Author: Finnian Shardlow

At most festivals, that inceptive splosh of rain is an unwelcome incidence. Contrarily, at Green Man, a curtain of drizzle before those majestically noble Brecon Beacons is gorgeously aesthetic. Admittedly, this wonderous spectacle didn’t abate the merciless deluge. But it did distract me from my damp socks. Following recent years of relative radiance, the festival’s 17th outing was probably due some weather worthy of watery wellies and muddy macs. Though, no matter the volatility of the British skies, you’ll never be short of warmth at Green Man. It’s exuded by all who loyally flock to dwell in the verdant valleys…

A fire has occurred at Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre today. The fire alarm was set off at around 11:45AM this morning and emergency services have been called to the scene. The blaze occurred amid ongoing maintenance work being carried out on the building. Fire services are reporting that the situation is now being controlled. However, the area has not been declared safe yet. Students remain camped outside the building as the flames subside. Update 14:20 Although the fire now seems to be under control the building itself is still closed. Reports suggests that the fire was centred around the construction…

A memorial in honour of Nikita White was organised on the 27th of March, six months after she passed away, to celebrate her life and the wonderful young woman she was. Nikita was a student in Health and Social Care at Bangor University, who was also involved in a number of societies and volunteering projects. Her generosity and enthusiasm were appreciated of all and her determination to live life to the fullest was a source of inspiration for many. The ceremony was facilitated by Gethin Morgan, UMCB President, and started with an emotional welcome speech from Dr Myfanwy Davies, a…

Bangor University have confirmed a fifth successive Varsity with the final score finishing 28-15 to the away side. In reaction to the news, AU President Louise Fell said: “I’m absolutely elated and proud of our Green and Gold Army.” She added: “There’s no better moment for an AU President than this. I can’t wait to lift that trophy and see all 1000 of our away fans cheer for Bangor.” Going into the main day, Bangor had a 10-4 advantage after wins from Surf, Athletics, Sailing, Badminton and others. The athletes in Green and Gold started today as they meant to…

Bangor have made a perfect start to Varsity 2019, bagging all the spoils in the opening seven fixtures. These early fixtures were played on March 23rd, and saw Bangor take a 7-0 lead in the overall competition. Badminton had three points up for grabs, with Men’s 1st, Men’s 2nd and Women’s 1st competing. Benefitting from home soil, all three points were won by Bangor at Canolfan Brailsford. Athletics was a close affair, with an array of events being fought, including: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 4 x 100m, Long Jump, Shot Put, Javelin and Discus. Bangor narrowly stole victory…

Introduce FilmSoc for us? Film Society is a collective of students who make short films together. We also hold socials through Bar Uno, our sponsor, and Pontio which allow us to appreciate film through quizzes and screenings. What challenges and rewards are involved in running a society like FilmSoc? We believe the challenge leads to the reward, making and helping others make film is a challenging prospect. It takes time, patience and commitment, so learning to organise schedules is key. However seeing how that turns out is always a reward, we’ve created some amazing films and we are so proud…

Tell me briefly about the International Students’ Society? The International Students’ Society is a group of diverse students that meet on a weekly basis to socialise and get involved around Bangor. We are open to anybody who is interested in different cultures, languages or people; whether from the UK or abroad. We try our best to make people feel at home at university and help them fight against problems they might be experiencing whilst studying abroad. Most of the time we just offer a platform to send queries to, form connections at, and get involved at events across Bangor, be…

We’re currently working in collaboration with the University to develop a brand new Student Led Mental Health Strategy and so we need your help! We want the University’s new mental health strategy to be truly student-led, so this means listening to your views and concerns first hand, to find an effective way of moving forward with the strategy for the University and the benefit of its students. This will allow us to listen to what provision you need to support your own mental health and the mental health of your fellow students and ensure the strategy is relevant to you.…

The 2019/20 Sabbatical Team have been elected after a record-breaking voter turnout of 2206. Over 200 votes were cast in the final 2 hours of campaigning, surpassing the previous vote count record of 2145. 19 candidates campaigned from February 25th up until the 12PM voting deadline on Friday 8th March. On the same day, the results were counted and announced live in Bar Uno at 4PM. The first result to be announced was the role of UMCB President. Lleucu Myrddin, the lone candidate, received 224 votes out of a total 231 cast. Next was VP Sport – Henry Williams and…

The Undeb Bangor Sabbatical Election campaign period is open, and your candidates’ manifesto’s have been released. Seren presents a straightforward round-up of every manifesto, clearly summing up each candidate’s policy ideas. Voting opens on March 6th at 12AM and closes on March 8th at 12PM. Make sure you vote – whoever you vote for. Let’s take notice of student politics. Let’s be involved in the debate. Most importantly, let’s #BreakTheVotingRecord. President Mark Barrow Course: BA History with Journalism (Graduated) Experience:   Current VP Education History Course Rep Policies: Engagement: It is important students know what is going on at…

For those who don’t know you, tell us about yourself and your links to Bangor? Hi, my name is Rory Farmer. I studied both my BA in Creative Studies and MA in Filmmaking at Bangor University. Since then I’ve also been lucky enough to teach for the School of Music & Media for a semester and currently work in the local television industry, so I’ve got really strong roots here in Bangor. You studied the Filmmaking MA here at Bangor, how crucial was it to progressing as a filmmaker?    The MA in Filmmaking was so vital in preparing me for the…

Amid a tumultuous few months for our institution – the state of play has changed. We felt it was best go to back to the Vice-Chancellor’s office to get answers surrounding Bangor’s financial situation. You’ve come to Bangor as Interim Vice-Chancellor. Despite being a temporary tenure, how important is it for you to do a good job here?  Well, I was on the Council here for two years. Whilst Council members won’t get to know all the details about the university, we are still heavily involved in the university – so I haven’t just walked through the door. But my…

The following article is written by VP Societies & Volunteering – Muhammad Firdaus & published by Seren. As we reach the end of the first semester and the coming new year, I look back on the past three months (has it really only been three?!) since the start of term with amazement. The 2018/19 academic year has been a special one so far. This is the first time students born at the turn of the new millennium begin university. What’s so special about that? Besides the obvious impending mortality creeping up on this particular 1992 kid, it means we’re seeing the first emergence…

Students are set to stage a protest against Bangor University’s proposed cuts this Friday, 18th January. The protest will take place in the Quad at Main Arts from 12PM and will feature talks from lecturers and students until around 2:30PM. As it stands, over 1000 people are listed on the event on Facebook. To build up to the event, Seren spoke to the organisers of the event, Owen J Hurcum and Kayleigh Lavornia. The event has over 1000 people going or interested – how has it felt for you? K: Surreal. A lot is riding on this. It’s a bit…

Bangor University have been in placed in the Top 10 most sustainable universities for a second year running. Bangor came 8th worldwide and 7th in Europe, appearing alongside only three other British institutions in the Top 10 – University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent and Oxford. 719 universities from 81 countries were assessed in forming the Universitas Indonesia League Table, which highlights sustainability and environmental management at universities around the globe. Universities are judged on the following criteria: Setting & Infrastructure, Energy & Climate Change, Waste, Water, Transportation and Education & Research. Notably, Bangor achieved maximum marks for Education & Research…

In Seren’s full breakdown of proposed cuts which could be carried out later this month, we noted that Professorial staff will among those being made redundant. At the time of the article, we defined a Professor as: ‘Scholars with doctorate degrees (typically Ph.D. degrees) or equivalent qualifications.’ Whilst, simply speaking, this isn’t false. It’s crucial that we accurately communicate the gravity and academic prominence which Professors hold within our institution. As well as doctorate degrees (which usually take 4-6 years), Professors will have also built a portfolio of other academic work over several decades. Individually, Professors are leading experts in…