Being in a committed relationship for a long time and then deciding to move abroad for a year to study is far from convenient. I found myself faced with this dilemma when I started my relationship a year before university. I had to weigh the options and make the decision to try long-distance. After successfully surviving two years apart due to attending different universities in the same country, we decided to give it a shot for another year even though we would be in different countries this time.

Yasmin Levy-Miller and Alex Bartlett have mostly been in a long-distance relationship, with two years physically apart from each other. "We’ve had challenges in showing each other our love when we are many miles away. It’s essential to make sure the little things are done. Whether it’s a letter in the mail or a voicemail to wake up to, it’s crucial to ensure that you both feel valued and remembered. It’s difficult when you live separate lives", says Levy-Miller. They follow a vague routine of Skyping every two weeks, having short phone calls multiple times a week or long catch-ups, depending on their flexibility.

The true challenge is learning to be comfortable while your other half lives elsewhere. "It’s essential to realize that your life is less synchronized when you two have different groups of friends. While involving them in your life is great, be independent. Embrace where you are but also acknowledge that you’re in different places. Although your heart may not be entirely in the city without your beloved, put as much effort into the place and other relationships as possible", says Levy-Miller.

Another couple that has been through the challenge of long distance are Stephanie Abery and Thomas Tolfts, who met during fresher’s week. They too have sustained their relationship while Abery was studying in America for a year. "Although it was tough for both of us, Tom had it worse since I was exploring a new country while he had to stick with his normal routine. Our frequent communication via Skype aided us in staying together". They believe that without technology and communication means, their long-distance relationship would have failed. They are now happily together five years later.

My partner and I use WhatsApp and Twitter to communicate regularly, which eliminates the need to arrange a specific time for calls. It has also helped me focus on my studies without feeling guilty of neglecting my relationship.

Although a year is long, being realistic about your relationship and staying in touch frequently keeps the distance from becoming a reason for a breakup.

Rosie Edwards, my beloved wife and renowned teacher of outdoor education, has passed away suddenly due to complications from colitis. She was 62 years old. Throughout her professional life, Rosie was dedicated to instilling a love and appreciation for nature in children.

Raised by farmworkers Leslie and Dorothy Williams in Shrewton, Wiltshire, Rosie attended Salisbury’s South Wilts grammar school for girls before going on to study geography at Leeds University. She later became the head of geography at Bretton Woods community school in Peterborough during the late 1970s. In 1984, Rosie’s dual passions for environmental education and working with children converged when she was appointed first as the deputy and later as the head of the Stibbington field studies centre in Cambridgeshire.

Despite inheriting a run-down Victorian school and dilapidated prefabricated buildings, Rosie transformed the centre into a hub of excellence over the course of 32 years. Her inspiring leadership resulted in a natural learning environment where primary school children could immerse themselves in the world of nature, free from the usual confines of the classroom. Schools from all over the eastern region and beyond flocked to the centre for day and residential courses. Exciting activities like pond-dipping, investigating renewable energy sources, and learning how to read maps allowed young students to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the natural world. Rosie even used an old-fashioned classroom to recreate a classroom experience similar to what Victorian pupils would have experienced.

As both teachers, Rosie and I met at the Geographical Association’s annual conference in Sheffield in 1993. I moved from Northern Ireland to be with Rosie in Castor, Peterborough, and we later married in 1999. For almost a decade, Rosie chaired the National Association of Field Studies Officers, which helped produce teachers’ guides on ways to integrate environmental education with mainstream academics. Rosie also edited a local community magazine and sang in her church and the Peterborough Choral Society.

Countless children who attended the Stibbington centre are sure to remember Rosie’s influence on their lives. Her legacy will continue through the next generations of young people who will learn to care for the world around them as she had taught.

Rosie is survived by myself and her brother, Chas.

Melz Owusu, a former sabbatical officer at Leeds University union and current PhD student, has been a vocal proponent of decolonising higher education. However, after listening to the experiences of black students, Owusu came to a sobering realisation about the entrenched nature of colonisation in universities. As a result, they launched a GoFundMe campaign for a Free Black University, which aims to redistribute knowledge and place black students and decolonised curricula at the heart of education, rather than as an add-on. The campaign has raised over £60,000 and won backing from the University and College Union and National Union of Students.

The Free Black University aims to be an open-access platform for radical and transformational learning, exploring sociological, historical, philosophical, scientific, and creative topics related to black liberation. The project aims to create a range of support structures for black students, including access to black therapists, counsellors, and community healers. An annual conference will bring together black radical thinkers, and members of black and minority-ethnic communities will have access to community building spaces.

The goal is to create a physical space in one of London’s most diverse neighbourhoods, such as Brixton or Lewisham, which will include teaching rooms, a bookshop, restaurant, and healing areas. Campaigns have already started at Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan, Leeds, Exeter, and UCL to encourage other universities to contribute financially. Owusu sees this initiative not only as a way to support current black students but also as payback for universities’ historic role in supporting and perpetuating racism, from benefiting from donations by slave owners to developing the study of eugenics. The campaign has sparked interest and support from individuals across the UK, with many making individual donations ranging from £5 up to several hundred pounds, as well as through fundraising events.

Plenty of evidence supports the claim that black students receive lower grades and face systemic racism in universities. According to figures released last year by the Office for Students, white students are more likely to receive first-class or upper-second-class degrees than black students, and the difference is significant in almost half of the universities in England. Moreover, recent freedom of information requests revealed that only 20% of UK universities have committed to decolonizing their curriculum, and a mere 1% of UK professors are black.

Jo Grady, the general secretary of UCU, highlights that this campaign has gained significant support from black scholars and students who know how challenging it is to navigate a university system that is either apathetic or openly antagonistic towards them. Grady notes that it can significantly damage one’s sense of self-worth.

Fope Olaleye, NUS black students officer, welcomes the Free Black University as it fills a gap for black students in an education sector that desperately needs change. Olaleye urges higher and further education providers to financially support it.

However, Deborah Gabriel, the founder of Black British Academics, a network of scholars committed to enhancing racial equity in higher education, is skeptical that it is a viable solution. In her opinion, while finding solutions to address white privilege and systemic racism outside the present system has merit, the idea of a “free” university may be overly optimistic, as such a model may not be sustainable.

Gabriel suggests a more practical approach is to establish partnerships between UK higher education institutions and historically black colleges and universities in the US. As a result of segregation, these institutions typically produce black graduates who do better than those from mainstream institutions “because of the sense of worth, value, and belonging” they instill.

While Universities UK says that many institutions are already developing more inclusive programmes, including reviewing their curriculums and reassessing reading lists, as well as conducting liberation or decolonisation activities, Owusu argues that a more radical approach is necessary. Owusu suggests creating a space where the black community can access a curriculum and teaching staff where everyone looks like them, offering a reprieve from a system that has systematically failed and oppressed them.

The concept of scientific elimination of personal identity, or even its intentional control, has been deemed a future threat more dreadful than atomic destruction. Nevertheless, Dr. Jose Delgado contradicts these concerns in his 1969 book, Physical Control of the Mind: Toward a Psychocivilized Society. Delgado describes various applications of electric brain stimulation, ranging from enabling the blind to see to controlling criminals and dissidents from a distance. His invention, the "stimoceiver," could be remotely operated to deliver electric stimulation to a specific region of the brain. In a stunning display during the early 1960s, Delgado entered a bullfighting ring and stopped a rampaging bull in its tracks by pressing a button. While Delgado noticed that the wiring from the brain to the stimoceiver could pose a hindrance to grooming one’s hair, he saw enormous potential in his innovation.

However, modern-day conspiracists cite Delgado’s stimoceivers as evidence of their mind control theories. How far has mind control technology come since Delgado’s invention? In 2020, US scientists revealed that they could remotely control a team of rats from a laptop. Electrodes implanted in the rats’ brains can activate their pleasure centers and steer them to the left or right. A small receiver is attached to a backpack that the rats wear. While these robotic rats were presented as the latest advancement in biotechnology, the late neurologist, John Lilly, remembered watching a military movie in the 1950s of a phony donkey being steered remotely up a hill using electric brain stimulation.

These days, brain implants aren’t used for mind control but exist to help people paralyzed with injuries. Dr. Philip Kennedy of Neural Signals created an implanted device that allows JR, a 53-year-old paraplegic volunteer, to move a computer mouse with his thoughts’ power. A small antenna, linked to the implant, protrudes through the top of JR’s skull, wiping out the need for wiring.

Although we are getting closer to Delgado’s idea of a psychocivilized society, hair grooming might remain problematic for some time.

Defenders of free speech have been celebrating recent events, including the creation of a new union headed by Toby Young. However, one may wonder why this has become so prominent now. It appears to be part of a reaction against the perceived censorship and political correctness that is spreading through universities like a cheap red sock in a hot white wash. A recent report by right-wing think tank Policy Exchange suggests that due to the highly partisan and vocal nature of the Brexit debate and unnecessary arguments over free speech, there is a growing danger that the right will view universities as being opposed to conservative and British values.

The importance of free speech on campus cannot be ignored. It is essential to remember John Stuart Mill’s assertion that even false ideas should be given a voice, as without them, true ideas become "dead dogmas" that we are incapable of defending. While it is clear that there must be limits to free speech, the frontline in the debate has always been determining where the line should be drawn. Some speakers have faced protests and boycotts because their opponents see their views as akin to hate speech, with the line being hotly contested.

It is not new for universities to come under attack for being tainted with anti-British or left-wing views, seeking to indoctrinate students and pursuing a "woke" agenda. However, it is detrimental to universities to enter into an overly defensive mode, as this poorly befits institutions of higher learning, and may demonstrate that universities may be perceived as easy targets. It is in the interest of those in power to send a message to higher education institutions that they are under scrutiny. By intimidating academics, especially their leaders, it will cultivate self-censorship and cast a shadow over their independence.

Power and speech are inextricably linked. The power to speak implies the power to prevent others from doing so. Multiple facets of power can be exercised, and the most insidious of these is when it penetrates and leads to self-censorship. This has happened to universities in other countries and has brought about darkness. It is imperative that the UK’s universities resist this temptation and remain steadfast in their commitment to free speech.

When Corinthian Colleges Inc., one of America’s largest for-profit college companies, had its flow of student aid money suspended by the Department of Education, the investigation of the chain involving 20 state attorneys general, various federal bodies, and the Department itself came to a temporary halt. The decision of the DOE to freeze these funds, expected as a 21-day hold, saw Corinthian predict its own downfall, leaving 72,000 students without tuition, and placing the American taxpayer on the hook for $1bn in federally-backed loans. The DOE took control of a supervised liquidation of Corinthian and released $16m in student aid money to keep schools open. A deal was struck whereby 85 campuses would be sold, while the remaining dozen would close. The company has revealed its plans for the closure of these schools, and in the interim period, pursuing buyers remain interested in Corinthian.

As organisations such as Corinthian collapse, the question of how for-profits fit into the higher education mix comes under scrutiny. Although many have criticised for-profit colleges as being unnecessary and deleterious, these institutions are needed to meet growing demand for workers, particularly in healthcare. This branch of the industry tends to focus on certificate granting programmes such those training medical assistants. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this occupation is expected to add 162,000 jobs over the next decade, and an estimated 40% of America’s medical assistants train with for-profit colleges. That being said, the closing down of colleges such as Corinthian leaves students on uncertain ground, with debt and credits unlikely to transfer. While the closing of institutions through a “teach-out” can result in the DOE reimbursing some federal grants, students will need to contact lenders and State Departments of Education to discharge private loans; the forgiven loans will impact taxpayers.

The collapse of companies such as Corinthian may have a larger impact on how the Department of Education deals with companies in the future, according to Robyn Smith, a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center specialising in student aid and for-profit education issues.

According to the National Consumer Law Center’s Smith, Corinthian’s student population is mostly made up of low-income students who are not financially sophisticated. However, Smith also believes that any student who finds themselves in this situation would find it difficult as the situation is complex. In light of this, Smith and a number of other analysts are calling for a halt on new enrollments to Corinthian schools, although this could make it more difficult to sell parts of the corporation. A number of senators and the California attorney general have also called for new enrollments to stop as well.

The students who have already enrolled in Corinthian schools are being notified about the corporation’s status. However, Corinthian is still going ahead with its plans to advertise and recruit more students. It is not known what impact these actions will have on new enrollees as more schools could be closed in the future. Others may not be recertified for student aid, and some may be bought and change the programs they offer.

Despite being expensive, Corinthian’s schools have never been a bargain. A two-year degree costs up to $40,000 which is significantly more than the average tuition cost of community college, which is $6,528. The least expensive healthcare certificate that Corinthian offers is $17,000. It is concerning to note that nationally, only 10% of all for-profit college students graduate without debt. In contrast, 70% of certificate-holding community college students do not incur debt, according to the College Board.

Consumer advocates have been concerned for some time about the high loan default rates for students leaving Corinthian’s schools. While student default rates have been higher than average, the state agencies that oversee them, along with the department of education, have not provided adequate oversight.

Corinthian was founded in 1995 and by 2004 its revenue had surpassed $800m. In 2008, its revenue reached $1 billion and it had 114 campuses. However, in 2011, Corinthian started to experience difficulties and lost $111m. The company had posted negative earnings in each of the two preceding years, with sector-wide contraction being blamed for the losses. Without jobs for graduates, placement rates fall and default rates rise. This then leads to higher scrutiny from government agencies and a fall in the company’s stock price.

Corinthian has been subject to investigations by a number of government agencies and attorneys general, who were looking into allegations of inflated job placement numbers, aggressive marketing tactics, altered grades, and attendance. The Department of Education stated that Corinthian had admitted to faking job placement figures, although the corporation disputed this.

According to a legal complaint made by California’s state attorney general, Corinthian allegedly utilized temporary agencies to employ their graduates and inflate its job placement rates. For Corinthian, boosting these numbers was crucial because it not only helped attract prospective students but also justified the accreditation that allowed them access to federal funds, which contributed to more than 80% of the company’s revenue. The US Department of Education had stopped funding Corinthian on the 22nd of June due to claims made against the company, including allegations of falsifying job numbers and tampering with grades, attendance, and documentation for placement rates.

The current situation for these schools may signify the disturbance afflicting the industry. As per Kinser, we still don’t have a clear image of the for-profit sector’s future, which is going to be substantially different from what it was five years ago.

Enrollment at for-profit schools decreased by 12% between 2010 and 2012, which some analysts attribute to changes in regulations. For-profit schools are now disallowed from paying recruiters based on enrollment. Proposed regulations by the DOE would aid in determining a company’s student loan eligibility based on graduates’ default rates and earnings, which threatens the core business model of for-profit schools, according to Kinser.

One proposed solution is controlling the growth of these institutions. According to Kinser, "An institution can go from 5,000 students to 50,000 students in a couple of years."

According to Urdan, "This is already an incredibly volatile sector from the standpoint of publicly traded stocks." Nevertheless, as per the agreement between Corinthian and the Department of Education, investors and lenders are not included on the stakeholder list, which is quite concerning.

According to the vice-chancellor of Oxford University, progress in tackling inequality and disadvantage is still slow. Despite admitting record numbers of women, state-educated pupils, and students from black and minority ethnic backgrounds last year, wide variations among the university’s colleges were highlighted in the review. The proportion of UK state school students was more than 60% for the first time, while a record number of disabled undergraduates joined Oxford. However, Balliol College was shown to admit nearly double the number of men as women, while only 48% of Trinity’s students come from state schools.

Louise Richardson, the vice-chancellor, recognizes the slow pace of progress and the university’s inequality, which mirrors society’s socio-economic, regional and ethnic barriers. This led to the development of policies to increase the number of successful applications from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. These policies include a foundation year for talented students without the necessary grades, along with extra support for those from less privileged backgrounds. The university also identified a rise in the number of applicants from Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds, which doubled the number of admissions. However, it also revealed a significant variation among individual courses, with no offers made to black students in biological sciences, biomedical sciences and earth sciences, among others.

Additionally, while the proportion of students from outside the EU continues to rise, those from the UK were 77.7% of the total intake in 2018, the lowest on record. Meanwhile, international students paid roughly £25,000 annually compared to £9,250 for their UK counterparts.

The government’s behaviour adviser for schools has urged headteachers to take action against the increasing incidence of vaping among pupils, referring to it as a "significant health risk" and a "major distraction". Concerns express the fear that children are becoming addicted to both the practice and the chemicals involved. Tom Bennett has called for school leaders to confiscate any banned items, set unambiguous sanctions, and enforce them. Headteachers throughout the country have reported older children in secondary schools primarily indulging, but there are incidents involving young students in primary schools as well. In Blackpool, a Conservative councilor revealed during a full council meeting that vaping was rampant in the town’s schools and that as much as 75% of students were vaping. It is currently illegal to sell vaping items to under-18s in the UK. Newton Abbot College’s headteacher, Amy Grashoff, has found a noticeable increase in the number of students vaping at her school and is now aware of situations where children sell vapes on behalf of older children and relatives. The college has implemented numerous measures, such as CCTV, limited admission to washrooms, and keeping outer doors open to decrease antisocial behaviour, to tackle the situation. Grashoff indicated that concerns exist over the health implications for children. In Oldham, the head at Newman RC College says that while vaping incidents have dropped following the installation of CCTV, the issue remains concerning. Glyn Potts mentions that vapes can be easily concealed and saved, clarifying how vapes with a memory stick and vape at both ends are popular among students. Sean Maher at Richard Challoner School has declared that pupils caught vaping on their site will suffer a two-day exclusion, Ben Davis at St Ambrose Barlow RC High School in Manchester has chosen a health-promotion angle. Bennett asserts that vaping is now a primary issue in schools, equivalent to cigarette smoking in the past, the children view it as a symbol of maturity and independence. He claims that it is a significant health risk and disturbance to young students, causing extended absences and breaching codes of conduct. Schools must teach pupils why vaping is harmful, make them realise that vaping is prohibited, and the sanctions of breaking the rules, according to Bennett. For students, schools must be a place where narcotics are prohibited, and stringent guidelines must be implemented to ensure student safety because they are especially at risk from the media, corporations, and their own stupidity.

As an AI language model, my objective is to rephrase the given text in a way that it sounds unique and natural while retaining the same meaning. Here’s my attempt:

My objective is to rewrite the given text using better and more natural language while ensuring its uniqueness. Here’s my attempt:

A school in Great Yarmouth has recently updated their behaviour guidelines following complaints from parents that the previous policy was too strict. The rulebook issued to staff had insisted that teachers should be viewed as "unquestioned authority" and that students must smile and thank their teacher after each lesson, with resulting punishment for those who failed to comply. However, the school has since issued new, more lenient guidelines for parents and students.

A spokesperson for the Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, part of Inspiration Trust, stated that the school had experienced poor performance outcomes in comparison to other borough schools, and thus adopted a stricter approach to behavioural standards. The spokesperson claimed that the school is not punishing pupils for the sake of punishment, but rather to cultivate an environment of learning, noting that children cannot learn in unruly classrooms.

The question of how strict a school should be in order to ensure effective learning is one that has divided opinion amongst experts. Iain Kilpatrick, headteacher of Somerset’s Sidcot School, which is a Quaker establishment, is critical of approaches that focus only on punishment. He advocates a questioning and explorative approach, suggesting that respect can coexist with critical inquiry. Conversely, Stuart Lock, Principal of Bedford Free School, believes that strict routines can actually free up students’ attention for learning, and can make students feel safe and secure in a structured environment. However, chartered psychologist and former secondary school teacher, Pam Jarvis, contends that some strict rules can amount to child abuse and can cause emotional problems for students. Meanwhile, Joanne Golann, an Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, suggests that strict policies can lead to emotional detachment amongst students.

Nick Moss, the Headteacher of Minchinhampton C of E Primary Academy in Gloucestershire, has recently implemented a new approach to managing behaviour in his school. Rather than relying on a traditional behaviour policy, Moss believes that building strong relationships between teachers and students is the key to fostering positive behaviour.

In fact, last year, his school completely eliminated its behaviour policy altogether. Moss believes that rewards and consequences, as they are traditionally understood, do not contribute to the development of intrinsic motivation and can actually distract from the enjoyment of learning.

Moss argues that attempts to control students with extrinsic rewards and punishments can be counterproductive. Instead, he believes in creating a supportive environment where students feel valued and respected. By building relationships with his students, Moss has found that they are more motivated to behave positively and learn.

He acknowledges that implementing this approach in schools with a larger proportion of students from challenging backgrounds can be more difficult, but he believes that it can be successful everywhere. He believes that strict behaviour policies often benefit teachers more than students and thinks that the needs of students should remain paramount in every school.

At Minchinhampton C of E Primary, the focus is always on the children, and the dialogue at the school revolves around how to best support their needs. By prioritizing relationships over punishment, Moss hopes to create a culture of respect and kindness that will benefit his students in the long term.