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Something
in the water
(Jeremy P. Collins F.R.I.C.S., Jeremy Collins
& Associates) – I read with great
interest your article in Reporter 484, concerning
the survey and restoration of the water gardens
and cascade at Bramham Park. For as many years
as I can remember I have always wanted to
build a cascade and create a small water garden.
This I am now doing. My wife is of the opinion
that it is a complete folly, but then I suppose
I keep company with all those great and imaginative
18th/19th century patrons and gardeners!
Lectures
and democracy
(Brian Howard, MA student, advertising and
marketing) – The ‘occupation’
on October 31 of the Yorkshire Bank Lecture
Theatre was not a stand-off between conflicting
political views on Iraq but a clash of timetables.
Business school students came for a discussion
on marketing communications and found anti-war
slogans and 30 smiling, smug faces on the
self-proclaimed moral high ground ready to
teach us a lesson in oppression. To the demonstrators’
surprise, their oppressive shenanigans were
met with aggression. They told us to relax,
stressed they wanted to tell us their views
on Iraq. We would not relax. Finally they
voted whether to stay. If they so appreciate
the democratic process, we should have been
the ones to vote, on whether to let them stay.
That would have been a positive learning experience
for the Chinese, who make up 75% of the class.
Many Chinese come to England’s free society
to study. That day they were taught a lesson
in oppression from those who view the world
with a dangerous naivety. Who is in the position
to teach who? The real lesson this group should
be teaching is not how to oppress people in
a liberated society, but how to appreciate
and respect the freedom that comes from living
within one.
University
utopia
(Ian Cope, Epidemiology & HSR/LRF)
– Having received your latest edition
of the new Reporter, I am still trying to
find your letters page! I presumed that on
your first edition, the omission may have
been an oversight, but I see that this does
not appear to be so. Is there any particular
reason why you are no longer publishing letters
or do I take it that the University of Leeds
has recently become a utopia?
Editor’s note: – We also
received similar enquiries from Patrick Douglas,
from continuing education and Allison Iredale
from dentistry. We are more than delighted
to feature letters in the Reporter. Just keep
on writing them and we’ll print them.
Send your letters to the.reporter@leeds.ac.uk
Braving
the cold
(Barbara Cunningham, Union Bookshop) –
May I begin with my sincere congratulations
to the staff of the refectory on the excellent
menu served up on November 14, their ‘Chinese
Day’. Not a regular diner there, I decided
to treat myself on seeing their menu and I
was very pleased with my meal. I chose to
dine on the balcony, which is where my lunch
was spoilt – it was freezing up there.
I had to sit in my jacket – like many
others I might add – and I gather from
fellow diners that this level of heating is
usual. Surely we should be encouraged to dine
there, especially when the staff go to so
much trouble to put on such a good menu? I
gather from the front of house staff that
they are also regular complainers about the
temperature but nothing is done about it.
Banned
from Leeds
(Eric Atwell, Computing) – A PhD
applicant from Malaysia, accepted and expected
to begin this term, has explained that she
has had to withdraw because the Malaysian
government has banned prospective students
from going to Leeds and Manchester. She writes:
“... their reason [the government] is
that so many Malaysians are in Leeds and Manchester.
I really want to go to Leeds, but it seems
that it won’t happen. I’m really
pleased that you have reserved a desk and
a PC for me. Thanks very much, but I’m
really sorry for not being able to come to
Leeds ...” Are other departments affected?
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