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

Tag: University

Students Call For More Funding of The Royal Holloway Gym.
23Mar By Ruby SharkieNo Comments
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 With a growing influx of gym-goers, the building has proven too small and the equipment outdated.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...
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Student Loan System or ‘Debt Trap’? The Recent Debate Around The Student Loan System
23Mar By Ruby SharkieNo Comments
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...
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Students’ Union Leadership Election Results 2026
22Mar By Ruby SharkieNo Comments
News

Students’ Union Leadership Election Results 2026

On Thursday night, the Students' Union (SU) hosted its Leadership Election Results Night, announcing all the winners of the 2026 Leadership Election and The Orbital’s News editors (along with others) were present to report on it.  When News Editors, Ruby and Maddy arrived at the SU venue, the event space had been transformed into an exciting venue with a buzzing atmosphere of anticipation and celebration.  With the help of complimentary drinks and professional photography, the guests filed in and soon the room was filled with the chatter of contestants and their parties.  The ceremony was hosted by the current President (Olivia Davies), VP Wellbeing and Diversity (Vaishnavi Vajja) and VP Societies and Sport (David Gallardo González) - VP Education, Matthew Paterson...
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SU Elections 2026: Everything You Need to Know
10Mar By Madeline SidgwickNo Comments
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...
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Three Royal Holloway students attacked at Egham Station, 6th February 2026
4Mar By Madeline SidgwickNo Comments
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...
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Founder of Academics Against Assault Molly Hanning,“Prevention is all about education expansion”
3Mar By Madeline SidgwickNo Comments
News

Founder of Academics Against Assault Molly Hanning,“Prevention is all about education expansion”

By Madeline Sidgwick, Senior News Editor TW: Sexual assault, rape, trauma, PTSD, and violence against women. Over a Diet Coke at the Armstrong Gun, I met with Molly Hanning, the founder of Academics Against Assault (AAA) and Royal Holloway Masters Student. Our conversation covered many bases including the origin story of AAA, Molly’s personal experiences, and building the group on a national level - including a trip to Parliament. Molly is truly an inspiring woman and I extend my greatest thanks to her for such a productive and insightful conversation.  How did AAA begin? Academics Against Assault began after Molly was raped in her first year of university and found it “hard to gather any support at all.” In reflecting on her experience, she recognised a clear lack of accessib...
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Are Perceptions of Witchcraft Changing at Royal Holloway?
17Feb By Lily GregoryNo Comments
Lifestyle

Are Perceptions of Witchcraft Changing at Royal Holloway?

By Lily Gregory, Senior Agony Aunt Even from the ancient times, witchcraft existed and was considered powerful. In Ancient Greece, we have figures like Circe, Medea, and the goddess Hekate. Their stories are found in several male-dominated myths and stories, such as Homer’s Odyssey and Jason and the Argonauts by Apollonius of Rhodes. Some say that Zeus himself, king of the Greek pantheon, would not argue against Hekate. Her power, as well as the power of other witches from her time, couldn’t be denied.  But from the 15th century onwards, after the Witch Hunt that took place across Europe and Northern America, ideas towards witches and paganism turned sour. Nursery rhymes became common amon...
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FEATURE: Words of encouragement from your working-class Editor-in-Chief
11Feb By Ruby SaggersNo Comments
Lifestyle

FEATURE: Words of encouragement from your working-class Editor-in-Chief

Ruby Saggers, Editor-in-Chief Content Warning: Mentions of cancer, bereavement, and bullying Being Editor-in-Chief during our forty year celebration of The Orbital is certainly a recognised privilege. This landmark has elicited particularly heavy reflection in myself, on top of the dread I already feel in my final teaching term as an undergraduate. My biggest reflection, however, is on how doubtful my seniors had always been of me - and how I have subsequently managed to prove them wrong. I hope that this piece gives you inspiration, working-class or not, to keep pushing regardless of outside opinions and assumptions based on the life handed to you.  At birth, much of my life had already been set in stone. My father, once a hardworking scaffolder, had been diagnosed with a b...
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“Say It Again?…But a Little Slower This Time”: Navigating University Life With a Northern Accent
11Feb By Madeline SidgwickNo Comments
Lifestyle

“Say It Again?…But a Little Slower This Time”: Navigating University Life With a Northern Accent

By Madeline Sidgwick, Senior News Editor Coming from the North East of England, moving South for university was always on my bucket list. I have always had, and still do, the ability to romanticise London, posh accents and the undeniable relevancy of living in the South.  My personal experience as someone that possesses quite a strong regional accent has been interesting to say the least. I have had my accent described as everything from ‘charming’ to ‘chavy’ and on one occasion was asked to ‘slow down I actually cannot understand what you are saying’.  Before university I would have never identified myself as having a regional  accent or coming across as  stereotypically Northern in my personality– whatev...
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The Year of Reading: A Concerning Decline in Reading Rates amongst Youths
9Feb By Ruby SaggersNo Comments
Literature, News

The Year of Reading: A Concerning Decline in Reading Rates amongst Youths

Ruby Saggers, Editor-in-Chief January 1st officially marked the start of ‘The Year of Reading’, an initiative introduced by the Department of Education and the National Literacy Trust. This is a campaign supported by an array of sponsors, and delivered by a group of literacy sector charities with hopes of making reading pleasurable, accessible, and a hobby to introduce regardless of age or circumstance. The National Literacy Trust found that in just two decades there has been a 36% drop in eight to eighteen year olds reading in their spare time.  Queen Camilla issued a statement in regards to the fifth anniversary of The Queen’s Reading Room, in which she stated: “Reading truly changes how we perceive, how we think and how we connect.”  In light of this, I conducted an i...
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