VOL18ISS9

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UniVerseVolume 18, Issue 9 29th November 2010Circulation 1000 FREE

Monday 29th November@mosphere with Tempa T

Wednesday 1st DecemberAuditorium: Billy Bragg

Friday 3rd DecemberFlirt! PJ Party!

Thursday 2nd DecemberAuditorium: The Blackout

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A Holocaust survivor has been awarded an honorary degree by UH for her role in Holocaust education throughout Hertfordshire and the UK.

Kitty Hart-Moxon OBE, who endured two years in Auschwitz among several other prisons and camps, received a Master of Arts during the graduation ceremonies held for UH students two weeks ago.

“We believe it has relevance in today’s world,” she said in a phone interview prior to the ceremony. “There are warning signs of racism returning to the streets, a resurgence of extremist activity across the continent, and some of it has echoes of 1930s Germany”

“There is a present need to fully understand what led to the Holocaust and where it ended.”

Working closely with the Holocaust Educational Trust as a trustee, Mrs Hart-Moxon has dedicated her life to educating future generations about the lessons which can be learnt from the Holocaust.She speaks at schools and universities across the UK in an attempt to raise awareness about the Holocaust in a population where 40 to 60 percent don’t understand Auschwitz in a meaningful way.

“I felt that it was really my duty, because of what I’d seen, to keep speaking about it,” she said. “I have been talking for 65 years... but people have missed out.”

Sam Browne

Genocides continue due to ignorance

Tim Wilson, Vice-Chancellor

continued on page 3>> Kitty Hart-Moxen receiving her honorary degree. Source: Sam Browne

The UniVerse is the free newspaper for the University of Hertfordshire. We will always aim to bring you the best news and reviews each week.

Written, designed and edited by students of the University of Hertfordshire.

Provided by UHSU

Editor-in-ChiefChris Ulph

Deputy EditorValentina Terrinoni

ContributorSam Browne

JournalistValentina Terrinoni

ContributorRichelle Jansen van Rensburg

Sports ContributorMartyn Gray

Sports ContributorPeter Barker

Lead PhotographerIla Desai

Web DirectorSam Martin

Assistant Web DirectorKenny England

Student Media CoordinatorAlastar Armitage-Brain

VP Communications & MediaThom [email protected]

If there is something that you feel needs to be brought to the attention of The UniVerse Staff, Media Team or even the University as a whole please write in to us and have your letters published.

[email protected]

Editor-in-chiefThe UniverseUHSUCollege LaneHatfieldHertsAL10 9AB

Published byHarmsworth PrintingOld Milton RoadDidcotOxonOX11 7HH

The UniVerse, 29th November 2010

2 UniVerseNews universe.uhsu.co.uk

Just a few weeks ago students from our very own UHSU Swing Dance society had the amazing opportunity to take part in a music video for the Yolanda Be Cool vs Dcup Remix of Jazzbit’s Sing Sing Sing. In an interview with Alex Gall and Emmanuel Palmer I got a closer look at how the day panned out for the two of them.

It started with a rather hectic early morning train ride from Hatfield to the renowned Jazz Cafe in Camden. On which, due to work on the tracks, in the words of Alex, they were ‘packed like Sardines’ as train after train whizzed by crammed to the hilt. When they finally arrived at the destination at 8.45 they got to be runners for the morning helping to set up the scenery, sorting out lots of small details that would make the video all the more authentic of old time swing clubs. Emmanuel ended up with the task of hunting across London in search of indoor sparklers.

Once the setting was sorted the guys got their first taste of being ‘in makeup’ and being dressed to impress. Despite taking their own outfits the fashion manager had

a whole wardrobe to kit them out from and got final call on all the costumes. The blue blazers, hats and shoes really helped bring the whole swing era alive for them both. None of them had every experienced so much make up on there faces in one go, commenting it was a rather bizarre experience, especially when the make up artist kept returning after ever take to ‘repowder’ due to the heat of dancing so continuously. However, if you are not so keen on this pampering experience as Alex appeared to be enjoying it immensely, do not fear because the pampering of our male leads is an extremely rare occasion.

Once suited and booted the dancing could begin. Dancing continuously throughout the day it took a total of 31 takes to complete the video. By the end of it Alex was so hot, he had sweat patches on his blazer, proving it is a great way to have fun and exercise. Each take was slightly individual as each couple improvised their own moves. The filming started with them all dancing as a whole group as a steady cam moved throughout the whole building in an attempt to catch the moves from as many different angles and create a variety of different shots. Emmanuel and his partner Alison got to improvise solo jazz steps rather than partner dancing to provide variety to the takes. As well as partner moves a lot of the fun and variety

of Swing dance comes from being able to throw in these jazz steps as and when you like.

The Swing dance society were able to get involved in this video production because the people who teach at the University, “Jive Swing.com” were personally approached by the producer Eliot Tagg. So if you fancy learning some fun impressive swing moves from a great team of teachers why not come along to the UHSU Swing dance sessions on Tuesdays at 6.30 in the De Havilland Sports village. Everyone is welcome, however many left feet you may feel you have! NO partners required!!

If you would like some more details on the society you can find them on our facebook page by searching “UHSUSDS University of Hertfordshire Student’s Union Swing Dance Society”.

Also, if you fancy viewing the Yolande Be Cool video you can find it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg9-GMUl89Y Or, if you want to listen to a bit of Swing music before deciding if it’s for you or not Alex and Emmanuel have a slot on Crush Underground every Tuesday between 4 and 6 which you can also find on facebook by searching “Swing Time on Crush Underground.”

Richelle Jansen van Rensburg

Swinger dancers feature in music video

Swing dance society. Photograph source: UHSUSDS [online]


3 UniVerseNews universe.uhsu.co.uk

Last Thursday the University of Hertfordshire Students’ Union’s volunteer centre held its very first open day. The aim was to showcase the fantastic variety of charities and organisations there are in the local area for prospective volunteers. Twenty-one establishments turned up and it was obviously worth their while as they gained a grand total of sixty seven sign-ups.

The organisations included well-known charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support, Oxfam and British Red Cross but there were also other locally-related organisations like Hertfordshire Society for the Blind, Herts Young Homeless Group and Young Enterprise East of England.

The organisations themselves told us how pleased they were with the event:

A Watford MENCAP spokesperson said it, ‘was a great way to meet other charities in the area and to meet students interested in helping...Events like these are essential for charities, especially in this time of funding cuts, as volunteers are crucial. We hope those that attended will continue to take an interest in volunteering and charity work.’

While Oxfam branded it, ‘An excellent event for introducing students to the volunteer sector...We had an excellent evening... Do let me know if you plan to hold another one as I would love to be involved.’

It is always worthwhile attending events like this if you are at all interested in volunteering as it’s a fantastic addition to any CV. And the great thing about events like these is that you have the chance to meet so many organisations that you are sure to find one that provides relevant experience for your field as well as helping out the community.

As SOVA Herts said, ‘I met some delightful students who were interested in joining our organisation to provide them with practical skills to enhance their degrees.’ There’s even the chance to try out careers you may never have the chance to try any other way, for example, the police!

A representative for Hertfordshire Constabulary said it, ‘gave me the opportunity to speak to students on ways that they can give something back to the Community by undertaking Voluntary Work within Hertfordshire Constabulary, either as a Special Constable or a Generic Volunteer’.

I am aware of the stereotype that volunteering has — it is not just about sitting in the local nursing home reading

“They might know a little bit, but not enough to make a difference.”

She believes the virtual lack of Holocaust education for three whole generations may have had a lasting impact on many societies, as it was a failure to acknowledge and intervene in the early stages that lead to the first “industrialised killing”.

“All these generations have grown up, and we have had over 100 genocides since the end of World War Two. Nobody could stop it, largely due to ignorance,” she said. “I feel had we begun teaching the Holocaust years ago to every single child, maybe some of these events could have been prevented.”

When Mrs Hart-Moxon first came to Britain in 1949 she, along with all other survivors of Nazi atrocities, was “virtually silenced”. With very few willing to listen, many stories have been lost. However,

Volunteer Sign-Up Success

a book to an elderly occupant. If this is what you want to do then great, but if not get out there and find an opportunity that suits you! There’s opportunities that span over a huge range of fields, for example Herts Young Homeless Group work with over 2,500 young people a year and claim that, ‘a loyal team of volunteers allows us to offer a number of services than would not otherwise be possible.’

Sana Meerza, UHSU Volunteer Coordinator said, ‘Many students are unaware of just how many types of volunteering there are, and by being able to talk to local organisations, they were able to see how their skills can fit into the organisation. It was a successful evening and they were able to recruit mentors, web designers and conservationists to name a few!’

If you missed the evening but are interested in volunteering opportunities then please contact volunteer coordinator Sana Meerza: [email protected]

Valentina Terrinoni

the introduction of Holocaust education in high schools from the late 1980s has lead to a much wider understanding of the subject.

“It’s not until it has actually got into the National Curriculum that all 14-year-olds get some form of tuition,” she said. “It has created a lot of interest, and when people are interested they learn a bit more.”

The British Government also sponsors two sixth-form students from each secondary school to visit the death camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau each year, as part of the Holocaust Educational Fund’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project.

Despite receiving awards for her efforts in the form of an OBE and honorary degrees from several universities, Mrs Hart-Moxon is still “absolutely delighted” at receiving the award. 15 other members of the community were awarded honorary degrees for their contributions in various fields.

>>continued from front page

Kitty Hart-Moxen receiving her honorary degree from Vice-Chancellor Tim Wilson. Source: Sam Browne

UNI Brief has just launched!It’s a new way your UNI Policing Team can pass on vital information directly to you.

Visit the link or scan the barcode on your Smartphone* to download the free file.

*free software to scan the code can be found VIA your phones app store by searching “QR Scanner”

UNI Briefhttp://tinyurl.com/unibrieflatest


4 UniVerseUHSUSoapbox universe.uhsu.co.uk

Since last week, I have been on BBC Three Counties Radio discussing the reasons why I decided not to organise a second protest on what the media is calling ‘day X.’ Many of the protests occurred on campuses, I feel very strongly that if we are to vent our anger at any one it should be at the government and not our university. Additionally, I feel that the November 10th demonstration was enough of a statement. Particularly when we are trying to lobby MPs behind closed doors. I have been to visit Lord McKenzie of Luton, who is a peer in the Shadow local communities and government group. We discussed the possibility of him helping me with the housing campaign. He is going to reignite the debate in the house about the national landlord register. In addition, he will also investigate why current legislation is not being regulated effectively. E.g. It is law for all landlords to put your deposits into a tenancy deposit scheme. I went to the Vice Chancellors final graduation ceremony, and witnessed his very moving and slightly controversial speech!

Nica de KoenigswarterPresident

Thom PalserVP Communications &

Media

Yasmin BastowVP Academic Support &

Campaigns

Laura YeomanVP Student Activities

I cannot believe it’s almost December! seriously where did this month go? So i’ve spent the morning showing off our students union and advice and support centre and I love the fact that we are an object of envey here at UHSU, make me so so proud!In other news, I’m beyond exited with some of the new plans RaG have come up with, despite the fact that Men’s Night has unfortunatly been postponed, there are some new exiting events to keep and eye oput for! Also well done to Special Effects students, Richard Flower, James Ellis, Wayne Adams and Ben Riches for in making the christmas cards now availible in the shop, raising money for their Final year show and RaG!

Back in October I spent a day with the graduate futures team.Graduates Futures want to help all year groups! Not just final year or graduate students.They KNOW what employers want from graduates; make yourself employable! Make appointments to practice interviews or help with targetting CV’s. Appointments are usually made one day in advance so there is always plenty of availablity!All recources are available in paperform and online!! workshopsGet online and check it out!!

Those of you that have me on facebook or twitter will know that I have been stressing recently about my mid-term review for my module that im repeat-ing this year. Thankfully I scraped through. Let me be an example to you! Work hard and don’t just wander through your degree. Anyway rant over. Work wise its going great! I know I keep mention-ing UHSU SoapBox, but it really is fantastic. The first round of blogs are through and I need you to vote on which one is best! Im also doing some ‘proper’ work as well like the strategic plan for the union and our communications strategy. It’s not all fun and games, despite what I ramble on about. @UHSUcomms @ThomPalser FB: /thompalser

TXT

TXT

TXT


6 UniVerseInternationalFocus&SportsReults universe.uhsu.co.uk

BadmintonBadminton Men’s 1st 5 - 3 King’s College, London KCL Badminton Club Men’s 1stBadminton Women’s 1st 6 -2 King’s College, London KCLMS Badminton Club Women’s 1st

BasketballBasketball Men’s 1st 88 - 60 University of Chichester Men’s 1stBasketball Women’s 1st 40 - 28 Universities at Medway Women’s 1st

FootballFootball Men’s 1st 2 - 4 University of Portsmouth Men’s 1stFootball Women’s 1st 7 - 1 University of Gloucestershire Women’s 1st

GolfGolf 1st 2 - 4 Brunel University West London 1st

HockeyHockey Men’s 1st 13 - 0 University of Brighton Men’s 2nd

LacrosseLacrosse Men’s 1st 1 - 1 Royal Holloway, University of London Men’s 1st

NetballNetball 2nd 51 - 42 University of Sussex 1stNetball 1st 52 - 20 King’s College, London KCL Netball Club 1st

RugbyRugby Union Men’s 2nd 5 - 48 Buckinghamshire New University Men’s 2ndRugby Union Women’s 1st 5 - 27 University College London Women’s 1st

SquashSquash Men’s 1st 0 - 2 Brunel University West London Men’s 3rdTennis Women’s 1st 7 - 3 University of Chichester Women’s 1st

Results 24/11/2010

Barack Obama: I don’t think about Sarah Palin President Barack Obama has said he does not think about Republican former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a possible contender for his job in 2012.

Jury convicts Tom DeLay in money laundering caseA jury in the US state of Texas has convicted former US House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on charges of illegally funnelling corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.

Rio de Janeiro shaken by fresh gang violencePolice and gang members have clashed in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro for a fourth day, despite further raids by security forces.

Mexico drugs baron admits tourist deaths mistakeA suspected drugs baron has revealed that 20 tourists kidnapped and murdered in Acapulco were the victims of mistaken identity, Mexican police say.

Euro slide continues as Irish debt fears persistThe euro has continued its slide against the dollar as investors digest the Irish Republic’s austerity plan.

Strike against austerity cuts brings Portugal to a haltMany of Portugal’s public services have ground to a halt as workers strike in a bid to weaken the government’s resolve to make deep budget cuts.

Tongans cast ballots in ‘historic election’Voters in Tonga have cast ballots for their first popularly-elected parliament as part of a democratic transition away from the monarchy.

New Zealand PM pledges Greymouth mine investigationNew Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key has promised an investigation into the deaths of 29 miners at the Pike River mine on South Island.

South Korea to bolster island force against PyongyangSouth Korea is to strengthen its military force on five islands close to North Korea, amid tensions over a clash that left four people dead.

China urged to act on North KoreaChina should use its influence over North Korea to defuse the crisis sparked by the North’s shelling of a Southern island, US officials say. State department spokesman PJ Crowley said Beijing’s role was pivotal and urged Beijing to be clear on the issue.

Somali pirates convicted of attacking US Navy shipFive young Somali men face life in prison after being convicted of piracy in the April attack on a US Navy ship.

Police and Christians clash in Egypt over churchPolice in Egypt have clashed with hundreds of Coptic Christians over the construction of a new church.

InternationalFocus

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7 UniVerseSports universe.uhsu.co.uk

that stepped up to deliver a performance beyond what could be expected. They were ably supported by rookies Leigh New and Solomon Akakpo, who came in to continue the O-Line’s dominance of an experienced Greenwich defense.

Oduyemi summed up their performance: “Without the O-Line there’s no quarterback and no runningback. They did some good work, and there was hardly any pressure in the back field.”

This opening drive ended with a touch down from veteran running back Okonkwo (#33) powering home to his first of a hat-trick of TDs.

His second came later in the first half, repeating the pattern of the first score as Oduyemi twisted Greenwich in on themselves from half-back behind the blocking of Okonkwo at full-back, before Quarterback Joe Thompson (#5) handed off to Okonkwo for another short-yardage TD.

The passing game struggled to get off the ground, as Thompson was frustrated by penalty calls and frozen fingers, having one seemingly clear touchdown called back for pass interference. He had more luck running with the ball, picking up twenty five yards and a touch down of his own.

Returning QB Alexandre Szabo (#13) had more luck, combining primarily with veteran receiver Adrian Gumbs (#86) for three pass completions and a touch down.

A spirited Greenwich fightback in the second half was stopped ruthlessly by the Hurricanes defense, with the defensive play of the game coming in the third quarter. On fourth down and six yards to go for the first, Greenwich broke a run to the outside of Hurricanes containment and looked certain to run it home for their first TD, only for first-year cornerback Stefan Rivera (#8) to make a huge tackle, flipping the larger running back as he did so, winning the ball back for Hertfordshire.

The Hurricane’s offense returned in the fourth quarter to expose an exhausted Mariners defense, as first Okonkwo and then Davies (#3) broke off huge TDs from the midfield, running 45 and 55 yard scores respectively.

This excellent display of offense, and a first shut out of the season for the D should provide the Hertfordshire Hurricanes with plenty of momentum going into their first two home games of the season, first a return fixture against the UEA Pirates on the 28th of November and then a game with the high-flying Kent Falcons on the 5th of December. Both games will be held at the Hertfordshire Sports Village.

University of Hertfordshire swimmers pick up points and personal bests at the BUCS Short Course Championships in Ponds Forge, Sheffield over the weekend.

Irish Champion Sean Leahy finished 4th in the 400m medley and 5th in the 200m freestyle. With fellow team mate Lawrence Lowman gaining points for the team with 4th place finishes in both the 800m and 1500m freestyle despite serious competition from Champions Loughborough.

The Hertfordshire swimmers finished in 12th place overall with the men’s team placing 9th.

The aim of LACROSSE to score as many goals as possible, many people liken it to hockey but in the air. The sport is played using a solid rubber ball, that is thrown through the air and caught in the air, using a lacrosse stick, which is essentially a metal or wooden poll with a soft mesh head suitable for catching, cradling and shooting with.

Here at UH people of all abilities are welcome to come try and have ago at playing, training or just simply having a one off try. There is no minimum skill level you need to be to come and train with the UH LACROSSE team, even if you never have picked up a stick before.

There are 3 different types of LACROSSE that we play. Firstly we have men’s LACROSSE which is full contact and full on action! Then we have women’s LACROSSE which is just as competitive only slightly less brutal! (Only minimum stick contact allowed). Finally we have a mixed team where women and men unite together to represent UH. Here the only difference is that it’s strictly non contact, which makes for a highly strategic full paced game, great to play and amazing to watch.

So do you fancy a go? Well if you do training is on a Monday night at DeHav on the new gen pitch 2, from 20:00 onwards. All you need to do is bring yourself. Any questions please email:[email protected] Gray

LACROSSE! What is it? What on earth is it all about? Can you play?

Martyn Gray

>>continued from back page

Lowman in the points for freestyle swimming

Photographs: Garry Neesam

Photographs: Martyn Gray

UniVerseSport


Sudoku

Under frosty floodlights in Greenwich, the Hertfordshire Hurricanes exacted their vengeance upon a strong Mariners side, winning with a 41 – 0 shut out.

Last season, the Challenge Trophy winning Greenwich Mariners embarrassed the ‘Canes with a tight victory, leaving a bruise on Hertfordshire’s reputation that took the shine off a season that saw the Hurricanes reach the national semi-

Peter Barker

Rampant Hertfordshire Running Game Reaps Revenge on Greenwich Mariners

finals.

This time around, however, Greenwich were no match for the green cyclones, as runningbacks Dwayne ‘Ike’ Okonkwo (three touch downs), Temi Oduyemi (82yds off 13 carries) and Gareth Davies (one touchdown) tore them apart from every angle.

The game was harder fought than the dominant scoreline showed, with Greenwich unfortunately losing their quarterback through injury a short way into the second quarter. Deciding to shotgun-snap directly to a runningback instead, the Greenwich ground game

tested a stout Hurricanes defense inspired by the return of GB and London Blitz linebacker Fabrizio Gargiulo (#80), who led by example with five tackles and three assists.

Hertfordshire scored on their opening drive, as Oduyemi (#28) delivered a selfless performance from behind an understrength O-Line that achieved above and beyond what was expected of them, featuring “Mike” Zhao Hu at Center, left-guard Jon Binks and tackles Martynas Juras and Ryan King. Starting at right-guard was Jakub Maj, a Hurricane rookie

continued on page 7>>

Hurricanes in action. Photograph: Garry Neesam

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