REDBRICK ISSUE 1255 : 22ND - 28TH OCTOBER 2004

FINALLY, THE ULTIMATE BATTLE AS ALIEN VS PREDATOR PAGE 16

FILM

REVIEWS

SELLY SAUSAGE SIZZLES ON PAGE 6

BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITYS STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Red brick
SINCE

1936

ISSUE 1255

BUGS break-ins
Isaac Strang BEN ZIMAN-BRIGHT HE Guild of Students has this week been subject to a series of burglaries and break-ins, Redbrick can exclusively reveal. Over the last few weeks, two society offices have been entered illegally and one Guild-operated facility has fallen victim to a serious raid. Offices of RAG society Carnival were entered at the end of September on more than one occasion, during which a mobile phone, cash and a laptop were stolen. According to Carnival representatives, the lock had not been broken and the door showed no signs of forced entry, sparking rumours that a key had been involved. Anna Williamson, chair of the society and owner of the stolen laptop, agrees: "I think there are some keys out there that Carnival and Guild security aren't aware of, and people who aren't using them responsibly." Another Guild society, also a charitable organisation, has become a more recent victim of theft. The Community Action group (ComAc), which coordinates several volunteering and fund-raising projects, was broken into in the late evening of Wednesday 13th October and left in a state of disarray. Although it is thought that some small items were taken, nothing of value is reported to be missing. As with the Carnival incident, the ComAc office showed no signs of forced entry, leading some to make connections between the two. The fact that many locks for Guild basement societies are generic - and therefore accessible by a master key has sparked concerns about security. "There are master keys in existence," claims a Carnival representative, "So if one was lost and then found

Guild Elections - Vote now!

Steve Streatfeild

INSIDE

NUS Delegate and Exec Non-Sabb election

NEWS 2

Conservative conference

T ory talks on the future of the party - FEATURES 10

The ComAc office was broken into in the late hours of Wednesday 13th October by an untrustworthy person, they could gain access to many rooms." The Carnival office has recently changed their locks in an attempt to remove the threat of a missing master key, as well as the use of committee keys that remain unaccounted for. Guild protocol states that society members should not possess their own office keys, meaning that the only copies are obtainable from Reception in exchange for a U.I.D. card on an authorised list. This is not a rule that has been followed strictly in the past, however, leading some to believe that committee keys have been lost, taken or even copied. ComAc is now following suit by changing their locks away from the generic key format, described by one committee member as "a weakness in the system". More recently, the Guild's employment centre, Jobzone, has also been broken into, this time by extremely overt means. The office was entered by force at around six in the evening on Friday 15th, when unknown assailants kicked the locked door open. It is reported that a window was smashed and a small amount of money taken, before the offices of the Higher Education Policy Manager and Guild IT were also broken into. Guild Security responded quickly to a silent alarm and, although the assailants were not apprehended, only a digital camera has been reported stolen. Continued inside on PAGE 2

BURN 107.3 FM are still broadcasting - PAGE 20