Applications for social work degrees in the UK have risen by a staggering 41% this year according to the university admissions body UCAS.

Over 52,000 people applied to start the course this September compared to 37,000 last year. The rise is being attributed to the national TV campaigns Help Give Them a Voice and Be The Difference which were funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (now renamed the Department for Education).

The age profile of people entering the profession has also changed with more young people aged 19 to 21 choosing to study a social work as a degree, the training route introduced in 2003 for anyone wanting to pursue a career in this area.

Professor of Social Work at Kingston University, Dr Ray Jones believes that this is a good thing: “My view is that maturity doesn’t necessarily reflect someone’s chronological age.

"What we are looking for in every student is an intellectual ability to make critical judgements because they need to make sense of sometimes very confusing and chaotic situations.

"They should also not be overwhelmed when dealing with people who are distressed but be able to understand, empathise and stay emotionally in control.”

While the new coalition government has been upholding its election priorities to families, stronger communities and a fairer society – these values have for decades inspired people into a career in social work.

Third year student Grace O’Neill, 42, enrolled onto the BA in social work after working in the insurance industry and computer sales.

Reflecting on her motivation to change careers, she said: “I think it is a combination of personal experience of difficulties in life and being demotivated by greed and consumerism. I felt I was not contributing to society in a meaningful way. I wanted to be part of the process of building a stronger society and better community links.”

As part of the degree students experience 200 days work that can span a variety of social work fields - from children’s services, to adults with mental and/or physical disabilities and older people whose needs have become greater with age.

Dr Jones believes that these work placements are really influential in exciting students about what they want to do when they qualify.

He said: “People are not looking for easy options. They are looking for the stimulation and the rewards that can come from working with difficult and challenging work, for example working with children and child protection. A lot of qualifying social workers want to get that experience and see it as the sharp end of the work.”

Although there is no evidence at present, it is hoped that activities like the recent TV campaigns could improve the public’s understanding of social work.

Grace feels however that the profession needs more than brief adverts to give people an accurate picture.

She said: “I think more documentaries would be helpful to give people a better understanding of the kind of pressures and ethical dilemmas that social workers are facing all the time and the tough decisions they have to make.”

Kingston University pocketed more than £8,000 last year thanks to students who finished their courses with money left on their printer accounts.  

The average amount outstanding on students’ print accounts was £1.37 in 2008/09 but this amounted to a grand total of £8,290.00. KUSU have promised to take up the matter with Information Services.

 The university claimed that Information Services publicises the fact that refunds cannot be given but KUSU and many final year students have been left in the dark. Kayleigh Pickering, VP Student Support, “I must admit that neither myself nor my colleagues were aware that the University did not refund money to students which remains on their printing credit when they leave Kingston.”

 Clare Rixon, in her final year studying Media and Cultural Studies, agreed: “I don’t remember being told that. Kingston University tends to rip us off on library fines, so it doesn’t surprise me that they don’t refund print credit. That is bad.”

The university said the rationale behind the decision to keep unspent balances was because of the high administrative costs involved. A university spokesperson said: “I imagine the cost is mainly in terms of the resources it would take to administer a system to refund students for what are usually very small amounts. This is time that staff could be spending supporting students and dealing with inquiries.”

 Not all students are convinced by this argument. James o’Sullivan, MSc in Building Surveying, said: “Not refunding money because of inconvenience is no excuse and I’m sure any admin fees wouldn’t amount to £9,000.”

 Students who are in the final days of their course can use outstanding balances to pay off any library fines due. Learning Services uses any unspent print credit to buy library stock or on services for students.

With exams and course work deadlines coming up almost two in three KU students will be reaching for the cans of energy drinks unaware that they could be seriously damaging their body.

Latest research has shown that energy drinks can lead to heart damage, strokes and heart attacks in young people.

Around 65 per cent of Kingston University students admitted to drinking energy drinks regularly and 26 per cent of these students have experienced side effects from energy drinks. These side effects included shaking, upset stomach, increased heart rate, heart palpitations, a hazy feeling the next day and not being able to sleep.

 Research was carried out on the energy drink Red Bull which claims “to give you wings”. The study was carried out on a group of 30 university students aged between 20 and 24 and the results alarmingly found that just one 250ml of a sugar free can of Red Bull raised the risk of blood clots forming by making the blood more “sticky”.

Dr. Scott Willoughby, of the Cardiovascular Research Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Adelaide University said: "After one can it seemed to turn the young individual into one with more of the type of profile you would expect to see with someone with cardiovascular disease. People who already have existing cardiovascular disease may want to talk to their physician before they drink Red Bull in future."

Students are also being warned about the dangers of mixing energy drinks with vodka.  Around 50 per cent of Kingston students drink vodka Red Bull on a night on but scientists warn that mixing a depressant (vodka) with a stimulant (Red Bull) can be dangerous.

In a study carried out by Dr Mary Claire O’ Brien at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre in North Carolina, researchers’ questioned 4, 271 students and found that people who drank vodka Red Bull were more likely to have a false self awareness of intoxication,  injure themselves on a night out and be taken advantage of sexually.

Dr Mary Claire O’ Brien said: “Students whose motor skills, visual reaction times and judgements are impaired by alcohol may not perceive that they are intoxicated as readily when they are also ingesting a stimulant.”

Banned in countries such as France, Norway and Denmark, energy drinks have been linked to the cause of a few deaths.  An investigation was ordered after the death of Ross Cooney, 18, from Limerick, who drank four cans of Red Ball during a basket ball match and later collapsed.

Last year Chole Leach, 21, suddenly collapsed on the floor in the Sugarmill club in Hull after she consumed four cans of energy drink and several VKs. An inquest showed that her death was caused by caffeine triggering a rare heart condition. 

 In July 2001 a 33 year old Australian man died of a heart- attack after drinking a pitcher of Red Bull and vodka.

Red Bull has denied that their drink is dangerous. In a statement a spokesmen said that Red Bull had been proven safe by “numerous scientific studies”.

Kingston Students were left without power on Monday afternoon after a fire in an electricity substation cut electricity across the borough for over an hour.

Many students working on computers in the library and John Galsworthy Building on the Penryhn Road campus, lost work and had to wait around until the power had returned. Lectures were also disrupted between 1 and 3pm while the problem persisted.

Amy Lee, a second year Business and History student, was working on a library computer at the time the power went down. She said: “It’s really depressing. I’ve got an essay I’m working on and the deadline is Wednesday. I’m working all day tomorrow so this is the only time I have left to do it. It’s so depressing because I have nothing else I can really do”.

Ian Rose, Business Continuity Manager, later announced on the university Student Space that the problem had been caused by a fire at a local electricity substation. In addition to the Penrhyn Road and Knights Park university campuses, 1,000 homes in the Kingston area were affected.

Power was eventually restored by electricity company EDF at 2.10 pm, the best part of an hour after cutting out, and computers were back up and running soon afterwards. However the university email system is not expected to be fully operational until Tuesday morning. 

Ian Appleford, Health and Safety Officer at Penrhyn Road said: “We’re fortunate because at this time of day the problem can be contained. In broad daylight with all services on site we can restore normality as soon as possible. From a student’s point of view it is obviously a disruption but when the system reloads, provided work has been given a title, it will have saved automatically”.

Students complained of a lack of information. Yasir Masood a Masters student studying International Relations said: “I went to ask at the front desk to find out what was going on because I needed to use a computer. But all they said was to speak to EDF. It’s not really our job to have to find out what’s going on. It’s quite frustrating.”

Appleford added: “In this kind of scenario we have an emergency line and a number you can phone to be updated. We still don’t know the exact cause of the problem but my next step will be to contact communication and student services so everyone is informed.”

The results of our forthcoming general election will be a dish for politicians, academics and the media to pick over, dissect and scrutinise.

Voter turnout will once again be at the heart of the debate. Will it exceed the 60 per cent turnout of previous years? Or will the legitimacy of the newly elected government be undermined by a poor show at the ballot box?

Voter apathy has been a recurring concern for political parties in the UK but some countries have taken the right to vote and turned it into a constitutional duty by introducing compulsory voting.

Dr Robin Pettitt, lecturer in comparative politics at Kingston University, explains: “Democracy is more legitimate if there is a certain level of turnout. If turnout drops below a certain level – then it’s a problem for democracy.”

“On the other hand the point of democracy is that people should be free. It doesn’t make sense if you force people to engage as free people in a democratic process.”

In countries like Australia and Belgium where voting is compulsory, turnout is typically above 90 per cent. Punishment for non-voters is usually a fine, which seems to be enough motivation to drive so many people to the polling station.

But perhaps unsurprisingly the number of blank or invalid votes counted in countries with compulsory voting is unusually high, suggesting some voters may be having the last laugh.

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) was set up in 1945 to collect electoral data across the globe to inform and support democratic reform.

Ola Pettersson, assistant programme officer at IDEA said: "If you look at the countries which have the highest voter turnout, it is fairly clear that compulsory voting increases participation in elections. People also tend to learn about politics when they are forced to vote, so it can be a civic education measure.

"The main drawback is how motivated are you to participate when you are being forced to do it rather than doing it on your own free will? Is voting a duty of every citizen or is it a privilege?"

Ultimately Petersson believes turnout numbers in most democracies are affected by more than whether people simply want to go and vote.

In many countries, security and conflict don’t stop on election days making a trip to the polling station a dangerous undertaking. Following Sri Lanka’s election in January, the state confirmed an average voter turnout of 70 per cent, which was almost on a level with previous elections. But in the northern city of Jaffna , turnout was only 20 per cent, and local authorities had reported a number of explosions in the days and hours before the election.

In Afghanistan similar events overshadowed the latest elections. Last year only 30 to 35 per cent of the electorate cast a vote, giving a shaky start to president Hamid Karzai’s second term in office.

Asmatullah Yoqhubi, a first year Kingston University journalism student left Afghanistan eight years ago. “In Afghanistan people were excited about being given the chance for the first time to go and vote but at the same time they know it is not going to work. My family took part in the elections. They don’t bother about security, they would go and vote in any circumstances. But they sort of know that because of corruption their vote is not going to count.”

The suspicion of corruption is also rife in countries closer to home, including Eastern Europe. A recent poll carried out in the run up to the January Ukraine elections found that 82 per cent of respondents expected vote rigging.

Pettersson describes “political distrust” as something which can undermine the confidence and will of voters to turn up at the ballot box. It becomes unimportant which party wins as in the eye of the people “all politicians are the same”.

In Italy, voter turnout has been the highest on average for the last fifty years, partly due to compulsory voting which was in place until 1993. Ilaria Favretto, professor in contemporary european history at Kingston University also believes that beyond this, Italians are driven to vote because the political parties are so polarised.

“For left and centre-left voters, Berlusconi and his coalition are the 'devil'. At the same time when elections approach, you can still read in the conservative press farcical declarations by centre-right candidates on what will happen if the 'communists' win.

She added: “For many voters their favourite coalition's victory is a matter of life or death.”

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”.

Skipping down the London street where I lived, at six o’clock on a glorious May morning in 1997, I was jubilant. For the first time in my life I was living in a country where I had voted for the government. My vote had counted; my voice had been heard.

Voting has long been seen as a rite of passage into adulthood and this year many 18 to 24 year olds will have the right to cast their ballot at a General Election for the first time. But in 2005 just 37 per cent of eligible young people voted and few experts expect a sudden surge interest this year.

Across the country slightly more people voted in 2005, than 2001 but overall turnout remained the third lowest since 1847, at just over 60 per cent. An investigation by the Electoral Commission found that young people were only half as likely to vote as older age groups and concluded that many people stayed at home because they thought the result was a foregone conclusion.

As the election hangs in the balance and polls suggest David Cameron and the Conservatives face a fierce battle to overturn the Labout government – the only thing all politicians can agree on is that every vote will count. So will this be enough to make students and young people visit the ballot box?

Not according to Martin Boon from ICM which conducts polls for The Guardian. He said: “Young people do deserve their reputation for apathy. Turnout estimates by demographics are unreliable in the extreme but I’d not expect more than 30 per cent of all 18 to 24s to turnout, even in a high turnout election.”

The British Social Attitudes Survey, which tracks trends in attitudes to voting, has identified a decline in the belief that voting is a civic duty, particularly amongst young people.

Alison Park, co-director, said: “The general view is that it is very unlikely that turnout will return to the levels pre 2001 and 2005. I don’t expect it to jump to over 70 per cent unless some big issue emerges in the next few months that galvanises young people. A big issue would show that there’s a real point to voting.”

Robin Pettitt, lecturer in comparative politics at Kingston University has a different perspective. He said: “The impression one gets, both from the research and from asking around, is that people are probably just as engaged now as they were 20 years ago. But the way that people are politically engaged is very, very different. When people want to be engaged now, they no longer think about trade unions, political parties and voting. They tend to think much more about single issue groups, demonstrations, one-off political activities.”

The Obama campaign’s mastery of social media has been credited as a factor in persuading young people in the USA to cast their ballot in November 2008. Could our political parties learn from his example?

Molly Kearney from the Citizenship Foundation, which recently conducted a survey of 3,000 14 to 25 year olds with YouGov, is not so convinced. She said: “Politicians are using social media in the best way they know how but they are missing a trick. They are focusing on Twitter and Facebook but not talking about the issues young people are passionate about.”

Max Freedman, the Labour Party candidate in the Kingston and Surbiton constituency, agrees. He said: “I don’t think that using new technology like text voting is the way forward. It’s about thinking where to put polling stations. Putting polling stations in supermarkets and places where people are already going, makes it easier for them to vote.”

Sir Robert Worcester, of Ipsos MORI, has written on his blog that turnout will be key in determining who will be calling Number 10 home on the morning after the election. He believes that if turnout is low, then it will be David Cameron who the Queen will ask to form the next Government but that Gordon Brown still has a fighting chance if turnout hits the 70 per cent mark.

At the general election in 2005, over 55’s accounted for 42 per cent of the total turnout, giving that age group a disproportionate impact on which party won the mandate to govern the country. When deciding whether to exercise your democratic right to vote in 2010, remember that it is just 40 years since 18 to 21 year olds have had the opportunity to cast their ballot at the 1970 election.

Make your vote count, make your voice heard.

A group of pharmacy students who endured “freezing cold” room temperatures and disruptions during an exam this winter will not be given any special allowances by the external examination board.

Severe snow caused havoc with public transport on January 13 as 120 final year pharmacy students struggled to arrive for their exam at St John’s Hall.

On arriving they were given a cold reception thanks to the venue’s lack of heating. Many arrived 40 minutes into the exam, adding further disruption to students' concentration.

One of the students who wished to remain anonymous said: “We were told by the invigilators that there was nothing that could be done about the hall conditions and that we had to get on with it.

“It was so cold that we were advised to keep our jackets and gloves on. You could see the moisture from our breathing and we had to stop every ten minutes or so to rub our hands. It was definitely six or eight degrees in there.”

The exam invigilators made a note of the conditions on the day and students put in a formal complaint which was handled by academic registrar Dr David Ashton.

Dr Ashton said: “There was no irrefutable evidence, or other clear evidence, that the examinations venue had caused a dip in performance.”

He came to the conclusion after analysing the performance of this year’s students compared to last year’s cohort and found they were “consistent in standard with other patterns of results in the sampling exercise”.   

Dr Ashton added: “Had I felt differently, that there were compelling mitigating circumstances, a case for adjustment would have been made to the relevant external examiner.”

Students however did not agree with the method used to make this decision. The nameless pharmacy student said: “This is absurd and very unfair. 

"Twenty-five people failed this module which means they cannot do their preregistration as they have to resit their exam in September and the majority of students got D's and C's. 

“Because we are just 'students' and the university is getting money they think they can get away with behaviour like this.”

St John’s Hall near Penrhyn Road campus is regularly used by Kingston University for exams.

A KU spokesperson confirmed that students should expect “reasonable conditions” from their exam venues and “that the university would not be overspending on its examination venues”. No detail was provided however as to minimum room temperature.

The Health and Safety Executive has confirmed that legislation exists to prevent employees from having to work in rooms which temperature falls to 16 degrees Celsius or below.

Although this legislation does not extend specifically to students studying in educational institutions, a spokesman from the Executive said it was “a reasonable level of comfort to expect”.

The National Union of Students is warning politicians to pay attention to student issues or pay the price in the upcoming elections.

The NUS has launched the Vote for Students campaign with the aim of getting students across the country to make their voices heard and demonstrate how powerful of a demographic they are.

With students representing nearly 15 per cent of the voting population the NUS hope to secure a more stable future for students in the UK by supporting candidates that champion students.

Wes Streeting, NUS President, said: “In many seats up and down the country the student vote can make a decisive difference. Through this campaign we hope to remind students of the power they hold.”

The campaign endorses politicians who are willing to support students and Mr. Streeting was quick to warn candidates of the dangers of not taking the student vote seriously.  “Our message to candidates is simple; vote for us or pay the price.”

The Vote for Students website offers students information about candidates standing for election in their area and whether or not they have signed the petition in support of the campaign. The NUS hope that this information will encourage students to vote for the relevant student friendly candidates.

Susan Nash, VP of Society and citizenship at the NUS, said: “We have launched this campaign to insure that our interests are secured. Students have the power to shape this election.”

The power of the student vote has been specifically highlighted in the top 20 "student battlegrounds" as identified by the NUS: Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, Reading, Cambridge, London, Southampton, Bristol, Leeds, Oxford, Durham, Exeter, Norwich, Brighton, Lancaster, Nottingham, Plymouth and Lincoln.

With these key areas in mind students are being encouraged to vote for candidates who support the campaign whether that be in their hometown constituency or where they study.

Steve Head, a second-year  English Literature student at Kingston University said: “Politicians need to realise that students care about their future.” He added: “Of course I would be more inclined to vote for candidates who support us, for myself and the next generation of students.”

Further information on the campaign can be found at www.voteforstudents.co.uk

More KU students would vote in the Student Union election if they had the option of voting by text.

With most students admitting they did not even know the student elections are taking place, nearly 70 per cent of students said they would consider voting if they could vote from their phone.

Nicola Silsby, 19, who is in her first year studying History said: “I might vote in the student election but at the moment I am not sure who I am going to vote for. I will definitely be more likely to vote if I could just send a text message, it’s less exercise!”

“I am not going to vote because I am not really into politics but I might vote if I could vote using my phone, it sounds a lot more convenient.” Said Laura Jordan, 20, who is in her third year studying Psychology.

Other students were a bit more sceptical about the idea and questioned whether it would keep their vote safe and confidential.

A third year Psychology student said:  “No, I am not voting in the student election. Even though elections are important, I don’t really have faith in any of the parties. If I could vote by text it would not make me more inclined to vote, if I was to vote I would rather go down there because it is an important event.”

 “At my old university we were able to vote in our student elections via internet.  If I had the choice between voting via text and using some other method, I would choose the other method. I think it is important to have some sort of confirmation after voting, which I don’t think texting will give you.” Said Maggie Eckel, 23, a Postgraduate Creative Writing & Publishing student.

The ballot boxes will open on Monday 9^th March until Wednesday 11^th March. The boxes will be located on each site and will be open from 10am- 5pm each day. The results will be announced on 12^th March.