serenOCTOBER 2003 - THE OFFICIAL ENGLISH-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER OF UWB STUDENTS’ UNION - FREE

MAIN BAR UNDERGOES MAJOR REVAMP

•OPEN FROM 11AM•PLASMA SCREENS•POOL TABLES•CHEAPER DRINKS

ain Bar has recently undergone huge new changes to provide

a better service to the students of Bangor University. Work done by the Entertainments Team has led to a more student friendly environment for all.

The new license to open from 11am Monday – Saturday and the installation of plasma screens are just some of the exciting developments in the plan to make Main Bar a more popular venue for students to spend their free time, be it to play some pool, have a couple of drinks, watch the match, or catch up with their mates. These changes have been long called for by the students of Bangor University. Comparisons to other

Student Unions across Britain have long been made. For example, the majority are open all day till the early hours of the morning, with a variety of entertainment on offer ranging from pool tables and quizzes, to special offers on drinks and meals.

Undoubtedly it is largely the hard work of the Entertainments Manager, Adam Isbell which has led to the changes in Main Bar coming about. He explained that in regard to the new plasma screens in Main Bar and the Curved Lounge, Sky is to be installed this week to cater for all student interests, from football to rowing and fencing; from music to news. Whatever is in demand at the time will

be shown. The screens are part of a new contract between Main Bar and a company which gets revenue from the adverts shown on them. This means that the new additions to Main Bar have cost nothing which in turn means that the money Main Bar now makes will go straight back into it to improve it further, rather than having to pay off the screens.

Not only can you watch Sky on the new screens, but in the next few months they will have webcams and games consoles such as Playstation 2’s installed too, which is certainly an exciting prospect for many students.

MStudents Andrew Glazewski (left) and Barry Stevenson (right) taking advantage of the new facilities in Main Bar

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

NEWS, VIEWS, SU POLITICS, MOVIES, MUSIC, LIFESTYLE, SPORT AND MORE!INSIDEINSIDE

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk NEWS2 OCTOBER 2003

STUDENTS’S UNION, DEINIOL ROAD, BANGOR,

GWYNEDD, LL57 2TH

Tel: (01248) 388017

EditorProduction

Assoc. EditorNews Sports

LifestyleMusic

MoviesCulture

AOB

serenSTUDENTS’S UNION,

DEINIOL ROAD, BANGOR, GWYNEDD, LL57 2TH

Tel: (01248) 388017

EDITOR - Clare Chadwickeditor@seren.bangor.ac.uk

PRODUCTION - Daniel Turnerproduction@seren.bangor.ac.uk

MUSIC- Manoj Koerimusic@seren.bangor.ac.uk

NEWS - Matt Jarrattnews@seren.bangor.ac.uk

MOVIES - Rob Harrismovies@seren.bangor.ac.uk

SPORTS - Keyan Milaniansports@seren.bangor.ac.uk

LIFESTYLE - Lucy Hilllifestyle@seren.bangor.ac.uk

What is Seren?Seren is the offi cial English-language news-paper of the Students’ Union of the University of Wales, Bangor. It is written and produced entirely by students and is published monthly during term time.

Get involved!If you’d like to write for Seren, or get involved in any other way, e-mail the relevant section edi-tor or contact the editor directly at editor@seren.bangor.ac.uk.

Hello and welcome to our mid-term issue of Seren, something the whole team is particularly proud of as it’s our fi rst tabloid paper in two years. We now look and feel like a real newspaper (whohoo!) and even have four pages of full colour. The team has expanded in all directions since Serendipity; we have more writers, researchers, photographers and web-designers. It isn’t just the size of the paper and the team which have got bigger. Our plans for the next year have increased phenomenally with the help of the Union’s CCSO, Draz.

We are pleased to announce a new contract with BAM, which allows us to print 3 x 20 page issues a year, for the next three years, free of charge. We are also able to bring out more papers during this time which we will pay for out of our budget. Bear in mind that previously to publish Seren as a tabloid paper it would have cost over £900 every issue; multiply that by the nine issues they will, at no cost, print for us; I’m sure you will understand our immense gratitude to both BAM and Draz for giving Seren this incredible opportunity. This contract has given us the ability to produce a student paper which demonstrates the team’s potential without such tight fi nancial restraints.

As a result of this we have the space to put in more news, features, reports from Union meetings, reviews and the creation of a Web section which features new sites that we think will be of use to students. I am sure this contract will prove to be a very promising achievement for the team and the Union; more space in the paper will allow more people to voice their opinions about matters close to all our hearts.

This particular issue has been a very positive one for us. Not just because of the contract and the new members of the team but because we have some really refreshing stories about the success of our Union and the students. To name just a few we have the huge improvements in Main Bar; the Union Meeting in Time last week which had over 250 students turning up for; the success of the Bangor University Challenge team which beat Hull in the fi rst round, and the revival of the student Radio Station “StormFM” which is doing incredibly well.

If you think you have the confi dence and the interest to be a part of the Seren team then email me and let me know. Now is the ideal time to join us, while we are on the way up, progressively getting better and better with time and experience. Join us now and help us become the informative and successful newspaper we ultimately aim to be.

For those of you interested in computing, we are soon to start work on completely re-building the Seren website and need as much help and expertise as possible. As always we need more writers for news and sport; or if you are involved with a club, team or society in the Union then email either myself or the relevant sub-editor to let us know how you are getting on. You never know, you and your group may appear in the next issue!

Again, our sincere thanks go to BAM and Draz for providing us with this opportunity.

Hope you enjoy,

Letter from the Editor.

Clare Chadwick, Seren Editor

Page 4 Student Union General Meeting Report

Page 5Bangor team in University Challenge

Page 6Law comes to Bangor Uni

Page 7Possible UWB/NEWI Merger

Page 9 Storm FMPage 12

Film ReviewsPage 13

Music ReviewsPage 14 LifestylePage 15

Web PagePage 17

HalloweenPage 18

Final Year StudentsPage 19

Sport

CONTENTS

HAVE YOUR ADVERTISMENT HERE

CONTACT - editor@seren.bangor.ac.uk

http://seren.bangor.ac.ukNEWS OCTOBER 2003 3

Briefl y...

Mature students are mounting a legal challenge to the government policy of targeting the under 30’s for university expansion. The Mature Students’ Union has confi rmed that it had instructed lawyers in an attempt to have the government’s target to get 50 per cent of all under-30’s into higher education by 2010 declared illegal on the grounds of age discrimination.

Students from poorer backgrounds are four times less likely to go to university than those from better-off backgrounds according to research by South Bank University. It found that students from poor backgrounds were worried about incurring debt. This fear also made students less inclined to go to university

POOR STUDENTS FOUR TIMES LESS LIKELY TO GO TO UNI

TORIES: GRAMMARS ANSWER TO ACCESSThe Tories have announced that new grammar schools are to be introduced in Tory-controlled areas in a bid to widen participation in higher education. Tim Boswell the shadow further and higher education minister said: “If you are interested in widening participation you have to provide opportunities for talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to properly prepare themselves for higher education.”

STUDENT QUOTA ‘AGEIST’

The Royal College of Psychiatrists have called for urgent measures to cope with the rising numbers of students developing mental health problems. In a report they have warned that “the student way of life” and a “lack of pastoral care” has “potent ingredients for distress and psychiatric disturbance.” The organisation also said that fi nancial and academic pressures added to the possibility of students developing mental health problems. Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, stress and eating disorders are becoming increasingly common among students. Dr Mike Hobbs, the author of the report said: “The growth of mental health problems among students and the variability of mental health services for this vulnerable population is a matter of considerable concern.” Helen Symons of NUS said: “Student life is becoming more and more stressful, largely due to the ever increasing debt and hardship students face. It is vital students have access to a decent level of mental health provision. We cannot afford to lose talented students because they have not been able to access the help they need.”

RISE IN STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

The pool table currently in there will be accompanied by a second one in the near future. To play a game it will cost you just 40p, the cheapest game of pool you will fi nd anywhere in the area. It isn’t just the pool tables which are cheap in there. Drinks are particularly cheaper there than in most pubs and clubs around Bangor. We found out a few of our favourite drinks prices.

Pint of Carling - £1.60

Bottle of Carling – £1.30

Double Vodka + Mixer - £1.80

Aftershock, Sambuka, Tequila - £1.50 per shot

Whilst on the subject of alcohol, we asked why there isn’t a happy hour on offer in Main Bar. Adam pointed out that the Union does not encourage binge drinking. The idea of a happy hour encourages students to get as many cheap drinks down them in 60 minutes as possible; to “get wrecked” while they can afford to. Rebecca Kavanagh the SU President and Katherine Croft, the Advice and Representation Offi cer, also said they have been working

together to discourage binge drinking in students. So Adam, what is your solution? “Instead of a happy hour, have a happy ‘day’. The drinks are cheap all day from 11am, the cost will not increase, nor will it decrease as the evening approaches. In this way the students won’t be pushed to do all their drinking in one hour.” He added: “We are here to care and look out for the welfare and safety of the students as well as their entertainment; a happy hour would do more harm than good. They won’t be pressured by us to spend what money they have on alcohol, and certainly not in such a short space of time.”

It all seems too good to be true... new top of the range plasma screens, Sky TV, game consoles, pool tables and a license to serve cheap drinks all day. Next they’ll be handing out free CD’s with your pint! No, we’re being serious. Adam went on to tell Seren that they will occasionally be giving out the latest albums and singles at the bar with your drinks. Is there anything they’ve forgotten? How about a quiz night? Venues Manager, Chris Dobson, was happy to inform us that a quiz will be held there on Tuesday nights if something isn’t booked, which often there isn’t.

So we have the entertainment side of things provided for us during the day and night, but what about our nutritional needs? Fear not, they’ve got that sorted too. Fancy a Curry? What about a Pizza? See below for their irresistible offers that you can get in there from 5 – 8pm.

Mondays – Chinese Meal + Prawn Crackers + 2 pints

Wednesdays – Indian Curry + 2 pints

Fridays – Pizza + 2 pints

And the cost for any of the above meal offers? Just £4.99! And the best is yet to come… the meals are authentic; the Curry for example is cooked by a man from Shri Lanka. You really can’t get better than that.

It is the fi rst time in fi ve years that Main Bar has been open for trade during the day. It is the fi rst time we have had game consoles or Sky TV on offer in there. It is the fi rst time we, as a student body, have felt utterly compelled to spend our free time in the Student Union. So get down there and make the most of what the dedicated Entertainments Team have made available to us. It’s worth every penny you spend.

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk/Visit out web site at the above address to keep up to date with all the

latest Seren news and to fi nd out how to get in contact with us

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk S.U. NEWS4 OCTOBER 2003

RECORD NUMBERS ATTEND UNION MEETING

hey said it could never happen. Over 250 people at a Union General

Meeting? One of those things wistfully dreamed of on summer afternoons by those who care about such things in their occasional idle moments… Surely those meetings are the ones which go on for fi ve or six hours, of which a good four of those are taken up by the quibbles of a hardcore select few, and the rest by indecipherable bureaucracy! Or at least that’s the popular perception and it’s one which on the evidence of past occasions has been diffi cult to contest.

However, the burning issue surrounding this particular General Meeting, held on Tuesday 21 October, was that if a mini-mum of 150 people did not attend, then according to the new constitution which was brought in at the last AGM in April the meeting would not be valid, no votes could be taken, and so the budget for the Clubs, the AU teams and the Societies would not be passed and no-one would get any money. To put this into some perspective, the aforementioned AGM at Theatr Gwynedd was attended by less than 50 people – worrying times? Not at all! Over 200 people arrived, and by 7.20 when the meeting began it was standing room only; hey there were even people sitting on ‘The Forbidden Balcony,’ or the VIP balcony or whatever it’s called these days.

So that was half the battle and Mike Quinn, the Union Chairperson, was look-ing mightily relieved as he opened the meeting in Time a little before 7.30, a feeling he later readily admitted to. The main elements of the Agenda were the

reports from the members of the Execu-reports from the members of the Execu-tive Committee, important in light of tive Committee, important in light of the fact that much of the the fact that much of the recent criticism recent criticism levelled at those who work in the Union work in the Union has surrounded the has surrounded the fact that many stu-fact that many stu-dents feel they don’t dents feel they don’t know what actually know what actually goes on above Main goes on above Main Bar. The reports re-Bar. The reports re-fl ected the tone of fl ected the tone of much of the evening much of the evening in that they were ac-in that they were ac-cessible to those who cessible to those who were new to a meeting were new to a meeting of this kind.

The second key element to the night, and the reason many of those in attend-ance were there was the budget, which is the responsibility of CCSO “Draz”. He summarised details and certain deci-sions which had been taken regarding the distribution of the Union’s considera-ble purse, and following a few questions it was passed by a virtually unanimous majority – as simple as that!

Five new clubs and societies were awarded Union Affi liation:- Ultimate Frisbee- Ninjutsu- Tae Kwon-Do- Dru Yoga- United Nations Society

The United Nations Society, put forward by Andrew Wilson, will raise awareness of international issues around Bangor

and campaign and campaign for human rights. for human rights. Apart from some Apart from some minor concerns minor concerns about the use of about the use of swords in Ninjut-swords in Ninjut-su all fi ve groups su all fi ve groups were elected were elected again by a huge again by a huge majority. The majority. The enthusiasm, com-enthusiasm, com-mitment and skill mitment and skill

of the students in-of the students in-volved must be ap-volved must be ap-

plauded and plauded and congratula-congratula-tions offered on their suc-cessful Un-

ion application.ion application.

The fi nal major part to the evening was an equally positive one, with the three vacant posts on the Executive Com-mittee being fi lled. Those posts are the International

Student’s Offi cer: Kayode Decker; the LGB Offi cer: Polly Taylor; and the Dis-abilities Offi cer: Yvonne Mather. All three spoke eloquently about their respective aims for the groups they represent and the fact that they were all successful is a huge bonus for this year’s Executive, as they all represent minority groups which are so important to the make-up of Stu-dent life in Bangor.

Mike Quinn is extremely encouraged by the evening: “Last night was extremely positive both because of the turn-out and because of the way people appeared to

By Matt Jarratt

T receive it – I just hope that this level of in-terest continues throughout the year.” A great deal of credit must go to Mike’s ac-cessible style of Chairmanship, whereby terms and arguments which could poten-tially mystify a graduate in International Diplomacy were explained clearly and relevantly.

The positive feeling around the Union surrounding this GM appears to high-light the fact that this year has begun extremely positively, with debates on the Intranet Board showing that people are more willing to express their views than ever. That is after all, what the SU is all about. The Sabbatical Offi cers appear to be having a positive and fast-moving effect, with the SU President Rebecca Kavanagh ensuring that Main Bar is now open from 11.00am every day from Monday to Saturday; an overdue change which brings us into line with most other British Universities.

So there we have it. The GM was posi-tive and effective, and is systematic of a good start to the year, but there is a long way to go. 250 out of over 5000 students in Bangor is not a huge percentage, but it is a major step in the right direc-tion for increased Student involvement and knowledge of what is, after all, our Union!

P.S: According to the report of the Wom-en’s Offi cer, Nicola Ferry, after a recent Ann Summer’s Party organised by the Women’s Group, over £100 worth of vibrators were stolen. Aside from this slight hitch, the event was said to be very successful!

The Electoral Commission is teaming up with universities across Wales to remind students to register their names on the electoral register when they leave home to study in new towns and cities.

Students have been targeted with spe-cifi cally designed fl yers reminding them not to give up their right to vote, and they can download voter registration forms from the Commission’s youth website www.votesarepower.com.

The Commission is also working with the National Union of Students on

their own priority campaign to encour-age students to become ‘active citizens’ in the towns and cities where they are studying.

UCMC / NUS Wales President, Natasha Hirst, said: ‘Students in Wales have be-come disillusioned with the political proc-ess and the activities of the politicians in Westminster and Cardiff. However that does not mean they are not political.

‘Students need to recognise that they can play a more active role and affect real change on issues from tuition fees and student debt to local bus serv-

ices and student housing. MPs and AM’s know that students can decide marginal constituencies and cannot underesti-mate the power of the student vote.’

According to a sample survey, only 16% of under-25s and 21% of 25-34s voted in the National Assembly for Wales election in May this year. Kay Jenkins, Head of the Electoral Commission in Wales, says the campaign is aimed at reconnecting students with the voting process:

‘Although many of the new students will have relocated for university, they may not realise that they are able to be regis-

tered to vote at more than one address. Whether in halls or rented accommoda-tion, students are still part of a commu-nity, and therefore affected by the same issues as other residents.

‘This leafl et campaign is part of a wider programme to help engage young peo-ple in the democratic process and fol-lows our fi ndings that younger people have only a modest knowledge about the Assembly and local government.

FRESHERS URGED NOT TO GIVE UP THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE

http://seren.bangor.ac.ukNEWS OCTOBER 2003 5

angor’s University Challenge team won their fi rst televised round of

the long running and hardest of TV quiz shows, beating a team from Hull University by a nail biting 180 - 160. This success led them in to the second round and in to the path of Jesus College, Cambridge.

Having succeeded in becoming one of only 28 teams in the fi rst televised round, team members Peter Alexander, (studying Heritage Management), Kathryn Hall, (History) Ellie Bertram, (History Heritage and Archaeology) and their Team Captain, Paul Butler (Ocean Science) with reserve, Tom Harrison, (Marine Biology & Zoology) hope to emulate the success of Bangor’s University Challenge team of 1998 which got through to the semi-fi nals of the prestigious and hard-fought king of television quizzes.

Commenting on their success so far, Team Captain, Paul Butler said: “We were very pleased with our performance in the fi rst round. The next round will be

very interesting indeed!” When the team travelled up to Manchester to fi lm the fi rst round during June, the atmosphere in the mini bus was said to be friendly and relaxed. They entered Granada Studios with a positive frame of mind; they intended to do well and enjoy the day, which undoubtedly they did.

It was particularly interesting to fi nd out that University Challenge was not the fi rst quiz show Paul Butler has taken part in. In the last 18 months not only has he appeared on “The Weakest Link” but has even been on Mastermind. He proudly added: “I got down to the last four in The Weakest Link, I didn’t get to meet Anne Robinson though.” He did however, get to meet Jeremy Paxman along with the rest of the team. Speaking about the quiz show master, Paul said: “He was

BANGOR TO TAKE ON CAMBRIDGE IN UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE

a very pleasant man, he was happy to chat to everybody but still maintained that authorative persona he is so well known for.”

The team’s broad range of arts and science subjects, as well as their diverse backgrounds, three being

B

mature students, should stand them in good stead for the next round of the competition, to be televised around Christmas. So good luck to the team for what is sure to be a very challenging second round!

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk NEWS6 OCTOBER 2003

BANGOR CHANGING TO KEEP PACE WITH STUDENT DEMAND

niversities are constantly changing the degrees they offer in response

to demand from students and from potential employers for graduates with particular skills.

One current trend is the decline in popularity of Mathematics as a subject in the UK, while Computer Sciences remains one of the fi ve most popular subjects studied at university. Refl ecting this UK and international trend, Bangor University’s School of Informatics has invested and developed their capacity to teach Computer Sciences.

Bangor has been extending its provisions in Computer Sciences recently launching undergraduate and post graduate Computer Science degrees. This year, the School of Informatics has appointed two new professors in the fi eld of computing. Professor Nigel John, formerly of the University of Manchester is Professor of Computing and Professor Philip Lane a native of Anglesey, who graduated with fi rst and second degrees from Bangor before working in academia and achieving high offi ce in industry before returning to Bangor as Professor

of Communication Systems. These new posts have been accompanied by major infrastructure investments in new computing facilities for the recently launched BSc in Computer Science. Similar new postgraduate courses are planned for next year.

“These major new developments show that we are responsive to demands. We are providing the skills and expertise that students need to be successful in their chosen careers. Our academics encourage a sense of entrepreneurship among our students,” said Professor Martin Taylor, the University’s Dean of Science.

The University regularly review its courses, developing new subject

U

One of the world’s most distinguished scientists, who began his academic career at Bangor, will visit the University this week. Sir John Meurig Thomas will deliver a public lecture on “The Unpredictability of Science and its consequences” in the Main Arts Lecture Theatre on Friday, 31 October at 6:30pm.

The main theme of the lecture - that experts are no better than members of the general public in foreseeing the scientifi c and technological future - will be illustrated by reference to specifi c discoveries, advances and developments in chemistry, physics, medicine, molecular biology and astronomy.

The son of a South Wales coalminer, Sir John became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1977, and was knighted for his services to chemistry and to the popularisation of science in 1991. In 1995, a new mineral - “meurigite” - was named in his honour.

Dr. David Roberts, University Registrar, said: “We are delighted to welcome back Sir John Meurig Thomas, who is an old friend of the University. He will spend time with colleagues in our Chemistry Department during his visit, and his Public Lecture is already generating huge interest both inside and outside the University.”

Sir John began his academic career as an Assistant Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Wales, Bangor, in 1958. He later became Professor of Chemistry at Aberystwyth and then Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. From 1986 to 1991 he was Director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, and was Master of Peterhouse - the oldest college in Cambridge - from 1993 to 2002. He holds Honorary Degrees from many universities around the world, and has won numerous medals and prizes.

TOP SCIENTIST TO LECTURE IN BANGOR

areas in response to demand, while occasionally discontinuing less popular courses. The general decline nationally in undergraduate Maths students is refl ected in Bangor’s maths division, where numbers recruited have fallen by 55% in four years. In view of this, the University is currently reviewing the future of the subject at Bangor. One possibility is that the University might phase out the teaching of Mathematics degrees over a period of years. However, no decisions have been taken and discussions are currently being held to try to fi nd a satisfactory way forward. If such a decision were taken, none of the students currently enrolled on Mathematics degrees would be affected.

aw, one of the four most popular degree subjects in the UK, is a

new course which will be taught at the University of Wales, Bangor for the fi rst time from September 2004.

The courses offered will increase the UK’s capacity to offer Law, while offering new and exciting options such as Law with Environmental Conservation.

Capitalising on existing expertise in certain areas of law, such as criminal and business law, and the law as it pertains to social work, the University has decided to establish a suite of Law degrees ranging from single Law to Law with Accounting & Finance, Law with Business Studies, Law with Criminal Justice, Law with Social Policy and a unique degree in Law with Environmental

Conservation. Not only does demand outstrip provision of opportunities to study Law at UK universities, until now, it has not been possible to study Law in North Wales. Following discussions with professional bodies in the region and subject to approval, this development will redress that issue.

“The University is making a major new investment to develop a range of LLB degree courses leading to professional qualifi cation. There is demand for law specialists in areas such as fi nancial law and environmental law as well as the more traditional areas such criminology and social policy”, explains Graham Day , Head of the University’s School of Social Sciences which will be offering the Law degrees.

The new degree signifi es a major initiative for the University but is also one of several new degrees offered at the University. Other new degrees include, Creative Studies, Film and Media Studies (Welsh taught), Conservation and Forest Ecosystems, Ocean Informatics, Geography, Zoology with Conservation, and the world’s fi rst degree in Environmental Forensics.

Bangor’s aim is to provide a range of up to date degrees that match demand among prospective students. We also aim to refl ect the need for particular skills and knowledge in industry and the professions, by developing the necessary degrees, in particular where there are local skills and knowledge needs for that have to be met,” said Merfyn Jones, Pro Vice-Chancellor.

LAW COMES TO BANGOR!L

n the 5th November the University of Wales Bangor, will be running

a “Positive Working, Positive Living day” to encourage people to examine work life balance. The fair, which will be run by the Bangor University Human Resources Department is open to all to attend between 10am and 4pm in the Powis Hall. There will be a variety of different organisations attending to

POSITIVE WORKING POSITIVE LIVING DAYcover all aspects of life. The fi ve areas will be covered are work, relaxation, healthy living, recreation and fi tness.

There will be a wide range of organisations attending. In the relaxation area there will be Tre-Ysgawen hall, aromatherapists, crystal therapists and refl exologists. Healthy living will be hosting Breast Test Wales, and CAIS to provide advice to those wanting to face

addictions. In the recreation and fi tness area Maes Glas, Tai Chi, Quigong and Dragon Mountain climbing centre will be present. The fi nal section will be the work section that will be giving practical advice on work issues such as pensions and disabilities, as well as fi nance and trade unions. Among the events is a Tai Chi demonstration and a Dragon Mountain demonstration.

O

http://seren.bangor.ac.ukNEWS OCTOBER 2003 7

DISCUSSIONS HEAT UP ON POSSIBLE UWB/NEWI MERGER

By Rebecca Kavanagh, SU President.his week will see the fi nal and most intense period of discus-

sion on the proposed merger between NEWI and UWB.

For those of you who may be unaware; over the last year there have been continuous discussions and investigations into the feasibility, ben-efi ts and issues of a possible merger between North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI) and Univer-sity of Wales, Bangor (UWB).

The merger discussions have come from the Assembly’s plans for major Reconfi guration and Collabora-tion within Institutes of higher education in Wales.

After a year of investigations by 6 working groups which looked at:

Marketing and Branding

Academic Structure Operational Functions Student Affairs Welsh Language Policy Human ResourcesA Finance/Cost-benefi t study

was also conducted. A report has now been produced detailing the fi ndings of those groups and areas of investigation. The title of the report is: “Creating a New, Single University In North Wales: Feasibility, Benefi ts and Issues.”

I recommend that you go on-line and read the report t: h t tp : / /www.bangor.ac .uk /news /uwbnewi/JointReport.htmPlease send your views on the report to president@undeb.bangor.ac.uk

TOK, so you were involved in music at school and you want to carry on, but you don’t know where on earth to look - well that’s what the UWB Music Society is all about. MuSoc is a group of students, who either sing or play instruments. We have an orchestra and a choir that meet weekly to rehearse. There is no audition so if you sing or play an instrument, then just come along. You will not be alone there is a good balance between music and non-music students and both groups are fairly represented.

After each concert we have a party in Powis hall, where there is a vast array of food and alcoholic beverages. We have a wide repertoire of music in both

the choir and the orchestra making music fun!

WANT TO JOIN?

Come along to one of our rehearsals on Tuesdays for choir and Fridays for orchestra, at 7:30pm in PJ Hall, Main Arts Building. Grab someone who looks important and say “I want to join, I want to join.” Membership is a mere £8 for the year and we have T-shirts on sale if you would like one.

The next concert is the 23rd November, a Sunday night, so come along and listen, what else is there to do? See you soon!

PLAY WITH MUSOC

PLANS FOR UNIVERSITY CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE UNVEILED

he University of Wales, Bangor revealed plans on Monday 27

October to create a major cancer research centre at the University. Unique within Wales and equipped to standards barely matched elsewhere in the UK, it will conduct world class research into the fundamental causes of cancer. Creation of the centre has been made possible by funding from North West Cancer Research Fund, ELWa and the University itself. It will be called ‘North West Cancer Research Fund Institute’ and is costing £3.5 million.

A Professor of Cancer Research will be appointed to run the Institute. It will house an eventual staff of 50 scientists, arranged in 7 teams, many of whom will be appointed from among world leading researchers in this fi eld. As all cancers stem from changes in the genetic code, the teams will conduct fundamental molecular biology targeted at understanding the causes and effects of these changes.

Professor Mark Baird, Pro Vice-Chancellor, said, ‘The Institute will provide a major step in our strategy to produce research of international importance. The presence of a dedicated research team, that has such excellent facilities at its disposal, will bring benefi ts to the region as a whole.’

John Lewys-Lloyd, Chairman of the North West Cancer Research Fund said, ‘We are delighted to be supporting this very exciting initiative in North Wales. Never before has the charity

made an award on this scale, that we are doing so now is because we are committed to continuing our support of cancer research in the University and are confi dent that the Institute will allow research of the very highest quality to take place. I am particularly pleased for our volunteers who work so hard year after year to raise the research money.’

Funding for the Institute comes from an award of £430,000 from North West

T

Cancer Research Fund, £645,000 from the Research Capacity Development Fund award by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (part of ELWa). Added to this, staff resources, refurbishment and equipment costs, which the University will meet from other sources, bring the total investment to £3.5 million.

The Institute will be housed on one fl oor of the University’s Brambell Laboratory,

with other associated laboratories housing specialist equipment. The whole fl oor is to be refurbished to provide open plan laboratories. This will enable the research groups to interact and will encourage collaborative working and discussion. The Institute will be furnished with state-of-the-art equipment needed to conduct genomic research. Many pieces of high tech scientifi c equipment are already in place at the University’s School of Biological Sciences.

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk CLUBS AND SOCIETIES8 OCTOBER 2003

The Ffridd JCR has been described by its chairperson, Alexa, as being: ‘Run for the students by the students,’ but still many people are confused as to what the JCR actually is and what it does. I met up with the current chairperson, as voted in this year, to talk about the JCR.

The JCR, short for Junior Common Room, is similar to a Student Union, just more localised for Ffridd students and without the societies attachments. ‘It’s there to help people with their grievances as well as provide a service whereby we organise trips and let people hire out videos for free,’ explains Alexa. ‘In the video room we hire out videos, DVDs, TV-Combis, Playstations and Playstation 2s as well as games, a vacuum cleaner and an iron.’

The JCR is for anyone, although only people who live on the Ffridd site may hireout videos for free, members will gladly help anyone who ask for it. ‘Over the summer we were getting e-mails asking for directions to the university from various places so then we were directing freshers here, and if we can’t help someone then we will point them in the right direction.’

All the committee members are students and purely voluntary. ‘The team are highly committed, we don’t do this for money, we do it for fun, it’s a great way to meet people and it looks really good

on a person’s CV.’ If anyone wants to join, providing they live on the Fridd Site, then they are most welcome. ‘We are always looking out for new members, and currently in desperate need of some new people, we still have positions open either on the committee or just as a student representative.’

After explaining what the JCR was I quizzed the newest head on what she would do as Chairperson. ‘Loads, I hope. Over the past couple of years the face of the JCR has changed dramatically to what it is today: we’re at a point where we are in line with the 21st century and are computerised. I plan to increase the video and DVD library, promote the JCR and to organise more trips. Last year we took members for a Christmas shopping trip to the Trafford Centre, also a trip to Alton Towers was organised and had a very successful day out paintballing. Hopefully we will continue to run these trips aswell as a possible trip to Dublin and an alternative shopping trip to Chester.

FFRIDD JCR - WHAT IT ISThe Defi nitive Answer

By Rob Harris

The Video Room is open seven days a week between 6:30 and 7:00pm and is situated on the Ffriddoedd Site above the Coffee Bar in Plas Gwyn. To hire out fi lms and equipment a deposit of £5 is needed which will be refunded upon satisfactory return of an item. Feel free to go along and check it out or e-mail ffriddjcr@bangor.ac.uk.

A PRETTY GOOD BEGINNING, LGB-WISE ANYWAY!A PRETTY GOOD BEGINNING, LGB-WISE ANYWAY!A PRETTY GOOD BEGINNING,

“Bright Hopes Come True As We Walk DowntownSmiling And Laughing HappilyFriendship And Exhaustion Collide”

It could be a translation of Sigur Rós’ “Ágætis Byrjun” but it is really how the new and better improved LGB-offi cer-to-be, Polly, has kicked off the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Society this year.

Imagine a gay-run and gay-friendly pub in Bangor. Imagine “Play your cards shite”, bingo, Fly on the Wings of Love and cheap vodka nights. Imagine the Three Crowns Pub. On Thursday 09 October 2003, nine women and six men came together to discuss the future of their society. Firstly the new committee was voted: Chairperson - Steve, Secretary - Izz, Treasurer - Steve,

By Cedric Krummes

Promotion - Nicke, Publicity - Rhiannon and Counsellor - Nicky.

Secondly, all those present discussed several topics such as the very name of the society. Why only LGB? Where is the T for transgender? What about the people who don’t (want to) classify themselves as LGB? What about the undecided? Labelling oneself as somebody of a traditionally oppressed group is not easy. What about the straight friends who just like the company of LGB people? Nicke suggested adding U for undecided, somebody else O for others or S for supporters. Second question arising for the society is: “if I’m straight can I be a full member of the society?” Although they wouldn’t have the right to vote they would have a voice if they want to. “It’s like the Hell’s Angels”, says

Polly, “you can join their events but you cannot be a member unless you have the proper sized motorcycle!”

How exactly the LGB will include new letters to their name and other members to their society is still unknown but everyone agreed that the main idea of the LGB is to be all-inclusive and give and get support from everybody, which has according to some accounts not always been so in the past. Some have suggested having an organised friendly event with previous offending groups or societies in order to burry past feuds.

Some have asked: Is religion equal to intolerance? Not quite. The Anglican Chaplaincy has been supporting the LGB for years offering advice on Faith and Sexuality. Moreover, a latest support

in the future could be a gay switchboard run by a vicar.

Before starting off, the LGB is facing a slightly admin problem. Like many clubs and societies, as a result of not being sabbatical students they do not have their own offi ce. This, however, does not prevent them having already organised two trips to Hellbent, the gay night in the Washington Hotel in Llandudno.

What about you? Are you interested in joining the Pride Society? Would you too like to go to Hellbent, Manchester Canal Street, Brighton Mardi Gras and get a purple LGB t-shirt? Get in contact with them (lgbcomm@undeb.bangor.ac.uk) and fi nd out for yourself.

http://seren.bangor.ac.ukCLUBS AND SOCIETIES OCTOBER 2003 9

he recreation and newly found suc-cess of the Student Radio Sation

“Storm FM” has been phenomenal in the last year. Storm FM has been on air for 7 months, broadcasting music, news and entertainment to the students on the Ffriddoedd Site. It is an established commercial student radio station on air for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, dur-ing the whole of term time. Lucy Hay-nes, Storm’s Management and Sales Manager, spoke to Seren to tell us more about the progress of the station and presenters.

“Our team is continually growing and Serendipity was a great success for us, with over 100 students showing an ac-tive interest in becoming involved, either as presenters or behind the scenes. Our initial meeting gathered over 40 people wanting to be a part of our fantastic team, many of whom are now active in the workings of Storm FM. New present-ers are now in training and marketing ideas are being thrown together as we speak.

One of our newest presenters, Siob-han McCarthy has a show going out live on Sundays between 11am-2pm, keeping you up to date with what’s go-ing on in and around Bangor. During the Party Night with Laura Kennedy it’s your chance to win tickets to Time events and enter the new competition “Hot Idol”, make sure to listen to fi nd out who wins, and if you enter it could be you! Naomi Redhead gets you out of bed in the morning with her delightful breakfast show from 7-8am and through Monday to Friday Simon and Katrina are a perfect listen whilst you eat your lunch between 1-2pm. Many new live shows go out in the evening and Kerrang!, the Welsh Show and Friday Night Kiss are amongst some of our specialist shows.

We are currently undertaking our mar-ket research on the Ffriddoedd Site, so please make sure to let us know what you think about Storm FM – your views and ideas on how we can make it a bet-ter station for everyone to listen to, as it is a station run by students, for the stu-dents. The statistics will help us to sell advertising to local companies, bringing in money which will help us to continually improve the station.

We are hoping to hold a Storm FM party in the near future with drinks promotions, giveaways, great music and a chance to meet the team and become involved, so look out for posters and be sure to come and help us celebrate Storm’s up and coming success!”

Don’t forget, it’s not only 87.7FM where you can listen to Storm – log on to www.stormfm.com, anywhere in the university, and click on “listen now”. You can also read profi les on the team, check out the schedule and keep up to date with everything going out on Storm 87.7FM.

T

BUGS (Bangor University Guides and Scouts), is an informal club run by stu-dents, with 25 fully paid up members so far. We don’t dress up in embarrassing uniforms and pray to the almighty fl ag-pole, but instead hold fortnightly events packed with fun and adventure. Two weeks ago we climbed Snowdon and last weekend (24th – 26th October) we roughed it in tents at ‘Felin Bach’, nr. Caernarfon.

In November we are going to the Fun Centre in Caernarfon and a huge SSAGO (Student Scout & Guide Organisation) rally in Warwick. If you are interested in what we have to offer then e-mail me or visit the website fi rst: www.undeb.bangor.ac.uk/bugs. Contact me (Nashy) at: bugs@undeb.bangor.ac.uk. It is £4 to join.

ROUGH IT WITH BUGS!

STORM FM - STUDENT RADIO

Have the Fun, BUGS

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk NEWS10 OCTOBER 2003

he fi rst Student Volunteer Bangor (SVB) and RAG Society fundraiser of the academic year was a roaring success, as the “Bring

a Banana” night (Monday 6th October) raised in excess of £1000 for these worthwhile causes.

TIME/AMSER was the venue, with volunteers in fancy dress collecting throughout the night, begging students to part with as much loose change as they could possibly muster. All of the money raised during the event will be spent on student volunteering projects aimed at helping various sectors of Bangor and the surrounding community within it.

Darren Parry, the Student Volunteer Organiser, was extremely pleased with the event.

“It’s good to see so many students lending their support at the start of the year. I hope our future events will yield as much fi nancial support again, as the SVB projects are extremely worthwhile. Not only do students gain valuable work experience, but the local community benefi ts from the University’s student skills.”

The volunteers at SVB/RAG would like to thank Chris Dobson for hosting the event, Gemma West and Andy Wilson for the fruity idea in the fi rst placer, and all the students of Bangor for going one pint less to help a worthy cause.

SVB and RAG aim for more fundraising events throughout the academic year, ranging from club nights to sponsored events, to the occasional eclectic DJ session curated by the SVO himself.

STUDENTS GO BANANAS FOR CHARITY!

If you’d like to know more about Student Volunteering or the RAG Society, visit the SVB offi ce on the 2nd fl oor of the SU building,

T

Call: (01248) 388005 E-Mail: darren.parry@undeb.bangor.ac.uk. darren.parry@undeb.bangor.ac.uk.

http://seren.bangor.ac.ukREVIEWS OCTOBER 2003 11

hose of you looking for an alternative to the cheese and tedium of Time

on a Monday night may have opted for a night of laughter and comedy japes in Main Bar.

The Comedy Network Tour got off to a rib-tickling start during Freshers Week. Rob Deering, as seen on TV (well, Channel 5) was funny. “Funny? Isn’t that what you would expect from a comedian?” Well… yes you would, but that’s all Rob Deering was, funny. No more. Sure, he reeled off a list of good and bad points about various superheroes, for example: “Spiderman. Strength: Super Spider Powers. Weakness: Was bitten by a spider.” Cue the laughter…or not. His material was nothing more than “pub talk”. As for his karaoke/guitar requests segment, the whole evening should have been devoted to just that. One man and his guitar: this bit was genuinely hilarious although he failed to meet the request for Gary Barlow.

Rob Deering was well and truly usurped by his support act Gary Delaney. The pint-sized funny man went beyond “very funny”. Gary had the packed bar in stitches from start to fi nish. From the risqué “Germany hadn’t seen a bomb like this since 1945!” on describing the less than warm response from a Berlin crowd at a gig of his, to the even more risqué “I recently split with my girlfriend of 3 ½ years…some people said she was a bit too young.” Most defi nitely a talent to look out for in the future.

The acts were the cherubic Welsh Mark Watson and the grizzly Canadian, Craig Campbell. The bar was only at half capacity for tonight’s visit of the tour and the delayed start made the atmosphere a little tense and intimidating for the opening act. Mark Watson had nothing

to fear. The Welshman made a confi dent entrance with a self described “Mediocre visual gag”. Something about wearing glasses and taking them off because he doesn’t wear glasses. If his ploy was to start with a “mediocre” joke in order to build up to a half hour of painful laughter, then the game plan worked. Mark made several witty references to the world of literature. Citing the Harry Potter series as a successful venture by J. K. Rowling, “I thought that J. K. Rowling would just be a one hit wonder…I mean you don’t see Anne Frank with a storming follow up do you?”

Headliner Craig Campbell was set a mountain to climb after Mark’s storming set. Craig looked every bit the part of a Canadian who knew about the great outdoors, a central theme of his 20 minutes too long set. He managed to stretch out stories of bears, sharks and drugs that raised only the occasional wry smile from the drunk in the corner. The following quote from fi rst year Psychology student, Siân Davies sums up the man’s tedious set: “He went on about bears too much”. To be fair, Craig Campbell did a very good Scottish accent for a Canadian but that’s about the only good point that can be taken from his performance. Talking about his experiences with drugs, and fi ghts in Scotland made for dreary listening. All hail Mark Watson. The future of Welsh comedy!

The Comedy Network is a great night out and will only set you back £2.50 (NUS card required). The Comedy Network returns to Bangor on Monday 3rd

November. The next visit sees the talents of THREE up and coming comedians: Alun Cochraine, Liam Mullone and Mark Olliver. Get there early if you don’t want to be standing up all night or picked out for public humiliation by the talent on stage. You have been warned!

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF THE COMEDY NETWORKTBy James Ainsworth

n Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd

October 2003, Aled Jones Williams’ play was performed for the second time. The Best Welsh-language play in 2002 according to some critics.

“Those people there are speaking Welsh. And I’d listen. That was no language. That was incantation. Words whose meanings were never to be found in a dictionary but in what they conjured up in your imagination.”

Scouser Johnny has looked for signs all his life. As Catholics do. Then one day he sees a poster of a concert. The name of the conductor is Welsh. Wales! That’s where he’s then going with his young girl, Adrian.

And the story goes on how Johnny never learned speaking Welsh whilst living in “Bla-Neigh-Vest-Iniock”. His daughter, just like him, had diffi culties with Welsh-speaking people. But after a while she learns Welsh at school and siarads Cymraeg quite well after a while.

Later on Adrian meets a Welshman called Robat Hefi n who himself used to go with his mum, Eirwen, to Liverpool. Every year. Before Easter. Old habit. And there Eirwen would go to the big shops and look at and feel all the clothes while Robat would buy new books to read.

Adrian meets Robat one day and they fall in love. They are supposed to get married later on. But unfortunately what both of them don’t know is that Johnny once met Eirwen in “Landydno” and on that Friday evening Eirwen and Johnny were naked. Johnny’s body became

so light: “So unencumbered by its own heaviness and clumsiness. I became a breeze over the heights and valleys of her fl esh”.

“Don’t worry…maybe you’re too tired”, Eirwen replies…

It’s no surprise that the wedding ceremony turns out as a disaster. The acme of the Welsh-English confrontation ends with Johnny peeing on Robat and Adrian squealing her lungs out.

There never was an after past this beginning. Just like urine being the end of a cycle, so was Robat’s life when he once went to Liverpool later on. He died in England. By himself.

Who would have guessed that even English-only speaking people would go and watch a play performed almost completely in Welsh? As strange as it sounds it did happen and people did enjoy it. Perhaps they enjoyed the fact that an English translation was being projected behind the actors. Perhaps they liked seeing tiny differences between the Welsh dialogues and the English ones. Perhaps the audience also refl ected what it meant to be “Welsh” and to speak it. What it means for people, within one country, emigrating to another part of it. Welsh immigration they say. “I live in Wales, but I’m not Welsh”, they say. “I’m Welsh but I don’t speak Welsh”, they tell us.

What makes our identity? Who defi nes it? Us because we Welsh live in Wales? Or the English coming to live in Wales? Aren’t we all creating and modifying these boundaries? Aren’t we in our hearts, from time to time, Adrian, that Scouser sy’n siarad Cymraeg?

TA-RA TERESAA subtitled Welsh-Language play

Reviewd by: Cedric Krummes Location: Theatre Gywynedd

O

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk FILMS12 OCTOBER 2003

fter an 8 year gap Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as

arguing buddy cops in this action packed sequel, and luckily for the audience it has been worth the wait.

The fi lm is longer than the fi rst, quite a bit longer, but in it is crammed some of the best action scenes of the year with a car chase that easily beats The Matrix Reloaded. Both Lawrence and Smith give it their best and Lawrence is only half as annoying as usual, whilst Smith plays it superbly straight. The two bounce off each other incredibly well and make the best cop

duo since Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon fi lms.

The story is not very complicated, drugs bust doesn’t go as expected so the two partners have to do their best to capture a drug lord which Lawrence’s sister is involved with whilst working undercover for the DEA. The fi lm is overly long but the action is almost non stop, occasionally pausing to let the cops banter or to be hilariously overprotective banter or to be hilariously overprotective to Lawrence’s newly dating daughter.to Lawrence’s newly dating daughter.

Simply put it’s a rip-roaring, non Simply put it’s a rip-roaring, non stop, fun-fair of a fi lm and you could do stop, fun-fair of a fi lm and you could do much worse than buying a ticket for it. much worse than buying a ticket for it.

inding Nemo, the latest Disney/Pixar collaboration, can be viewed as a

simple story and metaphor for the dangers and diffi culties of single-parenting; or as the funniest, most endearing, heart warming movie you will see this year.

Like every fi lm it won’t suit everyone’s taste and if you didn’t like any of the previous Pixar creations then you won’t like this because it is of similar feel. More accessible to grown ups than Monsters, Inc. and more laugh out loud than Toy Story; Finding Nemo is pure, heartfelt, entertainment.

True the story is simple, to sum up if you haven’t heard already, it’s about up if you haven’t heard already, it’s about a little clownfi sh called Nemo who gets a little clownfi sh called Nemo who gets caught by a diver and taken to live in a caught by a diver and taken to live in a

fi sh tank and the adventures of his dad, Marlin, who attempts to rescue him.

The characterisation is superb, particularly in the case of Dory the hilarious fi sh with short term memory loss who is brilliant as Marlin’s sidekick. It is indeed the characters that the pair meet upon their journey which makes this fi lm so special. The writing is of Oscar® worthy attention and the story, whilst surprisingly exciting and thrilling, never becomes too sentimental. The computer animation has to be seen to be believed. Not enough praise could possibly be lavished upon this, the highest grossing cartoon in American history; both Disney and Pixar have come up trumps again.

rom the director of Road Trip comes this gross out teen comedy of similar vein.Luke Wilson plays a man

whose girlfriend is having threesomes with other couples whilst he is away so buys a property on university grounds. His two best friends played by Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn turn the house into the fraternities that we Brits only see in the cinema and their friend into the Godfather of the university. That is until the dean decides to stop

their fun. It sounds ridiculous and it is - it sounds predictable and it is - it doesn’t sound very funny but it is, very.

Will Ferrell is especially comical, however the humour is ‘gross-out’ and don’t even bother go watching the fi lm if you didn’t like the American Pie trilogy or the director’s previous fi lm. However if Road Trip is just up your ally then you are almost sure to enjoy this often hilarious tale, well worth a look.

he fi rst thing that should be going through your head is ‘oh no it’s a

sequel’ and ‘oh no it’s a sequel to a horror fi lm,’ both of which is rarely a good idea, the latter even rarer. With Final Destination 2 it’s more of a pointless thing than a bad one. As a stand alone fi lm it would be quite good, the fi rst was an original idea and a good one at that. However the second fi lm aboutdeath having a plan is near enough a regurgitation of the fi rst fi lm, this time around however it’s a female with psychic premonitions rather than a male.

The story is highly predictable and not at all scary, however you get the impression the director knows this and decides to opt for even more gruesome deaths than the fi rst fi lm, of which there are delightfully plenty. It is fun to guess which person is going to die next and how but that’s where the fun ends. From the start you can generally tell who will live and who will diethus the pointlessness of this fi lm. It is often funny in all the wrong parts, never scary, barely tense and made purely for cash.

FA

T F

films by ROB by ROB by

HARRIS

OUT NOW ON VIDEO & DVD

http://seren.bangor.ac.ukMUSIC OCTOBER 2003 13

It’s nice every once in a while to hear a band to come out of Liverpool, who aren’t an Indie band and don’t try to sound like the Beatles (naming no names!).

Number One Son provide the answer to challenge this view with their unique brand of honest melodic metal.

With their debut album being released in 2001, “Majority of One” was overshadowed by an infl ux of cheap US “nu-metal” bands to the dismay of many British metal fans who had this obstacle in the way of them hearing the sound of NOS. That opus was an intense and heavy affair. Along with its quiet moments, it showed glimpses of the emotive side of the band, which they would seize upon within “Lessons”.

But that was back then. Now, two years on with a newish drummer in Tiger Si and heaps of touring experiences, the band mark their return to the fold with “Lessons”- an album explaining adventures endured. With the inclusion of a new lease of emotion and melodic metal, which was not explored to the full in the past, makes this an album ideal for new and old fans.

From the opening bass-line-intro, “All Fall Down” is the tale of lessons learnt and hardships entailed. Nic Whitmore’s ability to change his vocal chords according to the story, which is being sung about, is quite rare in this mad world of music.

On “Minority of One”, Nic was not fully allowed to demonstrate his singing voice and there were only snippets of his ability. “Lessons” is his canvas to show the world his striking vocals. “Renewal” and “Pulling Strings” are tracks that show where J, Andy, Ian and Si have produced riffs and beats which almost make the original NOS sound almost unrecognisable.

Even though there are not a few tracks that blow you away and provide an interval to the new melody and emotion, “Lessons” almost proves to be an album that will break new fans into the band. It will maybe ask questions from the older ones who aren’t ready for change. Having said that, Number One Son have produced a different and confi dent album which will show that they haven’t fallen to “second album syndrome.”

From the band that would laugh at Busted for “Sleeping with the Lights On”comes a strong contender for album of the year. Reading’s fi nest ‘The Cooper Temple Clause’ have delivered the goods on Kick Up the Fire…

This album picks you up and throws you back down repeatedly throughout. From start to fi nish, “There isn’t a duffer” on it. Album opener “The Same Mistakes” begins gently enough with sedate strings, an ambling baseline and Ben Gautrey’s ghostlike vocals. But then much like the general theme of the album, it really starts to burn.

Kick Up The Flames contains a healthy and well balanced mix of crunching guitars; just listen to the opening riff on recent single Promises, Promises,and electronic beats. The electronic sound which makes TCTC stand out from any other rock band is very much evident in several tracks, especially the previously NME released A.I.M (A free NME rarity that has been valued at £50 was released as an exclusive one track CD last year) which is based upon the fuzzy electronic wizardry of Kieran on keyboards.

Music Box is another carefully crafted song which sets out at a pace suited to a stroll in the park until the chorus kicks in, when all hell breaks loose. The highlight of the track, wait, the album, is the 15 seconds of silence during Music Box until Ben releases his frustration with the lyric of empathy, “You drag me down, You drag me down.” The stand out track of the album however is “Blind Pilots”, with introspective lyrics, choral vocals and clever production touches; this track sums up TCTC experience. TCTC have a big sound that they’re not afraid to play. They don’t care what damage or havoc they wreak. They just do it.

The follow up to “See This Through and Leave”, was recorded on a pig farm out in the sticks. The band claim, that if you listen carefully, you can hear the animals in the background. This is probably why the album is defi nitely best enjoyed at a volume above the recommended safety levels.

If you don’t own this record yet, then why not? The Cooper Temple Clause are wire wool to the saccharine candy fl oss rock sounds of Busted.

Musicby MANOJ

by MANOJ

by

KOERI

NUMBER ONE SUNTHE COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE

Ms Dynamite has confi rmed she has written a song for Kylie’s new album ‘Body Language’, which is out next month. The track ‘Secret (Take You Home)’ was written with studio whizzkid Reza Safi nia.

A spokesman for Kylie told reporters: “Ms Dynamite co-wrote the song but she did not work with Kylie on the actual writing. However, Kylie did co-write a number of the tracks on the album.”

Many reckon Ms Dynamite may spend more time writing and working on projects back stage in the coming months while she looks after her new baby boy who was born in July.

DYNAMITE WRITES FOR KYLIE

Girls Aloud’s Cheryl Tweedy was in court last week over the nightclub incident at the start of the year. As previously reported Tweedy is accused of attacking a 39-year-old toilet attendant at the Drink nightclub in Guildford, Surrey, last January. Kingston Crown Court was told Tweedy went to the nightclub on a night out with fellow band member Nicola Roberts and became embroiled in the row with the club’s toilet attendant over a handful of lollipops, allegedly calling her a black bitch.

Patricia Lees, prosecuting, said: “Whilst she (Tweedy) was there, no doubt disinhibited by alcohol, she punched a female lavatory attendant over a handful of lollipops and swore at her, calling her a black bitch.”

Tweedy denies racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The case continues.

GIRLS ALOUD GIRL IN COURT

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk LIFESTYLE14 OCTOBER 2003

Decorations & Costumes

Selection of Films

Waterproofs

Warm clothes

Moisturiser

Anything caffi nated

Chocolate

Cold remedies

Alcohol

Boyfriend/Girlfriend/ Hot Water Bottle

10

It’s too wet and windy to go out, you think you’re coming down with a cold and your partner is out with their mates. Seek solace in a DVD of your choice and everything will be okay!

As the scariest night of the year approaches, pumpkins are selling like hotcakes and people in Scary Movie masks are everywhere. Well what are you waiting for? Go and get them!

9 8

No one can escape the fact that Bangor gets its fair share of the rain, (and obviously not enough of the sun). Let’s face it, nobody likes a drowned rat!

7Wooly hat, scarf, gloves, thick socks. Frostbite was never fashionable

6Contrary to previous beliefs, this one is not just for the ladies. To keep your face looking young and feeling great use a smidgen every morning and night. Ideally to be used throughout the year but particularly over Autumn and Winter.

5The Caffeine Boost that you need to survive the The Caffeine Boost that you need to survive the upcoming revision period and those all nighters to get your essay done on time!

get your essay done on time!

444444 4 444get your essay done on time!

4get your essay done on time!

44 4 44get your essay done on time!

4get your essay done on time!

A great item to use in a rewards system for each tiny A great item to use in a rewards system for each tiny paragraph you write in your essay, and it makes the body release happy hormones when eaten. That’s a good enough excuse for us!

good enough excuse for us!

3You know those things that your mother packed you off to Uni with and you put somewhere? Well they help you survive the fi rst set of nasty cold and ‘fl u bugs without you missing one of the important theme nights out.

2When under the infl uence of alcohol we can: dance just like Britney/Justin, look really good in a mirror after bopping for 4 hours in Time, walk up Glanrafon Hill in the pouring rain with ease (in manner of expert hill walker) and only then, can we truly appreciate Derek’s fi ne cuisine.

1Although these will all keep you warm in bed and be lovely to cuddle up to, only one of the above doesn’t snore, nick the duvet and kick you when they’re dreaming! So what will you be taking to bed tonight?

10 THINGS WE CAN’T GET THROUGH AUTUMN IN BANGOR WITHOUT

Lifestyleby LUCY HILLLifestyleby LUCY HILLLifestyleTOP PROTECTION AT TOPMAN!

Jason Griffi ths, Topman marketing director, said: “As the fi rst high street fashion store to sell Durex, we hope that young people will be encouraged to practice safer sex and have an unintimidating and relaxed environment from which to purchase.”

The Durex Elite condoms are packaged in a unique, re-usable “Pocket Pouch”, made from black rubberised material, designed to fi t snugly into a back pocket. Perfect to carry on a night out, the discreet and portable pouch also slips easily into the tiniest of handbags! Eye-catching silver refi lls will also be available to buy separately.

They will be sold in more than 130 Topman outlets throughout the UK from mid November 2003. The case, containing three condoms, will cost £5 and refi lls £3.50

oved up couples won’t have any excuses for not using

protection when Durex condoms go on sale in Topman.go on sale in Topman.

The UK’s most popular condom The UK’s most popular condom brand, Durex, and leading lad’s brand, Durex, and leading lad’s fashion store Topman have teamed fashion store Topman have teamed up to ensure young people are up to ensure young people are protected and can pick up info protected and can pick up info on safer sex at the same time as on safer sex at the same time as donning the latest styles.donning the latest styles.

Catherine Gort, Durex senior brand Catherine Gort, Durex senior brand manager, said: “Wearing a condom manager, said: “Wearing a condom helps protect against unplanned helps protect against unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. There’s no reason why infections. There’s no reason why

boyfriends shouldn’t pick up a boyfriends shouldn’t pick up a packet of condoms while packet of condoms while

buying a gorge new buying a gorge new shirt or a pair of trousers shirt or a pair of trousers in Topman.in Topman.

“Young people can “Young people can sometimes fi nd it sometimes fi nd it embarrassing buying embarrassing buying

condoms from the usual condoms from the usual outlets like pharmacies and outlets like pharmacies and

high street chemists, and high street chemists, and we hope that by making them we hope that by making them

available in Topman we can available in Topman we can offer a familiar and fashionable offer a familiar and fashionable

place to buy them.”place to buy them.”

L

http://seren.bangor.ac.ukWEB OCTOBER 2003 15

webbeyondbakedbeans.com

With newly-enrolled students just beginning to realise how hard it is to fend for themselves, award-winning food journalist Fiona Beckett has launched an indispensable new website www.beyondbakedbeans.com to accompany her best-selling student cookbook - Beyond Baked Beans: Real Food for Students.

“There are plenty of recipe-based sites on the internet but none that specifi cally address students’ needs” says Fiona, who has four children of her own. “The book is the ‘bible’ that gives students the essentials they need to know to make inexpensive fi lling meals. The website will keep them up to date with specifi c deals and offers and also enable them to swap tips and recipes. With most students spending less than £20 a week on

food they prepare themselves it’s as important to know how to shop well as how to cook.”

Beyondbakedbeans.com is divided into 6 accessible sections:

-What shall I eat today? a database of easy, everyday recipes that won’t break the bank. As well as new recipes from Fiona it will include recipes from celebrity chefs and foodwriters as well as students keen to show off their gastronomic fl air. Any student who gets a recipe posted on the site will receive a £25 on-line shopping voucher from Sainsbury’s, one of the site’s sponsors.

-Feasts offers monthly themed dinners for cooking on a larger scale. October’s theme is Cuban, to be followed by a Hallowe’en/Bonfi re Night supper in

November and a student Christmas lunch.

-Booze - quality rather than quantity is the objective here as Fiona, a wine writer with several introductory wine books under her belt, gives the lowdown on the best in budget drinking. This month focuses on the best student wine buys under £3. Next month the BBB team will nominate their top 10 British beers.

-Best Buys - a monthly guide to what’s in season and how to cook it plus moneysaving tips which again, Fiona hopes students will share.

-Help! a problem page offering solutions to culinary crises or anxieties. This month addresses the controversial Atkins diet and how not to cry when you peel an onion

-A monthly competition - kicking off with the chance to win six bottles of 35 South Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. New prizes will be on offer every month.

The site, which is sponsored by Suffolk brewer Greene King and by Sainsbury’s, will be updated monthly in term time.

bps.org.ukStudents, academics and anyone in-terested in psychology can now have summaries of the best new research sent to them free by email. The new “Research Digest” service is launched today, Monday 1 September, by the British Psychological Society.

The Society will trawl through thou-sands of peer reviewed journal articles and write plain English summaries of those most relevant to the student curriculum. Students who sign up to the Digest will then receive them each week via e-mail.

The Digest will also provide weblinks

to the various journals where the re-search can be read in full if the students’ subscriptions allow.

Christian Jarrett, editor of “Research Digest”, said: “There is a vast amount of new research being published which students can fi nd hard to access. With the new, free “Research Digest” they will have the most important new fi ndings at their fi ngertips so they need never be stumped again.”

Although the service, which is the fi rst for the Society, is aimed primarily at un-dergraduate and A-level students, it will also be useful to academics, either to aid

teaching or simply to keep abreast of the latest research outside their specialist area.

All students and academics have to do to sign up is send a message to the email address: subscribe-rd@lists.bps.org.uk or log onto www.bps.org.uk/publications/rd.cfm

Those who sign up will also be able to access archived material from the Re-search Digest at the Society’s website www.bps.org.uk

The service has been developed to help promote awareness of psychology and

people do not have to be a member of the British Psychological Society to sign up and receive this new, free, user-friendly study tool.

bigissuelists.co.ukEver wanted a simple solu-tion to a tricky problem? Http://www.bigissuelists.co.uk can help! This brand new website provides useful information on some of life’s little (and not so little) problems.

Your fi rst few weeks in a new environment, new digs, a new town and even, for some, a new country can be pretty strange. The website can help to take some of the stress out of the situation, leaving you chilled out and with more time to concentrate on

enjoying the new term. Http://www.bigissuelists.co.uk is

a brand new website from the founders of The Big Issue magazine and provides a superb one-stop solution shop for all of life’s little stresses.

Packed with informative check-lists on over one hundred topics, the site really is the place to visit if you are worried about debt, can’t fi nd decent accommodation, need to register with a doctor and a whole range of other life-

style, health, social security and general information. And once you’ve solved all your problems and feel really chilled out there’s even a list that shows you how to throw the daddy of all parties.

John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, fi rst thought of the idea when he spent a few months living in LA. Living in a new town and discovering a new cul-ture was fun but fi nding his way around the system was not. So he began writing checklists for himself and for other new-

comers to the USA. Back home in the UK, three years and a whole lot of lists later http://www.bigissuelists.co.uk was born.

So stress no more, visit http://www.bigissuelists.co.uk, download the lists, follow the checkpoints and solve all those worries. And to make you feel even better, every time you download a list you will be contributing to The Big Issue Foundation and helping the homeless.

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk TIPS16 OCTOBER 2003

any of today’s students are increasingly concerned with

the environment and want to support the conservation of resources. In order to help more of us to become environmentally conscious, Electrolux, the world’s largest producer of powered appliances for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use, has put together some advice on effi cient use of household appliances. Not only will these tips help to sustain the environment, but will help to reduce consumption of energy and water, saving us money to spend on more important things, like beer.

- Do not preheat the oven. It is not necessary to preheat the oven except for food requiring high temperatures and slow cooking times.

- Cook complete meals. You can cook several dishes simultaneously in the oven to cut back on time and electricity costs.

- Use the microwave to reheat food. If you have a microwave oven, use it instead of the oven for reheating and cooking small quantities of food.

- Use a lid.Cover pots and pans with a lid to save energy, money and cooking time. Cooking without a lid wastes up to 30% of the heat.

- Use a pan that completely covers the hotplate.Using one even three centimetres smaller than the hotplate is enough to waste 30% of the cooking energy.

- Do not keep your fridge door open for longer than needed.The infl ux of warm air will not only increase chances of spoiling food, but also makes your appliance work harder, wasting energy to cool itself again. Keep drinks and frequently used items in the door to reduce the time the fridge door stays open.

- Wash only full loads.It takes about as much energy and water to wash a small load as it does to wash a complete load. Drying consecutive loads is also more energy effi cient. Put in a new load while the dryer is still warm to save the appliance from using extra energy to reach the proper drying temperature again.

Tips for Students

STUDENTS SAVE MONEY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

M

he Department of Health is provid-ing university and college students

with practical advice on how to eat well on a budget, encouraging students to “Just eat more - fruit and veg”.

Extensive studies indicate that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables can help prevent major disease. However, re-search shows that consumption of fruit and vegetables among young people is particularly low. More than a third of men and women aged 19 - 24 years don’t even eat 1 portion of fruit and veg per day. Below are some simple and cost ef-fective solutions to improve your health and wellbeing.- When ordering a take-away, opt for

a vegetarian pizza or make sure you add some extra vegetables yourself. 3 handfuls of mushroom slices and half a pepper both count as a portion. Make a “Hawaiian” with 2 pineapple rings, which also count as a portion.- Add salad to your kebab. 1 bowlful of mixed vegetables counts as a portion.- If you are entertaining friends, cut up carrots, celery and peppers and serve as nibbles as a naturally sweet, healthy alternative to crisps or nuts.- Vegetables or fruit kebabs are an ideal accompaniment to any meal and are easy to prepare and eat. Cut up fruit or vegetables into chunks and put them on a kebab stick.

COOK HEALTHILY- Microwaving is the best way to cook fruit and vegetables, as fewer nutrients are destroyed. Steaming, stir-frying and baking are also effective methods.- When boiling fresh fruit or vegetables, use as little water as possible and eat them when they are still slightly crunchy for maximum nutrients.- Keep skins on foods wherever possible as this prevents some nutrient loss. Cut-ting food into large chunks also helps.- Remember that canned foods have already been cooked so need far less cooking time than fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables.

Look out for the Department of Health’s

TJUST EAT MORE (FRUIT AND VEG.)

BURGLAR’S “TOP TEN” SOUNDS ALARM BELLS FOR STUDENTS

eading security products company ERA believes that the latest fi gures

from the British Crime Survey (July 2003), underline just how vulnerable students are as potential victims of crime. The survey, which revealed that in the year 2002/3 40% of items stolen in household burglaries was cash, followed by jewellery (23%) and CD’s/tapes/videos/DVD’s (19%). Unsurprisingly, mobile phone thefts accounted for 14% of the total fi gure.

It is said that students living on tight budgets, and expenditure having to be prioritised, they will adopt the “it won’t happen to me” attitude and spend their money on what they consider to be more important things. Dave Hill, ERA’s director and general manager says: “It is a dilemma. Let’s face it security isn’t front of mind, particularly for those students who are living away from home for the fi rst time. I’m sure most students would rather be having a night out than be shopping at the local DIY store for a few locks!”

These high value items, with students living 4 or 5 to a house where security may not be high on the landlord’s agenda can provide rich, and easy, pickings for the burglar. For the cost of a night out it should be possible to invest in quality home security products that will prove effective in minimising the risk of burglary. effective in minimising the risk of burglary.

With that comes peace of mind and the opportunity to live student life to the full.

ERA has developed a number of hints on property security that will help reduce the risk of being a victim of burglary. - When choosing a house to live in that is well secured. Look for good quality door and window locks. A visible alarm and security lighting will provide enhanced levels of security.

- Make the back of the house as diffi cult for burglars to access as possible. Effective and well-maintained gates and fences will help.

- Don’t leave valuable possessions on view.

- Don’t leave a spare key under a doormat or fl owerpot. The burglar will always look there fi rst.

- Use an ultraviolet pen to mark your possessions. In the unfortunate event of you being a victim of crime this will at least heighten the chances of you getting your property back.

- Think about your security. If you have window locks make sure you use them! Figures show that in two out of ten burglaries force does not have to be used; they simply get in through an open door or window.

5 A DAY logo in a supermarket near you. The logo is designed to make it easier for you to see which products count to-wards your 5 A DAY target.

The logo can be used on fresh, chilled, frozen, canned and dried fruit and veg-etables, which do not have any added sugar, salt or fat. To carry the logo, foods must contain at least 1 adult-sized por-tion of fruit or vegetables.

Further information on the 5 A DAY pro-gramme is availble from the Department of Health’s website at: www.doh.gov.uk/fi veaday

L

http://seren.bangor.ac.ukHALLOWEEN OCTOBER 2003 17

alloween is an annual celebration, but just what is it actually a

celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? With Halloween coming up on the 31st of October, we decided to fi nd out more about the origins of this night and why it compels us to do such things as hollow out pumpkins, dress up as ghostly fi ends and demand sweets off strangers. Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual..?

The word itself, “Halloween,” actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, “All Hollows Day” (or “All Saints Day”), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer offi cially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.

One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.

Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fi res in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess. Some accounts tell of how the Celts would burn someone at the stake who was thought

to have already been possessed, as sort of a lesson to the spirits.

The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the fi rst century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.

The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840’s by Irish immigrants fl eeing their country’s potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish

The History of Halloween

The Jack-O-Lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree’s trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.

According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.

The Irish used turnips as their “Jack’s lanterns” originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.

WHY DO WE CARVE PUMPKINS?

HALLOWEENHALLOWEENFancy using some of your hollowed out pumpkin to make some (very popular in the USA) pumpkin pie? We got hold of the recipe to tantalise your taste buds! Guarenteed cheap and easy, just like you.

You will need:3/4 cup brown sugar1 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin1/2 teaspoon salt3 tablespoons melted margarine1 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon nutmeg3 eggs3/4 cup milk

Separate eggs and lay the whites aside. Combine the yolks and all other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the egg whites and mix well. Spoon mixture into a 9” unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350” for one hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out cleanly.

Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for “soul cakes,” made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul’s passage to heaven.

So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite “holiday,” the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself

HALLOWEEN

‘The Circus of Horrors’ will be visiting Amser/Time for halloween on Sun 2nd Nov

H

PUMPKIN PIE

comes out cleanly.

http://seren.bangor.ac.uk FEATURES18 OCTOBER 2003

s the milk round begins again, fi -nal year students can expect to be

wooed by a variety of employers, all of whom say they provide wonderful places to work. But what’s the reality and how do you sort out what all those promises are worth? For at least half of students that fi rst job turns out to be oversold. The result – high levels of turnover in the fi rst 24 months and increasing frustration amongst both employers and graduate recruits.

The areas that companies oversell most frequently are the level of responsibil-ity you can expect to be given and the scope and quality of development you will receive.Employers also often understate the demands of the job on your time and en-ergy – some of the biggest name com-panies should (if they were frank) have large signs over the door saying “Aban-don hope of any leisure time here”.

So when you are being interviewed on the milk round, remember that you are also interviewing the potential employer. Below are seven key questions, which should give you some insights into what it will really be like working for that or-ganisation.

1. How long before I take responsi-bility for a meaningful project of my own?One of the biggest turn-offs in a new job is uncertainty about when and how you will be allowed to take over a role, where you are fully accountable and make the decisions.

Everybody expects to do some grunt work at the beginning, as they learn the ropes, and to be supervised fairly closely. However, good management allows and empowers people to take on more direct responsibility and ownership for their work. Good sub questions are: What’s the process for this? How long does it typically take? And what can you do, if you feel it is not happening fast enough?

2. How wide an exposure to the or-ganisation will I receive?Although some graduate entry schemes are designed to give recruits a taster of a variety of departments over a period (sometimes as long as two years), oth-ers simply place you in a single role and expect you to sink or swim there. In the latter case, it makes sense to ask what the procedures are for changing depart-ments, if you are unhappy where you are. (Given that less than one in fi ve people look actively within the same fi rm

when they want to change jobs, it’s ben-efi cial both to you and to the employer to have a good, confi dential system to manage this situation.)

Some schemes that give you a variety of roles can also have their problems. Short-term assignments can be very shallow and, as a result, it’s easy for the graduate to end up doing work well be-neath their capability. A good question to ask is how the programme ensures that you receive increasing levels of chal-lenge with each new assignment.

3. What’s the reality of work-life bal-ance here?Even employees of many of the 100 Best Companies to Work for report that they work long hours and come home exhausted every evening. No matter what the offi cial job contract says, in many companies there is an expecta-tion that younger employees in particular will work whatever hours are needed to get the job done. Sixty hours per week, every week is not unusual in many of the international fi nancial or professional services companies. Ask what policies the company has on work-life balance and how these actually work out in prac-tice. Then you may have to decide if you are willing to give up most of your social life for the next 10 years.

4. Will I receive frequent, structured feedback about my performance, and how?Most companies claim to have appraisal schemes, but the reality is that many don’t work very well. Ask a graduate working there now about the nature and frequency of feedback, who is supposed to give it and what actually happens.

5. Is there a mentoring scheme and is it any good?Having a mentor – someone signifi cantly more experienced who can help you think through your self-development and manage your career – inside the organi-sation increases the chances of your staying with the organisation by between two and three times. Most employers on the milk round will say they have a men-toring programme, but relatively few are well designed or particularly effective. Ask for evidence about the difference mentors have made to current graduate recruits. Ask also whether the mentoring scheme has been assessed against the International Standards for Mentoring Schemes in Employment. (If it meets the standards, you can be pretty sure it will provide the level of support you will want. If it hasn’t been assessed, ask why not.)

6. What proportion of previous years’ graduate intake is still with the or-ganisation?A turnover rate of 10% or less in the fi rst year indicates that an employer works hard to make the graduate recruit fi t in and feel a valued member of the team. Above 25% suggests that there are some real problems. Ask how they compare against norm for that sector of industry.

7. What will I have learned within the fi rst two years?Good employers create a strong psycho-logical contract with employees. You add value for shareholders; they add value to you, in the sense that you are more knowledgeable, acquire a range of effec-tive leadership skills and are therefore more marketable, should you eventually decide to move on. The more specifi c the potential employer can be about the learning journey, the more likely they are to deliver on what they promise. A criti-cal question to ask here is: will I have a much wider range of job choices at the end of two years than at the beginning? Another, related question is: is there a choice between following a technical career path and a managerial one?

Of course, there are a lot of other factors to consider in deciding whose job offer to take (assuming you have a choice!) – for example, location, starting salary and the kind of work you most enjoy. But how you fare in their fi rst job will for most people have a disproportionate impact on their subsequent career, so it pays to make some compromises on these factors, to ensure you receive the qual-ity and quantity of development that will launch your career.

Whatever you do, don’t worry about giv-ing potential employers a hard time to obtain as honest a picture as you can about what it will be like spending those valuable fi rst few years of your career with them. The more challenging you are, the more it makes them think about and improve how they treat their gradu-ate recruits.

Prof David Clutterbuck is an interna-tional authority on development at work and a current NUS member. He can be contacted on dclutterbuck@item.co.uk

FINAL YEAR STUDENT? PROMISES, PROMISES...A

You don’t have to be 100 years old and using a zimmer frame to join the Mature Students’ Group!

Its for everyone aged 21 years or over at the start of their degree (25 years or over for postgraduates) and if you fall into that category you’re in great company – over a quarter of all the undergraduates are mature students, as are over half of the postgrads.

We get all sorts of nifty stuff – our own common room (on the ground fl oor of Main Arts), council and executive committee representation within the Student Union itself, as well as some fi nancial help and support for those of us who have dependants or need a little extra to move to Bangor fulltime.

We also have our own society (run by the student Union) which organizes regular social events, and lobbies for issues which directly affect us.

The Mature Students are meeting on Fridays at 6.30pm in the Belle Vue throughout this month and the Mature Student Offi cer, Mal Faloon, can be nobbled in the Common room most Tuesdays for a gossip, though she usually insists on you getting her coffee. e-mail:mal.faloon@undeb.bangor.ac.uk

OVER 21? JOIN THE MATURE STUDENTS GROUP

Mal Faloon - Mature Stu-dents’ Ofi cer

http://seren.bangor.ac.ukSPORT OCTOBER 2003 19

Hi guys, welcome back to BUSA! To all you freshers I hope we haven’t put you off for life and to any old girls out there we miss you!

What a way to start the season – away to Edge Hill, winning 3-0 thanks to men of the match Scuzzle, Carly and Mel; it was a stormer!

Arriving at Edge Hill very early we had to combat the boredom of three hours waiting so the initiations began. After being minutes late to get into a nursing lecture and Lisa’s Dr Do Little skills nearly catching us a duck (new team mascot) we decided it was best left to a fresher. Showing off her climbing skills (or lack of them) Scuzzle went through the window of Edge Hill men’s rugby changing room to get the fi rst steal of the season - a smelly sock, its just a pity she couldn’t get back into our changing room so easy.

After our success on the pitch it was straight to the Union bar, where, after downing ½ a jug of beer Sarge had the fi rst chunder of the day but still managed to win the 20 20 challenge in a record 33 minutes!

The standard has been set for the rest of the year- well done Sargy! It’s just a shame the rest of us are not so hard core but we have the rest of the season to practice! Bring on next week.

The Squad:The Squad: Sargy baby, Lisa, Keyra, Gem Gem, Mel, Poppy, Nips, Charles, Scuzzle, Zimbi Carly, Cosy, Pings and Dobby.

WOMEN’S 1ST TEAM HOCKEYBangor 3 - Edge Hill 0By Lisa and Pingu

The Men’s Football Seconds have commenced the current campaign in a successful fashion this year although it seems strange that only two games have been played. The team plays with such fl uidity and team-spirit that one would think they have played together for a couple of seasons.

Only a handful of players remain from last year’s squad, along with the joint coaches, Iain Hughes and Nathan Faulkner. Replacing the bulk of last year’s squad is a mixture of tough, dedicated players, accompanied with a sprinkling of speed and skill.

The squad seems to have an abundance of hard working, gritty midfi elders, namely Steve Hughes, Steve Connor, Chris Beaver and Dale Matthews. Excellent ball-winning abilities are complimented by unbelievable stamina in the heart of midfi eld.

A solid defence looks likely, although injury problems have forced player-coach Iain Hughes into a makeshift centre-half. Co-player-coach Nathan Faulkner and Geoff Winder compete for the remaining defensive positions.

In attack there is a mixture of size, speed and strength. Spearheading the attack is Irishman Ciarán Smith with the Argentine Irishman David Nevins and Mike Driver covering.

On October 4th the Seconds travelled to Llandudno Junction for a Gwynedd League fi xture. If slick, fl uid football is what you wanted to see in a Gwynedd League fi xture, you won’t fi nd it. Instead you will fi nd an intense battle with dodgy refereeing decisions and abysmal pitches. What you won’t fi nd is a lack of effort from either team.

Bangor took the lead against Junction midway through the fi rst half, Steve Connor latching onto a through ball and coolly dinking the ball over the on-rushing keeper. Junction though, replied almost instantly, a low, curling effort deceiving the goalkeeper. It was unfortunate for the big keeper, who otherwise had an impressive game. Chances were few and far between after the two goals though and it was easy to suspect that both teams were content with a share of the spoils. Nothing spectacular, but a valued point from a newly assembled team, nevertheless.

The following Wednesday, Bangor travelled to Wrexham NEWI, to participate in a goodwill tournament to celebrate the possible merger of the two institutions.

In all, seven different sports teams travelled with Netball, Volleyball, Mixed Hockey, Rugby and Ladies Football amongst them. As the tournament unfolded it appeared that the Seconds had to beat their opponents, the NEWI

fi rst team, to win the competition outright.

The Seconds did not disappoint, winning 1-0 in a cauldron of hostility and intensity. Barracked by the partisan home crowd at every touch, Bangor managed to frustrate their opponents and NEWI were left fuming when they conceded against the run of play.

Nevins picked the ball up in the opposition half and drove at the Wrexham centre half, skipping past him and then being cynically felled by a fl ustered NEWI midfi elder who clipped the ankles of the forward. Ciarán Smith stepped up and whilst waiting to take the free kick Nevins wandered into space, unmarked in the NEWI box. Pointing to where he wanted the ball the striker received it and fl ashed the ball into the net after one touch. NEWI were left rattled. Bangor, who had rarely threatened, looked to be getting away with a proverbial “smash and grab”. Wrexham had plenty of chances throughout and did not really deserve to lose but with the seconds demonstrating a quickly formed togetherness, one could hardly deny them their victory.

The early season has been successful and it is diffi cult to imagine a new team bonding so quickly but if the match against Wrexham told us anything, it was that there should be plenty more to come.

Over 120 lads turned up to the trials on Saturday 27th September down at Treborth playing fi elds. Four university squads were selected with the standard of players attending the trials being very high. Andrew Homer and Paul Squires are in charge of the fi rst team, Nathan Faulkner and Iain Hughes are running the second team, Chris Dodgeson is in charge of the third team and Pete Walters runs the fourth team. The fi rst team have played two Gwynedd

League matches, winning both, beating Llandudno Cricketers 5 - 1 and then beating Llangefni Town Reserves 5 - 2 last Tuesday night under fl ood lights on the Ffridd. The second team played away against Llandudno Junction on the opening day of their season, gaining a point and then went on to beat NEWI 1 - 0 in a friendly match last Wednesday afternoon. The third team’s season is yet to really get started, going down in their opening two matches; however, the squad is strong and should have no problem in picking up points during

the course of the season. Finally, the fourth team has begun the new season well, beating our own third team in a friendly fi xture and recently securing all three points in an away match against Caernarfon based team The Crown.

There is a lot of football ahead with matches taking place on both Saturdays and Sundays as well as Tuesday evening matches for the fi rst team and regular Wednesday afternoon fi xtures in the BUSA competition. Watch this space for more information on what the lads are up to!

UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL KICKS OFFBy Rick Higham

http://www.undeb.bangor.ac.uk/au/To keep up to date with all the AU clubs visit the AU’s new website at the above address

SECONDS GET OFF TO A FLYING STARTBy Rick Higham

Sport