Alumi* magazie 2015 Essex Effect Most dagerous woma i Britai Our ew Chacellor Shami Chakrabarti Whe Essex opeed its doors Meet the 1964 studets The Wall comes dow Berli 25 years o *former studets or employees; members From the Lati, alere: to ourish, proouced əˈlʌmʌɪ or uh-luhm-igh. (Noe the wiser? Well, it rhymes with plum pie. Just thik about puddig ad you ll be fie.) Mmm, pie.
2 Essex Effect Breakig the rules sice 1964 4 No-oe reads this bit, do they? Do you? OK, we just put this bit here to test a theory. Here s this year s magazie. We hope you like it. There s some ostalgia, some celebratio of what s happeig ow ad some lookig to the future. Most importatly, though, it s about you. It s the stories of some of our foudig studets, who arrived to fid a uiversity based i a old stately home ad some woode huts. Ad it s the story of two of our alumae who are ow i rather impressive ad promisig careers because they siged up for a itership or a frotruer job while they were here. It s the story of the ma who wet o a year abroad i 1989 ad maaged to be i Berli whe the Wall came dow. As we celebrate our 50th aiversary, that mometous part of Europea history celebrates its 25th. This year s magazie also gives you the chace to meet our brilliat ew Chacellor, Shami Chakrabarti. Oce derided i the press as the most dagerous woma i Britai, she ow wears that iteded isult as a badge of pride. What could be more Essex tha that? Get i touch Do you have a story? A amazig career to tell us about? Have you published a book? I previous years, we ve heard from writers, DJs, teachers, lawyers, tour guides, psychotherapists, artists, police officers, people who ve proposed to their parters i creative ew ways, evagelists, professors, CEOs... you get the picture. You re a remarkable buch, with diverse lives, ad we wat to celebrate you. So, dig aroud i your attic, garage or spare room ad have a look through your old uiversity stuff. If you ve got old fliers ad posters, photos, cartoos from studet ewspapers or just a uusual memeto, we d love to see them. u essex.ac.uk/alumi E alumi@essex.ac.uk @Ui_EssexAlumi facebook.com/essexalumi #essexalumi See the magazie olie at www.essex.ac.uk/alumi > News ad evets > Our commuicatios 47,440 read Essex Effect i prit 10,330 read it olie 14 25
Essex Effect 3 8 Cotets 4 Tell someoe today All the ews from Essex 8 The reletless optimist Our ew Chacellor the most dagerous woma i Britai 10 What a day! Our 50th aiversary celebratios ad evets to look forward to 12 Opeig doors How beig a iter or frotruer boosts Essex grads careers 16 28 14 It was mometous Oe Essex studet s advetures i Berli whe the Wall fell 16 Sherry, Vietam ad lifelog friedship Essex Effect meets some of the 1964 studets 19 Your ews Updates from aroud the world ad across the decades 25 Cocrete romace Six couples who met at Essex from 1964 to today 28 Thak you! How your support shapes the uiversity 30 My Essex Fog, aughtiess ad ickig teaspoos
4 Essex Effect Tell someoe today So, someoe asks you, what do they do at Essex, the? Well, here s a selectio of possible aswers Fitess, ot fatess The obesity time-bomb has bee exaggerated, says Gavi Sadercock i Biological Scieces. I a specially commissioed feature o the BBC website, he wrote that figures for 2010-11 suggest 9% of five- to six-year-olds are obese. That equates to 2.7 childre i each class of 30. I 1990, it was 1.5. Does a 20- year icrease of just over oe child per class seem like a epidemic? Gavi thiks our focus o obesity meas we overlook iactivity. Whe the parliametary Health Select Committee had a 2.5-hour hearig o The Role of Diet ad Physical Activity i Health, he says, despite its absece from the title, obesity was metioed 193 times i 150 miutes. We say: so, the 1969 graffiti at Essex was true: Your arse is your greatest eemy get off it. Iactivity is a better predictor of ill-health tha obesity. British Heart Foudatio research shows that oe of the 11-15-year-old girls ad oly 7% of boys they measured did eough exercise. All childre ad youg people should egage i moderate-tovigorous physical activity for at least 60 miutes a day. Aybody of ay size ca beefit from beig more active, whether they see a chage i their weight or ot. Proud All our alumi are fabulous, obviously, but Tamoor Ali, a Seior Commercial Aalyst at BP, has bee amed Stoewall s Role Model of the Year i their top 100 employers report. As co-chair of their LGBT staff etwork, he s helped to make diversity part of BP s recruitmet strategy. The compay has sposored Studet Pride ad held its ow targeted LGBT careers evet. Leadig the etwork has give me the cofidece to be a out, authetic leader, he said, ad I hope this ecourages others i the eergy idustry to make a log-term sustaiable ad meaigful differece. Stoewall has also amed Essex itself oe of the best uiversities i Britai for lesbia, gay ad bisexual studets. The Gay By Degree guide checks te measures, icludig whether the uiversity has societies ad evets for gay studets ad what steps they take to support gay staff. We were oe of just six uiversities i Britai to meet all te criteria. Our Studets Uio Presidet Chatel Le Carpetier said: We re so proud to have eared 10/10. It s importat that all our studets are as happy as they ca be, ad that they feel comfortable ad safe o campus.
Essex Effect 5 Art ad puishmet What do the aciet Greek statue Laocoö ad His Sos ad Ady Warhol s Electric Chair have i commo? Ad what ca they tell us about ourselves? Eamo Carrabie i Sociology has bee awarded a three-year Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship to fid out. His project looks at how puishmet has bee depicted i the visual arts from the 1500s up to the preset day. (Laocoö is older, but was excavated ad restored durig the Reaissace.) Eamo says, Images of puishmet are big i Wester art. They ask importat questios about what pai, sufferig ad justice mea to the societies i which they were produced. I wat to look at them i their cotext, fid ew ways of uderstadig puishmet ad revive the idea of social scieces beig able to tell us about the arts. Eamo s multi-discipliary approach will brig i crimiology, history, philosophy ad sociology, ad he says, cultural processes should be see as a whole, so visual aalysis is ever a ed i itself, but helps us to explai thigs socially ad politically. Pai, sufferig ad justice i art tell us about society Not such a crude theory War really is about oil Kristia Gleditsch from our Departmet of Govermet worked with academics from Portsmouth ad Warwick to look at 69 civil wars aroud the world from 1945-99. They foud that aother coutry or outside orgaisatio was much more likely to itervee for vested fiacial iterests tha because of historical, geographical or ethic ties. Kristia says, More tha 90 per cet of all armed coflicts sice World War II have bee civil wars, ad we wated to go beyod cospiracy theories to aalyse what made third parties get ivolved. The evidece is clear: coutries with potetial for oil productio are more likely to see foreig itervetio. Military actio is expesive ad risky. No coutry jois aother s civil war without balacig the cost agaist their ow strategic iterests ad the possible beefits. The more oil a coutry has, the more likely the itervetio ad the more oil a coutry imports, the more likely they are to get ivolved. Before ISIS got ear the oil-rich orth of Iraq, they were barely metioed i the ews. Oce they got ear oil fields, they made headlies, ad the US set droes to strike ISIS targets. The fidigs are published i the Joural of Cofl ict Resolutio. More tha 90 per cet of all armed coflicts sice World War II have bee civil wars
6 Essex Effect Tell someoe today The truth o immigratio We say: see Neli s TEDx talk o multiculturalism, ad others about promise through research, at www.essex.ac.uk/research/tedx What does migratio really mea for our ecoomies? Whe some political parties seem to have few policies other tha restrictig immigratio, it seems a pertiet questio ad oe that Neli Demireva i Sociology plas to aswer. She s bee awarded a major grat to study Growth, Equal Opportuities, Migratio ad Markets over three years. Neli says, Europea coutries wat to maage people s mobility to create competitive, growig ecoomies ad oe of the big thigs which prevets growth is ethic iequality. Iequality ca happe because of the skills migrats have but also because markets are t workig at their best due to discrimiatio. Neli is iterested i multiculturalism, ad says its death has bee exaggerated. What s dead is our politicias belief that we ca evolve ito societies where miorities are o loger other. But i our daily lives, we costatly embrace commo activities ad iterests. That brigs us together. We are all uique, ad all huma. That is somethig to celebrate ad cherish. Bioic had to talk to brai A ew 1.4m research project aims to create a bioic had that ca sese pressure ad temperature ad trasmit the iformatio back to the brai. Fracisco Sepulveda, a euro-egieerig expert i our School of Computer Sciece ad Electroic Egieerig, jois scietists at Newcastle, Leeds, Keele, Southampto ad Imperial College Lodo. They aim to coect electrodes i the artificial limb to the erves i the arm remiiscet of Luke Skywalker s prosthetic had i The Empire Strikes Back. Fracisco says, Our aim at Essex is to have the methodology i place so there will be bespoke erve implats i future which will miimise the huge waste of resources i a trial ad error approach. For patiets the hope is that this techology could restore their sesatio i a way that is as close to atural as possible. This techology could restore their sesatio Project leader Kiaoush Nazarpour at Newcastle with the bioic had
Essex Effect 7 Ciema s dark side Do t thik of Darth Vader breathig hoarsely. A ew book from Shohii Chaudhuri i Literature, Film, ad Theatre Studies is about a rather differet kid of dark: how fi lms depict huma rights violatios such as torture, geocide, ad deportatio. Ciema of the Dark Side looks at fi lms icludig Zero Dark Thirty, Hotel Rwada ad District 9 to see how fi lm-makers choose to take a moral or a ethical approach ad how we, as viewers, are complicit. Zero Dark Thirty makes out that torture played a key role i locatig Osama Bi Lade, she says. It creates a moral uiverse i which torture is justifi able. Childre of Me has a ethical approach, ad makes coectios betwee presetday attitudes to migrats ad past atrocities. Ciema ca make our view of the world simplistic, Shohii says but it does t have to. Ofte perpetrators of geocide are portrayed as purely evil, completely ulike us, but geocide happes through the collaboratio ad coset of the ordiary populatio. The Polish fi lm Ida, for example, subtly draws attetio to that wider complicity. CINEMA OF THE DARK SIDE Atrocity ad the Ethics of Film Spectatorship Ciema ca make our view of the world simplistic Treatig trauma Fishig ca help military veteras cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Essex researchers who discovered this PhD studet Mark Wheeler ad Nick Cooper i Psychology are both kee aglers, ad thought that if they foud their hobby therapeutic, others might, too. We took a group of veteras who d had a diagosis of PTSD o a residetial aglig weeked, Mark says, campig overight ad fishig durig the day. Whe they got back, they all reported much better scores for PTSD, depressio, axiety, work ad social adjustmet, perceived stress level ad sleep quality. After four moths, all but sleep were still good. They ve sice broadeed out ad orgaised experiece days at the Garriso Saddle Club ad Laveham Falcory Cetre. The fidigs are ecouragig, ad could be useful i fidig treatmets for more military veteras i future. We re ot 100% sure which Shohii Chaudhuri The book is out ow from Ediburgh Uiversity Press elemet is helpig, Mark says, but the veteras are isolated, ad we get them out with people from a similar backgroud, with similar symptoms. The outdoor elemet s importat, too ad they focus o the task. The therapeutic elemet seaks i uder the radar. We say: as log ago as 1653, Izaak Walto i his Compleat Agler called fishig the pleasat labour which you ejoy whe you purpose to give rest to your mid
8 Essex Effect The reletless optimist Our ew Chacellor is the most dagerous woma i Britai ad rather proud of it. Shami Chakrabarti talks to Essex Effect about educatig wome, chagig the world ad beig happy Shami facts Favourite film: Who s Afraid of Virgiia Woolf? starrig Elizabeth Taylor ad Richard Burto Favourite book: To Kill a Mockigbird by Harper Lee Philosophy: Aspire to be ayoe s equal, but o-oe s superior
Essex Effect 9 Tur to the back page to fid out about our ew Chacellor s appeal. The motivatio behid it is simple: I m a huma rights campaiger, ad to me the greatest ijustice o the plaet is geder ijustice, ad progress is too slow. Educated, empowered wome brig better health, greater productivity ad brighter prospects for the ext geeratio, ot just to their families, but to whole commuities. So, Essex wats to offer scholarships to wome from places across the world where they ormally would t get a opportuity like this ad we re matchig every doatio, poud for poud. As Shami says, If we ca begi to crack this, it has fatastic collateral beefits, i developmet, war ad peace, climate chage. This is where we bega: If I am the most dagerous woma i Britai, the guilty me ad wome are those who educated me with the power of ratioal argumet. Wome of the Future #chagetomorrow It s the gift that keeps o givig, Shami Chakrabarti says, ad while her Essex Chacellorship is a eormous hoour, that s ot what she s talkig about. I 2007, Su columist Jo Gaut braded her the most dagerous woma i Britai, outraged that someoe who thiks terror suspects have rights should get a CBE. Ever sice, she has wor the iteded isult as a badge of pride. It s oe of the greatest hoours they could bestow o a woma. The Su does t ofte hoour wome. This seems emblematic of her approach to life but shows her sese of humour, too. It s also great because of the iroy that Jo Gaut eded up eedig Liberty s help. Sacked from talk radio for callig a local coucil employee a health Nazi ad a igorat pig, he s ow fightig for his freedom of speech. That pleasure i life s absurdities still surprises people who expect a huma rights campaiger to be serious ad earest. Shami says that was true whe she was a teeager, but it was startig to wear off whe I was a udergraduate. It was a great time of exploratio, travellig ad friedships. It s a life-chagig time for ayoe ad very formative. That s why I m evagelical that everybody should have the opportuity to do that, ad it should be affordable. My life story is t grim ad worthy. I have great colleagues, ad sometimes the good guys wi. She was at uiversity at aroud the same time as David Phillips (see pp 14-15), ad stood o top of the Berli Wall o the New Year s Eve before it came dow. It was a extraordiary period of history; somethig I ever thought I d see i my lifetime. The i 1994, there was the liberatio of South Africa, whe apartheid had seemed so etreched, ad the Good Friday Agreemet i 1998. It seemed like a decade of woderful, progressive chage. The ext decade was differet. Shami s first day at huma rights charity Liberty was 10 September 2001 ad the evets of the followig day cotiue to resoate eve ow. Oe might expect someoe whose career has bee shaped by the war o terror to have become less optimistic i the iterveig years, but the opposite is true. I do t thik you could do this kid of work uless you re optimistic, she says. You d take your law degree to the City ad make a lot of moey. So, while it was extraordiary to be goig ito a electio campaig [we did the iterview i Jauary] where two parties wat to scrap the Huma Rights Act, she says, My life story is t grim ad worthy. I have great colleagues. I get paid to sped time with people whose compay I ejoy. They wat to chage the world, too, ad sometimes the good guys wi. We wo o 90-day ad 42- day detetio, ad ID cards. She compares the atmosphere at Essex to that i the offices of Liberty. Your eergy ad itellect are ot directed towards just persoal wealth ad reward. I really worry about the attitude that higher educatio is just about turig out good little workers. Educatio is about persoal fulfilmet ad developmet, about becomig active citizes who questio authority. That s what I d ecourage Essex studets to do: sped time at work ad play with people with whom you share values, but with whom you ca also debate. She also plas to fight for the rights of uiversities, ad has already joied our Vice-Chacellor i callig for them to be exempt from ati-terror laws. She may be persoally fulfilled, but she s outraged whe she talks about the idea that a Secretary of State should issue istructios to uiversities about how they should tackle radicalisatio. Uiversities should ot be madrasas for the govermet. They should be safe spaces where you ca have difficult debates. You deradicalise people by egagig with them. It s ot hard to see why we thik she s a perfect fit for Essex, is it?
10 Essex Effect What a day! The su shoe ad thousads of people came. Our homecomig weeked was a hell of a celebratio 1,500 of you swelled a crowd of more tha 4,000 which came to our Colchester campus for a weeked of fu, learig ad ostalgia. It was just the start of a year of celebratios, which has see us showcasig our research i Essex, Lodo ad Geeva ad which is still goig o. Tremedous ad so friedly A fittig tribute to 50 glorious years Ged Parker, Ecoomics ad Govermet 1974 Breda Qui, History ad Literature 1975 19,792 Alumi (so far...) 23,595 Alumi 15,679 Alumi 10,145 Such a woderful evet a perfect follow up to graduatio. Camilla Jarvis, History 2014 Alumi 6,328 Alumi 435 Alumi 994 Alumi Number of alumi per decade
Essex Effect 11 There s more to come! Such a lot of thought wet ito the celebratios. I especially ejoyed the bite-sized lectures. Christie Hito, Sociology 1970 Fatastic all the activities were brilliat Harriet Stubbs, Psychology 2009 We like to thik we offer somethig special at Essex a experiece you ca t get aywhere else. Ad we try to keep offerig you evets o-oe else ca. These are just three of the thigs comig up i the ext few moths... 1. Speed etworkig If you ve ever bee to oe of these fast, fu sessios before, you should give it a try. We brig studets ad alumi from the same departmet together, so you get a chace to talk to them about what they re up to, ad they get to hear your career advice ad workplace wisdom. The studets move to a ew table every few miutes, givig you a chace to meet everyoe i the room. Computer Sciece ad Electroic Egieerig ad Maths Tuesday 3 November 2015 History ad the School of Philosophy ad Art History Tuesday 24 November 2015 Psychology ad Health ad Huma Scieces (icludig HHS PG studets) Wedesday 25 November 2015 Govermet ad Sociology Tuesday 2 Feb 2016 Essex Busiess School ad Ecoomics Wedesday 3 Feb 2016 Literature, Film, ad Theatre Studies ad Laguage ad Liguistics Tuesday 9 February 2016 Law ad Biological Scieces Thursday 11 February 2016 2. Goig global I the ext 12 moths, we ve got plas to visit our alumi across the world. If you live i ay of these places, make sure we ve got the right email address for you, so we ca ivite you to a evet where you live: Romaia Bulgaria Caada Chia Cyprus Frace Germay Hog Kog Irelad Spai USA Mexico 3. New professors We ru a series of evets every year where ew professors i every departmet make a iaugural lecture o a subject they love the perfect itroductio to them ad their work. Keep a eye o www.essex.ac.uk/evets/pil to fid out what s happeig whe. Last year s highlights Homecomig 3,000 of you Alumi Weeked 500 House of Lords 200 Colchester Castle 100 Cyprus reuio 100 Greece reuio 100 Essex Wome 100 ad may more...
12 Essex Effect Opeig doors Essex helped Sadra ad Carolie ito great careers ad with your help we could offer others the same opportuities What happeed? Sadra Klimaviciute (Bakig ad Fiace 2014) was oe of te Essex Busiess School studets who wet o a Isight Visit to Willis Global Isurace Brokers i Ipswich i April 2014. Four of them got places o the compay s highly competitive paid summer itership programme. Sadra was oe of them ad she did so well, they exteded her time with them, ad she s still there today. How did the itership help? I leart much more about my stregths ad weakesses durig the placemet, Sadra says, ad I discovered ew thigs I m iterested i, ad foud the way to the career I wated. Although my degree is relevat to what I do ow, I ve leart that it does t have to be my avigator. It all depeds o my iterests ad the work I ejoy the most. My placemet opeed doors for me, ad I thik I foud my way at Willis! What do they say? Gary Shoesmith, Educatio Liaiso Director at Willis, describes Sadra as oe of our most successful iters. Her hostig busiess area, Accoutig ad Settlemet, were really impressed with Sadra s work performace, attitude ad skills, ad her iitial four-week placemet was exteded by a further six weeks to complete some valuable project work. What comes ext? Sadra describes herself as career drive. I work hard ad have o pla B. I m focused o my goal succeedig at Willis. So, perhaps it s o surprise that while she was o her itership, Gary said she was the type of graduate we would be kee to recruit ito a permaet job role. They duly did, ad she s ow a Busiess Aalyst, ad lookig forward to what seems likely to be a bright future. The iitial Essex Busiess School trip was part-fi aced by the Essex Fud, which uses gifts from alumi to support today s studets. If you ca help the Essex Fud, please drop us a lie at alumi@essex.ac.uk
Essex Effect 13 Out i frot Carolie Wilcock (Eglish Laguage ad Liguistics 2013) was a frotruer at Essex, ad says it was a crucial factor i where she is ow. So, why frotruers? I kew that as a graduate I d eed to offer more tha just my degree to future employers, she says. So, I looked for somethig I could do which would give me that edge. I was lucky eough to get a placemet i the project team for the ew Silberrad Studet Cetre. What did you lear there? It meat I could develop my soft skills the everyday stuff of workig i a team ad get real, hads-o experiece of typical office tasks such as data aalysis ad reports. I also got to take forward my ow projects, too. What stads out about that job? I leart about lea methodology, which is heavily embedded i the culture at Fujitsu, where I work ow. Lea is all about elimiatig waste ad improvig efficiecy, ad Carolie believes this direct experiece of a techique she would be usig at the compay helped her wi the job. Would you recommed beig a frotruer? It s hugely helpful. It allows you to build o your skills ad use them i a real office, which is icredibly useful whe you re applyig for jobs ad i iterviews. The team I worked i was supportive ad friedly, ad flexible hours meat I could develop my professioal skills but ot compromise o my academic commitmets. I got a job before I graduated, ad I ve bee promoted sice. There is o doubt i my mid that beig a frotruer helped me to get my curret job. I foud the way to the career I wated Boostig busiess Iterships Essex works with graduate recruiters ad SMEs to fid our graduatig studets paid placemets, which help them develop their skills ad experiece. If you ru a busiess, you could help today s studets o to a fulfillig career ad their ethusiasm ca be a boost for you. Celia Hodso, former Chief Executive of Choose Suffolk, says: These youg people 250 come i with fresh ideas ad have the right attitude employers are lookig for. They wat to lear ad are very hard workig. If you ca offer a itership, call the team o 01206 872495 or email iterships@essex.ac.uk Voluteerig 187 voluteers at 26 evets Metorig, speed etworkig, supportig today s studets with your time ad advice I 2012-13, 9 out of 10 iters o a Satader scheme got permaet jobs with the compaies frotruers, 2014-15 Over 100 iterships, 2014-15 Ca you offer a studet or graduate a itership? Call the team o: 01206 872495 or email: iterships@essex.ac.uk
14 Essex Effect It was mometous It s 50 years sice Essex opeed its doors ad 25 years sice the Berli Wall fell. Oe lucky Essex studet watched it happe It must be oe of the luckiest right place, right time momets ever. David Phillips kew whe he arrived at Essex to study West Europea Politics ad Moder Laguages that his degree icluded a year abroad, ad that he wated to sped it i Berli. He did t kow that beig there i the 1989-90 academic year would let him see history ufold o his doorstep ad he almost missed it. People started streamig across the border, he says today, ad I was asleep i bed. I woke up to it the ext morig. Eve as a studet, I had sufficiet ous to kow that this was pretty mometous, so I got dow there with my camera. I d celebrated my 21st birthday i frot of the Bradeburg Gate o 18 October, ad I graffitied Essex Uiversity codems all forms of political oppressio o the wall. The sloga ejoyed a period of fame at the time, but paitig it made for a iterestig eveig of beig chased by the British Army. David was studyig at the Free Uiversity of Berli, o the outskirts, about half a mile from the Wall, which wet right roud the outside of West Berli. It s quite coutrified i its ow way, with lakes ad woods a bit like Essex. From there, David had bee able to travel where others could t. I wet over to the East before the wall came dow. Berli had a differet status to West Germay. I could travel across before people i West Germay could. I met East Germas who d ever met British people, or ayoe from the West. I wated to take full advatage of my time there, ad to get ivolved i the culture. I did t wat to just fid Eglishspeakig frieds. for West. With border crossigs besieged, the East Germa border guards formed a rig aroud the Bradeburg Gate, David remembers. The, oe commader gave a order for the checkpoits to ope. West Berliers bega to greet escapig Easterers with champage, ad people from both sides started dacig together o top of the wall. You used to get shot if you did that, David says today. It was just outstadig. I got up o the wall, ad the Willy Bradt, the former West Germa Chacellor, tured up withi 10 feet of me. The ext day, I wet dow to Checkpoit Charlie. That was great. If it was t for Essex, I would t have had that opportuity ad it was fatastic All the time, there was a sese that somethig was i the air. It was the era of Mikhail Gorbachev s glasost (opeess) ad there was Solidarity i Polad. The border was looseig i Czechoslovakia, ad people were leavig East Germay via Hugary. Erich Hoecker, leader of the Germa Democratic Republic, had celebrated his coutry s 40th aiversary a few moths before, ad said the wall would stad for aother 50 to 100 years. By October, protests i East Germay had led to his dowfall, ad the umbers of people escapig kept growig. Hoecker s replacemet decided to allow refugees to leave East People started chippig away at the vast wall, ad by Jue 1990, whe David came home, the East Germa military started the official demolitio. It was amazig to thik a system i place for so log was comig to a ed, David says, ad it s clear the memories this aiversary stirs up are emotioal oes: People were overjoyed everywhere. He checks himself as he remembers some of the short- ad logterm cosequeces. It s fuy. People get selfish. You could come across the border wheever you liked, so i the moths after, traders would come over to the West ad take everythig out of the supermarkets to sell back i the East. Baaas was the big oe. Soo, we were goig, this is terrible, People started streamig across the border
Essex Effect 15 There was a sese that somethig was i the air we ca t get our shoppig. There s still some resetmet, o both sides. Uemploymet is still higher i the East, ad there was a reuificatio tax to brig East Germay up to the stadard of the West. There s a ogoig feelig that the East have doe well out of it. David ow works for the Cabiet Office, ad he ad his wife Catherie (who was studyig ear Haover the same year, ad ow teaches Germa) still visit Austria ad souther Germay. Potsdamer Platz is so differet ow. It was just empty. It was o ma s lad betwee the walls. Now it s completely developed, with huge buildigs like the Soy Cetre. The trasformatio is icredible. If it was t for Essex, I would t have had that opportuity, David says today, ad it was fatastic oe of the best momets of my life. It was world-chagig.
16 Essex Effect Sherry, Vietam ad lifelog friedship 50 years ago, Essex was a old coutry house ad a collectio of woode huts. We brought some of the foudig studets together to fid out what it was like This is the first time I ve bee sober i the afteroo i this place. Paul Farrow (Mathematics) is referrig to Wivehoe House, where he ad 27 of his cotemporaries have gathered to remember their arrival at Essex i 1964, whe the Uiversity cosisted of a slightly dilapidated coutry house ad some woode huts. My first impressio, says Roger Seymour (Chemistry), was there was a awful lot of sherry beig druk. Wie would have bee a bit posh, but sherry! I realised later it was because most of the lecturig staff were from Cambridge. Some were, but what s certaily true is that, beig such a small group, the studets ot oly all kew each other, they foud themselves socialisig with staff, too. Lecturers ivited us to their homes, says Richard Dudley (Chemistry), while Caroly Dowes (Mathematics) recalls babysittig for some of the lecturers, promptig aother mathematicia, Leslie Mustoe, to ask if she got extra marks for that. Oe of the surprisig thigs about our foudig studets, i fact, is that so may of them are scietists ad i particular chemists. Give what happeed i 1968, whe studets disrupted a Chemistry Departmet talk by a scietist from Porto Dow, oe might be forgive for thikig that our studet body was composed etirely of sociologists bet o revolutio, but the origial idea for Essex was that it would be a Eglish MIT. At least part of the impetus behid the ew uiversities came from a wish to match up to the achievemets of Russia, which had successfully lauched Sputik, the first satellite, i 1957. Ad politically speakig, thigs were pretty balaced at first. Peter Haie fouded a Coservative Associatio: I the first year, there were quite a lot of Tories, ad we maaged to get quite a seior miister to come ad speak. We had about 50 people i oe of the louges here mid you a awful lot of them had come to heckle. But two years later, all of a sudde, we were a tiy miority. Two of the hecklers were probably Chris Mullis (Physics 1967, MSc Quatum Electroics 1969 ad PhD Physics 1972) ad Rick Coates (Sociology 1968). Both come to the reuio with fod memories of the famous 1968 ati-vietam War demostratio outside the America Embassy i Lodo ad both are still rather proud of their assault covictios from that day. I attacked a policema s boot with my ose, Chris says.
Essex Effect 17 I attacked a policema s boot with my ose Thigs were also mixed i terms of class although Sid Shaw (Ecoomics) maitais that this was t etirely the case: We did t have ay workig class girls, did we? It was all middle class. Sid hailed from the East Ed, ad ever swore before I came to Essex. It was all these middle class girls, they all effed ad blided. Chris Mullis cocurs: It was the great thig to prove you were workig class whe you were t. Everybody put o accets. Oe thig they all defiitely did was to muck i ad orgaise. It was a shock, says Sue Ullstei (ée Smerdo, Literature 1968) to leave boardig school, where everythig was orgaised for you. At Essex, you had to jolly well thik for yourself. Thea Price (Sociology) says, We set up the Studets Uio. There must have bee oe society for every two studets, because we were all so kee to get ivolved. Fracesca Greeoak (Literature 1968) remembers a brilliat film society. I d just started to be iterested i film ad we had a boutiful programme of Godard, Truffaut, Alai Reais Peter Haie adds that this resposibility to start thigs from scratch was very career-buildig. He ad the Theatre Arts Society put o A Ispector Calls i Colchester tow cetre. It did t go etirely without a hitch. Paul Farrow was Arthur Birlig, the father of the family, Peter Haie says, ad six days before the first ight, he wet dow with chickepox, ad I was the producer, so I had to take over his role. He eded up spedig several hours behid a quiet tree crammig the lies. There was also romace i the air for some. Thea met Rolad Price (PhD Mathematics 1969) i the restaurat i the very first week i 1964. Thea was sittig o oe side of the table ad I was sittig o the other, says Rolad, ad while their respective subjects might ot suggest a immediate coectio, oe of our extra-curricular activities was the Christia Uio, Thea explais. They married i 1968, ad back i Eglad after may years overseas ow sped as much time as they ca with their five childre ad te gradchildre. For others, thigs were t quite so simple. Peter Avis (Mathematics) ad David Corey-Walker (Chemistry) both kew they were gay or at the very least, had a fair idea at a time whe it was illegal. You just buried it, David says today. The Sexual Offeces Act 1967, which bega to chage thigs for them, coicided with graduatio. David came out to
18 Essex Effect At Essex, you had to jolly well thik for yourself me as soo as the bill was passed, Peter says ow. It was oly four to five years later that I came out to him. David is pleased that Essex has a woderful reputatio for beig LGBT-friedly ow, ad both are ow i happy, log-term relatioships, but back the either felt ay real freedom util the 1970s. As Peter puts it, I did t have my adolescece util I was 26. There was commet i the press o the arrival of Braford Goddard (Ecoomics). I was the oly black studet, he says, but at a time whe ladlords would happily display sigs that read No Irish. No blacks. No dogs. I had absolutely o problems whatsoever. It was a woderful period of my life. The times i Wivehoe House durig that first year... The whole group would sit ad liste to Radio Carolie. There was a strog bod betwee us. Ad whe they were studyig, they were beig taught by some of the leadig academics i the coutry. I do t thik this is hidsight, Roy Saatchi (Govermet) says, but Lipsey, Blodel ad Towsed were almost household ames, ad all the textbooks were their books. Everybody else was readig their books, ad we were beig taught by them. It was a bit special. Paddy Clark (Govermet) agrees: Blodel was very ispirig. Terrific fu, he was. There s still the same buzz if you go roud the Squares, which is differet to most uiversities eve ow These beig Essex alumi, however, their memories may be fod but they re ot rose-tited. Some have warm, eve affectioate, memories of Albert Sloma, while others remai cool ad Adrzej Pluskowski (Literature 1968, MA 1972) says of his course: I the Humaities, they made it very clear they did t kow what they were doig. All the other uiversities did t either, but they would ot admit it. All, though, said they were glad they d come. I ever regret it, Peter Haie says, ad Roger Seymour adds: There s still the same buzz if you go roud the Squares, which is differet to most uiversities eve ow. Braford Goddard sums up: It was the firm foudatio for my future life ad I ve had a excitig life. Alumus Aluma Alumae Alumi All graduated i 1967 uless it says otherwise.
Essex Effect 19 Your ews Aother huge respose this year to our call for your ews. Here s what we could squeeze i 1960s 1970s Gerry Asell, PhD Chemistry 1967 Chris Rooey, Sociology 1971 Gerry ow lives i New Mexico. He has worked at Exxo ad the Los Alamos Natioal Laboratory, ad was closely ivolved i a project to work out the crystal structure of Piclitaxel, a shelfstable form of breast cacer drug Taxol. He has his ame o two patets, both from his time at Exxo, for catalysts for breakig dow crude oil ad processig atural gas. He has published i academic jourals, ad ow writes for ewspapers i New Mexico o sustaiability. I stood i the May electio, tryig to get ito a space where o other waabe politicias go to get the votes of the 40% who did t vote here (i Covetry) last time by sayig thigs that most cadidates are too scared or embarrassed to say. I m also tryig to set a style of party for post-membership Britai. I believe that i the 21st cetury, people are t goig to joi parties as their parets ad gradparets did. We eed ew parties which look just for votes ot members. Ro Hill, MA Govermet 1968, PhD Comparative Studies 1974 Ro retired i 2007 after almost 40 years i political sciece at Triity College, Dubli (where i the 1990s there were four Essex graduates o the staff). He still writes ad publishes about the former commuist world, ad his first volume of memoirs, Grammar School Boy: A Licolshire Educatio, was published i September 2014, coverig his boyhood i orth Licolshire ad his time at Essex (up to 1969). It s available olie at ypdbooks. com. A secod memoir, about his time as a Eglishma i Irelad should be published soo. Peter de la Cour, Govermet 1969 Peter taught politics ad sociology, ad co-fouded the Redfield Commuity i Buckighamshire i 1978. He later lived i Oxford, orgaisig talks, cofereces ad semiars o evirometal issues, ad later providig teachers courses o cotemporary issues. He also wrote ad published o evirometal subjects. Peter moved to Mexico i 2006. He was photographed for the Eveig Stadard i 1968 sittig o top of Keyes Tower. I April 2014, he told us, A jouralist wated to iterview a studet durig the troubles, ad somehow I was selected. He arraged this rather pretetious photo o the roof of the tower where my wife ad I had a flat o the top floor. I did political sciece, but switched to Sociology ad hugely ejoyed the itellectual stimulatio provided by Alistair MacItyre, Ala Rya ad Peter Towsed. Golde days! The photo was used for the cover of the 2003 editio of Malcolm Bradbury s The History Ma. Peter sadly died last summer. Bruce Jackso, Computig Sciece 1972 Peter Roscoe, Sociology 1973 Part of the reaso for choosig Essex was that it had a Gay Liberatio Frot, ad LGBT activism has bee a ogoig theme for me. I retired i 2011, ad I m curretly workig with others o the 10th aual Shropshire Raibow Film Festival (a remarkable achievemet, dare I say, i Shrewsbury a small, essetially rural tow). It will ru from 16-18 October. Full details: raibowfilmfestival.org.uk Adrew Ruffhead, MSc Mathematical Computatio 1973 ad MPH Computig 1977 I ve bee retired for the last te years, havig worked for the Miistry of Defece. I m a Age UK IT voluteer, a uio activist (Prospect s Retired Members Group) ad a Baptist lay preacher. I have created a website of my cartoos ad aimatios at 21stceturystoa.ucoz.com Deborah Davies, Ecoomics Joh ad Mike (aka Harry) 1975 Fitzsimos ad I formed a bad with Ro, Oliver, Coli Strutt I am ow a freelace ad Joh Ive. Meataxe Jackso documetary maker. After 40 played several times o campus, years of reportig, I am, of course, supportig Steeleye far too old to be allowed o Spa o oe the telly i case the aged occasio. We face upsets viewers. I ve We disbaded just fiished a two-part got the after programme o the graduatio, activities of ISIS i the bad back but Joh, Asia Pacific regio, together Harry ad I filmig i Sigapore, still play music: Malaysia, Idoesia ad Joh i Exeter, Australia. Harry i Brighto ad Nashville ad me i Breme. We got the bad back together for the first time i early 45 years for my 65th birthday party. We would love to hear from ayoe who remembers us, especially if they have ay photos we have t got ay! I m ow far too old to be allowed o the telly
20 Essex Effect Fred Hurr, Art History 1978 My first book of fictio has bee published. Light of the Damed depicts the ultimate battle betwee good ad evil, as demos attack a quiet seaside tow. Why did the Curate jump to his death? Why did the vicar scatter his ashes o ucosecrated groud? Ad why did a thief retur what he stole from the church? Buy it at fjohhurr.com Adrew Leech, MA Applied Liguistics 1978 After some years i Saudi Arabia, I retured to Greece where I d taught before Essex. The fiacial crisis i Greece today is worse tha 1930s America you ca see well-dressed people goig through bis for food. I started my ow laguage school i Athes i 1984, ad write for ELT News (the Eglish laguage teachers ewspaper) I was Diplomatic Columist for Athes News from 1997-2002, but my so Jaso is more famous, havig appeared i The Appretice 9. My hobbies are divig ad flyig to see me doig aerobatics, go to YouTube ad search for Harvard T6 Boultbee. Mariae Majerus, Literature 1979 I m a garde photographer, ad my work appears i House & Garde, Gardes Illustrated, Coutry Life, RHS The Garde ad The Wall Street Joural, amog others. I ve illustrated more tha 50 books, icludig this year s Garde Desig: A Book of Ideas. 1980s Breda Howli, Biological Chemistry 1980, PhD Chemistry 1984 I m Seior Lecturer i Computer Aided Chemistry at the Uiversity of Surrey, ad have bee veturig ito a slightly differet area. The Hadbook of Urba Druidry is out ow from Moo Books. Joh Ashdow-Hill, MA Applied Liguistics 1981, PhD History 2008, Hoorary Graduate 2014 I ve just published The Dubli Kig, ad am soo to publish The Mythology of Richard III ad Richard III s Beloved Cousy as well as a article i Curret Archaeology. I atteded Richard III s coffiig ad reburial i March, ad took part i the live Chael Four coverage. Lida Fitzjoh, Eglish ad Europea Literature 1982 I ve bee Lida Hill sice 1983 ad, havig worked i educatio all over the UK ad abroad ad writig teacher resources, I have ow give up work to read, garde ad travel. Those who remember the larger tha lifesize poster of Brya Ferry o my Bertrad Russell wall will see he s still a favourite! Brya Ferry is still a favourite! Dave Riches, Electroic Egieerig 1982, Telematics MSc 1983 I worked at Essex from 1985-89, ad am ow Head of EMEA Egagemets for the TeleMaagemet Forum. I wet to the Essex 50th celebratios ad remiisced with David Gladwell, we had a excellet time. For those who remember me, you ca get i touch via LikedI. I look forward to hearig from you. Marc Hope, Literature 1983 I work i sports marketig, ad spearheaded the commercial sposorship programme for the Glasgow 2014 Commowealth Games. I was selected to fight Cetral Ayrshire for the Coservatives i May, ad am Vice Chairma of the Lodo Youth Games. Adria Lyos, Ecoomics ad Govermet 1983 I m oe of Her Majesty s Ispectors ad Ofsted s atioal lead for ecoomics, busiess ad eterprise. I live i Colchester with my wife Jacqui. Outside my work as a civil servat, I am badmaster of Colchester Citadel Salvatio Army bad. Muriel Carrick, Art History ad Theory 1984, MPH 1990 Still totterig o! I have published umerous papers o domestic wall paitigs i leared jourals ad had a umber of exhibitios icludig oe at The Globe. The exhibitio that I put o to celebrate the 25th aiversary of Essex is ow lodged with the Essex Record Office. Simo ad Aliso Bull, Mathematics ad Computig 1986 ad Mathematical Ecoomics 1986 Livig i Seveoaks, Ket workig part-time ad semiretired. Hello to all! Rashpal Chaa, Cell Biology 1986 I have take up the positio of Subject Specialist i STEM with Cambridge Uiversity. Maurice Siakkis, MA Political Theory 1986, MPhil Govermet 1989 I live i Athes, married to Aida, ad father to Marie Louise (16). I spet te years i advertisig, the worked for Ford i Greece, ad am ow Chief Marketig Officer at FAIS Group of Compaies, hadlig brads such as Mago, Price ad Puma. I ve also published two books o the history of rock roll: Let the rock stories roll (2009) ad 448 miles, millios of otes (2013). There s more iformatio at mauricesiakkis.com.
Essex Effect 21 Adreas Triatopoulos, Ecoomics ad Govermet 1989 Simo Coway, Cell ad Molecular Biology 1987 I received my PhD i Geetics from Uiversity College Lodo ad the took a faculty positio at the Medical Uiversity of Georgia, USA. Oce teured, I joied Idiaa Uiversity School of Medicie as a Professor i the Departmet of Pediactrics. I am presetly Director of Basic Neoatal Research ad study mouse models of cogeital heart defects. I have bee livig i Moteegro with my wife Sofia ad two kids Thaasis (6) ad Ellie (5) sice October 2011, workig as the CFO of Jugopetrol AD, the largest oil compay of Moteegro. I Jauary 2015, I was promoted to CEO. Paulie Yip, Policy Makig ad Admiistratio (Govermet) 1989 Lidsay studied here i her 30s, ad was Mayoress of Colchester i 1991-92, before beig oe of the first wome ordaied i Chelmsford i 1994. I 2004, I had a 25-year reuio i Hog she helped to set up Gree Kog i December with (back Blade, a place for retreats i R-L) Pui Lig Wai, Keug Yeoh, Wehasto. She died at just Choi Fu Liu, Sammy Yue, (frot 59 i November at R-L) Charles Ng, me, Susa the St Elizabeth Wog ad Peter Soog. Hospice i We had a great Ipswich. Her reuio dier, ad Lidsay husbad, we all like our touched the Paul, said alumi pi badges Lidsay hearts ad lives very much! touched of coutless the hearts ad lives people of coutless people. You ca still make doatios to St Elizabeth Hospice i her memory: stelizabethhospice.org.uk I used to be the drummer with the puk group The Lurkers back i the late seveties, but started to write before Essex the Uiversity theatre took my play, Thak Your Lucky Stars to Ediburgh i 1988. I ve had four books published. My most recet ovel is Cool Water, published i Jue 2014. www.petehayes.co.uk Paul J McMaho, Literature 1994, MA Literature 1995 Just left Hog Kog (with my wife, Rei, ad 3-year-old daughter, Siae) where I was teachig the IB Diploma at Sha Ti College for te years. We had eough of the heat ad pollutio, ad I m ow teachig IGCSE ad IB Literature i Luxembourg, where my attempts at Frech are worse tha pitiful. We re lookig forward to our usual summer i the UK. My email is boxtree@ hotmail.com if ayoe still remembers me. Fragkiskos Vellis, MSc Telecommuicatios ad Iformatio Systems 1994 Lidsay Spedlove, History 1988 Pete Hayes, Sociology 1989 1990s We all like our alumi pi badges very much! Abraham Zamora, Political Ecoomy MSc 1994 I Jauary, I was appoited CEO of Baobras, the Bak for Ifrastructure ad Public Works i Mexico. Baobras is the largest developmet bak i Mexico ad the fifth largest i the coutry s bakig system by the amout of credit it grats. Vai Kuloheri, MA Applied Liguistics 1995 I have had two articles published: Teachers4Europe: Makig Creative Use of Digital Educatioal Tools ad Iteret Sources i Iovative Educatioal Activities, i Proceedigs of 4th Coferece o Iformatics, ad The Spellig Mistakes of Youg Greek EFL Learers: A Descriptive Case Study, i Ope Access Library Joural, 2014, 1, 1-11. Also, I have become a certified Teacher4Europe ad a Ambassador Teacher4Europe, part of a Europea Commissio teacher traiig programme. Joh Steves, MSc Computig Sciece 1995 MA Sociology 1998 I got my PhD i Mobile Commuicatios from the Natioal Techical Uiversity of Athes i 1998, did my military service ad started workig for Vodafoe i Greece i 2000. I ow work i Europea Egieerig for them, resposible for trasmissio ad trasport egieerig ad delivery. I do meet some of the old frieds from the MSc course, but oly those i Greece. I would love to hear from Essex frieds all over the world! You ca cotact me at fragkiskos.vellis@gmail.com Life has treated me fairly well over the years. I ow live i Colchester ad work part time at Essex where I have bee for 19 years itermixed with a threeyear spell at a Lodo teachig hospital ad UNSW i Sydey, Australia. I was married for seve years but have o kids. I have Multiple Sclerosis, which paralyses my left side ad am i a wheelchair. At the momet I teach health studets at the Uiversity about disability ad euro-rehabilitatio, coverig physiotherapy, occupatioal therapy, ursig ad speech ad laguage therapy. I look forward to hearig from people jsteves@essex.ac.uk. Life has treated me well
22 Essex Effect Vicki Hedou Buck, Politics ad Sociology 1998 Wa Sulaima Bi Wa Yusoff, PhD Ecoomics 1996 I was at Iteratioal Islamic Uiversity Malaysia for 21 years util 2003, fiishig up as a Associate Professor. After that I got the chace to go to Qatar Uiversity as a visitig Professor (2003-05) ad Kig Abdul Aziz Uiversity i Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2005-08). Now, I am back i Malaysia at the Isaiah Uiversity as the Dea for Post Graduate Cetre, Professor of the Uiversity, ad Deputy Rector of Studet Affairs ad Alumi. Ala Doald, Evirometal Biology 1997 Married to Daw. Three boys: Bruce, Fraser ad Piper. Curretly livig i Abu Dhabi, UAE. Head of Sciece Faculty of Al Yasmia School for Aldar Academies. Adele Emm, Comparative Literature 1997 I ve spet the last two years writig full time. Researchig for the Media; Televisio, Radio ad Jouralism was published by Routledge i April 2014. Tracig Your Trade ad Craftsma Acestors is beig published by Pe ad Sword i April 2015 ad I m workig o a ew book which should be out i 2016. My greatest achievemet, however, is my 24-year-old daughter who is curretly teachig Eglish i Taiwa. Would love to hear from ayoe out there who remembers me. Jazi Eko Istiyato, MSc Computer Sciece 1988, PhD Electroic Systems Egieerig 1995 My curret positio is Chairma, Idoesia Nuclear Eergy Regulatory Agecy. Last May, I had my first book published. Roadside Warrior is about a youg woma who goes to Afghaista as a driver with the Royal Logistics Corps. Ruig alogside her story, her brother becomes a radicalised Muslim ad goes out to Pakista to trai as a Taliba siper. It s published by Austi Macauley, ad last Autum I gave a successful talk at their literary festival. I m curretly livig i Looe i Corwall, writig the sequel. Paagiotis Davitidis, Computers ad Networks 1999 I did a MSc i Data Telecommuicatios ad Networks at the Uiversity of Salford, ad got my first job as a IT Techicia i Loreto Grammar School, Altricham. I wet back to Greece for my military service i 2002. Sice the, I have visited the UK three times o busiess. For the past seve years, I have bee a Global Vedor Support Egieer i Uify (formerly Siemes Eterprise Commuicatios) i Athes. I miss my ui, classmates ad frieds. My years i Colchester were some of the most memorable ad ejoyable i my life ad I wish I had a chace to visit. My years i Colchester were some of the most memorable ad ejoyable i my life 2000s Melaie Adria, MA Theory ad Practice Huma Rights 2000 I am Assistat Professor i Law ad Legal Studies at Carleto Uiversity, Caada, ad Maagig Editor of the Caadia Joural of Law ad Society. I ve recetly bee profiled i Caada s Uiversity Affairs magazie go to uiversityaffairs.ca ad search for Melaie Adria to read the feature. Tim Gardier, Rural Resource Dev 2001, Agriculture PhD 2006 (Writtle) I have three ew books beig published: Nietee Fiftee, a WWI diary project with poetry ad prose (available o Amazo), The Natural History of Waveey Forest, a review of the wildlife i a east Norfolk forest (available from hbs.com), ad Wilderess, my first full poetry collectio (bramblebybooks.co.uk). I ve published five books sice 2006, with aother two immiet for 2015 (icludig a childre s book). Jeifer Cole eé Wilso, Humaities 2002 I teach Secodary Eglish ad Drama i Cairo, Egypt where I live with my family. I lead the British Sectio Learig Developmet Departmet coordiatig Special Needs ad Gifted ad Taleted Provisio at a large iteratioal school. I have two youg daughters; the most recet was bor i September. Moica K. Mugeyi, LLM Iteratioal Trade Law 2002 I have bee appoited Pricipal Judge of the East Africa Court of Justice. The Court s jurisdictio was icreased with the sigig of a Protocol o Trade ad Ivestmet. I believe my Essex Degree was critical to my appoitmet. Thak you, Essex! George Vassiliou, Ecoomics 2002 I was really lucky to be part of this Uiversity ad live, study ad socialise o such a woderful campus. I have the best memories from my time there. I did several jobs as a teacher ad as a call operator. I m ow a professor at Xii vocatioal school ad a call operator. Li Dajiag, MSc Telecommuicatios 2005 I m ow workig for ChiaCache, the largest iteret cotet delivery service provider i Chia, ad I opeed the Lodo office i Paddigto i Jauary, the HQ of EMEA regio. We aim to lik UK compaies with the Chiese market. I m lookig for alumi to joi my team, ad who wat to do busiess with us. Aie Beaumot, PhD Sociology 2006 I have recetly published a book based o my PhD thesis. Virtual Wome: Ladyboys Chagig sex i Thailad compares the experieces of British trassexual wome with those of Ladyboys i Thailad, ad is available o Amazo. I taught myself to speak Thai before I started the fieldwork, ad ow live i Norfolk, writig ad teachig at the Ope Uiversity. My book compares British trassexuals with Ladyboys i Thailad
Essex Effect 23 Emma Specer, History of Art 2006 After years i retail ad caterig (madatory for ay Humaities kid!), I eded up workig for the Natioal Galleries of Scotlad i Ediburgh, as a Coservatio Techicia. I am oe of a team of oly two techicias that recetly prepared a massive, iteratioal, four-veue tour, Masterpieces ad they really are! I have had the privilege to work with some of the biggest hitters i the history of art; just seeig them out of their frames is a huge hoour. for the Braford Boase. The ew oe cocers Nick who s about to go to Cambridge at just 15, but hates it whe people call him a geius. Whe he starts to cox for the college rowig crew, all hell breaks loose. Paulie Thompso, MA Refugee Care 2009 I worked i Saudi Arabia as a Eglish Laguage Istructor from 2012-14. I met Faical Rachak i the US i 2014. We got married i Harrisburg, Pesylvaia, i October. Faical is origially from Morocco, so we wore some traditioal Morocca clothes o our weddig day. I am ow a part- Jake Bafield, Busiess Maagemet 2009 I lauched my ow sell-out oema magic show, Sprezzatura, at the ed of 2014. This year, it s ruig mothly at the Charlotte Street Hotel. It has bee my goal to put o a show for the last couple of years, ad if all goes to pla the show will be a regular fixture i Lodo for the foreseeable future. Fid out more ad book at sprezzaturashow. com, or see more of Jake at www.jakebafield.com Kare Waddy, Sociology 2008 After a relatioship eded i 2014, I bega a blog, Life Begis at Fifty Oe ad a Half, about the highs ad lows beig sigle ad middle aged. You ca read it at lifebegisatfiftyoeadahalf. wordpress.com. It s ot meat to be academically brilliat it s satire! Alexia Casale, Creative Writig PhD 2009 My secod youg adult (YA) book, House of Widows, is out from Faber & Faber i August. The first, psychological thriller The Boe Drago, was shortlisted for the Waterstoe s Childre s Book Prize (YA category), aother childre s ad YA literature award i Germay, ad loglisted 2010s I ve started a 1940s-style sigig trio time ESL teacher for Catholic Charities of Harrisburg. My studets are adults, all refugees ad immigrats, adjustig to a ew life i the USA. Nieves Zúñiga, MA Ideology ad Discourse Aalysis 2009, PHP 2014 I am ow a post-doctoral research fellow at the School of Politics ad Iteratioal Relatios at the Uiversity of Nottigham. I am workig o the research project Aticorruptio Policies Revisited: Global Treds ad Europea Resposes to the Challeges of Corruptio. The aim is to idetify what factors promote or hider a effective ati-corruptio policy. At Nottigham we are aalysig the aticorruptio policy i Bolivia. Haah Baks, Actig 2010 I ve sice started my ow busiess, a 1940s-style sigig trio called The Belladoa Brigade. We have performed across the world, o Sky, at festivals, car shows ad WWII evets ad privately for Geri Halliwell, Steve Cooga ad James May. Fid out more at thebelladoabrigade.com David Gorjo, MSc Iteratioal Fiace 2010 I specialise i the microfiace itermediatio chai ad have worked for the Luxembourg Microfiace ad Developmet Fud (LMDF), the Iter-America Developmet Bak ad differet MFIs ad NGOs i Mexico, Peru, Frace, Luxembourg ad Belgium. I recetly worked o the LMDF s Social Performace Report 2010-15. Choo-Yig Ta, MA Europea Art from Reaissace to the 19th cetury 2010 Sice Essex, I have bee teachig History of Art at the Sigapore campus of DigiPe Istitute of Techology to studets i the Bachelor of Fie Arts i Digital Art ad Aimatio ad Bachelor of Sciece i Computer Sciece programmes. I get a great sese of satisfactio from teachig these future game artists ad game programmers to look more closely at Art ad to develop a iquisitive midset through the exploratio of a wide rage of art. Ramó Archila Marí, MA Political Ecoomy 2011 I am workig for the Federal Govermet of Mexico. At the Federal Commissio for Regulatory Improvemet (COFEMER), I aalyse federal regulatio, estimatig the costs ad beefits for society before their official publicatio. Here, we also create programs ad public policies that will attract ivestmet ad create ew busiesses at local levels. I am very happy usig all the kowledge we acquired at the Uiversity of Essex for the welfare of my coutry. Alia Isaev, Eglish Literature 2011 I work at Debehams head office i the SEO (search egie optimisatio) team i the Digital Marketig departmet. I recetly wo Best Iteriors Blog 2014 at the Cosmopolita Blog Awards for my blog fairytaleprettypicture. co.uk Rifai Afi, MSc Ecoomics 2012 I am research maager o a project to evaluate the ecoomic, social ad evirometal impacts of sustaiability verificatio ad certificatio o smallholder farmers i value chais for coffee ad cocoa i Idoesia. It s a cooperatio project betwee the Uiversity of Sydey ad the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Actio Lab. We re lookig at what impacts these itervetios have o farm practices ad outcomes, ad o household poverty ad welfare.
24 Essex Effect I make grats to wome ad tras huma rights defeders whe their security is threateed Patricia Borleghi, MA Creative Writig 2012 I set up the Patricia Press i 2012, which has recetly published Out of Such Darkess by Robert Rosso, Disarmig the Porcupie by Mark Brayley ad Dorek deaf ad uheard, the last i a trilogy I have writte myself. I ve also lauched Patricia s childre s imprit, Puddig Press, ad its first book, Godfrey ad the Stars by Mike Fryer. Caitli Cassidy, Actig (Iteratioal) 2012 I recetly fouded the LubDub theatre compay with fellow alum Geoff Kaick (Actig (Iteratioal) 2012) i New York. LubDub is a ot-for-profit dedicated to producig bold, boudary-breakig ew works that feature a uique bled of magic, circus, dace, live music ad text. We d love to hear from alumi ad curret studets who d like to be ivolved: caitli@ lubdubtheatre.com Nathalie Margi, LLM i Iteratioal Huma Rights ad Humaitaria Law 2012 After travelig to the Democratic Republic of Cogo with a NGO called the Global Network of Wome Peacebuilders to implemet UN Security Coucil Resolutios o Wome, Peace ad Security at the local level, I recetly started a ew positio as Seior Program Officer for a femiist orgaisatio called Urget Actio Fud for Wome s Huma Rights i New York. I make rapid respose grats to wome ad tras huma rights defeders whe their security is threateed or whe there is a uaticipated widow of opportuity for advocacy, ad I am also developig ad expadig Urget Actio Fud s advocacy program. I live i Brookly with my husbad Joseph. Emauele Costa, MSc Ecoomics 2013 I came back to Italy after the best experiece of my life at Essex, where I spet beautiful days ad kew studets from all over the world. I am ow fiishig my PhD at the Uiversity of Geoa, ad helpig some PhD studets to improve their ecoometrics kowledge. I m also workig at the Coucil of Geoa. I will remember Essex for the rest of my life. Shaig Mursalzade, Iformatio ad Commuicatio Techology 2013 I did a Masters at UCL i Networked Computer Systems. I ow work i IT ad Commuicatio at SOCAR (State oil compay of Azerbaija Republic), oe of the world s 25 biggest oil compaies. Olumide Odubajo, Fiacial Ecoomics 2013 I recetly received a offer for the KPMG graduate programme i Lodo. I will be workig i Foresics ad I start this summer. Maria Pariots, Humaities 2013 Philip Kofo-Kasumu, Accoutig ad Maagemet 2013 I ru my ow tech start-up ad I have lauched a app called Bodypage, where people share their fitess joureys with others, read articles o utritio ad fitess ad get great deals o products. I will also be comig up to Essex soo to give free sessios o persoal traiig ad how to eat healthily ad cheaply as a studet. Sofia Maukya, MA Theory ad Practice i Huma Rights 2013 I recetly started a blog devoted to busiess ad huma rights issues with my fried Theresa Lakes (LLM Huma Rights Law 2013): bizolutioers.wordpress.com Choosig Essex was the best decisio of my life. I met so may differet atioalities ad ow have frieds from all over the world. I was able to begi learig Spaish as a part of my degree as well as studyig philosophy ad literature. I m ow workig i Spai as a Eglish teacher, ad perfectig my Spaish. Last but ot least, I met the love of my life he is from Colchester! We pla to get married soo. Camilla Jarvis, Social ad Cultural History 2014 My mother could t fiish her degree i the 1930s because of WWII. I lost her 19 years ago, ad wated to fiish what she started. Essex lived up to my expectatios, ad I m ow a selfemployed tutor. I teach courses o the Tudors ad the Stuarts at Fichigfield Guildhall, which was built i 1472 ot log before Hery VII took the throe i 1485. The Guildhall has bee restored with lottery fudig with my proposed teachig formig part of the applicatio ad the courses have bee a great success. Naomi Jeffreys, Drama ad Literature 2014 I m ow a Editorial Assistat at Newto Media where I deal with cliets from all aroud the world. We write about IP all aroud the world. Although I miss Essex it s great to kow that it helped me get a good job. Kyohei Kiyota, Marketig 2014 I studied Marketig i Southed. After graduatio, I started workig at Erst & Youg s Japa office. Sarah Oluwatosi Thompso, Biochemistry 2014 I itered for BBC Horizo a few moths ago. I m curretly iterig at the New Statesma as a Wellcome Trust Sciece Writer: ewstatesma.com/ writers/325376 Momodou Lami Touray, MA Filmmakig 2014 I recetly appeared as Balotelli i seaso 2 ad 3 of the Norwegia-America televisio series, Lilyhammer. I have ow appeared i five differet TV series i Norway, icludig crime series Det Tredje Oyet (The Third Eye). I also produce artists ad write ad direct films, commercials ad video clips ad have my ow compay, 2-Rayz Sydicate. Max Warre, Sports ad Exercise Sciece 2014 I miss Essex I preseted my udergraduate research project/ dissertatio fidigs at the UK High Performace Coferece for Paralympic Sports Sciece ad Medicie.
Essex Effect 25 Cocrete romace Uiversity ca be a time whe relatioships come ad go, but for some, it s the start of somethig that lasts a lifetime 1970s Chris ad Gillia At the start of my third year, says Chris Jorda (Computig Sciece 1977), I was helpig to ru the Uiversity Sailig Club, based i Brightligsea. I Freshers Week, we were busy tryig to attract ew studets to the club (especially the female oes!) O the Itroductio to Sailig day that weeked, I was oe of the existig members takig ew people for short 30-miute trips aroud the bay, showig them how to sail ad get out oto the water for the first time. Oe of the girls shyly asked me: Ca you take me for a sail? I have bee waitig a log time. It was Gillia Smith (History 1979). That first sail lasted about three hours! Three years later, they married. David Charlto (Mathematics ad Computig 1978, PhD Mathematics 1984 ad married to Celia Dawso, Literature 1981) was best ma. 35 years ad two childre later, Chris says, we re still sailig together. 1960s Paul ad Jackie Paul ad Jackie Farrow (Mathematics ad Mathematical Ecoomics 1967) met o their ad the Uiversity s very first ight i 1964. There was, Jackie says, a istat attractio: He had a car. Paul shrugs. I thought she was after my body. No, it was the car. They became a couple at the first Jue Ball, Jackie says. At the ext Jue Ball, she accepted his surprise proposal. Well, Paul says, it was a surprise to me. It s bee dowhill ever sice. He does t really mea it. Paul proudly says of Jackie s successful career i the oil idustry: the ceiligs the were cocrete ot glass, but the MD of Shell UK opeed oe meetig of seior maagers with the words, Welcome getleme ad Mrs Farrow. Mrs Farrow ad getleme, Jackie corrects him. Paul is self-deprecatig about his ow work: I did a MSc at Imperial, ad the wet to work for the Post Office for 33 years, so I m o strager to excitemet. They have two sos ad, so far, two gradchildre ad Jackie recetly passed her drivig test. Paul says he s likely to face bachelorhood agai quite soo. I thought she was after my body. No, it was the car 35 years ad two childre later, we re still sailig together
26 Essex Effect 1990s Michelle ad Jack Michelle (ée Falgate, Sociology 1994) tells the story of how she ad Jack Keeshaw (BA Govermet 1994, MA British Govermet ad Politics 1996, PhD Govermet 2003) met, while Jack iterrupts. Michelle: I was i Keyes, ad Jack kew people i Keyes, so we met i the first term. Jack: This is all true so far. I m surprised. M: He thought I was quite loud. J: That is the truth. She remais loud. M: He wet out ad drak a load of whisky o his birthday ad we got talkig. J: That s probably true as well, yes. M: I made him dier whe we got back after Christmas, ad he eded up with a stomach ache. Apparetly, his mother thought the oios ad vegetables had bee a shock to his body. She said he d ever eat that for her which I thought was a good sig. J: It s just that I m polite. M: The day after, my fried came back, ad we wet roud the bar, lookig for Jack ad the others. We d had a couple of driks, ad he watched us walk past him three times, laughig at us. I said to him that eveig, I like you. I m pretty sure you like me, too. J: This is embarrassig. But that s what happeed. M: I wet to do teacher traiig i Lodo, while Jack did his MA. The, I got my first job i Braitree, ad we got married i 1998. Michelle s ow deputy head at Staway Primary School, while Jack works at the Istitute for Social ad Ecoomic Research. 1980s David ad Trish David (Computer Sciece 1986) ad Trish Barham (Russia Studies 1986) met at Essex i 1984, ad married o campus. The course of true love ra smooth eve whe Trish travelled to Moscow for five moths. About two weeks after we started goig out Trish aouced she would be goig to Moscow, David says, which I thought was a crafty way of tryig to dump me. From September 1984 to Jauary 1985 we could oly commuicate via letters, which were opeed by the KGB, ad the occasioal telex. Trish maaged to fid a telex operator who did t speak Eglish, ad reduced the cost by ruig all the words together, as they charged by the word. We got married o campus, because most of our frieds were still studets who could t afford to travel. The ceremoy was i the Multi-Faith Chaplaicy Cetre, Trish s ladlady from her third year made the dress, ad our receptio was i the East Semiar room which we booked out as a Discussio group o marriage. Today their eldest so is studyig BSc Computer Sciece at Essex, ad their yougest has us as his first choice for a Politics degree after his A Levels. David ad Trish came to our 50th aiversary weeked, stayed i Eddigto agai ad daced the ight away i the SU. I thought goig to Moscow was a crafty way to dump me He wet out ad drak a load of whisky o his birthday ad we got talkig
Essex Effect 27 2000s Peter ad Sophie Peter ad Sophie Thompso (both Sports ad Exercise Sciece 2007) My wife Sophie ad I arrived at flat six, Eddigto Tower i 2003, to study Sports ad Exercise Sciece. We lived together, studied together ad, after a couple of moths, became a couple agaist the odds, as o first impressios I was too short ad ot taed eough! O first impressios I was too short ad ot taed eough Essex was icredibly vibrat, full of opportuities. I worked for the SU i the bar, voluteered for the Sports Fed Executive, ad represeted Essex at football ad cricket. After graduatig we travelled, got egaged at Sydey Harbour ad the married i July 2010 i Bouremouth. We were very surprised to fid ourselves o the cover of the Uiversity prospectus for 2010, although Sophie is clearly the focus of the photo the photographer obviously had taste! I 2011, we had Lucy ad Grace. It was a almighty shock to fid out we were havig twis. They certaily make life iterestig. Essex gave us both some fatastic memories. 2010s Rya ad Motaa Well, if it s romace you re after, you ve foud it. Motaa Harde (Humaities 2011) ad Rya Baks (Accoutig ad Fiace 2010) met i their first week i 2007. Rya lived with some of my frieds, says Motaa, so we became close. I liked her from day oe, he says. We hug out as frieds almost every day, but I wet o my year abroad, Motaa explais. I February 2010, he flew out to Caada to tell me he wated to be with me, ad we ve bee together ever sice. Rya says I let Motaa kow I was comig to make sure I had somewhere to sleep, but I did t have time to pla aythig else, let aloe what I might say whe I got there! Motaa met me at the airport, ad after both Goig beig a bit ervous we realised we wated to be more to Caada tha just frieds ad we ve bee happy ever sice. was the best Goig to Caada was the best decisio I ve made. decisio I ve made Rya s ow a fully qualified accoutat, Motaa says, ad I m a Exams Officer at the College of Estate Maagemet i Readig. We re lookig forward to may years together. I fact, o the fifth aiversary of gettig together 19 February this year they got egaged. See? Told you it was romatic.
28 Essex Effect Thak you! Essex was fouded o charitable givig, ad has chaged lives ad the world for 50 years Early days You may ot have heard of idustrial chemist Oswald Silberrad, but whe a uiversity was beig fouded i his home couty of Essex, his widow Lillia ad their so Joh were amog over 700 members of the public who supported our foudig appeal. The family s geerosity did t ed there. I 2005, Joh left us more tha 2 millio i his will for PhD scholarships. We have amed our ew studet cetre i the Silberrads hoour, ad at the buildig s toppig-out ceremoy, Hugh Silberrad (below) said, My great-ucle s educatio ad success was fuded by somebody else, ad this was the family s way of givig back to his local commuity. Philathropic support helped us award 378 scholarships i 2013-14 aloe, allowig people who wat to lear here to achieve their full potetial whatever their backgroud. Givig Philathropy ow Charitable givig still makes a differece today. Callum Rya, for example, Treasurer of the Essex Blades Cyclig Club, had a idea last year. We wat to ru free trips to the Olympic Velodrome i Lodo for our members ad other cyclists, he said. Just oe velodrome sessio costs over 1,000, though, which is why Callum eeded the Essex Fud. The trip is a chace for some studets who ve ever had the chace to ride i a velodrome, Callum told us, ad it could be a steppig stoe for us to compete at British Uiversities & Colleges Sport track cyclig evets which Essex has t doe before. So, if you got a call from us i November ad wodered why, here s your aswer. Each year, we recruit studets to rig you with updates o the Uiversity ad ask you to support our Essex Fud. Sice 2002, more tha 1,300 of you have pledged over 500,000 to fud societies, sports, arts ad evets. These are all activities the Uiversity ca t pay for, but which add somethig extra to campus life ad which are ofte, let s be hoest, the thigs you remember log after you ve forgotte much of what you studied. Alumi support today s studets, makig campus life special Over 500,000 raised for the Essex Fud i 12 years 40 Studets Uio societies supported The Blades Cyclig Club got a grat of 1,500, ad Callum says that, as a result of them beig able to offer this trip, may more people tha last year siged up for our club at Welcome Week. We re a small club, ad we re growig, thaks to the Essex Fud. It s ot just moey As I start to thik about retiremet, says Geoff Lu (Electroic Egieerig 1979), I feel a strog sese of watig to give somethig back. Geoff s degree led to a career i specialist LED lightig, ad he s ow director of cosultacy, desig ad maufacturig compay VML-Techologies. His kowledge ca be very useful for today s studets they just eed a way to tap ito it. That s why we set up speed etworkig i 2012 evets which have see over 120 alumi like Geoff give us their time to share expert career advice with 150 studets. Their metorig, ad the iterships they ca offer, help the ext geeratio of Essex studets to secure their future. My hope, Geoff says, is that I ca help just a few prospective graduates fid their way i this difficult job market. Every year, we ru more speed etworkig evets to cover a wider rage of subjects. Give us a shout if you wat to get ivolved. Sice 2002, more tha 1,300 of you have pledged over 500,000 to fud societies, sports, arts ad evets.
Essex Effect 29 Iteratioal frieds You do t eed to be i the UK to give Essex your time. Alumi across the world ca help us talk to prospective studets. You ca give them a first-had perspective o what Essex is like paitig a picture more eloquet tha ay prospectus (although ours are pretty cool). Where are you ow? The top 15 53,296 UK 1,064 Frace 3,035 USA 804 Spai 768 Italy 843 Mexico 1,011 Germay 3,619 Greece 1,323 Cyprus 716 Idia 3,036 Chia 1,286 Japa 1,213 Hog Kog 751 Malaysia Atoio Gil Asejo (above left, Philosophy 2001, MA Literature 2005) came to a evet i Madrid i March, ad says, I told prospective studets about the supportive teachers ad the admiistrative staff, who are very importat for foreig studets livig away from home. I let them kow about the beauty of Wivehoe Park, too. I would be very happy to thik that some of them decided to come to Essex. Audrey Beayou (above, LLM Europea Uio Law 2015), came to a evet i her ative Paris. Essex was amazig, she says, so I wated to share it. Essex gave me the opportuity to be more cofidet, ad I wated others to experiece that. The sports ad clubs are really importat to help you itegrate, ad have a social life. It s totally differet from Frace, ad I wated to help other people to make that choice. www.essex.ac.uk/thakyou 722 Sigapore Philathropy is so importat. It souds like somethig rich people do to help rich istitutios, but really it s about chagig lives. Essex gives people opportuities to get somewhere i life they might ot otherwise have reached. If you re i a positio to help, it s good to give the same opportuity to others. It s your chace to trasform someoe else s life. Chatel Le Carpetier SU Presidet 2014-15
30 Essex Effect Or igi al Sq uar e 3r est aur at tea spoo My Essex Fraces Blude (formerly Stehouse, Sociology 1972) remembers fog, aughtiess ad ickig teaspoos My first sight of Essex i October 1969 was of the Towers from the Clacto road, travellig from the statio to Brightligsea, where I was to sped my first year i digs, with a study room i oe of the Towers. My primary recollectios of that first year were of the fog that frequetly eveloped campus, the bailey bridge, the pateroster lifts i the library, the pai of gettig to ad from Brightligsea (hece ofte sleepig i the said study room) ad of studet protest ad strikes. Essex s reputatio for studet protest ad decadet life, particularly drug takig, was strog durig this time, with occasioal police raids ad exposés i the atioal press. Caabis was widely available, ad I remember some usig LSD, but for most, studet life was more mudae ad the drug of choice was alcohol. up picketig miers at the Uiversity who had come to blockade Wivehoe to prevet coal from beig imported. I particularly remember the power cuts of 1970-71, ad havig to climb the stairs i the Towers ad complete essays by cadlelight. A sigificat part of the Sociology degree was coursework, ad may essays were delivered uder doors very early i the morig after havig see daw over the lakes ad heard the ducks daw chorus. But there were more simple pleasures such as cream teas at Dedham, rowig from Dedham to Flatford, tourig the local hostelries of Suffolk ad Essex, subathig by the lakes ad parties at Wiv House. Goig ito Colchester was fasciatig there were major excavatios of Roma sites i the tow cetre, ow buried uder shops. Oe part of Essex I still have are two pieces of origial cutlery from the Square 3 restaurat whe it first opeed. Studet protest related to wider issues as well as uiversity oes boycottig (Editor s ote we ve Barclays (the oly source of bakig checked with Campus o campus before cash machies Service, ad o charges We put ad bakcards) as part of the atiwill be brought.) apartheid protests, ad troops out of up miers Norther Irelad, which egedered who had come tesios ad coflict betwee to picket studets ad the army. Also, we put Wivehoe All photos Fraces ow