When I first saw a Cameo of former politician Nigel Farage appear on my TikTok For You Page, I was a bit bewildered. He was making references to Among Us – a popular online game of deduction – which, to be honest, I doubted he’d ever even heard of, let alone played. As more videos appeared of Farage making bizarre references to ‘Imposters’ and ‘Big Chungus’ (which, if you didn’t know, is a meme related to a fat picture of Bugs Bunny), I must admit I felt slightly sorry for him – he clearly had

Sitting down (virtually, of course) with Edinburgh students Gregory Zenin and Sophie Henchoz to chat about their new anti-food waste initiative FreeFoodie, one thing which is striking is the pair’s genuine enthusiasm for educating people and tackling the issue of food waste head-on, both in Edinburgh and around the world. Along with other students Jack Bennett and Meg Dewhirst (the latter of whom also writes for FreshAir News; where do you find the time, Meg?!), Greg launched FreeFoodie with th

On the 1st February, the University of Edinburgh announced a package of new measures in an attempt to mitigate the ongoing detrimental effects of the pandemic on the attainment of students. Perhaps the ‘headline’ measure of the package is the switch to automatic approval of extension requests for most assessments, meaning that students will be able to apply for an extra week to work on coursework, etc. without having to provide an excuse. FreshAir News spoke to several third-year students who

Like many institutions across the world, the University of Edinburgh is having to make difficult financial decisions owing to pressures caused by the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Last May, Principal Peter Mathieson revealed in a letter to all staff that the University is expected to face a “significant financial challenge” in the 2020/21 academic year, which is expected to “remain very real for at least the next four to five years.” The impact of the pandemic on the Universi

In an email to all students yesterday, Vice-Principal Colm Harmon confirmed what many of us had begun to suspect was going to be the case; that teaching would remain digital for the rest of the semester, except for students on a very limited number of courses. Citing advice from the Scottish Government as the key reason for this decision, Harmon suggested that even if more students were allowed to return to campus in March, this return would still need to be staggered, and therefore this would

Following record-high numbers of both Covid -19 cases and deaths, this week saw the introduction of even more restrictions on public life in Scotland; takeaways must now be served through a doorway or a hatch, and click and collect services must only be used for goods deemed essential. With three Covid-19 vaccines now approved for use in the UK, however, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Jabs have been distributed in Scotland since the 8th December 2020, and the schedule of vaccinations follows recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination

For once, silence overcame my university WhatsApp group chat on Monday evening as we watched the Prime Minister’s latest lockdown announcement. Boris Johnson revealed guidance for primary schools, secondary schools and colleges… and then said absolutely nothing about universities. As an English Literature student living in London but studying 450 miles away at Edinburgh University, I felt a wave of anxiety that I hadn’t experienced since A-Level results day. Blurry guidance later appeared onl

Following the Scottish Government’s announcement (11th November) that they would utilise testing ‘to a certain extent’ for the 60-80,000 students expected to travel home this Christmas, last Wednesday Edinburgh University finally announced plans for rapid, on campus testing. These plans were solidified in an email from deputy secretary of student experience Gavin Douglas yesterday, with testing centres located at the Pleasance Sports Centre and St Leonard’s Land, and students required to book in