The River rounds up a few stories in the news this week, including what the new budget means for KU students.
Student’s bus stop seating solution
Third-year product and furniture design student Dan Jackson created a portable wooden seat that clips onto fences as a ‘spontaneous response to the elderly ladies sitting on the fence outside his home while waiting for the bus.
He said: “They were sitting on the fence so I thought the seat would be more comfortable than the fence, obviously that needs to make more sense.”
The seat, also known as the bush bench, was removed from the bus stop outside Falconary Court after three days of it being used by residents in the area.
Mr Jackson said: “The Council could have removed it because it may have been violating health and safety, if it had broken with a person on it then who takes the blame? It wasn’t stolen as it was in a public place without permission.”
New budget means a cheaper pint
Beer prices will drop by 1p, with tax on pints being cut by 1p by Chancellor George Osborne.
The Chancellor cancelled planned duty rises on beer, but all other booze will get more expensive in pubs and supermarkets.
A bottle of wine, a pre-drinking favourite, will cost around 15p more from this Sunday.
Earlier this month, the Government U-turned on their plans to put a minimum price on alcohol, despite claims that a 45p a unit rate would stop 700 alcohol-related deaths a year and cut crime.
The plans would have put a stop to supermarkets selling cut-price booze, making a cheap bottle of wine cost at least £4.20.
Survey reveals KU students blame work load for stress
Two-thirds of KU students use alcohol and cigarettes to de-stress during hectic exam periods, a River survey has shown.
Although work load was voted the most hectic part of university, just one in four students asked said they would study to relieve the stress.
Harsh Shah, 22, a third-year actuarial mathematics and statistics student, said: “I know a lot of people who smoke and drink in stressful situations because it helps them to relax.”
But Mr Shah chose a healthier approach and joined the 33 per cent of students who used exercise as a way of clearing their mind.
“If I didn’t go to the gym, kick boxing and salsa I probably wouldn’t be sane,” he said.
Nearly one in five students said that their stress had triggered anxiety and almost half said depression and insomnia. More than 80 per cent said their happiness has been seriously affected.
Shaunelle Harrydass-Clark
Emma Farr
Balsam Maki