Tuesday 22nd July 2025
Blog Page 1027

Preview: Doctor Faustus

Alex Barasch
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Preview: Doctor Faustus

“Our Faustus is the show Marlowe wanted.” Director Cai Jauncey’s claim is a bold one, and I arrived at Somerville College eager to see whether the much-discussed production, which will open at the O’Reilly in 5th week, could possibly live up to the hype. Jauncey has been consistently committed to an interpretation in which Marlowe’s words “remain central to what we stage” (unlike the recent Jamie Lloyd adaptation, which changed the middle entirely and was almost universally panned by critics), but this hasn’t stifled their creative vision in the least. Though the pronouns remain the same, this production explicitly places Faustus (Georgie Murphy) as a brilliant female scientist struggling to realise her ambitions whilst contending with a notoriously sexist STEM industry, eventually turning to some tellingly corporate devils for assistance.

Chief among these is Mephistopheles (Thea Keller), who becomes Faustus’s personal demon in exchange for the scholar’s soul when their twenty-four year contract has ended. After starring in Cashiered last term – his first ever experience with university drama – Keller has once again been propelled into a starring role, and proven himself to be more than up to the task, bringing out the nuances of Mephistopheles’s character with great success. He is proud and self-satisfied, but beneath the unruffled, smooth-talking exterior (Jauncey describes him as “Lucifer’s personal assistant”) lies a clear capacity for frustration, brutality, and perhaps something more human. Georgie Murphy’s Faustus, for her part, wants to trust him – their relationship is rife with sexual and romantic tension, though the extent to which any of it is real on her devil’s side remains uncertain. The two play off of each other perfectly, and their dynamic will no doubt prove one of the show’s greatest assets.

Other members of the cast are equally compelling. In particular, the Good and Evil Angels, played by Anusia Battersby and Laura O’Driscoll respectively, are a welcome departure from the usual over-the-top take on the characters, who spend the duration of the play appealing to Faustus to save or damn him; by their final scene together, Battersby’s Good Angel is unimpressed rather than imploring. Interestingly, Jauncey has decided to downplay their divine nature, to the point where it is only then that they tell their Faustus, “This is the first time you realise who the people buzzing in your ears are.”

It is here – when everything comes crashing down – that Georgie Murphy truly excels. She is sympathetic in her fear and distress (not always an easy feat when depicting the arrogant, self-destructive Faustus), and her final monologue is genuinely moving. This may not be the show Marlowe had in mind, with its focus on science at the expense of religion, but that is by no means a shortcoming. If the rest of the play lives up to this skilful handling of its denouement, it will be an exciting and innovative update not to be missed.

Nick Clegg: Stronger in Europe

Alex Walker
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Nick Clegg: Stronger in Europe

Nick Clegg arrived at the Blue Boar Lecture theatre slightly late. But he didn’t pause on arrival; wasting no time in delving into what was clearly a well-rehearsed, short pitch to remain; centring on three key points.

Clegg started by arguing that the key question at stake was one of identity. He claimed that on one side was a vision of “an Open Britain”, while the other envisaged “untrammelled national sovereignty”, a desire he thought sprang from nostalgia for some non-existent point in Britain’s past. He said it was up to us to decide which definition we preferred, but that with the threat of another Scottish referendum following a Brexit, “There are two unions currently at stake.”

More pragmatically, Clegg exhorted those campaigning to focus their attentions not on full-fledged Brexiters, or to waste time in discussion with those who already agreed with them, but to approach the undecided and the uninterested. He pushed ardently for those present to try and convince the many whose concern lay with other more immediate problems, saying that he thought the media tended to overestimate popular interest in the EU altogether.

Clegg said that, amongst the disinterested, it was youth turnout that would make the biggest difference. His described a generational divide in voting intention that transcended other aspects of identity, as older generations will vote to leave, whilst the young will vote to stay. He mentioned concerns for the future of his young children, and quipped that “the most logical franchise for this election might be 18-24 year-olds only, because their future is at stake.” He went on to argue that “my generation and those older have no right to put the ladder up behind us and deny you opportunities.”

During the questions, he vehemently pulled apart the idea that we can quit the EU, not pay its membership fee, nor abide by any of its rules, but still be subject to all the benefits it confers. “You can’t have your cake and eat it, everyone knows that” he says. “It’s intellectually petulant; it’s like a child stamping its feet.”

His short visit was an enjoyable afternoon break for a room full of people who had largely made up their minds on the matter, something he was very aware of. Those present might have been inspired to campaign that little bit harder, but it was obvious as he power-walked off to catch a train to Leicester that his real work lay elsewhere.

Oxford’s college drinking dilemma

Mitchell Byrne
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Oxford’s college drinking dilemma

Across Britain, students are drinking less and things are looking healthier. But something is going wrong in our colleges.

Recent reports suggest the 2012 rise in tuition fees has had a knock-on impact on draught beer sales in student unions. Stressed by debt-levels, we apparently became less willing to drink the nights away. Last month the Office for National Statistics removed nightclub entry fares from the basket of goods used to assess inflation. Data from the same institution shows even binge drinking is down 40 per cent on a national level since 2005.

Long the butt of the French slur, ‘the British drink too much’, it seems we are righting our course. The trend is downwards, and alcohol companies are acutely aware of this. The Heineken advert whose strapline reads ‘Moderate Drinkers Wanted’ is valid testimony. There has been no ostensible stimulus, no nation-wide crackdown, no spike in alcohol-related arrest-rates. There is a shift towards healthier living and drinking less is probably part of it.

In Oxford, however, the matter is unclear. Certainly as far as colleges can tell, students drink less now than before. One Turl Street college vendor noted the college bar had seen profits halve in ten years, though the services it offers have doubled. Many colleges have promoted non-alcoholic events during Freshers week, clearly not eager to give the impression being a student at Oxford is all fun and games. In October one former public school boy was overheard reminiscing about the relative freedoms of boarding school.
It’s easy to see how this trend might seem like good news to the college. First of, when alcohol is expensive, students will drink less of it. Secondly, a student who is not drinking will be working. Thirdly, a working student is a happy student. Conclusion: Norrington Table ascension.

If students drink less in the bars, though, why has the number of alcohol-related incidents involving emergency services risen? In the third episode of Ross Kemp’s Britain, the presenter offers a keen insight. On the question of Britain and alcohol, three conclusions emerge. One: when alcohol is very cheap, people drink more of it. Two: when the gap between pub prices and shop prices is significant, people always buy cheaper. Three: the bulk of dangerous drinking is done behind closed doors.

Perhaps, therefore, students are not drinking less than before. Perhaps they go to supermarkets and buy cheap alcohol and consume large quantities of it in their rooms where they do not have to pay college prices, and cannot be turned away when they’ve had one too many. Perhaps they leave their rooms, to have a swift one in the college bar before going out, feel a bit sick on the way past the pool table and vomit all over the floor, before the college has served them, before they pay the nightclub fare.
It seems likely this is precisely what is happening; if so, it comes with dangers.

The college bar is the safest place to drink, particularly if you’re 18 and new to alcohol. Conceivably, there is a problem here which must be corrected before it is too late.

One thing I’d change about Oxford: coffee-free libraries

Antonio Gottardello
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One thing I’d change about Oxford: coffee-free libraries

Whilst the awe-inspiring architecture of Oxford’s libraries is something nobody would wish to distance themselves from, their distracting influence on everyone’s work is beautifully annoying. The cure in the form of a black liquid energiser and stimulant, namely coffee, seems to be the only obvious solution.
And yet, Oxford libraries fail not only to provide this benign substance, but wholly ban its consumption on the understandable grounds of book preservation. But how is one supposed to spend hours sat on old and uncomfortable chairs brushing up on the influence of 16th century Atlantic voyages on Donne’s poetry without a rewarding and comforting sip at the end of every other page or paragraph?

Humans are remarkably adaptable beings, but no one is that adaptable. Oxford’s business school has no such ban on the substance, but it’s easy to see why book preservation wouldn’t be much of an issue there, and why coffee wouldn’t really be of any need.

But for the rest of us, the struggle is a great one indeed. Students are instead forced to work in overcrowded and overpriced cafes, or to briskly consume a take-away coffee which merely satisfies the chemical need, not the pleasure of the uptake in itself.

An answer to this problem is unlikely and even undesirable (for the books’ sake), but sometimes a short rant makes things more bearable.

To fight anti-Semitism, vote #YestoNUS

Rivka Micklethwaite
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To fight anti-Semitism, vote #YestoNUS

If I, as a Jewish student at Oxford, were tasked with finding the worst possible way to combat anti-Semitism on campus, I might suggest the following: pull out of the one national body representing students at precisely the moment when it is conducting an internal review into anti-Semitism, thereby completely ignoring the advice of the outgoing President of the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) who has urged against disaffiliation.

Yet, depressingly, the ‘No Thanks NUS’ campaign is encouraging us to pursue exactly this counter-productive strategy, as are many members of Oxford’s JSoc. As such, they are ignoring not only many within UJS, nor even the advice of John Mann MP – the prominent campaigner against anti-Semitism who told Oxford students last week that they should stay in NUS. To leave now would also mean riding roughshod over the views of every other liberation group in Oxford, almost all of whom have said publicly that they rely on NUS support and are hoping Oxford students say #YestoNUS.

So why would leaving be so damaging to the fight against anti-Semitism? At its recent conference, NUS passed policy strongly opposing anti-Semitism on campus. That motion was proposed by Oxford students, who were only at the conference in the first place because Oxford is in NUS. An amendment incorporating Holocaust education was debated, but it, too, passed overwhelmingly – because Jewish students were there to speak for it. The NUS will be including anti-Semitism in its forthcoming internal review on racism. Needing an institutional review does not make the NUS any more racist or anti-Semitic than the rest of society, but conducting one puts it miles ahead in tackling these problems. The battle against bigotry is ongoing, and it’s not one worth abandoning. Other liberation campaigns have shown that the democracy of the NUS can produce incredible turnarounds in its structure, for example in the recent establishment of a full-time officer for trans students.

Malia Bouattia, NUS President-elect, has made clear not only her commitment to fighting anti-Semitism, but also that it is inseparable from her opposition to racism and fascism in all forms. As NUS Black Students Officer, she visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin and spoke about her work organising against fascism in the UK. She has been at the forefront of developing strategies to combat hate crime and defending NUS’s interfaith Faith and Belief programme – both issues of desperate importance to Jewish students. Single-handedly she forced NUS to conduct its forthcoming review into internal racism, and then she voted to support including anti-Semitism in that review. On Holocaust Memorial Day this year, before the recent furore, Bouattia released a powerful public statement which speaks for itself:

“On this day, we look back to the genocide of 6 million Jewish people along with millions of Roma, Poles, gay and disabled people, as well as political opponents and remember just what can manifest when discrimination, bigotry and hatred goes unchallenged… Let’s work together to stop the tragic history of oppression from repeating itself.”

Despite this, Bouattia has been labelled an anti-Semite on the basis of her political opposition to Zionism and two decontextualised comments. Context is important. She described Birmingham University as a ‘Zionist outpost’ because of the vehement opposition to the establishment of a student Palestine Society there. Appallingly, students had to battle for six months against anti-Palestinian campaigners just to win their right to set up the Society. When she said some of the media was ‘Zionist-led’, Bouattia was explicitly referring to the uncritical support for Israel shown by some sections of the British press; she wasn’t expressing support for shady conspiracy theories about Jewish cabals. It is dangerous and stifling to conflate political opposition to Israel with anti-Semitism. In response to concerns raised by Jewish societies, Bouattia immediately emphasised that her opposition to Zionist politics – an ideology ‘held by people from a variety of different backgrounds and faiths’ – goes hand in hand with her absolute opposition to anti-Semitism.

Some of the claims made about Bouattia are plainly and offensively wrong – newspapers have repeated the lie that NUS’s first Muslim President refuses to condemn ISIS, when the truth is that she wrote and passed a motion doing exactly that. Herself a refugee from terrorism, it is profoundly unpleasant to suggest that Bouattia is a terrorist sympathiser. Likewise, some have claimed that NUS deliberately sought to remove Jewish representation from its anti-racist committee. The truth is that NUS passed a motion proposed and seconded by Jewish students that objected to the previous President undemocratically picking her preferred Jewish candidate for the role. Bouattia is currently writing a motion to guarantee Jewish representation on that committee for the first time ever. These kinds of misrepresentations do no favours to the struggle against racism.

Nonetheless, some have charged that through careless use of language Bouattia might inadvertently have fuelled anti-Semitic tropes. That is a serious charge, and an important one. So how did she react? Crucially, she has listened to Jewish students. Her very first act on being elected was to meet with the leadership of the Union of Jewish Students, and she has pledged to build on this dialogue once her term in office begins. Rather than simply celebrating her victory and rubbishing her critics, she demonstrated a rare but appropriate humility, saying:

“There is no place for antisemitism in the student movement, or in society. If any of my previous discourse has been interpreted otherwise, such as comments I once made about Zionism within the media, I will revise it to ensure there is no room for confusion.”

So now we face crunch-time. The government has just released plans to raise tuition fees again. Following the junior doctors’ example, NUS will now launch a national campaign to force a government U-turn. Weakening NUS by leaving it at this critical moment will make it much harder to win, thus increasing the likelihood of the government pushing through further damaging changes to universities. Leaving would also remove the vital NUS support our liberation campaigns rely on. To make matters even worse, leaving NUS now would mean abandoning the battle against anti-Semitism in a crucial arena. I’ll be proud, as a Jewish student, to vote #YestoNUS in sixth week.

Christ Church JCR declares war on Brasenose

Tony Diver
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Christ Church JCR declares war on Brasenose

Christ Church JCR has voted to declare war on Brasenose College, in its fourth week General Meeting on Sunday evening. The motion came after Brasenose JCR’s declaration of war against Christ Church one week previous.

The debate centres on the controversial result of mixed lacrosse cuppers held on Saturday of third week. Members of the Christ Church team raised an objection to the collaboration of Brasenose with players from LMH, in the composite ‘Blazenose Hall’ team. This triggered a playoff, which ‘Blazenose Hall’ lost, giving Christ Church a place in the semi-finals.

The motion, which was passed by a simple majority and noted that Brasenose was an “immature and stroppy college”, mandated Christ Church JCR to appoint war ministers to collaborate with Lincoln JCR and Lincoln war ministers, which is already at war with Brasenose. Lincoln and Brasenose are famous for a long standing feud amongst undergraduates.

Juliette Aliker, a first year History and Politics undergraduate at Christ Church who voted against the motion, said “despite our reputation, Christ Church is a really friendly col-
lege and I believe this attitude should be reflected in the general interactions of its members with other colleges in the University. College wars, although amusing, spur an inter-college rivalry that can easily be taken too far.”

The declaration of war follows a Brasenose motion which kickstarted the idea of a paintball fight against Lincoln. It is unclear whether Christ Church will get involved with the paintball fight. The Brasenose motion noted “current war efforts against Lincoln continue to run smoothly, with recent developments including tapping communication lines of key opposition leaders.”

The motion creates mutual antagonism between two of Oxford’s most famous colleges, who last went to war with each other in Trinity Term 2014. Although previous college wars have involved pranks played by war ministers and tampering with opponent colleges’ property, the tactics of Christ Church, Brasenose and Lincoln in the most recent spark of conflict are as of yet unclear.

Students to take stand against fee increases

Sophie Jordan
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Students to take stand against fee increases

Students have come to support Jeremy Corbyn’s petition against the Government White Paper “Success as a Knowledge Economy” presented on May 16. The White Paper’s success in Parliament would allow high-achieving universities to increase their tuition fees over the current £9.000 cap, in order to follow inflation more closely and remain competitive.

Jeremy Corbyn launched the petition yesterday in response to the document produced by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, vowing to “oppose the Tories’ plan” which according to Labour would leave “young people with a lifetime of debt”.

Corbyn’s campaign, which uses the hashtag #ToryPriceTag, has collected over 155,000 signatures so far out of the 200,000 expected, after the initial goal of 100,000 was pushed back twice. It directly addresses David Cameron and the Conservative Party’s politics, with Corbyn accusing them of imposing a “tax on learning”.

“The Tory government repeatedly dumps the burden upon the young.”

Louis McEvoy

In a speech to the Commons, Jeremy Corbyn called the White Paper “an insult to the aspirations of young people wanting an education.”

This coincides with the recent resurfacing of a letter George Osborne wrote 13 years ago. Osborne wrote that the university tuition fees which were then only just being introduced, were “very unfair” and mentions that the Conservative Party intends to “scrap tuition fees altogether when we are next in government. Education will once again be free for students.”

The relevance of this letter today has however been questioned by current Conservative MPs. Just six years after Universities were permitted to “adjust to new demands” by requiring UK and EU students pay fees going up to £9,000 and over 15 years after these were first introduced in the country, the new White Paper draws the outline of a new system devised to encourage competition between institutions. Both of these previous decisions had been followed by student protests in different parts of the nation.

If put in place, this system will have a particularly strong impact on high-achieving universities, allowing them to go beyond the original capped amount in order to respond to inflation and high demand from the year 2016/17 onward. Universities will be expected to provide detail of their graduate employment rate, as concerns were raised last November that the equal price of studies led to low-quality teaching being paid for Chancellor of Oxford University, Lord Patten, under scrutiny this week the same way as better teaching was. A set of awards handed out to universities and colleges yearly would also invite private institutions to develop further.

Louis McEvoy, Christ Church historian and member of the Labour Party, told Cherwell, “There’s no question that the Tory government disproportionately coddles and caters to pensioners, while repeatedly dumping the fiscal burden upon the young. It’s egregious and it’s wrong, but the only way to solve it is for us to encourage more young people to vote.”

First year French and German student and signatory of Labour’s petition, Sophie Sythes commented similarly, “I have always found it unfair to place an economic value on any kind of education especially when it is such a vital factor in the future prospects of young people. Due to the increase in tuition fees young people from working class and even middle class backgrounds are becoming increasingly discouraged. I am becoming increasingly concerned by the conservative government’s attitude to education, especially when other European countries such as France and Germany are offering high standards of education for free or at very low cost.”

According to Univ historian Peter Saville, the White Paper has both advantages and weaknesses. “The government’s white paper would encourage transparency whilst encouraging students to look at value for money. When Oxford graduates earn on average considerably more over a lifetime than the average Russell Group University, it is important that the University is able to demonstrate that it can compete in a market for the best graduates and an altered funding structure would play into that.”

Nominations for NUS ‘In’ or ‘Out’ kickstart two weeks of campaigning

Cherwell News Team
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Nominations for NUS ‘In’ or ‘Out’ kickstart two weeks of campaigning

Nominations for official campaigns to leave or remain in the NUS finished this week, with the formal appointment of “No Thanks, NUS” to lead the no vote side and “Yes to NUS” to argue for remaining in the national union.

The appointment of campaigns marks the beginning of a two week long campaigning period, during which the two sides will try to influence the decisions of those turning out to vote between Tuesday and Thursday of sixth week. The campaigns deal with similar issues.

The “Yes to NUS” campaign, led by OUSU President Becky Howe, deals largely with the bargaining power of the NUS, especially considering the newly released government White Paper detailing possible tuition increases. The campaign also focuses on the power NUS can bring to issues such as combatting sexual violence on university campuses, fighting Prevent, the government’s anti-extremism policy, and increasing provisions for mental health.

The campaign to leave led by NUS Delegate Anne Cremin commented, “No Thanks, NUS want OUSU to disaffiliate from the NUS because we believe that it isn’t working for students. From the election of a President who has been condemned by every university Jewish Society in the country, to the repeated and overwhelming rejection of the principle of One Member One Vote, to the wasting of time and money on lobster dinners and international declarations, it’s clear that the NUS today is not representative, not reformable, and not delivering for students.”

Answering the Yes campaign’s claim that leaving would lose bargaining power for students, No Thanks, NUS commented, “Disaffiliation would not necessarily be permanent. Many people campaigning to disaffiliate very much hope that the result of many universities leaving would be to force to meaningful reform, meaning we could later reaffiliate.”

“It’s clear that the NUS today is not representative, not reformable, and not delivering for students.”

Anne Cremin

Further, “In terms of dealing with the government, we don’t think being part of the NUS really helps. Traditionally it’s been OUSU not the NUS that has led the way in responding to higher education reforms, and we’d far rather be represented directly by OUSU than by the NUS. We doubt the government will take seriously an organization like the NUS which repeatedly takes extreme stances and consistently wastes time on foreign policy declarations.”

Howe and the rest of her team respond with examples of the NUS changing government policy. “NUS have proved time and time again that they are capable of forcing government U-Turns, such as in 2014 when the government proposed massive cuts to Disabled Students Allowance.” Additionally, they say, leaving would weaken the bargaining power of students against tuition increases by fragmenting the fight.

Both sides admit the need for NUS to reform, but diverge on its ability to do so. “There have been reform attempts at reforms for years, and again and again the same concerns are raised, with no impact. Conference once again rejected the principle of One Member One Vote, along with a motion to make conference more accessible”, the no campaign commented.

“NUS are capable of forcing government U-Turns.”

Becky Howe

The current push for disaffiliation follows a period of controversy for the NUS following the election of Malia Bouattia as its new president. Bouattia has attracted criticism for her alleged support of extremists and antisemitism. In particular, her assertion that the Jewish society at the University of Birmingham was a “Zionist outpost” was criticised in an open letter calling for Bouattia’s resignation signed by over 50 Jewish Societies from universities across the UK.

In the last few weeks, both Newcastle University Student Union and Lincoln University Student Union voted to leave the NUS, while Exeter University Student Union voted to stay. Cambridge is set to have a referendum, and a recent poll by their student newspaper, Varsity, showed the leave campaign with a slight advantage.

Within Oxford, the Jewish Society passed a motion “to formally support the campaign for OUSU to leave the NUS”, stating “We cannot reconcile our proud Jewish identity with membership of the NUS for as long as Malia Bouattia remains president”.

Engines stolen from college rowing launches

Mia Lacey
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Engines stolen from college rowing launches

IN THE EARLY HOURS of Monday 16th May, two Oxford colleges had their coaching launch engines stolen from Godstow. The thieves made away with around £5,000 worth of engines which belonged to St Hugh’s and Trinity.

The theft was discovered by the St Hugh’s and Trinity Men’s First Team upon their arrival at Godstow for training at 6.30am on Monday. Three launches were found drifting by the weir. A member of the Trinity Men’s team and Helen Popescu, St Hugh’s M1 coach, headed out on other launches to recover them, where the engines had been hacked off two of them.

Both of the stolen engines had been locked to the launches. A senior member of Trinity’s team said “It’s just a complete nightmare, having this happen in the week be-
fore Summer VIIIs”. One crew member did recognize one silver lining: “We thought our engine was on its way out anyway”.

Godstow has suffered from similar thefts a number of times before. One source, who would prefer to remain anonymous, said “This is the third or fourth theft they’ve had this year. Another engine was nicked a few weeks ago,” despite the fact the security is “the same as any boat yard, if not better.” He did note, however, that “it borders Port Meadow so is not exactly an inpenetrable compound.” The source added “basically, if the boat clubs had gotten better locks we’d have been fine.”

The thieves used a wooden boat, stolen from the St Edward’s School site, to access the launch moorings. The thieves then stole a launch to reach the other side of the bank so as to be able to lever the outboard motors from the targeted boats, as the ground on the Godstow side of the river would not have been sufficiently solid.

The theft comes at a crucial time for the two colleges with a week to go before the Summer VIIIs campaign. Trinity M1 are currently seventh on the river. St Hugh’s M1 are second in division 3, following a very successful Torpids campaign, earning their M1 crew blades.

The Police are currently searching for information concerning the crime. Connie Primmer, speaking on behalf of Thames Valley Police, confirmed that “between around 10pm on 15 May and 6am on 16 May, outboard motors were stolen from two boats which were moored near St Edwards School Boat Club” and requests that “anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call Thames Valley Police via the 101 number or Crimestoppers via 0800555111.”

Cambridge student union cuts print run for student paper

William Long
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Cambridge student union cuts print run for student paper

The Cambridge Student (TCS) will cease to run print editions after the Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) 2016/17 budget cut funding for the paper.

The Cambridge equivalent of The Oxford Student, will lack the funds to run print editions under the new CUSU budget. Passing with 24 votes supporting the budget, three abstentions and 13 in opposition, the new budget decreased the funds allocated to the paper by a total of £4,850, with £2,000 of cuts targeted at website maintenance.

In further drama on the night of the vote, an emergency motion from the editors of TCS aimed at maintaining the paper’s print run in a more restricted form was narrowly defeated during the proceedings. With the decision, the 17 year print legacy of the paper comes to an end, as TCS is forced to switch from its primarily print based form to a purely online publication unless alternative solutions can be found.

“The decision made by CUSU is devastating for the paper.”

Amelia Oakley

Following the announcement of the proposed cuts in April, around 60 people signed an open letter to support the continuation of print copies of the newspaper. Criticism of the CUSU’s withdrawal of funding has also been strongly voiced by the Student Publication Association (SPA), which, in a joint statement with TCS condemned the impact of the reduction in financial support for the paper. Dan Seamarks, SPA Chair, stated, “Student media is vital for democracy and holding Unions to account, a job TCS does only too well. In making this decision the Students’ Union is not only ending the heritage associated to print but also closing something which further educates students.”

Unhappy at the outcome of the vote and the draining nature of campaigning to save the print capacity of the paper while preparing for exams, Amelia Oakley, Editor-in-Chief of TCS told Cherwell, “The decision made by CUSU is devastating for the paper and all its volunteers. We are a print paper at heart, and we are determined to ensure it remains so. After exams we shall be regrouping and discussing every possible avenue available to us. We aren’t taking this decision lying down”.

Reacting to the idea of student news lacking print editions, Emma Becirovic, an English student at Jesus College, spoke of her attachment to print, despite not being an avid consumer of student news, “Although people may not be reading the newspapers cover to cover, they are an important and useful way of bringing together into one place the latest politics/arts/sports that have happened at that university.

“People hear about what’s happening at their university through this medium, even if it is through word of mouth. But at the end of the day, it has to start somewhere, and that place is the student newspaper.”

Chemistry student Ben Rackham, however, displayed both attachment to print and criticism of its excesses, “I think it’s important that there are stories, opinions and reports about the University and student life written by students, including in the print form, although the huge piles of unread copies of such papers in the JCR can’t do the environment much good! I do think the future of journalism lies online.”

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