Elsewhere at Warwick — Volume 47 Issue III

Articles in this section originally appeared in Volume 47, Issue III of The Boar, published Tuesday 3 December, 2024.

Joy at Kebab Van’s return

A nondescript, white box hovering at the furthest edges of the piazza at night marked the triumphant return to campus of Adam’s Kebab Van, known affectionately in the Boar offices as “bossman”. Students were overjoyed to reunite with culinary masters Adam and Yusef, whose absence had been sorely felt on many a Wednesday night out. 

Pricey, soggy, and occasionally hairy, the outlet’s food nonetheless occupies a crucial role in the student ecosystem for those staggering out of Pop! long after the last few SU outlets have put up their shutters. 

The reason behind such a prolonged absence, The Boar can reveal, was a malfunction with the eponymous van itself, which left the outlet benched in its Leamington garage for six weeks. Elsewhere can empathise, having had a similar reaction the last time its author dared to try food from a kebab van. 

Chancellor to America

Political pundits have for weeks been engaged in their favourite pastime: frenzied speculation, this time over the candidate most likely to become Britain’s next ambassador to America after the current top diplomat’s job expires next year. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that among the final four names being reported is a certain Baroness Ashton of Upholland, aka Cathy Ashton, Warwick’s current Chancellor.  

Speaking to The Boar back in 2017, Ashton praised the international outlook of the current generation, and the need to focus on student mental health: presumably she will get on fantastically with incoming President Trump, who has championed a staunch America-first agenda, and suggested bringing back the use of mental asylums. 

Ashton’s main rival for the post, Peter Mandelson, is a similarly colourful political figure, being both loved and despised for his propensity to plot and scheme. Old habits die hard, clearly, given Mandelson has now come under fire for simultaneously seeking the post of Oxford Chancellor. Perhaps he could ask Ashton for tips. 

Boarchive of their own

For a society whose membership is over 2/3rds humanities students, it should be no surprise that The Boar values its history. The paper is proud, in fact, to boast an extensive digital record – the “Boarchive” – of its editions online in partnership with the University’s Modern Records Centre. Stretching back even to some pre-Boar publications, readers can browse scans of the paper running from 1965 to 1994 (more recent editions are available on publishing platform Issuu). 

Clearly the success of this initiative has inspired the MRC, who are now trialling access to the digital archives of two slightly larger publications. Digitised copies of The Mirror running from December 2000 all the way back to November 1903, as well as a smaller collection of Mail on Sunday editions from 1982 to 2011, can currently be accessed with a Warwick log-in. Such an innovation is welcomed by The Boar as champions of the free press, but also because The Boar and The Mirror’s papers are printed at the same location, giving us a sibling-like bond. Naturally, they’ll never be us.