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The deadline for claiming allowances that support the poorest students has been extended due to continuing delays. The new deadline of the end of October came as the Learning and Skills Council confirmed the claims backlog had worsened over the past month. It said it was now falling but that 155,000 education maintenance allowance applications still needed processing. It has also emerged that the head of the private firm running the scheme has left his post in a restructuring.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 29 September 2008, 17:59 GMT

Two men have been charged with offences of violence relating to the public disorder incident which led to the tragic death of foreign language student Mohammed Al-Majed. Paul Rockett, 20, of Ham Lane, Burwash, has been charged with committing a racially aggravated common assault against one of a group of males outside USA Fried Chicken and Kebab on August 22. He has been given conditional bail to attend Hastings Magistrates Court on October 15. Alexander Quinn, 18, of Mountbatten Road, Hastings, has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to a foreign national - a friend of Mohammed's who suffered a wound to the back of his head
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 29 September 2008, 18:02 GMT

A girl of 18 was celebrating a £7million lottery win last night - just weeks after taking her A-levels. The student from Kendal, Cumbria, will be unveiled at a press conference today as one of the four Britons who matched five numbers and one Lucky Star in Friday's £100m Euro Millions rollover. She has already vowed to continue with her university ambitions despite her incredible £7,055,142.10 prize, said Camelot yesterday. But as she and her ecstatic mum prepared for the cheque ceremony in the Lake District town, she also pledged not to emulate Cumbria's other Lottowinning teenager. Foster girl Callie Rogers, then just 16, won £1,875,000 in June 2003 - and found it hard to cope with her fortune.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 September 2008, 9:32 GMT

An Urban Studies and Planning student from the University of Sheffield has been announced winner of the Association of Women in Property National Student Award 2008. Marie Reaveley received the accolade at the 'Best of Best' Awards dinner, held at Claridge's in London. In addition to a crystal trophy, Marie wins £1,000 plus other benefits which were part of the prize package for all nine regional finalists, including £500 each, access to Women in Property's mentoring scheme, membership of the 1,600 strong Association and support in seeking a work placement.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 September 2008, 9:38 GMT

AN award-winning Glasgow student union is bucking the trend for dwindling sales at university bars across Scotland. While unions are pulling in less students than ever, the University of Strathclyde say this year's Freshers' Week has been their best yet. Strathclyde say sales have doubled compared to last year despite tough competition from large pub chains and cheap alcohol in supermarkets. The Union, on John Street - which has been hailed for promoting responsible drinking - said their success was down to the range of entertainment they provide and reputation as one of the city's top student venues.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 September 2008, 9:40 GMT

A German man was arrested on suspicion of the murder of a British student after an online dispute, police believe. David Heiss, 21, was arrested in Hunfelden, near Frankfurt, Germany following the death of student Matthew Pyke, who was killed in his flat in Nottingham. Police believe Heiss travelled to England to stab Mr Pyke, 20, after the pair fell out on an online forum for the Nintendo game Advance Wars - then fled back to Germany. Matthew's bloodstained body was found by his girlfriend Joanna Witton 10 days ago at their flat in Nottingham. The couple met Heiss online through a website they ran devoted to fans of Advance Wars, a series of chess-like computer strategy games.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 September 2008, 9:42 GMT

The 20-year-old woman was walking around lost for about an hour before asking two men for directions. Offering to help her find back home, the two walked around with her for another hour, when they led her into a park, grabbed her, stripped her naked and raped her. After the men had gone, the woman got dressed and left the park which was believed to be in the Platt Field Park area. She hailed a taxi from a nearby street and was dropped off in front of the Queen of Hearts pub. “This was a brutal attack that has left this young woman traumatised,” said Detective Inspector Pete Marsh from Longsight CID. “The men who attacked her took advantage of her when she was in a vulnerable situation.” The offenders were described as Asian, 5ft 5in tall, medium build and in their late 20s. They had told the victim they were Iraqi Kurds.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 September 2008, 9:44 GMT

When University of London students elected Kamran Ansari as their representative, they voted for Halal and Kosher catering, the creation of more work experience opportunities, and a leader who promised to coordinate the fight against rising top-up fees. Omitted from this glossy manifesto was the small matter that Ansari had already accepted an internship at an investment bank, and could not work the first portion of his term. The election race saw Ansari clinch the £21,000 a year job in the third stage of transferable votes, defeating Laura Purll and Bolanle Owode-Oyelaja. The term was due to begin in mid-July, but Ansari did not start work until September 1. Student leaders are angry that voters were not told of the planned stint at Barclays Capital. LSE General Secretary Aled Dilwyn Fisher said it was unfair to voters and other candidates not to declare his plans. “The fact that he did not suggests a lack of seriousness about the job and a lack of respect for the students he will soon represent,” said Fisher.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 September 2008, 9:52 GMT

KCLSU President Chris Mullan has been cleared by the NUS of making racist comments following an investigation into what he said at an NUS training event. But the union’s board of trustees have voted to suspend him pending the outcome of an internal investigation. In a statement on September 10th, KCLSU Board of Trustees said: “KCLSU’s Board of Trustees met on Tuesday 9 September to consider allegations relating to comments made by the student union President, Chris Mullan, at a recent NUS training event. “On the basis of the information provided the Trustees have decided to suspend Chris Mullan on full pay under KCLSU’s employment procedures pending a full inquiry.” Asked why an investigation was necessary after the NUS cleared Mullan, KCLSU said: “The statement released by the NUS implies that there is an appeals process which we cannot prejudice.” Mullan is a controversial figure, known for speaking his mind.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 September 2008, 9:54 GMT

The Credit Crunch could pose an accommodation crisis for university students in London with the housing market squeeze forcing record numbers of people to rent flats at spiralling costs. The recent economic turmoil has caused banks to cut mortgage lending, forcing would-be house buyers to compete with students for flats to rent, driving up costs as a result. Tim Hassell, Letting Operation Director at leading London estate agent Foxtons, explained: “If people are not buying they rent. This results in a slight increase in supply but enormous increase in demand. “There is an immediate trend of people who are waiting for borrowing to become easier and are renting for the next year or two. Many of these tenants are cash rich having just sold their own property. This means that competition for good quality rental properties is hotter than ever.” Chloe Yifen Reed, 23, a second year undergraduate studying French at Queen Mary has a relatively high budget of £600 for her monthly rent but is still struggling to find suitable accommodation. She said: “I’m finding it pretty difficult simply due to the sheer expense of the flats and studios.”
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 September 2008, 9:55 GMT

Students applying to Oxford will now have their postcode taken into account as admissions tutors consider which applicants to interview. A University spokesperson said that the move was not about "massaging our figures" but "finding the brightest students with the greatest potential to succeed at Oxford." She insisted that academic excellence would not be compromised.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 September 2008, 9:58 GMT

Middle-class parents should be prepared to spend more on their children's university education, according to the chancellor of Oxford University, Lord Patten, who yesterday urged the government to remove the "intolerably low" £3,140 cap on student fees. The removal of the cap would pave the way for mortgage-style graduate debts of £50,000 or more for some courses at the top universities, in a move which Patten acknowledged would be deeply controversial with families and politically difficult for any government. He accused the government of infringing universities' independence and treating them like "social security offices" instead of academic institutions in a drive to improve education and social mobility.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 October 2008, 11:22 GMT

DETECTIVES investigating the death of a 21-year-old woman who collapsed on a Hull club dance floor are making inquiries into whether she had her drink spiked. Chloe Leach, 21, died in hospital after collapsing at the Sugar Mill, on Prince's Dock Street, Hull city centre, during the early hours of yesterday morning. Her death came hours after a DJ playing at the club was admitted to hospital, claiming his drink had been laced with a drug.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 October 2008, 11:25 GMT

A row has broken out at the University of Manchester after its student union lavatories were stripped of their genders so as not to offend transgendered people. The ladies' lavatory is now simply labelled "toilet" while the mens' has become "toilets with urinals". The student union decided to change the signs during a meeting of its executive in the summer following a number of complaints from transgender students. Women's officer Jennie Killip refused to say how many people had complained, and there are no figures for how many transgender people there are among the university's 35,000 population. She said: "If you were born female, still presently quite feminine, but defined as a man you should be able to go into the men's toilets.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 October 2008, 11:30 GMT

Michael Clarkson was in charge of 29 pupils from one of the largest public schools in the country during a tennis trip to Portugal. Following the incident, Clarkson, who is in his 30's, was sacked from his job at The Shrewsbury School, which was attended by Charles Darwin and famous Radio One DJ John Peel. Yesterday he was banned from teaching for four years. A General Teaching Council hearing heard how Clarkson organised the trip, in April 2006, and was the senior teacher among five other members of staff. He failed to impose curfews on the pupils and allowed them to drink alcohol and stay out at a nightclub until after 4.30am. On the final night of the trip, Clarkson allowed a 17-year-old male pupil use his hotel room to have sex with a girl he had met in the nightclub. The pupil used Clarkson's room to have sex with the girl and then returned to the nightclub around 4.30 am.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 October 2008, 20:35 GMT

For the first time, all students arriving to begin their university lives will have access to a local neighbourhood policing team that covers their campus and halls of residences from day one. Visiting Cardiff today, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith met police working with students to clamp down on campus crime. Freshers across England and Wales starting their degrees this month will benefit from increased support from police officers, Police Community Support Officers and volunteer Special Constables following the roll out of neighbourhood policing teams to every community. The Home Secretary today showcased the successful work of neighbourhood policing teams at Cardiff University, where student crime has been slashed by 60% in recent years.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 October 2008, 20:39 GMT

The University of Gloucestershire has launched an official investigation into the making of a film which shows a student dressed as a Nazi presiding over a humiliating sports club initiation ceremony. The university has confirmed it is are trying to trace the people in the footage which shows a group of students being paraded around with carrier bags on their heads, partially covering their faces. A student in a Nazi officer uniform walks up and down the line while some of the group, who are drinking, are being sick. The group is then marched around the streets in file, holding on to one another. The footage, which has no sound, lasts one minute and five seconds and the subjects are seemingly unaware they are being filmed.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 2 October 2008, 9:32 GMT

A ROTHERHAM catering student who wowed TV chef Jamie Oliver with his culinary skills has landed a job at one of the celebrity chef's restaurants in London. Michael Poulton, aged 18, from Maltby, was among students from Rotherham College of Art and Technology who got involved with the filming of the Naked Chef's latest TV show Ministry of Food. Now he has landed a job as a commis chef at Jamie's Fifteen restaurant. The programme, currently being screened on Channel Four, was devised after Jamie hit out at rebellious Rotherham mums when they sold crisps, burgers and chocolate to youngsters through the railings at Rawmarsh School.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 2 October 2008, 9:35 GMT

Police hunting the killers of two murdered Chinese students have released a new picture of a man they wish to question. The e-fit impression is of a man seen standing outside the flat where Newcastle University graduates Xi Zhou and Zhen Xing Yang were found hacked to death. Their bodies were found shortly after 4.30pm on August 9, after officers from Northumbria Police were called to a ground-floor flat at 8 Croydon Road, Newcastle. Detectives believe Mr Zhen, 25, was tortured for up to an hour before he was hacked and stabbed to death by his killers, who then turned on Wagamama noodle bar waitress Miss Xi, also 25. The couple's cat was drowned by their killers. The last known sighting of either of the victims alive was a CCTV image showing Miss Xi arriving home from work on August 7 at around 4pm. Following appeals for information, a witness came forward and told police that she saw three people standing at the front gate to 8 Croydon Road at 5pm on August 7. She described one of the people in detail and an artist's impression of the man was released on the BBC's Crimewatch programme on September 11. Following that broadcast a new witness came forward.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 2 October 2008, 12:14 GMT

A WINCHESTER student is so convinced his dream girl is not just a figment of his imagination, that he has set out on a bizarre quest to find her. Adam Pacitti says he dreamt about her and when he woke up in the middle of the night, he quickly grabbed a pencil and paper to sketch her image so he wouldn’t forget her. He is now determined to find if the woman exists, saying he is knocked out by how attractive she is. He says he is keen to produce a more hi-tech photo-fit of his Miss Right, to help in his mission. Mr Pacitti spent much of this summer on the Isle of Wight, where he grew up, but said he did not find her there. The 20-year-old, who now lives in Ebden Road, Winnall, and studies English at the University of Winchester, is hoping for better luck on the mainland.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 2 October 2008, 12:17 GMT

Two men seriously sexually assaulted a 19-year-old Royal Holloway student in Prune Hill, Englefield Green, on Saturday evening. The teenager, who fought off her attackers and managed to flee to safety, is the third sexual assault on a lone female in the Englefield Green area in the past three years. The victim had got off a train at Egham station shortly after 10pm on September 27, where she was approached by two men who tried to engage her in conversation, but she ignored them, walking down Rushman Park Avenue. She then continued down either Braywood Avenue or Daleham Avenue before turning right into Whitehall Lane. When she reached Prune Hill, she saw the two men again, where they pushed her to the floor, then physically and sexually assaulted her. The victim fought back and managed to break free and ran off in the direction of the A30. Police are appealing for any witnesses in an attempt to prevent further attacks.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 2 October 2008, 12:43 GMT

A DRUG-USER who scarred a music student for life after stabbing her with a pair of scissors in the centre of Edinburgh has been jailed for 25 months. Linda MacFarlane, a 24-year-old student, was stabbed in the thigh as she tried to cross the road outside the St James Shopping Centre. Her attacker, Kimberley Finnigan, had drunk a litre of cider and was high on drugs, and later claimed not to remember carrying out the assault. At Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday, Finnigan, 27, was jailed "to protect the public" and told to get help for her problems.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 2 October 2008, 17:47 GMT

Parents help more than half of students pay their way through university, a survey today has found. Parents are helping 53% of students at university with the cost of their university fees, accommodation and living costs, according to research for Halifax. Grandparents are helping 5% of students out with their costs. A survey of 60,000 university students conducted on behalf of Halifax found that the largest proportion of student funding came from their families. Students in their third year of study were more likely to receive funding from their parents, with just over three-fifths (61%) of them receiving help compared with only half (50%) in the first year. Students were least likely to receive parental aid in their second year with less than half (48%) indicating they had support.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 3 October 2008, 8:43 GMT

Freshers at the University of Hull are being taught how to stave off starvation today by Nora Sands, the straight-talking dinner lady from Jamie's School Dinners. Freshers' week is a time for making new friends and partying, but for most new students it also means moving away and learning to live without home cooking. Sands, who is originally from County Kilkenny in Ireland, shot to fame as Jamie Oliver's right-hand woman on the TV series, which focused on her school in London. Oliver and Sands bonded over a mutual hatred of Turkey Twizzlers and since the series she has never served a single chip. But she will be teaching students how to cook burgers in today's demonstration.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 3 October 2008, 8:48 GMT

Ministers embraced the recommendations of a think-tank of educational experts and business leaders, set up by Gordon Brown soon after he became Prime Minister. It aims to widen access to universities and boost aspirations among children who would not normally progress to higher education. Proposals by the National Council for Educational Excellence include taking primary schoolchildren to university campuses to raise their ambitions and inspire them to think about careers. As well as the Prime Minister, the council includes university vice-chancellors, the chief executives of Tesco and Rolls-Royce, the Director-General of the CBI and head teachers.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 3 October 2008, 8:51 GMT

Financial help from parents tides 53 percent of students over during their university life, Halifax has found. The new research shows that the "bank of mum and dad" is the biggest single source of student funding in the UK. Government financial support, by contrast, was only received by 49 percent. Elsewhere, paid employment (48 percent), borrowing money (41 percent) and dipping into savings (36 percent) also proved popular among students. When Halifax took the same survey last year, having a job was found to be the single most popular means of financial support.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 3 October 2008, 11:21 GMT

The prospect of deep debt and a struggle to find work is forcing many young people to question whether going to university is worthwhile. Nick Watson-Jones hoped he would walk into his ideal job after graduating from Sheffield with a degree in mechanical engineering. "I thought having completed three years of university in what I thought was quite a good degree, I'd be able to come into the world of work and find my dream job," he said. "But I haven't been able to as yet." Instead he is temping with little prospect of a better job as the escalating economic crisis puts further pressure on employment. Nick is not alone. A survey by the recruitment website reed.co.uk found more than half of recent graduates are concerned about finding work in the current climate.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 4 October 2008, 9:44 GMT

Buying close to a university campus is a sound investment option if you do your homework, says Cherry Maslen As this university year gets under way, parents will be fretting over their offspring's accommodation as never before. During the property boom, the canny option was to buy your children a flat or a house while at college, renting out extra bedrooms to cover the mortgage. In a rising market, it made good sense. Now that prices are falling, however, many parents are thinking twice.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 4 October 2008, 9:46 GMT

A student appeared in court yesterday accused of attacking an alleged burglar. Andre Mergulhao was arrested after a 56-year-old man was seriously injured and left lying in a pool of blood at the scene of a break-in. Nicholas Edwards was found on Wednesday afternoon with serious head injuries outside a house in Bournemouth. He was taken to Southampton General Hospital in a critical condition and doctors say he is 'stable and improving'. Mergulhao, an English language student from Brazil, has been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent which carries a maximum term of life imprisonment. Dressed in a grey and white Tshirt and jeans, Mergulhao spoke only to confirm his name and address. The 22-year-old student, who lives in the house in Derby Road where the attack took place, was released on bail at Bournemouth Magistrates' Court to appear at Bournemouth Crown Court in December.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 4 October 2008, 9:48 GMT

A BRIGHT young student died from a heroin overdose that police believe her drug addict boyfriend helped inject. Kerry Melissa Andrews, 19, known as Melissa, had become addicted herself after meeting Miguel Coelho, Bournemouth Coroners Court heard. She was found foaming at the mouth in her flat in Seabourne Road, Southbourne, on September 26 last year, and died on October 11 of brain damage. Deputy corner Jonathan Morrissey recorded a verdict of death due to the abuse of drugs. Portuguese national Mr Coelho, then aged 27, was arrested on suspicion of administering a noxious substance but claimed she drank some of his methadone without his knowledge. However no methadone was found in her body and her family said she hated needles and could not inject herself.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 4 October 2008, 9:50 GMT

A MUGGER held a knife against a student’s throat as he robbed three men in an alleyway in Southampton. The 21-year-old and two friends were walking down Gypsy Grove, behind Atherley Bingo Hall in Shirley, when he was pushed up against a wall by a man who demanded they hand over their valuables. The robber produced a dagger style knife with a blade of around eight inches and held it against the student’s throat until he and his friends handed over a small amount of cash, some cigarettes and their mobile phones. The robber is described as white, about 6ft 1in, of slim build and with a local accent. He also had a prominent bump at the top of his nose.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 4 October 2008, 15:22 GMT

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