Sunday, May 5Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: frontpage

Media Arts Privacy Breach for Finalists
8Jun By Michele TheilNo Comments
News

Media Arts Privacy Breach for Finalists

Today (Friday June 8), the Media Arts department sent an email out to all finalists regarding their dissertation results. There was a spreadsheet attached to the email that listed every finalist’s name, student number and dissertation classification. Every finalist who received the email was thus able to see the dissertation grades of every other student in their year. Head of Department Chris Townsend subsequently sent an email to every finalist expressing his apologies for the “clerical error” that resulted in this document being sent off to everyone. Professor Townsend himself stated that this was an “unacceptable breach of privacy and data”, as it gave everyone unprecedented access to information that they wouldn't otherwise have been able to see.  Townsend also said that he has “in...
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There’s nothing tame about this!
2Jun By Josip MartincicNo Comments
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

There’s nothing tame about this!

Shakespeare Society’s always highly anticipated Summer Term production was a true triumph this year. The remarkable thing about this particular show is that it is entirely done by 1st years. This fact fills me with hope for the society’s future, as the already stellar work and passion by everyone in the whole cast and crew can only grow from this point onwards. The performance was held in the Boilerhouse Lecture Theatre, a vast space which is challenging to perform in due to lots of seating - which I was pleased to see very pleasantly filled. Stage manager Emma Currie set the space with a golden fringed backdrop and a small carpet of an art-deco design. The soundtrack of the roaring 20s was playing as the audience took their seats and during scene changes, which, alongside the costu...
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“A Delightful Evening of Delights”
20May By Michele TheilNo Comments
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

“A Delightful Evening of Delights”

This weekend sees Musical Theatre Society’s (MTS) final performance of this academic year, a fun show that stretches each member’s creativity and shows us the vast expanse of Musical Theatre. There are 23 numbers, of varying types, from a wide variety of musicals and it was, as Musical Director and Compere Flynn Sturgeon states, "a delightful evening of delights". The entire show was a spectacle, with loud and enthusiastic accompaniment from the band seated at the front of the SU Main Hall and bright flashing lights all around us. Act 1 begins with a rendition of Joyful Joyful from Sister Act 2, with people coming from every corner and interacting with the audience and amping them up for the rest of the show. Connor Wood and Robbie Carprari-Sharpe, both incoming committee members for MT...
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The Irish Abortion Referendum
10May By Lydia PaynterNo Comments
Opinion

The Irish Abortion Referendum

Motherhood, and specfically the ability to carry and give birth to a baby, is simultaneously revered as the epitome of the greatest of all human powers, the ability to create new life, and ridiculed and undervalued as ‘women’s work’. The power to choose not to give birth, and instead end a pregnancy, seems to incite equally rigorous complaint and controversy, which is soon set to be voiced very publicly as the Republic of Ireland prepares to go to the polls on 25th May for an vote that could lift the country’s ban on abortion. In Ireland, an abortion is not merely illegal; its prohibition is enshrined in the constitution as the Eighth Amendment, which recognises the equal right to life of both a woman and an unborn foetus. The change to the constitution, which came into force...
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Ruby Wines and Village Pizza Face Eviction
18Apr By Michele TheilNo Comments
News

Ruby Wines and Village Pizza Face Eviction

Ruby Wines and Village Pizza are reportedly being threatened with eviction from their rented properties on Victoria Street in Englefield Green. The owners of both establishments told customers about the situation through notices posted in each storefront’s window. Each notice claimed that the landlord was threatening eviction upon the end of each proprietor’s lease in order to open up the spaces for a dental practice instead. This was confirmed by the owner of Ruby Wines, Vikas Sohal, better known as Nick, who stated that he and the owner of Village Pizza were given a written notice of this by their landlord earlier this month. A planning application for this “dental surgery” has been submitted to Runnymede Borough Council (RBC) by the landlord. The application also includes plans ...
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Principal Layzell Concedes to #RHOccupy’s Demands
20Mar By Michele TheilNo Comments
News

Principal Layzell Concedes to #RHOccupy’s Demands

Students known as #RHOccupy have now vacated the Principal’s Corridor after 5 days in position there. They made the decision to leave at 12pm today, March 20, after Chief Operating Officer (COO) David Ashton approached them with a copy of Principal Paul Layzell’s staff newsletter as well his official letter to to Alastair Jarvis, Chief Executive of Universities UK (UUK), and Sally Hunt, chair of the University and College Union. The letter to UUK and UCU called for a return to a Defined Benefit Scheme as well as supporting an indepedent evaluation of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). These were two of #RHOccupy’s demands, along with an apology for the way staff were treated in regards to strikes and, in particular, pay deductions with action short of a strike (ASOS). All thr...
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Students Occupy Principal’s Corridor
19Mar By Michele TheilNo Comments
News

Students Occupy Principal’s Corridor

Students occupied the Principal’s Corridor, a section of Founder’s Building, on Friday March 16 just after 12pm. They have taken up position in the corridor, just outside Principal Paul Layzell’s office and are planning to occupy until their demands are met. Their demands include: A full statement to be delivered by Paul Layzell in support of the UCU strike aims which include a defined benefit scheme and an indepedent evaluation of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). Paul Layzell to come out and support members of staff and students and apologise for the hard-line approach taken so far. Paul Layzell to publically back any future developments that may arise in relation to preserving the current scheme. Paul Layzell to read and take into account the letter written ...
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Strike Action: Week Three
12Mar By Jamie WoodsNo Comments
News

Strike Action: Week Three

This article is only available on our website. If you haven't been automatically directed there, you can read it here.
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College Accused of Planting Questions for Principal’s Staff Open Meeting to “Drown Out Questions From UCU Members”
9Mar By Abbie CheesemanNo Comments
News

College Accused of Planting Questions for Principal’s Staff Open Meeting to “Drown Out Questions From UCU Members”

In an email sent to Royal Holloway line managers on Wednesday 7 March, which Orbital Magazine has seen, the College Communications team have asked for line managers to select "two trusted people" to ask a question at the Principal's next Staff Open Meeting on 12 March. The email stated: Dear [Line Manager], The next staff open meeting is on Monday afternoon at 4pm and earlier this week we changed the topic to address the pensions and the wider higher education landscape. We know we are going to receive a lot of questions from UCU representatives which Paul and the senior team will answer. As well as addressing questions about pensions we’d also like to make sure that other areas that staff have questions on are addressed. To do this we’d like to have some people in the audience prime...
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