Catherine Meyer-Funnell

Giving you the insight into matters directly related to student life is the Pi Comment column, Spotlight: UCL, Universities and Young People, where our team of columnists the tackle issues affecting students today. With the government increasingly focusing on the importance of STEM subjects, Cathy Meyer-Funnell argues the case for the importance of Arts and Humanities in today’s increasingly technological world.  As students at one of the world’s most prestigious universities, most of us would hope that a degree from UCL would guarantee us relatively good job prospects once we graduate. Yet for many of us a spectre remains hanging over our academic success, something that prevents us from being able to step into the world of work with total confidence – was all the work actually worth it? As a humanities student, the recent government and industry emphasis on the importance of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, maths) has left me feeling ...

Giving you the insight into matters directly related to student life is the Pi Comment column, Spotlight: UCL, Universities and Young People, where our team of columnists the tackle issues affecting students today. As Veganuary draws to a  close, Cathy Meyer-Funnel discusses the tactics used by proponents of veganism to promote a vegan lifestyle. When going to buy food in one of the uni cafes, the choice appears relatively varied – sandwiches, pasta, salads, curries – something to cater to almost every taste or dietary requirement. One trend that is now starting to break through is the growing enthusiasm for veganism, gradually filtering through our Instagram feeds and into our local high street. Even the infamous processed meat haven of Greggs has brought out a vegan sausage roll that has proved so popular it has sold out practically everywhere. At UCL, while our  Vegetarian and Vegan Society  laments the lack of substantial choice for vegans on campus, it has a ...

The UCL Students’ Union has taken a side in the national debate. Cathy Meyer-Funnell reports on the implications.  The UCL Students’ Union has announced that it will actively support a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal, following a resolution passed at the All Student Meeting on the 15th November. An overwhelming majority were in favour of the decision, with 1026 votes in favour compared to just 123 against and 161 abstentions. The Union has already taken the step of writing to Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer – who, incidentally, is the MP for the constituency of which UCL occupies a large proportion – calling for his support of the Union’s People’s Vote campaign. As the Union is a regulated charity, it believes that nullifying the possible negative consequences of Brexit falls within its charitable objectives. As such, it has a duty to try and prevent a potentially life-changing policy, particularly for the 28% of the UCL student body that live in EU countries o...

iving you the insight into matters directly related to student life is the Pi Comment column, Spotlight: UCL, Universities and Young People, where our team of columnists tackle the issues affecting students today. The disaffiliation of UCL Men’s Rugby from Students’ Union UCL brings up wider questions surrounding the culture of sports teams at universities, and whether such a culture should still be tolerated. Unless you’ve been living under a rock during the past few weeks you will no doubt be aware that the UCL Men’s Rugby Team have recently been  disaffiliated from Students’ Union UCL , after attempting to hold a banned initiation involving the signing of non-disclosure agreements by freshers. The SU received a subsequent complaint and ,  although the exact nature of this complaint is still unknown, it was enough for the club to be banned from training on university pitches and competing in BUCS leagues – as well as having their funding withdrawn – for the next year...

Giving you the insight into matters directly related to student life is the Pi Comment column, Spotlight: UCL, Universities and Young People, where our team of columnists tackle the issues affecting students today. With many students taking full advantage of opportunities to go on gap years, or volunteering opportunities abroad, Cathy Meyer-Funnel argues that their good-willed intentions may not necessarily translate into positive outcomes for those living in their destination country.  Nowadays it seems travelling to far and exotic destinations has become part of the rite of passage into adulthood. Whether it be your standard ‘gap yah’ backpacking around Asia or South America, or interrailing around Europe for those on a slightly smaller budget, no CV or Instagram account would be complete without details of your incredible ‘life-changing’ exploits that ‘opened your eyes’ to a different way of life. (At this point I feel I should point out I am in no way bei...

Hundreds of scholars and students alike attended the conference, which focused on the need to “adapt” to climate change rather than prevent it. On Friday 16 th  November a packed Jeffery Hall gave host to UCL Climate Action Society’s flagship event, the Sustainability Symposium. The conference brought together speakers from a variety of fields, all with the shared aim of raising awareness of an impending climate catastrophe and discussing how to reduce the most harmful human impacts around the globe. President of the Climate Action Society, Aliza Ayaz, began proceedings addressing the need for an “intellectual approach”, in order to avoid the “frenzy” that has become associated with action on climate change. Her opening speech outlined how climate change affects both developed and developing countries, yet can be especially damaging to poor and vulnerable communities. She stated that “there can be no lasting peace without climate action,” and emphasised the need to focus effor...

Giving you the insight into matters directly related to student life is the Pi Comment column, Spotlight: UCL, Universities and Young People, where our team of columnists tackle the issues affecting students today. Cathy Meyer-Funnel makes the case for freedom of choice in the face of overbearing drug use measures in universities. Drug use on university campuses is, for many students, an accepted part of their experience, whether they are users or not. It has never been legal, yet particularly in large cities such as London it is hard to know how preventative measures would really be effective. Presumably this is why universities such as Manchester, Newcastle and Sussex have decided to take an alternative approach by offering drug testing kits to their students, enabling them to test the toxicity of their illegal substances and thereby make a more informed decision about what exactly they are putting in their bodies. According to NUS vice-president for welfare Eva Crossan Jory, “M...

Over two thirds of UCU members in universities vote in favour of continuation of strike action. 69% of University and College Union members at UK universities have voted for further strikes following a ballot concerning action over pay cuts. The decision comes after weeks of disruption in February and March which saw thousands of lecturers striking over pension disputes. However, due to stricter trade union laws, only British institutions with a turnout of 50% or higher can act on the results of their ballots. As a consequence, only ten universities and four further education colleges have met the requirements that allow them to take action. UCL, with a voter turnout of 42%, does not qualify despite a 76% vote in favour of striking and an 88% vote for action short of a strike. Despite negotiations in May, the UCU has said that the offer made by the Universities and Colleges’ Employers Association does not address the 21% fall in the value of higher education pay since 2009. UCU ...

Giving you the insight into matters directly related to student life is the Pi Comment column, Spotlight: UCL, Universities and Young People, where our team of columnists tackle the issues affecting students today. Cathy Meyer-Funnel digs into the dynamics between social media, the communication generation, and the awareness surrounding mental health. University is without doubt one of the biggest upheavals you will go through in your life – moving to a new area, making new friends and putting yourself under new levels of academic pressure as well as numerous other matters. Little wonder then, that university students are in the midst of a ‘mental health epidemic’; the  BBC  recently reported that those seeking mental health support while studying has increased by over 50% in five years. It certainly paints a grim picture but it may not be as straightforward, or indeed as disheartening, as it seems. Have people really become more mentally unwell or have we in fact be...

Education secretary Damian Hinds has called for action to tackle the lack of white disadvantaged British boys entering university, after research conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that they are the least likely of any ethnic group to pursue a university degree. While the overall figures for students attending university in the UK has risen, fewer white people are being accepted. Since 2013, the number of white students has decreased by over 34,000, whilst the intake of black and Asian students has gone up by 11% and 12% respectively, with an 18% increase for those from mixed or other ethnicities. In light of these figures, experts have called for more of a public debate around “culture and ambition in white working-class families”. Hinds has also launched Operation North East, injecting £24m into the area with the aim of helping those from disadvantaged communities and identifying the problems that stop them reaching their full potential. Announcing the scheme ...

Exams are over, final summatives handed in, and so begins  Durham ’s infamous three-week party period. Without the pressures of academic life, students are free to indulge in as many drinking-related activities as possible – something that has previously earned us a rather unfavourable reputation, especially for those who can recall the whole miners social debacle. But if we’re being honest, isn’t a bit of fun just what we need right now? It’s little wonder that, given the chance, we like to let out hair down The vast majority of our time as students is spent studying, revising, preparing for exams; yet at the same time we are told that these are the best days of our lives and that we should be making the most of our freedom before clambering aboard the incessant treadmill of working life that will run until we’re 70. Therefore, it is little wonder that, given the chance, we like to let our hair down a little. Let’s not forget that  Durham  remains one of the most ...

Our generation, we are constantly told, are snowflakes. We supposedly live a life of privilege and entitlement, flinching at the thought of any slight inconvenience interrupting our perfect lives. We are the generation of smartphones, political correctness, and Deliveroo. How bad could the world ever be for us? What could we possibly want for that isn’t already available to us at the swipe of a finger? But if we start living on handouts in this way, how can we learn how to be independent and adapt to new situations? Well, somewhere to live might be a good start. The think tank Resolution Foundation recently proposed a scheme in which Millennials (those born between 1981-2000) would receive a ‘citizen’s inheritance’ of £10,000 upon turning 25. This money is intended to bridge generational inequality, allowing young people to put it towards buying a house, starting a business, or paying off those pesky student loans. It may also lessen feelings of resentment towards the baby boome...

As I put pen to paper, I am juggling summatives, revision, and filling my C.V. with enough shiny extracurricular activities that might persuade someone, someday, to give me a job. I can practically feel my brain whirring with thoughts every second of every day, and my skin, sleep pattern and sanity have all been affected in various ways. Stress is of course something we expect to face at some point during our university careers – I would be concerned, even disturbed, if a fellow student had managed to remain perpetually chilled through the duration of their degree. While stress may be normal, however, surely it cannot be healthy for young people to study under such intense conditions? Is academic success worth the academic stress? This question appears especially important when we consider the extent of mental health problems observed amongst students, many of which emanate from stress and the pressure to succeed academically. According to YouGov, 63% of students claim that thei...