PLUTO | FRIDAY 2 DECEMBER 2011


5 News News in brief Fall in uni applications


Lecturer wins international award


FRANÇOIS NEL, Director of the Journalism Leaders Programme at UCLan has been named one of three winners in the International Press Institute’s News Innovation Contest 2011. Beating 300 other projects, Nel’s three-phase project will permit up to 60 news entrepreneurs in the UK and Turkey training in data-driven journal- ism, online community engagement and digitial business development


Creative industry professionals spend time at UCLan


NATIONAL and leading British crea- tive industries organisation D&AD (Design and Art Direction) held a D&AD Education day within UCLan campus to both advise and inspire students on breaking into the design industry. The event attracted students from


the university’s School of Art, Design and Performance and other North West based universities and colleges. A guest lecture from Jack Renwick,


Creative Director of The Partners and individual portfolio advice featured throughout the day.


VAT fraud raids in Preston and Blackburn


FOUR people have been arrested in Preston during a string of early morn- ing raids this Wednesday gone. Offi cers from HM Revenue and Customs swooped on Preston and Blackburn premises as part of a probe into a suspected European-wide ‘miss- ing trader’ VAT fraud involving mo- bile phones and electronic devices. Four arrests were made in Preston.


The investigation is currently ongoing and is a enquiry into an alleged import and export VAT fraud with suspected links across the UK, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Hol- land.


Preston Cannabis farm discovered


MORE THAN 180 Cannabis plants, with an estimated value of £72,800 have been exposed inside a Preston fl at situated just 500 metres away from the City’s main police station. Offi cers raided the home in Marga-


ret Street, Preston after receiving tip- offs from members of the community. No one was inside the fl at when of-


fi cers raided it and as of yet no arrests have been made. The investigation continues to pro


gress. Admissions: It remains unclear how many students will have to go through clearing to get into their fi rst choice universities this year


don’t think there will be an awful lot of change. “Many students that may’ve been plan-


Chloe Vinden News Editor


APPLICATIONS for universities have dropped by 13 per cent com-


pared to last year. UCLan’s own application number, via


University and College Admissions Serv- ice (UCAS), is down by 11.33 per cent on last year. However, the number is still up by


29.61 per cent compared to those who enrolled in 2010. Education offi cer for UCLan’s Student Union, Becca Vafeas said: “Personally, I


ning on taking a year out would have ap- plied for entry this year to avoid the fees, which may have something to do with the drop since last year’s applications. “The university (UCLan) is growing


each year, which will explain the rise in applications since the 2010 entry. I think the fact that there is an increase on 2010 entry shows that, despite the fees, stu- dents do still want to study and haven’t been put off, which is obviously a great sign for UCLan.” The National Union of Students


(NUS) has responded to UCAS admis- sion that university application fi gures have dropped that it’s too early to draw any conclusions about the level of ap- plications.


Liam Burns, NUS President said: “Ministers need to take responsibility for their disastrous education reforms and admit that regardless of the fi nal applica- tion numbers, the behaviour of prospec- tive students will be affected by the huge rise in fees. “The signifi cant reduction in applica-


tions from mature students continues to be very concerning and Government needs to respond quickly to ensure older learners are not put off for good.” “Ministers must stop tinkering around


the edges of their shambolic reforms, listen to students, teachers and universi- ties and completely overhaul their white paper before temporary chaos turns into permanent damage to our education sys- tem.”


UCAS has announced that almost 25,000 fewer people have applied to uni-


versities compared to this time last year. Sally Hunt, general secretary of the


University and College Union (UCU) remarked: “The rise in tuition fees to as much as £9,000 has helped cause a 13 per cent drop in applications to university. “Today’s preliminary fi gures are very


worrying. We believe putting fi nancial barriers in front of young people who have been told their entire lives to aim for university is nothing more than a policy of penalising ambition.” “We are still waiting for some universi-


ties to readjust the cost of their degrees, which adds even more confusion to the situation. Students should be looking to study the courses most suited to their tal- ents, not searching for something in their price range, and universities should not be forced into cutting prices to try and fi ll places.”


Vivisection details to be released rules tribunal Tom Freeman


UNIVERSITIES are being forced to reveal details on controver- sial research after a tribunal rul- ing has made it harder for them to deny requests made under the


Freedom of Information Act. This follows a three-year battle be-


tween the British Union for the Aboli- tion of Vivisection (BUAV) and Newcas- tle University. The Information Tribunal went in fa-


vour of BUAV who have been trying to get details of Home Offi ce licences to conduct experiments on primates. BUAV says that the research leader


had been denied by German authorities to carry out invasive brain techniques in- volving restraining a primate and limiting water supply. BUAV say the outcome of these


trials has resulted in no human benefi t. Newcastle


University


defended withholding in- formation saying that to reveal details could en- danger the safety of sci- entists and harm its com- mercial interest. However, the tribunal concluded that due to the de- cline in animal rights violence it is unlikely scientists will become tar- gets for animal rights extremists.


It said: "Refusal to communicate with the public carries its own risks creating the


hide."


impression that there is something to Chief executive of BUAV, Michelle


Thew, was pleased with the outcome. She said: "These are controversial and inva- sive experiments carried out on monkeys at a public institution. “The public has a right to know what


is happening to these poor animals and why."


A spokesperson for Newcastle University said: "The university carries out a small amount of scientifi c work on primates where no alternative for the research exists and this is fully regulated by the Home Offi ce."


Numbers fall by 13 per cent on last year’s fi gure but UCLan continues to see increase on 2010


Photo: Goodimages (Flickr)


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