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Brexit Party Removes Royal Holloway Video

18Jul

By Jamie WoodsNo Comments

News

Brexit Party Removes Royal Holloway Video

On Tuesday, The Brexit Party released a campaign video pledging to "scrap interest on student loans". The video was produced in collaboration with the Student Brexit Group, a Royal Holloway based student group representing pro-Brexit students. Abby King, a recent Royal Holloway graduate, quickly realised that scenes in the video had been filmed on the University campus, and was quick to respond on Twitter. https://twitter.com/abby_king96/status/1151762108234772480 The video contains several scenic shots of the university's famous Founder's Building, and several university students have expressed concern that the inclusion of these clips makes it appear that the university endorses the video and its message. The video has been viewed more than 75,000 times. Credit: The Brexit ...

Back Gate To Close Overnight, Following Resident Complaints

16Jul

By Jamie WoodsNo Comments

News

Back Gate To Close Overnight, Following Resident Complaints

In what has been described as a "difficult" decision, Royal Holloway College have today announced they are going to resume closing the back gate overnight. From the start of term in September, the gate will be closed at 12:30AM each night, and re-opened at 5AM. The back gate originally closed at 12:45 on Friday and Saturday and 11:15 throughout the remainder of the week. The back entrance to campus is located on Spring Rise by the Senate House Library depository. It had been opened overnight in January 2018 following lengthy campaigns run by students and the Students' Union, starting with a petition in 2015. Access had been provided through the use of swipe cards outside of regular hours. The announcement follows lobbying from local residents, who told the college that students ar...

20Jun

By Becca BashfordNo Comments

Features

Books That Matter

In early December, I attended the Books That Matter launch party at The Book Club in Shoreditch. I was greeted by a group of friends and helpers excitedly pointing me to a table of feminist merchandise and a raffle in aid of ‘This is Our Period’, the room buzzing with excitement about the panel which was about to start. I was then introduced to Molly Masters, the founder of Books That Matter and quite frankly – an absolute sweetheart. She told me to grab a drink and make myself comfortable in the swanky underground bar while she prepared her opening speech and questions for the panel of authors and publishers. If you haven’t heard of Books That Matter, don’t worry. They’ve only been around for four months, but their success has been astronomical. Simply put, Books That Matter is a monthl...

3Jun

By Modupe ReisNo Comments

Features

#GiveYourselfAPec: A Brand New Mental Health Campaign to deal with Academic Stress

As exams have finally come to an end, I would like to say congratulations to everyone reading this! You made it – bring on the champagne and fireworks. Now that the ‘worst’ is over, I would like to call everyone to reflect on how the exam and essay season went, even though I’m pretty certain most of you want to completely erase the horror from your minds. Ask yourself the following questions: How did I feel during this time? Did I neglect my wellbeing? Was I constantly stressed? Did my Mental Health suffer under the academic pressure? Some of those questions are easy to answer – of course I was stressed – but the others might be more difficult to realise about yourself. Mental health is a tricky topic and, in trying to find out how essays and exams have affected me personally as well...

2Jun

By Becca BashfordNo Comments

Features

Debrief: Dr. Amy Tooth-Murphy

When I met Amy in her office, something I immediately noticed was her collection of books. One caught my eye straight away: Female Masculinity by Judith/Jack Halberstam. Coincidentally, the book came up more than once in our interview - she described how she came across it for the first time while she was working at Oxfam during her undergraduate degree: “I was a stones throw away from the uni but nothing like this had ever been shown to me. It turned a light on in a way, I didn’t realise Queer studies was something that even existed.”. Amy described how her journey in academia actually began in law – and that after a short 6 months she realised that it was too constrained for her ‘fairly strong opinions’ to be heard and explored, so she ended up doing her undergrad in English Literature a...

Evacuation Confusion Reveals RHUL Emergency Unpreparedness

19Mar

By Jack ChellmanNo Comments

News

Evacuation Confusion Reveals RHUL Emergency Unpreparedness

On Wednesday afternoon, a suspicious package at the George Eliot mailroom prompted Surrey Police and College Security to evacuate nearby buildings on campus. Given the spate of bomb scares across the UK this month, one would hope for a well-coordinated response to a similar threat at Royal Holloway. Unfortunately, the university’s evacuation fell far short of “well-coordinated” and contradicted a spokesperson’s suggestion that “the College spends considerable time and resources on emergency planning.” Interviews with community members and an analysis of evacuation messaging reveal the university’s inability to quickly and clearly articulate emergency protocol. To adequately protect its community members, Royal Holloway must address its emergency unpreparedness and communicate more effectiv...

19Mar

By Alexander ClarkNo Comments

Science & Technology

Drones

London Gatwick Airport’s flight schedule grinded to a halt on the evening of 12th December 2018 after a single drone was reportedly spotted over the airfield. You have probably seen the chaos on national news: 760 flights grounded the following day due to disruption; passengers interviewed on the news claiming to have lost anywhere between £70 and £4,000 on missed-out flights and holidays; the detention of two suspects who turned out not to be guilty after all, and who were called “the morons who ruined Christmas” by The Sun; rumours that there wasn’t even a drone after all. It was all a big embarrassment that a small commercial drone could seemingly fool the public, the Police, the Army, and the entire British Government. The mystery of the Gatwick drone has exposed how integrated drones...

19Mar

By Michele TheilNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

A Glass Slipper is No Match for MTS

As a self-proclaimed Musical Theatre geek, I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of Musical Theatre Society’s (MTS) spring term production, Soho Cinders. It is described as ‘Cinderella with a Twist’, adding in elements of contemporary London and bringing in an LGBT+ relationship as well. It is an interesting show, with catchy up-beat numbers that definitely stick in your head long after it’s over. The show starts slowly, with the ensemble filing in to the room subtly – people barely notice until cast members interact with and speak to audience members, catching their attention and keeping their focus for the first number. A narrator, played by Reuben Havelock, appears to introduce us to the characters as they sing Old Compton Street. Bryony O’Hare as the sassy best friend Velcro shines fro...

Is It Time To Wave Good-Bi To Stereotypes?

15Mar

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Opinion

Is It Time To Wave Good-Bi To Stereotypes?

Bisexual. It is a word like any other. However, it is astounding that such a simple word can still inspire such curiosity, misconceptions, and disapproval from both heterosexual, and homosexual people alike. Why should Bisexuality be treated differently to any other orientation? If people wish for acceptance, should they not offer the same in return? In the year 2019 - or twenty Bi-teen according to the internet - you would think outdated discriminatory ideas would be a thing of the past. Nevertheless, despite the current visibility and acknowledgment being afforded to the LGBTQ+ community, it is odd that only the beginning of the acronym is often acknowledged. No wonder many of us Bisexuals consider ourselves invisible mythical creatures that do not exist and feel the need to have to j...

“Suspicious package” reported at George Eliot Mailroom

13Mar

By Becca BashfordNo Comments

News

“Suspicious package” reported at George Eliot Mailroom

At 1.05pm today, students at Royal Holloway were evacuated from various buildings across campus. Students were told to evacuate and move towards the other end of campus and to congregate at The Hub. Shortly after, security were given the all clear and students were allowed to return. The Orbital spoke to Surrey Police officers that were present during the incident, and they confirmed that a suspicious package was reported in the George Elliot mailroom, and hence George Elliot, Windsor Building, Emily Wilding Davison library and Founders were all evacuated. The officers noted that the students were difficult to move, and that some remained on campus and officers had to knock on doors and make them move. They ask that students comply and remain vigilant during incidents such as these...