That Girl from Derwent dwells on the value of religion this Christmas.
That Girl from Derwent has learned a few more things about prejudice since moving up North.
That Girl From Derwent reckons if you're going to be offensive, you should find a better reason.
That Girl from Derwent considers why it is that some words have wider implications than others.
The minute Tom Scott walks into the room it feels like a scene straight from The Shambles.
But many other things about that evening were memorable. So when I approached our YUSU president last Thursday after his speech introducing YUSU to international students participating in the pre-sessional orientation week, I wasn't quite sure he'd remember me. But he did. And that's not all.
The minute Tom Scott walks into the room it feels like a scene straight from The Shambles. But a very very good one, and not just because we're in V/045.
He manages to be at once interesting, charismatic, disorganised, theatrical and quirky. I'm impressed by the way he handles the situation and delivers this otherwise fairly dull introductory speech with enthusiasm and humour. Suddenly I'm very glad I made the (fluke?) decision last year to vote for him. Suddenly I have a newfound love for YUSU and the future seems filled with great potential. I feel a surge of affection for him as he patiently answers questions posed in broken English that students should really be asking their STYCs or the Welcome Team members: "Why is Freshers' Ball so expensive?" "What's the dress code?" His answers are honest and simple—and not devoid of humour.
Jamie Tyler, Student Development and Charities officer, comes onstage and though he seems passionate about RAG and keen on various volunteering opportunities, anyone pales in comparison to Scott, whom, this time, has dropped the pirate persona. To be honest, Pirate English would have been a challenge for many of the students present, and perhaps the joke isn't so funny if you weren't here last year.
Admittedly, most of the students who voted for "Mad Cap'n Tom Scott" did so to take the piss, because, really they didn't give a damn about who was running the SU. He represented the ultimate <apathetic> <anarchic> <insert fancy political adjectives here> vote. Or at least in theory. In practice, a suited-up Tom Scott commands respect and attention, minus the bureaucratic and politicised subtext.
It hits me that perhaps only someone as unconventional as a part-time pirate can capture the essence of a uni with societies as eccentric as the Medieval Re-enactment Society, PantSoc or DougSoc. Only a man who ran for president with a duck on his shoulder can represent a uni with, we are often told, the highest duck to student ratio in England.
Many people would say we're extremely lucky that Tom Scott isn't another moron in a pirate costume, but in fact an intelligent, dynamic and competent man.
I'd argue that York is lucky—period.
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