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want to get involved 3 with the next issue observer.studentnews@gmail.com www.observer-oxford.co.uk issue no 2 winter 2011 free brookes independent student newspaper email or go to inside politics 3 graduate employment 4 student letting culture 5 money saver 7 oxford treasures nick gaven over the past few years there has been rising concern over the levels of gradate unemployment in the uk last year one in five university graduates failed to get a job upon entering the labour market for some this has been distressing news especially since the media has been publishing unrelenting stories on this topic this year the office for national statistics data published information showing that graduate unemployment had nearly doubled during the recession graduate unemployment has now reached its highest level since 1995 unemployment rates for graduates have risen far faster than for the rest of britain future for graduates flickr david michael morris arts entertainment 8 music 9 film this downturn in employment is obviously not specifically linked to graduates but it does seem to be affecting them pretty hard they do however still have a greater chance of employment than those without degrees the unemployment level for 21-24 year olds without a degree is 3 higher than those with degrees following data published by the higher education policy institute figures suggest that males have lower employability than females in 2009 17.2 of male graduates were unemployed compared to only 11.2 of female graduates continued on page 3 sport 10 rowing 11 equestrian 12 football brookes news 13 space to think 14 strikes 15 initiations verde advert traditional italian restaurant in the heart of cowley road specialized in organic pasta and local produce 212-214 cowley road oxford ox4 1uq 01865 246222

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2 editor s note issue no 2 winter 2011 the observer team politics sarah fleming nick gaven rostislav komolov music and culture nick beaver laura telles gabrielle westhead lukasz falencki leeona bermingham harriet lee glover caroline corke ­ music and culture editor sport aaron cole edmund fuller daniel morris harriet thompson brookes news sarah fleming amita joshi lydia strange columns laura brawand helen matthews editor in chief sarah fleming graphic designer david cooper printed by newsquest flickr lifeofrobert dear readers last academic year i found that i had landed myself a role as editor in chief of observer the brookes independent student newspaper observer aims to work with not only students but with local businesses allowing independent enterprises to promote to students by expecting more from ourselves we are able to achieve more we hope to have our issues and thoughts considered by other students on the basis that we are providing a view that is representitive of students sarah fleming editor in chief 230 cowley rd oxford ox4 1uh 01865 794945 the `aziz restaurant one of south east regions best eateries winner of a british curry award top 10 restaurant in the uk 2005 2007 and 2010 aziz advert

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politics future for graduates continued from front page the report goes on to suggest that the reason for this disparity between the two sexes is due to lower participation of men in higher education the dropout rate for men in university is higher and it has also been suggested that women have more dedication to their course and therefore have a higher communal attainment than men the difficulty that graduates are experiencing in getting jobs is due to the current hostile job market as employers are generally having to cut down on the number of employees it may be that they are turning to the more experienced and reliable candidates in order for job opportunities for graduates to increase employers are going to have to take a leap of faith in employing graduates and training them up flickr italian voice issue no 2 winter 2011 3 `high fliers managing director has stated that new graduates who ve not had any work experience during their time at university have little or no chance of landing a well-paid job with a leading employer the floundering of the graduate job market has arguably not been helped by this year s abolition of the £1b future jobs fund this fund was brought in by the previous labour government in an attempt to give an incentive to employers mainly in relation to job candidates between the age of twenty one and twenty four it promised in return for creating jobs in unemployment hotspots for a minimum of 6 months businesses would get up to £6,500 david cameron defended this decision by saying that that the programme had failed the foundation s steven overell said that the problem with getting rid of the foundation is that there s nothing really to take its place the government has said that it is trying to boost work experience placements in order to allow graduates and other young jobseekers to find work experience the laws have recently changed allowing work experience placements to continue for 8 weeks as opposed to 2 weeks without loss of benefits this gives more strength to the argument that it is work experience that is the key to getting a foot in the door in the job market seeing as student fees have been increased there are going to be less people going to university and therefore more people trying to find employment earlier on in life if the government creates more apprenticeships and work experience placements this is going to ease the load on employers training graduates and young people alike graduates need to try and work on more than just their degree with the idea of experience in mind the key to catching the eye of potential employers is work experience as employers would rather look to those with experience graduates need to try and work on more than just their degree martin birchall the despite these statistics it s not all doom and gloom recent reports have been suggesting that the state of the graduate employment market may be improving with figures taken between 2009 and 2010 figures show that graduate unemployment dropped 0.4 although this is not a substantial drop it still indicates a degree of change and perhaps a sign of greater things to come angry young people rostislav komolov students protest it s what they do it s what they have been doing ever since the 19th century campaigning for united germany envisioning socialism in russia or simply complaining that the leader is not a very nice person interestingly this emergence of politically touchy academic apprentices coincided with the time that philosophy was becoming a permanent academic subject not anymore the exclusive province of aristocratic reclusive sophisticates but a module to be studied and memorised like any other art or science the connection here is clear ­ it was the same urban literate wellread and well-off young men who wanted to and could afford what is essentially a prolonged book-club and who wanted to see the world remade in their ideal image now by this time you probably got the impression that these are the words of a smug elitist scoffing at passionate young people who want to make the world a better place from the heights of his apathetic cynicism i m not sure i can honestly say that there is absolutely no truth in this but let me assure you i speak these words without a hint of hostility towards current protesters and my intention is not to upset them or to provoke a reaction instead we are people of learning and people who hopefully can put judgement before tabloid-style emotions where from then does this wave of ill feeling come it comes from the simple fact that students are a group with vested interest in the welfare state decades of relying on cheap education in a permanently growing economy save a period in the 1970s in a relatively competition-free country has led a generation or two to forget the fundamental truth education is a product a product produced and distributed on a commercial basis with the intention to gain money for money is what is needed to support the whole concept of academic pursuits same applies to everything else there are jobs there are jobs all around us they re just not the kind of jobs an educated person would want but that s how things were for about 99 of human history the world where every person is entitled to a piece of happiness since birth is still a way off check out this year s open lectures for you www.brookes.ac.uk/events

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4 politics issue no 2 winter 2011 oxford student letting too much too soon sarah fleming in a small city with two large universities it is easy for students to assume that finding a house will be difficult the letting of housing in oxford is big business a business it seems that many are cashing in on speaking to oxford city council it was made clear that there were many houses left unoccupied last summer showing that students are able to be pickier about their future homes than letting agents would like us to believe once you have a contract take it to the advice centre ­ they will check the legalities of the contract and tell you what you are entitled to get the most out of your property don t agree to every fee you are charged check what the fees are for and whether you are required to pay them at that time rent in advance shouldn t have to be paid until closer to your moving in date keep hold of all your paperwork oxford university students union have also joined the petition to stop the letting of student houses so early on in the academic year follow the link to find out more and to join http bit.ly/ugrsie in a recent interview with wendy dant from advice for student house hunters the brookes students union advice centre act like a consumer ­ you are payit is clear that students are being pressured ing for a service make sure you into handing over large amounts of cash for a receive one poor service and a poor quality house check your letting agreement for a main concern is that students choose their clauses ­ there may be clauses in housemates for the next academic year in the agreement which do not allow only a matter of weeks after first meeting agents to have viewings of your them it is feared that students tie themselves property until after a certain date into a legally binding contract before even this is important as these viewing knowing whether university life is for them can be very intrusive and cause much disruption throughout your wendy explains that this apparent lack of year in the property housing in oxford is just not the case when the tale of two brothers a moldy house an unreturned deposit and a lot of bad character laura brawand no can do maz folds his arms over his chest and leans back in his swiveling chair his face half apologetic half complacent about the manner in which he has just repudiated my request across the room his colleague looks over with a similar smug expression my unfortunate collaboration began on one fateful day in december during my first semester at oxford brookes university i had approached my father about the pressing -or in actuality not so pressing matter of accommodation for my second year in oxford my father then ended up giving me some well-intended however absolutely fatal advice sweetheart you are a foreigner over there and must adapt to the new way in which things work just go with the flow the next day my nervous friends and i thus spent seven and-a-half minutes in a run-down house on divinity road being ushered through the damp-smelling rooms along with twenty other eighteen-year-olds the tour was consistently accompanied by statements such as babies like this one always go within a day my shy request if i might please see the garlocked out of the house and was only able to rejoin the group after several minutes of loud banging on the terrace door my friend´s assertion that divinity road was the place to be as a brookes student following that lethal signature i spent my second year in a house with an old mattress in the front yard mould on every wall and a fuse that got into the habit of blowing every few hours and in a neighborhood in which i would tightly cling to my rape-alarm as soon as i stepped off the bus during all of our difficulties with the property we were den also resulted in an annoyed moan after i had swiftly poked my head around the small garden area i found myself securely lucky that competent professionals or at least trusted relatives of our landlord were sent over within a month to help us out with whatever we needed after this highly depressing experience i was extremely ready to move into my new cute house in the city centre and collect my deposit slightly anxious about the fact that several middle-aged men slept in my room a day after i had moved out even though our tenancy was far from over i began worrying about the swift handover of my money this worry was increased by a letter which we received shortly after indicating that a large chunk of our deposit of 600 gbp for each of the six of us would not be returned to us due to damages on the property subsequently a list was presented of all factors that had been wrong with the house when we first moved in after weeks of unreturned phone calls ignored emails and unsuccessful visits in which my inventory was presented to the letting agent we have now decided to open a case with the deposit agency and i for that matter have decided never ever to go with the flow again!

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culture issue no 2 winter 2011 5 be a student money saver counts range from 10-60 in restaurants gabrielle westhead sarah fleming pubs gyms takeaways shopping cinewhen you become a student money means mas as well as the brookes favourite dinner everything a tool for survival if you like time staple dominos pizza but just because you re on a tight budget this card is ideal for those who wish to doesn t mean you can t use your money explore the many unique and quirky restauwisely rants in oxford without breaking the bank below are observer s top tips to get you or having to walk to tesco saving and spending hassle-free visit www.thewavecard.com for more info the wave card the wave card began as the brain child of graduates from brookes the success of the wave card is a tribute to the directions that your degree can take you in as well as the combining of skills that can lead to success not only does this mean that the people at the wave card have put theory into practice they have achieved this in a local arena the wave card can be used in places that are both useful and local to students for £10 the wave card grants you discounts in over 115 outlets in oxford disnus extra card all nus discounts are 100 exclusive to nus extra you can t get them with any other form of student id this discount card is aimed at the larger more corporate companies that are on in cornmarket and queen street in the city centre most students find that having the brookes student card works most of the time however more and more high street shops are getting strict on allowing this let s face it the older ­ green card brookes student i.d s aren t very convincing even in oxford itself students may find that it s worthwhile buying an nus card at the beginning of the academic year it s also useful for using on online shopping as the student-card equivalent often doesn t cut it daily info oxford and charity shops daily info is a website unique to oxfordians it provides lists of what is going on locally advertises job opportunities and more importantly free stuff the free stuff section on the website is giveaway only locals can advertise objects that they need rid of at no cost the buy and sell section also provides second hand objects for purchase in times of student hardship it s really worth having a look out for a few bargains charity shops are a great way of saving money in oxford and we re not short of them in the cowley and headington areas charity shops in oxford are excellent for books don t splash out £30 for a brand new book that you may be able to find for £2.50 in your local charity shop many students donate their old books before leaving university plus the philanthropy will make you feel good wave card classic wave card ave being a student really is hard if only i could eat out at my favourite restaurant with my friends featuring the clever student by the wave card haven t you heard of the wave card no whats that it s oxford s largest discount card save 10 60 at 120 shops woow where do i get one the end thewavecard.com

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culture issue no 2 winter 2011 7 oxford treasures laura telles marc west www.marcwestphoto.co.uk alternative places to eat drink and shop whether you re a fresher or in your final year of university in oxford it is easy to get stuck in a routine of going to the same old places for a bite to eat a few drinks with friends or even somewhere to treat yourself to a new purchase for your wardrobe we ve come up with a few alternative places we think are worth a visit a great place to not only eat but also grab a quick coffee is oxfork located on magdalen road set up by two friends only last year this charming cafe serves brunch lunch and dinner whether you want a full english fry up scrambled eggs and smoked salmon or simply beans on toast oxfork will not disappoint it s also perfect for hearty homemade meals as the idea to open up oxfork grew from the volume of satisfied guests that would attend dinner at an underground supper club hosted by the owners of oxfork the atmosphere provides a relaxing quiet place to have a break with a coffee and a cake or a catch up with friends over brunch whilst enjoying bloody marys once you ve experienced oxfork you ll be sure to return one of the great elements of socialising in oxford is the vast range of pubs and bars that it has to offer even for a student however it can be hard to find the best place to go for a few drinks after a hard day of studying the rusty bicycle there is nothing more satisfying than finding is an ideal place to unwind with friends your new favourite place to eat drink and shop or simply enjoy these are just a few of also located on magdalen road a stone s the treasures oxford has to offer this beautithrow away from the hustle and bustle of ful city is filled with hidden gems waiting to cowley road the arkell s pub provides an be discovered alternative traditionally english environment perfect for a relaxing evening as well verde voucher below as all the usual spirits wines beers and cider the rusty bicycle is famous for their variety of homemade flavoured vodka including toffee spicy chilli and limoncello or alternatively you could try a glass of homemade mulled wine to keep warm during the winter evenings the rusty bicycle also boasts a wide range of bar snacks for when you get peckish on your evening out including wasabi peas chilli puffs and mini pies all which can be enjoyed in front of the weekly entertainment the pub provides treating yourself to something new is often rare for a student but nevertheless the latest trends and fashions always seem to draw us in a great place to indulge in something new for your wardrobe is the ballroom oxford located on the plain at the bottom of the high street although the window is often dressed in luxurious evening gowns inside this unique boutique there s also a handpicked range of men and women s vintage clothing and accessories ranging from 1920 s flapper girl dresses to men s velvet suits from the 70 s amongst these pieces lie vintage designer labels waiting to be found the ballroom oxford oozes style and is well worth keeping in mind when the time comes to treat yourself 212-214 cowley road oxford ox4 1uq tel 01865 246222 info@verdepizzeria.co.uk www.verdepizzeria.co.uk traditional italian restaurant in the heart of cowley road specialized in organic pasta and local produce special offer for this newspaper buy 1 main course pay only £1 for the second one available sunday-thursday one voucher per table or booking not in conjunction with any other offer cheapest meal for £1

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8 arts entertainment issue no 2 winter 2011 live music review nick beaver benjamin francis leftwich daughter and monument valley at o2 academy 18th october 2011 live review new music harriet lee glover vanguard you heard it here first vanguard means a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas influenced by 80s/90s electro french house vanguard is a new must listen to group taking inspiration from artists such as daft punk and justice and sebastian this duo has formed a sound that is addictive and unique originally part of a band formed with friends tom and james from cardigan and newcastle-emlyn west wales have broken away to develop their own individual style that has enticed fans with every beat album review lukasz falencki lulu ­ lou reed metallica the night could have been so much more first support band monument valley who admittedly aren t the most razzle-dazzle of bands on record could have passed for background music this isn t necessarily such a bad thing but given that neither the band nor the music were captivating enough to capture the attention of even the paying public standing not much more than six inches away from them a good majority carried on with their conversation seemingly obliviously it all seemed a although not yet signed opportunities are bit `background and not so much `music on the horizon this pair are constantly producing material and are currently finalising second support band daughter unfortu their first ep with a record label set to be nately weren t a whole lot better it was tell released in early 2012.they have also feaing that the second guitarist actually sat tured on radio 1 s introducing in wales show down cross legged at one point and simply with bethan elfyn after speaking to both stared at nothing in particular this was they say they would love to soon release especially disappointing given the atmo an album but for now our main objective sphere they could have so easily created though is to keep making good music that with a voice not so dissimilar to that of flor people can dance to and listen to in clubs ence welch of florence the machine or at home says tom to listen to vanguard and a sense of mystery evoking mercury visit soundcloud.com/levanguardfunk or visit award-winning the xx there is no doubt their facebook page the potential for there to be fireworks was http www.facebook.com/pages/vanpresent it s just a shame singer elena ton guard/97643947813 ra didn t have the spark to initiate lift-off sadly enough it was very much the same story with headline act yorkshire-born benjamin francis leftwich although playing a few unplugged songs is a gimmick a good percentage of bands employ when playing live and successfully the fact still remains that it is only a gimmick if it is done only every so often a good way into his set it came to the point that the only way one could distinguish between an unplugged and pluggedin song was by the volume coming out of the speakers ­ this is no longer a gimmick it is repetitive to the extent it risks becoming tedious benjamin francis leftwich s debut album `last smoke before the snowstorm thrives on the little details a delicate whisper of a female backing vocalist here a barely noticeable tap-tap on a drum there it is this attention to detail he chooses to ignore live and thus desperately misses as a result lulu really isn t what you d expect from metallica neither is it what you d expect from lou reed it s a challenging album which somehow manages to alienate audiences from both sides with its surprising combination of artists lulu is interesting it s creative but it s not in any way shape or form easy to get into whilst metallica s input in the album isn t bad their contribution is almost solely instrumental with hetfield occasionally getting a yeah somewhere in there some of the riffs are good such as mistress dread but one can t help how much better the songs would sound without reed on top of them lulu can be heavy in places but not consistently solos not in large quantities reed s contribution is bizarre i ll admit i m not his biggest fan but i do quite like the early velvet underground material yet this is such a far cry from it lou reed barely sings meaning most of his delivery is speech that s right spoken word on top of thrash metal riffs thrash fans can see this is unusual but if you give it the benefit of the doubt at times it can sound pretty good reed s delivery is hindered by the fact that as speech there s no melody whatsoever and often he doesn t even try to maintain timing making lulu sound like it s just an arbitrary jam session i m not going to bother with explaining how surreal reed s lyrics are and how little sense they make it s not worth it there are so many what moments with his lyrics you might think reed is in another universe or just stringing together words at random from a dictionary i am the table anyone i like lulu in small doses it s definitely too long it s certainly not what anyone was expecting but the album has its good moments perhaps if it wasn t so overhyped fans wouldn t be so disappointed i recall reading an interview where lars said this is the best thing we ve ever done that statement is a lie people should keep an open mind when they listen to lulu and hopefully they ll enjoy some of it vanguard tom james www.facebook.com/pages/vanguard/97643947813

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arts entertainment issue no 2 winter 2011 9 the twilight saga breaking dawn part 1 leeona bermingham the twilight saga breaking dawn part 1 the film that everyone is talking about the first time i saw a twilight film i found it boring yet somehow captivating there s certainly something about the romance that bella and edward share this instalment focuses on that romance on a new level ­ to the point where i became convinced that the films disequilibrium centred primarily on bel la and edward s predicament surrounding vice bella continues with the pregnancy and sex that dilemma along with the wedding this is where the drama and action begin completely dominates the first half of the film the special effects and make-up are pretty special the transformation bella underthe honeymoon period is quite literally over goes is astonishing the werewolves as alwhen the couple return home early on ac ways look incredible although saying that count of bella s pregnancy a pregnancy they one scene with the werewolves got a bit thought was impossible but they now have to too cheesy for my liking ­ almost evoking a confront head-on irrespective of medical ad `cringe moment the film is rated a 12a so the cheesiness is not a massive cause for concern lots of people like it the film takes a dark turn throughout bella s pregnancy and some of the content could be considered slightly disturbing or uncomfortable to watch nevertheless the film stays committed to the love between bella and edward and the performances remain consistent and captivating which compliment the subject matter the film leaves you on the edge of your seat guessing hoping and wanting i went with a friend who adores all of the novels and although she complained that a lot of content had been left out she was satisfied with the adaptation all in all the film is good ­ even if you are not a fan you cannot help but get sucked up into the frenzy the saga creates www.thebreakingdawnmovie.org hang around until the credits have finished for an added cliff hanger paranormal activity 3 leeona bermingham the paranormal activity franchise continues with yet another prequel paranormal activity 3 the third film in the series goes back twenty years to when the girls and their family first encounter the strange and chilling things that continue to torment them throughout adult life the film remains true to its basic ­ but seemingly effective ­ plot rig some cameras up in a bid to find out what the hell is going the ending leaves much to be desired it felt on that is pretty much it as though it did more to confuse rather than when dennis boyfriend of subject of the explain the story it was strange and forced trilogy katie s mother julie notices strange almost as if the film could have done with beoccurrences in the family home he sets sev ing an extra twenty minutes long the twist eral cameras up in hope of finding some an at the end was so random and confusing swers if you are familiar with the subsequent that it failed to evoke any surprise or genuine films then you know the drill lots of disturb shock nevertheless the audience left with ing footage a disbelieving partner and a lot what they wanted an unrelenting fear that of supernatural torment that lasts for longer toby was sure to be lurking in their closets than necessary dennis soon discovers that i d recommend the film if you want a laugh kristi has been interacting with her imaginary and a scare but if you want to experience friend toby and it soon becomes apparent fear or a film with an imaginative plot and that toby is after something and until the spirit well rounded characters then this is not for gets what he wants he plans to wreak havoc you effects in the film are used on a larger scale than in the previous two the paranormal activity is delivered in a far more technical way we are talking bigger than a door slam but a lot smaller than a hollywood explosion the jump factor when i saw the film was at a ten ­ all of the scenes that aimed for a gasp or a jump from the audience got one it was refreshing to see some humour injected into the third instalment ­ it added to the air of uncertainty and tension it certainly kept the audience guessing check out cowley s very own cinema good prices a varied programme and no trailers or adverts ­ the advertised start time really is when the film begins plus those chocolate brownies are superb the guardian 15/11/11 independent cinema just off the cowley road recent films classic seasons friday night lates small homely and with excellent homemade brownies the guardian www.uppcinema.com

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10 sport issue no 2 winter 2011 oxford brookes rowing focus on 2012 olympics edmund fuller as the build-up to the london 2012 olympics draws ever nearer and with the start of the annual gb trials the oxford brookes rowing squad gear up towards an important year with rowing at oxford brookes being highly regarded not only within the university but also on a national scale the squad has grown consistently year upon year to produce topclass athletes capable of representing great britain overseas this year three oxford brookes male rowers scott durant mason durant and matthew tarrant have represented great britain in the u23 men s eight and another nine have rowed for the country in other boats amongst these are three female rowers olivia carnegie-brown katherine douglas and tina thomas brookes has a history of athletes representing the country in the olympics as well as supporting the athletes who have to harvard university of the usa he is now already made it to represent the country it is involved in gb trials with the aim of making senior coach and previous great britain ath it to u23 level in the near future lete henry bailhache-webb s role to encour since starting rowing at brookes i age the up-and-coming hopefuls have seen huge improvements in my performance i never believed i would oxford brookes rowing squad has be trialling for gb the competitivesome of the most dedicated hard ness in the squad has encouraged working athletes the university has me to reach my full potential having ever seen the standard of training seen my girlfriend tina already make and dedication now required to reach it to gb has inspired me success in britain s strongest olympic sport is huge this shows the levels the olympic selection next year places the students are willing to go to baladded pressure on the current gb athletes ance study and training brookes has a history of athletes representing the country in the olympics steve wilas well as the squad benefiting from the row liams rowed with ed coode steve cracknell ing gym at the headington campus centre and matthew pinsent in the 2004 coxless for sport water-based training is achieved four winning gold in the 2008 olympics at oxford brookes university boat club seven brookes rowers competed earning a boathouse in cholsey near wallingford and gold and three silver medals this year the shares the same stretch of the thames as spotlight is on u23 gb lightweight athlete oxford university boathouse the boat club peter chambers receives some funding from the amateur rowing association s high performance programme many of the top-class athletes receive funding from the tass scholarship scheme and the lottery sports fund we have finished our first training camp in mallorca it has been our toughest yet consisting of cycling erging rowing machines and weights next year is a big year there are six athletes competing for four places in the lightweight four it is tough competition but i really enjoy being a part of it flickr dan taylor brookes is currently fundraising for a new boathouse the powerful squad is rapidly outgrowing the current boathouse and it is important for the continued growth of the boat club that adequate resources are provided for more information on the new boathouse appeal please visit http www.brookes a c u k sport clubs ro wing boathouse we wish oxford brookes boat club as well as current and prospering oxford brookes gb athletes best of luck in the all-important 2012 season it is tough competition but i really enjoy being part of it joe perry 21 began rowing as a novice at brookes two years ago and was part of the brookes coxed four who made it to the finals of henley royal regatta this year only to lose the 21 year old currently studying sport science at oxford brookes is the current u23 world champion and senior world champion.

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sport issue no 2 winter 2011 11 brookes equestrian teams gear up harriet thompson brookes equestrian teams are training hard in order to match last season s results the equestrian enthusiasts comprising of three teams enjoyed a successful run of events last season with match wins from the 2nd team and individual success from lindsay harbottle and joint captain lucy elder who both qualified for the national championships the teams train at checkendon equestrian centre every other week in preparation for the four league combined training compe www.solarnavigator.net enjoy free trial day before january 25th at the centre for sport get fit 2012 students and staff memberships from flickr nosha tition held each academic year the teams will be competing against royal veterinary college writtle college and the universities of coventry warwick and oxford both first and second teams competed on wednesday november 23rd at coventry for the first match of the season the second team took first prize and alex hamilton-white came 1st individually the first team finished a creditable second place with polley short winning individually and bethan williams taking third place the teams continue to work hard in order to qualify for the regional competition held at warwickshire college if they win at the regionals qualification then leads to the national final held at hartpury competitions are a combined event of dressage and show jumping marked on the £12.99 month includes entry to gyms and fitness classes only centre for sport headington rider s style miss elder said the pro miss elder said we had the most ridgramme is unique in equestrianism as all ers we ve ever had trying out for places on riders must compete on borrowed horses teams this year so i m very excited it should be a great year for brookes riding looking the teams comprise of experienced rid forward to some exciting results ers with two members ruth walker who is in the process of great british squad selection and lucy elder who has competed on the great british international squad spain s student riders nation s cup and also at the irish intervarsity s.

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12 sport issue no 2 winter 2011 balotelli egocentric madman or one of the world s greats aaron cole since arriving at the etihad stadium for a reported £24 million in august of 2010 mario balotelli has been the subject of relentless media scrutiny his controversial behaviour has led many to question how seriously he is taking life in the barclays premier league his bizarre antics on and off the pitch have seen him adored by city fans but loathed by the majority of football supporters despite this his talent and appetite for the game is undeniable possible in harnessing balotelli s talent and channelling his negative energy into positive on-pitch performances scoring in four successive games including a spectacular overhead kick against aston villa which demonstrated superb technical ability the best was yet to come from balotelli mancini opted to unleash the striker against premier league holders manchester united and the gamble paid off with balotelli netting two goals in the now infamous 6-1 demolition of the red devils by manager roberto mancini refused to play this sparked a saga that consumed the news for months and continues to still cause controversy after the game roberto mancini told bbc sport that if we want to improve as a team carlos can t play with us with me he is finished this moment shocked the sporting world that a player on such a large wage would refuse to play tevez however was adamant that he only refused to warmup claiming he had previously warmed up and did not need to again through manager roberto mancini balotelli appears to have at last been tamed in a squad featuring several of the world s finest players he has the potential to thrive if he can keep his ego under control and manchester city s gamble to sign the troubled twenty one from an early age life was made difficult year old will be sure to pay dividends for the enigmatic striker which goes some lengths to explaining his troublesome nature he began his career at lumenazze as a youth team player before making the switch to inter milan despite being the subject of racist chanting from rival fans bust-ups with fellow players and battling with his own fierce temper balotelli defied all the odds by becoming a proven goal scorer for the italian giants the reputation the frontman earned himself at the san siro prompted the billionaire owners of the blue half of manchester to lure balotelli to city it would be fair to suggest that during the 2010/2011 season balotelli earned more negative headlines for his attitude and behaviour than positive headlines for his footballing ability during his initial months residing in manchester he was reported to have accumulated £10,000 in parking fines thrown darts at members of manchester city s youth squad and to have presented a homeless individual with £1,000 in cash in addition he was alleged to have had dealings with members of the italian mafia in naples flickr blitzmaerker this brought manchester city into a situation they did not need they were currently unbeaten and joint leaders of the premier league nonetheless they were seen daily in newspapers not for these reasons but for the arguments between mancini and tevez during the commotion tevez was suspended for two weeks leaving him as a manchester city outcast and holding his career in his hands during the saga a legal war was gathering pace according to bbc sport carlos tevez may sue manchester city manager roberto mancini for defamation of character according to sources in the argentine striker s camp this was followed by talks of city fining tevez four weeks wages equal to £1 million with the argentine s costly £250,000 a week wage this penalty was later cut to two weeks yet tevez did not contest this in the way people thought money has taken over what football used to be the ugly truth of football daniel morris has the tevez saga shown the world the ugly truth of what football has become carlos tevez was the `golden man of manchester city their captain for last season and the man that spearheaded their attacking force which penultimately led to city lifting the fa cup however after a dispute with manager roberto mancini during a champion s league fixture against bayern munich the man who could do no wrong has taken a sharp fall in the footballing world this saga was coveted in every newspaper and sports show although it was not the event but the dealings behind the scenes that came to limelight and really showed how ugly football has become mancini appeared to have achieved the impossible balotelli s lacklustre performances for manchester city were prompting football experts and fans alike to question city s reasoning for signing the young striker his eccentricity ever inflating ego and outright arrogance were making him impossible to manage however at the start of the 2011/2012 season the public were introduced to a different side of the italian city manager roberto mancini appeared to have achieved the im is this the ugly truth of football and is money to blame from the official website manchester city football club is owned 100 by his highness sheikh mansour and are reportedly worth £550 billion money is obviously a needed and welcomed entity in such a high-profit and worldwide sport however when such large numbers are thrown around it begins to illustrate how money has taken over what football used to be manchester city s rapid rise through £460 million worth of players in three years clearly shows this these events have become the norm with chelsea and their russian owner and real madrid with their bank backed 750 million euro spending spree to many people money has ruined the passion that once was the beating heart of football and has been quickly replaced with money and glamorous lifestyles with no real love for the game and on the 27th september during a champion s the joy pure talent can bring every weekend league fixture at the allianz arena manchesthey play ter city were losing 2-0 to bayern munich when carlos tevez according to allegations

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brookes news issue no 2 winter 2011 13 a space to think sarah fleming as the building works continue in the heart of the gypsy lane campus of oxford brookes university many students have been affected by machinery noise shaking buildings and lack of adequate ventilation in some areas of the university campus however when looking at these out dated seventies style buildings it is clear that the university needs a revamp to drag brookes into the 21st century the concept for the new build and the design are undoubtedly excellent but what about the current students here at the university what could we possibly be getting from these works other than noise and difficulties from getting from one end of the university to the other many feel that students studying here will not feel any benefit from these works but instead the inconvenience of headington hill as well as the venue have an inadequate learning environment already been utilised to create a social learning space the harts bar space aims to create an alternative study environment which will encourage group work with a selection of cafe s and eateries while the venue aims to create an area that university societies can take advantage of the long term effects may be just as advantageous to current students as they are to future brookes students buildings at the headington hill site and have calculated that the space provided by these make up for the lack of space due to demolition and building closures but it s not all doom and gloom in a meeting with john raftery the pro vicechancellor of student experience in the university many questions concerning the benefits of this rebuild for current students were put to him the long term reputation of the university was a central concern addressed by him and one of his team members jen hoddinott although it may seem that second and third year students are not receiving any tangible benefits from the rebuild the long term effects may be just as advantageous to current students as they are to future brookes students as the reputation of the university increases through the resources brought by the new build the value and when asked why the university decided not strength of an oxford brookes degree to stager the progression of the building is increased in the field of employment works to minimise impact on student learning the response was that the result of this other than these eventual rewards the would be to lengthen works out for a more seemingly ironically named `space to substantial amount of time this may just think area is central to the concept be mean that a smaller amount of students are hind the new build and are being enforced being adversely affected by the works to a sooner than many students may realise larger extent to combat this the university the harts bar area in the su building in has provided the willow and oak temporary despite these long and short term advantages students are rightly concerned about the here and now the space to think web pages on the oxford brookes website include a section of weekly updates for future students at oxford brookes the university hopes to avoid surprises by giving talks on the new build to prospective students the first phase of the new build which is the extension to the abercrombie building is set to finish by spring 2011 and the entire structure to be finished by summer 2013 in an effort to keep staff and students updated tours of the site are being scheduled for the first tuesday of every month starting on 6th december what the university has found from this rebuild project is that too many buildings were in too poor a state and unsuitable for teaching and learning the aim is to not let university buildings get to such a bad state in the future the design idea of the new build is long life low energy and loose fit by using this concept the buildings will be able to move with the times and change as the nature of higher education changes things have to get worse before they are able to get better in the meantime however current students it seems will just have to grin and bear it whilst waiting for brookes to rise in the university league tables things have to get worse before they are able to get better let s just hope they are better in time for the students who will be paying at least double in tuition fees if students are experiencing problems caused by the rebuild feedback is encouraged whether this is to a student representatives the student union lecturers or the space to think team directly on spacetothink@brookes.ac.uk.

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p. 14

14 brookes news issue no 2 winter 2011 public sector strikes sarah fleming strikes are set to disrupt the whole country as public sector workers refuse to accept the changes made to their pay as the public sector involves employees from almost every area of society many oxford brookes employees will be included in this number so what is it all about primarily the strikes are a result of radical plans to change pension schemes of public sector workers brookes students could face the disruption of cancelled lectures seminars and tutorials as well as potentially university resources unions believe that students will avoid public sector jobs in the future and opt for better paid private jobs with better pension schemes and job pay security many university courses all over the country have potential of ending up with a job in the public sector although to students the idea of a pension seems a long way off to existing public sector workers these changes can mean a matter of thousands of pounds being lost through the proposed scheme unions argue that the pension scheme that is currently in place does not pose a large drain on public money and to replace it would not make a huge financial sense the current scheme in britain is also considered by some the worst in europe according to the unison website dave prentis general secretary of unison says our members are not asking for more ­ they just want the pension benefits they signed up for to stand changes already made to pensions over the last few years saw the pension age rise from 60 to 65 in 2006 with these strikes set to be the largest since the 1980 s the voice of the union will undoubtedly be heard by government and felt by the public flickr n hall want to be involved with writers a great opportunity to try out their journalistic style and get their work published business students put theory into practice by negotiating prices networking with individuals in organisations and working to deadlines to boost your cv designers and photographers be involved with the design and maintainance of the website and the creation of the newspaper to enhance your portfolio go to www.observer-oxford.co.uk or email observer.studentnews@gmail.com

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brookes news issue no 2 winter 2011 15 are initiations going too far amita joshi joining a society at university whether to pursue a hobby or excel in a particular field is one of the best opportunities to enjoy yourself signing up for a society is a chance to prove yourself as an active student whilst meeting others who share your enthusiasm with so many excellent prospects available it is a shame to think that the media s portrayal of society welcome parties are resulting in students hesitating before participating in what is a beneficial experience of university life but are the media s accusations regarding welcome parties as far fetched as they sound drinking games and peer pressure are increasingly becoming topics of discussion at universities after the name change from `initiations to `welcome parties at most universities has occurred much of the responsibility is left to the students rather than the universities whether students themselves should be the regulators of the limitations at welcome parties is just one of many issues that have arisen the average age of society leaders being between eighteen and twenty-five it is no wonder that there are growing concerns as to who is ensuring students safety drink awareness needs to be stressed more at universities as more casualties are unsafe and can put strain on emergency services too although it is a bit of fun the potential risks are dangerous says final year geography student katherine arthur su bar worker sense of the society in a light hearted atmosphere the parties are necessary in order for newcomers to feel a part of the group following the death of a student at exeter university in 2008 at a golf initiation the general consensus for more drinking awareness campaigns in the uk emerged many university societies now must undergo a signing of some form of written document stating that students will not force or be responsible for the amount of alcohol consumed by other society members this has been introduced in the hope that people will not feel pressured giving each individual a right to decide how they conduct themselves david holloway adds after half an hour we had to throw a society out for getting naked but the media appears to be forgetting the crucial purpose in having welcome parties an initial ice breaker is essential in creating a team spirit and allowing new members to ease themselves into a new group being the perfect occasion to get a flickr psflannery gap life bearing this in mind the media should not alarm students into feeling intimidated by societies and welcome parties drinking awareness should be just that ­ making students aware of the potential dangers and how to avoid casualties not a way for the media to cause a stir drinking culture will continue to be an ongoing debate but with the growing education in relation to alcohol the issue of welcomes parties being banned should not be the solution to irresponsible drinking at university as long as students understand their own limits the thirst to prove yourself as a capable member of a society does not have to be through the number of drinks you have but by how you can handle situations to ensure that the media doesn t blow things out of proportion and lead to welcome parties being removed altogether helen matthews it s a surreal feeling as my parents deliver me to the gates of the university halls of residence complex spooky indeed because my father has been dead for over fifteen years hardly surprising then that i feel the ghost of a déjà vu experience because the date of my arrival at university to start my english degree is october 1971 fast forward 40 years to late september 2011 and here i am again ­ this time i drive myself arriving at oxford brookes to start my masters in creative writing what am i doing here living my children s lives i should still be running hamster-style around that treadmill which oils the wheels of the bank of mum and dad i should be preparing for the inevitable downhill slide into retirement and decrepitude instead i am politely but firmly refusing to go gently oxford brookes will surely deliver a sufficient or otherwise into that dark night and starting kick start in the shape of the proverbial tough love to get my writing motoring again how over will the studying work out will i be the so what has possessed me well i suppose oldest student in the university can i still you could call it arrested development like function as a thinking being or have i lost too the band you see i have always known many brain cells along the way is it tougher what i wanted to do when i grew up i wanted to study now than it was then to be a writer it s just that it s taken me a little longer than most other people to actually my student son would say `mother nobody grow up cares but i ve been minding the gap for too long it s time to leap across into the throughout my working life i have tiptoed unknown i ll keep you posted like an intruder along the edge of a chasm expecting someone to find out i was an imposter and push me over the edge i have worked in overseas development oil and gas exploration production consultancy hr and pensions management in that time the channel tunnel has been built the berlin wall has fallen the internet launched and china has become pre-eminent but i have yet to start out on my chosen career flickr jessiejacobson

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