Times Higher Education (THE) has placed Oxford University second after California In- stitute of Technology on their 2015-16 World University Rankings, deeming the University the best in Europe.

Oxford has risen three places, having been ranked in fifth place last year. It has over-taken both Cambridge and Harvard, who are ranked 4th and 6th respectively.

The THE rankings claim that they are “the only international university performance tables to judge world class universities across all of their core missions – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.”

According to the table, the University has performed particularly impressively in its international outlook (94.4 per cent), research (98.9 per cent) and citations (98.8 per cent). It has performed less well on teaching (86.5 per cent) and industry income (73.1 per cent).

The rankings also include a breakdown of key statistics which shows that the student to staff ratio is 11.6:1 and the female to male ratio is 46:54.

Responding to the news, an Oxford Univer- sity spokesperson told Cherwell, “Students coming to Oxford benefit from having both the resources of world-renowned research centres across a wide range of disciplines and a highly personalized education where access to leading academics is a central part of both postgraduate and undergraduate teaching.’

“Very few other universities offer this combination, and students who come to Oxford experience an institution where ground- breaking research and excellent teaching are both highly valued.”

This table contrasts with the World Reputation Rankings which have placed Harvard first, with Cambridge coming second and Oxford third.

This separate ranking table is designed to “employ the world’s largest invitation- only academic opinion survey to provide the definitive list of the top 100 most powerful global university brands”.

Nick Cooper, OUSU Vice President for Graduates, told Cherwell, “We are pleased to see these results, which are a reflection of the generally excellent quality of teaching and research that students see here. The University scores highly on all measures, with some differences in methodology explaining the variation across rankings.”

“That said, it is important that the University does not become complacent. Issues remain across all levels of education, including in feedback to undergraduates and the qual- ity of provision for Masters students. We look forward to exploring these issues further in our submission to the University’s upcoming Higher Education Review.”

Caitlin Edwards, a second-year student at St Catherine’s, said, “I don’t think it will affect Oxford students any more than giving them an even bigger ego. All these league tables are so pointless; it just gives the University bragging rights and a reason to expect you to produce more work.” 

New contracts for junior doctors proposed by the Department of Health have provoked outrage across the profession, sparking a protest outside Downing Street by trainee doctors, with two organisers and a large contingent of protestors from Oxford.

The changes, due to take effect next year, will force medics to work longer hours for no extra pay. Junior doctors argue that under new contracts they will take a home-pay cut of up to 15 per cent and will be subjected to working hours that the British Medical Association (BMA) “unsafe and unfair” for patients and doctors.

Joanna May Sutton, an organiser of the ‘Save our Contracts’ protest commented, “It was exciting to see so many angry but energised medical students and doctors coming out to demonstrate.

“These aren’t your typical protesters, and to come out on a Monday evening after work with hundreds of hand-made placards and banners showed that we are willing to do anything to ensure that our patients are kept safe. “

Richard Griffith, a medic at Pembroke College, told Cherwell, “The primary goal is for the best patient care and treatment possible, and it’s difficult to see how these contracts do anything to help towards that goal…If these contracts go through, it could be the start (or some might argue, the continuation) of a dangerous slippery slope for the NHS.”

A clinical medic at Lincoln College told Cherwell, “The proposed contracts are both a step backwards for the NHS and, in many ways, a scam.”

“They remove many of the financial incentives that protect doctors from being overworked on weekends (and fairly reward them when they are), penalise female doctors who take time

out for maternity reasons, and claim to target a problem that doesn’t exist…namely, the myth that doctors don’t work weekends (they do).”

A spokesperson for the British Medical Association (BMA) commented, “We urge the government not to impose a contract that is unsafe and unfair.

“We will resist a contract that is bad for patients, bad for junior doctors and bad for the NHS.”

However, the Department of Health has defended its decision, saying in a statement, “We want to improve patient safety in hospitals. We believe the current contract is unfair for doc- tors and patients, so we want to discuss a way forward with the BMA that maintains average earnings for junior doctors and doesn’t cut the pay bill.”

Junior doctors are currently paid “standard” time for working normal hours, Monday to Friday. However, under the new proposals, “stan- dard” time will be extended from 60 hours per week to 90 and stretch up to 10pm every night of the week apart from Sunday.

Third-year Oxford medical student Eirion Slade has written a song in protest against the contracts to the tune of Jessie J’s ‘Price Tag’.

He performed the song during the protest outside Downing Street, and it has now received more than 190,000 views online.

He told Cherwell, “The proposed junior doctor contracts will drive enormous numbers of doctors out of the profession, since many doctors will not be able to sustain their financial and family commitments on an overnight pay cut. If doctors leave their contracted jobs, they will have to be replaced with expensive locum cover, which will cripple the NHS.

“These contracts are actually so counterpr ductive that it seems like the health secretary is deliberately trying to force the NHS into a financial position that it cannot recover from.” 

Willetts said that it was “perplexing and bizarre” that the College had failed to respond to Mr Bethell’s approaches over how to proceed. In August 2014, Mr Bethell’s legal team was told in correspondence from lawyers representing St John’s that Andrew Parker, Principal Bursar of the College, “Has no desire to speak to [Mr Bethell] and no amount of correspondence will alter that.”