The Stag - Issue 73

Newspaper of the students of the University of Surrey Issue 73 Monday 2nd June 2014
A
referendum has decided that
The 2024 Experience, a plan
launched by the University of
Surrey Students Union (USSU) for
the next ten years, will go ahead.
Following a fortnight of
publicity, students were asked via
online vote to voice whether or not
they supported the proposal with
a simple YES or NO choice. With a
total voter turnout of 887, 60% were
in favour of implementing the plan
(528), with the remaining 40% of
voters (359) in opposition.
Though the document has been
described as a mere foundation
for the next decade, The 2024
Experiences primary action point
involves the restructuring of the
sabbatical offcer roles. Currently,
the full-time elected team consists
of a President, with four Vice
Presidents focused on specifc areas
of student life: Education, Welfare,
Societies & Individual Development
and Sports & Recreation.
As of July 2015, though the
role of President will remain,
Surrey Students Union will now
be comprised of VP Voice, VP
Community, VP Support and VP
Activity in a move that hopes to
enable the Union to fully represent
students, and become a Union for
all your student life.
Though unanimously
supported by the current Union
Executive team, the shift from
specifc branches of involvement to
a more generalised job description
raised some doubts. This is not the
frst time in recent years that the
prospect of new roles in the Union
has been raised: at the 2013 Annual
Members Meeting, the majority
voted against combining VP Sports
and VP Societies to create one
overarching VP Activities.
At a Q & A session on Wednesday
28th May, Union CEO Alan
Surrey says YES
NEWS
Where did Surrey place?
Student Beans list
Universities on average
number of sexual partners
- Page 4
FEATURES
Sex at school
An investigation into how
sex education is handled at
school - Page 10
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Sport in Lingerie?
Yes, really. On American
Footballs *interesting*
branch of play - Page 9
SCIENCE & TECH
The Healing Power of
Orgasm
Can you climax your way to
better health? - Page 19
FILM
TVs best sexual tension
TV Corner takes a look
at some of the steamiest
relationships to hit the
small screen - Page 24
SPORT
End of Term Report
VP Sports and Recreation
gives a run-down of Team
Surreys great year - Page
32
UNION
Advice on appeals
and extenuating
circumstances
Vital information for all
students - Page 7
By Nicole Vassell, Editor
The Unions proposal for its future will go ahead
The next decade of the University of Surrey Students Union will take place under the 2024 vision
...continued on Page 3
We asked, you told - look out for The Stags Sex Survey Results in the centrefold!
EDITORIAL 2 The Stag | 9th December 2013 editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Editor | Nicole Vassell
editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Deputy Editor (Head of Design) | Paul A Richmond
design@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Design Team | Hannah Kaine, Josie Pullen, Sophia Field, Siobhan Harris,
Rebekkah Hughes, Alice Wilkinson
Deputy Editor (Marketing) | Matilda Tasker
marketing@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Marketing Team | Rebekkah Hughes
News Editor | Shunayna Vaghela
news@thestagsurrey.co.uk

Opinion and Analysis Editor | Sam West
opinion@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Opinion & Analysis Team | Petra-Maria Ilieva, Katie Sands, Ting Wei
Features Editor | Rebekkah Hughes
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Features Team | Daniel Gautrey, Tuyet Nguyen. Katie Sands, Jas Smith,
Alex Watts
Science and Technology Editor | Siobhan Harris
sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Science and Technology Team | Fahmid Chowdhury, Joseph Dennis,
Noah Mesfn
Dance and Theatre Editor | Ambar Parker Moreno
dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Dance and Theatre Team | Laura Colledge
Film Editor | Sophia Field
flm@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Film Team | Ankur Banerjee, Joshua Langley, Jim Onyemenam
Music Editor | Candice Ritchie
music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Music Team | James Campbell, Elizabeth Kadie Tyvesse
Literature Editor | Shiri Shah
literature@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Literature Team | Lauren Boland, Leo Blanchard, Emma Hawken, Joseph
Harrison
Societies Editor | Alice Wilkinson
societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Societies Team | Jo Baker, Matthew Finch, Danielle Platt
Sports Editor | Santiago Avils
Sport@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Sport Team | James Lovell
Web Editor | Alistair Walker
webmaster@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Copy Editors | Laura Ball, Oliver Gosling, Harriet Knight
copyteam@thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag is an editorially independent newspaper and is published
by the University of Surrey Students Union.
The views expressed in the paper are those of the individual
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the editorial
team, the Students Union or the University of Surrey.
Trinity Mirror (South)
St. Albans Road, Watford
WD24 7RG
The Stag reserves the right to edit all submissions and the right to
decide which articles are published.
Goodbye from the editor
S
o, this is it. The moment that Ive always pictured as a
thing in the distant future has arrived, and here I am
signing off on my very last issue of The Stag. This is unfair!
Just as Im feeling as if Ive really gotten the hang of being
the editor, its time to go. No more late Friday nights in the
Union offces, fnishing off articles while trying not to dance
along to the Rubix beats above. No more early Saturday
mornings, double-checking names and worrying about
what to say in my editors letter - its not as easy as
you may think, yknow!
Though it has been a shorter time than some,
my spell as editor has been an experience that
I have honestly loved. I wont say that it has
been the easiest of jobs, especially since this is
my fnal year (as I write, two assignments are
patiently waiting to be fnished - yay!) - but
more often than not, its the things that you
work at hardest that you end up loving the
most. *Hashtag emotional*
On a serious note, Id like to say a big thank-you to the
incredible people whove been a part of The Stag team this
year. Writers, designers, copy editors, section editors...
without your work, The Stag literally would not exist; I
appreciate you all so very much.
Thank you to those who have kept me halfway sane
through the stressful times with words of encouragement
and the constant reminder that I have the same amount of
hours in the day as Beyonc.
And of course, Id like to thank everyone who make all
our efforts worth it by reading The Stag. Every time I see
someone reaching for a paper, I cant help but grin!
The Stag has been a huge part of my Surrey
experience, and I know itll be intertwined with my
uni memories til Im old and grey. I wish the absolute
best of luck to the incoming team, and I cant wait
to see The Stag make like a fne wine and get even
better with age.
Peace out, Surrey! Nicole xx
I
have been reading The Stag since my frst semester at the
university, and now Im graduating. Im not saying that
there is a proven link here; Im just stating the facts. But,
as I have been reminded so many times during my 3 years
here, facts dont sell newspapers - newsagents do. Since I
began here, I have seen the stag rise to its full potential,
a standard bearer for student journalism, then decline to
the mess that it is today: 32 pages of sex and lists. But if you
choose to judge I say Hypocrite lecteur! mon semblable,
mon frre! (This is the most cultured The Stag has ever
been.)
Yes it has been hard work, but also rewarding. I have
seen an increase in readership and a great increase in the
number of writers. Im not saying that there is a link here
Im not. Fine, so nobody reads The Stag, and you might ask
why I work so hard; well, they asked Michelangelo the same
question; Mikey, they would say, why do you carve the
hair on the top of the heads of your statues, when no one
can see it? he replied God can see.
Well, I dont think even God reads The Stag, but
Michelangelo needs something to dry his paintbrushes
on. So the next time youre mopping up a spilled drink, or
writing must buy toilet paper on the back of your hand
take a moment to appreciate the fact that someone has
thrown away their degree to make it possible.
Best of luck to the new team. Farewell.
Paul A Richmond
Deputy Editor, Head of Design
Welcome readers! Since this is the fnal
issue of the year, we thought wed end the
year with a bang (wahey) and coincide our
last outing with the second annual SEX
ISSUE! In these pages, youll fnd stories,
guides, opinions and much more, based
on a fun theme that is hugely relevant
to the student community. Over 1000
Surrey students flled in our Sex Survey
to fnd out all about what Surreys been
up to, and the results are revealed in our
special centrefold. So sit back, relax and
prepare for a Stag unlike one youve read
before...enjoy!
This issue marks my last as News Editor for the Stag,
its been a great year and this is the perfect issue to end it.
Congratulations to Fahmid Chowdhury, Im pleased to leave
the News Section in his capable hands. Good luck for exams,
and hope you all have a great summer, its been a pleasure.
Shunayna Vaghela
News Editor
Good luck in your exams and
have a wonderful summer!
NEWS 3 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 News Editor: Shunayna Vaghela
Sutherland addressed
these concerns,
claiming that the
new organisation of
the Union will enable
each individual offcer
to play to their
strengths and to best
use their time in offce
to delve into many
different areas of the
University experience.
The current
sabbatical positions,
in which each deals
with a singular area
of student life, were
described as tubes,
directing each offcer
purely to exploits
and causes that their
title specifcally deals
with. If VP Education,
for example, wanted
to have an infuence
in sporting issues
for Surrey students,
s/he would not be
allowed to involve
themselves that area.
Mr Sutherland stated
that with such a clear
brief, offcers dont
have the freedom to
utilise their skillsets
and passions to the
best of their potential.
VP Education
elect Matt Sadlers
was also present, and
made the point that
as this more balanced
staff structure places
a lesser amount of
emphasis on each role,
it entails a positive
opportunity for more
people to be directly
involved.
However, some
students had a critical
opinion towards the
lack of neutrality in
the promotion of the
referendum. Students
were heavily urged
to Vote YES for our
new future on USSUs
social media, with
the campaign also
appearing on the frst
page of the University
e-learning platform
SurreyLearn.
Although Mr
Sutherland stated
that the Union were
not obliged to take an
impartial stance in
in this referendum,
the backlash resulted
in a more relaxed
approach on the
second day of voting:
the Union Facebook
page altered their
profle picture to
say Vote Now,
encouraging the act of
voting in itself, rather
than in a particular
direction.
YES to The 2024 Experience
...continued from Page 1
Deemed Orwellian by some, the YES campaign was highly prevalent on campus
NEWS 4 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
H
undreds of alumni and students
joined together on Saturday 17th
May as we (alumni and development
offce), together with the Students Union
and Surrey Sports Park hosted the inaugural Grad Sport.
The aim of Grad Sport is to create an annual event, bringing together our alumni with
current students to celebrate sport at the University and to create one Team Surrey. We
certainly did that on the day, there was such a fantastic vibe it was possibly my favourite
event since being at the University!
Events such as Grad Sport are just one of the ways that the alumni and development
offce work to stay in touch with our graduates. By bringing students and alumni together in
this way, it allows our graduates to reconnect with Surrey and it gives students the chance
to build a relationship with their predecessors. After all, networking and connections can
be key to career development.
Im aware that fnal year students are currently in the midst of exams and are preparing
to move on to your next venture, but when you fnish I hope you all sign up for the latest
news and event invites, via our Forever Surrey website. This is only possible after graduation
and I will send you an email invite.
As this is the last edition of The Stag until the new semester, Id like to take this
opportunity to wish everyone the very best in your exams. Final years we look forward to
seeing you at graduation, look out for your Forever Surrey graduation packs, and be sure to
stay in touch. To everyone else who is not graduating this year, I look forward to catching up
after the summer break.
I hope you have enjoyed fnding out a bit more about the Forever Surrey alumni network,
I have certainly enjoyed being able to write about it. Have great summers!
LIFE AFTER
SURREY
Bringing students and alumni together
VP Sports and Recreation, James Lovell, with Steve the Stag at the inaugural Grad Sport.
www.surrey.ac.uk/alumni
Rachael Lowe - Alumni and
Development Offce
T
he International Federation of
University Women (IFUW) in
conjunction with the British Federation
of Women Graduates (BWFG) has called
for an immediate release, and the safe
return of the 230 young girls abducted
from the Chibok Government Secondary
School in Nigeria. The IFUW and the BWFG
entreat the Nigerian government to take
the urgent steps necessary to ensure the
girls safe return to their families and can
continue their education safely.
Both organisations describe education
as an indispensible and integral aspect
to the development of communities and
countries that should not be punished, and
the children should not be used for any
political purposes.
Jenny Morley, President of BFWG,
said: "The British Federation of Women
Graduates is gravely concerned at the
kidnap of the young Nigerian women
by a group totally opposed to education
for girls and women. A further worry is
the expressed attitude that females are
a commodity to be bought and sold. The
delay and apparent confusion in rescuing
them is deplorable.
Although this is a call reiterated by
hundreds of thousands worldwide and has
sparked international outrage, the girls
are still missing at time of print.
By Shunayna Vaghela, News Editor
Educational activists take a stand
S
tudent Beans has conducted its annual
University Sex Survey, and the average
number of sexual partners since starting
University has increased from 3.68 in 2013,
to 4.88 in 2014.
Over 6,000 students were interviewed
on questions of sexual activity, sexual
health, and relationships. Roehampton
University was knocked off the top spot
from last year, being replaced by the
University of Brighton.
The ten Universities with the highest
average number of sexual partners per
student since starting University are
pictured below. Out of 109 Universities that
participated, the University of Surrey came
in at no. 101.
Turn to the centrespread
to fnd out the result of
The Stags very own Surrey
Sex Survey
University Average no. of sexual partners
since starting university
University of Brighton 10.59
University of Chester 9.94
Liverpool Hope 9.57
Southampton Solent 8.63
Queen Mary, Uni. of London 7.93
University of Essex 7.61
Oxford Brookes 7.42
Edinburgh Napier 7.35
University of Central Lancs. 7.03
University of Bristol 7.03
The University Sex League Table
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NEWS 5 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 News Editor: Shunayna Vaghela
By Sarah Kendall, Hannah Roberts and Alex Tromp, Careers Ambassadors
CAREERS
COLUMN
E
xams are now under way and we hope that revision is going well and
that youre looking forward to the long summer holidays soon!
Careers Fair
Last Wednesday we held our annual Summer Careers Fair on PATS
feld. With a variety of exhibitors who attended such as PWC, Allianz,
Department for Education, Estee Lauder, and the University of Law, it was
great to see so many students turn up for the event to see what the current
job market is like. The Careers Fair was a fantastic networking opportunity
which meant students were able to meet with employers, for summer
internships or future placement year advice, before the summer holidays
begin.
We hope that if you attended the fair, you found it useful for networking
and appreciated the variety of employers we managed to get together for
the event. Wed love to know your thoughts on how you felt the Summer
Careers Fair went, so if you have a moment, please let us know by either
coming into the Careers Service or emailing us at careers@surrey.ac.uk

Finance Event
Last Friday, we held our frst ever event which was dedicated to helping
students of all years learn more about their fnances. An informative talk
was given by Student Finance England, telling all who attended the ins
and outs of repaying student loans. We hope this event helped to answer
your questions on fnance both for post-graduation and during placement,
however, if you have any remaining questions, please feel free to pop into
Student Services who will be able to help.
Internships of the Week
We also have our regular newsletter which lists all the current
happenings within the Careers Service. One of the new schemes we have
recently launched is our internships of the week. We are happy to register
any student looking for an internship over the summer and will provide
alerts to arising opportunities.
If youre interested in signing up for internships of the week to see
whether you can secure yourself a last minute internship this summer,
please contact Nicole Tillyrou for more information n.tillyrou@surrey.
ac.uk .
Before we sign off our fnal article for this year, just a few things to
keep in mind. During this busy exam period, the Careers Service is still
open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm with our Quick Query sessions running
from 2pm-4pm each day - everyone is welcome to drop by. We will still be
open over the summer and are always available via phone if you arent in
Guildford. Graduates, you are still entitled to our service once you graduate
and congratulations for getting through your exams and graduating! Also,
a good luck to all of those going onto placement feel free to drop us a call
if you have any questions whilst out on placement.
Thank you for reading and good luck for your remaining exams!
U
sing a combination
of web research, and
online surveys, DrEd.com, in
conjunction with Superdrugs
Online Doctor Service has
decreed the University of
Surreys Sexual Health Report
Card with a 3rd Grade ranking.
With the increase of STI
rates, especially within young
people, the Sexual Health
Report Card aims to raise
awareness of the importance
of sexual health. Whilst the
University ranked high in areas
of sexual health information
on campus, sexual health clinic
services on/near campus,
and online information about
sexual health, it received a
very low ranking for its ability
to deal with clinic drop in
availability, access to STI
testing and a sexual assault
service.
Surreys Sexual Report Card
T
hursday 22nd May saw voters with the
opportunity to vote in two elections; their
Local Borough Elections, and the European
Parliamentary Elections.
For the South East Region, the European
Parliamentary election saw a 38.15% turnout, with
the Conservative party winning the majority of the
votes. They were followed by the UK Independence
Party (UKIP) in second place, and the Liberal
Democrats in third.
The 2014 Local Elections took place in Mole
Valley, Woking, Tandridge, Runnymede, Reigate
& Banstead, and Elmbridge. Five of these six
remained Conservative strongholds, whilst Mole
Valley saw no party having complete control.
However, the Tories have taken the majority from
the Liberal Democrats and UKIP gained a seat from
the Liberal Democrats in a surprise result.
Local and European Elections
T
his year, students at Surrey have beneftted
to the tune of 200,000 following the latest
disbursement of Annual Fund donations.
From helping Team Surrey to pay for
important kit and equipment to updating study
facilities in the Library, graduates and supporters
of the University have dug deep to ensure the
student experience at Surrey is one of the best in
the UK.
This year, an impressive 70,000 was also
awarded to the Student Hardship Fund, to help
those students who, through no fault of their own,
face extreme fnancial diffculty. This important
lifeline is often the difference between completing
their degree and dropping out altogether.
Since it began in 2003, the Annual Fund
has secured more than one million pounds in
donations to support worthy projects across
the University community, new facilities and
students in need. Each year, students and societies
can apply for grants of up to 10,000 to help with
a project, facilities or service which contributes
to campus life.
Find out which seventeen exciting projects
will be going ahead this year thanks to the Annual
Fund and our supporters at www.surrey.ac.uk/
annualfundgrants
Annual Fund continues to
support campus life
By Linda Grossmann, Annual Fund Offcer
The University ranked high in areas of sexual
health information available on campus
O
n Sunday 25th May, over three-and-a-half
thousand women took part in the Guildford
Race for Life charity event to raise money to fght
against cancer.
The weather turned out very well, and
women who had been affected by cancer, either
personally or through a loved one, all joined
together, running, walking and dancing the fve
kilometre stretch at Surrey Sports Park.
Event manager Fiona Miller said: "Today is
all about bringing people together, celebrating
people who have survived cancer, the progress
that we've made. But more than anything else
it's about fundraising, so getting people to come
out and get all these thousands of people to raise
money so we can put more money towards our
groundbreaking research.
Racing for life at Surrey Sports Park
With a total of 180 likes
on Facebook, Ranjit has
scored himself two tickets
to Benicassim Festival
in the year of its 20th
anniversary. With acts
such as Chase and Status,
Kasabian, Klaxons, Te
Libertines, Ellie Goulding
and Tinie Tempah due to
perform over the course of
four days, hes sure to have
an amazing time. Tank
you to all who entered, and
we hope Ranjit and his plus
one have an amazing time!
UNION 7 The Stag | 9th December 2013 Union Contact: ussu.information@surrey.ac.uk
Expecting your results soon?
Things you need to know
By Kath Phillips, Membership Services Development Manager
M
ost students will be expecting
academic outcomes soon for fnal
years, these results will determine degree
outcomes, and for others whether or not
they progress through their course.
If youre expecting results soon, its
useful to know about the Universitys appeal
processes and how they are used. To help
you, we have developed some brief guidance
about how these processes work and what is
involved.
Im not happy with my results and I
expected to do much better. Can I appeal to
the University for a better result?
The Universitys appeals process has
very specifc grounds. This means that you
can only appeal if you meet one or more of
these requirements:
That the University has not followed
procedures correctly.
That the University has been biased
against you and made its decision unfairly
due to this bias.
That your performance was affected by
extenuating circumstances that you could
not report at the time for valid reasons.
Not being happy with your marks, or
expecting better, is not (on its own) a reason
to make an academic appeal.
Importantly, successful academic
appeals do not result in better individual
module marks they result in students
being given the opportunity to achieve
better marks in these assessments so a
re-attempt at your coursework or a re-sit of
your exam. This would result in you taking
part in something called a late summer
re-sit in August, which, for graduating
students could mean a delay to graduation.
In order to make a successful academic
appeal you will need:
A case that meets one or more of the
grounds above.
Valid evidence in support of your case
(eg medical letters, written correspondence).
An academic appeal statement which
sets out your case logically, in time order.
A completed academic appeal form,
which you can fnd on the University
website.
The Students Union provides students
with advice and support on the appeals
process and we highly recommend you
make an appointment if you are considering
making an academic appeal.
If you suffer any extenuating
circumstance while at University, its
crucial to remember that the University
abides by one very clear rule you must
tell the University as soon as something
happens which may have an impact on your
studies.
Having said that, sometimes it is diffcult
to reach out and get support, especially if
you have not yet come to terms with the
problem yourself, and you would certainly
not be alone in thinking Ill get on with
things and see what happens.
Every day, the Union is contacted
by students who waited until they got
their academic results before telling
the University about their extenuating
circumstances. For these students, it is
much more diffcult to make a valid case for
appeal, because they are unable to provide
evidence which explains why they did not
say something at the time.
The best thing to do is seek help from
your personal tutor, student advisor, or any
member of staff in your faculty who you
feel able to turn to, as soon as you get into
diffculties.
Its very important to remember that if
the University decides that your extenuating
circumstances are valid, it means that they
are agreeing with you that you are not ft to
take your assessment/s. This will mean that
you may be submitting your assessments
later than planned, or sitting your exams
at the next available opportunity and this
can result in a delay to your progression or
your graduation.
If you have any concerns about academic
appeals or extenuating circumstances, please
get in touch with the Students Union on ussu.
information@surrey.ac.uk
Extentuating circumstances? Seek help as soon as
possible
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Students receiving results soon may need to be aware of the appeals procedure
OPINION & ANALYSIS 8 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 opinion@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Opinion & Analysis
T
he time has come to say goodbye to The Stag. It
only seems like yesterday that I was writing for
the 1st issue of the academic year. This issue happens
to be the 13th! My lucky number too.
I would like to give a gigantic thank you to all of
the Opinion and Analysis writers. There have been
some amazing articles submitted! If it wasnt for
those articles, the section would be empty. Also a big
thank you to the readers. It always brings a smile to
my face when I see The Stag being read on campus.
I decided to run for Opinion and Analysis editor
because of my belief in the freedom of speech. It is
one of the most precious freedoms. Unlike other
universities do, I wanted to promote and protect it
as much as I could at Surrey. We may disagree with
each other, but we must never silence each other just
because of this. To infringe upon someones opinion
or expression is very dangerous territory.
This has also been my last year at Surrey. I will
miss the university very much. I have had amazing
memories here that I will never forget. Thank you
to everyone. Take care and keep well. I hope you all
have an amazing summer!
Sam West
Opinion Editor
Eurovision Sex Sells:
But Which Sex?
A
fter Conchita Wurst from
Austria won the Eurovision
Song Contest 2014, a lot of
questions about the objectivity
of the contest came out. The
hosts of the show made it clear
that half of the votes of each
country are made by a local jury
of experts. Conchita seems to
have won over the juries, but
the audience is still undecided
whether they like her or not.
Opinions vary from Russians are
Shaving their Beards in Reaction
to Conchita Wurst's Eurovision
Win to Positive Message for
Miss Conchita Wurst. Overall,
everyone argues that Conchita
has musical talent. However, was
Eurovision the right place to raise
LGBT awareness? Was that the
best way to do it?
On the one hand, we can
all agree she had the best PR
campaign on the show. Today,
everyone in Europe and outside of
Europe probably knows who she
is. Yet, there were a great number
of negative comments even from
Austria, saying that straight men
there felt really ashamed being
represented by the Bearded
woman. Moreover, many people
said that they wouldve accepted
it more positively if, provided
they knew she used to be a man,
she didnt keep the beard. So was
it really raising awareness or just
a cry for attention? Maybe both.
However, one thing is for sure
- it turned out to be a double-
edged sword, because Conchita
managed to convey her message
for tolerance, as well as creating
even more negative views about
differences in sexuality.
On the other hand, during
the show the girls from Poland
stood out as provocative. They
were wearing traditional Polish
clothing, which revealed a lot
of cleavage. If we think about it,
this used to be the best formula
to attract mens (and even
womens) attention, and the
music industry shows that it has
worked for many of the popular
artists - Rihanna, Lady Gaga,
Madonna and many more. Yet,
the Polish girls received far less
attention and a lot of criticism
for their inappropriateness,
when they were simply trying to
represent their culture, which is
happening more and more rarely
on Eurovision.
Have the preferences of the
European population changed?
It seems like people need to be
more creative and extravagant
in order to convey a message.
Change of sex is nothing new.
But a guy becoming a woman and
keeping the beard? Now this is a
best seller.
Sex is the Saviour
T
here is a saying in China from ancient times that
goes - The desire for food and sex is part of human
nature. Physically speaking, every living organism is
confgured to have sex - so that they can have their
offspring carry on their genes before they die. Food is
designed to support the growth of that living being to
sexual maturity. Just take the example of a butterfy.
The moment it is forced out of the cocoon, it doesnt
have much time left to fnd a mate and fnish the magic
ritual. But we are not butterfies. Humans (and other
mammals of course) have a longer life-span and can
have sex multiple times before death. This amazing
reproductive ability gives humans the opportunity to
rule the earth.
Another thing that makes humans reach the
peak of sexual behaviour, is the artisticisation or
aestheticisation of this common practice in ordinary
life. There is literature, paintings, sculptures, and
other forms of art, which represent the power, the
myth, and the beauty of the origin of life. Or socially
and psychologically speaking, a social behaviour of
interaction, acceptance and devotion.
What amazes me most is the interpretation or
application of the power of sex in Tantric Buddhism.
The vivid statue of Cakra Samvara and Vajravarahi
(from Nepal, 19th century, exhibited in the British
Museum) proves how creative humans are through
their perception of the world by using their experience
and intelligence. The museums description of this piece
of art says Important deities are frequently shown
embracing their wisdom partners as in this image
of Cakra Samvara, the esoteric form of the Buddha.
The union of the deity and his spiritual consort is
emblematic of the perfect combination of wisdom
and compassion. I am no expert on religion, but what
I see in this fgure is balance - a state of balance and
unity by complementation. It is like Yin and Yang in
Daoism. It is like positrons and negatrons in an atom
that reach their stability by counterbalancing each
other in quantum physics. In Buddhism, the masculine
form is active, representing compassion that has to
be developed in order to reach enlightenment. The
feminine form is passive and represents wisdom, which
is also necessary to enlightenment. United, they can
overcome their disadvantages and support each other
to achieve success. All these spiritual connections are
bounded by the physical communication.
I believe that love and balance can make the world a
better place. Our bond with our loved ones is the key to
our self-improvement. Meanwhile, the balance of good
and evil, individual and society, human and nature,
is the key to reaching enlightenment for our earth.
Therefore, having sex with your beloved one has its
fundamental function, and the euphoria of sex is the
saviour.
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Petra-Maria Ilieva
The interpretation or application of the power of
sex in Tantric Buddhism.
A
s humans, sex is something natural,
precious, and enjoyable. No wonder
this edition is all about sex. Sex is a crucial
part of human society and nature. If we did
not have it, we would go extinct! Perhaps
this is why sex is biologically pleasurable,
to encourage reproduction. Although it is
not only humans that enjoy sex; amongst
others, dolphins, pigs and some primates
do too.
But of course, with any human act,
including sexual intercourse, there must
be responsibility. If we were swinging from
tree to tree without a care in the world, like
we were millions of years ago, then there
would be no problem. However, we have
evolved into a very complex species with a
very complex society. We live in a society
where we want sex, but also want to plan
our lives, including when to have children,
who with, and how many. Most people are
responsible; using contraceptive methods
to get the best of both worlds. However,
there are a worrying number of people
that have unprotected sex and shun all
responsibility from the consequences of it.
In the UK, around 200,000 abortions
are undertaken each year. From the 2011
fgure, 36% of these are repeat abortions,
where the mother has had an abortion
or multiple abortions before. Of course,
lets not be simplistic. We all know that
most contraceptive methods are only 99%
effective. We all know that rape happens.
We all know that the mother or babys
health can be at risk. We all know that
each scenario is different. We all know that
people are left with very diffcult decisions
to make. But from such a statistic as 36%,
it is clear that abortion itself is frequently
used as a form of contraception. Even
without a statistic, we all know, whether we
admit it or not, that this is the case.
Abortion should not be used as a form
of contraception. Whether you believe a
foetus (which happens to mean offspring
in Latin) is a developing human being or
an actual human being, is it really worth
ending this life simply because you were too
lazy or drunk to put on a condom? Perhaps
it could even be because you did not have
one or because it felt uncomfortable. That
moment of madness or risk can have long-
term consequences.
Both ladies and gentlemen should be
responsible in taking precautions. After
all, it takes two to tango. There are plenty
of legitimate contraceptive methods out
there, including condoms, femidoms, the
contraceptive pill, abstinence, implants,
and many more. Abortion should never fall
into that list.
When people have unprotected sex,
they should take responsibility for that
risk, knowing that there is a real chance
of pregnancy. Abortion should not be
used as a scapegoat to avoid responsibility
for a foolish decision. It is admirable
when people do take responsibility for an
unplanned consequence, bringing up the
most wonderful creation of a baby.
This is not an article ignoring
contraceptive awareness for the spread of
sexually transmitted diseases. The spread
is shocking, by which people are widely
advised and rightly so. Nor is this an article
calling for a change in abortion law itself.
This is an article about responsibility. True
responsibility is not something that the
state can force upon us, but that we can
force upon ourselves.
Lingerie Football
T
he Lingerie Football League was founded
in 2009, and was renamed the Legends
Football League (LFL) in 2013. The sport
currently airs in Canada and Australia, and is
growing in popularity each year.
The league openly promotes itself as
female American football with women in
lingerie. This basic concept I understand. As
long as there is an audience for attractive
women jumping on top of each other in
lingerie, it will happen.
The aspect I object to is the damaging
impact of leagues like this on serious female
athletes.
All the investment the LFL receives is
seen in stark contrast with other female
sports, where the focus is on the womens
skills, abilities, and strengths. Whilst the
LFL increases in viewers, next years Netball
World Cup (due to be hosted in Sydney)
is struggling to fnd a commercial TV
broadcaster to support it.
LFL player Anna Heasman defended
the league, saying We are an aesthetically
driven society, as much as we like to believe
that were better than that It does prove
exhausting continually facing the critics
and truthfully it seems to be women that are
hardest on their fellow women.
I do agree with her that events like these
reiterate how aesthetically driven our society
is, but this issue isnt about criticising other
women. Its about pointing out the obvious
that if you stand on a pitch in a bra and
pants you will not be taken seriously as an
athlete, and this should not be considered
an acceptable way for talented women to get
into sport.
It seems the only way to sell tickets is
to objectify these women, and as a global
society we should be concerned by this.
The players are unpaid and are required
to have had no previous training in American
Football. Some women are skilled players,
whilst other women might be there to exploit
the publicity and ever-growing audience.
It is a full contact sport where injury is
somewhat inevitable, but the players receive
no insurance and must buy their own injury
cover. The outfts are of course designed for
titillation, with minimal skin protection
from contact with helmets, AstroTurf or
other players.
Some supporters may argue that because
the women are unpaid, it proves they want to
be there and it is not a sexist sport. However,
this would present a false and 2D view of
sexism that it is simply men being a**holes
to women. In fact, sexism is a deeply rooted
issue in society that we are taught to consider
as normal from birth.
For the women that are joining the league
because they are skilled football players,
I fnd it sad that the only way to showcase
their talents is in an un-paid league that is
based on reducing talented players to sexual
objects, and dangerously puts inexperienced
players in with these women in a contact
sport without the protective clothing they
need.
Whilst leagues like these continue to be
accepted as genuine sporting events, the
focus on female sport will remain on sexual
titillation rather than talent, supporting
the belief that women are only valuable in a
sexual context.
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Sam West
Opinion Editor
Responsible Sex -
Put A Johnny On It!
FEATURES 10 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Features
I
n an attempt to explore Sex Education
in the secondary school, I cornered my
sister (J) and we had a conversation about
sex, school and body confdence, with some
sporadic comments from my mum (marked
with an M)
R: So, give me a brief outline of the Sex
Education youve had throughout primary
and secondary school.
J: In primary school, they just told us
about puberty and what happens when you
grow up and in secondary school, they
didnt really tell us about the thing they
told us about contraception, but not about it,
and it wasnt really until year nine anyway.
So, yeah, contraception and STIs and the
importance of safe sex.
R: No talk about relationships?
J: This year weve spoken briefy about
consent and being comfortable and ready,
but that was only because someone asked a
question about it.
R: So, relationships and intimacy is not
embedded into lessons?
J: No, they dont tell you what to expect,
so you have no real expectations. You dont
know whats normal, because if youre not
getting it at school, youre getting it from
books and flms.
R: OK, and what sort of image do books
and flms give of sex and relationships?
J: I dont know. They make it seem Well,
I dont know about you, but I feel like, in the
movies they make it seem like its always
great, but I know it isnt.
R: Would you want more lesson content
to surround relationships and intimacy
etc.?
J: Yeah, because then you know what to
expect and you wont feel uncomfortable.
R: You keep saying what to expect
but can you expand on that, please?
J: Well, whats gonna happen.
R: Can you elaborate a bit on that
J: Well, yknow sex, being turned on
M: I think that youre not going to be able
to get into that sort of depth in school its
too intimate.

J: If you dont fnd out in school, where
else are you going to fnd out?
M: If youre going to incorporate
something like that, youre not going to
necessarily present it to an entire class,
but take smaller groups to discuss it with
someone whos a little bit older, like your
age [pointing to me] 20 or so. If you present
it to that sort of group in a classroom, youre
going to get immaturity and antics.
R: What I think schools could beneft
from is not necessarily detailing the nitty
gritty, but defnitely emphasising that
there isnt a standard norm for these
things and that respect in a relationship
is important... So, is there anything else
you would add to Sex Ed. curriculum as a
whole?
J: I think that you should also be taught
about, I know it doesnt necessarily come
under the sex thing, but that people look
different, like some people are skinny and
others not and that sort of thing.
R: So, body confdence?
J: Yeah, basically! It comes back to movies
and models and magazines, and adverts too
where women are portrayed as idols, and
its the same with men with their abs and
muscles! You read stories about expectations
made from the adverts and flms and books
and that should be changed.
R: If body confdence was introduced,
how would this change your school
environment?
J: Hopefully it would make people feel
better about themselves, and stop people
continually comparing themselves to
others
A document produced by the NHS states,
The Education Act 1996 requires that sex
education should inform pupils about STIs
and HIV and encourage pupils to have due
regard to moral considerations and family
life. It is therefore compulsory for schools
to teach the biological aspects of puberty,
reproduction and the spread of viruses and
infection.
These topics are mandatory as part of the
National Curriculum for Science, which is
taught to all pupils of primary, and secondary
school age. The broader subject of sex and
relationship education (SRE) is currently not
compulsory in schools even though schools
are recommended to offer it as part of
Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
and Citizenship.
So, there you have it: an informal
interview with a 15-year-old about sex in
school, but admittedly going a little off
track. It would probably be beneftial for
secondary schools to introduce SRE into
their Sex Ed. curriculums to allow young
people a broader knowledge of the social
aspects of sex and relationships, rather than
just an understanding of the biology. Even if
spoken about briefy, it would be better than
nothing.
Sex in the Secondary School:
by Rebekkah Hughes, Features Editor
An interview with a 15-Year-Old
O
ver the course of this year, Ive overseen some fantastic writing for Features,
and experiencing this level of enthusiasm and commitment to The Stag has
fuelled my love for my section and for the paper as a whole. The Stag is a group of
people who work together brilliantly as a team and they are all simply wonderful!
And if youre not a part of it, youre defnitely missing out!
For now though, Id like to extend a HUGE thank you to all my writers this year,
for those who wrote regularly and others less so, its all been very much appreciated:
Jas Smith, Danny Gautrey, Alex Watts, Joel Silver, Tilly Tasker, Lily Pearson, Ardy Cheung,
Saskia Parks, Amy Vitoria, Sophie Dyer, Kyra Hanson, Petra-Maria Ilieva, Sophie Vickery,
Khan Baykaner, Katie Sands, Tuyet Nguyen and the wonderful ladies from the Centre
for Wellbeing, Margaret Dunne, Holly Latham and Wendy Wood!
Obviously, Id also like to wish Katie Sands the best of luck in her role as Features
Editor next year!
Have a fantastic summer Surrey and I shall see you in October!
Rebekkah Hughes
Features Editor
Horton Hears Who?
O
n the 15th of May in student halls, in
the heat of the night, when revision got
dull, he was watching that Will Smith flm
Bad Boys When Horton the Psych Major
heard a small noise
So Horton stopped watching. He looked
towards the sound. Thats funny, thought
Horton, theres no one around. Then he
heard it again! Just a very faint yelp, as if
a small person was calling for help. Oh no,
said Horton But who are you? Where? He
put in his headphones. For a while he heard
nothing of the love affair.
I say! murmured Horton Ive never
heard tell of a person so loud that theyre
able to yell over my head phones! Why, I
think I should bang on the wall or even on
that damn door! Hopefully the noise should
disappear, it should not be heard by delicate
ears!
Some poor little person whos shaking
with fear that itll go on all night! He has
no need to cry! Ill just have to tell him!
Because after all, its probably going to
wake the whole hall!
So gently, and using the greatest of care,
the Psych Major left his room and crept
over there, and he took a deep breath and
got ready to knock at the door where the
handle bared one lonely sock.
Humpf! humpfted a voice. Twas a
sour engineer. And the sour engineer was
carrying his ffth beer. Why that yellings
so loud I tried to drown it out! No amount of
beer I drink will stop that loud shout!
Believe me, said Horton. Ill tell you
sincerely, my ears are quite keen and I heard
it quite clearly. I know theres a person in
there. And, whats more, quite likely theres
two. Even three. Even four. Quite likely
Theyre being too loud like before. So please
allow me to knock on the door! And knock
he did.
From behind the door came the voice
of a girl Can your fatmates hear us? Oh no
what a fail. When we stumbled in and on the
bed we dropped, we landed so hard that all
sleeping stopped. Your fatmates are angry.
My dignity gone. This is something I feel I
must act on. Im really sorry! the voice did
suddenly ring Will you go back to bed and
forget the whole thing?
Of course I will go. Ill go if you people
make no noise fosho!
And Horton smiled. Do you see what I
mean? Theyve proved they can shut up, you
just need to ask! And my nights sleep was
saved by this small task!
How true! Yes how true! said the sour
engineer And from now on you know what
Im planning to do? Im going to ask them to
be quiet too! and the beer was drunk in a
gulp or two.
From the sun in the summer. From rain
in the fall-ish. Sex should be quiet if you live
in halls-ish!
Creative Writing
Jas Smith
Features Team
FEATURES 12 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
I
knew there was a lot of contraception out there, but
before doing a bit more research for this article, I
didnt realise quite how much there actually is. There
honestly is something to suit everybody; its just a
case of knowing whats what. I know that youve been
told many a time that there are tons of options out
there, but heres another breakdown for you, just in
case you missed it all somehow.
All in all, there are 15 methods of contraception
available on the NHS that all work in a different
manner of ways, including 2 types of permanent
contraception, known as sterilisation (which Im
going to leave out for the purposes of this article). Im
going to list some of them, with their effectiveness
and a brief summary for your information, but
obviously go and see your nurse or GP if you have
further questions, queries or concerns.
Cap
(92-96% effective)
A circular soft silicone dome, the cap is inserted
before sex and needs to be used with spermicide.
These little caps need to be ftted for the correct
size by a trained nurse or doctor.
Combined Pill or The Pill
(over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy)
The hormones contained in the pill stop a
woman from releasing an egg (or ovulating), which
makes it diffcult for anything to be fertilised, hence
preventing pregnancy. It does require remembering
to take it every day for 21 days consecutively, and it
doesnt protect against STIs: thats where condoms
take centre stage
Condoms (Female)
(95% effective)
This contraception helps to protect against
pregnancy and STIs. Currently, there is only type of
female condom available in the UK, called Femidom.
Condoms (Male)
(98% effective)
Again, this contraception protects against
pregnancy and STIs, and is the only form of
contraception to protect against both. You can
usually get free condoms from contraception clinics,
sexual health clinics and some GP surgeries.
Contraceptive Implant
(if implanted correctly, more than 99% effective)
A small fexible tube, thats about 4cm long, the
contraceptive implant is inserted under the skin of
your arm by a nurse or doctor, and provides protection
for three years. This is useful for women who cannot
take contraception that contains oestrogen.
Contraceptive Injection
(more than 99% effective)
There are two types of injection, Depo-Provera
and Noristerat, the frst lasting for twelve weeks and
the second for eight. The injection can have a few side
effects and these will last the duration because you
cant remove the injection from your body in any way,
including: headaches, weight gain and mood swings.
Contraceptive Patch
A sticky patch, similar to a nicotine patch,
measuring 5x5cm that you stick to your arm. The
UKs brand is Evra and it works in a similar way to the
pill, just without remembering to take it everyday.
Each patch lasts for a week, and is then changed every
three weeks, with a week off in the cycle too. Dont
worry; it can be worn in the bath, swimming pool and
when playing sports too.
IUD (intrauterine device)
A small T-shaped plastic and copper device
inserted in the womb by a nurse or doctor. The IUD is
a long acting reversible form of contraception they
last 5-10 years depending on which one you have.
IUS (intrauterine system)
Similar to IUDs, the IUS is a small T-shaped plastic
device also inserted into the womb. The UK brand is
known as Mirena and works for fve years at a time.
The Progesterone-only Pill
Pill contraceptive thats taken at the same time
every day, but with this pill you take a pill every day
without a break between packs.
A Selection of Contraception
by Rebekkah Hughes, Features Editor
If you have any further questions, queries
or concerns go and see your nurse or GP.
The Emergency
Sandwich
by Alex Watts, Features Team
I
ts late, youre drunk, shes drunk,
aha! You hate the music, you say
whats up, you want to come back
to mine? she thinks *ugh no, where
have they gone. I should probably
text them, theyll be worried.*
She quizzically gets her
phone out and types something
incoherent like [waaay Immmaerds
leeeetle beet dryyyynk, x] in a
vague aim to let them know shes
leaving with you. Its good that,
despite her incapacitation, she
keeps the important details. She
says Ok, yeah, go on then. Youre
in, you grab her by the hand and
attempt to walk down the stairs,
but she trips. You catch her,
swing her round and pretend to
be Patrick Swayze re-enacting a
scene from Dirty Dancing. Or at
least thats what you intended, but
the approaching laughs suggest
otherwise...
But its OK, she acts oblivious to
recent events and you retreat to the
taxi rank. You reach out your hand.
He drives by. You realise you just
tried to summon a Hovis lorry. Its
OK, she found it hilarious and gets
out a pre-packed sandwich from
her hand bag. You look at it with
disbelief why is there a sandwich
in your bag? She replies inaudibly
as her mouth fumbles over the
crumbling mess. The remnants
hit the foor as she sees the taxi.
She gets in, you swiftly follow. The
driver sees you in the mirror, a brief
eye contact encounter leading to
wink of respect. You think *Ugh he
shouldnt objectify like that*, then
realise where you are. He asks Did
you have a good night? but over
the white noise discharging from
his radio, you reply uh just here on
the right, thanks. You pull over, she
follows. You make a joke Oh wait,
I forgot my key, she swears and
throws her bag at you to which you
get your key out and explain why
your immaturity is kind of cute.
You unlock the door as she fumbles
with her possessions littered on the
lawn. Oh look, another sandwich,
*who is this girl?*
You make it inside, waiting
for her to follow, as long a wait as
you did for puberty but it fnally
happens. Shes actually in your
house, there are like four steps to
your room. She suggests a cup of
water? you oblige. Her rehydration
has enabled forgiveness of the key
incident. Thats good. You both
get up, would you like to go
somewhere more comfortable? she
agrees. You open the door, she steps
inside, you kiss, but through your
fumbling she switches on the light.
She sees your Hobbit collectables
perfectly aligned on your pillow.
She sobers up and says Yeah I
should probably leave You write a
letter of thanks to your housemates
for their assistance.
The habits and Hobbits of a night out...
E
veryone loves getting hot and sweaty and losing
control, but this article isn't about those heated
games of Monopoly you and your friends have. It's
about sex. Living in student accommodation, halls or
housing has some serious privacy issues. I found that
the walls between student rooms on campus were
fairly thick, not really an issue for music or television,
however when you're 'doing the nasty' things can get
a little loud. A bed bashing against the wall, springs
squeaking on the mattress or the loud moans of the
guy you didn't see standing at the window. The last
one has an easy solution, always shut the curtains,
and the window; you'd be surprised what people will
do when they see an open window with shut curtains.
To help out with everything else in those off-putting
situations I've created a short list of ideas on how to
be a little quieter in these times of err need:
1. Firstly I'd recommend lying. Telling you're
housemates you were 'pumping up the air bed' or
'jumping on the bed' might sound like the most
ridiculous excuses ever, but it's likely that they
wouldn't believe you even if they were true.
2. A second option is a classic: try the foor, or that
airbed you were supposedly pumping up the night
before. No bed against the wall, no mattress springs
sorted.
3. Another option is to wait until nobody is home.
In my frst year I lived with 14 people in halls so that
wasn't really an option, but you may only live with 2
or 3 people. In the latter case it's not so hard to get
alone time, especially over the holidays, so you have
some ample opportunity...
4. My fourth and fnal suggestion is to be proud.
Don't make excuses and don't care about what people
think. You should just be proud you got some, not
everyone does.
Shhh... My Housemates Are Home!
by Daniel Gautrey, Features Team
You catch her, swing her round and pretend
to be Patrick Swayze re-enacting a scene from
Dirty Dancing. Or at least thats what you
intended, but the approaching laughs suggest
otherwise...
FEATURES 13 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 Features Editor: Rebekkah Hughes
Advice From a Final Year
by Tuyet Nguyen, Features Team
T
his year has almost coming to an end. The main
things on our minds are to power through these
last few weeks and achieve tops marks. However, the
involvements in activities outside of your studies
are equally vital these days to secure a graduate job
- which is the ultimate reason were at university,
right? You are already a student of a Top 10 University
(congratulations!), but below are some general tips for
the frst and second years to help you along the way:
Societies and Clubs
We are lucky to have a top students union at our
university, so make the most of hundreds of sports and
societies on campus become an active member, or
even take a position in the committee! Not only are they
fun and the great way to meet like-minded people, they
provide a platform where you can build on transferable
skills. During interviews, you will be interrogated with
what are called competency questions for example:
tell me a time when you worked in a team solved
a problem achieved something... You can plan now
what youd like the answer to be, but implement them
in the next year so you can give specifc examples.
Careers Service
Use the careers service early on in your degree and
dont leave it to the last minute. It is completely free
to utilise and the staff are passionate about helping
students into employment. They help you with your
CV and covering letters; have a mock interview with
you and more. Have a look at their website for the full
services they provide and upcoming workshops and
presentations. https://www.surrey.ac.uk/careers/.
Internships, Part Time Jobs,
Volunteering
The careers service can also help you apply for
internships and other jobs to vamp up your CV. The
experience here will vary the examples you can
provide during the graduate interviews.
Last, but not least
Enjoy Your University Experience
I hear constantly from current employees that the
student days were one of the best times of their lives.
Enjoy the time that you have here and build on your
confdence, it will only show up better during the
interviews and assessment centres.
These are just general tips to get you started, if you
already know the role or industry you want pursue,
have a look at the job specifcations and spend the
next year gaining or improving on those skills and
requirements. There are countless websites on the
internet for advice on getting graduate jobs.
Good luck with your exams and future career!
T
o celebrate the sex edition of The Stag, it
seems appropriate to consider various cultural
differences on how we view sex across the world. Sex
is an intrinsic part of life, but like every moral issue,
different cultures vary in their prescriptions of right
and wrong sexual norms.
It is important to bear in mind that these lists
are generalisations. Not everyone in every country
supports that attitude to sex, and the range of views
is often as diverse. Here are some interesting sexual
norms (or myths!) that these countries are known for:
UK: The United Kingdom has the highest teen
birth rate in Western Europe in 2009, with 24 per 1,000
teenage pregnancies.
USA: In public schools, the main form of sex
education is abstinence. Most teaching focuses on the
dangers of sex, pregnancy and STIs. They also have the
highest rates of teen pregnancies. In Sandy Springs,
currently you have to be prescribed sex toys or sexual
devices for a medical reason.
China: Often considered a culture that focuses on
privacy. It is expected for women to be virgins when
married, but 60% of Chinese men and women have sex
before marriage. (According to reports, some women
go as far as have reconstructive surgery to ensure they
aren't found out.) There is no formal sex education.
Netherlands Arguably the most pro-sex country
in the world. Prostitution is legal, and topless beaches
are common. It was the frst country in the world to
legalize gay marriage (civil unions in 1998, gay marriage
in 2001). Sex education starts in kindergarten, on a
mainly anatomical level.
Switzerland: Switzerland has same-sex civil unions
(though not gay marriage), a high tolerance for porn,
legal prostitution (including licensed brothels) and sex
education as early as kindergarten.
Spain: The age of sexual consent is 13 years old.
Barcelona is home to the largest porn company in
Europe, Private Media Group. However, abortion only
became legal in Spain in 2010.
Russia: According to some reports, it is considered
common for women to have 2-3 abortions in their life
time.
Columbia: As a Catholic nation that doesnt
accept sex before marriage, it has been reported that
Columbian men are known to have sex with donkeys
before marriage. This act is also considered to help the
male phallus grow and develop.
France: Under Frances universal health care
system, teenagers can obtain condoms free and
confdentially and are educated on contraceptive
methods in state schools.
So there we have it! Even the fundamental
decisions on sexual relations differ from country to
country, from the age of consent to the acceptance of
sex before marriage. There is no true worldwide norm
for sexual behaviour. The prescription of rules to what
we do in our private lives can also be seen as part of
a wider cultural context. In a multicultural world,
acknowledging everyones different opinions can shed
a light on our own private lives, and the impact our
nationality has on our sex lives.
Sex Around the World
by Katie Sands, Features Team
2 for 1 Offer
by Wendy Wood, Programme Lead, Sexual Health Intervention & Promotion Team (SHIP)
N
ew Sexual Health Screening
Tests in Surrey
Surrey Chlamydia Screening
Programme, part of REACH
Sexual Health Surrey has
been offering FREE, self-taken
chlamydia tests in Surrey since
2006.
Since we started the screening
programme in Surrey we have
screened 54,685 young people
under the age of 25. We have
treated 3113 positive chlamydia
infections.
Chlamydia (kla-mid-ee-a) is
the most commonly diagnosed
sexually transmitted infection
(STI) in the UK, affecting both
men and women. You dont
need to have had lots of sexual
partners to be at risk.
The important things to know
about chlamydia are:
For most people chlamydia
has no symptoms, so you
probably won't know if you or
your partner(s) have it without
having a test.
Chlamydia is the most
commonly diagnosed STI in
England and rates are increasing.
Untreated chlamydia can
have serious long term health
implications and may lead to
infertility (being unable to have
children).
If you are sexually active and
under 25 years old, you should
be tested for chlamydia annually
or when you change your sexual
partner.
If you are under 25 years
old you can get a free and
confdential chlamydia test as
part of the NCSP.
Chlamydia is easily tested for
and easy to treat you dont need
to be examined.
Any form of unprotected sex
(without a condom) can put you
at risk of catching chlamydia,
including oral sex.
From April 2014 the same self-
taken urine test for both males
and females will be able to test for
Gonorrhoea as well as Chlamydia.
So, just one urine sample will
now test you for two Sexually
Transmitted Infections.
Anyone who is sexually active
can catch gonorrhoea, especially
people who change partners
frequently or don't use a barrier
method of contraception such as
a condom when having sex.
Gonorrhoea is the second
most common bacterial STI in
the UK after chlamydia. More
than 25,000 cases were reported
in England during 2012, with
most cases affecting young men
and women under the age of 25.
Like Chlamydia around 1 in 10
infected men and almost half of
infected women don't experience
any symptoms.
Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia and
other STIs can be successfully
prevented by using appropriate
contraception and taking other
precautions, such as:
using male condoms or
female condoms every time
you have vaginal sex, or male
condoms during anal sex
using a condom to cover
the penis, or a latex or plastic
square (dam) to cover the female
genitals, if you have oral sex
not sharing sex toys, or
washing them and covering
them with a new condom before
anyone else uses them
If you are worried you may
have an STI, visit your local
GUM or sexual health clinic for
advice. To request a self taken
test or to locate your local
sexual health/contraceptive
service then check out www.
sexualhealthsurrey.co.uk
You can also request a test
kit by texting REACH plus your
name and address to 80010.
Test for Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea
in one easy self-taken test!
Health
For most people chlamydia has no symptoms,
so you probably wont know if you or your
partner(s) have it without having a test.
The United Kingdom has the
highest teen birth rate in Western
Europe in 2009, with 24 per 1,000
teenage pregnancies.
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21st Century Sex ...
Dating Apps
I
ts weird - its like an actual cyber neighbourhood, only you have
a say in your neighbours. Well, their age, gender that is, and you
only need to look at them for a second before you decide if you
like them or not. If you cant, theyre holding up a picket to let
you know if you have any similar interests or friends in common
to help narrow your experience down to a T. The best part is you
dont need to awkwardly look at the foor or your phone (ironically)
to avoid making eye contact, because youre invisible until you
say otherwise and if they agree to swipe you. Its fast paced, some
conversations fzzle out in under an hour and boom, youre onto
the next one. Sometimes its a wave, sometimes you stop and chat,
and someone might throw their penis in your face and catch you off
guard. At least theres a chance for a free meal in there somewhere
G
rindr is the biggest all-male location-based social network app in the world, and it
can be whatever you want it to be: dating, making friends, networking and most
commonly hooking up. To illustrate its popularity, Ive used Grindr for over four years
now and I have not met a single gay man over the age of 18 who has not used it at least
once.
I personally have had a very varied relationship with Grindr; I accredit it for every
single sexual encounter Ive had since the age of 18. It makes hooking up as easy as reciting
the alphabet within seconds of logging on, youre matched to a grid full of profles of
gay men closest to you through its location-based system. The grid is made up of small
squares, each containing an individual mans profle, which consists of a picture and a
caption. Further in the profle, the about me section varies from actual information
about the person to a very brief and explicit explanation of their sexual preferences and
desires.
Grindr contains various archetypes who have provided me with a ton of hilarious
screenshot material and are an on-going joke within the gay community.
A typical grid will consist of the following:
i) The normal guy: a general, Facebook-friendly photo of his face, with the
caption often being his name.
ii) The Shirtless guy: shows off his ripped body in the hopes of being fooded with
offers of sex. His captions often reference their sexual preferences i.e. top, versatile or
bottom (top being a penetrative partner, bottom being a receptive partner and versatile
being both).
iii) The Straight guy: adamant of his heterosexuality, he professes to just want
some discreet fun or is happily advertising that they are looking to cheat on their wives
or girlfriends.
iv) The Weirdo: he never shows his face, usually having a picture of just their
torso or some other questionable body part, and tends to send you incredibly explicit and
graphic messages that detail the many ways theyd like to pleasure you.
Although its primary use is for hooking up, for which its system facilitates best, I have
also made a very good life-long friend from it, and have also met the only man I have ever
loved on it I found myself spending an entire summer in the States with him last year.
Overall, Grindrs purpose is to facilitate interaction between gay men, and in
that sense it is a basic communication tool by which the hands of its users can forge
relationships varying from numerous no-strings-attached hook-ups to long-lasting
committed relationships.
By Mr E, contributor
By Shiri Shah, Literature Editor
**
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 19 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 Sci/Tech Editor: Siobhan Harris
Science & Technology
W
eve often heard that a good orgasm sorts out
headaches, right, but is there really any scientifc
basis to the claim? One psychology professor spent a
long time looking into it, and there does indeed appear
to be a strong genital-brain relationship.
Prof. Barry Komisaruk at Rutgers University was
the frst to record what female brain activity looks like
during an orgasm.
In the 1950s he looked at how neurons produced
consciousness, studying how hormone production
stimulates behaviour, and in turn how behaviour
stimulates hormone production. From then on began
a long series of sexual behavioural studies headed
by Komisaruk that revealed important facts about
pleasure and pain.
During the 70s he worked with neuroscientist
James Olds who discovered the brains pleasure
centres. Olds and Komisaruk measured neurological
responses in rats when they were subjected to different
stimuli, such as brushing the face and pinching a toe.
When Komisaruk pinched a rats toe, it finched because
of a pain refex. When Komisaruk inserted a makeshift
glass dildo into a rats vagina, and then pinched its
toe, there appeared to be no pain response at all. It was
as if sexual stimulation caused a state of paralysis in
the rat, blocking its pain responses. Since they could
not fnd out why with the rats, Komisaruk decided to
experiment with human women in order to hear their
feedback on it.
Then, in the 80s, Komisaruk invited the famed Dr.
Beverly Whipple, co-author of The G-Spot and Other
Recent Discoveries About Human Sexuality, to join his
study into whether vaginal stimulation blocks pain
in women. In the frst tests they found that vaginal
self-stimulation more than doubled the womens
pain thresholds. A subsequent study, measuring pain
thresholds during childbirth, found a signifcant
reduction in pain sensitivity as the baby made its way
through the birth canal.
Komisaruk and Whipple then set out to challenge
claims that women with spinal cord injuries couldnt
feel sexual pleasure from vaginal stimulation. After
self-stimulation tests monitored by MRI scans tracking
brain activity, they found that the claim was incorrect;
the vagina and cervix retained sensation in all levels
of spinal cord injury, despite doctors claims that the
women would never again feel any pleasure below the
waist.
After decades of research into the genital-brain
relationship, Komisaruk claims they have worked
out the basic relationship of the genital relationship
to the brain and are beginning to understand the
pathologies and how they can be treated.
The Healing Power
of the Orgasm
By Siobhan Harris, Science & Technology Editor
A
ny type of sex you can think of is to do with
swapping and mixing genes. Sexual relations
become far more promiscuous and candid as you move
down to the microbial levels.
A simple brewers yeast cell does not need any
partners to reproduce and can simply split itself into
mother and daughter cells. This is a process called
binary fssion and can result in one parent cell giving
birth to up to 24 daughter cells. Fungi being in the
same kingdom as yeasts can also reproduce asexually
by disseminating copies of itself as spores (similar to
seeds) in the environment. It can also choose to fuse
itself with another fungi.
Bacterial genetics is messy with no nucleus,
just spread out genes all over the cell, this leads to
interesting aspects of its genetic mixing. By a process
called conjugation bacteria do not even have to
produce offspring to swap genetics, they just pass on
genes to its neighbours. If they need a new antibiotic
resistance gene to a particular antibiotic we are
bombarding it with for example, they can simply pick
it up from a bacteria that has it and continue growing
unaffected. How about switching from a male donor
bacteria to a female recipient bacteria, or acquiring
a new weapon (toxin) to attack humans with, or
digesting a new kind of food? These are all possible in
bacteria that treat genes like plug-ins and apps. Things
get even weirder at the bacterial level, they can take up
DNA just lying around on surfaces and incorporate it
into their own genetics and the cholera bacteria is even
known to carry around two chromosomes, presumably
one original and the other an acquisition from another
bacteria that its decided to hold on to.
As you may know, diversity in offspring is essential
for a species to adapt and evolve. Diversity results from
genetic changes, something which our normal sexual
reproduction is very good at. Microbes mostly rely on
sloppy DNA replication where many mistakes are made
along the way.
The HIV virus is notorious for sloppy DNA
replication. Its so bad at making accurate copies of its
DNA that its now become the principle reason for why
the battle against HIV has been so hard. Anyone that
contracts HIV will die of it (with few exceptions). The
question becomes, how do you pin down and kill a virus
thats constantly shape-shifting and transforming
itself? It has to be said however this is a double-edged
sword tactic with huge risks to itself.
The Weird and Wonderful
World of Microbial Sex
By Noah Mesfn, Science & Technology Team
E
nough about humans, lets
turn our attention to the
wilder beasts amongst us; lets
talk about owls.
Now, owls are generally a
faithful species so its very rare
that they play away from home.
One species of owl though, the
burrowing owls of Argentina,
have been engaging in a little
Sex and the City...
They settle in urban areas
close to the cities, and their nests
are little more than 10 metres
apart. Temptation may be a little
more than usual for these owls,
since in rural areas their nests
are usually up to 15 km apart.
Back in 2011 it was found that
these particular owls have larger
brains, which appeared to lead
to more behavioural variation,
such as becoming more confdent
around humans and thus moving
to urban environments like the
cities.
It was then found that the city
life certainly seemed to trigger
the sex drive of the owls, as is
the trend with other birds, such
as blackbirds who when exposed
to bright lights develop to sexual
maturity earlier than in rural
darkness.
A team of researchers in
Spain observed the owls over six
consecutive breeding seasons,
taking blood samples from 1100
owls from 61 urban and 7 rural
nests. Genetic analyses found
that all rural chicks were the
offspring of the two adult owls
of the nest. However, it turned
out that the urban owls didnt
stray either, despite the tempting
opportunities that presented
themselves in the city. All except
one little nest where the chicks
inside were not in fact the
offspring of the male adult of the
nest.
The researchers concluded
that despite the greater
population density posing
opportunities to stray for the
birds, other factors came into
play when it came down to
faithfulness.
Sex and the City: Owls
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 20 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk
By Fahmid Chowdhury, Science & Technology
Team
Technology
round-up
O
nePlus, with their new One
smartphone, have ushered
in a new era, and perhaps the
best. A cheap but excellent
smartphone. The phone will
cost 269 for 64gb with 13MP
camera, 5.5 inch Full HD
screen, big battery, 2.5 GHz
processor, 3gb RAM and 4K
video recording. Wow.
OnePlus One consolidates new
era of smartphones
S
atellite information has
estimated that Antarctica is
losing about 160 billion tonnes
of ice a year twice as much
since the continent was last
surveyed.
Antarctic ice loss doubles
V
odafone have announced
price increments which
could raise the phone bills
by 10%. This is done if they
stray beyond their monthly
allowance. Watch out folks!
Vodafone raises monthly bill by
up to 10%
Milton Keynes to become frst
Internet-Of-Things open access
place in UK
M
ilton Keynes is set to
become the frst city in
the UK to create a city-wide,
open access Internet-of-Things
network. It hopes to encourage
tech companies and start-
ups to use this infrastructure
as testing ground for new
services.
EN2 Proteins Used to Diagnose Prostate Cancer
M
any of you may have heard of the prostate,
but what exactly is it? Do I need it? Well
the prostate is a male organ surrounding the
neck of the bladder, and it is needed in order
to produce seminal fuid in order to protect
and nourish the sperm- so yes it is needed in
order to remain fertile and produce healthy
and motile sperm!
On a more serious note it is important for
us males to check our prostate (particularly
in our more elderly years) as prostate cancer
kills over 10,000 men a year in the UK. Much
of these mortalities could have been saved if
an earlier diagnosis had been made, however
prostate cancer is diffcult to diagnose and
also methods of diagnosis are intrusive to the
patient, such as biopsies and digital rectal
examination. This may deter many from
taking the frst initial step to see their general
practitioner (GP). Research has suggested that
although sexual intercourse does increase
your chances of developing prostate cancer -
ejaculating fve times a week would reduce the
risk by a third!
But now, scientists from the University
of Surrey have discovered that Engrailed-2
proteins (EN2) are secreted by prostate cancer
cells. These proteins are secreted and can be
detected within the urine, using the lateral
fow test. This is where the urine from a
patient is inserted onto a pad, and if two red
bands emerge in the screen, then the result is
positive and the patient has prostate cancer.
This is similar to pregnancy testing kits, which
detects the presence of the hormone human
chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG).
A major advantage to using EN2 proteins
to diagnose prostate cancer is that you can
detect how large the tumour and aggressive
the tumour is and whether or not it needs
treatment, as many people with prostate
cancer die of other unrelated causes as prostate
cancer itself progresses slowly. In previous
diagnosis tests such as detecting prostate
specifc antigens (PSAs) in the blood. PSA is
an antigen which is naturally released by the
prostate gland in small amounts, and prostate
cancer increases the amount produced. This
is in fact a non-invasive treatment, however
it fails to determine how big or aggressive the
tumour is; therefore many patients may have
undergone unnecessary treatment. Another
limitation to using PSA to diagnose the older
the patient is, the larger the prostate gland
becomes, and thus more PSA is naturally
produced. Statistics also show us that in 65% of
cases where PSA levels in men were raised, the
patient did not have prostate cancer, proving
that this form of diagnosis cannot be solely
relied upon.
Diagnosing prostate cancer by testing for
EN2 proteins is currently undergoing clinical
trials, which if successful will make diagnosing
prostate cancer less intrusive and more
reliable.
By Joseph Dennis, Science & Technology Team
Has the time really come to say goodbye? Has it really been
a year?! It seems like it, and I know Ill really miss it. From two
pages to four pages, the Science & Technology section grew
and Ive had the opportunity to work with some great writers
over the past year. Weve covered everything from climate
change, to the Nobel Prizes, to social experiments and even
an interview with our own Surrey physicist and BBC presenter
Prof. Jim Al-Khalili. What an experience! I can only hope that
next years team will enjoy it as much as I have and that the
enthusiasm prevails.
From sending out team emails; drafting my own articles;
receiving writers articles and editing them; sending them
off to the other end of the editing chain; racing against the
clock to lay-up (design) the section; team meetings; and fnally
writing this goodbye it really has been a worthwhile job. It
has been done with a sense of pride and achievement, and a
drive to engage more people with science and technology. I look
forward to graduating, but will always be keeping an eye on
how the Stag is faring up in the years to come. Good luck to next
years team look after my section! All the best to wherever
people are heading after this year, hopefully our paths will
cross again. Siobhan xxx
Siobhan Harris
Science & Technology Editor
Have you ever felt like other
people are way more sexually
active than you? Or maybe just
more turned on? Well, it might be
the way theyre wired, according
to research by neuroscientists.
The research from the
University of California L.A.
looked to electroencephalogram
(EEG) -style brain recordings to
show that some peoples brains
are more sensitive to sexual cues
than others. Each participant for
the research had EEGs of their
brains and viewed 225 pictures of
pleasant, neutral or unpleasant
things. Pleasant pictures
were designed to be sexually
stimulating and ranged from
people kissing to people having
full-on sex. Each student was also
asked how many sexual partners
theyd had in the past year.
Some participants showed
strong reactions to the EEG to
the intimate pleasant pictures
whether they were explicit or
not, and those same participants
turned out to be the ones who
had reported having more sexual
partners than other participants.
Out of the EEG patterns there
were, surprisingly, no gender-
based differences. But there
were patterns that suggested a
biological sensitivity to sexual
cues in some while not in others,
causing them to feel more arousal
while others did not.
EEG readings are a way of
measuring the brains motivation
for different stimuli, so this
method proved to be useful in
better understanding the link
between sexual activity and
biologically-guided arousal.
Wired for Sex
By Siobhan Harris, Science & Technology Team
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 21 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 Sci/Tech Editor: Siobhan Harris
Y
oure out at Rubix one night. You have a drink. Heck,
have two. Or three. Or four. You enjoy yourself.
You dance, and dance, and dance. Suddenly, out of the
corner of your eye, you see someone. Someone you fnd
to be amazingly beautiful. Someone you think looks
amazing. Someone you just want to take home and
bone. In that moment, your brain just created many
synapses and your senses have processed so much
information that you know youre attracted to the
person in a matter of seconds!
We think of romantic feelings as something
spontaneous that just comes naturally. But it feels
that way. I love her and I cant help it. I hear you
say. In reality though, its just your brain calculating
furiously in a matter of seconds which determines
attraction. Remember, each of your senses play a role
in voting whether or not you like this person. That is
why some girls can fnd a guy attractive from afar, but
as soon as he comes near and she gets a whiff of that
male breeze, she could be put off faster than water
lighting off a matchstick. It is to do with pheromones,
not necessarily the perfume or natural musk he or she
emanates.
It is noted that generally, we fnd the people
attractive because we know our offspring with them
would be amazing. This means that, for example,
smooth skin and long amazing hair would always be in
demand because they are associated with reproductive
awesomeness (Not a scientifc term). Then there is
also the ears. Generally, men prefer women with high-
pitched, breathy voices correlated with smaller body
size whilst women prefer lower voices which suggest a
larger body size.
Now, if a person has managed to pass all these
tests, there is still one more aspect question to pass
the infamous frst kiss. Some people note this as
it feels right moment to know that the kiss has
signalled something more but there is science behind
that feeling. This is to do with the smell of their breath
and taste of their mouth which is why that person
you made out with after you vomited in the bathroom
didnt stay long after that!
Anyway, after processing all this information and
confrming the attraction, your body becomes flled
with norepinephrine this basically activates a fight
or fght system which makes certain symptoms
most of us are familiar with i.e. pupils dilating, heart
beating faster, body releases glucose (which tells you
something important is happening). This begins the
path to either heartbreak or a loving, happy life. This
is all to show an appreciation for our own body. When
we see someone, our body basically is having an in-
house vote to determine if we like the person. Simply
amazing.
By Fahmid Chowdhury, Science & Technology Team
Romance is a Science
P
ossibly the only thing that
will put an end to the debate
on where on a womans body
is most sensitive, is science.
However, everyones different;
our bodys arent wired exactly
the same. But one things for sure:
its a hot topic, and I bet your
partners will want to know where
to start exploring frst! Well, fear
not; a new study by Canadian
scientists have tested this out in
lab conditions and their fndings
are pretty impressive.
The scientists tested the
sensitivities of arousal areas on
the female body, such as the nipple
and clitoris, and then compared
them with neutral areas of the
body such as the neck, forearm
and abdomen. Their sample was
30 healthy women between age
18 and 35.
They tested each area of the
female body by using methods
such as light touch, pressure
and even vibration to assess just
how sensitive each area is. Each
stimulation method was applied
for 1 and a half seconds a time,
after which women were asked
how they felt about it.
Light touching the neck,
forearm, and vaginal margin
proved to be the most sensitive,
while the areola (circle
surrounding the nipple) was least
sensitive. Applying pressure to
the clitoris and nipple was most
sensitive, and the side boob and
abdomen were the least. And
fnally, with vibration, again the
clitoris and nipple were proved to
be the most sensitive.
The researchers, who
published their fndings in the
Journal of Sexual Medicine,
concluded that the genitals are
most sensitive to pressure and
vibration compared to light
touch.
Points of Pleasure
FILM 22 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 flm@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Film
H
ollywood is probably the second greatest industry
to utilise sex so gratuitously, after pornography.
Questionably, it slavishly follows the not-so-old adage Sex
sells. But some flms do show that sex on the silver screen
need not be gratuitous. It need not be there to encourage
libido-driven pubescent teenage boys to fock in by the
millions. Sex in movies can serve a more profound, artistic and
intellectual purpose. Some of the most important flms of the
last decade such as Shame, Brokeback Mountain, Atonement,
and Nymphomaniac would be completely unimaginable
otherwise their impact belittled and their power stifed.
This is a ranking of the top ten most iconic sex scenes
across movies and television. Although this list is far from
complete, all scenes below are inserted not simply for the sake
of it, but because they were absolutely necessary to achieve
an artistic, literary, plot-driven purpose. Additionally, the
scenes below are proportionate. They are not gratuitous
they only proceed through the level of nudity and intimacy to
pass on the necessary point. Needless to say, Spoilers abound.
10 Most Iconic Sex Scenes in Film & TV
Honorary Mentions
Game of Thrones: Diluted by the ambition of its
creators to maintain our focus by any boobs necessary.
Nymphomaniac: Although making a flm about sex
addiction would have been tough without including any
sex, von Triers audacious attempt seems almost designed
to challenge the rules on cinema sex for the sake of it.
Shame: Another movie about sex addiction, which
covers the taboo topic in a more reverent, mechanical,
manner, which becomes most potent when our addict
bottoms out. Ultimately though, this isnt a movie about
sex addiction per se, but rather about the impact it has
on personal and family relationships. Expect no intimacy.
By Jim Onyemenam, Film Team
House of Cards
For the sake of spoilers, we wont divulge the identity of the
third party in this indulgent, absurdist threesome. Safe to say,
this incident comes unexpected and is never mentioned again. It
effectively and powerfully illustrates the tacit loyalty and natural
yet impulsive intimacy and trust between these three characters in
a programme where everything else is calculated and utilitarian.
10
Brokeback Mountain
This is possibly one of the most challenging
scenes in this list. This scene does not fatter.
In fact, it is relatively frank and hardly erotic,
which is where its power lies. In a generation
where heterosexual sex in movies has become
commonplace, this scene actually posits the
question as to why that same liberty is not
granted to homosexuality whilst retaining the
core focus of the flm as an intensely human
story about affection.
9
The Departed
The main purpose of the scene in The Departed is to consumate a
relationship, but there is an added complexity in its multiple layers.
Firstly, the sex scene itself acts as a plot device (necessary for the
ensuing baby). Secondly, the sex scene here contrasts perfectly with
the absence of one with the female characters actual partner
ultimately and blatantly labelling him as a failure in every sense of the
word. When it does happen, it is almost spurned on by the audience,
coming with a sense of relief but also foreboding. The true genius of
this scene is in its control. It only shows what is necessary, and it drives
the complexity of the characters and the plot. It is not gratuitous.
8
Titanic
As above, although less layered.
This scene again serves the purpose
of consummating a relationship.
Although it is less layered and
less complex, it comes with the
same sense of foreboding. Also,
the scene is a testament to the
fact that although flmmakers
shouldnt be afraid to brave nudity
in the (quite literary) artistic
sense, the overpowering, intense,
impulsive nature of intimacy can
still be conveyed whilst leaving
a lot implied. And lets not forget
the iconic hand against a steamy
window.
7
A History of Violence
This flm actually features two prominent sex scenes, a goofy, cringe-worthy, yet sweet
post-marital sex scene at the start, and then a more violent encounter later on. Unlike
other movies, this one tries to paint violence as undesirable, and in this latter scene best
illustrates its capacity to spoil what was already an ideal relationship where the physical
sex scene is less intimate, arguably less mutual, and is simply a show of dominance, power,
and violence. And the discomfort this instills permeates through everything from the
way the intercourse is performed, to its very location a narrow staircase.
6
Black Swan
This scene is most important, as it is the climax of our main
protagonists metamorphosis. In a flm about a frigid, farouche
ballet dancer becoming the darker, freer, Black Swan as embodied
by Mila Kuniss antagonist who might or might not be a fgment
of her imagination and a symptom of her neurosis, this climatic
scene is quite literally so. FUN FACT: This sex scene happens 69
minutes into the flm.
5
American Psycho
This sex scene is epic. Christian Bale portrays Patrick
Bateman another psychologically questionable character
whose unique blend of discipline, determination, and self-
importance gives birth to this narcissistic, absolutely insane,
anti-hero. Despite his unreliable voice-over narrative, this
one scene is the largest window into his, self-absorbed mind,
his insensitivity, his incapacity for intimacy and perfectly
illustrates the monster that is Patrick Bateman.
4
Compliance
Personally, I hold this flm in high regard. It has
been highly criticised as it is unbelievable but on the
other hand it is largely true. The entire movie is a single
prolonged instance of sexual exploitation culminating
in the actual act. It is about a young girl who is accused
by a police offcer as being a petty thief. He goes on to
instruct her strip-search and ensuing exploitation. The
scene is not pretty at all. In fact it is almost disgusting.
Throughout the flm, one is asking How far would they
go? Well this is the answer, in all its distastefulness.
3 Horrible
Bosses
Any scene featuring
Jennifer Aniston. And
a testament to the fact
that such scenes can
exist in comedies, rather
than simply in art-house
psychological dramas.
2 1
Requiem For A Dream
There are a number of very intimate scenes in Requiem for a Dream which illustrate the
symbiosis between the two main leads and how their addiction comes between that, but the
scene that puts this flm at the top of the list is the grotesque fnal scene which posits the
same question as the aforementioned Compliance How far would they go?. This scene is
just as diffcult to watch, just as disturbing, fear-inspiring, and has the added beneft of being
contextually relevant to the entire flm. There is the contrast between her intimacy with her
partner, and the mechanical, dark, painful, and slavish act she goes through to obtain her
next high. Just when we thought our characters hit the bottom of the bucket, we get this fnal,
scary, scarring, scene. Its brilliant.
FILM 23 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 Film Editor: Sophia Field
T
he 1998 Roland Emmerich version of Godzilla
has a special place in my heart because it was
quite probably the frst Hollywood movie that I ever
saw. I was six years old at the time, and it drove me
to explore other movies: mainstream, similar titles
such as Jurassic Park at frst (I used to be obsessed
with dinosaurs as a kid) and then on to other titles,
to become the pop culture flm snob that I am today.
When I heard about the 2014 Godzilla reboot I was
quite excited. Godzilla and movies of its ilk belong to
a genre called kaiju flms kaiju being the Japanese
for strange creature. Last year the Hollywood kaiju
flm Pacifc Rim was released, and after seeing it, I
was left disappointed. I hoped Godzilla would be
better.
The new Godzilla flm starts off on a promising
note by evoking the events of the Fukushima disaster
in Japan. I got the sense that the flm was taking
a strong stance on nuclear power in the modern
society. But it then surprisingly veers off course
spending a good part of its frst half on a different
creature called the MUTOs (mutant unidentifed
who cares), which are insect-like creatures that love
eating radiation. Whatever that means. This wakes
Godzilla up, who is supposed to be their natural
predator except that Godzilla never actually
eats them in the end. The latter half of the flm is
spent on a forgettable and futile performance from
Aaron Johnson-Taylor, acting out the trope of an all-
American GI Joe whose actions make no sense.
The stars of the new Godzilla flm are Ken
Watanabe and Bryan Cranston, the two most
experienced actors in the line-up, who bring the only
interesting performances to the table. Watanabe
spends most of his screen time clutching a briefcase
and staring into the distance, with a look on his face
as if Godzilla was his truant child whod stolen his
wallet.
There is a distinct shyness from showing the
monsters in this kaiju flm, which makes it a strange
beast indeed, but also - boring. It attempts to be
reverential to the genre yet it fails to keep a gripping
plot through its runtime. Sadly thanks to 3D and
international box offce performance it seems a
sequel is in the pipeline.
X
Men: Days of Future Past overtook Godzilla at
the US box offce over the weekend and while the
movie is certainly a spectacular event, from what I
have heard, this is more to do with the quality of the
latter movie. This flm however brings together the
cast from the original three X-Men movies, as well as
the characters from 2011s X-Men: First Class. In an
apocalyptic future, the older generation of mutants
face the threat of annihilation. In order to resolve this
crisis, Wolverine portrayed by Hugh Jackman, must go
back in time to the 1970s to alter the course of history.
Current events from the time including the Vietnam
War and the Presidency of Richard Nixon make an
interesting backdrop to the story.
Returning to Wolverine, interestingly he is one
of only two characters who appear in all six X-Men
flms. The other character is Professor Xavier, who
in this helping is played in his younger form by the
ubiquitous James McAvoy, while thespian and sci-
f grandee Patrick Stewart reprises the role as the
older character. However, one big question hangs over
anyone who watched, X-Men: The Last Stand. How
it is that Professor X is still alive? For those of you
who did not bother to watch this movie to the end of
the credits, he does not actually die or at least his
mind doesnt, if you follow. Its simple really, as the
most powerful living telepath he is able transfer his
consciousness into a coma patient. Of course this does
not explain why he looks the same. According to Last
Stand director Brett Ratner the reason is that this
patient was the characters twin brother. However, I
do fnd this a little unbelievable since he never refers
to the fact he has a twin brother and is still paralysed.
This is one of the biggest cop-outs I have ever heard in
a science fction movie.
However, the movie is actually good enough to
watch if you have not seen any of the previous flms.
The special effects use the now widespread technique
of green-screen which unlike some other attempts
actually makes this look more or less realistic.
The return of character favourites brings some
brilliant performances in particular from Hollywood
heartthrob Jenifer Lawrence who provides plenty of
eye candy for the guys while Michael Fassbender, who
plays the young version of Magneto, is on hand for
the ladies. Magnetos older self is of course played by
Shakespearean actor Ian Mckellen. Newcomers in the
form of Bishop played by Omar Sly who can convert
any form of energy into a weapon and Quicksilver
played by Evan Peters who can run faster than the
eye can see, among others make this seventh outing
well worth the money and the obscene half an hour
wait at Guildford Odeon, actually worth it. Of course
like all Marvel movies there is an extra scene after the
credits, although this is only worth watching if you
are a hard-core fan and have read the comics. Overall,
I would give this movie 4/5 for the effects and the
characters, although this would have been higher if it
had made better sense.
By Joshua Langley, Film Team
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Godzilla
F
rom me, it is a with sadness that I say a fnal
goodbye, to The Stag and to the University. I
have loved this year as Film Editor and I really
hope The Stag goes from strength to strength in
the coming years, as it really has been a pivotal
part of my University life. I would like to say a
huge thank you to everyone who wrote for the
section, whether it was once, a handful of times,
or every issue. It has been a fantastic opportunity
for me to be able to combine two of the loves of my
life, writing and the silver screen, and I would like
to say thanks to everyone who read each issue.
One fnal piece of advice, try and go to an outdoor
cinema this summer, I couldnt think of anything
better for a frst date or lazy Sunday with friends!
Best wishes, happy studying and never stop
watching. Sophia
Sophia Field
Film Editor
By Ankur Banerjee, Film Team
FILM 24 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 flm@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Television Corner
Televisions Best Sexual Tension
A classic example of how to make a
will-they wont-they couple last a full ten
seasons. Rachel and Ross had an early start
on Friends, but they had plenty of hiccups
along the way. The sexual tension between
the couple was palpable in the early
seasons and continued throughout, with
Ross loving Rachel for years unrequited
and fnally moving on, to fnd that she
wanted him back. The constant on and off
between these two kept the relationship
fresh and appealing. If the series had ended
and Rachel hadnt got off the plane, there
probably would have been a mass riot; after
all, hes her lobster.
Sexual tension with a difference - and
this difference is the awkward, infuriating
and challenging Doctor House. Their
relationship is composed of House making
Cuddys life diffcult at work, and her coming
back at him, with sacks of attitude, sass and
punishments. The relationship is firty and
playful, although Houses feelings are plain
to see and this leads to darkness in later
seasons. His nature makes a relationship
with him diffcult to impossible and the
creators courageously explore this.
Perhaps the most frustrating of all
television sexual tension is that of Chuck and
Blair on Gossip Girl. The couple had a ridiculous
relationship throughout, and this was only
enhanced with one of the most cringe worthy
fnal episodes ever made, but that said, the
intense stares that make Chuck Bass famous,
were tangible, painful and kept the audience
glued. Really, we just want everyone to be with
the one they love, stop with the game playing
and stupid I cant be with you because the lord
will smite you rubbish the pair of you.
Rachel & Ross - Friends
House & Cuddy - House Blair & Chuck - Gossip Girl
By Sophia Field, Film Editor
Although the aftermath and
pretty much the whole of season
three of New Girl was close to a
disaster. The build-up between Nick
and Jess had the toes of every teenage
girl (and young adult) curling with
each episode. The kiss that we waited
for with baited breath couldnt have
been better, the loveable mess that is
Nick fnally built up the courage and
delivered a kiss that had us clapping
and shrieking at the screen. This was
followed by a few moments where the
tension between the pair radiated off
screen. As Jess said, just kiss me like
a man Nick.
Nick & Jess - New Girl
E
very good drama has a generous douse of sexual tension to light the screen on fre and make us jealous. From forbidden love, to the beginnings of something great, this list could go on
forever and ever, but here are a few of the best to enjoy and swoon over.
Greys Anatomy is basically comprised of
couples going through ups and downs with buckets
of sexual tension and forbidden love thrown in, and
Jackson and April are no different. Realistically
there are many couples that could feature in this
list, but years after the Derek and Meredith pick
me, choose me, love me trauma, Greys came back
in series nine with a new heartbreaking couple.
The sexual tension April feels for Jackson is just
too much for her (and us) and she gives him her
virginity which belonged to the lord. Yes, Greys has
exhausted all other reasons for a forbidden love,
and moved on to religion. The two important things
about this relationship are Jacksons unbelievably
blue eyes and beautiful face, and the way he picks
her up with one arm in the bathroom. Google it.
Jackson & April - Greys
This image is the opening sequence
of Orange is the New Black. Perhaps not
that surprising that it was such a hit
for Netfix. That said, the Piper & Alex
relationship is genuinely heartbreaking
and a great watch. Piper is in prison,
away from her fance, after committing
a crime alongside her ex-girlfriend, Alex,
years earlier. The women fnd themselves
together again in prison, and old feelings
begin to arise. The sexual tension between
the pair is heightened by the anger they
harbor for each other, and their close
proximity to each other. Emotions in this
pairing are running high, and that makes
it all the more passionate and real.
Piper & Alex - OITNB
Please enjoy the above programmes with caution - side effects include
jealousy, feeling unfulflled and most of all, sexual frustration.
DANCE & THEATRE 25 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 Dance/Theatre Editor: Ambar Parker Monroe
Dance & Theatre
B
eing a huge fan of Spring Awakening and
knowing a lot of the cast and creatives
through MTSoc, I couldnt pass up the
opportunity to travel back to Guildford to
see MADSocs (Music and Drama Society)
production of Spring Awakening last week.
For those who dont know the show,
Spring Awakening is a rock musical based
on the 1891 German play of the same name
by Frank Wedekind. Due to its controversy
at the time and its dealing with sexuality,
child abuse, suicide and abortion, the play
was initially banned and many performances
were censored even into the 1960s. The
musical adaptation was written by Duncan
Sheik and Steven Satar and its original
Broadway production in 2006 won a total of
eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The frst of many successes for director,
Dan Marks, and co-director/choreographer,
Freya Poole, was the staging. It was clear
that the two had carefully considered the
signifcance of innovative staging for a show
of this kind, and the decision to steer away
from a conventional set-up was certainly an
effective one.
The main performance space was at
foor-level, creating an intimate and intense
atmosphere throughout. Another advantage
of using the foor space was in the audiences
ability to witness every intricacy of the
casts performance, whether this was Moritz
shaking with frustration or the subtle
confictions within Ilses sense of identity.
The only slight drawback was that it was
occasionally diffcult to see, particularly
when the cast were sitting down (or if you are
vertically challenged as I am).
In addition to this central space there was
a raised platform, of which the front was a
blackboard covered in chalk writing. As well
as providing another visual dimension, the
platform created a separation between the
two spaces, often portraying the isolation
of characters. Contrastingly, at other times
it seemed to contribute to the underlying
sense of the protagonists being watched and
highlighted their inability to escape from
the pressures and confnes enforced by the
adult fgures. Throughout the performance,
the cast entered the space from behind the
audience and through the three divides in the
seating, which mirrored the claustrophobic
sufferings of many of the characters and
made empathising with their struggles an
effortless and natural process.
The original use of lighting was another
impressive element in this student-
run production. For the majority of the
performance the changes were subtly
effective in refecting the mood of the
particular scene; however the real innovation
of the design was shown through moments
such as light being used to symbolise the
graves of Melchior and Wendla. Another
outstanding example was during the number
Totally Fucked, where predominantly red
shades fashed all across the stage and into the
audience, and the discomfort of having lights
thrown onto your face really emphasised the
pain and angst of the characters.
Spring Awakening is a challenging
show for any company to take on, yet the
visible dedication of this cast to their roles,
particularly in the diffcult scenes, went
above and beyond any expectations of an
amateur production. Not one member of the
cast seemed phased by any of the diffcult
scenes and it was evident that each individual
truly cared about their character and the
messages of the show itself.
From the moment that Wendla (Eve
Dillon) began the show with Mama Who
Bore Me it was clear that this was going to
be a strong performance. Dillons portrayal
of Wendla had just the right balance of
naivety and curiosity needed to pull at
the audiences emotions throughout, and
her passionate vocals and rich tone really
accentuated Wendlas underlying sensuality.
In fact, Dillons heart-breaking rendition of
Whispering was the stand-out number of
the show and her ability to deliver so much
fresh meaning through each and every verse
was particularly impressive.
Melchiors (Aaron Douglas) more
authoritative presence on stage was the
perfect counterpart to Wendlas innocence
and his stillness as a character in comparison
to the rest of the cast effectively conveyed his
knowing. Melchior is arguably the audiences
way into the show - the most relatable
character - due having an awareness that
none of the others do, and Douglas certainly
established this connection with the
audience. In comparison to the more passive
roles the character takes during the majority
of scenes, his breakdown in the graveyard at
the end reveals another side to his mentality,
of which Douglas conveyed equally well.
Moritz Stiefel (Matthew Westrope)
is potentially the most complex and
challenging character in the show, but his
internal struggle was excellently depicted
through Westropes intense movements and
the depth of emotion he delivered through
his expression, both facial and vocal. Both
Westropes and Emma Barrys (Isle) faultless
vocals and their talent for revealing t h e
complexity of their characters led to a
truly touching and believable relationship
and interaction during Dont Do Sadness
and Blue Wind.
The remainder of the cast portrayed their
roles with such conviction that they are each
worthy of individual credit. Furthermore,
the stunningly melancholic music of
the show was done justice by all of their
performances and the tricky harmonies were
upheld throughout. The band, led by musical
director, Leah Franks, was to an equally
remarkable standard, and the balance
between vocals and backing was spot-on.
The only criticism that could be made is that
there were a few instances when microphone
levels werent altered quickly enough and
lines (both spoken and sung) were lost,
particularly by the supporting characters.
However this seems to be inevitable for
student-run productions, especially on
opening night.
The only factor that remains to be
mentioned is the choreography. Freya Pooles
movement perfectly complimented the
moods and tensions of the musical numbers
and offered moments of pure, sensual
fuidity (for example in Mama Who Bore
Me) followed by the sharp, violent gestures
of angst (The Bitch of Living). The repetition
of robotic-like movements during songs such
as Totally Fucked conveyed the repressive
nature of their society and the barriers the
young are trying to break through. It was
obvious that Poole had put a lot of hard
work into her choreography and it had a
substantial impact on the shows success.
Massive congratulations to all
involved in MADSocs production of Spring
Awakening you should all be really proud
of accomplishing such a high standard of
performance.
aviewfrom-thebalcony.blogspot.co.uk
MADSocs Spring Awakening Review
By Laura Colledge, Dance & Theatre Team
LITERATURE 26 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 literature@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Literature
Is there a place in society for gay childrens literature?
I
n recent years, fairy tales have been
revolutionised to show same sex couples
embracing their sexuality. Evidently, these
tales came with much controversy and
outrage but other more liberal and fair minded
individuals supported this development in
the literary canon. It is therefore debatable
whether literature should show both
homosexual and heterosexual couples to
children due to the constant critique from
prejudiced groups.
It is believed that children possess
innocent and unprejudiced minds which are
warped by the social conditions they grow up
with, and the books and TV they are exposed
to. Therefore, I believe children should
be able to read books showing different
romantic paths in life, to enable them to
mature and choose the path right for them.
By subverting these traditional fairy tale
conventions, we are creating open minded
individuals who are more knowledgeable and
respectable of the world in which they will
grow up in.
Many of these novels have been
produced, yet remain hidden or banned from
public and school libraries. But is this not an
optimistic change for literature that should
be embraced? It is so rare for a protagonist in
a childrens novel to be openly homosexual,
and since the literature they are exposed to
is so infuential shouldnt all the paths open
to them in life be shown at an early age?
For example, the novel King & King (2002)
by authors Linda De Haan and Stern Nijland,
portrays a prince who has no interest in
princesses, as he pointedly tells his mother
Ive never cared much for princesses. This
is a fairy tale with a welcome twist, but
of course has been challenged by certain
groups. However, despite groups trying, the
book cannot be banned and so it remains the
parents choice as to whether to show the
book to their child. Furthermore, the books
illustrations remain graphic for children as
they show the kings kissing, and it is believed
this is the frst childrens book to physically
show two men romantically involved.
However, these kings remain strong,
independent role models, free to choose their
path in life and I believe their individuality
and confdence are traits which should be
passed on to all children, regardless of sexual
preference.
More controversial content has further
revealed itself in childrens literature,
regarding LGBT content that subverts from
the traditional norm usually portrayed in
childrens novels. Books such as Heather has
Two Mommies (1989) and Daddys Roommate
(1991) show children that different family
structures are acceptable. This also
provides them with the knowledge to be
more understanding towards their friends
who may live in a different situation to
them, instead of leaving them confused and
ignorant, which can result in bullying.
There is an importance in representing
LGBT themes in childrens literature as it
ensures children understand their right to
embrace who they want to be. It is positive
for a young child or adult struggling with
their sexuality to see a confdent and
normal individual living their life who is
homosexual. In these altered traditional
fairy tales, for example when the prince
gains a happy ending with another prince, it
reassures those feeling uncertain that they
can equally fnd their happy ending.
Were all humans who love and experience
life in the same way, regardless of our sexual
preference and who we choose to spend our
life with. So why cant literature be produced
for children that shows them a range of
different love and ensures them that it is ok
to show the world your true self. Young LGBT
individuals should be able to see themselves
in fction and realise there is a place for them
in society. Of course there will always be
those who criticise these modern tales, but it
would seem these important aspects of life,
such as sexuality, should be regarded at a
young age to enable open minded individuals
to grow.
By Lauren Boland, Literature Team
Image from the book King & King showing the princes kissing at their wedding in the fairy tales happy
ending.
W
hen people think of sex in literature
these days, they probably think of the
massively successful Fifty Shades of Grey and
the two sequels it spawned. But if theres a
defnitive book on sex, its got to be the Kama
Sutra.
For those of you who arent familiar, the
Kama Sutra is essentially an ancient Hindu
Wikipedia about sex written in Sanskrit and
spanning a total of 36 chapters. It was written
over 2,400 years ago now, but its the furthest
thing from prude. In fact, some of the topics
in the book easily rival Fifty Shades in terms
of kinkiness, including lengthy sections on
topics that range from biting to spanking to
marking with the nails. Included in these
sections is also a handy list of acts to be done
by the man such as friction or churning,
piercing, rubbing, pressing, giving a blow,
'the blow of a boar', 'the blow of a bull' and
'the sporting of a sparrow. So while porns
got a bad reputation for giving us unrealistic
expectations of sex, the Kama Sutra sets the
bar pretty high too.
In 2014 though, some of the tips are
probably best ignored. Why? Well, some
of them are a bit dubious. For example,
following its advice that the women of the
Balhika country are gained over by striking
probably isnt going to get you laid any time
soon.
Theres also some words of warning
for couples: "just as a horse in full gallop,
blinded by the energy of his own speed, pays
no attention to any post or hole or ditch on
the path, so two lovers, blinded by passion,
in the friction of sexual battle, are caught up
in their ferce energy and pay no attention to
danger. While the Kama Sutras known the
world-over for being just a sex manual, theres
also sections on having healthy relationships
and general family life. If youre looking for
ways to spice up your sex life though, maybe
learning Sanskrit would be a good start or
just read the English translation.
Forget Cosmo, read the Kama Sutra
By Leo Blanchard, literature team
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LITERATURE 27 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 Literature Editor: Shiri Shah
E
ver since EL James and the infamous Fifty Shades
series hit the bookshelves of millions of women
and secretly the Kindle libraries of men everywhere;
the Mills & Boon novel has had one of the biggest
resurgences in popular literary fction. Erotica is
now truly a well-established category in all book and
online shops. My question is: If romance is dead. Is
erotica alive? And how far are the two supposedly
synonymous? If you type in romance novels in the
site goodreads.com the second most popular novel
is Fifty Shades of Grey (the frst being the classic
The Notebook by Nicolas Sparks). Having read EL
James trilogy Im not sure how far I can say that the
romance between Anastasia Steele and Christian
Grey is legit. It seems to be fuelled by their explicit
sexual antics more than any true found passion and
affection. If you keep on scrolling down that list
and doing the thing my mother told me never to
do judging a book by its cover you get images of
half-naked couples about to do the deed right there
before your very eyes. Is that love? If it isnt then
what makes a romance novel romantic? In my mind
its the beautiful descriptions of the serendipity
type meetings with coy glances and a getting-to-
know you few frst dates, not in the case of the Grey/
Steele relationship, a non-disclosure agreement and
a BDSM contract. If this novel is classed as a romance,
then it is well and truly dead. I guess we will have to
welcome erotica kicking and screaming into this new
sexual curious and explicit literary world.
If romance is dead is erotica alive?
By Emma Hawken, literature team
R
ubyfruit Jungle is a novel
that goes off with a bang, but
concludes with a disappointing
crackle. Rita Mae Brown wrote
the novel in 1973, a time when the
Stonewall riots were beginning
to have an impact on the societal
attitude towards homosexual
identity. The novel comes out of
this and offers a bold and defant
protagonist, Molly Bolt, who is
ready to take on the conventional
American dream and create her
own version, but her attempts to
succeed are consistently thwarted
with the double alienation of being
a woman and lesbian causing
hurdles at every stage of the story.
The juxtaposition between New
York and the south, mostly the
state of Florida, is a huge one. But
Mollys dreams of fnding New York
to be a big apple of acceptance and
love, gives this distance even more
of a blow. Because she is challenged
with the same problems, albeit
there are more gay individuals in
the city, but the trouble of her sex
and her resistance to a patriarchal
structure continue to cause her
problems.
The trouble I found in this book
is not in its characters, for they
are all charming and perfectly
imaginable, but its resistance
to rounding. Each character is
discarded and each resists any
form of closure. I am not against
a novel which resists closure, nor
do I always seek a happy ending,
but there was something deeply
unsatisfying about Mollys position
in the closing of the book. Not
because it wasnt the fairytale
dream comes true in New York
scenario, but because we want
her to win one of the battles
she is fghting and the way it
was written meant that
it didn't feel like the end
of a novel it felt like the
next chapter had slipped
through my fngers.
Understandably this
ending says a huge
amount about the continuing
struggle for equality for women,
and acceptance of homosexuality,
and a conclusion that contradicted
the reality Rita Mae Brown had
most likely experienced, would
be extremely unauthentic. Still, it
would have been satisfying to have
an element of rounding, whilst
resisting the closure of an urban
utopia.
The reason this book is great
is because it provides you with
such a strong leading lady that you
are gripped by her actions and it
is impossible to put it down. Her
experiences act as signposts for
geographic and linear progress
through the fght against prejudices
and discrimination against gender,
sexuality, race and religion. Molly
is a fgurehead who is still relevant
in the contemporary moment, and
her resistance to ft the mold is an
indicator of how far many parts of
the world have come in forty years.
Rubyfruit Jungle is a wonderfully
comic story, full of recognizable
characters, but is perhaps a little
limp on the out.
By Sophia Field, Film Editor
Rubyfruit Jungle
Want to Write Sexy?
B
onking is a fundamental part of our existence: it
brings us kicking and screaming into the world
and then later on, after reaching physical maturity,
we spend a great deal of our lives thinking about it,
pursuing and (to varying degrees) doing it. Its no
great surprise then that, as the articles in this sexy
edition of The Stag demonstrate, it is a major part of
human culture. Im here to talk about one particular
aspect of this sex inspired culture. Writing sex
scenes.
Sex scenes can work very effectively in novels,
eliciting an emotional and physical response from the
reader, so bringing them closer to the emotional and
physical lives of characters. However, its very easy
to get the balance wrong and to end up producing
something laughable, or even repulsive. So here are
a few tips:
Characters:
How characters are portrayed outside the sex
scenes will control what readers expect of them and
wish for them when things get sexy. So be sure to
think closely about the relationship between how
your characters come across in the sex scene and
how they come across in the rest of the story. For
instance, could that shy librarian have a surprising
kinky side when the bedroom door closes?
Body Parts:
When it comes to describing genitalia, legs and
the like, keep it simple. No missile of virility for men,
or mountain of boob for women. Just stick to words
like penis, dick, breasts and tits.
Senses:
Slow things down and think about every possible
sensation. What does her hair smell like? What does
his aftershave smell like? By focusing on the sensual,
you help to avoid your sex scene sound like two
people screwing in a basement, with a camera crew
in tow.
Experience:
Finally, draw on personal experience! By using
your own sex life to inspire your writing, your
sex scenes are a lot more likely to come across
as authentic. If you dont feel that your sex life is
exciting enough, however, then consult one of the
many karma sutra books out there for a few ideas...
So, if you write creatively and strive to include
convincing sex scenes in your narrative (or maybe
even just want to better record memorable moments
of intimacy in your diary) try the above advice and
see if you cant add some sauce to your writing!
By Joseph Harrison, Literature team
L
eading literary writer, poet, and activist best
known for her memoir "I know Why The Caged
Bird Sings" passed away on Wednesday 28th May,
leaving behind a legacy of 50 years of inspiration for
readers worldwide, particularly women of colour.
Throughout her extraordinary lifetime, Angelou
had been a dancer, a cocktail waitress and even a
prostitute, proving that anyone from any walk of
life can be an amazing fgurehead for minorities,
regardless of colour or creed.
Maya Angelou
dies, aged 86
By Shiri Shah, Literature Editor
Its been a fantastic year for me and the entire team. Ive enjoyed
reading all of the interesting ideas put forth by my reliable and
enthusiastic writers, along with going to various events. I think Ive
started up a wider platform to cover with regards to the literary arts,
so there will be a lot more to explore! I look forward to seeing what
Leo will do next year, and I have no doubts that he will continue to
expand the section and fnd even more interesting things to cover.
Thank you all for reading; I hope you will continue, just as I will
continue to write for The Stag. Lots of love, Shiri x
Shiri Shah
Literature Editor
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MUSIC 28 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Sorry Were Late But Were Worth

The Wait is the long awaited
debut album from the famboyant
Surrey-based power pop trio, Magic
Eight Ball, offering up productions
which exude mystique and
momentum, a rich dichotomy of
melodic hooks, intoxicating vocals,
blustering rock driven soundscapes
and majestically strummed guitar
handiwork.
The albums opener, Something
Better Has Come Along, sets the
tone as a catchy and quirky rock
number, with big, voluminous
guitars and forthright, raspy lyrics
from guitarist and lead vocalist
Baz Francis; it emulates styles from
established household names in
the ageing rock scene such as The
Manic Street Preachers and Enuff
ZNuff.
Next up, we take the plunge into
'Sunday Mornings, which ushers in
the albums reign of power pop with
a raw Brit Rock vibe , an underlying
feeling of summer euphoria and
the steady chugging of Green Day
inspired distorted guitars.
'Baby, Is It So?' is full of sensuous
and sultry harmonies and strong
vocal performances, delivering
rump pop with a plonky edge.
Big Star oozes pure pop pleasure
seeker bliss, wrapped up snugly in
a coating of power chords, catchy
vocals and the soaring screech of a
lead guitar solo. The seductive, saga
sounding Monkey Bars boasts epic
guitar driven chords, capturing
some unashamedly Queenesque
multi-layered vocal harmonies,
making this track an album
highlight and quintessentially, very
single worthy.
Before It Was Murder (You Got
Me Talking)' defnitely deserves a
mention, heralding great backing
harmonies from Donnie Vie, Enuff
ZNuffs shining frontman, adding
a certain panache to the overall
songs aesthetic and Vie and Bazs
song writing collaborative efforts.
Overall, Sorry Were Late But
Were Worth The Wait is a well-
orchestrated selection of jolly ditties
and pellucid song writing fare from
Baz Francis. However, the styles
are slightly on the anachronistic
side, as unfortunately, the Brit and
Power Pop genres dont quite revel
in the musical acclaim of their
former glory days.
Nevertheless, Magic Eight
Ball has dished up an impressive
aural experience all told. Years in
the making and sonically crafted
through painstaking efforts, Sorry
Were Late but Were Worth The
Wait is a well-polished and tailored
slab of power pop, emanating a
continuum of contagious euphoria
through a musically multifarious
ten track release. Pure pop hook,
line and sinker, guaranteed.
Worth the wait? I think its safe
to say better late than never, Baz
and co.
Check out Magic Eight Ball on
Facebook for the latest: https://
www.facebook.com/pages/Magic-
Eight-Ball/136714362223
The debut album Sorry Were
Late But Were Worth The Wait is
available on ITunes at 7.99.
Music
REVIEW: Magic Eight Ball
Sorry were late but
were worth the wait
By James Campbell, Music Team
Q&A with Following Foxes
By Elizabeth Kadie Tyvesse, Music Team
Following foxes have recently supported a gig
at The Boileroom, released their new single 'Almost
Lost It' and performed at Eagle Radio and Stag radio.
The Stag were lucky enough to catch up with Gid,
Steve, George and Alex and ask the rock, folk band a
couple of questions...
The Stag: So how does the composition process
go with the group?
Following Foxes: Well, normally Gid with the
lyrics/meaning of the song, or just someone's idea or
acoustic version, that we then listen, jam and build
solos up from. So together we each add our element
- sponge, icing, sprinkles and cherry - to make the
perfect music cake. Though, with some songs we
may think its okay, play it back and we then pick up
what's right or wrong. It's really an ongoing process
and truly a song is never fnished or complete - we
always feel a change is needed.
TS: Who are your inspirations?
FF: Pink Floyd, Heavy rock, Folk, The 1975, Pop
Punk, Brass Bands, Jazz Fusion like Snarky Puppy,
Lettuce... it varies. We try to combine different
elements for our music, since we tend to fnd that
some bands defne the sound and shun anything new
which narrows their market and sound - which we
want to avoid. I think as a band we are still trying
to fnd ourselves and vary with our songs. 'I'll be' is
very vocal melody driven, though it's important for
us not to detract from the message of the song - and
sometimes less is more.
TS: So what brought you guys together?
FF: Steve and Gid met at ACM, Steve can do an
amazing drum solo. George and Gid corresponded
over Facebook, chatting about a band and it
eventually happened. Alex auditioned and he was
the one', playing it with feeling and with heart.
TS: Where did the name 'Following Foxes'
come from?
Gid: Well one night, I was walking back home and
there was a fox on the street and though it
was ahead of me, it kept on running off hiding
and looking back at me and I continued 'following'
it since it was heading in the direction of my house.
I realized I was following (the) foxes and it just stuck.
I did release an acoustic solo Following Foxes EP for
free, though preferred performing as a band, so we
just kept the name.
TS: Are there any new releases coming up?
What can we expect to see in the future?
FF: Yes, our single 'Almost lost it'. We try and
release singles and merchandise to keep the
momentum high with continuous release, though
we're hoping to start working on a debut album now.
TS: What do you guys think keeps you
together?
FF: Our personality and the fact that we're mates.
We are honest with each other and are not too
sensitive. Also that we work when we need to work
like during band practice, and laugh and chill out
when we can.
TS: Do you guys get nervous, or do anything
specifc, before a show?
George: It's mostly thinking ''I'm going to smash
this part'', which builds confdence and delivery, and
as soon as you play your frst note the fear goes away.
Gid: When I was at ACM and I got nervous I would
push my hair to the other side, and imagine myself
as the band I was trying to be like. We normally have
clicks for our intro, but for our frst gig I didn't hear
them since my earphones were broken, so Steve had
to throw me new earphones whilst trying to play -
which kept on falling out.
TS: It seems like you had a lot of fun in your
music video for 'Almost lost it'... what's with the
balloons?
FF: The balloons are a metaphor representing
emotional and mental pressure in the mind, and
releasing that pressure when we start breaking and
popping the balloons. One balloon is left over which
shows that problems can rebuild from the single
balloon - just as mental instability can rebuild from
one thought.
TS: What advice would you give to people who
want to follow in your footsteps?
FF: Be professional, respectful, chill out, and
make sure you listen to each other's opinions.
TS: What is your favourite song right now?
Steve: What about me? - Snarky puppy
George: The 1975 - Robbers
Gid: City and Colour - Take Care
Alex: Love never felt so good-Michael Jackson and
Justin Timberlake
Catch Following Foxes at the following events:
Saturday 14th June - Medstock Summer Festival
supporting bare jams;
Saturday 19th July - Guilfest; Friday 1st August -
The Star Inn.
S
o its come to that time again, the fnal issue of The Stag! Its also an
even sadder time for me, as Ill be leaving the University of Surrey
and therefore The Stag forever. I have loved working on the paper for
the past three years, with a range of different teams and in a number
of roles. It has become a part of my life at Surrey, and Im sad to have
to leave it behind. I want to thank my regular writers this year: Leo
Blanchard, James Campbell, Kyra Hanson and Liz Tyvesse, who have
all made the music section wonderful! I hope youve enjoyed reading
it. Have a fabulous summer, Surrey students :)
On Facebook & Twitter
@FollowingFoxes1
Candice Ritchie
Music Editor
MUSIC 29 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 Music Editor: Candice Ritchie
By James Campbell, Music Team
F
or some, its atmospheric lighting. For others, its the
plethora of play toys you keep to hand (and anywhere else
for that matter). But according to our resident sexperts here
at The Stag, a racy night in the bedroom requires the right
choice of music.
Whether its a slow, sensual bone or just a bit of upbeat
banging, weve got the only sex soundtrack youll need and
NO cheese added.
So, read on, and get down to it with some of the best songs
ever to jazz up your bedroom life this summer: no need to
tentatively consult the Karma Sutra either, as weve offered up
some seductively suggestive positions for each magical tune
#10 Bump N Grind R. Kelly
There could have been a host of this mans songs to make
the track list, but our resident sexperts believe that this is the
classic slow-jam for that hard thrust but slow movement while
making love.
Best Lines
(I dont see nothing wrong) ooh
(With a little bump, and grind) with a little bump, and grind
Suggested Position
Missionary
#9 Doin It LL Cool J
This track literally exhales sex in long, husky vapours.
Not only does it make you want to accelerate the pace, but
with a partner youre almost certainly going to be in the same
rhythm as the chorus beat.
Best Lines
I wanna knock your block off, get my rocks off
Blow your socks off, make sure your G spots soft
Suggested Position
Reverse Missionary
#8 I Wanna Sex You Up Color Me Bad
In a rush? Need a quickie? Quick sex neednt be without its
share of musical incentives and one of the best quickie tracks
is sure to be this. The beat is so in tune with your willingness
to be naughty, but so quick that you really cant complain
Best Lines
I wanna rub you down
I wanna sex you up
Suggested Position
Anywhere, as long as you make it quick!
#7 Michael Jackson Break of Dawn
The King of Pop had to make it on here somewhere set the
tone to romantic and quench your thirsts with this fzzling
concoction of sonically smooth sounding love punch.
Best lines
Hold my hand, feel the sweat, yes youve got me nervous yet
Oh, Ill never let you go, come here girl
Just got to make sweet love til the break of dawn
Suggested Position
Whatever keeps you whispering sweet nothings until day
break!
#6 Justin Timberlake Rock Your Body
Arguably, JT merits being positioned a little higher in
our list of top ten, but boys, this song is bound to impress the
ladies no end, starting from the dance foor and taking it all
the way to the bedroom. Boasting with firtatious groans of
talk to me boy and a low hum of shameless, sexy swagger,
Justin Timberlakes pop classic will have you rockin the
bedposts all night long.
Best lines
Just let me rock you
Till the break of day
Suggested position
The Rocking Horse
#5 Sexual Healing Marvin Gaye
Our sexperts frmly believe that the King of Soul cant be
left out of this essential list of sexual slammers, and this tune
is a timeless penetrative classic that men and women alike
will be screwing to for years to come.
Best Line
Darling, youre so great, I cant wait for you to operate
Suggested Position
Use furniture, preferably a tableall hard surfaces should be
considered too.
#4 Je Taime Moi Non Plus Jane
Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg
French it may be, but this classic was controversial upon its
release in 1969. The climatic ending is of a stimulated orgasm,
and the perfect close encounter sex tune - merci, et voil.
Best Line
Je vais et je viens, entre tes reins (I come and I go, in between your
loins)
Suggested Position
Spoons
#3 Sex Machine James Brown
The late, great, godfather of Soul is sadly missed but his
music still endures. This tune is the ultimate confdence
boosting song for anyone who feels daring enough to be
anointed with the title of God of Making Out.
Best Line
Stay on the scene, (get on up), like a sex machine, (get on up)
Suggested Position
Doggy Style
#2 Missy Elliot Work It
We like big butts and cannot lie! Propelled by the carnal
power of repetitive beats and squelchy bass, Missy turns the
air blue with her tongue-twisting word play, unleashing a
hip-hop anthem that's more pole dance than slow dance. This
tune oozes raw sexiness ladies, if youre gonna work it, hes
bound to blow it.
Best Line
I make it hot as Las Vegas weather / Listen up close while I take you
backwards
Suggested Position
Anything which makes you shake your moneymaker girl!
#1 Lets Get it On Marvin Gaye
And fnally, weve made it with breath still to spare for The
Stags ultimate make out song. If you want quick, doggy, dirty,
imaginative, penetrative banging, Marvin Gayes classic is the
crme de la crme of shagadelic bangers.
Marvin says Lets Get it On and even before youve
fnished listening, youll be cooing, Lets take it off!
Best Line
If the spirit moves ya, let me groove ya good, let your come down,
oh, get it on!
Suggested Position
Get into the groove and let the song dictate your move!
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Top 10 best songs for love-making
SOCIETIES 30 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Societies
A
lmost everyone has a digital camera now but do
you know how to get the most out of using yours?
The USSU Photographic Society is a fun and sociable
club where you can develop your interest and skills.
The members meet regularly on a Thursday evening.
Sessions might involve an organised shoot to cover
particular topics in portraiture, night photography
or lighting. On other evenings work might be viewed
and discussed. They also organise trips to diverse
destinations, maybe a car racing track, a sculpture
park, a major city or an outing in the beautiful
Surrey Hills. Regular opportunities pop up to exhibit
work on campus. Members have shown work in the
biennial staff and student open exhibitions and at
other venues such as PATS foyer and Senate House.
Some lively and stunning examples can be seen on
the walls of Ivy Arts Centre.
Now, for the frst time with A World of Culture
exhibition the Society will host their frst exclusive
show in the Lewis Elton Gallery. Come along, enjoy a
glass of wine and meet the members at the opening
event on 4 June from 6 8pm.
The exhibition takes its starting point from
the cultural life at Surrey and includes images of
the Universitys Big Band and MAD Soc. amateur
dramatic society. One of my favourite pictures is by
Myles Eynon with rainbow light bouncing around
the surfaces of Narcissus, on loan to the University
from the internationally acclaimed sculptor William
Pye. Another image with playful aesthetics is by
this years President of the Society, Irina Niculescu.
A skeleton waiting in the wings comically mirrors
the colours in a musicians equipment and socks.
Some of the photographers wandered off the brief,
wandering off campus, and the exhibition is the
richer for it. There are joyous images of street
buskers by Demetra Popouri so vibrant with life you
can almost hear the music. I also love the quirkiness
of images by Daniela Tarniceru, a pile of books in a
window which speaks volumes, please excuse the
pun! Another of her photographs shows an elderly
couple of armchairs, comfortably compatible in their
incongruous outdoors setting.
Im sure you will be inspired to join the Society
which is open to both staff and students of the
University. email us at ; ussu.photographic@surrey.
ac.uk
By Jo Baker, Societies Team
A World of Culture: USSU
Photographic Society exhibition
Lets talk about boobs
B
oobs. Hooters. Puppies. Fun
bags. Love pillows. Melones. We
all have so many nicknames for our
boobs, but how well do we really
know them?
Listen up! Your CoppaFeel! Uni
Boob Team here at Surrey have
an important message to spread
but we need your help. Be honest,
when was the last time you gave
your boobs a good once over? Most
young people, men and women,
dont give their puppies as much
loving attention as they should and
this is what we want to change.
Over the past two years, the
CoppaFeel! society have made it
their mission to raise awareness
on campus about the risk of breast
cancer in young people. Hopefully,
youve seen us knocking about
with our giant knockers by now!
And yes, I did just drop the C word.
But why does this have to be such
a terrifying word to discuss? It
often surprises the Boob Team just
how many people are too scared
or uncomfortable to talk openly
about this and their boobs despite
the fact that one day it could save
your life.
So, lets talk boobs.
We want to promote the early
detection of breast cancer, and
we do this by encouraging people
to show some boob love. If you
check your boobs at least once a
month youll soon understand they
feel like. And if you know whats
normal for you, youll know when
they feel a bit different, so youll be
more confdent to seek advice from
a GP.
Now since this is the sex
edition of The Stag, we should
point out that two pairs of hands
could be better than one! Checking
your boobs doesnt have to be a
chore so why not get your partner
involved? It might be a bit cheeky
but who doesnt love an excuse to
give their other halfs love pillows
a good squeeze every so often? It
might even be the case that they
know your boobs better than you
do. Talking about it openly with
each other could be the difference
between noticing that something
isnt quite right, and fnding it too
late. Who knew it, a bit of cheeky
fondling is actually good for your
health!
But never fear your Boob Team
is here with a few helpful hints
and reminders. All you have to do
is take out your phone and text
SURREY to 70500. Easy! Youll
now receive a free monthly boob
check reminder from Boob HQ,
and make sure you check out our
handy picture of all the signs and
symptoms to look out for.
Congratulations, youve just
started the habit of a lifetime!
Remember, knowing your boobs
could save your life, so GET COPPIN
A FEEL and well see you next year
when the boobs shenanigans are
all set to be bigger, better and
louder than ever!
Boob love.
S
o here it is - my fnal societies section of The Stag! As a newcomer
to the newspaper this year, I have been overwhelmed by the
enthusiasm and dedication of the fantastic editorial team and
Surrey Union societies alike. Societies are such an integral part of a
students University experience, so keep it up and I wish you all the
best of luck for the future.
Alice Wilkinson
Societies Editor
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SOCIETIES 31 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 Societies Editor: Alice Wilkinson
T
his academic year has seen the beginning of many
new societies, including the Harry Potter Society,
and although weve had a slow start, its been a truly
magical year. Ratifed at the frst (and apparently, the
most gruelling) Societies Standing of this year, weve
progressed through the year by putting on bigger
and better events, like quizzes, debates, flm nights,
a Sorting Ceremony and even a bar crawl. The bar
crawl was an amazing dress up event, and saw over
40 students stumbling around Guildford dressed as all
things Harry Potter (including a very inventive Golden
Snitch, Dobby and Moaning Myrtle who wore a toilet
seat around her head). This is defnitely something we
plan on doing again next year, and it would be great to
see it even bigger! Were also planning other big events
for next year, including another Sorting Ceremony for
all new members and a charity Yule Ball at Christmas
time.
The society has brought together people from
all different academic and ethnic backgrounds, and
its been incredible to meet such a wonderful group
of people. We have our new committee set up for
next year, which now includes the post of Quidditch
Captain, as we are joining the International Quidditch
Association next year, and were looking for members
to play socially and competitively, so come and give us
a visit at Freshers Fayre! Were always looking to get
new members and meet new people, so whether youre
a die-hard fan whos read the books a million times, or
someone who just watches the flms when theyre on
TV, wed love for you to come along and join our mad
and magical community have a wonderful summer,
and see you in October!
Harry Potter Soc!
By Danielle Platt, President of Harry Potter Soc
D
ear The Stag,
Just thought Id take a
moment to give you and your
readers a less than modest round
up of 2013/14 in Surrey Marrow!
Our society aims to sign up people
to UK bone marrow register and
raise funds for it too; helping to
fght blood cancers and save lives
through the donation of bone
marrow. This year, thanks to the
amazing student body here at
Surrey and the immense support
of the general public weve
managed to sign up a massive 655
people, raised over 2000 for our
parent charity Anthony Nolan
and have even been recognised
as winner of Political and
Campaigns Society of the Year!
However our mission continues
next year from Freshers Fayre
with socials, fundraisers and I
think I can safely say a tonne
or two of cake to sell! Well also
be doing recruitment events
throughout the year, so come
down and spit in a tube for us to
see if youre compatible and could
be the 1 in 100 to save somebodys
life. To keep up to date with
events and all things marrow
follow us on Twitter (@Surrey_
Marrow), like us on Facebook or
email us (surreymarrow@gmail.
com), best of luck with exams/
results and we hope to see loads
of you next year!
Love, Surrey Marrow x
Goodbye letter from
Surrey Marrow
By Matthew Finch, Head of Marketing and Publicity for Surrey MarrowSoc
SPORT 32 The Stag | 2nd June 2014 sport@thestagsurrey.co.uk
This has been a very enjoyable job; its been a pleasure to work for The Stag.
Its not an easy task in the digital age where all news is easily accessible, printed
media is slowly dying out. However its an important tradition that should be
preserved, particularly at Uni for informing the student population. For Sports we
have managed to crank out a reasonable amount of articles considering the section
had such few writers. Its my hope that more sports teams have a greater interest
in sharing their activities in years to come. It truly is a great medium, a tangible
one, which bears testimony to your achievements in representing Surrey. I bid my
successor all the best!
Santiago Aviles
Sport Editor
T
he season is nearly over with just a
handful of fxtures and competitions left
so it is the perfect time to look back at what
we have achieved this year. All of you have
worked hard to sign up a record number of
Team Surrey members and achieve our most
successful year, both in BUCS and in all other
competitions. As it stands we have over 1800
members in our sports clubs and nearly 2000
students taking part in social sport which
is an incredible increase. We have had huge
success in non-BUCS competitions across all
our clubs, although an important highlight
is our Dance Squad who were awarded Most
Successful Club in non-BUCS Competitions
at Colours Ball well done! In BUCS, we
have achieved our highest ever fnish and
our highest points total. With only cricket
matches left to play, we are currently on
800.5 BUCS points putting us at 37th in the
table. This is a fantastic achievement and is
down to your hard work. Now some of my
highlights from the year:
Social Sports Tournaments
This year has seen an absolute explosion
in social sports tournaments, all of which
were really well attended. At the start of
the year we held our inter-halls tournament
which saw a huge attendance across 3 sports.
We had 28 teams taking part with over 200
students, which was a fantastic turn out!
Following inter-halls, we had the Christmas
Fancy Dress Netball tournament. This was
shortlisted for Student-Run event of the year
and over 180 students across 18 teams took
part. The spirit of the day was amazing and
everyone got really involved, the winners
in the end were the mighty Lovells Lions
as well! After Christmas we have enjoyed 3
more tournaments including Hockey, Canoe
Polo and Touch Rugby all of which had over
ffty competitors and were a real credit to
their club. Our Team Surrey members have a
great talent for organising events as well as
reaching out to people new to their sport.
Varsity
This years Varsity had over 2000 students
present throughout and it was an incredible
day! This year saw more sports than ever take
place and thanks to the hard work of Union
staff, SSP staff and student volunteers the
day ran really well. We streamed the fnale
for the frst time and had over 1000 students
watching live either on their computers or
in one of the bars we showed it in. As part of
the fnale we held the Mens Basketball game
which we won after a great performance
from Team Surrey and it was followed up by
our frst ever Tug of War win! We had some
huge victories over Kingston and the fnal
result was 61-13, a record result! Thank you
to everyone who came along to make sure
we are undefeated Varsity Champions for the
4th year in a row!
Colours Ball
This years event sold out in record time
with over 500 students in attendance. It
was a fantastic event and really showcased
the success of Team Surrey this year. The
level of commitment and achievement
really shone through while reading the
nominations. Those who attended I am sure
had a great evening and it was thoroughly
enjoyable celebrating the success of Team
Surrey. Thank you very much to those
of you who attended. Congratulations to
everyone who won an award and anyone who
received their Club, Half and Full colours.
Some highlights in the awards included a 5
minute serenade from the Mens Football
Club upon hearing that Steve Cottingham
(Club General Secretary for 7 years) had been
awarded with the Bob Anderson trophy for
outstanding commitment over a number of
years. Congratulations also to our club of the
year- Trampoline! We are currently looking
for a bigger venue for next year as the event
keeps growing and we want Colours Ball to be
bigger and better.
GradSport
The inaugural event took place on 17th
May and had 275 alumni registered to play
across 19 fxtures in 13 different sports. The
day went really well with positive feedback
from all sides. Next year we are looking to
expand with a number of other sports fagged
to take part already. I am really hoping this
can become a regular fxture in the sports
calendar and build up links with Alumni
that can beneft all of our clubs. This year the
Alumni emerged victorious and I will be back
as a graduate next year hoping to help them
retain the cup!
Thank you to everyone who has supported
me throughout the year. There are far too
many names to mention but a couple of brief
shout outs to Kara Nutley, Mark Garfoot, the
Sports Exec committee, the Sabbatical and
Union Exec teams and the rest of the staff at
the Union and Surrey Sports Park. It has been
a fantastic year for Team Surrey and I have
been proud to have been your representative
and hopefully you have been happy with the
job I have done.
Sport
Team Surrey end of term report
By James Lovell, VP Sports and Recreation

The Stag - Issue 73

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The Stag - Issue 73

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Newspaper of the students of the University of Surrey Issue 73 Monday 2nd June 2014

Sorry Were Late But Were Worth

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