A group of York students has won the opportunity to have their very own I-phone application developed after winning The App Challenge final, held at the Ron Cooke Hub on Wednesday, January 18.
YUSU Welfare officer Bob Hughes has warned students to be vigilant after a student loans phishing scam has been revealed.
Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting York on Maundy Thursday, 5th April, as part of the 800th anniversary of York’s Charter for the traditional “Royal Maundy” ceremony.
A flood caused by a heating system “failure” forced the university IT services to shut down many essential systems on Sunday night, causing problems for many students on the eve of their exams and assignment due-dates.
Across campus, there have been detailed accounts, though there appears to be a variety of differences between them. An account by two anonymous students said that The Beast “stood at three feet tall, moved like a cat; it slunk out of the bushes, sat on the path and looked at them.” Apparently the students were “terrified at what they saw.”
Goodricke’s Welfare Officer, Dan Thompson, explained; “We have indeed had reports to our welfare team of a large cat-like animal stalking the path towards hes east which we call "the yellow brick road". The animal was said to be about the size of panther. The students reporting it were not drunk or high.”
Goodricke College Dean, Paul Summers, suggested that “a large 'cat-like' animal [has been sighted] by Lord Deramore School/Heslington Church” and further reports suggest that the animal may have been elsewhere on the route to New Goodricke. Jane Clarbour, Goodricke’s Provost, confirmed that it had been sighted near Heslington Church and suggested that “perhaps it was a dog?”
A student, who doesn’t wish to be named, responded to that suggestion by asking “how can a cat-like, lion-sized creature look like a dog? It must have been something else.”
Peter Warner-Medley, LGBT Officer, explained on URY that it “came up in EWD [Equality, Welfare and Diversity] committee the other day and there was some discussion as to what the nature of the creature is … Maybe there’s a loose lion about Hes East? It might possibly have been a tall fox.”
Goodricke JCRC Chair, Dan Walker, responded to the stories of The Beast of Hes-East by saying, “I urge students not to panic over reports of The Beast. After all, if the creature does exist, it’s probably more scared of you than you are of it.
“Seriously though, we do urge students traveling home in the dark to take advantage of the free #6 bus service and report all unusual activity on the route to Hes East.”
Goodricke’s Welfare Officer responded to other rumours. “I haven't heard that it can fly or breathe fire although if it has been drinking from the campus lake then it wouldn't surprise me.
“On a serious note it is a concern for Goodricke students traveling at night… My advice on it would be not to travel alone at night, use the free bus when possible and to avoid carrying raw meat.”
At the time of writing, nobody has been harmed by The Beast of Hes-East but there are still no explanations as to the series of car damages in the Heslington East area last week.
Other Goodricke Welfare Officer: "Well it was reported by two international students, and allegedly lurked on the yellow-brick road between Heslington and the Hes East sight. It was described as a huge sort of cat. Not sure about the fire theory, but it's probably larger than a lion. The main concern raised was that the alarm buttons weren't working when the 'beast' was sighted. Students shouldn't really be concerned, but we can't rule it out. As regards advice, I would say 'if, on the very unlikely event of confrontation with The Beast, keep your distance and, if attacked, some weapon, preferably a stick, might come in handy'."
I love the Provost's world-weary, when-will-these-students-grow-up-and-realise-life-isn't-as-exciting-as-TV response: "Perhaps it was a dog?"
My housemate has seen a panther-like animal, which he described as between 3-4 foot long, in this area as well! I'm sure it exists.
Anyone got a giant net and some tranquillisers?
comment deleted by the author Well apparently it was a full moon that night ...
I am Anna's housemate and did indeed see 'the Beast' near the back of Halifax collage! It wasn't a lion, it wasn't a dog, it was definitely a big cat. It's body was about 3-4 feet long and I can say that I am 100% sure it was a panther type creature. I was about 30-50m away when it crossed the path in front of me, looked at me then disappeared off into some bushes like it was scared. I had my new camera on me with my longest lens, but as I'd just got it that day I wasn't as familiar with it as my old camera so I was literally a split second too slow. Very annoying. I quickly ran to where it went and looked around for it, but there was too many places for it to hide or run off. I don't really know what I would have done had it been waiting for me there besides getting photo evidence, but maybe it would have been willing to pose for a unique Facebook profile picture?
I think there have been cases of people getting big (VERY big) cats as pets then getting rid of them when they realise that yes, there are very big.
Back of Halifax? Thanks. More information forthcoming...
It's very simple.
Don't go to Hes East on your own in the dark and make sure your friend is a slower runner than you.
I saw it on Monday and in the summer term. Wasn't sure what it was from a distance (strange dog, possibly a badger) but when I got up close I realized it was literally the fattest cat I'd ever seen. The 'Meoww' was a big clue.
@ #7 Don't trust these Nouse folk - they'll say anything for a story!
@ #11 Was this fat cat over 3 feet tall? Because most big cats don't meow so I think it may be a different animal... 
Irish Wolfhounds and Great Danes are over three feet tall and they actually exist in Britain, unlike panthers.
Irish Wolfhounds aren't black, and neither they or Great Danes walk like a cat. I don't necessarily believe this story, but I think the idea of a stray large pedigree dog roaming the Halifax area is just as unlikely as a big cat.
Not to criticise #14 but panthers were seen in York in 2004 and are known to frequent Ryedale, which is only 25 miles away. There are large numbers of wild cats in the UK as a result of private ownership that is regretted, among other things. I'm not saying it's impossible but most students would know the difference between a dog and a cat in the way they move; if you know Great Danes, you wouldn't say they move like a cat!
Without being disrepectful to those who think it may be a dog, what I saw was definitely not. There may be giant dogs roaming around York, but this was a type of cat. I'm not a panther expert but I do have an interest in nature and wildlife photography, and saw this close-up enough to be 100% sure. And can I just say that it wasn't over three feet tall when I saw it, I said it was three to four feet long with a long black (cat's) tail. It was quite low down to the ground, moving like a cat hunting a bird or a tiger hunting antelope etc so I couldn't really see it's true height.
You must log in to submit a comment.
Report