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.
Papadofragakis issued the following statement: "I am not withdrawing my nomination nor am I even considering to, but I am afraid that I do not have enough time to campaign.
"I am doing a bachelor of engineering degree, I am on a 60 credit term, my 15,000 word dissertation is due next Tuesday, its presentation is on next Friday and in the meantime I have a 1,500 word procedural essay to write and classes to attend.
"Over the last week, I simply did not have the time to campaign nearly as much as any of the other candidates. I have pretty much stopped campaigning since last Friday and I'm now just making it official. I am the only candidate for a sabbatical position who is doing a BEng degree, which I think is quite revealing in itself.
"Nevertheless, I know that many people have already expressed support for my policies and many have already voted for me, so I would like to stress that I am not pulling out under any circumstance.
"I will just strongly encourage all of you to take the time and read all the candidates' policies before you make your choice. Student politics should not be reduced to the level of a publicity contest - student politics should be a clash of ideas. It is up to the students themselves to ensure that by reading everyone's proposals and by choosing the best candidate, not just the one who has the most free time available to spend on campus."
The Yorker contacted Papadofragakis' opponents for comments, but at press time only Lewis Bretts had responded. Bretts said: "I'm really sorry to see that George has had to do this: I've been really pleased to see him running a 'democracy' based campaign. I feel like we've got similar ideas about how YUSU needs to change, and it'll be a shame if those issues drop from the agenda."
I don't think that the average student is put off from elections because of the lack of science students...
They're more likely to be put off by the thought that all candidates are the same or that it doesn't affect them.
I've been going around in the last week and talking to students who aren't planning on voting - and many aren't aware that the elections dictate who will allocate budget to their society, control the university sports, provide them with welfare, academic support, prices in the Courtyard, other services, the YUSU minibus (though many don't know it exists - same with other services) etc.
As most of the candidates have said, and I agree, YUSU have failed to show how they're relevant to the average student, despite being more important out-of-lectures as the university. It would be interesting to see what LGBT support the university offers, how many free condoms they give out, how well they represent in academic appeals, how well they'd support our charities (actually, I think they'd do that pretty well but that's not the point)
Students feel isolated and that's a completely separate issue - there is, however, and I said it time and time again before these elections came upon us, a problem with the lack of balance.
Maybe the candidate themself shouldn't campaign, maybe only postering should be allowed in specific places, maybe the whole thing should be done online... they would ruin the election and increase the apathy but they'd level the playing field.
There's something to be looked at with all of this. Ok, so politics students are more likely to be interested, perhaps, but they shouldn't be more likely to win because of contact time.
This requires a full investigation and the DEMOCRACY and Services Officer that gets elected should start one before they enter office.
On a side note, what happened to the advertising registration for local and european elections on the YUSU website? *jots it down in Campaigns book under "ignored"*
Edit: because of the excess use of tongue in my post, I removed them all. Some of the comments are jokes that may be slightly subtle so please don't take anything out of context just because I didn't emoticise the sentence... (I wish emoticise is a word)
the time needed to organise and coordinate a campaign is enough to discourage all of us studying science or engineering.. if i had my dissertation to hand in next week i would not have even considered running (which i didnt for other reasons), which i think shows how much more motivation is necessary
I never said the system was fair. I said the reality is that it favours those with less contact time and less work. Having said that, I don't think the BA/BSC distinction is as clear-cut as some will have it. The impact on anyone's degree will be significant (hence the 2:2 vs 2:1 point).
I think (along with others, who I've discussed this with) that regulation should be imposed that governs where and when candidates can campaign. In most JCR elections, campaigning after 10pm is not allowed for example, and voting goes on for a shorter period of time. Such measures, whether intended to or not, protect the welfare of the candidates, and similar rules might be useful in YUSU elections.
An idea that Lewis and I have discussed would be to have YUSU do most of the campaigning, through pamphlets containing all the information for each and every candidate.
In truth, the election process needs to be drastically reformed - it has devolved into an annual publicity race from which most students feel alienated.
Thankfully Tom Scott has already taken the initiative to overhaul the rules and regulations after the end of the elections, which is one of the reasons why I feel it is necessary to raise this issue too.
There are many ways in which we can change this situation and, either I win or lose, I hope that this will not drop from the agenda until a solution is found.
"regulation should be imposed that governs where and when candidates can campaign. In most JCR elections, campaigning after 10pm is not allowed for example"
I have lectures, labs or meetings from 9:15-6:15pm most days and society things on most evenings until getting on for 11pm. Ok, so I can cut the society stuff but campaigning at nighttime isn't that effective - campaigning at lunchtime is effective and only on Thursdays do I have a proper gap at lunchtime. And that wasn't the case last year.
If there was a way to limit campaigning to between 6:15 and 9:15 then it would help out science students, but again it would be a dodgy result. I have no answer to this problem but it will inevitably keep cropping up.
It would be interesting to see if any other Student Unions have addressed this issue.
I had no idea of the divide between Arts and Science candidates before this, so George has raised a prevalent issue.
However, being cynical I am inclined to the view that a science degree is more likely to get you a job, so you don't need the "extra-curricular" stuff on your CV as much.
I'm not suggesting the time imbalance between Arts and Science degrees SHOULD create that situation, but it does. Having more free time at uni on an Arts degree than a Science degree - if used to enhance someone's CV - surely goes some way to balancing out the much greater employability of Science students?
And yes, being cynical, I do think CV is the main reason most candidates run, especially Sabs. Although maybe they're just in it for the money (George excepted).
I think the CV issue is more a reason for people NOT to stand if they're in certain fields and want to work in them.
If you're doing say Biology and want to work in a lab and maybe do a higher degree, a Sabb. post is pretty irrelevant and means you run the risk of losing touch with the cutting-edge.
As a third year BA student, I in no way agree that the Ba/BSc or BEng work is as inbalanced as this discussion is making out. In first year, yes, it was. I will fully admit that then I had a lot more time than my sciencey friends. But this year, we almost all have dissertations and exams, and everyone has a hell of a lot of work to do (and straight after this post I am off to write an essay). Yes, the work is on a different type timetable, but everyone has a lot to do. Yes, maybe it does favour people with summer exams/dissertations rather than ones due in now, but that isn't in any way a Bsc/Ba distinction.
Susie, you can't be serious. Our dissertations are usually between 50-70 pages. And unlike BA essays, ours are 70 pages of mathematical concepts (in the usual case).
I do not believe our workloads are comparable. Biology students have labs all day long. Chemistry, the same. Physics, they do one of the hardest subjects. Computer science, the way the organised the workload is appalling. I had 4 modules this term, and only one next term. In other words, our workload is not comparable at all.
A.
"As a third year BA student, I in no way agree that the Ba/BSc or BEng work is as inbalanced as this discussion is making out."
I find this enraging. Yes susie, everyone has a lot to do, but BEng and BSc student can do nothing else. Are you going out this term? We are not. Are you sleeping before 3-4am? We are not. Do you feel as if you have the opportunity to have a real life? We are not. In fact, our supervisors have advised us to stop all extracurricural activities. Very nice, isn't it? So let us please not compare uncomparable things. The amount of work BA students have to do is a joke compared to the nightmare that is engineering or science.
Plus, the dissertations for BEng students are due NEXT WEEK.
To #29 and #30 - I find your view of BA students' workload highly offensive. I have hardly been out this term, I can't sleep becuase I'm so stressed and I hardly participate in any extra-curricular activities because I'm far too busy with work.
I'm a third year BA student and whilst we do have lower contact hours, we still have to do a ton of research/reading for our assessed essays and exams. Just because we have lower contact hours than you doesn't mean we have a lesser workload. This free time is really time to revise, research and edit your essays (which is exceedingly time-consuming).
We all have a heavy workload in final year, but with varying deadlines it may be easy to think that one subject is 'easier' than others! Aristidis, the teaching hours for arts/sciences isn't comparable, but the workload is.
Frankly, it's your skewed belief that BA students have less work that really enrages me. Why don't you try studying for a BA degree?
I know plenty of lazy BSc students who would make the workload for sciences look like 'a joke' in comparison to arts subjects.
In any case, if BSc students are so busy, why does Jason Rose seem to have so much time to participate in YUSU committees, campaign for elections and write lengthy comments on the Yorker?
"In other words, our workload is not comparable at all."
To be fair, the workloads are different and its impossible to compare. You do a DIFFERENT course, and not neccessarily a harder one or one with more work. As number 31 has said, try doing a BA degree before you basically imply they have nothing to do.
Thank you #31 and Nick - exactly what I was about to put.
Aris and #30, I entirely sympathise with you that right now you might have a lot of work. My dissertation draft was due in in week 3 of this term, and for the three weeks before then, I was a complete hermit who only worked too. Last term was my horrible dissertation research and 60 credit term, and I pretty much had a nervous breakdown. Right now, yes, I might have less work, and so maybe the YUSU elections system does favour those like me, but that is by no means to say that we have less work over the year as a whole.
#30, OF COURSE some students, of all departments, spend all night every night working, and drop all their extra cirricular stuff. Not being someone how intends on getting a 1st, I am not one of those people, but I know plenty of BA students who are, and conversely, plenty of BSc students who go out an awful lot and do a lot of other things. That's personal preference, not subject dependant. And all of us are urged to drop extra cirricular activites - again it's personal choice whether you obey that or not.
I'm not trying to say that BA students work harder, just that as Nick says, the two are incomparable, and although the workload is very different - both in structure and type - the amount of work people put in is not. And Aris, your dissertation might involve 50 pages of mathematical formulae - and I wuld be the first to say I wouldn't know where to start on that - but are you honestly saying that you'd know how to write a 10,000 word history dissertation, using over 50 different books as research? I don't think so. Again, entirely incomparable.
I think in all honesty Bsc students usually only feel they get it "harder" due to the higher scheduled workload. Doing a biochemistry degree I spend my time being kicked from department to department trying to understand why they don't talk to each other about when deadlines are etc. I fully respect that BA students have just as much work to do of equal difficulty. They just tend to have a bit more flexibility as to when they do it. That is the only difference between the two types of degree. I have spent the last two terms doing my research, something the university tells me will take 16 hours a week for 2 terms. A complete fallacy as the average time spent on it has been closer to 30-40 hours a week. Add that to 10 hours of lectures this term and 15 hours a week last term (amazing low number as I chose my courses based on time spent in lectures, something I know realise was an error). Unfortunately for myself and my coursemates when questioning our workload with the department we were told "Your just unlucky, it will be different next year".
Best of luck to everyone with dissertations, exams etc and I hope to share a few beverages with you when we all graduate! (we will as we have made it this far)
"OF COURSE some students, of all departments, spend all night every night working, and drop all their extra cirricular stuff. Not being someone how intends on getting a 1st, I am not one of those people, but I know plenty of BA students who are, and conversely, plenty of BSc students who go out an awful lot and do a lot of other things. That's personal preference, not subject dependant."
What you dont understand is that our workload is so ridiculous that ALL of us do that, and not necessarily to get a first put to PASS our degree.
I am not trying to imply that you are not doing work, but see this comment that george wrote on nouse to understand what we mean... I completely sympathise with his decision to stop campaigning
"I am still recovering from the horror of last year’s TSP: 65 pages and 16,000 words in a week - immediately followed by another project and 4 closed exams. After we’re done with all this, I think that working in a sweatshop would probably feel like holidays."
"but are you honestly saying that you'd know how to write a 10,000 word history dissertation, using over 50 different books as research? I don't think so. Again, entirely incomparable."
I am not trying to say that I can do your work. Equivalently, you would not be able to write a 35,000 dissertation (actual word limit for engineering students) using 50 scientific papers as references. And in such projects, everything you say must mean something and must be substantiated empirically.
History dissertations don't have to generate artefacts as a result of that research, then test and evaluate that artefact.
I'm also a final year Compsci. I tallied up the "recommended" workload given in the module description - 60 hours per week.
yeah mine are all 100 hours recommended. This isn't a my degree is harder than yours thread though so can we cut it out? Every degree is valuable and needs a lot of work for people to be successful in it.
Everyone, this should not be a dispute between BA students and BSc/BEng students. It is counterproductive to argue over who has more work to do - I am sure that all of us third years are in a bit of a raw deal.
However, the way BSc/BEng degrees have been scheduled makes it very very difficult - in fact, almost impossible - for us to spend two weeks doing little other than campaigning. This is creating a problem - almost all YUSU candidates are BA students. In fact, I am the only one who is on a BEng and the only third year candidate not doing a BA. The real question here is how we solve that problem and what we can do to redress that imbalance.
I only know one electronics student (and he does go out and do extra curricular stuff), and no other BEng students, so I know I can't really comment on the amount of work you have. That said though, I am still entirely dubious about the fact that everyone does have to do that level of work just to pass. Maybe you do in the short term to get your dissertation out - I was before my draft was in and I have no doubt I will be again before the final one is due - but if you honestly had to do that level of work week in week out to pass, I somehow doubt you would still be sane, and continuing with your degree. But I realise you may, and having no evidence for my view, I realise it is speculation.
Yet the discussion on this page has turned from "BEng students have a lot of work" (which I agree with) to "BSc and BEng students have far more work that BA students" (which I have a problem with). Not all BSc students have to spend all night working to pass their degrees - I know an awful lot who are doing perfectly well and doing tonnes of other stuff too.
As much as it might surprise you, I also sympathise with George's decision. The campaigning has obviously come at a bad time for him in relation to his degree deadlines, and so yes, the timing of YUSU elections may have made his life harder. But like Ella said, thats what campaigns teams are for, and George knew beforehand what he had to do when, and so should have been able to enlist a campaign team who could fill in where he couldn't. Anyway, I think most students are swayed far more by 'easy' campaigning (Fb groups, interviews, etc), and these George obviously has had time for.
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