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03NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Editor 2015/16Elisabeth Mahase

Editors Letter

Dear reader,

Its that time of year again! Can you believe its September already?

Firstly, Id like to start by welcoming all the freshers, youve joined a great community and I really hope you enjoy your next few years here.

Secondly, hello again all you returning students. Its great to be back isnt it?

Well, now that the greetings are out of the way, lets discuss student media.

Over the last two years, Brunels student media has been expanding and blossoming thanks to the hard work put in by the previous team, all the contributors and of course the wonderful readers.

So whats next? Well, this year I plan to continue the work of the previous editor, while focusing on perfecting our online presence as well as creating new and fun ways to engage you, the reader.

Last year, I introduced the feature: Humans of Brunel, which is definitely something that I would like to

continue this year from our next issue.

Im always looking for new features that can help highlight what a great university this is and why its so amazing - the students.

However, its also key to remember that Le Nurb is not the only student media channel, theres also Radio Brunel and Video Brunel - we all form the family that is Bru-media.

Due to this, cross collaboration will be an important focus this year, its something that worked incredibly well at varsity back in spring and led to the best media coverage of the year.

One thing I would really like to stress is that we are student media. We want to represent you, the students, giving you a platform to express your opinions. Therefore, if theres something youre unhappy with, something you want to change or maybe something you want to celebrate, look to us to help you do that.

Freshers is just about to begin, so hopefully youll see the Bru-media at the events!

Speaking of freshers, youve picked up the freshers edition of Le Nurb.

Its my first paper as editor and Ive been working hard with the amazing team - all volunteers - to bring you best news coverage, music/TV/film reviews, interviews, travel peices, sports article and more. Hopefully, youll enjoy it and next month youll pick up our October edition.

So go ahead, enjoy the next 37 pages and be sure to find us on:

Twitter - @le_nurbonline

Facebook - Le Nurb

online - bru-media.co.uk

Thank you for reading Le Nurb and supporting student media!

Until next month,

Elisabeth

WELCOME TO BRUNEL: 20 TOP TIPS FOR FRESHERSF R O M T H O S E W H O V E B E E N T H E R E

1. Take cash out if you want

to eat in Locos or get drinks

in Academy

2. Go to all the freshers

events you can, you get free

food and stash - believe us

youll be needing those pes.

3. Dont do your weekly

shop at Costcutter Lidl is

right beside campus (Isam-

bard side)

4. Try the union shop on the

Isambard Complex things

like bread and milk theres

a price checked isle.

5. Need a taxi? Use 247 cars

for cabs to town

6. Go to Rabbit Cafe in the

meetin house every Friday

its really cute, trust us.

7. If you ever ladder your

tights or leave the house

without socks the pharmacy

sells both

8. Hide 200 of your stu-

dent loan until December,

not under your mattress, get

a savings account.

9. Cheap Pizza? New Moon

is the answer!

10. The Wonky Teapot on

the street behind NatWest

in Uxbridge do the BEST

breakfast!

11. Try a sport youve always

secretly wanted to do.

12. Love Kaoroke? Book a

room with Lucky voice. Pick

the playlist and get free

birthday shots!

13. Visit the museums in

Central London while theyre

still free!

14. Cook a big pot of pasta or

chili and have dinner ready

for the rest of the week!

15. Get involved with Brunel

Volunteers, get all sorts of

work experience and make a

positive difference.

16. Visit the sky gardens in

the walkie talkie, book your

free tickets online and enjoy

the view!

17. Sign up to UNIDAYS

for student discounts, from

Topshop to HP.

18. Want a really amazing

5 haircut? Vidal Sassoon

academy by Bond Street do

student haircuts for 5.

19. Pay attention to student

politics it really does affect

you and you may even find

it enjoyable!

20. Pick up your copy of Le

Nurb every month to keep

on top of whats happening

at Brunel and beyond!

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MEET YOUR NEW SABBATICAL OFFICERS

LE NURB interviewed your new student officers. Heres what they had to say:

Le Nurb: What do want to bring to your role this year?

ALI: From our engagement with all of you, the campaigns that we run and the brand new governance structure with five Vice Presidents; we are headed in a new and ex-citing direction. My plan is to lead this change and make sure it truly works for Brunel students. I will make sure the Union stands firm on issues that matter to you and that we win.

MICHAEL: We are striving to be a students union to be proud of. My plan is to continue challenging what has been done before and making projects, events, policies etc. better, to enhance the student experience and provide more val-ue from getting involved with our students union.

AARON: Im lucky that I get to be the first ever Vice President CHLS. I get to carve out the role and really make it my own. My remit is based around the academic and welfare needs of the students in CHLS and LBIC but ultimately Im here for all students at Brunel. I ran my elec-tion on a platform of change, and thats what I plan to do with your Union. We need to work on your feedback from assignments and exams, and to end the copy and paste culture and ensure you can learn from your mistakes. Im really excited to run campaigns on men-tal health and disability, to change the stigma these students face. Im also the lead student rep for the QAA review, which gives the stu-dents a chance to have some input on their university experience and work to change things.

YOUSEF: This is an exciting year for the Union. I am lucky enough to be the first ever Vice President CBASS. This provides me with an opportunity to effectively rep-resent the views of the students within my college and ultimately the University as a whole. CBASS is the biggest college within the University, so championing the di-verse views of the students is my focus for the year.

MARCUS: I want to empower the student voice, to ensure that reps are more visible, accessible, confi-dent and active than ever before.I want more electronic feedback and submission. I want more group study spaces. Lastly, I want to run campaigns to get support for stu-dent mental and sexual health.

LN: What have you achieved so far?

ALI: It has been incredible how much this officer team has been able to achieve since taking office in June. In 3 months I have been able to secure the new students store, commit the Union to pay-ing student staff the national living

wage, oversee a complete redesign of our website and communica-tions and work with the VP CBASS to opening a new social space in the social kitchen!

MICHAEL: A number of changes have been made. The number of available sports scholarships has increased to 50 to celebrate our 50th anniversary and the sports performance programme has seen a complete revamp. Additionally, a few clubs can now pay their mem-berships in termly instalments. So-cieties can now apply for funding through a less complicated proce-dure and even acquire a three-year membership. Our RAG and Volunteering team has also achieved a vast amount: a few highlights are the Charity Fayre, the bungee jump event, Be Brunel and Brunels Community Christmas. As a whole, there have been achieve-ments regarding the implemen-tation of the Club and Societies

Evaluation Scheme (CASES), the increased number of mini-buses available, commitment to student staff being paid the national living wage, the introduction of free cycle training for students and the launch of our brand new website.

AARON: Im very proud to say that this year every student will now have FREE Office 365 for up to 5 devices. This is also the first year that the University has scrapped Disability assessment costs, mean-ing some of our most vulnerable students arent facing a cruel and callous charge. Finally, I worked for the Union for 2 years before I took up this role. It was important to me that we paid our staff a fair wage. As of our Trustee meeting in July we have committed to pay ALL stu-dent staff the living wage of 7.85 p/h.

YOUSEF: Over the summer the new officer team has worked ex-

tremely hard to make the Univer-sity experience new and vibrant for all students. I have been able to secure 24-hour access to the Social Amenities building for all students, I have organised the first ever Eid celebration for students on campus and worked with the Trustee board to bring in the living wage for stu-dent staff.

MARCUS: Ive worked on an em-ployability scheme called Brunel Plus, which the University will be piloting this year. Ive worked with the University to update the policy on individualised marks for group assignments so that students are marked based on their individu-al performance, rather than the groups overall performance, for summative assessments, where the grades count towards your final degree. Ive developed and simpli-fied brunelstudents.com its now easier than ever to find the infor-mation you need. Ive got fairer pay

rates for Union casual stafftheir wages have been increased by 21% to match the National Living Wage! I ensured that maintenance checks on all the PCs to ensure they are fully functional.

LN: What project are you looking forward to this year?

ALI: I am really keen to drive for-ward more bursaries. Bursaries are a really important support mecha-nism for many of our most vulner-able students and the cuts in more recent years are not acceptable. So far we have been successful in bringing the University to the table to discuss the expansion of bur-saries; I am looking forward to ad-vancing these discussions.

MICHAEL: Obviously I am look-ing forward to Varsity, but I am re-ally looking forward to running a Be Brunel event every month. Be

14 NEWS

PLEASE RECYCLE

MEET YOUR NEW SABBATICAL OFFICERSBrunel is a volunteering project run by the Union of Brunel Students where local schools send pupils to take part in activities on campus to promote higher education and give them the opportunity to use our facilities. Previously, the project has primarily involved sporting events, this year I want to introduce a more holistic experience for the chil-dren. Be Brunel is a volunteering project run by the Union of Brunel Students where local schools send pupils to take part in activities on campus to promote higher educa-tion and give them the opportunity to use our facilities.

AARON: After investing 100,000 and an awful lot of time and effort, we are launching our brand new Student rep structure. Reps are the most important people on campus, they represent their fellow stu-dents, they are the ones that make the changes to their courses, they feed into everything we do and

they lead this Union.

YOUSEF: I am really looking for-ward to seeing the Union deliver the most inclusive Freshers Week weve ever have. I have been able to secure a new non-alcoholic so-cial space to be built in the social kitchen, so I am keen to see this launched in late September. Finally, feedback is a real issue for students. I have been working hard to create a mechanism for enhanced feedback within my college.

MARCUS: Last year the Lets Cook project was introduced to teach stu-dents how to cook simple, conveni-ent meals in order to eat health-ily, affordably, and sustainably; this really resonates with me, so I look forward to building on last years achievements. Also, as I mentioned before Im really looking forward to implementing our new student rep system!

LN: Any advice for our new stu-dents?

ALI: Dont stress, your time here is going to be an amazing adventure. The Students Union is yours. If you want to see something changed, want to drive forward a campaign or want to plan an activity or event, we are here. Get Involved and come and see us.

MICHAEL: Dont let what other people think decide who you are. Be who you want to be. University is a fresh start, there are so many opportunities on offer and its a chance to be who you want to be. Your time at University is an excit-ing, brilliant adventure; work hard but enjoy yourself.

AARON: You really dont need to have it all planned out just yet. Work hard on whatever is in front of

you, do the things you love and see where it gets you.

YOUSEF: Dont stress. Enjoy your time; 3 years flies by!

MARCUS: Make sure you familiarise yourself with our advice and rep-resentation centre (ARC)theyre completely separate from the Uni-versity, and provide free confiden-tial advice and support, should you run into any difficulties during your time here. You can contact them and book appointments at advice@brunel.ac.uk, or pop in for a 15-min-ute drop in session; theyre located directly behind Costcutters. Also, the only way to get the most out of your university experience is to take full advantage of the opportunities to meet new people and try new things, espe-cially in your first year. To find out more about the Union and how you can get involved visit our newly im-proved website at brunelstudents.

com

LN: If you could tell your fresher self one thing what would it be?

ALI: Get involved with your Stu-dents Union.

MICHAEL: Put your time into the right people.

AARON: The pond is cold in De-cember. Wait till summer time to jump in.

YOUSEF: Join as many clubs and societies as you can!

MARCUS: Read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Cov-ey and invest more time in YOU. Always remember to take some time out of your week to focus and reflect on your personal develop-ment, itll help you in the long run!

CONTACTNG YOUR OFFICERS:

ALI: Im always about. If you catch me on campus, just stop me and say hello. We are also in the Union offices frequently, pop in whenever you need. More formally, you can email me (su.president@brunel.ac.uk) or call me (0189566623). There is also my Facebook (Brunel SU Pres) and/or Twitter (@UB-SPresident).

MICHAEL: You can contact me via email (vp.activities@brunel.ac.uk) or call me (01895267457). I am also on Facebook (Brunel VP StudentAc-tivities), Twitter (@UBSVPSA) and Instagram (UBS_vpsa). However, I want to be a bit different this year, I want to spend as much interact-ing with you guys on a face to face basis. If you see me about, please do say hello.

AARON: The SU offices are in the Hamilton centre, round the corner from Locos. Feel free to drop in and chat. Otherwise you can find me via email (vp.chls@brunel.ac.uk), phone (01895 266625), Facebook (Brunel VP CHLS) or Twitter (@UBSVP_CHLS and @aaron_lowman).

YOUSEF: Come by the office! Whether you are a post grad, un-der grad; on campus, off cam-pus, I have been one of you at some point. Come and see me! You can also reach me via email (VP.CBASS@brunel.ac.uk), phone (01895266622), Facebook (Brunel VP CBASS) or Twitter (@UBSVP_CBASS).

MARCUS: You can phone me (01895 267603), or email me (vp.cedps@brunel.ac.uk). Im also on Twitter (@UBSVP_CEDPS) and Fa-cebook (facebook.com/brunel.vp-cedps).

15 NEWS

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LITTLE FEMINISTSAdjoa Okornore Manu

Publisher: Virago, 2013Editors: Lisa Appignanesi, Rachel Hol-mes, Susie Orbach

Home for the summer and I needed something to read the lilac cover on the shelf caught my eye, the white words confused me.

Fifty Shades of Feminism. What a title. Two vehemently hated yet pas-sionately supported topics combined. My expectations ran wild.

As explained in the introduction, the book is a collection of fifty pieces from fifty female contributors poets, authors, journalists, documentarists, scientists, mothers and each writ-ten from a deeply personal perspec-tive. The majority of pieces are essays (none longer than 4 pages) occasion-ally broken by a free verse poem, a comic, or an essentially blank page dedicated to one quote, each of these a necessary nod back to the greats.

When the editors dreamt up the concept of the book they gave their chosen contributors only a week to produce something. One of my fa-vourite pieces is a double page diary spread by Laura Dockrill where she explores what feeling like a woman means to her, if it means anything. The fact the pieces were written so spontaneously shows us gender-based prejudice is still a huge issue as the experiences represented were ready to be called upon at such short notice.

Almost every essay contains a recommendation for other materi-als books, blogs, art, competitions

which is great for readers eager to expand their understanding of femi-nism. At the end of the book I found a list of contributor biographies and noted down lots of names that I want-ed to check out later.

Now, I wont ignore it any longer. The notoriety of the Fifty Shades fran-chise. I dont know how the editors got around the copyright but the result is satisfyingly provocative. Still, as I was reading, I knew I lacked an enthusi-asm for the novels that some of the women behind the stories seemed to share. Those that mentioned the fran-chise in their pieces had only its praise to sing.

It was Fifty Shades reputation that stopped me from recommending this book immediately. There have been two flavours of backlash against E L

FIFTY SHADES OF FEMINISM ISNT ENOUGHVivienne Burgess

James BDSM sensation, the first of which being disgust at the fans who openly advertised their sexual agency by reading it on the bus. So I under-stand why they went with that title. I understand that, as a collection of feminist essays, the stories represent-ed a reclamation of something each author had been ridiculed for cel-ebrating, or supporting, or being, and their collective title of course needed to reflect this.

But for me, said title was just a re-minder of the second wave of back-lash, the wave that focused on a sin-ister side of Christian and Anastasias relationship. It was a conscious effort for me to consider the words of the women objectively when the cover enclosing them referenced a franchise that celebrated the sex life of what some strongly believed to be a physi-

cally and emotionally abusive rela-tionship. There was just something a bit jarring about that for me, a bit too dark... and not in a raunchy way.

Overall, the good intentions of the book shine through. But while its sentiment is pure and the women who came together to make it did an impressive job at showcasing the plurality of feminism, I have to doubt the fundamental possibility of being able to create something that could include all the voices needed to make feminism globally inclusive. There are as many voices as there are people, and someone, somewhere, will al-ways feel left out.

The kind of change expected from feminism cannot be done in batch-es. It cannot be done with a book of essays, or a Channel 4 special, or a

speech at the UN conference. Though these exposed acts of advocacy keep the word on everyones lips, it is ob-vious that change must be done at a personal level, in minute but major ways, to make any sustainable differ-ence to our lives at all.

Over the summer, in a bizarre but delightful coincidence, a course-mate of mine, Adjoa Okornore Manu (also known as Sweetie) advertised her plans to embark on a strikingly similar project to Fifty Shades of Feminism. The support she received, even just for her initial pitch, was terrifically ex-citing and I knew this was something I wanted to be involved in.

Fifty Shades of Feminism was pub-lished two years ago and the essays already feel dated. With societal at-titudes changing at such a fast rate these days any analysis or criticism of our collective behaviours must be able to keep up or else fall into irrel-evancy. I have an inkling that nothing I will read, or watch, or listen to, on the topic of feminism will include me completely. And nothing is as relevant as right now.

Sweeties project is provisionally ti-tled Little Feminists because that is what most of us are. We are students, we are young, we are passionate, and our ideas are growing. Toni Morrison (writer and feminist) said, If theres a book that you want to read, but it hasnt been written yet, then you must write it. And write it we will.

Below is Sweeties project pitch with her contact details. Send her a quick email to find out more.

People dont understand how I can be Christian and a feminist, and this has resulted in a lot of heated discussions. It does sometimes ap-pear to be an oxymoron. How does one combine religion - a concept en-tangled with rules and regulations - with feminism, which arguably seems to have lost all direction (and dignity)?

When trying to address this issue, I have found that there is a main rea-son why the idea of feminist ideol-ogy peacefully coexisting with any-thing else in this universe is so hard to fathom. Unfortunately many people still do not understand feminism and this can be attributed to the fact that womens issues change with time and therefore feminism too is ever evolv-ing. Its almost as though whenever people start getting their head around the idea another wave of feminism pops up and muddles things all over again.

The fact that feminism is ever evolving should not be seen as a weakness, or make it any less valid as a worldview. We feminists should be proud of our adaptability - the issue is with letting the world in on our growth. As young people spend more time sharing views on the Inter-net with no sense of responsibility, a significant portion of content associ-ated with feminism hurts the cause. Young feminists need to take more responsibility for promoting feminism as a just cause rather than another hot topic exploited for retweets.

Whilst in the shower one day I thought to myself what do young feminists actually want? and I real-ised that I have met a lot of young feminists since Ive been at Brunel. This is why I am currently trying to get some fellow students together to write a book. Being a creative writing student, I also understand the power

of literature in addressing social issues so I decided to contact a few people on my course to get this project going.

The book will hopefully attempt to answer what feminism means to young, educated people and subse-quently why it is an important cause. It will also demonstrate that, although it aims to be revolutionary, feminism isnt about creating conflict.

Anyone wanting to know more about the project, or get involved, contact Sweetie - 1318329@my.brunel.ac.uk.

There will be a meeting for contributors to discuss ideas in late September, Date to be confirmed. PHOTO CREDIT: HUFFPOST

19FEATURES

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20 FEATURES

THE QUIET QUALIFICATION REVOLUTION

Mehvish Maghribi

The graduating class of 2015 differs from those that came before it. At the beginning of sum-mer, most of the students graduating received a Higher Education Achieve-ment Report instead of a traditional transcript. This report is an en-hanced transcript detailing extracur-ricular activities as well as awards received during ones university career. The activities found on the graduates reports included volun-teering at Brunel events, working part time on campus, helping run a society, participating in a sports club etc.

The Higher Education Achieve-ment Report (HEAR) is currently undergoing a phased implemen-tation at Brunel University. This means the students who began their course in September 2012 and onwards are eligible for receiving the HEAR alongside their diploma at graduation. Professor Burgess, re-sponsible for introducing the HEAR, described it in The Guardian as a

quiet qualification revolu-tion.This scheme was intro-duced into UK universities to meet the ever growing expectations of employ-ers looking to hire students fresh out of education.

In recent years, 20% of graduates can be seen earning a first class degree with another 50% earn-ing a second. The cur-rent degree classification system has meant employ-ers struggle to differentiate the thousands of gradu-ate applicants based on degree class alone. The HEAR allows for a more rounded assessment of graduate job applicants as the extra-curricular achievements of those who might have underachieved academically are now starting to be recognised.

What does this mean for stu-dents like yourselves?

The HEAR provides an incentive for students to get out there and get

involved in the opportunities at uni-versity - join a sports club, volunteer at a campus event, start your own society!

To all, the first years joining us at Brunel: this is the time to achieve in all areas of your student life. Return-ers, its not too late for you either! Vol-unteer or work for the University through the Student Ambassador Programme, as a Computer Tech as-

sistant, or during One World Week. Many of the opportunities available are at little to no cost so if you wish to stand out at the time of graduate job recruitment, make sure you build up your HEAR.

You can check your own enhanced transcript by logging into your eVision account. Go to My Course and click on View Confirmed Module Results and Progression for a detailed view

of your module grades and activities recorded thus far at Brunel.

For more information about the HEAR, please go to Brunel.ac.uk/courses/HEAR

Hate it? Love it? Send us your thoughts to Mehvish at ph12smm@my.brunel.ac.uk.

MAKING ENDS MEET : WORKING WHILE YOU STUDYThe results of the National Stu-dent Money Survey 2015 are

pretty concerning. 80% of the 2,000 students surveyed in the UK worry about making ends meet. This isnt so surprising when the average main-tenance loan [for a student living outside London] only covers 480 of living costs each month, it leaves students with an extra 265 or more to find each month.

If a big part of coming to university is establishing independence from whomev-er was re-sponsible for your f i n a n c i a l s e c u -rity (and youre not receiving support from student finance) youre probably wanting to find yourself a part-time job. The struggle however is finding one that fits around your schedule, leaves you enough time to study while enjoying university life, and pays well enough to keep you going. The first job some people think about is waitressing, bartending or being a barista. Jobs like these are available on campus, either behind the bar in

Locos or in The Academy. Working for the Union is now more appealing than ever as it was announced over the summer that students working for the Union of Brunel Students are now en-titled to the UK national living wage. The late nights can be tiresome but for some a job like this is the perfect part-ner to an erratic university schedule - especially if youre living on or close to campus.

Of course high action customer ser-vice isnt everyones cup of tea, and

if thats the case please dont de-spair! As a student you might not think that t e a c h i n g s o m e o n e

else is a viable job option for you but many students do find themselves tutoring to earn money. You can even work outside of the university, tutor-ing students from local schools and colleges. Brunels Job Shop website is constantly updated with the latest tu-tor vacancies so if you are confident in a certain subject, go ahead and apply!

Brunels Job Shop also advertises a range of other vacancies (on and off campus, part-time and full-time)

from babysitting to technical as-sistants. Working in an office can seem unappealing but administrative assistants are needed in many places, especially on campus, and if you work for the university details of this will be included in your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) at the end of each year.

If none of these ideas take your fancy, why not volunteer to be the subject of a paid survey? Or twenty? Some advertisements for study par-ticipants will be on the Brunel Job Shop website but there are just as many desperate research students on campus in need of someone with an unpopular opinion. Youll spot more and more notices for such on corridor pin boards as term goes on so keep your eyes peeled! Being a survey par-ticipant is a quick and easy way to earn 5-20 which, sometimes, might just be enough to tide you over.

Julie Valeur

The average maintenance loan only covers 480 of living costs each month

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21FEATURES

SUSTAINABILITY - THE HIDDEN CORNERSTONE OF SUCCESS

Mehvish Maghribi

The international climate is changing. Increased innovation in technology has altered the struc-ture of the global economy with rising market havens across the world. Pub-lic and private sectors are becoming slowly interconnected; now it is not enough to study medicine to become a doctor, or politics to become a politi-cal leader. More and more employers are looking for students with a diverse background both in their academic and extra-curricular activities.

A growing trend in recent years, primarily through efforts by UNESCO (the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation), has been to revolutionise Higher Education. Due to the rise in tuition fees, students are

increasingly concerned with whether the education they are paying for is worth the investment and, in reac-tion to this, universities have begun adapting their curriculums. One adap-tion has been to link ongoing research with taught learning so lecturers have a contract in place to balance their re-search with lecturing. Linking research with teaching in this way means mod-ule content stays up to date as current research advances, providing students with the latest knowledge in their de-gree field.

One area of research slowly being incorporated across UK universities is that of sustainable development. According to UNESCO, education in sustainable development is defined as a curriculum that equips students with the knowledge and understand-ing, skills and attributes needed to work and live in a way that safeguards environmental, social and economic

wellbeing, both in the present and for future generations. They do this by empowering them with the skills for global citizenship, environmental stewardship, social justice, ethics, and wellbeing, and overall working to-wards a sustainable future.

This is a triangular approach to sus-tainability to visually showcase how the three major sections of our lives are interconnected. Universities have a responsibility (as often the final stage of education) to foster students into global citizens who will contribute to society with the skills and knowl-edge they need to succeed in their respective future careers. For this rea-son, the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in partnership with the Quality Assurance

Agency (QAA) published a guidance a couple of years ago to help univer-sities embed sustainability as a core value in the curriculum and campus

environment. Since 2010, the HEA has worked in

partnership with the National Union of Students (NUS) to conduct a longi-tudinal survey, studying student atti-tudes towards adopting sustainability into the curriculum. Four years into the study and evidence suggests that more than 2/3 of students wish for their taught programmes to include sustainability as a learning outcome. This could be either by adding a spe-cific module on the topic of sustain-ability, undertaking sustainability fo-cused projects, attending department related events, or seminars connect-ing sustainability to a specific topic, and so on.

As Brunel University has formally adopted its new college structure, and aims to continue moving forward as a research centred university, it is highly recommended that we utilise the guidance and framework set out by

the QAA and HEA to adopt sustain-able development into the curriculum. The skills garnered by learning about sustainable development include (but are not limited to) critical thinking, self-reflection, and the ability to adapt to uncertain and complicated situa-tions.

What do you think? Should Brunel adopt sustainability as a core value and learning outcome in the curricu-lum?

Send your comments/questions to Me-hvish at environmental.chair@brunel.ac.uk

Tweet @Brunel_Enviro either Yes to ESD* or No to ESD and why you dont want it.

*ESD is short for Education in Sustain-able Development

THE OPPOSITE OF LONELINESS MARINA KEEGAN

Elisabeth MahasePublisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing, 2014Introduction: Anne Fadiman

Marina Keegan was a Yale Gradu-ate, intensely smart and witty with a bright future opening up before her. She was also killed in a tragic car accident 5 days after her graduation. The introductionto her book made me cry.

Within weeks of her death, an essay written by Marina in the graduation is-sue of Yale Daily News spread across newsfeeds throughout America. The essay, and her story, became a national inspiration. Her family, friends, and the Yale community gathered to put this book togeth-er, a collection of Marinas moving essays and sto-ries.

Page 1, The Opposite Of Loneli-ness. The book begins with a funny, poignant article that left me feeling as if I could do anything. I could be that journalist Ive always dreamt about, that writer I aspired to be when I was young. It wasnt too late. None of it has been decided yet. I can do it.

In this opening essay she sums up how it feels to be a student perfect-ly. Procrastination, wild nightswith friends, loving where you are but at the same time feeling as if its all

slipping away too fast,and the ter-ror, the terror of what will happen when it ends and you arent sur-rounded by the place youve called home for that past four years...Her narrative, her voice, so clear that you almost feel as if she were in the room with you, inducing fits of laughter be-fore flipping the coin and making you cry. She speaks with the voices of her generation.

As you read through her collected works you will feel as if you and Mari-na were friends. In a non-fiction piece entitled, Against the Grain she jokes with the reader about all the foods she will eaton her death bed, painting

the somehow hilarious image of mourners all around her, the doctors shak-ing their heads in dismay as she reaches for a Big Mac. She goes

on to explain her gluten allergy and how it almost killed her as a child, when gluten-free wasnt the trendy new diet and no one had heard of Celiac Disease. She describes her mother as some kind of spy, hunting down gluten She insists on vigi-lance. Gluten is hiding everywhere, in everything.

Reading this book with the knowl-edge of the unforeseen tragedy only intensifies Marinas message. A re-viewer for the Financial Times said he cannot help but wonder what she

might have achieved. Marinas pro-fessor agrees, stating in the books foreword that hes seen too many young writers give up because they couldnt handle the repeated failures their profession threw at them. They had talent, but lacked determination and resilience. Marina had all three.

I do not write this in mourning of a great writer. I write this in acknowl-edgement of her greatness and that, in my opinion, her purpose of being a writer, like a real one, with my life has been achieved.

He cannot help but wonder what she might have achieved.

HOMEMADE PIZZAAdam White

Dough550g white flour

7g dried yeast2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt1 tsp sugar

320ml warm waterpepper

Saucetin of chopped tomatoes

2tbsp tomato pureeWorcester sauce

1 tbsp olive oilpepper

salt2 garlic cloves

1 tsp basil1 tsp oregano1 tsp thyme

Toppingscheddar cheese

mozzarella cheese

And a choice ofham and pineapple

chickentuna

pepperonianything else you want

20 minutes prep 20 minutes cook makes 2-3 pizzas less than 5.00

Method: Add the flour, yeast, salt, pepper, and sugar to a mixing bowl. Put the water and oil in a jug. Slowly add this to the mixing bowl to make the dough.

Once the dough is made, leave it for about an hour if you can with a towel over it to let it rise. Split the dough into 2/3 pieces (you can freeze the spare pieces of dough for use another time).

Take one of the pieces of dough and

roll it out on a floured surface into a round pizza shape.

Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredi-ents to a pan at low heat and mix. Prepare your toppings of choice.

Spread the sauce over the pizza base. Add cheddar and mozzarella.

Add your toppings.

Add more cheddar and mozzarella.

Cook at 200C for 20 minutes.

PLEASE RECYCLE

24 CULTURE

DOWLOAD FESTIVAL: ONE OF THE GREATEST AND MOST DIVERSE ROCK FESTIVALS OF OUR TIME!

Vicky Crossley

As summer draws to an end and a new term begins we can all expect to start settling down into the Uni way of life. Crazy nights out, hectic socials and a pretty hefty workload to top it all off.

But lets not forget what a fantastic

festival season we have had this year and for metalheads what an awesome year Donnigtons legendary Download Festival has been. With huge headliners Slipknot, Muse and Kiss rocking the weekend, Downloaders were part of one of the most awesome years yet.

Download festival is home to not only some of rocks biggest faces but also a huge variety of underground bands and those slowly but surely making their way to the big time. Festival goers can expect to see tons of artists in every sub genre of rock. Download 2015 housed several unusual bands, including electronic punk outfit, Modestep, who powered through a chaotic and enigmatic set on the Zippo Encore Stage on the Friday. The drum and bass rockers may seem to be an unlikely choice to play a festival such as Download but their frantic set saw a heated mass of bodies convulsing to the beats

just as hard to that of any Slayer concert. Certainly a differing sound for Download but enjoyed by many nonetheless.

And as Friday rocked into Saturday, the Zippo Encore Stage saw yet another unusual performance. One which can only be described as Cello Metal. Apocalyptica, a four piece band from Helsinki, Finland, surprised Downloaders with their unique twist on modern metal. Apocalyptica consist of three cellists, a drummer and vocals that create a haunting and symphonic sound. Many were taken aback by the strange line-up but who

needs guitars to be totally rocking?!

The Sunday of Download 2015 had a huge classic line-up with the likes of Billy Idol, Mtley Cre and Slash taking over the main stage. But as many fans of Britains biggest rock festival would agree, you can always find a hidden gem in one of Downloads many smaller tents. The Pepsi Max Stage was home to some of the UKs more bizarre bands this Download, including the notorious Evil Scarecrow, whos shows always seem to feature giant crustaceans and robots! A sea of fans scuttling to Evil Scarecrows Crabulon was certainly

something to marvel at. Slow motion mosh pits and conga lines added a great comical element to the set and although the Nottingham outfit could be seen as a little odd they were totally worth checking out.

This summer has been a pioneer for great festival line-ups with Download definitively hitting a top note. Its impossible to escape the sense of community that this festival creates even in the mud and rain. One thing is for sure, Download will always be one of the greatest and most diverse rock festivals of our time!

PHOTO CREDIT: BIRMINGHAMMAIL.CO.UK

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26 CULTURE

LIVE FROM BARN ON THE FARM:AN INTERVIEW WITH JAKE ISAAC

Elisabeth Mahase

So I saw you last year at the roundhouse and then you shot off to tour with Paloma Faith. Hows the last

year been?

Its been really good. A lot of gigs. Ive had about 35 to 40 so far and were just starting the summer. I toured for a bit in Europe and its been a lot, but I feel like its an honour. I get to play in front of people, hopefully they like it and then we can be Facebook friends wheey!

It feels really authentic to me. I wouldnt want to do it any other way. I wouldnt want to be someone whos had money thrown at them by some big tycoon. I get to meet real people and build lasting relationships.

Youve just released a new EP: Where we belong. So how

was that? Making the EP.

Yeah it was really good. Its my 4th EP and probably my

last, but its the latest part in my journey Ive never created something like that. A great producer came along and said I think we can make it less organic and a bit bigger. So I feel weve got the best of both worlds with this one. I loved making it. Its been an absolute pleasure and the reception has been amazing: its even been picked up in Germany and France on the radio.

Is it weird turning on the radio and hearing yourself?

Oh yeah. Part of me wants to turn it off I mean if someone walks in and Im listening to my own music...

So in your short film (on YouTube) you said your

fathers a minister and you grew up with 2 records - the only two he had. What was it like growing up in that house?

I wish I could do it all over again sometimes. I loved it. My old man hes the best in the

world. He helped me just by the way he was as a parent. A lot of my mates, their old men werent around. He was sound and charismatic. I feel like part of him rubbed off on me. So now Im able to stand up on stage and exemplify that a bit.

His input has been huge hes not musical at all, he plays ging-gang-goolie on the guitar but hell phone me up and say Im just in Italy doing a gig and I say Dad do you even know what a gig is? and hell reply: Yeah, yeah. A gig! I feel like my dad now and my dad back then, has really been

fundamental in my sound, in terms of what I want to feel and what I want others to feel when I share my music. Hes a good man and thats more important than I realised.

So youre from south London, where did you grow

up?

Crystal Palace. We lived in Streatham first, but moved when I was young. Spent my school years there, me and

the boys. I loved it! But Ive just moved out towards Gatwick I needed some greenery!

Who are your biggest influences in music?

In terms of performance, how they interact with the crowd, it would have to be Coldplay and of course Paloma (Faith). Its what they do with the crowd and how they interact. I dont know many artists that do that. Paloma has become a massive

friend of mine, shes so conscious of politics and society, she disarms you from the moment you meet her. Ive had to learn from that, when

you can do that to thousands of people at a time, theres something to be learnt there.

Whats your next step?

Im touring in Europe and America, but then Id really like to start working on my album. Maybe release a single.

So since I first spoke to you about an interview over a year ago, youve exploded. Touring

with Paloma, performing all

over Europe Dublin one day, Paris the next. Is it surreal?

(Laughs) Its really tiring. I was in the van on the way back from Paris yesterday, me and the boys were chatting about my birthday next week and I thought this is a birthday present in itself. Just driving back casually from Paris. Thats a massive privilege, being able to pay your bills and doing it independently.

Is this what youve always wanted to do?

No. I wanted to be a pilot. However, at a young age I was told Im slightly colour-blind (laughs) the optician was heartless. Then I studied marketing for 4 years and I went into that field for a bit. A friend of mine suggested I try writing some songs. I wrote some, started playing and the rest is history. A year and half in, I ended up playing the other stage at Glastonbury.

Is there anything youd like to say to the students of

north-west London?

The north-west massive! If anything, Where we belong is still available on iTunes. If youve never heard of me before, my name is Jake Isaac and it would be really great to

Thats a massive privilege, being able to pay your bills and doing it independently.

PLEASE RECYCLE

PHOTO CREDIT: FLICKR

PHOTO CREDIT: FORTITUDEMAGAZINEPHOTO CREDIT: ELISABETHMAHASE

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JURASSIC WORLD: REVIEWAdam White

Most of you would have seen in the run up to this summer, that the newly renewed and upgraded dino adventure/disaster franchise was to return to our cinemas on June 12th in a fourth installment. Originally imagined by its creator, author Michael Crichton (read the book by the way - its really good), Im sure we can all remember the classic that was the first film, Jurassic Park, another of Steven Spielbergs incomparable classics. In this latest film the prehistoric animals have once again broken free of their cages and are running amok.

Now this fourth edition doesnt have an equivalent chaotician in Jeff Goldblums Dr. Ian Malcolm, or the obvious references to Oppenheimer as in the first film; but it does present us with a wonderfully enjoyable summer hit. As always it is fun, exhilarating and completely ridiculous. It also brings a new twist. In this future park, successfully open to the public for some time, the

dinosaurs have become somewhat commonplace, and so as with any theme park in the real world, Jurassic World must bring new attractions to the forefront to keep the visitors coming through the door and the shareholders happy.

Another new scary twist is the idea of weaponising the scary beasts; the plot headed by the military branch of InGen, the owners of the park. Furthermore, as with the original park, all of the creatures are female in an attempt to control them.

The film is directed by Colin Trevorrow, but dont worry, with Spielberg on board as executive producer it has been kept in line. The sight of frantic crowds running and screaming as pterodactyls fly overhead gives you a hint of the manic beach shots from Jaws.

So getting back to the idea of the park and its attractions now being commonplace. The park has been open for some time, and despite the not too good a history for the parks predecessor, it is doing rather well. It certainly seems to be drawing the crowds over to the Costa Rican

island at a steady rate. It is here, as I mentioned, that the parks

overseers feel the need for a new attraction to add some fire to a somewhat maybe subsiding excitement for the park, and boost profits. This, the need for something bigger, better, faster, scarier, deadlier, is what leads to the main narrative of the film.

The Jurassic World manager is an uptight career woman called Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), and although the park is a big concern she is more worried about having to babysit her two nephews. Her other worry is this new attraction the Jurassic World scientists have cooked up in the lab... Here steps forward the genetically modified mega dino, which they have created in secret. Named the Indominous Rex, the brainchild of our friendly scientist (or so we thought), from the original park, Dr Henry Wu (BD Wong). This new mega dino is kept in an enclosed pen, alone, after it killed and ate its sibling earlier on. There is also an ever-present sinister military consultant by the name of Hoskins (Vincent DOnofrio) standing by for his chance to take over and use the creatures of the park for his own

purposes.

Id just like to point a slight flaw in this idea, in that the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are already genetically modified. The dinosaurs were brought to life by splicing the prehistoric DNA with frog DNA in order to allow them to exist in our modern age, as well as giving them the anti bodies to survive todays diseases. So really this isnt the first genetically modified dino, but it is the first theyve made themselves with self-defined characteristics.

As you may have guessed, these people have no idea as to how intelligent and aggressive their new pet is, and have no idea as to whether the pen they have it living in will keep it at bay.

The film also gives us a little bit of sexual tension, with some evident chemistry between Claire and fellow employee, Owen (Chris Pratt), an Indiana Jones-esk raptor wrangler. He is also a bit of a dino version of an animal whisperer, having trained his raptors to perform to his commands. The disaster that strikes the park and the need to rescue Claires nephews does however lead to a rekindling of

their romance.

Owen is old fashioned. He wears a leather waistcoat, lives in a caravan and rides a motorbike. He is the rough outdoorsy type of guy. Chris Pratt is exceptional as Owen. He is easy going, relaxed, fun and has a sense of humour. Meanwhile it is Howard who brings the+ clean cut composed character with a hint of sass in the form of Claire. Overall, Owen, Claire, Claires nephews, the Indominous Rex, and the rollercoaster of a disaster plot make a hell of a film.

Whilst it of course is not the classic original we all love and stick on the tele whenever Film 4 or ITV schedule a re-run, it is in its own right a fun and exhilarating experience. It certainly did extremely well at the box office on its opening weekend.

It is worth watching out for more work by director, Colin Trevorrow, who will be working on a Jurassic World sequel and also Star Wars episode 9.

PHOTOCREDIT: FORBES.COM

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Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation came out this summer, and being the fifth installment in the franchise I had my reservations about it. This movie proved me wrong, and proved to us all that the Mission Impossible franchise can still deliver.

Rogue Nation is all about Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team who take on a group of rogue agents called Syndicate. Their aim is to eradicate Syndicate in order to save IMF (Impossible Missions Force). I am amazed at how every film seems to maintain such an interesting and captivating story that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the film ends. Rogue Nation packs mouth-opening stunts in the classic Mission Impossible style, all of which are sure to impress; from staying underwater for long periods of time to risky biking, this film has it all.

Alibaba Pictures, the co-producer of the movie, mustve spent an awful lot on Tom Cruises insurance in order to bring together all the crazy and risky stunts that the 53-year-old pulled off.

Christopher McQuarrie, who also worked with Tom Cruise on the Edge of Tomorrow (2014), needs to be commended for his amazing directing and execution, especially in such a challenging role. McQuarrie was able to breathe life into this film and it sure is impressive.

It was great to see a strong female lead role in this film, which I think is

something that Mission Impossible movies lacked. Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson, did a splendid job with acting, stunts and action. I was pleased to see the plot blending not only a strong female role, but also a somewhat conventional romance between Ferguson and Cruise; which is pretty much mandatory in any Action/Adventure film!

People believed bringing another installment in the series was milking the franchise too much, but the plot this time around was refreshing and rather unexpected. The story includes some sharp turns that would make you awe in surprise. But was it perfect? No, there were loopholes and issues that could have been easily addressed in order to make the movie more enjoyable.

Sophie Perry

Few stories are followed by such a prolific level of public attention than that of Caitlyn Jenner. It was back in April that Jenner, formally known as Bruce, opened up to Diane Sawyer about undergoing the process to transition from male to female.

Jenners journey reached a tipping point when she introduced her new, true self to the world on the cover of Vanity Fairs June edition, titled simply Call me Caitlyn. The journey from retired athlete, decathlon winner at the 1976 summer Olympics, to trans woman has been followed, almost constantly, by mass media and public curiosity.

The question being: who is Caitlyn Jenner?

That is what E!s eight-part documentary series I Am Cait seeks to answer.

The premiere episode saw Jenner introduce to herself for the first time to her 89-year-old mother Esther as well as her two sisters, Pam and Lisa. Pam commenting, as they travel to Jenners Malibu home, saying; Mom hasnt had her children together since her birthday party four years ago. So this is very special, in many ways.

The series also sees appearances from members of the Kardashian and Jenner families. Kanye West putting in a short visit with Kim, presenting a softer side to himself than his stage persona would have you believe. West mentioned; I think this one of the strongest things that have happened in our existence as human beings, that are so controlled by perception. Because you couldnt have been up against more, your daughters a supermodel, youre a celebrity, every type of thing and it was still like f*** everybody this is who I am.

I Am Cait attempts to break the circus-esque conveyer belt of Kardashian-brand reality series. Rather than be simply about hair and make-up, E! tries to present a serious, in-depth, educational documentary offering visibility for the trans community. As Jenner explains;

I feel a tremendous responsibility here, because I have a voice and there is so many trans people out there who do not have a voice.

In its educational aims the show has many poignant and eye-opening moments for viewers. Jenner visiting the family of Kyler Prescott, a transgender teenager from San Diego who took his own life in May. Jenner being called out on the privilege she experiences opposed to other transgender people. A visit being made to the GLAAD Centre where Jenner meets Chaz Bono along with transgender youth and their families.

In such moments the show hits the right notes perfectly, it is educational and remains sensitive to the human side.

However, other times it misses the mark entirely.

While the show tries to differ from the average reality series, it cant help but fall into tropes that make the Kardashian-circus-extravaganza so insufferable at times. In typical E! programming style, drama is made from everyday life, signified by ominous music and a cast members scathing one-on-one interviews with the camera. Utilising this structure can make the act of buying orange juice high-octane viewing.

On Keeping Up with the Kardashian its funny, on I Am Cait its trashy.

This takes away from a show such as I Am Cait rather than add to it. Simple conversations become coloured by this sense of drama taking away from what is actually being said, making the documentary and educational characteristic of the show feel almost redundant.

While the format is not fresh, the perspective is. I Am Cait achieves its moral goals, providing information about transgender issues for an audience who might otherwise be ignorant, however, it does not work as dramatic television. For such an important show, I dont think that matters.

I AM CAIT: REVIEW

Muhammad Talha Khawaja

The acting was pretty impressive and Cruise was able to pull off some stunts that you would definitely not expect from a 53-year-old. However, not all of the acting was so top notch. Ferguson did a great job with her action but her general acting skills and facial expressions are something shecould work on. Although, it was great to the usual Ving Rhames comic scenes displayed within his dialogues.

Lastly, the directing was the aspect I was most pleased with. Christopher McQuarrie executed the film to near perfect, and there were very little flaws I could find.

In the end, is it worth watching? Most definitely. In my opinion is a very strong contender for the best MI movie ever.

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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION

PHOTO CREDIT: BLEEDINGCOOL.COM

PHOTO CREDIT: VANITYFAIR

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MAYCOMB AND ME: THOUGHTS ON GO SET A WATCHMANSophie Perry

First published in 1960 to immense popularity, Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird made her an overnight success, going on to become not simply an American classic but one of the best-selling and most loved books of the twentieth century. Having been translated into more than forty languages, selling more than a million copies a year and appearing on many school reading lists on both sides of the pond, it is no surprise that news of Lees second novel has sparked such media, and public, attention. With Go Set a Watchman becoming the most pre-ordered book on Amazon since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Hitting the shelves fifty-five years after Lees first novel, this second publication has been highly publicised as a sequel when it is in fact an original first draft. In 1957 the manuscript of Go Set a Watchman arrived into the hands of Tay Hohoff, a New York editor, and after persuading Lee to turn the vivid flashbacks of Scouts childhood into the central plot the Pulitzer Prize winning To Kill a

Mockingbird was born. Go Set a Watchman tells the

story of an adult Scout Finch, set twenty years after the events of To Kill a Mockingbird, returning to her hometown on the train from New York to visit her ailing father Atticus. There she must confront some painful truths about her friends, family and hometown.

Many fans of Mockingbird were left dismayedand distraught, myself included, upon Watchmans release because Atticus Finch is presented as an old, small-town racist rather than the compass of morality who defended Tom Robinson.

However, it is that this Atticus is an original version. This Atticus is the one before Scouts childhood memories of him became the main plot. This Atticus is the one who only in passing does an adult Scout mention won an acquittal for a coloured boy....

Speaking as an English student, such a change in characterisation I

HUMANS: REVIEWSophie Perry

Channel 4s suburban sci-fi drama series Humans makes for interesting, smartly written television but at times it can feel too safe.

The premise of the series is an alternative-present where technology has advanced to the point where the latest must have gadget is a Synth, robots that are almost human. However, with this the lines between humans and Artificial Intelligence start to blur irrevocably.

The series introduces us to the average, if dysfunctional, Hawkins family. Father and husband Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) buys a Synth to help around the house, as his wife Laura (Katherine Parkinson) is often away with work. The Hawkins children and Joe immediately love their new Synth (Gemma Chan), who they call Anita, while Laura is not so sure and feels replaced.

However, Anita is revealed to be your not-so-average-shop-brought Synth. The first episode shows a flashback to five weeks earlier, travelling mysteriously through the woods with a group of other Synths and lead by Leo (Colin Morgan). Anita and two of her friends are knocked unconscious and stolen.

Simultaneous to the Hawkins family, Dr George Millican (William Hurt) cant bear to send his Synth Odi to the recycling bin. Having developed

a father-son relationship with him, Odi keeps the memory of his late wife Mary alive. Elsewhere, D.S. Pete Drummond is unable to match the care given to his disabled wife by their beef-cake Synth Simon.

As it can be gathered Synths are a modern day plethora, as much a part of life as IPhones or Facebook. They work in our offices, look after our children and even replace human as sex workers with their 18+ setting.

They might be machines but they walk, talk and look like us. Thus Humans must ask: What is it that actually makes us human? What does it mean to feel fear, happiness or love?

Such existential questions feel a little old hat.

They have been covered innumerably on-screen, in Will Smiths I, Robot, Spielbergs A.I. Artificial Intelligence and embodied in Alien: Resurrections android Annalee Call. Also of the same vein is Be Right Back an episode of Black Mirror, another Channel 4 series, where a woman purchases an android to replace her deceased boyfriend.

While this may feel unchallenging to a more avid sci-fi fan the series has proven popular with the general public, the first episode grabbing an audience of 6million viewers; the last

PHOTO CREDIT: IHDWALLPAPER

PHOTO CREDIT: EW.COM

time the channel had an audience of that size was in 1992. Perhaps what makes Humans so popular is its, well, humanness. Rather than set 4000 years in the future or on the Starship Enterprise a bulk of the action takes place in a normal, family home.

To give the series its due it does tackle those philosophical themes in an interesting way. By providing four main groups of characters, who begin to interweave as the story progresses, the parallel between the microcosmic family and wider society is handled in a clever, delicate manner. These interconnections making for some cunningly executed plot twists.

However, at times the series can feel frustrating with characters falling into predictable tropes; lazy when the series is otherwise artfully written. This writing being able to bring us an incredibly touching drama at times. One standout moment coming from Odi in a simple statement of four words, uttered robotically and without emotion it echoes waves for the audience.

A very good effort by Channel 4, Humans is slick, engaging and remains focused on its goals. The final leaving us with a number of loose ends, something to explore in the confirmed second series. I will certainly be tuning in.

can let slide. The Atticus of Watchman is not the Atticus of Mockingbird. In same way the characters of Katniss Everdeen, Jane Eyre or Victor Frankenstein are not the same in their first drafts as their current, complete publications.

Therefore, the differences between Watchman and Mockingbird are too interesting not to compare. To read a writers first draft is an opportunity we do not stumble across very often unless, of course, we are the British Library.

Watchman and Mockingbird being two sides of the same coin, sharing the same characters, themes and ideas; one is a first draft and the other a literary landmark. The former reads in an undeniably draft-like manner with cumbersome prose that feels as though it has been left for revision at a later date. The warm, welcoming narration of a five year old Scout is instead told from a third-person perspective, creating an impersonal distance so opposed what characterises Lees writing in

Mockingbird; becoming impossible to engage with the characters in the same way.

Such elements of Watchman have polarised critics and fans alike since its July 14th release. Regardless, however, a continuing fondness for Lees writing resulted in 105,000 copies being sold in the UK in its first day on sale, while in the US it became a million-seller in its first week.

Rather than read Go Set a Watchman as a Mockingbird sequel or version 1.0, it should be appreciated as it is: a draft that did not quite work but lead to a better story. Lees thoughts and passions are all there, bubbling underneath a less articulate surface, waiting for a childs voice to set them free.

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ACROSS

1. Isambard ___ Brunel.

4. Google a la Microsoft.

6. Name of halls on campus that has a spa. Yes, a real spa.

8. One strap? Two straps?

9. By third year, the library will have become your best ___.

11. Fun fact, gin is made out of this.

12. Referencing will be your favourite thing (Me ___ al., 2015).

14. These will become your second best no. 9s. Unless you do maths and dont have to write them. Grr.

16. Join one. Or go into one. Sober and not sober.

18. What everyone just calls the library.

19. Very short thanks.

DOWN1. Campus is about one of these across. Seems like a lot further hungover.

2. If youre a fresher, thats when you were born.

3. One of the big cheese roles at Brunel.

4. Has drinks and a Locos sign.

5. The Brunel Campus Cats colouring. Also check his Facebook page, but DONT feed him.

7. Replaces meat. You might have to spend the dregs of student loan on this instead.

10. Funky smell, housemate almost burned it down with tortillas once. Has the rooms closest to the pub.

13. Full of tannins, very ___. This is more of a helpful fun fact than a clue, apparently these give you a worse hangover.

15. In the kitchen you might be surprised how often youll wish you brought one. Also what your mind might be like in 9ams.

17. Youll probably hear this phrase a LOT. Head down to the ___. Grass. Rectangle.

18. The degree you get from English, History, Creative Writing etc.

19. Short toe.

LE FRESHERS CROSSWORD

I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y : M A R L O B O Y D

COMIC STRIPS

* s l u r r e d * A M I F I T T I N G I N Y E T ? A M I A T O P - H I C C U P - U N I L A D

Y E T ?

I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y : L E W I S B A N C R O F T

We have some very talented and creative students at Brunel. Its great to showcase their work and share ideas within the university community.

If you have a comic strip youd like us to publish, please send it to lenurb.brunel@gmail.com.

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36 SPORT

BRUNEL SNOW CLUBAdam White

Hello and welcome to all the new freshers joining us at Brunel, as well as those returning. We hope you have all had fantastic summers! My aim is to tell you what Brunel Snow Club is, what we do, and how you can get involved!

Brunel Snow Club is the club of choice if you love all things snow related. This is mainly in the form of skiing and snowboard-ing but of course as we all know snow is pretty awesome in general. Here at Brunel anyone is able to join the club. Whether its your only club, or youre part of a weekly competitive club, it does not matter. Fur-thermore, your level of ability doesnt matter ei-ther. We are always look-ing for new members and beginners to join as we aim to continue to grow and develop our club and sport.

Throughout the aca-demic year one of our main activities is running lessons and recreational sessions at The Snow Centre in Hemel Hemp-stead. This is an indoor ski slope, with real snow rather than the rubber/carpet mats you get at outdoor slopes. These sessions begin with a taster at the beginning of the year, then later on we will be offering a package of lessons for be-ginners or those in need of a refresh. These lessons will get you to a suf-ficient level to come on our annual winter tour.

Alongside these lessons, we run recreational sessions for those who might just need to brush up a bit or who just want to go for a bit of fun throughout the term. Some weeks there will also be the opportunity to participate in freestyle sessions. The Snow Center places obstacles and jumps on the slope and its generally a great evening.

Sticking with freestyle; there are also freestyle and racing events in which you can compete for the club and Brunel across the country. Again, as with all things the club does; it doesnt matter if youve never done it before or your huckin brilliant at it; youre more than welcome to give it a go!

For more information on lessons/

sessions/freestyle/racing please contact our club captain; Matt Town-ley via facebook or his email; matt_townley@hotmail.com

Snow Club Events

Throughout the 2014/15 academic year, the committee worked hard to make Brunel Snow Club more vis-ible, which with the social calendar we had, proved quite successful. We teamed up with some other sports clubs on occasion too, which was awesome. This is something we plan

to continue to build upon this year to hopefully give the club another year of success and growth. To help to do this we have our Social Sec, Alice, working hard to put together a great social Calendar! This will begin with our annual Freshers Pub Ski, which is an awesome night. There will be boat races, a shot relay, and several pubs on the route and of course Returners Mega Global!

Some key dates to note are Hal-loween, Fire Works Night, a Pre Trip Social where you can meet everyone before the trip and get to know each other. We also have an annual Christ-mas meal and much more during term 2. At the end of the year, we also play host to the one and only, origi-nal Annual Brunel Snow Club End of Year Boat Party! This is an awesome party, on a boat, cruising along the Thames, followed by discounts on entry and drinks to one of centrals major party hotspots.

Annual Brunel Snow Club Winter Tour!!!

This year we are going to AlpesDHuez; one of the biggest and best resorts in the French Alpes. The trip is from the 11th to the 20th De-cember. Well be leaving campus in the evening of the last Friday of term via coach, heading down to Dover

and taking the ferry before party bu-sin it across France to the resort in the mountains; arriving on the Sat-urday morning. Weve gone and got ourselves one of the best hotels in re-sort so with that sorted its just a case of having an epic week on the snow!

The cost for the trip is 344 base price and this includes the return coach travel from Brunel, 6 days ac-commodation, a 6 day lift pass, and deals on drinks in resort. For those wholl be needing to hire equipment these can be added to your package and are usually around 60-80 de-pending on whether its ski or board

and what standard of equipment you want to hire. The company provides an option to use its own winter sports insurance rather than getting your own. There are lots of other addi-tional options, which will become ap-parent closer to the time. Well hold a trip info meet and greet to fill all those interested in on all the details.

It certainly looks to be an exciting year here at Brunel snow club. Wed love to see as many of you get involved in any way youd like in the coming year!

In the mean time; if youd like to join Brunel snow club you can sign up like all the other clubs via brunelstudents.com; where membership is only 20. Dont forget youll also have to grab a sports fed card too.

Also get involved with the club straight away by getting onto our social media feeds:

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.c o m / B r u n e l S n o w -ClubOfficial

Join our Facebook group: https://www.fa-cebook .com/groups/brunelsnowclubofficial

Follow us on twitter: @BrunelSnowClub

Follow us on Insta-gram: BrunelSnow-ClubOfficial

So if you love snow as much as we do we look forward to seeing you in the coming year.

Snowy Love,

Adam WhiteBrunel Snow Club Chair

BRUNEL JIU JITSUJohanna Puustinen

In the final issue of Le Nurb last academic year, Brunel Jiu Jitsu said we wanted to climb the sports club hierarchy all the way up to the top. Considering how things are going, we might just make it. Think about it a university martial arts club with the sort of standing usually only reserved for rugby and football leagues. Un-heard of!

Over the summer, we have secured more training space to replace our cramped quarters in the training area, additional funding for more equip-ment, as well as extra sessions to

work on our fitness and competition skills. This means we will be able to accommodate many more members this year and focus on each individ-uals personal hopes and strengths. To provide tailored, useful education and experiences in self-defense has been our main principle for years - and were more equipped for it now than ever before.

A big part of our drive for a strong-er campus and Union presence is our new membership model, which we will be piloting with some of the biggest names at Brunel, including

Rugby, Netball and Basketball. Our termly fees are easier to fit into a stu-dent budget, and will be all-inclusive, enabling our members to pick and mix what kind of experience they want from their time with Brunel Jiu Jitsu.

That said, we havent given up on more traditional ways of chasing fame and glory. Like every year, we have two national fixtures to prepare for during term time. Last year we brought back one gold medal this year we aim to make it several more. We are also working hard to fit the

2016 Jiu Jitsu Internationals in Canada into our schedule, to provide a once in a lifetime experience for our most enthusiastic and skilled members.

This year is a big one for Jiu Jitsu at Brunel in a more sentimental sense, too. It is our 25th year, and we plan to celebrate the anniversary by hold-ing a regional event with jitsukas from all over London. We could not think

of a better time to join us: this is your chance to be part of something big.

Johanna Puustinen, chair