The body of the third year Chemistry student was found in the River Ouse, approximately one mile from Bishopthorpe, by a member of the public on October 1 2007.

Davies who was from Bury, near Manchester, went missing on Saturday, September 22 2007 after a night out with friends. He was last seen alone by door staff outside Ziggy’s nightclub on Micklegate at 12.36am, where he was refused entry on grounds that he was heavily intoxicated. A friend and housemate who was with Davies contacted his parents the next day after he had not returned home. It was then that the police were called and an investigation was carried out.

The coroner reached an open verdict as there was no first hand account of what happened after Davies left his friends and how he came to be in the water is unknown.

The inquest, which was held at the York Register Office, heard statements from a number of witnesses. Pathologist Mark Egan, from the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne, carried out a post mortem and concluded that Davies had high levels of alcohol in his blood which in his opinion contributed to death by drowning.

It was thought that Davies had ingested substantial amounts of water from which the body could not recover.

The body was found fully clothed with no visible old or fresh injuries, thus assault was discounted.

Davies’ parents were present at the inquest and said that “Rob’s death left a big hole in our lives.” Davies’ father Tony went on to thank the North Yorkshire police officers and the University of York for all the help and support they had received.

Music Society, the largest Union society, received a grant of £1,245 last year but will receive no money from YUSU this year. Campus magazine Bad Taste saw its budget cut from £4,094 to £2,765 while Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans (LGBT) Social’s budget was more than halved from £1,100 to £493.33.

Many societies have suffered budget cuts after the overall amount available for allocation fell. In the 2007/08 academic year £35,817 was allocated amongst 56 societies, an average of £639.59 per society. In 2008/09 £31,100 has been divided amongst 67 societies, giving an average of £464.18.

In previous years society treasurers have been invited to draw up a budget to present it to a meeting of Union Finance Committee for approval. The meeting was originally scheduled by former Societies and Communications Officer Sam Bayley for Monday, June 2. It was then cancelled by email on Sunday night and rescheduled for June 9. The rescheduled meeting was then also cancelled.

On Thursday, June 19 Bayley emailed societies to inform them that he and Service Finance Officer Matt Burton had made a series of “prudent cuts” to budget proposals and that the cut-down budgets would be submitted to Finance Committee instead of the original grant requests made by treasurers.

In the email Bayley described as the proposals made by himself and Burton as a “fair, balanced offer for all interested societies.” He asked treasurers to “be reasonable and sensible about this – this budget is a hard job to put together and we feel we’ve done it as well as possible. Changes at this time still are possible but are difficult.”

Society chairs reacted angrily to the handling of the budget. Former LGBT Social chair Michael Rutherford said: “From start to finish, the communication from Sam Bayley was appalling. We were never told when the meeting was going to be, and it was only through hounding him that we got any information. Then, our meeting was cancelled and YUSU opted to do the full process without any input. Our budget was more than halved from the 2007-08 figure without any consultation.”

“LGBT Social and several other societies were the victims of a lazy process,” Rutherford added.

Music Society treasurer James Harper said: “The entire process was poorly managed and we were marginalised in the process without any attention paid to our needs. Sam Bayley just did not care.”

In a statement the Zahir, which lost £680, said: “We were disappointed to find that our own society grant had been slashed by almost half without any warning or any satisfactory explanation.”

Rutherford and the chairs of Lazerus, Fragsoc and Science Fiction & Fantasy Society sent Bayley a joint statement on June 25 claiming “the procedure undertaken made it impossible for many societies to present an effective and accurate budget proposal.”

Labour Club Chair David Levene, a society that was given the funding it requested, said: “There was very, very little consultation and it was very disorganised.”

Speaking to Nouse this week, Bayley rejected claims that the societies had been shut out of the budgeting process. He said: “The Finance Meeting was not cancelled altogether, all of the society budgets were presented to a Finance Committee which had the final say on how funds were distributed. Societies were able to attend the meeting if they so wished, and in fact some did. The team was busy but did not neglect its duties to society budgeting.”

“When people say that communication was poor what they actually mean is that they didn’t check their emails,” he added.

Burton said: “I think we could have been better at communicating what we were doing and about some meetings being cancelled but there was still the opportunity, and some societies took it, to come and say why they needed more money. We could have been better at communicating how that was done.”
Burton said that the smaller amount of money allocated directly to societies this year was the result of a number of factors, including rising overhead costs, but was largely down to the decision to hire a new staff member in the Student Activities Office. The office will provide “front of house support to committees and societies.”

He denied that the cuts were linked to the YUSU bar project, currently budgeted at £300,000.

NatWest’s annual Student Living Index survey showed that four in 10 of York’s student population, or 5,308 students, will be in part-time employment to help pay their way through university, with many claiming it would be too expensive without additional income.

The research analyses how much students spend on accommodation and living costs against how much they earn from part-time jobs. NatWest questioned 2,600 undergraduates from 26 university towns and cities across the UK.

York was placed 23rd for cost-effectiveness, only coming above Swansea, Manchester, Southampton and Exeter.

Students in work during their time at York will collectively earn a total of £10million a year, while their combined cost of living has risen to £104m.

The survey found the cost of living and the current economic climate is a key factor for 5% of students across the UK in deciding where to go to university. It is a factor for only 3% of York students.

York undergraduates spend approximately £46m on rent, £11 million on alcohol, £7 million on supermarket food shopping and £3 million on their mobile phone bills.

The average York student spends £212 per week on living and housing costs and will have weekly earnings adding up to £65 from a part-time job.

Nearby in Leeds, the average student spends £240 per week and makes £99 from term-time employment. Although the average cost of living at York is low in comparison to other universities, students earn less than their peers, resulting in a low cost-effectiveness rating.

Plymouth is the most cost-effective place to study with the average Plymouth student spending £217 a week on living and housing costs, but making £115 a week from part-time work. In contrast, Plymouth’s counterparts in Exeter will spend £294 per week, but earn just £67 making it the least cost-effective university town.

The survey also took into account the number of hours worked by students. On average, York students work 12 hours per week, just below the national average of 14. Students in Portsmouth work the most hours each week, averaging about 18.45 hours.

YUSU Academic and Welfare Officer Charlie Leyland said: “The best thing you can do is to sit down with all of your financial information: how much interest free overdraft you have, the incoming of loans, any additional income against rent costs, living costs, and other things like ­ phone bills, socialising and make sure that it’s realistic. If there is a shortfall and you feel that you cannot free up some money then get advice, don’t ignore it. There are hardship loans available from both YUSU and the University if you get stuck”.

Mark Worthington, head of student banking at NatWest, said: “Students are increasingly aware of the wider economic climate and this is filtering down into their decisions when they are choosing their university and also when deciding whether to take a job during term-time.”

Third year Biochemistry student Laura Gerstel, 20, was found dead in her house on Fulford Road in the early hours of last November 26. She left a note referring to her weight saying that she did not wish “to live this way”.

She had also changed her status on Facebook to ‘Laura Gerstel is thinking if only…’ an hour before her death.

The inquest in York heard that Gerstel, from North Berwick in Scotland, began self harming at the age of 12 and was diagnosed with bulimia at 16. She had previously been referred to a psychiatric hospital after her parents found cuts on her wrists and legs.

In a statement her father Anthony Gerstel, said: “She would not let us help her. But when she was at university she sent us happy texts and sounded fine.” None of Gerstel’s family were present at the inquest.

Gerstel’s housemate, Emma Wellard, had been asleep at 4am on November 26 last year when she was woken by the screams of another housemate. Her statement said: “I came out of my room and saw Laura suspended from a red ribbon tied to the banister. My housemate phoned for an ambulance.

“I had known her for two years. She suffered from bulimia, took anti-depressants and did cut herself.”

Coroner Donald Coverdale dismissed a verdict of suicide as she had drunk the equivalent of two-and-a-half pints of beer the previous evening. Her father said in his statement that his daughter “became compulsive” when she drank.

Returning an open verdict, Coverdale said: “This is a very sad story. Laura had suffered from a number of medical and psychiatric difficulties, and unfortunately had harmed herself in the past.

“I am not aware of any previous attempts to take her own life. The note she left referring to her thoughts and feelings that she was overweight connects to her psychiatric difficulties,” he continued.

“The level of alcohol she had consumed may well have impacted on her judgment. Because of the uncertainty about her motives and the state of her mind due to the alcohol, I am going to record an open verdict. I’m afraid we shall never know what was in Laura’s mind,” Coverdale summarised.

After her death, Gerstel’s supervisor Jim Hoggett said: “Laura was an enthusiastic and bright student who was a pleasure to teach. She was very popular with staff and her fellow students and she will be much missed in the Departments of Biology and Chemistry where she studied.”

In the days following her death, friends used Facebook to post emotional tributes to Gerstel. Her close friend Robin Corey said: “Everyone who knew her loved her. She was one of the few people who it was always a genuine pleasure to be around and talk to, always so bright and bubbly and full of fun and laughter.”

YUSU Academic and Welfare Officer Charlie Leyland advised: “If you are feeling under pressure, upset or worried please tell someone. University is often one of the hardest and strangest experiences you’ll ever have. There is a myriad of people here to support you.”

“A problem shared is a problem halved. It’s never too late to get in touch with someone who can help you, no matter how small or big you think the problem is. If it’s important to you then it really is important to us. That’s what we are here for,” Leyland added.

YUSU Finance Com­mittee has provisionally given campus newspapers Nouse and York Vision a £2,907.22 and £2,781.74 increase in funding respectively to accommodate rising print costs that hit both publications early this year.

The budget, together with projected advertising revenue, will allow Nouse to print nine editions over the course of the next academic year with Vision currently set to produce only seven due to their low projection of advertising revenue.

Sam Bayley, YUSU Societies and Communi­cations Officer explained that Vision’s projected advertising revenue is insufficient and that it would have to raise its own funds for the remaining two editions through advertising over the course of the year. He said: “Nouse have gone for £4,000 whereas Vision only £900. We should expect at least £3,000 worth of advertising from them.”

Bayley continued: “I’m pleased we’ve provisionally been able to increase the budget. It shows that the Union is keeping the media societies as a priority”.

All seven college chairs met on Friday, May 9 to try to agree a joint strategy for dealing with the YUSU. The idea of a UGM motion, designed to force union policy on the policy, was mooted but subsequently dropped after chairs failed to reach an agreement on its content.

The debate on the issue was sparked after Vanbrugh Chair Matt Oliver criticised current levels of college funding and described the system by which JCRCs receive their grants as “completely broken”.

Under the current the structure JCRCs receive their funding out of YUSU’s block grant, instead of directly from the University. Oliver said: “It seems to me that the SU likes to control the amount of funding we get. No other collegiate University relies on their unions for all of their funding.”

His criticism was echoed by Goodricke Chair Joe Clarke who questioned the need for YUSU to act as a “middle-man” between colleges and the University. In the May 6 edition of York Vision Clarke was quoted as saying: “we are looking into disaffiliation [from YUSU] but nothing has been decided yet.”

Derwent College Chair Oliver Lester defended the current collegiate structure, saying that he believed the system functions well and he does not feel further autonomy is required. In a letter addressed to all college chairs and released to Nouse, Lester said: “I am far happier with YUSU finance committee telling me that X amount should be spent on Y rather than me or a treasurer dictating what gets spent where. I think students would prefer it too that a far more professional body helps us decide where our funding should go.”

Lester attacked the idea of disaffiliation, saying: “What on earth were you thinking Clarkey? Disaffiliation? Surely you yourself must see this as a shockingly silly idea?”. YUSU Societies and Communications Officer Sam Bayley earlier described plans for disaffiliation as “absurd”.

Alcuin College Chair, Erik O’Connor stated that disaffiliation was not even an option saying that there is “no way in which a JCR can be completely separate from YUSU, or YUSU from JCRs. Collectively, the JCRs, make up most of the YUSU membership.” O’Connor upheld that greater autonomy could be achieved from within their ‘external affiliate’ status and any changes to YUSU should be made from within.

College chairs have also failed to reach a consenus on the levels of funding necessary for JCRCs to operate effectively.

Oliver also expressed concern about the sum of money colleges received saying it was “simply not good enough for a university of York’s standings.”

“JCRCs have a huge impact on the student life and in order for us to provide the best possible experience we need to have greater resources made available to us,” he continued.

Lester demonstrated concern about vying for more funds saying that “like everything in this university, this money you propose would go to us ultimately would come from somewhere else. I would rather the university spent the money on other key issues such as the bar refurbishments, kitchen refurbishments or bridge planning, something that would benefit the students on the whole.”

YUSU Services and Finance Officer Matt Burton not only argued against having a more central distribution of funds but however also questioned what indeed a larger amount of money would be spent on, as with the current system it would still be subject to ultra-vires law.

He said: “I know from when I was a JCRC Chair that actually, there’s really not that much to spend money on and in fact, if the Provost supports you in new furniture and resources and if you properly budget and market events, they can be successful and generate a lot of money for the other JCRC activities”.

The debate comes at a time when rises in the fixed costs of the Union’s running have meant that there is little money available to be bid for, compared to the relative surplus of last year. JCRCs will compete with other internal affiliates for remaining funds.

“I believe that the set up we have is designed for us to be self-governing, I don’t want to be completely independent and have no reins, but I do want to be allowed the chance to have slightly more control over what we can and cannot do. The money that I am looking to invest is for our JCR.”

Derwent - Oliver Lester
Grant Allocation: £1,642.50

“We don’t actually need the extra money. At the moment, we function relatively well and have generated a slight surplus in our accounts. However, people have no ideas on what to spend it on. Even suggestions that we do get, such as improve our JCR, we have a college amenities fund which covers it.”

James - Chet Khatu
Grant Allocation: £1,705.50

“Colleges are given a variety of hurdles to overcome when dealing with YUSU, however with current issues over funding and given suport being received between the college chairs. I’m confident we will be able to come to a situation which colleges and YUSU will find beneficial.”

Alcuin – Erik O’Connor
Grant Allocation: £1,743.50

“Greater autonomy from YUSU can be achieved within our ‘external affiliate’ status. Do I want a JCR which is completely without YUSU co-ordination and financing? No. Do I want a YUSU which is perhaps a bit less bureaucratic and a bit more conducive to student welfare? Yes, but I’d like to make this happen from within YUSU.”

Langwith – Zach Pepper
Grant Allocation: £1,487.50

“JCRCs and YUSU have a mutually beneficial relationship, but it’s not exclusive. JCRCs need to make sure that they are receiving sponsorship from outside sources and earning steadily – not just relying on YUSU to bail them out of tough times. JCRCs need help to maximise their earning capabilities and manage their money.”

Goodricke – Joe Clarke
Grant Allocation: £1,594.00

“JCRCs do not get enough money and the money that we do get is too tightly controlled. The union has no reason to receive the funding which should then be passed onto us. If the money is meant for us then why have a middle-man? The system in place contradicts our independence.”

Halifax - Dave Sharp
Grant Allocation: £2,037.50

“I don’t agree with disaffiliation as one college cannot operate alone without the help from YUSU. I’m not 100% keen on how we all have to bid for the money at the start of the year as I was very inexperienced at the time. Generally, at Halifax don’t have that much of an issue with the amount of money we get.”

This term the key campaign led by YUSU Policy and Campaigns Officers Michael Batula and Tom Langrish, is to ensure that students know their rights as workers. They have emphasised the importance of this issue given that an ever increasing number of students are taking on jobs during term-time as well as in the holidays to fund their degrees and reduce their amount of debt they are left with after university.

Langrish said: “Despite many students taking out jobs, very few are aware of their rights as workers and are subsequently being shafted by the more unscrupulous employers out there. It is about making sure that York students are treated on a par with their co-workers.”

Another major campaign that will be launched from October is the fight against the lifting of the cap on tuition fees. 2009 will see a government review on the current fee system and many believe the current £3,000 cap will either be raised or scrapped altogether. With the possibility of fees reaching £10,000 per year students could potentially leave university with a debt of over £30,000. “Although any changes will not impact on current students at York, YUSU has a responsibility to protect its future membership so inaction now is not an option,” Langrish commented.

Some more campus-based campaigns include increasing the opening hours of the library and maintaing pressure on the University to improve accessibility around campus. This is particularly in relation to the replacement of the Goodricke-Vanbrugh and Langwith-Alcuin bridges which are currently out of order. Langrish stated: “We want to make sure that the ‘costing’ is more than just an exercise to stem the current disquiet over the closure and demolition.”

“The second element to this campaign will be to call for improvements to the current alternative routes for example the Central Hall to Physics bridge and the dirt-track running along side Biology and the lake.”

Open sessions of Campaigns Committee will be held in weeks five, eight and nine of this term.

Towns will bid to have a new university campus or college built in their area by engaging in a ‘university challenge’ according to John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills. These new campuses will either be linked to existing universities or could be created as entirely separate bodies.

The new scheme aims to not only rejuvenate towns with high levels of unemployment, but wants to give more adults the opportunity to gain a degree. Denham said: “I want to give communities the chance to show they can make the most of the power of higher education, help unlock the talent of their local people and help make them better off.”

The government aims to create at least 20 sites, 13 more than originally planned, which will open or have their funding agreed in the next six years at a total cost of £150m.

The plans, which are part of a wider drive to increase the number of young people going into higher education from 43 to 50 per cent, have encountered some scepticism due to recent studies which have shown that poorer students have been put off applying to University due to the growing levels of student debt generated by loans and costs of living away from home.

David Willetts, the Shadow Education Minister, said that the Conservative Party fully supported the plans for new campuses in towns that needed them although highlighted that the government had just cut £100m from the budget dedicated to helping adults who wanted to go back to college or university after a period at work.

“The British university is a really proud and distinguished brand, and we must not dilute it by calling any academic activity a university,” he said. “We have also seen the Open University very badly hit by cuts, so the current plans are deeply confused.”

The higher-education sector contributes around £50bn to the economy and sustains around 600,000 jobs.

Consultation to be held by the Higher Education Funding Council of England, aims to underline the importance of higher education provision for the rejuvination of local areas. They argue that the new plans could encourage six million adults with qualifications up to A-Levels or equivalent to consider a degree-level course.

Denham has expressed concern, saying that unless British universities change they risk losing their world dominance. Britain has four universities rated among the top ten in the world by Times Higher Education and is the second most popular destination for overseas students after America.

In the last five years, 11 towns or regions have hosted new universities and new higher education provisions. In addition to this funding has also been agreed for projects in Blackpool, Everton, Grimsby and North and South Devon.

Ishmael Norris and Michael Batula, whose term as Racial Equality Officers ends on Friday March 14, criticised the front page article: ‘It’s official: York Uni failing its minority students’, of the Tuesday, February 5 edition of Vision, written by former editor Adam Thorn.

In a statement endorsed by the University’s Equal Opportunites Office, Norris said: “We found Thorn’s article highly sensationalist, misinformed, insensitive, and a weak attempt to stir scandal via the use of flippant language, such as, ‘It’s official’. Poor journalism along with statistics being taken out of context made a mockery of a sensitive issue.”
Norris said that “incoherent and inaccurately substantiated articles like Thorn’s serve little purpose in addressing the problems foreign and BME [Black and Minority Ethnic] students may encounter in university education”.

When contacted, the Equal Opportunites Office responded to the article saying simply that as an organisation it is “committed to equality of opportunity for all students. To achieve that goal, policy and practice are continually reviewed in the light of any patterns of disadvantage or inequality”.

The article, which stated that “Foreign students at York are underachieving in their subjects compared to white undergraduates” failed to make a distinction between foreign students and students of an ethnic minority. Phrases such as “…which are similar amongst both white and foreign students” were used, causing confusion and offence.
Vision have since apologised in print for the ambiguity of their article admitting that certain phrases such as “foreign students aren’t performing as well as their white counterparts” was “lax and inaccurate” and said that such statements “should not have passed through our or YUSU’s editorial process”.

Whilst believing that a positive step had been taken on Vision’s behalf, Norris felt that “more foresight should be taken, particularly during the editorial process to prevent fallacious journalism going to print.

“As Vision is the recipient of numerous national awards for quality journalism, we would like to see the paper live up to its elevated reputation,” he continued
Vision Editors Tom Sheldrick and Alex Richman stated in response: “We do not agree that our coverage of the story was sensationalist. The reports made a number of serious points including that ‘being from a minority ethnic group was… found to have a statistically significant and negative effect on degree attainment’ which merited a position on our front page.”

Nouse understands that Thorn was unhappy with the way in which the article was presented and was disappointed by the decisions taken by the editorial team to put it on the front page. He is also understood to have cut ties with the paper as a result. The article also commented on the University’s poor attempt to encourage students from ethnic minority backgrounds to apply to York, saying that “the percentage of foreign students that apply to York is also incredibly low”. It quotes from an Equal Opportunities report released by the University which shows that 7.6% of York students come from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to the total national figure of 18.75%. The report also claimed that “being from a minority ethnic group was still found to have a statistically significant and negative effect on degree attainment.”

The Equal Opportunity Office responded by saying that the University is “committed to increasing the representation of under-represented groups through its Widening Participation Strategy”. In this strategy, the University admits that “despite energetic and targeted efforts in many sections of the University, we have not yet been successful in increasing the proportion of our students who are from certain socio-economic groups.” Newly elected Racial?Equality Officers, Nadia Aziz and John Apea, have pledged to continue trying to “strengthen relationships between all students at York, regardless of race.”

The matter, which is already considered to be a disciplinary offence, was brought to Student Services Committee at the end of the Autumn term last year where it was established that a fine would also be given to any club that took part in such rituals. A set amount is yet to be decided.

Grenville said: “I don’t like anti-social initiation rights and they can often lead to dangerous and problematic situations. I especially worry about the bullying and intimidation aspects, where you feel that you have to have more bravado than you actually do”.

AU Vice-President Jack Kennedy said: “I think common sense needs to prevail. Traditionally it has been the rugby and hockey clubs’ initiations that have gotten out of hand, the other clubs don’t tend to be that bad. But if people want to do it and if people want to get involved they should be allowed to as long as clubs aren’t being offensive. I can see why some people would want to put restrictions on certain practices, however as long as Fresher’s aren’t being forced into doing things they don’t want to do, they should be allowed to continue.”

Last year, the University of York Hockey Club’s initiation ceremony involved rituals such as drinking week-old chocolate milk from a Wellington boot, drinking a bottle of wine through a fish-head and drinking an entire can of Carlsberg one after the other. This caused all participants to be sick, with some vomiting four or five times. Richard De Boltz, who is set to be Hockey Club President from next term, was unaware of any regulations on initiation ceremonies.

James JCRC Chair Chet Khatu has been forced by the university to apologise after a stripper was hired for a party in the college’s common room at which he was present.

Jane Grenville, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Students, mailed all JCRC Chairs saying that “The hiring of strippers, male or female, is an inappropriate use of public space” and the incident would be treated as a disciplinary matter. YUSU President Anne-Marie Canning and Women’s officer Laura Payne both formally complained to the University.

In a statement Khatu denied being involved in either the hiring of the stripper or the choice of the JCR as a venue for the birthday celebration of a close friend. He along with about 30 others had been invited to the event which he said was “conducted with an air of good humour between all spectators.” Khatu did not apologise in the statement, although he urged students “not to repeat this event.”

Payne said: “It was entirely inappropriate and was an abuse of college space. It was completely thoughtless to other members of the college who may feel uncomfortable, particularly women.”

Photos from the event which showed Khatu with a female stripper were posted on his Facebook profile and were reported to the University by another student. Khatu said: “I’m very disappointed at this person, and urge them to come forward and explain their actions.”

Khatu refused to assist with a college investigation by James Provost Neil Lunt and the issue was subsequently referred to the University Registrar, Sue Hardman. Khatu said: “this was something I was not comfortable doing as I do not feel it is my position to place blame on a fellow student. Having made this clear to Neil and related staff, it was taken to higher authorities where my stance remained unchanged.”

Lunt said: “My view is that such use of communal space is unacceptable. The JCR Common Room is a communal space and it is for the use of all members of the college community including women and international students. By all means have fun, but let us not forget why we are here.”

Khatu denied that his position as chair has been made untenable by the incident, and said that his reputation had not been affected as he was not directly involved in organising the event.

Nearly a year after being elected, how have the current YUSU sabbatical team managed to deal with the pressures of their jobs and have they fulfilled their promises?

President Anne-Marie Canning has worked hard to fill the Union with “enthusiasm, energy and experience” ; although it seems as if the notion of “a clean, well-respected Union” has been rejected by her other team members leaving Canning’s “all for one and one for all”­ ethos redundant.

Canning did not bring a pharmacy onto campus, but she has stuck by other welfare campaigns such as the promotion of the YUSU minibus. She has continued to fight the threat of higher tuition fees and has been a strong student voice on Heslington East discussions.

Services and Finance Officer, Matt Burton has created a more efficient Union, increasing YUSU’s turnover by £20,000. He has kept his pledges of hosting all websites in-house, simplifying ticket sales in Your:Shop and online voting for students living off campus. However, plans for a future student venue in Heslington East have rendered Burton’s promise of a venue in the city superfluous. Other unfulfilled promises include the expansion of Your:Shop and better online payment support for JCRCs and societies.

Academic and Welfare Officer, Grace Fletcher-Hackwood’s election motto of “time to take welfare seriously” fell on deaf ears after she faced a motion of no-confidence for hitting a student and was forced to resign. Nevertheless, Fletcher-Hackwood maintained her pledges of working closer with campus media, Facebook campaigns, sexual health testing and working towards fighting slipping academic standards in certain departments.

Student Development and Charities Officer Joey Ellis’ highlights include raising the profile of RAG and Student Action on campus through charity fairs, a revamped website and successful student volunteer recruitment. However, Ellis failed to reach international and mature students as she had promised, and was unable to hold more big, one-off events in town due financial restraints.

Society and Communications Officer, Sam Bayley began his role controversially having been instrumental in providing the sexist goodie bags during Freshers’ week. However, Bayley has kept to his pledges of providing better start-up support to new societies and overhauling the website to improve communication between YUSU, students and the University.

AU President Jo Carter has held to her promise of running the London Marathon and has done much to encourage sports clubs to raise funds for charity. However, despite having only three pledges, Carter was unable to fulfil the other two, namely to raise the status of Varsity on campus and to get more value for money for members of the Athletic Union.

A second-year English student has admitted writing essays for students at other universities. He claims to have never written essays for a fellow York student.

An undercover investigation carried out by Nouse revealed that the student charged £120 per essay, roughly one quarter the price of an essay purchased through an internet site that specialises in such practices.

When approached via email by a Nouse reporter posing as a potential customer the student said he would be unable to do the essay although “I would definitely enjoy writing it, and I do love money, but within the same department I think the risks are too high.”

When later confronted the student denied all allegations. However, when shown copies of the email correspondence he admitted having written essays for others.

The student denied there was anything wrong with what he was doing, saying “I am not committing academic misconduct… I don’t care if they [other students] get found out.” The student would not reveal exactly how many essays he had written.

The student, whose dealings are conducted mainly through word of mouth, denied that he is conducting a business. He called his practice “essay consultancy” despite disclosing that he charges a fee for students that are not his friends. “Why should I give my time and effort for free if I don’t know them?” he said. He claimed to have never write essays for a York student.

The student who claimed to have “a reputation for being academic” said, “I don’t have any respect for anyone that comes to university not being able to write essays.”

YUSU President Anne-Marie Canning said: “I can’t see any way in which the student could be disciplined by the University, the onus for plagiarism falls upon the student who submits the work as their own.”

She continued: “I am worried, many students value the principles of academic excellence and meritocracy and this undermines such key features of academia.”

Dr. Jim Watt, Examinations Officer of the English Department declined to comment.

Current University policy regarding academic misconduct solely concerns the student submitting the essay as their own rather than the individual that writes it.

Press Officer David Garner issued a statement from the University saying: “Any student submitting all or part of an essay purchased from, or edited by, an outside organisation would be committing serious academic misconduct, and could be subject to penalties including the loss of marks from the final degree, failing the degree outright or being sent down from the University.”

In the academic years 2004-2007 there were 229 reported cases of academic misconduct including plagiarism, collusion, collaboration, falsifying data and cheating in exams.

Secret Home Office documents outlinging these plans were leaked to the Conservative party and have sparked fears that the government may begin to force the collection of fingerprint and other biometric details of the two million young people who enter into higher education each year.

NUS Vice President for Welfare, Ama Uzowuru said that there were concerns about the safety of students’ personal information if they were compelled to hold identity cards. Anyone over the age of 16 would be expected to obtain an identity card, costing up to £100 prior to opening a bank account or applying for a student loan, so as to acquire financial aid from 2010.

Uzowuru also commented on the impracticality of the scheme. She said: “the student loan system is complicated enough as it is, without introducing yet another layer of bureaucracy. Many students change address at least once a year and would be obliged to report such changes in their personal circumstances or face a £1000 fine.”

YUSU President Anne-Marie Canning has also objected to the new proposals saying: “It is hard enough for students to apply for their student loans in the first places without having to go and get an ID card. Students who can’t afford to go to university without a loan will effectively be forced into acquiring an ID card. This is a disgrace.”

Asma Jahangir is the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, a human rights lawyer, and co-founder of the Women’s Action Forum and Lahore-based Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent body of lawyers and activists that fight continuously for the rights of persecuted minorities.

Jahangir, who was put under house arrest during President Musharraf’s ‘state of emergency’ in November 2007 for being a staunch critic of his military dictatorship, speaks exclusively to Nouse about issues surrounding Pakistani politics.

When questioned about the recent death of former Pakistani President Benazir Bhutto she spoke out against Musharraf’s rule saying that she was convinced that he had a part to play in her death. She said: “I have no doubt in my mind that the military has had a hand in her assassination, I said it in my first interview at the time and I will continue to repeat it.”

Jahangir, who was close to Bhutto despite their political differences, talked about their relationship and recalled her fond memories of Bhutto, saying: “When she died I broke down, I knew her well and I admired her a lot for her courage. She had always been very kind to me despite the fact I had criticized her many times when she was in and out of power.”

“Her death was not something that was unpredictable. She was fearful of her life and for me this was a natural end to her story. I could not see the military being able to tolerate her any longer.”

Speaking about her time under house arrest in November, she felt that she was lucky compared to other serior lawyers in Pakistan who were imprisoned during this time. Jahangir, like her politician father Malik Jilani, has spent many years in and out of jail and house arrest for opposing a string of Pakistani military dictatorships.

She reflected on the numerous occasions on which she had spent time in jail and spoke about the emotional pressures of being both a mother and an activist.

“If you begin to feel sorry for yourself while you are in jail then you are in trouble, you must have a very positive attitude. One of the lessons is never ever to think about your kids, you just have to stop thinking that they exist. The minute you do think about them, you are likely to break down. These are things you have to learn if you’re going to be an activist in a country like mine”.

Jahangir has been an advocate of gender equality and women’s rights in a highly patriarchal society for many years. She defends the rights of others together with fighting her own battle over her gender, having to prove herself worthy of her status to her male counterparts. As a feminist she has been an resolute opponent of the Hudood Ordinance, which are laws that were introduced during the 10-year dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq.

According to these laws a woman accused of adultery or ‘zina’ can be sentenced to death. Women who dare to report a rape are often accused of ‘zina’ and are imprisoned. This has resulted in the false imprisonment of hundreds of innocent women, while often their attackers are never brought to justice.
Commenting on cases of ‘honour killings’ both in the UK and internationally she said: “I think that for any government to justify it or even give an apology for it in the name of culture it is unforgivable. I do not think the murder of anybody can be explained away either by culture or religion.”

Jahangir has not only defended the rights of women, but she has also protected the rights of religious minorities that continue to get persecuted under the country’s blasphemy laws, which have also resulted in false imprisonment and deaths of many Pakistani Christians, Hindus, and even some Muslims.
With her life under constant threat because of her unpopular beliefs she justified why she continues to do what she does. She said: “I believe that unless you do not keep protesting you do not build up public opinion and you are not going to see a change. The reason for a change is not simply so that I can have a better life, it is to ensure that the millions of people that remain voiceless in my country do not remain so disempowered.”