Does Brexit worry you? Is the prospect of studying at Bangor University in a post-Brexit UK causing you anxiety? Seren’s Politics section is looking for students who want questions answered about their future and about what’s happening during and after the end of this month. Please email politics@seren.bangor.ac.uk or message us on Facebook with your questions!
Plenty of protestors crossed many miles to reach Bangor’s Climate Strike March yesterday. However, only two of those travellers elected to do so under their own power, in a canoe. Luke McNair and Deio Collwyn Williams set off from their homes on the Llŷn peninsula at 6am, in a canoe that would later sit proudly beside that day’s demonstrations in Bangor. From Porthdinllaen to Y Felinheli, the friends paddled over 25 miles (40km) that morning in the name of environmentally-friendly travel. Though smaller scale, the journey mirrored that of Greta Thunberg, the Swedish schoolgirl who founded the School Strikes for…
Yesterday saw crowds marching through Bangor in protests supporting School Strike for Climate, a global movement pushing for action to be taken on climate change. (for more information, see our main article at: https://www.seren.bangor.ac.uk/news-politics/local-news/2019/09/21/global-climate-strike-march-bangor-protest-takes-to-the-streets/). Seren Bangor spent the march interviewing over 40 individual protestors to hear why they personally had taken to the streets. The following 10 interviews represent a cross section of those interviewees. What has brought you here today? “I’m a medical student and you can’t just neglect climate change, and it’s getting worse by the minute and I think we’re getting to the point where…
Yesterday Bangor participated in a worldwide network of protests pushing for action to be taken to combat climate change. Four million protestors joined the demonstration worldwide. School children, students, and strikers began the protest in Bangor University’s Main Arts Quad and steadily marched down the hill and through the high street before assembling to hear speeches and sing protest songs. This march was a part of School Strike for Climate, a decentralised global movement started in 2018 by Greta Thunberg, a then-15-year-old Swedish girl who skipped school in order to protest in front of the Swedish parliament. School Strike for…
Discussions over a no deal Brexit have been hot on everyone’s lips but what does that actually mean. In the case of a no deal, the UK will leave with no confirmed agreements in the ‘divorce’ from the EU. Overnight the UK will leave the single market and customs union forcing the UK to pay import charges and will be more likely to raise the expenses of several areas of revenue. The withdrawal from the EU also means a withdrawal from the European courts of justice. No deal supporters suggest that the UK could avoid a £39 billion payout in the ‘divorce settlement’. With the official leave date getting closer and closer, these are the…
Bangor University will be leading the development of mental health provision through the medium of Welsh for students across Wales, thanks to a successful bid for funding from HEFCW – the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. A team of staff across the University came together with colleagues from partner institutions to develop an exciting portfolio of provision, which will be developed and launched over the next 10 months. Maria Lorenzini, Director of Student Services at Bangor University explains: “We wanted to improve the accessibility of appropriate mental health support for all students in Wales for whom Welsh is their…
Dr Karin Koehler, an English lecturer at Bangor University, has won the Basil Davies prize for her success in the WJEC Welsh for Adult exam. Karin, who is originally from Germany, was awarded the prize for gaining the highest mark thorough Wales in the WJEC Intermediate exam. Last year she was awarded the same prize at Entry level and such is her ability to learn Welsh she has leapt a level (Foundation) and was awarded the prize at Intermediate level. Koehler said: “I’m really proud to have won one of this year’s Basil Davies Memorial Trophies. Many thanks to Basil Davies’ family for establishing these prizes, which really show…
A former church in Bangor will be transformed into a £3.2 million purpose-built creative hub for children and young people. The new centre will “give children and young people equal access to the creative arts to inspire them to flourish and reach their potential.” Young people theatre specialists Frân Wen announced the plans today, to create a new centre in the former St Mary’s Church on Garth Road. The theatre production company’s new home which will be known as “Nyth” (Nest) and will include rehearsal, workshop and small-scale performing spaces which will be used for a range of creative projects. Frân Wen, who also announced this…
A new data science hub for green energy is to be created at Bangor University, backed by £4.6m EU funds. The new Smart Efficient Energy Centre (SEEC) will develop joint research between Welsh and international organisations and businesses. It will investigate the options for using big data science to improve the efficiency of low carbon energy systems including nuclear, marine and offshore wind energy. The centre is forecast to become an international hub of excellence in North Wales, generating a further £9m of research income over the next four years, and encouraging collaboration on new ideas and innovative solutions to global energy efficiency issues. Research will be based…
Tell us about your academic past before you became Vice-Chancellor Well, I’m an academic lawyer, although I also practiced at the Bar. Essentially, my whole life has really centered around finance law, with a particular emphasis on asset finance. I was, for a number of years, an advisor to various UK government bodies and also internationally. One body in particular, was a body based in Rome called UNIDROIT, and that was a very exciting project because it involved really looking at ways in which you could codify international commercial law. So that was interesting. Part of my work also was…
New potential extradition legislation in Hong Kong has sparked off a wave of protests against the bill. The action was ignored by the government, until police action against the young protesters turned violent. We spoke with Amanda*, Hong Kong resident and a participant in some of the protests. There is a solid reason why the protests started. It’s a reaction to a proposed amendment that would allow Hong Kong to bypass prior extradition agreements. This is especially worrying due to Hong Kong’s connection with China. Protesters are worried that residents, or even just visitors to the island, could be arrested…
Two of Bangor University’s Halls accommodation have been ranked in the top 50 student accommodations in the UK by students on the university review website, StudentCrowd. John Morris-Jones and Reichel on the Ffriddoedd Accommodation site were ranked highly for social experience, after 21,000 students and graduates voted earlier this year. StudentCrowd Director, Paul Humphreys, commented: “Social experience is such a huge part of attending university, and is probably the second most important factor behind the quality of the university/course itself…so, to be able to see an unbiased list of the best University Halls for Social Experience gives those attending university…
A potential restructuring of the School of Music & Media has been outlined in a document sent to the Students’ Union, with the implementation expected as early as this year’s 2nd semester. If the proposals are approved, the University anticipates the new structure will be implemented as early as the 2nd Semester of the 2019/2020 academic year, with August 2020 as the latest date. The School could be developed into a School of Music & Performance, with subjects such as Media Studies, Practice and Journalism transferred to other Schools within the College of Arts, Humanities & Business. According to the…
Bangor University has been awarded a ‘First Class Honours’ for its sustainability credentials. by People & Planet, the largest student network in the UK campaigning for social and environmental justice. Only 29 of the 154 universities in the UK are placed in this category. This latest table sees the University rising nine places in the table, and achieving its highest ever score, and is assessed on a wide range of environmental, social and financial sustainability criteria. Dr Einir Young, Bangor’s Director of Sustainability said: “This is further evidence that we are making progress and underlines our commitment to sustainability as a…
A fire has been reported on Bangor Mountain today. The fire is now almost completely extinguished, and no injuries or damage have been reported. Around 6PM a fire department commander at the scene stated that the cause of the incident was “probably kids.” He said that this is not the first time this has happened. A similar incident occurred in Bangor in the previous summer, as well as in other places such as Mynydd Cilgwyn in Carmel. Updates with any further information will be provided.
Today, Bangor University is flying the Pride Flag in honour of LGBT+ Pride Month. This year also marks 50 years since the Stonewall Riots, a series of demonstrations by members of the LGBT community against police violence which ensued at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The events are important to LGBT+ history, leading to the gay liberation movement and to the modern fight for LGBT+ rights. Pride Month commemorates those demonstrations, being set every year in June. By raising the Pride flag, Bangor celebrates its pledge on Equality and Diversity, welcoming students and staff from all backgrounds, origins,…