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Year: 2018

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Preview: Kojaque

Written by Jasmine Bennett on . Posted in Music.

Everyone’s favourite, Irish, self-referred ‘soft boy’, Kojaque, is coming to the UK for three dates of his tour, bringing with him a selection of soft-sounding rap tunes and hazy melodic beats — the hip-hop artist’s first visit to Manchester is sure to be one to watch.

Hailing from Dublin, the rapper released his first album, Deli Daydreams, back in February. A man of many talents, Kojaque is also a trained visual artist, poet, and writer, alongside his career as a hip-hop artist. Half-produced by him and half by his friend, and SoundCloud favourite, Jar Jar Jr, the 27-minute release is a blend of jazz influences and rap.

The album rings of pianos, lo-fi vocal samples, and low beats mixed in with rap, creating a truly unique sound that will appeal to fans of Rex Orange County and Lil Peep alike. With a recent shoot in his popularity, the artist has featured in the likes of i-D and District magazine and is certainly on the precipice of blowing up.

In previous performances, the rapper brings all the energy and often features from other members of the Soft Boy crew such as Luka Palm. Rap verses are performed loud under pulsating neon lights before he kicks in with the soft-sounding melodies that make him stand out from the crowd. A fan of crowd-surfing and heavy jumping, don’t underestimate the artist simply because he also knows how to slow it down.

Taking place at one of Manchester’s newest establishments, Kojaque is set to take the YES basement by storm. Combining the fresh new venue with a newcomer to Manchester, the arrival is sure to bring plenty of fun to a dreary November night. With tickets already running low, snap yours up now in order not to miss out on one of the most exciting, up-and-coming artists of the moment.

Be sure to catch Kojaque at the following dates: (27th Nov- Crofters Rights, Bristol), (28th Nov- Corsica Studios, London), ( 29th Nov-YES Basement, Manchester), (5th Dec- Cyprus Avenueface, Cork, Ireland), (6th Dec- The Academy, Dublin)

photo courtesy of The Village Screen Green Events

Victoria Baths: A Pop-Up Christmas Extravaganza

Written by Aisha Al-Janabi on . Posted in Film.

I’ve walked past the brown sign for the Victoria Baths countless times whilst living in Manchester, which is still shrouded in the mystery of what the inside contains. But in December, its doors will be open for a Pop-Up Cinema Extravaganza hosted by The Village Screen Events from the 7th till the 9th of December. Along with a selection of film screenings, it will be accompanied by other festivities and a chance to peek inside.

The Village Screen runs pop-up cinematic events across several cities, including Manchester. It creates an entire experience surrounding the screenings, incorporating street-food, and activities along with classic films in various beautiful and unsuspecting locations.

For those who are curious about the Victoria Baths, it was opened in 1906 as a local swimming pool and remained so until 1993. It was saved from ruins due to the dedicated community, and the Victoria Baths Trust — who are now raising funds for its revival. It is currently a visitor attraction and heritage centre which hosts tours, with the intention to return it to its former glory as an ornate Turkish bath.

The films selected are nostalgic and suitably festive for this Pop-Up Cinema Extravaganza.

The programme includes:

7th of December – John McTiernan’s Die Hard, a debatable Christmas classic starring Bruce Willis, in which a Christmas party ends up as a hostage situation.
8th December  – Home Alone, a film that has been cherished for years. 8-year-old Kevin McCallister protecting his house from two con men and does so in a myriad of creative ways.
9th December – Love Actually will finish off the festival, sharing the intertwining tales of characters and heart-warming romances.

The pool will be adorned in Christmas decorations to evoke a sense of Christmas fairytales and fantasy. Before the films, a DJ, and a pop-up bar will be present to make this a truly special occasion and one not to be missed.

For more information about the programme on offer, check out The Village Screen’s website where you can also buy tickets.

Student tickets are available for £13 at pool level and £11 for the balcony.

 

photo:Clker-Free-Vector-Images / 29595 images @pixabay

Manchester’s Animation Festival 2018: AniJam

Written by madeleinepeden on . Posted in Film.

AniJam is an annual creative challenge set by WONKY Animation in collaboration with Encounters Film Festival. Participants from across the UK are tasked to create an animated short film in the space of 48 hours. My initial reservations transformed to awe upon seeing what this year’s shortlist have created.

This year’s theme was ‘Together’ and it was fascinating to see the different interpretations taken by the filmmakers. Touching similarities could be seen within each region’s contributions; most notably many Manchester entries featured the worker bee, an unequivocal emblem of togetherness.

Personal favourites included entries from Leicester’s Kino Bino who showed us both the heart-breaking separation and heart-warming reunion between a Zombie and his arm. The relationship between two elderly strangers from Button Eyes, a collective in London, genuinely brought a tear to my eye; the subtly inspiring unity between a penguin and two flamingos in Rise, by the Glasgow based Pirouette group, was nothing short of uplifting. Whilst I enjoyed these entries, within the whole concept of AniJam, comparison feels somewhat counterproductive; all the efforts were entertaining and impressive with genuine artistic promise.

The bitesize instalments also make the showcase a great introduction for newcomers to the world of animation. Including AniJam 2018 in the final day of Manchester Animation Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the UK, was ideal. Festivals and conventions tend to be geared at hardcore fans. This demographic specificity does have its merits, but this awareness of newcomers is something quite special and you can sense that the entire festival is more than open to this. In the words of festival director, Steve Henderson, MAF is an opportunity “to see other people sharing the same passion for animation and helping share that passion with others.”

Animation is a powerful storytelling tool and is a fantastic medium for displaying how limitless the human imagination is. AniJam exemplifies the broad scope of animation and with this, its invaluable presence in the world of filmmaking. It is pure escapism and in a world of increasing political unease and general uncertainty, artistic contributions like these are becoming ever more essential. AniJam showcased some truly promising talent and it is exciting to think what these animators might be producing in the future. If this is what can be achieved in 48 hours, the world is their oyster, whether that oyster is computer generated animation or fashioned out of plasticine.

There is something both exciting and enriching about seeing the work of creators who may not have the most experience or the biggest budgets. They are creating out of a sheer desire to create. Whilst there is obviously a competitive element in AniJam, that becomes irrelevant in the grand scheme of the creative output on offer.

You can take a look at this year’s shortlisted entries here and I can assure you it will not disappoint http://anijam.co.uk/latest-jam/.

5/5

Photo: Wikimedia Commons @Steven Pisano

Alexander Zverev beats Novak Djokovic in London ATP Finals

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Sport.

Alexander Zverev beat world number one, Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win the final ATP Finals event of the season. The German, who was ranked fifth coming into the event, takes home around £2 million in prize money.

Talking about the victory Zverev said: “I’m unbelievably happy. How I played today, how I won it, for me, it’s just amazing.”

The win came just 24 hours after he beat Roger Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals. The physical and mental resilience to come back from that game at just 21 years of age is remarkable.

This is perhaps more surprising when you consider the horrible treatment he received from the pro-Federer crowd who booed him during his victory, reminiscent of Naomi Osaka’s US Open win earlier in the season.

Djokovic himself has had a remarkable season, coming from 22nd in the world recovering from an injury to topping the rankings, winning two Grand Slams along the way.

Despite his defeat, the Serbian remained characteristically humble, praising Zverev’s win after the match. “You are still quite young and already had an amazing career but there’s no doubt you will be one of the favourites in every slam.”

The respect between the two was clear and Zverev was visibly touched by those words, smiling from ear to ear on the very same spot where he looked so forlorn at his treatment a day prior.

“It was tough for me yesterday because I didn’t think I had done anything wrong,” Zverev said. “Today I had to be aggressive but patient too. Right now I can’t describe it. It is the biggest trophy I’ve ever won.”

Photo: @Richard H Smith

Review: Opera North – Tosca

Written by emilytandy on . Posted in Theatre.

‘Tosca’ tells the tale of a singer and her artist lover who get involved in the escape of a political prisoner in 19th Century Rome, which ultimately leads them to their tragic deaths. Puccini did not include an overture in ‘Tosca’, so, as the music suddenly erupted, we saw Angelotti (John Savourin) hanging down from the roof on a rope in his escape from imprisonment.

The fast pace and immediateness of plot is a theme throughout this production, its pace never allows for a dull moment and would, in many respects, be an exciting production, even for those who have little experience with opera. In particular, the inclusion of two 20-minute intervals lends this opera towards being a great entryway into this style of theatre, as each act is no longer than 45 minutes.

The lighting design (by Lee Curran) had to be a stand out feature for this production. The set consisted of a large church dome with the image of a woman painted onto it and a hole through the centre. This central hole was the source of much of the lighting, creating the impression of the interior of a church and a sense of secrecy which was carried throughout the show. This main source of light, through the gap in the dome, created the impression of a God, forever watching and even judging the events as they unfurled.

The set design (Tom Scutt) was both innovative and effective, the dome was surrounded by columns of stage lanterns, mimicking the church pillars. The brightest point in the show was the final moments, where, as the piece reaches it’s climax, Tosca fell through the eye of the dome and the lights were on full brightness, blinding the audience and reminding us once more that God was at play in this production — that Tosca was falling into heaven. In a large semi circle at the back of the stage were stands of candles surrounding icons, specifically the Madonna. The candles were ‘lit’ for much of the show, creating an ever presence of the church within the characters’ lives.

The setting of this piece felt somewhat confused, while this opera is historically set in the 1800s, this particular production did not adhere to this. While this is not in itself problematic, there was such a mix of time settings offered that it left an incoherency to the production. There were laptops used and headpieces for the aides of the head of state, and yet the chorus entered wearing costumes that would not have been out of place in the 60s. While this was certainly confusing, luckily this did not take away from what was largely a very enjoyable evening.

Particular stand out performances were by Giselle Allen as the over the top diva, turned tragic romantic lead, Tosca. Her aria brought tears to many members of the audience. In the first act, the Sacristan, played by Matthew Stiff, created a slightly bumbling, comic version of the character that was an absolute joy to watch. His projection wasn’t as strong as some of the other performers, which lead to his voice getting lost in a duet in the first act, which was simply a shame, given the strength of the rest of his performance.

Overall this was an excellent show that I would recommend to opera lovers and newcomers alike. From it’s sudden opening to the emotional ending, there was not a low point in the show, from the performers, musicians, or the direction (Edward Dick). While opera often verges on the overdramatic, which this production certainly toes the line with at particular moments, this did not effect the ultimate enjoyment of this production.

Opera North is also at the Lowry with ‘The Merry Widow’

Photo: Alice Peachey

Rowing Club kicks off the BUCS competition season

Written by miagair1 on . Posted in Sport.

On Saturday 10th November Manchester University Boat Club (MUBC) took part in the first BUCS event of the year – BUCS Indoors.

The day kicked off with the Senior Men racing in Openweight Men’s category over a distance of 2000m. Felix Rummel put in a great performance, winning yet another medal for the club in a time of 6:17.3, meaning he took home bronze. There was also a top ten finish for the Senior men’s captain, Francis Heylen.

The next event that featured an MUBC athletes was the Lightweight Men’s category, who came away with a 4thplace from Bertie Gregory, and four top ten finishes. The last of the senior races was the Women’s Openweight where Rosa Thompson came away with 4th place.

After the lunch break it was time for the beginner rowers to compete across the shorter distance of 1000m. This year, MUBC has seen a wave of beginner rowers join the club, making this years BUCS Indoors the best turnout MUBC has seen.

The Novice men’s category had nearly 100 entries, with MUBC making up over a quarter of them. Tom Bobrowski proved to be the fastest Manchester Novice man of the lot; with his time placing him in 7thplace. The final individual race was the Novice Women, where MUBC’s top placing woman came 5th overall.

The day ended with the most exciting and competitive race: the relays. The Senior men’s first team held their own in a competitive field and came away with 3rd place, with the senior women narrowly missing out on the podium with 5th place. Overall it was an incredibly successful weekend, and a great platform off which the club can build. The next competition takes the club back over the Pennines to York, kicking off the head racing season.

Photo: Flickr @Duncan Hull

Brexit: the threat to the transfer market and competitive balance of the Premier League

Written by sammcgonigle on . Posted in Sport.

As Britain heads towards an exit from the EU in March, we’re still none the wiser about the possible future for the United Kingdom.

The Premier League is clearly wary of the potential impact of Brexit, with the fear that tough, new regulations on signing players from the EU could limit the talent that clubs can access.

In the current system, clubs are free to sign any player from a country residing in the European Economic Area (EEA) as part of the of freedom-of-movement laws, yet there are strict rules governing the players they are able to sign from outside the EEA.

Essentially, to sign a non-EU national, they must appear regularly for a country in the top 60 of the world rankings, or command a transfer fee or wages exceeding the median paid by Premier League clubs the previous year, to suggest they are an exceptional talent.

The Premier League’s greatest concern is that these rules could now be extended to all European players, obstructing clubs’ ability to recruit from the continent. For the clubs outside the big six, who are much more likely to sign players who do not otherwise meet the work permit criteria, they will undoubtedly suffer.

These regulations would call into question the competitive balance of the Premier League and instil the already established elite, making the likelihood of another Leicester title miracle almost impossible.

The Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has criticised the decision to leave the European Union. The Argentine compared Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union to a car crash and says that the uncertainty should prompt the Government to consider pausing March’s scheduled exit.

In this summer’s transfer window, Tottenham became the first Premier League club not to buy a single player since the window’s introduction in 2003.

Pochettino believes the price of delivering the new White Hart Lane, which has increased owing to the fall in the value of the pound, is one of the factors that have stopped him adding to his squad.

Talking about the current investments, Pochettino stated “What the club is doing is so brave… building a new training ground was a massive investment, the stadium is nearly £1bn. And then with Brexit it’s worse, as the cost is 30% more. That is a drama too. I feel sorry for the English people.”

However, the Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has had little to say about the consequences of leaving the EU and rather chose to congratulate the United Kingdom, saying “the thing that I admire most about England is that… you have all been able to vote,”. The former Barcelona coach is seemingly approving of the British democratic system.

Guardiola is known for his personal views on Catalonia and has always remained a vocal proponent of support for the imprisoned activists and politicians campaigning for Catalan Independence.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons @Barnos

Five draws in five games for Carlsen and Caruana in Chess World Championships

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Sport.

World number one and two, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, played their fifth draw in as many games in London for the world championship series.
The 12-game match, organised by the World Chess Federation (FIDE), is being played between 9th and 28th November 2018 and has a prize fund of one million euros.
Carlsen said that “there is serious room for improvement at this point” after the climax of the fifth game on Thursday which saw the score remain tied at 2.5-2.5. The three-and-a-quarter hour match started brightly but ultimately finished in a draw after 34 moves.
His opponent, Caruana, opened which a highly aggressive pawn sacrifice early on which prompted gasps from the crowd. His intention was to create pressure on Carlsen and try to confuse him, forcing errors and leading to a higher chance of victory.
“Well, this line is really interesting and if black is cooperative it can get very exciting,” said Caruana. “But Magnus one the line quite well and I think played in a very logical way.”
Carlsen, on the other hand, was unfazed by his opponents peculiar opening strategy. “To be honest I was pretty happy about the opening. I felt as though after it calmed down, on the black could ever really be better. But I couldn’t find a way to push it.”
It was widely believed that Caruana was under much more pressure than Carlsen to get a win on Thursday with the white pieces. Under the rules of the 12 game series, the colour of the pieces must be reversed at the halfway point. This leads to an interesting pairing of games, six and seven, where both players use the same colours for two consecutive games.
Carlsen, who won the initial drawn, chose to play Game 1 as black. This means that he will play as white in Game 6 and Game 7 on Friday and Sunday.
“Of course double black is coming up and this is a quite a serious challenge, but this was always going to happen,” said Caruana. “And whether I win or draw (on Thursday), this was still going to happen. So I wasn’t approaching this game differently than any other.”
“I can only play for a win if I get something and I can only really be disappointed that I missed a chance if I get some sort of chance in the game. And if a game is like this where we both play more or less correctly and neither of us makes a serious mistake, I don’t think that I can really be disappointed.”
World Champion Carlsen seems to be excited for his double-header as white. “It’s like any round-robin tournament,” Carlsen said. “If you have a double black or a double white, you kind of single that out when the tournament starts. That is either your opportunity to strike or when you’re at your most vulnerable. I am looking forward to it, obviously, and we’ll see what happens.
“But most of all I’m just more or less happy with the way things are going with black as it’s clear to the naked eye there is serious room for improvement at this point.”
While the on-board action has been mostly without drama, there has been major off-board controversy. Early on Tuesday morning, a two-minute clip was uploaded to the Saint Louis Chess Club’s Youtube channel before quickly getting taken down. The video contained details of Caruana’s secret preparations for the tournament.
In the brief period of time the video was online for screenshots were taken and widely shared online where chess fans dissected what they saw. The video included shots of a laptop which contained openings supposedly being researched by Caruana for his upcoming series with Carlsen.
There was also the names of three grandmasters contained within the video – Leinier Domínguez, Alejandro Ramírez and Ioan-Cristian Chirila – who could be working with Caruana as second’s in his camp to help the American practice.
When told about the footage in an interview Carlsen said with a smile “well, I’ll have a look and the video and then make up my mind.” Carlsen’s manager, Espen Agdestein did not comment on the video upon its initial release but later admitted that he thought it was a mistake by Caruana’s camp.
Talking to Norwegian chess journalist Tarjei Svensen Agdenstein said “I think this is real. It can happen by mistake, and we’ve been close to making the same mistake. It’s more likely that it was a mistake than that it was staged.”
The video resulted in speculation of this being a deliberate attempt to spread misinformation to Carlsen, prompting him to waste his energy preparing for openings that Caruana has no intention of playing.
This has been deemed unlikely by all familiar with Caruana or high-level chess in general as some of the openings shown in the video have already featured in the first few games.
Both Carlsen and Caruana will be hoping to break the deadlock over the weekend and enter next week in a leading position. The 12-game series will be played until November 28th, and is shown for free on the FIDE website.
Photo: UMSC

Learning to skate with the University of Manchester Skateboard Club

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Sport.

Learning to skate may seem daunting. At the skatepark, everyone seems far better than you and it feels like all eyes are on you when you try a simple trick. The University of Manchester Skateboard Club (UMSC) is trying to tackle this by making the sport inclusive for everyone, regardless of gender or ability.

Finn Vautier, President of the society, invited me to one of their beginner skateboard sessions. Held every Wednesday, the sessions last for five hours and are aimed at people of all skill levels. The UMSC team are there to teach everything, from basic movement on the board to more complex tricks. Included in the five-pound price too is all the equipment you’d need so there’s no need to buy your own.

“We’re trying to foster an atmosphere of inclusion and confidence,” Vautier said. “As an activity skateboarding can often appear intimidating and unapproachable for beginners. We’re trying to introduce skateboarding to all students and to create a diverse member base. It’s a massive social too, as can be seen by the success of our sessions and socials, with the skatepark being a safe social space full of activity and life.”

Part of what makes these sessions so great for those that attend is the venue, Projekts MCR Skatepark. The large and varied skatepark is off the main road so you don’t have to worry about people constantly walking past. Not only that but it’s underneath the Mancunian Way near the city centre, so no matter the weather, you can have a great time.

In addition to this, all the coaches who run the sessions are incredibly friendly and supportive, interested in making sure everyone has a great time. One of the things they feel proudest of is the people who come one week to try the sport out for the first time and come back the next week with their own board.

Vautier and the team have worked very hard to create a value-for-money event for students. They took over from a team last year who did not organise many events and because of this, there was no funding from the Union this year. As a result, they have had to rebuild the society almost from scratch.

“The society was non-existent last year, there was only a facebook group,” he said. “There were no foundations when the new committee took over. This is to say we had to build a relationship with the skatepark in order to run our events.”

Alongside the for-all coaching events, UMSC also works with the skatepark on women-only skating events on Thursday nights. The sessions are for all ages and abilities and mostly serve as beginners lessons. Again all equipment is provided so these events are perfect to try skateboarding for the first time.

Learning how to skate can be an especially daunting as a girl, with skateparks dominated by men. Connie Gascoyne, who runs these events, said they are aimed at people who ‘are too nervous to come to the skatepark on their own’. Both weekly sessions are aimed at building confidence and bringing the sport to people that lacked the confidence to learn on their own.

Away from the skatepark, UMSC has run a number of socials including a skate tour at the start of the year of skate shops and spots. There wasn’t a lot of interest in the event online so the organisers were a bit worried that no one would be interested. When they arrived at the start spot they were blown away to see over 50 people with skateboards, longboards and bikes, all wanting to have fun and meeting new people.

Moving forwards, Vautier sees the society expanding far beyond where it currently is. “In the future, we hope that the society can collaborate and form strong links with other societies. We’re in the process of organising a few sponsorships. We’re also hoping to run our own skate jams in the future where we will donate the proceeds to charities like skatepal, who build skateparks in Palestine. Another idea we’re looking into is having our own apparel.”

The society is looking forward to the opening of a massive new skatepark in Salford this December. Graystone Action Sports Manchester will boast a venue much larger than their current one and will be a destination for events in the new year.

For more information about the society and their events check out the UMSC Facebook page.

album art Photo: Ellis Coopey @ Mancunion

Feature: Manchester Piccadilly launches our journey through album art history

Written by elliscoopey on . Posted in Music.

On Saturday, 13th October, the UK celebrated its first ever National Album Day and so it seemed only fitting that following its launch in London, the Album Art Through The Ages exhibition headed to the North’s music hotspot, Manchester. As it leaves Manchester Piccadilly train station the exhibition will travel further upwards and terminate at Glasgow Central (Nov 6th-19th).
Arriving at the bustling central Manchester station, I wondered if there was going to be an artsy vacant shop used for the exhibition’s venue, away from the stress and relentless crowds, but instead, the exhibition took place along the station’s retail avenue situated directly in between Pret a Manger and Krispy Kremes. While I was happy to be able to get coffee and a doughnut, I couldn’t help but question whether this was the right venue for the exhibition.
For passers-by, it was a nice enough aside to their journey, but for people visiting expressly to see to the exhibition, it was underwhelming. Inevitably, I arrived at the wrong end of the exhibition. It wouldn’t have mattered if the collection wasn’t intended to be viewed chronologically, but it was and so when I  saw the most recent artwork first, it was frustrating that it hadn’t been signposted properly.
I made my way to the beginning of the timeline, where, in 1949, Alex Steinweiss allegedly invented album artwork; frustrated by the drab and unattractive packaging of discs, he convinced Columbia Records to let him design a few. One of his first was the cover for the 1950 recording of Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra playing Frede Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite. Columbia Records has since authorised him to design a further 2500 album covers. Although this may have been a milestone in music history, the display itself certainly didn’t appear to be a milestone in the station’s.
A section read “In an age where instant access to promo videos was not available, the vinyl sleeve would often be the only visual representation of the band the album could enjoy”. I found this particularly interesting as I could see how this imagery had inspired the lifestyle choices of generations, from clothes to home decor. I’ve definitely sat in the Oasis Definitely Maybe living room a few times when I was growing up. Artists rejected this too; The Beatles’ The White Album, when compared to its predecessor Sgt. Pepper’s, was “an avoidance of any visual distraction, encouraging the listener to simply just listen”.
With more advanced technology and streaming services taking over, this role seems to be changing, and sometimes for the better. For example, the exhibition shows how The Temper Traps’ self-titled 2012 album included a moving image version with the iTunes LP and how artists are now frequently releasing digital content with albums.
Apart from this display perhaps being better appreciated in a quieter location with a larger effort made to embellish the space it is contained in, it was a thoroughly enjoyable exploration of the art, music, and unique stories behind some of the world’s most renowned album covers. I left pondering at the future of album artwork, especially given the industry’s move to online streaming.
Maybe we’re in need of another Steinweiss, someone to once again bring its role to the fore.
Be sure to catch the exhibition at its final stop in Glasgow Central and also vote for your favourite artwork at www.artvinyl.com.
The University of Manchester Photo: Johsua Poh@Flickr

Late University of Manchester professor’s essay flagged by counter-terrorism scheme

Written by Nicole Wootton-Cane on . Posted in News.

An academic essay by a former University of Manchester professor has been flagged as “sensitive” under the government’s ‘Prevent’ counter-terrorism programme at the University of Reading.

The essay by the late Professor Norman Geras, titled Our Morals: The Ethics of Revolution, examined the ethics of socialist revolution. It was listed as “essential” reading for a third-year politics module at the University. It rejected terrorism but suggested that violence could be necessary in some cases of social injustice.

Students were advised to only read the content in a secure setting, and to not leave it where it might be found “inadvertently or otherwise, by those who are not prepared to view it.”

Prevent is the government’s anti-radicalisation scheme that aims to flag and divert individuals from terrorism before they are radicalised. The scheme has previously been described as “ineffective and counterproductive” in a report led by Dr Waqas Tufail of Leeds Beckett University.

Dr. Tufail called the case at the University of Reading “hugely concerning”, tweeting that “Prevent is promoting self-censorship and harming academic freedom”.

Second-year History and Politics student Sam Honey asked: “Censorship of articles that clearly do not endorse or provoke terrorist activity shows that the government’s anti-terrorism strategy is becoming increasingly intrusive – would this approach not mean Marxist texts also being plastered with warnings; For giving a narrative of violent uprising against the state?”

A Politics and Modern History student who chose to stay anonymous told us: “Whilst I disagree with Geras’s politics, university should be an environment where you can air a variety of different viewpoints regardless of where you land on the political spectrum.

“Targeting people because of their non-traditional views is dangerous and highlights some of the already known issues of Prevent. However, it is important to stress the importance and need of a counter-terrorism strategy and the government is doing the best it can.”

Professor Geras was a political theorist and Professor Emeritus of Politics at the University of Manchester from 1967 until his retirement in 2003. He wrote prominently on Marxist political thought and was on the editorial board of the Socialist Register from 1995 to 2003. He died of cancer in 2013.

courtesy of Manchester Animation Festival

Manchester Animation Festival: Virus Tropical

Written by carlfitzgerald on . Posted in Film.

Very few films manage to be as matter of fact and to-the-point as Santiago Caicedo’s Virus Tropical. This animated adaptation of the graphic novel by Columbian-Ecuadorian writer PowerPaola definitely lived up to the Manchester Animation Festival’s goals of showcasing the diversity of modern animation and “viewing the world from different perspectives.”

Setting its tone directly from the opening seconds, we get a brilliantly animated zoom through the Ecuadorian skyline, arriving through a bedroom window to witness the beginning of Paola’s existence, quite literally from the moment of conception. Virus Tropical never lets up from this level of frankness, exploring Paola’s life story from birth to early adulthood. In doing so, it directly confronts a variety of personal and private life moments regarding changing cities, sex, clumsy relationships, family feuds, changing schools, and upholding tradition. All depicted through a distinct, scratchy, DIY animation style and lo-fi soundtrack directly correlating with the film’s stripped-down simplicity.

One of the central connectors between the various events in Paola’s life is the lack of control over her life decisions as a young Hispanic woman. From having her ears painfully pierced by a traditional grandmother to being pressured by society into fitting certain beauty standards, the film implies the generational legacy of this kind of treatment expertly. For example, Paola’s mother is frequently chastised by her mother in law for any flaws in her parenting, despite putting in so much effort. In contrast, her father makes hugely damaging decisions that force changes in the family’s lifestyle, such as losing all their money via misguided banking, yet doesn’t seem to face anywhere near the same kind of stigma, except from his wife.

There’s still not enough good to say about the film’s strikingly simplistic animation, speaking to the importance of the visual style. If it’d been live action, it’s very likely that it could’ve got very dull very fast, but the increasingly evocative ways they manage to showcase everyday life is enough to keep any audience consistently engaged. And it stands as proof that it is possible to make an animated film in a similar style to its graphic novel counterpart that doesn’t look incredibly stiff. Instead, the fluid movements present a vibrancy to the characters against their still backgrounds, conveying a strong message regarding their position in the world.

Disappointingly, however, the film’s ending feels painfully abrupt. While it does end with a solid conclusion to Paola’s arc, it still seems to build up to an exciting character moment and then stops. It left me wanting more and not in a good way.

Virus Tropical itself is tremendously animated, brilliantly voiced, and a marvellous spotlight on the lives of everyday groups not often depicted in mainstream art. I wish it had a better ending, but that definitely doesn’t stop me from hoping it manages to find a fair distributor willing to take a chance and bring it to a wider audience.

Rating: 4/5

Poppy Photo: Moriori @Wikimedia Commons

Depoliticise the poppy

Written by George Walker on . Posted in Opinion.

At 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month, millions of people from across the country come together to commemorate one hundred years since the end of the First World War.

The idea of a future of peace allows a sense of national solidarity to prevail during a time of hurt for many people.

The true meaning of the poppy is to be open and honest about war; to reflect upon the hurt and destruction that war brings. It is also a chance to think about our post-war relationships and how we prevent further wars; the very essence of ‘lest we forget’.

Last weekend, 10,000 people, including veterans and relatives of WWI soldiers, marched past the cenotaph in London.

In the evening, a beacon was lit at Westminster Abbey, followed by more than 1,000 others across the UK. These remembrance ceremonies are heavily symbolic; lights intended to show the end of the darkness that a war brings, and of course, the ubiquitous red poppy has a long story behind it. Yet none of these symbols have remained as apolitical as they were first intended.

The poppy tradition, for example, began in the aftermath of WWI, it was originally inspired by the famous poem, ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae. From then on it became intertwined with the charitable works and support for ex-servicemen carried out by the Royal British Legion.

Although noble, this was an inherently political way of remembering those who died; this symbol of remembrance became linked to the particular view of British ex-servicemen of the war.

As time has passed, a number of the connotations imposed on the poppy by the Royal British Legion have become outdated. With the passing of time and the changing nature of warfare, the implications of remembrance have changed. Our remembrance no longer exists in this politically specific and immediate post-war vacuum, and yet there remains politics behind the red petals.

Much of the modern-day rhetoric of the Remembrance remains political, with certain authoritarian, social demands for those remembering war.

In the lead up to Remembrance Sunday the purchase of a poppy becomes almost obligatory. We could consider, for example, the abuse given to Irish footballer James McClean on his refusal to wear a poppy, and to Sheffield’s Lord Mayor Magid Magid for wearing a white and not red poppy.

A refusal to wear a poppy is inherently political and sparks deeply emotive debate. Yet at the end of the day, because war literally threatens people’s lives, wearing a poppy is as personal as it is political. It should be a choice just as much as any other political statement.

This culture of obligation does not actually allow us to remember those who died. Surely the whole point of this tradition is ‘never again’? Therefore, the goal is to have a discussion about war, prevention, and impact, not the censorship of rational political thought.

It is an incredibly sensitive matter, but we cannot place boundaries on how we talk about something as destructive and divisive as war. We need to reconsider how we remember those who gave their lives in order to give true credence to our efforts to make sure it never happens again.

Photo: DrPhoenix @ Commons Wikimedia

Get up, stand up – your tuition fees are outrageous

Written by Rosa Uijtewaal on . Posted in Opinion.

To study in Manchester for a semester as a Dutch student is great. I can enjoy the friendliness of Northerners, the incredible music scene, and feeling like I am attending Hogwarts whenever I pass Whitworth Hall. What helps me enjoy this city, however, is that by joining the Erasmus scheme, I continue to pay my home universities tuition fees.

In short, paying four years of tuition fees at a Dutch university equals just one year of fees in the UK! These fees don’t even include the cost of living or additional costs for books and bus passes. Not only that but semesters here are shorter, by more than a month and a half, and you have far fewer contact hours. You are literally paying more for less.

High tuition fees are problematic and unfair for various, obvious reasons. If we compare UK tuition fees with other European countries, the UK definitely comes off the worst. Students in the United Kingdom pay up to £9000 a year for undergraduate studies. In Austria and Scandinavia, EU students pay no tuition fees whatsoever. In Germany costs amount to a maximum of €400, and in France, the top rate is €1300.

Some justify the high fees because the quality of education in the UK is generally higher, and it is true that some of the best universities of Europe are based in the UK. But not all of us are going to Oxford or Cambridge, and so a number of UK students are being left with massively higher debts than other European students. This sets them behind in their further life when trying to borrow money, buy houses, or travel.

Whilst it is a very good thing that more and more people are going to higher education, arguably it is devaluing a single honours degree. Therefore adding pressure onto students to do an extra masters to stand out and ultimately get caught in even more debt. Students accrue ever more debt under the neo-liberal banner of ‘investing in yourself’, but this affects some courses of study more than others.

Students of science, medicine, or law usually find a job easily and are generally well paid, whereas those in the humanities or social sciences are less certain of such a financially stable future. High tuition thus discourages, especially for poorer students, choosing humanities or social science study because of the less certain financial turnover. This could lead to anxiety about paying off student debts. However, we need more than just lawyers, doctors and managers. We also need teachers, writers, and philosophers to contextualize and help us understand the world we live in.

The UK is, of course, not alone in its fight for affordable and quality education. Recently, the Dutch government announced huge budget cuts on education. This is highly problematic due to already burned out teachers and oversubscribed classes.

We have a right to follow good quality courses with personal attention that allow us to engage with topics deeper. From all that can amaze me about the English in my time here, I am most surprised by the lack of outrage about your tuition fees. My message to you would be to not take your education for granted and stand up against unreasonably high fees.

bank Photo: Images Money @ Flickr

Scientist nominations for new £50 banknote

Written by Megan Robinson on . Posted in Science & Tech, News.

The Bank of England has turned to the public to nominate a British scientist who will appear on the next £50 banknote. Whoever is chosen will have the honour of being minted in history alongside the likes of William Shakespeare, Charles Darwin, and Florence Nightingale.

The only criteria that nominees need to meet for the new note: they must be a deceased scientist.

Sterling notes have hosted 7 scientists and engineers as well as various artists, authors, public servants, social reformers, a composer, and an economist. There have been a total of 17 characters (not including the Queen) to feature on notes since Sir Isaac Newton was first introduced to the £1 banknote in 1970. Newton was chosen not least for his astronomical contribution to physics but, fittingly, he was also a warden of the Royal Mint.

The new nominee will be replacing previous £50 occupants, James Watt and Matthew Boulton. The scientist-engineer duo formed a business partnership in 1775 and pioneered the production of steam engines.

The Bank of England has urged the public to make nominations of scientists from any field of science who have made a substantial contribution to society. A name that springs to mind might be the late Stephen Hawking. The prolific cosmologist, who discovered Hawking radiation, passed away earlier this year and is arguably the most famous British scientist from recent years. One of his books, A Brief History of Time, has sold over 10 million copies. Furthermore, he managed to feature in an episode of The Simpsons, and had an award-winning film The Theory of Everything made about his life.

Alan Turing is another scientist whose life’s work has been represented by a major motion picture: his own biopic, of course, is 2014’s The Imitation Game. His work has paved the way for modern computer science, and it was vital for defeating the Nazis in World War Two. Turing built the first computer in order to crack the Enigma code, an encryption method used in Nazi correspondence.

Turing was convicted for homosexuality in 1972 and then posthumously pardoned in 2013. Consequently, many feel that it is only right for his memory to be preserved with a place on the £50 note. In addition, it would be nice to see a scientist hailing from Manchester honoured by the new banknote.

The Bank of England is yet to choose a female scientist for one of their banknotes. In fact, of the 17 people that have found themselves on the reverse side of a banknote, only three have been women: Jane Austen, Florence Nightingale, and Elizabeth Fry.

The female mathematician Ada Lovelace and her undeniable contributions to computing certainly makes her a promising nomination. She was the first person to create an algorithm for more than just numerical calculations, and is hence considered by some to be the first computer programmer.

Rosalind Franklin was another female scientist who made ground-breaking progress for her field. Her X-Ray diffraction work led to understanding the structure of DNA. It is clear that either of these women would make more than suitable candidates for the banknote.

It seems as though the Bank of England are spoilt for choice. They will surely receive thousands of nominations from the public, and any one of the scientists mentioned in this article are deserving of a position on our currency. (My money’s on Stephen Hawking.)

With the rise of online payments and the popularity of using bank cards over cash, just the prominence of having your face on a banknote is up for debate, but for now, the result of this historical decision will be highly regarded.

Head over to the Bank of England’s website to make your own nominations and leave a comment.

obituary Paul O'Brien Photo: Duncan.Hull @ Wikimedia Commons

Obituary: Professor Paul O’Brien

Written by anishgulati on . Posted in Science & Tech.

The world of science suffered a terrible loss when chemist Paul O’Brien, professor of Inorganic Materials at the University of Manchester, passed away. A pioneer in his field, Professor O’Brien perfected nano-scientific techniques, which contributed to the development of many different fields.

His research concentrated on developing new chemical processes for manufacturing thin films and nanoparticles. In 1995, he began using chemical synthesis to make quantum dots, which are very small semiconductor particles, only several nanometers in size. They emit lights of different frequencies upon applying light or electricity to them, which can be controlled by varying the size of the quantum dots.

Professor O’Brien helped to develop new methods for making quantum dots, which replaced the traditional methods that used hazardous alkyl precursors at high temperatures. Moreover, his research paved the way for the development of mass production methods that require significantly less energy and generate fewer harmful byproducts. As a result of his work, quantum dots are now omnipresent in modern electronics.

Professor O’Brien published over 700 scientific papers and edited innumerable books in his illustrious career. In 2001, he founded the company NanoCo Technologies to commercialise the production of quantum dots without heavy metals. It supplied quantum dots to many elite businesses such as Dow and Merck.

His career was honoured with many awards for his research and contributions to his field. Elected as a Fellow of The Royal Society in May 2013, he was the recipient of the A.G. Evans Memorial Medal from University College Cardiff, the Kroll Award from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOMMM) for process chemistry in 2007, and the first Peter Day Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for Materials Chemistry in 2009. He was also awarded the Potts Chemistry medal by his alma mater, the University of Liverpool. He received a CBE in the New Year Honours 2016 for services to science and engineering.

Professor O’Brien worked in collaboration with researchers from many different fields. As quoted on the University website, Professor Richard Winpenny, former head of the School of Chemistry at the University of Manchester stated that: “Paul’s energy, enthusiasm, wisdom, and optimism provided outstanding leadership. He was also a very active Associate Dean for Research and one of the driving forces in setting up the Dalton Nuclear Institute.”

Robert Parker, chief of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a former colleague of Paul O’Brien said: “For many years Paul has been a steadfast, positive and committed member and representative of our Royal Society of Chemistry community. Paul was a loyal supporter of others, great fun to be around and was generous with his time to both his research colleagues and the many friends he made through decades of involvement with our activities at the RSC. We will miss him deeply and I pass on my sincere condolences to his wife Kym.”

O’Brian was also very passionate about the development of science and technology in African states. Owing to his relentless efforts, he managed to secure considerable amounts of funding from the Royal Society and the UK government for equipment for solar energy capture in three African nations. He retired in July 2018, but his retirement did not deter him back from making scientific contributions. He continued drafting and editing papers from his hospital bed, which he turned into an improvised office.

Besides being an academic figure, Professor O’Brien always found time to pursue many of his other interests such as reading, hill-walking, camping, theatre, and football.

He was a charismatic conversationalist, and was a role model to many. He will be sorely missed.

lie Photo: Cristian Bortes @ Flickr

Lie detectors: an efficient technology or just pseudoscience?

Written by gabyrichter on . Posted in Science & Tech, News.

Recently, the EU announced plans to use a “smart lie detection” technique at its borders to detect illegal immigrants. The technology will be trialled at its busiest borders: Hungary, Greece, and Latvia. With contributions from across the EU, one of the groups working on the project is Manchester Metropolitan University.

While an article published by the European Commission has claimed it is a “unique approach,” and the project’s coordinator says it will “increase the accuracy and efficiency of border checks,” the announcement has sparked outrage from experts in the field.

The technology will analyse the micro-expressions of travellers in response to questions asked by a computer animation of a border guard. According to the article by the European Commission, travellers’ facial expressions will be studied for patterns consistent with people who are lying. Those who are flagged as low-risk by the system will proceed to the next stage of checks, while those perceived to be lying will have to undergo a more detailed screening.

The issue with this technology is that it raises the age-old question: can deception be detected by its effect on the body?

The most well-known method of lie detection is the polygraph, a combination of multiple devices measuring breathing, blood pressure, and electrical conductance of skin. It is assumed that these all change in accordance with the emotional response to lying.

In 1922, a judge refused to allow polygraph results of a suspected murderer to be used as testimony, and since then, the polygraph has never been accepted as scientific evidence in court. In 1984, the reliability of the test was analysed, and its accuracy was shown to only be around 64–73%.  Truthful suspects were shown to fail the test 55% of the time in one study, and it is widely accepted that those who know how the system works are easily able to ‘beat’ it.

While there are now more modern methods of ‘lie detection’ available, the same polygraph test used in 1922 is used today in shows such as Jeremy Kyle and Love Island, testing subjects’ physiological responses and assuming increased heart rate or sweating means deceit. ‘Lie detectors’ do not detect lies, they detect physiological responses assumed to correlate with lies.

Outside of reality TV shows, lie detection has moved from polygraphs to fMRI and Brain Fingerprinting and, in the case of the EU border technology, facial expression analysis. Because the modern methods are not as easy to fool as the polygraph, they have been considered superior. However, experts have criticised them for their assumption that deception is expressed in biological markers. Have the techniques really improved if they still rely on the premise that the mind has a physiological, readable presence?

According to results presented at a conference, this specific technology identified liars with 76% accuracy. The team acknowledges this figure is low and Keeley Crockett at Manchester Metropolitan University says they are quite confident of “bringing it up to the 85% level”. But even 85% means that if the technology were to be employed across the whole of the EU, millions of people could be wrongly flagged as liars each year.

Bruno Verschuere, a senior lecturer in forensic psychology at the University of Amsterdam, said: “Non-verbal signals, such as micro-expressions, really do not say anything about whether someone is lying or not.

“This is the embodiment of everything that can go wrong with lie detection. There is no scientific foundation for the methods that are going to be used now,” he continues. “Once these systems are put into use, they will not go away. The public will only hear the success stories and not the stories about those who have been wrongly stopped.”

Although absolutely no evidence exists to support the assumption that lies translate into subtle face movements, or even emotional responses, the project has received £3.95million in funding from the EU.

Photo: The Mancunion.

Stagecoach service accused of ‘unacceptable standards’

Written by Josh Sandiford on . Posted in News.

The University of Manchester Students’ Union has taken aim at bus provider Stagecoach, accusing one of its key services of declining to ‘unacceptable standards’.

Concerns have been raised surrounding the popular 147 bus route which came under the control of Stagecoach in September and is free for staff and students from the University of Manchester travelling between campuses.

There have also been accusations levelled against some of the drivers working on the 147 bus route regarding customer service when dealing with international students. Additionally, overcrowding on the 147 bus during peak hours is said to cause particular problems for those with accessibility and mobility issues.

Olivia Meisl, University of Manchester Students’ Union Education Officer, has been in discussions with Stagecoach and is set to meet them every six weeks “until the service improves”.

During her November report to Senate, the highest decision-making body at the Students Union, she said that the 147 service had “declined to unacceptable standards” and that requests had been made for drivers to “undergo customer care training particularly concerning international students.”

Olivia told The Mancunion: “Students and staff including myself [have] noted several incidents where drivers had been rude in relation to international students.

“Now that Stagecoach has the route, the drivers are regularly swapped and do not [stay] on the same route, this lessens the opportunity to build rapport or build on knowledge of how best to interact with the many international students that use the 147 service.”

Olivia said that she couldn’t comment on the standard of other Stagecoach buses as the 147 is the only one partly-funded by the University and the only one that the Students’ Union have received direct complaints about.

Stagecoach is one of the largest bus operators in Manchester and their blue and yellow ‘Magic Buses’ are instantly recognisable to most students in the city.

There have also been complaints of buses not picking people up, potentially due to them being at capacity, but some students have argued that the new 147 service run by Stagecoach is arguably better than its predecessor, Oxford Link, which largely ran single-decker buses.

One student told The Mancunion that they experienced rudeness when asking why they were not more buses, with one member of Stagecoach staff even refusing to let her on.

“I asked a man working there why they don’t lay on more 147’s when four 142’s [another bus route] come at once.

“He said ‘it’s the way it is’ and there’s no demand for more buses. They then changed a 142 to a 147 but he smugly walked up to me and stood in the way with his arms out saying everyone can get on apart from me. I thought it was really rude, I was literally just asking why there weren’t more buses.”

Some students have complained about the 147 service constantly running late. One student said: “It never comes on time and sometimes it just doesn’t come at all. Since we are already all the way in North campus and don’t enjoy the same facilities as main campus students, we should at least get a reliable link to take us all the way to lectures.”

Stein Hans, an Electrical and Electronic Engineering student also said: “I have been using the 147 for four years now and this year has by far been the worst year.

“When the 147 route was considerably shorter it was much more reliable. Having the 147 go all the way to [Fallowfield] may have been a great idea, but it has crippled a service that has been great.”

Recently, Stagecoach added 2 more buses to the 147 route, including one at peak time.

Emma Gardner, the University of Manchester’s Head of Environmental Sustainability said: “The University and the Students’ Union have met with Stagecoach to raise issues relating to frequency, capacity, delays and attitudes of drivers.

“Stagecoach confirmed a number of immediate steps, including an additional two buses to help address capacity and delays, and further customer service training with drivers. We look forward to seeing improvements as a matter of urgency, and have agreed to meet with Stagecoach to review.”

A spokesperson for Stagecoach Manchester said: “The 147 now starts earlier and runs later than it had previously and we’ve extended the route to provide improved links for our customers.

“We welcome the feedback from the University of Manchester’s Student Union. We have met with them recently to discuss their concerns and advised that we have already added two additional buses into the service to help meet the demand and that we will make further changes to the timetable in January.

“We are also addressing the feedback about customer service, which is not representative of the training or standards we expect from our drivers. We will continue to work with the Student Union to ensure we provide the best service for our customers.”

Photo: The Mancunion.

In Conversation With: Fatima Abid, General Secretary of the Students’ Union

Written by Ethan Davies on . Posted in Features.

It’s 9am, and it’s very early to be interviewing one of the most powerful figures within the University of Manchester Students’ Union (SU), and arguably, the University as a whole. Yet, here I am, face-to-face with Fatima Abid, the General Secretary (Gen Sec) of the SU.

It’s far from the first time we’ve met, but this is the first time it’s a proper, sit-down grilling, of sorts. I sense Fatima is understandably more cautious with her words as she knows the tape is running.

The reason I’m interviewing her is because Fatima is on tour. She’s already held a surgery in the Main Library, and on the 22nd November, she’ll be heading to North Campus, followed by an Ali G surgery on December 6th.

So what’s the purpose of holding these surgeries on campus? “[It’s] basically to make myself available to students, so they can ask questions or even have a chat about anything

“I plan to do it every two weeks until the end of the year.”

Indeed, the North Campus surgery is part of an effort to re-engage North Campus in the rest of university life in Manchester, as Fatima sees it.

Having established that these surgeries are not to be a passing fancy, I was keen to press the Gen Sec on her original manifesto which saw her win the Exec election despite being an “outsider” to the SU, as she puts it.

One vital pledge was to improve podcast provision for students, with the service still being opt-in for lecturers. As Fatima explained, the University cannot force lecturers to put their material on the podcast website, as they have “academic freedom” in such a decision.

“Right now, it’s about opening communications with lecturers who opt-out of podcasts and students who want in. I think the biggest problem would be in the humanities.

“Next term, I want to host a discussion… between lecturers who opt-in, lecturers who opt-out, and the students who prefer it and students that don’t really care.”

Buses feature heavily in Fatima’s manifesto, which in itself is puzzling to me. Having come from a small city in which buses don’t usually run past 11pm, the cornucopia of services in Manchester was a revelation when I arrived as a fresh-faced-18-year-old. Oxford Road is supposedly the ‘busiest bus route in Europe’, and fares start at £1.50. What can be done to improve the services?

Fatima recognises this, but also reminds me that “a lot of cities don’t have this many students, Manchester has easily 100,000 students living here”.

And among those, thousands live outside the Oxford-Wilmslow Road bubble. Their commute isn’t 256, Owens Park, Curry Mile, then the Whitworth. It’s Leigh, Pendleton, Salford, then John Dalton Street. “Students are having to drive because they can’t rely on buses. It’s not that the buses aren’t there, it’s relying on them [which is the problem].”

She says she wants to improve “safety, reliability, and consistency” for students across Greater Manchester.

It’s at this point that Fatima gives us the first glimpse of her vision for student action in Manchester – a new elected body which can campaign on behalf of all the major universities in Greater Manchester with one voice. She wants to call it the Greater Manchester Student Assembly (GMSA).

The GMSA would be tasked with lobbying the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) on issues such as the aforementioned mental health, and transport.

“The whole point of GMSA is I think students have unique issues. They are different from people who are residents in Manchester, they are different from people who decide to work here.

“I’m hoping that because we’re such a powerful force in Manchester, that’s so underutilised, we can unite all of us – MMU, Salford, RNCM, Bolton [through GMSA]”.

Although unwilling to sketch out the details for me, it was clear that Fatima was passionate about the project. However, it’s not as if students are short of opportunities to belong an elected body representing student interest. SU Senate has had a history of poor attendance, and Exec turnout remained below 20% in 2018.

Fatima recognises that “Senate is not as powerful as it could be”, because “students don’t engage.”

Why would it be any different for the GMSA?

“I’m hoping people will be inspired by issues they’ve gone through, conditions they’ve lived in to inspire them to sit on the body.

Fatima also recognises that the GMSA could fail, but she also seriously believes that something must be done about the lack of a unified voice for students in this city.

“If students think [they can’t change things], then they should get involved and change it.

“Step up and talk, because only you can do that.”

Manchester Photo: Sander van der Wel @ Wikicommons

UoM lecturer develops new software to identify ‘at risk’ students

Written by Shivani Kaura on . Posted in News.

Dr Andrew Markwick, a lecturer in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester, has developed a new programme which is able to identify ‘at risk’ students. The programme allows lecturers and student support officers to view data which relates to students’ well-being.

The new system, StudentCRT, tracks students’ everyday moves at university – recording attendance, grades and whether they keep up to date with deadlines. For each student, the programme maintains a numerical score. A drop in this score could suggest that a student is ‘at risk’, and should be reported to student support services.

Dr. Markwick came up with the idea after acknowledging “the increase in suicide rates” over the recent years at the university. He said: “My area of expertise isn’t in mental health or well-being but I felt I could help in other ways use my own skillset.

“So, I decided to look at the way we use student data and figure out a better way to utilise it so we can identify at-risk individuals before things escalate.

“We wanted to be sure we were doing the best we could to protect our students using the information we collect about them anyway.”

It was reported earlier this week that in Greater Manchester, treatment services are struggling to keep up with the ongoing demand for mental health services, primarily due to the lack of funding and governmental support.

Speaking to Manchester Evening News, Elizabeth Simpson, director at mental health charity Manchester Mind, said: “NHS mental health services have been underfunded for decades. There is also a huge economic cost to poor mental health and in Greater Manchester, this is expected to reach £3.5bn by 2021.”

In last month’s Budget Chancellor Philip Hammond promised an extra £2 billion to improve mental health services.

Although some flaws have been outlined with the StudentCRT software – such as difficulty to combine scores when students are members of various departments, and not being able to have an insight with personal problems student face and isolation across several different classes – the system is still able to give an overall picture of where the individual is struggling academically which correlates to being ‘at risk’.

The product has been successfully trialed by the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Civil Engineering (MACE) and could be available to other universities very soon. It has also reached the final of Pitch@Place competition, founded by the Duke of York, to recognise young entrepreneurs like Dr. Markwick.