The Browne Review, which aims to “secure a sustainable future for higher education”, has proposed a complete removal of the current tuition fee cap of £3,290, thus advocating a free market in Higher Education.

Direct Government funding will be removed from all except “priority” subjects, such as Nursing and the sciences, whilst overall, HE funding will be cut by approximately 40 per cent.

Senior figures at the University have spoken out in support of the proposed demonstrations.

Although Pro-Vice Chancellor for Students Jane Grenville could not comment on whether the University supports or opposes The Browne Review recommendations, she confirmed that “departments have been asked to take a lenient view regarding the absence of students from academic activities on 10 November, in view of the NUS protest in London”.

One demonstration took place in York City Centre on Saturday, whilst the National Union of Students (NUS) organised protest march is taking place in London on 10 November.

“Privatisation of education is the biggest social evil this country can face. Education and health, no matter the state of the economy, must be very carefully organised to allow equal opportunities to all”
Oliver Black-Hawkins
Langwith College Student

Tim Ngwena, YUSU President, has played a key role in organising the transport of York students down to London to participate in this demonstration.

According to Ngwena, the NUS has allocated £500 to the York area to spend on transporting students down to the NUS national demonstration.

YUSU, along with the University teaching staff union, UCU and York St John’s University, have ordered five coaches to transport students from York to the London demonstration, which may potentially be increased to six.

So far, over 500 students have expressed interest in attending the London demonstration, each paying a £10 refundable deposit for their coach seat.

As well as the increase in fees, many fear that the drastic cuts in direct funding to universities will lead to cuts in student activities.

According to Sam Asfahani, York Sport President, “funding for student activities such as Sports clubs, will be the first thing to be cut as they don’t come under the academic realm. Many members of University Sports clubs who will not be available to participate in the protest because of sporting fixture commitments have organised their own demonstrations.”

Sam Clitheroe, President of the University of York Football Club, said it was crucial for his club to “show our support for the protests against higher education funding cuts”.

A march in York City Centre last Saturday, to protest against various governmental funding cuts to areas such as Higher Education and teaching. Photo credit: Sam Newsome

Laura Pepper, President of the Women’s Hockey Club, agreed that “budget cuts will only hinder students, potentially leading to higher subscription fees and deterring students from participating”, adding that “hockey club will be supporting the demolition march in any way we can”.

URY Station Manager, Oliver Julian, raised further fears for humanity based societies, stating: “Cutting funding for student activities in a world where experience matters would be very detrimental to graduates.”

In response to a Nouse inquiry into their views on The Reviews’ recommendations, political societies on campus have broadly followed their ‘party line’ on the issue.
­­
Indeed, Felix Bungay, Chair of the University of York Conservatives, made a statement in direct opposition to any protests against the Review, branding it “inexcusable for YUSU to waste student’s money on a protest”.

Bungay said that students had “no democratic mandate…to dictate higher education policy to the Government. The Government will not bow to protestors who seek to challenge the democratic legitimacy the Government has in making this decision”.

He continued to say he hoped that “the Government, being democratically elected, [will] ignore the cries of several thousand students”.

However, James Whiteside, Chair of York University Liberal Democrats, admitted that his party was only supporting the proposals because they, “did not win the general election and had to enter into a coalition where you can not get everything you want”.

He continued: “If members of our society wish to join the protests then it is their decision and I’m sure many of them will do.”

Indeed, Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minster of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, yesterday expressed his regret that his party had had to ditch their pre-election committment to scrapping tuition fees.

Clegg said Browne’s proposals were yet to be finalised but he didn’t “think there [was] any prospect of completely unlimited fees”.

Cat Wayland, Chair of Labour Club, stated: “We are happy to see that YUSU has taken the measures it has to, and is providing free coach places to London for the NUS Demo-Lition.”

“Education is a public good and should not be bought and sold. I’m still in shock. I can’t believe they are doing this. We knew an axe was coming, but this is a remarkable outcome that changes the face of Higher Education policy irrevocably.”
Jane Grenville
Pro-Vice Chancellor for Students

YUSU have set up a ‘feedback forum’ for students to voice their opinions on the proposals. Ngwena said: “We’ve had 131 comments on the online feedback forum… When we set it up, I only expected one-line answers, but people are literally typing essays.”

Indeed, one student commenting anonymously on the forum, said: “­The University system is reverting back to a mixture of elitism and discrimination.”

Ngwena said that a free market in fees would “change the dynamics of Higher Education.” He continued: “Lots of universities will no longer see HE as a journey of fulfillment, but as a commercial entity.” However, according to Grenville, “we live in a democracy. The country voted and you have to live with what the majority asked for. We just have to grit our teeth and get on with it.”

One second-year Philosophy student, Oliver Black-Hawkins, described student protests as “crucial”, stating: “Privatisation of education is the biggest social evil this country can face. Education is the most fundamental of human rights.”

He continued: “If England wants to resemble a state of meritocracy, as opposed to elitism, we must offer a free and equal education to all. Education and health, no matter the state of the economy, must be very carefully organised to allow equal opportunities to all.”

However, another Jam­es College student, who asked not to be named, described Lord Browne’s proposals as “the best of a bad lot.”

She stated: “The Government has to make cuts in every sector. Why should education be any different? If the Government can’t afford to fund us then obviously we will have to fund ourselves. As long as adequate grant money will be given to poorer students, then I really don’t see it as a huge problem.”

York Council’s Labour Councillor and ex-YUSU President, James Alexander, has said that Browne’s proposals would have “a devastating effect on those from lower socio-economic backgrounds hoping to obtain places at top universities such as the University of York.”

Ngwena agreed, commenting: “The new plans will affect the diversity of students. The poor get bursaries and the rich can afford it; those in the middle get nothing.”

He continued: “At the moment we have a really good mix of students. We only take 28 per cent of students from a public school background. We have 28 per cent international students and a lot of postgraduates. When you change the fee system, the mix changes.” He continued to say that “if the proposals are passed, Oxbridge will charge around £20,000 per annum, to compete with Harvard. This would push diverse students away.”

When asked if the University intended on drastically raising its fees to compete with elite universities such as Harvard and Oxbridge, Grenville said: “We can’t say anything about fees…we need to think about our market position before we make any decisions.” She continued: “We don’t want a funding regime where there are people who are qualified for an education at York but can’t come here because of economic circumstances… I would be very worried if students did not protest against the proposals.”

However, she continued to say that “there is a danger that if York only charges very low fees then students will say ‘Why go to York? – if it’s so cheap compared to the other universities, it can’t be very good. We’ll need to think hard about how to fund a support package for students from less well off families.”

Grenville said that in her personal opinion “Higher Education is a public good and should not be bought and sold. I have to admit I am stunned at the depth of the cuts. We knew an axe was coming, but this is a remarkable outcome that changes the face of Higher Education policy irrevocably.”­

NUS London Demonstration: 10.11.10: ‘Demo-Lition’
To express interest in your free coach seat to the London protest, visit: www.yusu.org/demo2010

The new location will decrease response time to areas around the City Centre with dense student populations, such as the Heslington Road and Tang Hall.

According to Graham Martin, a student who is leading a protest against the plans: “At the moment the Clifford’s Street Station is in an ideal location to get to places like the Hull road where a lot of students live.”

He continued: “Moving the Fire stations out to Huntingdon will make it difficult to get to students living in Fulford and on the other side of the river. 50 per cent of all engines will be coming from two miles further away than they presently are at Clifford’s street.”

Councillor James Alexander, Leader of City of York Council’s Labour Opposition Group, said: “It’s very unclear why this arrangement has been selected.”

He continued to say that he would “certainly raise the concern” that “the proposed changes could affect students living off campus”.

As well as the new Fire Station in Huntingdon, a second smaller station is to be built near the Barbican Centre at the bottom of the Heslington Road.

According to Steve Howley, York Branch Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union: “Regulations do not permit a fire crew to work on an incident at a domestic property until nine members of a fire crew are present.”

He continued: “The Barbican Fire station will only house one engine. One engine takes eight crew. Even though this engine will get to domestic incidents in two minutes, it will not be able to do anything until the second engine arrives from Huntingdon, which could take up to 20 minutes.”

Martin stated: “This is frivolous spending when they do not have the money to cover it. They should revamp the Clifford’s Street station instead.”
station instead.”

Waite, 71, worked as a Church of England envoy when he was captured on a  hostage negotiation mission to Lebanon in 1987. He had been strongly advised against the operation after his public use of an American helicopter and appearance with Colonel Oliver North (who was embroiled in the Iran-Contra Affair) compromised his position as an impartial figure.

Waite is an inexplicably tranquil figure. His movements and speech are slow, his huge hands clasp together in a picture of equanimity; yet his very presence puts you on edge. He presents a mass of contradictions; he is so genuine and open, yet complex and difficult to read.

I ask Waite how he can be so accepting of the fate he has endured; so certain that something positive must arise from his calamity of suffering. He does not directly answer my question. He has a knack of deflecting difficult issues with such subtlety that you don’t quite realise what he has done.

“Who knows how their life is going to unfold,” he says. “You make choices and choices are made for you and sometimes you have no choice.” His deep voice has a lullaby quality that both excites and depresses in one damning move.

I was interrogated during the first year of my captivity, and if I had been involved in Iran-Contra, you wouldn’t be speaking to me now; I’d be dead

The key to eradicating ‘ghosts and horrors’, he says, is forgiveness. “You can forgive people when you can understand their motives. While I don’t agree with the methods that my captors used – violence to achieve political ends – I do understand their motives.”

He continues: “Hostages were seen as a symbol of the West which they blamed for a number of their problems.”

Waite’s ability to forgive is admirable, but I wonder if this is merely a sign of a desperation to see good in everything and everyone.

When I suggest that his determination to complete the Lebanon mission despite adverse warnings was a sign of naivety, I receive a categorical denial.

At the time, he says, he believed there was only a “very, very slim chance” of anything going wrong because of his compromised position. “I was determined,” he says quietly. “I knew nothing about the Iran-Contra affair [as his Islamic kidnappers believed]. I was not afraid to stand on the truth, so I went back.”

“I was interrogated during the first year of my captivity and if I had been involved in Iran-Contra, you wouldn’t be speaking to me now; I’d be dead. I don’t think it was naïve. I was not afraid to stand by the hostages I was negotiating for.”

Prior to his work as a hostage negotiator, Waite, along with his wife, Helen, and four children, travelled extensively with his various Church of England roles, narrowly escaping death of several occasions. Firstly through Uganda, where they witnessed the Idi Amin coup, then Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe.

Before me sits one of the most peaceful men I have ever met, yet this is a man who has lived on the edge of disaster for most of his adult life.

I ask him whether he always knew that his time was short, knew that his every move constituted nothing more than small and conscious steps towards devastation.

He almost smiles when I put this question to him and for the first time I detect a small change in his tone. “I can answer that very clearly,” he says.

“When I went on hostage missions I always used to wear a clockwork watch. I knew if I was ever captured, that a battery would wind down and I wouldn’t know the time. So, yes, I was very aware of the dangers.”

He makes this concession so easily that he may as well be talking about the weather. Whether Waite is indeed too naïve or too forgiving, as so many have suggested, this remains a damning acknowledgement.

Indeed, this is a man who, despite spending four years tied to a radiator in solitary confinement, volunteered his negotiation skills once again when the group of British sailors were captured in Iranian waters and held hostage in 2008.

I want to ask Waite if he regrets going to Lebanon against advice, and whether he would make the same choice if presented with the situation once again.

“I don’t regret what happened or my actions that led to it. I didn’t enjoy it and I wouldn’t wish to go through it again, obviously not, but I don’t look back and say, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that’.” He pauses, “I would hope that for a just cause I would again have the courage or ability to stand for justice.”

According to Waite, the underground stone cell he called home for over 1,000 days was just ten feet wide and seven feet long. He knows this because he is six feet, seven inches tall.

I want to know how he kept his mind through four years of his solitary captivity. I know he communicated with fellow prisoners by tapping on his cell wall using a laborious sort or Morse code, yet this alone can’t have facilitated his continuing sanity.

“Hope,” he says simply. “When you’re in solitary confinement like that, you live for each day and maintain hope.”

Since his release, Waite has had a drastic career change. He moved away from the Church of England, devoting his life to charity work, whilst writing to earn a living. When I ask him why, the answer is again “hope.”

“It’s important now for me to be involved with charity organisations which enable people here to have some hope in life and get back into life. It’s all about maintaining hope.”

Indeed, I have met Waite at an industrial warehouse where he is present to support a charity fundraiser in aid of the homeless charity, Emmaus UK, of which he is President. “I’ve met at least five people today,” he says, “who’ve been through Emmaus – got back into life, got flats or apartments of their own.”

I ask him if charity work is more important than working with the Church. “Charity work sends a very powerful message.” He pauses and almost smiles for a second time: “It’s better than standing up in a pulpit mouthing a few words, and equally significant in my mind, to any papal business.”

For Waite, hope and forgiveness seem to form a sort of timeline, or perhaps a vague guide as to how to live one’s life. Hope for the future, forgiveness for the past.

But I want to know if his forgiveness has any boundaries. Indeed, Waite is one of the many in avid public opposition to the Iraq war and the infamous man who led us into it.

When speaking of his captors earlier, Waite said: “You can forgive the methods if you can understand the motives.” I ask him if he can understand Blair’s motives? Yes, he concedes, he can understand Blair’s desire to unseat Saddam Hussein. Therefore shouldn’t he – and the largely disdainful British public – forgive Blair for the violent methods he used in Iraq?

He pauses, visibly uncomfortable. “I think we should probably forgive him as a person,” he says eventually, “but on the other hand, from his point of view he would say that there is nothing to be forgiven, so …”

Wouldn’t your captors say the same? I ask.

Again, a tense pause. “Erm, they might say the same. I’m trying to think about the answer to that because I think it’s a good question … You could forgive him as a person but he’s got to live with the consequences of his actions. He’s committed criminal acts and shouldn’t evade justice.” He continues: “I think he believes he was right and he will have to answer for that in the end …”

So, there are some things that actually can’t be forgiven? Has he really completely forgiven his captors?

Waite becomes suddenly self-conscious and I feel as though I am eventually breaking through his placid, calm composure. It seems he sees forgiveness on different levels; in different categories.

“Complete forgiveness demands a contractual relationship where the perpetrators will say ‘I genuinely have made a mistake and I am sorry’ and [the victim] will forgive.”

“Yes, I can forgive my captors,” he says, “but to make it complete it needs to be a contractual relationship.”

Suddenly Waite seems more human to me. None of the respect I previously felt has gone. In fact, nothing has changed. If anything, this concession that complete forgiveness with his captors is impossible has added to his immense and immeasurable humanity.

Finally, I ask Waite if he has a motto for life, or something that helped him through his captivity and the proceeding 20 years.

His deeply profound face smiles. “Of course,” he answers: “No sentimentality, no self-pity and no regrets.”

To donate to one of Terry Waite’s charities, Y-Care International, please donate online at www.ycareinternational.org or at your local building society. Please send any donations for the homeless charity, Emmaus, to: Emmaus St Albans, Hill End Lane, St Albans, Herts, AL4 OFE.

The Commercial Services department has thrown itself into the role of Campus Chief Party Planner, organising social events for the new freshers this year.

While this alone doesn’t sound like a terrible plan – I’m not one to complain about an extra campus party or two – the timing and financial viability of these events is questionable to say the least.

Some of Commercial Services freshers’ events will clash with College freshers’ events which the various JCRC’s have dedicated months to planning and organising. You may wonder why Commercial Services are trying to entice freshers away from College events which the University itself has asked the Colleges to arrange? The answer comes back to that time-enduring impulse: money.

However, one would be justified in wondering how Commercial Services intend to make any money when the events they are holding have free entry. Indeed, when this question was put to the cheery chaps over at Commercial Services, the answer was probably something along the lines of: “ermm well I don’t think we’ll really be making much money. Actually I think we’ll be running at a loss.”

The plan, one can only presume, because Commercial Services didn’t seem too sure, is to continue holding events like these until they start to become profitable.

An admirable plan, but I see a problem. The Commercial Services events will be starting at 19:00 – have you ever been out partying the night away, downing the sherry’s at 7pm? And ending at 23:00 – most of us are still choosing an outfit and drying our hair at this time, not getting ready to go to bed again.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that their cunning plan to become the new source of York’s raving nightlife is surely destined to be a failure.

Its website page says it promises to “respond to customer needs”. But, it’s hard to accept their statement once you remember that this is the same Commercial Services who decked Derwent bar out with such heavy tables that an expensive forklift truck was required to move them to allow Slag and Drag to get underway.

Shouldn’t this incompetent department focus on improving the jobs it already does rather than throwing much-needed University money down the drain? In these times of financial hardship, the University should not be throwing events which can’t break-even.

Whilst I’m sure that Commercial Services do have the student interest at heart, it seems fairly foolish to organise events in competition with the events already organised by the Colleges.

As a fee paying student, I’d like to think that Commercial Services was spending my money more wisely, like on a few more washing machines rather than frittering it away on uneccessary events that students are very unlikely to attend.

College Chairs have rightly voiced their frustration: one purpose of our JCRC’s is to promote college unity via social events. Let’s support our colleges and ask Commercial Services to gracefully withdraw and stick to what they’re good at.

FTR, the University’s old bus provider, was dropped at the start of this academic year after a series of disputes, during which FTR refused to extend its route to cover the new Heslington East campus, and to lower its student bus fares.

A contract was instead signed to subsidise a small local company, York Pullman, who agreed to meet the University’s stipulations with regards to fares and bus route.

According to the Managing Director of York Pullman, Tom Jones, since FTR was dropped and Pullman began to receive the £180,000 a year subsidy, FTR have decided to lower their prices and fares to match Pullman’s, putting them directly in competition with each other.

Jones alleges that FTR have only made these concessions in an attempt to force Pullman to run on reduced profits and “withdraw from the competition.”

He stated: “If [York Pullman] are forced to pull out of the University route because of the fierce competition from the more financially secure FTR, then FTR will not carry on with the £2 ticket. They have only made this reduction since York Pullman became competition.”

An FTR Spokesman, Duncan McGraw, responded to these allegation, saying: “It is being implied that we are the bad guys. This is just fair competition.”

However, when asked if FTR intended to raise their student prices should they regain a monopoly of the University route, McGraw refused to confirm that there would be no fare rise, saying: “We can’t comment on market forces… in a business you can’t guess what’s going to happen.” He continued: “But we are aware that in the current climate students are struggling financially.”

McGraw also denied that FTR’s initial decision to lower prices and alter their route had anything to do with York Pullman’s decision to do the same, saying: “We made our price and route changes before Pullman made theirs.”

According to Jones, “Morally and ethically FTR are not in it for the right reasons… they are an over-jealous company. We [Pullman] are in it for the right reasons.”

He continued: “The University negotiated with FTR for three years [over route and price change] and FTR declined at every opportunity for three years. ­They refused a reasonable request… now competition’s arrived they’ve done it.”

However, a Langwith student, who asked to remain anonymous, commented: “It sounds like Pullman is bitter about the competition. If there is going to be lots of buses with low fares, surely that is a good thing.”­­

A senior University source, who was present at negotiations with FTR, has claimed that the company said they couldn’t extend their route to Heslington East because their “bendy buses were too long to turn left around the roundabout outside Heslington Hall and up Field Lane.”

The source continued: “Now York Pullman have altered their route to cover Heslington East, FTR has decided to extend their route and somehow their buses are now turning around that corner.”

Jones stated: “It’s obvious FTR were lying about their buses not being able to turn that corner; now they just look like fools.”

McGraw refused to comment on why FTR originally said their buses couldn’t turn the corner, stating: “I didn’t attend any meetings so I don’t know.”

Jones said students must be “reminded of the history of FTR. This is not a nice company. We [York Pullman] will do our best to market our service and maximise business. We are prepared to stick it out.”

YUSU President, Tim Ngwena stated: “FTR for the last year has continuously received al lot of criticism about its customer service as well as refusing to co-operate with the University on extending the number four to Heslington East. They have now gone back on their words which again highlights the dishonesty in their relationship with the University and students.”

He continued: “York Pullman are a strong operator and competition is nothing new to them. Pullman’s UniBus has had great feedback from students and this can only strengthen their position.”

Jane Grenville, Pro-Vice Chancellor for students commented: “With both FTR and Pullman in the picture, there will obviously be a better service for students, especially as both companies are offering free travel between the Wentworth bus stop and Heslington East.

“The University is also running its own free minibus service around campus south and Heslington East so we’ll notice a big improvement all round in the short term, but there could be long-term consequences of competition that are less beneficial.”

Grenville urged students to consider “the long-term implications of an apparently simple consumer choice between FTR and York Pullman. The fact that the University has put a substantial sum of money behind the Pullman deal shows that a £2 fare is uneconomic”. She continued: “If the Pullman operation fails then FTR, as sole operator, is likely to put its prices back up.”­­

York’s fall from number 70 last year can be put down to the “new metholodgy” employed by THE which “places less importance on reputation and heritage than in previous years and gives more weight to hard measures of excellence.”

Phil Baty, editor of THE World University Rankings, said that the change in methodology meant that “any movement up or down since 2009 cannot be seen as a change in performance” and that they “do contend that these tables are realistic”. He continued to suggest that the tables “may deliver an unpleasant wake-up call that the days of trading on reputation alone are coming to an end.”

‘Research’, ‘teaching’ and ‘knowledge transfer’ were cited as three of the key criteria used in the new assessment method.

Indeed, while the UK has three institutions in the top ten – Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London – it has only five institutions in the top 50, and just 14 in the top 100.

According to THE, this is despite “the UK historically view[ing] its higher education sector as world-leading.”

Amid the continuing controversy over University funding in the UK, THE highlighted the fact that, “investment in higher education produces world-class universities”. It citied countries such as China, South Korea and Canada, “which invest significantly in higher education [and] scored highly under the new methodology.”

Ann Mroz, Editor of THE said: “Higher education funding is currently a matter of worldwide debate, and we urge those discussing the issue to remember the importance of a strong university system for excellence in research and teaching, and as a driver of the knowledge economy.”

This year’s ranking table was dominated by US institutions which took all five of the top places. Harvard University was ranked in first place while a total of 72 US universities featured in the global top 200.

David Willetts, UK minister for universities and science, also commented, remarking that, “Reputation counts for less this time, and the weight accorded to quality in teaching and learning is greater.”

YUSU President, Tim Ngwena, believes that, “The global performance of York echoes a national trend and now concern of British Universities not performing as well as our US counterparts, who receive twice as much funding as a percentage of GDP (1.3% in UK vs 3.1% in US).”

He continued to say that “as Professor Steve Smith (President of Universities UK) highlights, this must serve as a warning to the government prior to their decisions on higher education funding”, explaining how “closer to home, YUSU is already working with the University to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning resources as well as the facilities on campus is maintained and improved in the coming years.”

A National Student Survey report has shown that universities have failed to improve student satisfaction levels since tuition fees almost trebled in 2006.

The report, which examines satisfaction in areas such as academic support and assessment and feedback, found that fewer students were satisfied with their experience than before the 2006 fee increase.

Aaron Porter, NUS President, commented: “They [universities] must buck up their ideas and do far more to improve the experience they offer students. Currently, 33 per cent of students are not satisfied with the assessment and feedback service provided by their university.”

Despite lower levels of contentment, an average student’s ‘debt per year’ has increased by 71 per cent. In 2006, an average University of York student could expect to be in £1,985 of debt per year, whilst a current York student will be in around £3,395 debt per year of study.

Satisfaction levels on ‘assessment and feedback’ stand at just 67 per cent, ‘organisation and management’ at 73 per cent and academic support at 75 per cent.

87 per cent of registered University of York students answered ‘definitely’ or ‘maybe’ to: ‘Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of my course.’ 86 per cent of taught students answered positively to the statement. This is a decrease of 1 per cent from last year’s results.

In response to the statistics, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of York, Professor Trevor Sheldon, said: “The NSS delivers invaluable first-hand information from students about their learning experience at York and it informs our continuous efforts to improve it. Our results show a pleasing upward trend with significant improvements in a number of areas, and reflect well on the skill and dedication of our staff.”

Porter continued: “This year’s National Student Survey is a wake up call to University vice-chancellors. They must buck up their ideas and do far more to improve the experience they offer students.‪

“Whilst it is pleasing to see that most students remain satisfied overall with their university experience, a significant proportion of students indicated that they were not satisfied with assessment and feedback, organisation and management or the academic support they received. It is clear that there is much room for improvement.”

It was also revealed as part of the survey that thousands of university students still find their lecturers too remote. The figures that show how 82 per cent are satisfied with their course also show that the figure dips to 67 per cent when it comes to assessment of work and the feedback from lecturers.

David Willetts, Universities secretary, added that the survey “reflects real and persistent concerns over the feedback given on students’ work and I hope the sector will address that”.

The privately-run University of Buckingham tops the table with a 95 per cent rating. York came 43rd in the table.

Here is a little bit about the various shopping options, on and off campus:

On Campus – Market Square

Costcutter

Costcutter is the small and ironically named supermarket which takes principle position on Market Square. Contrary to possible interpretation, Costcutter is not a cheap place to do your weekly food shop. It’s handy for popping in for milk or bread (or wine) but the rest of it is pretty pricey. However, all is not lost; numerous cheap supermarkets surround campus. Think Aldi, Lidl, Netto, Morrisons, Iceland, and Asda. Most of these are within easy walking distance of campus and all offer great value.

Your Shop

Your Shop would be best described as a large newsagents. It sits next door to Costcutter and all proceeds go to the Students’ Union. Come here for sandwiches, snacks and – more importantly – the surprisingly cheap pick ‘n’ mix. Magazines and newspapers are also well stocked. One of the great things about being a student is the price of newspapers; most papers cost between 30 and 40 pence. Your Shop also stocks hoodies in various colours with YORK printed across the front, just in case you love it that much….

Blackwell

Up the stairs on the balcony above Costcutter is the chain bookshop, Blackwell. Blackwell stocks almost every text required for every course as well as a lot of other useful texts and reading. With discounted online bookstores such as Amazon you may wonder how the slightly pricey Blackwell survives. Here’s the truth: lazy students. Everyone (well, almost) at some point or another has purchased a last-minute text from Blackwells through absolute lack of organisation. When you realise you need a certain book for tomorrow’s seminar, you will thanks your lucky stars for the existence of this shop on your doorstep.

Cash

There are cash points on campus and all over town. On campus there are two by Costcutter in Market Square, one by Vanbrugh College, and one by James College near the Student Centre and Physics building.

Off Campus

Pharmacy

There are numerous pharmacies in town as well as a couple a ten minute walk away from campus. There is a Doctors surgery on campus meaning any minor ailments are easily treatable without going far.

Monks Cross Retail Park

After you arrive and unpack you will doubtless realise you have forgotten something or other. If you are lucky enough to have car-driving parents still at hand when this revelation occurs, then drag them off to Monks Cross Retail Park where you will find a park of numerous huge warehouses housing various shops. Here you will be able to pick up the extension lead that it turns out your new room requires and the batteries you forgot to buy for your new alarm clock.

Designer Outlet

When you realise that most of the clothes you have brought with you are inappropriate for York’s ocassional sub-zero temperature (seriously, pack waaarrrm people), you may need to hit the shops for some cosy fur. However, if your student budget won’t stretch to Topshop or the like located in York city centre, then head for the Designer Outlet. A bus ride away from campus (catch it from town), this Outlet offers cut-price designer items from shops such as French Connection, GAP, Ralph Lauren Armani and L K Bennett, as well as a discounted costmetics shop selling MAC at under a tenner – wahey!

Banks

Heslington village is just a stone’s throw from campus and is the location of branches of four major banks: Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, and NatWest (there are also cash points on campus in Market Square and just outside Vanbrugh). There is also a large Post Office and two local pubs in the village.

Browns

Last but definitely not least, Browns: “the best sandwiches in the world”. This is what the sign outside the door claims – some people call it “sandwich heaven”. Brown’s sandwich shop is also situated in Heslington village. If you are feeling down – or merely greedy – then head over. Just make sure you don’t do it everyday!

This year the Computer Science department, the York Law School, the York Management School, and the Theatre, Film and Television department are all moving to brand new buildings on the East campus. A central ‘hub’ building is also due to open, signifying the completion of the first phase of development on the new campus.

Before Goodricke College was transferred to Heslington East, its students resided in what was considered the worst accommodation on campus; now they have the best. Your friends in other colleges will be living in original, slightly tattered halls of residence, while you will be residing in modern and new surroundings. Every room in Goodricke has an en-suite bathroom and, trust me, every kitchen is the size of a palace. The College is made up of three residential courtyards, each courtyard having one tutor at hand to help if need be.

If all goes to plan, an ATM should be installed on Heslington East at some point this year. A ‘mini Courtyard’ (the main Courtyard being the Students’ Union bar on campus) is also planned for Goodricke, though it is not known whether this will happen this year or next.

Unfortunately the water supply to the whole city had been turned off meaning having a wash was not an option. Lovely. Shattered and thoroughly unclean we headed for the bus station.

The journey to La Paz took a total of 18 hours and included a boat trip across Lake Titicaca mid-journey. At some point in the morning we were woken by the driver shouting in that we understood only as: “Get off the bus… get a boat across the lake… meet you the other side…” And we were off.

The town by the lake was mayhem. We later found out that it was a festival that day so all the locals were out celebrating. It took about an hour to work out where the boat was and to wait in line.

As we made our way across the water we saw a coach also being dragged across. The coaches, it turned out, were transported across on barges which were basically made up of a few wooden planks precariously nailed together.

When we reached the other side of the lake the chaos continued. Cars were choking every street, while tourists milled around in abstract confusion. We eventually established that our bus had not come across the lake yet so found solace in the nearest bar overlooking the lake. We sat here for the next couple of hours until we eventually saw our coach making its nervous way across the lake. We thought this was bad until we later spoke to the guys we’d been waiting in the bar with and heard that they’d waiting six hours for their boat to come across.

We arrived in La Paz late in the evening and caught a taxi straight to the hostel. We spent the following day exploring La Paz. The first thing that hits you in La Paz is the altitude. The city, situated 3660 metres above sea level, quite literally takes your breath away. The sprawling buildings cling to a towering mountain that dips into the nearest valley, taking the masses of buildings along with it. In the distance snow-peaked mountains poke their tips into view. Every winding street is a hill; the Cathedral’s foundations push out of the ground, towering about your head as you pass by, in a desperate attempt to create a flat surface on which to build the structure. Indeed, the main entrance to the Cathedral is 12 metres higher than its base at the other end of the building.

We spent our first day discovering the infamous ‘Witches Market’. Llama foetuses litter the stalls, creating a deeply unpleasant stench as you passed by. We also used our time in the city centre to book up one activity we were both keep to undertake: Death Road.

It was amazing to see how she had dedicated her entire life (from the age of 20 until she died at about 80) to discovering the secret behind the Lines. She spent everyday working in the desert, and didn’t receive any funding for her work until she was about 70 years old and the rest of the world realised the significance of the Lines and, in 1994, classed the site a Unesco World Heritage Site.

After this our museum guide, Alex, took us to a small village opposite the museum. At first we felt very intrusive, effectively looking at these people’s lives as though they were a tourist attraction. But they were just so welcoming. The houses were basically mud huts and every yard was full of animals. The mot incredible thing about the village was the children.

It seems that the South American family doesn’t centre around the children as much as in a western family – the kids are literally given attention if and when there parents have time. The village really opened our eyes into how Peru really is – we finally got off the Gringo Trail (what the locals call the local trail followed by white, western tourists) and saw something real.

By the time we (Camilla, I and a girl called Myra we had met at the hostel that morning) got the bus home, we were filthy and covered in desert dust. Unfortunately we’d booked out of our rooms that morning as we were getting the 11pm night bus (12 hour journey) to Arequipa that evening.

We had dinner at the first place we saw in Nazca before having a serious baby wipe wash in the toilet at the hostel and lazing around in the lounge until our bus.

Nazca was a short stop – but a brilliant one.

We headed out to dinner that evening and found Nazca to be exactly as described: a nice place with nothing much to it. Until the Nazca lines were discovered in the late 1930s, Nazca was literally a ghost town. The Nazca Lines remain the one and only reason to visit. The Nazca Lines are basically a huge expanse of shapes drawn into the ground. No one knows why or how they were drawn, but they are thought to have been created in the Pre-Inca times (the Incas were the local people), around about 500 AD. They were only discovered when people really started using aeroplanes, as you can’t tell anything is even there from ground level- this makes it even more amazing: how did the Inca’s manage to draw such incredible shapes and mile long straight Lines, without seeing what they were doing?

The most popular way to view the Lines is to take a small, rickety aircraft flight over them. We looked into this the next day and soon found out that it was crazily expensive (at least it is when you’re on a serious budget). Instead of throwing away over US $200 on a flight we decided to visit the Mirador Observation tower instead. This tower was a 20km local bus ride away and cost just 1 Peruvian Sols (around 10 pence) to visit.

The bus journey was adventurous. The buses here don’t have a timetable, they literally sit and wait until they are full, then drive off. Once we had got on the bus, a woman with a child and two goats and a large number of locals (sitting and standing – they literally squeeze you all on until no more can fit) joined us, then we were off.

The guide book was right when it said the Observation tower only gives you a sketchy view of the Lines. We could see a lizard and a hand with nine fingers. More importantly, we could see the damage that the creation of the Carr Panamericana Sur Highway (the main road through Peru) has done to the lines. The road was built before the Lines were discovered, and it’s creation has effectively demolished the tail of the Lizard.

From the tower we could also see a large hill/ small mountain in the distance. It looked as though you’d get a different view from there so we decided to walk along the desert highway to have a look. Walking in the mid-day sun in the middle of the desert is not the best idea, but after about a 45-minute-walk we arrived – and the view from the hill was absolutely worth the trek. The Lines were not much clearer from here, but the view of the desert spread out before us along with the towering mountains in the distance was just incredible.

Regardless, here is what has happened in the mean time:

After Lima we went straight to Huacachina. Huacachina is basically a lagoon in the middle of the Peruvian desert. The drop of water is surrounded by sand dunes towering in every direction, making one feel particularly small and alone, in the middle of nowhere. Besides the lagoon featuring on the back of every Peruvian 50 Sols note, Huacuaucina boasts nothing of any political or contextual interest to speak of. The place is essentially a tourist hotspot, that offerers one thing and one thing alone: sandboarding.

Sandboarding is basically like snowbording but on sand dunes. Amazing. We arrived and booked our sandboarding trip with our hotel. After a morning lazing around the (decidedly smelly) lagoon we went to meet the buggy which was to take us up into the dunes which surrourded us. The buggy was basically a crash-cage with six rusty old seats inside and by the time we set off the light was so flat it was practically impossible to discern where the dunes started and finished.

The buggy ride was like a roller coster trip but so, so much better. The whole trip took about three hours and our driver, George, stopped at strategic points to allow us to wizz down a sand dune on our bellies on the sandbords. We ended up at the top of a strategically placed dune, to watch a perfect sunset before heading back to the hostel.

Showering after-sandboarding is not fun. The desert may be boiling in the day but as soon as the sun goes in, the temperature drops to nothing. Hence, staying in the cheap hostel with no hot water is not the smartest idea when every inch of your body is going to be sand-stewn.

The next day, we decided to rent sandboards ourselves and get up early to climb the sand dune behind our hostel. Now, I may not be the fittest person in the world but Camilla runs marathons and even she would tell you that climbing a sand dune with sandboards on your back is flipping hard work. Anyway, we climbed it (in record time, obviously), before doing some real standing-up sandboarding back down the dune.

Huacachina was a great place to relax but we were hoping that our next stop – Nazca – would provide us with an insight into Peru, beyond the chat of Tony the Barman.

While at a first glimpse, Ishmael may be right, a few hours in Lima is all you need to fall in love with the place. The fog my be constant and chilly, but the people and the architecture make Lima the city it is.

Lima is the commercial centre of Peru. The young and successful Peruvians striding the streets in work suits could easily be in London. Indeed, we met a guy called Frank in a cafe over lunch, who tells us he has just graduated from university and is depressed because he now has to get up every morning and do a real job. Despite this, the gap between rich and poor in Lima is strikingly obvious. People old and young line the streets, selling trinkets, chocolate bars, Peruvian flags. Old women sit day and night at the side of the roads selling fruit, while beggars come together outside churches shaking their money pots.

Our day in Lima started with a bang – both literally and figuratively. The Peruvians celebrated the visit of the President of Uraguay, President Jose Mujica Cordano, with a military display outside the ornate Government Palace, on the North side of the Plaza de Armaz.

The Plaza de Armaz was closed off with numerous soldiers surrounding it. At precisely 11am a canon was wheeled in to the centre of the square and fired.

After this alternative wake-up call, we headed for La Cathedral de Lima. Neither of us knew anything about Lima, apart from the vague context page in our Lonely Planet Bible, so hoped the Cathedral would provide us with some context of the city. The Cathedral, which fills the length of the East side of the Plaza de Armaz, is simply incredible. Two towers stand either side or the elegantly carved entrance. It cost 10 Sols (about two pounds) to visit the cathedral and for this price you also get an English speaking guide.

The city of Lima, the capital of Peru, was founded by Marquis Don Franciso Pizarro in the early 1530s. Pizarro sailed from Spain in the early 1500s with over 2,500 colonists. On entering La Cathedral de Lima, we were immediately led into a side chamber. Here, the walls were covered in paintings of Pizarro’s journeys. The main picture depicts a huge fleet of ships leaving Spain for the New World. Three naked men, bound and forced into a small paddle boat filled the foreground of the picture. These men signified those who chose to stay in Spain rather than leave with Pizarro and discover the riches of the New World.

To the right of the picture in an ornate tomb, lies the body of Pizarro. Beside the body is an empty lead box bearing the inscription: “Here is the head of the Gentlemen Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, who found and conquered the kingdom of Peru…” According to our guide, after his assassination in 1541, Pizarro’s head was detached from his body and put into this wooden box by his killers. The coffin of Pizarro has only been on display in La Catheral de Lima since 1977. Before this date, a different body, believed to be that of Pizarro, had been displayed. However, in 1977, workers undertaking remedial work in the chambers beneath the Cathedral discovered a coffin and wooden box hidden in the walls of the chamber. These remains were examined and identified as the real remains of Pizarro, and have been on display ever since – head and body reunited in the coffin.

Despite initially presenting Pizarro as a kind of national hero, after some questioning our guide admits that most Peruvians see Pizarro as a villian. The relationship between Peruvians and the Spanish is a strange one. Despite gaining independence from Spanish colonisation in 1821, Peru’s culture is still heavily influenced by Spain. 90 per cent of indignious Peruvians have retained the Catholic religion enforced on them by the Spanish, for example. Futhermore, the celebrations in Lima after Spain won the World Cup were epic. Despite all this, every Peruvian I have spoken to has professed a serious dislike towards the Spanish. Indeed, no date in Peru recieves more celebration that Peruvian Independence day.

After receiving this contextual education, we were shown around the rest of the Cathedral. The inside walls of the cathedral are gated, each gate concealing a private chapel. Throughout the colonial times, these Chapels were owned by rich families and used for private worship. However, the chapels were returned to the ownership of the Cathedral in post-colonial times and are now open for public viewing.

We left the Cathedral at precisely 12pm, just in time to see the Changing of the Guard, outside the Government Palace. This elaborate ceremony takes place every day at midday and involves a marching band. The Guard flick their legs into the air like ballet dancers as they march. In the middle of the ceremony, two of the Guards pull their swords from their resplendent uniforms and pretend to drive them into each other’s chests. While this elegant ceremony takes place, the Soldiers and Police standing outside and around the Government building, watching over the crowds, stand casually texting on their mobile phones. This behaviour seems to define the Peruvian way of life: “Tranquille”, I am constantly told – “relax”. Everyone is laid back, friendly. There is no rush here and this attitude to life is wonderfully infectious.

After the Cathedral, we moved on to the Monasterio de San Fancisco. The main reason we wanted to visit this ancient Monastery (built in the early 1600s) was for the library and the Catacombs. The Catacombs are basically a set of dusty, soil ridden underground passage ways beneath the Monastery, lined with the bones from approximately 70,000 human burials.
The bones were sorted into piles of bones of the same kind – all the skulls, for example were grouped together. Walking through what was essentially an underground cave littered with human remain was an odd experience.

The bones were not protected in any way and in some cases merely lay littered around our feet. Eventually we arrived at a circle in the ground. Peering down into it, we saw an entire well filled with human skulls, arranged in an intricate display. We were so close that we could see the sword stab wounds through the hands of some of the skulls, smaller skulls – obviously belonging to babies – also made up the display.

After this strange, but most recommended, experience we left the catacombs and climbed back up into the Monastery. Moving around the building we discovered the library. The long wooden room contained spiralling staircases up to a balcony of yet more books, and book shelves containing books almost as tall as me. Over all there were 25,000 books in the library, many of them, according to the guide book, dating back to the 1400s. A rope a couple of steps into the library prevented us from entering properly but the opportunity to simply stand there and take in the smell and feel of this incredible room was just unbelievable. The room was exactly how I imagined the Labyrinth of Forgotten Books (from Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind) to be; like something out of a Jane Austen novel but so, so much better.

We planned to spend the next day in Lima too, but in the morning we realised that we had covered most of the attractions in Central Lima (we are visiting the other main part of Lima, Miraflores, on our way back home at the end of the trip). So we decided to catch the lunchtime bus to the next place on our route: Huacachina.

16 of flight time is not fun at the best of times, but the opportunity to photograph everything and anything with my exciting new camera as well as the blind anticipation of jumping on a plane to some faraway land we knew only from guide book, got us through a good few hours of the journey. However, much like the time Harry Potter and Ron Weasley stole Mr Weasley’s car to fly to Hogwarts, the initial novelty of the situation wore off remarkably quickly. After (accidently) knocking a glass of red wine over Camilla’s pale grey hoodie, we decided to calm down a bit and get down to the serious business of learning to speak Spanish.

Quick tip here to any potential travellers: learn the language. Unfortunately my cunning plan to spend the entire plane journey listening to my ‘Beginners Spanish’ CDs and to become fluent my the end of the journey went slightly to pot when I fell asleep after the first ten minutes. Peruvian people are amazing, but they don’t like it if you don’t speak Spanish. Or try at least. Turns out ‘Hola’ and ‘Gracias’ are not quite enough to get by on.

When the plane finally touched down in Lima, we strolled out of customs into a wall of voices shouting ‘taxi, señorita, taxi’. We may as well have been wearing signs saying ‘First time travellers – please take advantage of’, because the first taxi company demanded $100 for a 20 minute ride and didn’t seem impressed when I said you wouldn’t pay that much for a 20 minute taxi in New York, let alone Lima.

I’d like to say that we then bargained a cheap taxi ride, however the choice of taxi companies was limited and we ended up paying 90 sol (roughly 18 pounds, which might not sound much until you realise that a hotel in Lima, for example, cost just three pounds for one night.) We found a different taxi company and told the assistant the address of our hostel. He muttered to himself for a few minutes before saying, “no, no, no. Bad part of town. Not a good idea for travellers to go there at night. Very dangerous. No, safety must come first.” Great. Out with the guide book then. Find new hostel in “nice” area. Mr Taxi Man approved our new decision and commanded one of the drivers to take us.

Lima is buzzing at night and nothing like I expected. Vendors selling sweets clutter the streets and every time the taxi slowed down someone came towards the window trying to sell us something. The city is set out like a grid and the drivers tend to turn a blind eye to minor road restrictions like traffic lights. Hence, each time we arrived at a junction (at the end of each block, so about every thirty seconds), we swerved and braked to avoid the stream of oncoming traffic. The police presence in Lima is incredible. As we drove along we saw police wandering around constantly, but weren’t entirely sure whether we should be reassured by this or disturbed by it’s necessity.

We arrive at our hostel, ‘Hotel Espania’ about twenty minutes later. The taxi leaves and we go in to book a room. “Non. full up”, the charming hostess grunts. Oh. It seems our brilliant plan is coming to a sticky end. Neither of us really want to walk around in Lima at night (it’s about 10pm by now) with our huge backpacks which may as well scream to the city: “Look at us, with lots of expensive stuff on our back, come and mug us, please!”

However, it seems we have no choice. So on the backpacks go – for the record, both of our pack weigh about 15kg each, plus we were both carrying 20 litre smaller backpacks. Our trusty guide book tells us there is a hostel one block away so we headed for that: “Sorry full up.” And so it goes on. We ended up trekking around night time Lima for about 45 minutes, either failing to find a hostel or being told they were full up.

Neither of us were nervous but were both very aware that what we were doing was incredibly stupid – but also unavoidable. Perhaps we should have stuck with the original hostel, but at the time it seemed like that would have been a stupid thing to do given the advice we were faced with.

The fact that there were police literally everywhere made us feel marginally better. Eventually we reached the square in front of the Government Palace in the centre of the city. I was starving and we both felt like our shoulders are going to break from our backpacks, so we went to the nearest cafe to rest and decide what to do. I ordered chips and was served up three deep fried bananas instead (should have stayed awake for the menu part of the Spanish CDs…) After laughing for a ridiculously long time at this mishap, we got out the guide book and found one hostel we hadn’t yet tried.

Ten minutes later we walked past a hostel called ‘Hostel Machu Picchu’ (not the one we were looking for). It looked very closed but we decided to ring the bell. The lovely man who opened the door told us he has free beds; practically delirious by this point Camilla declares her undying love for him and tells him he has saved our lives. I preserve my dignity but secretly agree whole heartedly. Even better, the room is a double room not a dorm and only costs 15 sol (about three pounds) each for the night. Bargain bucket.

The hostel is basic has beds and is therefore like a dream come true. We shower (hot water! Wow!) and sleep. Despite the fact that neither of us have slept for the past 24 hours, we both wake up at 4am, just as good jet-lagged travellers should. We manage to go back to sleep and end up getting up at eight in the morning. In the daylight the hostel is amazing – a building with half the roof missing but in a strange amazing way. Looks like we’ve found a real hidden gem, despite it not being in the guide book. We also discover that, if there is ever a night for being ridiculous and walking around Lima with all of your money and possessions, it the night of the visit of a foreign President. Turns out the President of Paraguay was visiting Lima last night, thus the huge Police presence. Beginners luck.

Despite all this drama, we felt our introduction to Peru had been suitably hard-core. Now just the sightseeing to get started on…

Tomorrow morning at precisely 4am I will be out of bed and heading down to the train station and off to Gatwick Airport. My amazing friend Camilla and I will then board a plane heading for Lima in Peru, with a return ticket marked for five weeks later.

You may be surprised to hear me talk of my prospective travels as though I were about to undertake some kind of great journey. With the well publicised ‘Gap Yah’ videos, I know few people who have retained the ability to keep a straight face and not respond with “you mean Per-yah” when I tell them where I am going.

However, I beg that you do not universally apply the perception that all young travellers went to public school and want to see no more of Peru than the local bars.

When Camilla and I concocted this meticulous plan to see the world it consisted of maps with small dots for cities and a sea pencilled in pale blue.

This close to the event and I wish I could tell you that it’s beginning to feel more real. But time is a fickle friend and with exams and post-exam and end of year celebrations, I simply haven’t had a moment to think about it in my head. Yes I’ve done the (bloody expensive) shopping; got the back pack and most of all got a pair of walking boots (absolute stunners).

Despite all this, ‘travel’ remains an abstract concept in my mind. Part of me imagines that, rather like one of those glossy magazines or travel guides full of smiling tourists, I will simply slide into the photo shot beside them, missing out all the grotty, dirty parts involved in backpacking.

The plan is as follows: Peru – down the coast line until we hit Lake Titania, then looping down into Bolivia before making our way back up to Lima, via La Paz and Machu Picchu.

Packing has been a bit of a mission. I ended up buying a 60 Litre pack because it was so comfy compared to others. This was despite being told I needed 65 Litres minimum. As an absolute traveller-virgin you will find that you are given so much conflicting advice. Friend A tells you one thing, friend B another and then Google just screws with you head by telling you something completely different.

Regardless, a 60 Litre pack it is. Now, it looks bloody huge. Seriously, it’s bigger than me (well not quite but almost). Despite this you can fit an astoundingly small amount of stuff in it. Mary Poppins bag it is not.

Basic toiletries and medical kit aside, my biggest worry is clothes. Not in the “oh no can I take my heels and straightners” fashion (no, really no). More in the “oh crap, is it going to be hot or cold? In which places and when?” etc. Again, the advice had been questionable. “It’ll be hot in some places and cold in others… depends really…” Marvellous, thanks.

So, every pointless possession of mine is now stored in a locked room in my new house in York for the foreseeable future. I am sitting in my parents house back down South with one rather bulky backpack (that Camilla has just named Alan) for company, and three hours to go until we leave to catch our plane.

More blogging and photos to come as my journey commences.

Blog image credits: Andy Carvin via Flickr Creative Commons

The accusations come after a Ph.D student lodged an official complaint against the bus company First, alleging that he saw two female Chinese students­­­­ “intimidated and verbally assaulted” by a conductor on an FTR bus last week.

Since then, many other international students have spoken to Nouse, claiming that they have faced similar discrimination.

A spokesperson for FTR stated that the company are “very concerned about any allegations made against our staff”, and said that they will “investigate thoroughly”.

However, they refused to respond to anything other than the one official complaint made to them, despite many international students bringing similar incidents to light.

The spokesperson said that “if an incident is brought to our attention we will take it very seriously” and that “when [they] have a definite allegation against someone then [they] will take action.”

One international student has described FTR’s bus drivers and conductors as “systematically racist”, and claims that staff “do everything in their power [to] make it difficult for foreign students to use the buses.”

Omar Aziz, stated that he has “sat on the bus before and watched staff give home students change for a £20 note, but when they get to an Indian student or a foreigner they say they don’t even have change for £5 and make the foreign student get off the bus.”

According to the student who lodged the original complaint, the incident he witnessed took place when two Chinese students tried to buy a couple of return tickets with a £10 note.

“International students should be as valid as home students, yet we are treated like second rate citizens everywhere. We spend so much money in this country on living expenses like food – even on buses – yet we are still treated like we shouldn’t be here.”

Anonymous international student

The student, who was sitting close to the Chinese girls, says that the conductor refused to serve them, claiming she didn’t have enough change.

She is alleged to have “stood over the girls laughing, rolling her eyes and using the language barrier as a source of entertainment… barking and intimidating them for over ten minutes.”

He continued to tell Nouse that he was “very unhappy with the intimidation”, stating that the conductor “was picking on them simply because they were Chinese.”

The student claims that when he attempted to resolve the situation, the conductor began to verbally abuse him too.

He asked for the member of staff’s name, in order to lodge a complaint against her, but she refused to give him anything other than her first name, claiming that there “loads” of people with the same forename as her working for the company, and stating that “they won’t know who I am anyway.”

The student alleges that the bus conductor continued to “shout” at him until he eventually turned away, saying, “I’m not going to talk to you any more”, and putting his headphones in his ears.

He then claims that the conductor ripped the headphones out of his ears, shouting “you’re pathetic” at the student.

He has since lodged an official complaint regarding the incident with FTR buses. The student stated: “If it was me in [the international students'] position in a foreign country where the language wasn’t your first language, I’d hope that someone would stand up for me.

“I wasn’t going to let someone abuse their power and intimidate some of the most vulnerable students on campus.”

He continued to say he was “not hopeful that anything will come out of my complaint”, adding that: “This is just classic FTR. No customer service.”

Further to this incident, a number of students from York’s international student community have spoken to Nouse about the derogatory treatment they have previously received from FTR staff.

Aziz stated that although himself and his friends “did use the buses last year”, now they “just use [his] car.”

Aziz claims that soon after he moved to York, he tried to take an FTR bus to Morrison’s. After explicitly asking the bus driver which stop to get off at, “the driver told me to get off three stops before Morrison’s on purpose so I had to walk for a long time.”

“I don’t want to be associated with a bus company whose staff seem to think they are working on 1950s buses in some segregated South American state.”

Theatre, Film and Television student
Charlotte Clisby

He continued to say that he believes that FTR staff “don’t like to talk with foreigners.” He continued to explain: “I’ve watched them on the buses before being very unhelpful to foreign students one moment, and then very helpful to home students the next.

“If I forget the right change then they won’t let me on the bus. If a home student doesn’t have the right change they are allowed to ask other passengers to change a note.”

Another international student, who wished to remain anonymous, stated: “International students should be as valid as home students, yet we are treated like second rate citizens everywhere. We pay more than double the amount of tuition fees that home students pay and we spend so much money in this country on living expenses like food – even on buses – yet we are still treated like we shouldn’t be here.”

A second-year English student also spoke to Nouse about a similar incident which they had witnessed last year.

“I was on the bus and there were some foreign students who were trying to buy a day travel ticket. They did not know the precise name of the ticket, just as many home students probably wouldn’t have, but the conductor was being really pedantic and petty about it.

“They wouldn’t serve the students and kept pretending not to understand what they wanted, even though it was quite obvious to everybody else on the bus what the students were getting at.”

The student told Nouse that they then intervened and explained to the conductor what the students were “clearly trying to say.”

“Eventually they gave them a ticket,” the student continued, “but their whole attitude was just really patronising and horrible.

“They didn’t have any time for the foreign students even though they were being perfectly polite and amiable. It really was disgraceful and I wish I had lodged a formal complaint at the time.” The student who made the complaint to FTR continued: “International students use the FTR buses more than home students.

YUSU Welfare Officer Ben Humphrys has also spoken to Nouse, stating that he is “disgusted” and describing the reported incidents as “completely unacceptable for any bus service, let alone one serving an international University campus”.

He continued to say that he will be “following this up with the company directly” and expects a “swift change in their attitude if they’re going to continue to serve students at York”.

Charlotte Clisby, a home student studying Theatre, Film and Television echoed Humprhys’ feelings, saying “I don’t want to be associated with a bus company whose staff seem to think they are working on 1950s buses in some segregated South American state.”

The University refused to comment on the issue, stating that: “This is an employment issue for First, the operators of FTR.”

Since the disbandment of the 24-hour portering service, these phones have become the only means by which a student in trouble can contact the security team in an emergency. Ben Humphrys, YUSU Welfare Officer, and Bailey Oliver, Head of Campus Seurity, have launched an investigation to look “urgently into what has gone wrong.”

While only a few calls were not picked up by the security team, a large number of calls were left ringing for over one minute before they were answered.

Humphrys stated: “There’s no real excuse for this… emergency phones should be picked up in five seconds.”

Lauren Walker, a Vanbrugh College student, said that during the “night time – when there are no porters – is the time students are most likely to need the porters help. If the porters are not going to be there then the University has a duty to at least pick up the ‘emergency’ telephone.”

The issue was addressed at the YUSU Campaigns Committee Meeting last week and has led David Efird, the Vanbrugh College Provost, giving out his own personal mobile number to Vanbrugh College students, meaning that “if any student is in distress, they need not go to the red phone but can phone security and me from where they are”.

While students have praised Efird for giving out his personal contact details, Walker has stated that “if the emergency phone was picked up in the first place, or picked up quicker, then our Provost would not have had to take this measure.”

Tahir Shetty, Vanbrugh College Chair, commented: “I’m disappointed that our student security is put directly in jeopardy. We were promised that the red phone in Vanbrugh would be our safety net once we lost 24 hour portering. This incident highlights the need for the enforced physical presence porters provide.” He continued to say that he looks forward to the results of the investigation.

Humphrys stated: “The red phone is for both minor problems and emergencies. If it isn’t answered there’s a danger that there will be a tragedy that could have been averted. It was one of the key safeguards to justify changing portering arrangements; it’­s vital that it works! We can’t be sure what the cause was yet, but as soon as we know new provision will need to be put in place to rectify the situation.”

Billy Elliot is one of those shows which will stick in your mind a long time to come. Yes, it’s essentially a piece of entertainment but the myriad of themes running through the performance turn it into a poignant piece of historical art.

Class-war, feminism, sexuality and poverty are just a number of issues which have turned this emotive drama into a musical masterpiece.

Billy Elliot is set in County Durham during the 1984-85 miners strike. A sense of ‘togetherness’ and community is immediately obvious as the cast slowly files onto the stage singing boldly to the audience: “Through the fights and years of hardship… we will always stand together.”

Josh Benson’s interpretation of Billy’s friend, Michael, absolutely steals the show. Benson enthrals the audience with his version of “Expressing Yourself” – a song about sexuality, during which Billy and Michael dress up and dance in – the obviously homosexual – Michael’s Mother’s clothes.

Every line spoken by Benson achieved laughter from the audience. The boys discuss Christmas presents (sent to the children of striking miners’ by charities). Michael – wearing a tutu and dancing around Billy – says: “What a load of shat. All I got were a football shirt signed by Kevin bloody Keegan!” Benson’s presentation is impeccable, his character immersion, absolute. All this and he is yet to reach his teens.

Billy (Henry Rhodes) was also played with power and conviction. The relationship between Billy and Mrs Wilkinson is crucial to any stage performance of this musical. The role of Mrs Wilkinson, the ‘middle-class’ ballet teacher who encourages Billy to pursue his talent for ballet, is taken by Jane Houghton. While Houghton gave a commanding performance it was at time difficult to understand her words when she sung, thus depriving the audience of a huge part of the brilliance of the show.

Music (all written by Elton John) is a huge part of Billy Elliot. Grandma’s Song was a particular hit with the audience. The character of the Grandma (Chrissy Thorpe), raises a large number of socio-historical questions. Grandma sings: “Seventeen, that was it, your life ended when you had a ring around your finger.”

She goes on to describe her husband: “I hated the sod for 33 year. We should never have married of that I’m quite clear.” Grandma’s vocal illustration of a marriage of domestic abuse (“we’d fight and he’d swing and he rarely missed”) is somehow hilariously bitter sweet. This theme of bitter sweet humour runs throughout the entire show. When a song or scene ends one feels torn between laughter and tears, moral qualms and a simple delight at the beauty of the music and characters.

The aesthetic effects used throughout the show must be commended. The set is sparse and this in itself makes it truly effective. The set of Billy’s house includes a staircase and a door. Smoke, lighting and various backdrops are the only other set used. However, the actors become the set. During the scenes of fights between the police and miners at the picket line – the police, moving slowly, purposefully with their truncheons, juxtaposed to the scrambling, shouting miners – is all the aesthetic effect needed to make a successful set.

The absent character of Margaret Thatcher and her Tory Government is of course a principle back drop to the musical. The mutual hatred felt towards the Tories and their mining policies can be seen from the song performed by a group of young girls at the miners’ Christmas party: “Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Heseltine; you’re a tosser, you’re a wanker and you’re just a Tory swine.”

This show shone alone; when I later realised that all the children in the show (making up about 75 per cent of the cast) were amateurs, chosen from school and youth group productions of Billy Elliot, I realised just what an achievement the director, Robert Readman, has made in putting together this impeccable performance. Yes, there are parts of the performance which are not as polished as one might hope, but overall it still supersedes all expectations. Billy Elliott provides a though-provoking, visually exciting show with witty acting, dance, song and humour. This is truly not one to be missed.

Billy Elliot is running until 12th June.