Roehampton Vale students are urging the faculty of engineering to bid for a share of the new money announced by the Government for science and technology.

Chancellor Alistair Darling promised £270million in last Wednesday’s budget to improve engineering, along with science and maths, in universities across the country and hopes to create 20,000 more places.

Students at the engineering campus agreed that the University should “definitely” apply for a portion of the pot and flagged up the need for better teaching staff as one of the areas that should be invested in if funding was available.

Students were split on the benefits of adding to the 900 or so who go to Roehampton Vale, some feeling that this would not be feasible given the limited space, while others thought a larger student base would add credibility to the faculty.

Karthik Teppal-Bulu, an MSc megatronics systems student, said: “If there are more students here, their potential and expertise can add to the reputation of our university.”

He said: "We've got good facilities here, but technology is moving so fast these days, if there is more funding for up to date equipment it would help us increase our infrastructure.

Paulo Castro,  a second year mechanical engineering student added: "More equipment like another simulator for aerospace students would better our understanding of what we are doing. "

The government's extra funding was welcomed by Universities UK - the body which represents university vice-chancellors.

Professor Steve Smith, president of Universities UK said: “Universities UK has continually made a strong case for public investment in higher education, and the Government has now responded to this. We have stressed the critical importance of universities to the UK’s economic recovery, and today’s announcement endorses this by making an additional £270m available to universities in 2010/11 through the Higher Education Modernisation Fund."

The music society celebrated the end of term with a Big Easter Gig at a packed Hannafords bar last night.

The three emerging acts, Rosie Hopkins, Papa Frank and the Quebec Ensemble and Black Rosette performed for students at the SU bar in Kingston Hill campus.

Singer songwriter Rosie Hopkins, a second year Drama student at Kingston universtiy kicked of the night accompanying herself on guitar and persuaded Ollie Futcher, the drummer from Papa Frank and the Quebec Ensemble to join her for an impromptu jam at the end of her set. 

She has been playing in and around London for a couple of years but this was her first gig after a broken wrist forced her to take a seven week break and said:  “Playing live is a massive buzz and there’s been a really nice response from the audience.”

If the next band looked like a bunch of nervous school children that’s because they were, all be it an extremely talented bunch of sixth formers from Hollyfield High School who wowed the audience with their covers of classic funk as well as some original material.

It was definitely not what you expect from a group of teenage boys.  Sam Hannaford from the band said:  “We started playing this type of music because we wanted to fit all the instruments into one band.”

Papa Frank and the Quebec Ensemble are a seven piece funk band that includes a saxaphone, trombone and trumpet player as drums, guittar and bass.  They were spotted at an open mic night in Kingston the event organiser James Farrimond.

The night was rounded off by Black Rosette a blues/soul and rock and roll band made up of Kingston University students who appeared on stage armed with free shots for enthusiastic members of the crowd.

James Farrimond was delighted with how the evening went:  “Everyone’s been great and there’s been an amazing turnout.”

The results of the 2010 Student Union election have been announced but many are concerned about the low number of votes cast by students.

TJ Esubiyi was re-elected as Student Union president. Rhiannon Hiscocks hung onto her vice president activities post. 

All successful candidates stand to earn around £19,000 a year in their roles. In some cases however the contenders needed fewer than 200 votes to be elected into their post and only had one other person competing against them.

Abhinivesh Beechook, 21, a second year aeronautical engineering student, was elected as International students' officer. He said: “I am happy to have been elected but I am a bit disappointed by the turnout. Only 225 students voted for an international students' representative."

This year KU students were able to vote electronically via email. However, it appears that the system designed to make voting easier and encourage wider student participation has been marred by technological hitches, discouraging many from voting.

Galina Dhanoon who lost her race for the post of vice president for education said: “People were ringing me the last night before the elections saying 'how do you vote?' Or 'I'm having problems using the voting system.'

"That could be the difference between winning and losing.”

Jamie Pipkin, 18, first year history student was elected disability students officer. He said: “The turnout was pretty low and I think the election should have been better advertised.’’

Stefan Mattison, 19,  a second year Literature and film studies student, elected as VP for communication, said: ‘’I am very happy to have been elected. I am ecstatic.

"The turnout was pretty bad but I think it leads back to communication.

"During the three days campaign, people kept asking me 'What are you talking about?' We will definitely have to work on this for next year."

"The physical campaign came at the right time but we should start to inform about the elections at least two or three weeks before,” added Mr Mattison.

The SU election campaign was decided using the potentially more representative STV (single transferable vote). Each voter gets one vote, which can transfer from their first-preference candidate to their second-preference and so on, as necessary.

Candidates do not require a majority of votes to be elected, just a known 'quota', or share of the votes. This is determined by the size of the electorate and the number of positions to be filled.

Mark Horne, General Manager at KUSU said: "It is to be expected that there has been the odd teething problem. We still believe, as the majority of unions see a massive increase in year 2 of e-voting, that in the long run the benefits of e-voting (ease of use for voters, better access to manifestoes, convenience and the ability to vote if you are studying off campus) greatly outweigh the negatives.  

TJ Esubiyi was not available at announcement for comment.

Below are the successful candidates.

President - TJ Esubiyi

VP Communications - Stefan Mattison

VP Activities - Rhiannon Hiscocks

VP Education - Chris Dingle

Partner college officer - Vithiyatharan Lashanth

Women's officer – Zaima Khan

E&E officer - Daniela Eigner

International students’ officer -  Abhinivesh Beechook

LGBT - Katarzyna Kepa

Mature students officer – Sheila Leatherdale

Part-time students officer - Madiha Khan

Disabled students officer – Jamie Pipkin

As Ashleigh Hall's murderer is sentenced to life imprisonment, new research is underway to help protect more young people from becoming victims of online grooming by known sex offenders.

Serial sex offender Peter Chapman, 33, admitted in court to kidnapping, raping and murdering 17-year-old student Ashleigh after befriending her online. He had used a fake Facebook profile to pose as a teenage boy and lure Ashleigh into meeting him in October last year.

Now a Europe-wide study by a team of experts plans, including KU's own criminologist Professor Julia Davidson, hopes to shed light on how sex offenders select and groom their victims online.

The findings will be used to improve safety checks on sex offenders in the community and strengthen internet safety programmes aimed at young people and their parents.

As one of the lead researchers of the European Online Grooming Project, Professor Davidson said: “Chapman fits the classic stereotype of an internet groomer.

“He pretended to be a child and communicated with his victim over a period of time, gaining her trust, until she was prepared to meet him in person.”

To establish a better understanding of how sex offenders approach victims online and the context in which abuse takes place, researchers will interview 50 known sex offenders who have been convicted of online related sex offences.

Professor Davidson said: “It is a very small sample but that’s because online grooming legislation only exists in two countries – the UK and in Norway.

“We suspect that many more offenders are using the internet as part of their modus operandi but they are not necessarily convicted of internet related offences.”

Alongside this research, a parallel project is also taking place to look into the experience of victims to understand what makes some individuals susceptible to being groomed.

Professor Davidson said: “You could say that all young people are at risk. Until we see the data it is difficult to define what makes a young person vulnerable.

"I think it is the case with Ashleigh. She clearly thought she was talking to somebody else. She had no concept of being abused, of being groomed.”

Despite efforts by law enforcement agency CEOP (the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) to raise awareness of internet safety, research shows that young people continue to share personal information and even post provocative photographs on social networking sites.

Third year politics and media student Krasimira Karamfilova, 22, said: “When I was 15 it felt safe to chat online with strangers. But that was luck really – you never know who can be behind the computer.

“Privacy settings mean that you can control what details people see. I think now that you must always think about who you are sharing personal information with.”

Nuria Domene, 22, a third year human rights and law student said: “I was 16 when I joined IRC (Internet Relay Chat) and met three people who are still good friends now.

“Because of the media I wonder if we are all a bit paranoid. But it is good to be safe and to pass that message to children.” 

A student has started a knitting club to provide handmade hats for premature babies to coincide with National Student Volunteering week.

Volunteers at drop in sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday lunchtime are aiming to knit up to 120 hats for premature babiesk, the first 50 of which will go to the Kingston Hospital charity Born Too Soon.

The organiser Lisa Ta, 22, a chemistry exchange student said:  “The volunteers at the hospital where my sister recently gave birth did this and I thought it seemed like a really good idea as I have recently learnt how to knit.”

Recent convert to knitting, Carmen Chan, 20, a psychology student said:  “It has been fun learning a new skill and picking up a new hobby.”

Other events this volunteer week include an evening workshop with the local St John Ambulance, a fundraising battle with Imperial College London at Waterloo station and fundraising in the town centre with Kingston Rotary club for the Thanks for Life polio campaign. 

KU students could end up casting the deciding vote in some of the area's most closely fought seats, a Conservative candidate has claimed. 

Ms Whately is hoping to do considerably better in this year's election than in 2005, when the party lost to Lib Dem candidate Ed Davey by around 10,000 votes.

 “For Cameron to form a government with a majority of one,  117 constituencies are required; a feat the Conservatives have not achieved since the 1930s,” explained Ms Whately.

“I think one of the most important things in these elections is the choice of who you want as your next Prime Minister, do you want another five years of Gordon Brown or a change of government by voting for David Cameron?”

The Kingston-Surbiton seat is traditionally important to the Conservative party, as whenever they have achieved electoral success, they have held this constituency.

“If you vote for Ed Davey there is a chance you could wake up with Gordon Brown still in power,” Ms Whately said, highlighting growing fears of a hung parliament.

Ms Whately also backs Conservative party plans to create another 10,000 extra student places, a figure which would include apprenticeships and training placements.

“We have a plan to make students pay back their student loans earlier and we can use this funding to pay for these extra places.  At the moment we can’t make any extra spending commitments, we have to find another way to fund it.” She explained.

Ms Whately also endorses a party scheme to benefit part-time and mature students, who at present have un-capped tuition fees and are illegible for student loans.

 “I want better job prospects for university students those who can’t afford go and for those finishing looking forward jobs after leaving. Graduates should not have to continue studying, because they can’t find work,” said Ms Whately.

Kingston University has expelled ten students for cheating, plagiarism and other academic misconduct last year.

According to a Sun investigation, KU had the third largest number of cheats in the UK after Teesside University in Middlesbrough (17 students) and Middlesex university in London (15 students).

Nationwide, 160 students were “booted out of University” for the academic year 2008-2009, according to the Sun following its enquiry under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 “With more than 23,000 students at the University, the number of expulsions represents a tiny proportion of those studying at Kingston”, said a KU spokesperson.

The fourth and fifth campuses on the league after KU are Sheffield University, with seven expulsions and University College London, which expelled six students last year.

With 27,954 students for 2009, Teesside University in Middlesbrough had the largest student population. All five universities are average to large.

Addressing the problem of cheating, a Kingston University spokesperson said: “The university takes cheating and plagiarism very seriously and will always take appropriate action should a student be found to have cheated.”

KU students can access a guide for academic misconduct procedures on the University website.  

A Kingston College student has appeared in court charged with drug and firearm offences following his arrest last Tuesday.

Adamo Kizey, an 18-year old performing arts student, had been searched at the further education college by police acting on intelligence.  Officers allegedly discovered a powerful handgun in his possession. A search of his home later revealed a silencer, ammunition and quantities of cannabis.

Dr Nick Sinnamon, principal of Kingston College, said that Kizey had joined from a local school. He said: “He had been making good progress on his programme and we are extremely concerned that one of our students has broken the law in this manner. “

In court, Kizey did not enter a plea but spoke simply to confirm his name, age and address to magistrates. He faces charges of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of an illegal weapon, possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition and possession with intent to supply cannabis.

The recovered firearm was described by Metropolitan Police as a Baikal 9mm pistol, a Russian-made handgun designed to fire gas pellets.

Although originally sold in Eastern Europe as a weapon for self-defence, criminals have been converting them to fire live rounds, making them a popular weapon amongst UK gangs. 

Tests carried out by police have confirmed that the firearm discovered at Kingston College was capable of firing live rounds.

Dr Sinnamon said: “The incident is the first of its kind and the college will continue working with the police to ensure students are educated on crime related issues.”

Kizey has been remanded in custody until his appearance at Kingston Crown Court on April 13.

You can use as much fruit as you like for this recipe.  Why not try combinations of acidic and sweet fruit to get your taste buds going?!

Equipment:
1 saucepan
1 cooking hob
1 oven
1 mixing bowl
1 spoon
Your hands
1 ovenproof dish

Ingredients:
Tin of custard powder
Stewed fruit
8oz plain flour
4oz margarine
4oz sugar

To stew the fruit:
Peel the fruit if necessary.
For apples and pears chop into small pieces.  Berries don't need chopping.
Boil water in a saucepan and add the fruit.
For best results begin with only enough water to cover the fruit and add more if as necessary to avoid the fruit burning.
Stew the fruit until it is soft and add a little sugar to taste.

To make the crumble topping:
Mix together the flour and the margarine with your fingers in a large bowl until the margarine is broken up and, uhm, crumbly.
Add the remainder of the sugar to the flour-margarine mix and stir in with a spoon.

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.

Spread the stewed fruit evenly around the bottom of the oven dish.
Spread the crumble topping over the fruit.

Place in the oven and cook for half an hour

To make the custard:
Follow the instructions on the tin...!

Send us pictures of your crumble successes and failures(!) to RiverOnlineEditor@googlemail.com

Despite leaden skies and patchy rain on a cold December afternoon, over 50,000 people from organisations, charities, universities and even schools marched through the heart of London, holding placards aloft –  saying ‘Protect The Poorest’ and ‘Climate Change Kills’ – at The Wave . They were joined by 23 KU students, lecturers and staff in a bid to save the world.

Dressed in blue, with blue painted faces and hands, they danced, drummed and chanted to urge the Government to strike a deal at the climate change summit in Copenhagen to slow global warming.

In Copenhagen, the outlook for agreement is looking increasingly bleak. The summit is in a desperate state, so much so that on Tuesday, PM Gordon Brown flew out two days early in a bid to “raise the ambitions” of the delegates and get proceedings back on track.

Charlotte Zakss, a third year sustainable development student, said: “I believe very strongly that by making our presence known on this march we helped give Ed Miliband the backup he needs to persuade Gordon Brown to support him at the summit with further financial incentives.”

One of the major stalling points in Copenhagen is how much the west will have to contribute to help the poorest nations become greener.

Morris Marah, President of the United Nations Association of KU (UNAKU) who spoke on BBC Radio Four, said: “The leaders came together at the G20 summit and fixed the financial crisis. The same seriousness should be applied to climate change.”

The bloody, violent protests on the streets of Copenhagen, in which almost 1500 activists have been arrested in the last few days, and the bleak situation the summit finds itself in, is a world away from the peaceful optimism of The Wave march - the UK's biggest ever action on climate change - 12 days ago where families and small children turned out to support the demonstration set up by Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.

 Nicole Milloy, a second year sustainable development student, said: “Attending The Wave was moving, heart-warming and inspirational.  Seeing thousands upon thousands of people, of all ages, race and religions joining together to campaign for one vital cause was amazing.”

But only one in a thousand of KU’s 23,000 students turned out to support the issue that has surpassed the global economic crisis as the world’s leading debate. The lack of attendance could be explained as “a matter of priority” with many students facing deadlines at this time of year.

Miss Zakss went on to say: “Personally, I thought it was a real shame that not more Kingston students were there - this is going to affect all of us, we can't hide from it, and no seems to be bothered to do anything about it!”