Diving into the unknown depths of the River Thames, Kingston University Sub

Aqua Club (KUSAC) launched King-ston’s first ever underwater river clean.

Chris Elliott, a second year student at Kingston, has been leading the project. He said: “I wanted to find a way for our club to be able put something back into the commu-nity. An underwater river clean was something that our club had the skills and passion to do.”

It took 12 months to organise, with KUSAC having to gain permission from various agencies, but on Sep-tember 17 they were finally set to go. Within six hours two skips had been filled with 304 glass bottles, 22 shopping trolleys, nine chairs, five traffic cones, four car tyres, three bikes, one hoover and a bird bath!

Chris, who has been scuba diving with KUSAC for three years and qualified with them as an instruc-tor last year said: “We were all surprised at how much debris we removed from the river, yet this is only a small percentage of what is left in the river. We really hope to

run another underwater river clean in the future.”

Volunteering Coordinator Jemma Houghton, from KUSU Volunteer-ing, said: “This project is really ground-breaking and will hopefully pave the way for more high-impact student volunteering projects in the future.”

KUSAC were supported by five members of the KUSU Kayaking Club, who took to their kayaks and spent the day protecting the divers from other boats on the water.

Vice President Activities, Lauren McCormack, who was also kayak-ing on the day said: “I helped out to ensure boats kept well clear of our

divers. It was an amazing day and I was proud to be part of it. Many volunteers came from the Kingston Cougars sports teams which goes to show how much we can achieve when we pull together as a team!”

26 Kingston University students volunteered on the day, accumulat-ing 177 hours work in total. Student volunteers included members from the KUSU netball, ladies football and American football teams, all of whom helped collect rubbish on the riverbank.

The project feeds into a nationwide campaign by the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) and the Marine Con-servation Society, to remove litter from the waterways and coastline around Britain. The students also took the opportunity to fundraise for the divers’ favourite charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Chris ran the project through ‘Be A Champion’, an Olympic-inspired ini-tiative to get sports clubs involved in volunteering activities. Kingston University Students’ Union (KUSU) was recently granted silver ac-creditation by the National Union of Students (NUS) for its support of Olympic Inspired activity.

What we’re talking

about this issue:

Confessions of a freshers’ angel

Summer memories Election weekfencing: INSIGHT

SPECTATOR: LOOPER

eVENTS

Freshers’ Week started with a splash as Kingston students slid out of their Pyjamas and

into wetsuits in their quest to remove tons of Litter and junk from The river thames.

By Nane Steinhoff

ISSUE ONE

scuba students revive our river

(Clockwise from left)A member of the Sub Aqua Club lifts a bicycle from the bottom of the thames, the Kayak club were on hand to help out, another scuba diver retrieves a cone.

Pics: Kingston University

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A publication b

y

students broug

ht

to you by KUSU

6pmWe started off the evening by meeting up in Kingston town centre to gather our last minute plasters and food for the journey, continued by a filling dinner of carbs (what a great excuse to eat as much as you want!) before heading off to Battersea Power Station.

9pmWe arrived to join thousands of people all shining in glow paint, eagerly awaiting the warm-up. Both excitement and anxiety kicked in as we were arranged in groups of 500 to start the marathon.

10pmIt took 40 minutes before our group was ready to start walking and our legs were already getting tired from just standing there! Soon enough chattering and laughter rose upon us and it was great chance for us to catch up with one another.

2amOur enthusiasm soon wore off as tiredness and pain took over. Four hours in the realisation dawned on us that we were only half way there. There were points within the course where each of us wanted to cry, get a taxi to the fin-ish line or give up completely.

6amThe last few miles were nearing unbearable but through our determination and encouragement towards each other we all managed to cross the finish line just as the morning sun was rising.

So far we have managed to raise over £400. The night was a fantastic experience and we will treasure this achievement for a lifetime. It’s incredible to think of the impact that the money raised, not just by us but by the thousands who took part in Shine, will have on those affected by cancer.

When I joined fencing a year ago I did it because Sherlock Holmes can do it, simple as that. That minor act of obsessive geekery however has proven to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

If you’re under the impression fencing is a sport for posh boys at Eton and Oxford, you’d be wrong. Members come from wildly varying backgrounds and cultures but they all share a passion for beating up their friends with swords.

Coached by professional fencer Kate Smith, the club has been running at Kingston for almost a decade. Club president Eric Chu (left) had this to say about

his sport: “I’ve been fencing for just over a year now. There is a real sense of team spirit with us, especially at events like Varsity. Even when it’s just a one-on-one match you can look to the crowd and see your coach and your friends cheering you on. There’s a lot of support within the club. I’ll definitely be keeping it up once I graduate.”

For some people, their first time here will also be their first go at fencing and team coach Kate starts off every new year off with introductory sessions for those new to the group (or the old members like me who’ve just managed to forget everything over the summer holidays).

A new member remarked: “I’ve always been interested in fencing but the clubs where I live are really expensive to join.” At this club all coaching and kit hire is included in a joining fee of five pounds (plus the cost of a sports card) making it an excellent way to learn a new skill without having to pay through your nose for the privilege.

Another new member simply thought it ‘seemed interesting’ – and in a sport where the women

are required to wear a plastic bra and a mask that makes you look like a serial killer, I can’t disagree.

Yet some come in with more than a beginner’s grasp of the sport. Club member Gerard Eccles told me: “I started fencing at school because it looked cool and helped me keep fit for rugby.”

Ten years later and Gerard is still at it, though his favourite part of the club is slightly different: “I like the drinking.”

Yes, after a hard training session members adjourn to Kingston Mill for a pint or two and occasionally a plate of chips.

In a nutshell joining fencing means playing with swords then going to the pub, but you’ll also meet some of the most interesting people in Kingston.

Walking 26 miles in one night to raise money for cancer research, five netballers

tell The Voice about a truly fantastic (and exhausting) night out in London.

By Carly Hennah

By Sara Ann Hope

Election weekstudent officer by-Election 2012

Choose who represents YOUThe elections are your chance to decide who will be

fighting your corner for the next academic year.

Voting opens Monday 15th October at 9:00am and closes Friday 19th October at 5:00pm.

VOTE for your next:

Disabled Students OfficerStudents in Professional Practice Officer

International Students OfficerEthical and Environmental Officer

Mature Students Officer

Voting Stations will be situated across campus:

Mon 15th & Fri 19th at Penrhyn RoadTues 16th at Kingston Hill

Wed 17th at Roehampton ValeThurs 18th at Knights Park

Make sure you

use YOUR vote!

(Left to right) Gemma Briant, Jess Arnold, Jess Fernandez-Josey, Ta-mara Swales, & Carly Hennah in London braving the cold for shine

www.kusu.co.uk/YourElections

Where?Tiffin boys school

WHO? Fencing society

WHEN? Wednesday, 6-8pm

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A clear blue sea lies in front of me. The waves are small, made by the incessant stream of expen-

sive boats that drive by the coast of Sorrento. I am lying uncomfortably on the irregular rocks, tanning my skin and deeply hoping that summer lasts for longer.

I leave the beach late and the sun is already setting but the warmth does not disappear with it.

At the bar I get a drink that I have never had before with limoncello. It’s appar-ently one of the most famous alcoholic drinks down in the south of Italy and it’s unbelievably strong.

My new but already close friends keep on talking – more with their hands than

with their months – until eventually the moon over-takes the sun. Each day is another beach day and the tone of my skin gets more golden, though my belly gets bigger and bigger.

It would be impossible to count how many times I eat pizza and pasta, or both of them combined! I am sure that almost everyone has a food business in Sorrento. There are restaurants that sell one metre of pizza, while others sell all kinds of different pastas that I could never of imagined – agnolotti, bigoli, farfalle, rigatoni…

How did I expect to get skinnier after summer?

Despite my lazy days on the beach in Italia, I still have plenty of time to see the

city during the day and to reflect on how interesting it becomes during the night when all the British tourists come out to do their classic karaoke singing and drink their pints of beer!

The city of Sorrento is full of energy; a typical Italian summer town during day-light, that turns into a dance floor when the clock hits midnight.

The streets are tiny and the buildings are old, all having their own history to tell. I walk through the city holding my cam-era and capturing each corner of it; from Vespa motorcycles to colourful local markets selling fruit and vegetables.

Everyone knows everyone here. My best friend, an Italian from Sorrento, stops to talk with the locals every five minutes.

We walk for three hours in between talking with people and dropping into local bars.

In order to burn all the calories and to move my body after endless lazy days on remote beaches, the nightclubs seem like a good idea. I’m so happy that I dance along to the Italian music while only understanding one word, “Viva!”

Now seated inside a full library in England, the British weather is already showing off its skills by freezing my hands and nose as soon as I step out of the door, but the memories of summer are still stuck in my mind. I just wish I could have the sea and the blue sky outside my window, just as I did during my Italian summer.

For all involved, first years or returning

students, Freshers’ Week went off

without a hitch and was a great start to

what will be another amazing year at

Kingston University.

Complete bafflement was had by all with

the surprising efficiency of enrolment.

Seeing these first years swan in to the JG

building and leave within five minutes

fully registered clasping their crisp new

student ID’s transformed me into a green

eyed monster.

By Catarina Demony

By Andy Gibson

Radio 1

DJ, Scott

Mills at

Freshers’

Ball

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’

Gone are the days of endless queues in

the courtyard, awkwardly avoiding eye

contact with the nearest new-comer and

being reassured that “you’ll be seen in

five minutes”. But that was two years

ago, I’m not bitter.

Throughout the week, the

freshers’ angels brought a ray

of sunshine everywhere they

landed, with the words “Would

you like a freshers’ guide?”

embedded in their brains.

At nightfall however, they

became little Freshers’ devils

packing out the student

union bars every night with a

new batch of first years.

We were then back at the helm

at 9am the next morning,

pumped full of red bull and

panadol...or in my case, three

hobnobs and a cup of bovril.

After days of enrolment, nights of

drinking and some amazing on-campus

demonstrations by the capoeira, fencing

and dance teams, freshers’ fayre was

upon us.

Penrhyn road pulsated with music, free

pizza, Weatherspoon vouchers and the

beautiful scene of VP Student Life giving

cheeky condoms to the masses.

Stocked up with enough free swag to

stock Londis, we were all suited and

booted and saw some amazing outfits

emerge at the Willy Wonka Freshers’ Ball.

My favourite of which was the two girls

who came as golden tickets. Wherever

you both are, I salute you and apologise

again for thinking you were anything

else.

Moving onto Hippodrome, we did an

amazing job of packing out one of the best

clubs in Kingston and showed everyone

that our new first years are going to be

brilliant additions to this university by

drinking the club dry.

Completely drained of energy, we turn to

lectures, seminars, labs and tutorials to

make up on lost sleep, half listening to

our lecturers and questioning our £9,000 a

year career choice.

But for me, wrapped in a duvet with a

cuppa, hoping that readers see my liberal

sarcasm for its wit and humour, the

inevitable freshers flu is now ruling my life.

Friday 12th

LIVE FOOTBALL:ENGLAND V SAN MARINO

WHERE? HANNAFORDSWHEN? 8PM

AMAGI AND BACCHUS WARM-UP

WHERE? KNIGHTS PARK BARWHEN? 8.30PM EVERY THURSDAY

Sunday 14th

KUVeGaS FIFA 13 TOURNAMENTWHERE? SPACE BAR

WHEN? 7PM

Monday 15th

BY-ELECTION WEEKWHERE? ALL CAMPUSES

WHEN? ALL WEEK

HALF PRICE COCKTAILSWHERE? HANNAFORDS

WHEN? ALL DAY EVERY MONDAY

FLAVA NIGHTWHERE? HANNAFORDS & SPACE BAR

WHEN? 7PM EVERY MONDAY, McCLUSKYS TICKETS BEHIND BAR

Tuesday 16th

KARAOKE WHERE? HANNAFORDS

WHEN? 8PM EVERY TUESDAY

LIVE FOOTBALL:POLAND V ENGLANDWHERE? HANNAFORDS

WHEN? 8PM

FILM SCREENING: ‘IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY’

WHERE? ROBERTS LECTURE THEATRE WHEN? 6PM

Wednesday 17th

SPORTS SOCIETIES SOCIAL WARM-UP

WHERE? SPACE BARWHEN? 7.30PM, EVERY WEDNESDAY

Thursday 18th

LIVE ACOUSTIC ACTSWHERE? KNIGHTS PARK BARWHEN? 8PM EVERY THURSDAY

BIG FAT QUIZ OF THE WEEKWHERE? HANNAFORDS

WHEN? 8PM EVERY THURSDAY

Friday 19th

COUGAR CALM NIGHTWHERE? SPACE BAR

WHEN? 8PM

Saturday 20th

LIVE FOOTBALL:SPURS V CHELSEANORWICH V ARSENALWHERE? HANNAFORDSWHEN? FROM 12.45PM

Sunday 21st

LIVE FOOTBALL:SUNDERLAND V NEWCASTLE

QPR V EVERTONWHERE? HANNAFORDSWHEN? FROM 1.30PM

POOL COMPETITIONWHERE? HANNAFORDSWHEN? FROM 7.30PM

Monday 22nd

KUSU BLACK HISTORY WEEKWHERE? ALL CAMPUSES

WHEN? ALL WEEK

LONDON STUDENT VOLUNTEERING FORTNIGHT

WHERE? ACROSS LONDONWHEN? ALL WEEK, FEATURING AN

ASSORTMENT OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Wednesday 24th

LIVE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:ARSENAL V SCHALKEWHERE? HANNAFORDS

WHEN? 7.45PM

Thursday 25th

LOCO LOUNGE: LIVE COMEDYWHERE? SPACE BAR

WHEN? 7PM, £3.50 IN ADVANCE AND £4.50 ON DOOR

OCTOBER LISTINGSKUSU VENUE MANAGERS

Hannafords – tom.bennett@kingston.ac.uk

Space – l.marsh@kingston.ac.uk or tom.bennett@kingston.ac.uk

Knights Park – p.daniels@kingston.ac.uk

SPECTATOR:

Rian Johnson’s sci-fi, action film ‘Looper’ looked like an intriguing project and anything featuring both

Bruce Willis (Pulp Fiction, Die Hard films) and rising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises) is worth a watch.

Set in the future, the mob use time travel to send people back 30 years where assassins, like Gordon-Levitt’s character Joe Simmons, kill and dispose of them.

These assassins, known as “loopers”, can only live for 30 years after their employment from the mob is ended. Consequently they are flung back through time and terminated, otherwise known as “closing the loop”.

When Joe is confronted with the task of assassinating an older version of himself (Willis), things start to go wrong as he unintentionally allows his older self to escape.

Gordon-Levitt now needs to close his own loop whilst avoiding the mob which is now looking for Joe, young or old.

The protagonists and their co-stars all give brilliant performances and the visual effects are fantastic.

The make-up artists convincingly make angel-faced Joseph resemble a younger version of tough-looking Bruce. The movie is easy to follow, packed full of action and the idea is original.

However, the second half of the film is predictable and littered with plot holes. The

writer doesn’t stretch the idea of loopers and time travel to its full potential and much more could

have happened over the two hours running time.

I do recommend that everyone sees it to judge for themselves though as there have been many mixed reviews. Whilst it was enjoyable, for me it’s definitely a one-time only watch.

7 10

By Sophie Izzard

Joe faces himself over a hearty breakfast (Above), Bruce back to his gun-toting best (Left).

VOICE RATING:

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO

CONTRIBUTE OR BECOME A PART

OF THE EDITORIAL TEAM THEN

PLEASE CONTACT L.Stopps@

kingston.ac.uk

Pics: Google

SPORTS & SOCIETIESDid you know you can hire any

of our 3 KUSU bars for free?!

Contact the venue mangers

for more information.

See bANNER ABOVE.

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The opinions beliefs and viewpoints expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the student union