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Day: 10 September 2014

Spotlight: Women’s Campaign

Written by Evie Hull on . Posted in Societies.

Manchester Women’s Campaign kicks off again as term opens; running right through Freshers’ Week and culminating with a multi-society meeting, there is no shortage of ways to get involved with one of the biggest campaigns on campus.

With events ranging from The Riveters Feminist Collective’s body-positive tea party to the Black Women’s Forum to the ISOC Sisters’ bowling evening, and culminating with a multi-society meeting, there are events for all tastes. Open to all self-defining women, the final meeting will unite the different feminist societies in a space to outline plans and events from the year, meet new people and introduce long-running Women’s Campaign events, such as the annual Reclaim The Night event and volunteering at shelters.

Last year, the Women’s Campaign was involved in countless areas across the union, from implementing the ‘We Get It!’ zero-tolerance sexual harassment pledge, putting on the biggest ‘Reclaim The Night’ event in the UK (complete with huge afterparty!) and running panels on women in science and sport, as well as frequent trips, meetings and casual socials, making it a hugely diverse and inclusive area to get involved in.

Women’s Officer Jess Lishak says, “I’m really looking forward to seeing what the Women’s Campaign achieves this year, and seeing lots of new and old faces at the big Women’s Campaign welcome event on Thursday 25th! Whether you want to get involved with ‘Reclaim the Night’, a huge march against street harassment and violence against women in February, the ‘We Get It’ zero tolerance to sexual harassment campaign, tackling harassment and assault on the busses, or any of the social and informative events throughout the year, there is something for everyone!

“If you want to get involved in anything the Women’s Campaign is doing or create a new women’s society or event, just drop into the Student Voice office and say hi or email me at [email protected].”

The Women’s Campaign is comprised of Women For Women International, The Riveters Feminist Collective, ISOC Sisters, Women of LGBTQ, Women’s Interfaith Forum, Fempowerment, the Student Parent Support Group, Robogals and the No More Page 3 Campaign.

University climbs to 38th in Global Rankings

Written by Lauren Gorton on . Posted in News.

According to recently released academic rankings of world universities, the University of Manchester has risen in the international rankings to 38th in the world for 2014, a rise of three places globally, setting the University as seventh in Europe and fifth in the UK.

The rankings were compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University based upon the number of research papers published in leading journals, as well as the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel prizes and other academic achievements.

The University’s success has been largely associated with highly credited publications in nature and science, although Professor Luke Georghiou, Vice President of Research and Innovation has said that “credit belongs to all of those colleagues whose excellent research underpins our position.

“It is the University’s goal to be a world-leading institution. While all ranking systems have their faults, it is nonetheless pleasing to see our progress marked by this increase”.

However the Shanghai rankings are not connected to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings set to be published on October 1st and which at current for the 2013-2014 academic period ranks the University at 58th globally and 8th in the UK.

It’s Wednesday, Why Not!

Written by Jennifer Sterne on . Posted in News.

“Why Not Wednesdays” is the Students’ Unions new weekly student night. It will be launching on Wednesday 17th September from 23:00 – 03:00 with a UV Bouncy Castle Disco. The night will include giant bouncy castles, UV cannons, free glow bands and a few other surprises. Upcoming events include Two Door Cinema Club, an Oktoberfest special, a Tiki style Beach Party and many more acts performing across the year.

The Students’ Union has said that the idea behind the event is “to put the fun back into student club nights in Manchester”. Three rooms of music will make up the event ensuring there is something for everyone, from Ibiza cuts and remixes, anthemic indie and alternative rock tracks, to old school hip hop, disco and R&B. There will also be a range of drinks offers from £1.50.

The Union promises “loads of giveaways, big name acts and amazing themes with all the profit going back into supporting the Union to support you”. A competition within The Mancunion will also be run in the near future, with the chance to win four platinum passes, entitling you to free entry all year for the event.

Entrance for the night is £3.50 in advance or £4.50 on the door. The Union has also announced that the University of Manchester Student Union societies, halls of residences and sports teams are able to get special discount rates for their social events. They can even, if so inclined, sell the tickets and keep the difference to raise money for their society, team or hall.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.manchesterstudentsunion.com or from the Students’ Union Helpdesk. For more information see the Facebook page ‘Why not Wednesdays?’ or follow them on Twitter – @WhyNotWed.

Frustrating A-levels makes the prospect of university even better

Written by David Brierley on . Posted in Opinion.

At AS Level, I got a U in Critical Thinking.

I was later informed that this was because the exam board failed me on account of insulting them. This was funny at first, but later raised some more serious questions: had I said something that bad? Well, I didn’t think so at the time. I had mentioned that Standardised Testing wasn’t as effective as it was made out to be, and that the whole system of end-of-year exams placed extreme stress on students.

Yet these statements were considered to be either rude or at least subversive enough to add an extra, and somewhat less A shaped, vowel to my results sheet. The very idea that I would think that my A-levels weren’t actually that helpful was so awful that I had to have some kind of punishment. It was all very Ministry of Truth—George Orwell would have shuddered.

Now, I am proud of my A-levels nonetheless, but I will be the first to tell you that the system is inherently flawed.

For subjects such as Mathematics there is a right answer. Even still, the students at my school who studied Maths complained often and loudly. They were dropping marks for simply doing a sum in a way different to the question’s requirements—even if they came out with the correct final answer. Others would point out that they didn’t follow the instructions, and therefore didn’t show they knew the specific process required.

But that’s just it—it wasn’t so much that they were wrong, but that they didn’t follow the instructions.

Instructions are important, but what about the Arts? I shall use the example of English because I study it. We can all agree that an applicant suggesting that Romeo was a Martian is wrong—however had I stated that Romeo and Juliet is a terrible play with an incredibly weak female character, I think it unlikely that I would be attending university.

It’s only my opinion that Shakespeare’s tragic females are, overall, limp and plain characters compared to his comedies; because a relationship between a thirteen and a fifteen year old that lasted two weeks and left four people dead is not, for me, the makings of a great romance—more the front cover of the Daily Mail. Therein lies the problem. By having an opinion, by doing something differently—for the simple flaw of thinking in a way that isn’t defined by a mark scheme or a candidate number, a person becomes difficult to confine within an exam structure.

My Geography teacher always refused to grade me higher than a B because I didn’t work to the mark scheme. I ended up with 98%. My English teacher praised and challenged me to outdo myself. Yet, I only just managed the A that I needed: Why? The truth is, I don’t know—I felt both papers went equally well. If you asked the people who knew me for the last seven years, they would tell you that I’m good at English and absolutely nothing else. That’s not however what my results will tell you, they suggest Human Geography is an excellent career path and I should perhaps avoid thinking critically.

This is why I’m excited for University. More specifically I’m excited for my course because I finally, finally, get to be an individual. I can be the English Student who hates Romeo and Juliet. I can be the Metallica fan who can quote Wilde and Poe and Festus the Clown. I can be the guy who goes both to the Dojo and to Pride. I’ve still got exams to worry about, and coursework to hand in—but no longer do I have to fret if what I’m putting is correct to such an unwieldy set of criteria.

As I said, I’m proud of my A levels, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t be—you don’t need me to tell you that you worked your socks off to get them. To my fellow Freshers, I would say that they don’t show you who you are, and they don’t necessarily tell you how good you are at something; they sacrifice the freedom of expression of the brightest to keep it fair for those the current education system has already failed. There’s a world out there, free from A-Levels and standardised testing. Yours is filled with whatever you choose to make of it.

I (kind of) Woke Up Like This

Written by Nikki Patel on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Preparation is everything

Alcohol dehydrates everything, leaving your hair your skin and even your brain feeling shrivelled. Hydrate yourself from the inside-out with a fish-oil supplement. Trust me, you’ll feel a lot fresher the next morning and your skin will thank you for it.

 

Bun=Best Friend:

Sweaty roots and mangled tresses can be easily disguised with a messy top knot. Be sure to prep your locks with a texturizing powder and a scented hair mist to fake that freshly washed look come Monday morning. Redken Style Connection Powder Grip, packs a powerful volumising punch and lasts and lasts. Aquolina Pink Sugar Fragrance is spiked with candy scents and fruity flavours, masking the musty odours from last night’s smoking area.

 

Give the makeup a miss

Well, in a certain sense. Nothing gives away last night’s secrets more than a full face of foundation which on dehydrated skin can look cakey and discoloured. Instead target specific points of discolouration with Rosaliac CC Cream by La Roche Posay. Green tinted correctors such as this neutralize redness and yellow tints mask under eye bags. Finish with a light slick of hydrating BB cream such as Shiseido Perfect Hydrating BB Cream; it’ll sit much better than your regular foundation.

 

Shine bright like a diamond

Highlighting really is the pièce de résistance when you wake up feeling fuzzy. Just a few dabs blended along your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose and in the centre of your forehead will add depth to your face and create a luminous effect. Combine this with a rosy cream blush such as Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge and for all anyone knew, you stayed in with your Kindle last night.

 

Sight for sore eyes

Friday’s smokey may have wowed at the time, but heavy eye makeup during the day will only highlight that you’ve had 2 hours sleep and you’re running on Red Bull. Utilise a beige liner along your lower water line to make your eyes appear wider and more awake. Sleeping with an extra pillow also helps to drain fluid from under your eyes, preventing puffiness. Though when you arrive home, pizza, not pillow height is probably the first thing on your mind!