Good morning.
It’s been a good couple of weeks for student activists. Since our last newsletter, UCL has agreed to review its investments in companies complicit in genocide and announced a new harm reduction drug policy that has been described as a “real win for student wellbeing”.
Students were also graced with fire and ice as a real fire broke out in the engineering building last Tuesday on the same day snow fell for the first time this winter.
Storm Bert may have ruined everyone’s weekend, but at least it brought temperatures back to double digits – sadly not for long. Readers can expect the mercury to plunge as low as 2°C on Wednesday, according to Met Office forecasts.
On that chilly note, we want to know how well-prepared you are for the cold weather. Perhaps you are having issues with your radiator in halls? Or perhaps you are worried about the bills, which are set to rise again in January after the price cap went up by 10% last month. Please let us know in our Grate Heating Survey below.
A new, widespread concert ticket scam targeting UCL students in society group chats has been uncovered in an investigation by The Cheese Grater, writes Lola Davies.
UCL Union President Goksu Danaci returned from the UN climate summit in Azerbaijan but admitted she “didn’t feel too comfortable” at her “first and likely last” COP experience, Nick Miao reports.
A student-staff initiative aimed to facilitate informed discussion on the Middle East attracted a crowd of some 50 students last Monday, Andrea Bidnic reports.
UCL has formally adopted a harm reduction approach to student drug use after its zero-tolerance policy faced years of criticism from the student body, writes Malvika Murkumbi.
Media Rep Robert Delaney argues that if the Provost is serious about Disagreeing Well, he must support a culture of student-led debate on campus.
This week, our theatre correspondent Alice Pedersen had the pleasure of reviewing UCL Drama Society’s first Blooms show of this academic year, The Welkin, a modern period drama exploring important themes of justice, friendship, and female empowerment.
Sketch Director and seasoned Londoner Ben Scanlan offers a comprehensive guide to the Ol’ Smoke, from all of the must-see sights to all the places where you might get stabbed.
The seasonal illness commonly referred to as the “thing going around at the minute” has rendered the entire UCL student population more useless than they already are, Robert Delaney reports.
📻 Introducing... Grater Insight
After weeks of preparation (plus last week’s gaffe), we’re excited to announce that we’ll be launching the first episode of our brand-new radio show Grater Insight on UCL’s very own Rare FM this coming Friday at 8pm!
Grater Insight is UCL’s first and only radio programme about student news and politics, this week featuring guest speakers including Labour Soc’s Lucy Reade (and another to be confirmed…) hosted by our Online Editor Robert Delaney and yours truly, Editor-in-Chief Nick Miao.
Stay tuned to our socials @uclcheesegrater (also on Bluesky @cheesegratermagazine.org for fellow Elon haters) for any last-minute updates and – fingers crossed – we’ll be live from 8pm!
Picture of the week
