Friday, March 29Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: Society

Humans Vs Zombies: A Society Breaking Rules
Lifestyle

Humans Vs Zombies: A Society Breaking Rules

How would you feel if there was a zombie apocalypse on campus? Most would be shocked or terrified, but Aston Young would describe it as ‘one of the best experiences at University.’ Aston is the president of Royal Holloway’s Humans Vs. Zombies (HvZ) society, which hosts an exhilarating 24/7 tag game that takes place across campus, six times a year.  ‘I found the HvZ whilst going through the list of societies at the uni before my freshers week and immediately threw myself in. I met some of that year's committee at freshers fair, went to the socials and played all of the first games in 2019. I met most of my close friends through HvZ and I'm really grateful for it! Now, two years on, I’m President, and making sure that the society remains as welcoming as it was in my first year ...
Deepfakes
Science & Technology

Deepfakes

Deepfake is an image editing technique that uses artificial intelligence (specifically deep learning) to superimpose one (video) image onto another - akin to Photoshop for photos. What might sound boring in theory in practice has led to public outrage, debates about the nature of privacy, paranoia and some very funny compilations of Nicholas Cage starring in hollywood classics. Deepfake technology first garnered mainstream media attention in 2017 when a Reddit-User using the pseudonym ‘Deepfakes’ uploaded multiple adult videos featuring celebrities’ faces being superimposed upon adult-film actresses’ bodies (for example the adult actresses’ body with Gal Godot’s face and voice.) Despite having been created using a computer program, the results (so called deepfakes) looked surprisingly r...
Interview with Marshea Makosa, President of Comedy Society
Sports & Socs

Interview with Marshea Makosa, President of Comedy Society

How did you first get involved with Comedy Society? I got involved after performing at the Monkey’s Forehead (now The Packhorse) as a solo act and the then president, Ned Sanders, was in the crowd and invited me to come along, check out a workshop and maybe perform with the society. I went and it was a very chill way to challenge and compound my comedic tastes. You’ve just returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which the society attends annually, how was the experience? The fringe is really fun! It’s a whirlwind of flyering, talking to performers from all around the world, performing and working on your craft in real time, improving with your fellow comics, going to shows (and going to bars) and just feeling engaged with the mystery of the ‘comedy circuit’. It's intense and ...
Get to know RHUL’s Fashion Society
Sports & Socs

Get to know RHUL’s Fashion Society

What did your society achieve last year? We grew! Last year we had the highest amount of Fashion Soc members ever seen. We had a lot of very participative and talented individuals in our group which allowed us to do more exciting activities and participate in very fun projects. One of them was ANATT, last year we organised a fashion show for this society joint event. It was themed “The Red Trend Catwalk” and it featured many of our members who participated as models, makeup artists, stylists, hairdresser, performance coordinator, photographer, event assistant and event manager. Additionally, we care about the career side of fashion and we like to help and inform students who want to get into the industry about the opportunities and the way the fashion industry works in the real world...
Get the scoop on RHUL Pole Fitness Society.
Sports & Socs

Get the scoop on RHUL Pole Fitness Society.

How long has your society been running? We’ve been going for two and a half years now! What are you most excited for in your society this year? For sure it’s introducing new people to the sport! We’ll also be having a lot more performance opportunities, we’re in ANATT for the first time and will be having two showcases! Is your society suitable for beginners? Of course! Anyone can try pole or hoop! There’s a misconception that it’s too hard or too much arm work, but that couldn’t be more wrong. You’ll get stronger from doing it, but you’ll be fine no matter your size or strength. There's a bit of controversy around this topic: do you consider pole fitness a feminist activity? Yes, in the way that it involves completely changing other people’s opinions about what pole i...
Raise Up Your Talents
Sports & Socs

Raise Up Your Talents

Michele Theil reviews the Raise-And-Give Talent Show, an event raising money for three excellent charities. The Raise-And-Give society’s charity event, aptly named ‘Royal Holloway’s Got Talent’ was hosted in the SU Main Hall and allowed students and parents to see a wide variety of talents and acts. The show aimed to raise money for Action Against Hunger, Meningitis Now and The White Lodge Centre. Action Against Hunger is “a global charity committed to saving the lives of malnourished children in over 40 countries”. Meningitis Now is a global charity that researches for and supports sufferers of Meningitis and The White Lodge Centre is dedicated to “supporting disabled people of all ages”. Each charity supports extremely worthwhile causes that RAG is dedicated to raising money for. T...
Dissent & Disapproval: English PEN’s Muslim Ban Protest
Sports & Socs

Dissent & Disapproval: English PEN’s Muslim Ban Protest

President Trump’s executive order banning refugees, migrants and visitors from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia from entering the United States for a period of three months has sparked protests all over the whole world. As those seven countries are predominantly Muslim, people have taken to calling it a ‘Muslim Ban’ and protesting against it in an effort to stand against the somewhat questionable reasoning behind the ban. The English PEN society, headed up by Rebecca Wilson, organised a protest on the 2nd of February for Royal Holloway students. People gathered at The Hub and proceeded to march along the road up past the Students Union, congregating in Founders South Quad to stand, chant and listen to speeches made by representatives from the English PEN society, the M...
Puttin’ On The Ritz
Sports & Socs

Puttin’ On The Ritz

Kathryn Pearson reports on RHUL Classical Society's highly anticipated Bacchanalia Ball. On the 27th of January, Classical Society hosted a night of glamour and style at their annual Bacchanalia Ball. The black-tie event was hosted in aid of the Iris Project, a charity dedicated to the promotion of Classics in state schools across the UK, and raised a staggering total of £744. The evening kicked off with a drinks reception in Founder's where guests received complimentary nibbles and a Buck's Fizz on arrival, before heading down to the Dining Hall to enjoy live entertainment, provided by RHUL's Gospel Choir, as well as Australian singer Sam Lawrence. As the society's chosen charity, the Iris Project is based on the principle that all children should have the opportunity to learn the...
Comedy Society Showcase
Sports & Socs

Comedy Society Showcase

Royal Holloway’s Comedy Society is popular for one reason: everyone wants to laugh. There are around 20 regular members of the society as well as many others that attend and perform at specific events, making the eventual number of participants in the Comedy Society uncertain but high. The Santa Isn’t Real event on the 7th of December was a striking representation of what Comedy Society represents their dedication to the “appreciation and performance of comedy”, as the description of the society’s Student Union page states. Several students went up onto the stage at Stumble Out to make jokes, sing songs and perform skits about Christmas and Santa in honour of the season. Stand-up comedy has gained notoriety and recognition in the last few years as an increasing number of stand-up comedi...
Dancing With The Stars
Sports & Socs

Dancing With The Stars

The Royal Hollywood Dance Show, hosted by the RHUL Dance Society, consisted of three acts of differing dance styles as well as a few musical performances, all performed to an incredible level. The Dance Society’s annual show had dances choreographed to songs from famous films across the ages with rehearsals only beginning 4 weeks ago, an amazing feat for the calibre of performances I witnessed. While every piece was outstanding in its own way, there were several standout performances that I found to be particularly amazing and deserving of recognition. ‘Inside The OR’, a competition street dance choreographed by Dance Society President Eden Brown, had dancers in surgical scrubs and masks, dancing to theme songs from medical TV shows.   ‘Upside Down’, a Burlesque piece ...