of going on to higher education.

Gove wants to scrap GCSE’s for English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) qualifications in 2017. The move has been condemned by MP’s. The Education Select Committee has said that the government has not provided any proof, that a change is necessary and that changing “too much too fast” might threaten exam quality.

This is the only the latest change in our educational system but who knows what will be next!

Higher education news round-upEmily Burgin

Students’ Union holds Better Union forum

Last week the Students’ Union held an event to obtain student feedback, the first of three of this month. Along with ‘Better City’ and ‘Better University’, ‘Better Union’ is held every semester during a Salford academic year. The events provide the opportunity for students to share their views about Salford services and policy, with the potential to make a real difference.

Last Tuesday’s event was chaired by Students’ Union Vice President Science and Technology Tom Doyle, and President Christina Kennedy, Vice President Arts and Social Sciences Eli Prodromova, and Vice President Health and Social Care Mishal Saeed also attended.

Tom began the forum by discussing recent triumphs for the Union, such as the successful trip to London for the NUS National Demo in late November. He also discussed £5000 bid to the College of Arts and Social Sciences in order to side aside funds for performance students to book out space for free.

At the last ‘Better Union’ event many students discussed the need to renovate Bar Yours in University House on Peel Park Campus. Due to a sharp decrease in both students and potential Union

funding, however, the sabbatical officers said that a refurbishment is unlikely to be a possibility in the foreseeable future.

The group then moved on to sports and activity groups. Joe Woods, who is Chairman of the USSU Snowsports group (SUST), began the discussion. So far in the 2012 / 13 academic year the society has been very successful, and all those in attendance found it beneficial to hear Joe’s ideas.

At the beginning of both semesters, each of the 84 sports and activity groups at the University of Salford Students’ Union are given the opportunity to take part in the Give it a Go / Give Sport a Go programmes. Most of the students at the forum agreed that the initiatives are a great chance to reach out to new members, while some said the programmes are not beneficial for their club. A member of the Pool Society said that it is difficult for them to accept new members in semester two, as tournaments often take place in January.

Finally, during a discussion of community outreach, all those in attendance agreed that the University could do more to promote to existence of sports and activity groups at Salford.

Amanda MaceEditor

04 : Features Elections special! ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2012WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM

Everything you need to know about...The university of salford students’ union elections 2013

What roles can I nominate myself for?

What is involved in the role? Some days it’s absolutely full of committee meetings and

others I go speak to students and catch up on emails. Speaking to students is the best part. You do have to do a lot of reading and preparation for meetings. It’s about being organised. If you go for president, you are the main contact for senior management in the University and the one the Vice Chancellor always wants to speak to about everything. You’re also the key contact with NUS.

Your main responsibilities are to help train all the student representatives, help promote the activity groups and the sports teams, help promote the wins of the student representatives as well as achieve the wins yourself. There’s also not so much focus in the training about just how much paperwork there is!

What do you get up to on a weekly basis?Last week I had my monthly catch up with the Vice Chancellor.

It’s a really good job because in any other job you would never really get the chance to sit there and question the VC of the University. I had my weekly catch up with Huw Morris, the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic), and also had a chat with some people from NUS about how we can ensure our Syrian students are supported by the University given the conflict in their home country. Last week I also presented a paper at a University committee about how to remain Student Focussed through the Learning and Teaching Strategy and gave University governors and induction to the Students’ Union which was really cool!

What should students keep in mind if they’re thinking of running for President?

I think a bit of realisation that it’s serious. It’s not just a doss! You can have a lot of fun but there are serious elements to the job as well. With things like the ‘Learning Teaching and Enhancement’ committee, decisions that get made there affect every single student at the University a lot of the time. They have a massive effect on every student. So you need to make sure you have seriously gone through your paperwork. But the Union staff are here to help and you’re not expected to know everything.

People need to realise that the University is not in a great financial situation at the minute which means that staff morale is down, student numbers are down and it can sometimes be quite difficult to always be the upbeat and cheery person you’re kind of expected to be in the Students’ Union because there are a lot of battles to be had. But there’s a lot of good stuff as well and there’s a lot of things that we’re working with the University on that could go really well.

What is involved in the Vice President role?Overall it’s an elected position so that’s how it’s different from

every other job. It’s unique because students elect you and trust you. So you have to answer to their expectations. Your main job is to represent the students. The position of Vice President is slightly different to that of the President because every VP is allocated a college. You attend University and college level committee meetings so you are the student voice there. You represent all the students within your college – or within the University, depending on which sort of meeting you attend. Everyone else at those meetings is a University senior staff member, so as the only student there you have to be brave enough to say what you think and to achieve great things for students. Apart from your representation role you also have to wear the trustee board hat! This means that you have to ensure that organisation is correctly run as a business and it’s sustainable. You have to negotiable with University senior management about things you would like to change so you have to be flexible and understand when people are honest with you and when people are just trying to escape from your question! You also have to be quick enough to respond to all the changes that the University makes. We need to promote the different services that the Students’ Union provides all the time. So you have to know the organisation inside out, including the organisation’s mission statement and values and what they actually mean.

What does the job involve on a weekly basis?One of your daily duties is to respond to emails because you

have hundreds of them every day! You have to communicate with different people so you have to adapt your language to the right audience. At the minute I’m doing lecture shouts for Elections. I go to different lectures and speak to students about opportunities for them. You have to ensure that students in your college have the best possible experience.

What kind of skills do you need to be a Vice President?The main qualities you have to possess are reactive and

proactive. You have to talk to students, not just hide in your office! When you go out people should recognise and trust you. Ask them if they have any problems with their courses and send them in the right direction.

What kind of work do you do on a weekly basis for the council?

It’s a case of getting as much information from students around the University about what they believe should be taken care of. So I’ve got people coming up to me all the time just saying, ‘could you talk about this at the next student council meeting?’ Then I’ll make a note of it. We send in the points we want to make at the student council meeting to be checked and then I’ll go in with the Chief Executive and we’ll decide which ones are going to be put forward for the sabbatical officers in the student council meeting. Then we’ll go to the meeting and discuss all the topics. My job is literally just to relay the messages that are put forward by the sabbatical officers and get everyone else’s opinion on them. We’ll probably have votes on different things that need to be done. Typically as a council it’s more of a democracy. We all have different views. Each council member can bring up their own topic and we all vote together.

What are the main benefits of getting involved in the Student Council?

More than anything else it just gives you an insight into the inner workings of the University. You might discover a lot, for example I found out about the campus plan, which includes developments that being made in the University within the next few years. It really opens you up to certain things that are going on. Everything that a sabbatical officer does is run by the student council before they go to lobby for it. So you’re really at the front when it comes to decisions that are being made. I think the best part of it is being able to question what the sabbatical officers are doing for us. Because a lot of the time you hear about different wins and wonder where they come from and who decided why that is important for students. You get to not only see what sabbatical officers are doing for you but question whether it’s the right thing.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in nominating themselves?

I would say for anyone that is looking to get into it, you don’t need that much experience if you’re passionate about what you do, even if it’s just specific to your course or your take part in a club or activity. You get your views put forward at a position where it actually makes a difference.

PresidentChristina Kennedy, current Students’ Union President

Vice PresidentEli Prodromova, current Students’ Union Vice

President Arts and Social Sciences

student councilMuftau Akintoye, current Student Council Chairman

election mythbustersJon Burgess

With the Student Union elections in the pipeline, it’s high time we quashed a few myths surrounding the ballot process.

As you’re probably aware you’ve been a member of the Students’ Union since you started at Salford and as such you can vote for or stand as a candidate.

The people you choose will go on to represent Salford in November at the annual conference of the National Union of Students. So before you throw your vote away, let’s get the hearsay over with.

If you want to represent your University, it isn’t a popularity contest.

You may not know many people but that doesn’t mean you’re not the best person for the job. On average 2500 students turn out to vote each year – far beyond the circle of friends a person may have. The Students’ Union runs candidate guidance sessions giving loads of helpful suggestions on how to steer people in your direction.

You may be thinking a deep interest in student politics is necessary to vote or to take part in the NUS delegation, and that a track record as such is needed to take part. In fact, you don’t need any prior experience to participate in the process. If you’re bothered about improving the Salford students’ lot you’re welcome to take part. For many NUS delegation standees, attending the conference

in April is a new experience, and certainly one for the CV.

Will you have time to vote, or take part? Of course you will! Look at this way – it’s a means of putting off studying for another ten minutes or so, whether you vote via Blackboard or end up travelling to London to represent your fellow students. The latter will obviously be more time consuming, but the Students’ Union can help you manage your time so that you can balance your studies.

Voting isn’t difficult and takes place online at vle.salford.ac.uk via Blackboard. By clicking on the election module you can start the ball rolling by reading the candidates’ manifestos. Their names link to a separate page. You then pick a candidate and then rank the rest by order of preference. Think you could do a better job? Nominate yourself at www.salfordstudents.com/elections.

Perhaps you don’t think things need

to change at Salford. You’ve enjoyed your time here so far and are a bit amiss as to how the NUS elections affect you. Remember, this ballot goes beyond your campus. This is your chance to influence student issues at a national level. You don’t need to want or suggest big changes for your vote or delegation to count.

You might be thinking otherwise. Far from being happy at University, you may feel that nothing ever changes. As an independent body, the Students’ Union has done much improve the lives of Salford students. The SU has secured extended opening hours in Clifford Whitworth, reduced feedback turn-around to three weeks in most departments, clarified additional course costs and improved the Personal Mitigating Circumstances procedure. With your contribution, we can carry on making things better! At a national level you can debate and vote on matters of funding, student

numbers and employment. If by this stage running for election

sounds like something you’d like to do, but are worried about the campaigning side of things, you don’t need to worry. We live in the age of social media. Having a presence on the likes of Facebook and Twitter is an important as having friends to hand flyers out. In previous years students have won by themselves. You’re sure to meet many people along the way.

However far you decide to take your involvement in the Students’ Union, we wish you the very best of luck. Don’t let myths and conjecture put you off!

For more information on the November elections, visit www.salfordstudents.com or visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/salfordsu. There’s also a Twitter page at twitter.com/salfordsu and make sure to use the hashtag #studentelections2013.

Features : 05 ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2012WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM

It’s that time of year again. After all the good will and joy you encountered over Christmas, you suddenly fi nd that you can’t switch on the TV or turn over a page in a magazine without someone telling you that you’re fat and need to go on a diet.

This person is usually Davina McCall. She’s looking buff ed up in spanks doing high kicks directed towards your face in HD telling you to get off your couch and buy her DVD. That is if you can physically get up now that you’re weighed down with your mothers excessive and somewhat alarming amount of cooking over the Christmas holidays.

Providing you can actually move, you suddenly fi nd that Davina McCall is your new guru. Your inspiration. Your life coach. Who’s that Jesus guy again? Davina is our new saviour. Let us

fl ock to the shops and follow in her footsteps and high kicking ways.

Next comes the actual dieting. You open the cupboards in your kitchen and fi nd an alarming amount of unhealthy fatty food in there and absolutely no Special K. That girl in the red swimsuit on the TV pops into your mind, grinning at you, judging you, posing in her swimsuit in a way that you could only dream of.

The red swimsuit is implanted in your mind and you suddenly have a horrifi c premonition of yourself six months from now lying on a beach looking like a comatose whale. Children are pointing and asking daddy how you came to be on dry land. Skinny couples are using your voluptuous shadow as an umbrella shade and the man selling donkey rides is giving you an either wider birth than your trouser lining. Ok, now I’m just being silly. No one sells

donkey rides anymore.

It’s time for change. A new fantasy emerges. It’s you starting the day with a smoothie, not just any smoothie, a handmade smoothie. Yes, you’re a smoothie girl now. You’re going for a run through a grassy area that doesn’t even exist where you live, but that doesn’t matter, because you look breathtaking. The wind is sweeping through your hair. A podgy woman eating a bagel gives you a wistful look from the corner of her eye. This woman is Pamela Anderson. A cute guy running with an even cuter dog gives you a wink as he passes you. Life is complete.

After you’ve started your day with a healthy cereal (because your smoothie tasted like sh*t) and attempted your fi rst exercise work out, you suddenly see yourself as the wise health conscious person you were born to be. It is now not enough

to look after yourself; you turn to your loved ones and suddenly fi nd them to be reminiscent of the whale in your fantasies. The poor thing. You must give them a helping hand. After all, not everyone can be as fabulous as you.

Gently point out that they might also like to try a few exercises with you or change their eating habits. If they smile at you and tell you that they’re perfectly happy and content with who they are, you must tell them that they are wrong and that they are perpetually unhappy. You are now a righteous and wise woman and know what is best for everyone.

At around the second week of January you may fi nd that you have run out of steam. Your partner is suddenly not a whale at all; instead they are exactly what you want to be in life, totally content and stuffi ng their face with chocolate and a Dominoes pizza. Now you’re

sat on the kitchen fl oor with the lights turned off crying whilst trying to lick the last morsel of chocolate off your fi ngertips.

If you’re not a smoothie psycho or don’t have the right climate for romantic runs in the park, you could just lighten up and take a sensible approach to dieting and New Year’s resolutions. Smaller portions of food, cutting out the snacks and joining a gym are great ways to start. If you’re at university, there’ll be a relatively cheap or totally free gym on campus for you to use so you don’t have to break the bank. Make the most of it. Nothing makes me feel like more of a wonder woman than keeping up a better heart rate than the coughing and spluttering asthmatic next to me on the running machines.

If you do manage to keep your resolutions, then bravo to you. Try not to brag about it too much though. Chances are half your friends either did not

stick to their own or make any at all. The latter is more likely. So if you’re out for lunch looking annoyingly skinny and digging into a Mediterranean salad then spare us the details of just how much weight you’ve lost. Yes we’re all jealous of you. Yes you’re fabulous. You are now in Mrs Special K league and you deserve it. We shall give you a standing ovation next you enter a room.

However, even the most successful and healthiest of you may fi nd that you take your foot of the accelerator a few months down the line. The only running you do is for catching the bus and the healthy cereals in your cupboard have discreetly been replaced with Tony the Tiger and his friends. But that’s okay, you’re allowed a break. And I secretly idealise Tony the Tiger more than the Special K lady any way…

Are new year’s resolutions really worth the hassle?Helen Vaudrey

Ingredients:

4 egg whites2 ½ cups icing sugar1 cup cocoa2 tbsp fl our1 tsp instant coff ee1 tbsp water1 cup fi nely chopped walnuts (optional if allergic)1 bag of chocolate chips

Method:

1) preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius2) With an electric whisk, or hand whisk if patient, whisk the egg whites until stiff 3) Sift the sugar, cocoa, fl our and coff ee in to the whites. Add the water and contune to beat on a low speed, until slightly mixed4) Then put it on a high speed until incorporated.5) With a spatula mix in the nuts and chocolate chips until evenly spread6) Place generous spoonfuls on two grease papered baking trays.

7) Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

NOTE: The trick to making them hard on the outside and gooey on the inside is to get them out when they are just slightly cracked on top, but when you poke with a tooth pick the inside sticks to the toothpick.

8) Once removed from oven, leave to cool slightly and then remove cookies with a spatula to a wire cooling rack.

Gooey, chewy, chocolate cookiesAmy Hughes

Recipe of the week

06 : Features ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2013WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM

The British Fashion Awards took place at the end November and I feel it is awful that I haven’t been able to cover it in here as of yet. So, late, yes, but with London Fashion week just around the corner, it seems only topical for me to comment upon the awards of the fashion world. The BFAs recognize the most influential people in fashion today and celebrates their development in the fashion industry. The British Fashion Awards are held every year and for more than 20 years, the BFAs has been celebrating the contributions of British designers, creatives and models to the international fashion scene.The British fashion awards selection panel are made up of three core groups,

and it is these people that make the important and hard decision of the winners and nominees. The groups consist of the British Fashion Council’s Press Committee joined by key buyers and retailers, our Menswear Panel, comprising leading menswear style commentators and stylists; and a dedicated International panel, which brings together leading industry names from across the globe.

There are 12 awards, ranging from outstanding achievement in fashion, to designer of the year. Stella McCartney picked up the designer of the year award, which in my opinion was extremely well deserved. Her collections have been mesmerizing this year and extremely influential to British fashion. Harold Tillman received the special recognition award for his

term as chairman of the British Fashion Council and his contribution to the fashion industry. The British Fashion Award for Outstanding

Achievement in Fashion, was awarded to Manolo Blahnik. He is quite possibly one of my

favourite designers. His impact on the fashion industry throughout his career has been massive, and his extraordinary vast contribution to fashion was recognized greatly through this award. I’m still saving up for a pair of Manolo’s, I’ll have them on my feet one day...London Fashion week is approaching, it is being held from the 21st-24th February, being one of the most influential weeks in the fashion industry and one of the most talked about events on the calendar, it seems only right that I go… Catch my column every week in The Salfordian. To read more of my blogs, search @LowriWyn_1 on Twitter

Lowri Loves...the BFAs

Lowri Williams Features editor

Each week, The Salfordian’s features editor shares her fashion tips and the latest from the catwalks

How did the comedy night get started? I did Media and Performance at the University of Salford

and in third year I started doing stand-up comedy. Then I was drunk in the bar one night in 2008 and asked them: why don’t they run a comedy night? And they didn’t know, so being drunk and adventurous I asked I could speak to the manager, so I did and he said that he wanted to do one but didn’t know how. I said, “Well I’ll get the comedians, you open the bar and we’ll go from there!” We just landed on our feet with it really and it turned into something really great.

It is always nice to give something back to the Students’ Union. I’ve not been a student for years, and I’m still back every two weeks. It’s always nice to do stuff like this. Local comedy needs all the help it can get really.

Why should Salford students come along to the comedy night?

It’s amazing, it’s such a beautiful gig. It’s always getting better and comedians love playing it. A lot of people think because it’s a student night it’s all amateurs but it is full time professionals. The line-up you get here is exactly the same as you’d get at the Frog and Bucket or Comedy Store and you’d be paying up to £20 for tickets there.

The crowd are great, it’s always a friendly night for everyone. It goes from strength to the strength.

It’s been five years, and I can still count on one hand the deaths on stage. As a comedian you knowif a crowd are enjoying themselves. They give you the buzz, and you perform to your best level.

Everyone loves it, and you can’t get better for three quid! It’s cheap at the bar and you’re getting a great night out. It’s ideal for everyone.

Tell us about some of the comedians that have played the comedy night in the past

We’ve had some great comedians. Alex Boardman played

here, Seymour Mace, who was on ‘Ideal’. Our Jason has played here a few times, either before tours or as a top up. All the professional acts from the circuit have all come down and played it, which is lovely.

Can Salford students perform at the event? We do get students that are studying at the University. On

the night it starts with myself, the compere, an opening act, which will be an established act, and the middle section is two open spots. So it’s open to everyone, brand new comedians or students from the University. It’s open to everyone, and that’s the beauty of it as well. It gives you a chance to work with established comedians and get some advice if you want to be a comedian or just wanted to try it. If you’re the funny one in your group of mate you might think you want to give the stand-up lark a go.

It’s a nice place to start. The Frog and Bucket is great, but when you’re doing ‘beat the frog’, you’ve got up to five minutes and it’s a controlled environment. The pressure’s there. You’re already nervous because it’s your first time on stage, and knowing that at any point you could get ‘frogged off’ the stage. Whereas nights like this, it’s pressure free really. No one’s really expecting a lot from the middle section. The headline, the compere and the opening act – that’s the big players. So it’s a nice environment to be in if you’re the new guy.

What’s coming up for the comedy night? It’s going to carry on every two weeks, and we’re thinking

of maybe bringing in someone else of Jason’s profile for the last show before the summer. It’s pointless doing specials every month, because then it’s not that special! So maybe in future we’ll plan a freshers one, a Christmas one, and an end of year one.

To find out more about the comedy night go to www.salfordstudents.com. If you are interested in perfomaning at an upcoming event, email A,.E.Gibson@salford.ac.uk. If you would like to get invovled in the Students’ Union but performance isn’t your thing, it’s never too late to join a sports or activity group! Go to www.salfordstudents.com/activities/ to find out more about societies at Salford.

Salfordian Q&A:Colin Manford

Ph

oto

grap

h: A

rt C

om

men

ts @

ww

w.fl

ick

r.co

m

Amanda MaceEditor

Stand-up comedian and Salford graduate Colin Manford founded the Students’ Union comedy night and has since then worked to bring quality acts to Bar Yours – including his brother Jason! He speaks to Amanda Mace about the event and his time at Salford.

Discussion : 27ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2013WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM

Poetry corner

randomness is his faithdetermined to escape the dilemma

patriarchal light from ancient candlesthat bursts the cells of your body

I will expect you therefor acts of God, crises and powerthe fence can be seen from afarwhite stones found in the mist

it is called here at this point and point of timenine holes in the soul

here she begins hummingcontrolling certain types of movement

all this is very finedust in a steady shower

One should hope not to gets one’s political views from popular entertainment. However, I personally cannot help feeling a resonant pang of indignation and heavy sense of shame when the character Lester Freamon , of The Wire, voices his opinion on inner-city Baltimore’s alarmingly high homicide rate amongst African-American youth:

“You think that if 300 white people were being killed in this city – every year –they wouldn’t send in the 82nd Airborne? Negro, please.”

America’s rates for Homicide, gun crime, gang warfare and imprisonment are jaw-slackening in the least. In Baltimore, Maryland (known to Police as the hyper-macabre ‘Bodymore, Murderland’), the population is slightly over 600,000 and, last year alone, there were over 200 murders. If such a murder rate is applied to New York – with a population of 8.1 million – that city would be having over 2,700 homicides a year. Last year in Detroit saw over 1,000 shootings, resulting in 379 fatalities in a city of under 700,000. It speaks volumes that these figures were not shown on any foreign media. Occasionally, an atrocity of such appalling gravity permeates the international media machine, such as the massacres at Waco, Columbine High School, Virginia Tech and, most recently, Sandy Hook Elementary. The latter, as usual with one of these incidents which are becoming sickeningly formulaic, has re-ignited the debate about armament in America, an aspect of US life which kills around 10,000 people a year.

However, the ongoing ‘feuds’ and ‘rivalries’ between street gangs across America provide a huge body count every year and are now, slowly but surely, being forced to the back of collective memory. I would go as far as to label these gang wars as civil wars which are systematically being played down using a variety of excuses, ranging from poverty and unemployment on the left to race and nationality on the right.

Here is the most startling way I can introduce the matter: five times as many people have been killed in the ongoing war between the Bloods

and Crips in Los Angeles than in the sectarian conflict, or ‘Troubles’, in Northern Ireland. Bear in mind also that the Bloods and Crips are now criminal franchises which stretch across America and partake in criminality on a huge scale and that this horrific tally is from Los Angeles alone.

It would require a massive book to record every instance of gang warfare in Modern America and the mix of shame and shock invoked, so I will focus on this conflict for the time being. Many similarities are borne between the situation in LA and the Troubles; both LA and NI have a relationship with their respective police departments and armed forces which, at best, can be described as ambivalent. The Royal Ulster Constabulary and their feared, Protestant partisan force known as the ‘B Specials’ wreaked havoc in Catholic estates, much as the LAPD was (and still are) renowned for operating with no decent restraint against the Black and Hispanic populations of LA. When troops were deployed in both regions – the National Guard in LA and various regiments of the British Army in NI – the relationship between the residents and the units were fraught with loathing and tainted by bloodshed of civilians.

During the Watts riots in 1968 and the LA riots in 1992, many of those killed by the National Guard in their ‘pacification’ were found to be unarmed and shot in the back - an almost uncanny resemblance to the massacre of protesters by the Parachute Regiment on Bloody Sunday.

The socio-political structure of LA and NI also stitched oppression and ethnic tension into their fabric; The Northern Irish Civil Rights Movement was sparked by Republican politicians – Austin Currie in particular – squatting in Council Housing disallowed to Catholic families by an overwhelmingly Protestant Government. In LA’s city planning of the Watts area, ‘non-whites’ were planned to be the recipients of this poor housing and the Police Chief William H. Parker, who ran the Police department as an almost military unit, was instructed to treat any non-white in Watts as potentially hostile. In both regions, any protest made for Civil Rights was stopped in a near clinical manner.

Furthermore, the criminal

gangs and paramilitary groups in LA and NI respectively both emerged in number when the local citizenry – somewhat naively, yet unsurprisingly - decided they had to defend their own community and take up arms. It also has the added misery of recent inter-communal warfare flaring, with different sets of the same groups engaging in open warfare. Furthermore, the nowadays dissident Republican and Loyalist groups now engage in criminality ranging from drug dealing to bank robbing and people and arms trafficking, somewhat discrediting their claim to political status. The paramilitaries and the LA street gangs now mirror each other in their actions.

Where the British Government can save face for at least attempting to quell violence and establish the welcome ceasefire and lasting peace agreement by devolving the counter-productive Stormont government, the city, state and federal governments of the United States of America have categorically failed the citizens of Los Angeles and the surrounding counties. Nowadays, Northern Ireland is an economically thriving centre of business and any act of violence, intimidation and murder by fringe dissidents receives derision and condemnation at every level from a people now committed to a lasting peace. The suffering only continues for Los Angeles as the shifting gang landscape now includes hundreds of gangs, all determined to leech life from the surrounding area and kill as many of each other as possible. The detestable attempts to calm this volatile area have resulted in only more harrowing violence and rioting.

The short-sighted attempts at policing this area have only increased the resilience of a people in deep contempt of the state and are somewhat confirming David Simon’s view that the war on these gangs more and more resembles ‘The War against the Underclass.’

Unless America can look this problem squarely in the face and deal with it in an appropriate and humanitarian manner, there will be a day when the Federal Government can no longer turn its head to the monster it has created and the victims of its terrifying rampage.

Alexander Garvey Holbrook

The secret civil war

Beth Cunniffe

College sonnet 1

College sonnet 2birds in layers on the sky

they are waiting for me to diesand scorches the feet

wishes crackle on all sideslove distinguished absence and death

someone calls meof Egyptian origin

cast out by the seaside, lost and beatthe accent isn’t new to recognisethe voice in the water slithering

the barest coolness of your tonguehe is alive, he is breathing freely

Sunday was pardon and desperationwe don’t even bother to laugh any more

28 : Arts ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2013WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM

If only we were all born in the heyday of rock music, we would have been able to swing to rock ‘n’ roll like there was no tomorrow, tattoo an anarchy symbol on our forehead and attend trippy sessions where The Doors were kings. But some of us were not and can only dream of the clashes of genres that nursed our contemporary bands in to existence. When bands like Black Sabbath were making their first statements as the Occult Fathers of Rock other musicians were longing for a new form of music that shied away from the usual verse-chorus-verse agenda.

Every decade has its musical response to the stream of yesteryear and bands like Pink Floyd and King Crimson responded to the need for complexity and surreal form that the legacy of hard rock geniuses had left behind. It was towards the end of the stoner-rock 60s that such bands started to appear in the public eye. Bands from Britain and from across the pond felt that there was a need to intensify the musical scene and started coming up with albums that were deemed experimental at the time.

Their reign of musical fire lasted up to the 80s when the punk movement started to take shape and the popularity of progressive rock started to dim only to be reinvented in the late 90s and early 2000s. With the passing of time progressive rock started to morph towards various other genres and took a liking to metal. Dream Theater, one of the most influential contemporary progressive acts started to shine and along with it came a new wave of artists.

Progressive rock and metal has come to have a small, but loyal fan base all around the world. Geographically, the appreciation for this sub-genre shifted mainly towards Britain and Eastern and Central Europe. “In all honesty we target mainland Europe a lot more than the United Kingdom” says the lead singer of Enochian Theory, Ben Harris-Hayes. “We understand that mainland Europe is a lot more accepting to ‘rock/metal’ music overall, it gets in those respective nation’s music charts and is more respected, where as here, we’re sadly lumped with whatever turgid pop turd that the latest music reality TV show has spat out..” he says when asked about the reason for which they play most of their shows abroad.

It appears nowadays that progressive acts are having to work more and more for their fame. Notable bands such as Opeth and even Dream Theater played their music for years and years until receiving international acclaim. As with most rock genres that have subsisted over the years, the glamor of the glory days slowly dimmed and bands need to work overtime in order to come up with something fresh and appealing. “Prog was obviously a lot more popular in the 70s, therefore bands were catapulted to worldwide fame in short periods of time. Nowadays,

due to prog’s decimated fan-base, bands have to put in huge amounts of work over long periods of time to get the recognition they deserve. Porcupine Tree, for example, had to pay their dues for about 20 years before people really started turning their heads. Likewise, I think Opeth were playing together for about 15 years before they could quit their day jobs.” says Ross Jennings, the lead vocalist of critically acclaimed Haken.

Ben Harris-Hayes also talked about Enochian Theory’s slow climb to recognition. “Sadly, it’s all a giant business and we’re selling a product. I personally don’t have a problem with this aspect of it as long as we can keep on doing music we want to do and business doesn’t affect what we do musically. We’re of the belief that with hard work and dedication to your cause, you can achieve just what you set out to no matter what stands in your way. Considering how we’ve come from a badly recorded home demo to now releasing our 2nd album on a bigger label I think our path in under 10 years has been quite special.”

When asked about the way he thought the progressive scene looked nowadays Haken’s front man said that “In terms of music, I’d say the current scene is just as, if not more, vibrant as it was back in the 70s. There are so many bands out there at the moment that it’s quite hard not to find something that tickles your fancy. The legendary bands like Gentle Giant,

Yes and Pink Floyd pioneered the way for us younger bands, so we owe a lot to them”

It comes to no surprise that the giants of the past still have a big impact on the music we hear today. Bands like Yes, King Crimson and Jethro Tull are still rocking out in sold out venues, but more and more bands also find inspiration in their peers as well. With many festivals such as “Night of Prog”, “ProgFest” and “Rites of Spring Festivals” aiming to create an environment for bands to reach greater audiences it’s becoming easier than before for bands to make a name for themselves.

So, will we be witnessing a whole new era of progressive rock or will the current social and economic climate muffle the sounds? Progressive rock was deemed elitist and pretentious back in the 70s when Britain was suffering its economic backlash and punk came into being. There is still a subconscious fear that it will be the case yet again and with this genre of music not being as strong as it was back then, it comes to no surprise that people still appreciate pop-punk over cinematic musical experiences.

Progressive rock acts might never again reach Genesis stardom, but they will always be a ray of hope to fans around the world. This genre has come to be the silver lining of music without a platinum future, but one of masterfully crafted albums and a loyal fan base.

Music Feature

Gymnast Beth Tweddle’s routines on the hit show Dancing on Ice are becoming ‘stronger’, according to the show’s judge Robin Cousins.

Tweddle scored an impressive 23 tonight to finish joint third with former rugby player Gareth Thomas, who survived the skate-off last week.

Finishing ahead were soap stars Samia Ghadie and Matt Lapinskas from Coronation Street and Eastenders respectively.

The Olympic medallist danced to Steps’s hit song ‘5-6-7-8’ with partner Dan Whiston, who has won two previous series of the show.

The judges, who also include former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, were divided in their response despite this being Tweddle’s finest routine to date.

Cousins: “You’re definitely getting stronger.“You are really strong and comfortable with all the tricks.”Roberts added: “It was a big performance.“I want more from you on the emotional side of things.”Nevertheless, returning judge and choreographer Jason

Gardiner was neither constructive nor complimentary in his feedback.

Gardiner said: “This was a great opportunity to show your fun side.

“Unfortunately, you showed none.”Tweddle, in true professional sense, took Gardiner’s

harsh criticism on the chin and remained upbeat about her performance.

She said: “I’m really happy with my performance.“I’ll bear in mind what the judges have said and I’ll come

back stronger.”Tweddle is currently the second favourite to win Dancing on

Ice with odds of 5/2 behind Lapinskas, who has odds of 5/6.

Improvement for Beth on Ice Skating Show

Matthew McKenna

Television

Do Giants Still Roam The Earth?Sally LeiboviciArts editor

Careers : 29 ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2013WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM

To � nd out more about careers and opportunities, or to apply for the volunteering or job openings below, visit www.careers.salford.ac.uk

Organisation: Beating Bowel Cancer Position: Charity Collectors

Deadline: 15-Mar-2013 Friday

Location: Openshaw, Stockport, Gorton

Part-time

Position description:

Beating Bowel Cancer is looking for volunteers to help at a weekend of collection at Morrisons supermarket in Tyldesley.

Volunteers are required to commit to 2 hours and travel expenses will be reimbursed. Lunch to the value of £5 when volunteering for more than 4 hours will also be provided.

Volunteers will receive information on the charity, collection guidelines plus charity t-shirts and buckets.

Anyone interested in helping out, needs to email rachel.thomas@beatingbowelcancer.org or call Rachel on 07825910943.

Volunteering opportunity

Job vacancyof the week

Organisation : Accommodation for Students Position: AFS Student Team Salary: £6.19 per hour

Location: Manchester Deadline: 21-Feb-2013 Thursday

Students will need to have strong knowledge about their respective countries and preferably have past experience of looking for university accommodation in this country. Candidates must be passionate about research and be able to provide advice and guidance regarding their past university accommodation choices in their home countries. The role itself will require: Candidates to help identify target markets in student university areas within the aforementioned countries. To be able to confi dently communicate with students looking for accommodation on our website who have requested to be part of a student house. Students must be able to confi dently use Microsoft Word and have access to a computer. If the area’s fi rst language isn’t English we would require candidates to be able to uphold a degree of fl uency in that language. Candidates must have the right to live and work in the UK and must be able to travel to Didsbury once a week. The candidate must be available to work Monday-Friday for a few hours a day to maintain the website.

Organisation: Team V Stockport Position: Core and general volunteers Deadline: 24-Feb-2013 Sunday

Location: Stockport

Core Volunteers: You will be part of a team of up to 10 volunteers, the ‘main organisers’, helping to organise and run social action campaigns in Stockport. Will need to be committed to the whole of the campaign and attend team meetings on a regular basis. Your role could include, but is not limited to the following: EVENTS COMMITTEE - to look for/book venues. Think of activities and source materials. MEDIA COMMITTEE- To promote Team v Stockport and the campaigns. Write articles for Stockport Express. Manage FB/twitter pages. Write blogs. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE - To contact organisations/businesses/schools community groups etc. to see if they want to be involved/keep them informed and involved in the campaigns. Source potential performers/donators etc. BUDGETING COMMITTEE -To liaise with all teams to fi nd out what they need and to source the best prices available. CREATIVE COMMITTEE - To produce fl yers/poster for the campaigns. To take photographs/fi lm the events (where appropriate). General Volunteers: You will provide more of a one off support role to the team. This could involve being an extra pair of hands at an event, helping to promote the campaign or sourcing a specifi c item.

Volunteering opportunity of the week

Jobvacancy

Organisation : Free Radical Recruitment

Position: Animator or Illustrator required

Salary: £10 per hour/ up to £240

Location: Salford

Deadline: 5-Mar-2013 Tuesday

Person Requirements

Free Radical Recruitment is searching for a student with animation or illustration experience to develop some virtual illustrations & a video for our website. The works involves creating some very simple virtual illustrations with a 20 sec video. This is a one off contract that should not take longer that 24 hours. We are willing to pay £10 per hour, up to a maximum of £240 for the whole job.

Please apply with a portfolio of previous work by email to Edward Ashworth on edward.ashworth@hotmail.co.uk.

Spotlight on... a career in PRLondon-based consumer PR agency Shine is on the hunt for the restlessly brilliant stars of the future. Think you’ve got what it takes?If you will have graduated by summer 2013 and are looking to kick-start a career in PR then you should consider applying for our graduate programme. Have a look around our site http://www.shinecom.com and get the feel of our agency. If you can see yourself being part of the Shine team, then read on. We’re off ering four paid graduate placements to start in summer 2013 for three months. The lucky candidates will be working as part of a dedicated team on a number of Shine’s clients and will be mentored by some of the best PR professionals in the business. Key timings:•Entry closing date: 7th March 2013•Phone interviews for successful applicants: w/c 18th March 2013•A fi nal shortlist of applicants will be invited to Shine for the next stage on 11th April 2013•Graduate placements will start from June 2013Please note, YOU MUST HAVE GRADUATED BY THIS SUMMER! Please don’t apply if you will be going back to university after the summer holiday.

To be in with a chance of being one of our 2013 grads please send your CV and a covering letter for the attention of Louise Breslin to: grads@shinecom.com Within your covering letter we would like you to tell us about your skills:�- Why would you be suited to a job in PR?�- Which recent PR story really caught your attention?�- Any dates you aren’t available to work over the summer and the reason whyWe would like to get to know you a little better, so please tell us (in no more than 200 words for each point):�- Three interesting facts about yourself�- What it is that drew you to apply to Shine?�- What your favourite brand, fi lm or product is – and what you would do to launch it to the media/target audience�- And anything else you think best shows off your creativity - it could be a photo, video, poem, piece of writing or a presentation, it’s really up to you

The closing date for entries is the 7th March 2013. If you are successful in the fi rst stage of application you will be contacted for a short phone interview*. If you impress us you will be invited to come and show us what

you’re all about here at Shine. If you’re one of the four chosen ones you will be invited to complete a four month paid placement, with the possibility of more if you really shine…- Please note if you haven’t received a phone call by 23rd March your application has therefore not been successful. Good Luck!If you would like to come and experience working at Shine we also off er work experience placements throughout the year. If you are interested please send your CV along with a covering letter and the dates you’re available to shineworkexperience@shinecom.com fao Marie

Why not get involved!National Student Volunteering week

Volunteering Marketplace Tuesday 12 Feb, 12pm – 2pm, International Life Centre An opportunity to come and meet organisations with volunteering opportunities and equally discuss any ways you can use your skills to get involved in other ways.

Regional Environmental Volunteering SessionWednesday 13 Feb, 11am – 4pm, Platt Fields Park, Manchester At this practical session, you can get involved in lots of diff erent conservation activities alongside students from Manchester, MMU and UCLan.

I LOVE…EventThursday 14 Feb, 12pm – 3pm, International Life CentreAt this event, you’ll have plenty of chances to explore and interact with about why you love or have a passion for that theme – we have volunteering, community, environment, the world and more and we have the local Women’s Institute, Salford Angels providing Afternoon Tea and cake, so this is well worth a look!

Let the University know what you get up to as part of the week! @USCATs #SVW2013 There is also a photo competition you can submit you volunteering images to (details on the website) #SVW2013 and #gogreensalford For more information go to: www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/nsvw

Volunteering helps others, is great fun, and looks fantastic on your CV too! Here’s some events the University is hosting this week to celebrate National Student Volunteering week.

30 : Your Union ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2013WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM

vpst-ussu@salford.ac.uk0161 351 5400

vpcass-ussu@salford.ac.uk0161 351 5400

Tom DoyleVice President Science

and Technology

Eli ProdromovaVice President Arts and

Social Sciences

vphsc-ussu@salford.ac.uk0161 351 5400

president-ussu@salford.ac.uk0161 351 5400

Mishal SaeedVice President Health and

Social Care

Christina KennedyPresident

Having any problems with your course? Is there any issues that you would like to raise? Find out how to contact your sabbatical officers below

Post Graduate Research: student representatives

Are you interested in getting involved in student representation? Email Kimberley Neal at student-representation@salford.ac.uk

Academic research is arguably the most important activity that universities around the world undertake. There would be nothing to teach undergraduates or masters students if academic research and inquiry had not taken place in the relevant subject area. Students undertaking research degrees like PhDs have very different student experiences to those studying for taught degrees; in basic terms they don’t get ‘taught’ at all! Research students work with supervisors to undertake independent study in their chosen area of specialism, and some are also given teaching responsibilities, so may lead undergraduate classes or lab sessions. To ensure that the needs of this group of students are being met by both the University and Students’ Union, PGR Student Representatives sit on major committees and feedback concerns and issues to the Union. You can find the details of PGR Reps at the bottom of this page, and if you are a PGR student with questions or concerns, please get in contact with them.For more information about PGR, you can contact the President on President-ussu@Salford.ac.uk

What is Postgraduate Research?

First thing was becoming a student rep. As I am sure many cohorts can relate to, there is often an unwillingness to get involved in student representation. The Post graduate Cohort was no different. After a few persuading emails a fellow PGR (postgraduate researchers) that shared my office at the time put their name down at the time but only of the back of sharing the

role. This was quite reasonable as we both had teaching responsibilities in addition to our research. I volunteered and so became a student PGR rep.The role entailed attending the staff student meetings in which the views of students were presented in order to improve the student experience which is ultimately the main purpose of the student rep system. To date the biggest change that has been instigated is the PGR personal tutoring. It was discussed that certain students do not feel they can talk to their personal

tutor especially regarding concerns that the personal tutor works too closely with the supervisory team. This was raised at the staff student meeting with a logical solution proposed by myself. The concern was accepted as was my proposal and as such there is now a new system in place for allocating personal tutors to post graduate researchers. This not only allowed students to feel comfortable discussing issues which may be perceived as negative by the supervisor but also provided a contact, a separate

face away from the research team. There has recently been restructuring with the student representation system to form a much more focused communication network with representatives working for the course reps in the roles of learning and teaching, postgraduate research, and engagement. Since taking the role of College PGR rep I feel that it has undoubtedly aided my development towards being a full time academic though my place on three committees I sit on (PGR research Senate

subcommittee, College Research and Innovation Committee, and college research ethics committee) through increasing not only my awareness of university administration and research but also though increasing my confidence working with some very well respected and influential staff members. I feel privileged to have been offered the role and I would certainly recommend the role of student representative to any current student representitives.

Jon Radcliffe Postgraduate Research Rep for the

College of Health and Social Care

Jon Radcliffe Michelle Hussain Chrissy Patman

ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2013WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM Sport & Activties: 31

Sport & Activity groups at SalfordFor more information about Students’ Union sport and activity groups, visit www.salfordstudents.com

On Tuesday’s the debating society meet in Boardroom 2 of University House.

The topic of our latest debate was ‘Should America restrict their right to bear arms?’

For the restriction of the right to bear arms were arguing that guns equalled shooting, no matter how careful the owner is at the end of the day it is a weapon designed to kill with relative ease. For also drew comparison to the Dunblane School Massacre as it was one of the deadliest criminal acts involving firearms within the UK, and how gun control as a result of the aftermath of the massacre has proved to be effective. In the seventeen years since Dunblane, there has only been one mass shooting within the UK.

Against the restriction of the right to bear arms were arguing that we shouldn’t give into a knee-jerk response

to what had happened in Newtown. An example used by against was that if there was a serious deadly car accident we wouldn’t be jumping to ban cars. Against also argued that even though we don’t have armed police, we have an armed response team for a reason. Against also argued that ownership doesn’t mean that people will go out and kill, citing Switzerland and Norway as examples of countries with high gun ownership but low gun crime rates.

Originally the debate was a draw between for and against so the chair person went to the Sabbs to ask for their verdict. With the Sabbs’ verdict for won the debate.

Next week the debate will be ‘Are mainstream Radio Stations dying out due to a surge in an online presence?’

The society would also like to invite everyone to a debate on 19th February entitled ‘Are psychopaths truly responsible for their criminal behaviours?’ With psychologist Kerry Daynes.

Debate: Should America restrict the right to bear arms?

What is Enactus?Enactus Salford, formerly

known as SIFE Salford, is a student run social enterprise and an affiliated society of the University of Salford Student’s Union. The team is currently undertaking two projects and is actively searching for more members.

Enactus Salford aims to inspire, improve and transform the quality of life and standard of living, for thousands of people both locally and globally. For our student team members, Enactus projects set them apart from their peers, by providing an environment in which to express and develop relevant skills to make them more employable in the future.

Why join Enactus?Being a part of one

of the largest global student organizations has its benefits. Having Enactus on your CV looks great. Companies understand the important role participation in Enactus has played in your development and they recruit heavily at Enactus events. From recruiting booths to job offers and interviews,

Enactus competitions are the link between the job market and university students. Enactus is part of an international o r g a n i z a t i o n sponsored by some of the world’s top companies (e.g. 3M, Pfizer, Phillips, KPMG, Aflac, and Unilever) who heavily recruit Enactus students. Simply put, Enactus is your connection to the job market and puts you a set above the rest. If you’re looking to grow in new directions, Enactus offers a variety of leadership roles, whether it’s leading a project, managing team resources, or simply sharing your ideas. If you’re looking to grow in new

directions, Enactus offers a variety of leadership roles, whether it’s leading a project, managing team resources, or simply sharing your ideas.

There is a training event at 1p.m. on 6th February, hosted by the Northern Programme leader of Enactus. 2 Business advisors from Centrica will also be attending as well.

If you are interested in attending you can fill your JOIN US FORM at www.enactussalford.com

ENACTUS SalfordEnactus Committee

Lishi Tai Chi

Lishi has the potential to change your life. It is an ancient art and science that teaches the cultivation of Qi (the body’s natural energy). Lishi is made up of two main arts; the Yin Arts and the Yin Plus Arts. The Yin Arts consist of slow, soft movements and exercises to nourish the Qi energy of the body. The Yin Plus Arts use the overflow of Qi developed in the Yin arts in a faster, more dynamic way.

As well as giving you tools to manage the everyday stresses of student life, Lishi in time can give you the keys to living your life to the full. If you are under the weather you can lift your spirits by doing exercises that energise. If you are wound up you can do exercises that calm your mind and relax you.

You learn to take control of aspects of your life which were beyond your control before.

Lishi comes from Weihai in Shandong province, North East China and has developed from the original system created over three thousand years ago. The International Daoist Society runs Lishi classes all over the world teaching this including America, Germany France and the UK. Salford University is unique in having access to an instructor training this unique system.

During the classes students are introduced to a wide range of exercises that make up Lishi, including Daoist Taijiquan (Tai Chi) forms including the

Square Yard and Flying Hands.

Kai Men, a system of Daoist Yoga to open up your energy channels. Dao Yin, breathing exercises for good health. Qi Gong where students will learn how to

use and direct their intrinsic energy. Feng Shou (Hand of the Wind) Kung Fu, a dynamic system of self-defence

Jane Austwick spoke of the gorup: ‘‘Having spent quite some years in a dance environment, I was looking for something to replace that, without putting the impact on my joints dance had.

After taking my first Lishi Tai Chi class, I felt exuberant and I was surprised how flowing the Lishi was, while still giving a gentle but deep muscle workout. Spiritually, I felt free and relaxed and I would recommend the experience to everyone.’”

For more information, email wan-ley@lishi.org or visit http://www.salfordstudents.com/taichi. Alternatively, you could simply turn up at the Squash Courts, Salford University Sports Hall, Fridays 13.30pm-15.00pm. Hope to see you there!

Wan-Ley Yeung

Salford’s rowing team have had a very successful start to their 2012/13 season and this may all be down to the amount of hard work the team puts in. Luke Betts spoke to Tristan Hollis, the senior rowing captain, to get his take on how he has seen his men and women progress throughout the year.

Firstly, what training does the club do and how is this going for your team?

We train four/five times per week on the water, four times a week on the rowing machines, and twice a week doing circuit training. It’s pretty tough, but great when you get into it. The refuelling can get expensive though, rowers seem to be constantly eating!

The training is working out very well for the whole team, not everyone does this much, but we’re getting some great results this year.

Have Salford recently entered any competitions and if so how did they go?

The most competitive race we’ve entered recently is the White Rose Head in York. The Senior Men’s VIIIs race was won by York, followed by Manchester (second) and Salford (third), but we beat a few crews and embarrassed Manchester’s second VIII by overtaking them even though they started 20 seconds ahead.

The fresher’s men managed a very impressive win here and the girls competed in the senior category with only one

senior (Ellie Blake), where they placed mid-table, but notably beat all fresher VIIIs by a good margin.

Is the rowing club a popular team?

Because it isn’t a sport many have tried before, we tend to get about 150 people down to try it, and that tends to whittle down to about 20 or 30 people who really fall in love with the sport. I’d say it’s pretty popular, but it’s a bit like Marmite - you either love it or hate it.

What are the teams future aims?

Our main aim this year is to win the Two Cities Boat Race. The Senior Men and Fresher Girls won their races last year (the first Senior Men’s VIII win for 23 years), and this year we hope to build on that by taking the overall. There is also talk of racing at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta, where we’d get the chance to race international level crews.

Are there any individuals that have stood out recently?

There have been a number of individuals standing out recently. The first, Matt Dickenson, a strong fresher who managed to pull the second fastest 5km test time last week and has earned himself a seat in the 1st VIII.

There have been two stand out women, Harriet Cornick, who

has been selected to train several times per day with Hamish Burrel (Olympic gold medalist Katherine Grainger’s first coach), and has come back to Salford to race in the huge Women’s Head of the River Race, a grueling 7km race down the Thames in London. There has also been excellent performances and commitment from Fresher girl Ellen Madden, who has really impressed with the way she’s taken to the sport.

There should also be special mention to Ellie Blake and Harley Pantall for doing such a great job with the girls so far this year.

If you are interested in being a part of Salford’s rowing team, who mainly train at Salford Quays, then feel free to email ussurowing@gmail.com with any questions.

Rowing: Q&A

Madeleine Larmour

Smarter’s photos at www.flickr.com

Smar

ter’s

ph

oto

s at

ww

w.fl

ick

r.co

m

ISSUE 13 / 11 FEBRUARY 2013WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM Sport & Activties: 32

Salford’s men’s badminton team lined up against Chester in a series of singles and doubles matches to test current form last Wednesday.

The first game involved double act Carl Andrews and Andrew Tay of Salford, and it took the duo a while to get into the game. Despite gaining the first point, they soon found themselves behind by a considerable margin due to careless errors and the sheer power inflicted from Chester’s smash shots.

As the first game finished 21 to Salford’s 11 it was clear they needed to improve, and this had to come with more energy and communication between the pair in the next game.

With this is mind, Salford’s men came out with added enthusiasm and really brought it

to the men from Chester. Andrew Tay displayed

glimmers of excellence as he hurled himself around the court to keep the opposition out, while Carl Andrews was on hand to deliver some cheeky finishing net shots. It seemed Andrew Tay had an arm like a traction engine to routinely finish with some scorching smashes to win the second game 21-14.

However it was Chester who took the final game to win the tie 2-1. With an overall more aggressive approach they were able to capitalise at the final hurdle. However the Salford duo did manage to take a win in their second game.

Also in action was Salford’s Shaun Volberg in a singles match against Stuart Preston from Chester. Volberg had won his first match but was up against a tougher test when facing

Preston whose tall figure gave him a marginal advantage.

It was a frustrating first game for Volberg as he hit many of his shots just out of play ending 21-13 to Chester’s Preston.

This looked to have changed slightly in the second game as Volberg took an early lead, but Preston stayed composed moving his opponent around the court nicely to see out the game 21-15 and took the match.

Volberg did however did get his time in the limelight as he paired up with Hormazd Malao to take on Stuart Preston and his Chester team mate once again. Malao injected the missing spark in Volberg’s game as they came away comfortable victors with 21-13 and 21-16 game scores.

With some talented badminton players here at Salford, it looks to be onwards and upwards for the team.

Badminton: Salford 1st v Chester 1stLuke Betts

Salford closed their gap in the league last Wednesday as they defeated nearby rivals Manchester Met with a second half goal from Paul Flanagan.

Going into the match Salford were sat in fourth place in the league with six points, but a crucial win has closed the gap on third position with just three points now separating them from Man Met.

Salford dominated the Castle Irwell pitch from the off, leaving a frustrated Manchester side with little time on the ball.

With great enthusiasm from Chris Woods up and down the

pitch and some superb crosses into the area from Flanagan, Salford were out playing Manchester in all areas. The home side

attacked hard, but unfortunately nothing came from their efforts in the first half.

The away team picked up their tempo slightly in the second half and gave the Salford side a scare just seven minutes in as the ball bounced off the post, but Salford’s defence and keeper were on form and got the ball cleared in no time.

In the 63rd minute Salford got their well earned goal as Flanagan ran clear from the right wing, steaming past Manchester’s defence. Having created space for himself Flanagan superbly executed

his finish as he pelted the ball into the back of the net, leaving Manchester’s keeper stood in dismay.

With one goal already in the bag, Wood’s attempted to double the home side’s scoring with just over five minutes of the half remaining. Wood’s took on Manchester’s defence, but a last minute sliding tackle left his shot going marginally wide.

With victory so close the away team drove hard for an equaliser, but Salford’s defence continued to apply pressure and Manchester’s attempt went in vain as it repelled off the crossbar.

Salford will play at home again this Wednesday as they come head to head with MMU Cheshire’s 2nd team.

Men’s football: Salford 1st v Manchester Met 1st

Bryony PearceSports and activities editor

After a long winter break the equestrian team are back in action this semester. Its second year of running has already welcomed new members and old, and their second semester of the academic year is looking to be a busy one indeed. With an away competition on the cards against the usual teams that are in our mini league: Man Met, UCLAN and Lancaster, at Mobberley Riding centre for next Wednesday February 13th, the team’s first test of the new year certainly looks to be an interesting

one after all the training that has been put in since last year.

The team are also looking for help and supporters for a home ground competition they are trying to organise for March 6th. Team trials for next year are also being organised at the moment so if you’re looking to compete with the team then get in touch now.

If you’re interested in helping out with competitions or fancy joining Salford’s equestrian team then check out their Facebook page for more details by searching ‘Salford University Equestrian Team,’ or email the team at ussuhorseriding@gmail.com. All abilities are catered for and new members are always welcome.

Salford’s equestrian teamSophie Lang

Ph

oto

grap

h: R

ich

ard

Meft

ahP

ho

togr

aph

: Ric

har

d M

eftah

Ph

oto

grap

h: R

ich

ard

Meft

ahP

ho

togr

aph

: Ric

har

d M

eftah

Ph

oto

grap

h: H

ann

a S

jöbe

rg