Shay Gray, Author at The Orbital

5Mar

By Shay GrayNo Comments

Opinion

Why Representation Matters

Let's not shy away from facts, there's a certain stigma surrounding "representation" in the media currently. It's seen, by some, as a social justice warrior tactic to try and erase straight, white, neurotypical men from our amazing television shows, movies, and video games. It's deemed unnecessarily - and inherently - political. "Why bring politics into a good video game!?" cries the offended man, cancelling his pre-order of The Last of Us II for daring to have a lesbian protagonist. "Why bring politics into a fun franchise?" he cries, ripping up his tickets for No Time To Die for even considering having a black woman take over the 007 moniker. But here's the thing, my thoroughly offended brethren: video games, films, and television shows have never been apolitical. And highlighting t...

15Nov

By Shay GrayNo Comments

Features

The Power of Putting Yourself First.

Shay Gray explains, from personal experience, the importance of taking care of your mental health at University. Warning: this article discusses topics of anxiety attacks and suicidal ideation. Let’s not sugar coat it: University is kind of scary. You’re away from your family and living alone for quite possibly the first time in your life, you’re surrounded by total strangers, you’re studying more than you’ve ever studied before, and you’re paying a bucket load to do it. Because of that, students tend to put their mental health in the back seat. I’m here to beg you not to do that. When I entered my second year in 2017, I was excited, but I was also overwhelmed. This was the first year that actually counted towards my overall graduation grade, and that was terrifying. It all start...

Which ‘Queer Eye’ is your accommodation?

15Nov

By Shay GrayNo Comments

Lifestyle

Which ‘Queer Eye’ is your accommodation?

Have you been binge-watching 'Queer Eye' and desperately scrambling to find the answer to the age-old question: if one of these men was a Royal Holloway University accommodation, which one would he be? Well, look no further than this fool-proof guide to which ‘Queer Eye’ guy is your accommodation. Founders Hall - Jonathan Van Ness Founders is loud and Founders is proud! When you hear “Royal Holloway”, your first thought goes immediately to the wonder that is Founders. Similarly, when you hear ‘Queer Eye’, you immediately picture the beautiful long locks of Jonathan Van Ness. And of course, it goes without question that JVN’s penchant for perfect grooming and impeccable style really vibes with the evergreen beauty of Founders. Gowar and Wedderburn - Tan Frances Let’s face it, ...

9Dec

By Shay GrayNo Comments

Features

What happens after you attempt suicide?

TW: this article discusses suicide and self harm. When I was 16 years old, my father had to drive me to our nearest accident and emergency unit for an illness he didn’t know I had. For years, I had been suffering from depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder, all undiagnosed, all of which I had been hiding. I refused to let anyone know how broken I was, partially so no one would pity me, and mostly because there was such a stigma around mentally ill teenagers that I would rather suffer in silence than speak up and be mocked. I struggled for years to maintain the facade of being unbothered; I would make fun of myself before other people had the chance, I would be loud and bubbly so no one would think they’d bullied me into passivity, I changed myself into a person I cou...

9Dec

By Shay GrayNo Comments

News

Sign Here

Royal Holloway has recently been subject to several petitions, created by students attempting to instil the change they’d like to see at the university. In early September, student Phoebe Dormand created a petition that asked for the Health Centre on campus to be improved. She cited 8 issues that she felt warranted the petition, including but not limited to response time, lack of sympathy, being refused appointments and having only 5 doctors and 1 nurse covering over 9000 students. Comments on the petition found that there were many other issues with the Health Centre that Phoebe had not touched on as well as increasing solidarity between the students. Phoebe’s petition gained over 1500 signatures and led to the SU releasing a survey asking students to review the Health Centre in an ...

3Dec

By Shay GrayNo Comments

Opinion

Is Autism Really That Atypical?

Netflix’ newest controversial show, Atypical, follows Sam Gardner, an autistic teenager, as he attempts to navigate the confusing world of dating. The show gave autistic people hope for a new perspective on what it means to be autistic, but instead, it was stereotypical, unrealistic, and neglected to feature any genuine autistic representation. The representation of autistic characters in the media is already scarce, and whilst Dan Harmon’s Community and Adam Reed’s Archer portray Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as complex and varying in each individual, when people think of autism they’re not likely to think of these representations. Instead, people are often affected by a phenomenon I call the ‘Sheldon Cooper Effect’: they only think of autism as it’s most harmful portrayal, Sheldon Co...

“It’s Okay To Be White” posters appear across Egham

26Nov

By Shay GrayNo Comments

News

“It’s Okay To Be White” posters appear across Egham

A number of posters have been spotted around the Englefield Green area stating "it's okay to be white". These posters began to appear around the 1st and 2nd of November near St Jude's School and Victoria Street. They are supposedly the product of an anti-left wing campaign launched by the web forum 4chan, on which an anonymous user posted the 'game plan' which stated the posters were to be put up on campuses worldwide around Halloween, as costumes provided anonymity, and the reactions of left-wing individuals would inform white people that they are 'hated' by the left wing, and thus they would sway towards far right views. The posters have been seen on multiple US campuses such as Tulane, Princeton and Rocky River, Ohio. US citizens have taken to twitter to call the posters "a distur...

10Nov

By Shay GrayNo Comments

News

Top Of The Charts

Royal Holloway has risen six places in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide of 2018, making it the fourth highest performing university in London, and 28th in the country. The principal, Professor Paul Layzell, states: “The rise in such a highly regarded guide, is a result of our university’s commitment to its student community. We are dedicated to inspiring our students to succeed through our high-quality teaching and world-class research.” The Times and Sunday Times University Guide uses a variety of factors to decide on a university’s position, such as employment prospects, degree results achieved, and performance in the National Student Survey (NSS). In the 2017 National Student Survey, Royal Holloway retained its title of the highest student satisfaction in London, desp...

23Sep

By Shay GrayNo Comments

News

How the Elizabeth Line will Affect You

What is the Elizabeth Line? The Elizabeth Line is London’s newest addition to the TfL rail and tube network, and it is set to stretch a full 60 miles through the London and Greater London area - almost double the current tube-span record holder, the Central Line. The Elizabeth Line will span from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It is set to service 40 accessible stations, 10 of which are newly built and 30 of which are newly upgraded. The line will launch in December 2018 and is expected to serve around 200 million people per year. How will this affect you? As a Royal Holloway student, you will be a short distance away from Heathrow Airport and therefore the Elizabeth Line may benefit your London-based travels. Servicing stations such as Paddi...

Making Your Relationship Survive the University Test

21Sep

By Shay GrayNo Comments

Lifestyle

Making Your Relationship Survive the University Test

I was 17 years old and had just started my final year of sixth form when I began my first real relationship. We were an inseparable, strong and loving couple. Despite our devoted appearance, the one question that seemed to keep cropping up from friends and family was “Do you think you’ll break up when you go to University?”. It felt insulting. Shocking, even. And yet it wasn’t until I arrived at University, miles away from my partner, that I began to understand that it wasn’t actually an insult at all. I began to see relationships triple the length of mine fall to pieces within weeks, and relationships half the length of mine strengthen at full force. This was the milestone that separated the dedicated from the convenient. And one year after successfully passing the University test, I’d...