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INKYTEXT 205
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ISSUE No 205 ESTABLISHED 1993 15 APRIL 1997
as read in
BASINGSTOKE, BERMUDA, BLACKBURN, BRADFORD, BIRMINGHAM, BRIGHTON, BRASILIA
and 113 more sites beginning with B or other letters of the alphabet
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AGENDA
Minutes and Amendments
1. Alain Touraine and 'De-modernization'
2. News: Sports Centre, Marathon, Streaker, Property Services, Internet2
3. Events: HE in Lancaster, Jazz Concert, Choral concert
4. Small Ads: Classic car, Hanging flower baskets, Accommodation
5. Nick Bardsley: The Mystery of the Misleading Apostrophe (Guest Contribution)
6. Readers' Letters: Shaving, Self-marketing, Pervious, Video tapes, Catering
MINUTES AND AMENDMENTS
----------------------
1. ALAIN TOURAINE AND DE-MODERNIZATION
--------------------------------------
The eminent French sociologist Alain Touraine delivered the (first)
Blackwells Bookshops' Annual Lecture on Public Culture last Saturday
afternoon. The event was also the high spot of the major international
Time and Value Conference organised by our own Institute for Cultural
Values.
Professor Touraine entitled his paper 'Cultures without Society' and
drew attention to the plural, which he later concluded to be essential,
Culture, he argued, in this age of the second industrialisation, could
no longer be seen as either the set of values and behaviour patterns
that define a society, nor as a countervailing supra-societal force.
He went on to contrast the opposing forces hostile to the creation of
any culture as conceived in the past: on the one hand globalization,
for him a wholly negative concept, and on the other the two-fold
fragmentation brought about by rampant individualism and then by the
dissolution of the very idea of the individual. Nor did he see what he
called 'communitarianism' or 'neo-communalism' (pressure groups?) as
any better.
Hope, he suggested, lay in returning to the notion of the 'subject'
and the identity of the subject, (not the citizen-subject but the
'thinking subject'). Culture involved the nurturing by individuals of
the 'project' that gave them their uniqueness, which could bring back
into life a kind of meaning.
At least one listener was instantly reminded of Proust, or of the poet
Mallarme's suggestion that the universe existed only to be written
about. No surprise that he should quote Walter Benjamin, whose
sociological study of the poet Baudelaire was a reminder of how much
separates British and continental conceptions of the discipline.
In passing he touched on the implications of his argument for
politics, education and even the academic study of sociology (not, he
assured us, the study of societies, but of social actions). His address
was inspirational, though the claim that of every 100 dollars of
international financial transfers only 2 dollars is related to
manufactured goods or agricultural products is profoundly depressing.
His highly abstract chain of arguments, very French and bereft of
concrete examples, was aimed at professional sociologists. These, a
majority in the audience, seemed enthusiastic and no doubt focussed on
entirely different elements in its rich texture.
About 350 attended the lecture which was followed by a reception,
hosted by Blackwells, to celebrate the launch of the Institute's new
journal, Cultural Values, with a funereal cover well-suited to the age
we live in.
[NOTE: It is 29 years and 11 months since I last heard Professor
Touraine speak. At that time, as well as being a Director of Studies at
the Ecole des Hautes Etudes, he held a chair at Nanterre, and found
himself at the heart of events he was later to theorize. He remains a
reasoned radical and every bit as dapper. His Chilean wife Adriana
Arenas, to whom he touchingly alluded in his opening remarks, died a
few years ago, and his high-flying civil servant daughter, Marisol, had
by the age of 35 already also had 2 children and been appointed to the
Conseil d'Etat.... (Ed.)]
2. NEWS
-------
CENTRE FOR SPORT ON COURSE FOR A PROFIT: Despite expenditure on pool
repairs the sports centre is this year on course, barring disasters, to
return a small surplus. Given the 140K deficit of 10 years ago, this is
even more impressive than most municipal centres, which tend to have a
significant level of subsidy. It might be adversely affected in future
by the opening of the National Lottery funded Salt Ayre centre and
pool, but to compensate we may be welcoming 600 primary school children
a week next year.
COMPUTER PRINTING PRICES FALL BY 61 PERCENT: As of this week, students
wishing to print from or in public ISS labs must pay for printing
credits at the Library in advance. At the same time the charge for each
b/w page goes down from 7p to 3p. Despite expected early teething
troubles the result should also be a more convenient system with far
fewer breakdowns. NB - this also means that students MUST be logged on
using their own LAN username, and MUST REMEMBER TO LOG OFF, on pain of
finding themselves charge for other people's printing.
COMPUTER WIZARD PHIL CRAVEN COMPLETED THE LONDON MARATHON in just over
four and a half hours - twice as long as the winner, and nearly 2 hours
more than his builder from Sedbergh. He asks for any Cancer Macmillan
Fund sponsorship money to be given to John Pritchard (ISS floor in the
Library extension) who will pass it on to him.
FORTANT DE FRANCE Marketing Manager Anthony Murphy (1990) was released
from his convalescent clinic in the Languedoc last week and continues
his convalescence and astonishing recovery in Paris, where he
celebrates his 30th birthday later this week.
BEST WISHES TO DEBS TELFORD, who temps in the Development Division of
the Management School. She leaves for Tanzania in 3 weeks to work on
various charity projects before hoping to land a job with the
Australian rugby team. According to an interview with the Morecambe
Visitor, Debs, 31, streaked before a 17,000 crowd in the final of the
Melrose Sevens. It was her goodbye to the Vale of Lune Women's rugby
team of which she has been a member. Debs has since posed for the Daily
Record and the Sport.
ADVICE ON POSSIBLE ECONOMIES IN PROPERTY SERVICES has been sought from
Mr C J Ferguson, M.A. FRICS, Estates Officer at Warwick (where Sir
Charles Carter's belief that the title 'Director' should always be
avoided in universities seems to have taken root). Mr Ferguson,
possibly accompanied by colleagues, visits campus this Thursday, at
'our' request, to advise on levels of expenditure in the Property
Service area. He is expected to provide benchmarks by comparing our
levels of expenditure on various activities with similar costs at
Warwick. Advice from the right quarters will be needed to ensure the
comparisons are valid.
THE NEW ADMIN RESTRUCTURING TEAM meets again today (Tuesday) to
consider how to reconcile the strategic and political restructuring
proposed by academics with the reasoned objections of administrators.
Objectively speaking we are no further ahead on this leg of the
Recovery Plan than we were 6 months ago, and Mr McGregor is reported to
be getting anxious at the prospect of future delays and wrangling.
PROFESSOR SHENNAN reports next week on the progress made to date with
the new premature retirement and severance scheme in Modern Languages,
Physics and Chemistry, Politics and Philosophy. Thereafter further
decisions will have to be taken. Possibly unpleasant ones, some fear.
It is also thought to be only then that applications from elsewhere in
the university will be fully considered.
MORE NEWS OF THE 2000 PLAYERS IN THE RECENT CAMPUS FOOTBALL
TOURNAMENT, who, despite nightmarish logistic problems, were ferried
nightly to Morecambe, where our inability to accommodate them is
paradoxically reported to have forced prices down to a cut-throat 11
pounds per night for dinner, B and B. Confirmation from the organisers
that they would have been willing to pay up to 14 pounds a night on
campus. Allowing for VAT this may well be insufficient, but such
throughput still seems preferable to letting over 3000 beds lie empty
and closing refectories. Frontierland is reported to have been full of
them, and two hotels ran out of beer. The potential for spending on
campus might almost be worth the upheaval. Reports that the organisers
wish to lay on 3 weeks of such events during the year. Surely worth
exploring.
INTRODUCING INTERNET2: The WWW has indeed become a World Wide Wait.
That impedes its original uses for serious academic purposes,
frustrates students who refuse to persist, and doesn't help commercial
services build up trade.
It thrived thanks to the American NSF (National Science Foundation)'s
backbone net, which has since been effectively privatized. Now American
universities, anxious to adapt research Internet technology to academic
needs, are collaborating with government and industry to accelerate the
next stage of Internet development.
The Internet 2 project is creating a leading edge network for the
American research community. Network developments are directed towards
enabling a new generation of applications that fully exploit the
capabilities of broadband networks - media integration, interactivity,
real time collaboration.
A major goal of the project is to transfer as rapidly as possible new
network services and applications to all levels of educational user and
to the broader international Internet community. Fears in Europe that
this will increase US hegemony. Further info from
http://www.internet2.edu/
3. EVENTS
---------
DO YOU BELIEVE IN HIGHER EDUCATION?
MONDAY 28th APRIL
7.30 - 9.30
Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre
An even organised by the Rev Mark Smith (UCSM), Rev Tim Evans and Rev
Di Williams on behalf of the Lancaster Deanery Synod. An opportunity to
discover more about the real world of HE in Lancaster in the 1990s and to
consider the issues it raises for churches and faith
ALL WELCOME
-----------
CALLING NORTH WEST JAZZ LOVERS.
JAZZ CONCERT
featuring Warren Vache, a truly superb cornetist from the U.S.A.
with Dave Cliff on guitar and Simon Woolf on bass.
Date: 20 April 1997
Venue: The Georgian House Hotel
Manchester Road, Blackrod, Bolton.
Time: 8.00 p.m.
Tickets: 7 pounds in advance
8 pounds on the door
Contact Tom Baron on 01253 764012 for further details.
------
INTERNATIONAL CHOIR CONCERT
Perpignan University Choir (Gospel and Classical Music)
and
The Gladly Solemn Sound (West Gallery Music)
Tuesday 22nd April - 7.30 pm
at
St. John's Church, Lancaster
Tickets 2 pounds available at the door
Sponsored by Lancaster Town Twinning Society
---------
4. SMALL ADS
------------
CLASSIC CAR FOR SALE: Cortina Mk3, 1600GXL 28 years old. Metallic
bronze, beige vinyl roof. Ideal for enthusiast. Well looked after for
25 of those years but now in need of some care & attention. Offers.
Kindly telephone in the first instance: (01524) 67977
------------
PHD STUDENT (F) SEEKS PERSON (POSTGRADUATE OR STAFF, NON-SMOKER) to
share a furnished self-contained, modernised/new flat in attractive
farmhouse conversion in Lancaster from May onwards. The flat is near
the city centre, 10 min. walk from the Infirmary bus stop and 5 min.
from the Railway Station. Rent: 190 pounds per month plus half of all
bills. Tel: 60113 -- E-mail: e.litosseliti@lancaster.ac.uk
-----------
WILL HUXHAM IS AGAIN PROVIDING SUMMER HANGING BASKETS. This year the
cost is 10pounds (with your own basket) and 12pounds (if he supplies
the basket). Half baskets 9.00. 50p from each order will go to Dallas
Road School PTA. Orders can be taken up to the second week in May, but
the earlier the better.
YOU CAN ORDER BY EMAIL or order by post, by phone, or in person. A
standard written form is available - call Fiona Frank on x 2901 or
381263 and I'll send you a copy of the form. Or collect one on the door
of C67 Cartmel.
Delivery, in early June to Lancaster University (various pick-up
points, to be advised) We can also deliver to The Adult College
Lancaster, or Dallas Road School. OR baskets can be delivered to your
house within Lancaster or Preston (or points in between) _at an extra
1.00 per delivery_.
For customers with own baskets: please bring _labelled_ baskets in as
soon as possible to Fiona Frank at C67 or C78 Cartmel College.
A standard basket comprises of the following plants (or similar)
Brachycome Blue, Impatiens (busy lizzy), Petunia mixed, Nepeta, Bidens
Aureum, Santivalia (or similar), Verbena cascade, Begonia/other (all
one of each), Lobelia mixed (3), Fuchsia (2).
The baskets will be moss lined. PAYMENT ON DELIVERY EARLY JUNE
(Special offer - reduction of 2.00 for the first two people to
bring/send me a photo of one of last year's baskets suitable for
publicity!)
Further information from Fiona Frank, x2901 or home Lancaster 381263.
----------
5. THE MYSTERY OF THE MISLEADING APOSTROPHE by Nick Bardsley
------------------------------------------------------------
----Remarks on the 'Management' of Lancaster University Students' Union----
Since 1994, and the adoption of a new constitution, Lancaster
University Students' Union has not been truly under the control of
those students it seeks to represent.
The '94 constitution was written in the wake of the 1994 Education
Act, which required students' unions to be treated as a part of a
university's administration. It was a clever piece of work on the part
of the university authorities and the General Manager, Peter Elliott.
It has taken three years for the full implications of that constitution
to make themselves known. Student officers now know that they are
blocked by it from having an effective say in financial regulation,
commercial activities, use of union building space, and working
practices.
It has also become clear that no member of staff can be criticised in
the smallest manner - even if that criticism is constructive. Indeed,
technically one cannot even praise a member of staff in a union
committee.
Of course, it is understandable that staff should feel the need for
protection and certainly should not have to undergo unreasonable
criticism or attacks. However, when staff begin to take an active role
in union and university politics then they lay themselves open to
justifiable comment.
In particular, it is ridiculous that the conduct of the General
Manager, a property trustee of the union, the nominated holder of
shares belonging to the union, and the head of department in the union,
cannot be discussed in any wise whatever - not even in a Union General
Meeting, the so-called sovereign body of the union.
Other faults exist, in particular, due to a rather elaborate
structural relationship, it has come about that the Finance and General
Purposes Committee, nominally a sub-committee of Union Council, is
effectively a more powerful body than Union Council itself. Indeed, no
financial business whatever can be raised at Union Council
independently of F&GP (which, needless to say, has a much more
exclusive membership).
Nobody can say that these faults are unavoidable implications of the
1994 Education Act - I have seen enough students' unions around the
country in the last two years to see that it is perfectly possible to
fulfil the requirements and retain strong student control over a union.
Some of the most effective and well 'managed' students' unions in the
country are highly controlled by students. In these unions the General
Manager is simply the point of contact for relaying policy to staff -
that person does not engage in political negotiation with the
university; that person does not decide financial policy; that person
does not create new staff positions without full consultation.
The faults spelled out, and others, stem from the flawed manner in
which the '94 constitution was written. It was simply wrong that the
constitution was written by university house staff and the General
Manager of LUSU. Yes, there was a certain amount of student
consultation - however an acquaintance of mine, who sat on the
constitutional committee, remembers how their concerns were overruled
time and time again. In the end University House and their friend got
what they wanted.
But now, with student officers seeing the injustice of the
constitution and actively trying to use those few bits that allow some
say in affairs to restore student rights of governance, University
House and the General Manager appear to by trying to plug the gap.
We hear that commercial activities are to be subsumed under a trading
company - which will no doubt have precious few students on the board.
We hear that there are plans for a more formal separation between
political activity and 'service provision'. In other words, money will
flow towards 'services' and the union will be emasculated as a
political force at this university - except insofar as certain persons
can enlarge their empires.
Now we see that the apostrophe following the s of 'students' really is
misleading. We see that unless a real attempt to reform the constitution
takes place; a process involving _all_ student officers and not just
sabbaticals. It is not enough for the Committee on Relations between the
Students' Union and the University to tinker at will - a programme of
reform should come squarely from within the union and involve a majority
of student officers.
Unless we get that reform, and with it real student control of the
union, then the apostrophe will continue to be misleading....
[NOTE: I rather fear that the situation you deprecate may in fact be
precisely what I had in mind in describing the Union as 'well managed'.
Its accounts are a lot healthier than before, and it's fairly clear
that mass meetings were a sadly unsustainable instrument of governance.
(Ed.)]
6. READERS' LETTERS
-------------------
Re your item on 'Major Promotions' I was sorry to see that you omitted
promotions of research staff, including that of our own Gill Helsby.
Gill has just been promoted from Research II to Research III (deemed
comparable to an SL). This is a well-earned promotion, not only because
of Gill's achievements as a researcher but also because of her
campaigning on behalf of the contract researcher community - a group
too often overlooked.
Peter Goodyear, Ed. Res.
[NOTE: Other research promotions included A Chilingarov (SPAC), B
Davison (ES), A Hammiche (SPAC), Bob Lauder (Biol Sci) and Cartmel
Principal Barry Sanderson (App Soc Sci), all RAI to RAII. Other related
promotions included S C Catt (Engineering) (OR3 to OR4) and Jonathan
Gosling (Man Dev Division) and Martin van der Marel (Engineering), both
OR4 to OR5. Congratulations to all. (Ed.)]
-----------------------
I am happy to report that I have no direct experience of shaving my
face but I am however a bit of a connoisseur of skincare preparations
so might be able to help in your gel/aftershave dilemma (very
Millennium-angst).
The rule for female skin care used to be "Cleanse. Tone. Moisturise" -
with "toning" being effected by an astringent, alcohol-based
preparation.
However Japanese cosmetics research (the industry is massive worldwide
and has a toe-hold in Britain) maintains that all the toning does is
dry the skin and close the pores, rendering them unreceptive to the
moisturiser. The solution is given as use after cleansing of a
softening lotion (effectively a water-glycerin mix with various active
ingredients which all seem to be composed of "biohyaluric acid" - which
name makes the chemist in me wince): this acts to prepare the skin for
a nice dose of creamy moisturiser. Extensive clinical trials in my
bedroom have verified this theory.
What's this all got to do with shaving? Well, aftershave is basically
the Robocop of toners. If you put that on first, your nice Paco Rabanne
skin-soothing gel will head for the hills (and your face will sting to
buggery). Better to use the skin gel alone (actually better to use a
proper moisturiser for men's skins - Clinique have an extensive range -
but I don't want to push the concept too far here) and if you want to
smell nice, take a deep breath and buy a cologne version of a
fragrance. In fact, some men's fragrances are actually now sold as "eau
de toilette" and "parfum".
Recommendations? Well, Farenheit is gorgeous, Opium for Men Eau de
Toilette (NOT the parfum - it's like nerve gas) is very classy, as is
Chanel's Egoiste, and a low-budget can't go wrong with Jazz.
Yes - I obviously have a bright future working in the Boots cosmetics
department. Anyone seen Prof Shennan and his millions - p'raps I should
have a word?!
--------------------
I have just got through two days of conferences here at Lancaster, and
-- more to the point -- two days of conference food. To my
consternation the food was irredeemably awful, and was embarrassing for
us as conference organisers. [..]
Bear in mind that each delegate contributes #19.60 per day to the
conference office. This may not seem like a lot for three meals and two
coffee sessions per day but there are clearly economies of scale when
up to 100 people are eating the *same* meal, and lack of funds is no
excuse for boiling vegetables to death.
More money and care would be put into the conference meals, as they
will be experienced by important delegates from other universities and
business who otherwise risk leaving with a poor impression of
Lancaster. For this reason, when we host a conference of 300 next year
we will have to consider alternatives for the catering.
[NOTE: This letter has been extensively edited. The Catering Manager
roundly rejects these remarks. He comments that Conference meals are
'family service' unless the organisers request otherwise. Individual
service can be offered at the appropriate charge. As regards portion
size, he points out that additional servings would have been provided
on request. He notes that the writer had enough to say on Lubbs and
invites him to discuss his comments personally. I can't honestly say
that my own experience tallies with the writer's. By and large we seem
to get what we pay for. (Ed.)]
---------------------
-PERVIOUS- :a & adv: descriptive of persistent error ("the Senate
were hindered by their -- decisions")
[from L. perversus + ious]
It is often thought, although wrongly, that the word derives from the
same root as -pervade- [from L. PER + vadere] This is an entirely
understandable mistake, as persistent errors do have a tendency tp
spread through everything.
I hope this will help to illuminate not only an interesting linguistic
exercise, but also recent events in a place not very far from here.
H.Walklett, Cont.Ed.
-----------------------
Mick Short has just sent me an email saying he has been sent a 12min.
video by one of the political parties. He suggests that many others
might also get copies and that 12 mins.of videotape is not easily
re-usable in a domestic situation. He asks if LUTV can make use of
these short videotapes within the University by re-cycling them. Good
idea! So if any of your Lancaster subscribers or their friends want to
send these tapes to LUTV, The Language Centre, via the internal mail we
will erase and de-label them with a view to re-use for educational
purposes!
Michael Bowen
Lancaster University Television.
----------------------------
My advice on when to rub on after shave is don't. Why cause the skin
extra trauma. If you must cauterise or disinfect your wounds try a
smear of Savlon and become a relatively scent free zone.
I was interested by Andrew Errington's recommendation for using
shaving oil, especially after a shower. I find it is excellent in the
shower. In normal circumstances however, I find I don't get anywhere
near as good a shave as with shaving soap. Basically the oil acts as a
thin layer which supports a film of water. The more water - the better
the shave - so in the shower you get a pretty easy time and it saves
having to dry and set to on your bristles separately.
Of course you don't need to use Somerset's expensive oil - as an
experiment I have tried a couple of other things - sun-tan and
after-sun lotions work well but cooking oil is a bit greasy as it
doesn't spread so thinly, but nevertheless you can still get a
reasonable shave.
Colin Peacock
-----------------------
Following the recommendation for Somersets shaving oil in the last
Inkytext, I had a look for shaving oils in Sainsbury's last night - and
was intrigued to find one with a URL on the side of the packaging !
Anyway, if you go to http://www.shave.com/kingofshaves/ you can request
a free sample of their product. (It also says you can download Will
Carling, but I think I'll leave that for another day !?!).
Bernie Hunt (Engineering)
----------------------------
Well now, what a lot of interesting information from the External
Relations Officer. Thank you Dick Collins! My point seems not to have
been quite taken however. It was while taking part in the very activity
of increasing the number of graduate students that I met something like
"customer" resistance. The students in question were quite happy with
their experience in Lancaster ("the product"), but they expressed
alienation at having it pushed down their throats (not by me) as
"customers".
They wanted to be treated like "students". In other words, while they
knew they were paying for being at a university, they didn't want to be
treated as if they were in a supermarket. The "customers" will be going
round campus with trolleys next! (I hope the great wooden ramp is still
in place beneath the pigeons' nests!) My serious point is that changing
all the terminology spoils the university. In the end this will destroy
the "product" itself.
So that readers do not misjudge my friendly warning and regard me as
"naive" (by which I think they mean non-neo-Thatcherite), I would like to
add that during the seventies I used to argue (then at Leeds University)
that all the humanities and social sciences provide a common product in the
form of certain transmittable skills which are economically essential for
the well-functioning of a modern society. The continuous development of
these skills naturally has a cost. This was an argument for demanding that
academics be rewarded with the pay appropriate for providing the service of
transmitting these skills.
People thought this was provocative. They still thought the individual
subjects were more important in themselves! (I think Lord Boyle, the
sometime Con. Minister of Education and then VC of Leeds, approved of
my argument.) Now people have gone too far the other way and muddle up
the main outlines of the product with the facilities needed for its
production (i.e. libraries with books in, telephones, discos,
cafeterias, counselling services, academic staff, etc.). It is to be
hoped that Lancaster University can still save itself from disappearing
out of sight down this road of short-sighted and sometimes aggressive
commercialisation.
Michael Pye
[NOTE: I'd go much further and say that surrendering to someone else's
terminology and use of language, especially of metaphoric language,
more or less obliges you to view and structure the world their way. The
'manufacturing and retailing' model has become omnipresent even in
theorizing about education, health care, and God help us, religion. It
horrifies me to see how readily everyone talks of products and
'delivering' them. Bonaparte's comment on shopkeepers may have had some
justification. Expect another episode in our Management Course on the
subject. (Ed.)
--------------------------
MORE EXCITEMENT NEXT WEEK