Vice-Chancellor Andrew Hamilton has called the UK government’s new visa controls “harmful” and “hostile to student entry”.

He made the comments in his annual Oration to University academics, in which he covered numerous examples of Oxford’s positive influence on the wider world. He noted the concerted efforts of academics and scientists to combat the outbreak of Ebola, alongside the Edgeworth Professor of Economics’ advice to the Bank of England during the 2007 financial meltdown.

Such examples, Hamilton said, made a compelling argument for greater public investment in universities, though Oxford has never found funding too difficult to come by, netting on average £200m a year for the last five years.
Hamilton also praised the work of Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, a centre set up to inform debate on international migration and public policy.

In October 2011, the Observatory published a report on the public’s opinion of immigration, the intention of which was to “try to build a more detailed understanding of public attitudes to immigration”.

The report found that the public’s views on immigration “are complex and nuanced in a way that previous polls have failed to capture, and that these views vary substantially depending on which immigrant groups the public is considering”.

Crucially, it found that when asked about immigrants, 69% of people were likely to think of asylum seekers, while only 29% thought of students, despite current information from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that students represent the largest group of immigrant arrivals (37%).

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Hamilton noted this disparity in his speech, and remarked that “student migration simply isn’t an issue for them and there are few votes in restricting overseas student numbers.”

“Why are we doing this to them — and to ourselves?” the Vice-Chancellor asked. “The excellence of UK Higher Education is, in crude material terms, an attractive commodity in the world market. Why, at a time of continued economic constraint, are we limiting one of our most effective generators of overseas revenue?”

OUSU President Louis Trup commented, “The Vice-Chancellor is right to call for an increase in higher education funding. Spending on higher education brings enormous benefits to the local communities in which universities exist as well as to the national and international knowledge economy.”

Meanwhile, the OUSU VP for graduates, Yasser Bhatti, also supported the Vice-Chancellor, saying, “I was impressed that the Vice-Chancellor is taking international students’ contribution to the University so seriously and that he shares my view that this must be a key campaigning priority in the General Election year.”

Hamilton’s comments come as John O’Keefe, joint winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Medicine, voiced similar concerns. In a Monday interview with the BBC, he called immigration rules “a very, very large obstacle” to recruiting scientists from around the world.

A protest group is reportedly set to use University-owned buildings as the location for a ‘conference’ from Thursday to Sunday this week to highlight Oxford’s growing housing crisis.

In the run up to the four day event, termed ‘House of The Commons’ and organised by a group of the same name, activists have occupied the Old Power Station in Osney. The Power Station, which is owned by the University, has, according to activists, stood empty for the last four years.

Charlie Fisher, one of the organisers at House of the Commons, told Cherwell, “It is a vast injustice to leave properties empty for longperiods of time when demand for space is so high and local families are being moved out of their homes in communities they have lived in all of their lives. The occupation of a disused building of this size draws attention to the fact that there are big landowners in this city who have the financial might to keep property at low or zero occupation”.

A University of Oxford spokesperson responded to the occupation, “The Old Power Station is not a disused building but it is used for storage for the University’s museums and has hosted art exhibitions in recent years. We are in contact with the people occupying the building and we are working with legal advisors and police with the intention that the occupiers leave the building as soon as possible.”

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The University also wanted to make it clear that it has attempted to lessen the burden of Oxford’s rental market by ensuring that as many students as possible live in University- owned accommodation.

The occupation was met with mixed opinions by Oxford students. Harry Bush, a second year chemist, told Cherwell, “Students get an alright deal, but we’re so heavily helped out by the University. Residents have it tougher though. I know the Council has made significant efforts, but there doesn’t seem to be a quick fix solution”.

Sophie Terrett, a third-year undergraduate and member of the Oxford Tenants’ Union, voiced her support for the event, saying, “I’m really excitedfor the House of the Commons event and think it is definitely relevant for students; in a recent NUS survey, 50% of Oxford students said that they had experienced delays by their landlord when in need of house repairs and 20% have experienced an animal infestation in their accommodation. This is clearly unacceptable and reflects a wider problem with student housing in Oxford and beyond. It’s great to see events like these raising the profile of housing activists!”

Oxford has a long history of housing and cost of living related issues. A study conducted last year by Lloyds Bank found that Oxford was the least affordable city to live in in the United Kingdom, with property costing, on average, over 11 times average local earnings. The news was greeted with  dismay by local residents at the time, with the Leader of Oxford City Council adding, “People have to live outside the city, unless they can afford extremely high rental and house prices. They’re effectively being forced out and this leads to a fragmented community, because young people and those with families have to move around the county.”

Oxford Parish Councillor Julia Gasper, who stood for the English Democrats in the European elections in May, has been threatened with legal action.

The former UKIP Oxford Chairperson claimed in her blog that members of the public required “police protection” from the “queer mafia”, while in an earlier post she referred to the “Pink News mafia” as having its own “hit-list”.

She wrote, “If you read anything in Pink News you can be fairly certain it is untrue. The revolting little website exists to stir up a climate of hatred and intolerance among homosexuals towards the rest of the population.

“They even bombard other homosexuals such as Rupert Everett with hate-mail and death-threats when he says anything against their agenda.”

PinkNews Editor Joseph Patrick McCormick told Cherwell, “We are disgusted by the incredibly serious allegations made against PinkNews by Dr Gasper. Writing on her blog, she has alleged that PinkNews has its own mafia, which puts celebrities on a hit list.

“Having written to Dr. Gasper’s solicitors to ask them to provide evidence of her claims, we are still awaiting a response. This is particularly shocking as Dr Gasper is an elected representative who sits on the Rishinghurst and Sandhills Parish Council. I do wonder what her residents would make of their councillor making such spurious allegations.”

In a “flashback” post published on 20th September, she declared that “getting death-threats from homo-extremists is part of modern life.”

She also linked to a page called “Gay Mafia Watch”, who describe themselves as an “anonymous, independent and impartial group of observers who feel the need for there to be a ‘watchdog’ asking questions and raising standards within the LGBT media sector. Rest assured, no stone will be left unturned in our mission to OUT and EXPOSE — The Gay Mafia [sic].”

When contacted by Cherwell, Dr.Gasper, who studied for a DPhil in English Literature at Somerville, re-marked, “There’s no story here – I think it’s all just a lot of rubbish.”

Gasper formerly made headlines in May after claiming that there are “too many homosexuals in Parliament” and calling for the banning of dating app Grindr “and similar networks that damage public health”.

The President of the Oxford Union has proposed a series of reforms to the Society’s rules that would change how it deals with both criminal complaints and complaints under the Society’s own rules. The proposals were presented at a meeting of the Union’s Standing Committee on Monday.

The proposals, which follow the arrest of Union President Ben Sullivan last term, include hiring a ‘Complaints Consultant’, automatically suspending officers arrested on criminal charges, and removing criminal conduct as a grounds for impeachment. Sullivan was released without charge.

Another change is the creation of a complaint information pack. The pack would contain both information on how to contact the local police, and a form for those wishing to make a complaint under the Society’s rules.

The Union will also hire a third party ‘Complaints Consultant’, who will determine if any complaints of misconduct, which can be levelled againt members and non-members, potentially constitute criminal conduct.

Further to this, if an officer or committee member of the Society is arrested on suspicion of committing a crime, then that member is subjected to an automatic leave of absence.

However, the Standing Committee still has the ability to overturn an automatic leave of absence in the meeting following that in which the suspension was issued.

The rules regarding the impeachment of officers are also being clarified, with 300 valid signatures being required within 48 hours of a motion being posted on the Union noticeboard. For signatures to be valid, they are required to be accompanied by the name and membership number of the signatory.

In addition, the potential new rules specify that grounds for impeachment “shall not include any criminal conduct, or allegations thereof”. This would mean that the vote of no confidence debate that occurred over the Presidency of Ben Sullivan in Trinity, while the police investigation into the accusations against him was still ongoing, could not occur again.

Hamish Forbes, a Union member at Merton, commented, “These changes demonstrate that the Union understand the gravity and seriousness of the events of last term, and it is good that they did not seize the opportunity to sweep those events under the carpet over the summer as I and many others feared they would.”

However, the news was met with concerns from other members. Annie Teriba, a former Secretary candidate, commented, “The Union must remember that combatting sexism is not just a PR exercise. It’s no use writing rules that are deliberately designed to prevent members from using them. It is ridiculous to require double the number of signatures for impeachment as the Union does for any other poll, at the same time as setting a minimum turnout for voting, when three of the last four Presidents didn’t have a single vote cast in their names. Yet again, Standing Committee has placed the interests of presidents over its duty to members.”

Oxford Union President Mayank Banerjee told Cherwell, “We hope these changes are a step in the right direction for the Union and go some way to addressing some of the shortcomings of the Society.”

Oxford University is now giving staff and students the option to use the gender-neutral title ‘Mx’ (pronounced ‘mux’, ‘mix’, or ‘mixter’) in official records, as an alternative to the previous gendered titles.

The change, which is understood to have been introduced following consultation with OUSU and the LGBTQ Society, came into effect at the end of last term. Individuals will also have the option of giving no title at all.

Current students who would prefer to adopt the gender-neutral title or use no title at all are able to change their records through their colleges or departments. Undergraduate and Postgraduate students applying for entry in 2015 will also be able to make use of the title.

Rowan Davis, trans rep for Oxford University LGBTQ Society told Cherwell, “Providing an option for gender neutral titles is vital for producing a safer space for trans people.”

A spokesperson for the University commented, “The University is now giving students the option to use the gender-neutral title ‘Mx’ on official administrative systems.”

They continued, “The decision follows the gradual adoption of ‘Mx’ as the most commonly-recognised gender-neutral title in the UK. It is now used by the Passport service, the DVLA, many high street banks and an increasing number of universities. The University’s admissions service UCAS has also decided to introduce the ‘Mx’ option for applicants in the 2015 cycle”.

‘Mx’ is the most popular gender neutral title among non-binary people. Usage of the title was given a boost when, in 2013, Brighton and Hove City Council voted to allow it on council forms, though it does not yet have widespread official recognition across the rest of the country.

LGBTQ Soc trans rep Alyson Cruise remarked, “It’s taken some time, but we are really happy with how hard the University is working to improve the experience of being trans at Oxford. There are still some holdouts around but the uni as a whole is really trying.”

Likewise, Oriel College LGBTQ rep Kate Bradley told Cherwell, “The introduction of Mx is good news for all gender non-binary and trans people at Oxford, but it’s also great for anyone who feels uncomfortable providing their gender in situations where it seems irrelevant. In the wake of news that Ruskin College will be providing gender-neutral toilets on campus soon, I think all of us can feel like progress is really being made”.

However, some sources within LGBTQ Soc have suggested that a preferable option would be to expand the options available to students, rather than offer just one gender neutral title option.

An anonymous trans student told Cherwell that it would be preferable “for the University to look at the possibility of having a blank box to be filled in” by people, so that they are able to choose their own title; there are a number of additional titles that transpeople may wish to adopt, including ‘Misc’ (from the Latin word ‘miscellus’, meaning ‘mixed’), or ‘Ind’ (short for ‘individual’).

The University made headlines two years ago when it changed its dress code policy to allow people to wear non-gender specific subfusc.

New research has found that the HIV epidemic first broke out in Kinashasa, now capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as early as the 1920s. The analysis confirmed suspicions, though also ruled out less popular theories about the virus’ origins.

An international team of researchers including academics from Oxford reconstructed the genetic history of the HIV-1 group M pandemic, managing to find the common ancestor of group M and trace its history.  Although strains HIV have jumped from primates and apes to humans at least 13 times in history, only one transmission eventually resulted in a global pandemic.

“Until now most studies have taken a piecemeal approach to HIV’s genetic history, looking at particular HIV genomes in particular locations,” explained Professor Oliver Pybus, an Oxford academic and a senior author of the paper. “For the first time we have analysed all the available evidence using the latest phylogeographic techniques, which enable us to statistically estimate where a virus comes from. This means we can say with a high degree of certainty where and when the HIV pandemic originated.”

The study estimates that the first human to get HIV, probably a hunter coming into contact with a chimp blood, was infected around 1920, with 95 percent of the estimated dates falling in the period between 1909 and 1930.

The research also showed the HIV was able to spread due to a combination of factors in the region. The railway lines in particular helped bring the virus to large cities such as Kinashasa, the largest city in the region, which had over a million annual rail passengers by the 1940s.

Nuno Rodrigues Faria, a researcher at Oxford University and another author on the paper, added that “alongside transport, social changes such as the changing behaviour of sex workers, and public health initiatives against other diseases that led to the unsafe use of needles may have contributed to turning HIV into a full-blown epidemic.”

After spreading in Africa the virus later travelled across the world. It was first noticed by US doctors in 1981 though is believed to have arrived earlier, and has since infected 75 million people worldwide and killed almost 40 million.

The research into HIV’s historical origins may prove be useful to prevent future infections.  Rodrigues Faria concluded that the “knowledge of the circumstances that facilitated the epidemic expansion can assist the development of effective education and prevention programs.”

Plans to expand the Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre in Kidlington from 276 to around 600 beds have been submitted to Cherwell District Council, amid widespread student protest.

Societies across Oxford are showing their support for the ‘Campaign to Close Campsfield’ in condemning the plans.

Joanna Hynes, President of Oxford University Amnesty International told Cherwell, “Oxford University Amnesty International strongly condemn the government’s proposed plans to expand Campsfield House into a 610-bed mega-centre for immigrant detention.

“The policy of indefinite detention, without judicial oversight, is in contrary to the Human Rights Act and the UN Convention on Refugees. What in theory is a centre for short-term detention immediately before deportation has been allowed to develop into systematic indefinite detention, largely for administrative reasons, with Mitie creaming off the profits of systematic human rights abuses.”

Mitie PLC was contracted to manage the facility by the Home Office in 2011. In that time there have been three mass hunger strikes, one suicide and a fire at the centre in October 2013. Detainees are migrants whom the Home Office is seeking to remove from the country and deems to be at risk of absconding. They can be held indefinitely without judicial oversight.

Some have been held for over two years. Alex Marshall, a member of Oxford Migrant Solidarity, said, “The people who pass through Immigration and Removal Centres such as Campsfield are not there for any crime, and those who have committed offences will already have served any sentences before arrival.

We oppose all immigration detention as un-just, unnecessary, and an unacceptable breach of migrants’ most fundamental rights, and we support freedom of movement across national borders for all human beings. At a time when the government should be reducing numbers in detention and closing centres, we are dismayed by plans for Campsfield to be more than doubled in size.”

Dr Austen Saunders, a fellow at Oxford and supporter of the Campaign to Close Campsfield commented, “Campsfield is a waste of lives and a waste of money. It’s shocking that in this country the government can lock people up indefinitely without ever accusing them of a criminal offence – let alone having them convicted. We should be looking for alternatives to this broken system, not expanding it.”

The Campaign to Close Campsfield has called a public meeting at Exeter Hall on 20th October, with plans to protest outside the Centre on the 25th. So far there are nine signatories for a joint statement protesting the expansion, including the Oxfordshire Green Party, Oxford Migrant Solidarity and Oxford University Amnesty International.

The sitting MP for the area, Nicola Blackwood and both Lib Dem and Labour parliamentary candidates have all publicly spoken out against expansion.

On her petition to the Home Secretary, entitled, ‘NO to Doubling the Size of Campsfield’ Blackwood states, “This proposal makes no sense for Kidlington or for our immigration system. We should be looking for alternatives to detention rather than expanding our detention programme and Campsfield House in particular has already struggled to manage with its existing numbers resulting in a series of serious incidents.”

Sally Copley, the Labour candidate, told the Oxford Mail, “It’s clearly wrong to detain at all people who are not criminals but instead are fleeing conflict, let alone indefinitely. The Home Office have not made a satisfactory case for why they want to extend Campsfield House, and it’s a shame the District Council are only allowed to consider this on planning grounds, as there are strong humanitarian reasons for rejecting it.”

The decision of Cherwell District Council’s Planning Committee on the proposed expansion must be based upon planning grounds alone.

A group of Oxford students from Hong Kong have released a video in which they sing the protest song ‘Who Has Yet to Speak’ in different locations around Oxford and in Hong Kong.

The video has been made as an act of solidarity with the current pro-democracy protesters in their home city. The song, sung to the tune of ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’ from the musical Les Miserables, has been one of the most frequently used pro-democratic anthems of the recent demonstrations.

The video shows the students solemnly aligned, and in some frames dressed all in black. DPhil student Bolton Chau, one of the students who took part, said, “The key messages of the Chinese lyrics is to encourage Hong Kong people – who have long been thought to have little interest in politics – to show more concern about the electoral reform and to voice out their desire of democracy. For the same reason, we have a group of Oxford students and graduates recording the song both in Oxford and Hong Kong.

“We want to show our support to the ongoing peaceful and civilized protest on in Hong Kong.”

The recent demonstrations began with student protests, but have expanded to include a cross-section of Hong Kong society. They come in the wake of the Chinese government’s announcement that a special electoral committee will have to approve all candidates running for the region’s 2017 election, which critics say will only allow for a pro-Beijing slate.

The current political situation has been much discussed amongst the Oxford-Hong Kong students’ community, with varying opinions on different sides. Despite the image recent Hong Kong graduates and current students at Oxford, as opposed to what the Western media describe, are quite diverse.

“While some polarised views are manifested in the support of civil disobedience, most of us share the common hope for practical democracy, the balance of idealism and pragmatism, and our leaders’ emphasis on social well-being amid political deadlock. I deeply appreciate the dedication and fervour of my Oxford friends who wholeheartedly step up to advocate for the core values.”

Zixin Xiang, meanwhile, commented, “I am sad at the confrontational situation in Hong Kong, but I am glad to see the buzz of civil discourse and participation. People are starting to care more, to think more and to be more willing to make sacrifices for what they believe in.”

Oxford-Hong Kong students have also been discussing what implications the current demonstrations will have on Hong Kong’s identity. In a blog for the Oxford-based Blavatnik School of Government, Public Policy graduate Alexander Chan wrote, “much of Hong Kong’s identity in the past has always been defined by ‘what we are not’, rather than ‘what we are.’”

He continued, “The irony is that as the current protests continue, there has yet to be a common voice and song that we can all sing to. And this reflects another deeper paradox -that as much as we do not want to be told what to do, perhaps we also do not know what we really want.”

A number of the students participated in the solidarity protest which took place in Trafalgar Square on the 1st October, but there are no plans for future protests as of yet.

Chan has been writing analysis of the situation for Chinese newspapers based in Hong Kong, and is currently organising an Oxford-based discussion event comparing the student movements to take place within the next two weeks.