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THE NATIONAL 
STUDENT
May 2009
 
FREE
 Asher roth 
Atheists hit with deaththreats
The National Student hasdiscovered that a deaththreat made during anatheist event in Leedsis the latest example of ongoing opposition andalleged prejudice towardsatheist societies oncampus.
During an event heldbetween April 19 - 25called ‘Rationalist Week 09’organised by Leeds University Atheist Society and billed as‘the country’s largest atheistfestival’ a member of thesociety allegedly received aface to face death threat.It is said the student, whowishes to remain anonymous,was threatened whilepatrolling outside the festivaltent at night. The victim inquestion has decided not togo to the police, but police inLeeds are now investigatingvandalism that also occurredduring the event.This is the second deaththreat received by the society,the last one being made byuniversity’s Muslim society,member’s state. They believethat this most recent threatmay have also been made bythe same people.The previous death threatwas made because the LeedsUniversity Atheist Societywanted to show material ina debate about free speechthat was deemed offensiveto Islam, in this case theinfamous Danish cartoons.News of the death threatand vandalism in Leedscame on the same day thatthe Southampton University
 Atheist Society were fnally
permitted, after two monthsof extensive blocks from theirMuslim Society and SU, tohold a debate on the limits of free speech.The debate was onlypermitted with policepresence and security guardsearches of student attendees,who claimed they weretreated with suspicion andmade to feel like they’d ‘donesomething wrong’.The Pro Vice Chancellorattended and thanked the Atheist Soc for making a vitalcontribution to campus lifeby standing up for freedom of speech.The process startedtwo months ago whenSouthampton Atheist Societysought to run a debate aboutfreedom of speech featuringa screening of Geert Wilders’controversial anti-Islamic
short-flm ‘Fitna’.
The university’s MuslimSociety launched a petitionwhich gained much supportgathering 180 signaturesagainst the event.In response the students’union intervened in therunning of the event puttingsome conditions on the Atheist Society for them tobe allowed to proceed. Theatheists had to hire securityguards when traditionally,Southampton societies don’tcharge students for anythingand have no income, and theevent could only take placewith police presence.
Continued on page 5
Death threat made to Leeds student atheist is latest in long-line of attacks on atheist societies on campus
More at thenationalstudent.co.uk
 
magazine
The best of this summer’s festivalspreviewed in this month’s
magazine
Talks college,hip-hop, weedand teaching inthis month’s
magazine
Star Trek
reviewed
 
NEWS
The National Student 
, May 2009
2
The National Studentwelcomes contributions.The National Studentworks closely withstudent publicationsacross the UK.We are happy to acceptnews, comment,features, and reviewson any subject.Contact us at:The National StudentPO Box 7731DerbyDE1 0RWor email:
editor@thenationalstudent.co.uk
or phone:0845 46 300 46
The National Student isthe independent, monthlynewspaper for higher education students inthe UK.Published byDefender Newspapers,PO Box 7731DerbyDE1 0RW© 2009All content is the copyrightof Defender Newspapersunless otherwise stated
thenationalstudent.co.uk
May Day revellersreturned to trowtemselves off Oxford’sMgdlen Bridge tod,four ers fter 40 peoplewere injured nd tebridge closed.
Several students ung
temselves off te bridgend one person wsrrested during tod’scelebrtions.Following te dissterousM D in 2005 wenmn students were injuredtrowing temselves off te bridge into sllowwters te bridge dbeen sut during trditioncelebrtions to stop lepsinto te River Cerwell.Te mbulnce servicesid treting tose injuredfter te jumped from tebridge in 2005 cost tem £50,000.Te bridge ws reopenedt bout 6.45m but sortlfterwrds severl people jumped.Nomi Stokes ndCristoper Wortombot students t OxfordBrookes Universit tookte plunge.Stnding on te bridgefterwrds, Stokes told teBBC: “We rell wntedto celebrte M Dsomeow but unfortuntel
we missed the frst bit
wic is  sme.”“But I tink we got erefor te best bit - it wsgret. I wnt to come bcknd jump ever er”“It ws fun,  bit cold,
but defnitely worth it.”
Mrk Blndford-Bker,ome bursr of MgdlenCollege, sid despite te ideof it being  long stndingtrdition te bridge jumpingonl strted in te erl1980s.“It is irritting wenpeople tr to portr tebridge jumping nonsense s trdition tt goes bckfor decdes.”“People in ers goneb d more sense tn townt to trow temselvesseverl feet in to  sllowriver nd run  ig risk of broken bones nd sprins,”e sid.
by John Marvis
Oxford May DayLemmings return
NUS haS welcomed tismont’s Governmentnnouncement tt tewill crge  0% rte of interest on student lons.Te Student LonsCompn will ppl0% interest rte from 1September 2009 – 31 august2010 cross te UK.Te rte of interestmkes no differenceto borrowers’ montlrepments. Borrowersrep 9% of teir erningsover te income tresold of  £15,000. Wtever te rteof interest is, tt montlrepment will not cnge.Te repment tresoldwill remin t £15,000 forte next 12 monts.Tis will ffect tosewo ve n outstndingstudent lon tken outfter September 1998 swell s pplicnts for botmintennce lons ndtuition fee lons in tecurrent nd next cdemicer.NUS President WesStreeting sid, “Were plesed tt teGovernment s listened toNUS’ concerns bout owbdl grdutes re beingffected b te currenteconomic crisis.”
NUS welcomes0% student loaninterest rate
     P     A
Revellers plummer into the River Cherwell
 
NEWS
The National Student 
, May 2009
3
Deflation meansh ud  bg rb  ud u r rccu r chgd.ir  ud  ccud wh rrc h R Prc idx(RPi), whch  mrch
showed ination to have
drppd  -0.4%. i 
the rst time Britain hasexperienced deation since
1960.ir  ccud mrch bu ppd spbr, g hcurr cc chgwud  pc  u r h r.
The fall in ination
c  hud wud r r r  hr ,rhr h p , d cudru  rb r grdu.Hwr, h w b h c  h w hr  ccud  chgd. a pkw r hDpr r i,Ur d sk,whch   chrg  pckg r h sudl Cp, d hh r  dcuwh h trur dw ‘cdr h pb’.sh ddd h hdpr hp  ‘k uc hr’.th DiUs h dcdh h u w h
been claried well in advance
 h u chg r r  spbr.ir  ‘rgg-
style’ xed rate loans taken
u br 1998 u rckRPi r,   h g
into deation. Post-1998
r,  cr, r bd h u mrch RPi rh hgh bk b r,whchr  h r,pu 1%.th sud lCp h  rcucd  w rcr  rudg .i  w r  wb, h cp dh  w b ccggrdu wh hc dud  p. i hrdh h wh rxcd h xu rdr w b rgrdwh UK Crd Rrc agc. th chg pp  h  p-1998 whch r d  RPi.th cp phdh p r b rh wh d  dr rwrk u  w rpp.
Before the fall intodeation last month,
ud hd b pgh hgh r  r  c h r,  4.8% hrughu2007/08. th slC h dh r  2009/10 w xcd h r’ r  3.8%.
Students could earn interest on loans
by Jessica Davies
ConseRvative-linKeD, rgh-wghk-k Pcexchg h d hprc uggh rugggur hud bhu r k r b hpr cr. ahugh h p  Dd Cr’ prr gh d wh h wud dwh ur, hhk-k rpr
Sinkor Swim? Facing Up toFailing Universities
cudb    dc h uur  u udr  trgr.th gr hudccp h d hur hud gu  bu, cPc exchg. thrpr hghgh hur rc £8b pubc  wh hr  cur  h. a fzckr, hd duc  h hkk, c h cuur  g ur h r “ub  r r ur”.th rpr dd, “thd   ur gg h w   h wh d grd
in Britain for many
r.”Ur d  br pubc ccubdu  h  pubc  hghrduc rgu hrpr.“a r whch  c-chcrd grr kw h  h g  rub hw b bd u c curg bd prcc,”h rpr ccud. ad wh h rcpug prur  pubcd pr udg, hhk k  h hprpc   urhg  c dw  “
nettle that we must nally
grp”.i hghgh h
nancial dependency
 h hghr  pdb r ud   u d hru rk h cudw  hr wr dc  ubr.Dp h k  hug u uch  h rpr  r burgr h urghcur. thr h b27 c 1997 wh  r pubc.fzckr h dh c d ccc   jr urgg udr wud b gr h  rgr wudb b h prrrdp.
Think-tank recommends shutting ‘struggling universities’
Tories to close unis?
Stressed outstudents sink pints andperformance
New unit awarenesscampaign to help studentsstay on top of their game
 as UniveRsity udcr h cur gr up rx ,  w urr h  cb  ud r d urdrkg cuur cud bcug hr prrc pu. Wh drkg    bg pr  h ud b h (52%)  ud, h  prpr(51%) d h drkg uch  ppg h rprrg  h p  hrg.th ur, cd b
Diageo Great Britain, to mark
h uch   w rpbdrkg cpg  udu br, r h  
ve students (22%) admit to
drkg r wh h rg udr prur. thprur  hg  pk x urk rud h crr,wh r h w hrd(67%)  ud cg hx r hr bgg urc r - rkg hghr hrhp d .
By having a few too many
p  cp x r,ud cud b cugh r prbwh r h (48%)  ur ud dgh h d  cur r r r drkg  uch  bg gh u d h (46%) rprg h hh b ub  ud rr c h x d.
The ndings of the study also
ugg h ud d w up  wh’  hr drk hp h d x-ddr. l h qurr(24%)  ud r b crrc d h ubr u   p  br, br hrd (34%) r cr  hw r   g  w d   hr (32%) kwhw  u r   gd c.t hp ud rcgwh h r drkg rh hr rcdd dgud, Dg  uchgw u wr  
student union bars. Beer mats,
br rur, p b dpr hwcg drp  drk d hrqu ubr  u rbg drbud  ud
campuses across Great Britain.
 a Uzwuru, vc Prd Wr  nUs, d:“thr’  dub h udr udr crd prur x  bu drkg uch c dd  h r.th w u wr r  gr w r ud d xc hw uch hr drkg  h h ck h   hr c whu cprg hrud.”oveR 30 ud h
been announced as nalists
cr 12 cgr  h2009 nUs awrd.th nUs awrd, hd prrhp wh edghiurc rcg hpr wrk crrdu b ddu ud,ud d d ud’u cr h UK.f wr cd r 200 . thwr w b ucd  cr  b hd ld  Ju 12. ach rcgdcudd c cpg,ud rpr,
 journalism and signicant
ddu ch  hc  pr chg rdr.
One nalist, Adam Swallow
 Ur  nghsud’ U udup h    h , “i w bhp urprd dr hurd  h b
selected as a nalist in this
r’ nUs awrd. i hhrugh jd rcd    h ud  … tb b  k  drc h   ud d hcu.”th judgg p cuddrpr r nUs,h duc d hrdcr.nUs Prd Wsrg d: “th nUs awrd r  uquppru  drh ucc  ud dh ub crbu hk  hr w ud,ur r cg d hwdr cu.”
Finalists announced in NUS Awards
David Cameron
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