Plan your Freshers` Week

Stevie’s Super Student Savers • Your Newcastle. Your Music. • What’s Next? • Intra Mural Sport • AU Trials and Tasters
C O URIER
THE
The Independent Voice Of Newcastle Students
thecourieronline.co.uk · Issue 1233 Monday September 26 2011
Est 1948
Plan your Freshers’ Week
Timetable pull out inside
Freshers’ Week 2011 is here
5000 students descend on Newcastle to start the best years of their lives
Kat Bannon
Editor
Welcome to Newcastle University! It
may feel like you have stepped into
the world unknown but you are about
to begin what promises to be the best
three years, if not more, of your life.
The city of Newcastle has everything
on offer. From world class bars and
clubs, nationally known architecture,
St. James Park and the loyal toon army,
Tynemouth and Whitley Bay beaches as
well as gigs at the Sage or Metro Arena.
No wonder it was rated in the top ten in
the country for student experience!
If you are new to Newcastle, or even
if you’re not, be aware you have chosen a great place to work, live and play.
It won’t take long for you to love the
North East as your own.
Then there is the University. You have
just joined one of the twenty Russell
Group institutions in the country with
a worldwide reputation for high quality
teaching and cutting edge research. The
University is well into an £200-million
programme of investment in its campus
and facilities and you are lucky enough
to be part of one of its most significant
periods of its 171 year history.
More so, you are the year that is set
to experience the much-anticipated £8
million refurbishment of the Students’
Union for the first time. Although still
maintaining the beauty of the original
19th century building it is set to be a
21st century Union for the 21st century
student, combining space for learning,
socialising and, of course, student services, in a modern and functional way
that provides the best possible opportunities for you.
Combining the prestige of the university with the vibrancy of the city it is not
surprising that you have just arrived in
one of the most popular places to study
in the country.
So, in order to get you started Newcastle University’s Freshers’ Week is
a seven day long introduction to what
is in store. Already hailed as the best
Freshers’ experience in the country 2011
promises to be the biggest and best to
date, with more activities, more impressive nights, and more value for money
than ever before.
So what’s in store for the upcoming
week? Locked away in the Students’
Union building with only Yorkshire
teabags and a bike pump for company
this year’s organisers have been plotting a fantastic array of events to suit
students of all tastes and interests. With
activities ranging from mud buggy racing and quad biking to cocktail train-
ing, beach trips and ice skating you’ll be
spoilt for choice in the daytime for new
experiences to share with new friends
and flat mates.
Meanwhile the night-time events are
set to be unrivalled by other Freshers’
Weeks across the country. Kick starting
on Sunday evening with Newcastle’s
recreation of their very own Thai Full
Moon Party in the Students’ Union,
expect a tropical paradise, packed with
beach fancy and, naturally, a lot of UV.
To follow through the week are some
legendary club nights with live acts,
comedy nights, grub crawls and theatre
trips for anyone who needs rest their
dancing shoes for a day of paintballing.
Bringing the week to climax is ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, in which Newcastle’s
The Gate will be unrecognisable as
what is to become your usual mid week
haunt. Think the Amazon, but with
banging tunes in place of the bugs.
This is a special issue of The Courier,
produced with the sole aim of guiding
you through the best week possible. Inside you will find details on everything
you need to know to get your student
experience to the best possible start,
from our support services and repre-
sentation system to the opportunities
for sport, societies and media that we
offer here at the Student’s Union in order to enhance your time here.
There is also a day-by-day guide of activities and events so you can make an
informed choice about exactly how to
spend Freshers’ Week.
The Courier will be back in October
bringing you weekly up-to-date news
about what is going on across the university, but until then, be sure that you
make the most of your wristband and
enjoy what is truly a once in lifetime
experience.
With 140 societies
to choose from,
find the perfect one
for you using our
complete
guide
page
28-29
>>
Welcome
2
Monday September 26 2011 THE COURIER
Stevie, Anna, Camille
and Mike (from left)
Contents
7
6
9
24
Stevie’s Super
Student Savers
Top tips on how to get the
most out of your money
Alternative
Essentials
The real list of items
you wont be able to live
without
Your Newcastle.
Your Music.
Everything you need to
know about the music
scene at Newcastle
28
What’s Next?
What to do with
your time after
Freshers’ Week is
over
30
31
Societies
Guide
Our complete
list
Intra Mural
Sport
Play sport how
you want to
AU Trials and
Taster Sessions
Join Team
Newcastle
Your Freshers’ Week Organisers
Welcome to Newcastle University
Freshers’ Week 2011! We are Anna,
Camille, Mike and Stevie and we’re
your Freshers’ Week Organisers.
We are all recent Newcastle University graduates, elected in November
2010 to organise Freshers’ Week for you
and make sure that it’s a week you will
never want to end! We have been working hard all summer to put together
a wide range of exciting daytime and
night time events and activities which
we guarantee will keep you entertained
throughout your first week here in
Newcastle.
Most of you will be moving away
from home for the first time and whoever you are and wherever you come
from Freshers’ Week is the perfect way
to kick off your University life. All the
activities and events which take place
during the week are free if you’ve purchased a Freshers’ Week wristband so
make sure you make the most of what
is on offer!
We have organised a wide range of
activities that you can take part in
throughout the week. Some activities
will require signing up the day before as
numbers may be limited but for many
activities you will be able to just turn up
and go. Activities include paintballing,
Go Ape, quad biking and ice skating to
name a few but make sure to check out
the timetable of events in the centre of
The Courier to see the full range of activities we have on offer and which ones
will require signing up in advance. Although there is so much to get involved
in during Freshers’ Week your induction lectures should still take priority;
activities are all repeated and run at
various times throughout the week to
make sure you don’t miss out.
Freshers’ Week would not be a true
representation of student life without
a variety of events showcasing what
Newcastle nightlife has to offer.
The Courier Editorial Team is:
NUSU, King’s Walk, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QB. Tel: 0191 239
The Courier is a weekly newspaper produced
by students, for students. If you’re interested in
writing, taking photos, illustrating or designing
for The Courier, sign up at our freshers’ fair stall
or come along to our introductory meeting on
Wednesday 5th Oct at 12 o’clock in The Venue.
Editor: Kat Bannon
Deputy Editor: Elliot Bentley
News Editors: Wills Robinson and George Sandeman
Deputy News Editor: Helen Lamb
Politics Editor: Bethany Stauton
Comment Editors: Sophie McCoid and Susie May Beever
Deputy Comment Editor: Jack Torrance
C2 Editor: Aimee Philipson
C2 Deputy Editor: Lauren Girling
Lifestyle Editors: Olivia Mason and Ben Parkin
Deputy Lifestyle Editor: Emma Balter
Fashion Editor: Victoria Mole
Night time events will be based at both
the Students’ Union and some of the
best bars, restaurants, clubs and venues
that Newcastle has to offer, making sure
you’ll never want the week to end. With
amazing headline acts, comedy nights,
grub crawls and tonnes of fancy dress,
we guarantee to keep you entertained.
Not only this but we also have pub quizzes (drinking not essential), a theatre
trip to see The Sound of Music and the
opportunity to see the UK’s top professional a cappella group. Therefore we
are certain there will be something to
suit everyone regardless of your individual tastes or interests, so really there
is no excuse not to be making the most
of your wristband all day every day!
Remember that all of these events are
a great way to make loads of new friends
from those in first to fifth year. Don’t be
afraid to get involved and speak to anyone and everyone, our handpicked crew
are here to help you settle in and are al-
Deputy Fashion Editor: Rosanna Sopp
Arts Editors: Rosie Tallant, Sally Priddle
Deputy: Lisa Bernhardt
Film Editor: Chris Binding
Deputy Film Editor: Hayley Hamilton
Music Editors: Ben Travis, Chris Scott
Deputy Music Editors: Graham Matthews
Sports Editors: Colin Henrys, Harry Slavin, Simon Howard and
Rory Brigstock-Baron
Deputy Sports Editor: Grace Harvey
Design Editors: Gabe Mason and Tom O’Boyd
Proofs Editors: Alice Sewell, Adam Rummends, Gemma Turner,
Rachael Day
ways looking to help you have as much
fun as possible in your first week. Their
experience of student life in Newcastle
means they will be able to answer all
your burning questions about student
life here and help with any problems or
queries you may have.
We hope that you’re as excited about
Freshers’ Week as we are. With a brand
new Students’ Union Building, along
with a fantastic city and amazing halls
of residence, we guarantee that Freshers’ Week 2011 will be as amazing as it
can possibly be. We hope that you have
a fantastic time during Freshers’ Week
and wish you luck for the rest of your
time here at Newcastle University. Get
ready to experience everything that the
‘Toon’ has to offer and welcome to the
best three or more years of your life!
Anna, Camille, Mike and Stevie
The Courier is printed by: Harmsworth Printing Limited,
Northcliffe House, Meadow Road, Derby, DE1 2DW. Tel: 01332
253013.
Established in 1948, The Courier is the fully independent student
newspaper of the Students’ Union at Newcastle University. The
Courier is published weekly during term time, and is free of
charge.
The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of The
Courier and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the
editor. Any views expressed in this newspaper’s opinion pieces
are those of the individual writing, and not of The Courier, the
Union Society or Newcastle University.
3
THE COURIER Monday September 26 2011
Who’s who? Freshers’ Week Crew
Your Freshers’ Week wouldn’t exist without the help of our loyal crew of volunteers. These 300 returning students had so
much fun in their own Freshers’ Week that they’re coming back to relive it all again in order to ensure yours is even better!
Almost 1,000 people applied for positions on crew and those that made it are the best of the best, so if you have any queries or
problems about anything during the week they’ll be more than happy to help. There are a number of different positions which
can be easily recognised by the colour of their t-shirt. Check out our handy guide below to see who’s who.
Chief Supervisors (yellow)
These select few are
Freshers’ Week experts
after having been involved
in an impressive number
of Freshers’ Weeks between them. They work
very closely with the Organisers behind the scenes
throughout the week to
make sure everything is
running smoothly whilst
also looking after a number of supervisors and
their crews. They are a
fountain of knowledge
and have an array of experience so make good use of
them during the week.
Chief Drivers (green)
You’ll catch our highly
dedicated chief drivers
outside the Union coordinating your transport
around the city. This year
Lyndon, Chester, Princess
and Apex will spend the
week making sure that
all the minibuses are getting you to and from your
activities and halls at the
right time. They all have
years of Freshers’ Week
driving experience between them and without
them the week wouldn’t
be able to leave the Union.
Supervisors (pink)
The Supervisors are one
step above Crew and are
given a radio to prove it.
Each looks after a crew
of ten who are decked out
in the supervisor’s choice
of fancy dress. Having
been hand picked for their
knowledge, enthusiasm,
reliability and their previous experience of Crew,
Supervisors know how to
make sure everyone’s up
and raring to go all day,
every day!
Drivers (lime green)
These guys are vital to
the running of the week.
They take you to all the
exciting activities going
on offsite during the days,
as well bringing you down
to the Union for the evening events and taking you
home again at the end of
the night for free. They
work really hard and have
late hours so always give
them a smile and a massive thanks!
Crew (turquoise)
These guys are the people
you will see around most
during the week. They
are full of energy, veryhardworking and dedicated to making sure you
have a week to remember!
A lively bunch, Crew will
be on hand right from the
start, helping you move
into halls as well as helping you discover your new
city with daytime activities and night time events.
If you require anything
in the week just grab one
of our Crew who will be
more than happy to help,
or will direct you to the
person who can.
Officers (purple)
These are the guys who
run your Union. The team
is made up of six full-time
sabbatical officers as well
as sixteen part-time officers. They will be getting
involved with activities in
the week as well as manning the Information and
Welfare Tent to make sure
you know about all the
great services and opportunities that the Union can
provide for you. There are
very friendly so if there’s
anything you want to
know stop them for a chat.
Take me home!
Have you ever wondered who is responsible for transporting 3,500 Freshers around all day every day (and night)
during Freshers’ Week? Well, this mammoth task falls to
our fantastic team of Freshers’ Week drivers. Our thirtystrong team of volunteers will be here all week taking you
to where you need to be.
They’ll be guided by our four highly dedicated and road
savvy Chief drivers, who’ll be outside the Union all week
co-ordinating the minibuses and navigating routes around
the city. Even more importantly they will be around each
night until the early hours of the morning to take you back
home, whether you live in halls or are a local student living
at home. And the best thing is that it’s completely free!
p
i
T
r
e
h
s
Fre
Want to be a crew member?
Can’t get enough of Freshers’ Week 2011? To be part of Freshers’ Week
2012 keep a close look out for Freshers’ Crew forms and interview times
which will be available from the Students’ Union reception in February.
Get to know freshers’ crew - they’ll give
you great ideas on where to go, how to get the
most out of your Freshers’ Week as well as general help and advice. You could find friends for life.
(Or at least the rest of your time at University.)
4
welcome
Monday September 26 2011 THE COURIER
New Students’ Union building revealed
after £8 million year-long refurbishment
Improved access to student services, better social facilites and learning
spaces promises a 21st century experience for a 21st century student
Students’
Union
Presdient
Laura Perry
president.union@ncl.ac.uk
What happens when you spend £8 million on a Grade II listed building in
the heart of the campus? Gifted to the
students of the University in 1925, the
Students’ Union building has played its
part in history and will hopefully have
even more to give future Newcastle students. Flooding during Freshers’ Week
2010 went largely unnoticed by many;
it’s fair to say the building needed a
facelift, and more.
Re-opening in time for your Freshers’ Week, long overdue access improvements have been made with the
creation of a shiny new Student Advice
Centre, along with a fantastic new activities centre for all your volunteering,
society and sporting needs. Back in the
building are banking, printing and IT
repair services with travel opportunities from our partner companies downstairs. Hopefully you’ll find some food
and beverage provision that takes your
fancy. And that’s not forgetting the return of Mens Bar. Enough said.
Along with The Venue downstairs,
there’s more bar and club event space
than you can shake a stick at (I’m not
sure whether I’m allowed to mention
that 88 pints can be poured in around
15seconds.) Remember to drink responsibly!
Your Students’ Union is so much more
than a building - for the first time, your
student representatives are in the most
accessible and visible locations. So
there’s no excuse not to pay us a visit,
even if it’s just for a chat or to find out
more.
This year promises to be the best in
Newcastle Students’ Union history.
Therefore it’s the perfect opportunity
to make the most out of your time at
University, meeting and getting to
know some pretty decent people along
the way.
• 24 hour social learning space
• 1500 capacity basement venue
• New Activities Centre for all sport, society and
volunteering needs.
• New Mens’ Bar menu
• Starbucks coffee on top floor
• 70 TV Screens
• 50m Island bar in The Venue
• Lockers
• New look Union Shop including meal
deals and discounted national
newspapers
• Santander
• MADadventurer
• IT Repair
• Sploshh
• Subway
5
THE COURIER Monday September 26 2011
welcome
Your full time Officer team
Welfare &
Equality
Officer
Fellow students, elected to represent specific interests
We are the full-time Sabbatical Officer
team Laura, Liam, Katy, Kat, Alice and
Ania, elected by the student body to
represent you. We, alongside a team
of seventeen part time officers run the
Students’ Union, together acting on issues that concern or effect its members
The Sabbaticals or “Sabbs” all have
different job descriptions. This ranges
from democracy and representation,
academic issues and course reps, welfare and campaigns as well as sports,
societies, student media and any volunteering opportunities.
The Students’ Union is not owned by
the University, it is designed by you, run
Katy Hargreaves
welfare.union@ncl.ac.uk
for you and has your wellbeing at the
centre of everything it does. The newly
refurbished Students’ Union building is
the heart of the campus Whatever you
need we are the people to turn to, and if
we can’t help we promise to find someone who can.
During Freshers’ Week and throughout the rest of the year we’ll be out and
about in our signature purple hoodies.
Feel free to ask any questions or just say
hello, we’re here to represent you so any
ideas and thoughts you have are important to us!
Get involved in your Students’ Union
Education
Officer
Liam Dale
education.union@ncl.ac.uk
At Newcastle, it’s not just the sabbatical
officers who run the Students’ Union
on behalf of the students. There is also
a team of 17 Part Time officer positions
which any student can run for in the
elections.
This is a great way to get involved in
the Students’ Union and an easy thing
to fit around your studies. Becoming a
part time officer is not only a brilliant
way to increase your employability
but also a way of meeting lots of new
people, as the Sabbatical Officers and
Part Time Officers often work very
closely together.
The Students’ Union holds four elections during the academic year. These
are in November, January, March and
one in May, so keep an eye out for the
Campaigns Officer
Chooses and organises many of the
campaigns which are run by the
Students’ Union, finding things that
students want changed and working
towards that goal on their behalf.
Chair of Union Council
In charge of student council where
Students’ Union policy is decided.
Community Officer
Works to promote and defend students
living within Newcastle.
Convenor of Debates
Organises Students’ Union-wide
debates on a variety of interesting
and controversial topics and helps to
organise intra mural debating tournaments.
Convenor of Disciplinary
Responsible for making sure all disciplinary cases are conducted efficiently
and in a fair manner.
Ethics and Environment Officer
This is an increasingly important and
active job, often shared by two people
who are responsible for promoting and
campaigning for ethical and environmental issues across the university.
Freshers’ Week Organisers
Normally a group of four people, it is
their job to organise Freshers’ Week for
the following year as part of a paid full
time summer placement.
Gender Equality Officer
Represents the interests of all genders
and raises awareness of issues surrounding gender discrimination.
International Officer
Represent the needs of the large number of international students we have
here at Newcastle.
LGBT Officer
Represents the rights and needs of
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
students.
Mature and Part Time Students
Officer
Responsible for representing the views
of mature students at Students’ Union
Council and organising the mature
students’ forum.
Officer Without Portfolio
This post gives individuals the chance
plasma screens around the Students’
Union.
•• Get insured – better safe than
sorry! Be aware that some insurance
companies don’t pay out if the thief
gets in through an unlocked door
or window. Keep lists of the make,
model and serial numbers of your
electronic items to help police track
them down if they are stolen. See
www.immobilise.com for further
details.
•• Never walk home alone. Meet up
with your friends and if you get a
taxi, use a taxi rank at Central Station, The Bigg Market and The Gate.
These are marshalled to reduce antisocial behaviour and to make sure
people get home quickly and safely.
•• If you walk home keep to well lit
paths on the main routes out of
town. Avoid shortcuts, alleyways
and deserted areas like car parks.
Cutting a few minutes off your
journey by taking a short cut is
never worth it.
•• Remember, you are not only at
risk of becoming a victim of crime.
Drunken behaviour or antics on the
way home may be classed as antisocial behaviour and in Newcastle
this is taken very seriously. If you
do receive any conviction it can be
seriously affect your chosen career.
Stealing shopping trolleys, running
in front of cars and being drunk and
disorderly are all offences that may
not only see you spending a night in
the police station, butmight also earn
yourself a conviction.
•• Find loads of useful safety advice at
www.safenewcastle.org.uk or www.
northumbria.police.uk.
•• There’s lots of advice and support out there from finding a GP
or dentist, for contraception and
sexual health to healthy eating and
everything in between. Don’t forget
about any long term or ongoing
conditions you have. Visit www.nhs.
uk/Livewell/studenthealth
•• Newcastle is proud to be the UK’s
most sustainable city, and we hope
you will do your bit to keep us clean
and green. Putting your bins out on
the right day, recycling and clearing
up litter really helps, and making
efficient use of energy keeps our
carbon emissions low and could save
you a few quid. Find out more at
www.newcastle.gov.uk/students
•• Our universities and colleges are
a great asset to our city and all our
students will get a warm Geordie
welcome. Your council and other
public services are here to support
you and make your time in Newcastle as enjoyable as possible.
positions which are available and get
involved with any that appeal to you.
The Students’ Union is always looking
for new people with different ideas to
have their say so don’t be afraid to step
forward.
to look at what issues they would like
to work on for the Students’ Union and
create their own tasks for the year.
Postgraduate Officer
Responsible for representing the views
of postgraduate students at Union
Council and organising the postgraduate forum.
Racial Equality Officer
Promotes anti-racism/racial equality
around the Students’ Union and the
University.
RAG Officer
‘Raising and Giving’ week has been
part of Newcastle’s annual programme
for decades making it the Students’
Union’s biggest charity event. This is
an amazing opportunity to organise it.
Student Parents and Carers Officer
Organises and chairs the student parents and carers forum.
Students with Disabilities Officer
Responsible for ensuring the fair and
equal representation of all students
regardless of disability.
If you want any more information
about becoming a part time officer,
email Laura, the President of the Student’s Union, at president.union@ncl.
ac.uk.
Don’t be another crime statistic Pee in a
Fay Paterson
Student Liaison Coordinator
Northumbria Police
•• Keep valuables out of the sight of windows- especially if your room
is downstairs. By working on your
laptop in the window you may as
well be invited the thieves in!
•• Check the window locks, especially on downstairs and basement
windows and your doors. Make
sure they’re strong, secure and with
proper locks. Keep your doors and
windows locked when you go out.
Sounds simple and kind of obvious
but so many burglaries could have
been avoided by doing this.
•• Make sure your wheelie bin is in
your yard, and that your gate is shut
and bolted.
•• If you have expensive items, don’t
leave the empty boxes outside your
house, rip them up and file them
under a bin.
•• If you have not already, mark your
property. This can make it harder
for a burglar to sell your property on
and help the police to return items
to you. Police will be on campus offering free property registration and
marking at various time throughout
the year - keep your eyes out for
details of when and where on the
what? Pot!
Freshers’ Week is a great time to have
fun, explore and meet new people.
Some of you will get a bit closer to people than others - I’m sure you’ve all had
the “safe sex” talk and you’re all thinking blah blah blah but the crazy thing
is some of you are still not protecting
yourselves!
STIs are not something you want
to get and the effects of them can be
really serious. Scarily, a staggering 1
in 8 students are walking around with
Chlamydia! And it’s not just this infection to be afraid of - genital warts and
gonorrhoea are just as easy to catch.
So to help you on your way to being
clean and happy, we will have lots free
condoms available all year round! We
will also be running regular Chlamydia
screenings, during fresher’s week, in
halls and the Students’ Union. Please
don’t be embarrassed – the test is
quick, simple and PAIN FREE, everybody’s doing it!
We will also be doing the infamous
SHAG Week! A week when the Union
gets a bit filthy, a bit one track minded,
and just talks about sex! We’ll have lots
of events, free contraception and all the
information you need to keep it safe,
and keep it sexy. Keep your eyes peeled!
Hello! My name is Katy Hargreaves and
I am your Welfare and Equality officer
2011/12 for Newcastle University Students’ Union. I hope you’re all having an
amazing start to your university experience and getting stuck into Newcastle’s
legendary Freshers’ Week!
There is so much going on and it’s all
very exciting but as we all know life isn’t
always easy and there are some hard
times along the way. Which is why I’m here
to help!
Once all the craziness of Freshers’
Week has calmed down you can really
start to think about your new life here in
Newcastle.
At some point you will ALL feel homesick.
This is perfectly normal, it’s a massive
adjustment to make and the first thing to
do is acknowledge that it IS hard to be in
a new city, away from home, your family,
school friends, boyfriend/girlfriend etc. I
promise this will eventually go away, so
keep your chin up and get stuck in to life
at Newcastle – it’s a fantastic University
and city!
If you do feel that you’re really finding it
hard adjusting to new life or things aren’t
quite going how you want them to then
please come and talk to us! We are all
lovely, happy, friendly people and we are
here especially for YOU. I have an open
door policy in addition to a specific drop
in service (Wednesdays 12-2pm) where
you can always come and talk to me about
anything!! It will be nice and informal and
completely confidential.
If you feel you need more than just
a chat then you can go to the union’s
Student Advice Centre (SAC) or the
University’s Wellbeing service. Both have
professionally trained people to help you
with any issues you have, from finance,
housing and landlords to mental health
and severe depression.
So please, however trivial you’re worried
the issue might seem, use us! If you find
you need help during later hours, we have
a student-run listening service called
Nightline (8am-8pm).
One thing you’ll have all heard many
times before and you’ll probably get sick
of hearing it - but please watch your alcohol intake! We are not telling you not to
drink, but please try not to drink in excess.
The nightlife at the Students’ Union and in
the Toon is unbeatable and it is very easy
to get carried away.
Please remember our safe drinking
message and drink occasional glasses of
water. It will keep you safer, more hydrated
and slow you down a bit, giving your body
a chance to recover and let you know
when you’ve had enough.
As a student and particularly a fresher
you will be exposed to hundreds of new
experiences, new friends and situations.
Most of these will be great, however
always keep your wits about you as unfortunately you may end up in an unpleasant
situation with people who try and take
advantage of your vulnerability.
The Students’ Union operates a zero
tolerance approach to drug use. If you feel
you’re taking drugs and/or loosing control
with them please seek help, we will not
judge and again everything you say will be
confidential.
Don’t be tempted by legal highs – they
may well be considerably less legal than
you think! University is about getting a
degree and having fun. Always put your
safety first and make intelligent decisions,
don’t ruin some of the best years of your
life.
Again if you ever have any problems or
just fancy a chat (I do love to chat) just
come along and say hi! Ultimately I am
here to keep you safe and happy and
ensure that your years at Newcastle University are the best they can possibly be.
6
The
Prodigal
Daughter
Lauren Stafford
My name is Lauren and I am fresher. Again.
After spending two turbulent years away
at another university I have returned home.
Back in Newcastle to start again I have a
queasy feeling in my gut that is all too familiar. I can confidently say, having experienced Freshers’ Week once before, that
I’m not looking forward to round two. It’s
easy to reminisce with rose-tinted spectacles about the first weeks of university.
A personal ‘highlight’ of mine was waking
up to find an oafish lout unconscious in
our kitchen, snoring gently, his pea-sized
brain nestling amongst our recycling. ‘How
charming!’ I thought as I stepped over him
to get to my cornflakes, ‘this is truly a quintessential student experience’. Herein lies
the problem. There is no quintessential
student experience. Sure we are stereotyped, parodied and pigeon holed but most
likely that those ‘facts’ you’ve learnt about
student life are based on myth. Having survived it once, I am going to try and offer
some frank nuggets of advice:
There is such a thing as ‘too friendly’
Living with complete strangers is always
going to be problematic. University will introduce you to a wide and diverse range of
people. It’s okay to dislike some of them.
Remember the more ‘fresher friends’ you
make, the more you’ll have to delete from
facebook later on.
Talk to people on your course
Coursemates are invaluable. They have
staying power. You’ll have the same workload and you’ll need to find the same obscure books in the library. Having a friend
in the same lectures is a bonus and means
note swaps during revision time.
Be keen, but not too keen
University is a great time to explore new
interests so take full advantage of it.
Clubbing is fun, but it’s no use writing
‘had some sick nights out’ on your C.V.
Although, remember when you’re at the
Fresher’s Fair it’s only a good idea to sign
up for everything if you intend to follow it
up, otherwise you’ll be receiving emails
from the Parachuting Society for the rest
of your life.
Be a bit canny
Do your best to dodge anyone handing
out leaflets. They may seem friendly and
charismatic now but this charming veil will
quickly wear thin and you’ll feel pursued.
However now you’re a student you’ve landed yourself a ‘nice debt’, start as you mean
to go on and only accept free things of relative value. Whether it’s a plastic spatula or
a slice of pizza, it’s your right to take it.
Remember what happens in Fresher’s
Week doesn’t stay in Fresher’s Week
This isn’t Magalluf, this is university. If you
do catch an S.T.I it will be incorporated into
your nickname for the rest of your academic career. No one wants to be ‘Chlamydia
Girl’ or ‘Gonorrhea Boy’. To avoid being
stigmatised, and to avoid serious health
risks, it’s best to be a bit sensible.
Prepare to be underwhelmed
You’re right to be suspicious of anyone that
tells you they had ‘the time of their life’ in
their first weeks of university. Be assured
that they’re lying for dramatic effect. Don’t
worry though, it’s not all futile, you’ll at
least have some stories to tell in the pub.
Monday September 26 2011 THE COURIER
Alternative Essentials
Bedside lamp, duvet, hot water bottle. Check. Done? Not quite...
Aimee Philipson C2 Editor
So you’ve got your new throw, a bottle opener, some new clothes, enough pasta to feed a
starving country and, of course, a few books
to decorate your new room’s bookcase. Job
done. But sometimes those essentials student guides your mother bought seem to
miss out, well, the essentials. Don’t fear,
some helpful, ‘more experienced’ students
have compiled a list of things they couldn’t
have survived university life without
so that you can avoid spending all your overdraft before
Christmas, getting fined for
drawing on your bedroom
walls and being kept awake all
night by your housemate and
his latest ‘pull’.
1. Dry shampoo
Nobody wants to sit next to someone who woke up late and didn’t
have time to wash the sweat/beer/
sick from their hair before their first
lecture. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, don’t panic. Help
is at hand in a small multi-coloured
spray can of dry shampoo. Just give it
a it few generous squirts, rub it in and
brush it out - you’ll be flicking your hair
around like Cheryl Cole in that L’Oreal
advert in no time.
2. Ear plugs
Avoid another unfortunate yet highly likely
situation with a pair of reusable earplugs
from your local chemist. Imagine; it’s late,
you’re tired - perhaps you have an exam or
presentation in the morning - and you settle down in your cosy new duvet just at the
same moment your housemate decides to
bring back some of his brand new fresher
mates for a house party. You can’t
sleep through N-Dubz blaring
out (Why did they put you
in halls of residence with
an N-Dubz fan in the
first place?) so you turn
to your trusty new friends,
Left Earplug and Right Earplug.
Also handy for blocking out noises from
amorous neighbours as well as loud games
of Fifa or Call of Duty.
3. Duzzits
The ultimate cleaning product. If you only
buy one thing to clean your flat with before
you move out, it should be a pack of Duzzits
from the local supermarket. They clean literally any mark off the walls - makeup, beer,
wine, shoe marks, food, pen and blutack to
name a few - and they’re only around £2.50
for a pack. A fantastic investment which will save
you getting fined
when you move out
of Halls next summer.
4. Travel mug
For the same price as
one large tea from Starbucks you could have 80
cups of PG Tips in your
very own travel mug. These
are widely available in supermarkets and students’ favourite, Wilkinsons as well as
the Robinson Library. Need I say
more?
5. Sleeping bag
A sleeping bag or a spare duvet is a
great investment for unexpected
sleepovers with wanted, or unwanted, guests. Whether you
don’t like sharing a duvet
with a lover, a friend drops
by unexpectedly to
crash on your floor or
someone can’t quite
make it home from
a house party, you’ll
be glad you invested
in a cheap sleeping
bag or spare duvet to sort them out
with. If you’re cheap and
don’t care that much, grab a
throw
or sheet from Primark for £2 and offer
them that - if they don’t like it, they
don’t have to stay at Casa Tuya.
6. Toastie maker
There are an infinite amount
of ingredients you can add
to a toastie maker - all you
need is bread! Some of our
tried-and-tested favourite
recipes include; banana and
chocolate spread, cheese and
beans, ham and cheese, marmite and
cheese, jam and peanut butter, leftover meat of any kind with cheese
or chutney, roasted veg and cheese,
sausages and beans. Cheap, tasty
and mostly nutritious - get
inventive!
7. ‘Quote Wall’
Buy a large piece of
card or paper, stick
it up
in a communal area
in your Halls
of Residence
or house and lo and behold you have your very
own ‘Quote Wall’. Use it
to record all inappropriate, hilarious, stupid
and inebriated comments which occur
over the next
nine months
so you can
relive them
during times
of
tension
and pressure
(exam time) later in the year. Just
try to remember
to take it down
before your parents visit - nothing is worse than
a comment about your
mum being a ‘MILF’
glaring her in the face when she comes
round for a cuppa.
8. CV
It’s free and essen- you might even
you need it from
very first week if
you’re trying
t o
find a parttime job in
Newcastle
while
you study. It’s
a good way to
record everything you do at university, from playing in a
sports team to volunteering as a course rep,
so you don’t forget when it comes to graduation and you have to apply for real jobs. It’s
also a great motivation for getting a job or
some work experience to fill the blank pages. Visit the Careers Centre in King’s Gate
if you need help putting one together or if
you want someone to check it over. When it
comes to applying for a job think not only of
the wage but the freebies – there can be a lot
worse than working at Greggs if it means a
week’s supply of leftover steak slices. Other
great places to work while you’re a student
are Blackwells, Waterstones, WHSmiths,
Paperchase, department stores and gyms/
swimming pools.
tial
find
the
9. Laundry Bags
Time to face the evitable – waiting until you
return home at Christmas/Easter/Summer
for your dirty clothes to be washed, dried
and ironed by Winky the house elf just
isn’t feasible. Neither, unfortunately,
is carrying one of those primark
dirty washing bags to the laundry
room and back without finding
you’ve left a Hansel and Gretal
sock trail, or it just generally
falling apart. So get yourself to
Poundland and purchase some n i c e
big plastic
bags
to
avoid any ‘foxy lady’ knickers or superman
boxers becoming public property.
10. Doorstop
Do you want to make friends in your
halls? If you’re only unpacking take the
red flashing light warnings to never keep
your door propped open with a handful
of salt. It gives you the chance to chat to
people as they wander by, play loud music that might grab someone’s attention
and maybe get offered an odd snack or
two. Luckily, this essential item is also
very versatile. It can be anything from a
crate of cider to that Oxford English Dictionary you’re probably definitely never
going to use.
7
THE COURIER Monday September 26 2011
Stevie’s Super
Student Savers
Stevie Meagher Freshers’ Week Organiser
student cards
Your Student Card
There should be one rule of thumb when
it comes to your student card: if you don’t
ask, you don’t get. There’s no harm adopting the habit of flashing your student card
at the checkout regardless of whether you’re
certain they ‘do’ student discount. Although
don’t bother with Primark, I’ve already tried.
NUS Extra Card
Unfortunately, as you’ll soon find out if you
follow my prior advice, your Student Card
doesn’t give you discount everywhere – but
an NUS Extra Card almost does. 5% off at
Amazon doesn’t seem much but it soon adds
up when you’ve got a million and one books
and Scrubs boxsets to order. Then you’ve
got the 25% you’ll save on National Express
Coach fairs, 40% off tickets to Thorpe Park,
15% saving at Firetrap as well as 20% off at
Pizza Hut, Pizza Express, Frankie and Benny’s and more! Oh, and did I forget to mention the 20% you’ll save online on that new
ASOS dress, and the 10% discount at New
Look and Accessorize?
To top it off it will also bag you some exclusive deals in the Students’ Union on food
and drink.
And yes, it is all for the one-off payment of
£11. Go to http://www.nus.org.uk/en/NUSExtra/ to get yours now.
travel
travelling home
Train
The main key to cutting the cost of travelling home is booking as far as in advance
as possible as this is when the cheapest
tickets are available. What is undoubtedly worth the investment is a young
persons 16-25 railcard. At just £28 it saves
you a third off rail travel all over the UK
after 9am, which you could make back
in just one journey then benefit from
the discount for the rest of the year. Another way to cut the cost of rail travel is
to split your journey up where possible. For example, let’s say want to travel
from Newcastle to Manchester. It often
works out cheaper to purchase a train
from Newcastle to York and then a ticket
from York to Manchester. You’d probably
have to make this change anyway so it
wont really add much time wise to your
journey. A final top money saving tip for
train travel is how you choose to purchase
your tickets! When booking online don’t
use an operator that charges you e.g. the
Trainline. As you can use companies such
as virgintrains.com, http://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/ or www.eastcoast.
co.uk that provide this service for free
for all rail journeys regardless of whether
they operate that particular route or not.
Buying a bike can be a great way to get
round the City quickly, build up fitness
and save paying for public transport in
and around the City. There are also numerous places around campus and in the
City where you can park your bike up. But
don’t get taken for a ride with the price of
bikes! Places to get a good bikes and at fair
prices include Gumtree.co.uk/Newcastle
and ebay.co.uk where in the search section just type in the radius you are will to
travel from 10 miles, 15 miles, etc
Scratch
bikes
Don’t want to buy a bike, then a
company called scratchbikes can offer an
alternative. Check out there website for
more details and you will find out why
the bright green bikes are dotted around
town. http://www.scratchbikes.co.uk/
New start, new sex life?
food & drink
Don’t
get taken
for a ride
with the
price of
bikes!
Eating Out
If you fancy a treat then heading to a restaurant earlier will mean you bump into more
happy hours, especially down Osbourne
road in Jesmond which is only a short walk
from some halls. This period is usually between around 5-7.30pm, allowing you to eat
well without eating into your bank balance.
Another way to save is to check websites for
vouchers from national chains like Pizza Express, Gusto, La Tasca, Zizzi’s etc. This can
be done using a number of sites. Check out
my top picks below for the best websites for
discounts and daily deal savers!
Eating In
The Grainger market is the cheapest option
for food in Newcastle, especialy meats and
vegetables. Buying from here will keep you
fed much longer than a local trip to the nearest Tesco metro. A good tip for going to the
Grainger is to buy big or go home! Then you
can freeze your meat and use it anytime during the term.
As living next to a large supermarket in Newcastle is rare it makes getting
home delivery and doing a big shop seem
like a big outlay, but it’s much more cost effective over the month!
Coach
If you really want to maximise your cash
from the good old student loans company
then try taking the coach. Megabus and
National express all offer cheap students
fairs with the latter tending to be the
cheaper choice. Again booking in advance
means you can really pick up some bargains.
Flying
Using either flight checker at moneysaving expert or skyscanner.net is a good
way to search for flights around the UK
and abroad.
travelling around and about
Bike
Girl about Toon
Metro pass
If you commit to the Metro then make
sure to get a student pass for £x per week
rather than paying for a day ticket all the
time as this will save you money. It also
means you’ll never be tempted to risk it
for a biscuit and end up landing yourself
a £20 fine!
Unirider Bus Pass
If you live a bit further away from the
centre and are on a Stagecoach bus route
into town then it might be worthwhile
purchasing a Unirider Bus Pass. Buying a
monthly, termly or annual pass will work
out cheaper over the course of the year.
Check out http://www.buymyunirider.
com/
top websites
moneysavingexpert.com
With advice on car and travel insurance to banking deals as well as
restaurant vouchers and freebies, Martin Lewis is your first port of
call for all things discounted.
studentbeans.co.uk
Mobile and laptop deals, cheap food offers, discounted travel as well
as advice on jobs, how to make easy money and competitions
groupon.co.uk
livingsocialdeals.co.uk
Both these websites offer daily deals on anything from days out
paintballing and go karting to salon and beauty vouchers, cheap
deals on food, potential presents, learning oourses, weekend breaks
and 5* holidays. The list goes on. With an up to 60/70% discount the
extra couple of emails a day aren’t much to complain about.
Freshers is, by definition, a time to start
a new, re-invent yourself perhaps (and no,
I’m not necessarily talking about creating
a deeply intellectual connection with your
studies). This is particularly an important
point to consider when faced with bonding
with your new flatmates in halls. For me,
the way I found a common ground with
some of my flatmates was recounting the
‘exploits’ of the night before.
The forum of choice for these exploits
was our favourite Monday night. There
were three very different stories within
this close bond, - wholesome girl, the
gorgeous one and then there was me.
I hadn’t decided on how I was going to
reinvent myself and my fresher’s fortune
was yet to be written.
It soon became clear that the intoxicating fumes of trebles, student nights and
handsome guys on tap was simply too
overwhelming so for the sake of experimentation and the copious banter that
was bound to come on a Tuesday morning,
I decided to venture into this unchartered
territory of the Newcastle student male.
Whilst one of my partners in crime had
a boyfriend, my flatmate in the room
opposite seemed to have stories of one
charming admirer after another. I wasn’t
so lucky. Freshers’ year, I feel, is all about
firsts -- and I had my fair share. The first
time I was the ‘scarlet woman’, the first
time I saw a guy with a third nipple and
the first time I’d seen a guy who was ‘halfcircumcised’. Not exactly the Sex and the
City, Carrie Bradshaw-esque start to adult
life that I had imagined.
Another part freshers is that oh so
scientific competition you have with your
flatmates to see who can pull the most
guys or girls. Ours, we conveniently tallied
on ‘The Pulling Board’ scoring various
points for different agreed accolades.
I’m not sure my tally really amounted to
anything when kept losing points for two
guys on it, who were conveniently in my
halls and had been conquests but used
the reinvention that comes with university
to come out.
Yes, embarrassment is all part and
parcel of being a fresher. This, of course,
is exacerbated if you manage to have a
proverbial Venn diagram of conquests
that overlaps with your friends. In fact,
this common ground of ‘oh I pulled him
in Legends too’ becomes a great way to
make friends.
The most important part of sexual
escapades in Fresher’s week is, of course,
to be safe. I don’t want this to turn into a
Mean Girls health class rant but Fresher’s
can be as fun and hard-core as you want
it to be just as long you are smart about
it. One thing I learnt was there may seem
to be this rush to ‘add to your tally’ as I
initially thought, but I didn’t feel too pressured or too care-free about the basics
that matter.
So, needless to say, out of my lovely flatmates, considering what I had to contend
with and my talent for picking extraordinary cases, I didn’t quite win ‘The Pulling
Board.’ However, I did learn many lessons,
have many memories and managed to
kiss many frogs. And Toads. And Rats.
And any other unspecified vermin you
could name. But out of the ashes of this
carnage, I found myself a boyfriend and
so did all my other flatmates. It just goes
to show, Freshers’ Week is only what you
make it. It is a blank canvass waiting for
students to make their own vodka-stained
mark on.
NEED HELP?
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YOUR ISSUE?
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STUDENT ADVICE CENTRE
9
THE COURIER Monday September 26 2011
Your Newcastle.
Your music.
Ben Travis Music Editor
Ah, Freshers week. New city, new
clubs, new places to wake up at 5am
with no idea what happened the previous night. And, as music editor I must
say (without bias of course), that most
importantly of all you’ve an abundance
of new venues, local bands and musical
delights to discover in Newcastle.
Music enthusiasts, you’re in luck! As
you’re bound to discover over the coming weeks, Newcastle and Gateshead
have a genuinely brilliant music scene,
with venues that cover every taste.
Whether you spend your days tuned
in to Radio 1, logged in to Drowned
In Sound, zoned in to Ibiza classics
or jacked in to the latest online remixes, or even all of the above, you’ll
find something here that appeals to
you. The best way to find what venues
work for you is really just to get out
there and try them for yourselves, but
here’s a bit of a heads-up to try and
give you a head start.
Metro Radio Arena
hanna (supported by Calvin Harris)
and Katy Perry in October, and Tiniest
Tempah, Britney and Arctic Monkeys
in November. Just bear in mind that
you’ll pay up to £50 for tickets here, so
do it either as soon as your loan comes in,
or at least before you inevitably become too
scared to check your bank balance.
Keep heading past the Life centre and you’ll
find yourself at the Metro Radio Arena,
Newcastle’s largest venue. If you’re looking
for some of the biggest names that the city
can secure, this is where you’ll find them.
In the next few months, there’s a fair few
massive artists on their way, including Ri-
Head along to www.metroradioarena.
co.uk to see who else is playing and to get
tickets.
The Sage
Technically in Gateshead, The Sage is just on
the other side of the Tyne next to the Baltic. Walk across the Millenium bridge (the
weird curvy one) and you’re just a steep
set of stairs away from this iconic venue.
Expect an eclectic range of artists, from
classical to indie-rock, folk and world
music.
Artists set to perform at The Sage
include Givers, Bellowhead, Beverley
Knight, The Selecter and Explosions in
the Sky. Tickets here range massively in
price - from about £7-£40 and beyond depending on who’s playing and which room
they’re in.
Digital and The Other Rooms
As a Fresher, you’ve at least heard of Digital,
probably been inside already, possibly lost
all your mates in there, and if you haven’t
then you’re probably reading this on your
way there right now. The most well-known
club in Newcastle sometimes holds gigs usually consisting of either indie bands or DJs,
and has a sister venue next door.
Playing at Digital soon are Beardyman,
Eddie Halliwell, Andy Moore, The Horrors,
and of course Mr Scruff’s annual five hourlong Tea Party, whilst The Other Rooms
is welcoming Wu Lyf, Mercury nominee
Ghostpoet and Male Bonding. Tickets are
between £6-£13.
See www.yourfutureisdigital.co.uk for
more details and tickets.
Riverside
Unsurprisingly, Riverside is by the side
of the river. Who’d have thought it? Walk
along the quayside and you’ll find it. On
Fridays and Saturdays, Riverside hosts your
standard electro/house/D’n’B/hiphop club
nights, but otherwise makes for a surpris-
ingly diverse venue.
Amongst the better known names appearing soon are Benjamin Francis Leftwich and
The Joy Formidable in October, and there’s
a regular ‘Jazzy Lemon presents...’ night with
loads of brilliant local bands. Tickets here
are pretty cheap - generally under £15.
For more info on upcoming events and
tickets go to www.riversidenewcastle.co.uk
The Cluny and the Cluny2
Venture into the Ouseburn Valley and
amongst a load of lovely little pubs you’ll
come across The Cluny and The Cluny2,
one of Newcastle’s most renowned venues.
Loved equally by artists and audiences, you’ll
find the best of alternative, indie and folk
here in an intimate setting for a few quid,
with a great selection of real ales and ciders.
It’s affordable on a student budget, and one
of the best-sounding venues in the city.
In the near future, The Cluny is set to play
host to Emmy The Great, the Mercurynominated King Creosote, frenetic Scottish
six-piece Dananananaykroyd, The Leisure
Society and many many more.
Check out www.thecluny.com for more
listings and tickets.
O2 Academy Newcastle
Located near the train station, the O2 Academy brings a mix of rock and indie legends
as well as current Radio 1 favourites. Split
into two rooms, one considerably smaller
than the other, the range of artists you’ll
find here varies massively (as do the prices,
approximately between £6-£35), so you’ll
probably end up going at some point no
matter what you’re into.
Upcoming gigs include current indiefaves Bombay Bicycle Club and Noah & The
Whale and dubstep-popper Katy B in October, a visit from ‘90s rock legends Smashing
Pumpkins in November, as well as Nero,
Maverick Sabre, Yuck and Friendly Fires.
Eclectic, eh?
See who’s coming and buy tickets at www.
o2academynewcastle.co.uk
As you can see, there are more venues in
Newcastle than you can shake a stick at and that’s without mentioning rock bar
Trillians, bass heaven Cosmic Ballroom,
the wonderfully tiny Head of Steam,
the truly independent World Headquarters and of course the Newcastle and Northumbria Student Unions. There really is a tremendous
amount to discover. These places
may well give you some of your
best nights while you’re here, so
once the relentless rush of Freshers week is over make it your priority to go and see what the Newcastle music scene is all about.
Well, apart from your lectures obviously, you should probably try
and turn up to a few of those.
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Joing us on a mouth-watering guided
tour of some of Newcastle’s tastiest
You’ve finally arrived at University, unpacked your stuff and
waved goodbye to your parents. Now...what next? It’s time to
venues. Stop at one restaurant for your
collect your Freshers’ Week Wristband and for the fun to begin!
starter, another for your main and yet
Where to collect your wristband from:
another for dessert.
Friday 23rd September: The Venue (basement level of the
All completely free with your wrist
Students’ Union): 10am-5pm
Saturday 24th September: The Venue (basement level of the band. Meet at the Students’ Un
Students’ Union): 10am-5pm
ion at 7pm.
Henderson Hall: 10am-5pm
St Marys Hall: 10am-5pm
Sunday 25th September: The Venue (basement level of the
Students’ Union): 9am-5pm
Henderson Hall: 9am-5pm
St Marys Hall: 9am-5pm
AL
N
O
I
T
I
D
AD
EVENT ired
Sign Up
Requ
Emergency Wristband Collection (as a last resort ONLY) from
the Planning Room of the Students’ Union: 7-9pm
12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00
Bowling
Cocktail Training
Crazy Golf
Paintballing
Beach Trip
Hancock
Laing art gallery
Baltic and Quayside Tour
Comedy Show
E
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T
S
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FIR
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F TURN OV IDE STUDENT
Laing art gallery
Take a trip to the Laing Art gallery, home to an impressive collection of
art and sculptures. With an exhibition programme renowned for bringing the biggest names in historic, modern and contemporary art to the
North East, the Laing Gallery is a perfect way to spend an afternoon
soaking up some of the culture Newcastle has to offer.
S
OUT
T
E
E
M
Paintballing
Declare war over 5 themed arenas containing buildings, tanks, planes army trucks and more. Guns are
capable of firing an amazing 8 balls per second at
a speed of 205 mph over a distance of 150ft (body
armour is available upon request). We guarantee this
will get your adrenaline flowing! This is one activity you
don’t want to miss.
Yoga Taster
Is the stress of moving away from home taking its toll? Come along to our relaxing yoga
sessions instructed by a trained yoga teacher.
Whilst there, why not join up to our Yoga society and enjoy calming yoga sessions all year
round. No mats are required just some clothing
you can get flexible in.
Bowling
Ikea trip
Take a trip to Ikea, the perfect
opportunity for you to kit out
your new room with all the little
bits and pieces you need to
make it a home from home.
Exactly what it says on the tin! Great if you fancy
having a bit of a competition with your new
flatmates or fancy playing it safe with a more
familiar and less strenuous activity, especially if
you’ve been out late the night before!
The Great North Museum: Hancock
Ice Skating
Whether you are an experienced ice skater or an
absolute beginner this is the perfect way to break
the ice with new friends and test out your skills
in the rink. Perfect your speed skating, practice
some new tricks or simply have a laugh watching
your friends struggle to get to grips with the ice.
Free skate hire is included.
Cocktail Training
Spend the afternoon learning how to become an expert
cocktail maker in this exciting session. Watch the talented
cocktail bartenders shake, splash and stir the tastiest,
most exotic cocktails the Vodka Revolution have to offer
before giving it a go yourself. You get to practice all of the
techniques and tricks with the added bonus of tasting
your creations at the end.
If you fancy a more of an intellectually stimulating trip why not
make a visit to the Great North Museum? Following a £26 million refurbishment in 2009, exhibitions include displays on natural history and geology, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece,
Romans and Hadrian’s Wall, World Cultures and Pre-history.
Jesmond Tour
Visit the legendry student area of Jesmond, home
to many 2nd and 3rd year students and a firm
favorite with local celebrities. The Freshers’ Crew
will show you around the local area and take
you to some of the best bars and restaurants on
Jesmond’s notorious Osborne Road. Look out for
Newcastle United footballers enjoying a casual
afternoon drink!
Baltic and Quayside tour
Beach trip
Take a trip to Tynemouth and visit the stunning
beaches. King Edward’s bay is overlooked
by the historic, 1400 year old Priory whilst the
Longsands offer a long, uninterrupted stretch
of golden sand. Although it may be too cold to
swim in the sea the classic British dish of fish &
chips will be available from Tynemouth’s famous
fish & chip shop ‘Marshalls’.
Take a leisurely stroll down to Newcastle’s
Quayside with its iconic bridges and plush
bars and restaurants. Cross over the River
Tyne using the Millennium Bridge which is
often called the ‘blinking eye bridge’ because
of the way it looks and tilts to visit the Baltic
centre for contemporary art situated on the
Gateshead side of the river.
St James’ Park
Take a trip around the world famous St James’ park,
home to Newcastle United FC. You’ll be shown all around
the stadium including the changing rooms and the views
from the highest point in the stadium, then take a walk
through the tunnels to the dugouts and you’ll be able to
see for yourself what it’s like to be pitch side.
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Go Ape
Mud buggy racing
Quad biking
Seated low to the floor and harnessed in your buggy you
will skid and wheel-spin over grass and mud. As you put
the pedal to the floor in these awesome machines you must
try and stay on the track and catch your competitor. After getting to know the controls and having
some practice you’ll be able to compete in races!
In conjunction with quad biking.
Release your inner Tarzan! Take on lush, green forest and a
healthy dollop of breathtaking scenery; blend with a smattering of tree-top high wires and wind-in-your-face zip wires.
You’ll be kitted out with harnesses, pulleys and karabiners,
and let loose into the forest canopy, free to swing through the
trees. Be warned though, this tree-top adventure park is not
for the faint-hearted!
Skiing and tubing
held in conjunction with Newcastle University Ski and Snow-
Take on the challenge of deep mud, water pools and
slippery descents on your 4 stoke quad bikes. You will
be accompanied by qualified instructors who will explain
the bike’s controls and riding techniques and give you
chance to practice and perfect your technique before
you embark on the quad biking course.
In conjunction with mug buggy racing.
board Club (NUSSC), one of the largest and most successful clubs within the University. Sessions are available for both
complete beginners and the more competent skier.
If you’re looking for something a little different to skiing or
snowboarding, then why not try tubing? Feel the thrill as you
slide down the slope in a huge rubber ring!
Drinking & Non Drinking
This is a Non-Drinking Event. Alcohol
is not available and should not be
consumed whilst taking part in this
event.
This is an Optional drinking event and
alcohol will be available. How ever, the
event is not focused around alcohol
consumption and U18’s will be able to
attend but not consume alcohol.
This is primarily a Drinking focused
event. You do not have to drink to
attend these events but please be
aware that alcohol is available at these
events. U18s will not be allowed to attend these events.
Monday -Thursday
11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00
Clubs and Societies Fair (Mon/Tues)
Go Ape
Go Ape
St James’ Tour
Beach Trip
Go Ape
Go Ape
Comedy Taster
Bowling (Leaving from the SU half an hour from 11.00-1500)
Cocktail Training (Leaving from the SU every hour from 12.00-16.00)
Paintballing
Fencing Taster (Wed)
Yoga (wed/thurs)
Beginners Skiing
Tubing
Skiing
Quad biking & Mud Buggy Racing
Laing art gallery
Hancock
Baltic and Quayside Tour
Head down to the Students’
Union, for food provided by
your wrist band every day from
12pm!
Monday and Tuesday: BBQ
Wednesday: Taste the Mens Bar
Thursday: Hog Roast
NUTS
Crazy Golf
Ice Skating
Post-grad Events
Meet other parents starting at University and
bring your little ones along to these child-friendly
Coffee and Cakes
Fancy meeting students in the same boat as you? Head to events!
Meet and Greets!
‘The Lounge’ in the Students’ Union at 11am on Wednesday A selection of hot drinks, cakes and nibbles will be on
hand.
Men’s
Bar Drinks
The LGBT society is hosting a
meet and greet for new memIf coffee and cakes isn’t really your thing why
bers at SoHo bar. Come along
not come down to the Mens Bar in the Stufor free nachos, discover
dents’ Union at 2.00pm on Thursday to meet
what the society is about and
other mature and post-graduate freshers
meet loads of great people.
We are also giving away a
for a civilised alcoholic/non alcoholic
small number of wrist bands
drink or two.
for our famous Freshers’ Bar
T
B
G
L
Teddy Bears Picnic
NON WRISTBAND EVENT
Wed 28th. Meet outside the Union at 12 noon.
Don’t forget picnic food and a teddy bear!
tour. So come along and join
in the fun!
Discovery Museum Trips
Monday- Thursday. Meet outside the Union,
12 noon and 3pm.
The ‘water room’ is a highlight with a model of
the River Tyne, pop on an apron and have a
splash about.
14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30
Club’s and societies Fair
Go Ape
Go Ape
Go Ape
Go Ape
Go Ape
Bowling (Leaving from the SU half an hour from 11.00-1500)
Cocktail Training (Leaving from the SU every hour from 12.00-16.00)
St James’ Tour
Fencing Taster (Wed)
Paintballing
Yoga (wed/thurs)
Golf
Pilates (Wed/Thurs)
Baltic and Quayside Tour
Tubing
Hancock
Skiing
Laing art gallery
Quad biking & Mud Buggy Racing
NUTS (wed/thurs)
Zumba (wed/thurs)
Crazy Golf
Ice Skating (14.00 and 14.45)
Jesmond Bar Tour
Ikea
Beach Trip
Comedy Taster
Dance Taster (Wed/Thurs)
The rubix cube concept is simple. Head to Primark and kit
yourself out in all the colours found on a rubix cube. Trade
your colours while you sample Newcastle’s legendary nightlife with the aim of finishing the night in Bambu, a student
favourite,
in
one
colour!
ADD
I
TION
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Sign VENT
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The
Soun
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Let
this musical
classic work its magic
on you for the first or fiftieth
time. Limited number of tickets available so makre sure you sign up early.
Meet at the Students Union at 6.15pm.
fM
us
ic
The Magnets
They are the acapella group whose jaw-dropping blends of
razor-sharp harmonies and beatboxing that the stars have
kept to themselves. Recently starring in the latest T-Mobile
flash-mob advert, they are emerging as one of the must see
acts on the British music scene at the moment.
Meet at the Students’ Union at 6.15pm.
An exhilarating night of live
music and big name DJ’s, featuring Sub Focus,
MC ID and Jack Beats amongst others! With a little help
from our friends Wax:On and Metropolis, we guarantee
you will be raving away until the early hours!
REMEMBER!
What events you
these nights dep attend on
colour of your w ends on the
ristband!
RED
Mon: Pandamonium
BLUE
Tues: RUBIX!
Mon: RUBIX!
Tues: Pandamonium
AL
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Sign Up
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Joing us on a mouth-watering
guided tour of some of Newcastle’s tastiest venues. Stop at one
restaurant for your starter, another
for your main and yet another for
dessert.
All completely free with your wristband. Meet at the Students’ Union at
7pm.
‘Toon’ Invader will be sure
to leave you in no doubt that
Newcastle is the number one
student city in the country.
Explore some of Newcastle’s
liveliest venues on the way to
the toon’s leading clubbing
destinations, Digital. Ranked
as one of the the top twenty
clubs in the world it’s sure to
be a memorable night!
Come and enjoy something a bit different,
as two of the UK’s funniest rising stars take
to the stage at 8pm in the Students’ Union.
Radio 1 DJ Tom Deacon and Chris Ramsey
star of 8 out of 10 cats and Russell Howard’s
Good News, both of whom performed at this
years Edinburgh Fringe Festival will be bringing their stand up to your Student Union.
Head down the the Students’ Union for
9.30pm to enjoy an array of acoustic performances by some of Newcastle’s talented student musicians.
Meet outside the
Students’ Union from
6PM
Tour ending at Venue
The big finale.
An exclusive
one-off event
at Newcastle’s premier
entertainment
centre, The
Gate. Get ready
for Rumble in the
Jungle as all of Newcastle’s students, not just
fresher’s, take over the bars and restaurants! With live acts performing throughout
the evening, it is the most fitting way to
bring to a close your first week of your life
in Newcastle.
Get your jungle fancy dress on!
U18s’
head the the
Gate for the cinema
at 8pm.
Films TBC.
Puzzles
22
Logic puzzle
Monday September 26 2010 THE COURIER
You can
fin
answers d the
to this
week’s
puzzles
a
thecou
rieronli t
ne.
co.uk
Puzzle Editor Laura Armitage
courier.puzzles@ncl.ac.uk
Crossword
There are three switches downstairs. Each corresponds to
one of the three light bulbs in the attic. You can turn the
switches on and off and leave them in any position.
How would you identify which switch corresponds to which
light bulb, if you are only allowed one trip upstairs?
Dingbats
Work out the word or phrase that is depicted in the image.
sta4nce
12
Give Get
Give Get
Give Get
Give Get
Down
Who Am I?
I was born on 4th August 1961
I am left handed
I recently stopped smoking though I promised my wife I
would stop in 2008
I have authored two best-selling books- each has won a
Grammy award for the audiobook
My job requires a lot of tough decision making
WHO AM I?
Sudoku
Moderate
Hard
1. The theatre located opposite
the union
3. The name of the university
building that contains student
and careers services
4. The sporting competition that
includes 22 different sports and
the rival is Northumbria
5. The abbreviation of the annual fundraising week
6. The indoor shopping centre in
the middle of Newcastle, which
has recently been extended to
house an Apple Store, Hollister
and Debenhams
7. The name of the university
library
9. Newcastle’s arena that has
upcoming gigs from Rhianna,
Katy Perry, Arctic Monkeys and
Kasabian
12. The surroundings you will
graduate within
13. The school that has just had
a brand new building created
14. The name of the student
portal used to access module
information and lecture slides
15. The maths building, where
you will also find computer
cluster
Across
2. The name of the transport
link that connects Newcastle
underground
5. The group that Newcastle
University is part of
8. The oldest building on campus
10. The name of the weekly
student newspaper
11. The student bookshop
located on Percy Street
15. One of Newcastle University’s halls of residence
16. The name of one of the top
student nights- next event to be
held on Sunday 23rd October
17. The name of the museum
located close to the centre of
campus
18. The name of the complex
that contains a cinema, bars,
restaurants and a casino
Duckett & Hay
If you’re an aspiring cartoonist and would like to have your work published in The Courier, send an email to editor.union@ncl.ac.uk
24
Monday September 26 2010 THE COURIER
What’s Next?
Freshers’ Week over, no longer sure what to do
without a timetable of activities to organise your
days? Check out these ways to get involved.
Student Media
The Courier
If you’re looking for a career in media, then
the best possible head start is right on your
doorstep.
The Courier newspaper has been part of
student life at Newcastle University since
1948 making 2011/12 its 64th year in print.
With a readership of over 12,000 students
and at an average length of 44 pages, The
Courier is one of the largest weekly student
newspapers in the country with a national
reputation that has seen it win numerous
awards, including the coveted Guardian
Student Newspaper of the Year.
The newspaper comes out every Monday
during term time and is distributed across
campus including every Halls of Residence,
the Robinson Library, the Sports Centre,
the Medical School, the Law School and the
Union building.
If you have an interest in becoming a journalist, working for The Courier is the best
addition for your CV that your time at university has to offer.
In fact many contributors to the newspaper have gone on to have successful careers
in television, publishing and professional
newspapers including former editors Dianne Nelmes, who went on to create This
Morning, Loose Women and Jeremy Kyle
for ITV and Gemma Davies who now
works for Sky Sports News. Also, last year’s
News Editor Simon Murphy was the much
deserved winner of the prestigious NUS
Student Journalist of the Year Award.
Even if you don’t want to be a journalist
and are just looking for an activity to enhance your student experience, The Courier
is a great way for you to get involved. Although involvement does not solely reside
in writing and reporting, there are also opportunities in photography, artwork, web
and design.
This special Freshers’ Week edition is only
a small representation of your standard
weekly newspaper.
Every Monday The Courier brings to you
44 pages which cover News, Comment, Lifestyle, Fashion, Music, Arts, Film, Puzzles and
Sport, as well as day-to-day updates on the
newly developed website, The Courier Online. Not only does this cater for all reading
tastes, it also enables students to try their
Newcastle
Student Radio
hand at a variety of different reporting and
writing styles while helping keep our readers informed of everything that is going on
Broadcasting online at www.nsrlive.co.uk
around campus.
12 hours a day, NSR is Newcastle’s only
Written by you, for you, The Courier
student radio station.
wouldn’t survive without volunteers.
Since 1997, NSR has mixed cutting edge
Around 300 students contribute articles
music of all genres with the latest news and
Come vis
and photographs on a weekly or occareviews to provide an essential service for
it our
stall at F
sional basis, as well as another 30 stustudents interested in news and sport,
r
dents who together edit each of The
journalism, music, entertainment and
Fair on 2 eshers’
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Courier sections.
marketing.
7th
Septem
These section editors are responsible
NSR’s aim is to produce interesting,
b
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r
to find
for engaging with new writers, editing
engaging radio that Newcastle students
o
ut more
their material and laying it up on the
can be involved in and relate to.
!
pages which you then read. They are all
Along with The Courier, NSR keeps
full time students and often work up to 20
students at Newcastle up to date with evehours a week alongside their studies to make
rything happening around the Union and
sure The Courier is maintains its nationally
beyond.
recognised quality.
Furthermore, NSR also gets involved in
They form the team that supports the overmany Union events and live DJ sets throughall editor, the only paid full-time member of
out the year, including outdoor live sets durstaff on the newspaper, and are rewarded, as
ing Freshers’ Week, RAG Week, Union Day
are all the contributors, by seeing over 70%
and also raised funds to be broadcast on
of students at Newcastle University read and
FM airwaves last year. This allows students
enjoy the pages they have produced when
to gain valuable experience in DJing at live
the paper arrives every Monday morning.
events.
For a budding journalist, photographer,
If you are interested in radio, NSR proor designer, there really is no better feeling
vides the ideal opportunity for you to try
than seeing your work in print and you have
your hand at presenting, production, marthat chance to do so right now.
keting or any other aspect of the station.
To get involved, just sign up with your
To volunteer to get involved just look out
name and email address at The Courier stall
for the NSR stall at the Freshers’ Fair
ide
at the Clubs and Societies Fair in
or contact Station Manager Lucy
with our gu
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The next edition of The Courier is out
Freshers’ Week podon Monday 17th October so if you get
casts on their website.
involved now you could be seeing your
name in print very soon.
New Sa
For more information, please contact
in closesbbatical Office
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editor.union@ncl.ac.uk.
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35
Music, page
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Issue 1230 Monday 28 March 2011 www.thecourieronline.co.uk
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The Courier
Television
Beginning its second year in production is
Newcastle’s TV station, The Courier TV
(also known as TCTV).
Formed from a rebranding of the NUTV
society combined with the operating web
team from The Courier, TCTV plan to
continue with projects such as NE1, the student soap opera, vox plots and ‘Bigg Market
Banter’, providing have huge plans for the
upcoming year, and promise to move rapidly towards their goal of providing Newcastle students with a more rounded student media through the inclusion of a fully
functioning TV broadcaster.
If you’re looking to be the next Kubrick or
Scorsese or just want to get together with
some friends to make a mini-documentary
about the ghost that stalks the Armstrong
Building, TCTV are the people to help you
make it happen. Starting from scratch is
challenging but it also offers tremendous
potential for volunteers to get involved and
shape the course of the society.
If you want to try your hand at this new
and exciting branch of student media be
sure to check out the TCTV stall next to
The Courier and NSR at the Freshers’ Fair
on Monday and Tuesday of this week.
Altternatively, keep and eye out for crew
members who will be out filming throughout the whole of Freshers’ Week in red tshirts, approach anyone of
them and they will give
you all the information
you need.You can also
keep checking www.thecourieronline.co.uk for the
latest TCTV video clips and
blogs.
If you would like any
more information about
how to get involved, please
email TCTV’s President Caroline Axelsson at caroline.axelsson@newcastle.ac.uk
25
THE COURIER Monday September 26 2010
Give it a Go
Do you want to try out new and
fun activities for free or low cost?
Give It A Go is an opportunity
to reinvent your spare time. Every
term, the Students’ Union puts on
a programme of activities varying
from dance lessons to cultural trips
and visits, to archery and go karting, all for free or at a very low cost.
It’s a great opportunity to meet
new people, take a break from your
studies, try something different and
exciting and maybe learn a new
skill. To top that, with no commitment to any future sessions necessary, there really is no excuse not to
Give it a Go.
How to get involved:
If you want to get involved, pick
up a booklet of this term’s activities
at Students’ Union reception, go
online and check out the timetable
to signup!
Online
Go to www.nusu.co.uk/giag for
a full, up to date programme and
any new information. Also, make
friends with us on Facebook www.
facebook.co.uk/giag.newcastle or
follow us on Twitter www.twitter.
com/GIAGNewcastle.
Email
Please email us at giag.union@ncl.
ac.uk to book your spaces. Ensure
that you include details in your
email of which session you are
interested in, for how many people
and all participants’ full names and
university email addresses.
Come and see us
Why not pop up to the first floor
of your shiny new building to the
friendly Activities Office and come
and see us in person? Please bring
cash money for paid for events, as
unfortunately we do not have facilities to accept card payments.
This is your chance to try out
some different activities for FREE
or low cost and, well, Give it a Go.
(The clue is in the name!)
What’s Next?
Week beginning . . .
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
City Walking Tour, 11am,
FREE
26th September
Massage Sessions
12-5pm, FREE
Wet n’ Wild, 1pm, FREE
Zumba Class, 3pm, FREE
Castle Keep
1pm, FREE
3rd October
10th October
Sunday
Building Tours, FREE
Circus Skills, FREE
Bike Polo, 1.30pm, FREE
Scuba Diving, 12pm, £5
Surfing, 1pm, £7
Self Defence, 3pm FREE
Culture Challenge
SCAN—Rupert’s Wood
Bushcraft, 10am, FREE
SCAN—Guerilla
Gardening, 1pm,
FREE
Paintballing
9am, £5
SCAN—Guerilla
Gardening, 1pm,
FREE
Rifle Target Shooting
1pm, £3
Quayside Ghost Walk
4pm, FREE
Archery, 1pm ,
£4
Karate,
6.30pm, FREE
SCAN—Ruperts Wood
Arts & Crafts Project,
10am, FREE
SCAN—Ruperts Wood
Arts & Crafts Project,
10am, FREE
Go Ape
11am, £10
Massage Training Course,
5pm, £9*
Baltic Trip –
Turner Prize, 2pm, FREE
York Christmas
Markets, 9am, £6
28th November
Massage Training Course,
5pm
Orienteering Session
2pm, £4
5th December
Massage Training Course,
5pm
Newburn Park
Tree Planting, 1pm, FREE
7th November
14th November
12th December
Fellwalking
8am, TBC
Massage Sessions
12-6pm,
FREE
24th October
21st November
City Walking Tour, 5pm,
FREE
Snowtubing
1pm, £4
Bollywood Dancing
5pm, FREE
17th October
31st October
Saturday
Culture Challenge
Ice Skating, 2pm
£TBC
GO PLAY!
Play sport without pressure to perform
AU Sports Clubs not for you? Want
to stay active anyway, and have some
fun without the pressure of University
matches and coaches getting you running circuits at 6am every day? Never
been sporty, but want to try something
new at university? Then the GO PLAY!
project is just for you. Try a new sport
or ease into an old one with entry level
coaching and no pressure to compete.
All you need to do is take part in a
taster session of
something you
fancy, and if you
like it, carry on
with a six week
beginner course,
giving you the skills to know what
you’re doing. With a range
of sports on offer there’s
definitely something
to take your fancy:
• Dodgeball
• Canoe
• StreetCheer
• Rounders
• Netball
• Basketball
• Korfball
• Golf
• Handball
• Touch Rugby
• Running
• Volleyball
There is absolutely no experience
necessary, no minimum fitness or
maximum age, all you need to do is
come along. Our coaches will guide
from beginner through all the basics,
and we’ll get you playing in no time!
Also on offer is the chance to train up
as a coach, and if you find the sport is
really your thing, the opportunity to set
up a brand new club here at Newcastle,
or join the existing one. But there’s
no commitment: if you love it, we’ll
find ways to keep you playing, if you
don’t, you can forget all about it. Just
enjoy the extra fitness and meet a few
like-minded students: the focus is on
fun, fitness, and friends, not how good
you are.
It’s also a chance
for you current
sports players
to try a new
sport too,
as the sessions
won’t clash
with your
Wednesday
afternoon
matches. So
what are you
waiting for?
If you want
to get involved
come to the
Activities office
in the brand new
Students’ Union
building and get your place
booked on the taster session of your
choice on a first come, first served
basis. Alternatively, you can check
the NUSU website or email active.
union@ncl.ac.uk for more information.
Sessions are just a couple of quid a go,
with no membership signup required.
Easy peasy!
26
Monday September 26 2011 THE COURIER
what’s Next?
SCAN
Student Community Action Newcastle
SCAN stands for Student Community
Action Newcastle and since the 1960s
we’ve been based in the centre of Newcastle helping students access volunteering opportunities across the North
East.
We currently offer over 200 volunteering opportunities in the community as well as running a successful programme of young person led projects,
and one-off/taster volunteering opportunities.
Why Volunteer?
Simple: you have everything to gain and
nothing to lose!
Volunteering with SCAN is free and
gives you the chance to develop great
skills in loads of different environments. You are also helping the community in which you live by giving your
time and energy to help these projects!
Whether you are wanting to beef up
your CV, meet new people or just have a
break from studying SCAN will have a
project for you.
Warning: Side effects of volunteering
may include, a greater feeling of well
being, an increase in friends and being
able to sleep easier at night. (Please note
there is absolutely no evidence to support the latter claim!)
SCAN One-Offs
SCAN One-Offs are a simple concept.
For a half or full day volunteers help out
in a community based project to get a
task done. Often these activities take
place on a Wednesday afternoon when
students are free and are a great way
of dipping in and out of volunteering.
Activities last year included tree planting, river clean ups, beach surveys and
gardening work.
These projects are appealing to volunteers because:
· They don’t require a regular commitment.
· They’re a great taster for anyone new
to volunteering.
· Often you can just turn up and go.
· You need no previous experience and
equipment is provided.
· You’ll learn new skills.
· They’re very sociable and make it easy
to meet new people.
· They provide a chance to visit new
places.
· They’re good fun and you can see the
difference made in a few hours.
There are regular One-Off activities
(yes we know that is a bit of a contradiction!) throughout the year and we
are already looking for volunteers who
are not afraid to get their hands dirty to
help out at Rupert’s Wood Otterburn
on the 7th October. To find out more
email Phil at scan@ncl.ac.uk
Getting credit for what you’re into!
With SCAN your volunteering won’t go
unnoticed!
‘v’ is a national charity promoting youth
volunteering, if you’re aged 16-25 years
then you can get recognition for all the
hard work you’re putting in to benefit
others.
You can apply through SCAN for a
‘vfifty’ award if you complete 50 hours
of volunteering in any 12 month period.
There is even a certificate for one-off
volunteering.
Getting involved is dead easy, everyone involved with SCAN is friendly and
wants to help you volunteer!
You don’t need an appointment – just
pop into our office in the students’ union for a chat on Level 1 in the Activities
Centre.
Check out our website to see all the
projects we offer and to find out more
about us!
Project categories available:
Job Title: Weekend Sales Assistant
Employer: WHSmith
Closing date: 29.09.11
Salary: TBC
Basic job description: You will be responsible
for providing exceptional customer service
whilst demonstrating product knowledge to
maximise sales, process transactions accurately and efficiently and adhere to policies
and procedures relating to cash and stock
handling. Highly polished communication
and inter-personal skills required.
Location: Sunderland.
Job Title: Sales Associate
Employer: H Samuel
Closing date: 30.09.11
Salary: TBC
Basic job description: Playing a key role in
helping the store to maintain performance
and meet sales targets. As new products
are introduced in store, you will build your
knowledge to ensure that you can deal with
every type of customer enquiry.
Person requirements: Have excellent customer service skills, an interest in jewellery
products and brands. A positive, ‘can-do’
attitude is essential, with a natural ability
for striking up a conversation with a diverse
range of customers.
Location: Metrocentre, Gateshead.
Job Title: Kitchen/Bar Staff
Employer: J.D Wetherspoons
Closing date: 29.09.11
Salary: National Minimum Wage
Basic job description: As a member of our
customer-facing team, you will be responsible for delivering top quality service and
ensuring all drinks and food are presented to
our high standards.
Person requirements: Must have good
customer service skills and have the ability
to interact with customers. Must be able to
work as a team member and contribute to
the teams overall performance.
Location: Metrocentre, Gateshead.
Job Title: Sales Advisor
Employer: Debenhams
Closing date: 01.10.11
Salary: £4.92-£5.95 per hour
Basic job description: Whether it be at the till
point or fitting room your role is to make sure
our customers leave with everything they
came in for, including a great lasting impression of Debenhams. You will fulfil the customers every need by drawing attention to our
additional and exclusive services including
the Beauty Club and Account Card.
Person requirements: Applicants must be
numerate with good written and verbal communication skills. They must also be easily
adaptable to work in a fast paced environment and have enthusiasm and passion for
the role.
Location: South Shields.
Job Title: Events Security Stewards
Employer: G4S Secure Solutions (UK)Ltd
Closing date: 01.10.11
Salary: Competitive
Basic job description: Looking for people to
work as part time/casual Security stewards,
within our events security team. You will have
the opportunity to work at local events and
events around the UK. This role is ideal for
people who have evenings and weekends
free.
Person requirements: Applicants must be
over 18 years of age. Ideal candidates will be
smart, professional and approachable, have
experience in a customer focused environment and have strong communication skills.
SIA Door Supervisors Licence is essential.
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne.
Job Title: Student Communications Team
Members
Employer: Newcastle University
Closing date: 05.10.11
Salary: £6.81 per hour
Basic job description: We are looking for
enterprising individuals who can support
the Marketing and Communications team
within the Careers Service. In this role you will
be expected to champion and promote the
events and services of the Careers Service
to students and postgraduates of all degree
disciplines and all academic stages. This role
is an ideal fit around your studies.
Person requirements: Applicants must be
Newcastle University students throughout
the academic year 2011/12. You will be
self-motivated with excellent communication,
planning and organising skills. You will be
flexible and have a proven record of reliability.
Location: Newcastle University Campus
Job Title: Student Ambassadors
Employer: Newcastle University
Closing date: 07.10.11
Salary: £6.81 per hour.
Basic job description: We are looking to
recruit a team of Student Ambassadors
to inform prospective students about the
Newcastle University student experience
by supporting a range of recruitment and
aspiration-raising events and activities.
Person requirements: You must be a current
Newcastle University undergraduate or postgraduate student and have had experience
of the British Education system pre-University
level.
Location: Newcastle University Campus
Job Title: Silver Service Staff
Employer: Solutions Recruitment
Closing date: 31.10.11
Salary: Circa £5.93 per hour
Basic job description: We are looking for Silver Service staff for events in the local area.
Main duties to include the hand service of
food to diners while in a restaurant environment. These are temporary roles.
Person requirements: Candidates should
be experienced in Silver Service and have
attention to detail.
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne.
Job Title: Campus Representative
Employer: Customer Systems Plc.
Closing date: 31.10.11
Salary: £8.75 per hour
Basic job description: Working flexibly around
your study, you will be responsible for keeping our profile high on your campus, promoting our campaigns throughout the year, and
assisting with the organisation of presentations and other events as appropriate. The
workload is expected to be 2 hours per week,
term time only.
Person requirements: Ideally we are looking
for people who can identify with our target recruits, and so a similar profile to our graduate
scheme intake is desirable. At the very least,
you need to be studying towards a numerate
or scientific degree.
Location: Newcastle University Campus.
• Environmental Projects
• Asylum seekers and
refugees
• Children/young people
• Elderly People
• Charities admin, ICT
and fundraising
• Homeless people
• Mental/physical and
learning disabilities
• Advocacy/mentoring/
befriending
• Animals
• Heritage/Culture
• NHS and Healthcare
opportunities
• Sports
Course Reps
Tell your lecturers what you really think and influence
University decisions on behalf of your fellow students
Liam Dale
Education Officer
You can influence University decisions
by becoming the voice of your fellow
students.
While you are here at Newcastle you
have the opportunity to help to shape
and improve the course you are on.
Each course has a number of elected
students who go to staff-student committees to tell their lecturers what the
students really think about their course.
Being a course rep is not only an important way of making sure that students are involved in the university’s
decision making process, but it is also a
great way for individuals to better their
CV, improve their employability skills
and get academic credit for their hard
work. By becoming a course rep, you
are could also apply for an NCL+ award
and possibly winning £300 for your efforts.
Once you are a course rep, there is the
chance to go on to become a chair or
secretary of your staff student committee or even go on from that to become
a Faculty rep – there are only 9 across
the university and they represent thousands of students.
There are over 700 course reps at
Newcastle, all of whom are trained by
the Student’s Union to make sure that
the student voice is heard, they are the
crucial link between staff and students.
Every course has at least one Course
Rep per academic year and it is their responsibility to pass on the opinions of
students on their course to staff at Staff
Student Committees (SSC).
Course Reps are elected by students
on their course (you will find out about
this in your first few lectures) and are
expected to attend four SSC meetings.
If you want to get involved in becoming a course rep, just email George at
rdc.union@ncl.ac.uk and he can send
you all the information you need to get
involved.
28
Societies
Monday September 26 2011 THE COURIER
Ania Kurek - Activities Officer - activities.union@ncl.ac.uk
Hi, my name is Ania and I’m your Activities Officer for this year 2011/12. NUSU
prides itself on its huge selection of societies - with 150 to choose from there
really is something for everyone, and if not it’s so easy to start your own. All you
need is a good idea and and a lot of passion, and soon you could be making new
friends while enhancing your degree and doing something you love.
Here at Newcastle there really is a different variety of society - have a look below
to see what takes your fancy and don’t be afraid to give it a go! Most societies will
be available to speak to at the Clubs and Societies Fair on Monday and Tuesday.
Departamental
Accounting
Social and career events related to accountancy
degrees.
Agricultural
Social Union for those looking for a break from
Uni and a good time both out in Newcastle and
further afield. Those not from an Agricultural
background are more than welcome.
Archaeology
Practical archaeology sessions, guest lecturers and
trips away to archaeological facilities or sites. Also
host social nights out and Charity events.
Architectural
Chinese Students and Scholars
CSSA is a non political, non religious, non profit
organisation supported by Chinese Government,
Chinese consulate in UK and Universities across
the country. We hold various social and culture
activities among Chinese students and scholars
in UK.
Combined Studies
Join the society to meet new people through socials, fancy dress nights, days out and Intra Mural
sports teams.
Economics
The aim is to bring together different year groups
whilst welcoming and supporting first year students. Events in previous years include paintballing, beach trips, karaoke, film nights, conversations in practice and end of year Balls at both the
Baltic and the Civic Centre.
ECOSOC provides a social aspect to the study
of economics as well as helping members with
economic topics and essential skills required for
a successful career. It provides an environment
for students on similar student programmes to
socialise through organised events throughout the
year, including an annual trip in Europe.
The BioSci society activities include social/networking events, t-shirt/fancy dress bar crawls,
charity fundraising events, daytime excursions
and a trip abroad. Basically, the best socials and
the most fun you can have!
Based in the Law School, Eldon Society activities
are aimed mainly at law students.From socials to
careers events to academic activities such as Client Interviewing and Mooting competitions.
Bio –Sci (Bio Medical Sciences)
Bio-Soc (Biology)
An academic and social society who aim to bring
together the students of the school of Biology as well as anyone with an interest in
Biology. We run a wide range of events
during the year, from bar crawls
to zoo trips, career talks and the
Summer Ball.
CEG (Civil Eng and Geomatics)
A society aimed at bringing together the department of Civil
Engineering, Geomatics and
Physical Geography. Socials
are usually fancy dress themed
and there is also an Annual
Christmas Ball and other nondrinking based activities. The
society is open to anyone.
Chemical Engineering
Organises nights out and
annual activities
as well as
company
visits and
school
open
days.
Eldon (Law)
EngSoc (English)
To provide academic and social support to all
students of English and to romote
social interaction, discussions and
interests.
Environmental
Science
A practical approach to
conservation, providing a
support network for all
stages of environmental
science. Get to know
other members of the
Environmental Science
degree. Join us on fun
social activities like
partying, clubbing and
going to the cinema.
Erasmus
We aim to provide
support and a social
network for incoming
and outgoing Erasmus
students, but we are also
open to anyone in meetings students from a
variety of different
cultures and generally
having a good time.
Fine Art
For all art enthusiasts, to get together
to discuss passions,
art or none art related, visit exhibitions,
take trips around
the North East from
sketching afternoon
to just a good day to see
our beautiful northern
surroundings.
Genetics.
To provide social activities and study groups for
people doing genetics and
related degrees
Geography
We want to maintain a
place at the heart of the
geography community at
Newcastle University. We
do this through social and
academic events/activities
throughout the year such as
fortnightly socials in town,
the annual Geography Ball
and assistance with the
school’s mentoring scheme
for first years.
History
Hold socials that will
include evening events:
going out, pub quizzes, cinema trips, meals. A trip
abroad for 3 - 4 days
History and Politics
Evening socials, debates, guest speakers.
Linguistics
We promote social and networking activities
between linguistic and language students from the
three schools while boosting awareness of linguistics and language sciences across the University.
Management
Set up to improve the employability of Newcastle
University students through monthly workshops.
It also offers social events, intramural sports
teams (netball and football) and a variety of workshops including CV skills, interview techniques
etc.
Marketing
A society for all students that have an interest or
are studying a degree at Newcastle University that
incorporates Marketing. CV help seminars, speak
to students on placement for advice and are able
to attend bar crawls and other social events.
Maths
Runs various events throughout the year including trips abroad, pub quizzes, pub crawls, bowling
trips, guest lectures and Deloitte career talks.
Modern Languages
A society for students of any subject with a love
of Modern Foreign Languages. An opportunity to
meet up with friends, make new friends and take
advantage of the numerous and various activities
the society will have to offer!
Faith and Culture
Afro-Caribbean
We welcome students from all tribes and nations
under the sun to celebrate African and Caribbean culture in what small way we can. We have;
social and networking events, charity fundraising
events, open debates, parties! (Aka Rave’dem.)
Anglo Chinese
To encourage relationships between Chinese and
Chinese natives: to welcome Chinese students
into the social life at Newcastle University and to
broaden interest in Chinese culture, language and
arts outside of the school.
Anglo Japanese
A society for anyone interested in anything
Japanese. It is a great opportunity for Japanese
students and other Newcastle students to make
friends, and to practice your language skills.
Asian Students
Social gathering to exchange cultural backgrounds to unite Newcastle University students
from different countries in Asia. To help international students to adjust to life in the UK.
Azerbaijan
Bring Azerbaijans together and introduce them to
the Students’ Union Newcastle and the area. To
maintain the culture of Azerbaijan.
Bulgarian
Music
Main aims of the Bulgarian Society are to share
and promote Bulgarian culture and provide a
meeting point for Bulgarians those interested in
Bulgarian culture people at Newcastle University.
Newcastle Computing Society
We increase the spiritual awareness of members
in the light of the Catholic tradition and enable
young people to come together during social
events and express their views in an unbiased and
non-judgemental manner.
Orthopaedic
Desi Society aims to bring the students of Newcastle together and give individuals an opportunity to discover South Asian cultures and traditions!
We are a charitable and welcoming society which
holds day time events alongside gigs.
We run regular open mic nights, ceilidhs, gigs,
formals/balls as well as pub golf, grub crawls,
music workshops and various trips to concerts
in other cities. A society for anyone into music,
whether you are a musician or not!
To bring together and provide support for the
students of the School of Computing Science (and
others in different disciplines, with an interest in
computing) through working in partnership with
the school and each other.
Expert advice and guidance in progressing in
orthopaedics as well as interactive lecturers and
practical experience. We also organise courses in
orthopaedic sub-specialities and aim to create opportunities to attend relevant conferences.
Planning
Socials and events to help planning and geography and planning students meet others in their
year, across the course and in the planning profession. Events range from nights out, informative
sessions with the RTPI Young Planners.
Politics
Politics Society provides trips, educational events
and socials for both students studying politics at
Newcastle and those with an interest in politics
in general. We aim to help foster social links with
fellow students and to provide a forum for discussion and debate.
Postgrad Politics
This society is to give members a chance to meet
up and socially enjoy a game of pool/snooker with
fellow members.
Catholic
Desi
Egyptian
Everyone welcome. Lots of activities including
trips to new cities, parties, sports, excursions,
festivals, theatre trips and inviting speakers from
other universities in the UK.
Hellenic
The Hellenic Society exists to bring together all
the students (not only Greeks and Cypriots but
others) with an interest in the Greek culture and
civilization. Through social events and activities,
students are able to meet each other, interact and
enjoy themselves.
Hindu and Sikh
Improve your knowledge of Hindu and Sikh
culture. Promote awareness of Hindu and Sikh
culture within the student popu¬lation. Provide
an atmosphere for students with com¬mon interest to socialise.
Hong Kong
Psychology
To promote and share Hong Kong culture to students of Newcastle University. Meet to enjoy and
explore various cultures together via trips, dinner
meetings and other social events.
ShockSoc
Exploring Indonesian cultures amongst members
of the society by learning some traditional art,
song and dance. Participates in events such as
IFAM (International Festival of Arts and Music).
Organise guest speakers in the department and
arrange meetings with psychologists from other
Universities in order to broaden perspectives on
the education of Psychology.
Promote community spirit in the School of
Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering. Providing communication and interaction
between students and social activities and events.
Sociology
Beach trips, pub crawls, days out. We provide a
medium for all students who study Sociology to
meet and interact with fellow course mates.
Speech Therapy
The society aims to provide a peer support
network tackle issues students may have regarding the course. Other society activities will raise
awareness of speech and language therapy in the
general public and university students, including
raising money for clinics within the university.
Surgical
The surgical society is setup in association with
the Royal College of Surgeons to guide and support medical students with an interest in a career
in surgery.
Wet Soc (Marine Tech)
Wetsoc is the society for students of the school
of Marine Science and Technology. We organise
educational visits and trips in the UK and abroad.
Indonesian
International
Bring together international students at Newcastle University and provide an opportunity to
socialise and get to know the country and culture.
Islamic
Dedicated to the service of Allah, the society will
remain above any ethnical or territorial consideration and will not be involved in any controversial
political issues.
Jewish
Newcastle J-Soc provides the Jewish connection
for the time of your life! We run numerous social
and educational events each semester.
Libyan
Sport, social, and Libyan culture activities.
Lithuanian
To provide a meeting point for all Lithuanian
students and help and support for new Lithuanian
students. To promote cultural exchange and to encourage communication with Lithuanian students
from other universities and areas.
Malaysian
Mainly events such as gatherings in celebration
of the culture back in Malaysia, trips to places,
a platform for Malaysia students to meet fellow
THE COURIER Monday September 26 2011
29
Societies
Malaysians and to provide people with a better
understanding of Malaysia
Jazz Orchestra
Day trips, cultural festivals (Divali/Eid/Chinese
Spring Festival/Christmas etc) ice skating, Freshers’ Party, Independence Day, paintballing, bollywood nights, meals, sports tournaments.
Latin and Ballroom
Mauritian
Mediterranean Countries
Organise trips to UK and abroad as well as cultural meetings (dinners with typical dishes).
Newcastle Kazakhstan
To meet together for discussions, social activities,
meetings and celebration of traditional holidays
Nigerian
To engage members in fostering unity through
socialising and networking and for all Nigerian
students to have a platform for constructive dialogue and reaching out to our host community.
Saudi
For local and national scientific and educational
conferences and meetings. Trips and festivals.
Singapore
A meeting point for students from Singapore and
to allow them to interact with students of differing nationalities. To arrange social and cultural
visits around the country.
Syrian
Aims to bring together Syrian Students for social
and cultural activities as well as introducing Syrian culture to university students and staff.
Thai
To unite all Thai students into the community
where we can all interact amongst over selves and
exchange opinions with Thai and other international student through intellectual, cultural, social
and sport activities.
Turkish
Big band of fun loving and charismatic people
ready to rock your world playing a variety of
music including jazz, funk, latin and swing at our
own gigs and balls. Regular social activities.
A dance loving society that caters for beginners
to the more advanced dancer. Offer latin and ballroom lessons, as well as salsa. Outside of lessons
we arrange plenty of dance events.
Musical Medics
Our society is open to all medics interested in any
aspect of musical theatre, performing or otherwise. We also have other events across the year
including showcases, socials and fundraisers.
Newcastle Comedy
Sessions of improvised comedy, sketch writing
and stand-up comedy. Shows and socials.
Newcastle Student Orchestra and Choir
The NSOC are the student-run orchestra and
choir of the University. We offer the opportunity
for students to play and sing music which is both
fun and challenging to perform. Grade 5 and
above, no auditions needed.
NUTS (Theatre)
As a society we produce 12 full length shows a
year as well as putting on the NUTS Drama Festival which offers students a chance to write
their own plays. Whether it is directing,
acting, singing, backstage or tech you are
interested in, NUTS has something for all
theatre fans.
Pole Dancing
Sessions for fitness, learning new moves and
routines for all levels.
Rave
Promoting Turkish cultural events in Newcastle
University such as food festivals, movie nights
and parties. Improving the relationship between
Turkish members of NU and members from other
Turkish states.
Rave soc brings together people at Newcastle
University who like dance and urban music. We
will also be offering workshops in dance and
urban music production and remixing. For members who have already produced music we will
help you put your tracks out.
Film
To provide a social atmosphere for Newcastle
University students with (or to develop) an interest in Indie/Punk/Rock/Metal music. Providing
socials, band nights, occasional meetings and trips
to other events in other cities
Media
To provide a forum for people interested in film
to develop creative ideas in a workshop style
environment. To allow people to explore technical
aspects of filming by taking part in production,
sound, costume etc.
Rock
Swing Dance
Marxist
Toga
Medsin is a group of students from all backgrounds and courses with a common interest in
global health. As a society we aim to education,
engage and empower the student community
with regards to health issues and inequalities on a
local, national and global level.
This society is for those interested in trading
equities or a career in financial services. Talks
from outside speakers from
Financial Services Sector
Medsin
Conservation
We are an environmentally friendly, outdoor
appreciating society that places a strong emphasis
on doing worthwhile conservation work whilst
having a good time. We go on a range of tasks
such as coppicing, tree planting, hedge laying,
dry-stone walling - and much more!
Fellwalking
NUFWS is a society dedicated to hillwalking.
Walks every weekend can range from difficult ascents to easy valley rambles. Trips are conducted
most weekends and the range stretches from
Wales to the Far North of Scotland.
Wilderness Medics
To promote active interest in health and medical
practices in a wilderness setting through providing information, lectures and training weekends.
Performance/Arts/
Music/Dance
Breakdancing
To train those interested in learning how to
breakdance by hiring professional dancers for
training.
Circus Skills
Meet to practice circus skills such as pei, juggling,
diablo, unicycling, devil sticks, acrobatics, etc.
Dance
A society that caters for all students, both beginners and those with dance experience. Classes
offer a chance to try new dance techniques
including ballet, tap, jazz, street, con-temporary
and many more. Socials include theatre outings
and nights out.
Gilbert and Sullivan
If you enjoy singing, acting and a bit of dancing.
There are no auditions for chorus and this is a
great starting society for those that have never
been involved in theatre before.
Irish Dance
Society teaching Irish dance to all levels. Classes
broken down into beginners, intermediate and
advanced in preparation for displays and shows.
Zumba
A latin inspired dance fitness class designed to
promote fitness in an easy to follow way.
Amnesty International
Promoting and protecting against human rights
violations. Working with Amnesty International
on their major campaigns e.g. Control Arms
Campaign, Preventing Violence Against Women
and the Greetings Card Campaign
Campaigning,
Liberation and
Political
Conservative Future
We function to provide an arena for political
discussion, activism and as a meeting point for
like-minded people. With the principle objective
to promote knowledge, discussion and support of
the Conservative Party through a wide range of
activities.
Engineers Without Borders
Engineers without Borders is an international
development organisation that removes the barriers to development through engineering. Lots
of hands-on workshops, team work activities,
fundraisers and socials.
Feminist (formerly Womens)
A friendly society which promotes all kinds of
feminist ideas and engages in issues of gender and
sexual equality through discussions, film, writing,
talks, socials and linking with other feminist
groups locally and nationally.
Labour
Campaigning for labour values on campus and in
the local community. Representing social democratic values and providing a wide range of social
and political activities.
LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexaul and
Transgender)
To provide a safe space where students can meet
for mutual support and friendship. As well as providing practical help and information on matters
involving sexuality.
Darts
Aim to raise awareness and campaign about
refugee and asylum seekers’ issues and
Play Darts. Chat Darts.
Watch Darts.
Golf
Golfing events for all levels of
capability.
Motor Sport
A society to bring people who have
a similar passion together at socials
and other motor-sport events such as
Auto sports International. Also have a
chance to go karting and maybe even compete for University in the BUKC.
support refugees
and asylum seekers in
Newcastle and worldwide.
Stop Aids
To raise aids awareness within the University and the wider community of the spread
of aids throughout many third world
countries.
United Nations
United Nations (MUN) Debating, international/global campaigns.
Women for Women International
To promote awareness for the values of and
work of Women for Women International,
though meetings, film screenings and other
fundraising events.
TCTV (The Courier Television)
Outdoor
Sport
STAR (Student Action for Refugees)
Debating
Singing vocal harmony arrangements from old
classics to modern day hits. Previous experience
of singing in a group is helpful but not essential.
Lots of fun and random events in and
out of Newcastle,
including the
secret holiday
every year. All you
get is a text saying
where to meet and
you have 20 minutes
to get there.
This society aims at developing the member’s
awareness of the city of Newcastle. The society
will be a useful opportunity to raise money for
worthy causes (testicular cancer, HIV) etc.
Argentinean tango classes with a professional
Tango teacher from Argentina. You can take part
in performances, exchanges with other universities, practice and relax at social tango events or
just come to classes.
Vocal Harmony
20 Minute Club
Sperm and Egg
Special Interest
Set up to broadcast news and events from around
the campus in collaboration with The Courier.
Trading and Investments Group
Student campaigning on ethical and environmental issues. Meetings to discuss
some of the issues relevant to students
and the University and plan events to
encourage students to think about their
impact on the world.
Photographic
Tango
To promote love of togas/stolas and interest in
ancient history, as well as organising social and
intellectual events in the daytime and evening.
People and Planet
To promote swing dance and offer members
access to tuition in the various styles of dance.
Organised trips to dancing events.
Aim to encourage those who may be less confident behind the lens in addition to encouraging
keen photographers to display their work. Hold
exhibitions and master classes throughout the
year, in addition to trips both home and abroad.
trips, walks, cinema and pub quizes!
Regular meetings to discuss the ideas of marxism
and their relevance in the modern world. Socials
around town to build up a social aspect of the
group.
As a society we debate about everything and
anything. Whilst the arguments are formal,
the atmosphere is not. So come on down!
Disney
Socialising with people of similar views. To help
people relive their childhood. To enjoy movies in
the company of people who appreciate Disney.
Entrepreneur
To help develop Newcastle University’s aspiring
entrepreneurs, providing them with a community within which they can thrive. Networking,
interaction with other societies and developing
entrepreneurial skills.
Pilates
Provide classes to initiate members to the
principles and benefits of the Pilates method.
Pool and Snooker
This society is to give members a chance to
meet up and socially enjoy a game of pool/
snooker with fellow members.
Rugby Referees
Providing officials for Intra Mural, BUCS and
community rugby and helping to develop the
game at a grass roots level.
Tai Chi Chuan
Originally one of the internal Chinese martial
arts, Tai Chi Chuan is characterized by slow
smooth circular movements performed in
solo routines, known as forms. This helps
to being a state of mental calm clarity, promotes relaxation, awareness of
own body and acquisition of a correct
posture.
Yoga
Offering affordable yoga classes for students.
Classes are suitable for all levels and are an enjoyable way to improve your core strength, flexibility
and muscle tone.
Volunteering
International Development
COCO
NU: Think (Skeptic Society)
Hitch
To organise and hold an annual International
development Conference, inviting expert speakers
to talk on all areas of development.
A society for the promotion of science, skepticism
and secularism through events such as weekly
meetings, debates, guest speakers, trips out and
social gatherings
Poker
Meet regularly to play poker and to have good
banter. Chance to improve skills, not just gambling and create a fun environment within which
to teach and play the basic and high level skills of
poker.
Questlands
Play a wide variety of games, including card
games, war games, board games and role playing
games.
Real Ale and Cider
The Real Ale and Cider Appreciation Society
aims to promote the responsible drinking and
appreciation of traditional ales, ciders and perries
through regular society meetings and events.
Scout and Guide
A wide range of social activities including beach
Supports the work of Newcastle based charity
COCO (Comrades of Children Overseas) through
organising fundraising events.
Recruits members to take part in the Morocco
and Prague hitches. To fundraise for these two
events and to see that the proceeds go to Link
Community Development.
Kids Action Overseas (KAOS)
Fund raising for charity, Light in Africa, in order
to volunteer with them in Tanzania.
Link Society (St John Ambulance)
The student part of the first aid charity ‘St. John
Ambulance’ run by the students in Newcastle
University. In Links, members can gain nationally recognised qualifications in first aid, whilst
being part of a large and vibrant society.
SIFE
SIFE is an international non-profit organisation
in which participating students apply business concepts to develop outreach projects that
improve the quality of life and standard of living
for people in need. SIFE Newcastle Society will
engage participants in projects, sustainability and
fundraising activities.
Visit the Clubs and Societies Fair
this week to get involved!
Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th
Sports Centre 10am - 4pm
or visit
nusu.co.uk/socs
Sport
30
Monday September 26 2011 THE COURIER
To get involved reporting for Sports in The Courier, email courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk
Intra Mural sport: another way to play
Get involved in sport how you want,
when you want, with who you want
For those of you looking for sport
on a less demanding level there are
a whole host of Intra Mural teams
available to join within Newcastle University. Although if you still
can’t find anything for you, as with
the Athletic Union sports teams, you
can always start your own!
The Intra Mural Sports programme
at Newcastle University is one of
the most extensive in the country
with over 200 teams and 2,500 participants in a wide range of different
sports; 11-a-side football, 5-a-side
football, 7-a-side football, rugby union, basketball, netball, mixed netball and mixed hockey.
In addition to these weekly
leagues, there are a number of oneday sporting tournaments throughout the year. Intra Mural competition gives you the opportunity to
enjoy competitive sport at university even if you are not quite up
to the standard to represent Team
Newcastle or don’t want to commit
to training twice a week or more.
It also gives you the freedom to
form your own team, choose who
you want to play with, pick the team
name and even customize the kit.
This added social element is what
lures competent sports men and
women away from the competitive
hard line, toward an environment
where the emphasis is enjoyment,
fitness and friendship.
That said the standard in most
leagues is high and the competition for the top sports in the league
is fierce. Without a doubt the Intra
Mural programme is packed with
drama and excitement in all sports,
regularly covered by The Courier
with match reports, results and
league tables.
Intra Mural sport also gives students the opportunity to make new
friends by joining a team that represents their degree course whether
that might be law, dentistry or modern languages. In this way students
can get to know and interact with
other year groups who can prove
to potentially invaluable resources
around exam time!
Put simply Intra Mural sport is
university sport for you. You choose
the sport, you set them team, you
invent the name and then you play,
with as much or as little pressure as
you put on yourselves. It’s the most
accessible and social way to stay fit
and have fun during your time at
Newcastle.
Team registration will start on
Monday 26 September at the Sports
Centre reception on your right as
you enter the building. The registration process is based on a first come
first served basis so make sure you
get in there early. For more information please pick up a Campus Sport
leaflet from the University Sports
Centre or visit the website at www.
ncl.ac.uk/cprs . You can also email
Denis Murphy, Participation and
Events Services Manager who coordinates all the intra mural fixtures at
denis.murphy@ncl.ac.uk or phone
on 0191 222 5349.
What’s on offer:
Football
5-a-side football
Sunday 5pm – 7pm
Thursday 12pm– 1pm or 1pm –
2pm
Friday 5pm – 6pm or 6pm – 7pm
Entry Cost: £25 per team
Venue: Sports Hall
Start Date: Term 1 – 9/13/14
October
House)
Start Date: Term 1 – 8/12 October
Register online - www.ncl.ac.uk/
sport/campus/intra-mural
Rugby Union
Wednesday 2pm onwards
Netball
Saturday 10.00am – 11am or
11am – 12pm
Tuesday 4pm – 5pm or 5pm –
6pm
Entry Cost: £30 per team
Venue: Sports Hall
Start Date: Term 1 – 15/18
October
Register online - www.ncl.ac.uk/
sport/campus/intra-mural
Register online - www.ncl.ac.uk/
sport/campus/intra-mural
Entry Cost: £300 per team
Venue: External pitches (Cochrane
Park, Longbenton, Redhall, Close
House)
7-a-side football
Start Date: Term 1 – 12 October
Wednesday 5.30pm – 6.45pm or
6.45pm – 8pm
Register online - www.ncl.ac.uk/
sport/campus/intra-mural
Sunday 12pm – 2pm
Mixed Hockey
Start Date: Term 1 – 16 October
Entry Cost: £35 per team
Venue: Longbenton 3G pitch
Start Date: Term 1 – 12 October
Register online - www.ncl.ac.uk/
sport/campus/intra-mural
11-a-side football
Wednesday 2pm onwards
Saturday 10am onwards
Entry Cost: £160 per team
Venue: External pitches (Cochrane
Park, Longbenton, Redhall, Close
Sunday 9.30am – 1.30pm
Entry Cost: £35 per team
Venue: Longbenton Artificial
Hockey Pitch
Start Date: Term 1 – 16 October
Register online - www.ncl.ac.uk/
sport/campus/intra-mural
Basketball
Entry Cost: £20 per team
Venue: Sports Hall
Register online - www.ncl.ac.uk/
sport/campus/intra-mural
Please note: All players must
have Silver or Gold Sports Centre
Membership before they can participate in the Intra Mural Sports
Programme.
31
THE COURIER Monday September 26 2011
sport
AU Clubs Trials and Taster Sessions
• American Football
Rookie Camp Taster Session
Sunday 2nd Oct at 12pm at Longbenton
Sports Ground 3G.
Returning players will be meeting outside the Students’ Union at 11.20am
to take players to the training ground.
Metro fare required.
Astro boots with plastic moulds are
preferable footwear but trainers will do,
along with shorts, t-shirt and we recommend a bottle of water. Absolutely
no experience or understanding of the
game, or sign up, is required and all
abilities are welcome.
• Canoe and Canoe Polo
Sunday 2nd October
£3 + cash for BBQ
Anyone welcome
Minibuses will be leaving every half
an hour from 11-1.00pm from the
Students’ Union and returning from
4-6.00pm
Facebook.com/NclCanoeClub
• Cheerleading
MUST SIGN UP AT FRESHERS’ FAIR
Tryouts Sat 1st and Sun 2nd Oct
Dance/ gymnastics skills help but are
NOT necessary! It will be a mixture of
dancing, jumps, gymnastics and flexibility. Everyone is welcome! Great team
to be part of and a good chance to try
something different. There are opportunities to compete throughout the year
and perform at sporting fixtures.
• Cycling
Whether you are a keen bean of a
cyclist or have a bike but have never
really got into riding it, the first ride
of the year is definitely a good way to
see what our friendly and sociable club
is all about. The first of the afternoon
rides caters for both road riders and
XC mountain bikers and will occur on
Wednesday 5th October, meeting at
1.30pm outside the union. Bring a suitable bike in working order, a helmet
and some water and you’re good to go.
• Fencing
Wednesday 28th September 1-5pm
Friday 30th September from 2-5pm
Both of these will be in the Multipurpose Rooms of the Sports Centre. If
people want to come try Fencing, they
should bring long tracksuit bottoms
and trainers. A towel and some water is
also reccommended. Fencing kit is supplied. For those who are experienced
fencers and would like to try out for the
team, kit can be supplied, but they will
need to bring trainers and long socks
• Football (Men’s)
MUST SIGN UP AT FRESHERS’ FAIR
28th September, 30th September or
2nd October at Longbenton
They are going on at longbenton playing fields 1.30-4.30pm, meet outside the
union at 12.30pm with football boots,
This is not a full or complete list of the
trials and taster sessions available. For
further information head to:
Clubs and Societies Fair
Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th
Sports Centre 10am - 4pm
Athletics
Union
Officer
Alice Holloway
au.union@ncl.ac.uk
As the head of your Athletic Union (AU)
and part of the Students’ Union Sabbatical
team, I am responsible for co-ordinating
all competitive Sport at Newcastle. The
Athletic Union finances, organises and supports almost 60 sports clubs on campus,
and there really is something for everyone.
shin pads and a drink
• Football (Women’s)
Saturday 1st October - 2-3.30pm
Sunday 2nd October-2-3.30pm
The taster sessions will take place at
Longbenton sports ground.
People will be meeting outside the Students’ Union on both days at 1.15 pm to
show you the way.
All standards are welcome You will need
football boots if possible or trainers.
• Gymnastics
Complete beginners to advanced
gymnasts welcome. Taster sessions
will take place on Weds 5th October
from 3-4.00pm and then 4-5.00pm
at Benfield School within the City of
Newcastle Gymnastics Academy. We
do like people to sign up at the Freshers’ Fair to get an idea of numbers and
therefore how many coaches we will
need at the session if possible.
• Hockey (Men’s)
MUST SIGN UP AT FRESHERS’ FAIR
Wednesday and Friday 3-5pm
• Hockey (Women’s)
MUST SIGN UP AT FRESHERS’ FAIR
Trials wednesday 12-3pm at Longbenton sports ground. Meet at union at
11am
Experience required.
Must bring own kit and equipmenthockey stick, gum shield, shin pads.
Goal Keeper kit will be provided. Money required for metro.
• Jitsu Club
Monday 26th September 6pm -8pm
Saturday 1st October 10am - 12pm
Monday 3rd October 6pm - 8pm
These sessions will take place in the
multipurpose room in the Sports Centre. Beginners welcome, please wear
loose clothing.
• Netball
Trials run on 28th September between
1-4 pm, with further trials on 29th September between 2-4pm and on 30th
September between 2-4pm in the main
hall of the sports centre on Richardson
Road. Come down to the Freshers’
Fair to sign up and find out any more
information you want to know.
• Rugby (Men’s)
MUST SIGN UP AT FRESHERS’ FAIR
• Rugby (Women’s)
Only need trainers (boots if you have)
and sports wear.
• Rugby League
MUST SIGN UP AT FRESHERS’ FAIR
• Shotokan Karate
NUSKC will be holding four FREE
taster sessions over FW 2011 in the University Sports Centre:
Monday 26th, Wednesday 28th andFri
30th Septemberfrom 7-8.30pm in Multipurpose Room B (2nd floor)
Sun 2nd Oct, 3-5pm in Multipurpose
Room A (2nd floor)
Shotokan is very beginner friendly.
All abilities, styles and associations are
welcome. Just turn up in comfortable
clothing and be prepared to take your
shoes off.
Drinks at the North Terrace pub after
each session.
• Squash (Women’s) and
Raquetball
Both beginners and experienced players welcome.
Racketball is BRAND NEW to the
University this year!
See our Freshers’ Fair table for information about trials and social sessions.
• Surf
Sunday 2nd October at 10am, 12pm
and 2pm.
10, 12 and 2pm and they will last 2
hours. It will cost £10 and will include
instruction and equipment hire.
• Swimming & Water Polo
Swimming taster session will take place
at City pool on Thursday 6th October
from 7-9pm.
The water polo taster sessions will be at
Northumbria University pool on Sunday 3rd October, women’s water polo
7-8pm, Men’s water polo 8-9pm.
Ideally Freshers should sign up for these
at the Freshers’ Fair.
The swimming sessions are only open
to those who can swim, however it is
open to those who might not want to
compete. Water polo is open to all including complete beginners providing
they are able to swim.
• Tennis
Trials take place at Leazes Park on
Wednesday 28th September from 124pm. We encourage all players to sign
up at the Freshers’ Fair beforehand.
Wednesday 5th October, 2-4pm
Heaton sports ground
Saturday 8th October, 11am-1pm
Henderson Hall
Players are meeting at the Students Union at 1pm Wed and 10am Sat to take
freshers to the pitches.
Beginners welcome and encouraged, as
well as those who have played before at
any level - just come and have a go!
• Triathlon
I am proud to say that I have been an active
member of the AU throughout my degree,
basketball being my chosen sport, and
my student experience would have been
nowhere near as enjoyable and rewarding without my participation in University
sports. It has provided me with the best opportunities to make new friends and some
of my favourite Uni memories, and it can do
the same for you.
There are two main strands of sport here
at Newcastle. Most clubs follow the competitive BUCS programme in which teams
compete against a number of other universities all around the country every Wednesday, but there is also the option to pursue
Intra-Mural sports. This programme is for
people who want to play sport competitively but primarily to enjoy the exercise and
sociability that it provides. Whichever way
is right for you, Newcastle’s extensive programme is sure to have a club or team that
suits you. If you have any problems tracking down a club to get involved in, or want
some more info about sport at Newcastle,
e-mail me and I will do my very best to help
you out – even if that means starting up
your own team or club! Like all the other
sabbatical officers, it’s what I am here for.
Saturday 1st October.
Meet outside the Sports Centre at 3pm
for a chilled out run and a chat about
what the club will be doing this year.
Bring a few quid if you want to go for a
cheeky pint aftewards.
Sport
32
Monday September 26 2011 THE COURIER
To g
volved et inr
for Sp eporting
orts in
The
Couri
er
courie , email
r.spor
t@
ncl.ac
.uk
thecourieronline.co.uk/universitysport
Represent Team Newcastle
Photograph: Lindsay MacKenzie
Alice Holloway
AU Officer
The Athletic Union (AU) works alongside BUCS (British University and Colleges Sport), who are the national governing body for student sport. BUCS
organise inter-university competition
every Wednesday afternoon and some
weekends, working with us to help you
get the most out of your student experience.
The AU’s biggest strength is undoubtedly the fact that it is student led. This
allows students to not only get involved
in the sports themselves, but also to
have a real sense of ownership over the
daily management of the AU by getting
elected onto the Committee of their
club. This input from clubs is taken into
consideration with every decision we
make via the AU Executive Committee,
and is the force that drives Team Newcastle onwards and upwards.
Over the last three years we have
established ourselves as strong competitors on the sporting scene by maintaining a top 15 position in the country
throughout, whilst gradually improving
our total BUCS points score by the end
of each year. This year we want to prove
that we are truly a force to be reckoned
with, with aspirations to climb back
into a top 10 position.
Another amazing thing about Team
Newcastle is that, whilst we work extremely hard in our training and on
Wednesday afternoons, we also play
hard! Every Wednesday night all the
AU clubs come together in our exclusive night in TigerTiger to celebrate the
wins and forget the losses of the day’s
competition.
However, there is one Wednesday that
is held especially close to our hearts.
This is our annual varsity competition
against Northumbria University; the
Stan Calvert Memorial Cup. On this
Wednesday in March we take on our
arch rivals in over 20 sports, with more
than 1500 athletes going to battle in
venues all over the city. The day of action culminates in the final men’s Rugby
Union match at Gateshead International Stadium, with the presentation
of the coveted trophy following soon
after. Team Newcastle have held this all
important trophy for an unprecedented
four years and are more determined
than ever to bring it home for a record
breaking fifth year!
Team Newcastle has shaped my university experience and it could do the
same for you – it has never been more
exciting as we aim to break back into
the top ten for BUCS rankings, and it’s
down to you! It has also never been easier to get involved, with 59 sports clubs
to choose from there are countless opportunities to become part of the Team,
taking part in whichever sport takes
your fancy. Many of them don’t require
you to have done them before, just go
along with an open mind and enjoy!
If for whatever reason you can’t find a
club that appeals to you, you can start a
new one yourself by coming to see me
in the Activites Centre in the Students’
Union.
Last year both Clay Target Shooting
and Gaelic football were started from
scratch and they have both already gone
from strength to strength. Triathlon,
Weightlifting, Handball and Boxing are
all new this year, and you could have a
hand in making them a success, so get
involved!
Don’t forget to head up to the Clubs
and Societies fair on Monday 26th and
Tuesday 27th of Freshers’ Week in the
Sports Centre (opposite the Richardson
• Aikido
• American Football
• Athletics and Cross Country
• Badminton
• Basketball (Men’s)
• Basketball (Women’s)
• Boat
• Boxing
• Canoe
• Canoe Polo
• Caving
• Cheerleading
• Clay Target Shooting
• Cricket (Men’s)
• Cricket (Women’s)
• Cycling
• Fencing
• Football (Men’s)
• Football (Women’s)
• Gaelic Football
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Handball
• Hockey (Men’s)
• Hockey (Women’s)
• Ice Hockey
• Jitsu
• Judo
• Kickboxing
• Kite & Windsurfing
• Lacrosse (Men’s)
• Lacrosse (Women’s)
• Mountaineering
• Netball
• Orienteering & Adventure
• Parachute
• Polo
• Real Tennis
• Riding
• Rifle
• Rugby (Men’s)
• Rugby (Women’s)
• Rugby League
• Sailing & Yachting
• Shotokan Karate
• Ski & Snowboard
• Squash (Men’s)
• Squash (Women’s)
• Sub Aqua
• Surf
• Swimming & Water Polo
• Table Tennis
• Taekwondo
• Tennis
• Thai Boxing
• Trampoline
• Triathlon
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Volleyball (Men & Women)
• Weightlifting
All these clubs will be in attendance
at the Clubs and Societies Fair in the
Sports Centre on Monday 26th September and Tuesday 27th September.
You can also email au.union@ncl.ac.uk
or visit www.unionsociety.co.uk for full
details on all clubs.
Road flats) to find out how to get involved with individual clubs.
Together we can make Team Newcastle stronger, so get involved. I look forward to seeing you on the pitches and
in the sports centre in a few weeks time!