MuranoStreetmugging

Freshers threatened with stabbingGirl’s bag snatched on walk home

Glasgow University

Scottish Student Newspaper of the Year

Insight reviews the thrills and spills of this year's Freshers' events

Insight

Lewis Porteous reviews the latestattempt to contemporise a classic

Brideshead Re-Revisited

Film

29th September 2008

Disenfrenchised: Students forced to drop modules

A GIRL WAS MUGGED DURINGFreshers' Week, just metres fromMurano Street Student Village,after walking home from a nightout at the unions.Rebecca Day, 19, and fellowfirst year student, Chris Forster,also 19, were almost back at theMurano Street Halls of Residencewhere they both live, when anunidentified woman threatenedRebecca before stealing her bag.Chris ran after the mugger andmanaged to recover the bag, alongwith Rebecca's mobile phone.Speaking exclusively toGuardian, Rebecca described howthe attack, in the early hours of themorning of September 20, cameas a shock because they wereminutes from home.She said: "We were justwalking over the bridge to thestudent village when we wereaccosted by a man and a woman.""They asked if we had alcoholand when I said no, the womanstarted telling me to show hermy bag."Then she started grabbing myhair and shouting at me. I took mybag off and gave it to her and sheran off."

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FRENCH HONOURS STUDENTS HAVEfound their course options dramaticallynarrowed as reductions in staff have left thedepartment unable to offer its normal range of modules.Third year students following a jointhonours course and those taking French withLaw were spared from dropping a module, butthose in senior honours were left with only onemodule in the French half of their degree.The French department informed its studentsby email that, with the loss of half of its staff since 2000 and the honours convenor on sickleave, it would be necessary for some studentsto drop one of their modules. The department isadamant that the loss of staff has not been dueto the rumoured funding cuts, but is a result of retirement and in some cases, illness.The email, from senior lecturer Dr. JimSimpson, included a declaration for students tocomplete and send back, confirming the modulethey wished to drop, and their agreement withthe proposed doubling of the weighting of thefinal translation exam to compensate for lostcredits. The latter decision was taken afterconsultation with external examiners.Students were informed of the necessityof dropping a module during the summer,but the news came too late for many whohad already purchased books for all of theirintended modules. One senior honours studentfinding herself in this situation asked not to benamed, but expressed her exasperation.

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Freshers’ Week

Dionne Doherty

A KNIFE WAS FOUND IN THEbushes outside the entrance of theQueen Margaret Union on September18, Guardian has learnt.The weapon was discovered duringthe day, before the Freshers' Ball tookplace, so it is thought that it was mostlikely to have been dropped by someoneon the night of the 17th.It is believed that a student discardedthe blade after seeing that the QMU'ssecurity policy includes searchingpeople and their bags at the door beforeallowing them to enter the venue.Speaking to Guardian, Ally Hunter,President of the QMU, explained howhe felt that the incident proved thatsecurity at the union serves to protectthose who go there.He said: "I think it just highlightshow good our search policy is. DuringFreshers' Week we did confiscatenumber of blades and handed them overto the police but there is no reason tostep up security."The QM continues to be one of thesafest places in Glasgow because of oursecurity."

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Bladefoundin QMUbushes

The history of Glasgow University is a rich and varied tapestryPick up the loose threads on page 7 >>i

Sarah SmithSarah Smith

Exclusive

Police enquiries ongoing

guardian

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NEWS29th September 2008

department, for example, refuses to acceptwork after one week past the deadline.Gavin Lee, President of the SRC, toldGuardian that the proposed changes willhelp students to feel that they are all treatedequally.He said: “The first Council meeting was agreat way to start the year, and we’re excitedabout the progress Council can make throughoutthe year. In particular, having a University-widepolicy about the penalties for late submission of coursework will be an important step to allstudents receiving fair treatment.”Fears by some that the penalties areoverly harsh mean that Council will not passthe changes as policy until the ExecutiveCommittee has reconsidered them. A finaldocument will most likely be presented at thenext meeting of Council.

News Staff

SRC proposes newessay penalty policy

THE STUDENTS’ REPRESENTATIVECouncil have produced a policy that, if passed,will standardise the penal system for latesubmissions of coursework.The document suggestions include aUniversity-wide code of marking that wouldapply to every academic department.The suggested rules will have studentslosing one mark per day of late submission,until the possible 22 points available have allbeen removed.Currently, students from different depart-ents face a different marking scheme for anyork handed in after the due date. Deductionsange from one point per day to one point pereek. Many departments accept late submis-ions after five weeks while the Archaeologyhave been laid to rest, for the short term atleast.Catriona Scott, 22, a fourth year Geographystudent at the University of Glasgow, who hasworked at the Beanscene in Kelvingrove fortwo years, spoke to Guardian about how thebuy-out will affect her.She said: "To be honest, I was never reallyworried that they were going to close it downbut the sale to Fifi and Ally does mean every-HE SALE OF SCOTTISH COFFEE HOUSEchain, Beanscene, to Fifi and Ally, has rescuedhe company after going into administration,ith the result that 130 jobs have been saved.Beanscene went into administration in July,eaving its many employees unsure of theirfuture. With the news of the sale to restaurantand retailer, Fifi and Ally, employment fears

Beanscene's been saved

Murano Mugging

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"When she first grabbed me it wasn't clearwhat she was trying to do because she waspulling my hair and yelling at me. She said shehad a knife as well so it was frightening andquite upsetting."Chris Forster explained how he went afterthe couple in order to take back the bag.He told Guardian: "Rebecca seemed upset soI followed them and asked for the bag back.When they heard me, they stopped and then thegirl started shouting that she was going to pulla knife on me."She ended up throwing the bag at me and Iwas able to grab Rebecca's phone."After Chris had managed to rescue thebag, he and Rebecca reported the crime to thesecurity at Murano Street, who then contactedthe police.Strathclyde Police confirmed that the inci-dent had taken place and that investigationswere under way.A spokesperson told Guardian: "A crimewas reported at 2.35 a.m. on September 20. Wehave not yet made any arrests and our enquiriesare ongoing."Chris said that even though there was therisk that the threats to use a knife could havebeen real, he would act in exactly the same wayif caught in a similar situation in the future.He explained: "I think it's something anyonewould have done. You can't just stand therewhen someone's had their bag stolen, you'vegot to do something."If she had pulled out a knife then I prob-ably would have been a bit more careful butI would still have tried to get the bag back. Iwouldm't have been able to not do anything."Rebecca admitted to Guardian that shewould now reconsider walking home after anight out, especially if she could take a taxiinstead..She said: "I probably wouldn't walk homethat late again. It's a pretty unsafe area and whathappened last week has definitely left me moreparanoid and feeling a bit shaken up."Chris highlighted the fact that the reasonthe attack came as such a shock was becauseit happened in such close proximity to studentresidences.He explained: "You assume that you're safebecause it's so near halls. I will be walkinghome that way again because the only otherway is too far to walk."Gavin Lee, President of the Students'Representative Council, stressed how muchimportance the Glasgow University placed onhelping to keep students as safe as possible.He said: "Safety has always been an impor-tant student issue. The SRC provides a freeminibus service at night-time from the univer-univer-sity campus to Halls of Residence to ensurestudents get home as safely as possible."At weekends, shelling out a few quid on ataxi is worth it for your piece of mind."thing feels a bit more secure now."Catriona added that whilst she never seri-ously thought about having to find another job, the possibility of being unemployed hadconcerned her slightly.She explained: "It was always in the back of my mind that the chance of Beanscene closingdown was there but I never actively wentlooking for another job. It isn't a bad companyso I knew that there would be somebody whowould buy it."Fifi and Ally is a Glasgow-based companyestablished by Fiona Hamilton and AlisonFielding. Along with the newly acquiredBeanscene chain, Fifi and Ally also has ahighly-acclaimed restaurant in Glasgow's citycentre.Speaking about the purchase of Beanscene,Fiona Hamilton explained the company's futureplans.She said: "We are delighted to have acquireda strong Scottish brand as part of our expansionof Fifi and Ally. It is our intention to build onall that is good about Beanscene."The two brands will complement eachother well - Sex and the City meets bohemia -and some of the branches will, in time, rebrandas Fifi and Ally's new express food concept,while others will retain the Beanscene iden-tity."She emphasised the way in which thecompany's strengths will help to preventBeanscene from facing administration again.She said: "We have a loyal customer baseand combined staff of 200 committed indi-viduals, as well as strong funding and a newmanagement structure to drive the brandsforward. We are well-equipped to flourish inthe long term."

Sarah Smith

“At first it wasn't clearwhat was going on, thenthe girl said she had aknife so it was frighteningand quite upsetting.”

Photo : Stefan Sealey

guardiannews@src.gla.ac.uk

NEWS29th September 2008

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She said: “I feel almost like I’ve been punishedfor being prepared. Ideally I’d like some sort oreimbursement for the money I’ve wasted, butit doesn’t look likely.”Another joint honours student, enteringher final year, told Guardian that she isnow worrying about how her degree will beaffected.She explained: “Obviously the departmenthas been backed into a corner, to have takensuch a drastic step, but I feel that only beingallowed to take one module this year has deniedme of the breadth of knowledge that previousgraduates will have gained. I’m also worriedmy degree mark will be affected by the transla-tion exam being worth more.”In his email to students, Dr Simpson madeit clear that staff would not allow students tobe disadvantaged, and that in fact, the shift inemphasis better reflects the amount of prepara-tion students put into their translation exams.Dr Simpson is one of several members ostaff who have agreed to do a small amount oteaching despite being on study leave, so thatthe maximum number of classes can go ahead.Head of Section, Dr Billy Grove, admittedthat the recent restructuring of the School oModern Languages and Culture (SMLC) aswhole has contributed to the problem, but thatthe French department is now on a more posi-tive track.He told Guardian: “The situation is betterthan when the email was circulated. The deci-sion to reduce the number of modules wasmade to ensure that the modules which areavailable are of the best quality possible.”When informed of the plight of thosestudents who had already purchased books formodules they were no longer able to take, DrGrove promised that enquiries would be madeto the university’s on-campus bookshop, JohnSmith’s, about accepting the return of books,given the exceptional circumstances.He claimed that negotiations are now takingplace with the Dean of the University to addressthe staff shortage and emphasised that the situa-tion would definitely improve.He said: “I’m in talks with the Dean andthe future of the French Department looks veryrosy.”The year-group currently starting theirsenior honours year has experienced disruptionto their studies in the past: in 2006, during their2nd year, the chaos of the national lecturers’strike led to the end-of-year oral examinationsbeing cancelled.This has meant that the students affectedwill face their final oral examinations thisyear having sat only one French oral examin their whole university career. ProfessorKeith Reader, the current honours convenor,maintained that the lecturers’ strike occurrednationally rather than locally and was thereforea different issue from the current situation.

Historic win forGlasgow Lecturer

A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OFGlasgow has become the first woman to winthe Estelle Grover Lecture Award.Professor Mandy MacLean won the acco-lade in recognition of her research into pulmo-nary arterial hypertension (PAH). She was alsothe first British academic to win since ProfessorTimothy Evans, a consultant in ThoracicMedicine at the Royal Brompton hospital, gavethe lecture in 1996.Professor MacLean`s lecture highlightedfindings that explain how PAH develops, howthe condition is connected to serotonin, achemical naturally produced by the brain, andwhy recreational drugs such as crystal meth andspeed can induce this fatal condition. Her find-ings lay the foundations for research into drugsthat will more effectively treat the disease.Professor MacLean expressed gratitudeupon her acceptance, immediately looking tothe future of her research.She said: “I am truly honoured to give the2008 Estelle Grover lecture. This acknowl-edges 15 years of my research into how theneurotransmitter serotonin is involved in thisterrible disease. When it occurs in adults, it isa disease more commonly observed in women.My current research is into why there is thisgender effect. I truly hope my research will leadto new drugs to treat this disease.”The Estelle Grover Lecture Award is givenbiannually by the American Thoracic Societyand held during the Grover Conference.Professor Paul Hagan, dean of the Facultyof Biomedical and Life Sciences: “We aredelighted that Mandy has received this honour.It is testament to her work that the AmericanThoracic Society has recognised Prof.MacLean’s contribution to this vital field.”

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He went on to add that the knives confis-cated mostly belonged to international studentswho were unaware of the law in Scotland.He explained: "I think it's because some of the international students come

from differentcultures where carrying a knife isn't necessarilya crime. Some students are used to being ableto carry a blade at home and are often surprisedwhen told they have to be confiscated."Security at the Glasgow University Uniondoes not operate in the same way as at theQMU, as it does not require people to submitto a bag search before going in.When asked whether the union would berevising how it conducts its security in the lightof Thursday's events, GUU President ChrisBirrell was keen to stress that the existingsecurity arrangements had been working wellfor years.He told Guardian: "We have not had anyproblems for as long as I have been around butI will definitely be taking this into consider-ation when reviewing GUU security."A university spokesperson explained that,whilst it was not responsible for the securityarrangements at either union, every effort wasmade to ensure the safety of students whilst oncampus.He said: "The safety and security of studentsis of paramount importance to the universityand while the security at student union eventsare the responsibility of the QMU and GUUrespectively, university security liases closelywith the police to maintain a safe environmentfor students and staff in the wider campus."

Disenfrenchised

Lembit at Launch of Liberals

“The decision to reduce thenumber of modules wasmade to ensure that thosewhich are available are of the best quality possible.”

LEMBIT OPIK MP WAS IN GLASGOWon September 23 for the 2008 launch of thestudent Liberal Democrat party.The event, held at Curlers Bar on ByresRoad, marks the beginning of an alreadysuccessful year for the student organisation,which has increased its membership signifi-cantly through its Freshers’ Week activities.Mr. Opik, the MP for Montgomeryshire,spoke to students about Liberal Democratpolicy and the problems currently facing theparty. He told Guardian that one of the mainissues was that of improving the way his partyengages with the general public.He said: “We need to talk in an ordinarylanguage to ordinary people. That is a chal-lenge of presentation, and we’renot doing it as well as we could.”When asked about the recentmoves the Liberal Democrats havetaken to address the recession – acontroversial set of tax cuts thathave led some to believe the partyhas abandoned its high public-spending credentials – Mr. Opikexplained why he supported thenew policies.He said: “I was nervous aboutthe party’s tax changes until I actu-ally understood them. In realitywhat we’re saying is we’ll takemore money from the rich and give it to theless wealthy.”Reserving a note of criticism for DavidCameron, Mr. Opik claimed that the opposi-tion party values style over substance, and as aresult is short on policy.Of the Conservative leader, he said: “Hehas no political narrative whatsoever”.Any perception in the media of an economicu-turn did nothing to dent Mr. Opik’s confi-dence of the Lib Dem’s future prospects. Whenasked by Guardian what his party would needto do in order to succeed at the next generalelection, he spoke about the need for politiciansto re-examine their means of communication.He said: “All we need is for our politics tobe in primary colours. We need clear policiesthat make sense and aren’t patronising.”The president of the University LiberalDemocrats, Sophie Hall, expressed her confi-dence in the party’s future prospects.She told Guardian: “If everybody whowanted to vote for us did, we would win at thenext election.”

Tom Bonnick

Knife found outside QMU

Photo : Jim Wilson

News Staff

Photo : Jamie McHale