Beaver Sound

“From LSE’s point of view, we need to ensure that students feel most supported... so when they come in they don’t feel completely lost.” - Bali Birch-Lee, Education Officer.  As the first week of classes start, we explore learning at LSE. Today we’re talking to Bali Birch-Lee, the university’s new Education Officer, about how intimidating studying can be when you first arrive. With advice on seeki...

Laura Goddard, the newly elected Community and Welfare Officer, sits down with us to discuss community at LSE. Looking at London life, counselling, and sexual harassment, Laura explains how to craft the life you’d like at LSE.  Contact Laura at su.communitywelfare@lse.ac.uk . The Student Advice Centre can be accessed on the LSE website and has an active twitter @LSE_SSC.  This is ‘Starter Pack’ fr...

“There are preconceptions that everyone has the same level of experience and understanding… which is just not true.” - Hannah Brown, second-year BSc Politics student.  In this episode, we talk to Hannah Brown, creator of Pulse Radio’s sex education show, LSEX. Here we have an informative conversation about the realities of student sex, sex work, safety and support at LSE. To hear more from Hannah,...

“Sometimes you might find yourself trying to be different things, different characters and it’s about finding people who your own character matches with. There might be a lot of puzzle pieces that won’t fit but you’ve got to keep trying” - Luis Maria Campos Ferreira, 3rd year Social Policy In this episode, we explore social life at LSE. We speak to Judah and Luis about introductions and meeting pe...

“We’re not necessarily angry at the university, but there’s just frustration in general that nothing’s really being resolved” - Kanon Tsuda , MSc Human Rights and Politics  This week we’re speaking to Kanon Tsuda, a Master’s student in the Human Rights and Politics program, about her experience completing a master’s degree in quarantine. We talk about how research culture has changed in the last f...

"It's so sad to see his anxiety and the vulnerability of a great director like Scorses during lockdown, I felt really sorry for him because he's just itching to start filming something a bit more substantial than his windowsill." Amber Iglesia on Martin Scorsese in Lockdown Culture with Mary Beard. For May we rant about the cinema industry, playlists that got us through exams, and the fantastic sh...

“I thought it would be really interesting to look into what exactly is a student movement, what exactly does it achieve, why students decide to use occupation as a form of protest.” – Eileen Gbagbo, third-year International Relations student at LSE. In this episode of LSE Limelight, we talk to Eileen Gbagbo about an article she wrote on anti-racist student occupation movements. We talk about the p...

“I felt like [London] was kind of a home away from home. I was expecting to have to 2 or 3 months left and that’s the hardest thing. I felt like there wasn’t enough closure.” As we face a global pandemic, Crossing the Globe is exploring the stories of LSE’s international students. In their journeys from London to Home, we discuss the impact of Covid-19 on student health, wellbeing, and studies.  I...

As we face a global pandemic, Crossing the Globe is exploring the stories of LSE’s international students. In their journeys from London to Home, we discuss the impact of Covid-19 on student health, wellbeing, and studies.  In this episode, we’re talking to Safuoa Berady, a first-year International Relations student who flew back to Morocco following LSE’s closure. Safuoa shares with us what adapt...

“I guess it would’ve been so nice just to have the sunny LSE campus that we have during exam period, where everyone’s stressed but we’re all together and we all go sit in a park and complain and then we go back to work. ” - Emma Guitera In this episode, we talk to Emma Guitera, a third-year studying International Relations, about engaging with LSE’s virtual campus with a big time zone difference....

"Her and Ken are just friends but she clearly has feelings for him. I'm invested." - Zehra Jafree on her discovery of Barbie's  Youtube channel. For April we rant about 'Too Hot to Handle', a world of streaming beyond Netflix, and fantastic British dramas! Our wonderful presenters are Zehra Jafree, Amber Iglesia, Molly Horner. Welcome to The Last Dam Word from the Review team at The Beaver, a Beav...

As we face a global pandemic, Crossing the Globe is exploring the stories of LSE’s international students. In their journeys from London to Home, we discuss the impact of Covid-19 on student health, wellbeing, and studies. In this episode, we’re talking to Gabby Sng, a second-year undergrad student who flew back to Singapore following LSE’s closure. She tells us of her day-to-day experience of cop...

“There is a whole underworld of amazing individuals and amazing ideas happening. So I hope this gives people a moment to think, how do I make the most of the creativity here?”- Percy Fagent, Chair of the Creative Network at LSE. In this episode of LSE Limelight, we talk to Percy Fagent about creativity at LSE. We discuss how anyone is welcome in the creative societies and we unearth the hidden gem...

“There are a lot of things you can do to make your mental health better throughout quarantine, but you don't have to be doing all of them. In a time of national and personal crisis productivity is not goal number one.” – Will Banks , co-organiser of Freedom of Mind LSE. In this episode of LSE Limelight , we talk to Will Banks about mental health in LSE's virtual campus. We discuss the potentially...

"I want to learn all the dances, and I just can't throw it back, and oh it's terrible, I hate myself, but also it's the only solace I have in quarantine land." - Zehra Jafree ranting about Tik Tok. For March we talk about how we've been loving Tiger King, The National Theatre streaming shows and more! Our wonderful presenters are Zehra Jafree, Amber Iglesia, Molly Horner. Welcome to The Last Dam W...

“Our slogan this year was ‘behnchara ke baghair no guzara’, which means ‘nothing without sisterhood’, and I feel that in the depth of my soul, because of the sisterhood, community, and collective love I felt for these women … we all pushed through, we held each others’ hands, and we still marched.” This week, we talked to Mahnoor Omer, an organiser for Aurat March (Women’s March) in Islamabad abou...

This week we’re speaking about LGBT experiences around the globe and how it compares to London. We talk to Michal Piatkowski about LGBT free zones and it’s ideological implications, Christina Ivey about structural homophobia and its effects on Jamaica’s local economy, and Andrés Gomez about class, catholicism, and club culture. “So I kinda had built [London] up as this idyllic queer paradise in my...

"There are much more hidden codifications of the city, where we aren't even aware of what light is doing." - Dr Don Slater, LSE Professor at the Department of Sociology.  In this episode of Hidden Bridges, we discuss with Dr Don Slater the implications of light in codifying the areas we live in. By exploring the ways in which cities are visually defined, he emphasises the hidden influence light ha...

“There are pre-existing mechanisms where people can give feedback if they have concerns about their roles. I think that's the proper way of dealing with these issues rather than insinuations and allegations.” – Dame Minouche Shafik , Director of LSE. In this episode of LSE Limelight , we talk to Director Shafik about the LSE in a new decade by examining the t hree pillars of the 2030 Shape the Wor...

“We are [also] focusing on refugees and asylum seekers in detention centres in the UK, and we are doing this because this is an issue that so many people don’t know much about. The UK is the only country that has indefinite detention, no other European countries have this.” – Lauren Darwent , President of LSESU STAR. In this episode of LSE Limelight, we talk to Lauren Darwent about the upcoming Re...

"Rupert Everett was the first guest to ever say shag on the show - I know scandalising Radio 4 listeners!" - Molly Horner on her exploration of the Desert Island Discs Archive. For February we rave about Parasite, dive back into the Desert Island Discs archives, and discuss what's on in the theatre! Our wonderful presenters are Zehra Jafree, Amber Iglesia, Molly Horner. Welcome to The Last Dam Wor...

“The fact that there is solidarity coming from across the globe is extremely important... Our stories are not confined to this little bubble we are in. People are listening to what is happening.” - Mariyah Salim This week, we talked to Mariyah Salim, a researcher and humans rights activist, about the NRC and CAA in India. We discussed the political climate in India and the efforts to organise in r...

We spoke to Dr Hugo Slim, head of policy at the ICRC, about war, humanitarian action and ICRC . Dr Henry Radice chairs the discussion.  This is Grimshaw Speaker, a partnership between the Grimshaw Club and Beaver Sound. We bring you conversations with exceptional individuals, discussing the issues of our times. For more from The Beaver click here and from the Grimshaw Club click here .

This week we’re speaking about hybrid languages . We hear thoughts from Rhydian Rolant Cleaver about navigating the precarities of Welsh , from Melissa Au on the ties between class and Cantonese , and from Hussain Abbas on the changing cultural production and consumption of Urdu . “Speaking welsh really gives you an insight into a really amazing world of culture, literature, and language that othe...

“I think a lot of the RIght is guilty of fetishisation of freedom. I would very much call myself a proponent of freedom but I think vast swathes of people weaponise it disingenuously in order to make out that they are the victims of some great oppression when somebody suggests that they should state their pronouns." – Jason Reed, freelanced writer and a second-year Sociology student. In this episo...