Opinion

Presenting yourself to others as something you are not, like assuming officialdom by donning a policeman's outfit, like a conman feigning legitimacy or a criminal pretending to be law abiding by pleading innocence, is clearly nothing else but deception and dishonesty.

Recently I’ve noticed a trend that seems to be growing amongst the students of this fine University, one which has affected me so much that I felt the need to let off a bit of steam. I am referring of course to the growing presence of posers with Macs in lessons. If you’re sneaking a read of impact in the lecture hall then take a sec to have a quick look around. Odds are that you’ll be able to see at least one person with their perfectly-formed white or silver machine with a glowing fruit on the back. Now, out of these people, how many of them are actually paying attention to what’s going on?

The Higher Education sector is currently in the eye of two great storms: one concerning the unsustainable current model of funding, and the other about the erosion of standards.
At the outset of the Lord Browne review, Steve Smith, University of Exeter's vice-chancellor and president of Universities UK, said that “our universities must receive sufficient funding to remain world class and any changes to the current fee regime must also take account of the implications for widening participation”.

For many of those reading, clubbing and drinking probably form a core part of your social lives; you most likely celebrate significant events such as birthdays or the passing of exam periods with a night in town, use nights out to help new members of clubs or societies ease their way in, or just spend the afternoon drinking until you chunder everywhere in order to increase the general hilarity of your everyday life.

Every student knows what it is to be hungry, either due to financial concerns, lectures scheduled at lunchtime, or pure laziness. Some of us are obsessed with “5-a-day”s or counting calories, others just want something quick, tasty, and (preferably) cheap. News agencies bombard us with information about the levels of obesity in children and adults and the health risks involved. But what do we really know about hunger worldwide?

With the next General Election looming and competition between the three main parties hotting up, it's time to put aside those books for a second, and give a thought to who you’re going to vote for.