Stevie Hertz

M.S. Student at Columbia Journalism School [email protected]

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Taxi drivers in New York City have notoriously terrible habits, regularly speeding and cutting people off. But for many people, their job is to teach hopeful cab drivers the rules of the road. Stevie Hertz spoke to one such taxi-driving instructor about both his day job and how it helps his private passion.

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Why you won’t be getting in a wheelchair accessible Uber anytime soon

Yesenia Torres, riding in a wheelchair accessible Uber (Sarah Wyman)

By Stevie Hertz and Sarah Wyman

By the time her Uber arrives, Yesenia Torres, who uses a wheelchair, has been waiting for 40 minutes. The promised wait was 20 minutes, but the closest wheelchair accessible car is 2.5 miles away. And even then, that car picks up extra fares along the way.

Torres says this isn’t unusual. Although there are over 80,000for-hire-vehicles in New York City, such as those provided by Uber and Lyft, only 105 of them are wheelchair accessible, according to the drivers’ union.

The theoretical simplicity of hailing an accessible Uber (Stevie Hertz)

But this could soon change.

New rules proposed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), which regulates the industry, would require 10% of trips in 2018 to be completed in a wheelchair accessible vehicle, regardless of whether the user has requested one. By 2021, it would rise to one in every four trips.

Mohamed Mowad, president of XYZ Cars,an executive car service with 350 vehicles, said small car firms, also covered by the proposed rules, would bear the financial burden of meeting the TLC requirements.

He would need to purchase new wheelchair accessible vehicles or retrofit existing ones, at over $20,000 per car. “Somebody must pay for it,” said Mowad, suggesting that the cost would be passed onto customers.

“In the last year, I only get less than 5 requests” for wheelchair accessible vehicles, said Mowad. “It’s not worth the effort.”

Above: Josh Gold, Policy Director for Uber in New York, takes a break during testimony at the public hearing. Below: Advocates listen to testimony at the hearing. (Stevie Hertz)

But for companies with larger fleets and high-tech algorithms, there could be ways to game the system, warned disability rights advocate John Grisham. Instead of making a quarter of their cars wheelchair accessible, a computerised system could dispatch a few accessible vehicles exclusively for short trips, until they are completing 25% of all requests

“One accessible vehicle as your workhorse for all your short trips that are in a concentrated area,” said Grisham.

While this would spell pay-day for drivers who already own wheelchair accessible vehicles, other drivers could be left on the side of the road. As many Uber drivers own or lease their vehicles, it’s not an easy upgrade to make.

Commissioner Lauvienska Polanco during the fifth hour of testimony at the public hearing. (Stevie Hertz)

Over 300 people attended a public meeting hosted by the TLC to discuss the plan. At the meeting, a coalition of 75 car agencies, including Uber and Lyft, declared their opposition to the TLC’s plan and announced their own alternative.

Under their proposal, wheelchair accessible vehicles would be pooled. Customers would still order a car through their preferred company, but the closest car would be sent, regardless of its owner.

The benchmark of success would change from completing 25% of all rides in wheelchair accessible vehicles to meeting all requests within a 15-minute window. More accessible cars would still be needed, but a much smaller amount.

“It will work faster and it will actually guarantee rides to wheelchair users,” said Anat Gerstein, president of one of the public relations firms hired by the group.

Advocates from the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID) testify in favor of the proposed change at the public hearing. (Stevie Hertz).

But TLC Chair Meera Joshi expressed concerns about the plan in a press conference prior to the public meeting.

“I think it’s difficult to know how exactly they’ll provide the same level of service in a centralised dispatch that they provide independently,” said Joshi.

Under the new scheme, companies would no longer be competing for customers, but passing them onto their competitors. Wheelchair users would be unable to choose — or avoid — a specific company. “What’s your incentive to improve service?” Joshi asked.

The TLC is reviewing testimony on the two plans and a decision is expected later this month. While neither plan is likely to go through in its current form, given pressure from the City Council and advocates, some change is probable.

Yesenia Torres waits for an Uber outside the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled. (Stevie Hertz)

This article was originally published on Transit New York on Oct. 8 2017

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Who’s teaching your cab driver? In New York, that’s a tricky question

A student at VTG Institute takes his test. When he takes the exam, it’s only him and Andrew Vollo in the room. (Stevie Hertz)

Every cab and ride-share driver has to pass a multiple-choice exam from the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). But a lot rides on where drivers get their training.

At Abaan Goog Transportation Education Academy in Queens, 96% of students pass the exam on their first try. At VTG Institute, in Midtown Manhattan, the pass rate on the first try is half that.

Although the TLC must approve schools, the number has increased from 4, in May 2016, to 16 now. Demand for driver education has surged since 2015, when ride-sharing drivers began having to meet the same training standard as taxi drivers.

The system changed again in September 2016 when the TLC created a single license authorizing people to drive both taxis and rideshare cars. Since then, almost 32,000 people have become qualified, which involves a 24-hour course and getting 70% of the questions right on the exam.

Students can fail the exam for any number of reasons: they might be new to the city and unfamiliar with the geography, they might not be used to taking a test on a computer or they might make mistakes on their timing — or they might not have been taught well.

TLC Deputy Commissioner Allan Fromberg said in an email that the approval process includes “a site visit and a comprehensive review of the applicant’s training materials, insurance coverage, and ADA compliance.” He and others at the agency “consider the TLC Driver License a success, and do not currently anticipate any changes.”

A teacher at Advance TLC School in the Bronx conducts a map-reading lesson. Grobman emphasizes their investment in Macs and big screen displays, instead of whiteboards. (Stevie Hertz)

Others were not so certain. Brian Grobman is managing partner of Advance TLC School, where 82% of English-language students passed the test the first time.

“Stop opening up schools,” he said. “Start regulating, start coming around, surprise checks. Send in spies; see what’s going on. We’re getting a lot of students from other schools. They’re not passing, they’re complaining [about bad teaching]”

Grobman attributes his school’s high pass rate to its custom training materials, which break down the rules into “layman’s terms bullet points.”

“Most of the schools are not doing this… We try to make the course interesting and fun.”

He said while the TLC checks on a school when they open, visits soon drop off. “If you’re going to have TLC-approved schools,” he added, “you have to regulate them.”

Massimo Sarta drives for Uber and earned his license four months ago. He described the process as “a big investment”, particularly taking time off work for the three-day class. Although his teachers were helpful, he had to study outside of class.

Andrew Vollo, president of VTG Institute. He’s been teaching people to drive taxis since 1984, but in May 2017 he opened his own school. (Stevie Hertz)

The head of VTG Institute, which has the first-time pass rate of 48%, also called for increased regulation. Andrew Vollo, president, said, “If I were the TLC, I would be in every school. Because the stories that you hear about some of the schools … it’s almost frightening.”

Vollo has been teaching taxi drivers since 1984. “Drivers would come to you and they want to give you like, $500 or $600. I have to sit back and say, ‘Guy, listen, I love you but if you do that you’re going to get in a lot of trouble.’ … A lot of these guys are very desperate.”

Tests are given at the driving schools, proctored by instructors.

Vollo blames his school’s low pass rate on a string of poor referrals. Many of the students had already failed the test at other schools.

Students can retake the test as many times as necessary in a 90-day period, for a fee ranging from $60 — $75 each time, depending on the school. Vollo reports having a student who took the test “seven times before he could pass.”

The test itself is 80 questions, covering rules, geography, and customer service. The practice test asks drivers questions like where Chinatown is relative to the World Trade Center site, or when drivers can refuse a fare.

Between April and June 2017, schools averaged 73% of students passing on their first attempt.

This article was first published at Transit New York on Sept. 28 2017

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NYC stalls in the fight for hybrid Ubers

Uber promised this month that all London UberXs will be hybrid or electric by 2020, but the company is making no such vow for its 46,000 cars in New York City.

In fact, the company doesn’t disclose how many of its New York cars are hybrid, even though the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), which regulates the industry, publishes similar information on taxis.

And if Uber, which didn’t respond for comment, did try to enforce a London-style rule here, many drivers would push back.

“Gas is cheap enough,” said Moe Duke, an Uber driver since 2013. Leasing a hybrid car “is a little bit more expensive.” He drives a Lexus ES350, which does come in a hybrid version, but when he took it for a test drive, he noticed it had less power.

While in 2015, almost 10,000 of New York’s 13,500 yellow taxis were hybrid, this was mostly by industry choice. In fact, the TLC only requires that 300 yellow taxis be hybrid vehicles and, according to TLC Deputy Commissioner Allan Fromberg, “there are no other requirements in place.” Fromberg cited a 2011 lawsuit that ruled that New York City could not create its own taxi fuel efficiency rules, as that remained a federal power.

“The end goal is… to have all vehicles off gas and diesel fuel”

However, for-hire-vehicles in New York City must still undergo safety licensing. Because of this, many Uber drivers to choose to lease already-licensed vehicles from companies such as Tower Auto Mall in Queens. Online Sales Manager Brandon Wall said that of Tower Auto Mall’s 3,000 cars “maybe 100 are hybrid… They’re not very popular.”

Although Wall said the company, which is one of Uber’s four leasing partners in the city, “discuss type of vehicles” with Uber, they get no pressure to provide more hybrid cars.

The issue is hybrids’ cost, Wall said. Tower Auto Mall is advertising a 2011 Toyota Camry for the purchase price of $5,900, $1,000 less than its hybrid equivalent. Although the hybrid boasts nine more miles per gallon, at current Manhattan gas prices, it would take over 22,000 miles to earn back the initial extra investment. That’s the equivalent of driving from New York to Boston 100 times.

London’s 40,000 Uber drivers are facing these costs. The company is offering drivers $6,800 in grants to upgrade their vehicles. London customers will fund these grants through a 50-cent surcharge on trips, and Uber is contributing $2.7 million.

Uber’s decision to invest in hybrid vehicles comes after growing public pressure over London’s air pollution, blamed for 9,500 deaths each year. And the changes don’t stop with Uber. From 2018, all new London black cabs will need to be hybrid or electric.

“I care about mileage, but I care about the price more.”

In New York, city data shows that between 2009 and 2011, an average 2,300 deaths a year were caused by poor air quality.

Some are pushing New York to take London’s lead. “The end goal is… to have all vehicles off gas and diesel fuel”, Air & Energy Director of Environmental Advocates of New York (EANY), Conor Bambrick, said. EANY, the statewide affiliate of the National Wildlife Foundation, is campaigning for a law to eliminate all fossil fuel usage in New York by 2050.

But for Uber driver, Ibrahim Honday, the choice is simple: “I care about mileage, but I care about the price more.”

This article was originally published at Transit New York on Sept. 21 2017

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Shift changes, wind chimes and a new app: Taxi garages attempt to hail more drivers

A taxi in Brooklyn displays an ad for drivers (Stevie Hertz)

Queens Medallion Leasing features massage chairs and an elliptical machine in its taxi garage. Team Systems Fleet promises gas at below pump price. Yakuel Taxi advertises Ping-Pong tables and wind chimes to relax drivers.

Taxi owners are trying to lure drivers back to their yellow cabs from companies like Uber and Lyft. And as of Sept. 4, there’s another tool: The Lacus app, which allows cabbies to work on demand and unlock cabs online, saving them hours per week of commuting to and waiting at garages where drivers rent their taxis.

Aleksey Medvedovskiy owns a taxi garage, NYC Taxi Group, and developed Lacus. He says it typically takes drivers 40 minutes to commute to the garage, where they can then wait for another half hour. “Drivers book about $50–60, on average, an hour” Medvedovskiy said.

Aziz Nizomov, started driving with Uber in 2014 and moved to yellow cabs to try Lacus. While he described the leasing system before as “hell,” now, he said, “it’s perfect… It’s really the future of yellow cabs.”

That day, the cab he drove last night is parked outside his home. Previously, he would have had to drop it at the garage at the end of his shift and commute home, arriving 90 minutes after he clocked off.

Nizomov, 26, takes night classes at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. He is the kind of driver Medvedovskiy hopes to attract: “college students ... people that have primary jobs…. We did not have [them] for the last five or six years.”

Medvedovskiy developed the app in-house with a team of developers and designers. It has taken two years.

Aleksey Medvedovskiy runs a NYC Taxi Group. He has 900 drivers but is looking to attract more with his new app, Lacus. (Stevie Hertz)

The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), which regulates the industry, has another strategy to attract drivers. Working with NYC Taxi Group, they are piloting a program allowing drivers to lease cabs on a 35% commission, rather than for a flat fee, normally around $100 per shift. It also removes the 12-hour minimum on shifts.

TLC Deputy Commissioner Allan Fromberg acknowledged in an interview that the city faced a “shortage of drivers, especially on yellow side.” Fromberg said the old leasing system could lead to “frustration and pressure imposed on a driver as he starts his day already in the hole.”

Still, this attempt to attract drivers has been met with reluctance by many garages: the TLC made the leasing option available in 2015, but NYC Taxi Group became the first to use it, this month.

The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade represents a quarter of the medallion industry. Its spokesman, Michael Woloz, explained the reluctance in a statement: “Commission-based leasing, which favors driving during the most lucrative hours and was tried and abandoned decades ago, could result in less service during certain times.”

It also creates less reliable income for garages.

The competition for drivers has its limits. Kobir Ali, a yellow cabbie, said, “Nobody cares about taxi drivers … It’s a job, so it’s better than nothing. But they give us a car, we give them money, that’s it.”

This article was originally published at Transit New York on Sept. 15 2017

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Students get that sinking feeling in annual cardboard boat race

Once again, Cambridge students have faced off against both gastroenteritis and swans to participate in the Cambridge University Cardboard Boat Race. Around 40 teams attempted to create and then sail ‘boats’ made entirely of cardboard, gaffa tape, and PVA on a return trip from Jesus Lock to the end of Jesus Green.

The vessels used a wide range of propulsion methods, including tea trays, tennis rackets, and, for one boat, a bicycle.

Although teams had to have a minimum of three people on board, boats ranged widely in size with QED having over 10 epic sailors.

While many boats did not complete the voyage, the winner Wail of a Time, claimed to have traveled more than 1.1 nauticals miles and stayed afloat for almost 90 minutes, as they continued on to row to the pub. Their boat used the expertise of “4.5 engineers worth of engineering”, a comment which they unfortunately declined to clarify.

Many teams displayed their sense of humour not only through the act of making boats out of cardboard, but also through their names, with Usain Boat, Vitamin Sea and the Barge Mahal taking to the Cam. With the referendum less than a fortnight away, Europhiles will be pleased to hear that the Nigel Farage Barge sank well before Boat Remain.

The event was facilitated by the University punting society, the Granta Rats. Leyla Gumusdis,one of the committee members, told The Cambridge Student that they were excited that the poor weather did not affect the turnout for the race. Hundreds of spectators watched the event, with one family calling it “a great day out”. 

As ever, however, the Daily Mail reported the event with their signature flavour, with the headline “Stripped to their bras causing carnage on the river: Cambridge University students shock families with their annual Suicide Sunday end of exams party”.

This article was first published in The Cambridge Student on 16/6/16

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Iced, iced coffee

Of all the beverages of Easter Term, iced coffee is my favourite. The prosecco of May Week is exciting and the Red Bull of revision is necessary, but iced coffee provides both much needed caffeine and refreshment. Yet with many colleges devoid of freezers, the only option is to buy-in. Various cafes in Cambridge claim to provide it, but the results are mixed. I cafe-hopped, trying as many as possible in a single day.

Starbucks, Iced Caramel Macchiato

Starbucks provide all their regular coffees iced, which means a bewildering amount of choice. I opted for the macchiato, and it’s certainly the best choice for anyone in need of a sugar hit. 7/10

Fitzbillies, Iced Latte

Fitzbillies does not mess around when it comes to ice coffee; a hot shot of espresso is poured over cold milk and ice. While this does mean that the coffee tastes fresh, it also means that it’s not exactly cold. 7/10

Grad Cafe, Jimmy’s Iced Coffee

Jimmy’s Iced Coffee is nowhere near as fresh, coming in a carton and expiring some time later this year. This comes across as it doesn’t particularly recently brewed and is also quite sweet. 6/10

Hot Numbers, Cold Brew and Tonic

Apparently originating in Sweden, Cold Brew and Tonic is the latest hipster darling, but it is bizarre. Both sweet and bitter, fizzy and caffeinated, no one can decide if they love it, or hate it. 5/10

Hot Numbers, Iced latte

I personally believe that Hot Numbers makes the best coffee in Cambridge and their iced latte does not fall flat. It tastes fresh, but cool, and also manages to have foamed milk. The stuff day dreams are made of. 10/10

This article was first published in The Cambridge Student on 21/04/16

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The titles we give to those in power do matter

The news comes this week that Harvard has decided to remove the word ‘Master’ from its titles. This decision has been a long time coming. The titles that we give those in positions of power themselves have power. From the business focused Hong Kong’s head of the government being called the ‘Chief Executive’, to Jesus College’s catering officer anachronistically labelled ‘a Manciple’, what we call our leaders represents us as a society. 

Thus, to continue to use a term entwined with so much racism and societal baggage, when students are crying out for it to change, would be to show that that community does not care about its marginalised groups. Regardless of the historical root of the word, we must understand that meanings and interpretations are relative and fluid. While it may well have come from the Latin word ‘magister’, that is of little comfort when a student of colour is forced to call someone in a position of power their master.

If students want it, this is a simple change to make. Curriculums do not need to be overthrown, or listed buildings changed – there are no justifications for keeping it, bar the cover-all of ‘tradition’.

The title we give those in power has come up a lot in my college recently, as we appoint our first female master. Some have laughed at the idea that we should use the term ‘Mistress’, saying it would be unnecessarily sexual. But we could also reclaim the word, as Girton have, saying that the idea of women in power need not be sexual. 

Similar problems occurred when Paris elected its first woman to be mayor and she had to campaign to be referred to as Madame La Maire, the female, rather than the previously grammatically correct Le Maire.

Again, change is happening across the Atlantic, as they face for the first time thinking about a masculine equivalent to the title ‘First Lady’. The surreal nature of this term becomes clear when we use the obvious equivalent of ‘First Gentleman’. It highlights how out of touch and slightly patronising the term truly is.

We have to accept the words we use to identify those in power are laden with significance. Titles are not marginal but central: their meanings, however subliminal, changing, or personal, matter to both the leader they are assigned to and the people they lead.

This was first published in The Cambridge Student on 03/03/16

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This is not a publicity opportunity

Comment article in response to the following News article, by Sherilyn Chew,

“MP Commemorates Holocaust anniversary

Earlier this week, Daniel Zeichner, Labour MP for Cambridge, signed the Holocaust Memorial Day Book of Commitment after the Holocaust commemoration at the Cambridge Corn Exchange.

Zeichner also tweeted “Proud to speak at Camb Holocaust Memorial event. Vital we reflect, remember & work hard to ensure Europe today is united peaceful & tolerant”.

Zeichner also released a statement on his website on the Holocaust Memorial, saying “After the shocking events in Paris at the end of last year, and rising tensions across Europe, now more than ever we must ensure that we continue to challenge all forms of extremism and instead celebrate tolerance and diversity.””

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The Holocaust is an event no-one knows how to commemorate. To commemorate means that we must somehow accept that humans have done such things and are thus capable of doing them again.

However, while we might not know what to do, we can do better than press releases. Daniel Zeichner’s statement on his website, while I’m sure it is genuine, comes alongside his previous press releases: ‘‘Cambridge MP takes on blindfolded challenge through the city’’, ‘‘MP Recycles Christmas Tree’’, and ‘‘Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner supports Cats Protection.’’ Among such company, the Holocaust appears out of place; it becomes just another attempt to get in the local press or a hunt for a few easy votes.

Zeichner tweets that he was “honoured” to sign The Holocaust Education Trust’s Book of Commitment, alongside a photo of himself. While other MPs have joined him in doing this, that doesn’t make it any more tasteful.

We must remember the Holocaust and acknowledge its horrors. But we should do so privately, without asking for applause from Twitter followers.

First published in The Cambridge Student, 28/01/16

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What British universities can learn from across the pond

Congressman Reed’s proposals discuss a perpetual issue at private American universities: that, despite their extreme wealth, they still seem to charge a crippling amount in tuition. Harvard currently has an endowment of over $36 billion, equivalent to the GDP of several small countries. Yet despite this,they continue to price tuition at over $45,000 a year (£31,000).

Discussing the ridiculous tuition at American private universities is not original, but it can produce insights that are not often considered in British discussions.

When I toured Ivy League colleges as a prospective student in 2013, each university’s representative, in almost identical speeches, were eager to enforce the idea that – despite the staggering figures – you would “only pay what you could afford,” for both your tuition and your living costs.

Financial aid was calculated with a terrifying form that went far beyond what your family earned, to how they spent it, right down to individual hair cuts. But the universities swore that this enabled them to understand your circumstances and offer the most reasonable amount of financial aid.

Princeton attests that all students can graduate without debt. Yale said that for families with an income under $100,000, tuition and room and board would cost 10%, less than £7000 a year. Almost everyone at these top institutions receives some form of aid – more than 70% of Harvard students.

Support provided went beyond the normal or even necessary: Yale paid for flights home for foreign students, Brown a trip to Rome for those studying beginner’s Italian. One small liberal arts college even offered a fund for parties, so students could attend, regardless of their economic situation.

While these examples seem extreme, British universities ought to gain an understanding of financial aid far more sophisticated than that of the Student Loans Company.

By showing a ‘ticket price’ of the highest amount, private American universities have allowed themselves to create tailor-made tuition based on what each student can afford, and also letting them to maintain the lifestyle of their peers while they are there.

Obviously, this is only tenable for outstandingly rich universities (reflected in the debt students from the vast majority of US universities graduate with). But for those institutions that can, such as the one in which we sit, a real financial aid package is an outstanding equaliser

This article was originally published at http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/comment/0034992-what-british-universities-can-learn-from-across-the-pond.html on 21/01/16

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Christiane Amanpour talks storytelling and Syria

This is, perhaps, an interesting position for the journalist Christiane Amanpour; as she is keen to remind me, she is first and foremost a reporter, and doesn’t consider herself an anchor or a great story. But when she spoke at the Cambridge Union Society, that is exactly what she became. Despite her apparent reserve, with decades of international reporting experience and opinions, this is a role she slips into easily.

Indeed, for decades Amanpour has been unabashed in insisting that journalists must always be some part of the stories that they are telling; that, when reporting on atrocities, they have a responsibility not to be neutral, but to report the truth.

She is universal in her application of this justice, correcting my use of the ‘migrant’ crisis to use the term refugees. With a certain resolve, she insists it is “a legal term and one has an obligation to help them, particularly if they’re fleeing grave human rights violations and war.”

Indeed, Amanpour seems to be in mourning for a time when journalists had even greater influence over both vocabulary and policy.

“Because information is so diffuse right now, you don’t have that build up, that momentum, that sits on the Prime Minister or the President’s desk every single night and his press people come in or his national security people come in and say ‘'Did you see what was on CNN tonight?'’ or ‘'Did you see what was on the BBC news tonight?’'

She attributes this to a greater variety in news sources, particularly online, which enables leaders to “duck issues much more easily these days, than they were before.” However she is not averse to recognising that online journalism has been “very, very successful” in recent years.

Amanpour draws specifically on the example of Syria: “For four years of this war, they have not wanted to intervene. And it’s only since we’ve had this bottle neck in Syria get so unbearable that tens and hundreds of thousands have been coming and risking their lives and ending up in Europe; that has what’s caused them to care... But they should have been caring two, three years ago.”

I ask her how reporters can keep audiences interested in long term stories such as Syria and, while she admits “it’s hard”, she does have an optimistic viewpoint.

“It is about story telling... about going there and about telling the stories and finding the unbelievable amout of fascinating stories that exist around every issue.”

She tells me particularly about the highlights of Channel 4 News’ recent coverage of the refugee crisis, including what she calls some “phenomenal” films, applauding them for showing it “through the eyes of individual refugees who’ve suffered so much and escaped such devastating destruction in their own homeland” and in doing so, allowing them their own story.

This article was first published at http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/interviews/0034988-christiane-amanpour-talks-storytelling-and-syria.html on 23/02/16

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Peterhouse elects first female Master, Bridget Kendall

Peterhouse has announced the election of its first female Master, Bridget Kendall, following her election on 1 February.

Peterhouse was the penultimate college to accept women, with the first female students matriculating in 1985.

Bridget Kendall is a journalist at the BBC, having previously reported on the break up of the Soviet Union and is currently the host of the talk show The Forum on the BBC World Service. She is also currently in a relationship with fellow BBC journalist Amanda Farnsworth.

Kendall attended Lady Margaret Hall and St Antony's College in Oxford. She was also a Harkness Fellow at Harvard University.

In a statement on the Peterhouse website, Kendall commented: "I feel very privileged to have been chosen by the Fellows of Peterhouse to be their next Master. This is an exceptional College with a distinguished history and record of academic excellence. It represents all that is best about Cambridge University."

Similarly, the outgoing Master of Peterhouse, Professor Adrian Dixon said "This is a great day in the evolving history of Peterhouse. Bridget will bring to the College her exceptional skills in communication and knowledge of international affairs. She also provides an outstanding role model for students and young academics alike."

Ellie Myerson, Peterhouse's JCR Women's Officer, shared this excitement, commenting to The Cambridge Student: "It really marks a big shift for Peterhouse and shows how far the college has come and what changes it is intending to make in the future. Apart from anything else, we're certain to get at least one portrait of a named woman now! ... This appointment makes me proud to go to Peterhouse"

Peterhouse JCR's LGBT+ Officer, Julian Sutcliffe, was also thrilled, commenting that it was "an historic moment for a college that will hopefully mark a change from Peterhouse's reputation as the most conservative college".

Kendall is set to take over from Dixon in July. Dixon has been a member of the college for 30 years, and Master since 2008.

This article was originally published as breaking news at http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/news/0035103-peterhouse-elects-first-female-master-bridget-kendall.html on 2/2/16

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Wine, fines and consent: My night with the Bulldogs

Like any self-respecting liberal feminist, I am at my most comfortable when vaguely outraged. So when I was invited to go out with what I was informed was one of Cambridge’s most infamous drinking societies, the Bulldogs, I was fairly excited. When people asked, I said I was going out of curiosity. I wanted to see whether they would fulfill all the things I expected of them; not just the outlandish drinking and debauchery, but also the misogyny, homophobia and elitism.

Before we arrived, the women’s drinking society recalled previous swaps. They laughed through anecdotes of lap dances, swapping clothes and being ‘portered’ in their underwear. They didn’t seem intimidated by challenges, but embraced them, as a good night out and an even better story to tell afterwards. They said a similar thing, walking home after the swap; they were empowered by owning their sexuality. They were not ashamed of their past trysts, revealed and magnified in ‘fines’. They refused to be demure, and embraced it, on the same level as the boys.

But throughout the evening, they made a point of telling me that it had to be my choice. If I didn’t want to reveal anything – body part or backstory – I didn’t have to.

This awareness continued through the night; they made sure I was sitting near people I was comfortable with, that no-one was too drunk and that all the girls got home in one piece, calling one when she left to go to a bar with one of the boys. There was much more awareness of where the group were and making sure they were comfortable than at any other alcohol-fuelled event I have been to before.

This attitude spread to the boys as well, who seemed perfectly comfortable chatting as much as drinking and who became strangely protective of my handbag when I put it down in the club.

Of course there were moments when the infamous side shone through: when one of the boys stripped so another could eat a copious amount of whipped cream off of him, some questionable drinking songs were sung and one boy got a fine because he admitted that he ‘had a boyfriend.’

This felt indicative of a deeper undercurrent of homophobia in the evening. It felt inherent to the whole idea of it being an opportunity for men and women to meet. Despite the conscious feminism in other areas, there was a pervasive assumption that to be there, you had to be straight.

Similarly, when asked why I had never been on a swap before, I wasn’t sure how to say that I had never been invited: that I had never previously been seen as fun, wealthy or attractive enough to be accepted behind the velvet rope.

Yet despite these twinges of awkwardness, I had a good night. I had fulfilled my dad’s request of “keeping on most of [my] clothes.” I had felt safe and completely in control of the situation, even as my blood alcohol level rose.

Of course, this was one night, with two groups, but it does indicate that drinking societies do not have to be banished entirely. I had believed that drinking societies couldn’t be saved; that they celebrated and institutionalised the worst elements of Cambridge. I was fully prepared to be outraged. But I found no reason to be.

This article was originally published at http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/comment/0034991-wine-fines-and-consent-my-night-with-the-bulldogs.html on 7/02/2016

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37 arrested in connection with killing of Giulio Regeni, reports say

Egyptian police forces are believed to have arrested 37 suspects in connection with the killing of Cambridge PhD student Giulio Regeni. The police are reporting that they have traced Regeni’s phone signal to an apartment, where they claim he was killed, according to an Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm and since covered in The Times.

The 37 arrested have all previously been detained on charges relating to kidnap and murder. However, when asked by The Times, the Egyptian investigations team denied the reports of the arrests, and the strength of the phone evidence is being questioned by the final person to call Regeni.

These latest developments come after a number of Cambridge groups united to call for a greater investigation into the Girton student’s death. The University, alongside the Mistress of Girton and the Head of the Department of POLIS, had written to the Egyptian interior minister calling for a “thorough and complete investigation”. This came after 4,600 academics signed an open letter, published in The Guardian, protesting his death.

The 28-year-old’s body was found last Thursday 3 February, more than a week after he had gone missing near Tahrir Square, on the 5th anniversary of the protests there. While the cause of death is thought to be a broken vertabrae in his neck, his body showed “clear signs” of torture, according to the prosecutor. Italian newspapers have said that Regeni’s injuries followed a pattern often inflicted upon presumed spies.

Calls on the Egyptian government came after accusations in the Italian media that the government was connected to Regeni’s death. Egypt’s Interior Minister has denounced these allegations, saying that they are “unacceptable” and “not our policy.” Regeni’s death was originally believed to be the result of a robbery gone wrong, however it has since been revealed that he had been writing newspaper articles critical of the Egyptian government.

In his final piece, published after his death in his own name, he denounced the repression and authoritarianism in Egypt and praised “popular and spontaneous initiatives that break the wall of fear”. Regeni had been in Egypt researching unions for his PhD, a topic that has become controversial in recent years.

The open letter from academics stated that human rights organisations have revealed that state institutions in Egypt “routinely practise the same kinds of torture that Giulio is reported to have suffered against hundreds of Egyptian citizens each year”. The letter went on to match the University’s call for a full investigation into Regeni’s death, as well as going on to ask for a corresponding investigation into “all instances of forced disappearances, cases of torture and deaths in detention during January and February 2016.”

The flag has been flying at half mast at Girton, where a rememberance ceremony has been held. Lukas Fuchs, a student mentored by Regeni, told The Cambridge Student that Regeni ‘‘knew the Arab region and Egypt very well and he was certainly not naive.’’ Fuchs continued: ''He loved thinking about problems of others and giving advice... He was very honest and aware of his strengths and weaknesses.''

The Mistress of the college has mourned the death of a ''warm-hearted, much-loved and highly-respected member of Girton's close-knit graduate community.''

This article was originally published as breaking news at http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/news/0035181-breaking-37-arrested-in-connection-with-killing-of-giulio-regeni-reports-say.html on 11/02/2016

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Government to crack down on loan payments

The Government have threatened that people who avoid payment of their student loans may face prosecution. Ministers have also pledged to pursue graduates living overseas who are dodging payments in a new ‘Joint Repayment Strategy’.

Universities Minister Jo Johnson argued that “it is vital that the repayment process is robust” especially given that the new loans are being issued annually to new students. Punishments for those who evade repayment could include levying penalities, serving default notices to credit histories, or “the use of litigation where appropriate and cost-effective”.

The crackdown follows a complaint from the National Audit Office, the Public Accounts Committee and the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee which called for greater action to improve the repayment system.

Currently, £8.3 billion of student loans is held by borrowers who are either in arrears, non-paying or unverified. While 98% of the outstanding balance is thought to be held in Britain, where 72% of borrowers had up-to-date files, 123,000 of the Students Loan Company 5.5 million debtors live overseas. £457 million of the debt is held by by non- paying or “unverified” borrowers who live abroad.

However, the SLC said: “Not all unverified borrowers will owe money. While some do, others may not be working, may be in receipt of benefits, not earning enough to repay or may be between jobs.”

Australia is the most popular destination for graduates with debt. Under a new two-way partnership, with the government in Canberra, information about non-paying graduates will be shared both ways. This follows trials with Sweden and the Netherlands, where 90% of ‘lost’ debtors were found and 20% of those then went on to make payments after recieving only one letter.

Other European Union countries are set to join the movement, leading to a “wider European approach to data sharing”, according to the report. Alongside these global initiatives, the SLC is hoping to use debt collection services and “tracing agencies”.

In a written statement to the House of Commons, Johnson stated: “We will take stronger action to trace borrowers including those overseas, act to recover loan repayments where it is clear that borrowers are seeking to avoid repayment, consider the use of sanctions against borrowers who breach loan repayment terms and, if necessary, prosecute.”

However, he acknowledged that this may not be a permanent strategy, writing that it will be kept “under review” reporting annually on their progress.

Students who took loans out after 2012 start repaying their loan when they earn £21,000 a year or more.

Concerned student Abigail Sharp welcomed Johnson’s announcement: “I am pleased that this action is being taken as it will allow the Government loan scheme to continue and make it possible for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to afford higher education.”

This article was co-written with Freya Florence Clarke and originally published at http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/news/0035279-government-to-crack-down-on-loan-payments.html on 19/02/16

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The college scholarship lottery: £4,000 per student discrepancy revealed

The Cambridge Student can reveal a large discrepancy in the amount colleges give to students in scholarships and awards. In the 2013/14 academic year, Trinity, perhaps unsurprisingly, awarded the most of any college, giving £4,432,000 in total – an average of £4,203 per student.

Meanwhile,  in that year, Homerton gave 66 times less than this – the lowest of any Cambridge college, at £64 per student. The total amount awarded per student in the University was around £800. However, this varied significantly from college to college, ranging by £4,139.

Scholarships and awards include not only prizes for academic work and music scholars, but also travel grants and financial awards based on need.

However, Rory Landman, the senior bursar of Trinity, commented to TCS that creating an average per student “necessarily oversimplifies a complex picture involving need and differential fees for undergraduate and graduate, home and overseas students.”

This is due to Trinity offering 20 full cost undergraduate studentships for overseas students, which weighs the average in their favour.

Trinity JCR President Cornelius Roemer said to TCS, “About 40 per cent of incoming freshers are international, half of which are non-EU. Without scholarships many non-EU students could not afford the tuition fees of up to £30,000.”

On the differences between colleges, Roemer said: “There is no clear-cut answer to the question of whether it matters which college one goes to, it is a question of degree. It matters in some respects but not in others.”

St John’s College awarded the second largest amount, at £2,512 per student, over £2 million in total. Gonville and Caius College followed St John’s, offering over £1 million pounds in total, £1,304 per student.

One student who receives financial aid from Peterhouse, which awards the fourth most amount of money per student, at just over £1200, commented:

“The bursary I recieve is a great help to me. I realise that the money provided is not necessary – as it could be replaced by a financial loan – and that makes me all the more grateful for the help that I recieve... it is just one less thing to worry about now and in the future.”

At the other end of the spectrum, following Homerton, Hughes Hall and Selwyn provided the least per student, with Hughes offering just £88. Alongside being a mature students’ college, over 85% of Hughes Hall students are studying for postgraduate degrees. At many colleges, some postgraduate students receive full funding for their degrees.

In response, the Senior Tutor of Hughe Hall said that they "were well up" with other graduate colleges.

Ruth Taylor, president of the Homerton Union of Students, commented on the disparity to TCS: “This is something that we have expressed concerns about as a student body but I am pleased to say the College has been receptive to our views … The College actually signed an agreement with Santander in May for them to provide a number of scholarships for academic achievement.”

Ms Deborah Griffin, bursar of Homerton said: “Since these accounts were published, Homerton has doubled the value of most of its prizes, and is now awarding additional grants and scholarships.”

However, one Homerton student seemed less optimistic about the disparity. “Scholarships, awards and other forms of monetary grant are more than just a cash prize for academic dedication. For a lot more people than you’d think, these serve as essential sources of funds for maintenance, wellbeing and study during term time.”

This article was originally published at http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/news/0034591-the-college-scholarship-lottery-pound4-000-per-student-discrepancy-revealed.html on 25/10/15

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Uni's controversial David Starkey fundraising video removed after public pressure

The Dear World... Yours, Cambridge campaign launch video has been removed from the University’s YouTube channel following protests from academics and students.

As of 6pm on Wednesday 18 November, the video featuring David Starkey, a Tudor historian who has previously made controversial remarks, was not available to view.

Instead, a new video ‘What Does Cambridge Mean To You?’ had been uploaded featuring a number of alumni, including Clare Balding and Stephen Fry, discussing the personal impact of attending Cambridge on them. Starkey does not appear in the film.

This week, an academic who appeared in the original fundraising video denounced it and asked to be edited out. Dr Sarah Dillon, an English lecturer, made the request after learning of previous comments made by David Starkey, who fronts the video.

Dillon sent an open letter to the other people who appear in the video, including academics, students, and alumni Eddie Redmayne and Lily Cole, calling on them to make a similar move.

Dillon’s letter stated that: “It has come to my attention that a significant number of colleagues, students and alumni have been deeply offended by the choice of historian David Starkey to front the campaign video, a man who has a well-documented and undeniable history of racism and sexism.”

Following the 2011 London riots, Starkey gained criticism for commenting on Newsnight that “the problem is the whites have become black ... a particular sort of violent, destructive, nihilistic, gangster culture has become the fashion”.

Speaking to The Cambridge Student on the video, Starkey commented: “I did not put myself forward. I was asked to contribute by the University, which I love, and to which I owe a profound debt.”

A spokesman for the University’s Development and Alumni Relations said: “We are already re-editing the film for different launch events in different parts of the world, as we intended. The film has already been replaced online with another campaign film ... We appreciate that [Starkey] is an academic who has made controversial statements in the past. However, in the video, he was representing his affection for the University and its values (the positive impact of learning and research on people’s lives)”.

An open letter was also launched this week by CUSU’s BME Campaign and Dr Malachi McIntosh, a King's fellow. It called on the University to remove the video and apologise for Starkey’s role. It had gained over 400 signatures by the time of printing. The open letter had also stated that “In our eyes, Starkey’s presence both undermines and taints our daily efforts to function as a united community.”

Including Clare Balding and Stephen Fry, the new video features nine white men, four white women, one man of colour and one women of colour.

Emphasising the University’s diversity, the second person to speak, Sir Peter Bazalgette, chair of Arts Council England, said “You gave me the opportunity to mix with the brightest and the best, but not just with the brightest and the best, but with the brightest and the best from every conceivable background.”

CUSU’s BME Campaign denounced the video when it was released, stating “Although Dear World... Yours, Cambridge promotes the University’s access initiatives, these are set back by the inclusion of David Starkey in the video.”

Starkey has never apologised for the comments. He wrote later in The Telegraph that his statements had been distorted and that “[he] was accused of condemning all black culture” unfairly.

Helena Blair, CUSU’s access officer, who also appeared in the video, has commented that, unlike Dillon, she knew of Starkey’s role, saying: “I was informed of David Starkey’s involvement at short notice: I had not heard about his racist views ... I welcome this campaign calling for the withdrawal of the video and the removal of David Starkey.”

Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner issued a statement on the video's removal: "Just re-editing the video is not enough. My message to Cambridge University is please issue a full apology.

"The best university in the world must show it is open and welcoming to all and big enough to admit when it got things badly wrong."

This article was originally published at http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/news/0034820-breaking-uni-s-controversial-david-starkey-fundraising-video-removed-after-public-pressure.html on 18/11/2015