The

Saint
FREE
Thursday
25 November 2010
Issue No. 147
It was another Raisin Monday success as freshers braved the cold for the yearly foam fght dressed in creative costumes lovingly constructed by their academic parents.
SRC votes in favour of graduate tax
Pottermania hits St Andrews
Photo coverage from
The Welly Ball 2010
ST ANDREWS Student
Representative Council (SRC)
recently voted in favour of a
progressive graduate tax as the best
method to fnance higher education
in Scotland.
The motion was passed 16 votes
to 2. It supports the stance of Liam
Burns, the President of the National
Union of Students (NUS) Scotland,
who argues that introducing
a brutal and unchecked market
into higher education will have
stark consequences, saddling
students with tens of thousands
of pounds of debt and putting the
poorest students off from going to
university of even applying.
The SRC rejected introducing
tuition fees for Scottish students
or unlimited fees for non-Scottish
students, but recognizes the need
for reform of the funding system
and sees the graduate tax as the
most realistic solution. The report
accepts that if we want a want
a world-class education, we are
going to have to pay for it.
Features
p20
Kerry Nesbitt
Arts & Culture
p22
The graduate tax would only
be payable when the students are
making a genuine proft from their
education, and would be connected
to how much they earn. Association
President, Owen Wilton, stated that
we believe that this is the fairest
and most pragmatic model of
funding for Scotland.
The SRC criticized the Browne
Report and fears that if unlimited
fees are implemented in England and
Wales, their universities will have
a competitive edge over Scottish
tertiary education and will result
in a brain drain for Scotland. The
SRC stresses the need to continue to
invest in Scottish education in order
to create a knowledge economy,
and acknowledges the fndings
of the recent economic report
which proved just how benefcial
St Andrews is to the economy -
showing that for every 1 of public
money given to St Andrews, the
university returns 7.50. The SRC
believes that the impact of the
Browne Report has pushed the
issue of reforming student funding
in Scotland to the fore.
The SRC praised the Chancellor
and MP, Sir Menzies Campbell, for
his support. Siena Parker, Director
of Representation at the Students
Association, expressed the SRCs
gratitude and appreciation for
Campbells stance against tuition
fees and his commitment to the
needs of the student electorate. She
also confrmed the SRCs support
for Liam Burns, and hopes that the
motion will have infuence on the
decisions the Scottish government
are soon to make in regards to
funding our universities.
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St Andrews Independent Student Newspaper
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2 News The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
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Alex Salmond inaugurates new building
Elizabeth Hewitt
Scotlands First Minister visits St Andrews to open the new Medical and Biological Sciences building
Student designers compete to showcase designs
THE ANNUAL St Andrews Charity
Fashion Show has announced that
this year they will be in partnership
with Alfa Romeo by presenting a
competition for new designers.
In search of this years hottest
new designer the Alfa Romeo
Young Designer Award aims to
be a platform to success for the
winning young talent.
The competition has drawn the
attention of numerous aspiring
young designers, attracting
applications from as far away as
New York, as well as plenty from
St Andrews itself.
With the deadline already
passed, applicants are now
waiting to fnd out if they have
made it through to the next stage,
which involves an interview with
the FS judging panel, including
guest judge, Alex Evans, winner of
Britains Next Top Model.
Following this, fve fnalists will
be chosen to produce a selection
of clothes to be presented in a
photoshoot as well as on the
catwalk in the show in February
next year.
The winner will be awarded
with the Alfa Romeo Young
Designer award which consists
of 1000 in cash, courtesy of Alfa
Romeo, and the opportunity to
design a fashion line worth 500
in support of the FS chosen charity,
Trekstock. The winner will also
receive an exclusive feature and
spread in the FS Magazine.
All the young designers will
have the opportunity to exhibit
their unique designs alongside
Armani, Prada, Miu Miu, Stuart
Gladstone, Nicole Fahri, Elle
Macpherson Intimates, Edun,
Jaeger and more.
Nick Worsley, Director of FS,
said, This is the frst time FS has
run a young designer competition.
That we received applicants from
New York to Paris as well as St
Andrews, is particularly exciting. I
am also very pleased to confrm that
helping us choose the fnalists will
be Amy Molyneaux of the designer
label, PPQ and Alex Evans, winner
of Britains Next Top Model.
The St Andrews Charity Fashion
Show is now in its 19th year, and
is set to match the high standards
of previous years. In the past ten
years, the show has donated over
180,000 to charity. The fashion
show will be held on 26 February
2011.
Jasmine Wheelhouse

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FS joins Alfa Romeo to launch design award
THE UNIVERSITY of St Andrews
new Medical and Biological
Sciences Building was opened in
an inauguration ceremony led by
Alex Salmond, First Minister of
Scotland, on 12 November.
Before the inauguration,
Salmond toured the building with
Chancellor Sir Menzies Campbell
MP, Principal and Vice Chancellor
Professor Louise Richardson, and
Dean of Medicine and Head of the
School of Medicine Professor Hugh
MacDougall, among others.
Speaking in a ceremony before
unveiling a commemorative seat in
the buildings courtyard, Salmond
emphasized the universitys role
in Scotlands tradition of medical
advances.
Medicine has been taught at
the University of St Andrews for
almost six hundred years. In the
early twentieth century, it was
one of the frst medical schools
in Britain to admit women. The
schools alumni include James
Black, who won the Nobel Prize
for Medicine in 1983.
Scotlands scientists and
researchers have made an immense
contribution to shaping the modern
world and this new facility will
strengthen this reputation, said
Salmond.
It will not only attract new
undergraduates to the University,
educating our next generation of
doctors, but will establish a hub
for the creation of new medical
research and breakthroughs.
MacDougall also spoke,
recalling the story of Hippocrates,
the pioneer of Western medicine,
teaching his students under a tree
on the Greek island of Kos around
400 BC. We dont have a plane
tree, but we do have several Scotch
Birches, he laughed.
The new building, which cost
45 million, includes research
facilities across the Schools of
Medicine, Biology, Physics, and
Chemistry. It contains a lecture
theatre for 300 people, teaching
rooms and laboratories.
This new building will be one
of the frst UK medical schools
where research facilities are
integrated across the sciences
and this opening demonstrates
how Scotlands oldest University
remains at the forefront of
innovation, said Salmond.
Principal Richardson also spoke
of the value of interdisciplinary
research in the new building.
We may be 600 years old,
but we will continue to bring the
energy of youth to everything we
do, said Richardson.
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News 3 The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
RAPE AWARENESS WEEK
took place from 1 November to
5 November, with the Students
Association hosting a string of
successful events dedicated to
raising awareness of the RAW10
campaign.
The campaign was set up with
a view to raise awareness of rape
and sexual assault in St Andrews,
challenge old fashioned views
towards rape, offer help and advice,
and publicise the different types of
victim support available within the
University and beyond.
Events held throughout the
week included a tea party complete
with Bibis cupcakes, pots of tea,
and talks about Rape Awareness
from a variety of speakers; a self-
defence session held in conjunction
with Krav Maga Edinburgh; and
fnally RAW Live on Friday night
with live performances from St
Andrews talent including improv
comedy group Blind Mirth, creative
writing society Inklight, and Vday
who campaign to raise awareness
about violence against women.
Colleen Roberts, SRC Member
for Sexualities and Gender, and
one of the organisers of the RAW
campaign, said of the week, I
have had some great feedback
about the events and the week in
general. Students seem glad that
we are fnally addressing the issue
of rape in St Andrews and that we
are giving out really important
information.
For example, students have been
asking me to do a self-defence class
for ages, so obviously they feel this
is important being aware about
personal safety is always important
in the bubble and beyond.
The tea party at the start of the
week was also a huge success -
we had speakers from Rape Crisis
Scotland, Student Support, The
Police and Nightline who gave out
info on attitudes towards rape and
how to stay safe. We had a great
turnout and the free Bibis cakes
and tea we offered went really
fast.
Colleen also highlighted that
the campaign was about more than
just the free events, as additional
activities went on throughout the
week in an effort to raise awareness
and get information to as many
students as possible. Time was
spent putting up posters in bars
around town. One of the posters
read: This is not an invitation to
rape me. The aim is to challenge
attitudes towards rape and raise
awareness around St Andrews.
RAW bookmarks were also
distributed around the halls of
residence and town. These provided
students with information on how
to get involved with the campaign.
A page on the Students
Association website was also set up
highligting the RAW campaigns
aims of raising awareness of
rape and sexual assault, offering
information about victim support,
giving safety tips.
It also listed fgures relating to
rape and university students. 1 in
7 female students in the UK have
been a victim of sexual assualt
while at university or college and
in 60% of cases the perpetrator was
also a student.
Siena Parker, Director of
Representation at the Students
Association, was also involved
with organising the week. She said,
Rape Awareness Week is all about
trying to challenge traditional
images of sexual assault - that it
happens down a dark alley by
a stranger. In fact, most assaults
happen by someone you know.
One thing I found really
shocking about the national
campaign Rape Crisis Scotland
have been running is how many
people, especially teenagers, think
that if a woman wears a short skirt
or dresses provocatively that she
deserves it. It was this attitude
that we were trying to challenge
with our campaign as well.

Rape Awareness Week 2010 challenges attitudes
Hannah Rowand
RAW 10 raises awareness, offers support and provides safety tips
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CLARenCe House, the
offce of the Prince of Wales,
announced last week that
Prince William is to marry
long-term girlfriend Kate
Middleton in 2011.
The pair met as students in
St Andrews in 2001.
After the offcial
announcement, a University
of St Andrews spokesperson
said:
We are absolutely
delighted for William and Kate
and their families.
St Andrews is a special place
- one in ten of our students
meet their future partner
here, and our title as Britains
top match-making university
signifes so much that is good
about this community.
2011 will see the launch
of our 600th anniversary
celebrations and we will be
proud to share our anniversary
with the royal couple.
We hope that they will
take the opportunity to return
to Scotland and join us in
celebrating the romance of St
Andrews.
St Andrews
celebrates
royal
engagement
of Will and
Kate
Andreea Nemes
68 Market Street
St Andrews
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4 News The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
Nightline Awareness Week
celebrates 38 years
THE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION has recently launched a new campaign
to discover what students really want from the Union.
Students can pick up questionnaires at the Union asking them what
they think of the Union and what they would change.
The Students Association Director of Student Development and
Acitivities, Ally Holmes, says that the campaign was designed to fnd
out frst-hand opinions of the Union and to identify what people like
and dislike about it.
Siena Parker, Director of Representation, considers feedback from the
student body of the utmost importance. Most of the feedback has been
focused on the Union building itself and Siena admits that the union
isnt exactly aesthetically pleasing- but we are doing something about
it. Over the next fve years the University has pledged several million
pounds to redevelop the building and the change will be signifcant.
Nevertheless, we know that we can make some changes now which will
have a big impact and intend to do that over the next few weeks.
KN.
Beyond
Bubble
the
HUgsy NigHtliNe-BeAr was
frequently spotted in St Andrews
last week as a variety of events
were held throughout the week
in aid of raising awareness of the
student run Nightline service.
Nightline Awareness Week
ran from 15 November until 19
November. The week kicked off
last Monday night with a pub quiz
in the Union bar which raised 70
for Nightline funding.
Other events held included an
open mic night with Inklight on
Tuesday, a scavenger hunt and a late
night cinema screening of Disney
Pixars Up on Wednesday. All the
events were held with the goal of
raising awareness and funding for
the student service in mind.
In addition to raising student
awareness and funding, the week
also aimed to celebrate 38 years of
Nightline which was founded in,
and has been running since, 1972.
Nightline is a confdential
listening and information service
run by students, for students. The
service runs from 8pm-7am every
night when halls of residence are
open and can be used to discuss
any issues students may be having,
from homesickness to relationships,
as well as providing basic
information from taxi numbers to
lecture venues.
An invaluable source of
support for students, Nightline is
not exclusive to St Andrews but
is a nationwide service which is
currently available at 33 universities
within the UK and Ireland.
Despite the fact that the service
is independent from both the
Space balloon
THE NEXT MILESTONE in
space travel has been reached by
three amateur space enthusiasts
from England.
Steve Daniels, John Oates and
Lester Haines spent just 8,000 on
constructing a paper aeroplane
ft for space. launched outside
Madrid, a helium balloon took
the plane, named Vulture 1, to
90,000 ft before it was released.
Despite narrowly missing both
a reservoir and a lion enclosure
the craft survived intact a mere
twenty miles from its launch
site.
EL.
Unicorn spotted
in Canada
LAST MONTH Canadian
journalists were puzzled when the
Ontario Science Center released
shaky footage of what appeared
to be a unicorn galloping through
the Don Valley.
The Center offered cautionary
advice for handling the creature
and even set up a special Unicorn
Hotline for concerned members
of the public.
After sending the internet in
a suitable furry of activity, the
Ontario Science Center admitted
the video was a publicity stunt
to generate interest in their new
Mythical Creatures exhibition.
EL.
Aussie risks life
for charity
AN AUSTRALIAN businessman
is spending three weeks living in
a shop window with poisonous
spiders to raise money for
charity.
Nicknamed Spiderman, Nick
Le Souef will spend over 23
hours a day inside the window
of his Melbourne shop. Joining
him will be several varieties
of dangerous spider including
deadly rednecks.
Mr Le Souefs aim is to raise
30,000 for Variety, a charity that
seeks to help sick, disabled and
disadvantaged children.
EL.
Buy a car, get a
gun
A CAR dealership in Florida, in
one of the more unusual attempts
to fght the effects of recession, is
giving away a free AK-47 with
every truck they sell.
In a promotion that lasts until
the end of November, customers
will receive a voucher worth $400
for the local frearms store if they
buy a truck.
The offer has proved extremely
successful so far. The dealership
claims sales have doubled since
the offer was introduced.
EL.
University and the Union, the
Students Association was in full
support of the week, providing
venues for several of the events.
Ally Holmes, Director of Student
Development and Activities
said of the week, The Union is
very glad to help host some of
Hannah Rowand
everyone should
save the Nightline
number
ST ANDREWS SCIENTISTS,
together with colleagues from
Emory University in the USA
and sun yat-sen University in
China, have made a break-through
in understanding the Lassa
virus which can cause deadly
hemorrhagic fever.
By studying the X-ray structure
of the nucleoprotein of the Lassa
virus, the team succeeded in
building an atom-by-atom 3D
picture of the proteins structure
and how it operates in the body.
The structure reveals how the
virus avoids the hosts immune
system, and how it then hijacks
infected cells vital machinery.
What they learned was that the
Lassa virus nucleoprotein has the
ability to chew up RNA, one of
the viral components that usually
triggers internal alarm systems
within human cells.
Importantly, these details of
the structure of the virus could
guide future efforts to develop an
effective vaccination against the
drug.
The virus is endemic in West
Africa and infects between 100,000
and 300,000 people there every
year, with an estimated 5,000
deaths according to the Centres for
Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr Chang-jiang Dong,
a Wellcome Trust Career
Development fellow at St
Andrews, said, Our fndings are
really exciting and provide great
potential for vaccine and drug
development.
In solving the structure of the
Lassa virus NP protein, we have
revealed its unexpected functions
and shown the unique workings
of viral replication and immune
evasion. This totally unexpected
knowledge will make designing
a vaccine or drug much easier. By
understanding how virus proteins
attack the body at the molecular
level, we stand a much better
chance of designing a vaccine or
drug whose shape and function
will successfully block the virus .
Lassa virus examined
Hannah Rowand
Nightline Awareness Week 2010.
Nightline has arranged a diverse
and engaging programme of
events, including a screening of the
flm Up and an Open Mic Night
with Inklight, all in the name of
promoting an important service to
students in St Andrews.
Siena Parker, Director of
Representation agreed, highlighting
the importance of both the service
itself and of the students awareness
of what Nightline offers.
Nightline Awareness week is
a great opportunity to promote
this fantastic service by a group of
very dedicated volunteers. I think
its really important for students to
understand what they do and the
fact that they are independent from
the University and the Students
Association, and are completely
confdential. everyone should
save the Nightline number in their
phone - you never know when you
might need it.
On the whole, the week seems to
have proven a success with a good
turnout at the events and money
raised to continue funding the
Nightline service.
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Student service aims to raise awareness
potential for students to be living
in unsafe houses will dramatically
increase. Over the past nine
weeks alone, the Accommodation
Advocate for the Students
Association has uncovered 13
unregistered landlords facilitating
within St Andrews, which is an
increase over last years number.
Parker also believes that, fats
could simply be divided into two
person fats to get around the need
for an HMO. All of which would
come at a cost to the tenant and
landlord. It also could potentially
lead to unsafe living conditions as
well.
However, there is legislation
News 5 The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
New breakthrough in the study of Alzheimers disease
Charlotte Beauclerk
English tuition fees
controversy continues
Henry Turnbull
THE PROJECTED rise in
tuition fees in England will
lead to a signifcant decrease in
the number of students from
poorer backgrounds, a report has
suggested.
The poll, conducted by Ipsos
MORI, concluded that increasing
tuition fees to 5,000 a year
would prevent around 50% of
disadvantaged students from
pursuing higher education.
Raising fees to 7,000 a year would
deter nearly two thirds of poorer
students from applying.
Plans to increase tuition fees
of up to 9,000 a year are due to
be voted on in parliament, with
Deputy Prime Minister Nick
Clegg pushing for a vote before
Christmas.
Under the governments
proposed plans, universities in
England will be able to charge
tuition of up to 9,000 a year, as the
government transfers much of the
cost of higher education from the
state to students.
Tuition will rise to 6,000 a year,
with universities able to charge
up to 9,000 a year if a proportion
of the extra fees is put into a
fund to support students from
disadvantaged backgrounds.
More than 2,700 people
between the ages of 11 and 16 were
questioned by the MORI poll. Of
the poorer students questioned,
55% said they would be prepared
to pay tuition of 5,000 a year, and
only 35% would pay 7,000.
The research comes amidst
continuing controversy
surrounding the projected rise in
tuition fees and the governments
unclear outline for the future.
The Institute of Financial
Studies (IFS), a respected think
tank, is to reconsider its support of
the governments plans.
In an assessment released earlier
this month, the IFS had concluded
that the reforms would result in
poorer graduates repaying less
than they currently do.
However, a recent leaked email
from the head of analysis at the
IFS reveals that the think tank is
reconsidering its stance, having
found out that key parameters of
what the government is proposing
have changed, but this has not been
made clear in any of their papers.
Aaron Porter, president of the
National Union of Students, was
quick to respond to the news,
arguing that the governments
plans were based on a dodgy
dossier.
The numbers do not add up
and ministers claims that their
policy will be fair for students, or
good for taxpayers, lie in tatters,
he said.
Fife Council may restrict HMO
licences awarded to landlords
Matthew Steele
FIFE COUNCIL has discussed
legislation that would limit the
number of HMO licences awarded
to landlords throughout the
county.
HMO (House in Multiple
Occupation) licences are needed
for fats and houses wherein three
or more of the occupants have no
familial relation.
Siena Parker, Director of
Representation, believes that if
this piece of legislation is passed
into law, there would be drastic
effects on students requiring
accommodation in St Andrews.
She said, the demand for
private housing will never go down
whilst student numbers remain the
same...you only have to look at the
queues that form outside estate
agents before the lists are released
to understand that the demand is
there.
Capping the quantity of
licences would restrict students
from a number of viable housing
possibilities, meaning it could
become even more diffcult to fnd
accommodation to live in.
Parker mentioned that
unregistered illegal landlords
could be another danger associated
with extremely high demand
for property. With unregulated
landlords, Parker says, the
(the Private Renting Housing
(Scotland) bill) currently going
through Parliament which would
increase fnes against unregistered
landlords and increase HMO
licence offences from 20,000 to
a maximum of 50,000. This is
to incentivise legality and safety
within the housing market.
Parker believes these are
positive measures and should
help clamp down on the bad
practises which still happen in St
Andrews.
Overall, Parker adamantly
believes that, to restrict the
number of HMOs in St Andrews
would be potentially dangerous.
Researchers develop a chemical allowing them to see diseases progress
SCIENTISTS AT the University of
St Andrews have made a discovery
which could signifcantly advance
the study of Alzheimers disease.
Working as part of an
international team with funding
from the Alzheimers Research
Trust, they have identifed a way
of examining the specifc enzyme
involved in the development of
the disease.
The new knowledge has been
welcomed by support charities and
could enable scientists to develop a
new drug which could potentially
halt the progress of the disease.
The breakthrough involves
viewing the amyloid-binding
alcohol dehydrogenase (ABAD)
enzyme through a microscope,
using a fuorescent tracking
chemical.
This enzyme is designed to help
the brain cells produce energy.
However in people suffering from
Alzheimers this action is hindered
by the toxic protein amyloid, which
binds to the enzyme and stops it
from functioning properly.
The fourescent tracking
chemical that the team have
developed allows scientists to see
this protein binding process under
a microscope for the frst time.
Kirsty Muirhead, a PhD student
at the University of St Andrews is
being funded with an 84, 743 grant
from the Alzheimers Research
Trust to work with the chemical
to study the disease. She has been
working with scientists around the
world in its development.
Muirhead, explains, We are
now able to study the effect of
amyloid on the ABAD enzyme in
living cells rather than in protein
made in a laboratory.
The research we have done has
created another tool that scientists
can use in the laboratory, to assist
with trying to develop drugs that
could stop the interaction between
ABAD and amyloid.
She goes further to say that Our
ultimate aim is to stop amyloid
binding onto ABAD, which will
allow the enzyme to do its job,
but before we can do that, we
have to be able to measure what is
happening inside the cell. This is
the frst time it has been possible to
see the interaction between living
cells.
Alzheimers is a degenerative
and non-curable disease which
affects around 26.6 million sufferers
worldwide, principally those over
65, and is predicted to affect 1 in 85
people globally by 2050.
In its later stages its typical
symptoms can include mood
swings, language breakdown
and long-term memory loss.
The decline of senses and bodily
functions eventually leads to the
death of the sufferer.
Alzheimers disease is also the
most common cause of dementia.
4,000 people in Fife alone suffer
from dementia.
On the possibility of developing
a drug to stop the advance of
Alzheimers, Muirhead says,
Making new drugs is a very long
process and there is no easy way to
predict when a breakthrough will
come.
However, this project has
been an example of collaboration
between scientists with different
areas of expertise from both the
UK and the USA, and this allows
the research to be seen from many
different perspectives, which opens
up to give new ideas.
Muirhead says that she chose
to work on the project because she
wanted to do something that was
going to have a beneft for people.
She continues to say that she is very
excited about the progress made by
the chemical developmnent.
Her supervisor, Dr Frank Gunn-
Moore, a neurobiologist in the
School of Biology, says, this work
marks an important development
for us, and has partly been made
possible because scientists from
different felds have come together
to share their knowledge. Indeed,
this has been a team effort from
ourselves here in St Andrews and
Kirstys co-superivsor Dr Stuart
Conway at the Univeristy of
Oxford.
The Alzheimers Research Trust
was founded in 1992 and is the
UKs leading dementia research
charity. They have described the
development as an exciting step
forward for dementia research.
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6 News The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
SCIENTISTS FROM the
University of Aberdeen form
part of an international team
that has made a remarkable
discovery from studying DNA
samples of sharks caught in the
Mediterranean in recent years.
Although it may seem
unlikely, the Mediterranean is
actually home to some great
white sharks.
The research, published in
Proceedings of the Royal Society
B last week, reveals that the
Mediterranean great whites are
all descended from an extended
family, which most likely
included pregnant females, that
fell victim to a navigational
error while migrating between
Australia and Africa some half a
million years ago.
Any sharks born in the new
area would have been reluctant
to leave since, like salmon, great
whites return to their place of
birth to breed. SM.
London School
of Economics
LSE STUDENTS have continued
to vent anger over the
governments proposed tuition
fee hike and cuts to the higher
education budget.
A group of student activists,
including representatives of
the National Union of Students
(NUS) National Executive
Committee, protested a public
lecture by Energy and Climate
Change Secretary Chris Huhne.
Students were angered by the
Liberal Democrat MPs apparent
abandonment of an NUS-
sponsored pledge to scrap tuition
fees, which he had signed while
his party was in opposition.
The ministers lecture
addressed the governments
plans to grow the economy in
an environmentally sustainable
way. SM.
University of
Aberdeen
BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY
has dispatched a team of
ornithologists to South Africa to
try and reduce the numbers of
rare birds killed by fying into
power lines.
Every year 12 per cent of
South Africas blue cranes, the
countrys national bird, are killed
in these accidents.
The Birmingham scientists
have discovered that the birds
felds of vision are naturally
directed toward the ground
during fight, which is why
the current popular method of
warning the birds by hanging
objects from power lines is not
working. SM.
Birmingham
University
Mutual Respect and Dialogue for Palestine Society members show solidarity by protesting
Patrick OHare
Campus
Campus
to
A RESEARCH TEAM at the
University of St Andrews has
developed a material that could
make objects covered with it
invisible to the naked eye.
A team headed by Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research
Council (ESPRC) Career
Acceleration Fellow Dr Andrea
Di Falco have developed a fexible
meta-material that has the ability
to bounce light waves around a
particular object.
The meta-material works by
interrupting the fow of light and
channelling it around the material
at a microscopic level. By alerting
the fow of light particles, the
material makes the object appear
invisible to the naked eye.
Due to limits in manufacturing,
this development could not be
achieved until recently. The law of
optics dictates that light waves can
only be manipulated by objects that
are as large as their wavelengths.
Natural light however, has a very
short wavelength and as a result
traditional methods of production
could not produce materials small
enough.
The work of Dr Di Falcos
team has been able to address
this problem. Rather than creating
meta-materials on brittle silicon,
Christopher Jones
Invisibility cloaks may become reality
ON 16 NOVEMBER students
from the Mutual Respect and
Dialogue for Palestine (MRDP)
Society staged a protest outside the
library to highlight the situation of
Palestinian students.
The protest took place as
part of a Scotland-Wide Right to
Education Week. The students
stood blindfolded with Israeli
fags before open books, in a visual
demonstration of how the Israeli
state stops the Palestinians from
getting access to an education.
Some students held signs with
symbolic numbers such as 40,000
to represent the number of Gazan
school children who have been
denied a place at school this year.
Other signs read 1-2 hours: the
average daily checkpoint delay for
Al-Quds University students and
$7,888,133 USD: Cost of damage
to University Property by Israel.
Participating students also asked
for signatures for a petition urging
the University to divest from the
international transport services
company Veolia, which has been
involved in the occupation of the
West Bank.
MRDP Society members
continued their protests on
18 November by creating a
checkpoint for students wishing
to reach the library through the
passageway from Butts Wynd.
Students wishing to pass were
asked to show their ID cards in
an attempt to symbolize what
Students stage protest outside of library
Palestinian students face in order
to reach their universities.
The sight made a change from
the usual bake sales taking place
outside the library, but was
considerably less dramatic than
last year, when students occupied
Lower College Hall in response
to the Gaza massacre, urging the
University to cut ties with Israel.
Right to Education Week was
launched this summer after an in
initiative led by students at Bir
Zeit University aimed to raise
consciousness about the problems
such as harassment, checkpoints
and the threat of arrest, that
Palestinian students must face.
The action was co-ordinated
through Action Palestine Scotland,
and was repeated in Edinburgh
and Dundee. Other activities
through the week included a Skype
conference with the head of a
Palestinian University, a visit from
Palestinian students, and a talk
by Journalist Jody McIntyre and
former President of UCU Scotland
Terry Brotherstone.
A spokesperson for MDRP said
that they hoped this showed that
students here had not forgotten
about Palestine and that this would
kick start a more long-term link
between students in St Andrews
and in Palestine.
Another expressed
disappointment that the
University had quietly rescinded
on a commitment to launch a
scholarship scheme for students
from confict-zones.
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they have been able to create them
on far smaller polymer flms with
an elaborate new technique. By
freeing the meta-atoms from the
hard silicon surface and stacking
them together, the team has created
a self-standing membrane that
is much smaller and far more
fexible.
These nano-structures could
possibly be used in the feld of
optics. Dr Di Falco has suggested
to embed fexible meta-materials
in contact lenses, for example to
improve existing visual prostheses,
or even for ultra-compact devices
to project virtual reality directly in
the eye of the wearer.
Depending on the outcomes
of further developments, it may
also be possible to apply the thin
polymer flms to camera lenses.
This could allow for greater
resolution on photos by creating
more accurate lenses.
According to Dr Di Falco, other
possible uses could be in the feld
of energy harvesting to produce
improved solar cells or even in
the textile industry, as the fexible
meta-materials could be embedded
in clothing. There is virtually no
limit to the range of applicability
he says.
Dr Di Falco suggests that some
of the applications of the material,
such as energy harvesting, could
be commercially exploited in the
relatively close future in fve to ten
years.
The next step for the research
team is to achieve better control
over the material by designing and
fabricating devices that can control
light with increasing precision. Dr
Di Falco explains that this entails
controlling the meta-material as
it is bent, twisted or stretched,
stacking the material together to
create additional properties and
exploring fabrication techniques to
create larger pieces of material.
Dr Di Falco describes meta-
materials as being able to give is the
ultimate handle on manipulating
the behaviour of light.
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News 7 The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
In Focus
St Andrews students attend London demonstration
THIS WEEK The Saints Andreea
Nemes sits down with Colleen
Roberts, SRC member for
Sexualities and Gender, and Patrick
OHare, Leftsoc member, who both
attended the 10 November student
demonstrations in London to fnd
out about the event.
TS: How many people were at the
demonstration representing St
Andrews?
POH: Id say there were about 15
of us 7 of us took the bus and
there were some more people we
met up with down in London.
TS: What made you want to attend
the demonstration?
CR: Well really its that I just think
the budget cuts are just out of
control. Its an attack on education
and I value education. I dont want
to see it go that way.

POH: Well the fact that it
coincided with Reading Week I
just thought there was no reason
not to go. I went because I think a
fght back is still possible and its
not necessarily a done deal. There
can still be change if pressure is put
on the government and especially
on LibDem MPs. It really changes
the background of education for a
whole generation.
TS: What struck you most about
the demonstration?
CR: I found the commitment from
Scottish universities impressive,
in the sense that in theory these
decisions that are going to be
made in Westminster dont affect
Scotland. I also really liked how
creative all the students were with
their signs and costumes. At one
point an elderly lady approached
us to say how proud of us she
was.
POH: Also the support from the
public. We were all feeling pretty
rough after the bus journey down,
but all the car drivers, bus drivers
going past were all honking their
horns and waving in solidarity.
I think just the scale of it really
surprised the organizers. We
couldnt even see the rally because
we were so far back.
CR: Yeah, It was chock-a-block. I
was stood in Trafalgar Square not
even moving and I think they really
didnt expect that kind of scale. But
it was a really great atmosphere,
like a party in London people
dancing, there were bands, even a
choir singing about saving the arts.
There were people on top of the
bus stops as well.
TS: Were you anywhere near the
areas where it was a bit more
violent?
POH: No, we didnt even know it
was going on.
CR: We were oblivious, there
wasnt even talk of it. We had no
idea bcause we were all just having
a good time.
POH: I dont think it was a matter
of the radical students going
ahead while the more mainstream
students stayed back. What I think
it was, was that the people at the
head of the demo went to Tory
HQ because that was were the
momentum took them and those
further back and in the middle
didnt know what was going on.
A lot of people were talking about
them being professional anarchists
but the impression I got is that it
was a big mix of people just sort
of went through. And I think its
important to highlight there was
no violence towards people.
TS: What do you think the effect
of the demonstration is?
POH: You always get told students
are disinterested, apathetic, but
this shows were not.
CR: I think its going to worry the
LibDems. Its showing the British
public its important to invest in
education, but its also showing
LibDems we dont just rely on
them making policy for us, they
also rely on us.
To read the rest of the interview or
see more photos visit our website at:
www.thesaint-online.com
Digging up the past
The Saint delves back through the archives to see what was making
news in and around St Andrews in years gone by
Students picket the stairs leading to the University Senate room in order
to prevent the Senate from meeting in protest of the Senates inaction on
the question of 24 hour visiting in halls. The building had been locked in
anticipation of student protests. One student however, wedged herself in
the door after Senate members had entered and kept it open for protesters.
The BNP tries to recruit students in St Andrews by subtly inflitrating the
University library. Students fnd leafets hidden in books claiming the
Holocaust did not happen and that it was a plot orchestrated by the Allies
after the war to tarnish the name of Nazism. Students are also approached
at parties and invited to enroll in the organization.
Perverted crime is on the rise in Uni Hall, with a fasher and a thief of ladies
underwear both on the loose. The thief, termed the phantom knicker
nicker by students, struck during a power cut in Uni Hall one night. A
similar occurrence took place three years previously when a man who stole
various items of underwear from Uni Hall was caught and prosecuted.
A mystery donor generously forks out the 20,000 vitally needed to save the
Old Union Diner. The diner was closed the previous year following a security
review. The money, which was anonymously donated after a joing funding
appeal by the University and the Students Association, is to be used to pay
for the much needed refurbishment and updating of the interior of the diner.
1975
1985
2002
1993
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- JHR
8 Editorial The Saint Thursday 25 November 2O1O
Saint
The
IamiIy Tree
Rachel Hanretty
Editor
editor@thesaint-online.com
Elizabeth Hewitt
Deputy Editor
editor@thesaint-online.com
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News Editor
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Viewpoint Editor
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Features Editor
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Sports Editor
sports@thesaint-online.com
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Business Manager
business@thesaint-online.com
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Web Manager
web@thesaint-online.com
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Arts & Culture Editor
arts@thesaint-online.com
Celeste Melisande Sloman
Photography Chief
photography@thesaint-online.com
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Production Manager
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Iealures Sub-
Ldilors
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Susann LandefeId
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Ldilors
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Ldilors
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Weve had a changearound.
Our new contact details:
[section]@thesaint-online.com
www.thesaint-online.com
Arls Sub-
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Ross Dickie
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Lmma 'rien
Ruby Munson- Hirsl
YOU, the
students, are our
writers
YOU, the students,
are our
photographers
T
here is a blonde woman in pink
underwear on a bed. She is looking
seductively at me. She is holding a bottle in
her hand. The caption on the poster begins
While youre down there
It is hard to believe that this is a descrip-
tion of a recycling advert, displayed at the
Freshers Fayre. What has sex got to do with
recycling? Absolutely nothing, except that
the people who made this poster wanted to
make recycling memorable, risky, exciting,
DEVILS ADVOCATE: Should sex sell?
Yes No
EMMA HINDS SARAH WHALEY
F
or those of you who have yet to
browse the latest Dont Walk photo
shoot: prepare yourselves. And by that I
mean run yourself a cold shower or grab a
box of Kleenex because even my laptop gave
off steam when I stumbled upon this years
snapshots. While many may have been
taken aback by the lack of clothing, I found
myself rather impressed that the models
had, quite literally, gone all out.
Now, you could attack me with the old
destructive infuence of media argument
and I could toss freedom of expression into
the mix and we could go on for hours about
the pros and cons of a hint of nipple. The
fact is: sex is out there and it wont be going
away any time soon.
And frankly, why the heck should it? Af-
ter all, sex and nudity is a fundamental part
of human nature, much like sleeping or eat-
ing. I dont know about you but I dont feel
particularly naughty eyeing up a sandwich
(although Baguette Express may present a
few phallic hurdles for the weak among us).
Weve all got Part A or Part B and the
lucky ones have seen each others. Nobody
ficks through a Victorias Secret catalogue
and thinks they didnt see that coming.
Im not claiming nudity is acceptable
everywhere- a Little Miss Bare-Arsed chil-
drens book does seem mildly inappropriate.
But in a University environment, where we
are all consenting adults and sex is often just
the consequence of a round of jaegerbombs
in the Lizard, it hardly seems scandalous to
shed the layers.
Dont Walk arent the only ones who
seem to agree. The AU fashed us some
raunchy images in their recent Get Your
and sexy. But what is so memorable about a
sexy advert these days?
It is apparently the infrequency of torture
is what makes it truly unbearable, it is hu-
man nature to adapt to anything eventually.
Its true of working in chocolate shops, and
its true of sex. Why else is it that we can
walk past giant billboards of scantily clad
models and not even register the branding?
We are so exposed to sexually explicit
and suggestive advertising that what was
once taboo is now almost utterly ineffective.
We are so desensitised so that when we see
adverts such as the Dont Walk or the recy-
cling adverts, we do not think Im going
to recycle now, that will make me sexy! (I
cant speak for everyone there.)
In fact, a common response is distaste.
Not because the viewer necessarily thinks
sex shouldnt be used in advertising, but
because it is so crudely obvious that the
advertisers are trying to sell their product
with sex, that it becomes almost insulting.
Are we that easily manipulated? Does the
amount of sex in our advertising just make
us look like witless animals utterly driven
by desire?
Doing the recycling will not make me
thinner, blonder, and magically more com-
pellingly proportioned. It shouldnt either.
When did we lose faith in ourselves so
entirely, that we believed the promise of sex
would sell recycling more effectively than
the promise of a healthier environment?
When we ask if sex should sell, we are
really asking what kind of treatment we
deserve as buyers.
I guess the question is, do we deserve
more respect?
Heart Racing ad campaign, not to mention
the various sporting teams who braved
the cold to bring us festive nude calendars
and we all got a brand new gym for their
efforts. Cheers guys.
It seems there is an exhibitionist in all of
us and those with the confdence to strip
down should be applauded for their hon-
esty. So I salute Dont Walk and the models
who dared to bare; as does my fatmate
who has one of you as a screensaver...
or
Viewpoint
Editor: Hillevi Gustafson Email: viewpoint@thesaint-online.com
Inside Viewpoint:
LUCY KEEN tackles the
student protests
p10
YES...BOOBS!.
- JHR
SHould Sex Sell? W
ell yeaH, duH.
PeoPle like Sex. W
Hy not uSe it to Sell Stuff?
duH.
- BJRn PeRSSon
i SuPPoSe tHeRe iS notHing neceSSaRily W
Rong aBout it, But it JuSt
getS a little RidiculouS WHen it iS uSed in an oBviouS Way, and foR
mundane PRoductS, like tootHPaSte oR toilet PaPeR.
- Hillevi guStafSon
no
- al Bell
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10 Viewpoint
The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
Student Protest Woes
LUCY KEEN laments the missed opportunity for constructive discourse
F
uck this, Im moving to Scot-
land, one students placard
read during last weeks protests.
Frankly, I do not blame them.
I have never had 9,000 in the
bank to spend and neither have
my parents, never mind having it
every year for four years. I cannot
begin to describe how glad I am
that I will not be that person. The
person whose university experi-
ence, which should be flled with
the carefree pursuit of interesting
things, will either not happen, or
will fnancially haunt them for the
rest of their lives.
So how do we deal with this
depressing prospect? The immi-
nent introduction of extortionist
fees, imposed by a government
we probably didnt vote for any-
way. And what do we do? We
- the educated, passionate students
of 2010? We burn an effgy of the
Prime Ministers face. We smash in
windows and the roof and scream
for joy while doing it (watch the
videos). At least, 2000 of us did,
anyway.
With protests, it is important to
look at two things; the message it
carries and the legacy it leaves. For
these protests, we started with all
the right ingredients. The message
was wonderful: education is for
learning, not for proft. The mass
of 50,000 was encouraging. The
country backed us - nobody wants
to be paying more money for any-
thing. All parents want their kids
to become degree-holding beacons
of hope.
Unfortunately, the protests did
not adequately promote this im-
age. All it did was reiterate the
stereotype of students being rash,
careless people. A stereotype that
we try so hard to avoid, and which
does not truly refect the message
of the majority of the demonstra-
tors.
The violence took away from
the message, which was peaceful,
commented Siena Parker, Director
of Representation for the Students
Association. Yes, it got press atten-
tion, but for all the wrong reasons.
It was a small minority that were
violent, but a signifcant one.
That small minority pushed
the other 48,000 peaceful demon-
strators into the margins - into the
inferior clause of the newspaper
article that briefy mentions the
number of people that took to the
streets of London that day. This
minority became the majority. The
old guy holding a placard reading
I will fght for my Grandson got
one sad photograph at the end of
an online newspaper slideshow, as
if to say, it wasnt all bad. That
was its legacy, it is sad to say; one
Granddad, a few thousand cami-
clad lefties and a shaken, but not
shocked cabinet.
I suppose its easy for me to crit-
icise as I cannot truly feel the an-
ger and frustration that drove such
acts of violence, while I sit here in
St Andrews fairly safe from harm.
But what is clear is that those 2000
people participating in the violence
at Milibank shot down the public
view of it instantly, even though
they had all the right components
to make a difference.
Its straight forward: violence is
unjustifable when we live in a de-
mocracy which gives us the right
to peaceful protest. There is just no
point. I accept that violent action
was used as a tool to tackle the so-
cial obstacles faced in the past and
so helped create the liberated so-
ciety that we live in today. But the
point is that we do live in that free
society now.
Call me a dreaming optimist,
call me whatever youd like, but
I would rather that social change
was brought about by powerful
words, and the one voice of the
masses, than a few people van-
dalizing buildings, which wont
achieve anything.
We have moved past the days of
requiring violence to bring about
true change in our society. It is time
to move on. All we can do now is
start again. Take a step back from
the legacy of the protests and make
the case that paying more is funda-
mentally damaging for education,
and for coming generations of stu-
dents (which of course it is).
Then maybe, just maybe, well
achieve our goal.
Te views expressed in Viewpoint do not represent the views of Te Saint, but are individual opinions.
More than rubber stamps
BESS RHODES proclaims the truth about degrees
I
have a confession to make. I
dont think degrees are the most
important aspect of university.
This may sound a slightly
strange thing for a Ph.D. student
to proclaim. After all Ive spent the
past six years studying for vari-
ous degrees. Its this experience,
though, that has convinced me
that a degree (whether it be M.A.,
M.Litt. or even, Ph.D.) is ultimately
a posh piece of paper with a fancy
hologram. Its a nice thing to have,
a bit like holiday souvenirs, or the
baby book my Mum kept record-
ing Besss frst words, but it is not
the be all and end all of your stu-
dent career.
Sadly this wisdom does not ap-
pear to have been revealed to nu-
merous politicians, policy makers
and media commentators - many
of whom appear to equate univer-
sity education with the acquisition
of qualifcations, and qualifcations
with the ability to get a good job.
Lord Browne, when questioned
about the expense of attending uni-
versity, remarked that students
dont just look at debt, but at the
prize at the end as well, which is
signifcant earning potential. This
attitude is refected in the review
that he chaired, which declared
that: A degree is of beneft both to
the holder, through higher levels of
social contribution and higher life-
time earnings, and to the nation,
through higher economic growth
rates.
There you go. Thats surely
what you went to university for
to improve the nations eco-
nomic growth rates! For some
people today a university educa-
tion seems to be a commodity that
can be bought, sold, packaged and
quantifed, just like oil, oranges or
ugg boots. The current debate on
university funding appears to be
substantially conducted by people
who know the price of everything
and the value of nothing. That is
a tragedy for them, but we must
fght to ensure that they do not
turn their lack of imagination into
a catastrophe for our universities.
A university education is far
more than just a short-cut to a
house, a car, a decent job and a
labrador. It is a four year jour-
ney in the pursuit of knowledge
(whether that be knowledge of art
history, physics, or the best St An-
drews hostelries). What is more, it
is a journey where the traveling is
more important than the destina-
tion. You dont believe me? What
do you think you will value more
in ten years time, the memories
of Raisin Weekend, of late-night
conversations with your friends,
of the lecture that really was inspi-
rational, or the transcript of your
module results? Learning, and the
love of learning, is what universi-
ties are about. They are not, and
should not be, simply an extended
test-centre for graduate placement
schemes.
The quest for knowledge is
much more important than money
or exams. The former can give you
access to places of learning, the
latter can test what youve learnt,
but neither are meaningful ends
in and of themselves. Money can
be lost, success in exams does not
necessarily translate into success
in life. Ultimately learning is what
lasts. We remember Socrates and
his search for truth when the eco-
nomic empire of ffth-century Ath-
ens is long-gone. Universities are
such wonderful, astonishing, and
fun places because they are whole
institutions devoted to that search,
whole organizations dedicated to
fnding out more about the incred-
ible world that we all inhabit.
Degrees are a rubber stamp on
one stage of that search. They are
convenient things to pick up along
the way, but theyre not the pur-
pose of universities, just as going
through passport control isnt the
point of your holiday. Attending
university is an amazing oppor-
tunity to learn about life, perhaps
to learn about love, and certainly
to learn a lot about your academic
discipline. So, enjoy the journey!
Even work for that degree if you
want, but, please, please, dont
ever think that the piece of paper
with the principals signature is
what really matters.
ConDem caused these actions!
By: Peter Herron
Write for Viewpoint
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in the world?
Want to get your voice heard?
Join Viewpoint today!
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J.H. RAMSAY on the necessity of a university degree
The False Standard
J
ay Gatsby stands as a myth. Not
an ideal, not a model, but a fable.
Likewise, Ayn Rands Howard
Roark, or Kurt Vonneguts Kilgore
Trout have come to occupy similar
positions.
The uneducated man, the un-
documented, uncertifed, self-
made capitalist is an idea, a hope,
lost somewhere in our past. Mod-
ern youth is held to a strict stan-
dard, chained to an exaggerated
expectation. I speak, of course, of
the university education.
Its diffcult, if not impossible, to
become someone without a verify-
ing document from a higher educa-
tion institution. This is a fact of our
age. Few people will take someone
seriously in the professional world
without the one specifc criterion
of an undergraduate degree. I want
us to wonder something. I want us
to consider one explicit question. Is
everyone cut out for university?
Ill make a quick claim. I dont
think I should be in university. I
dont think its a place I need, or
a place that necessarily needs me.
This is a personal statement made
after long, hard thought. I rarely
feel that I learn anything from my
studies pertinent to the life I intend
to lead. And now, to follow my
confdent claim, I will pose a hy-
pothesis. I do not think I am alone.
I think there are other people, oth-
er students, members of my gen-
eration, who are not suitable for a
university education. This is not to
say we are below, or unworthy, of
a university. And neither do I claim
that we are above a university. We
are other. We are outside. We do
not compare.
Bill Gates. Steve Jobs. Mark
Zuckerberg. These are our Gats-
bys, our Roarks and Trouts. Each
dispensed of a university degree,
saw clearly its invalidity, or per-
haps simply its irrelevance. The
wealthiest men in our world have
seen the sheer inapplicability of
their chains. They opened their
eyes, shunned the shadows, and
walked out of Platos cave. So why
are there so few of these confdent
capitalists? Do we all need our de-
gree that much? Is it really leading
us, infallibly, in the right direction?
And how can we tell?
Inevitably, it all comes down
to questioning ones self. Deter-
mining conviction, then weighing
that determined conviction against
chance, environment, and other
conficting, unpredictable oppo-
nents. Our generation is what it is,
and it survives in conditions which
cannot be altered. A higher educa-
tion degree, while not a sure thing,
does provide a certain amount of
fnancial safety for ones life. It is,
almost always, the logical choice.
Statistics back it up.
A recent analysis reported that
the University of St Andrews, for
every pound invested, earned the
United Kingdom economy 7.50
back. But I still want to confront it
head on, numbers, studies, and all.
I want to challenge our school on a
purely defnitional level.
What is an undergraduate uni-
versity education? Today it is inter-
preted as a magical, highly trusted,
and transforming power. A portal
through which one emerges, four
years later, a changed, new, im-
proved individual. When I think
about that, I imagine a Pokemon
evolving into its next stage. Maybe
Pikachu morphing into Raichu,
or Squirtle becoming Wartortle,
through the divine power of a
rock.
But, of course, this isnt anime,
we live in a real world. Transfor-
mation doesnt necessarily happen
through any one standard experi-
ence. There is no guarantee for
growth. There is no standard for
growth.
A university can certainly be a
greenhouse for individuals to de-
velop. In fact, it is even likely to be.
But we are terribly mistaken if we
choose to believe that it is a neces-
sary experience for success, or an
impeccable yardstick for achieve-
ment.
I will now confess a faw in my
confdence. I will not drop out of
the University of St Andrews. I will
fnish my next two years and earn
an undergraduate degree. I choose
this path despite my belief that
I have little left to learn from this
institution.
My motivation is the follow-
ing: doubt in my entrepreneurial
abilities, and desire for a specifc
job that I know requires a signed
slip of paper from a school. But I
encourage you, reader, to consider
my words.
Do you really need this place?
Welcome to St Andrews
NICK CASSELA wants to part-ay
S
t Andrews students, pat your-
selves on the back. Sure, we
may have lost in the second round
of the University Challenge. Sure,
we may not be as highly ranked as
Oxford and Cambridge and sure,
we may have no clubs that stay
open past three in the morning
but boy can we party with Man-
chester City players.
As The Scottish Sun reported on
the 27th of October, Shay Given,
Gareth Barry, Joe Hart and Adam
Johnson liquored it up with St An-
drews students during a golf trip
of theirs.
They attended the Lizard, where
they bought drinks all around and
danced away to those classic tunes
that only the Lizard can pump.
Dodes Page, a frst year eyewit-
ness to the events, said that when
he was chanting England! in the
club, the bouncer began to drag
him out for being too rowdy, when
Joe Hart stepped in, grabbed the
bouncer on the shoulder and said
No mate, hes with me. A true
team player, Mr. Hart.
The excitement of the evening
did not end there though, as the
players travelled back to a house
party where Gareth Barry threw
in an inspirational speech for the
night that surely rivals that of
Braveheart:
Weve come a long way. Its
been windy. Its been raining. Were
in St. Andrews. Lets party!
They then went on to straw-
pedo with style, though Joe Hart
had never heard of the concept and
when the race began, he began to
sip from the straw furiously. Some
university students had to step in
and tell the English goalkeeper
how to straw-pedo much to his
embarrassment.
It was not a night those univer-
sity students, nor those Manchester
City players will ever forget, albeit
for different reasons.
Roberto Mancini, their manag-
er, publicly came out denouncing
their St. Andrews night, stating I
do not understand players drink-
ing until they are drunk
He in fact went onto say that
hed rather have his players wom-
anise than have a night out on the
drink, which in the light of Wayne
Rooneys current issues is interest-
ing advice.
It will be telling to see if his
players now put down the booze
and instead solely pursue women.
A thinking man might even say
they could achieve both at the
same time!
At the end of the day however,
St. Andrews should not be con-
cerned about how the national me-
dia or the manager of Manchester
City portrays that night. As far as
Im concerned, Im proud of the
fact that we as a community were
able to show such fne lads a good
night out.
Its not everyday St. Andrews
is shown as a hedonistic, partying
university and so lets embrace that
image for the ficker of a second
we can hold onto it. Who knows,
maybe this even made students in
Oxford and Cambridge a little bit
jealous they werent here.
So I close by offering any other
Premier League clubs and their
players to come up to St. Andrews
for a golf trip, and subsequently,
a night out with us students. Well
show you a good time flled with
intense straw-pedo races, wind
and rain and of course, partying.
The invitation is there. Im look-
ing at you Steven Gerrard.
The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010 Viewpoint 11
The Shibboleth
N
ews travels fast in this
town. I doubt there are
many students who have yet
to hear about the article on
the Telegraphs website titled
Kate Middleton is a typical St
Andrews girl and the ensuing
Facebook-based outrage.
For those who are in the dark,
the article basically makes highly
generalized statements about
the women, or girls, at this
university. Apparently women
come to this school come from
uniformly upper middle class
families and hope to get a fancy
wedding out of it.
Now I am a student here and
a woman at that, yet I dont bear
any resemblance to the type of
student the author describes.
Neither do most of my female
friends. The author seems to
have little knowledge of or
interest in reality.
Sadly, our university is not
doing a good job to represent
us, the student body, or the
institution. The press statement
issued in relation to the
announcement of the royal
engagement was appalling
The spokesperson pointed
out that St Andrews is a special
place - one in 10 of our students
meet their future partner
here, and our title as Britains
top matchmaking university
signifes so much that is good
about this community.
This just reinforces the
articles statements about girls
coming to this university only
to get married off to some rich,
potentially royal, pure-blooded
male. It is disgusting
Personally, I came here
for their great reputation for
studying International Relations
- I wasnt aware that my degree
came with a husband.
I am not saying that there
arent women here that are
exactly like what the article
describes, and I cant comment
on whether or not Kate
Middleton belongs to that group
- I dont know her. However, that
is true for Oxbridge and any of
the Ivy League school in the US.
The description of St Andrews
as a traditionalist country club
where boys come for degrees
and girls come to pick up their
very own Prince Charming is far
from reality.
The truth is that this
university has a diverse student
body with people from many
different backgrounds. And
also, we do actually study here
- the academic requirements
to get in are on par with
Oxford and Harvard. In my
experience, women who attend
this university are intelligent,
individual and motivated. Sadly,
that is not what we are known
for.
We all have to endure a
certain degree of stereotyping
from the moment we applied to
this university. Personally, I got a
lot of questions along the lines of
So you must really love to golf
then? or Ah I see, hoping to
run into Prince William?. Tell
someone that you attend the
University of St Andrews and
they immediately think you are
a snob.
Right before I arrived here as
a fresher I was sure that I would
never ft in. I wasnt from a rich
family, didnt attend some posh
school and I didnt own a pair
of UGGs. Much to my relief I
wasnt alone.
However, these stereotypes
dont just come from outside
of our little Bubble though. We
all do it, everyday. History of
art students are yahs, every
american studies IR and so on.
Stereotypes are earned and
St Andrews probably has a
higher share of students from
high-income families than other
schools. However, when those
stereotypes become what this
University is most known as it is
a bad thing.
This university offers far more
than top matchmaking and royal
romances. Being a student at the
University of St Andrews is great,
but not for any of the reasons
highlighted in that article. There
are wonderful students here, we
have amazing lecturers and a
unique community.
The University should make
an effort to represent all students
part of our community. Talking
about typical St Andrews girls
and putting top matchmaking
university on their CV detracts
from all that this university
really is.
You would think that the
spokesperson would be aware
of the implicationsof such
statements. I dont think Im
alone in being tired of the
overemphasis on fnding your
lifelong partner here. Just
thinking back to my welcome
address by Dr Richardson
makes me cringe.
The University of St
Andrews will soon celebrate
600 years. This place has seen
many changes during the past
six centuries. It has become a
top range school, renowned for
research and academics, and
the home to a range of bright
students.
I hope that this wont be
eclipsed for the next year by the
fact that Prince William found
his bride-to-be here.
BY HILLEVI GUSTAFSON
Our generation is what
it is, and it survives in
conditions which can-
not be altered
12 Viewpoint
The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
JACK BUNBURRY is a bad person for writing this
No one will ever love me
M
y girlfriend does not want me
to write this. She also wants
me to put the vodka back in the
freezer and take her out to dinner.
Neither of these things are going to
happen. This is because shes quite
small and very Scottish and due to
both these factors is accustomed to
being denied independence by a
more forceful governing body. But
I digress. Supposedly the writing
of these sentiments isnt very ro-
mantic. However, I dont write to
be romantic. I write to tell the truth
and the sad truth is this: relation-
ships are competitions and the per-
son winning is the one that likes
the other person less.
Most of you are not going to
agree with me, and thats because
youre deluding yourselves. Wake
up and smell the roses. Not every-
thing to do with relationships is
like springtime and bunny rabbits.
Normally just the sex is, and even
that usually smells a bit of sweat
and shame. Those of you who al-
ready agree with me dont need to
be told to wake up and smell any-
thing. Just grin and bear the morn-
ing breath of your signifcant other
and remember to take your anti-
depressants.
Once you become honest with
yourselves, youll come to see the
reality of how much of relation-
ships is simply a battle for con-
trol. The only people who need
this explained to them are those
who havent had enough experi-
ence in relationships to know what
Im talking about. Let me break it
down for you. The happiness of
your relationships is, inherently,
determined by how much control
you have. When you like the oth-
er person less than they like you,
youre in control.
Take, for instance, the guy whos
so whipped he might as well have
just told everyone at an Indiana
Jones convention that The Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull was the best flm
ever. Everyone has met at least one
incarnation of this guy. The kind
who is so enamoured with his girl-
friend that she could ask him to lie
down in the middle of the road and
his only request would be a couple
of minutes to change his tampon
before doing it. This man has, in
addition to losing his testicles, lost
in his relationship.
Hes completely out of control.
Hes revealed how much he cares
about his girlfriend and in doing
so may as well have handed her
a license to treat him like a fresher
on raisin weekend. Its obvious
her leaving would devastate him
more, so she can act with impunity.
This law, like syphilis, knows no
gender. Anyone who reveals how
much of their happiness is depen-
dant on their partner may as well
have asked a drunk person to par-
allel park a car covered in razor
blades and emo poetry inside their
proverbial heart. Think of it like a
nuclear arms race where mutual
destruction is ensured, except you
can just move to a new, better look-
ing country and start a new arms
race whenever you want.
Some of you are thinking that
arguing this gives complete justif-
cation to do nothing but play point-
less games in relationships. Those
people are kidding themselves that
any relationship is ever anything
other than a game. Stop pretending
that your true love for one another
is anything other than a meaning-
less game that youve both become
overly invested in. You arent both
going to magically decide that
the other person is worth lavish-
ing time and affection onto just
because you happen to share the
same taste in terrible pop mu-
sic and playing with each others
naughty bits. Give up on the myth
that your investment into your re-
lationship has to be heartfelt. Love
is not a game of poker. At no point
is someone going to call your bluff
and say youre not actually in love
with the girl. Lets be honest, half
of you are only using that phrase
to convince a laughably nave JSA
to drop her panties. If you can do it
without actually having to mean it,
youre still in control.
Since youve been so good for
actually reading this ridiculous
polemic piece printed in a comi-
cally outdated medium, Ill tell
you a secret: You actually have to
have some emotions to bother get-
ting into a relationship with some-
one to begin with. This makes you
vulnerable only because it will
inherently have to matter to you
whether they return this emotion.
Just remember, they never have to
know or feel like youve taken any
risk as to whether theyll care for
you back. At the end of the day,
you just have to be able to pre-
tend youre putting something in.
If they think you can walk away
from them at any moment, so more
the better. It doesnt matter if you
overtly caring about them would
make them happy. They only have
to think it would enough to con-
tinue trying to convince you to by
doting on you. It isnt about their
happiness. Its about yours.
So go ahead, live like a border-
line sociopath if you can. Put in
as little as possible and get out as
much as you can. Its the only way
to win.
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St Andrews
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Whats your your viewpoint?
Comment on any of this weeks articles at www.thesaint-online.com
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Features
Editor: Nina Zietman Email: features@thesaint-omline.com
Inside Features:
Ever wondered where you can
get the best sushi in town...?
p15
WE HAVE all seen them- they tot-
ter down Market Street, their tiny
limbs threatening to collapse under
the combined weight of their Rus-
sian fur hats and designer coffee
cups . These impossibly beautiful,
perpetually well-groomed women
leave the rest of us crawling in our
pyjamas to our 9am lectures in the
shade of their slender shadows.
Even worse, at the gym they glide
effortlessly over the treadmill while
the rest of us sweat like a Democrat
in the Mid-Term Election. However,
in a town in which the students and
the pubs seem to rival each other for
population density, we need to ask;
just how easy is it to lead a healthy
lifestyle in St Andrews?
The frst defence in the fght
against the fab is Hall food, one
of the frst things Freshers will be
greeted by, along with overwhelm-
ing alcohol fumes and a completely
stressed out Hall Warden. Getting
students started on a healthy eat-
ing plan seems to be a top prior-
ity, especially for New Hall which
has Awareness Weeks where they
try different initiatives, such as not
serving fast food. However, wheth-
er this actually encourages healthy
eating is hotly contested by former
resident, Lucy Gallard, My experi-
ence of student hall dining has not
been particularly good. At New
Hall I came to expect anything os-
tensibly healthy to have roughly
the same taste and texture as dried
turf. At least for this resident,
healthy was certainly not associ-
ated with vitality, arguably setting
students off on a path of bad eating
habits right from the very begin-
ning. The healthy option, in fact,
seems to invite the unhealthy al-
ternative- venturing into town for
kebab that dribbles fat almost as
much as you drool when you see it.
These sentiments are echoed by Pe-
ter Menzel, a Fourth-Year student
in Andrew Melville Hall, Living
in Melville, it is easy to eat health-
ily - in fact, the focus on health over
favour often gets frustrating! Yet
again, university accommodation
is criticised for not making healthy
eating enticing enough for the stu-
dent populace. Peter goes on to
add that the fsh and chips are
what he still looks forward to the
most on the menu, a tell-tale sign
that students in halls are not be-
ing weaned off their addiction to
fast food. Instead, it becomes more
of a focus and a guilty pleasure
thanks to hall food policy. Never-
theless, Peter does add that for
the many people who are more
health-conscious than me, there
are salads and fruit juices available
at all meals. So, healthy eating in
halls may not be the most appetis-
ing option on the menu, but it is
still available if you are determined
enough- or have a bovine fondness
for dried turf, apparently.
It does not matter if you are
still traumatised by painful high
school gym memories of you jig-
gling across the fnish line, exercise
is an undeniable part of a healthy
lifestyle. St Andrews own gym has
seen a series of renovations in the
last year, and the all inclusive 100
allows you free entry to many exer-
cise classes. Plus, staff and students
now have the opportunity to sati-
ate their couch potato needs and
(continued on page 14)
MELISSA STEEL comments on the experience of healthy student living in St. Andrews
Can a
student lifestyle
be healthy?
14 Features The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
My turn to spill the tea...
(continued from page 13)
watch the television at the same
time as they run. The plethora of
sports societies add more variety
still.
Greta Scott-Larsen joined the
Womens Shinty team in her frst
year because she wanted to main-
tain some form of regular exercise
so I didnt just melt into a glutton-
ous blob in front of the telly with a
poke of chips in one hand and a can
of lager in the other. She praises
how they have a lot of patience for
those who are not naturally adept
at it and the fact the Shinty girls
are an incredibly close team, forev-
er popping in and out of each oth-
ers houses for a cup of tea or a nip
of something stronger. The Shinty
team is known for working hard-
but playing even harder. I now
fnd myself part of a group of peo-
ple who party like its 1999, says
Greta. The next Shinty nightout
includes, rather worryingly, hay-
stacks and Wurzels-inspired out-
fts- one can only presume the cider
will be well and truly fowing.
Even in exercise in St Andrews,
there still seems to be the tempta-
tion, or outright encouragement, to
indulge in excess within the sport-
ing communities. Peter is captain
of the archery squad and notes
after our Sunday morning ses-
sions, we normally go to a pub for
a full breakfast, which defnitely
isnt healthy. These treats may be
a hard-earned reward, but as part
of a weekly routine, they certainly
still add up. It is easy to imagine
television food gurus laying out the
spread of the average sports teams
weekly intake of booze and fry-ups
and mentally fagellating them for
their sins.
Despite its small size, St An-
drews still has a selection of keep-
ft options outwith the Athletics
Union. One of the most recent ad-
ditions is Pole Fitness, a form of
pole dancing focussed on toning up
the women of the town. As part of
a Shinty taster session, Greta gave
it a spin and commented: It was
awesome if, like us, you are open
minded and willing to give any-
thing a go, but did highlight how
one ardent feminist in the group
was far from amused by the gyrat-
ing . Here we have another sports
option- as long as you do not mind
leaving your preconceptions at the
door (along with any long jogging
bottoms- they will affect how well
you cling to the pole...).
Real Military Fitness is another
programme new to the town, con-
sisting of a variety of high intensity
drills and the occasional Pier Jump.
Regular Rob Burgess comments
that within university organisa-
tions there was too much pres-
sure to go to all the sessions and all
the socials if you wanted to get to
know anybody. Thats the trouble
when its run by students. I started
doing Real Military Fitness which
was more intense and more profes-
sional, with people from the wider
community. It wasnt as cheap but
it was a lot more worthwhile.
Independent clubs provide an
alternative to the traditional uni-
versity sporting experience of early
practises and late night drinking
sessions, but do blow the budget in
another way- the cost of attending
itself.
The town can also act as a psy-
chological pressure cooker. Sitting
next to someone who looks like
the secret lovechild of Barbie and
Ken can make the best of us feel
insecure. Second Year Charlotte
Gregory says, everyone is ridicu-
lously good looking here. However
I like to think it is only because they
can afford decent clothes, make-up
and personal trainers. To be hon-
est, all the good looking girls look
so miserable as they tuck into their
salads. A brave comment, since
keeping ft seems to be part of the
St Andrews Girl ideal. Just look
at how many years Kate Middle-
ton hung on to Prince William for
- now that takes endurance.
Rob Burgess also thinks there is
pressure for men to look good, too,
There is always gossip and as soon
as something does change for the
worse people start to notice. Plus,
as theres nothing really social to
do in St. Andrews except go to the
pubs, youre very much expected to
be seen. Its all very paradoxical,
you are expected to be at your most
lithe and beautiful at the greatest
purveyor of fatty drinks and food
in town.
Keeping healthy in St Andrews
is all about fnding the right bal-
ance, and not just in your diet. Sure,
you can save money and calories by
staying in halls, but it depends on
whether you are willing to accept
the quality of food. Your bank bal-
ance can also take a bit of a beating
if you venture outside university-
run clubs. The pursuit of the Body
Beautiful can have as great an im-
pact on your mind as it does on
your body, too. It all boils down to
one fnal question: Just how much
are you willing to take in order to
lose weight?
SOMETIMES I THINK being clum-
sy must be a disease. Not a day
goes by when I dont spill some
sort of condiment down my top.
Apparently its called dyspraxia
and I could get a free laptop. Ex-
cept it costs 300 to be tested, and
I could just use that money to buy
a laptop in the frst place. No mat-
ter how hard I try, I cant help but
drop glasses as I empty the dish-
washer, or trip over my own feet
as I walk down the street. I once
spilt a glass of wine over a table-
cloth; the wine cost 30 a glass. Its
an embarrassing, messy disease of
the cack-handed that has plagued
me ever since I learnt to drop food
out of my high-chair aged three.
Which is why I empathise with
Nick Flynn. In 2006, this poor
man tripped over his shoelaces at
the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cam-
bridge, causing him to fall down a
fight of stairs, taking a set of 300-
year old Chinese vases with him.
The vases were some of the most
valuable items the museum owned;
it took two and half days for them
to pick up all the pieces. Imagine!
What would you do afterwards?
Supposedly poor Nick just kept
pointing at his shoelace as the cul-
prit. Maybe youd make a run for
it? But then theyd think you did it
on purpose, and itd turned into a
Da Vinci Code-style chase across
Europe. So probably not. The clum-
sy persons remedy is either; start
crying (if youre a girl) or point
at your shoelace (if youre a boy
or not a complete wuss like me).
One day, however, my clumsi-
ness quite literally got the better of
me. It was my last day as a fashion
intern at a magazine in London.
Id gotten up early to head into the
Big Topshop before work (trust me,
9am is the only time you should
be entering that shop). I sat bleary
eyed at the kitchen table with a
large cup of tea. One minute I was
sitting there, the next the freshly
brewed tea had spilt all over my
bare thigh. I jumped up, threw the
cup of the tea into the air and let out
a Psycho-style scream. My brother
didnt even bother to look up from
Top Gear. Needless to say, I spent
the next hour sitting in a cold bath
in my knickers and t-shirt, half
laughing, half crying, in an attempt
to ease the pain. To make matters
worse, I knew I had to go to work;
it was my last day. But before I left,
I read on Google that you should
wrap cling flm round a burn to pre-
vent infection. So thats what I did.
I have to say, it was great fun
whipping out my cling-flmed leg
to show the fashion department,
much to their disgust. They sent
me off to the Prada Press Offce
on my daily returns. As I walked
down Bond Street, the unthinkable
happened. The cling flm began to
slip off. I didnt want to yank it off
in front of Louis Vuitton. Instead, I
tried to surreptitiously pull it back
up my leg without anyone thinking
I was doing something indecent
with my skirt in the middle of the
street. By the time Id dropped my
return off at the Prada, I thought Id
gotten away with it. I stepped into
the glass lift to fnd I was wrong.
There was cling flm hanging out
of the bottom of my skirt. Shit, I
thought. Ive got cling flm hang-
ing off my leg and Im in Prada. I
hobbled, bandy legged, back to
the offce and ran straight to the
toilets. Never take medical advice
from Google, I thought to myself.
Whilst checking out the symp-
toms of clumsiness on Google, I also
learnt that apparently clumsiness is
linked to PMT. How can this possi-
bly be the case?! Only a man could
have written that. And have you
ever noticed how much Mr. Clumsy
from the Mr. Men looks exactly like
Hitler? Go check it out if you dont
believe me. Its uncanny. I wonder
if Roger Hargreaves was making a
sly satirical statement here. Perhaps
hes suggesting that Hitler was just
clumsy? That invading Poland oh,
it was all just an accident! The Na-
zis just tripped over the border into
Poland and oh, whoops! There goes
World War Two! Maybe thats the
reason why us spatially challenged
victims have got such a bad rep.
All I can ask of you is this.
Next time you see someone
with cling flm hanging out of
the bottom of their skirt, have
pity. They probably havent
learnt how to not spill tea yet.
P
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Features 15 The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book - Cicero, 60BC
QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT
The Japanese
Tradition
NINA ZIETMAN goes on a hunt for
the best sushi in St. Andrews
I think I have a sushi addiction. This fact is no joke. Ever since I tried to converse
with the Yo Sushi drinks robot aged 5, I have consumed more sushi than your
average native Japanese person. So, on coming to St. Andrews, I scoured the streets
high and low to fnd the perfect, affordable fshy fx. You would think, being a sea-
side town, that fresh fsh would be supplied in abundance. I had dreams of fresh
salmon sashimi fying out of restaurant doors, accompanied by a pair of wooden
chopsticks and a little plastic fsh-shaped container of soy sauce. To my disappoint-
ment, this was not exactly the case. Having sampled all the varieties this town has
to offer, Ive compared and rated each little sushi dish available in town....
Nahm Jim
The King of St. Andrews sushi. Having
recently featured on Gordon Ramseys
Best Restaurant, Nahm Jim has the best
sushi in town. Delicious fresh fsh pre-
sented beautifully, their sushi is varied,
and available to take-away. If its good
enough for Gordon, then its good enough
for me! Has to be said, a little pricey for
students. Platters range from 4 to 37.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Taste
Not just a coffee shop to sit and drink chai
lattes in whilst tip-tapping on your Mac
book, Taste has just introduced Mattaki
sushi, made by a man from Dundee who
works as a barista by day and sushi-chef
by night. The sushi is well-made with
good moist rice and a decent portion of
soya sauce on the side. Not the biggest
fan of tinned tuna however. 4 for six
pieces.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Morrisons
Morrisons own brand Ichiban sushi is
not disimilar to Tesco. Dry and stodgy,
there is not much here to appeal to the
appetite. In fact, if you can be bothered
to make the walk all the way out there,
youll probably fnd its been sitting in
that fridge cabinet for about two days
and is most defnitely not worth it. From
1.99 per dish.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Boots
I feel Boots is the best of the worst high-
street sushi. If youre looking for a cheap
option, then the Boots Meal Deal is
my top choice. Sushi, plus an Innocent
smoothie and Giant Chocolate Buttons -
all for 2.99, what more can you ask for! It
does have a tendency to fall apart as you
eat it, but they do use salmon and prawn
on top.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Tesco
I almost refuse to buy sushi from here,
just because it is Tesco. Granted they have
about fve different sushi boxes, and use
the odd bit of fresh fsh. However, the rice
is dry and their new king prawn avoca-
do rolls look like a massive slabs of con-
gealed rice covered in sesame. And taste
like it too. Range from 1-4 per dish.

Rating: 2 fsh out of 5
Butlers
If only Butlers sold their own sushi! Sad-
ly, they only sell the ingredients to make
your own. However, along with the rest of
their top quality food products, they have
sushi rice, wasabi and two different types
of pickled ginger. Plus a Sushi Guide to
help you roll those maki. Just head on
down the road to buy your fsh...
Rating: depends on your sushi skills!
Want to write for Features?
Email us at: features@thesaint-online.co.uk
SOME OF you may be thinking, Oh
no, not Jamie Oliver again and
in many ways, you are right. You
may not like what Jamie Oliver does,
you may be bored with his constant
attempts to save the world from
becoming one gigantic fast-food
rubbish dump. However, what he
is attempting to do is no bad thing.
Back in 2003, Jamie Oliver
launched his campaign, entitled
Jamies Schools Dinners, which re-
vealed the appalling quality of food
served in schools in the UK. The
governments responded by estab-
lishing the School Food Trust to help
educate children and young people
of health and most importantly to
improve the school dinners. Then
again in 2008, Jamie established an-
other campaign, Ministry of Food,
which attempted to get beginners
into the kitchen. A book and one
cooking school in Rotherham later,
Jamie is back again, and this time
hes aiming to conquer America.
His brand new initiative is
known as The Food Revolution,
which aims to change the way you
think about food. The movement is
not only supposed to change your
life, but also that of several thou-
sands in the US. It is a joint ven-
ture between the School Dinners
and the Ministry of Food project.
Its aim is to solve Americas food
related health issues, as well as
inspiring families to cook together
again. Similar to the School Din-
ner project, Americans can join the
Food Revolution by signing a peti-
tion, promising to keep the cooking
skills alive for the future of the next
generation and to improve school
dinners. By the 18th October 2010,
620,547 people have come on board.
Enough about Jamie Olivers
missions. I have my own little mis-
sion, writing this
article. I am al-
ways shocked
when I hear of
kids not know-
ing what they
are eating, not
knowing where
their food comes
from, nor how
it is grown. So,
my aim was, to
fnd out what
we know our-
selves. Most of
us are students,
generally on a
low budget and
always rushed
for time. Often
you hear that
eating unhealthy
processed food
is cheaper; and
when you are al-
ways busy, there
is not an awful
lot of time for cooking. I have there-
fore been asking a couple of people
some questions about their cooking
behaviour. With regard to how often
people physically cook in a week, I
got a whole range of answers; many
said that they cooked all the time
or at least more than four times a
week, some only once or twice.
With regards to the time constraints
and cooking, most said that cook-
ing was time consuming, yet fun.
When asking about the type of food
cooked, I got the whole range from
pasta dishes to meat stir-fries and
curries. In one of the answers, Peter
Ricca added,I try to eat healthily
and certainly dont live off sweets
and pastries and it seems that
this rule applies to most of us.
My second venture was to fnd
out how much we know about dif-
ferent types of fruit and vegetables.
Most people were familiar with a
wide range of fruit and veg, eating
most of these themselves and being
surprisingly well informed about
cultivation of the ones I named.
Only really exotic things I had been
asking about like pak choi or gua-
va were not well-known. Id eat
them all if I can afford it or if it is
offered, says Samantha Hadley.
So the take-home message from
this is: Yes, we students do cook,
most of us quite a lot. Even though it
may be time consuming, the fun as-
pect seems to be more important to
us. However, we still can contribute
to the Food Revolution. Actually, as
students from a variety of different
countries, we are in a unique posi-
tion to learn from each other. We
should use this opportunity to learn
and teach, contributing bit by bit to
the bigger picture. So, take your
pots out of the cupboard and cook!
SAMANTHA GORDINE on why you should love Jamie
Oliver just that little bit more
The Food Revolution
16 Features The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
ONE OF THE driving forces behind
this trip was the desire to experience
some of the few European countries
that are not yet part of the Euro-
pean Union. Out of the 27 member
states, the only one that belonged
to Former Yugoslavia is Slovenia.
While some, such as Croatia,
have applied for and are well on
their way to gaining membership,
it is still a long way off for others.
An interesting and enticing
aspect of this trip for me was
to see the differences between
EU and non-EU member states
and the effect that membership
can have on a country in terms
of tourism and day-to-day life.
So, with this in mind, we set off for
a two week trip around the Balkans,
not knowing what exactly to expect.
After starting our trip off with
a few days in Athens, we packed
up our bags and headed on to
our next destination: Albania.
We managed to make the jour-
ney in one day and walked across
the Albanian border at 8pm.
Albania is a country of stunning
natural beauty with impressive
mountain ranges and a gorgeous
coastline. Our introduction to this
wonderful landscape was by way
of a rickety, old taxi speeding us
through the hairpin turns of the
mountains, occasionally stopping to
let us take pictures of the sun setting
over the mountains. I could feel my-
self falling in love with this country
and it did not go on to disappoint.
The most refreshing thing about
Albania was its rawness. There
didnt seem to be many rules or reg-
ulations and, if there were, people
were not averse to breaking them.
One day, we had to catch a bus
to our next destination and found
out that there werent enough seats
on this bus. No problem, we
were told, and the bus driver pro-
duced two small, plastic stools for
two of us to sit on. In the middle
of the aisle! A nice man next to us
pointed to the stools and the bus
and said Albania. We all laughed
and, for the rest of the journey, at-
tempted to communicate with
hand gestures and broken English.
After Albania, we ventured
on to Montenegro and Croatia.
Whilst they are both beautiful
countries, all four of us felt that
we had Albania Blues. Some of
the people we encountered there
werent as friendly and tour-
ism had obviously taken its toll.
Interestingly, these are two of the
countries that are in the process of
becoming EU states. Which begs the
question, how much does a country
have to change when it joins the EU?
The rawness we found in Alba-
nia returned when we visited Mos-
tar and Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herce-
govina. The bullet-hole-ridden
buildings were reminder enough
of the recent painful history that
this country has endured and the
tensions it still faces internally
and with its neighbours. Despite
the injured exteriors, these cities
were places that had a lot to offer
and were working hard to mend
and repair the damage that has
been caused. Sarajevo in particu-
lar was a pleasant surprise and is
defnitely a city worth visiting.
While it seems inevitable that
Across the world
FIONA RALEIGH journeys through Eastern Europe on Albanian buses and rickety taxis, as she discovers more about the new Europe
A Croatian State of Mind
How much does a
country have to change
when it joins the EU?
I could feel myself fall-
ing in love with this
country and it did not
go on to disappoint.
eventually every European country
will join the EU, it also seems that
a country must change in order to
accommodate the infux of tourists
that are bound to come along with
EU membership. Countries like Al-
bania and Bosnia-Herzegovina are
a little while from becoming EU
member states, but when they do, I
hope that they resist the temptation
of selling out to tourism too much
and maintain what makes them such
warm and welcoming countries.
ECOLOGY IS
becoming an
increasingly
i mp o r t a n t
d i s c o u r s e
in the West-
ern world,
and it often
seems that
people who
lead a green
l i f e s t y l e
form part
of a new kind of elite. However,
having visited Las Caadas, an
isolated ecological reserve in the
rainforest of Veracruz (Mexico)
has shown me another facet of
what it means to be eco-friendly.
The Las Caadas ecological re-
serve extends over 306 hectares of
rainforest land. Seventy-seven peo-
ple live in this reserve, in a state of
quasi-total isolation from the rest
of the world; producing their own
food and sources of energy, while
fghting to reduce their ecological
footprint as much as possible. The
ideology behind the reserve was
inspired by the owner who inher-
ited the land from his father. Las
Caadas used to be a cattle farm up
until 1995; an economic enterprise
that had completely depleted the
Las Caadas: living in the Cloud Forests of Mexico
FRANCESCA VAGHI goes back to basics in the Mexican rainforest and learns a radically eco-friendly way of life...
territory. With the idea of restoring
this once pristine area of rainfor-
est, the owner replanted 66 hec-
tares of this land; the forest healed
with minimal human input, and
15 years after the project started, it
looked as though it had never un-
dergone intense grazing. This kind
of rainforest is called cloud for-
est, and in Mexico, these ecosys-
tems contain the highest levels of
biodiversity per square meter. Las
Caadas was an incredible sight
of plants and
fowers; the
reserve boasts
a collection of
many different
ferns, lichens,
orchids and
fower species.
After the
reforestati on
process was
started, more
people joined;
parts of the
land are be-
ing used for
agr i c ul t ur al
purposes and
some animals
are also kept on
site (although
in a much more restricted man-
ner!). The people here practice a
new kind of crop production called
Agroecology; it is a combination
of organic and sustainable farming
that doesnt use chemical fertiliz-
ers (only compost), with produc-
tion at such a rate that resources
can be restored without harming
the environment. Just as there is an
abundance and variety of animal
and plant species, their crops are
very diverse and typically Mexican.
It was truly fascinating to spend
four days in this place; we took
showers with water collected from
rainfall and heated by burning
wood, we ate solely from the re-
serves crops and animal products,
and we learnt about this radical
and unusual way of life with each
step we took. The reserve oper-
ates on the principle of a closed
system. Energy fows in a cycle.
For instance, there is a system for
wood-burning that ensures that for
every tree that is
burnt, a new one
will replace it,
and the ashes of
burnt wood are
used as nutrients
for the next gen-
eration of trees.
Food production
also functions
under this prin-
ciple; all that is
ingested will re-
turn to the land.
This is achieved
through the use
of the very unu-
sual dry toilets,
and to spare you
the details, Ill
just explain that
all the food that has come from the
land and through you, will later be
returned to the soil. To be honest,
the most conventional green tech-
nology in the reserve is probably
the solar panels; everything else
at the reserve completely defed
and redefned my view of what it
means to be ecologically aware.
My initial idea that being eco-
friendly meant being boring,
minimalistic and technologically
advanced was eradicated entirely.
Regardless of the fact that I disa-
gree with many of the things I
learnt during my stay at Las Caa-
das, what I did realize is that be-
ing eco-friendly should equal fru-
gality. It was truly refreshing to
learn about a way of life that based
itself frst and foremost under the
philosophy of not being wasteful.
Many Western lifestyles can only
exist because people around the
world do live under such frugal
conditions, although, sadly, not by
choice, like the inhabitants of Las
Caadas. Even if I disagree with the
concept of returning to the land,
I think the frst step to being more
environmentally friendly is imple-
menting the clichd idea of giving
up some of our comforts, and being
more aware of what we consume.
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Features 17 The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
How to get ft and look great
From great sex to relieving back
pain: the practice of yoga has clear-
ly had spectacular effects on some.
Others feel it lacks those endorphins
half an hour on the cross-trainer is
sure to achieve. Opinions on yoga
range from boring to stimulating;
a great way of relaxing to an in-
tense workout; is it totally useless
or a life altering experience? The
yoga apparel chain Lulu Lemon
goes as far to claim that yoga can
change the world. Could this an-
cient practice ever really have such
an impact, or is that just hyperbolic
advertising? Whatever the an-
swer, it has certainly made a mark
(if not a proft for Lulu Lemon).
Having firted with the prac-
tice on previous occasions, I have
come to realise frst-hand how vast
yoga practice can be. There are so
many different ways of practicing,
and each practice varies with every
teacher. Whether you want to lose
weight or clear your mind, there
are many types being practiced in
the Western world. Among them is
bikram yoga, or hot yoga as it is
commonly referred to. This is the
practice of 26 postures in 40 degree
heat a type of yoga that was syn-
thesized by Bikram Choudhury and
began gaining popularity in the 70s.
The frst few classes can feel a lit-
tle intimidating, as postures are of-
ten repeated in the same order each
week, which at frst makes you
feel like the entire class are already
experts. The initial breathing exer-
cises fll the studio with rather odd
sounds. But do not be deterred, as
according to instructors it takes just
three classes for your body to learn
the poses, and ten for you to be able
to develop them. The recommenda-
tion is that you attend a minimum
of ten classes a month to really feel
the benefts of the yoga. As a yoga-
sceptic and Scottish girl who swel-
ters in anything over 20 degree heat,
this was really beyond my comfort
zone. However, after the best nights
sleep of my life following my frst
class, I was hooked. This type
of yoga is not for meditation, al-
though staying focused and trying
to unite body and mind is a part of
it. You will be strongly encouraged
to push yourself and the instructors
will make sure you remain alert
and energetic during the class. It is
a far cry from being boring and it is
most certainly a good workout - a
Bikram yoga blogger claims to burn
1289 calories per 90 minute class.
Understandably, our small uni-
versity does not have bikram yoga
facilites and our town does not
have the most diverse yoga scene.
It could be hard to fnd the class
for you. But dont write it off just
yet fnding a class that suits you
while you are at home or elsewhere
can equip you with the skills to
practice alone. Go to a one off class
or try-out week: think about your
goals and if that specifc class can
help you achieve them, or how
you could adapt it to your aims.
Like any lifestyle decision there
are sceptics and converts, but be-
fore you make your judgement put
it on your list of things to try. CR
Pilates became popular as a choice
of exercise in the last decade, but
what exactly lies in the system that
has got women (and men!) all over
the globe embracing Lycra? Can
anyone do it or is it just for middle
aged women attempting to fght the
fab as their metabolism dwindles?
Pilates is most certainly not just
a fad - it is far from it. Created by
Joseph Pilates, it is based on the
idea of Controlology in that it aims
to control the body from its core,
focusing on reshaping and toning.
The beauty of Pilates is that it
is for everyone, it is not only for
those who exercise regularly, it can
also beneft those of you out there
who do not willingly partake in ex-
ercise. Pilates provides a baby step
onto the exercise ladder, for those
who are not used to exercising.
And, if you are so bold to do so, it
will ease you into exercise through
the basic methods of focusing on
your core muscles that help sup-
port the spine and vital organs.
For those who regularly exercise
and maintain a healthy lifestyle,
why not take an hour out of your
workout and substitute it for a Pi-
lates class? Yes, its great that you
can run 10k in an hour, but all this
high intensity exercise puts strain
on the joints. Pilates goes beyond
mere toning of the muscles ob-
tained by regular cardio vascular
work; it improves posture, reduc-
es physical pains, improves bal-
ance and promotes limb sculpting.
The idea that Pilates is for everyone
and anyone can be seen in its men-
tal health benefts; it relieves stress,
calms and clears the mind through
the breathing exercises it incorpo-
rates. Even if you are not looking to
improve on your physique, it still
provides an effective way to wind
down and de-stress after that de-
moralising essay is fnally handed
in. Pilates tends to be dominated
by women, but Joseph Pilates was
a boxer. If he himself, being a ma-
cho man, believed in the methodol-
ogy behind Pilates it must have in-
herent effects for men. He claimed
that there is no hope for world
peace if the members of the Unit-
ed Nations cannot do my frst fve
mat exercises which shows how
deeply he believed in his regime.
In a university where sports are
offered in abundance and with the
new energise membership scheme
set up at the university sports
centre, there is no reason why
one shouldnt have a go at Pilates
and see if they feel (and look) bet-
YOGA
PILATES
For those who dont know their yoga from their yoda, CLAIRE RAMPEN and RUTH PARCELL take a look into the alternative exercise
world of Yoga and Pilates
TOP TIPS
IN ST. ANDREWS?
Yoga:
Vinyasa Yoga: Tuesdays and
Thursdays 5.30pm - Holy Trin-
ity Church Hall, Queens Terrace
(Tue), Victory Memorial Hall,
St. Marys Place (Thu). Students
4.50. Adults 5.
Yoga at Sports Centre:
Wednesdays 1-2pm and Thursdays
11.30-12.30pm in Sports Centre.
Members 1.50, Non-members 5.
Pilates:
Pilates at Sports Centre:
Tuesdays 10.45-11.45am or 7-8pm
Fridays 12.10-1pm in Sports Cen-
tre. Student members 23.40,
Concessions 61.20 for full term.
See: www.st-andrews.ac.uk/sports
for more details
ter for doing so. Take a friend and
make the trip on these dark winter
nights, we now fnd ourselves fac-
ing, that bit more bearable, have
a catch up, work out and revel
modestly in the fact that youll
look that bit better in your Christ-
mas ball dress..or be it tux! RP
Be open minded! Its
not all ohms and in-
cense...
Take a friend to keep
you company
Great to accompany
high-intensity sports
Perfect for those who
dont excercise at all!
For guys - you wont
be the only male in
the class. Promise.
Enjoy yourself!

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18 Features The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
Dont you love it when you catch a snippet
of someones ridiculous conversation on the
street? Weve decided to bring to you quotes from
the infamous Facebook group, Overheard in St. Andrews,
that captures those truly special moments. From the hilari-
ous to the outright disgusting, here are some classic must-
read quotes from the streets of St. Andrews...
Guy in the library: I think shes a feminist, she wears trou-
sers a lot...
Two tourists at 1 Golf Place.
Tourist 1: What country is Scotland in again? Europe?
Tourist 2: I think its its own country...
Tourist 1: Nah, youre thinking of Yorkshire...
On South St., post-May Ball.
Girl to sleazy guy: Im really sorry, I would invite you back
to mine, but I really want to watch the new Doctor Who on
iPlayer...
Old lady in Tesco, having a Waiting for Godot mo-
ment:
I dont even know what Im doing here anymore. What am
I doing here..?
In the queue for May Ball tickets.
Guy: F*** getting tickets, lets just take the 235 quid
and run. And buy loads of pizza from Empire to soften the
blow.
Girl: No! Thats like in Jack in the Beanstalk - going out
for a cow and coming back with f***ing magic beans!
Everyone has that one photo they never want to see
ever again. My dad has many. Im sure yours does too.
so, why not Send it to:
features@thesaint-online.co.uk
EMBARRASSING DADS
L
O
V
E

S
P
O
T
T
E
D
SEEN SOMEONE IN THE LIBRARY WHO
YOU REALLY FANCY?
DONT KNOW THEIR NAME, JUST
RECOGNISE THEIR SEXY GREEN JUMPER?
THEN SEND YOUR ANONYMOUS LOVE
SPOTTED EMAIL TO:
FEATURES@THESAINT-ONLINE.CO.UK
WELL PUBLISH YOUR SPOT AND FIND
YOU YOUR TRUE LOVE!
T
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HOW TO BOOBY TRAP YOUR BATHROOM
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Overheard in
St. Andrews
Fill the soap
dispenser
with jam.
Block part of
the tap with
tape.
Fill the
showerhead
with coloured
candy
Tape a plastic
snake under the
toilet seat
Tuck a toy
spider up the
tap. Tape a plastic
snake under the
toilet seat
19 In Pictures The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
behind the scenes:
fs:2011 photo shoot
Kayhan directs M
alin
Herrstrom
F
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K
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Head of Creatives M
atilda Knutsson
styles Nina Haans Hessen
Kayh
an direc
ts
tw
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f th
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dels
-
Jac
k M
errim
an &
Janic
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Kayhan shoots M
alin
Herrstrom
see all the photos from the official shoot at
www.thesaint-online.com
and www.standrewsfashion.co.uk
Kayan shoots Nina Haans Hessen in
front of the facade of Hopetoun
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20 Event of the Week The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
Te Welly Ball 2010
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Pottermania
Arts & Culture
Editor: Al Bell Email: arts@thesaint-online.com
BACK PAGE
Finally some good music
comes to St Andrews...
p27
STYLE
Moustache Movember....
blaaahhh
p23
STAGE
Spring Awakening...
p24
The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010 22 Arts and Culture
F
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A Touch of French
E
very Monday at 7.15pm, the
French Society screens a flm
in School 2 of the Quad. These pro-
vide a great opportunity to practice
your language skills if you are a
French speaker, or to delve into the
wonders of French cinema if you
are not.
Tanguy: Week 10

Tanguy is an intelligent and per-
fectly amiable man - and his parents
cant stand him. Why? Twenty-eight
years after his birth, Tanguy has yet
to move out of his family home. His
long-suffering mother and father
can no longer stand their sons piles
of laundry, empty yoghurt pots and
loud sexual conquests, and resolve
to drive him out.
The flm, directed by Etienne
Chatiliez, is wonderfully funny
and Eric Berger is perfect in the role
of the unfappable and eloquent
Tanguy. The drastic measures taken
by his parents to be rid of him do
verge on being cruel, but perhaps
echo a wider social phenomenon:
the flm was so successful in France
that the phrase tre un Tanguy is
now used to describe an adult still
living with their parents!

Huit Femmes: Week 11

Entertaining, amusing and down-
right bizarre, Huit Femmes is a mur-
der mystery like no other. Set in a
sumptuously decorated country
house in the middle of winter, the
story revolves around the murder
of the households patriarch and
the realisation that one of the eight
women present must be the killer.
Riddled with deception, accusa-
tions and unexpected lesbian love
affairs, the plot in some way resem-
bles a warped episode of Midsum-
mer Murders with added dancing
and singing. That said, you would
be unlikely to fnd so many stars of
French cinema in a television series:
Fanny Ardent is magnifcent as the
sultry Pierrette and Catherine De-
neuve makes an admirable mistress
of the house. Huit Femmes is musi-
cal comedy at its best.
Un Prophte: Week 12


Un Prophte is not a flm for the
faint hearted. Shot through with
violence and extremely gritty
throughout, one of the opening
scenes is so brutal that I admit to
shutting my eyes for most of it.
However, Jacques Audiards mas-
terpiece, which won the Grand Prix
at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, is
also an incredibly moving tale of
one mans rise from prison nobody
to criminal mastermind - and all
this when he is only 19 years old.
The bleak prison makes a perfect
setting for Maliks eventual rebel-
lion, and despite his ruthlessness
there are moments where he ap-
pears to be a deeply sympathetic
character. Complete with mafa
bosses, graphic assassinations and
copious amounts of bloodshed, the
flm will certainly please those who
enjoy action, but it is also a vivid
commentary on male friendship,
hierarchy and redemption.
SUZANNAH EVANS on the French Societys upcoming free
screenings.
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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Review by ROSS HAMILTON
T
o say that theres a lot of expec-
tation surrounding Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows is something
of an understatement. As the fnal
entry to the highest-grossing movie
franchise of all time, it has become
a global phenomenon rather than
simply a piece of cinema. Part one
of the fnale is out now and most
diehard Potter fans will already
have seen it, but for sceptics and ca-
sual fans of the series, the question
remains: does it live up to the hype?
Though Part 1 is not without issues,
thankfully the answer is yes.
After receiving some criticism
from fans over the artistic license
taken in his previous flms, there
is a sense that director David Yates
and his team wanted to directly re-
produce J.K. Rowlings book for the
fnal entries in the series. Although
it has been several years since I read
Deathly Hallows, the flm seemed, to
me, to stick stubbornly close to its
source material; though whether
this is a boon or a burden is up for
debate. At two and a half hours it
feels overly long, especially when
considering what a great job the
last few Potter movies have done
in condensing Rowlings lengthy
stories into manageable features.
However, the extra running time
afforded to the writers ensures
that there are no notable omis-
sions, which should at least please
fans. Following the opening half
an hour, things settle into a steady
rhythm, which is maintained until
the fnal twenty minutes or so. The
pace is measured, and though there
are lulls and a couple of superfu-
ous scenes, overall it rarely drags.
Under Yates direction, the se-
ries has become progressively
darker, in line with Rowlings nov-
els, and Deathly Hallows bears little
resemblance to Chris Columbus
original flms almost ten years ago.
The opening scene has Hermione
erasing her-
self from
her parents
memories, a
hear t br eak-
ing moment
which sets
the tone for
the rest of the
movie. Theres
a bleak, fore-
boding qual-
ity to pro-
ceedings, and
a pervasive
sense of dread
t hroughout .
Harry, Ron
and Hermione
spend the ma-
jority of their
time on the
run; nowhere
is safe for long,
and moments
of relief are
few and far be-
tween. While there are no explicitly
graphic scenes, it certainly earns its
12A certifcate; and Id think twice
before allowing younger children
to see it.
The isolation which character-
ises much of the flm means theres
a greater focus on the three leads,
and its pleasing to see how Daniel
Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma
Watson have continued to develop
into highly capable performers.
They do a worthy job of carrying
the flm, and the support they re-
ceive is, as always, stellar.
Several characters from previous
movies have cameo appearances,
and Ralph Fiennes is mesmerising
as Voldemort. However, the flm
does suffer from an unfortunate,
but unavoidable lack of Alan Rick-
man. Moving Harry and friends
around the country also makes for
some spectacular scenery. There
may be no Hogwarts in Part 1, but
that doesnt prevent it from being
visually magical, thanks in no small
part to Eduardo Serras wonderful
cinematography.
And then theres the ending,
which whilst frustrating, is handled
deftly. Deathly Hallows Part 1 fnish-
es on an understated, melancholy
note, but its a ftting conclusion to
what is very much the calm before
the storm. Thats not to suggest that
Part 1 is underwhelming. Much like
Half-Blood Prince, its a wonderful,
brooding entry to a series which
has grown and matured as fnely as
its three lead actors. If Part 2 con-
tinues in this manner, then were in
for a treat come summer 2011. I, for
one, cant wait.
We managed to sell
355 seats, selling out
for the latter showing
on the frst morning of
sales, and raise 1100
for the two Regs chari-
ties, Invisible Children
and Scottish Love in
Action.
-Tom Dobin on the suc-
cess of last weeks NPH
event
Hugely slow. Rons
muscles shamed Har-
rys puny bod
-Ruby Munson-Hurst
Underwhelming
-Al Bell
It is a testament to the
writing of J.K Rowling
that this adaptation
had the whole audiene
in histerics, moments
after many had been
on the verge of tears.
-Alison Baird
Ron is looking fne
with that ginger mane
of his.
-Kirsteen Runcie
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Arts & Culture 23 The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
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A
s I sit here, listening to the
original Broadway Cast re-
cording of Spring Awakening, the
talent of the students of St An-
drews really hits you. Having just
sat through Just Sos own produc-
tion at the Byre Theatre I couldnt
wait to get home and compare the
two. And you know what? Broad-
way can keep its Lea Micheles and
Jonathan Groffs (as much as that
pains the Gleek in me to say) be-
cause St Andrews defnitely has
some burgeoning talent to offer for
your theatrical entertainment.
When it comes to this musical,
Im somewhat biased. I love it. Ev-
ery single profanity, every single
innuendo and every single bit of
teen angst, it can all do no wrong
for me.
To show my more subjective
side however, I can admit that I
was a little apprehensive that Just
So wouldnt be able to do quite as
much as was needed to pull this off,
not just in comparison to the Broad-
way production, but also compared
to the excellent production I saw at
this summers Fringe. In all fair-
ness, I perhaps wasnt as blown
away by some of the numbers in
Just Sos production as I had been
in the summer but that was prob-
ably because the production was
going for something subtler than
the kick you in the teeth brashness
of the Fringe version.
This group
could easily take
on the might of
the Broadway
cast.
An awakening for St Andrews theatre...
EMMA OBRIEN on Just Sos latest production of Spring Awakening at the Byre Theatre...
the stage door
When youre doing a show like this, you want to entertain and you want people to have a really
fun time...but at the end of the day you want them to walk out feeling changed and taking
something more away from it...and its really kind of rare
that you get to do that all in the same night.
john gallagher jr on spring awakening
B
irdsong is the play based in the
novel with the same name by
Sebastian Faulks, adapted for the
stage by Rachel Wagstaff and di-
rected by Trevor Nunn. The story
follows Stephen, a young English-
man, as he goes to France in 1910
on business only to fall in love with
his business partners wife, Isa-
belle. Isabelle and Stephen begin a
love affair, but as always life gets in
the way. By the second act World
War One is raging, and Stephen is a
soldier on the western front.
Actor Ben
Barnes is impres-
sive as Stephen.
Barnes, know
perhaps mostly
for his work in
the Narnia-flms,
may seem out of
place at frst but
he carries the role
well. The frst act
is heavily depen-
dent on several
monologues by
Barnes, which
he conducts bril-
liantly. His trans-
formation as the
play progresses
from infatuated
boy to trauma-
tized soldier is
intensely con-
vincing.
Genevieve ORielly joins Barnes
in the lead as the wife Isabelle.
ORielly exudes frailty as she por-
trays a woman torn between love
and duty. She delivers the lines
beautifully, but at times lacks real-
ism in her emotions.
Also, ORielly is frequently over-
shadowed by the scene-stealing
presence of Florence Hall as the
daughter Lisette. Hall embodies
the youthfulness of her character
so honestly that there is no compe-
tition. Even the dynamic between
Hall and Barnes is by far more in-
teresting than that between Barnes
and OReilly.
The staging leaves a lasting
impression, and this is a great ex-
ample of effective use of multime-
dia in the theatre. The actors are
complemented by the audio-visu-
als, rather than overshadowed by
them. A huge video screen helps
convincingly take the audience
from pastoral France before the war
to the trenches of the western front
during the war.
The fnal two acts of this three-
hour play feel like a staged version
of the war poetry of Wilfred Owen
or Siegfried Sassoon. The frst act
was beautifully idyllic, but the
play fnds its strength in the por-
trayal of life in the trenches. The
most memorable scene of the play
is when Barnes is about to lead his
men over the top for an assault on
the German lines.
Birdsong will leave you stunned
by the marvellous ensemble cast,
the remarkable staging and espe-
cially by the powerful story. This
is not a play for those looking for a
fun night out in the West End. Bird-
song leaves you with haunting im-
ages of war and tragic love.
It is an overwhelming theatri-
cal experience, and it will stay with
you after you leave the theatre.
Birdsong will be at the Comedy
Theatre in the West End until Janu-
ary 2011.
The sweet sound of Birdsong...
The set was also very impressive
and professional and added a sub-
tle sinister vibe from the very be-
ginning, even before the hard hit-
ting issues of abuse, teen suicide,
and backstreet abortion begin to
reveal themselves.
Spring Awakening was a brave
choice of musical to put on, but Just
So are no strangers to controversy
after the protests of Jerry Springer
the Musical. And I think I speak
for a large proportion of the female
population when I proclaim that
more men in St Andrews should be
prepared to get their bare backsides
out on stage...
HILLEVI GUSTAFSON reviews the West Ends newest take on World War I
St Andrews Rising Star: Vicki Robertson
E. EGAN interviews one to watch for the future...
O
ne of the frst things that Vic-
toria Robertson mentions is the
love she has for the popular musical
show Glee. Now, even in the theatre
scene, it takes guts to admit that you
do like the popular show Glee. In
general people tend to fain a yawn
and casually let you know that the
show might ring a bell, rather than
blowing the whistle. It would be
interesting to trace the history of the
idea of doing a Spring Awakening
musical in St Andrews because it
may actually come from Glee: both
Lea Michelle and Jonathan Groff,
lead actors in Glee, found their
breakout roles as leads in Spring
Awakening on Broadway. Slightly
surprisingly, Vicki is a medical stu-
dent which is not a very common
thing to be in the theatre world. Yet
she is not a stranger to the stage and
much of this is due to her musical
appetite. Singing is what she does
most; she is a member of the Na-
tional Youth Choir of Scotland and
will even be performing this Christ-
mas in Dunfermline. Even her idols:
Idina Menzel, Eddi Reader and Eva
Cassidy, are vocal virtuosos; and
what is more she can even play
piano.
But yet she makes it clear that
she has perceived a difference in the
two crafts; especially in the case of
Spring Awakening with its motif
of self discovery. The director Ad-
elaide Waldrop has also mentioned
the songs being somewhat similar
to soliloquies. But right from the
start Vicki knew what she was audi-
tioning for: she knew about the play
because a friend of hers was helping
with the famous Fringe production
that was on this summer. Though
she is predominantly a singer she
has some experience in acting; hav-
ing done some shows with adult
companies such as Wizard of Oz
and playing various Disney Prin-
cesses. But this is the first deep role
she has taken on and she was not
abashed to say that both the director
and the musical director had given
her plenty of help.
So the Wendla Bergmann of St
Andrews Spring Awakening is a
composite of Vickis instincts culti-
vated by both directors. There are
deep poetics at play in the musical,
especially with the characters and
you are to judge it: success or fail-
ure. But as for Vicki, she thinks shes
up to it and to top that she says she
will most defnitely be in the next
JustSo musical production.
Overall, Just So did an admirable
job, especially in terms of casting.
As I said, this group could easily
take on the might of the Broadway
cast, with special praise reserved
for Vicki Robertson (Wendla) and
Tessa Stokes who were fawless
throughout.
24 Arts & Culture The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
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There are only
three types of
man in this
world you can
really trust: a
man who can
say I love you
man, a man who knows how to
gut and cook a fsh over an open
fame, and a man who takes time
manicuring his luxuriant mous-
tache. Many of historys greatest
academics, athletes, artists, politi-
cians, despots and revolutionar-
ies have changed the world with
whiskers on their chins, cheeks,
and lips. Nietzsche grew his Wal-
rus writing Zarathustra, Einsteins
stache inspired relativity, Abe Lin-
colns chin-strap freed the slaves,
and Che Guevaras goatee will be
forever printed on t-shirts. These
men, whatever their accomplish-
ments, had one thing in common:
they harnessed the power of facial
hair to accomplish their dreams.
The Movemberists are here to do
the same.
If you are yet to notice, there has
been an infux of moustaches this
month in St. Andrews and across
the globe. This marvellous occur-
rence is due to what us beard af-
cionados like to call the month of
Movember. The exact origins of the
month are surrounded in myths of
drunken stache-offs, yet one thing
is certain: men around the world
are moustaching in a big way. For
one whole month no razor graces
our upper lips, and we honour
both our Mo history and our man-
hood with the best staches we can
produce. Our shenanigans are
not without purpose: the true Mo-
vemberist tends a mouth garden to
raise money for numerous charities
promoting mens health and athlet-
ics. In our little microcosm of Mo,
The Rugby Boys are growing for
The Craig Hodgkinson Trust, The
St. Andrews Mouskateers for the
UK Movember foundation, and
Lacrosse Boys for Team Scotch for
Livestrong and Headstrong, be-
cause no Mo is complete without
direction.
Sadly, the 21st Century has not
been kind to the moustache. Its
ridicule is a refection of the state of
our post-post-modern society and
the masculine reaction to ninth-
wave feminism, et cetera, et ce-
tera. With women taking over the
workforce, the playing felds, the
universities; we dont know how to
be men anymore. Weve forgotten
how to gut fsh and love men like
men. Weve forgotten how to re-
spectfully tend the glorious shrub
that sits on each of our faces. But
some among us have chosen not
to be afraid, we have become one
with our inner man building on the
facial sculptures of our forefathers,
we Mo. For those of you who still
dont quite understand why we
would ever want such things on
our faces, my next point is impor-
tant. We have a garden growing
out of our chins, beside our ears,
and under our noses. For some,
the natural reaction is to eradicate
this garden completely, to get rid
of those pesky hairs every morn-
ing, but for the truly sophisticated,
facial hair is a statement. When
sporting a bushy stache or out of
control sideburns we are telling so-
ciety, I am a man, this shit grows
on my face, and this is what Im
doing about it. If you dont like it,
laugh, cringe, cry, regardless, you
will respect the stache.
People often wonder why global
politics is such a mess why do
our world leaders appear as hope-
ful idiots, such as Mr. Obama, or
fashionistas like Cameron? The an-
swer is simple, theyve gotten rid of
their mutton-chops, theyve shaved
off their moustaches, and theyve
done away with their pencil duster
in an effort to look respectable. If
you look at our current world lead-
ers, none of them meet my essen-
tial criteria for a trustworthy man.
Picture Obama saying I love you
man through his [fu-man-chu], or
Cameron getting fsh guts on his
Prada suit and handlebar whiskers.
The people can no longer trust the
politicians because the politicians
are not peoplethey are deathly
afraid of that hair that grows on
their faces.
As Ive said before, never fear,
Movember is here. There are those
among us who have never lost
touch with what it means to be a
man, and who are willing to ac-
cept the moral responsibility that
coincides with sporting a stash. To
show off our hairy creations we
will be throwing a Moustache-o-
bashio at the end of Movember,
and you are all formally invited.
The Venue will be announced in
the next few days, keep your eyes
peeled for adverts covered in hair.
The proceeds will go towards our
numerous aforementioned chari-
ties, the Mos will dress in attire
most relevant to their unique brand
of facial fow, and not sporting a
stache will be down right disgrace-
ful. For all you lovely ladies and
males who have yet to attain that
age when hair sprouts from your
face (never fear boys, it will hap-
pen soon enough) we will have a
The Movember Manifesto
By TAYLOR WALLACE
supply of stick on moustaches and
markers for your enjoyment. Get
ready, because if youve never seen
a beautiful woman sporting a stick
on stache, you havent lived.
In closing this Movember Mani-
festo I would like to ask you all to
support the Movemberists among
you. Ladies, if you are a fabled Mo-
sista, love your man by going for
that fabled moustache ride, I hear
its well worth it. Boys, although
you be not men without a mous-
tache, you can at least pretend by
looking up to your seniors, by tell-
ing them youre jealous of their
growth. Grace the Mos with gig-
gles and compliments, give them a
few quid for their efforts, and come
to the party where we will all stand
united telling the world: Evolu-
tion, you may have put this shrub
on my face, and society may tell me
to shave it off, but I will tame you
both, I will manicure my luxuriant
moustache.
As Ive said before, never fear, Movember is here. There
are those among us who have never lost touch with what it
means to be a man, and who are willing to accept the mor-
al responsibility that coincides with sporting a stache.
Illustration: Geo Law (www.getaloadageo.co.uk)
Photography: James Lawson & Ruby Munson-Hirst
Arts & Cultures 25 The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
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Errol Flynn (1909-1959)
This Hollywood actors chic and
neat moustache does not mirror
the hedonistic lifestyle he in-
dulged in which unfortunately
got the better of him. He was
originally contracted to star in
Gone With The Wind but lost
out to Clark Gable, although
Gable then suspiciously grew
a copy-cat mo for the role.
Frank Zappa
(1940-1993)
One of rock and rolls most infuen-
tial musicians, Zappas career spans from
the early 60s right through to the 90s and
his moustache joined him every step of
the way. He tragically died from termi-
nal prostate cancer in 1993 but his family
copyrighted his moustache allowing it to
live on forever.
Salvador Dali (1904-1989)
The eccentric Surrealist artist known to
accessorize his whiskers with fowers,
topped the offcial Movember Poll for
Most Famous Moustache. His reason for
growing a mo: Since I dont smoke I de-
cided to grow a moustache its better for the
health.
Eugene Hutz (1972-)
The Ukranian born front-
man of Gypsy punk
band Gogol Bordello
demonstrates how to
make a moustache
new school and cool.
He was allegedly the
inspiration for the
2008 Gucci menswear
collection although
none of the models could
grow a mo as glorious as his
in time for the show.
Super Mario (1981- )
Arguably the most famous
character in video game his-
tory. His bushy moustache
was originally added to
avoid having to animate his
mouth but has remained
his most distinct feature.
With Princess Peach on his
arm who could argue that
this plump plumbers mous-
tache isnt a babe magnet?
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)
Although Mo Sistas have not quite made
it into Vogue, Frida Kahlo made the best
attempt at popularizing the female fuzzy
lip. She had no time for bleach or wax and
instead chose to embrace her natural femi-
nine beauty, always depicting herself with a
moustache in self-portraits.
Top Taches: A century of
fne facial hair.
Seconds Best Bits
Each week, we scour the rails of St. Andrews endless
charity shops to fnd the fnest hidden treasures.
Originally designed solely for
the Japanese market, these lim-
ited edition red-laced, chestnut
leather Scarponcini hiking
boots by Italian footwear com-
pany Fracap are both incred-
ibly hard-wearing and bang
on trend. A great, practi-cool
addition to any style-savvy
mans wardrobe!
179
Most Wanted:
Fracap Scarponcini
Boot
Tache correspondent ISHBEL
BEESON reports.
Model: Alexandra Davey
Styling: Oula Hussein &
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vintage & retro
fashion accessories,
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All items sourced
from Sue Ryder
Care, Logies Lane.
26 Reviews
The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
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The frst scene of Kanye Wests
thirty four minute long music
video Runaway shows the artist
running desperately through a
faming forest, while a Mozart Re-
quiem plays. One YouTube viewer
comments that this is, probably
because he thinks hes the Mozart
of our time.
Its length and recent premiere in
a cinema in New York City sug-
gest that the movie is intended as
a more serious artistic endeavour
than Wests usual fare - that he sees
it as a masterpiece, of sorts. Its full
of perplexing imagery, extravagant
visuals and lots of things exploding
in slow motion. In this new medi-
um, though, Kanye doesnt articu-
late the same novelty and creativity
with which his music has garnered
acclaim. Even so, its hard to look
away, perplexed by the psychology
of a man who would herald with
such pomp and circumstance his
foray into territory in which he is
quite frankly not at home.
With the obviously large budget
and West himself clearly on dis-
play, is it possible to see the movie
as anything other than a self-ag-
grandizing gesture?
Summarizing the plot of his movie
in what seems like a serious inter-
view in New York magazine, Kanye
says, Its the story of a phoenix
fallen to Earth, and I make her my
girlfriend, and people discriminate
against her and eventually she has
to burn herself alive and go back to
her world. *eye roll*.
If, like me, you hadnt read
Kanyes synopsis before watch-
ing the movie, the faming crea-
ture falling from the sky would
surely evoke the thought of Icarus
a myth somewhat more relevant
than the Phoenix to Kanye, chiding
the sort of arrogance that leads one
to over-step ones limits. For a mo-
ment, then, one entertains the idea
that Kanye is being graciously self-
deprecating, giving a nod to his
abrasive and ill-advised public ac-
tions. But I dont think Kanyes up
on his mythology..
West touts Runaway as genuine
artistic expression, so we can as-
sume it aims at truths at least more
universal than the glitz and glam-
our that accompanies his identity
as popstar; theres even a thinly
veiled thesis statement, delivered
by Kanyes phoenix-girlfriend: Do
you know what I hate most about
your world? Anything that is dif-
ferent you try to change. You try to
tear it down.
But the movie is undeniably su-
perfcial, all highly sumptuous
visuals, distinctly foregrounded.
Theres a clear emphasis on fashion
and design; West is never without
a well-tailored suit, theres a deca-
dence implied in every highly styl-
ized scene. The video indulges in
aesthetic extravagance so seriously,
that one cant overlook it as irony: it
seems to be the point of the whole
thing. And perhaps it is; Kanye says
he was mostly inspired by colour
and that the main meaning of the
flm is just express yourself. I sup-
pose thats alright, but it seems an
awfully hackneyed idea to spend
huge amounts of money on and to
frame it as serious art.
At one point, Kanye and his girl-
friend go to a dinner party in an
empty warehouse, where all the
guests wear white and a guy who
looks like Michael Jordan asks
Kanye if he knows that the naked
woman is a bird. Kanye quickly
steps up to a piano close at hand
and with a little tingling on the
keys, he summons an entire dance
company, clad in black, who en-
gage in hybrid of ballet and mod-
ern choreography.
It all looks great, and the styling
is infuenced by the performance
works of artist Vanessa Beecroft,
whose pieces often involve large
groups of naked women subject
to humiliating voyeurism from
gallery goers. Beecroft herself is
criticised for engaging in the ob-
jectifcation she critiques, rather
hindering the feminist cause she
promotes. For Kanye to quote her
ideas, he had better be doubly sure
he isnt propagating any sexism
himself, which he certainly is: the
camera lingers over thrusting hips
and fexible limbs, objectifed bod-
ies, panning back now and again to
reveal the mass of writhing dancers
conducted by Kanyes travails at
the piano. Its a textbook example
of the Male Gaze in cinema.
Whats more, that he is depicted
as a sort of shaman, inciting ritu-
alistic movement (only in women,
no less) is a testament to Wests
egotism, certainly a central, if unin-
tended theme of Runaway.
If nothing else, the project does
yield some beautiful visuals, (too)
often sustained by slow-motion
shots as if to remind viewers to be-
hold the artistry offered to them. It
has been suggested that there is a
wealth of illuminati and satanic im-
agery. A youtube comment stresses
that, if you listen closely, there are
times where he says stuff like I see
the devil amongst loud drum beats
so you cannot understand it that
well. But he is still a dope rapper.
Though what West would have
hoped to achieve by including this
I couldnt say.
Though the movie doesnt make
much of its self-conscious artistry,
the music that accompanies it is
excellent. Whatever defciency can
be attributed to Wests visual ideas,
he redeems himself tenfold in the
realm of his production. Dabbling
in the experimental, sampling Bon
Iver and building weighty beats
around simple melodies, every
track in the video is certainly cap-
tivating. That being said, I have
misgivings about praising a man
like West; watching him perform
the single Runaway (around which
the rest of the movie is feshed out)
on Saturday Night Live, its obvi-
ous that he has unshakeable belief
in his brilliance. He recoiled from
the piano after hitting each note
with an outstretched fnger, as if
the sound he had produced was so
lethally good he had to stop a mo-
ment to appreciate it.
A Toast to the Douchebag
AL BELL on Kanye Wests music-video-cum-art-flm, Runaway
- See Runaway online, at
www.thesaint-online.com
Arts & Culture 27
The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
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A good few
attendees lost
themselves in
the Union in
an attempt to
fnd the elu-
sive beer bar,
which Music
is Love had
r e pur pos e d
as a venue for
an evening of
Folk music.
Music is Love,
originally a
collaboration
of the Art So-
ciety and Rol-
lo Hornyold
S t r i c k l a n d,
started last
year without
offcial spon-
sors and flled
student fat
capacity to
an unhealthy
limit. The proj-
ect now has re-
ceived Union
backing, and
has already or-
ganised popu-
lar open mics
and a sold out
concert at the
beginning of term.
The bar had been revamped and
cordoned off to look surprisingly
pleasant. Rory Butler opened with a
set featuring himself, a semi-acous-
tic guitar and on occasion his sister
Faith on backing vocals. Butlers
sound was polished and his pres-
ence somewhat winning; the songs
themselves took the Josh Ritterish
line, successfully if one appreciates
that very sentimental niche of folk
music, and abstracts the lyrics. The
result nonetheless showed some
Tony Palmers movie of Leon-
ard Cohens 1972 tour of Europe
is beautiful, nuanced and a more
candid than most other represen-
tations of the artist. Along with
concert footage, off-stage scenes
reveal a timid and humble Cohen,
seemingly overwhelmed by the fe-
male attention he receives; hes also
forthcoming and straightforward
Dont Miss: on BBC iPlayer
Leonard Cohen live in 1972
Music is Love presents:
Dry the River and Rory Butler
MARTHA MCCAREY reports from the Beer Bar
when talking about himself and
his music, ditching the enigmatic
and distant airs adopted by many
in his position careful editing has
chosen only those shots in which
the presence of the camera seems
incidental.
Watch, if only for the fnal concert
in Jerusalem, where close-ups work
as if to discover the vulnerabil-
ity, nostalgia and longing behind
Cohens eyes, the source of so
many of his greatest songs. Gen-
tly observing his face, the camera
captures tears in his eyes while he
sings So Long Marianne, in what
is a laudably sensitive piece of
concert flmmaking.
-A.B
The quintet
delivered an
incredibly en-
ergetic set
potential for the young artist.
The main act, Dry the River, have
recently self-released an EP, Bible
Belt. Their Myspace excerpts gave
the impression of a rather mellow,
harmony prone folk act; not the
type of thing youd be led to expect
by the bassists impressive beard
and the vocalists tattoos.
The quintet on bass, electric and
acoustic guitar, drums and violin,
delivered an incredibly energetic
set for a last night of touring the
bassist made a cursory mention of
the nights drive back down to Lon-
don.
Most songs were taken from their
forthcoming album. A particu-
lar highlight was History Book
which started off with tingling
guitar chords and some xylophone
and then veered into a catchy cho-
rus of as heavy as a history book
can be/I will carry it with me, oh
Lord/ and maybe when the bitter-
ness is gone/therell be sweetness
on our tongues once more. Its
just one of the biblical references
with which their songs are littered
refecting the bucolic, biblical and
semi-Victorian lyrical aesthetic that
has lately become a trend.
Family tree followed the same
pattern of mellow start to exuber-
ant instrumentation, into a soaring
electrifed waltz. The songs atmo-
sphere, like that of the whole con-
cert, was warming and sonically
rich. The evening left both audience
and band thoroughly content.
Annals of Poetry:
Teen Angst
Growing Up
The child is dead
Its eyes cosed
Its primrose dress,
Now deepest mauve
The red bloodstain
Unseen to the human eye
The child is dead
May the adult thrive
JASMINE P-C gives us this gem from the journal of
her twelve year old self.
The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
28 Sport
Each week we bring you a selection of the updated BUCS league tables. For more comprehensive league information, go to www.bucs.org.uk
Strathclyde 1sts
St Andrews 1sts
Edinburgh 2nds
Robert Gordon 1sts
Stirling 1sts

Hockey Mens 2A
P
3
4
2
3
4
Diff
21
0
1
-15
-7
Pts
9
5
4
2
1
BUCS Tables
AU Club fixtures in St Andrews
Saint
Sport
Have an upcoming event or fixture to be covered?
Want to see your name or your club in The Saint?
Email Richard at sport@thesaint-online.com
Edinburgh 1sts
St Andrews 1sts
Glasgow 1sts
Edinburgh 2nds
Glasgow Caledonian 1sts

Hockey Womens 1A
P
5
6
5
5
5
Diff
13
6
0
-9
-10
Pts
15
12
6
3
3

St Andrews 1sts
Edinburgh 2nds
Aberdeen 1sts
Glasgow 1sts
Stirling 1sts

Lacrosse Womens 1A
P
4
5
6
5
6
Diff
84
73
-43
-37
-77
Pts
12
12
9
6
0
Edinburgh 1sts
Aberdeen 1sts
St Andrews 1sts
Stirling 1sts
Heriot-Watt 1sts
Robert Gordon 1sts

Rugby Mens 1A
P
4
3
4
3
4
4
Diff
162
97
41
-90
-84
-126
Pts
12
9
6
3
3
0
St Andrews 1sts
Edinburgh 2nds
Glasgow 2nds
Stirling 3rds
Strathclyde 1sts

Tennis Mens 2A
P
4
3
3
3
3
Diff
20
4
-8
8
-24
Pts
10
6
6
4
-3
Stirling 1sts
St Andrews 1sts
Aberdeen 1sts
Edinburgh 2nds
Glasgow 1sts
Tennis Womens 1A
P
6
5
5
5
5
Diff
28
20
-8
-24
-16
Pts
13
13
7
4
-1
Saturday 27th November
Badminton: St Andrews Mixed 1sts v West of Scotland Mixed 2nds (15:30)
Netball: St Andrews Womens 2nds v Heriot-Watt Womens 2nds (10:30)
Sunday 28th November
Golf: St Andrews 3rds v Strathclyde 2nds (10:16)
Wednesday 1st December
Basketball: St Andrews Womens 1sts v Edinburgh Womens 2nds (18:30)
Fencing: St Andrews Mens 1sts v Edinburgh Mens 1sts (14:00)
Hockey: St Andrews Mens 1sts v Stirling Mens 1sts (14:30)
St Andrews Womens 1sts v Edinburgh Womens 1sts (15:00)
St Andrews Womens 3rds v Heriot-Watt Womens 2nds (13:00)
Lacrosse: St Andrews Mens 1sts v Durham Mens 1sts (14:30)
St Andrews Womens 1sts v Aberdeen Womens 1sts (13:00)
Rugby Union: St Andrews Mens 1sts v Aberdeen Mens 1sts (14:00)
St Andrews Womens 1sts v Heriot-Watt Womens 1sts (14:00)
Tennis: St Andrews Mens 2nds v Dundee Mens 2nds (13:00)
St Andrews Womens 3rds v Dundee Womens 1sts (16:00)
Water Polo: St Andrews Womens 1sts v Dundee Womens 1sts (tbc)
Saturday 4th December
Lacrosse: St Andrews Womens 1sts v Glasgow Womens 1sts (13:00)
Netball: St Andrews Womens 1sts v Aberdeen Womens 1sts (11:00)
Wednesday 8th December
Fencing: St Andrews Mens 1sts v Manchester Mens 1sts (14:00)
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Wolves. The Badgers emerged vic-
torious, by 425 goals to 354.
The match kicked off at 11am on
a Friday and ended at 8pm on the
Sunday, with the teams playing
continuously for over 57 hours - the
equivalent of playing a full 38-game
Premiership season non-stop. The
players ran an average of 110km
each, consumed 1000 bottles of
Gatorade and 36kg of pasta.
The match was a fundraiser for
the Meningitis Trust after former
Badgers player Jamie Burdett had
died from the illness. Organisers
were delighted with the record and
hoped to have raised over 10,000.
AM
Sport 29 The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
Whistleblower
Sport Editor Richard Browne assesses the use of international
sporting friendly matches...
Sporting World
Record-breaking special:
The worlds longest golf putt
happened, fttingly, right here on
our own doorstep.
On 6th November 2001, Fergus
Muir set the record on the par three
ffth on the Eden course, choosing
to putt from the tee. Thanks to gale-
force winds, Muirs ball travelled
375 feet from tee to cup.
As the Southern Hemisphere
sides continue their tour in the Au-
tumn Internationals, New Zealand
- as ever - look the team to beat. It
is no surprise, then, that they hold
the record for the most number of
points scored in a rugby match after
they battered Japan 145-17 in 1995.
18-year old schoolboy Oliver
Hardaker set the record for the most
number of runs scored in a 40-over
cricket match in May of this year.
Playing for Horsforth Cricket
Club, Hardaker smashed 329 off 144
balls in a remarkable innings, which
included 29 sixes and 28 fours.
The longest game of football ever
played was contested between the
Leeds Badgers and the Warwick
Saint
Sport
Have an upcoming event or fixture to be covered?
Want to see your name or your club in The Saint?
Email Richard at sport@thesaint-online.com
BATTLEFIELD: More action from the 1st XV match agaimst Edinburgh, as Saints gave as good as they got
but were ultimately undone by the league leaders.
Each week we bring you a selection of the weird, bizarre and downright odd stories (and snapshots) from the sometimes very strange world of sport...
Sport in pictures
LIVERPOOL FANS WONT NEED
telling that England friendly duty
has deprived them of captain Ste-
ven Gerrard for four weeks. Over
the busy schedule in the run up to
Christmas, that is a huge blow. Steve
Bruce, the Sunderland manager,
suggested England should hold
training camps not friendly games.
So we might ask, in this case and
many others before, is the risk of in-
jury worth turning out for meaning-
less friendlies?
Even if injury is avoided, friend-
lies can be an irritant to players, fans
and above all managers. The in-
ternational friendly games just gone
came in the middle of a busy mid-
season domestic schedule. Many
British players are exhausted by the
end of their club season, with do-
mestic league, cup and sometimes
European fxtures to contend with
Exhibit A: England at the World
Cup. International friendlies can
hardly be helping matters, especial-
ly if players are forced to travel half-
way round the world to participate.
Its not hugely surprising, there-
fore, when so many top players pull
out of the games that fans might
wonder if theyre seeing the real
team at all. There were no Old Firm
players in the Scotland squad to play
the Faeroe Islands, Hart, Terry and
Cole were some of those missing out
for England and Northern Irelands
friendly squad was decimated by
withdrawals.
But in the space one man leaves,
another must step up. The lack of
frst-team regulars means that man-
agers have the opportunity to try out
new players. They can experiment
with different tactics and forma-
tions, because there is no pressure.
Ok, less pressure, especially if your
name is Capello.
Those new players are often
young and inexperienced on the
international stage. These friendlies
are close enough to the real thing to
give them a feeling for the interna-
tional game: training as a national
squad and with potential future
teammates, the pre-match routine
and the match atmosphere some-
thing a training camp cannot do. For
fans do turn up, in the hope of seeing
players for the future. Scotland ap-
peared to discover some new hopes
in Danny Wilson and Barry Bannan
against the Faeroes. For England,
Ben Foster and Andy Carroll did
themselves no harm with good per-
formances, while John Gorman was
among those who showed promise
for Northern Ireland.
And let it be said that, whether
you are a debutant or a hundred-cap
man, youre pulling on the shirt and
representing your country. It doesnt
matter how important the game. For
every prima donna who decides a
friendly against Trinidad and Toba-
go isnt for them, theres a hundred
people who would do anything to
play for their country, just once.
I have so far talked exclusively
about football, but we do of course
have the Rugby Union Autumn In-
ternationals on now. We Scots have
to sit through humiliation against
the Southern Hemisphere sides
(any regular at Murrayfeld will
tell you that for every 9-8 win over
Australia theres many a 49-3 thrash-
ing by New Zealand) and console
ourselves by edging out the rugby
powerhouses like Canada. Oh wait.
We can beat the reigning World
Champions too. A week before, the
English team turned in a stunner
of a performance against Australia.
What did the game mean? Not a lot.
But the players out there, the likes of
Chris Ashton, were telling Martin
Johnson I want to play for England
at the World Cup next year.
So I think we should see friendly
matches as opportunities for young
athletes, not a nuisance for their
older and (un)wiser peers. And be-
cause they provide sports writers
with something to discuss when the
sporting barrel runs dry or, some-
times, they have an editorial to write.
The last word goes to Craig Levein,
after watching his Scotland side
cruise to victory over the Faeroes: I
hope the cynics will agree that it was
worthwhile.
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IS IT IN THERE? Carlos Tevez still looking for his 25 million from Sir Alex
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The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
30 Sport
Ronnie Guthrie
MORE THAN SNOW PROGRESS: Richard Wilkinson (left) and Snorre Snoop Saeveraas (right) tear up the slopes at the University Dry-Slope Championships
Saints rule the slopes at Hillend
AT THE BREAK of dawn on Friday
5th November, the very best of St
Andrews Snowsports (SAS) gath-
ered to begin their journey to the
British University Dry-Slope cham-
pionships (BUDS) taking place at
Hillend, Edinburgh. In just a few
hours, over two thousand students
from seventy universities from
throughout the UK would descend
on Europes longest dry-ski slope
for a weekend of hardcore racing,
amazing free-styling and incredible
partying.
Only two weeks previously, a
contingent of St Andrews skiers and
boarders had competed at the Scot-
tish University Dry-Slope Champi-
onships, again held at Hillend, with
great success. Richard Wilkinson
came 2nd in the individual duals,
beating hundreds of other expe-
rienced racers from other Scottish
universities, and our boarder team
came 3rd in the team duals. St An-
drews Snowsports were ready to
get back on the leadership table.
Upon arriving at a packed
Hillend, the team hauled all their
kit and made their way up to fnd
a base camp. The frst events up
were the Snowboard Giant Slalom
and the Ski Slalom. Slalom consists
of making short, sharp turns be-
tween a set of poles (gates) placed
fairly closed together. Giant slalom
is similar but there are fewer gates
and they are spaced further apart.
Emphasis is placed on accuracy
of turning, if a gate is missed, the
competitor is disqualifed.
Snowsports President Neil
Graham and Board Captain Paul
Hughes got off to a good start,
turning heads as they came down
the slope in matching fuorescent
onesies. Their pre-slope warm up
routines even managed to catch
the attention of the BUSC (British
Universities Snowsports Council)
highlights camera.
Meanwhile on the main slope,
the ladies slalom was getting un-
derway. Keira Stewart was con-
gratulated by an enthusiastic com-
mentary team for qualifying for
the second round by crossing the
fnishing line superman style - in
the air with one ski on, the other
having ejected after clipping the
last gate.
When it came to the mens turn,
Henry Stanislaw wasnt to be out-
done and few down the slope,
only to fall victim to a tight gate
and cause a superb double ejection
of both skis. Rumours also persist
about a mysterious manly fgure
that competed in the ladies cat-
egory due to not being put in the
mens we cannot confrm this but
we do know he wasnt very good.
The slalom began to come to a
close and with the team secretary
leading the way to the bar, St An-
drews headed over to watch the
Syndicate Slopestyle begin. DJs
were pumping out beats for all to
hear and freestylers were going to
show us the amazing rolls, grabs,
fips and twists they could do on
the infamous Hillend kicker. They
didnt disappoint. As the Jaeger,
tunes and increasingly staggering
tricks continued to fow, the night
got better and better.
The fun of BUDS does not just
stop on the slopes. Urban Knights
were playing exclusively in City
nightclub and they didnt let any-
one down their mix of video and
music was unlike anything normal-
ly seen in St Andrews. After a long
day, hundreds of competitors were
ready to show that they were dance
foor lovers too. It was a night that
everyone was going to remember.
After hangovers were brought
into effect at 7am by Soap Forest
with a loudspeaker, contestants
managed to make it to a quieter
Hillend. On the second day it was
the turn of the skiers to have a go at
the giant slalom, whilst on the oth-
er slope the boarders were compet-
ing in the Boarder X, racing against
each other to get to bottom of the
slope frst.
Unlike Friday, the sun had de-
cided to show its face and by mid-
day many of the competitors were
racing down the slopes in T-shirts.
But before long, the heavens had
opened and the team duals were
had to start in the rain. Despite the
downpour, St Andrews 1st board-
er team managed to reach the semi-
fnals of the team duals, while the
1st skiers made their mark by pro-
gressing through several rounds
whilst racing in animal cat-suits.
Never before has Hillend seen two
cows, a duck, a tiger and an Irish-
man move with such speed down
a dry-ski slope. It was a sight to
behold.
As the races began to draw to
a close, the attention was again
drawn to the freestyle competition.
The DJs were bashing out the beats,
the Red Bull girls were handing out
life-giving liquid energy and every-
one was beginning to get psyched
up for the second big night out
the BUDS ball. And to top it all
off, the rain that had been drench-
ing everything for the previous
few hours was beginning to turn to
snow a sign from the Snowsports
God that this years snow season
had offcially begun.
To complete an amazing week-
end, the last thing left to do was the
BUDS black tie event. Whilst some
snowsports clubs dined at Dynamic
Earth (which was later shut down
by the police due to an excessively
large impromptu food fght), the
SAS went to eat with some of the
other Scottish universities at Cargo.
Although usually thought of as
competitors, students from other
universities offered a great chance
to compare tips and recollections.
The food was good, the drinks were
fowing and it was a great way to
end an epic weekend.
Whilst the morning brought an
end to BUDS, it wasnt the last big
event that St Andrews Snowsports
should be excited about. The Scot-
tish ski season is about to begin and
will soon be able to offer skiing trips
to Glenshee or the Cairngorms. The
January trip to Tignes in France is
only two months away. BUDS was
over, but it smelt like Tignes spirit.
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The Saints top Mens bas-
ketball team put themselves
within reach of the league
leaders Abertay 1sts with
a comfortable win away to
their divisions basement
side from Glasgow Caledo-
nian University.
It was their second win from
four games played, and was
achieved with classy finish-
ing and a minimum of fuss.
BASKETBALL
Glasgow Caledonian 1sts 68
SAINTS MENS 1STS 88
AU Clubs in brief
Saints Mens hockey 1sts
played out a thrilling 4-all
draw with Edinburgh to
stay above them in second
place in the league.
The Womens 2nds sneaked
a 1-0 win over local rivals,
Dundee 1sts, in a very hard-
fought contest to leave
them only three points off
league pace-setters, Edin-
burgh Napier.
HOCKEY
Edinburgh Mens 2nds 4
SAINTS MENS 1STS 4
The Mens lacrosse squad
bounced back from an un-
lucky home defeat against
Sheffield Hallam as they
overpowered Nottingham
on their own patch.
The win cements Saints
third place in the Northern
Premier Division as they
begin to feel at home in a
league with the other big
boys in UK lacrosse.
LACROSSE
Nottingham Mens 1sts 3
SAINTS MENS 1STS 9
The university sent three
teams to Open Indoor Re-
gionals in Edinburgh. The
first team qualified for Na-
tionals despite some tense
matches and being hit by
injuries to key players.
The womens teams, not to
be outdone, then proved
themselves the best in the
region at Aberdeen Indoors
on 21st November.
ULTIMATE
Flatball 1 qualifes for Division
One Indoor Nationals
The Saints Womens 2nds
scored a whitewash over
Aberdeen to move top of
BUCS Womens 2A. The
team has won 12-0 in both
of their matches.
As for the men, both 1sts
and 2nds recorded straight-
forward away wins against
Glasgow 2nds (8-4) and
Robert Gordon 1sts (8-2)
respectively.
TENNIS
SAINTS WOMENS 2NDS 12
Aberdeen Womens 2nds 0
Sport 31
The Saint Thursday 25 November 2010
ST ANDREWS MENS 1STS 20 - 41 EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY 1STS
Stuart Milne
SPOT THE BALL: Saints put in a great frst-half performance but a lack of focus at the start of the second cost them the game
Continued from back page
IT IS WIDELY ACKNOWL-
EDGED that the UKs agri-
cultural colleges produce som
of the best student shots in
the country (most have been
shooting since they were
strong enough to hold a gun!)
It was therefore an honour, but
also a little bit daunting, for St
Andrews to be invited to com-
pete at the Agricultural Block
Fixture at the West Midlands
Shooting Ground on Saturday
6th November.
Teams travelled from across
the country for the event, with
the most formidable of these
being the hosting team from
Harper Adams (whose mens
and ladies teams both fin-
ished 2nd in BUCS 2010). As
expected, the competition was
fierce, but St Andrews eventu-
ally prevailed, with the deplet-
ed ladies team winning by a
considerable margin.
The mens competition was
more closely contested, and a
recount of the scores showed
that St Andrews had been
mistakenly docked 7 targets.
The result was that St An-
drews moved from 3rd place
to 1st, with a winning score of
147/200.
St Andrews also claimed
both of the high-guns for the
day, with Andrew Pike secur-
ing the title for the men by just
a single clay, scoring 42/50.
Alyson Murdoch, the ladies
captain, shot exceptionally and
finished on a score of 38/50; a
country mile ahead of her near-
Andrew Pike
COUNTRYSIDE CONQUERORS: Saints return victorious from the West Midlands
Clay Pigeon Club aiming high
est opponent.
The victory bodes well for the
St Andrews Challenge on the
20th November, which this year
will see over 250 shots compet-
ing for the the silverware.
The St Andrews teams were:
Andrew Pike (High gun)
Ben Simonds
Reed Renault
George Bowen
Alyson Murdoch (High gun)
Annie Foot
Alexandra Cody
Special mention should also
go to Thomas Chinnery, who
succeeded in producing an ex-
ceptional round of DTL to win
a local competition with a quite
brilliant individual score of
23/25 (69/75).
As expected, the competition
was f i erce, but St Andrews
eventually prevailed, with the
depleted ladies team winning
by a consi derabl e margi n.
THE MENS RUGBY 1ST
XV were struck again last
week by what the team calls,
the curse of half-time.
The Saints started well
against a visiting Edinburgh
side that began the match at the
head of the BUCS Scottish Con-
ference. They led at the break
with two tries to Edinburghs
one, but could not stop a spir-
ited comeback by the visitors
who dominated the second half,
comfortably winning 41-20.
The team did acknowledge
that this has unfortunately been
a consistent problem through-
out St Andrews season thus far.
We get up in the first
half, and then in the first 20
minutes of the second half
we seem to switch off and
get a little bit complacent,
said Saints captain Steven
Sims. Then we dont play
until the games really lost.
The home side opened the
scoring with a well-worked try
from Stewart Coleman in the
first ten minutes, which kicker
Sims duly converted. However,
Edinburgh replied ruthlessly
with a try of their own moments
later to tie the game at 7-7.
The score remained even
until the game approached the
half-hour mark, as Alan Lit-
tle scored the first of his two
tries of the afternoon to put
St Andrews back in front, al-
though Sims wasnt able to
take the conversion chance.
Edinburgh looked deter-
mined to get another try be-
fore the break, but a dogged
defence by the Saints over
the final ten minutes kept
the conference leaders out
until the half-time whistle.
Unfortunately for St An-
drews, the confidence and
control that had served them
well in the games first por-
tion was nowhere to be seen
at the start of the second half.
Error-strewn play from the
Saints gifted Edinburgh three
tries in just ten minutes, a period
Saints director of rugby David
Ross described as, some of the
worst rugby that weve actually
played as a team this season.
St Andrews would con-
cede still more points before
finally recovering to mount
a sustained offensive, Lit-
tles second try cutting the
hosts deficit to 14 points
with under 20 minutes to go.
Ross praised the physical
leadership of the Saints cap-
tain, who late in the game re-
peatedly threw himself at the
Edinburgh defence to create
something of an attacking drive
for the battered home side.
Its all very well telling
people to run hard at defences
and shouting in their faces,
Sims himself explained, but
if youre not doing it yourself
then no ones going to listen.
There was to be no miracle
comeback for St Andrews how-
ever, as yet another Edinburgh
try in the dying moments of
the match extended the visi-
tors victory to 21 points.
Ross made it clear that Edin-
burgh outperformed the Saints
at the games most basic levels.
The biggest thing that they
did was that they made their
tackles and we didnt, he said.
When you miss tackles youre
going to concede points.
The win sees Edinburgh re-
main undefeated in first place in
the Scottish Conference, ahead of
Aberdeen on points difference.
The Saints 2-0-2 record
leaves them six points behind
the leaders and out of realistic
title contention, although Ross
believes St Andrews can still
play the role of kingmaker when
defending champions Aberdeen
come to town on 1st December.
The aim now is to go
through the season undefeat-
ed, Ross explained. That
goal is something that we can
achieve, but we need to play a
lot better than we did today.
They have the chance to do
that with a trip to fifth-placed
Heriot-Watt before they then
host Aberdeen.
Dogged defence by the Saints
kept the conference leaders out
until half-time... Unfortunately
the confidence and control that
had served them so well in the
games first portion was nowhere
to be seen at the start of the sec-
ond half.
Saints sunk by second-half surge
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record this season, were not going
to lie down and take the punish-
ment. They did pose an attacking
threat, and the Saints defence had
to show discipline and strength
to ensure they conceded no goals
- this they did with aplomb. At the
other end, the two well-worked
goals were put away to secure
the win, though the team felt they
could easily have had more.
These were a fantastic couple of
results for the team. The girls re-
ally are proving their worth in the
higher womens 1A BUCS league
and will hopefully continue to pro-
duce similar score lines leading up
to the Christmas break. Those both
come against Edinburgh, with a
trip to face their 2nds - beaten by
Saints 3-1 in St Andrews - followed
by the crunch match at home to the
1sts a week later.
Hockey:
home
happiness
Saint
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BUBBLE
Two home wins in a fortnight has St Andrews
DOUBLE
1st XI in pursuit of league glory
Continued on page 31
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HAVING LOST NARROWLY
to Glasgow 1st XI (2-1) on their
home pitch in their frst game of
the BUCS season, the girls 1st XI
were determined to set the record
straight in this second clash. As
the score line refects, they pro-
duced an excellent performance
and gave the opposition no mercy.
St Andrews dominated from
the start and did not relent
throughout the match. Within a
few minutes Saints were already
in Glasgows D and during the
frst half they put the opposi-
tion under sustained pressure.
Heather Tait had an excel-
lent game in centre midfeld
and endured a continuous bat-
tle with her opposition marker
who seemed intent on getting her
to the ground wherever possible.
Clare McGhee at centre back
also showed versatility through
some crucial defending and storm-
ing drives into attack which almost
got her onto the scoreboard and
rightly won her Man of the Match.
Despite plenty of runs from Lily
Potter-Hayes and Becca Bamford
down both wings, and a handful
of efforts in the D, the Glasgow
defence held strong until halfway
through the frst half when Jenny
Coco Collins was on the right post to
tap in captain Taits straight strike.
With this under their belt, Saints
then looked to capitalise, and before
the half time whistle their efforts
were rewarded with a second goal
from fresher Becky Bottle, current-
ly the teams leading goal scorer.
The half time talk focused on
making the most of drives into the
D and trying to win a free hit or
short corner as soon as play was
within the last 23 yards of the pitch.
As predicted, the Glasgow girls
came out fghting right from the
start of the second half and put St
Andrews under sustained periods
of pressure. It was in vain, though.
Saints third goal started from
a hit out just outside their own D
which saw a string of excellent
passes up the pitch from Claire
Bartholomew, Tait and Heather
Elder. With just a couple more
defenders to beat, Tait and Elder
showed some silky skills result-
ing in a clean fnish from the latter.
Not willing to give up with-
out a fght, Glasgow 1st XI gave a
huge push halfway through the
second half. For over fve minutes
the home side found themselves
defending frantically, with the ma-
jority of the team in their own D.
The defence did a fantastic job in
clearing several short corners and
Hilary Dixon made a couple of in-
valuable clearances just in front of
the right post. Siobhan Gill also put
in some crucial tackles as she has
done consistently so far this season.
After defending a handful of long
corners and free hits Saints eventu-
ally had possession once again and
launched a fnal attack in the dying
minutes of the game. Fitness levels
have clearly improved since the
start of the season as the girls con-
tinued to maintain the quick pace
of the game until the fnal whistle.
With another display of accurate,
slick passing between the defence
and midfeld, Tait put away the
fourth and fnal goal of the game.
With four minutes to go, ref-
eree Andrew Gillespie gave Clara
McGhee a yellow card for good
measure and ten minutes off the
pitch; during her rueful time in
the dugout she contemplated
the delightful dirty to come (!).
THE TEAM THEN recorded a
straightforward 2-0 victory over
Glasgow Caledonian University,
who sit bottom of the league with
fve defeats from fve. There was no
room for complacency, however,
and the girls put in their usual hard
work and did not lack commitment.
The visitors, despite their poor
Victoria Hirst
ST ANDREWS 1STS 4
GLASGOW 1STS 0
ST ANDREWS 1STS 2
GLASGOW
CALEDONIAN 1STS 0
Glasgows defence held strong
until halfway through the first
half when Jenny Coco Collins
was on the right post to tap in
captain Taits straight strike.