SHUlife: What are the Greens policies?

Putting the public at the heart of the NHS

Free education

Bringing railways back into the public’s hand

Action on climate change

Rebuilding the economy

SHUlife: Free education for all, how will that work?

“We mean it when we say free education.”

The Lib Dems went in and promised to cut tution fees, instead raised them. Labour in this election

promise to cut them from £9k to £6k. But the Greens plan on cutting them all together – according

to Jillian the government pay grants and loans anyway so why not give that money to universities to

invest in education.

It’s also about EMA – younger people’s maintenance loan – so they can get to college etc. The

Greens want to work on this. They believe education is good and important for society.

SHUlife: What about the NHS?

The Greens simply want to put more into it. It’s a big employer and they want to stabilise it and

make it even better. They also want to put more money into social care – a pressure on the NHS is

elderly people not coping at home and being put into hospitals – this is something they want to

improve. They want to help elders live a happy and comfortable life from their own home.

SHUlife: What will you do with public transport?

They want to put trains in particular into the public’s hand. But particularly in Sheffield, reducing the

price of fairs, increasing the frequency and quality of buses is key for The Greens. Jillian perhaps

would like to introduce a similar system to the Oyster Card in London where you have a card you top

up and can use it for all buses within the city. “One fair that you pay to travel around the city.”

SHUlife: What are your ideas for climate change?

“This is the one most people associate with the Greens.” The policies that are good for the

environment are also good for people e.g. improving public transport to make a better environment

but to also create more jobs. They go hand in hand for the Greens.

SHUlife: How are you going to boost the economy?

Other parties are saying the only way to solve the economic crisis to cut public services. Greens say

Britain is a very wealthy country and 1% of the country own 50% of the country’s wealth. So they

plan on taxing the wealthy and using that to boost the economy. They’ve got a completely different

view on how to run the country, Jillian said. “There is money in the economy, we just need to use it

cleverly.”

SHUlife: How will you help Sheffield in particular?

The Greens believe any money that does come in, part of it should go into helping small businesses.

Sheffield is well known for its independent stores and they want to help them as well as the big

chains.

A personal thing for Jillian is looking at how much more food could be grown in Sheffield itself. With

the country importing around half the food we eat, it’s not sustainable and Jillian would like to

improve this.

SHUlife: How do you plan on getting students to vote for you?

We want them to see as a new party which they can get behind. It’s about getting the information

out to them – campaigning, leaflets, posters – and they’ve been doing all of this. Particularly going

onto campuses and being known there but also going around student blocks and being known there.

They already have a group of Green Party students. But going up to students and talking to them is

important for Jillian.

Having been a Sheffield Central Ward city councillor for 11 years Jillian knows the ins and outs of the

city and believes she could do a great job for the city. Being a small party, they don’t expect to form

the next government but do want to have some kind of influence.

So who are you going to vote for?

Words by: Karishma Ravalia

With just three days left until election day and with Russel Brand recently urging voters to support Labour in order to keep the conservative party out, here’s what Ed Milliband had to say when he visited Sheffield Hallam a few months ago.

What’s your opinion on David Cameron being too scared to speak on live TV?’ First question of the day was met with laughs and Ed’s response: ‘let’s have more like that please!’

There was a lot spoken or broken promises, something that most students can relate to after the last election. Milliband was very careful and cautious not to make any false promises saying ‘Unlike Nick Clegg we will keep the promises we make and we won’t make promised before the election and then break them afterwards’.

When asked on one thing that he does promise to change however he said ‘Careers for all young people’, his emphasis on young people and them being the future was paramount throughout the talk. He also stated that Labour ‘will rescue and renew our national health service’, again stating that Labour ‘are going to keep our promises’

It was clear that a better future for young people was at the top of his list he plans to improve this by; giving people age 16 and 17 the chance to vote and that Labour will now lead a national issue to allow young people a voice in this election. Again speaking about broken promises he said ‘this government has betrayed young people, I am determined to do it differently’. While admitting that he sometimes finds it hard not to get caught up in the fiery debates in parliament he also said that ‘youth parliament is much better behaved than the house of commons’. Careers and advice service for students has been the biggest disaster of this government, this is of course in relation to EMA stopping and many of the careers and advice jobs being cut meaning that there isn’t much guidance anymore for students on their future. Milliband also stated that if 16 and 17 years olds were allowed to vote that EMA might still be around. He also stated that ‘Labour will have incentives from organisations in order to help young people get into work’.

Speaking about education, work, university and vocational routes he said ‘I want to look at what we can do for post graduate funding, I don’t want to make any false promises’ and that we have got to find a way to get better help for young careers’. His focus was not only on a better education system but that we also have ‘Got to have proper information for vocational roots’. He also mentioned that with a system that we have that you have to ‘work with people to them back into work’. Hopefully he gained more insight into what undergraduates and post graduates need by the questions he asked the room. He also talked about improving education in a wide range of areas including ‘citizenship education’. He also discussed mental health issues and the impact they have on so many young people today stating ‘Mental health issues are not something to be embarrassed about’. While briefly touching on rent and taking notes on what students said about their current rent ‘People need to have predictable rent not worry if it will go up or down from month to month’.

Speaking about equality Miliband was very clear on his views concerning gender equality announcing that he ‘won’t stop until all Labour Party roles are 50% women’. He also spoke about finding a proper gender ‘when it comes to the house of commons’. ‘I want to pay tribute to the feminist movement and the issue on everyday sexism; it is about educating people by starting early and in schools’. On prejudice and immigration he simply said ‘we’ve got to stand up against prejudice and hate wherever we find it’, these statements were well received by the crowd. He also spoke about how we must be ‘treating people in the system as human beings’ and that more help and education has to be available in these areas.

Making sure he finished with a question from a student, as opposed to many of the press that was there was also well received as was his # Round of applause’ for Hallam!’.

For more information on any of the parties manifestos if you’re still unsure on who to vote then make sure to check them out online before May 7th.

Make sure that you know exactly where your polling station is and happy voting everyone, remember that young people are the future and your vote can make a different on Thursday!

Words by: Roseanne May Cross

We tried to get all your questions answered. What has he got to say about how he let students down? What does he think to internships being a “who you know” not “what you know” thing? Does he think Labour’s £6000 tuition fee proposal is wise? What about students who struggle to make ends meet due to lack of student finance when they are not from a nuclear family?

Instead of detailing the entire interview out for you, we worked with SHUradio to provide you with a podcast on the lowdown of what to expect next from Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats.

Look through our other election articles featuring the Labour party and Green party in our election coverage. We hope this will help fellow SHU students to vote wisely.

Tweet us your thoughts at @SHUradio with #SheffieldElections

Since the 3^rd of March 1995, people have enjoyed visiting the Showroom Cinema for an enjoyable afternoon/evening’s entertainment. Being wholly independent, the Showroom has been able to screen the most varied (and sometimes obscure) selection of films in Sheffield for the past 20 years, as well as hosting multiple film festivals and other events per year, including the currently ongoing ‘Japanese Season’ which features the best new and classic films from Japanese Cinema.

For their twentieth anniversary, the Showroom have a year-long run of birthday celebrations planned whilst aiming to raise £250,000 for a near full refurbishment of the entire cinema. This plan includes all four screens being updated with new seats and carpeting, an improved foyer area and completely new top of the range lighting and technical equipment to fully immerse the audience.

At the launch event, Chief Executive of the Showroom Cinema Ian Wild said that “our audience trust us to bring them a unique programme of films and events – we show films from around the world as well as ones that are made right here in Sheffield, with lots of big new releases as well as small independent films – but in turn we rely on our cinemagoers to support our work. As a registered charity we depend of the public to keep going – every purchase made here helps, as all our profits have always gone back into the cinema. We do get some support from the government and the lottery, but we really need the public’s help too”.

There will be special fundraising events throughout the year, as well as some year round opportunities ranging from the opportunity for local businesses to take part in sponsorship to individual donations and naming your favourite seat in the newly updated screens.

As part of the birthday celebrations, special anniversary events and screenings will be announced throughout the year, and SHUlife will definitely be bringing you updates as soon as we have them. In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye on http://www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/ for news from the Showroom in general, as well as Clicking Here for information on how to donate or sponsor the cinema.

On Tuesday 9^th December, Sheffield Hallam University Canoe Club are holding a fundraiser.

The canoe club will be running a 12 hour paddle-a-thon on an ergo in Hallam Square from 8am-8pm. The ergos will be paddled continuously for twelve hours by members of the club. The club are hoping for donations from students and passers-by to raise money for the club and St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield.

The event has been very successful in previous years raising around £500 and the club are hoping for even more success this year.

The club will be in high festive spirits in Christmas jumpers with Christmas music playing so please take a break from working on those looming deadlines and join them in feeling festive and helping them to raise some money. A good way to ensure that you are on Santa’s nice list!

The homeless charity Shelter has launched an urgent campaign within Sheffield and the surrounding area of Yorkshire and the Humber region in light of recent statistics.

Following an investigation by the Government, shocking statistics have been uncovered that claim, “554 children in Yorkshire and the Humber will wake up homeless this Christmas.” This figure has sadly, nearly doubled since 2012. 

90,000 children in Britain will be homeless this Christmas. We’ll stop when it’s 0. pic.twitter.com/7rBGqBYSj9

— Shelter (@Shelter) November 10, 2014

Although, many families are homeless, they are often not seen directly by the public, as the council has a legal obligation to find them somewhere to stay such as a hostel or a B&B. Both of which are often overcrowded.

Consequently, this problem is relatively unknown to the general public in Sheffield. Sheffield Hallam students were asked if they had heard of family homelessness and, if so, did they know how large the issue was?

One Hallam student questioned said that, “I was aware of the amount of homeless people living in Sheffield, I’d never considered the fact that families and children are being put in the same position. The thought that families either alone or with nothing at Christmas is heart-breaking.” She went on to ask for the support of her fellow students, asking, “We as Hallam students can surely help in some way?”

Recently, Shelter conducted an in depth investigation based on families who had been made homeless and had been provided with temporary accommodation. However, in most cases this accommodation was unsafe and the families were subjected to, “drug and alcohol abuse,” in some cases. Often, the temporary accommodation that had been provided was far from the families’ established support network of family, friends and even the children’s schools.

Consequently, 20% of the families surveyed were faced with a three hour round trip to take their children to school and 10% said that, “their children had to miss school altogether.”

With the level of homelessness in Sheffield growing, the council has teamed up with 3 other local organisations and signed a “No Second Night Out protocol.” With a simple vision that, “no-one will live on the streets of South Yorkshire and no individual arriving on the streets for the first time will sleep out for more than one night.”

Shelter believes that everyone should have a home. Their campaign is targeted at the estimated 90,000 children in the United Kingdom who will otherwise be classed as being homeless this Christmas.

Shelter’s Chief Executive exclaimed, “No child should have to go through the trauma of losing their home… over 500 in Yorkshire and the Humber will wake up homeless this Christmas.”

For Shelter the short term aim of the campaign is to get experts to work with homeless families directly to find them a new, secure place to live. As well as to stop others becoming homeless in the first place.

Their long term plan is to get the Government to see the bigger picture and invest more heavily in affordable housing. They want it to be easier for those who need help to get it.

Shelter’s CEO added, “We urgently need more support from the public to help us make sure no one has to fight homelessness on their own this Christmas.”

You can support Shelter’s emergency Christmas appeal by visiting, www.shelter.org.uk or texting SHELTER to 70060 to donate £3.

Were you too shocked at the scale of homelessness in the region? If so tweet us @SHUlifenews

A new and free initiative has been launched in Meadowhall to prevent the age old phenomenon of having a very low phone battery just when you need it most.

Chargebox® provides a free and secure service to Meadowhall shoppers. The charging stations are conveniently located on the Upper Oasis Mezzanine part of the food court. The device even provides an array of chargers for, “most smartphones currently on the market,” making the service even more convenient.

Meadowhall Centre Director Darren Pearce said, “Customer feedback has told us that nine out of ten of our customers would feel stressed if their phone was out of action whilst out shopping and with modern day smart phones having a notoriously poor battery life, ChargeBox is our solution combating this annoying problem.”

Thirty minutes of charging time provides enough power to increase your phone’s battery life by 40%, without losing any valuable shopping time. Consequently, Meadowhall believe that the Chargebox® will be a valuable asset in the run up to Christmas.

However, Meadowhall are not the first major shopping centre to introduce this service. Europe’s largest urban shopping centre, Westfield in Stratford successfully installed several charging stations in the summer of 2012 in anticipation of an increased footfall.

How does it work?

Simply, find the corresponding charger for your phone and plug it in to one of the lockers. Once connected, there is a thirty second time frame to shut the locker and a key will be generated automatically. You will be able to return to the locker to retrieve your charged device after, or if you can’t wait, before the half an hour is up!

Shoppers have reacted very positively. For example, Amy, a L’Oreal consultant, seemed particularly excited about the new technology and tweeted @LoveMeadowhall, “OMG this is genius.” Moreover, Daniel, a second year Sheffield Hallam University student acknowledged the versatility of the device and said, “We should have a similar thing in clubs…they’re a great idea!”

“@LoveMeadowhall: Phone running out of juice? Just pop upstairs to our @Chargebox! http://t.co/pV2aO1xacH” omg this is genius

— Amy (@amy_jadee) October 6, 2014

Have you been to the Chargebox? Where would you like to see it next? Tweet us @SHUlifeNews

Images credited to Meadowhall Shopping Centre

Whilst most of us have been relaxing and chilling out this summer, one Sheffield Hallam student project have been working very hard towards an event that is the pinnacle of their year; the international FSAE Formula Student meeting at Silverstone, which took place in July.

The students who participate in SHU Racing from a range of courses from engineering to English Literature and have worked extremely hard throughout the year in order to produce the car that they presented at Silverstone and their efforts paid off as it was one of their most successful results in their history.

Formula Student is an event that is backed up by big names in the industry such as Ross Brawn and where cars are not only tested on the track but are also tested in the garage as the engineers have to prepare for a series of tests to prove that the car is safe to run and built to a secure standard. It is the perfect platform for those who want a career in the industry to gain a considerable edge over competitors following graduation.

The team did incredibly well in the tech, safety and chassis scrutineering tests and passed all three of them. Unfortunately mechanical issues during the brake test meant that their competition ended a little quicker than they were hoping, 2013/14 was an incredibly successful year for the team and gives us a positive platform to work from for the future, secured some lasting sponsorship from companies who believe in the project as much as they do and they have also increased their profile meaning that they’re a big voice at Sheffield Hallam University.

Students who work on the team are also from a variety of age groups and years of study meaning that they gain vital work experience for their degree and also for their future career as some previous members of the team have since gone on to work for prestigious teams on the Formula One circuit.

During Freshers’ Week, members of SHU Racing are going to be around campus and will be available to discuss possible membership. The team are also hoping to have the car on display for students to see on Hallam Square so you can look at the product of a lot of dedication.

If you want more information on SHU Racing, the work that they do and Formula Student then don’t hesitate to get in contact with them.

You can…

Visit their website: shuracing.co.uk

Email: shuracing.fs@gmail.com

Facebook: facebook.com/ShuRacingTeam

Twitter: twitter.com/SHU_Racing_Team

After the craze of Nek Nominations and No make-up selfies it was only a matter of time before something else popped up. Now it’s the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Originally started in the United States it has made its way across the globe, getting everyone involved even the Hallam Union Officers.

If you’re nominated for the challenge you have 24 hours to drop a cold bucket of water and/or ice over your body. As horrific as it sounds, it’s all for a good cause because once you’ve completed the challenge you donate some money to charity. In the UK the most popular donations have been to the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Macmillan Cancer Support.

With celebrities such as George W Bush even taking part, it was only a matter of time before the Hallam Officers got a nomination too.

Hallam President, Emily Connor said, “Despite some of the bad press nomination challenges has received in the past I do believe it has been a fantastic way to raise awareness and money of a disease which a few weeks ago nobody had even heard of.”

As comedic as the challenge is, the whole point of throwing cold water over yourself is to understand how it feels to lose temporary movement as most people with MND do.

“We were keen as an officer team and as a Union to show our support,” said Emily

As the challenge dies down some people have been saying it’s become more about just throwing water over yourself. However one thing is a definite the amount of money raised has been staggering. The US charity ALS, which American participants have been donating to, received $98.2m from 29 July to 28 August.

Have you done the Ice Bucket Challenge yet?

Stepping off the train and walking through Sheffield’s town centre I was somewhat excited about the prosperity of a music festival in a place that has become my favorite in the country. The atmosphere was building as locals, returning students, and everyone in-between began fleeing to the town for what has become a pivotal weekend for the aptly named ‘Steel city’.
On the whole I was extremely impressed; there was a sense of unity and love that every festival should base its very foundations upon, with family orientated parks and enough range in genres to keep even the most enthusiastic of music lovers engaged. The weather also provided for Sheffield, with blue skies and warm sun never amiss throughout the weekend – but when nightfall came on Saturday night I was shown a slightly darker, more hostile side to the inner-city festival.

The City Hall where some of the anti-social behaviour took place

After the main-stage closed for the evening the thousands fled to the city centre and in typical British tradition, excessive amounts of alcohol led to the utter destruction of the beautiful town. Walking past Carver Street many individuals began aimlessly throwing their litter onto the pavements of Sheffield without any remorse. Arguments were ripe, and I even passed two men having a ‘bath’ in the water monuments near the town hall, before two policemen walked past and did – absolutely nothing.
Without the traditional campsite that so many music festivals offer, Sheffield turned into an overrun zoo, portraying that ever so typical British culture that has overtime earned our country the name ‘booze Britain’.
Yes, that’s right, in a survey released recently by the British Council – as others see us – two of our most unattractive traits were indeed our boozy culture along with our almost intolerable and unnecessary nationalistic pride. We are a country with the belief that we should be awarded almost everything. We lobby for better health care, better education, better housing, higher pay cheques, and yet during our drunken, enraged states that come around almost on a weekly basis – if not more – we treat our country like a worthless wasteland that we expect to improve so drastically and without question. In 2006/07 it was estimated that we spent an approximate £2.7 billion on alcohol misuse alone on resources such as; ambulance services, dependency drugs, specialist treatment services, and much more.

As my journey around Sheffield continued that evening I came across one of the many homeless scattered across the city bellowing the words ‘I’m f***ing British I do what I want.’ I couldn’t help but sense a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

2006/07 expenditure on alcohol by the NHS

The mentality our country has, is one of a dog-eat-dog world where everyone fends for themselves; there is no unity or love that our festivals base themselves upon. In hindsight – and this may infuriate those nationalists of you out their – we should take note from our European neighbours. Germany for instance is a country that works in unison; everything operates so smoothly  -  this is reflected by their incomparable railway systems along with their national team’s recent success at the FIFA World Cup. The German side operated as one single unit. Every individual knew what their job was and how to do it well and now they can call themselves the greatest side in the world.
I know this was a festival, with many people from across the region making their way to Sheffield, but if this is a reflection of what a Saturday evening is like in, what has been surveyed as the happiest city in the country, then I am somewhat fearful as to what a night out in one of the least pleasant cities would resemble.