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Month: September 2012

FA should change their stance on handshakes

Written by Jack Mollart-Solity on . Posted in Sport.

The FA sees the pre-match ritual of opposition players shaking hands with each other as an important aspect of their respect campaign, hoping to improve the way football is conducted. As such, they were adamant that this would go ahead in the match between QPR and Chelsea despite accusations against John Terry that he had racially abused Anton Ferdinand the previous season. Terry was eventually acquitted in July. Understandably, Ferdinand snubbed Terry’s offer of a handshake.

For several reasons, the FA’s continued insistence on pre-match handshakes is incorrect. Firstly, far more important than a handshake is the way in which the game is played. The FA should do much more to punish footballers that mock the spirit of the game. Players should be sent off for foul language towards other players and officials, although this is in the rules it is very rarely followed. Additionally, dissent and playacting should be punished far more frequently with retrospective bans being given to players following the use of video evidence.

Secondly, if players were to shake hands it should be following the completion of the game. It is a far more powerful sign of sportsmanship when players shake hands following a game of high intensity and emotion. A clear example of this comes from the 2005 Ashes series. Following Australia’s defeat by two runs in Edgbaston, man of the match Andrew Flintoff went to immediately console the dejected Australian Brett Lee. In this spontaneous act he epitomised what a handshake should be about. Both men had been fiercely competitive during the match, as soon as the game had finished you could see the respect between them as athletes and men. This mutual admiration could never have occurred before the game had started.

Ultimately though, if the FA continues to persist with the pre-match handshake ritual, we will continue to see incidents like those that were seen at Loftus Road. Events like that, and those at Old Trafford last season when Luis Suárez rejected the handshake of Patrice Evra, do not show football in a good light. Rather, they highlight incidents where respect is lacking between players and cover moments of more genuine sportsmanship.

Is piracy really all that bad?

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Opinion.

YES

Rachel Rigg

In February 2012, an American file-sharing site -“Megaupload” – was shut down, and the site’s owner, Kim Dotcom was arrested. The offence the federal prosecutors were pursuing was a failure to prevent the sharing of pirated material, which was estimated to have cost the relevant companies around $500 million in damages. Similarly, the UK has the relatively recent Digital Economy Act 2010 (ineffective until 2013), which is purely to prevent these kinds of losses being caused to companies worldwide. But what about the cost closer to home – to our national economies?

This is a very different argument for anti-piracy. Allow me to establish, I’m not arguing for the small change for the huge corporations here, but the reinvestment in our society. You could claim that the cost to the digital economy is to such a serious extent that it could affect the overall health of the British economy. The British film industry in 2009 was seen to be directly contributing around £1.6 billion to the UK’s GDP alone. So what is the real cost of the illegal downloads to our nation? Bearing in mind we currently stand in over £1,032.4 billion in debt as a country, we could use that spare cash that seems to be floating around in cyber space. Allow me to re-establish though, I’m not arguing for the huge corporations here, but the reinvestment in our society.

You may argue that the appeal in illegal downloads is purely in the fact that it is free – and that if there was not an option to have it for nothing, many wouldn’t have it at all. But how many times have you passed up on a DVD, or a trip to the cinema for the lure of a free download?

Aside from the moral obligations of individually costing the economy every time you click that little ‘download’ button, there are so many more arguments against the use of illegal downloads. Awful quality, hunting down links for a good connection; and for me, more than a little fear that I’ll end up corrupting my laptop with some god-awful virus.

But hey, if you don’t mind recession, a tinny sound and a fuzzy film quality, illegal downloads seem to be right up your street. I’ll stick to my legitimate film though, thanks.

 

NO

Lisa Murgatroyd

If Ed Sheeran says it’s okay, then we’re good, right?

When it was announced that UK internet service providers were ruled by the High Court to block The Pirate Bay, I’m sure we all wept a little inside. I know I did. Where else am I going to get those handy, and completely legal, free copies of pdfs for my Kindle?

Illegal downloading is always hyped to be this awful crime. But, let’s be honest, it’s pretty hard not to be tempted. It’s not just about music, but movies and even video games. Albums retail on average at around £12, DVDs around £13 (let’s not even talk about blu-rays!), and if you could get a brand new game for less than £40 you’re on to a winner.

Right now, I can’t afford that. So, I don’t buy anything. Unless I’ve saved up for a special occasion (like a special edition of The Avengers).

The founder of video game company Mojang, and creator of Minecraft, replied to a twitter user who said he couldn’t afford the game that he should pirate it. “If you like it,” he said, “pay for it when you can.”

I don’t think anyone could say that they pirate because it’s better than buying. The quality is never as good as the original, and unless you’re a real pro, it can be more effort than it’s worth at times.  But, there are a lot of people without the disposable income to buy all these great products every week.  For piracy to have such a huge impact as is claimed, surely it needs to have cost the maker a sale. If you couldn’t have bought the product in the first place, then I’d argue that this logic can’t apply. There’s also a handy “try before you buy” element built in.

Sites like Bandcamp, which lets users download for free or pay what they think a song/album is worth, should be given more support (and make sure they’re not as greedy as the big corporate machines!).

Maybe it’s naïve of me to think that if you download an album from an artist, you’re more likely to go and see them, or buy the DVD collection when the prices come down a little. I definitely don’t think that you deserve to be locked up in prison for doing it though!

Access to Higher Education isn’t just about the price

Written by Lisa Murgatroyd on . Posted in Opinion.

It seems like every year there’s the great debate about how to deal with Oxbridge elitism. It’s just for public school kids, or rich kids, or both. They’re exclusive and a damper on the great British pride (whilst simultaneously being our most honoured universities). The problem is, nobody has ever been able to get everyone to come together and agree on how this can be changed.

On 1st September, 2012, Professor Les Ebdon took up the position as Director of Fair Access to Higher Education (taking over from Manchester’s very own Sir Martin Harris). The role of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is to “promote and safeguard fair access to higher education for lower income and other under-represented groups”. Professor Ebdon has thrown down the gauntlet, demanding that the leading universities should aim to admit more equal numbers of students from better-off and worse-off families. He floated the idea of adjusting offers to lower the grades expected of students from “struggling comprehensives”.

Cries of outrage were swiftly led by Reading University and Cambridge, stating that it would be “patronising” and could be seen as a “back door route in”. The outgoing admissions director of Cambridge Geoff Parks went so far as to say that it would be a “cruel experiment that could ruin lives”.

Whilst I don’t agree with the melodramatics, I do believe that it would be wrong to have a sliding scale of acceptance based on what school you went to, and how poor your family was as opposed to your intelligence. It’s a little insulting, to be honest.

There’s no arguing that the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and also Edinburgh, are a class apart, but I say that with gritted teeth. The university experience is not only academical, but an enrichment of life experience.

The University of Manchester was my first (and only) choice. I completed a BTec National Award in Uniformed Public Services. It’s a vocational programme, based on coursework in a wide variety of subjects such as Psychology, Politics, and more practical elements such as P.E. and a unit in the Army Cadets. I achieved DDM (Distinction, Distinction, Merit) which I was told would be the equivalent to AAB. Distinction was the highest grade you could get, so that made sense. However, when I started my university application in my second year, it turned out that the highest I could get would be BBC, and that’s only if universities decided they wanted to acknowledge the qualification at all.

My BTec excluded me from Oxbridge. According to the University of Cambridge’s own website; “VCE A Levels, Applied A Levels, GNVQs and/or BTecs are not an ideal preparation for most Cambridge courses, where the emphasis is more academic than vocational.” I had grand ideas to apply, but no one warned me about this before I started my course.

Do I feel like I’ve missed out? Only on a more temperate climate.

I don’t do well in exams, and whilst I know that most of us don’t get the luxury of avoiding them at university, I chose an Arts degree. I can happily sit for hours in the library researching and writing an essay. Ask me to spend the same time cramming for an exam, and my brain melts. This idea that your intelligence and skills can only be measured by the pressure of a two hour test has always confused me.

The education system needs to learn to adapt to its students. There are more and more calls for vocational based courses. This doesn’t mean you should then be limited to doing something like hairdressing or carpentry. According to the results of a survey conducted by Pearson UK (which runs Edexcel, the BTec provider) in 2011, 50% of students said that they had used their BTec to go on to study in university.

Higher Education Minister David Willetts stated last week that the number of students getting AAB grades at A-level were lower than expected this year, but there are “rather more getting top grades in equivalent high-class vocational qualifications, such as BTecs.”

Improving access to higher education should not be just about giving special access to those from poor backgrounds who might not have got A* because their school doesn’t have the right facilities. It should also be about realising that a degree is not limited to A Level students, and acknowledging that there isn’t one cardboard cut-out we all have to fit into.

Pacific Oyster invasion threatens Irish ecology

Written by Keir Lewis on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Invasive Pacific oysters on the Irish coast are now thriving outside of their original farmed colonies, a study has shown.

Dr Stefano Mariani of the University of Salford led a year-long project to genetically compare members of the wild and farmed colonies.

Pacific oysters, native to Japan and Korea, were introduced to Europe in 1966 to replenish overfished native stocks. But Dr Mariani concluded that the ‘feral’ oysters were genetically different enough to be considered separate colonies.

The potential impact of a feral species spreading across the Irish coast unchecked is enormous. “Now the Pacific oyster is with us, the far-reaching consequences of its establishment are still debatable, but just controlling aquaculture is no longer an effective means to reduce its further spread”, said Dr Mariani.

Management at Lough Foyle, where the farms are situated, has focused in the past on containing oysters. The researching student, Judith Kochmann, now believes more extensive controlling measures are required.

The introduction of a feral species has consequences both for local conservation groups and industry in the area, according to Dr Mariani. But he believes that controlling feral colonies is no longer enough, attitudes must change as well. “We may enjoy our oysters with Guinness or champagne, but we should now think more deeply about our insatiable need for more and more easy-to-access commodities.”

Events Listings 24th-28th September

Written by Kate Bullivant on . Posted in Societies.

EVENTS LISTINGS

Monday 24th September

TAEKWON-DO, WELCOME SESSION

Armitage Centre: 7pm

It’s a chance to see what Taekwon-do is all about, what skills you will be able to learn and there will also be a free demonstration. It kicks off at 7pm.

Tuesday 25th September

DRAMA SOCIETY SOCIAL

Wahl Bar, Fallowfield: 8pm – 1pm

Be part of a brilliant and ever growing society this year. Come to our first free social at Wahl Bar, Fallowfield from 8pm. Everyone is welcome, so don’t miss out! Looking forward to seeing you all.

MANCHESTER BHANGRA SOCIETY – WELCOME EVENT

Manchester University Student Council Chambers: 7 30pm – 10 30pm.

Bhangra is an energetic collaboration of dance, vocals and performance originally practiced in the northern regions of India. We compete in competitions at national level as well as holding weekly dance classes for all abilities. So come along to the social to get involved.

Contact: [email protected]

Wednesday 26th September

BA ECON SOCIETY SOCIAL

Owen’s Park Bar, Fallowfield: 8pm – 1pm

Fresher’s and non-fresher’s, the BA Econ society is back with our first social of the year! We will start off with drinks and games at Owen’s Park bar from 8pm.

We will then hit Fallowfield’s finest establishments where you will be spoilt with discounted drinks, extreme socialising, outrageous dancing and intense boogieing until the early hours.

Keep an eye on the BA Econ society page for more information about the social:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/2202405416/ See you all there!

Thursday 27th September

RAG

Choose a Challenge Fair

Owen’s Park Bar, Fallowfield: 8pm – 9pm

If you’re interested in being part of RAG this year, then the Choose a Challenge Fair is not something you want to miss.  Find out all the different challenges we have on offer, and how you can be part of raising money for charity.

MANCHESTER BHANGRA SOCIETY – FIRST DANCE CLASS

MMU Student’s Union, 3rd floor: 6pm – 7 30pm

Try something new – everyone is welcome even if you’ve never danced before.

Mancunians face above average health risks

Written by Anthony Organ on . Posted in News.

Cancer, binge drinking, obesity, depression and anxiety are more common in Greater Manchester than the average European city, a study has found.

The EURO-URHIS 2 project, the largest ever health and lifestyle survey of cities and conurbations across Europe, aimed to identify health problems in urban areas.

Despite so many above average health issues, it wasn’t all bad. The report also revealed Mancunians ate considerably more fruit and vegetables than the average European city, had more green spaces to enjoy and eating breakfast more frequently.

Students in Greater Manchester are also specifically referred to since “significantly more” of them “brush their teeth at least twice a day”.

Project coordinator Dr Arpana Verma, senior lecturer in Public Health at the University of Manchester, said she hoped the findings would be used by policymakers to “translate into policies that can help improve our health”.

The research was found by collecting data concerning youths and adults at the end of 2010 and focused on 26 cities across Europe.

Dr Verma said that by comparing the samples between cities “we can learn from each other to make our cities healthier, and empower the citizens of Europe”.

Two officers killed as police arrest most wanted criminal

Written by Jonathan Breen on . Posted in News.

Two female officers were killed during an attack shortly before police arrested Manchester’s most wanted fugitive Dale Cregan.

Unarmed PC Nicola Hughes, 23, and PC Fiona Bone, 32, were shot as they attended a routine call at Abbey Gardens in Hattesley, Tameside shortly before 11am on 18 September.

One officer died at the scene, the other died from her injuries in hospital later the same day.

Cregan handed himself in at Hyde police station afterwards.

Chief Constable Peter Fahy, speaking at a press conference last Tuesday said, “we are all shocked by what happened,” adding it may have been one of the “darkest days” in the history of the police service.

Sir Peter said Cregan is believed to have lured the two constables to their deaths. He said Cregan is thought to have made a bogus 999 call reporting a burglary and then attacked the attending officers, opening fire with a gun and a grenade.

“It would appear Cregan has deliberately done this in an act of cold-blooded murder,” he said.

Prime Minister David Cameron said of the atrocity, “what we have seen is the absolutely despicable act of pure evil

“The cold blooded murder of two female police officers doing their job out there protecting the public, another reminder of the incredible risks and great work our police service does.”

Sir Peter described Miss Hughes as a “great bobby” who was “always smiling” and Miss Bone, who had been in the middle of planning her wedding, as and “excellent bobby.”

Home Secretary Theresa May is cutting her holiday short to travel to Manchester for a meeting with the chief constable.

Cregan was wanted in connection with a gun and grenade attack that killed David Short, 46, on 10 August in Clayton and the shooting of Mr Short’s son Mark at the Cotton Tree pub, Droylsden, on 25 May. He was also arrested on suspicion of the murder of a police officer.

Cregan’s identity was released earlier this month as part of the Greater Manchester Police’s Operation Harvest, a month-long crackdown on fugitives, thugs and thieves.

Greater Manchester Police have also arrested three others from their 36 most wanted criminals.

They could not be named for legal reasons.

The GMP launched the operation on 10 September, which saw the force release the identities of their 36 most wanted criminals to the media as part of a highly publicised campaign geared to bring in thieves, thugs and fugitives.

Police also made 802 arrests, 195 of which were wanted offenders and confiscated £98,795 in 13 cash seizures.

423 arrests were for theft offences and 379 arrests for violent crime. 117 and 78 were wanted criminals, respectively.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney who is leading the operation said: “We have made a good start in clearing out the bad apples that spread their rot in our communities and stop law abiding citizens from enjoying the hard earned fruits of their labour through theft and violence.

“However, Operation Harvest is far from over and we will continue our relentless pursuit of thieves, thugs and fugitives in the coming months.

“Criminals can be assured that we will leave no stone unturned in our hunt for them. Any that escape our Harvest can expect a cold, joyless winter of constantly looking over their shoulder for us and wondering who is going to turn them in.

“My advice to them is do yourself and the good people of Greater Manchester a favour and turn yourself in.”

Manchester airport to axe ‘naked body scanners’

Written by Michael Williams on . Posted in News.

The use of controversial ‘naked body scanners’ at Manchester Airport is set to end at the end of October, as the airport looks to trial “a new generation of privacy friendly security scanners”.

The ‘naked scanners’ are to be replaced by scanners that use radio frequency-based millimetre wave technology, rather than the low-dose x-rays used currently.

The new scanners use a stick figure to alert airport staff to possible problem areas on passengers’ bodies – eliminating the need for staff to look at the infamous ‘ghostly images’ that made the old scanners so contentious.  A similar system is used in the United States to alert railway staff to objects on the track.

Andrew Harrison, Chief Operating Officer at Manchester Airport’s parent company MAG, has called the decision to switch “baffling”.

Despite a panel of independent European health experts concluding in March that there was no evidence of health risks from the old style of scanner, privacy concerns were still a major issue surrounding the old scanners amongst flyers.

Airport bosses have blamed EU legislation for the changeover.

“It’s frustrating that Brussels has allowed this successful trial to end”, continued Harrison. “Health experts say [the old scanners] are safe, plus the overwhelming majority of our passengers and security staff prefer body scanners to frisking”.

This news comes soon after over 8,000 international students poured into Manchester from 180 different countries to start the new semester. As the changeover begins at the end of October, many international students will start to see the effects of the new scanners if they choose to return home via the airport for their Christmas break.

My Political Hero: Peter Mandelson

Written by Kimberly McIntosh on . Posted in Uncategorised.

‘The Prince of Darkness’, ‘The King of Spin’, ‘the Dark Lord’ and ‘the Master of the Dark Arts’ are all synonymous with Peter Mandelson. But ‘hero’ is a noun rarely used to describe the supposed Machiavellian prince.’ Pictured with oligarchs and associated with dubious loans, Mandelson’s career has been laced with scandal after scandal. Even at the World Economic Forum Mandy was greeted with hisses and boos from the crowd in pantomime fashion. Regardless of the array of criticisms thrown his way; Mandelson’s ability to bounce back from political adversity makes him a politician who is to be admired, not derided.

Tumultuous and scandal ridden as his career may have been, Mandelson’s unwavering dedication to the Labour party is apparent from his early childhood. The grandson of the Labour politician Herbert Morrison, Mandelson was raised entrenched in the party that he would devote his life’s work to. His political credentials were first established when he began canvassing for Labour at the age of six then shooting to prominence as Labour’s director of communications in the 1980s.

While he is recognised more for political meandering, illustrious friends and more illustrious betrayals, Mandelson was responsible for dragging Labour out of political obscurity. He successfully rebranded them into something electable, an incredible feat. He was willing to work with the regressive National Executive Committee and gave his utmost to Neil Kinnock. Despite heavy opposition, Mandelson managed to rebrand the party through both policy and image overhauls which gave Labour it’s much needed push into modernity. As morally ambiguous as some of his tactics may have been, his record is formidable and his skills unrivalled.

Yet it is Mandelson’s underhand strategies and love-affair with controversy that makes him so likeable. In a world of uninspiring Cameron’s and down-right dull Millibands, Mandelson never ceases to entertain. He is brazen and unabashed. Forced to resign in 1998 over a scandalous and undisclosed £373,000 loan, he returned to the cabinet a mere ten months later. He was forced to resign again in 2001 only to return again in 2008 for an unprecedented third time. No one saw it coming. As he said himself in 2001, he is ‘a fighter, not a quitter’. His apparent political immortality is comparable only to the superhuman. His longevity is intriguing, a testament to his skills and adds to his allure. Then in 2010 after a few quiet years, he released a memoir in which he divulges party gossip and brands Gordon Brown ‘a nightmare to work with’. With Mandelson one comes to expect the unexpected and it is never dull.

Peter Mandelson will always be remembered as the caricature that represents him in public consciousness. Beyond this guise however, is a man who dedicated a substantial part of his life to a party which he truly loves and believes in. His loyalty is admirable and his political durability fascinating. His methods are perhaps controversial but he did what was necessary to pull Labour out of the ‘Dark Ages’. Whatever your opinion on the man, it is difficult not to admire his talent, wit and determination.

Gove’s goodbye to GCSEs

Written by Antonia Jennings on . Posted in Opinion.

After a summer of exam board screw ups and the first shrinkage in A* grades in their history, education secretary Michael Gove has announced plans to scrap GCSE examinations in favour of a qualification called the English Baccalaureate Certificate (EBC).

This new mode of assessment is designed to avoid the problems with grade inflation that GCSEs had, as well as creating an examination system that is more relevant to today’s job markets. With more than a third of GCSEs awarded an A or A* grade, Gove’s shake up of the education system aims to address problems such as these. Coming into effect in 2017, the EBC will initially be in three core subject areas – English, Maths and Sciences.

In many ways, the new EBC appears to be a return to O-levels, the pre-GCSE school leavers’ examinations. It is not modular, leaving all formal assessment to the end of the two years spent studying for them. The two–tier system (where GCSE takers can either sit the regular or foundation paper) will also be scrapped, leaving one level that provides a fair and equal system for all. There will be less pressure on students to take the exams at sixteen too, allowing a few years for less able students to catch up.

Similarly, the grading system will nod to the O-level method. Instead of letters A*-F, pupils will be awarded a numerical grade, from one to ten, one being the highest.

The change is motivated by a belief that England is not keeping up with Tiger economies such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. Other high-achieving nations such as Finland and other Scandinavian countries are also seen to be out performing us educationally. Their higher qualified school leavers are seen to be more competent in both basic skills and more creative activities, creating a next generation that can manage a globally competitive economy.

The EBC is designed to give a well-rounded education. However, it has been argued that this will create the opposite.

Chris Keates, head of the NASUWT teachers’ union told the BBC: “The
government will have to work hard to ensure that these reforms are not the final nail in the coffin for the provision of a broad and balanced curriculum.”

The worry that these reforms will unbalance the curriculum is shared by Rosie Dammers, leader of the Manchester Young Greens who said “it is totally unacceptable for the government to implement a system that their own education secretary admits ‘a sizeable portion will leave school with no qualifications’. This policy will only lead to an increase in inequality in education.”

The National Union of Teachers have also criticised the government’s proposals, and their attitude towards education for fourteen to sixteen year olds. They have warned of an ‘inherent contradiction’ in the Coalition’s criticisms of GCSEs.

A spokesperson for the Union recently stated it was “nonsensical” to expect higher pass rates from schools while at the same time
saying that any such improvement was evidence of exams becoming easier.

The ATL teacher’s union have similarly warned the BBC that “the plans for GCSE replacements are hugely simplistic and fail to recognise the complexity of learning and teaching.”

Concerns have also been raised by parents, teachers and academics about how this new system will be adopted into the university entrance process. For example, it is unclear how universities will be able to give out appropriate offers to incoming students sitting the EBC, given they will have no prior grade demographic to work with.

Following that, the first few years of the program are bound to be unsteady, and the EBC is bound to be continuously modified.

Universities are going to have to decide how much leeway they allow for students, whilst being careful not to oversubscribe.

Similarly, they will have to decide whether to discriminate
between those who take the EBC at sixteen and those who take it later.

The system is designed to allow students to mature at their natural pace, implying that they should be ready for university at their own natural pace also.

But will universities still choose students that were mature enough at sixteen? Moreover, what preferences will they have between the
various subjects available on the EBC?

These are all questions that will have to be addressed in the run up to the EBC’s introduction in 2017.

Gove’s plans seem to all to be not sufficiently thought through; a quick solution to a multi-layered problem. Given the proposals are not due to come into effect until 2017, there is hope that between now and then they will be more carefully scrutinised and nuanced.

Gove’s nostalgia for the time he was still in education is evident, but he must realise that he has to move with the times to give his proposals credibility in today’s world.

Manchester falls in QS and Shanghai rankings

Written by Anthony Organ on . Posted in News.

The University of Manchester has fallen slightly in the QS World University Rankings and the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities.

The QS ranking of 32nd is slightly lower than last year’s 29th and the Shanghai position of 40th is two places lower.

The QS rankings consider over 2,000 universities and rank over 700. They were used this year by the UK government in a poster campaign ahead of the London Olympics to endorse the excellence of its universities.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester, said that “Of the many university league tables which are published, the Shanghai Jiao Tong is the one we use to measure our performance”.

It ranks the research performance of institutions around the world but this year the University fell in this as well. Dame Nancy called this “disappointing” and said that it “is partly because two universities in Paris merged and hence moved above us.”

Since the foundation of the University in 2004 the Manchester 2015 Agenda has promoted the institution’s mission to make it one of the top 25 universities in the world by 2015.

Writing in an updated version, published last year, Anil Ruia, Chairman of the Board of Governors, admitted that the original mission was “bold and ambitious” but promised “we remain committed to the Vision and believe it to be achievable”.

The high point for the University in the QS rankings was the employer reputation score, which placed it joint fourth in the world, alongside more elite institutions such as The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The low point was the ratio of students to faculty members, in which the University was placed 170th. Last year the university received a score of 66 in this area, but it dropped this year to 63.2.

This comes despite plans announced by the University last year to spend £20 million on recruiting between 100-200 new academic staff as well as a reduction of Home/EU undergraduate recruitment over the period 2010-2015, which is intended to work along with staff recruitment to address these ratio issues.

Results for individual faculties show that the best performers were Natural Sciences, who climbed seven places to 34th, and Life Sciences and Medicine, who climbed eight places to 35th.

But the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Science dropped three places to 35th and also fell four places to 36th in this year’s Shanghai rankings.

A University spokesman said: “The Faculty remains third in the UK, behind Cambridge and Imperial, with University of Oxford being in fourth place. With the recent initiatives across the Faculty we do expect to climb in the rankings going forward.”

UK university donations to reach £2 billion by 2022

Written by Anthony Organ on . Posted in News.

UK universities “can expect to receive up to £2 billion per annum from some 630,000 donors by 2022” according to a newly published report.

The figure would be almost treble the donations received last year, which totaled £693 million from 204,000 donors.

Only 1.2% of UK alumni donate to their former university, compared with 10% of graduates in the US.

In 1874, ER Langworthy left £10,000 to The University of Manchester “to encourage discovery in Physics”.

The Langworthy Professorship was created and four holders of this position have since won the Nobel prize for Physics, including the current Langworthy Professor Andre Geim who co-won in 2010 for the discovery of graphene.

The Review of Philanthropy in Higher Education was led by Shirley Pearce, former Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University, but was commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and carried out by the More Partnership.

The More Partnership, a fundraising consultancy firm, published the report which states that investment in fundraising expertise is more effective than fundraising alone.

The report also asks to government to continue “matched funding”, since public investment of £143 million triggered around £580 million in donations to English universities between 2008-2011.

Tax incentives for charitable donations are recommended and the review welcomed the government U-turn in May on a proposed cap on such tax relief.

A separate report published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development revealed that private funding for UK higher education is now 0.7 per cent of GDP and therefore above public spending at just 0.6 per cent.

Manchester has highest number of hate crimes

Written by Emma Bean on . Posted in News.

Greater Manchester has the highest ratio of hate crimes in England and Wales, according to Home Office data.

Just over 17 out of every 1,000 crimes are reported as hate crimes in the city, about six more than the national average.

In the data, collected in 2011-12, the force dealt with a total of 3,547 hate crimes, of which 2,974 were racially motivated, 303 motivated by sexual orientation, 180 by religion, 73 by an individual’s disability and 17 were trans-related.

Hate crimes involve any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic.

Cat Gray, the University of Manchester Students’ Union’s Wellbeing Officer, said: “The Union is a reporting centre for hate crime, so if any student experience or witness a hate crime and want to come and report that they can do so in the Union in the Advice Centre.

“The Union continues to fight against all forms of oppression and would support students in reporting hate crime.”

Despite the high figures, the figures represent a drop in reported cases. The same data collected for 2009-10 found that 5,348 hate crimes had been reported in the Greater Manchester area.

Garry Shewan, Assistant Chief Constable for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), told the Mancunian Matters new site: “We recognise that all forms of hate crime are under-reported, and tackling this remains one of GMP’s main priorities.

“We are working hard to raise awareness of what hate crime is, how to report it and the support available to victims.”

Universities could lose £1.5 billion

Written by Anthony Organ on . Posted in News.

UK universities could lose £1.5 billion in tuition fees after accepting 52,000 fewer students compared to this point in last year’s admissions cycle.

This is a 15 per cent drop from last year’s totals and the money would have come from three years of tuition fees.

The data was released by UCAS, who were prompted to do so for the first time ever by rising concern over the fall in this year’s student intake.

This year’s higher fees have had an impact on application behaviour according to the first report from the Independent Commission on Fees, which noted that almost 15,000 “missing” applicants who were expected to apply failed to do so.

A controversial system was also used restricting the numbers of students with A-levels below AAB that each university could take, which combined with the first decline in A-level results for twenty years to damage admissions.

Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of the Russell Group said: “The difficult choices faced by admissions departments this year means students who wanted to attend a leading university and had the right qualifications have not been able to even though those universities wanted to accept them”.

A statement from the University of Manchester admitted that “undergraduate admissions will be down this year compared to last” but stressed that “the University has been implementing a planned reduction in Home/EU undergraduate recruitment over the period 2010-2015 anyway.”

It goes on to state that this, as well as recruiting more staff, is an attempt to address the “structural issue” of high student-staff ratios to improve the consistently low National Student Survey results.

Speaking to Times Higher Education, one Russell Group university revealed it was 260 students short of predicted AAB numbers and around 500 short of last year’s total undergraduate numbers, equivalent to around £13.5 million lost in tuition fees.

The University of Southampton has been the most vocal about its student shortfall, revealing at the start of the month that they had taken 600 fewer students than last year. A spokesman for the University complained about the AAB system, saying “surely it cannot be right” that they have been “forced to turn away gifted ABB students”.

David Willetts, the universities and science minister, introduced the AAB system hoping it would allow top universities to expand, but it has prevented elite institutions from making up any shortfall in students.

The government tasked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) with estimating the numbers of high performing students but the decline in A-level results meant that the 79,200 AAB students fell short of Hefce’s estimated 85,000.

Despite the problems now faced by universities, the government could save over £400 million this year through having to provide less student finance than expected.

British cycling success continues on home soil

Written by Tim Manson on . Posted in Sport.

The unprecedented summer of British sporting success continued in cycling’s Tour of Britain with Jonathan Tiernan-Locke taking the overall victory by 18 seconds over Australia’s Nathan Hass.

Having taken first and second at the Tour de France and achieving an astounding eight Gold Medals at the 2012 Olympic Games, it was perhaps surprisingly not one of the British cycling’s household names taking the title. Instead, it was a relatively unknown rider outside the cycling world riding for a second tier pro team who continued the golden period for British cycling.

Although not taking a single stage over the eight days of racing, Tiernan-Locke rode himself into the leader’s gold jersey with a strong showing in the Welsh mountains in the 6th stage from Welshpool to Caerphilly. Dropping the peloton, he set off solo chasing down the break to come second on the day 2 seconds away from taking the stage victory.

Taking the General Classification was not the only good showing from the British as they took the King of the Mountains jersey and four other stage wins, with three of those victories coming to reigning world champion Mark Cavendish in what is likely his last race in the rainbow striped jersey. The upcoming parcours for the world championship race in Holland are unlikely to suit the ‘Manx Missile’. The route is a particularly hilly one, and it’s doubtful that Cavendish’s sprinting legs will be able to keep up with the leading group.

Despite being protected by a strong squad including Tour de France winner Wiggins, runner up Chris Froome and Jonathan Tiernan-Locke, a repeat result of last year’s race looks improbable.

Lewis Hamilton to swap chassis’ in 2013?

Written by Tim Manson on . Posted in Sport.

As Lewis Hamilton stormed to victory in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, talk in the pit lane continued on his future. He’s been linked with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes and, as with most gossip, it can be dismissed with relative ease. However, the link with Mercedes appears to be almost as good as a done deal with the involved parties McLaren, Hamilton and Mercedes making no moves to dispel or deny such an arrangement.

The BBC’s F1 pundit Eddie Jordan has claimed that Mercedes and Hamilton have agreed a contract allowing him to make the swap at the end of the current season, though McLaren have confirmed as far as its concerned Hamilton and their representatives are still in negotiation over a new contract.

Why Hamilton would want to leave McLaren is on the face of it unclear. After all, McLaren have guided his career from the karting circuit from the age of 13 to World Champion. Mercedes sit 5th in the Constructors Championship and have only won one race since their return to the sport as a fully fledged team opposed to an engine supplier, whereas McLaren have won the last three a row.

McLaren have shown that they have the more competitive car in comparison to the Mercedes counterpart; they both run on the same engines the chassis being the only difference. The 2013 season will be the first year that McLaren have to pay for the Mercedes engine knocking a considerable chunk from their budget which could have otherwise been used to persuade Hamilton to stay.

There have been rumours that Hamilton was offered a reduced salary in order to keep McLaren competitive in research and development. Hamilton, a World Champion Driver, already earns less than half of Alonso’s salary, so it may be the case that the larger offer from Mercedes will be too much to turn down.

Regardless of what decision Hamilton makes, F1 principle Martin Whitmarsh is still confident of having a competitive driving duo on the grid at the start in 2013.

Bizarre Sports #2 – Air Sex

Written by Ciaran Milner on . Posted in Sport.

The date is June 2012. In Tampa, Florida, Chris Trew walks on stage before the judges of America’s Got Talent. This is his breakthrough moment; for three years he has been pioneering a sport close to his heart in championships across America. Here, he hopes to see his sport explode into the mainstream.

The music starts as this large, bearded American prepares himself. He is alone onstage. He holds out his hand in front of him, carefully supporting a face that is not there. He holds the air tightly, lovingly. He begins to kiss his imaginary partner, his tongue exploring and caressing in time to the beat. On his face is a look of intense passion, every expression demonstrating the intimacy of the moment. His other hand reaches behind his head, pulling his hair back as he begins to gasp and pant.

There is a loud beep. After less than a minute, the judges have had enough. Chris has failed in his maiden attempt to see the sport of Air Sex be accepted in the mainstream… for now. “Clearly I was robbed,” he says, “I will get my revenge and prove to the world that the Air Sex Championships is a legit sport”.

Air Sex is exactly what you think it is. It involves men and women, mainly clothed, performing simulated sexual acts with an invisible partner, set in time to music. Similarly to diving, the act is judged by a panel and given an average score.

The origins of Air Sex can be traced back to Japan in 2006. J-Taro Sugisaku invented the phenomenon in Tokyo along with, unsurprisingly perhaps, a group of bored friends who did not have girlfriends.

The sport made its way to America when a showing of the BBC documentary Japanorama at a convention resulted in a spontaneous Air Sex competition. Since then, it has gained significant popularity. Founded in 2009, Chris hosts The World Championships, crowning victors in over thirty cities across North America and often bringing crowds in the hundreds.

Slain diplomat mourned by gaming community

Written by Sam Dumitriu on . Posted in Games.

A US diplomat prominently known in the online gaming community has been killed in Benghazi as a result of violent protests over the anti-Islamic movie Innocence of Muslims.

Sean Smith, 34, who had worked for the US State Department for 10 years as an information management officer was known to players of the MMORPG EVE: Online as Vile_Rat.

Smith was highly regarded amongst the 400,000 players of EVE: Online, where as in real-life he fulfilled the role of diplomat. He was elected by players to the Council of Stellar Management (CSM), a panel who relay concerns of players to the developer CCP. Smith was thought of as a legend amongst EVE: Online players for his incredible ability as an in game diplomat, able to shift the balance of wars featuring tens of thousands of gamers.

His death prompted an outpouring of grief amongst fellow gamers. Already, 200 player made space stations in the online game have been renamed out of respect for Smith.  His impact amongst gamers was even recognised by Hillary Clinton as she eulogised Smith.

Ned Coker of CCP said, ”CCP and its employees are overwhelmingly saddened by the news of Sean Smith’s passing, as we are when we learn of any player who is tragically lost. Many of us interacted with him professionally and personally and, honestly, it feels like our words are lost adrift–amongst such a tremendous, soul-affirming outpouring from the EVE community.”

Mark Heard, President of the CSM, said of Smith “Sean made the world we all play in much more dangerous while simultaneously making the world we all live in that much safer”

He is survived by his wife Heather and his two children Nathan and Samantha.

Manchester Athletes Set For Triumphant Return

Written by Matthew Barber on . Posted in Sport.

The heroes of London 2012 are to be honoured in a parade through Manchester’s Albert Square. The event, set to take place on October 26th, will see many of the athletes born or based in Manchester return to celebrate their sporting roots.

Though London was host, it is perhaps fitting that Manchester, arguably the nation’s sporting capital, had its part to play in the historic Games. Over 60 of Team GB were from Greater Manchester, claiming 16 medals between them, including 11 golds. Were Manchester a separate county, it would have placed 8th in the Olympic medal table, a staggering achievement.

Etienne Stott, who claimed gold in the men’s canoe slalom, was born in Manchester, while cyclist Jason Kenny, who grabbed two golds and smashed the world record in the team sprint, was born and bred in Bolton. The Paralympics were also a great success for the region, as Heather Frederiksen, from Wigan, won gold in the 100m backstroke, while Sarah Storey, from South Manchester, claimed a further four golds for her glittering collection. Storey, who had previously won gold in Paralympic swimming, has now turned her hand to cycling, where she has cemented her place as Britain’s most successful ever Paralympian.

The University of Manchester also has its claim to fame at the London 2012 Games through Paralympian Matt Walker. Walker, a swimmer, represented the North West at youth level before going on to win gold at Sydney, Athens and Beijing. At 34, Walker is in the twilight of his athletics career, but that did not stop him from winning a bronze medal in the London games. Walker is an alumnus of the University of Manchester, having graduated with a Masters in Business in 2001. The swimmer dedicated his medal to father Alan, who passed away in June after a battle with cancer.

In addition to the wealth of Manchester-born athletes, many of Team GB were based in Manchester prior to the summer Games. The city’s excellent sporting facilities, many of which were created for the Commonwealth Games in 2002 are a particular draw for athletes. Britain’s cycling team, who contributed an incredible eight gold medals, train at the National Cycling Centre in SportCity; the likes of Sir Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins, Laura Trott and Victoria Pendleton owe much to the facilities that Manchester has to offer. The Manchester-based athletes are not limited to cycling, as gold medal-winning Jade Jones and the GB Taekwondo team also call Manchester their home.

These athletes are among 130 to be invited to the parade, along with many of the volunteers who helped to make the games such a roaring success. The event is set to be the biggest Olympic celebration outside of London, and is a chance for everyone in Manchester to show their support for the athletes that have so inspired the nation.

Manchester was also home to one of the select out-of-London venues of the games. Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, played host to several of the Olympic football ties. These included the quarter final between Japan and Egypt, the semi-final between Brazil and South Korea and of course Team GB’s own clash with Senegal. Averaging crowds of over 60,000 people, the extradition of some of the Olympic football to the North West was a great success.

Now that London has passed the Olympic and Paralympic baton on to Rio, the country can look back on what will no doubt go down in history as a legendary summer for British sport. Manchester will always be remembered as part of this due to the athletes it has produced and the venues it contains. And who knows, maybe one day Usain Bolt, potentially the biggest star of the 2012 Olympics, will find his way back here too-if he can twist Sir Alex Ferguson’s arm enough.

Manchester named piracy capital of UK

Written by Jonathan Breen on . Posted in News.

Manchester has been named the piracy capital of the UK in a study of the digital music industry.

The city is known for its strong musical heritage, but now has the crown for the highest number of illegal song downloads in the country.

Figures released in the Musicmetric study show 345 million songs were illegally downloaded in the first half of this year, of which Manchester had the highest number of per person.

Students are notoriously high-internet users, and with over 50,000 in the city, The Mancunion asked their opinions on music piracy.

“I don’t pay for music, does anybody these days? The last CD I bought was about 4 years ago. People don’t buy CDs any more so they’re going to download it and places like iTunes don’t have all the music you want anyway,” said second-year Joseph, studying for a degree in mental health nursing.

A Material Science and Engineering student felt the opposition to illegal downloading comes from record labels.

“I think it’s the record companies because the artists make shit all money on the sale of their CDs, they make the money off the gigs they play, you can’t pirate a gig, so I don’t think its affecting the bands, I think its affecting the companies who are promoting the bands,” said the second year. “I illegally download some things unless a small band in which case I buy it.”

Second year Electronic Engineering student Sofiane said, “I think the cost of a CD is too expensive, I can see why people illegally download.”

An exchange student from the United States of America studying medicine said the cost of music is why she downloads illegally.

“I want to say it’s wrong, but it’s so expensive. I heard they make most of their money from concerts so getting their music out might help more people go to their concerts.”

Nikia, another exchange student from USA said, “If you really like the artist then you will make the effort to buy it, but otherwise downloading it isn’t necessarily bad for them either because you’re still listening to it and getting their stuff around, I think it helps them.”

“If it was a little bit cheaper in the first place then maybe people wouldn’t do it so much,” said Becky Ryan, studying for a PGCE in Primary Education.

The report revealed UK-based BitTorrent consumption hit 43 million albums and singles were downloaded during the first half of 2012.

Overall the UK came second for the most illegal downloads in the world, having fewer only than the United States. Ed Sheeran was the most pirated artist in the country.

In a statement to the Mancunion, Pirate Party leader and Manchester Central by-election candidate Loz Kaye rubbished the report and condemned the British Phonographic Industry, representatives of the music industry.

“These figures don’t prove very much, other than the fact that Mancunians like music, and we’re leaders in using technology,” he said. “They are certainly not evidence of the BPI’s shrill claims that ‘a lot of people are getting very rich’ from so-called piracy.

“Plans threatening to throw entire households off the web for “piracy” are particularly dangerous. For students, do you really know what everyone in a shared house is doing on the same connection. And why should you be collectively targeted.

“Why music industry figures are complaining so much is that with a properly functioning Internet, the big players are no longer needed in the same way. We really should move on from this sterile debate.”

University of Manchester IT staff said illegal downloading hasn’t been a major issue.

“We have systems in place in our halls of residence which prevent illegal downloading,” read a university statement. “Our policies state that all IT activity must be legal, and if we are alerted to anything via a ‘cease and desist’ order, then we do take measures to remove individual machines from the network and follow the appropriate disciplinary procedure.”