Well where do I start? So much has gone on this past week: talks of cancelling the Summer Ball at Cooper’s Field, bomb scares at the Union, the University Rugby team beating the Medics Rugby team… It’s all going on.
Let’s start with our front page. Thursday morning and the Union receive a call saying that there is a bomb in or around the Union and everyone has to be evacuated. It was all quite exciting at the time – it’s the first bomb threat the Union have ever had (via phone – a couple of years ago they had a suspicious package delivered), but it could have potentially been very serious. Thankfully, two and a half hours later, the building was declared as bomb-free. And it just had to happen on deadline day didn’t it?! But hats off to the Union staff who dealt with the situation extremely efficiently.
There have also been questions over the future of the Summer Ball this week, and to whether the Union can (financially) continue to run the event year on year. Not many people know this, but the Summer Ball, despite being a hugely successful event, doesn’t actually make tons of profit. In fact, it is more likely to make a loss, or break even if it’s lucky. The debate was taken to Student Council this week, where no real consensus was reached: to continue or not to continue running the event in Cooper’s Field. Personally, I don’t think the Summer Ball would be the Summer Ball if it was just another end of term Drink the Bar Dry in the Union. The decision has been made to hold the Summer Ball in Cooper’s Field for another year, but with a potential loss of £50k looming, it could be the last ‘proper’ Summer Ball ever. Sad times.
On a happier note, the gair rhydd news podcast got up and running this week! Listen to us debate the latest student news stories and front cover stories from GR… and listen to Ceri score nil points. Just give us some time to work out how to get it onto the website before you can enjoy it.
Finally I would like to congratulate all those who were successful in the bi-elections last week – see page two for a full run down.
P.S. See Five Minute Fun on page 27 for your chance to win £50 worth of YO! Sushi vouchers.
Corrections and
Clarifications
The article on page three last week stated that Lampeter University has closed. Lampeter is in fact still open; it has just agreed to merge with another institution as of next year.
Apologies for the apparent error in the article on page five last week about Glamorgan University Professor Mark Brake, who, it has emerged, did not fake a PhD in order to gain extra funding.
