Do you know these people?

Image credit: Exeter Guild

An investigation by Exeposé has revealed that nearly one in three students cannot name or recognise any of the four Sabbatical Officers they elected in 2013. 32 per cent did not know Hannah Barton, Alex Louch, Jak Curtis-Rendall, or Chris Rootkin when shown pictures of them, while 29 per cent could not recognise any of these four in addition to Alex Powell, the incumbent AU president.

The survey, which questioned 100 students in Devonshire House and the Forum across January 16 and January 17, is the first of its kind since a similar survey in 2012, which indicated that 68 per cent of students could not name a single Sabb.

In this survey, only eight per cent could name and recognise the roles of all four Guild Sabbs and the AU President when shown images of them, though 15 per cent were able to name and recognise the four Sabbs (excluding the AU President) when questioned.

Sabb is short for Sabbatical Officer, and refers to the Sabbatical Officers, a team who work for the interests of students from within the Students’ Guild, with the exception of Alex Powell, the AU President, who works within the University of Exeter Sport department.

The statistics also indicated significant recognition of Hannah Barton, the President of the Students’ Guild. The Guild website describes Barton’s role as being the “figurehead of the organisation; both internally and externally”, and 57 per cent of respondents recognised Barton as Guild President, with 47 per cent being able to name her.

Barton’s recognition was around double that of any other Sabbatical role. Only 21 per cent could recognise Alex Louch as VP Academic Affairs, with 22 per cent able to name him. Chris Rootkin was successfully named by 23 per cent of respondents, with 26 per cent correctly identifying Rootkin as VP Welfare.

One in three students accurately named Jak Curtis-Rendall when shown an image of them, with 29 per cent able to identify him as VP Participation and Campuses.

Finally, Alex Powell, whose publicity is the responsibility of the AU, rather than the Students’ Guild, was successfully named by 22 per cent of students, with 27 per cent able to recognise her as AU President.

These figures constitute a dramatic improvement on statistics which Exeposé gathered in 2012 about the outgoing sabbatical team in that year. In that year, 76 per cent of students were unable to name their Guild President, while 68 per cent could not name any Sabbatical Officers.

Exeter is one of the most democratically engaged universities in the country, with the Guild estimating that 45.5 per cent of students have voted in an election or taken part in a student vote on a key issue.

Hannah Barton, University of Exeter Students’ Guild President, said: “The strong improvement in students’ recognition of their Sabbatical Officers is very pleasing and marks the success of efforts by the Students’ Guild – and the Sabbs themselves – to raise awareness of their roles and the work they do on behalf of students. As the foremost representatives of students at the University, we can be most effective when able to engage with the student body. I will continue to work with the Sabbs, the Students’ Guild and the University to raise awareness of our roles still further in order to shape and deliver the best possible student experience. Students can contact us any time in Devonshire House or by email and can follow our day-to-day activities on Twitter”.

Ricky Freelove, a second year History student, said: “I think it’s disappointing that one in three students cannot name or even recognise any of the Sabb positions. Even when I took the survey, I could only name Hannah Barton due to frequently seeing her poster in the Forum”, before adding: “Our representatives do explicitly have a commitment to make us know who they are, and what they are doing for us”.

Owen Keating, News Editor, additional reporting by Meg Drewett, Editor

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Sabb elections voting to open in February

Image credit: Exeter Guild

Voting for the Students’ Guild Sabbatical Officer elections will open at the beginning of Campaigns Week on Monday 3 February at 9am.

The week will see candidates take to campus to campaign for the votes of the student body, as well as take part in the annual XpressionFM candidate debates. Candidates will be able to campaign anywhere on campus, except for the A&V hub in Devonshire House. The election results will be announced on Friday 7 February in The Lemon Grove.

Voting will take place with the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system which ranks candidates in order of preference, and each voter will have one vote per sabbatical position. Students will be able to cast their vote on the Guild website.

In the 2013 Sabbatical Officer elections, 5992 students turned out to vote, representing 34 per cent of the student body. This was 6 per cent below the Guilds’ target turnout of 40 per cent. This year also sees a target of 40 per cent turnout, which would require approximately 7400 students to vote, due to the increase in student numbers.

Nominations for the sabbatical roles, which opened on Monday 13 January, close on Friday 24 January. This year’s elections mark a change to the job descriptions and titles of particular sabbatical officer positions, as VP Participation and Campuses becomes VP Activities, VP Academic Affairs changes to VP Education and VP Welfare and Community shifts to VP Welfare and Diversity. Students will also be able to vote for the Guilds’ International Officer, Postgraduate Officer and St Luke’s Officer during the same election period.

For full coverage of Campaigns week, visit the Exeposé website and follow Exeposé on Facebook and Twitter.

Meg Drewett, Editor

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Meet Tracy Costello, Your New Guild Chief Executive

Online Features Editor Meg Lawrence chats to Tracy Costello about her role in the Guild and her plans for the future.

What does officially having this new role mean to you?

It means a great deal. I feel very privileged to have been appointed Chief Executive. I have worked for the now since 2005 and I have worked my way through the organisation, so to be finally in a position where I can support the Sabbaticals fully and oversee the strategic direction of the Guild and make even greater differences to the lives of our students is a very big privilege and one that I will take very seriously.

What made you want to progress from the role of Deputy Chief Executive to Chief Executive?

I felt as if it was a natural progression; I was Deputy Chief Executive for about two years, and I had the great privilege of being able to learn from James Hutchinson who was our Chief Executive and a very good coach. It felt like a natural time for me to apply for the position but I was very conscious that it would be a very much desired job so the competition would be quite stiff, but I just felt like it was a natural development for me.

Tracy Costello
Image Credits: Exeter Guild

What is the best thing about working at Exeter University?

Our students. And I’m going to say it twice, our students. I am very passionate about supporting students whilst they are in higher education. I think that the wider experience that we can provide for students above and beyond the academic experience is vital for employability reasons, and for the future, but there’s something very special that I believe about Exeter University and that’s not least the fact that the students it attracts are very predisposed to engage and participate. We have a very caring student population who will go to great lengths to make a difference to their peers and their community. To be able to work in an organisation that has students at the heart of it is a very big privilege indeed.

Why is the Guild so important?

For all sorts of reasons. We deliver hundreds of different services and provide that absolutely vital academic representation role that no other agency on campus can deliver. We make sure that students are represented and connected in their academic colleges and courses, that they have the ability to make change within their own learning and teaching experiences but also within the wider community, which is vital. The second very important role that the Guild performs is that we are then the exponent of the student voice back to the University, and where the University are making decisions or facing particular challenges, by having the Guild at the heart of their decision making processes we can make sure that the absolute best outcome is achieved for the students in all circumstances.

What, if anything, would you change about the Guild in your new role?

There will be lots of things that we need to continue to improve upon. Any Student Union needs to constantly change and adapt to remain entirely relevant to the student population. What that means for each student is very different, so the thing that we will need to get even better at is understanding the absolute needs of our students, wherever they might be studying, on either campus, or whatever mode of study they might be in, either undergraduate or postgraduate. We will be constantly changing and improving our services to make sure we are in the absolute best possible position.

You first joined the Students’ Guild in 2005, how has it changed since then?

It has changed tremendously. We are much bigger, we have gone through five or six different branding exercises, and thankfully now we have a brand that we are very happy with, that has been very warmly received by the student population, so physically we look very different. The services that we provide are very different, the needs of students now are a lot different to how they were in 2005, when fees were some dim and distant dread on the horizon, so we have changed a great deal, mostly because the needs of our students have changed.

What are you most proud of in your time working for the Guild so far?

Image credits: Life@Microsoft Australia

Apart from getting Chief Executive, I would say my most proud moments- there are two- one was back in 2007, when I secured a VAT rebate for the Guild, and we got £280,000, which was an amazing amount of money that we have recycled entirely back into our services, so for us to get that was really transformational. The more recent thing that I am really proud of is the development of Ignite, our new entrepreneur service. About eighteen months ago the innovations centre and myself recognised that there was a gap in provisional campus for entrepreneurs, and we decided we needed to do something about that. We have had a really good first year for ignite, and being privileged enough to accompany Colinked to St Petersburg in the summer, for them to then go on to win the global finals of the Imagine Cup in Russia was just phenomenal, and the way it makes you feel when you have been able to have that sort of impact on people’s lives, transforming their chances, is just wonderful.

What are your plans for the future?

I think we need to understand exactly what the needs of the current students are going to be with the current University priorities, so with the building programme that’s currently underway, with the challenges that they face, we are going to need to make sure that the Guild is very well positioned to be that exponent to the student voice. The other priority that is within our strategic plan for 2013 until 2016 is to really invest in our academic representation. We need to become even more sophisticated and even more effective at channeling the student voice, specifically in the areas of their teaching and learning experiences.

Meg Lawrence, Online Features Editor

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Help Retain Our Lecturer

With Dr. Matt Hayler of the English department’s contract with the College of Humanities ending, Amy Young implores us to join the fight to keep a passionate and talented lecturer and tutor at the University.

If you are in the English department, then you know about Dr. Matt Hayler. If you’re not in the English department, but you have a friend who is, then you have also more than likely heard about Dr. Matt Hayler. Specialising in hyper-contemporary literature and theory, Matt is a lecturer and tutor who is held in wide regard by every English student you talk to. Matt’s contract with the College of Humanities is ending, and a petition has been created in order to show support for the renewal of his contract. [Ed. note: please see below for clarification]

“A barrage of support came pouring out from everyone I knew on my course, and when I saw it, I just could not believe Matt’s contract had ever come into question in the first place.”
Photo Credit: Matt Hayler via Exeter Express & Echo

During my first term as an English student, I had Matt as a tutor for bi-weekly workshops in a module called Approaches to Criticism. For those of you blessed many who did not have to endure this module, it essentially involves anything from economics to philosophy, psychology and sociology, and had the potential to be incredibly interesting, but also simultaneously makes you want to rip your own hair out.

As a new undergraduate who was not particularly well versed in Aristotle, and who hated the theories of Derrida with a passion, Matt’s workshops made everything seem more comprehensible. Of course I was still quite confused on a regular basis, but his explanations of different theories meant that I could at least start my degree knowing what “metaphysical” meant.

This petition came to my attention on Facebook, and once it became common knowledge what was happening, English undergraduates started posting links to it left, right and centre. People are signing the petition because they know how brilliant Matt is as a lecturer. It is a testament to his teaching ability that I have never met anyone who has a bad word to say about him as a tutor. [Ed. note: paragraph edited, please see below for clarification]

There are, without a doubt, many teachers throughout the University who inspire you as much as Matt does his students. When you’re trying to balance all of your essays and weekly reading materials, you can sometimes feel that you are just losing the enthusiasm that was so strong at the start of the term. At moments like these, it is teachers like Matt that make you fall in love with your subject again.

But it does not end there. As students, we are constantly being introduced to many new ideas, some of which are so new, they are literally on the cutting edge of research. Matt’s focus on new ideas of digital cyber-cultures is not only an incredibly interesting and exciting topic for many of us English undergraduates, but it is genuinely a joy to see Matt talking about something he is obviously very passionate about.

In a lecture at the start of my first year, Matt told us that in our Approaches to Criticism module, we could not look at things that happen in the world and say, “That’s just the way it is”. That is what is happening here. At the thought of Matt leaving the university, students are not accepting that the decision rests solely with the College of Humanities. That is not “just the way it is”.

Amy Young

[Ed. note: The above article has been edited in order to provide clarification. Matt Hayler’s three-year contract is not ‘under question’ as asserted in the aforementioned petition but instead is ending. Staff on temporary contracts do not have their contracts renewed but rather must sign up for a new contract. The number of staff posts depends upon admissions.]

To sign up to the petition to keep Matt Hayler at the University, visit the Guild’s Have Your Say page. Is Matt worth saving? Leave a comment below or write to the Comment team at the Exeposé Comment Facebook Group or on Twitter@CommentExepose.

Exeter goes Green on Friday

Image credit: Students’ Green Fund

This Friday will see the launch of the Students’ Green Unit, an initiative aimed at developing student-led sustainability projects on campus and in the local community. Part of a wider scheme run by the National Union of Students, the unit was recently awarded £300,000 backing from the NUS Green Fund, with the aim of being able to provide “impactful solutions to sustainability issues.”

Led by a team of five Behaviour Change Interns, the unit will allow students to bid for funding to start projects aligned with one of five themes: operations, education, research, community and student activity and employability.

Linking academic research on environmental issues with real time practical experience for students, the project will initially run for two years. In that time, the unit hopes to fund 40 projects and work with up to 200 students. Nationally, the NUS Green Fund will engage with 50’000 students.

Speaking to people around campus this week, the unit said they have had positive reactions from students, having spoken to over 300 people by Tuesday.

The university has recently been praised by the NUS, having become the first higher education institutions in the UK to achieve compliance with management systems to reduce the impact on the environment caused by their operations.

Norrie Blackeby, who is leading the unit, said: “Sustainability issues are a high priority for the Students’ Guild and I am delighted that the project is now underway. The Students’ Green Unit will bridge the gaps that exist between academic excellence, community engagement and student action for the benefit of the communities we live in.”

Tegan Hedley, News Team

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SenseExeter wristband project launched by Guild

Image credit: Exeter Guild

A new project to raise awareness of student safety on nights out has been launched by the Guild.

The project, SenseExeter, aims to highlight issues of alcohol consumption and safety returning home at the end of the night. Chris Rootkin, VP Welfare and Community, handed out wristbands at two of the biggest student nights, Timepiece on Wednesday and the Lemon Grove on Saturday.

In a recent article in the National Student, Lee Sheriffe, a young person’s alcohol worker, discussed the common dangers associated with binge drinking and heavy use of alcohol. One of the high risks identified was that alcohol can cause “blackouts and severe memory loss”, leading to “poor decision making”.

SenseExeter aims to combat this by encouraging students to be aware of their alcohol consumption, walk in groups or take a taxi, and be considerate of local residents. Students were encouraged to enter a competition on the website, and there was a good response to the campaign.

Currently, nearly a thousand wristbands have been handed out, and the continuing project will be linked with a larger alcohol awareness campaign in the future.

Jon Craggs, fourth year Maths student, said: “Students can be vulnerable when they’re walking home after a night out, and I think it’s important that the Guild does what it can to protect them.”

Emily Hickley, an Economics student, said: “Although student safety is an issue that the Guild needs to address, I’m unsure that this is an effective way of doing so”.

Chris Rootkin, VP Welfare and Community, said: “The ‘How did I get home?’ wristband campaign was developed to encourage students to think about their personal safety as they make their way home.

“By directly and personally engaging with students I hope they have been encouraged to think about these issues and to take in the information at http://www.senseexeter.com. Following the wristband distribution the website has received over 1,100 page hits and 119 survey responses which will inform future welfare campaign planning.

“One of my priorities is to work closely with the Students’ Guild, the University and the Exeter Night-time Economy Group to ensure that our students stay safe when out at night”.

Helen Carrington, News Team

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Guild launches new student parent support group

Today the Guild will launch the Student Parent Support Group for the first time. The project is designed to help students who are parents and studying at the University of Exeter by providing better support.

The event, which will take place at the Lemon Grove in Cornwall House, will be a ‘birthday picnic’ where student parents can enjoy birthday cake and party games.

Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Participation and Campuses said:  “The launch event is the first in a series of events that will provide great opportunities for Student Parents to meet others in a fun, social and enjoyable setting for them and the kids. We hope to work with the University to ensure our campuses become more student parent friendly going forwards.”

The Guild have also launched a new website in order to provide students with advice and support, such as mother and baby sessions, the chance to meet other parents, contacts, events for children, and information on pregnancy, healthcare, childcare and transport.

Sophie France, a second-year Flexible Combined Honours student said: “The group sounds like a great idea, demonstrating an effective use of resources to expand the student parent network. It shows that the Guild are improving the support they give to students.”

The event will run this Saturday from 10am – 1pm at the Lemon Grove. For more information click here.

Rachel Gelormini, News Team

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Plans to save streetlights after Exeposé and guild campaign

Image credit: Exeter Express and Echo

Devon County Council is initiating consultation on street lighting in student living areas of the city, following plans to cut costs and carbon emissions associated with late night street lighting. The Council is inviting local county councillors, Exeter city councillors and the Police to provide their views on the initial proposals.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “This is the start of the consultation on streetlighting in Exeter and we’re keen to gather the views of stakeholders and residents in helping us

draw up the final plans. We are also aiming to develop a network of busy “walking home routes” which will remain lit all night. We have already gained some useful input from the University of Exeter Students’ Guild following their presentation to the Exeter Board last November.

The proposed final plans, which will be drawn up over the coming months are for some street lights in residential areas to be switched off between about 12:30am and 5:30am, before coming on again, until dawn. The St. James and St. Luke’s areas, inhabited predominantly by students, are now proposed as part of the protected areas that will remain lit, including popular routes home throughout the city.

Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Exeter, stated: “The input from local councillors, Police and the Students’ Guild will give us a solid starting point on which to consult further, so that we can produce a scheme in which we will all have been able to play a part.”

Since January 2010, over 35,000 streetlights across Devon have been converted to part night lighting. This has already saved around 4,000 tonnes of CO2 and approximately £1.2 million from the Council’s electricity bill. This has been contested by a campaign from The University’s Students’ Guild and Exeposé, which has had a large following of support from students.

Devon County Council is responsible for nearly 77,000 street lights, costing £2.2million in electricity and producing nearly 20,000 tonnes of CO2 every year. The switching off of the streetlights at specific times of the night is part of a wider package of carbon saving measures, which also includes night dimming and the use of low energy equipment and LED technology.

Grace Hopper, VP Participation and Campuses, said: “The discussions that the Students’ Guild has had with Devon County Council have been very constructive in recent months, leading to the much-changed starting point for proposals that we have seen today. Throughout this process, we have recognised the County Council need to cut carbon emissions and find financial savings; but we don’t feel these should be offered up at the price of community safety and the resulting wider costs to the public purse. ”

She added: “The overwhelming support our campaign has received from students and resident groups; as well as local Police officers, County & City Councillors, Ben Bradshaw MP and national safety agencies demonstrates the depth of feeling on the matter. We are pleased the new drawings we have been shown are reflective of these concerns.”

Exhibitions on the new plans are likely to be held in July. Dates and locations will be confirmed in due course on the County Council website.

Louis Doré, News Editor

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Crime on campus: Man caught stealing from The Ram

Image credit: Niklas Rahmel

On Sunday 19 May an individual was caught attempting to take a bottle of Jack Daniels from The Ram bar while the venue was closed to the public.

At 10:10am the man described by Estate Patrol as “tall and lanky with dark blonde hair, wearing a white top and jeans” was seen on CCTV and subsequently apprehended.

Estate Patrol then report that the man who was in possession of a white bicycle “left the premises without the bottle.”

James Crouch, a Politics Masters student commented: “I’m shocked that this is going on behind the scenes, I hope this isn’t a regular occurrence in The Ram.”

In a statement, the Students’ Guild confirmed the incident and mentioned that “Estate Patrol and the Police are aware of the situation and will be taking the appropriate action.”

Constable Ian Lugg, the University Police Officer, is handling the investigation.

Louis Doré, News Editor

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Students vote against banning The Sun

Image credit: Niklas Rahmel

62% of Exeter students have voted against banning sales of The Sun newspaper on University campus, in a record-breaking referendum.

This week’s motion to boycott the newspaper as part of a “No More Page 3” campaign saw thousands of students vote in what was the biggest student turnout in a referendum in recent years. 1504 voted against banning the paper, with 2441 students voting in total.

The campaign, which began in Summer 2012, argued that The Sun should be banned from all University outlets until the bare breasts that feature on Page 3 are removed. Originally a petition, “No More Page 3” now has over 10,000 likes on Facebook and has attracted attention from a number of universities.

The issue has sparked controversy across campus, with both yes and no campaigns being vocal in their support and condemnation. An Xpression FM debate yesterday evening provoked strong emotions and saw a large majority vote against banning The Sun.

Debate Show: The Sun/Page 3 Debate by Xpressionfm on Mixcloud

Virginia Walsh, a second year History student, raised the original complaint with the Students’ Guild. Walsh told Exeposé: “In my opinion this campaign is really important, because Page 3 perpetuates dangerous ideas about  women’s worth. It creates unattainable and unnatural images of women, which can have really negative effects on girls’ body image.”

Critics of the campaign raised concerns over the University’s necessity to protect students’ freedom of speech, arguing that banning a newspaper could be considered as censorship.

George Causer, a second year Politics student, said: “It’s not the job of the University to decide what is an approved publication. The University is meant to promote free speech, not repress it.”

The result goes against some student opinion around the country, with both the University of Cambridge and Durham University recently banning the publication alongside the likes of the LSE and Edinburgh University.

Extended coverage will follow in next week’s paper.

Tom Elliott and Harrison Jones, Online News Editors

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