The Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston has claimed that only her party have the interests of students at heart.

Susan Kramer, who has a majority of only 3,731, is facing stiff competition from the Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith and has urged students to help her retain her seat.

According to Ms Kramer the Liberal Democrats are the party that most closely represents students’ opinions.

She said: “We are a progressive party and when I talk to students I find that there is a very common set of views.”

Ms Kramer believes these views range from an history of opposition to the Iraq war, concern for the environment and scrapping student tuition fees.

“The whole focus of our party is when we’re making choices on where we spend money it has very much been on people who are at the beginning of their life. It’s a longer term view and it crystallises in our position on student tuition fees.”

Until recently, the Liberal Democrats have supported abolishing student tuition fees. They now wish to phase out fees over a six year period.

“I think we’ve got to get rid of student tuition fees. Given the deficit we’re trying to cope with we just can’t do things as quickly we could have otherwise.”

Ms Kramer believes that anyone not wishing to have a Conservative MP should vote Liberal Democrat.

She said: “If you're not likely to be the winning party in an area, the way you then get the most use out of your vote is to consider who you don’t want to be the winning party in the area.”

“I don’t like the system, but that’s the system that I have to work with and it’s the reality that students should be aware of.”

Ms Kramer has been criticised by Mr Goldsmith for attempting to smear him using a 'Liberal Democrat Attack Unit', a claim she denies.

Ms Kramer said: "We don't have a Liberal Democrat Attack Unit. I have a strong suspicion he's looking at Conservative structure and assuming we have the same resources and same set up that they have."

After hearing KU's Vice-Chancellor, Sir Peter Scott's, call for students to vote Labour Ms Kramer compared this to someone in church telling people how to vote.

She said: “I’ve never thought that’s particularly appropriate.”

However, she agreed with him that students should get out and vote.

“I would rather they vote and voted for another party than not vote.”

To find out more about the policies of Susan Kramer and the Liberal Democrats visit www.libdems.org.uk or www.susankramer.org.uk.

The number of students working in the sex trade has seen a sharp increase, according to a recent study by a KU lecturer.

In a survey of Kingston students conducted by Dr Ron Roberts, senior lecturer in psychology, 25 per cent said they knew of other students who participated in the sex industry, compared to only 3 per cent, ten years ago.

More than  50 per cent said they found it understandable that some students should work in the sex trade to pay for their education, while one in six students said they were likely to engage in sex work themselves to fund their course.

Dr Roberts said: “What is driving this, is a massively in-debt population, coupled with the increasing commodification of sex.  It gives students advantages of making more money in a shorter space of time.”

According to Dr Roberts, the government and NUS were to blame for not doing enough to support students through their education.  He said: “The NUS and the government should get their heads out from under the sand.  They are unwilling to acknowledge the problems.”

However, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills maintained that they provide sufficient support for students, making it possible for them to complete their studies without taking up a job of any kind.

A BIS spokesperson said: "The Government has introduced a generous package of support for undergraduates including non repayable support as well as subsidised student loans for tuition fees and maintenance.  No student has to fund their tuition fees either before or during their studies,   instead they can choose to take out a tuition fee loan to cover the full cost. "

The NUS have expressed concerns over the rise in student sex workers, despite criticisms that they should do more to help students who are in financial difficulties.

Olivia Bailey, NUS Women’s Officer said:  “Whilst where someone works is a matter of individual choice, NUS would be deeply concerned if students were being pressured into working as escorts, either by particular organisations, or by the more general pressures of student debt."

In his criticism over the Government and NUS’ handling of the problem, Dr Roberts added that individual universities played an important role in safeguarding and supporting students.  He said it was worrying that there was not enough representation for students’ interests in universities, the Government and NUS, and described their denial of the problem as “idiocy”.

KU students have elected the University’s first ever disabled student’s officer in last Thursday's student union election.

Jamie Pipkin, 18, a first year history student was elected with 187 votes. He was an unopposed candidate for the newly created part-time position.

Although his election was not a great surprise, Jamie cracked a broad smile when he was officiallly appointed first KU disabled student’s rep.

He said to RiverOnline: “I am proud and happy to be the first Kingston student to take on this responsibility. Obviously, disabled students lack visibility and it’s a good thing that now, they have a representative, who is also a student, to whom they can go to directly.’’

Hassan Barakat, the current vice-president for communication and campaigns explained: ''The student union came up with the idea of this new position collectively, in an attempt to better cater for the diverse students demographics.''

In 2009, Kingston University has registered 1,316 students with a disability, which accounts for almost 6 per cent of the whole 22,782 student population.

Diagnosed with Aspergers syndome, a learning disability, Jamie wants to do more to "raise all student’s awareness over all disabilities, visible and invisible, like dyslexia for instance" and "give disabled students a voice".

In his manifesto, the candidate had declared: "I am proud to say that I have Aspergers Syndrome and that it has been a key factor in making me who I am today. I feel I have come a long way and feel that I can offer advice and motivation for disabled students(...)".

He added: "It’s a shame that so many disabled students ignore how they can access equipment, material or funding which they are entitled to and will really help them out through their studies.''

Pipkin said: ''Disability can isolate students. I want to help them fit in.''

Interactivity

Pipkin said first priority for 2010-2011 was interactivity.

He said: ''I want to establish a Facebook group where KU students will be able to liaise and talk about their experiences. Also, I want to develop a video interface on youtube to make it easier for disabled students to acccess information on news, events and crucial information for them.''

Contacted on Friday, the disability department was not available for a reaction regarding the election of a disability student representative.

Standing on the platform at Surbiton Station, 23 year-old Kingston student Simon checked his phone as it buzzed.  He expected the text message to be from the friend he was meeting for drinks in London that evening.  What had arrived in its place almost made him faint.

“The number looked vaguely familiar, but I hadn’t saved it.  Opening the message, I had no idea of the nightmare that was about to begin.  It was from someone I’d been seeing up until the week previously and just said: ‘I’ve been diagnosed HIV-positive – you need to go and get checked.’” 

Simon only has vague memories of the remainder of that evening, but clearly recalls the anger and upset.  

“I felt like throwing myself in front of one of the fast trains at the station.  I’m usually very careful with my sexual health, but I’d been reckless once with this guy.  I was certain I’d gotten the virus and ran through all the worst-case scenarios in my head.” 

As it had been more than 72 hours since the episode in question, Simon was unable to take PEP, a potent combination of drugs that can reduce the chances of HIV infection by up to 80%.  Instead, he was faced with an agonising 12 week wait – the amount of time it can take for HIV to show up in the bloodstream.  

“The text coincided with the summer holidays, which meant I sat twiddling my thumbs at home all summer worrying about it.  I walked in on my mum watching Philadelphia one evening and had to leave the room – I know treatments have moved on a lot since then, but I was still convinced that a life of illness and an early death were all I had to look forward to.”

Having endured the 3 month wait, Simon took a 60 second test at the Mortimer Market Centre, one of Europe’s leading centres for HIV treatment.

“The health advisor who did it with me was fantastic.  She was very honest and explained that whilst HIV isn’t an easy disease to catch, I had taken a risk that exposed me to it.  We talked through both outcomes and she outlined the help and support at hand if the test was positive.  Even with that, the relief at finding out I was still HIV-negative was huge – I was smiling for the rest of the day.”

However, there was still one further shock in store for Simon, who now felt sufficiently confident to contact his ex-partner to talk about what had happened.

“He’d been a bit reticent when it came to using condoms in general, so I phoned him for a chat.  I was really shocked by his attitude – he more or less shrugged off his diagnosis, saying that modern HIV treatment would help him live a normal life-span, and that he was glad not to have to worry about his status any longer.  His apathy really frightened me.”

Although the notion of HIV and Aids as exclusively gay diseases has long since been dispelled, infection rates have continued to rise within the gay community, from  1,450 a year in 1999 to 2,830 recorded diagnoses in 2007.  One in eight gay men in London is estimated to have the disease.  

For a small minority, the apparently unstoppable rise of HIV is too stressful to bear.  Rather than live in fear, they try to to contract the disease on their own terms. Known as Bug Chasers, these men seek out HIV infection through online 'chasing' forums. 

One such 'chaser' is John, a 20 year-old Law student from Guildford,  He says:

“I just want to get it over with.  The anxiety of waiting for the test results to come back is too much.  Far better to become HIV-positive and get on with your life without having to worry about it.”

Andy, a 41 year-old artist from King’s Cross claims to have successfully sought out and caught the virus.

“I lost my parents when I was young and didn’t feel the need to behave responsibly.  It got to the stage where I wanted to contract HIV, because I knew the way I was behaving was going to lead to it anyway.  When I was eventually diagnosed, I pretended to be gutted and regretful when telling my friends, although secretly I was made-up.”

Andy was diagnosed with the virus in 2003 and has since developed full-blown Aids. He refuses to take the powerful HAART therapy that has vastly improved the health of men and women living with HIV.

Andy explains: “I intentionally sought out HIV.  It would be wrong of me to use up NHS resources that have more deserving recipients.  I’m not sure how many years I have left to live, but I’ve accepted that I’ll die of an Aids-related illness.”

The Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK's first and largest HIV charity, refused to comment, although an unofficial source at the charity said they felt the concept of ‘Bug Chasing’ was greatly exaggerated.

“Most of the guys who do that are either just seeking attention or already positive.  There’s no doubt a few are serious about it, but the outcry this subject provokes is disproportionate to how widespread it actually is.  That said, the problem with apathy towards HIV is more serious.  We have to promote understanding and respect for those already living with the virus whilst trying to prevent others from transmitting it in the first place.”   

Kingston University’s LGBT Society also questioned how widespread the Bug Chasing phenomenon actually is. Co-President Adam Spawton-Rice says:  

 “It's ignorance about the statistics surrounding HIV and safe practices which means gay men are at risk. Why are we ignorant? Because of sensationalist articles which make individuals nervous about seeking information or advice."

However, Gary Leigh, founder of Life or Meth, feels that in trying to prevent prejudice towards sufferers and reposition it as a manageable illness, HIV charities have downgraded the seriousness of the virus to the point where many see it as a mere inconvenience, akin to diabetes.   

“Regardless of how HIV/AIDS has been rebranded in recent years, it remains a terminal condition and life-long health risk with no cure in sight. Acquisition demands the abandonment of personal freedom and complete dependency on a regimented supply of costly, toxic drugs supplied by the state to survive and function.” 

With HIV infection rates expected to rise further over the next few years, debate continues as to how reverse this disturbing trend. Many feel that hard hitting prevention campaigns, such as 1987's horrifying 'Tombstone' TV-advert, only serve to isolate existing sufferers and frighten people off going for tests.   However, others cite the rocketing numbers of diagnoses as proof that sensitive, subtle advertising has failed. Simon’s  brush with HIV has left him feeling contemplative about the illness.

“I had three months to think about it whilst I waited for the test and read up as much as I could.  There’s definitely more hope for those suffering with HIV now than there was fifteen years ago.  You might live until your seventies, the side-effects of the drugs might be relatively benign, and you might never become resistant to them.  That said, I’m glad those possibilities aren’t ones I have to worry about.”