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Monday 24 February 2020
Liverpool student asks lecturer to stop using ID scanners Hannah Bentley The Liverpool Tab received an email from a third-year Computer Science student at University of Liverpool asking his lecturer to suspend using the ID scanner. The unnamed student expressed concerns with the possibility of spreading the coronavirus over use of a handheld scanner. The email stated that “over 100 people each lecture” use them. Some of whom are “coughing, sneezing and blowing their nose throughout”. The NHS website reports “similar viruses spread through cough droplets” and advises individuals to prevent catching the virus by “try[ing] to avoid close contact with people who are unwell.”
Among those who contracted the virus, the mortality rate remains at only 2%
The risk to individuals from coronavirus remains low according to the NHS. Among those who contracted the virus, the mortality rate remains at only 2%, indicating a disconnection between the small risk of catching and possibly dying from coronavirus. As of 16 February, only nine people in the UK have been tested positive for the corona-
virus despite more than 2000 people having been tested. The first case recorded was a student at University of York.
Newcastle University has over 1800 Chinese students
The incident may have contributed to concerns over the spread of the virus at universities. The high proportion of Chinese international students on the Computer Science course at University of Liverpool was considered by the anonymous student as an “all the more important” reason for implementing safety measures. The concerns has led to some Chinese students to have experienced xenophobia as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Newcastle University's student body contains students from 120 countries, including over 1800 Chinese students. One Chinese student told the Courier: “When I was on my way to the Metro station, I heard three English girls saying “here comes a Chinese virus”, and they hid their faces under the jumpers. I was disappointed and sad about being in such a situation as I don’t really think the virus is an excuse for racial discrimination. "It’s kind of showing me that Orientals need to cover their eyes rather than noses and mouths because it seems that people care more about if you’re Oriental than whether
The concerns over the coronavirus has led to cases of xenophobia in various universities Image: Newcastle University
you’re carrying the virus or not.” Chris Day, the Vice Chancellor of Newcastle University has reported in a “Message of support” last 5 February that he has been “appalled by some alarming reports on social media of racial incidents within the city aimed at [Newcastle University] students.” In the message, Day reiterated that students
Edinburgh students have beef with banning beef
should focus on supporting students who may “be worrying about family and friends who are still in China”. However, not all students are worried about the coronavirus. When asked about their fears of the risk of catching the coronavirus, Ellen Lawrence, a second-year student studying English Literature at Newcastle University
Newcastle sees second majo Alex Walker
On 14 February at 11am, a strike was held in awareness of climate change. They were supported by university students, as they were on 29 November last year. This round of climate strikes comes at a complex time in environmental politics. The defeat of Labour’s Green New Deal at the election, coupled with a decline in support for Extinction Revolution and the failure of the Green Party to translate their wins at local elections into wider holdings, has resulted in some commentators arguing that the movement built up over 2019 losing some of its momentum.
The Council came under fire for excluding the public from the inviteonly climate summit Edinburgh SU has rejected a beef ban on campus Image: Flickr
Monika Song Earlier this month, students at Edinburgh University voted against the ban of beef products for sale on campus. The proposal was raised on 30 January during a Student Council meeting, receiving 51 percent of votes in favour of the ban among the present elected representatives. Following this result, the motion was proceeded by an online ballot open to all matriculated students on 7 February. Nearly 6000 students participated in the ‘Cease the sale of all beef products in Students’ ballot and the final result ended with 58 percent of students voting against the motion. Due to this, the University will continue to sell beef produce in its cafés and
restaurants. The motion was proposed as a way of reducing the University’s carbon footprint, in addition to other measures that have been taken to improve sustainability on campus. The Edinburgh University Students‘ Association (EUSA) have issued a number of reasons for the ban including issues regarding animal welfare, water pollution and the increase of methane, nitrous oxide and CO2 emission caused by the livestock industry. The Edinburgh Farm Animal Veterinary Society (EFAVS) has released an oppositional statement in response to this proposal: “The media and many other campaigners are pushing an anti-ruminant or anti-meat rhetoric, communicating the idea that all meat is bad and plant-based options are always a better alternative. This is a massive
oversimplification - production methods and their environmental impacts vary hugely within foodstuffs for both livestock and arable. We ought to be far less concerned with what we eat and start to consider how and where what we eat was produced.”
The final result ended with 58 percent of students voting against the motion
The referendum followed the decisions of the University of Cambridge and Goldsmiths, University of London, who have both discontinued the sale of beef on their campuses.
stated: “Asian students don’t pose any more risk than any other students on campus”. This has been echoed by Evie Garvin, a third-year Geography student at Newcastle University. She considers the coronavirus as “something I [do not] think about when walking around campus”.
However, this did not seem to perturb the event organisers, UKSCN North East, who cited fires in Australia, Zambia, and flooding in Indonesia on their Facebook page as reasons the climate strike remained relevant. Council bosses have come under fire for excluding the general public from the inviteonly event, while allowing 100 academics, environmental campaigners, businesses and community leaders to take part. Climate events have also gained reportage closer to home, where a major climate summit on how to make Newcastle carbon neutral by 2020 received negative press attention. Council bosses have come under fire for excluding the general public from the invite-only event, while allowing 100 academics, environmental campaigners, businesses and community leaders to take part. Thousands of residents were disappointed to be “shut out” of the conference, which will have a marked influence on their future. Council Leader Nick Forbes described the summit as: “an important opportunity for many different groups, organisations and businesses within key industries that create so much of our greenhouse gas emissions to get together and have these difficult conver-
sations” and highlighted the fact that “over 1000 people took part and I’m proud that so many of our school children did as their voices need to be heard.” ‘We were really happy with the climate strike turn out! So interesting to hear many people, all ages, all backgrounds coming together to discuss the crisis we are facing.’ Despite these complicated ongoing cir-
