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Day: 20 November 2015

Ask Us 20/11

I’m in my first year and when I moved into halls I ended up on a corridor with lots of medics who I get on really well with. It was great at first when we all didn’t have that much work, but now that deadlines are starting to creep up, ours are completely different. When it gets closer to Christmas, I have absolutely loads whereas they finish early for the holidays. They’ve planned a whole week of going out every night once they’ve finished, whereas I’ll have to stay in and work solidly. It’s making me feel quite isolated and when I do have free time to go out, they have to stay in to revise. What should I do?

Periods of time at uni with lots of deadlines are never fun, but maybe you could see this as the perfect opportunity to get on with your work uninterrupted. You’ll be a lot more focused without your friends coming into your room to suggest nights in with a takeaway and film. If you schedule your time effectively and really focus, there is a chance that you could even finish your deadlines early and get to join your medic friends on one of their nights out, but don’t use this as a reason to rush things! If you don’t, maybe organize with your friends to stay one extra night in Manchester before you all go back home where everyone can enjoy it. If they’re being really insensitive, they’ll surely understand if you asked them to bear in mind that you’re still mired in work and won’t really enjoy lots of conversation about what happened the night before. During this time it also might be worth chatting to a few people on your course. They’ll be in the same position as you, you can likely advise each other with work and it wouldn’t hurt to widen your friendship group to people who will understand.

Solidarity: The aftermath of the Paris terror attacks

The Saturday morning grocery market in Avignon is usually bustling, with traders shouting, chanting, trying to beat each other on the price of tomatoes, eggs, loaves of bread. But on the morning of Saturday the 14th of November, all was still. No-one was trying to sell me tomatoes. That was when I realised that the catastrophic events of the evening before had stricken France deep in her heart. Cashiers gave blessings instead of the usual “Merci, au revoir”; old women filled their baskets with aubergines without a glance at the prices; the swathes of busy shoppers were replaced with small trickles of people quietly wandering from stall to stall. Something was in the air, and it has remained this way since. France has been moved to its very core.

On Monday morning, a teacher broke down in tears in front of my class: “Je suis parisienne.” On Tuesday, I was asked to open my bag to security and policemen at the gates of my university. By Wednesday, there was only one gate to the campus open, so that security could keep a close eye on everyone, and everything, entering and leaving. Facebook has been full of events happening in the local area to commemorate, celebrate, mourn, and show solidarity. It’s worth noting that in Avignon, I’m roughly the same distance away from Paris that I would be in Manchester. But distance means nothing—a friend on her year abroad in Martinique has observed minute’s silences and memorial services: The French truly are one nation, united in grief.

As an Erasmus student, I struggled with how to feel about the tragedy whilst living within France’s borders; it wasn’t my people being attacked, but it was my safety being threatened, and my liberty being taken away. At a minute’s silence on Monday, hundreds, maybe thousands, of students gathered in front of the University of Avignon to join in silence and mourning. The crowd then broke out into La Marseillaise, and I felt completely at one with everyone there, despite not knowing the words. The round of applause that followed lifted every heavy heart with the one thing the French will never let go of: Solidarity.

Since the weekend, there have been a number of scares here in Avignon—from explosives reported in a supermarket, to threats to a crowd gathering in front of the famous Palais de Papes—but the reality is we are far from the centre of this tragedy. For students on their years abroad in Paris, however, their life in the capital has changed irrevocably. Some were caught up in the deadly attacks on Friday the 13th of November, and the events that followed; some were too close for comfort; and some have returned from weekends away to a city whose spirit has been broken. Thankfully, all University of Manchester students are safe, and indeed all students from all British universities. One Briton died in the massacre at the Bataclan concert hall, 36-year-old Nick Alexander from Colchester, along with over 20 foreign victims, and more than 100 French men and women. This was the greatest loss of life that Europe has seen in over a decade, and it has shaken the population of Paris and of France beyond belief.

***

Since Friday, I have spoken to three University of Manchester students who are studying and working in Paris for their years abroad, and they have shared their stories and experiences of the weekend and the aftermath of the attacks with The Mancunion.

One French student, called L for the purposes of this article, is working in a bakery for her first semester in Paris, and she found herself incredibly close to where the major attacks took place: “On the night of the attacks, I had met a friend at Place de la République at around 7pm, and we decided to walk towards Canal Saint Martin, well known for being a trendy hang-out area for young Parisians. We walked along the canal and finally chose a bar.” When they left, “we found our way was blocked by a big crowd and a fair amount of pompier vans [fire engines], police cars, and police tape cordoning off the area. I presumed it was a car crash and continued.

“We walked back towards Place de la République where we came across another crowd of people, pompiers, and police cars but in a different place. This time I actually went to get a closer look, confused at the idea of two incidents happening within 500 metres of each other, and wondered if the two were connected. At this point, I received a text from a friend saying that there had been shootings and bombings in Paris in the 10th and 11th arrondissements—exactly where we were.

“I can’t really remember how I felt at that exact moment… we knew no details but just that it would be better to get away from where we were. The atmosphere was weird and on edge, no-one was running, but no one was standing still.” They decided to take shelter in a friend’s apartment in the south of the city, far from where the attacks had taken place. “The sounds of sirens literally did not stop until we had crossed south of the river; it was a strange, unnerving silence which only felt more unnerving when we passed restaurants and bars with people still inside enjoying their meals and drinks. It was such a weird contrast going from the only audible noise being constant sirens, to silence apart from voices laughing and chatting.

“We all felt sick and didn’t really know what to say to each other. We talked about how close each of us had been and how it easily could have been one of us—something which I feel a bit guilty about now. At one point, we refreshed the news and the headline had changed from ‘100 taken hostage in the Bataclan’ to ‘100 hostages dead in the Bataclan’. We didn’t believe it. When we found out it was true, it was a really horrible feeling.

“The next day, we woke up feeling as sick as the night before. There was a sense of trying to continue with life, but which was overwhelmed with grief and mourning and almost guilt. When I finally decided to go home at around 8pm to my house in the 11th, I was really scared. I saw a police van and flashing lights near the metro station I was getting on at, and was convinced that something else had happened. I rushed home as fast as I could, spoke to no one, and went to my room.”

Alex, a French student at Manchester who works in a Parisian university on her year abroad, was in Lille on the night of Friday the 13th of November. On the Sunday, however, she got caught up in the huge scare that took place in and around Place de la République: “We decided before going to dinner that we’d light a candle at Place de la République. We were just chatting about the events of the weekend when out of nowhere we just saw hundreds of people running towards us and screaming. My friend grabbed my arm and told me to run, so we turned away and started running. Every time I heard something drop I thought it was a gunshot. The police were shouting “Bougez, Bougez! [Move, Move!]”—we ran past some press and saw the camera man drop to the floor, a lot of people started dropping to the floor, or running into restaurants and hiding under tables. Nobody really knew what was going on but the police had their guns at the ready and people were saying there was a gunman in the Marais.

“Although it was a false alarm, the panic was so genuine, I’ve never seen so many people running in my life. It was probably the most terrifying moment of my life. Now, every time I hear a siren, I wonder, what’s happened? Speaking to a lot of French friends, they think this is only the beginning; whether this is the reality or just the media warping things I’m not sure, but either way, I don’t really feel comfortable here at the minute.”

Despite this, Alex adds: “This week, there has been a movement called #Tousaubistrot [Everyone to the bistros], which was a way of showing we weren’t scared by going out for dinner in Paris, and also to mark respect for those restaurants and bars that were involved in the attack. There was a minute’s silence at 9pm… not only was this showing solidarity in the sense of ‘même pas peur’ [Be not afraid], but it was also a nice way to get people to continue their lives as normal.”

Photo: Alex Beveridge

Emma is a Manchester student studying at the Sorbonne University in Paris. “There’s a real sense of panic and fear still in the air: People jumping at every little thing, like the lights in our lecture going off. Lots of international students have been asked to go home by their universities. It was very difficult going into the Sorbonne on Monday, with three students here being victims of the shootings. Students in my classes knew those who died on such a personal level; one girl was on my course. One teacher invited, instead of a lesson, an open discussion about the events and what was to come. I was surprised, it caused more anger than solidarity amongst students: Anger towards Hollande for the reaction against Syria, anger in turn from those who believed the military action to be necessary, and so on. Pupils had to leave the class because they were so distressed. I’ve never been so frustrated at wanting to get involved but also feeling so voiceless, as a year abroad student here.”

She stresses the importance of the attitude of solidarity of Parisians: “We went to Place de la République, the Bataclan, and La Belle Equipe on Sunday to lay candles and pay our respects, and were minutes away when the second scare happened. But there was a real sense of solidarity; the sun was rising as we walked towards Place de la République, and people were singing La Marseillaise in unison. It was very moving. There’s also lots of street art to project people’s mourning but also resilience.”

L reiterates these experiences on the Sunday: “I walked along past the Bataclan towards the road where I live, where another shooting had happened. It was the first time that I’d been past the café since it all happened, and I’ve never seen so many candles and flowers. Part of me felt happy to have paid my respects and participate in Parisian solidarity against terror, but another part of me felt a little guilty and strange to have looked at the sights of the attacks as if it was some sort of tourist attraction.” She adds to me later in the week that, “even today, every time I pass the café on my road there is always a crowd, morning, noon, and night, showing their respects and mourning, moving on but not forgetting.”

***

This sense of solidarity, and the belief that French people can come together in sorrow and hope, stretches far beyond the walls of the capital. In Avignon, and all around the country, French citizens are united in hope, not fear. At Wembley, an entire stadium of English and French people came together to sing La Marseillaise. In Manchester, a Gathering for Solidarity took place at Piccadilly Gardens to commemorate the lives lost many miles away; Manchester French student, and director of Fuse TV’s documentary of the vigil, Maximilian Steyger, said: “Candles were lit in the centre of the congregation of people. Everyone was silently paying their tributes. Some were made by speakers, notably from the Muslim community of Manchester, who condemned these awful attacks. It was a very emotional and sombre occasion, but it was very moving to see people from all religious backgrounds and all ethnicities of Manchester come together to show solidarity with the victims and with France.”

Hearing the stories of the Manchester students living in a Paris that has been changed forever recalls the words of Francois Hollande shortly after the events took place: “That’s what was attacked on the 13th of November. These barbarians targeted France in its diversity. It is the youth of France that was targeted, because quite simply it represents life.” But if the youth, along with the rest of Paris—and indeed of France and the world—can come together and be strong, then life is what will keep on being represented, cherished, nourished, and loved.

Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The National Theatre’s multi award-winning production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time returns to The Lowry to complete its year-long tour. Adapted by the Stockport born Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon’s best-selling book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has racked up an impressive seven Olivier awards including ‘Best New Play’. After reading Mark Haddon’s book many years ago, I was intrigued on Tuesday evening to see how the book could be presented in a play.  How would the audience be able to understand Christopher’s autistic mind? Especially alongside portraying a range of themes, characters and the all-important detective story: Who killed Wellington?

Much to my surprise, the audience was transported into Christopher’s mind, using a mixture of lights, sound and physical theatre, it made me feel as though I understood Christopher’s way of thinking, his logic and his sense. It allowed us all to capture his desperation in discovering who killed Wellington; woven within his own unknown story of a disappearing mother. It was certainly very clever.

In addition the characters appear self aware, firstly of the written book, then its evolution to the stage. This added a further dimension to the incorporated story, of the many twists and turns in Christopher’s life. All of this engaged the audience, placing us into a world previously unknown, while simultaneously allowing an autistic viewpoint to take centre stage, something rarely done.

What I found most impressive, however, was the stage; its use of lights to depict the different scenes and just how many secret cupboards and doors it could hold (even squeezing in a table). It made me re-evaluate the use of the stage, it’s ability to incorporate props rather then simply depicting the scene. How in turn this is reflected back to the audience, not just with flickering lights but how it cleverly takes us from Swindon to London by train, and then imitates a tube station with precise details.

Joshua Jenkins was impeccable in his portrayal of Christopher, opening his mind to the audience and transforming us into Christopher’s story. I felt I understood autism, to view the world from another perspective, see the truth and confusion the world brings to everyday life. The company equally propelled Christopher’s mind to the audience, incorporating the everyday normality to the exceptional while weaving in comedy in their acknowledgment of this self-aware play.

Overall I came out of the theatre beaming, amazed by the clever telling of the book, the acting, the staging and most of all the story. Curious certainly educated me on autism, of stories unknown, and most importantly who killed Wellington.

Concluding its year long tour, you can see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at The Lowry Lyric Theatre until Saturday 21st November. Be prepared to be amazed, spell-bound and taken on a journey.

Manchester to provide free education to over a million in warzones

This week it was announced that the University of Manchester will provide free education to more than one million young people in areas of conflict across the world.

Delivered by the award-winning University of Manchester initiative In Place of War, the creative entrepreneurial course will provide an internationally-recognised qualification to young people of the world’s poorest and most troubled communities.

Certified by the University of Manchester, the entrepreneurial programme will provide education in music and the arts throughout conflict areas in Africa, the Middle East and South America. The university will set up a series of new cultural spaces to deliver the course, aiding growth of local economy and encouraging social endeavour, whilst providing facilities to train their own communities.

Now in its tenth year, In Place of War brings exciting opportunities to sites of conflict, war and social upheaval through the realm of music, art, theatre and dance. With the support of music industry figures, the initiative will reach 25 countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Egypt, Lebanon, Columbia and Brazil.

Funding awards from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Leverhulme Trust have provided more than £360,000 to deliver this free education to more than one million young people.

Many people whose lives have been torn apart by troubles and unrest will have access to the programme, with initiatives varying across regions. In the Middle East, a debating programme will be set up, and creative entrepreneur workshops will work to tackle extremism by providing an alternative to violence.

Workshops and showcases of warzone artists will be delivered in Africa and Brazil, with a network of cultural spaces also being created, promoting social creativity and the importance of community spaces. The spaces provided by In Place of War will allow a platform for sharing art and music around the world.

Co-director of In Place of War at The University of Manchester, Ruth Daniel, said: “This work will change lives in some of the most disrupted and disconnected parts of the globe. Over ten years of research and fieldwork we have seen the positive difference that the facilitating the arts can make in sites of conflict. Thanks to this funding, we can now turn that into real education and training opportunities with the potential to enhance local economies and take people out of deprivation by connecting with people both in other areas of unrest and far beyond.

“As academics, it also provides us with a continued evidence base with which to understand the role that this type of intervention can play for people living through war and upheaval.”

Student and parent group protests budget cuts for disabled students

A group of students, carers, and parents—all outraged over recent council cuts for disabled students—staged a protest outside of Trafford Town Hall on Wednesday the 18th of November.

The protest group, aptly named ‘Save Our School Bus’, have scrutinised the city council’s new policies regarding transportation for disabled students which reduces school to home bus services for severely disabled students.

Council members have told parents that they are not responsible for transportation of students over the age of 16. They have instructed the parents and carers to have their children utilise public transport or other forms of transportation.

Sean Anstee, the town council leader, stated: “It is no longer sustainable for us to fund transport for those who don’t qualify, over and above our statutory responsibility.” Cutting transport was first put forth by the council in 2011 but has only been recently implemented.

Sally Wheatman, the ‘Save Our School Bus’ co-ordinator said: “It’s very easy for some local decision-makers to see issues in terms of budgets and figures. We thought, as parents, it was important for councillors to see our children and the daily challenges they face.”

“This is causing serious hardship to our families. One parent has lost her job because she had to take time off work to take her daughter to and from school. For many families, transport to and from school is all the support we get, and it can be vital in helping to keep a job and fulfil other family commitments.”

After the protest, Wheatman stated, “there is no-one in that council chamber who can now legitimately claim that any of our teenagers can travel independently on public transport.”

Come next May, parents of children at sixth forms in the Trafford area will now have to apply for transportation. Only those with ‘exceptional circumstances’ will be granted any.

“If our children don’t fit into those exceptional circumstances,” says Wheatman, “I’m not sure who does.”

Academics have really been ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’

Universities are often the site for important debate and groundbreaking discussion, covering a range of topics pertaining to current affairs and life’s big questions. So that is precisely why, on the 26th of November, Brunel University will be hosting a conference on the Kardashian family—a ‘Kimposium’.

International scholars will be gathering in London for the all-day event on Brunel’s campus, where attendees can opt to go for the entire day or drop in for particular “sessions” on certain topics.

One of the conference’s organisers justified the conference, saying: “You may love them or hate them, but the Kardashian family must be examined.” Reportedly, the discussion will relate to issues concerning beautification, femininity, image and social media.

The Kardashians’ presence in today’s media is inescapable and their meteoric rise to fame came from their reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which is now in its 11th series.

The show came after most famous sister Kim appeared in a sex tape which prompted her rise to fame. Kim recently married controversial singer-songwriter Kanye West, and the couple have named their child North West.

Despite “having no obvious talent,” the sisters appear to have maintained a prolonged period of extreme fame and have a dominant hold on social media platforms. Kim has over 50 million followers on Instagram.

One of the conference leaders claims the interest in the Kardashians on an academic level is their exhibition of the “values and tensions” in modern society. In other words, their popularity stands for what are now perceived as important attributes; vanity, egoism, materialism, etc. with their lack of talent being ostensibly insignificant.

So whether you hate, love or are just intrigued by the family, Brunel University is offering the rare opportunity of nine straight hours of Kardashian-themed, academic conversation for you to get the full story.

International Men’s Day celebrations cancelled amid protests

The University of York has cancelled plans to celebrate International Men’s Day (IMD) after protests from staff, students and alumni. They came after controversial comments made by Dr. Adrian Lee, a member of the equality and diversity committee at the university.

Dr. Lee, speaking in favour of celebrating the event, founded in 1992, said, “in academic staff appointments, the data suggests that female candidates have a higher chance of being appointed than men.” He went on to say “in academic departments, the support staff complement is often heavily weighted towards women, with some departments employing no men at all.”

This was not well received, and prompted students and staff to pen an open letter to Dr. David Duncan—registrar and secretary of the university, as well as chair of the equality and diversity committee. The letter gathered almost 200 signatures and called for a “full account” of the means by which a decision to promote men’s issues “in this way” was reached by the committee. The letter went on to criticise the university for associating itself with “radical” ‘men’s rights activist’ groups.

The decision to mark IMD was also widely criticised on social media. Jennifer Saul, from the philosophy department of the University of Sheffield, wrote on the Feminist Philosophers blog that IMD was “very counterproductive.” She went on to say “by all means, let’s talk about the ways that patriarchy harms everyone. We need to overturn the stranglehold of gender roles on men in order to achieve gender justice.”

Dr. Duncan released a statement in response to the letter, announcing that the university would no longer be marking the occasion. It reasoned that “the intention was to draw attention to some of the issues men tell us they encounter and to follow this up by highlighting in particular the availability of mental health and welfare support which we know men are sometimes reluctant to access.”

International Men’s Day aims to “provide a focus on men’s and boy’s health, improve gender relations, promote gender equality, and highlight positive male role models.” It took place on Thursday the 19th of November 2015.

US academic salaries do not cover basic living costs

Concerns have been raised that the trend of the payment of UK academics will follow that of the US, where 76 per cent of academic posts are casual, with some earning as little as $15,000 (£9,800) a year, reliant on state assistance to live, and that this move has already started.

Noura Wedell, a lecturer at the University of Southern California’s Roski School of Art and Design has said the situation has reached breaking point. “I have to sublet my apartment during the summer and live with my mother—at 43. I have put off having a family because of this. The situation is obscene.”

Despite her two decades of experience, Ms Wedell’s non-permanent contract has fluctuated between $21,000 and $24,000 in recent years depending on the amount of classes she is allowed to teach. In the UK, her lowest salary would be just under £14,000.

Many are concerned that this worrying situation has already reached the UK, with positions at modern universities—former polytechnics—most vulnerable.

An anonymous source from a university in London says that “there are thousands of lecturers like me at ‘post-92’ universities who should be on permanent contracts,” instead of the hourly contract she is stuck with currently.

“Probably a third of our staff—and I’m one—have terribly little notice of what [classes] they’re going to teach. You don’t get any pay of the summer. You come back in September and [only then] are you told how many hours you’ve got. Because you are getting very few hours pay for the actual work you do, you end up working for something like the minimum wage.”

She continued, stating that “many are terrified to say anything” about the financial and psychological strain they are in.

This news comes after last week’s revelations that more than 7,500 HE staff in the UK earn over £100,000 a year. One member of staff at the University of Oxford is reported to be on a £690,200 salary.

A University and College Union (UCU) survey this year discovered that 33.7 per cent of the 1,800 university academics that took part said they struggled to pay their rent or mortgage. 35.5 per cent find difficulty in affording household bills and 17 per cent even said food was a problem.

A spokesperson for the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association has defended these allegations, remarking that HE institutions “cannot simply provide full-time or open-ended employment to everyone who wants it; like all employers, they will always have variable and temporary needs.”

Increasing financial problems for these academics has been attributed to government pressures to cut costs at universities. HE institutions have been struggling since the 2008 financial crisis.

Xanthe Whittaker, a Ph.D. student in the UK, says the situation is far too common already. “Sometimes I work 16-hour days” and that is still not enough, she says. “I feel guilty about spending money on food, that’s how low my income is. I get to the end of the month and I can’t get the tube because I can’t afford it.”

Alternative Spain

Unlike the stereotype of sunburnt, package holiday Spain, the unique region of Galicia has a reputation for amazing food, for a history of smuggling, for superstition, and for some of the most spectacular (and unspoilt) coastline in the world. If you can brave a scary landing at the tiny hilltop airport in Vigo, you will find yourself in a city surrounded by stunning beaches, quaint coastal villages, and almost year-round sunshine, due to an unusual microclimate. A ferry from the city travels to the uninhabited Islas Cies—home to one of the world’s best beaches: Praia de Rodas. The Pristine white sands and clear blue waters are protected from the wild Atlantic Ocean by a ring of rocky peaks along the western coast, and as far back as the Roman era, Julius Caesar described this island as paradise.

Further inland lies the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela. Enveloped by mist and rolling green hills, it is the destination of over 200,000 walkers every year, who travel the Way of St. James, or Camino de Santiago. This is traditionally a Catholic pilgrimage that has existed since the Middle Ages, and leads to the stunning Cathedral at the heart of the city. This is actually thought to be the rainiest city in Europe, though the weather does not put off the crowds who soak up the lively atmosphere in the tapas bars and cervecerias that line the maze like streets of the old quarter. And like Manchester, Santiago is a University City, with a large student population and nightlife to match. The Rua de Franco is the site of a famous bar crawl, dubbed the Paris-Dakar rally after the name of two bars at either end of the street. With many of the city’s bars being small in size, there are at least 30 on this one street, and the bar crawl involves a drink of the local Ribeiro wine in each of them. Helping to wash that down, there is a variety of delicious tapas dishes on offer, with the Galicia region being especially famous for Pulpo (octopus) and Empanada (like a pie, but definitely not a pie).

The stunning capital city, Madrid, is famous for its pulsating nightlife, fashion and food. Madrid is also a magnet for art lovers, with an astounding number of exhibitions at galleries such as the world famous Prado. Whilst many visitors enjoy the traditional Retiro Park, Bullfights and glasses of Rioja at pavement cafés, there is a growing alternative scene represented by Malasana and Lavapies. Lavapies is an edgy part of town, with a melting pot of cultures and people from all over Europe, Africa and South America. The vibrant streets dance to the beat of exotic rhythms and the scent of a diverse food scene. The hipster haven of Malasana has a vibe reminiscent of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, and the exciting nightlife is centred in the multiple bars of Calle Luna, with Bar Picnic being a personal favourite.