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Salford Edition: Monday 26 September 2011

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UNIVERSITYLAUNCHES CONTROVERSIAL NEW LOGO

The University has launched acontroversial rebranding strategy, whichincludes a change of logo. Last week the University officially

launched the new brand, unveiling a newlogo which scrapped the classic Salfordlion in favour of a simpler, textual logo inred, white and black. The logo, shown above, includes the

addition of the word “Manchester” in red,a “locational identifier” which theUniversity hopes will put Salford “on themap”. The rebranding strategy is part of a

wider ambition to propel the University ofSalford from the bottom quartile of UKuniversities to the top quartile by 2017. The brand aims to reflect a seven-year

plan of transformation, encompassingsuch radical campus plans as the movedown to MediaCity UK in Salford Quaysthis October, the construction of the £38mArts building, which will open in 2014, andthe new student residences on Peel Park,

which were granted planning permissionlast week (see page 3 for more on thisstory). The University also believe that the new

branding will enable the institution tocompete at an international level. Thecolours and the inclusion of the word“Manchester” in the logo are intended toassociate the University with that morefamous brand, Manchester United, andwith Manchester in general. At a staff meeting this month, Deputy

Vice Chancellor Dr Adrian Graves told staffthat the old green and claret colours were“tired” and that it made sense to “refresh”the brand in order to give the University a“terrific presence in the market”.“The branding, for me, is reflective of the

journey that the University has been onfor the last five years,” said Dr Graves.“Manchester is at the heart of what

Salford is about”, he continued later in themeeting; “The distinction betweenManchester and Salford is no longer clearcut.” Yet the rebrand has already been met

with opposition from students, staff andstaff trade union Unison. Some have takenissue with the inclusion of the word

“Manchester” in the logo, believing that itdilutes Salford’s identity. In the staffmeeting, one staff member pointed toactress Maxine Peak’s quote: “Salford’s inSalford, not Manchester”. Others have argued that the University’s

expenditure in this project – at a timewhen many University departments arefacing cuts and staff are being maderedundant – is unnecessary. At the staffmeeting of Graves allegedly stated that thefigure was £100,000; a local newspaperhas since put the figure at £170,000, but

Salford Student Direct has not been able toverify the exact figure. An anonymous lecturer said of the cost

of the rebranding: “I can’t believe they’vespent all of that money on it at a timewhen they’re cutting services elsewherethat directly effect students.” Christina Kennedy, Vice President of

Arts and Social Sciences, said in responseto Graves’ admission that the rebrandinghad cost £100,000 “I’m sure studentswould love to know that that’s what theirtuition fees are being spent on.”

Laura Johnson Editor

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www.salfordstudents.com

Salford

Give Sport A Golaunches this week.To find out more,go towww.salfordstudents.com/gsag. The timetable ofsessions is onpage 31.

Starbucks is nowavailable from BarYours. Nip downduring a lecturebreak to try.

The University hasbeen grantedplanningpermission to builda new set ofstudent residences. See the full storyon page 3.

Kasabian havereleased a newalbum. And it’s OK…only OK, says TomMiller. Read more onpage 5

New

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Dr Adrian Graves, DeputyVice Chancellor, hasoverseen four rebrandingstrategies during his career.He made the followingquotes in a staff briefingabout the rebrand earlierthis month.

“[Other universities] hate itbecause it’s so good!” – onaccusations that ManchesterMetropolitan University andthe University of Manchesterwere unhappy about theusage of the word “Manchester” in the new

logoYet… “This has done more

to bring the threeuniversities of Manchestertogether than divide them” –later in the briefing

“Salford has arrived” – onthe impact that therebranding strategy shouldhave on potential studentsand competitors

“We can no longer pretendthat the distinction [betweenSalford and Manchester] isclear-cut.” - on the issue of“Manchester” being includedin the logo

“There’s no better brandingfor a university than to havea great university in the greatcity.”

“We only need to recruitten extra students to pay forthe rebrand” – Graves,arguing that the rebrandingof Salford was “great valuefor money”.

EditorLaura Johnson [email protected]

News Editor Mark Cockroft [email protected]

Arts Editor Tom Miller [email protected]

Features Editor Amanda [email protected]

Employability Laura Johnson

Your UnionChristina KennedyLaura Johnson

Sport Richard Tree

AnalysisLaura JohnsonTom MillerAron Burton

Salford-based veterans of thetelevision industry are lookingfor student volunteers to helpthem with a project which willexplore Salford’s rich history. Producer, director and

writer Peter Ridsdale-Scott,who was responsible for cultsci-fi programme Red Dwarf,film director JohnMcCormack and producerAlan McGlone are trying toset up a project calledHeritage Footsteps, whichwill map out an interactive,online trail around theChapel Street area ofSalford. They are looking for

students and members ofthe local community to helpthem produce the trail,which will span the lengthof Chapel Street and end atthe phone box outside theMaxwell building. It isintended to educate bothlocal residents and studentsabout Salford’s colourfulhistory, and will includesuch little-known historicalfacts as the Salford plaguepits, which now lieunderneath a public park. It is the hope of the

organisers that the projectwill also help reduce the so-called “town-and-gown”divide in Salford, since it isanticipated that studentswill be working with localresidents in order toproduce the trail. Volunteers will be needed

to help with filming,research, video production,PR and IT work. Studentsstudying Journalism and TVand Broadcasting canparticularly benefit fromthis opportunity, as they willbe working with realprofessionals from thetelevision industry andgaining invaluable skills andexperience, but any studentwho is interested iswelcome to help. It is anticipated that

semester one will bedevoted to trainingvolunteers and finalising thestory, and that productionwill start in semester two. The project is entirely

dependent on its volunteers;without them, it cannot goahead. To find out moreabout the project, or toregister your interest, go towww.heritagefootsteps.com,[email protected] phone 0161 2954647.

VOLUNTEERS WANTEDFOR HERITAGE PROJECT

OurContributors

Do you have anews story? Emailthe News Editor,Mark Cockcroft, [email protected]

Contact

www.salfordstudents.com

Salford

What they said

Laura JohnsonEditor

Continued from page 1 –University Rebrand

“There’s no identity in that logo – it’s completelyforgettable. I can’t believe they’ve spent all of that money onit at a time when they’re cutting services elsewhere thatdirectly effect students. None of the staff were consulted.”

An anonymous lecturer

“I could have put that [the logo] together on WordArt in fiveminutes.”

Rachel Read, a student

"UNISON cannot understand why we need to rebrand theUniversity, particularly with all the uncertainty of bothfunding and increases in tuition fees. It seems to me to be awaste of public money as I do not believe that a new logowill have any effect on increasing student numbers.”

Michele Barnes, UNISON Branch Secretary

For Salford students the mostobvious indication that theUniversity have sought tooverhaul their rebrandingstrategy is the new logo, which isnow displayed throughout thecampus, on lampposts andbanners, in leaflets and onletterheads. Yet Chris Larkindisagrees with the notion that thelogo is entirely “new”. “The name of the University

hasn’t changed,” he says. “It’s still

the

University of Salford. There wasalways a locational strap-line –this has been shortened. TheSalford part of the logo is nowbigger than it was on the old one.”As he says, the old logo had “A

Greater Manchester University”underneath. What makes Larkinbelieve that the new logo will bemore effective?

“Greater Manchester” is anambiguous phrase,” says Larkin.“In our market research itbecame clear that many peopledo not know where Salford is. Weare comfortable being part ofManchester – we want to give

Salford the ‘Manchester factor’.” And what do the other

Manchester universities feelabout that? “They are happy and were

consulted about it.” It’s a strange comment to make

considering that Dr Graves hasbeen quoted as saying that theUniversity of Manchester andManchester MetropolitanUniversity “hate it [the new logo]because it’s so good!” but wemove swiftly on, as Larkin is quickto point out that it’s not just aboutthe new logo. “We want the University to be in

the top quartile of universities by2019… the restructure of ourbrand is crucial to thistransformation.” He’s also quick to defend the

University’s controversial choiceto spend money on the rebrandat a time when manydepartments are facing cuts.

“In a climate where studentshold the purse we need to beable to compete with otheruniversities and with our currentbranding we can’t,” he says.Larkin believes that theUniversity are absolutely right –as opposed to misguided – inspending that much moneyduring a recession. “We needthat edge in order to compete.” Were students and staff

consulted about the newbranding? I’m curious; SalfordCollege, I know, recruitedstudents to design their newlogo. “We conducted market

research of prospective students,current students and postgradstudents,” says Larkin. ““We setup a Brand Room, which allstudents and staff were invited to,in order to give their opinionsand share ideas.”Considering at least one staff

member has claimed theyweren’t consulted, this is onceagain a strange comment tomake, and the interview dulyends. Whatever you make of it,only time will tell whether or notthe rebrand succeeds inrecruiting extra students andgiving the University that covetedposition in the market.

Laura JohnsonEditor

Chris Larkin, the University of Salford’s director ofcommunications, has a background in marketingfor Marks and Spencer and Nationwide, as well asin PR. He spoke to Laura Johnson about how thebrand will help the University competeinternationally

Laura Johnson Editor

I hoped you enjoyedWelcome Week. I for onereally enjoyed meeting someof you Journalism, English,History, Politics andSociology students to tell youabout contributing to thenewspaper, and theatmosphere on campus wasgreat.I also really enjoyed the

Welcome Party at 42s onWednesday! Everyone needsa cheeky (see what I didthere) drink or six midweek. I’m now looking forward to

getting as many students aspossible, old or new, intowriting for the paper. Gettingpublished work from thisnewspaper could really kick-start your career. It’s easy toget involved – you can dropme an email, come and seeme in University House orphone me on 0161 351 5432. Good luck with your first

week of lectures (and yourhangovers).

Editor’sNote

What do you think? Will the newbrand propel the University to the topof the league tables, or is it a waste oftime and money? Let us know athttp://www.facebook.com/salfordsu

“Salford’s inSalford, notManchester” Maxine Peak’s [Bolton-born actress] most overused phrase

Students could be forced to wait 20years for new facilities, after theuniversity announced plans todemolish University House.Four six-ten storey eco-apartmentblocks are to be built on the northernextent of Peel Park on theuniversity’s main campus.The new buildings will replace theageing Castle Irwell site in Broughtonand bring students closer to the maincampus, as well as offering 24-hoursecurity, something currently lackingon the site.Current University facilities aregoing to be lost in the development,with University House – whichcontains Bar Yours and the Students’Union – and the Myers building beingdemolished to make way for the newresidences.Several local councillors andresidents have objected to thedevelopment and bemoaned the“loss of facilities that will not bereplaced.”Vice-Chancellor of the University,

Martin Hall, has not yet confirmedwhen new amenities will beconstructed to replace those beinglost.Mr Hall said the university had a20-year plan for re-development andappeared to be in no rush to finish it.Speaking to Student Direct, he said:“Any destruction of student facilities,like University House, must lead tobetter facilities being put up in theirplace, but that’s not going to happenimmediately.He added: “There’s won’t be areplacement of University Houseuntil there’s a complete substitution.”“This is part of a 20-year plan, sothis is not all going to happenimmediately, within one year,” heconcluded.Mr Hall suggested it will be sometime until the students of SalfordUniversity have a wholesalereplacement for University Houseand the facilities it contains.“We’re talking about a planned

and phased approach,” he said.Beyond the destruction ofUniversity House, the Vice-Chancellor also told Student Directthat the current sports centre will

be demolished, with the intentionof constructing a suitablereplacement in the near future.“”We need to replace the sportscentre, which is not fit for purposefor a modern university.”There has already been somesuggestion that the new facilitiesmay be open to both students andlocal residents.Mr Hall said: “We are havingconversations with the communityabout shared facilities.”In addition to the new studentresidences, a large partition wall willalso be constructed, obstructingaccess to parts of the park for localresidents. However, the universitysays the new blocks will allowstudents an unhindered view overPeel Park.Construction on the newbuildings begins next year and willbe completed in 2013 at a cost of£30m.The University of Salford hasundergone a number of changesrecently, one of the mostcontroversial being a new logowhich prominently features“Manchester” in large, red letters.

03

Aran Burton

Competition time folks - Ifanyone can shed somelight on what this latestpiece of road is outside theuniversity then you are ourwinner. We have no prizesas such, but we can offeryou a year’s supply ofStudent Direct, for free.Two of these littleconcrete islands have been

built within the bus lane ofthe A6 that runs outside ofthe university’s MaxwellBuilding, but we are unableto work out the purpose ofsuch a thing? A bus simplymust drive around it, butwhy? It does not appear tooffer any service topedestrians, buses, orcyclists. It’s also notanywhere in the HighwayCode. So what does it do?Answers on a postcardplease.

What is this?

New university housing to replace

University House

The Vice-Chancellor at TheUniversity of Salford isencouraging all students andmembers of staff to take part ina charity fun run next month toraise money for children’scancer.Dr Martin Hall will be at thestarting line-up when the 5k rungets under way on Wednesday5th October at Peel ParkCampus. Participants can run,jog or walk their way to thefinish line as they make theirway across David Lewis playingfields and the historic Peel Parkitself.The fun run has beenorganised to launch the

University’s Charitable SupportPolicy, with a £12 entry fee forall members of staff and £8 forstudents. All proceeds are goingto KidsCan. Dr Martin Hall said: “Kidscanis the university’s own charity,and raises money for researchinto children’s cancer.Supporting Kidscan is a greatway to start off the year, sinceevery penny of the entrance feefor our run goes into theircoffers. I’ll be running asnumber 3, and I hope to see alot of students at the start line”.Additional sponsorship isencouraged for all participants,so for further details about howto raise some valuable moneyplease contact KidsCan [email protected] Hall added: “Many of ourstudents and staff are

passionate about raising moneyfor charities, and we’ve hadsome great examples ofstudents working to otherpeople’s benefit both locallyand across the world. As auniversity, we are oftenapproached to supportcharities, but it’s impossible todo justice to the many requestswe receive. “Our new approach to this willinvite students and staff tonominate charities that theybelieve that the university as awhole should support throughthe year.”Training plans are availablefrom the Tom HusbandLeasuire Centre to help supportall of the runners involved.Email [email protected] for moredetails.

Mark CockroftNews Editors

Charity Fun Run

Mark CockroftNews Editors

Salford Edition: Monday 26 September 2011

Confusedabout how theUnion works,or want toknow aboutany of theservices theUnion offers?Go towww.salfordstudents.com

Link

An

alysis

04

Confused abouthow the Unionworks, or want toknow about anyof the services theUnion offers? Gotowww.salfordstudents.com

Link

Phew, what a summer it’sbeen.With panic on the streets of

London, Birmingham and evenSalford, Greater Manchester, itmight be easy to forget theturmoil many studentsexperienced just a few weeksago.For the 29th year in a row, A-

level passes have risen and itmight seem harder than everto get a place at university –although if you’re reading this,that probably doesn’t botheryou.Competition for places has

been fierce this year, as morepeople are after fewer jobs andthe value of a universityeducation is higher than ever.(That’s value, by the way, notcost, that’s next year).Couple this with a vengeful

economy and a “competitive”job market and there doesn’tseem like much to lookforward to. Well, besidesmounting debts and workinguntil you just cannae hack itanymore, but that’s by the by.The scramble for places is

even worse this year, asanyone who didn’t get a placefaces paying up to £9,000 ayear in tuition fees – that’s ifthe cost doesn’t put them off.Lucky you then. Lucky

everyone, you successfullymade it to university. Yououtperformed your peers (theones that didn’t make it) andmanaged to get a place.Now all you have to do now

is survive, make friends, showup for lectures and you’ll besorted. Right?Not quite.If, like me, you read the

papers, you could be forgivenfor thinking a degree simplyisn’t enough these days.In fact, as far as the current

Government is concerned,having anything less than apeerage, a rich dad and maybea county or two is less thanenough.

The misery projected by themedia might tarnish newstudents’ expectations for thefuture. The conclusion that allyour hard work may come tonought is tricky to resist basedon what we’re told.Particularly keen students

may have also noticed that afifth of 2010’s graduates wereout of work after university –the highest number in morethan a decade.Before you read too much

into this though, a fifth ofstudents probably studysomething really pointless,something destined to leavethem terminally unemployedanyway. (You know who youare, don’t be surprised when ithappens.)For those with more valuable

degrees, I suggest being a littlebit more optimistic, seeing as80% of the aforementionedgraduates managed to findwork, even with a comatosejob market.That said, try not to rely

solely on your degree forfinding work. There’s only somuch you can be taught, therest is about proving you havewhat it takes.Remember, there’s no

amount of Powerpointpresentations and essays thatcan prepare you for life in thereal world.While you’re at university,

why not take advantage of thefree money you’re getting anddo some volunteering work inyour chosen field. Don’t justwait for your work experienceplacement, show someinitiative.Not only does it look great on

a CV, but you get to spend timewith people whose interests gobeyond getting loaded, whichis a nice change of pace.Fortunately for new students,

worries about life after uniwon’t matter for at least thenext three years and for allanyone knows, the world’sproblems may be completelyforgotten by the timegraduation comes.The fact of the matter is that

university isn’t just aboutdegrees, debt or drunkenjapery; it’s about experienceand independence, twoqualities every employer islooking for.Qualifications in the 21st

century may not be aguarantee of work, but theyare about proving yourcommitment to something,whatever that may be.In that respect, studenthood

is a rite of passage andsomething to be enjoyed,perhaps even cherished. Markmy words, make the most of it.And if the homework brings

you down, don’t throw it onthe fire, but try to rememberthat help is always at hand.In the meantime, seeing as

you’re going to be racking uphuge debts anyway, make themost of your student loan andhave a blast – and if you see mearound, mine’s a double rumand coke.After all, as Professor Brian

Cox probably once said, thingscan only get better and I wishyou the best for your time atthe University of Salford,Greater Manchester

Higher Education changes what they really meanfor students

AronBurton

Remember,there’s noamount ofPowerpointpresentations and essaysthat canprepare youfor life in thereal world.

Why the LogoRepresents aLoss of Identity

The University of Salfordrecently decided it needed anew branding package tomake it look a bit moretwenty-first century. Forsome reason unknown toeveryone else, the peoplewho run this place had aninkling that perhaps this timeround the future of Salfordlay in its sister city ofManchester. They thoughtthis to the point that theydecided to change where theUniversity of Salford was.They decided it was inManchester. They decidedthis to the point that theyhave called our preciousSalfordian home “TheUniversity of SalfordManchester”, according tothe new logo. There arevarious things wrong withthis, which I hope I will beable to explain to the best ofmy ability. Let me begin.Our University of Salford

was never in and never willbe in the city of Manchester.This is a fact. It may be inGreater Manchester, but thisis not Manchester. I havespent many, many hours ofmy life trying to explain topeople that we are not inManchester. I am proud ofour city, even if we are a bitrough around the edges; weare much more down toearth than our neighbourswith the big shiny buildingsand cleverer degrees. To saythat we are in one placewhen in fact we are inanother is quite frankly rude.It is the equivalent of sayingthat the Shire is in Rohan orthat Gondor is in Mordor – itjust isn’t true, and would getlots of elves and hobbits veryupset. I can’t help but feel thepeople in charge of therebranding looked at GoogleMaps zoomed out and made afew assumptions. I agree withBill Hicks on his views ofmarketing types, but I doubtthat would get printed.Youtube it or something. With this new rebranding,

the University of SalfordManchester is getting rid ofthe second most important

thing at our university(behind education): ourprecious Salford Lion. Now,we may not have the mostintelligent lion, and he mayhave problems putting theright shoes on in themorning, but he is mostdefinitely ours. This new logodoesn’t have a lion, or agiraffe or an antelope oranything. God. I’m sure at present you’re

thinking I’m making light ofthe argument, but you mustappreciate what a waste ofmoney this rebrandingexercise is, and a completewaste of money. It cost theuni something around£170,000 for our new logoand all it’s add ons. That’s alot of money. Surely there aremore important things tospend the money on, likebetter facilities or more staffor something that will helpour education, rather than anew logo. And listen, I couldhave knocked that up onMicrosoft Word in the spaceof five minutes and I’d onlycharge a tenner. Here’s another thing, it’s

grammatically incorrect.Surely, those clever rich folkwho decided to do all thismust have realised it wouldhave been “The University ofSalford, Manchester”, if theytruly believe that is wherethey are. Some of that moneycould have been spent on aproof reader, they’re not thatexpensive. It makes us lookstupid, which is normallysomething Manchester Unidoes instead. I love Salford. I love our

city. I love our preciousUniversity. I’m aware we’renot all razzmatazz and wedon’t put on all those bandsat our Students’ Union likeManchester do and some ofthe local populace want ourblood, but that’s just part ofthe charm! We are Salfordian.We are not Mancunian, wenever will be. We’re certainlynot Man Met. Also, rememberthis: red and black were coolin 2005 when My ChemicalRomance were still popularand we look really out ofdate. What a waste of money.

Tom Miller

What do you think? Will the newbrand propel the University to the topof the league tables, or is it a waste oftime and money? Let us know athttp://www.facebook.com/salfordsu

Arts


Link

05Salford Edition: Monday 26 September 2011

The X Factor has been on ourscreens since 2004. It wascreated by half-man, half-devilSimon Cowell, originallyplanned to be a talent show tofind good singers who couldsing songs, give them a recordcontract for a year and then letthem fade into ambiguitywithout any complaints. Thus,anyone with more than half abrain would not enterthemselves, and as such TVgold was created.

It is very hard, speaking as amusic student, to defend the XFactor. I am in no waydefending its attempt at findingmusicians with genuine abilityin songwriting or performing. Iam simply defending theargument that it is goodentertainment. The first fewweeks are a prime example ofwhy the Tories’ policy thateveryone should get a job isjust never going to work. Someof the contestants are

obviously a few spanners shortof a tool kit, and others only afew genes away from our aperelatives. These people, nomatter how PC you are, arehilarious to laugh at. They trulybelieve they can be the next bigthing, and are destined forfame. This is simply not true. Andy Warhol once said that

in the sixties, everyone willhave fifteen minutes of fame. Inthe 2010s, it now turns outeveryone, if they so choose, canhave a good two minutes offame before being lambastedby a group of peers. As for the judges: Simon

Cowell I have never liked, hisdress sense was terrible and hisvoice grated. Louis Walsh Icould sort of get on with if Ihad a few drinks, and thanks tothe X Factor Drinking Gamethis is possible. The other two(the racist one from Girls Aloud

and Kylie’s sister) bored the titsoff me. Now, however, we havea new lineup. Gary “absolutely”Barlow is a songwriting poppowerhouse. The middle onefrom Destiny’s Child seems tosound like she knows what sheis talking about. Tulisa is wellfit, innit, and Louis Walsh isalways a drink or two away,and never forget that. So don’t view the X Factor as

a credible search for the nextbig thing with the, er, X Factor.As the rounds go by, and it getsmore serious, play a fun gameby not watching it. Bill Hickssaid that life is just a ride, andpeople shouldn’t take it soseriously (he also said thattaking drugs was a great idea),so don’t take the X Factor soseriously, and remember,everyone on that show, you arebetter than them.

Oasis fans, rejoice. Kasabian have anew album. And way moreimportantly, they have an album with anexclamation mark in the title! This can onlybe a good thing! Look how much better mysentences are with exclamation marks atthe end! Magic. Following ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic

Asylum’, there were two avenues that theband could have gone down, one sidingwith their Oasis type lad rock, or going a bitmore experimental and giving us a bit moreof a sonic showdown. They decided to siton the fence, which is fine. It’s not verydecisive but it’s fine. The album wasproduced by Dan the Automator, who didtheir last album, along with Gorillaz firstrelease, and the feel does carry onsomewhat sonically, yet the album justdoesn’t seem to rock out enough.

Kasabian have evolved as a band invarious ways, and there are some V Festivalmoments where everyone puts their handsup and sings along whilst all on coke, butthey don’t come often enough.There are ballads on the record, which do

sound a bit Oasis-esque. They work, the

strings on them are beautiful, yet the albumdoesn’t seem to flow properly, and the firsthalf trudges along like an elephant. Thisisn’t saying the songs are bad, far from it; itjust takes a while for the record to take off.It does, eventually. It actually blasts off, TomMieghan even sings it. The track,‘Velociraptor!’ takes us on a bit of an oldschool, first album, adventure – it speedsalong like a caged animal that’s beenwaiting four fairly long songs to attack. Another thing with the album, be this a

good thing or not (probably depending onpeople’s attention spans or what drugs theyhave nearby) is that eight of the songs arefour minutes or longer. After ‘Velociraptor!’we have ‘Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter FromThe Storm)’, which is a 6-minute epic. It’sgreat; it does what no one expected afterthe previous track, and throws you deepinto the East. Switchblade Smiles is anothercracking tune, one of the best on the album,blowing your socks off with its power.So perhaps the album sort of flows a bit

and plods a bit and seems to punish youfrom time to time for expecting somethingand getting something completely different– that’s great. It just seems with a band withthis much talent they could have donebetter. ‘West Ryder…’ was a great album,and this one isn’t as good. It’s a shame,really.

In Defence ofthe X Factor

Hot Or Not..

Kasabian -Velociraptor! Tom Miller

Review

The Whip have foundthemselves at a delicate stage.In 2008, their debut ‘X MarksDestination’ caused something of astir. The Manchester outfit, whodabble in remixes across the board,enjoyed a flutter of recognition with‘Trash’. Their bouncy, high-energysecond single, which made severaladvert and videogame appearances,promised – and delivered – anexcellent fledgling record. Now, withtheir second album, ‘WiredTogether’, just around the corner, itis crucial that The Whip match highexpectations with great music. Thankfully, opening track ‘Keep Or

Delete’ squashes immediately everyfear of an inadequate secondrelease. With lyrics like “We moveon much too fast/nothing these daysis built to last” and a reckless beat tomatch, The Whip cast a steely glarein the face of the doubters as theycombine and improve on the finestelements of their first effort. It is their adeptness for creating

breathless, contagious beats that

prevent The Whip from blendinginto the forgotten fuzz. During thestunning ‘Best Friend’, listeners canbetween thumps of pressure almostfeel the rhythmic thud of a hundredheels on the dance floor.Wonderfully hypnotic, its bends andtwists are so murky they makeBruce Carter’s cries of, ‘I’m gonna beyour best friend this evening’ soundpositively dangerous. While ‘Movement’ throws off a

wobbly start with a steady pace andshrieking ripples, ‘Master ofCeremonies’ follows a creepingbuild-up with a glistening chorus. Itis here, with lashings of measuredprogression and a brilliant summitthat a hefty admiration for NewOrder pokes through. ‘SecretWeapon’, with its cheeky hooks anda wiggling groove, may prove a littlelight for the dance fans, but it’s aclear standout, worthy of at least asecond listen. Some tracks, such as the

misleadingly titled ‘Riot’ or closingnumber ‘Slow Down’ are a tad anti-climatic, and don’t work as well asthey ought. However, each of theleast pleasing tracks has aredeeming feature: ‘Intensity’, forexample, disregards a messystructure with electronic clangsbrilliantly reminiscent of a mid-eighties Chaka Khan release. As easy as it is to snatch listens

when a band is studio-fresh the firsttime round, making time for theirsecond effort often proves difficult –a frustrating fact when albums like‘Wired Together’ climb so gracefullyto the next step. But it’s only amatter of time – The Whip will notbe ignored.

The Whip –Wired Together Amanda Mace

Review

Tom MillerHot Scroobius Pip – DistractionPieces – The Pip is back,without dan le sac, and heeven had a bit of a shave anda haircut and soundsfantastic. Get on this album,it’s legendary.

Foo Fighters –They wentalong to a Westboro BaptistChurch protest because oftheir gig being againstwhatever it says in the Bible(it’s a funny read) and playeda song to them saying howawesome gay sex is. Epic.Brilliant. And they dressedup as rednecks too. Welldone, Foo Fighters. Welldone.

Nicola Roberts –Lucky Day– See, I liked ‘Beat Of MyDrum’, and everyone elsedidn’t, and you’re all mad.This is a great pop song, andin the video she basicallyforgets to wear trousers.Lovely combination.

Emmy the Great –PaperForest (In The Afterglow ofRapture) – It’s alright. Emmythe Great is very good atbeing alright. She’s alwaysbeen alright. She always willbe alright

Not Lady Gaga –You and I – Sheused to be so good! Her firstalbum was amazing. Thiswhole thing seems to be anart fest of shit. If there’s oneartist who is trying to hardwhilst pretending she’s not,it’s Gaga.

Miles Kane –Come Closer –Friend of the Arctic Monkeysfirst, musician second. That’sMr Kane. When hearing thison the radio you don’t evennotice it’s on, it’s like it wasbuilt to be played on Radio 2.He looks like he could havebeen in the Beatles too,which is just weird.

James Morrison – I Won’tLet You Go – Could it bemore middle of the road? It’sso damn boring. Fans ofboring music will love this.

Dappy –No Regrets – Dappyreally should regret this song,it’s so awful. The so-bad-it’s-good moment of the worstkey change in pop music fora good few years brings atear to my eye. He shouldprobably call it a day, whatwith him being a right idiot.

Features


Link

06

Have you ever felt that there isn’tenough media coverage of NorthWest talent? Well, that’s exactlywhat Sol Jazzie began to thinkafter living in the area for fiveyears. He says the majority ofBritish music played on the radiocomes from Southern,predominately London-basedartists. He felt so strongly thatthe many talented individuals inthe North West were missing outthat in January 2011 he foundedhis own company, ‘Rising StarsNorth West’. Sol Jazzie developed his

knowledge and passion for localtalent while organising localevents such as club nights,fashion shows and comedyevenings. During his timeorganising an under 18’s event inBrinningtion, Stockport in April

2011, he had chance to discussambition with several of theattendees. He was surprised tofind that while a number ofyoung people were interested inperforming and showing offtheir talents, most felt they hadno way of doing so. For those young performers,

Rising Stars North West is thestep-ladder to the spotlight theyneed. This new excitingcompany promotes all forms oftalent from the North West, andnew projects are alreadybeginning to take shape. An event currently in full swing

is ‘Microphone Champion’, heldevery week at Lounge 31 inManchester. This nightclubexperience involves a variety ofup and coming artists, who forten minutes each perform theirtalents to a crowd. If you are oneof North West’s ‘Rising Stars’ inmusic then ‘microphone

Champion’ is the place to getyour material heard. Rising Stars also hold open

microphone competitions for 20minutes, with prizes for thewinner such as studio time,album cover designs or cash

prizes. ‘This will build upperformance and experience’says Sol Jazzie, ‘Which is pivotalfor new artists.’Are you a fashion designer,

comedy act, makeup artist orwriter? Do you believe you are a

rising star within the North West?Rising Stars North West wantsYOU! Bring your mix-tapes,tunes, and talent to be reviewedfor slots at future events. Don’tmiss out on your chance to makeManchester proud!

Have I Got NorthWest Talent ForYou - RisingStars North West

Laila Issa

Starting university is anincredibly drastic lifestylechange for anyone. Yet for aninternational student, thingsare significantly moredramatic. While Britishstudents might worry aboutthe difficulties of fleeing thenest, they can be comforted atleast with the familiarity ofbeing on home soil. Alongwith the usual Fresherconcerns – making friends,coping with the workload,and student accommodation– a new international studentmust adjust to an entirelydifferent country. It’s a lot toask of someone who hasn’teven got their timetable yet.So the University of salford incollaboration with theStudents’ Union kicked offtheir introductoryproceedings early with awarm welcome forinternational students. Over an entire week

(beginning 12 September), theuniversity hosted a variety ofevents designed to make newstudents feel confident andsecure in their newsurroundings. Beginning theproceedings on Monday weretwo welcome meetingsdesigned to help studentsrelax on their first day oncampus. Several sessionsover the days that followedoffered clear, practical

advice. On the first, hecticday, the University organiseda Visa checking service andthe first of many campustours. Throughout the week,all aspects of living in UKwere explored in a series ofworkshops, including adviceon personal safety andmoney management. Thosethinking of finding a part-time job during their studieswere offered valuableinformation on workingrights and restrictions. Undoubtedly the most

frightening element ofmoving is feeling utterly lost.By the end of InternationalWelcome Week, new studentscould find their way aroundwith ease. Offering localshopping trips and tours ofManchester, Salford Quaysand even Liverpool, there wasmany an opportunity for Non-UK freshers to get acquaintedwith their new home. Duringthe course of the week theuniversity organised four‘health walks’, designed toboth promote a balancedlifestyle and allow for a littleexploring. Bar and Café Yours re-

opened for the semester onthe 12th, giving students theirfirst chance to mingle. Asmaking friends is such a vitalaspect of student life, socialevents were plentifulthroughout the week. Amongthe array of opportunities tomeet other new students

were; Wii Sport competitions,Table football, Digital darts,and a games evening. Whilefilm buffs could share theirinterest with a trip to thecinema, food fans chatted

over delicious margaritas atthe unions’ pizza party. Therewas even a late afternoon teaparty!During such a stressful

period, a little reassurance

and good advice can go a longway. International freshers –the best of luck for a greatfirst year!

International Welcome Week Report Amanda Mace

Features

So here you are, just aboutto start a brand new chapterof your life at University. Ofcourse, the likelihood is thatyou are now feeling nervousabout the coming year andthe uncertainty it brings. Iknow that feeling but don’tworry, it doesn’t last. So tohelp you begin on the righttrack, here are a few helpful

tips that I have learned overthe years, which willhopefully help you to getthrough your first year at theUniversity of Salford.One thing that is very

important, especially in yourvery first year, is to makeyourself heard. One thing isfor certain; just sitting therein class copying notes isn’tthe way to go. In fact thebest way to learn is bycontributing to your classdiscussions. It really is amuch better way to

memorise the subject matter.Plus, the added confidence

developed from voicing yourviews in class will most likelyresult in making friends,which is priceless in youruniversity years.Of course, it sounds silly,

but making friends with yourclassmates really is the keyto surviving your first year atUniversity. So in your classesstart to approach people andget to know them. Don’t beafraid of them, because theyare experiencing the exactsame thing as you. Thesepeople will be veryimportant throughout yourdegree as they will be therefor you throughout anypersonal or educationalcrisis.But perhaps the most

important tip for survivingyour first year is this: do notprocrastinate. Speaking from

experience, this is hardest toachieve. It is far too easy toget drawn into plans to goout instead of writing upyour essay, but pleasebelieve me, completing workto the best of your ability iscrucial. If this means missinga couple of nights out, don’tworry, because it will be allworth it at the end of yourUniversity journey.And last, but definitely not

least, enjoy It! We only get tospend a few short years atuniversity, and yes, I know itsounds cliché, but they trulyare the best years of ourlives. We meet wonderfulfriends, enjoy fantasticexperiences and will acquiresome invaluable skills to takeinto our future vocations. Itis truthfully a brilliantexperience!


How to surviveyour first year

Robyn McDermott

Don’t beafraid ofyourclassmate,becausethey areexperiencing the exactsame thingas you.

A new year has begun andalthough studying isimportant, drinking yourown body weight in alcoholcomes a close second. Forthose who don't wish tostumble too far from theuniversity itself, there aremany bars and pubs to wetthe whistle whilst enjoyingyour time here at SalfordUniversity.Bar Yours is the Students’

Union bar. Located on PeelPark campus inside University House, it serves

food and offers a teatimemeal deal for just £4.Wednesday is Grandstandnight, when all the sportsteams get together to holdgames. Thursday is quiz nightand a weekly music orcomedy night is also on thecards. Bar Yours is openMonday to Friday between11am - 11pm. A popular student hang out

is The Old Pint Pot. It issituated just off UniversityRoad next to Adelphi House,and a large beer gardenoverlooks the river Irwell.The Pint Pot serves food atreasonable prices, includinga curry night every Tuesday,and a Sunday special with allthe trimmings. Quiz andkaraoke nights are heldweekly. You can play pooland they have a large screenprojector for all the bigsporting events. The Pint Potalso offers a variety of drinkspromotions for those of youwith iron livers.Across the road from the

Pint Pot is The Crescent. TheCrescent consists of twoparts; the pub itself and a gigvenue next door thatshowcases local bands. TheCrescent is a cask ale pubwith a diverse selection; ales

are changed on a weeklybasis. Food is served duringthe week between 12pm -2.30pm and they also hold

a curry night, with the choiceof three curries including theinfamous Kamikaze, for allyou hot heads out there.They also cater forvegetarians. Thursday is jamnight, Sunday plays host toan open-mic session, and aquiz is held every Monday,Bands play each weekend,with a maximum entrancefee of £3. The Crescent is alsothe headquarters for variousclubs including the divingclub and the mountaineeringgroup. The management arekeen to start up a poetrycorner night and, for all youbudding film directors outthere, a short film screeningevening.Another pub serving cask

ales is The New Oxford inBexley Square. A minuteswalk from The Old Pint Pot,the pub has recently won theNational Community Pub ofthe Year award and boastsaround eighteen cask ales atany one time. The Oxfordhosts a quiz on Tuesdays andan open-mic night everyWednesday.The Kings Arms, a gig venue

for many local bands, is ahundred yard walk fromSalford central on BloomStreet. The first Wednesdayof every month is open-micnight, while plays and othertheatrical events are oftenheld upstairs. Cask ale pubThe King’s Arms also, inassociation with theManchester film co-operative, holds a film nighton the first Tuesday of everymonth.So whether exams are

getting on top of you orthere’s a birthday tocelebrate, the great Salfordwatering holes always havesomething to offer.

Guide to Salford Pubs

Lee McKay

Within hours of booking myflight to Canada, I’d alreadymade a lengthy list of things tosee. I’d be staying with myuncle for a fortnight, and Icouldn’t wait to make the mostof my first transatlantic trip. Fast forward three weeks,

and the first week of myholiday had gone swimmingly.As I jumped into my uncle’scar to embark on a day trip toLynn Valley Canyon, I couldn’tbelieve I’d soon be back on along flight to Manchester.As my uncle drove, he told

me a bit about the canyon andhow a rickety old suspensionbridge hung ominously overthe valley - I couldn’t wait totry crossing it. But thatthought came crashing to ahalt (excuse the pun), when adriver completely forgot aboutthe function of his brakes andploughed straight into theback of us. As my headricocheted back and forthagainst the head rest, itdawned on me that a hospitalvisit would be imminent. The emergency Services

quickly established that myuncle and I were the mostseriously injured. As mydetails were taken, two

thoughts went through mymind: 1. Thank God it wasn’tany worse and 2. Thank God Ihave travel insurance. Arriving at the hospital, we

were checked in and it wasthen I was told that I would befaced with a bill in excess of$700. I explained I hadinsurance and would have toclaim back or get the hospitalto send the bill directly to myinsurers. Considering I was onholiday and admitted due toan incident which wasn’t myfault, I got negligible sympathyfrom the hospital staff, whoseemed more interested inmaking sure they receivedevery last cent of the bill.For over $700, I would have

expected to undergo an x-rayto thoroughly assess the extentof the damage. How wrong Iwas. We were sent to awaiting area and assured thatwe’d be seen ‘as soon aspossible’. Now I understandthat if someone was beingadmitted with a heart attackthat they’d get priority oversomeone with whiplash, butafter a three hour wait Icouldn’t help but feelcompletely neglected. Wewere then called to atreatment room and after afurther 90 minute wait withno food or water, finallyseen. A couple of prods later,

we were discharged with the$700+ of treatment lasting agrand total of five minutes. “Is that it?” I said to my

uncle in sheer disbelief. I feltcompletely ripped off,despite knowing I wouldn’tbe the one ultimately payingthe bill. How could suchlittle ‘treatment’ for such ahigh price be justified?Although I’d never think

twice about going abroadwithout travel insurance,plenty of people do. Manyadopt the ‘it’ll never happento me’ attitude, but incidentslike this make you realisethat accidents are neverplanned. Going on holidaywithout insurance is riskyand it’s not something I’drecommend.

Travel InsuranceA Holiday Must

Lucy Markillie

TheemergencyServicesquicklyestablishedthat myuncle and Iwere themostseriouslyinjured


Link

Solutions in next weeks issue 3 of Student Direct

Easy Vegetable LasagneThis recipe is an ideal way to use upodds and ends of veg that’s lookinga bit past its best and a good way ofgetting your 5 a day.

IngredientsAssorted vegetables roughlychopped- think aubergine,courgette, onions, peppers, freshtomatoes, broccoli, carrots,sweetcorn and spinach2-3 tins of chopped tomatoes(depending on how much veg youare using)Teaspoon mixed herbsSalt and pepper3 tablespoons oilPacket lasagne sheets25g butter25g plain flour600ml milk100g grated cheese

Directions1)Heat the oil in a large pan, fry all ofthe vegetables until softened.

2)Add the tomatoes, salt and

pepper and herbs and simmer on alow heat for 15 minutes.

3)Whilst the vegetables are cookingmelt the butter in another pan andadd the flour. This will make a thickpaste, cook for 1-2 minutes.

4) Take the flour and butter mixtureoff the heat and gradually add themilk, whisking continuously tomake a smooth sauce.

5) Return to the heat and stircontinuously for 8-10 minutes untilthe sauce has thickened.

6) Put a thin layer of the vegetablemix in an ovenproof dish, top withlasagne sheets then a layer of thesauce then repeat until theingredients are used up finishingwith a layer of sauce.

7) Sprinkle the cheese over the topand cook in the oven at 190 degrees,gas mark 6 for 25-30 minutes untilthe pasta is cooked.

28

Ask a typical Salford student theirclub of choice on a Saturdaynight, and you’ll most likely hear5th Avenue, Sankeys, or (heavenforbid) Tiger Tiger. But if thosevenues don’t tickle your pickle,fear not. Tiger Lounge is acompletely different experience. Playing rock ‘n’ roll, Northern

soul, swing, and everything inbetween, you’ll find a differentcrowd in there than you mightfind stumbling around 5th Aveon a Saturday night, intent onpulling and / or puking.Price wise, Tiger Lounge is a tad

expensive; it’s free before 10pm,but after that you can expect topay between £4 and £5 on thedoor. Drinks are also pricey.However, they do have everyflavour of tequila under the sun,and enough dance tunes toensure you spend most of yourtime on the dancefloor, not at thebar.A word to the wise: do not

dress up to the nines if you areheading to Tiger Lounge. You willsweat. A lot. Ladies, your makeup

will slowly but surely travel downto your chin. If you wearskyscraper heels, your feet will bein a world of pain. How do Iknow this will happen? Becausethe great thing about TigerLounge is that you will find italmost impossible to resistdancing. Their DJs specialise inplaying a mix of music from the50’s to the 80’s; there really ismusic for all tastes and ages.Speaking of ages, the last time I

went to Tiger Lounge, I was oneof the youngest there. And it wasrefreshing! The clientele there isa lot more grown up than mostclubs; it’s very unlikely that youwill be chatted up by a youthwearing a SuperDry tshirt!So, as you move into your new

accommodation and meet yourfellow housemates, it’s worthgetting your University career offto a good start. Resist thetemptation of Monday Madnessand endless cheap and nastyshots; suggest Tiger Lounge, andyou’ll be the coolest cat in the flat! Tiger Lounge: Waldorf House

(opposite Wetherspoons), 5Cooper Street, Manchester,United Kingdom M2 2FW

Hidden Gems Tiger LoungeHannah Denby


Link

Cheap Recipe of the Week

Sudoku #1

Kirsty Booth

You can make a real difference inthis role and you don’t need to giveup too much of your time to do it.Every course at Salford has a

Student Rep and it’s their job tolisten to the concerns andexperiences of their course matesand act as a spokesperson. StudentReps work closely with theUniversity and Students’ Union toresolve issues at course level, andalso attend meetings within theirSchools to ensure that students areinvolved in decision making.As well as opportunities for

further training and local andnational level, we hold regularsocial activities to help you get toknow your fellow reps, and there’san end of year awards ceremony torecognise the achievements of repsacross the University.If you would like to become a

Student Rep or have any morequestions please email Kimberleythe Student RepresentationCoordinator at student-

[email protected]


Student Representation helps to havea positive impact on students’ lives,so why not think about becoming aStudent Rep?

Do tailor your CV toeach different job bylooking at the jobrequirements andaddressing how youcan fulfil them in yourCV.

Don’t send ageneralised CV to anyjob. It will very rarelyget a second glance.

CV Do’sand Don’ts

On Thursday 29thSeptember CarlHopkins, whoappeared on Channel4’s Secret Millionaire in2008, will be akeynote speaker at theUniversity’s EnterpriseInduction.

At the event – which isorganised by theCareers andEmployability team –Carl will share hisexperiences of beingan entrepreneur.

The induction will takeplace in the Old FireStation at theUniversity of Salfordon Thursday 29September,registration and a winereception sponsoredby The Co-operativefrom 4.00pm. Formore information andto book a place, pleasecontact Louise [email protected] or call 0161 2953807.

What youshould bedoing thisweek

Em

ployab

ility

EmployerSandhills East

Job titleMarketing Placement

Closing date25/11/2011

Salary: £10 per hour

Job descriptionThe goal of the MarketingStudent Placement is toassist in theimplementation ofcirculation strategies andwork as a team to ensurecustomer satisfaction. Thestudent will learn aboutcompany products andbusiness objectives as wellas shadow other membersof the department to gainexposure to distributionstrategies. The student willfocus on customer serviceand build relationshipswith customers, learn andapply different marketingtechniques, researchprospective distributionlocations and contact

potential clients. Thisposition offers excitingopportunities to travel andvisit with customers whenschool is not in session.Business-related travelexpenses are paid andtravel gives the studentmore experience indeveloping marketingstrategies and techniques.The ability to speakanother European languagecan be beneficial, thoughnot required in allpositions.

LocationManchester

Working hoursFull TimeFor more information aboutthis vacancy or to applyplease visitwww.careers.salford.ac.uk

Work ExperienceOpportunity of the Week

How to…. Become a student rep

Hilton Job titlePart Time Conference & EventsAssistantClosing date11/10/2011Job descriptionThe Conference and Eventsdepartment at Hilton

Manchester Deansgate arecurrently recruiting for a largenumber of part time/casualemployees, which will often fitwell around the timetable andlifestyle of a student.For more information, to applyor for other vacancies pleasevisit www.careers.salford.ac.uk

Job of the Week

Volunteering with adults withlearning disabilities Additional salary infoOut of pocket expensesprovided

Job descriptionVolunteers are needed tosupport adults with learningdisabilities to get the most outof their day. Sessions are inhorticulture, sports andfitness, catering, woodwork,arts, crafts, photography,fashion, history, computersand IT, music.Volunteers will be alongside

the staff team to provideadditional support to ourservice users. You may wantto take this further and help toplan and run sessions. If you have an interest in theseareas or want to gain realwork experience in social careplease get in touch. Trainingwill be provided.

Location Stockport andMiddleton.

For more information aboutthis vacancy, to apply or viewother volunteeringopportunities please visitwww.careers.salford.ac.uk

Volunteering Opportunity of the Week Pure Innovations Ltd

Over the last few years it has become increasinglyapparent that a degree is not necessarily a ticket tobetter prospects and higher-paid jobs. Graduateunemployment is at its highest, with over 1 in 4graduates from 2007 still out of full time work. Suchstatistics, however, teach us that employability is a farmore complex animal than the acquisition of a pieceof paper. These days, employers aren’t just looking fora good degree grade – they’re increasingly on the lookout for skills and experience. It’s essential to utiliseyour time here at university and take the opportunityto improve your CV and repertoire of skills. Luckily, both the University and the Students’ Unionprovide services to help you with that. There arepeople who can help you, and they are all based inUniversity House on Peel Park Campus. And eachweek, in this brand new section, you can scan the pickof jobs, internships, programmes and CV tips that willboth help you improve your employability and getyou to where you want to be.

Employability Intro

If you're planning a meal ordrinks out with friends, make sure you check theinternet for vouchers. Whilst there are often specialdiscounts for students, many chains now offer 2for1 aswell as other vouchers, which usually work out evenbetter value than justyour regular studentdiscount. The best sites tovisit areVoucherCodes.co.ukMoneySavingExpert.comand Groupon.co.uk

Link http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/enterpriseskillsThis site, run by the careers service in University House,can give you some handy tips for setting up your ownbusiness venture.

Kirsty Booth

Money-saving tip of the Week

SalfordPres CarolineDangerfield Now en route to 42's. Let's getCheeky Cheeky! #welcome11

SalfordPres CarolineDangerfield Loving the exciting vibearound campus for#welcome11. It's manic andbusy but I flippin love it!

SalfordPres CarolineDangerfield Finally on my way homeafter a 16 hour working day.It's a good job I love this job!#welcome11 #lifeofasabb

SalfordPres CarolineDangerfield Enjoying Games Galore in BarYours. So far won noughts &crosses & lost Connect 4 &Guess Who. But thats because@ricky_chotai is a cheat!

SalfordVPCASS ChristinaKennedy @SalfordPres it was #great!Can't wait to stuff my face at#pizzaparty!!

SalfordVPCASS ChristinaKennedy Excited about #irishdancingtonight

Your Union

30

The Students’ Union is led byfour students known as theSabbatical Officers, who ensurethat your interests are placed

firmly at the heart of theservices and activities wedeliver. Sabbatical Officers (orSabbs) are students who havebeen elected to lead the Union,which means that they workfull-time, all year round tomake sure your studentexperience is the best it canbe! The Sabbatical Officerteam is made up of a Presidentand three Vice-Presidents, andeach Vice President (or VP)represents students in one ofthe University’s Colleges (seediagram below forexplanation). This means thatwhatever you study, there is aSabbatical Officer working torepresent you. As a

campaigning organisation, wealso make sure that we usestudent views and opinions tolobby for changes andimprovements to theUniversity’s systems. As well as the important

representation andcampaigning we undertake,your Union also offersnumerous ways to makefriends and socialise throughactivities and entertainmentsprogrammes running all year.Getting involved in the Unioncan also help you develop theskills and experience to standout from the crowd when yougraduate. You could even helpto produce this newpaper!

1.Welcome Week. Enoughsaid. We can’t believe it’s allover. Sob.

2. We got to speak to lotsand lots of differentstudents last week duringthe festivities and we hopethat we will continue tokeep in touch with you allover the course of the year.

3. MediaCity UK opens onthe 4 October. We’re sopleased that some of thestudents we represent willhave access to suchoutstanding facilities.

This week Give SportA Go launches. We atthe Union worked incollaboration with theUniversity to securethe funding for thisprogramme and we’revery excited about thesessions! So getyourself online andregister now atwww.salfordstudents.com/gsag

Going Up

1. Post-Welcome Weekhangovers.

2. Finding out that one ofthe Cheeky Girls has acriminal record.

3. Library restructuring. It’snot sensible, and somethingof a logistical nightmare, tohave all 20,000 of ourstudents accessing onemain library.

Going Down


Link

Top Tweets

Your Students’ Union is led by students forthe benefit of students. Although we areindependent of the University, everySalford student is automatically a memberof the Students' Union. Our aim is toenhance students’ lives, and we do this byrepresenting your views on student life tothe University and by providing you withall the support you need to make the mostof your time at Salford.

Win ofthe Week

The Measure

Welcome Week has finally arrived.Most students are back and there isa nice, bright, and happyatmosphere in the Students' Union.This is possibly a reflection of all thestaff's hard work and preparationfinally being executed with theadded fact that we are all arewearing yellow (Simpson-like) T-shirts.The morning crisis consists of

some students emailing usexpressing their frustration of beingdenied rooms in their chosenstudent accommodation. Due to ahigh number of applications thisyear with more students than usualwanting to live on campus, theUniversity accommodation has beenoversubscribed. Therefore thisneeded investigating. So I took theinitiative to pop downstairs toStudent Life to find out what wasgoing on. I then decided to spend some time

in the Marquee. There were a fewstudents chilling on the bean bags. Iwillingly joined them and told them

all about the exciting opportunitiesthat are on offer this year at theStudents' Union, whilstsimultaneously bombarding themwith leaflets. I have met so manystudents this week and have tried toremember all their names.Interestingly perhaps to some of you,I have drawn pictures to help aid mymemory! Then later on, we dive into another

Welcome Week activity. On tonight'smenu we had International SocietyQuiz. I am absolutely appalling at pubquizzes but I was fortunate to be on ateam with a real mixed bunch ofstudents from all over the world. "Icould actually be on winning teamtonight" I thought. We absolutelyaced the languages round. Nino, theBulgarian Psychology student, on myteam knew just about every languagein question. Stephan Mann, one ofour Student Council members, also

displayed sound general knowledge.He was answering the difficultquestions whilst I sat there lookingcompletely perplexed. I was feelingpretty confident that we were goingto win though. In the end my teamdid not win but I certainly felt like awinner by the end of the night. I wasproud to have learnt how to spell myname in Arabic, to have acquiredsome knowledge of the 21 Arabicspeaking countries and alsoestablished that I have holidayed nottoo far from Nino's home town. Thisexperience reminded me howmarvellous being a student really is.You might pick a specific course todo but you would never imaginewhat additional things you will learnfrom the all fascinating people youwill meet. I might be terrible atquizzes but I was smart enough tochose to stay another year at theUniversity of Salford.

Chloe GloverNews Editor

Contact Details

Caroline Dangerfield President of theUniversity of SalfordStudents’ [email protected] Twitter: @SalfordPres

Sophie Atkinson Vice President of Healthand Social Care [email protected]: @SalfordVPHSC

Christina Kennedy Vice President of Artsand Social [email protected]: @SalfordVPCASS

Tom Doyle Vice President of Scienceand Technology [email protected] Twitter: @SalfordVPST

A Day in the Life of a SabbSophie Atkinson

Chloe GloverNews Editor

The CollegeStructure

The St


Give Sport A Go

Give Sport AGo launchesthis week. It’s all completely free, it’s easy to signup and it’s great to keep fit or try anew sport. Here’s the timetable ofsessions starting from 26 September.

The Students’ Union’s netball clubhas big ambitions this year. Hoping to follow their successes

of last year – and over thesummer – the netball team islooking to recruit new players.The team hopes to expand toenter a third team in the BUCSleague. New players of all abilities will

be given the opportunity torepresent the university atBUCS matches, which takeplace on Wednesday evening. The team also have a fantastic

new coach this year, Michelle,

who coaches some of the bestteams in Manchester.The team are also

participating in Give Sport AGo, the new university initiativeto get more students involvedin sports. “This is going to be a fantastic

year for netball at Salford,”enthuses team member Katie

Kelly. “We are really lookingforward to welcoming lots ofnew members to the club!”The team also get involved in

other events, including acharity tournament to raisemoney for Red Nose Day lastyear.“At the end of last year, we

ran a charity netball

tournament with the School ofNursing. The Rugby lads alsogot involved – who wereactually quite good!“All of the sports teams are

involved with each other insome way; joining one is a greatopportunity for networkingand making new friends.”

ThomasMcMahon

Find out more at www.salfordstudents.com/gsag

Netball

Most ordinary folks only seeunderwater shipwrecks andwildlife on BBCdocumentaries. With theSalford University DivingSociety, you could experiencethem much more closely.Joining SUDS is like

becoming part of a largediving family. Membershipstands at around 60, withalumni returning to help trainthe beginners at no addedcost. For those who areinterested in taking up sub-aqua diving, there is no betterway to start.SUDS get together on at

Tuesday night at 1830 in thepool at the Tom HusbandLeisure centre. Freshers willhave the opportunity to takea ‘try dive’ and use theequipment. Before novicesenter the pool they will befully briefed in a classroomenvironment.After the pool sessions, the

fun really starts as freshersare then moved on to divingoutside. They are still in acontrolled environment forsafety. Once these sessionsare completed, divers areawarded a British Sub-AquaClub (BSAC) open watercertificate, allowing holders todive to 20 metres. Thiscertificate is internationallyrecognised, and moves youmuch closer to discoveringthe wonders of the deep.To those that have dived

before, not to worry. You willbe assessed to find exactlywhat level you are at, to help

you progress to the next level.Apart from learning to dive,

the other main aspect of SUDSis their trips away, for whichthere are many in the UK andabroad. Recent trips includethe sound of Mull, St Abbs,Northern Ireland, Malta,Egypt, Scapa Flow and

Shetland. Coming up is a tripto the Farne Islands off thecoast of Northumbria.If you’re interested in

joining the SUDS, you can findthem on Facebook, or athttp://www.bsac1084.co.uk/forum/, or email them directlyon [email protected].

ThomasMcMahon

Diving

“It’s just an adrenaline rush.There’s no better feeling thanbeing at the top of a rapid,feeling slightly apprehensiveand then getting to thebottom.”Suzanne Lee, Chairperson of

the Salford University Canoeand Kayak club (S.U.C.K.) is onthe lookout for new members.She joined last year after arecommendation from afriend. She was greeted at theWelcome Fair by friendly andhelpful society members andafter getting in the boat, hermind was made up.Meeting on Monday evenings

from 8-10 in the sports centrepool, S.U.C.K. train to getoutdoors and seek someadventure. Suzanne was keen

to impress that the club go ontrips almost every otherweekend, to local haunts suchas North Wales, Yorkshire andthe Lake District.At the end of the year the

S.U.C.K. have a week long tripto savour. Last year the clubwent to the Alps, whichSuzanne describes as the “bestten days i’ve had at Uni.”If you’ve paddled before and

looking to compete, the teamenter white water racingcompetitions against otherUniversities. Building linkswith both ManchesterUniversities has opened up thepossibility of varsitycompetitions.What happens when the

S.U.C.K. aren’t on the water?“We paddle hard and we play

hard. There’s always a bit of aparty when we go away, it justmakes paddling a bit harderthe next day!”If you fancy a bit of wet and

wild, you can get in touch [email protected].

ThomasMcMahon

Canoeing andKayaking

Simon Sparke is a member of the SalfordChucks, proudly representing theUniversity at Ultimate Frisbee. It’s a self-refereed, mixed gender and friendly sport

that is still very competitive.Based upon the principals of American

football, scoring in Ultimate occurs in two‘end zones’, one in either half. Using a 175gflying disc, the emphasis is on teamwork toscore points, passing it to each other. Norunning with the disc is allowed.The Salford Chucks compete in 5-a-side

indoor and 7-a-side outdoor tournamentsin open, mixed and women's divisionsthroughout the year, and an amazing weeklong beach tournament on tour in sunnyRimini.They are always on the lookout for new

members, and as Simon says there is nobetter time to join.“Most of the students that are running the

club and playing were freshers last year, sowe’re a fairly new team. In that respect it’sgreat for those who are beginning.”Ultimate players might be exotic

creatures but there certainly aren’t anystereotypes.“Our team is a variety of people, of

different sizes, height, weight, whatever.You don’t have to be ultra athletic to playUltimate Frisbee.”This year the Chucks will be training in

the sports centre sports hall, a much biggerhome for them than last year. Provisionallythey are due to train on Wednesday andFriday nights, and Saturday afternoons.The Chucks are infamous for their

friendly and outgoing nature and have agreat laugh on their travels to tournamentsacross the North West. Coming up inOctober are the Manchester and Liverpooltournaments.

You can find the Chucks on facebook, oremail [email protected].

Sport

32

Join a sports team

RichardTree

If you’re looking to improve your fitness thisyear and build some confidence in a funenvironment, then the University of SalfordKickboxing Club is for you.Peter Spencer is going into his second year

in the USKC, initially joining for the workout.“It really improved my fitness really

quickly, and still keeps me interested.”The kickboxers train twice a week at the

sports centre, on Mondays at 6pm and

Wednesdays at 1pm.There will be a taster session on Monday

26 September, where those who areinterested can come down and give it a go.For those who are more experienced at

martial arts, the USKC will still appeal. Thereis the potential to begin sparring oncepeople are ready for it. Peter outlined thesubtle differences in the USKC which make itattractive to novices and master alike.“It’s a unique martial art. We combine

traditional kickboxing; which has the powerand flexibility, then you have the kung fu,which has the grace and the upper handstrikes.”Those who are interested can find the club

on www.salfordnwckb.webeden.co.uk, theirfacebook group or email directly [email protected]

Sye Watts

UltimateFrisbee

Kickboxing

Salford students will be treated to a brandnew sports team this year. The SalfordUniversity Equestrian team will be up andrunning this September and welcomesriders of all abilities.The tag line is “don’t worry if you’ve

never even sat on a horse before.” If you’reinterested in horse riding but never daredtry before, this is the perfect opportunity tostart.There will be classes for complete

beginners all the way up to competition-ready riders. There promises to be games,pub rides, jumping and dressage clinics as,well as a riding weekend and some polosessions later in the year.The SUET has already attracted the

interest of two different clubs in the localarea. The John Shaw Equestrian schoolhave offered to provide high qualitycoaching in horse riding. The CarringtonRiding club is a great all-weather facilitywith a relaxed atmosphere.The club is a fantastic way to meet new

friends and a great way to keep fit withoutthe boring gym sessions. A lot ofUniversities throughout the UK andScotland already have established

Equestrian teams that compete againsteach other in dressage and show jumpingthrough the British Universities andColleges Sports (BUCS) system. The SalfordUniversity Equestrian Team aims to reachthis level by September 2012, which willsee a small group travel the country tocompete.If you’re interested in joining the

equestrian team, don’t hesitate to contactHelen or Emma [email protected] or visit thewebsite www.salfordstudents.com/horseriding.

You can find them on facebook by lookingfor ‘Salford University Equestrian Team’, ormeet them in person at the welcome fair.

Richard Tree

Horse-riding


Link

This week we continue with our overviews of what the sports groups in the Students’ Union get up to. Joining is easy: just go to www.salfordstudents.com/activities

student direct issue 2

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