News
Celebrations on campus for President Obama
While Barack Obama was sworn in as 44th president of the United States,
students packed into Top Bar at the Colchester Campus to watch this
historic ceremony.
Obama’s inauguration was watched by millions around the globe but Dr
Tom Scotto, a lecturer in the University’s Department of Government,
believes the new President may have tough times ahead of him. He said: ‘It
was amazing to see people, both in the United States and abroad, rally
behind the new American president. However, in this tumultuous climate,
even the best of leaders will find it difficult to please everyone. It
will not surprise me if support for President Obama declines as he is
forced to answer numerous domestic and foreign policy questions early in
his presidency that do not have simple answers.’
Across the Atlantic, Essex student Jennifer Lang was an eye-witness as America swore in its first black president. Jennifer, who is
studying BA Politics and International Relations, was in the centre of
Washington to see Barack Obama take office and the celebrations which
followed. She said: ‘At the moment Obama was sworn in, everything went
silent and it was a pretty intense atmosphere.’
Jennifer believes Obama’s inauguration has bought a renewed sense of
hope and optimism amongst Americans, despite the ongoing economic crisis.
She is currently on an internship with a political lobbying firm in
Washington and added: ‘People are hoping international perceptions of
America will be changed now Obama is president and the neo-conservatives
are out. It is very exciting here at the moment with the Stimulus package
going through the House and Senate. I’ve sat in on a few hearings, with
the rest of the interns squashed up at the back!’
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Library receives Question Time library
Television presenter and journalist David Dimbleby has donated his
extensive, personal collection of BBC Question Time recordings to the
Albert Sloman Library.
The archive includes 344 videotapes covering programmes chaired by
David Dimbleby - who received an Honorary Degree from the University in
2005 - between 1994 and 2005. Panellists featured on the shows in the
archive include all the major political figures of the era, such as Tony
Blair, Gordon Brown, John Major, William Hague, Edward Heath, Paddy
Ashdown and Shirley Williams.
The tapes, which are clearly labelled, are accompanied by a
comprehensive list detailing the panellists appearing on each programme.
This list is available for viewing, by arrangement, in the Library’s
Special Collections Reading Room. The videos can also be viewed, also by
appointment.
It is hoped the archive will be of particular interest to students of
politics and contemporary society, as well as to anyone interested in the
events and current affairs of the last 15 years.
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Holocaust remembered
Staff and students across the Colchester Campus remembered those who died
in the Holocaust and other genocides in a series of events last month.
The programme of events included the Colchester and District Jewish
Community’s annual Holocaust Memorial Service which was held at the
Lakeside Theatre. Speakers included Holocaust survivor Dora Love and Czech
students who are researching the lost Jewish community of their home town,
Strakonice.
In other events, schoolchildren from across the region visited the
campus to hear talks by members of the Department of History and Professor
Ladislaus Löb speak about
surviving the Holocaust.
The Students’ Union and student societies also hosted several events
with the Labour Society inviting Richard Howitt MEP on to Campus. The MEP
for the East of England is Vice-President of the Human Rights Committee in
Europe. Before speaking about his experiences of visiting Gaza, Israel and
Palestine, he met Professor John Packer, Director of the Human Rights
Centre.
Professor Packer (far left) with James
Lee of the Labour Society (middle left) and Richard Howitt MEP (middle
right)
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Also in the printed February edition of Wyvern:
- Develop your future
- Surveying satisfaction
- Full house for credit crunch seminar
