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Tag: royal holloway

Family of Missing Royal Holloway Student Fear Escape to Syria
News

Family of Missing Royal Holloway Student Fear Escape to Syria

The family of a missing Royal Holloway student Zubair Nur, have alerted Scotland Yard, fearing he may be en route to Syria, after the College contacted them to report he had not attended lectures since January of this year. Nur, who started at Royal Holloway in September studying Petroleum Geology, is suspected to have flown to Turkey in an attempt to then cross the border into Syria to join ISIS extremists. In the weeks before his disappearance friends of the first year student became increasingly concerned after he began sharing posts on social media praising extremist leaders and ideology. Nur had been assistant head boy at his sixth form in Surrey, and those who knew him well say his recent behaviour was very ‘out of character’. The Daily Mail have reported that a full Interpol m...
Gender Neutral Toilets to be Trialled on Campus
News

Gender Neutral Toilets to be Trialled on Campus

Following their hugely successful LGBT+ history month in February, Royal Holloway’s LGBT+ Society have achieved another impressive goal in securing a pilot with the College which will see the creation of gender neutral toilets on campus. The College agreed last week to trial two sets of single stall toilets on campus to gender neutral toilets, these can be found on the fourth level of the Bourne Building and the ground floor of the International Building. The changes will then be reviewed in July, and providing there are no issues, all single stall toilets will then be changed to gender neutral toilets. The University has also agreed to discuss the creation of gender neutral toilets in the plans for the new library, and the new gym may also feature gender neutral changing cubicles an...
Possible Cases of Drink Spiking Reported at SU
News

Possible Cases of Drink Spiking Reported at SU

Recently, there have been reports of incidents of drink spiking at the university’s Student Union, and whilst it is believed these cases are a rare occurrence, the union has taken steps to raise awareness of the issue. Speaking to Sidonie, Vice President of Education and Welfare, we were told the SU are keen to highlight the importance of not victim blaming and have produced posters that offer an un-gendered reminder to be cautious. Sid emphasised the need to acknowledge that it is not just women that are the victims of drink spiking. Drink spiking is often associated with illegal acts such as rape and theft. However, the act of drink spiking itself is in fact a crime. It can lead to up to a maximum of ten years behind bars if an individual is found guilty. If an additional crime is comm...
News

Heating Nightmare for Kingswood Students

For more than 45 days Kingswood residents suffered from a loss of heating and hot water resulting from an unexpected breakdown in the boilers that serve the accommodation. The breakdown occured on the 24th of December, luckily the majority of students had already left for the Christmas holiday. However, the students who remained, many of whom are international, spending Christmas away from their families, described the incident as a ‘shocking’ and ‘frustrating’ thing to happen. Throughout the Christmas break, the remaining students had to put on their thick clothes to protect from the cold weather. Temperatures at night reached as low as -7 C coating Kingswood in a white frost. As the situation started getting worse, some students were offered a place to live temporarily in one of the m...
Opinion

Founder’s Legacy

Founder’s building of Royal Holloway is beautiful. Its majesty excites the fortunate onlooker. This building is of the rare breed of sights that exceeds the aesthetics of its respective Google Image results. The students that scurry around its many levels of incalculable beauty bring it to life, such as oxygen does to the lungs, you can feel Founder’s breathing its history. However, Founders is not simply a master piece of constructed human vision, but a chapter, a turning point in the history of Britain that is easily overlooked as you succumb to the charm of this building. Women have historically been valued below men, everyone knows this, from women not being classed as citizens in Ancient Athenian Democracy to the suffragette movement in the 19th century, women have struggled to achie...
News

Fire in Sushi Factory Leaves Students Floundering

Students at Royal Holloway may have been left wondering where their sushi fix had gone, towards the end of last term. The sushi supplier for Royal Holloway had, in-fact, exploded in the early hours of December 1st 2014. The major fire closed Staines town centre, after the blaze broke out in several industrial units, including that of Royal Holloway’s sushi supplier: Tanpopo Japanese Food, at Unit L4 on the estate. Homes were evacuated and about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Renshaw Industrial Estate. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said the fire, which broke out shortly after midnight, was thought to be due to propane cylinders exploding. Three industrial buildings have been almost completely destroyed. Surrey Police tweeted that the town centre was closed to traffic b...
College Expansion Plans Finally Approved
News

College Expansion Plans Finally Approved

Royal Holloway’s plans to expand the college over the next 16 years, to facilitate increased numbers of students, have finally been given the go-ahead by Runneymede Borough Council. The plans which will see the University look to build new halls of residence in Englefield Green, and create improved access points to campus, were originally submitted in January of last year. However the so-called ‘Masterplan’ faced several hurdles before its approval earlier this month. Frustrated residents of Englefield Green, and certain councillors, raised concerns over the fact the College had not adequately researched the impact on local traffic nor planned to provide enough parking spaces for the predicted rise in student numbers. The College forecast that the number of students attending Royal H...
Women’s Football – Still Walking on Water
Sports & Socs

Women’s Football – Still Walking on Water

Currently undefeated and top of their BUCS league, Women’s Football’s first team faced Portsmouth in the first round of the South Eastern Conference Cup this Bears day, and were keen to maintain their winning streak! There was no question it would be a fast paced game, with right midfielder Alicia Lyne making some impressive runs down the wing, and setting up a beautiful cross for striker Flora Green making it 1-0 to Holloway in the 22nd minute! Krissie Glover set up Portsmouth’s subsequent own goal from an on point corner and went on to assist yet another Holloway goal placed neatly in the back of the net by Michelle Iversen Badiane in the second half! With Portsmouth having lost one of their best players to injury, as well as their keeper, who casually popped her shoulder back into pl...
Sports & Socs

#BearsDay- Rowing? Paddle-happy winners!

The rowing club, over the last few months, has had a great start to the academic year, and we are all really excited to show our potential at BUCS too. We’ve had a brilliant intake of freshers, and it’s great to see the team spirit continue from last year. We are aiming to maintain the high levels of enthusiasm as well through the frosty winter mornings we all love so much! We have been taking on more opportunities to train, work out and improve our standards. In October the senior squad competed at Cambridge Autumn Head. Both the Men's 8+ IM3 and the Women's 4+ IM3 won their category, whilst the other boats competing on the day (two more women's and one more men's boat) were able to gain very respectable times providing us with a lot of confidence for the rest of the year. Lastly, we ha...
News

Royal Holloway students design app for Magna Carta Celebrations

*For print and website* Royal Holloway students from the department of Geography have helped to develop an app as part of the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta in Runnymede. The app, created for mobiles, will help to guide visitors of Runnymede around the site of the signing of the Magna Carta. Tourists will be able to choose from a range of trails around Runnymede focusing on everything from the arts to ecology. Using the app, students have been able to help highlight the significance of some of the major landmarks in the area. The app was trialled late last month and according to its creators it ‘received largely very positive feedback from those involved.’ Second year Geography student Sally Toon was one of those involved in the process and s...