Tuesday, June 23Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: news

Students Call For More Funding of The Royal Holloway Gym.
News

Students Call For More Funding of The Royal Holloway Gym.

By Ruby Sharkie, Associate News Editor It was one Thursday evening in early February, and I had gone to the university gym for an evening workout. As I turned the corner, I saw a collection of students huddled outside the entrance.  There were more people inside, standing just before the entrance barrier. They were queuing to use the gym! Confused, I asked a group outside what they are waiting for, not fully believing that people - students - are queueing to work out.  “Yeah, it's gonna be a while”  Students at Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) have been calling for a refurbishment of the student gym for a while now. With a growing influx of gym-goers, the building has proven too small and the equipment outdated.  With gym usage rising and stud...
Student Loan System or ‘Debt Trap’? The Recent Debate Around The Student Loan System
News

Student Loan System or ‘Debt Trap’? The Recent Debate Around The Student Loan System

By Ruby Sharkie, Associate News Editor In a recent Prime Minister's Questions, Kemi Badenoch demanded Keir Starmer cut the interest rates on student loans. She said that "The system is now at breaking point for graduates, (...) I believe student loans have become a debt trap”.  This comes as Labour MPs have urged Starmer to reform the repayment system and lower interest rates.  Reports show that the average students are estimated to graduate with over £50,000 in student loans debt, with many watching the number climb drastically via interest, as they make their monthly installments.  When and how much you pay back your student loan depends on when you attended university and what ‘plan’ you are on. There are currently four main types of payment plans for student...
SU Elections 2026: Everything You Need to Know
News

SU Elections 2026: Everything You Need to Know

By Madeline Sidgwick and Ruby Sharkie, Senior and Associate News Editors We at The Orbital Magazine deem voting in the Royal Holloway Student Union Elections an act of undeniable importance. Below is our summary of the candidates for the roles of President, VP Education, VP Wellbeing and Diversity, and VP Societies and Sports. For full transparency, The Orbital tagged all candidates that we could find on social media in a call-out Instagram story for this piece! Although this may seem like a long article, we recommend you ‘control F’ the issues that you deem most important. The information is all in one place, making it easy to find who stands for the issues you care about. Below is the list of candidates that actively responded to our call-out!  Delilah Ferry-Swainso...
Three Royal Holloway students attacked at Egham Station, 6th February 2026
News

Three Royal Holloway students attacked at Egham Station, 6th February 2026

By Madeline Sidgwick and Ruby Sharkie, Senior and Associate News Editors TW: violence, stabbing, police involvement  Royal Holloway confirmed three students were attacked at Egham train station on the 6th February, with a fourth victim having been assaulted. British Transport Police (BTP) officers were called at about 9:00pm along with Surrey police and paramedics.  The victims included: two 20-year-old men, a third man aged 22, and an 18-year-old police have reported. The three men and teenager were taken to hospital with non life-threatening or life-changing injuries.  The victims were Royal Holloway students and members of Royal Holloway Men’s Rugby.  In total, four people were arrested, with three released on bail. 21 year old George Turner was charge...
Royal Holloway’s 2026 LIMUN Delegation Head to Conference
News

Royal Holloway’s 2026 LIMUN Delegation Head to Conference

By Madeline Sidgwick, Senior News Editor This weekend, Royal Holloway’s London International Model United Nations Delegation heads to conference.  I had the pleasure of sitting down with Head Delegates Amélie Williams and Hugo Courtney to discuss the weekend ahead, as well as the benefits of LIMUN and being a Head Delegate.  I first asked the pair what the LIMUN conference actually looks like in practice… The conference is a simulation of the various United Nations committees. The weekend requires “grounded” information and resolutions “based entirely on fact”. The members of the delegation are given a variety of committees and countries to represent at the conference each year, and the weekend concludes with awards for the best performers.  “We are hoping t...
Does having a glamorous life lead to your ultimate downfall?
Lifestyle

Does having a glamorous life lead to your ultimate downfall?

By Evelyn Fernandez-Jarvis, Senior Lifestyle Editor Is there such a thing as being too lucky in life? Can a successful brand become the root cause of separation from the people we deem the closest too? I have been asking myself this question ever since the infamous Brooklyn Beckham decided to release his version of events to why he no longer wants a contactable relationship with his family. In my opinion, whilst trying to stay as neutral as possible, it made me think about the costs of fame and fortune. This one event on instagram had me and my housemates immediately glued to our phones, trying to put all the pieces together as if we were the detectives on a case of family estrangement.  The Beckhams' lives are extremely hard to visualise as something that is a reality, as i...
Budget Boost or Job Barrier? Student Employment in the Reeves Era
News

Budget Boost or Job Barrier? Student Employment in the Reeves Era

By Ruby Sharkie, Associate News Editor With Racheal Reeves announcing in Wednesday’s budget that minimum wage for 18-20 year olds will be increasing by 85p per hour, many businesses have warned that the increases could push up prices and make it harder for 18 to 20-year-olds to find work. It has been recently reported that youth unemployment is at its highest level since 2015, excluding the pandemic years. With unemployment rates in 16-24 year olds at 15.3%, Keir Starmer has been criticised and warned that Britain’s youth are in danger of becoming a “lost generation”.  And one of the groups feeling the hit of this unemployment epidemic, are the university students of today. Although already in full-time (or part-time) education, students have reported finding it ever-more di...
Breaking News: SU Board Approves the Ratification of Royal Holloway Israeli Society
News

Breaking News: SU Board Approves the Ratification of Royal Holloway Israeli Society

By Madeline Sidgwick, Senior News Editor The Students' Union (SU) Board made the decision to overturn the Societies, Sports and Opportunities Executive (SSO) board members' decision to deny the ratification of Royal Holloway Israeli Society. Members of the SSO board are elected by students throughout the year.  In a statement released at 11am today, Friends of Palestine Society stated “We demand that the SU Board revoke their decision to overturn the democratic and legitimate decision of the SSO, our elected representatives- immediately”.  Israeli Society last night via Instagram stories stated, “Following an appeal the decision not to ratify the Israel Society has been overturned, subject to a few minor conditions. Fantastic news! RHUL will soon have an official Israeli Soc...
Royal Holloway Denies Claims of Partnerships with Israeli-Military-Backing Entities
News

Royal Holloway Denies Claims of Partnerships with Israeli-Military-Backing Entities

By Isobel Carnochan, Senior Culture Editor Recently, Association of Student Activism for Palestine (AoSAfP) circulated a flyer arguing that Royal Holloway, University of London “runs over £12.3 million in cyber-security research with BAE Systems and Thales”, who both supply military equipment to Israel.  The flyer further identified Tel Aviv University as a “Key Partnership” of Royal Holloway, which it claims is “deeply engaged in defence R&D [research and development], military innovation, [and] intelligence work with the IDF”. AoSAfP also suggested that students use slogans online, such as “#CutTiesWithBAEAndThales”. A spokesperson for Royal Holloway, University of London told The Orbital: “Royal Holloway partners with a wide range of organisations to deliver high-...
Is Academia Moving on from Classics?
News

Is Academia Moving on from Classics?

By Lily Gregory, Senior Agony Aunt  In the last academic year (2024/25), many news outlets reported the declining situations of many universities' financial problems. This issue could be found in many universities across the UK, and it appeared to impact the Classics community the most. In 2024, it was reported that the University of Roehampton had shut down their Classics Department, and Cardiff University would no longer run its course called “Archaeology and Ancient History” from 2026. For Classics and other Humanities Departments, things were not looking good.  As a current Master of Arts student in Ancient History (and a Bachelor of Arts student in Classical Studies from 2021 to 2025), this was deeply worrying for me; the subject I loved seemed to be under threat. Rum...