The university can confirm that another branch will be taking over the building that previously housed Natwest. However, as the arrangements for this are yet to be finalised, the earliest we can expect it to open is the end of January. Until mid-term, students will need to manage on cashback and the facilities in Egham for cash withdrawals. In the mean time, the university is encouraging students to make use of their RCS cards and the online top-up system as these are accepted at most venues on campus. In addition, The Store on Campus is now accepting debit and credit card payments on purchases over £3.

As well as a new branch on campus, there are also plans to build a free withdrawal cash point outside of the Students’ Union main building, to the right of the main doors, which should be completed and operational by the beginning of February.

For those who specifically use the popular Natwest Student Account, there are Natwest branches in both Egham and Staines, while most other banks also have branches easily reached on foot, or by train, in and around Egham.

Sarah Walker, representative of the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECOP), which campaigns for rights for sex workers, said: “I remember there was a group of women working together as prostitutes who were students and if anything happened to them they were terrified to come forward …they were worried that they might get kicked off their course or not be able to get a good job in the future”. The government is primarily held responsible for this problem, with the rising cost of education meaning women are turning to work in the sex industry to stay in education. The same cannot be said for male students, but other forms are used by men to earn money, such as gambling.

A Department for Education spokesman said the government was targeting £180 million a year in financial support to “the most vulnerable 16 to 19-year-olds to help them continue their studies. It is down to schools and colleges themselves to award bursaries to young people who need the most help.”

The “payday loan good guys”, who boast a typical APR of 4214%, are termed ‘irresponsible’ and ‘predatory’ by Pete Mercer, Vice-President of the National Union of Students. Wonga have amended their website and withdrawn the misleading advertising targeting students.

Wonga is accused of manipulating its customers by inferring its high interest rate loans are similarly comparable to student loans, which have a typical 1.5% APR.

The short term loan website initially came under fire when Martin Lewis of Moneysavingexpert.com tweeted: ‘Wonga you’re a moral disgrace’ and created a #WongaLeaveKidsAlone thread, in which outraged followers exposed the deceptive claims of the offensive student friendly webpage. One tweet read: ‘I can’t believe Wonga claim that student loans damage credit rating!’

Wes Streeting, Chief Executive of The Helena Kennedy Foundation for Underprivileged Students, drew attention to the current student financial climate. Recent university cuts, increased tuition fees and reduced support from government organisations leave students more financially insecure than ever. Streeting says: ‘While universities are cutting back on financial support for students it is clear that legal loan sharks like Wonga are moving in for the kill.’

Frighteningly, the NUS advise that Wonga offers a flexible alternative to government student loans, the Guardian reports. Whilst government loans often result in students applying for a larger loan than they need, the short term loan company has an advantage: ‘You only borrow it for a month and pay the loan back on a day that suits.’

Wonga are responding to the assault with the assurance that they ‘rigorously’ assess loan applications and deny two thirds of those received. They maintain that ‘working, adult students should not be excluded from a popular credit option.’

The second term has begun and, as per usual, Royal Holloway is being inundated with adverts from landlords and letting agencies. First-time renters will undoubtedly feel the rising panic as they are told to arrange viewings quickly or else miss out on a place to live. But this is a myth. Pressure is created, in fact, by the increasing competition between landlords and estate agents in the student-rented sector. Students are warned not to rush their choice of housing, and also to be weary of scams that lure tenants into paying holding deposits on houses that simply do not exist.

The National Union of Students (NUS) revealed that an increasing number of students are falling victim to these scams in which fake landlords demand deposits from individuals who, upon paying, see their money disappear without a trace. Adverts on unaffiliated web pages convince students to undertake a contract that demands an up-front payment to secure the property, or otherwise to prove their financial viability.

The NUS stated: “Students are more frequently turning to the web to find properties to rent during their study, but some fall prey to fraudulent adverts which, when students enquire about property, they are asked for proof they can afford rent.”

As well as scams involving houses that do not exist, many lose money to landlords who refuse to repay their deposit. Deposits may be retained by landlords upon breach of contract by the tenant, but there are cases of some who keep money with no proof of wrongdoing, and do so with no resistance. Once lettings have been viewed and contracts signed, it is important for students to secure their deposit payments in a deposit-protection scheme.

Students are targeted for fraud because of their relative inexperience in dealing with private housing. Most universities provide lists of accredited landlords and their properties for the respective year of letting. Advice and information provided by the Student Housing Bureau can be found on the Royal Holloway website. On 10^th January the university launched the new official student accommodation search engine, ‘housesearch’, with the added feature of registration for email updates. It allows students to view properties in Egham, Englefield Green and the surrounding area with specific criteria. It is recommended that students make use of this facility to ensure that they commit to legitimate contracts.

The reforms relate to the tuition fee waiver scheme, which the NUS President, Liam Burns, labelled ‘disastrous’, calling for Nick Clegg to attend the NUS Annual Conference in Sheffield later in the year. The scheme encourages universities to allocate money not to scholarships and bursaries, but instead to use fee waivers; a system that the NUS claims will leave students out of pocket.

The £150m National Scholarship Programme, seen by many as a means of placating wavering Lib Dems, will reward average fees of under £7,500 and therefore promote universities to adopt the fee waiver scheme. The NUS, however, claim that this will lead to far less money reaching students and only benefit those who can pay off their debts in under 30 years. The NUS further assert that changes to the Higher Education funding policy has caused a loss of £13.8m away from students’ wallets and that by 2015 this figure will rise to £70m.

Currently, 25 universities have altered their Access Agreements for students, with many adopting the National Scholarship Programme and allocating funding away from scholarships and bursaries and towards fee waivers. It is manoeuvres like this that the NUS say will ensure students will be put out of pocket.

Mr Burns declared that: ‘Fee waivers are a con trick that will only benefit graduates who are earning enough to pay off their student loans within 30 years. They help the Treasury, who have to spend less on loans, but are of no benefit to students whatsoever.’

Burns went on to say that ‘the perverse incentives of the Government’s changes mean that poorer pupils are encouraged towards courses and universities that have less funding; a complete reverse of the “pupil premium” that Mr Clegg has championed for younger learners.’

The NUS aren’t the only organization to critique the National Scholarship Programme; several educational thinktanks, as well as the Labour Shadow Universities Minister, Gareth Thomas, have suggested that the scheme will only complicate the now already convoluted system of Higher Education. It is yet to be ascertained whether or not Nick Clegg will address NUS students as Burns has requested and defend his party and policy.

Whilst it’s unlikely that any celebratory exclamations of “bookyakasha” came from the councillors, who for years have sought to distance the Surrey town from its most notorious fictional resident and “ghost town” reputation, they were undoubtedly satisfied with the conclusion of the heated debate over the town’s re-branding. 25 councillors opted in favour of change, 4 were against it along with 6 abstentions. In an official press release, Spelthorne Council outlined its hopes that the measure would improve the standing of the town as a place to visit, live, and work.

The case was made for the re-branding of Staines on the grounds that it would yield economic benefits for the town and its residents, with the attachment of “upon-Thames” deemed necessary to advertise the riverside position of the town in order to attract potential business and investment. Furthermore, despite comments from neighbouring Runnymede councillors that the name Staines-upon-Thames ‘sounds like pollution’, councillors were keen to pass the motion in order to distance the town and its residents from its humorous reputation.

In September, 134 people had registered their opposition to the change by signing a letter of disagreement written by officials at Staines Town Football Club. However, these objections went unheard, as regulations forbade their formal objections submitted fewer than 5 working days prior to the crucial session.

In the wake of the vote, there was questioning of the depth of Spelthorne Council’s interaction with residents on the issue. Councillor Philippa Broom of Riverside and Laleham commented: ‘I have spoken to hundreds of residents, and have to say it’s clear to us that the residents’ association and about 80% of the people I spoke to are in favour provided there are no adverse cost implications’, adding that ‘the name change puts the Thames where it belongs – at the heart of our community.’

Following Councillor Colin Davis’ statement of the need for change, the motion was passed with Staines due to be officially renamed Staines-upon-Thames at a ceremony on the 20^th May. The ceremony, to be attended by representatives of the crown, local, and national government, as well as the City of London, will be accompanied by the repositioning of the London Stone boundary stones from their current location in Lammas Park to their original position by Staines Bridge.

The incident took place on the Athletics Union’s trip to Val D’iserre, France, in December. The game involved arranging cards on the table in the shape of a Swastika and required participants to “Salute the Fuhrer.” After making a complaint about the offensive nature of the game, a fight ensued in which a Jewish student sustained a broken nose. The anonymous victim said: “I’ve seen this kind of game before, so it wasn’t so much the game that offended me, as much as the anti-Semitic gibes that went with it.”

The LSE Students’ Union and the Athletics Union have both condemned those that took part. President of the LSE Jewish Society, Jay Stoll, said: “LSE Students’ Union Jewish Society (J-Soc) and the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) are appalled by a reported anti-Semitic assault that occurred after a Jewish student objected to a Nazi-themed drinking game that was being played by his fellow students on a recent LSE Ski Trip in France. Nazi glorification and anti-Semitism have no place in our universities, which should remain safe spaces for all students.”

This is not the first anti-Semitic incident to occur in British universities. In 2010 the University of Huddersfield investigated claims that two of its students created a Nazi-themed drinking game for which they a Facebook page. Also, last November, four senior members of the Oxford University Conservative Association had to resign after its members were accused of anti-Semitic behaviour, such as singing a Nazi-related song.

LSE has yet to announce the fate of the anti-Semitic antagonists, but has asserted that disciplinary action will include an educational element along with any punitive actions.

Monday’s regular Board Meeting had the issue of the FM licence put on the agenda and, following a four hour discussion, a vote was taken and the Board voted not to take the FM licence further.

At the following General Meeting on Tuesday, the Station Manager, Gunanika Singh, formally resigned, making David Lamb the new Manager.

However, Insanity have denied that there was a definite ‘no’ vote regarding the FM licence, stating: “Insanity Radio would like to make it perfectly clear that it fully intends to continue pursuing its FM licence…Discussions regarding Insanity’s efforts to become Community FM station were raised in the Production Board meeting of Monday 9th January 2012, however, despite rumours to the contrary, no final decision not to move onto FM was made at that time…It was suggested in the General Meeting that the Production Board had voted on a final decision to surrender its Community FM licence. This was not, and is not, the case. We would like to reassure all concerned that Insanity intends to continue working towards Community FM and is looking forward to moving to our new frequency of 103.2FM in the very near future.”

          The only branch of feminism which rejects any male involvement at all is the radical branch, which sees men as   innately misogynistic. As a man, I would argue this is not the case. As a man, I believe in the emancipation of women, of equal rights for men and women, and for women to have equal material wealth to men.

This is not a radical notion – this is feminism.

However, through the patriarchal media (that run in the interests of men, to perpetuate the exploitation of women) and socio-economic structure, feminism has been viewed by many as purely this radical female-only branch. When someone says ‘I’m a feminist’, many automatically think that they want to kill all men and raise children in lesbian colonies in Oregon. This is nonsense.

It’s clear, therefore, that you can be a man and a feminist. Issues are complicated, however, when one tries to act on those convictions. Cis-men, trans-men and trans-women are often sidelined within the feminist movement for not being able to empathise with the oppression caused by patriarchy, and can be seen as part of the exploitative regime. This is also a product of the feminist movement being seen externally and internally as a radical feminist movement. The other more popular (and more realistic) factions are ignored and the radical ideas dominate.

A better, more effective strategy is to include and promote men (cis and trans) in the movement, in order to erode patriarchy from the inside. Simply by having women in positions of power (MPs, CEOs, editors-in-chief, etc.) is not enough when the whole system is geared towards the interests of men.

A further problem with getting women into traditionally male positions in society, some feminists have argued, is that these women become men and lose their ‘femininity’ somehow. This, I think, is farcical, as it rests on the assumptions that, firstly, there is a certain social character about women which makes them womanly. I would argue that this is a social construct, based on the traditional view of women as domestic slaves and dictated by biology. Secondly, this belief sets up the idea that to overcome oppression, one must become like one’s oppressor. This we see in parts of the socialist movement – the working class must climb the economic ladder to free their comrades from the shackles of capitalism. This is nonsensical, because to do so, one has to take part in the very oppressive system which one is fighting. Surely the best way to fight your oppressors and the oppressive system is to struggle against the system, not take part in it.

For men, patriarchy means that they are born into a position of social privilege. By taking part in the feminist movement, men abstract themselves from the patriarchy and abdicate their social advantage, not for noble, elitist motives (though radicals would say otherwise), but because it is self-evident to them that they are not superior and so should not present themselves as such. Feminism dictates that there is equality between the sexes, therefore men should be treated equally to women within the feminist movement, otherwise the movement is hypocritical – this hypocrisy then damages the movement as a whole.

Men, being equal to women, should have a place in the feminist movement. Simply being born into a position of social privilege doesn’t equate to being unable to fight the very system that put you there. That is why I’m fighting with my sisters against patriarchy.

For further examples of these Memes, or more information on Royal Holloway’s Feminist Society, visit www.rhul-fem-soc.blogspot.com/

The nominees for President are: Mari Burton, Doug German, and Ruth Nicholson; Vice President (Education and Welfare): Kenny Aruwa, Carl Welch, and Katie Blow, who will be running for a second term; Vice President (Communications and Campaigns): Jamie Green and Louie Woodall; Vice President (Student Activities): Lydia Heywood, Ed Resek, and Ian Stewart; and Trustee: Daniel Brewer, George Papamargaritis, and Oli Rushby.

Voting will begin on Wednesday 1^st February and will close on Tuesday 7^th February, with results announced in Medicine later that evening.