frontpage – Page 16 of 20

9Oct

By Amal AbdiNo Comments

Sports & Socs

What is the Harry Potter Society?

How would you describe your society to anyone wanting to join? We are a friendly society, who promote a warm and supportive atmosphere. We just chill, hang out and are connected through our mutual appreciation for Potter. What are your highlights from last year? The main highlight from last year was several of our members appearing on Children in Need, due to our fundraising for Lumos. The studio tour trip was also incredible- we broke the SU page and tickets sold out in 12 minutes. What level of fan do you need to be to join Harry Potter society – do you think casual fans would enjoy the society just as much as hardcore Potterheads? 100%! One of our aims for this year is to make the society as inclusive as possible. All of our content is related to Harry Potter, but the...

9Oct

By Michele TheilNo Comments

Science & Technology

The Hunt for the Unseen

Throughout it’s history, the human race has delved far into the mysteries of the Universe: why are we here? Where did the Universe come from? What is the Universe made of? These questions have sparked interest and exploration for millennia, and we have come a very long way in that time. It has been approximately 2500 years since the Ancient Greeks started to formulate their ideas about the Universe we live in. Since then the human race has become to probe the true nature of the Universe itself to answer these questions, and it is the final question that has the whole physics community stumped: what is the Universe made from? An experiment named WMAP measured the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Radiation of the Universe, which is made from photons that have been travelling since the be...

8Oct

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Sports & Socs

The Fencing Club

As a society, you were shortlisted for BUCS Club of the Year last year. Is it safe to say it has been a successful year? Definitely, our place on the shortlist was the icing on the cake of a brilliant year. Before winning club of the year and the Sophie Christiansen award at colours ball we ran a multitude of events outside of fencing and even took a group to Paris for the X-Systra fencing challenge. Members of our committee have also become increasingly involved with the sport beyond the university scene. Our fantastic Women’s team also celebrated a perfect season, conceding no matches and taking home the cup! You clearly have some talented members, but can people with less experience join? Of course! We are working on a new beginner’s course for the new year to make the club eve...

Interview: Labour Society President, Maliha Reza

8Oct

By Becca BashfordNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Interview: Labour Society President, Maliha Reza

To start, could you sum up the aims that are at the heart of your society? As a political society, our main aim is to unite socialist voices across Royal Holloway to inspire positive change, both on campus and beyond. It’s important for there to be student representatives of the Labour Party on campus as it is students who can go on to inspire many policies and changes. Is there anything your society is planning for the coming year that you are particularly excited about? On campus, we are planning to run guest speaker events featuring MPs to Political Journalists, these are always exciting and insightful. For off-campus trips, we are planning to attend events at the Houses of Parliament and panelled discussions held there- it’s a good way to feel more involved with the party and a g...

4Oct

By Ruby HarrisonNo Comments

Lifestyle

Autumnal Activities

Feeling in the Halloween spirit? Take a trip down to Crockford Bridge pick your own (PYO) farm and visit their famous annual pumpkin patch. Just a 20 minute drive from egham or 30 mins on the train. You and your friends can pick your own unique pumpkins and carve them together in time for Halloween. The rustic landscapes you will travel through on the train and by car are also beautiful as the leaves change and gain their autumnal colours. The Windsor Festival: Living in Egham means you are just a short distance from the town of Windsor. Not only is this an opportunity to see Windsor Castle (which is apparently the Queen’s favourite of her homes!) but a chance to go to the Windsor festival. There are some amazing and fun activities for you to get into the autumnal spirit! Ev...

Fire Broke Out During Student’s Union Club Night

27Sep

By Michele TheilNo Comments

News

Fire Broke Out During Student’s Union Club Night

A fire broke out in the Student’s Union (SU) on Wednesday 26 September during the popular club night, Flawless. The fire started in Tommy’s Kitchen, where a speaker caught fire. There is not yet a known cause to the fire but an anonymous source within the SU staff speculated that it was from spilled drinks. Reports suggest that the fire started just before midnight, with staff responding quickly to the incident and evacuating the students. When a fire alarm goes off in the SU, students are to be taken outside and gather in the courtyard until they can safely leave. The fire brigade was called and arrived in order to help union staff contain the fire and manage the students. At 1AM, the fire brigade gave the SU permission to allow people back into the venue as the fire had been dealt wi...

20Sep

By Natasha LamNo Comments

Opinion

Journalism: Maybe, Maybe Not.

Journalism is an amazing industry. Difficult, sure, but absolutely amazing. Of course, I’m biased in that view considering I am looking to go into this industry and, on good days, may even refer to myself as an actual journalist rather than a journalist-to-be. My life is filled with FOI requests, countless emails to interview subjects and half-finished articles in various Word Documents and I love it. I am always trying to get my friends interested in journalism and if you’ve spoken to me for longer than five minutes, it’s likely I’ll have tried to recruit you for this very magazine. People getting involved in journalism, and especially student journalism, is extremely important as we are facing accusations of ‘Fake News’, budget cuts and, more often than not, a stressful environment to wo...

Continued Suspension of Royal Holloway UCU Equality Officer, Jeff Franks

18Sep

By Natasha LamNo Comments

News

Continued Suspension of Royal Holloway UCU Equality Officer, Jeff Franks

Jeff Franks, a Professor in the Economics Department here at RHUL, has been suspended since April 11 2018 and continues to be restricted from contacting students or coming onto campus. He has been suspended on the grounds of leaking confidential and sensitive information, violating the recently implemented GDPR and privacy practices, as well as violating the College Grievance Policy. According to a document Orbital Magazine has access to, the college’s suspension of Franks “is deemed appropriate because… continued presence at work may inhibit the investigation in connection with the allegations” against him. Franks is the Equality Officer for the Royal Holloway branch of the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) and was supportive of the pensions strikes that occurred earlier this year....

10Aug

By Samantha DavisNo Comments

Opinion

Artificial Rights

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a term that can cause excitement in some, and strike fear into the hearts of others. However, with the current developments in the technology industry, and the future we’re clearly heading towards, we cannot deny that AI is a rapidly growing phenomenon. This has been made especially clear after the emergence and popularity of Sophia. Described as a ‘social humanoid robot’, Sophia was developed by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics and was activated on April 19 2015. Able to display 62 facial expressions, convey human feelings, and have a sense of humour, Sophia’s design is also said to have been modelled after Audrey Hepburn. Sophia quickly became mainstream news when in October 2017 she was granted official Saudi Arabian citizenship, making her the first eve...

9Aug

By Lydia PaynterNo Comments

Lifestyle

‘Nice Guys Finish Last’

Nice guys finish last’ has to be one of my least favourite phrases in the English language, pipped to the post perhaps only by ‘the friend zone’. Yet time and time again, in conversations, online and in films and TV, the idea that women ignore the ‘nice guys’ in favour of a bad boy is pervasive in our culture. To the guys who are respectful and kind to women, the ones who will go to Women’s Marches, lift up their female colleagues at work, and call themselves feminists I will say this: it’s great that you’re a feminist, it’s great that you respect women, but that still doesn’t mean that woman you catch eyes with over the morning papers on the underground simply must date you. Being a ‘nice guy’ is a reward in itself, it makes you a better person, and society better as a whole. But th...