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Day: 11 November 2013

Sheffield ‘foiled’!

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Sport.

University of Manchester  1sts                 135

University of Sheffield  1sts                       121

 

Sugden Centre’s Hall C rang with cries of “Stick ‘em with the pointy end!” on Wednesday afternoon when Manchester Women’s 1st Team faced off against a steely Sheffield side. Even though Sheffield’s team featured a member of the Northern Ireland national squad, and Manchester were missing two members of their squad, the home-side owned the piste to slash their way to victory. This now leaves the Manchester Women’s fencing team undefeated in the BUCS league.

The afternoon’s fencing occurred in three phases. In the opening Epée round, competitors target their opponent’s entire body, having to hit them with the point of their blade (á la Game of Thrones) to score. Here, it swiftly became clear Sheffield were advantaged by the fact one of their number’s tall height lent her impressive reach. Her opponents were forced to lunge further than usual, leaving themselves exposed to her blade. But Manchester overcame this, emerging with 45 points to Sheffield’s 38.

This was followed by the Foil round, in which the confusing ‘right of way’ rule applies: should both fencers land a blow simultaneously, the point goes to the competitor identified as the ‘attacker’. Simple in theory, but in practice, rapid bursts of parries and lunges meant even the referees struggled to tell what was going on and baffled us as spectators.

Trailing 39-41 before the final Foil match, Manchester needed a strong display from Jennifer Schofield if they were to finish the round on top – and she didn’t let us down. Despite having to tape-up her footwear, Schofield’s mastery with the Foil won her six successive points in a devastating comeback. Her lunging was consistently impressive all afternoon, knee almost dropping to the floor, giving her incredible reach and speed.

With the scores at 90-79 overall, Manchester needed just 35 points in the final round, that of the Sabre, to win. This round easily provides the most adrenaline as all parts of the sword are used, competitors lamping one another into submission. One of Sheffield’s number was shown to favour the Sabre, as she consistently boasted throughout the afternoon, relentlessly chasing opponents across the piste in a vicious 15-point comeback that suddenly made a Manchester victory uncertain. Enter Nicole Rajan. Her performance in the penultimate bout brought Manchester the points they so desperately needed. All that was left then was for Jennifer to face Sheffield’s aggressive ‘Sabruese’. This final match turned into a sabre master-class that brought the overall score to 135-121 to Manchester.

All three Mancunian fencers performed at a consistently high level, and Women’s Captain Nicole was keen to stress that the afternoon’s victory arose from a team effort. “This was the hardest match of the season so far,” she acknowledged as Manchester celebrated their win, “but we have a really strong team.” Even with the absence of two of its members.

Comment: Club owners vs. Journalists.

Written by Andrew Georgeson on . Posted in Sport.

Journalist, noun perpetual annoyance, scandal maker, master of the hyperbole.

Well, that’s not quite what the Oxford English Dictionary says, but it may as well. Opinion divides, and it can alienate, annoy and anger people. But it makes people engage in conversation, which is vital in a democratic society.

Unfortunately, football owners have increasingly turned their clubs into communist dictatorships. The two examples in the news at the moment are Port Vale and Newcastle United banning the local newspapers due to supposedly slanderous material. However, there are other examples from the past like Sir Alex who was notorious for banning journalists from Old Trafford like Stalin picking off his competitors.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Mark Ogden of The Telegraph who ably played the role of Trotsky several times, and ended up getting the metaphorical axe to the face for his troubles. But surely in a democratic society, with supposedly free press, the idea of banning journalists from football stadiums is unjust?

The story which broke the Camel’s, or perhaps Hippos’ (if we are referring to Newcastle’s hierarchy of Mike Ashley and Joe Kinnear) back was Newcastle’s Evening Chronicle’s coverage of a Newcastle United protest named #time4change – a peaceful march ordained by council and police alike that went through Newcastle’s city centre before the Liverpool match a few weeks ago. Newcastle United argued that the amount of pages the Chronicle gave the march was excessive, comprising: the front page of the paper, an inside spread and four pages in the sports section. They argued this was disproportionate to the significance of the actual event.

This does seem extreme, however, when I flicked through a copy of the Evening Chronicle I counted 12 pages out of 60 dedicated to Newcastle, and this is after the media ban. On the other hand, if Newcastle didn’t cover the march, they would be doing a huge disservice to the fans that buy the paper. It is the definition of a ‘lose-lose’ situation.

Newcastle can turn their own official match-day programme into £3 issues laden with propaganda which defends their players with religious fervor. But surely it is the Medias’ job to relay the truth to the public and give them insight that they would otherwise be unable to receive? Journalism as a whole is in a precarious place. There is a fine line between creating press regulations and total censorship, and it will be a line which the government will need to tread very lightly.

Yes, Rebekah Brooks needs to be punished for residing over a phone hacking scandal, but surely writing something that upsets an owner of a sub-standard football club should not be any reason to ban journalists from stadiums?

The question is, who can, or perhaps who will, stand up for the journalists of today?

Who will stick up for that rare breed of person who thrives off scandal, and makes football managers’ lives a living hell?

Other members of the national press rallied around Newcastle United in a press conference the other day upon hearing that NCJ Media, the branch of North-East media were to be banned from Newcastle matches. Questions were refused and other members of the press asked them in their place. The conference resembled the last scene from ‘Sparticus’ in which everyone claimed that they were the eponymous hero. In short, it was a complete shambles.

My request to the FA is the following: stand up to tyrannical ownerships and to small time mediocre sports brand owners and give the power back to the press. This is not for the sake of the newspapers, but for the sake of the fans.

In a time of economic struggle, many fans can’t afford to go the matches or afford ever-increasing Sky Sport packages. They will turn to the papers to get the inside-scoop. In the 150-year anniversary of the FA, in times when they claim to be returning to the roots of their football heritage, how can they simply stand by when football is being destroyed from the top down?

Coke back in Students’ Union

Written by Jonathan Breen on . Posted in News.

Coca-Cola is back on sale in the University of Manchester Students’ Union shop after six years of being banned.

The controversial soft-drink became available again last month, after no motion to continue its ban was submitted to student assemblies.

The product was pulled from shelves following a policy backed by a strong campaign against the company in 2007.

Student’s Union policies last for three years, a motion to continue the policy was passed in 2010.

Other drinks owned by The Coca-Cola Company include Fanta, Five Alive, Dr Pepper, and Evian water.

The Students’ Union said in a statement, “The Students’ Union ‘Staying Ethical’ policy, which included the Coca-Cola boycott, lapsed on Monday 20th October 2013.

“Students’ Union policies last for three years in order to ensure there is a higher democratic legitimacy given to current students, rather than students who may have left three years ago. As there have been no ideas brought forward to assemblies asking the union to carry on with the boycott, the Students’ union took the decision to reinstate the supply of highly popular Coca-Cola products in Union outlets.”

A motion for all expiring Students’ Union policy to be automatically resubmitted to Assembly was discussed at assemblies last week and will go to an all-student vote to take place from November 22 to 29.

Other policies that expired last month include the Students’ union officially supporting the right to education in Palestine, a significant and widely-talked-about issue for Manchester students when passed.

The only way is hoop

Written by Thomas Turner on . Posted in Sport.

Manchester women’s basketball 1sts suffered their fourth consecutive defeat of the season on Wednesday, losing 45-32 to fellow strugglers Leeds Carnegie 2nds at the Armitage Centre.

Both sides entered the game experiencing torrid runs of form, with Manchester without a win in their last five and Leeds in their last three.   However, while Leeds had opened their 2013-14 campaign with two narrow defeats, Manchester’s opening three games saw them going into the match with an eye-watering points difference of -102, much as a result of their 62-12 defeat at home to Newcastle in their second game.

This however did not show in the spirits of the Manchester squad, who along with coach John Brady looked ready and raring to go prior to the start.

In the battle of the Northern 1A bottom two it was the visitors who took the early initiative, racing into a 6-0 lead in just a matter of minutes. Sadly, the six point deficit was as close as the hosts would get to Leeds for the remainder of the match, as they toiled to get back into contention against the physical visitors.

Missed chances proved costly for Manchester  who failed to convert any of their six free-throws in the first period. Leeds on the other hand were far more effective on the break, regularly converting chances to race into a 12-4 lead at the end of the first period.

Manchester came out stronger in the second period, with their number six Hamzah converting a number of chances to keep the hosts in touching distance. However despite Leeds being notably less clinical, they still managed to retain a strong lead thanks to their powerful number nine, ending the second period 24-15 in front.

Despite continuous hard work Manchester struggled to close the gap in the third period, though Rawat was unfortunate not to score from distance on a number of occasions, which, on another day would have brought Manchester back into contention.

An increasingly physical game was typified by Hamzah taking a knock to the face half way through the third period as Manchester reaped little joy from their attempts to drive through the cente, taking them into the final quarter nine points behind at 21-30.

And any hope of a fairytale comeback was dashed by the visitors within minutes of the final period beginning, as some good attacking play from Leeds saw them add a further seven points without a purple reply.

By the time the hosts did begin to put points on the board, it was sadly too little, too late, with Leeds able to comfortably see out the game with a convincing 45-32 victory.

It is however testament to the home team that they continued to press until the very end, and their coach John Brady was the first to congratulate their efforts as the horn sounded for full time.

While Leeds returned home celebrating their first win of the campaign, it is now sadly six defeats in a row for Manchester, with a trip to Lancaster coming up next week. With

Lancaster sitting third bottom of the table before Wednesday’s fixtures, you do feel that it is now somewhat of a must win game for Manchester, if they are to avoid being one of the two sides to be relegated at the end of the season from an incredibly tough Northern 1A division.

However on today’s evidence, regardless of the results MUBC women’s 1sts will undoubtedly continue to exhibit their unrivalled team spirit and hunger for the remainder of the season, and for that, they and their coach deserve huge credit.

Woman of the match: F. Hamzah (6).

Was a powerful driving forward for the home-side, and on another day would have scored a hatful of points. 

Hosts to be punishable for partygoers’ actions

Written by Jonathan Breen on . Posted in News.

Councils across England and Wales are on the verge of getting powers that will enable them to punish the host of a party for their guests’ actions once they have left the premises.

The legislation would allow local authorities, such as those in Fallowfield and Withington, to hold tenants having a house party responsible for the conduct of partygoers on their way home and give the council ultimate power to kick tenants out of their house for excessive anti-social behaviour.

But local officials stressed the powers are not intended for persecuting students, rather to keep the peace.

“We are committed to supporting the peaceful, law abiding majority and achieving a transformation in neighbourhoods affected by anti-social behaviour,” said Councillor for Withington Chris Paul. “What we need is these real powers now.

“Power to tackle irresponsible landlords and householders. And power to firmly control disrespectful householders, tenants, and their visitors where their bad behaviour is now stopping others enjoying their homes in peace.”

The developments come after Manchester City Council called on the government to include stronger legislation in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill in September.

The bill is currently being considered in the House of Lords, having successfully passed through the House of Commons, and is set for a line-by-line reading on November 12, just three steps from becoming an official Act of Parliament.

Students told The Mancunion they felt the proposed powers were unfair.

“I don’t see why they should have the right to do that because how can we control someone else’s actions,” said third-year Joe Brunner. “It’s like they are trying to cap parties. What is next, curfews, a limit on how much we can spend?”

Third-year History student Romy St. John agreed, “It seems quite unfair on the tenants, I don’t see how you can hold someone responsible for someone else’s actions.”

Chloe Norton, a second-year studying Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology said she could accept the idea if partygoers affected neighbours, “I could maybe understand if they were in your house, or if they trespassed on your neighbours, but it seems unfair if they are not on your property.

“Tenants shouldn’t be responsible for how someone else acts.”

Many student-landlord tenancy agreements include anti-social behaviour conditions. Manchester Student Homes also outlines the action a landlord will take if a tenant is involved in any anti-social behaviour, defined as anything “likely to cause alarm, harassment, inconvenience, or distress to members of the public not of the same household as the perpetrator.”

The head of a local residents’ association welcomed the legislation.

“Anti-social behaviour and noisy parties are a seriously major problem in a large part of our area,” said Chairman of The Withington Civic Society Roger Smith. “So anything that can be done to stop this is much appreciated.

“Where we live is not a campus, but a lot of students say ‘oh, we didn’t realise it was a residential area.’

“Anything that will bring peace and quiet can only be applauded and greatly received.”

Peter Bowers, chair of Southeast Fallowfield Residents’ Group, also welcomed any deterrent, “anything that deters people from having noisy parties , particularly students, is welcome. At certain times of the year we suffer tremendously.

“Students may think its only students living in this area, but it’s not.”

Other powers Manchester council lobbied for include the ability to bail “young people” arrested on a technical offence to prevent custody in cells for up to 48 hours, and to be able to recover costs for dealing with anti-social behaviour from private landlords who don’t help with offences perpetrated by their tenants.

Cllr Paul, a University of Manchester alumnus, also said, “The big push for us is a voluntary behaviour change and it’s what we’ve been trying to do with our students for a number of years now.

“Many students just are not aware of their neighbours. Southeast Fallowfield and north Withington are dotted with various forms of institutions. Special needs adults, special needs youth, half way houses and hostels – the locations of all these tend to be deliberately kept quiet – a high dependency nursing home, and probably at least half a dozen old people’s homes.

“There are also lots of private houses with families, retired people, workers and so on.”

 

‘I’m no crack mayor,’ says Manchester’s Ford

Written by Michael Williams on . Posted in News.

Politics lecturer Dr Robert Ford found himself labeled a “fat crackhead” on Twitter last week – all in a case of mistaken identity.

Torontonians sent the University of Manchester lecturer angry tweets after their mayor, Rob Ford, admitted to smoking crack cocaine.

Tweets poured in at such a rate Dr Ford and his Twitter handle @robfordmancs were trending in the city of Toronto last Sunday, November 3rd – with over 1700 tweets sent out by between 600 and 900 users.

“I’ve had occasional bursts of it for a while now,” said Dr Ford. “The guy has a habit of saying and doing controversial things.”

Politely correcting most of those who sent hate mail, Dr Ford admitted sending “kind of a cranky tweet” on Sunday night when the tweets had piled in all day – but the mistaken identity has also brought him a small modicum of Toronto infamy.

Manchester’s Ford appeared on Canadian morning television to be interviewed about the mix-ups.

“That was a surreal experience,” he said. “It was kind of funny, and entertaining, and Canadians seem like a real nice bunch.”

While Dr Ford told one tweeter he was “not fat, not Canadian, not a mayor of anything, not a crack connoisseur”, he does have something in common with the disgraced Toronto mayor.

“In my youth, I was occasionally involved in what might be described as drunken stupors,” said the politics lecturer. “In that respect I was a fairly typical student, so I sympathise with him a little bit when he says he doesn’t quite remember what he did!”

The similarities stop at name and memory loss, though.

“I don’t think he would be very good at delivering high quality feedback and timely marking, as I obviously do as a conscientious lecturer,” he added.

Dr Ford is now being lavished with more attention – of a different kind – by Torontonians after being in the media.

“You are in our [newspaper] and I must say unlike our very unattractive Rob Ford, you have sexy lips!” tweeted @ClassyLady_Lisa.

Dr Ford is no stranger to online woes caused by namesake confusion. The release of ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ in 2007 also played havoc.

“My Google rankings were only just getting over that bloody film,” he said. “It’s killed Google for me now.”

Despite his newfound fame, Dr Ford sees the funny side of the situation, “You have to view the whole thing a bit tongue-in-cheek really.

“It’s just a bit of a bizarre coincidence that leads to a slightly surreal start to your week, and then life goes on!”

Oxford rugby players punished for “free pussy” social

Written by Aidan Gregory on . Posted in News.

An Oxford College Rugby club has been barred from all competition, after it organised a “free pussy” social in which players were encouraged to spike female students’ drinks.

Pembroke College Rugby Team (PCRFC) will no longer be allowed to play in the first round of the league season, and the Oxford University Rugby Football Union (OURFU) has demanded each and every one of the team’s leadership face re-election.

Over a week and a half ago, the social secretary of Pembroke College’s Rugby Team sent out an email to its members instructing them to pick out a first year female student who would be “quaking in her boots”. Another team member was instructed to produce a positive pregnancy test.

The captain of the team, who has resigned in the wake of the incident, said “I could have shown greater leadership and better judgement in reacting more quickly to the offensive phrases in the email. I reacted too slowly. In the longer term I will try my hardest to rid PCRFC of any elements of this culture that we find still reside in the club.”

In response to the email, the Pembroke Junior Common Room issued a statement early last week, which said that “we fear that the rugby committee do not seem to have grasped the seriousness of their offences, and will shrug this off as an overreaction of a female-led JCR committee.”

“It went on to say that ‘We are outraged and hugely offended by the email. There is very little about the email that suggests any level of respect for the women of Pembroke.

“From the imagined female freshers ‘quaking in their boots thinking that they might be picked’, to the concerning ‘challenge’ to a team member to bring a ‘positive pregnancy test’, the email is a pretty repulsive read.

“The proposed spiking of the dates’ wine with ‘spirits or food or anything you like. But not your sperm’ prompted our main fear for the safety of those going on the crewdate.

“We are committed to ensuring that misogyny does not prevail at Pembroke, and that basic disrespect towards our female members will not continue to be excused as ‘banter’.”

Outrage at Chester students’ 9/11 Halloween costumes

Written by Aidan Gregory on . Posted in News.

Two students from the University of Chester have sparked local and international anger after winning a best-costume competition dressed as the burning World Trade Center towers.

Annie Collinge and Amber Langford included burning planes, dying victims, and US flags on their creation.

The pair, labelled as the “north” and “south” towers, attended a club night at Rosies nightclub in Chester. They won first prize in the fancy dress completion, and were awarded £150 in shopping vouchers.

In response to the incident, the University of Chester and Chester Students’ Union have issued a joint statement, declaring “we utterly condemn the appalling photos”. The two students, both 19, are now under investigation by the University, and could face serious disciplinary charges.

In response to the criticism, the pair both apologised, explaining that their intention was to depict a “serious, modern-day horror”.

67 British citizens died in the September 11th attacks in 2001. The students’ choice of costumes has seen outrage from the USA, and some of the relatives of those who died in the attacks. In an article, the New York Daily News described the students’ choice of costumes as “crude”, and “sickening”.

Patricia Bingley, 79, whose son died on 9/11, said, “This is unbelievable — 9/11 happened in their lifetime. It’s hard to understand where they’ve come from to do this without a thought for those who died or the families left behind.”

The Sun has reported that the father of Amber Langford, was flying a United Express aircraft at the same time as the 9/11 attacks. In response to his daughter’s choice of costume, he said he will “have a little chat” with her.

Call for action as UK has the lowest number of female engineers in EU

Written by Pippa Allen-Kinross on . Posted in News.

Business secretary Vince Cable and a government review have warned of the lack of female engineers in the UK.

Britain has the lowest percentage of female engineering professionals in Europe, with women making up just ten percent of the overall amount.

Even among Europe’s leading countries for female engineers – Latvia, Bulgaria and Cyprus – they only make up one third of the work force.

Speaking on this discrepancy, Cable told The Guardian newspaper “unless we break that psychological barrier we will have enormous problems for years to come.”

Cable spoke after the John Perkins review was commissioned by the government as part of last weeks ‘Tomorrows Engineers’ events.

One of its main focuses was the lack of female engineers across disciplines, including computer science and chemistry.

Over the last decade the number of women applying to places on engineering undergraduate courses has remained at just 15 to 16 per cent.

This trend appears to begin early, with women making up only 40 per cent of students studying Maths A-level, and only 30 per cent taking Further Maths.

Physics A-level remains the second most popular choice for boys in England, but ranks only 17th among girls.

Last year 49 per cent of state funded co-educational schools failed to enter a single female candidate for A-level Physics.

In his review, Professor John Perkins recommends a “high profile campaign reaching out to young people, particularly girls aged 11-14 years, with inspirational messages about engineering and diverse role models, to inspire them to become ‘Tomorrow’s Engineers.’”

He also says, “We support the National Centre for Universities and Business’ (NCUB) ambition to double the proportion of engineering degrees taken by women to 30% by 2030.

“The most important actions to achieve this are the measures to increase the number of young women leaving school with the right academic qualifications and to tackle gender-biased perceptions of engineering.”

Only 400 women began an engineering framework apprenticeship, as opposed to 12,880 men, in the 2011/2012 academic year in England. Less than one in 30 of those starting engineering apprenticeships were female in 2013.

The report also shows that three years after graduation 70 per cent of male engineering and technology graduates had begun working in those fields, while only 50 per cent of female graduates did the same.

Leah Thornber, third year Civil Engineer at the University of Manchester, told The Mancunion, “Engineering is very much a boy’s game. I feel vastly outnumbered as a woman studying engineering. Even when in high school studying physics and maths, I felt I was a minority.

“The issue is that in lower education there is not enough effort put in to encouraging more young women into science. It is perceived to be more “cool” to study art or music. Although these are important subjects, it means women are encouraged away from the sciences.

“It is not enough to make people aware of the lack of women in engineering. Young women need more role models who can encourage those talented enough into the field of engineering.”

The John Perkins review ends on a call to action, “We need to take action in both the short and the long term. We need to get the right messages to young people.

“We desperately need to ensure that girls have the opportunities to study STEM subjects [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] and don’t rule themselves out too early.”

The report continues, “It is time for concerted action by the profession, industry and Government, to achieve the goals for engineering which we all share.”

Thieves try distraction burglary on students

Written by Gawain Owen on . Posted in News.

A man tried to befriend a house of students so his accomplices could steal from them.

Opportunistic thieves attempted to make friends with a tenant at a house in Fallowfield, so they could clear out the house of valuables last month.

With there being 115 burglaries in Fallowfield in September alone, students are an attractive target to thieves, who have been finding new and innovative ways to catch students.

The recent tactic, which has been attempted on at least three occasions in the Fallowfield area, saw the occupants of a house on Granville Road confronted in the early hours of the morning with a man thought to be in his early twenties. He peered his head through the back door of the house and asked how the occupants’ night was going. After a few minutes of small chat, some of the house members realised something was wrong.

They ushered the man outside, where they found seven men around the back of the house.

The students managed to persuade the uninvited visitors to leave.

Their demeanor and attitude led the students to suspect the their intentions were to distract them in their kitchen while their rooms burgled.

Tom Harvey-Smith, who lives in the house, said, “Their intentions were definitely to tag onto a house mate who would be more inclined to allow them back into the house.”

Student Tom also said in the short period of time the man was in the house two Playstation 3 controllers went missing.

While not definitive proof of a burglary, it is evidence that thieves might not wait for students to leave their house. The Mancunion reported an incident on October 6th where a burglar locked himself in a bedroom of a house while some of the tenants were inside.

Fees should rise with inflation, says Universities UK President

Written by Sean Doherty on . Posted in News.

The vice-chancellor of the University of Surrey has called for tuition fees to rise in line with inflation.

Sir Christopher Snowden, vice-chancellor at Surrey and president of Universities UK, said a cap on fees cannot be maintained if higher education institutions are to prevent standards from slipping.

He pointed out that Surrey has “several subjects where we are losing substantial sums of money teaching UK and EU students”.

After a gradual rise in previous years, 2012 saw maximum tuition fees for new students raised from £3,375 per year to £9,000, where they have been frozen since and shall be for students beginning in the 2014-15 academic year. The University of Manchester currently charges the maximum amount possible.

The rate of inflation means that keeping a cap on tuition fees will lead to UK universities struggling increasingly with funding each year, said Snowden.

“In real terms by 2016, if you look at inflation rates, they will be worth about £8,250…The reality is, the money isn’t worth what it was,” he added.

The NUS said this rise meant fees have already significantly outstripped the rate of inflation.

Snowden is not the first vice-chancellor of an English university to have called for higher tuition fees. Professor Andrew Hamilton, vice-chancellor of Oxford University, last month said fees should rise in order to better reflect the cost of educating students.

He argued educating students at Oxford costs an average of £16,000 and so the £7,000 per student shortfall amounted to £70 million for the University last year.

Snowden believes the UK should consider other countries methods of approaching student loans systems and how our country’s system may be changed. He also believes the only alternative t0 adapting the funding system is more public funding being injected into higher education.

A report by Universities UK, focusing on the challenges in funding faced by universities, found that despite the rise in fees to £9,000, universities will still need more money in order to cope with the increasing demand from students.

The report, published on Thursday 7th November, acknowledges that any extra funding from the government would lead to cutbacks in other areas of public spending. It also considered the funding models in place in place in Hungary, the USA and South Korea but found that while private sourcing for student support may suggest large scale government funding is not necessary, such private sourcing can lead to higher debts for students.

While the report does not call for higher tuition fees, it does say, “Flexibility should be retained to vary the key aspects of the existing tuition fee system…to reflect investor and market needs.”

A spokesman for Universities UK said, “Not uprating the fee will certainly erode income for investment in the future, at a time of rising cost pressures and inflation, increasing student expectation, and the need to compete effectively in the global economy.”

Jamie Whitaker, a Spanish and Business student, felt it is unfair he has to pay three times the amount people studying at the same time as him have to pay.

“I started university in the first year where tuition fees were set at £9,000. I feel it’s unfair that I’m paying three times as much as those who began the year before me when I’m receiving the same course,” said the second-year. “I feel if tuition fees have to rise then raising them gradually with inflation would be fairer than having another significant rise later on where students in two different years are paying vastly different amounts.”

Student shoppers send city-centre sales soaring

Written by Sean Doherty on . Posted in News.

Students arriving in Manchester caused a six per cent rise in sales for city-centre shops, according to a new report.

The report by Heart of Manchester Business Improvement District (BID) attributed the return of Manchester’s 100,000 student population to the increase in sales.

The BID also claims that students in Manchester bring almost £1 billion to the local economy each year.

“These figures show just how important our vibrant student population is to the city’s economy, and this is wonderful news to our retailers,” said Councillor Pat Kearney, spokesperson for Manchester City Council’s city centre.

The BID claims that international students were largely responsible for the 23 per cent rise in sales at the boutique retailer Selfridges.

“Manchester attracts students not just from all over Britain, but from all over the world, who come here because of the city’s international profile, culture and world famous nightlife as well as because of our highly esteemed academic institution,” Cllr Kearney said. “Of course, our status as the UK’s biggest shopping city outside London is something else that attracts students and other visitors to the city”.

The news comes after a recent report by the NUS which claims that students spend an average of £177 per week on retail expenses.

Ella Edey, a third-year History student, said she was surprised by the figure, “I’d say I probably spend about £25 to £30 a week, including food and going out. I definitely don’t know anyone who spends anything close to £177.”

Suspect denies murdering MMU lecturer and family

Written by Pippa Allen-Kinross on . Posted in News.

The man suspected of murdering a Manchester Metropolitan University lecturer Jifeng Ding and his family has denied the charges.

Ding was found stabbed to death along with his wife Helen and daughters Xing, 18, and Alice, 12, in their Northamptonshire home in May 2011.

He was a senior lecturer in the Division of Chemical and Environment Science, and also worked as an admissions tutor for Chemistry.

It is believed they were murdered on the day of the royal wedding, 29th April 2011.

Anxiang Du denied four counts of murder at Northampton Crown Court, last week.

Businessman Du is believed to have travelled to the family home a day after losing a court battle over their shared business interests, based on a failed herbal medicine venture.

After fleeing the country, Du was discovered in Morocco in July 2012 and extradited back to Britain to face charges in February of this year.

Manchester Metropolitan University staff and students left tributes to Jifeng “Jeff” Ding. A memorial bench unveiled for the expert in polymers last summer in the John Dalton garden.

At the time of the murders, a spokesperson for MMU said, “Manchester Metropolitan University is shocked and saddened by the news of the death of Dr Jeff Ding.

“As a senior lecturer, Jeff was a popular and dedicated member of staff who joined the University in 2004.

“Dr Ding taught chemistry and was also active in schools liaison and led a successful chemistry admissions team. He was also a respected hall warden where he provided pastoral support and guidance to many students.

“Jeff will be very sadly missed by all his colleagues in the Division of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, all our staff, students and his friends at Manchester Metropolitan University and by the wider academic and research communities.”

A number of Facebook pages, including ‘The Jeff Ding Appreciation Society’ and ‘R.I.P Jeff Ding’ were also created by students after his death.

The murder trial is set to begin on 11th November 2013.