Thursday 21st August 2025

Opinion

The Encaenia is PR without the public (or anyone else)

Wholesale reform is the last thing Encaenia needs. If only people knew what it is, it would be a well-suited PR exercise for a modern Oxford.

This is how we combat the crusade against universities

It’s easy to think of an arts degree as a fruitless pleasure. But education and academic study are intrinsically valuable.

From pensioners to students, all should fear the Palestine Action ban

If you think this is a win for one side over the other in relation to Israel’s war on Gaza, be careful what you wish for.

Trashing rules save face, not students

Trashing is banned. But what does the banning achieve except pushing students further from...

The Lola Olufemi ‘scandal’ is dishonest and damaging to BME progress

Silencing bias does not silence academic freedom, argues Brian Wong

Oxford’s southern obsession

As more attention is called to Oxbridge’s prejudiced admissions practices, Emma Carter analyses the barriers to entry for northern applicants

Caring about O’Mara’s past is not pedantic – it’s our duty

The O’Mara case is a good example of the role the news media can play, writes Benedict George

Balls are the clearest indication of Oxford’s elitism problem

Lavish balls give the impression that Oxford is inclusive in name only, argues Catherine Cibulskis

The new Westgate Centre is a failure for social housing

To not acknowledge our responsibility to this city is to become complicit in the social cleansing of Oxford, writes Simon Neumaier

The collegiate system is in need of change

The vice chancellor's proposals to increase Oxford centralisation are both innocuous and sensible, writes Daniel Kodsi

Questions alone don’t tell the story of an Oxford interview

In the wake of Oxford publishing an insight into its interviews, Roddy Jackson warns that the process will not be demystified by headline-grabbing questions

Exeter would be right to ban smoking, and other colleges should follow

Everyone has the right to clean and fresh air in their home, writes Emily Patterson

The freshers’ ‘slave auction’ wasn’t just ill-judged banter. It goes deeper

Saying "they can't take a joke" suggests that slavery can be a joke

Forget sensationalism, Lammy should focus on social inequality

When it comes to shameful admissions statistics and Lammy's baseless claims, the blame does not just fall on Oxford, writes Arya Tandon

David Lammy: “You cannot describe Oxford as an inclusive environment”

Labour MP David Lammy tells Will Dry why he’s taking on Oxford’s “exclusive” application process, and how students should help

Is there a way out of this crisis for the Catalan people?

Don't believe the half-truths and empty rhetoric on both sides, warns Jorge López Llorente

Smokers need freedom, not permission

Smokers are more considerate to others than often thought, and want nothing more than to be left alone, according to Ethan Croft

The college system defines the Oxford experience – it must remain in place

Maxim Parr-Reid argues that a college was his first and only way to make sense of Oxford

Louise Richardson: “Do I think Oxford will be number one in 50 years’ time? No.”

Interview: Oxford vice chancellor Louise Richardson tells Will Dry that she won’t let tussles with media silence her on free speech

Prohibition kills. Why no progress on drugs policy?

Drugs policy is failing society’s most vulnerable, writes Joshua Harvey

The Harvey Weinstein scandal has shone the spotlight on Hollywood’s institutional sexism

The disgraced film producer should mark a turning point in the film industry, writes Shivani Ananth

Don’t separate black history from British shame

Naomi Packer argues that Black History Month should serve as a reminder of Britain's sordid past

May’s racial disparity audit is a token gesture of little substance

The government's audit does little more than affirm what we already know about racial inequality in the UK, writes Michael O'Connor

Despite a media storm, Balliol JCR remains united

The proposers of a motion to prevent the banning of religious societies at future Balliol freshers' fairs claim the JCR has resisted division

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