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Alexandra Baynes

Alexandra Baynes

Head Editor of Opinion Section. Radio Host on Fuse FM. Twitter: @lexiebayness

Sweat at The Royal Exchange review: It didn’t make me sweat (or shed blood, or tears)

Sweat at The Royal Exchange review: It didn’t make me sweat (or shed blood, or tears)

Lynn Nottage’s gritty play about the interconnected lives of nine Americans, living and working in one of the poorest towns in Pennsylvania, had all of the potential and material: but, disappointingly, it just didn’t deliver what it should have
Ice, Ice, Maybe? The art of remembering and forgetting, from a roundworm’s ice bath

Ice, Ice, Maybe? The art of remembering and forgetting, from a roundworm’s ice bath

Love an ice bath? So do roundworms – because they can remember that they’ve just had one. The storing of memory is a complex phenomenon, but a recent study has found that roundworms can delay their forgetting of their memory if they’re placed on ice
65% of UoM’s electricity demand to be supplied by new solar farm deal

65% of UoM’s electricity demand to be supplied by new solar farm deal

As part of the University of Manchester’s goal of zero carbon emissions by 2038, a new contract has been signed which meets 65% of the University’s electricity demand with clean, renewable electricity
Antony Jenkins appointed as the new Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University

Antony Jenkins appointed as the new Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University

Manchester Metropolitan University’s (MMU) new Chancellor, Antony Jenkins, will assume the ceremonial and ambassadorial role from January 2025
Stick or twist: Why do students choose to stay in the south of Greater Manchester?

Stick or twist: Why do students choose to stay in the south of Greater Manchester?

The universities along Oxford Road churn their students into Manchester city centre, and south of the city. As students turn into graduates, why do we disregard North Manchester and stay in the same southern areas?
Boys can cry, and girls can game

Boys can cry, and girls can game

Let’s smash Yorkie bars’ “Not for girls” motto, and indulge in some physical games which defined the 2000s and 2010s gaming landscape
In conversation with Islamic Society: “Here for ourselves, and here for everyone else as well”

In conversation with Islamic Society: “Here for ourselves, and here for everyone else as well”

Some students may only be aware of ISoc from their charity stalls, but there’s so much more behind the largest society at the University of Manchester
University wins two awards for its projects at the Directors of Estates Awards

University wins two awards for its projects at the Directors of Estates Awards

At the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE) Awards, the University of Manchester won both gold and bronze awards for its estates and facilities
Disability and ethnicity pay gaps go up, gender goes down: UoM’s 2023 pay gap analysis

Disability and ethnicity pay gaps go up, gender goes down: UoM’s 2023 pay gap analysis

The gender pay gap at the University is at its lowest since 2017. The pay gap in terms of religion, sexuality, disability, and ethnicity has also been reported on
Main Library Musings – Rant column #2

Main Library Musings – Rant column #2

Edition #2 of the Opinion section’s rant column. Fuelled by sweaty palms and jabbing fingers on our keyboards, we lament three issues facing students: the library, buses, and supermarkets
Nominations for Students’ Union Awards 2024 now open

Nominations for Students’ Union Awards 2024 now open

Students can nominate themselves or others for the awards, which fall into four separate categories, with each award having its own awards night
Memories of the game: A look back at favourite sporting moments

Memories of the game: A look back at favourite sporting moments

Whether it be on the world stage or during adolescence, there has been one sporting moment that has stuck with everyone. Explore the emotional and accelerating seconds that remain with our team to this day
Margarita Month at Zouk: All style, less substance

Margarita Month at Zouk: All style, less substance

Zouk is offering a trio of Margaritas this February to celebrate Margarita Month; yet it seems like all the thought was put into presentation, and less into the drink itself
International Women’s Day book guide: Celebrating feminists and feminism

International Women’s Day book guide: Celebrating feminists and feminism

Women’s writing should be spotlighted and celebrated all year round, but in the lead up to International Women’s Day, there’s no time like the present so we recommend some of our favourite books
Government’s Freedom of Speech legislation consulted at Union Assembly

Government’s Freedom of Speech legislation consulted at Union Assembly

Students were consulted on the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Act and how it affects Students’ Union and students at the Union Assembly
University of Manchester secures Disability Confident Leader status

University of Manchester secures Disability Confident Leader status

Successful accreditation of the award requires organisations to demonstrate their commitment to disability equality
Women’s ‘invisible labour’ is the backbone of Christmas

Women’s ‘invisible labour’ is the backbone of Christmas

All of the work women put into the festive season goes underappreciated, underacknowledged and unpaid; I’m fed up with it
Greater Manchester Combined Authority opens consultation on its new Good Landlord Charter

Greater Manchester Combined Authority opens consultation on its new Good Landlord Charter

The Charter aims to improve the standard of renting and hold landlords to account, in both the private and social renting sectors
The End We Start From review: Quietly moving, powerfully provocative

The End We Start From review: Quietly moving, powerfully provocative

Mahalia Belo’s depiction of an ecological crisis is grimly realistic but Jodie Comer’s portrayal of the challenges of womanhood steals the show
We’re still in a cost of living crisis. Where’s our £170 this year?

We’re still in a cost of living crisis. Where’s our £170 this year?

The University’s forgotten about the cost of living crisis, and has left students grappling in the same tough financial circumstances; this year, with a £170-shaped hole in their pockets