Undoubtedly, last Wednesday’s Senate resulted in a landmark decision for students but perhaps of equal importance is what this could signify for the Students’ Union too. In time, the feedback policy may be seen as a watershed moment for UMSU; a beacon-like indicator that it can and will perform for students. And in the run up to the elections, it should be a clarion call to potential candidates and voters alike, as last Wednesday offered up incontrovertible evidence that with the right priorities the Students’ Union can make a real, tangible difference to students’ lives. Or at least to their degrees.

UMSU has quite the legacy when it comes to student politics, staunchly left-leaning (although the shades of red have varied) it boasts some of the best examples of ’70s ‘stoo-dent’ stunt pulling – the 1975 University Challenge on-air protest perhaps being the best anecdote— and nurtured a generation of New Labour politicians in the ’80s and ’90s.

But what of the noughties? Well we had two occupations, for a start. One of the Arthur Lewis building in 2008 as a protest against the commoditisation of higher education (amongst other things) and another of the John Owens building in 2009 as a reaction to Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. Two very different issues, same tactics, with the most discernable outcome of both being a whole lot of disenfranchised students.

Politics, including student politics, has moved on since the ’70s and with feedback reform squarely on the table, what’s been proven is that students’ unions need a new breed of politician. Principled, yes, but also savvy enough to play the game when needed, speaking in tones that the university cannot ignore. Megaphone-heads and party ideologues need not apply.

The feedback proposal was the product of hours of surveys, focus groups and questionnaires and without facilitation from the Students’ Union— both Executive and Council— it could have taken the University even longer to get it off the ground. How fortunate that this year’s representatives weren’t too entrenched in ideological feuds (or too fond of fashioning the front steps of the Union building into their own personal soap-box) to sit down around the table and get something down on paper.

Students are often sold down the river by their politicians, what last week’s decision has shown is that they needn’t be by those at UMSU.

The last few editions of the paper have had attack after attack on women. It’s about time to make a stand against this recent misogynistic wave, and to defend the women’s rights movement.

Hosam Abdel’s letter about the ‘feminist agenda’ of the paper, and the women in the office, ended up not being an attack on journalism but an attack on women for being women. So yes, ‘P.Terphile’, it was misogynistic. A woman standing up to this attack, and defending others from it, is then personally attacked in a similar vein with reference to ‘vagina shaving’ and ‘lesbian bicycle co-operatives’ (neither of which were ever featured in the paper). Yes, this is misogyny: hatred or contempt of women.

Given that the mass media is overwhelmingly patriarchal, a ‘feminist agenda’ in the paper is at the very least a re-balancing of the media world, and possibly a useful step towards women’s liberation. Challenging objectification in the media, raising awareness about rape myths, challenging dangerous parliamentary bills, engaging in open debate about beauty pageants, Men’s Societies and promoting women’s choices in their lives are usually severely sidelined in the media. Women and non-women alike should be celebrating the fact that the women’s liberation campaign is active and – for the most part – well respected. Women’s equality and liberation is for the benefit of all, or do we not all want to live in a society where, as a good friend puts it, mutual love and respect for all as the basis?

A reply also has to follow from the letter about domestic violence. Domestic violence against men should certainly not be dismissed as non-existent, but the letter printed was severely factually inaccurate. The emphasis on targeting perpetrators rather than victims is laudable in prevention – it is the perpetrators who have the power to end domestic violence rather than the victims, however I dismiss the idea that women are deemed more important victims than men.

Now for the facts. Firstly, John Dias mentions a ‘peer reviewed’ report without making any reference to the report itself, please do share. The last 35 years may have revealed some interesting ideas, but the last 5 years have revealed reliable statistics and some shocking results and attitudes.

The oft-quoted figure of 1 in 6 men experience domestic violence does not take into account sexual assault, which is overwhelmingly man on woman, nor whether violent acts were repeated.

The Home Office Research Study (276) into Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking: Findings from the British Crime Survey by Sylvia Walby and Jonathan Allen gives the most up to date picture of domestic violence.

Repeat attacks is an area which often shows the differences between how men and women experience domestic violence, and suggests that behind the statistics there is a systemic abuse of power and control within relationships.

In this report, of women, 43 per cent had experienced one act of domestic violence from a partner or former partner person, while a further 25 per cent suffered one or two further incidents. Of men, 69 per cent said that the event was never repeated by that partner, while for 21 per cent it was repeated once or twice more. Among women, 32 per cent of those who had experienced domestic violence did so ‘many times’ (that is, four or more times), as compared with 11 per cent of the (smaller number) of men who had done so.
Women constituted 89 per cent of all those who suffered four or more incidents.

On average 2 women a week are killed by a male partner or former partner: this constitutes around one-third of all female homicide victims. (Povey, (ed.), 2004, 2005; Home Office, 1999; Department of Health, 2005.)

Domestic violence is generally not just physical; it has to be seen within a framework of power and control, repeated habits formed within a relationship. Initial results from a survey into violence against women by NUS is already showing that women students are in no way exempt of these trends, so yes this is an issue we should engage in on campus, but we should engage in the facts and not whichever lies suit our agenda.

The younger a person is, the more likely they are to be subject to inter-personal violence. In all cases those under 25 are the most likely to suffer inter-personal violence.  (Walby and Allen, 2004) Just another statistic to show that on campus we really do need to be engaging in these issues.

Hazel Kent, UMSU Women’s Officer

Photo: Hannah Reiss

Groups of students traipsing through Fallowfield in the afternoon drizzle, knocking on doors, disappearing inside a house for a few minutes only to repeat the whole process a bit down the road – this can only mean one thing: It’s house hunting season.

Last Monday, Manchester Student Homes (MSH) published their annual housing list, and frantic freshers have already started a desperate scramble to find a place for next year, along with wary second years, jaded from bad experience. Now, there is one thing that is absolutely crucial to know about the student housing market in Manchester, and probably the worst kept secret around: there are far more student houses than students. There is no reason to panic in February, or indeed May. New houses are added to the agency lists throughout the year, and many remain empty after summer, and not just because they are bad (though those exist, too).

Terrifying as looking for a house for the first time can seem there is no reason to be scared as long as you know what you are doing. There are several letting agents operating in Manchester, including MSH, which is the only agency accredited by the University, and Homes4U. When looking for houses, actually do look at several houses, the abundance of them means you won’t be out of a home if you are a bit slow, so don’t rent the first house in sight in a panic.

Don’t expect to find the perfect house at the first try either; there are some squalid abodes out there featuring everything from mould to unwanted housemates of the rodent kind. “When I walked into the house,” said one student, “there was this funny smell, a mix of damp and cigarette smoke. When we got to the upstairs bedrooms I saw the mould on the ceilings, my future housemates didn’t even notice it. We looked at a few houses in the same area – owned by different landlords – but most appeared to have the same problems, especially with mice because the bins were in between the houses and a complete mess.”

Sometimes it can be worth branching out into areas off the beaten track, though UMSU Welfare Officer Vicky Thompson, who deals with housing complaints as part of her role, cautions that location can be a problem. “Some people don’t think about transport when they look for a house, then try to make it in for a 9am from East Didsbury and there are no buses and it takes them an hour, then that’s just not going to happen, no matter how nice it sounds to say you live there.”

Likewise, dangerous areas might not be worth the pound a week you save if it means you are scared to go out alone in the dark, which in winter can be as early as 4pm.

Speaking to current tenants instead of just the landlord or agency can be particularly helpful, as they will be able to answer questions on the area, how high the bills usually are and if there have been any problems with the landlord or the house itself. While many will move out because they are graduating, some might have altogether different reasons.

Some contracts, especially of houses found individually rather than through an agency can be questionable and should be read with great care. Some include clauses that forbid house parties, or just small things like putting up posters on walls. However, contracts are negotiable and landlords may be willing to make some amendments before signing.

Photo: Hannah Reiss

Of course, problems can arise during the tenancy itself, from things breaking to mould spreading. “A lot of stuff breaks and isn’t replaced,” commented Thompson, on what problems most students approach her with. “Broken showers, flooded basements, broken heating, that was a big problem in winter.” This is exacerbated when the landlord is unavailable. “They’re not answering their phone and you don’t have an address for them, so you just don’t know how to get in touch.”

Students renting through MSH can go through the agency to report any problems, who will then in turn contact the landlord. “Some landlords go completely rogue and try to evict tenants by force, or verbally abuse tenants,” added Thompson. MSH also offers advice on issues to students not renting from them, including looking through contracts to ensure students’ safety.

Other problems, like rubbish piles or rat infestations, which are considered an environmental health problem, can be tackled through the Council for free.

UMSU also offers help with renting problems. “Come into the Advice Centre and talk to Kevin or Rebekah directly,” said Thompson. The Advice Centre can help with legal rights, writing letters and advise on how to start proceedings to take landlords to small claims court. Knowing your rights can of course be crucial in solving problems.

“My landlord kept coming over to our house,” said 20-year-old Sarah. “He’d keep fixing tiny things that weren’t really a problem but take forever to do it, and have tea breaks all the time. It got so far that we couldn’t even be alone in the house and just didn’t have any privacy.”

However, problems aren’t just caused by dodgy landlords or houses. “One of the biggest mistakes people make is in choosing the people they live with,” said Thompson. “Choose carefully, as you’ll have to live with them often four times as long as you have known them.”

Getting along with someone in halls is no guarantee that you will get along with them when you move into a house together, and especially important if houses are rented under joint tenancy, which means everybody is equally liable for damage to the property.

If for whatever reason you end up without housemates to move in with, MSH run a forum in which people can advertise and look for housemates or rooms. “I meant to move in with some mates after first year,” said Nursing student Mike, 22. “One left uni though, and then the other wanted to move in with his girlfriend, and everybody else had a place already, so I guess I started to panic a bit. I thought it would be a nice change to live in city centre, so I went to a private hall, which looked good enough, and signed a contract.

“When I got there after the summer it was a complete mess, mould in the shower, they put me in a different room than the one I signed the contract for and when I complained about silver fish the manager just came up to my room with me, stomped down on one and told me that’s what I should do.”

“If the warning bells are ringing, don’t sign,” warned Thompson. “You can find somewhere to live in September, and you can find people to live with in September.”

It was Biondi that orchestrated the first mass excavations of the forum Romanum in Rome and it was he that found the rubble and ruins of a once great civilisation and imagined to what it was like in its prime. (Incidentally, Biondi found Rome in such a state that he often despaired, like the time he found cows grazing on the Capitoline hill, the former seat of republican government in amongst the fallen columns and weathered statues.) Walking home from university today, I think I can understand in microcosm what it must have felt like to look into the once-glorious past from a perspective of utter, unceasing ruin.

As even the least observant amongst the general public will inform you, the last few weeks have been sodding cold. Accompanying this cold was more than a little bit of snow which made for a pleasant change for a lot of people until it started to interfere with their lives. I was struck by just how quickly snowmen could appear seemingly from out of the ground and come to dominate the landscape as the only things of any definable stature, as everything else was covered in snow. The great snow car of Manchester appeared outside our house and numerous half-used snowballs could be found littering the place. Alas, nothing lasts forever, and the snow was destined to melt. However, I didn’t expect it to be so drawn out and distressing to watch.

First, trees and buildings start to shed themselves of their shiny white coatings and soon reveal the gritty, grimy colours underneath. Then paths begin to form amongst the snow on the floor allowing people easier access – this one I can permit. Then the snowmen begin to melt, with each component slowly dropping off to lie, ruined, on the floor. Before long most of the snowmen are either in pieces on the floor like the columns on the forum or else are holding onto the wall on which they rest for dear life as their body slips away from under them. Even the once-illustrious snow car is now nothing more than a vaguely car-shaped blob of snow. Snow gave way to barbarous ice before a second snowfall promised to return us to the glorified days of enveloped neigery but, alas, it wasn’t enough. It dusted the ground and gave the appearance of progress but, in actuality, it just concealed the barbarian glacial covering for a short while. It was not long before that snow, too, gave way to the ice underneath and the slippery, shiny pavement hints at what once was, much like the present paving on the Acropolis in Athens.

As I write this the rain has now come, washing even the ice away in a drizzly deluge and revealing the civilisation of man once more from underneath its frosty coating. The kingdom of the snowmen has come and gone and is replaced by the far less ephemeral land of mankind and we can but remember the once great hold the kingdom of the snowmen held over our lives.

In light of recent events it would appear that satire has the capacity to expose our nation’s enthusiasm for a good, indignant sense of humour failure, and encourage us to consider wider issues.

I am of course thinking of that bastion of forthright, slightly pompous declarations, Martin Amis. In particular his recently expressed views on the elderly and assisted suicide. Agree with him or not, he has struck a potent iron at its absolute hottest. Scotland’s proposals for legalisation of the practice, more Brits heading to Dignitas in Switzerland, more ‘mercy killings’ being conducted by anxious, pressurised carers; it’s all pushing the assisted suicide debate further into the public eye and screaming out to the powers-that-be that the manner in which death and dying is dealt with in this country seriously needs to be addressed. Beloved author (and Alzheimer’s sufferer) Terry Pratchett has even gone so far as to say he would be a test case for assisted suicide ‘tribunals’ which would give people legal permission to end their lives.

Amis’s now infamous “euthanasia booths on street corners” quote may have been taken ridiculously out of proportion by many (apparently poised at the start line of righteous outraged objection, they sprung forward in determination to be riled up by a dystopian idea Amis wasn’t seriously proposing, d’oh…) but the accompanying sincere beliefs do raise sincere questions. When we hear of people who are terminally ill, utterly incapacitated, in intolerable pain and wanting to end their lives peacefully, I think most of us would empathise. Add to this the fact that without the legal option, thousands resort to violent, often botched, suicide attempts of their own – or persuade others to assist them in this – and many would agree that in severe cases legal assisted suicide should be available from medical practitioners. For the most part I would join them, but in the same way I disagree with the notion of extending abortion rights I worry about the manner in which it could develop; both need to be options, but it is vital that we don’t lose sight of what a big deal they are.

The assertion that we should be allowed to choose how we die sits comfortably with Amis and pretty much all pro-assisted suicide critics. When discussing mentally-sound patients, that is. A key part of Dying with Dignity’s conditions for permissible assisted suicide is the need for the person in question to be “mentally competent.” But this self-empowering element becomes decidedly more complicated when the person is mentally disabled and/or physically unable to express such a choice. It is an awkward, grey area that Amis and a lot of others commenting on the subject seem to have conveniently sailed past. Are we to assume that someone in such a position has less of a right to a peaceful death? They can still experience pain and shouldn’t this be taken into account?

It all invokes the potential for suggested regulations surrounding assisted suicide to be tweaked indefinitely, and the ProLife Alliance fear this would gradually result in the slide from voluntary to involuntary. The “unspoken standards” drawn over at what stage life can be deemed “unliveable” in the Netherlands – and Els Borst’s subsequent admission that these standards were wrong – have highlighted such potential. But coupled with this is the suggestion that most GPs would, understandably, have great difficulty with the responsibility of essentially killing someone, however bleak their prognosis.

It has to be certified that any hope for living comfortably until natural death is realised wherever possible. The emphasis, therefore, surely has to be on providing quality palliative care first and foremost. There are currently problems with this system; big problems, that probably accentuate assisted suicide as a preferable option by contrast. The most crucial of these being that far too many people simply aren’t getting it – as Dr Mark Porter observed in The Times, palliative care teams only get to meet a minority of people who are ill and dying, and the majority of those are cancer patients. This leaves sufferers of heart and lung disease, Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases in a position of secondary importance.

So, where do hospices stand in all this? They are widely regarded as the ideal option for dying people, but they need to be matched by all places of palliative care. Currently there aren’t enough hospices to cope with demand, and because of this a huge number of patients rely on palliative care units in hospitals and other centres, and judging by testimonials the standard across the country is highly inconsistent. As Porter points out “you don’t see many palliative care doctors walking the corridors of local nursing homes full of people with advanced dementia.” Before we push ahead with any assisted suicide legislation, surely the focus should be on ensuring that everyone can reliably expect high quality care, treatment and support in their last months, weeks and days.

For some patients, however, no amount of palliative care can address their anxieties regarding their loss of autonomy, dignity and control. If assisted suicide is legalised it needs to be very thoroughly regulated and not come to be regarded as a malleable system. But if people could feel that they were guaranteed a dignified, comfortable final period in their lives, the numbers looking elsewhere would lessen significantly.

Indeed, the African Cup of Nations – despite the best efforts of Angolan paramilitaries and the startlingly insensitive CAF - barely ranked as a sideshow for most players and managers. Fans, too, find themselves subjected to a pulse-racing barrage of transfer speculation, most of it involving Marouane Chamakh, as agents drop none-too-subtle hints about ‘World Cup years’ and ‘boyhood dreams’.

DESPAIR...Keane makes a (predictable) second successive January transfer deadline day move

Although very few of these mooted moves ever materialise, supporters’ imaginations are nevertheless fired by the memories of great January signings such as Andrey Arshavin and John Hartson, and we begin to dream sweet dreams of preposterous relegation escapes and inspired giant-killing cup runs.

This all tends to go pear-shaped if and when January signings finally take to the field, usually after a mysterious and surprisingly lengthy time span known only as ‘getting match fit’. The new signing will then usually take it upon themselves to conform to one of a number of prominent January stereotypes. Firstly, there is the ‘good on Match of the Day’ signing, who will score a towering header from a set piece on debut then precede to neglect their defensive duties for the next two games, after which his exasperated manager will drop him in favour of a much-maligned clogger in the Bramble mould. Only slightly more rare is the fresh-faced ‘South American wonderkid’ who will invariably emerge on the first day of spring to score a stunning goal in front of the home fans before getting injured and demanding a move to Milan, ending up at CFR Cluj. Overrated European hitmen with grey hair, excessive wage demands and dodgy knees complete this risible trio as desperate bosses search in vain to find their very own Dugarry or Kitson.

Perhaps the only way in which fans could avenge such disappointments is to demand that the whole transfer window be broadcast live by Sky Sports. Imagine utilising the 3D, Hi-definition technology to watch the beads of sweat forming on Paulo Di Canio’s face as he tells Steve Clarke “Van Nistelrooy doesn’t fancy it, Ilan it is!” or seeing Robbie Keane die a little behind the eyes after he hears he’s behind Eidur Gudjohnsen, 41, in the Spurs pecking order. Either way, it will still surely be a better watch than Benni McCarthy’s West Ham odyssey.

A guest speaker accused of supporting Hamas and the destruction of Israel will feature at an event held at the University of Manchester this week. The Federation of Student Islamic Societies will host Dr. Azzam Tamimi, at the FOSIS Palestine Conference 2010.

Dr. Tamimi is the director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought and a regular contributor to Al-Jazeera and the Guardian. Accusations of anti-Semitism have led to concerns from the Jewish community.

In an interview with BBC News 24 HARDtalk, Tamimi described sacrificing his life for Palestinian justice as “a noble cause. It is the straight way to pleasing my God and I would do it if I had the opportunity.”

The Daily Mail reacted to this quote, reporting, “A British-based Muslim radical appeared to back suicide bombing yesterday when he claimed that dying for your beliefs was ‘just’.” Dr Tamimi responded in the Guardian, stating that, “martyrdom is dying for justice and peace…not blowing oneself up killing innocent people.”

Alex Goodman, of the Manchester Jewish Society (MJS), said: “MJS is concerned about the welfare of all students on campus and seek safety for all and freedom from extremism and hate speech. We sincerely hope that this event will not be a forum for hate.”

“If anything racist or hate inciting was said, we would intervene.” said Tom Fairhurst, Communications Officer at the UMSU. “It is clearly illegal, and against our policy and we would not hesitate to intervene. But before anything is said we have to respect our values of free speech.”

Fairhurst added: “If students are concerned, we will put more security in place.”

Also speaking at the conference will be Ismail Patel, a graduate from the University of Manchester and founder of the NGO, Friends of Al-Aqsa. The organisation is concerned with human rights in Palestine. Yet, he has been accused of supporting terrorism by defending Hamas. In a demonstration on January 10, 2009, Patel said: “Hamas is no terrorist organisation. The reason they hate Hamas is because they refuse to be subjugated, occupied by the Israeli state, and we salute Hamas for standing up to Israel.”

The event takes place on February 13 at University Place and is hosted by the USMU Islamic Society.

A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The University is fundamentally committed to ensuring freedom of speech within the law.

“This particular event has been organised by a recognised Students’ Union society and hosted by the Students’ Union, rather than the University itself. As necessary, the University seeks assurances from the student society and the Students’ Union that the event will be conducted in an orderly fashion and that all the speakers will respect the laws of the land.”

Students at Whitworth Park halls of residence had to suffer the noise of drills and diggers over the two-week exam period this January, despite an email from the university requesting that residents keep quiet.

Workmen sometimes began as early as 7am. Geography student Alex Woods said: “It seems absurd to have building work at this time after we get an email asking us to be quiet. I was woken up at seven by constant drilling after going to bed late revising for an exam the next morning. I could’ve done with the extra hour of sleep and don’t enjoy being woken up by a drill.”

The only respite from the disturbance, located in the central courtyard and meeting spaces, has been weekends. “It’s so noisy,” explained Gergana Draganova, a Languages student. “Why are they doing the work now, and so early in the morning? It’s very disruptive.”

A University spokesperson said: “The noise experienced by students is in connection with the replacement of lighting columns. This work could not be held back due to the potential unsafe condition of the existing columns. The original schedule was delayed due to the severe cold weather, which prevented the pouring of concrete. Contractors were on-site early in the morning in order to maximise daylight hours during the winter period. The work is due to be completed by February 12.”

But noise isn’t the only problem facing the halls of residence. Rubbish from the 1,200 inhabitants piled up outside wheelie bins that looked like they hadn’t been emptied over Christmas; many students resorted to throwing their bin bags on growing mounds, amidst fears about attracting pests.

Jason Fu, a second year Economics student, also had trouble with his room: ‘I reported that my light had broken a week ago and they haven’t fixed it yet. It gets dark pretty early now so I’m using candles.”

Last week the Whitworth Park laundry was closed due to flooding.

Student Direct: Mancunion is now free to publish material on candidates standing in Union elections, thanks to a Union council vote last week.

The council voted to amend long-standing election regulations that prevent the newspaper from referring to candidates by name or printing articles written by an election candidate.

“This decision has been a long time in the making,” said Jennie Agg, Editor of the newspaper. “While it doesn’t give Student Direct: Mancunion full rights to publish about the elections, it will at least enable us to tell students the bare facts about what’s going on.”

UMSU Communications Officer Tom Fairhurst, who tabled the motion, said, “Students will be able to turn to their newspaper to know about the student elections. This change will increase participation, increase knowledge of the candidates and can only encourage democracy.”

The Union council voted in favour of the motion titled ‘Election Regulations and Fair Reporting’, which was seconded by Agg. The motion was previously tabled on December 1 2009,  but was narrowly defeated.

Voting rules on overturning the Union constitution required that at least 20 of the 29 council members voted in favour of amendment. After the longest debate of the evening, 22 council members voted for, while five voted against the motion and two chose to abstain.

The new rules will allow candidates to write for and be referred to in the paper everywhere except for the opinion and politics sections. There is also a caveat that precludes ‘editorialised’ coverage of candidates.

Hisham Omara, studying for a PhD in Electrical Engineering and member of council, voted against the motion. He said the motion’s claim that the printing of candidates’ names during the election period would not affect the results needed substantiating. Omara said, “I think you have to back up the claim with scientific research. If they have no effect on elections, why have them at all?”

Agg, however, continued: “Clearly, this was an amazingly positive decision for the Union. I mean, can you imagine trying to report on an election without being allowed to print the candidates’ names? It’s hard to believe that such a rule was kept in place for so long. The phrase ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’ springs to mind.”

Students taking Advanced English Language in Use I were told 45 minutes into their exam in January not to answer the first question as it missed out key phrases. “Between the time it took invigilators to contact the exam office, for our administrator to check the original version of the paper, and then contact the teacher who had set the paper, 45 minutes had gone by,” said Director of University-Wide Language Programmes Dr John Morley.

Students were asked to ignore the question and concentrate on the following three. It was later discovered that the error was caused by staff using different versions of Microsoft Word. “It would be patently unjust on our part to suggest that there would be any [penalties],” continued Morley.

“We will be contacting students again to apologise and to reassure them.”

Elsewhere in the University, over a dozen students sitting the ‘Modernity and its Forms in Catalan Cult and Society’ exam had been told throughout the course to answer one of seven questions in their exam, however, were shocked to find they had to answer two when in the exam hall.

Course lecturer Adrià Castellsferrando has emailed the students apologising for the error and arranged a meeting with them and their Course Convener, Professor Christopher Perriam, to discuss the issue.

- Marking within three weeks to become norm

Photo: Alena Eis

Faster and more in-depth feedback will be guaranteed to students after a new feedback policy was passed by the University of Manchester last week.

Students were heavily involved in drafting the policy, which will see marks returned within three weeks of deadline, and more extensive feedback for all types of assessment, including exams.

“We’ve listened to our students and our students are telling us that they feel that our feedback process could be improved,” said Vice President for Teaching and Learning Colin Stirling. “We’ve listened to the suggestions and comments from the students and are trying to improve it.”

The University has been criticised by students for years for the lack of feedback in many subjects and vast inconsistencies between schools; last year’s National Students Survey saw Manchester score particularly low in the feedback related questions.

After months of consultations with students and staff the feedback policy, along with a formal recommendation from the Students’ Union Executive, was finally put before Senate, the institution’s main academic body comprised of Vice-Chancellor Alan Gilbert, Deans of Faculties, School representatives as well as members of the Union.

“We had a very consistent response back from students for timely feedback,” said Dr Chris Davies, the Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning, who has been one of the driving forces behind the policy, during the meeting, Timely feedback should be provided “within the life of a unit” to give students the chance to respond to it.

The quality of feedback was also found to be important, with students asking for “personal feedback they could respond to as an individual,” according to Davies, who added around 80 per cent of students said during consultation they would be happy to wait two to three weeks for their feedback to ensure it would be of better quality.

Stirling commented: “To some extent I was slightly surprised that they felt that a three week turnaround in feedback, for example on assessments, was very acceptable. I rather thought they might want it even quicker.”

During consultations, staff have expressed worries that feedback would suffer if they were pressed for time. “I’m not surprised that students have listened to that argument and have understood and agreed with it. They would prefer that they get quality feedback in a reasonable time than lesser quality feedback very rapidly,” said Stirling.

Indeed, the policy allows for an extension to four weeks for returning marks which faculties can grant under exceptional circumstances, such as Politics units which have 600 students enrolled.

During the Senate meeting, many school representatives voiced similar concerns about the new regulations – at times resulting in heated debate – some believing Senate was not “in a position to rule on it today.”

Alan Gilbert openly spoke out in favour of the policy, after being repeatedly criticised by students during his term as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University, which runs out this summer. He pointed out that most people agreed on the principles of the policy, ensuring students received better, quicker feedback, but argued about the wording instead. “It would be a hideous mistake for Senate not to try and determine these principles today,” Gilbert said, adding that the wording could be finalised in time for the next meeting in April.

Arguing for the feedback policy, UMSU Academic Affairs Officer Kate Little said it was “shocking a document could be delayed because of procedure.

“The University moves far too slowly for its own good sometimes.”

“This isn’t rocket science,” added General Secretary Gabriel Hassan. “What’s the point of going to uni if you’re not going to get feedback? You might as well just go to the library then.

“Students are getting fed up. This is the first real opportunity to get something tangible. Students won’t react very well to this, they know what is right and this is right.”

Stirling reinforced that most staff members do agree on the principles. “We’ve had a very widespread staff consultation, we’ve had lots and lots of comments from staff and the vast, vast, vast majority of those are very supportive of the principles. There are concerns on how to implement them because staff feel when we make promises we really have to try and keep them so there are concerns about that, but I think that we’ve come up with a policy that’s going to be feasible.”

The policy also includes making it possible for students to see their exam scripts university-wide. Currently, some schools allow their students to see their exams, however they need to pay a £10 fee for the privilege. “To be honest with you, in many parts of the university it is possible now for students to ask to see their exams and they can,” said Colin Stirling, “it’s simply that its not widespread and we intend that it should be a facility that’s open to all students. Of course most students even in schools where it is possible don’t ask to see their exams as they’re quite happy with their marks and don’t feel any need to.” He added that the University would “want to see that practice [of charging £10] stop at present, though it could be reintroduced at a later point should demand among students increase dramatically. [However] I really would trust that we won’t have to.”

While the principles of the feedback policy were passed, the effects are unlikely to be immediately visible to students. To ensure faster feedback is possible, submission deadlines for essays and other coursework would have to be moved. “I think it would be difficult and perhaps even unfair on students themselves to suddenly change all those deadlines,” said Stirling.

“What we would be asking is that schools should look at the new regulations and that they should seek to implement them as quickly as possible, so that where those sort of considerations don’t apply we hope that the schools would start to implement them.

“But of course there will be a bit of a cultural change that’s required in certain parts, in student support and the like, and so we’d expect it to be much more fully implemented in the following academic year.”

Following the vote, Kate Little commented: “I’m delighted that Senate has approved a document essentially created by students and with students’ needs put first. The one thing I don’t get is why the meeting was such a battle: surely it’s common sense that students need good feedback to learn?

“Students have been surveyed, questionnaired and focus-grouped for years, saying the same things: it’s about time the University gave us something tangible in response, and this is a great first step. There’s much more work to be done, though: I’ll keep a close eye on the revised wording of the policy and will push for a monitoring scheme to make sure that students are actually getting what this policy says they deserve, and that they have somewhere to complain to if their feedback isn’t up to scratch.

“We’ve got the big symbolic win, but we have to make sure what we asked for is actually delivered: I’ll be working hard on making sure it will be.”

It is currently illegal in the United Kingdom for men who have had oral or anal sex with other men to give blood to the national blood service; a protocol commonly referred to as ‘the blood ban’. The blood ban has lead to the current ‘give blood, because we can’t’ campaign which encourages people donate blood, but makes them aware of the fact that due to dated and widely unfounded stigma gay, bisexual and queer men can’t. This article is concerned not with a reaffirmation of what is widely undisputed; that people need to give blood in order to save each other’s lives, but with the question of why can’t these men can’t give their blood, which is no less valuable than blood from anyone else.

The often unspoken but widely known reason behind the ‘gay blood ban’ is the offensive and dated association between gay men and Aids; this is a tsunami of bile pushing against the waves of gay liberation and its trudge towards equality. It would be foolhardy to deny that Aids was prevalent amongst the gay male community in the 1980s, due to general ignorance followed by a lag in people taking control of their sexual health. Nowadays the gay community as a whole is very aware of the risk of unprotected sex and as such, we belong to a generation in which gay men are not having unprotected sex and are not contracting HIV, and who are in the same biological health as heterosexual men and women. The blood ban, which was initially a reaction to the 1980s Aids pandemic, now seems only to suggest that the wider community has failed to appreciate that men who have slept with other men at some point in their life are no more diseased than those who haven’t.

Another argument, thankfully not put forward by the blood service is the concept of ‘Gay Blood’. The theory is so idiotic that it’s barely worth mentioning except in order to dispel just in case anyone believes it. Basically, it goes something like; gay men have gay blood which holds their gayness and if you give it to straight men then they’ll ‘go gay’ too. Surprisingly enough their have been no confirmed cases of anyone’s sexuality changing following a blood transfusion, and if there were, I pose the question what happens to a gay man who can legally only receive ‘straight blood’, will he be forced go hetero or die?

Regardless of the origins of the blood ban and the arguments for it, the fact remains that it perpetuates a negative view of non-heterosexual males. Its existence in the new decade shows that gay, bisexual and queer men remain marginalised within society and do not have the same rights as heterosexual males. As a student population we encouraged to give blood, but as a gay student, one is turned away. Evidence given in 2008 to a Tasmanian tribunal on their blood ban suggested that if gay and bisexual men who practised safe sex were allowed to donate, one HIV-positive blood donation would be likely to slip through the clinical screening process once every 5,769 years. That’s once between now and the year 7778. This statistic like thousands of others shows just how ludicrous and flawed the ban itself is.
It is remarkable how many people have no idea about the ban, and who are outraged when they find out about it. The simple fact is that there is a shortage of blood in the United Kingdom and lifting the ban would mean more blood available to those who need it. At the next University of Manchester Students’ Union General Meeting, a motion regarding the ban will be put forward and within it there will be some key arguments relating to the ban; this is a great way of having your say and being proactive, as well as learning more about the issue itself.

This week is LGBT Awareness week and as part of that we will be running a stall which informs people about the ban, campaigns against it and embraces the ‘give blood because we can’t’ ethos. We will be outside the John Rylands Library on Tuesday afternoon and there will be a general Awareness week stall and events all week in the Students’ Union.

I thought it had gone. I was convinced it was banished forever now the ‘tyrannical’ reign of George Bush had come to an end. Alas not. It’s back. People are apparently more convinced than ever that the Bush/Blair axis of evil masterminded a war from Neo-Con HQ in conjunction with Shell, ExxonMobil, Halliburton and numerous other baby-eating multi-national corporations. To believe that any other motivation for the war existed would reflect a viewpoint which isn’t ‘sticking it to the man’. Well forgive me if I’m not convinced by a couple of opinion pieces in the Independent and a moronic fat man’s latest pile of shit documentary.
“You need to open your eyes man, confront the truth, it’s all about oil” Well, no actually. And the thing which angers me most about this debate is that it deflects attention from what is the more pressing issue. The shambolic post-war planning is what has made the Iraq war the issue it is today. It is this lack of preparation which has caused untold suffering to millions of innocent Iraqi people, and it is the lack of planning which has indelibly damaged the credibility of the concept of humanitarian intervention. That’s the issue. “God man, you’re so missing the point, Blair’s a megalomaniacal oil drinking American poodle.” I rest my case.

So long to the Mars rover Spirit – as roaming days are over! In May 2009, Spirit, which hadhad been collecting scientific data from Mars for the last six years, has got its wheels stuck in Martian sand. Now, after nine months of hard efforts, NASA has finally accepted that they are probably not going to be able to get it out. Director of the Mars exploration programme stated, “This is not a day to mourn Spirit…Spirit will continue to make contributions to science.”  R.I.P. Spirit.

Florida

Is it a plant, is it an animal? No, it’s half-plant, half-animal.  Sidney Pierce, University of South Florida, discovered that the sea slug Elysia Chlorotica, previously known to feed only on algae, can extract genes from its diet to make the energy synthesising molecule chlorophyll, typically found in plants. This is the first time genes have been observed to be exchanged between multicellular organisms.

In a galaxy far, far away

A black hole 20 times the mass of the sun has been discovered using the aptly-named Very Large Telescope in Chile.  The hole is six million light-years away in the galaxy NGC 300, making it the farthest of such objects found to date.

Psoriasis is a chronic recurring inflammatory disorder of rapidly dividing skin cells, producing scaly and flaky red patches of skin that can cover up to 20% of the body surface. Although not contagious, the skin condition can cause discomfort to the patient

and there is at present no cure.
Currently, drugs that aim to relieve the symptoms of psoriasis selectively block parts of the body’s underlying inflammatory response. For instance, Stelara stops the action of interleukin 12 (IL-12) and interleukin 23 (IL-23), whilst Enbrel blocks the action of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF α); all signalling molecules released by immune cells to amplify inflammation.

The Manchester-led international study, including 903 patients suffering from sever to moderate psoriasis, was aimed to assess the benefit-risk profiles of these medicines. After a 12 week period, Stelara improved symptoms by 75% in 2 in 3 patients, and a doubling in dosage increased the benefit to nearly 3 in 4 patients. The results for Enbrel were less impressive as improvements were seen in only 57% of cases.

This study, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, supports the use of Stelara for those whose condition is not improved by Enbrel. According to Professor Griffiths, “results of this study could have implications for determining the optimal approach to the treatment of psoriasis and, in particular, the need for therapeutic strategies targeting the body’s immune system to provide the greatest benefit and safety.”

The competition, run by Around Town Flats, will present one lucky student with weekly Sainsbury’s vouchers worth £20 – for the whole year. The “Win a year’s free shopping” competition endeavours to provide some financial relief for the competition winner.

Around Town Flats, situated opposite Owen’s Park, say they hope to offer a respite for those students who are surviving off beans and noodles.

Lettings Manager Jill Speers said: “After paying for books, bills and tuition fees, many students find there’s little left in the bank for groceries each week.

“That’s why we’ve decided to give one student a helping hand and make surviving on a student budget that little bit easier.”

The competition is open to students in Manchester and to enter, students should send their name and contact details to aroundtownflats@tangerinepr.com before February 26.

Lord Browne, who is leading the review

The Browne Committee, who are currently reviewing tuition fees and funding, toured the university campus and met with 20 students. The national government committee spent time talking to the students, some of whom will be leaving with over £20,000 worth of debts.

However, Kate Little, the Academic Affairs Officer at the University of Manchester Students’ Union (UMSU) said: “It felt like a tokenistic gesture. We’ve made our arguments, let’s hope they listen.”

The morning before the committee arrived in Manchester, the campaign against tuition fees continued. Students dressed up as doctors and scoured the area around the library in a bid to “diagnose” chronic debt. The treatment offered was advice on how to help contribute to the ongoing campaign. A debtometer was also placed at Pangea and students posed with the debtometer according to how much they owed.

This drive against tuition fees comes as the National Union of Students (NUS) launches a campaign to get more MPs to vote in favour of students – otherwise they could lose their vote. The NUS warns “vote for us or pay the price” and follows on from a national campaign of town takeovers.

Wes Streeting, President of the NUS, sent out a stark warning: “Our list of key student seats should make the point particularly clearly. Elections have been won and lost by the votes of students before and it will happen again.”

To find out about ongoing and future campaigns against tuition fees, email Kate Little at academic@umsumanchester.ac.uk or alternatively write to your MP – a sample letter will shortly be available on the UMSU website.

The game was in danger of not even going ahead with the pitch heavily frozen 24 hours prior to kick off, but the Manchester ground staff did a sterling job to get it match ready. 

When it came to the scheduled 2pm kick off, however, Lancaster were nowhere to be seen. 40 minutes later, with sleet falling heavily Lancaster finally arrived to get the game belatedly underway. The delay clearly had not affected Manchester, though, as the hosts stamped their authority on the match from the start; as soon as they gained possession for the first time it was clear that Lancaster were going to be in for a long day. On only the third tackle of their first set, Manchester opened the scoring. After two good drives from the Manchester props, Chris Quick powered over from five metres before adding the extras himself.

RELENTLESS...Manchester launch another attack

Within minutes Manchester added to that score. This time it was thanks to a great run from loose forward Chris Bates. Having beaten three opposition players the ball was shipped out through the backs to Mike Beer, the scrum half skilfully drew his opposite number before releasing left wing Seb Cosgrove to go into the corner unopposed, with Quick adding the extras from a difficult angle conversion to make the score 12-0.

Two minutes later the same combination came up trumps again. After a sweeping backs move, Beer again offloaded for Cosgrove to race in for another four points. Quick’s 100% success rate with the boot was maintained as he slotted over an exceptional kick from the corner.

It wasn’t long before Manchester went further ahead. This time it was prop Andre Thomas who turned provider. After a barnstorming run in which he brushed aside 4 of his opponents he offloaded to Quick just short of the try line to give the stand off his second of the game. 

Although Quick failed to convert, Lancaster seemed devoid of any confidence and lacked any belief that they could respond or restrict to a rampant Manchester. Whenever they did have the ball they couldn’t keep hold of possession for a full set. 

The clock had not ticket passed the 15 minute mark but the game was already out of sight at 28-0 as Andy Lum waltz passed numerous missed tackles.

Further tries from Peter Neal, capping a flowing Manchester move, Glen Howson and Matt Bedda extended the first-half lead which could have been more had the referee not brought the first half to an early end.

The sleet which had been falling began to settle in the half-time period putting the game in jeopardy. Yet if there was any doubt concerning the weather the same couldn’t be said of the score line, as Manchester picked up from where they left off. In what turned out to be the last play of the game, Chris Bates, who carried the ball well all game, scored the try of the afternoon with a 70 metre break, outrunning Lancaster’s wing in the process. Quick’s conversion took his personal tally to 22 points.

Much to the relief of the Lancaster team, the referee brought the drubbing to a premature end, citing the abysmal weather conditions as cause for concern. Coach Gaz Hargreaves is now looking ahead to a promising few weeks, “It was a promising performance as we slowly ramp up our playing levels in preparation for the varsity game on 8^th March.”

Joel Plaja talks to Great British halfpipe hope Ben Kilner about Olympic fever, expensive hobbies and student life.

Despite the start of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games being fewer than two weeks away as I write, it would be no understatement to say that the collective head of the British public is decidedly not turned towards Vancouver. This is understandable. With our climate, the feats of athletes on snow are not easy to relate to and there is no history of great success. At the last Winter Olympics in 2006, the Brits managed just a solitary medal during the whole games as opposed to our impressive tally of 47 in Beijing. The figures alone could account for the lack of enthusiasm.

That is not to say that there have not been some British Winter Olympic heroes. Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards, Alain Baxter and his brother, Noel, have all found their way into the mainstream of public awareness. This is perhaps due to the British love of an underdog. It takes a lot of hard work, skill and determination to get to the level of an Olympian even with the best facilities. When the facilities are taken away, the challenge that faces British athletes is even harder, and this kind of ascendance from obscurity is the sort of story that captures the public’s imagination. However, even when interest is high, there is never a real expectation of success, the fact that they have already qualified reason enough to celebrate.

FLYING HIGH...Kilner is heading to Vancouver

Ben Kilner, only the second British male snowboarder to have ever qualified for the Olympic games in the halfpipe discipline, is looking to change this. At 21, and relatively new to the FIS Snowboard World Cup scene, Ben brings a refreshingly youthful fearlessness to the snowboard squad and is the most exciting addition to Team Great Britain. Unlike others before him, there has been a level of consistency and improvement that suggests he could develop into a real medal prospect. His quality is such that at the last World Cup event before the Olympics (where he could have been excused for taking it easy as he had already qualified) Ben shocked all except those who know him by storming into third place.

Taking time out from his hectic build up to the Olympics, Ben was able to talk to me about Vancouver, the life of a professional snowboarder with its highs and lows and the regret of missing out on student life.

Hailing from Banchory, Scotland, Ben started snowboarding at aged nine when, on a snowy day, the weather prevented his parents from getting to work.

“The road to Glenshee was clear so my mum booked a boarding lesson for my dad, my sister and me. We had a great day and I was hooked.”

The next 12 years saw Ben earn his stripes on the UK and European competition circuit, picking up sponsors and a speedy adoption by the Great Britain World Cup squad through their youth squads. He made an immediate impression, although missed out on qualification for Turin. In 2006, Ben took the step from being the next great British halfpipe hope to rising to the top of the crop when, aged just 17, took third place at the British Championships in Laax, Switzerland.

Now, just four years since that result, he finds himself representing Britain at the highest level, against the best snowboarders on the planet. The prospect of lining up at the top of an Olympic halfpipe against names such as Shaun White, the defending gold medallist, Anti Autti and Markus Keller would send most into a cold sweat, but when asked, Kilner showed none of these nerves.

“I am actually really excited. It’s a good feeling to know you’re part of the top snowboarders in the world.”

At first, this seems like an odd response coming from a British Winter Olympian who, more often than not, find themselves out of place at international competitions. However, this is not the case with Ben, and the knowledge of this, with the confidence that follows, sets him apart and will undoubtedly stand him in good stead come February 17.

Confidence aside, there is also an understanding of the limitations he faces due to being from Britain. When I asked how he managed to keep up with the massive amount of progression the sport has seen since the last Olympics, he answered honestly: “Well Shaun (White) has had the facilities to work on these new tricks, such as the foam pits, where you can try pretty much anything and not have to worry about the consequences of injury. I have been trying a few double corks on the airbag so it shouldn’t be long before I try them in a run.

“They will have to wait for 2014 though.” He added.

This response is typical of Ben’s attitude – keeping his feet firmly on the ground and not getting swept up in Olympic fever. Already, he understands that Vancouver is not the be all and end all of his career and also of the importance of putting in the hard graft. There is a lot more to being a professional snowboarder than talent, a lot of emphasis must be placed on fitness and health.

“In the build up before the bigger competitions I tend to do a lot of physical training and build up the power in my legs and work on my core. I do mental preparation beforehand to put me in a good frame of mind.”

Indeed, although the life of a professional snowboarder may seem glamorous, being paid to travel the world, meet amazing people and get invited to the best parties, there are also many aspects that are not usually seen by the public. Endless flights, little time spent in one place and having to hike runs again and again in order to get the best shot undoubtedly takes its toll. It seems that in order to succeed and survive in the world of professional snowboarding you would need a close knit group of friends who would be able to support you through the difficult times. Do the other members of Team GB provide this?

“Yeah we are very close as a team and always support each other. We are always doing things in and outside of the team so we are all good friends.”

However, the lows of being a professional snowboarder are not limited to the strains on your body but also your wallet. Having skiing or snowboarding as a hobby is expensive for anyone- even the University of Manchester Ski and Snowboard Club (SKUM- ww.skum.info) trips cost around £400 but when you’re competing, before the sponsors come along, the cost of travelling to competitions can be huge.

Luckily, Ben has parents who supported his career aspirations both financially and emotionally.

“Unfortunately I found out snowboarding was an expensive sport as soon as I first travelled abroad to compete. I started off sponsored by the bank of mum and dad but luckily my sponsors managed to ease that. I also get funded by Sport Scotland.”

Undoubtedly, the demands of an aspiring Olympic athlete mean certain sacrifices. The amount of time needed for practice and travels means that education can take a back seat, and university is very unlikely if you want to be successful. At 21, Ben would most probably be in his second or third year of university by now, and he admits the decision was not an easy one.

“I did regret leaving education behind but now my friends have reassured me and every single one has said they would choose the Olympics over education any day. If I didn’t go down the snowboarding route then I would probably be at university studying graphic design or something. I would have liked to have been a professional golfer or involved in racing cars.”

This diversity in his hobbies is a refreshing change from the answers of other professional snowboarders, who often can’t see themselves doing anything else. Perhaps these other interests are key in helping Ben let his mind turn off snowboarding and then be totally focused when it really matters.

Ben is clearly very set on his dream of becoming a successful Olympic athlete. However, there are those who do not share his view. Snowboarding was established as an underground lifestyle long before the Olympics first introduced halfpipe as a discipline in Nagano 1988, the year of Kilner’s birth. Now there is a split within the sport, with many believing that the Olympics stifles the creativity and soul of the sport, turning it into a corporate product and making it more like (god forbid) skiing. This is not a view Ben shares.

“I do think that there are some snowboarders out there who want to keep the sport un-established but I think the Olympics helps snowboarding develop and allows progression. I think the more public interest the better. Like all sports, its important that the sport is popular or else it just doesn’t develop. It should be left to the individual to decide what he or she wants to do.”

Ben certainly fits into the ‘pro-Olympics’ faction of the snowboarding world, and why not? He is right. For it is those who are lucky enough to be born a short way from snow capped peaks and world-class training facilities that are likely to be doing the complaining. The FIS Snowboard World Cup circuit, while somewhat unfashionable, provides the perfect structure for those who, like Ben, want to work their way up from imperfect circumstances to challenging on the top level.

From the antiquated slopes of Glenshee to the Olympic halfpipe in Vancouver, now that’s a true underdog story. Add to that the talent, hard work ethic and attitude needed to compete at the Olympics and we have a serious prospect on our hands. Exams are now out of the way and students could do a lot worse than flick over to the BBC on February 17 and then keep a very close eye on Ben Kilner. But what next?

“I think I will head somewhere nice and hot for a week or two to relax and then get back on snow and get ready for the next Olympics.”

IT WAS a mixed afternoon for the University of Manchester men’s third badminton team as the doubles dominated but the singles struggled.

Their only victory this year came against lowly Keele in the opening round of fixtures but the first game of 2010 brought renewed hope to the team.

Imran Ashraf and Sam Johnson were in singles action; Josh Gorman and Gary Poynton were one pairing in the doubles and Pakyon Moh and Joris Markunas where the other.

Early on, it was Gorman and Poynton taking the initiative, securing Manchester’s first game in straight sets. The camaraderie between the little and large duo was clearly evident and the LJMU pair had no response to Gorman’s speed and Poynton’s power.

BACKFOOT…Ashraf and Johnson fought hard against the strong LJMU singles

Hot on the heels of that win, Moh and Markunas racked up Manchester’s second victory with ease as the hosts threatened to run away with it. Over in the two middle courts though, it wasn’t quite as easy for Ashraf and Johnson.

Johnson was facing an agile, athletic competitor whilst Ashraf was embroiled in a tight affair which would end up lasting three sets.

Johnson went down in straight sets but not without a fight. He lost the first set 22-20 and was living with his opponent who was clearly the most talented player in the LJMU ranks.

Ashraf’s contest now had added spice to it and it proved to be the most crucial match of the afternoon. It was a battle of styles with the ice-cool Ashraf taking on the more temperamental captain of LJMU. At a crucial period in the third set, Ashraf sustained a small injury and it was enough to turn the tide against him.

After the first round of games, the game was nicely poised at 2-2.

Fortunately for Manchester, the doubles teams weren’t in the mood for hanging around as they swiftly obliterated their opponents, comfortably ensuring that Manchester would come away with at least a draw. As Ashraf left the court after his first game, he was greeted by the news the doubles teams had ensured a clean sweep.

Ashraf and Johnson knew that they only needed one victory to secure a win for the whole team. They literally had nothing to lose.

After Ashraf’s gruelling three-set tussle, he was facing an uphill task from the start. His opponent, refreshed from beating Johnson, continued to buzz around the court and his sheer stamina made the court look small despite his diminutive stature.

Ashraf lost the first set but he showed in the second that he shouldn’t be taken lightly. A cleverly disguised drop shot and an overhead smash were testament to this. Most of the Manchester captain’s success came when he forced his opponent north to south rather than east to west. Despite this, Ashraf looked exhausted and the injury had clearly not helped his fitness levels and was ultimately undone, losing the second set 21-17 to pin all of Manchester’s hopes on Johnson.

After taking the first set, Johnson’s focus went astray in the second set and he managed to total a meagre four points in response. This meant momentum was clearly on the other side of the net and Johnson lost the final set 21-17 to leave the overall game at 4-4.

Manchester perhaps deserved more from their efforts, particularly given the convincing doubles victories, but in the singles matches Ashraf and Johnson toiled away with no reward. On the balance of things they probably deserved to win but all cogs in the machine needed to be working and sadly this wasn’t the case for Manchester.