News – Page 31 of 32

13Nov

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NUS Withdraws support for tuition fees demonstration

The National Union of Students has withdrawn its support for a demonstration against university tuition fees scheduled for the 19th of November over safety concerns. The march is expected to be the largest student demonstration since the riotous march against fees in 2010. The protest which has been organised by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts in conjunction with the Student Assembly Against Austerity, will march on Westminster, reportedly with thousands of students from around the country expected to join. The campaign looks to Germany for inspiration, as last month the German government scrapped tuition fees. The campaign organisers suggest that this is a prime example of the possibility of free education, and that though we are told there is no alternative to huge hikes i...

3Nov

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Clubs & Societies reminded to adhere to NUS Alcohol Awareness Policy

Royal Holloway’s recently revised Alcohol Awareness Policy has been causing controversy at the beginning of the new academic year amongst societies and clubs on campus. The Orbital has been informed that a certain society , not affliated with the Students’ Union, has been called in to speak to the College, to remind them that committees need to ensure society-led events encourage sensible consumption of alcohol. College have stated that they will take disciplinary action against students who misuse alcohol on College premises or encourage or pressurise others to do so. It is understood that the society in question was called in to speak to the College regarding a planned pub crawl during fresher’s week, over concerns that the misuse of alcohol may have been encouraged during the even...

30Oct

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Police Investigating Sexual Assault outside Medicine

Reported in the early hours of the morning during fresher’s week, Surrey Police are investigating a case of sexual assault outside of the Royal Holloway venue Medicine. According to the Police, on the 26th of September, a woman in her 20s left the club and was reportedly approached by two men. The woman, who was taking a phone call at the time, had her phone taken from her by one of the men, who then ended the call. The second man then took hold of the woman by her wrist and attempted to push her into a nearby car. The woman went to get out of the car but found the door locked. She asked for it to be unlocked and was then able to leave. The first man has been described as white, in his mid-20’s, about 5 feet and 7 inches tall, of skinny build with a shaven head and was wearing a cap bac...

28Oct

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Royal Holloway places highly in World University Rankings

Royal Holloway has placed at 17th in the UK and now sits at 118th in the world according to the Times Higher Education World University rankings. The College once again had an impressive performance in the ‘international outlook’ category, ranking at number one in the UK, and sixth in the world. The College Principal, Paul Layzell, issued a statement to the university website commenting that ‘The excellent and distinctive position of Royal Holloway in this year's world rankings is a testament to our excellent staff and the diversity and impact of our students.’ However, the results do highlight a dip in performance for the university, in comparison to its 2013-14 performance; the College dropped 5 places from 12th in the UK. In addition to this, the arguably more reputable Sunday Tim...

28Oct

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Two arrested over knifepoint robbery released

Two teenage boys arrested in connection with the robbery that took place in Egham last month, have been released without charge by the police. The robbery, which took place on September 16th near Egham railway station, saw two youths threaten a 31 year-old man at knifepoint. The man handed over both his phone and wallet after the two attackers ran alongside the man and demanded he hand over his possessions. According to Surrey police the man was ‘badly shaken by the ordeal and greatly inconvenienced by the fact that he has lost personal credit cards, money and his mobile phone.’ After a subsequent appeal for information by the Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Jon Brushneen, two teenage boys aged 16 and 19, reportedly residents of Feltham, were arrested by the police. Apparentl...

28Oct

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College Expansion Plans Deferred by Council

Royal Holloway’s plan to expand the university buildings by 2031, to cater for a forecasted increase in students, has been opposed by Runnymede Borough Council during a meeting with Councillors. The plans, which would see the University look to buy further property in Englefield Green to transform into new halls of residence, and to create improved access points to campus, were deferred mainly on grounds that the College had not planned to provide enough parking space for the predicted increase in students. The ‘Masterplan’, originally submitted in January, has already been forced into a period of revision following meetings with the council as a proposed new accommodation block on Noble’s Field, which is currently used for sports, did not adhere with ‘greenbelt’ requirements. Consequen...

28Oct

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NUS create ‘New Deal’ ahead of 2015 General Election

The National Union of Students (NUS) have released their manifesto, ‘New Deal for the Next Generation’, ahead of the General Election next year. The content of the manifesto is split largely into three themes focusing upon education, work and community. Following the 2010 General Election which saw a transformation in the way UK tuition fees work, the 600 student unions which comprise the NUS are bent on ensuring their demands are met. The manifesto clearly underlines its aims to create equal opportunities for education. Welcomed by many is the first point under the education section which states ‘We want government to phase out tuition fees and restore public funding to universities’. Other featured policies in the manifesto include a commitment to producing fair funding for postgradua...

25Aug

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Foreign students should not be included in government immigration cuts

Top dogs at British universities have called for international students to be excluded from government efforts to cut immigration. A report, published by Universities UK, showed that 59% of the public thought the government should not reduce international student numbers, even if that limits the government’s ability to cut immigration overall. The organisation, whose 134 members are made up of university vice-chancellors, say the public understands the economic and educational benefits brought to Britain by those who come here to study. “There is a broad public consensus that international students are good for Britain,” said Mark Field, Conservative MP. “People welcome the income they bring to these shores; they are happy to see the skills they have gained here help British firms...

2Jul

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EU exit could be bad for British universities

EU exit could be bad for British Universities: The President of Universities UK has warned that if Britain leaves the EU, it will lose the right to influence policies affecting our higher education system. Moreover, the fees which British students pay whilst studying in the EU may be liable to increase. NUS LGBT student survey: A recent survey by the NUS into the wellbeing of LGBT students has revealed that 56% of students have considered or dropped out of uni as they felt they did not ‘fit in', and 1 in 5 have experienced harassment on campus. NUS say the survey is the first step in ‘changing the world around LGBT students for the better'. Turnitin aiding cheats? University chiefs are questioning whether plagiarism checking software Turnitin is being manipulated by students to cheat...

2Jul

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800th anniversary of Magna Carta Celebrations start early at RHUL

June 2015 marked the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, one of history's most important documents, which established the foundation of modern democracy, and that few people know was signed in Runnymeade. Celebrations started early at Royal Holloway in April, with a convention on the Magna Carta, in partnership with Amnesty International, Brunel University, the Supreme Court and the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law, to generate debate around the anniversary. Students from various local secondary schools gathered to draft a modern-day Magna Carta, as well as take part in a debate to explore the politics of the Magna Carta and how it is still relevant in modern society today. This is the first in a line of events planned by the Egham Museum in celebration...