Disaffiliation from the NUS is certainly possible. The question confronting Oxford students is whether or not it would be desirable. There is no straightforward substitute to the NUS, as approximately 95% of all higher and further education unions are affiliated to it. However, there are two
plausible alternatives. The first is to join an organisation like The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC). The second is for OUSU to aim to ‘go it alone’ and try to perform the functions that the NUS currently does for it.

1. The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts

The NCAFC is a democratic, membership-based organisation that was created in February 2010 at a convention hosted by the University of London. The NCAFC took a leading role in the 2010 protests against tuition fees – a role many students felt the NUS under Aaron Porter failed to provide. As the organisation is currently constituted, no Student Unions are currently affiliated to it. This is because members only join only on an individual basis.

However, it is the only student organisation in the country, other than the NUS that currently has an infrastructure in place capable of organising national campaigns across multiple universities. The group is also thought to have many of the democratic and transparent structures that the NUS is sometimes claimed to lack.

2. OUSU

OUSU has plenty of potential and is still growing as a students’ union. If Oxford students were to disaffiliate, it would be able to represent students on at least some level, and cooperate with the NUS, as and when
Oxford students want it to.

One of the unions that has done this is the Imperial College Union. A founding member of the NUS in 1922, ICU chose to disaffiliate the following year, due to increased membership costs. Since then, it has repeatedly re-affiliated and disaffiliated.

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The ‘No’ campaign, called ‘Believe in Oxford’, will be keen to demonstrate the leadership potential OUSU has shown in the past. For instance, in 2003, OUSU published a paper named ‘The Alternative Future of Higher Education’ that called for direct, progressive taxation to fund Higher Education through increases in income tax at the top end, as well as the introduction of a non-means tested living grant. However, that the current OUSU executive largely want to stay in the NUS should not be ignored.

Campaign leaders for the rival campaigns, ‘YES2NUS’ and ‘Believe in Oxford’, have both been chosen by unopposed election.

OUSU President Tom Rutland, who heads the campaign to keep Oxford affiliated with the NUS, told Cherwell, “I’m excited to be leading the campaign. Whether it’s the access funds worth hundreds of millions of pounds NUS have saved from the cuts, the liberation campaigns they champion for LGBT, BME, disabled and women students, or the discounts over 2000 of our students enjoy with their NUS Extra Card, Oxford students benefit by being part of NUS and having representation for students nationally.” Around 10 people attended the “Yes” meeting. Among them was OUSU President-elect, Louis Trup.

Supporters of staying affiliated have emphasised the series of positive initiatives that the NUS has undertaken this year, including the securing of £45 million in postgraduate student support and saving hundreds of millions of pounds of undergraduate access funds from proposed cuts.
They also point to the fact that the NUS has provided OUSU with two grants of £1,000 this year, one for environmental work with the University, and one for its Student-led Teaching Awards, in addition to a further grant of £2,000 to start the OUSU Women in Leadership Development Programme.

Rutland commented, “The NUS has been an invaluable source of support to me and the officer team over the last year, and I know that next year’s team are keen to remain in and receive the same support. Disaffiliating from NUS would cost Oxford students money, isolate us from the national student movement, and weaken both unions. Hopefully when Louis Trup and I agree on something, it’s good for Oxford students – vote YES2NUS!”

Meanwhile, the campaign in favour of disaffiliation from the NUS is to be led by Jack Matthews, Geology DPhil student at University College, and Eleanor Sharman, a Philosophy and Theology undergraduate at Oriel.
Sharman told Cherwell, “What unites its members is a passion for change. A community has formed from common goals: denying the NUS’ claim to represent students at Oxford, and demanding that it open its doors to transparency. Believe in Oxford is a campaign financed exclusively by students here (with a donation cap of £25). It will only spend money that individual members of the University are willing to give.”

The disaffiliation campaign is not opposed to the NUS in principle, but objects to the current state of affairs. Matthews remarked, “For three years I have worked tirelessly to reform the NUS into an open organisation that actually works for students. What I have encountered is a body that has no interest in change, and that seeks to preserve the cosy arrangement of the status quo, to the detriment of its members.
“It’s time for us to stop wasting tens of thousands of pounds to an organisation that simply doesn’t care about our views. I believe in Oxford, and I believe in the strength of our Student Union – that’s why I will be voting ‘no’ to NUS.”

This is the first year that there has been a referendum in Oxford over NUS affiliation, after the University ceased to earmark funding specifically intended for NUS affiliation. OUSU is now free to decide whether this money is to be used to continue its relationship with the NUS.

The referendum on NUS affiliation, open to all students, will be held from Monday to Wednesday of 4th week.

The NUS discount card has traditionally been seen as the most obvious benefit of NUS membership. However, with many shops and restaurants now offering a generic student discount and some Oxford colleges setting up their own discount schemes, some students are increasingly questioning whether having an NUS Extra Card is worthwhile.

St John’s and Balliol both have college discount schemes, with the Oxford Union also negotiating ‘Treasurer’s Treats’ for its members at various businesses. These are perhaps more useful to Oxford students on a daily basis, considering the number of independent businesses in the city. On the other hand, access to these discounts requires membership of a college or society that operates a discount scheme and claiming to represent a market of seven million consumers is an obvious advantage for the NUS, when negotiating discounts; especially with national chains.

By far the most valuable discount available with an Extra Card is the partnership the NUS announced in September 2013 with The Cooperative Food. They negotiated a discount of 10% for all Extra Card holders on their groceries from the Co-operative at more than 3,600 of their food stores. At the same time, given that many Oxford students eat their meals in their college hall, the usefulness of this discount may be limited. 

Other discounts which cardholders are entitled to, such as 10% off at ASOS or 20% off at Vision Express are also worthwhile. But it is questionable how useful or substantial some of the discounts the card offers are. For example, the offer of Virgin Balloon Flights for £89pp or 4% off holidays with easyJet Holidays are less appealing.

Finally, the NUS Extra Card is not prohibitively expensive at £12, and can be used effectively if one is aware where discounts are available. This makes the loss of eligibility for the card Oxford students will suffer, if disaffiliation occurs, something that many are likely to consider when they vote.

This investigation also includes C+ examining the NUS Extra Card, what the alternatives to the NUS are, Tom Rutland and Eleanor Sharman on the pros and cons of NUS membership and James Elliott on how the NUS works. 

A referendum will be held between Monday and Wednesday of 4th Week on whether OUSU’s membership of the NUS should be renewed for the academic year 2014-2015. The official question put to students shall be: “OUSU is currently affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS). Should it continue to be affiliated: yes or no?”

The decision to hold the referendum was made at 7th Week OUSU Council in Trinity Term 2013. The Education Act (1994) requires OUSU to decide annually whether it wishes to remain affiliated to external organisations such as the NUS. The decision to affiliate to the NUS was previously made by OUSU Council. However, due to changes in OUSU’s funding, a referendum is now to be held.

OUSU’s membership of the NUS was previously paid for by earmarked funding from the University block grant. This meant that, if OUSU was not affiliated with the NUS, it would not otherwise get this funding. However, in its budget for the academic year 2013-2014, OUSU had its block grant from the University increased to approximately £500,000. As part of this, the earmarking of funds was removed.

For the first time, OUSU now has full discretion on how its block grant from the University is spent. This means that OUSU now has the option of spending the part of its grant previously reserved for NUS membership elsewhere. In 2012-2013, NUS affiliation cost OUSU £25,308 and was projected to cost £27,987.80 for 2013-2014, at the time that the motion to hold the referendum was passed.

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A C+ Investigation in the 5th Week of Hilary Term 2014 found Oxford’s cost of NUS affiliation to be £26,118 in 2013-2014 – 3.26% of OUSU’s £801,318 budget. However, the cost of NUS affiliation as a percentage of OUSU’s budget will be higher in future years, as part of the current block grant given by the University to OUSU is a one-off deal due to a loss of £58,000 which OUSU incurred in 2009.

The leaders of the respective ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns for the referendum were chosen on Sunday of 1st week. Nominations to lead either of the campaigns were open from Sunday 27th April until Saturday 3rd May. However, both campaigns had only one nomination each.

Current OUSU President Tom Rutland was elected leader of the ‘Yes’ campaign, while former Chair of OUSU Council, Jack Matthews, was elected to lead the ‘No’.

Both candidates attended the NUS Conference this year, for which Oxford had seven delegates. The NUS National Conference took place in Liverpool between 8th and 10th April. Motions passed at the conference, included motions to oppose UKIP, oppose the privatisation of student loans and introduce gender balancing for all NUS committees and delegations. Current NUS President Toni Pearce was also re-elected.

The ‘No’ campaign has already begun campaigning on social media, branding itself ‘Believe in Oxford’. The campaign has so far attempted to ask Oxford students whether they feel the NUS represents them. ‘Believe in Oxford’ have also attempted to emphasise how cost of affiliating to the NUS, roughly £25,000, could be spent elsewhere.

Matthews has previously campaigned extensively for reform of the NUS, creating the website TheyWorkForStudents.co.uk. The website aims to ‘unlock’ the NUS by making the NUS’ governing documents more readily accessible, as well as providing information on how the NUS is run and the contact details of NUS officers. In a recent blog post, Matthews compared the idea of disaffiliation from the NUS to that of a “strike”, using OUSU’s payment to the NUS as an incentive for the organisation to change.

‘Yes’ campaign leader Tom Rutland wrote a note on Facebook in April laying out what the NUS does for students. The piece emphasised the importance of rallying and organising students together on a national level. Rutland also listed some of the NUS’ achievements in the past year, including securing £45 million in postgraduate student support and the training that they provide to Students’ Union officers.

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Cherwell has conducted a survey of 150 Oxford students to test students’ thoughts on the matter. The survey found that the majority of students currently favour re-affiliation, despite being unsure of what the NUS does. The survey shows that 66% of respondents either ‘disagree’ or ‘strongly disagree’ with the statement that they understand what the NUS does for Oxford students, while a further 11% of students answered ‘neutral’.

In contrast, only 10% of students said that they ‘strongly agree’ that they know what the NUS does. Even if this is combined with the percentage that ‘agree’ with the statement, that means that only 23% of respondents claim to understand what the NUS does.

Most students surveyed currently wished to remain affiliated with the NUS, despite the majority of them not understanding what it does, with 47% of respondents answering that they ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that OUSU should remain affiliated.

Importantly, 33% of students are still undecided about which way they will vote, meaning a large body of students have not yet formed an opinion on the issue. Furthermore, while our survey suggests that the ‘Yes’ campaign are starting with an advantage, the majority of students still do not back actively re-affiliation.

It appears voter turnout will have a major impact upon the outcome, with only 20.8% of the student population voting in the OUSU elections in Michaelmas.

Given the extensive coverage this received and the more immediate relevance of those elections for Oxford students, the turnout for this referendum is likely to be lower.

When Cherwell asked students whether they were going to vote in the NUS affiliation referendum only 38% said they planned on doing so. In addition, 34% of students claimed they did not plan on voting, while 28% responded that they had not yet decided.

Therefore, even if most students are currently sympathetic to remaining in the NUS, whether they feel strongly enough to participate in the referendum will be a key determinant in its outcome.

Voting will take place between Monday and Wednesday of 4th Week.

A team lead by researchers at the University has found that the lead in solar cells, which is toxic, may be able to be replaced by tin.

Lead-free perovskite solar cells promise to be cheap and easy to mass produce and have already achieved a 17% efficiency at turning sunlight into electricity after just two years of research.

‘Perovskite’ is the term for a particular mineral crystal structure, most commonly a calcium titanium trioxide mineral, but the term is applicable to anything else with the same kind of structure.

In a paper to be published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, the researchers report that they have created the first lead-free perovskite solar cell. Previous experiments with lead perovskite cells had shown them to be quite efficient.

Nakita Noel, of the University’s Department of Physics, said, “The amount of lead in perovskite solar cells is actually quite tiny. However even in small quantities, the toxicity of the lead could be a barrier to commercialization and as such we’ve started looking into different non-toxic elements to incorporate into the solar cell.”

Tin has been reported to work in pervokskites before, but not in solar cells, which is why their use in this way is so innovative. The metal is completely non-toxic and is capable of carrying a high charge of electricity which make it great for use in solar cells.

The technology is not without its current problems, however, as tin perovskites are unstable in the form in which they are used in the solar cells. This means that when the tin comes into contact with moisture or oxygen it reacts to form a more stable compound, which destroys its charge neutrality and causes the structures inside the solar cell to break down. The team of scientists are currently working on ways to prevent this oxidation.

A mathematician at Exeter College, said, “I think that it would be great if they can get this to work better in the long term. If they can make solar cells more efficient, people would see them as a decent alternative to fossil fuels.”

Nakita Noel agrees, saying, “Hopefully our research will cause a bit of a stir in the academic community and prompt more research into lead-free, more environmentally friendly solar cells. It certainly opens up more avenues for the development of perovskites using different metals. Who knows, we may even find something that surpasses the efficiency of silicon cells.”

Lord Patten has confirmed that he will be staying on as Chancellor of the University, despite stepping down as BBC Trust Chairman.

He has recently had major heart surgery, and explained in a statement that he was resigning with immediate effect on the advice of his doctors. “I have concluded that I cannot continue to work at the same full pace as I have done to date, and that I should reduce the range of roles I undertake.

“On this basis I have decided with great regret to step down from much the most demanding of my roles – that of Chairman of the BBC Trust.”
A statement from the University stressed that he would continue his unpaid role at Oxford.

A university spokesman said, “We are pleased that Lord Patten intends to continue to serve the University in the role of Chancellor.”

The news comes a week after Patten received criticism in an open letter from the BBC Radio Forum to culture secretary Sajid Javid, claiming that he had been, “distracted from serving licence-payers properly” by his other roles.

The letter added, “He has been a dreadful advertisement for the BBC due to his astonishingly patronising approach to anyone who has ever questioned him on any matter relating to the BBC.”

As well as being Chancellor, Lord Patten, is an adviser to three private firms, including Lockheed Martin, where he is a non-executive director.
Patten has attracted controversy during his time as BBC Trust Chairman. He had been at the BBC for a year when it was revealed that a Newsnight investigation into sex abuse by Jimmy Savile was cancelled just before broadcast. In the next month, Newsnight incorrectly accused Lord McAlpine of child abuse.

One month later, an audit revealed that in the three years running up to December 2012, the BBC spent £25 million on redundancy payments to high-ranking staff.

On the day of his resignation, Lord Patten pulled out of a planned engagement at the Oxford Union, citing health reasons.

St Cross College has lodged an appeal against Oxford City Council’s decision to reject its recent planning application.

St Cross applied last year to construct an extension with 53 new bedrooms, a lecture theatre, library and seminar rooms. The planning application for the extension was rejected in October, on the basis that, “In a sensitive historic location… [the project] would have an unacceptable impact on the special character and appearance of the conservation area in which it lies.”

There were strong objections from residents concerning the impact of the extension upon the local area.

Cherwell understands that at least eight of the original objections to the proposals came from Oxford academics.

St Cross mentioned in its appeal that it is currently able to accommodate only 3% of its students and has the lowest number of library spaces per student of all Graduate Colleges.

It also noted that the dining hall is currently unable to provide daily breakfast and dinner due to the low levels of students living on-site.
Oxford City Council has responded with an 80 page document and will defend their decision.

The Oxford Civic Society has also objected to the appeal, claiming that the extension will have negative effects on a Grade 2 listed historic wall and reduce sunlight on Pusey Street. The Society has requested to speak at the hearing.

Brendan Riley, a student at St Cross, told Cherwell, “Top-notch facilities are an integral part of the academic mission and to the future of the college. I hope there will be a positive resolution to the current impasse.”
Another student, Jonathan Askonas, said. “I hope St Cross will use this opportunity to commission a design that furthers the strengths of the current proposal and continues to address the wishes of the current students.”

Another commented, “St Cross is in urgent need of first-rate facilities to remain competitive with bigger, more well endowed colleges. A new quadrangle will go far to address this deficit.”

However, not all St Cross students are in favour of the expansion. One graduate anonymously commented for the Cherwell, “I think it is ugly, and though modern architecture has its place, it does not fit well in Oxford, or with the other buildings on the site”.

Details from St Cross’ appeal suggest that the college is keen to get the process over as quickly as possible in order for construction to proceed in the summer, minimizing disruption.

Sir Roger Bannister, distinguished athlete and Oxford academic, has recently revealed  that he has been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease for a number of years.

The announcement came during the days leading up to the 60th anniversary of him running the record four-minute mile.

85-year-old Sir Roger said that he “does have this disability, particularly with walking, from Parkinson’s but I make as light of it as I can”.

On 6 May, 1954, Sir Roger made history when he ran a mile at the Iffley Road track in an unprecedented 239.4 seconds.

Though he only held the record for 46 days before Australian John Landy took the title, Sir Roger’s run was a momentous moment for modern athletics with this standard being used as a modern common benchmark. The current men’s mile record is held by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj, who made the run in 223.13 seconds at the Grand Prix in 1999.

On Tuesday, Exeter College celebrated the anniversary of this achievement with a lunch in Sir Roger’s honour. He opened the refurbished Vincent’s Club on the same day. Vincent’s Club bursar Stephen Eeley noted the club has recently included a lift to accommodate Sir Roger and others with walking difficulties.

Sir Roger began studying medicine at Exeter and running for Oxford in 1946, when he was 17 years old.  He participated in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, but did not medal. Disappointed by his results, Sir Roger was inspired to return to Oxford and attempt to break the four-minute mile mark, a feat many at the time claimed was impossible.

At age 25, Sir Roger broke the four-minute mile barrier by 0.6 seconds on a windy Oxford day. He collapsed into the arms of reporters at the finish line, later recalling that his body felt “like an exploding flashbulb”.

Sir Roger continued his studies in medicine, later becoming a noted neurologist and master of Pembroke College. When interviewed by the BBC on the 50th anniversary of his four-minute mile, Sir Roger said that he was more proud of his achievements in neurology and academic medicine than his athletic career.

Speaking about the anniversary of Sir Roger’s run, the rector of Exeter College, Frances Caincross, commented, “We at Exeter College are amazingly proud of him, it’s such a great achievement.”

University of Oxford spokesman Matt Pickles further said, “The Vice Chancellor and other guests that Sir Roger wants to see will join him and his family for the lunch, where we will show footage of his famous race. We are looking forward to celebrating the 60th anniversary of Sir Roger’s legendary race with him.”

Many at the university were shocked by the news that Sir Roger suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, as none had been previously aware of the diagnosis. Oxford’s celebrations nevertheless focused on recognising Sir Roger’s athletic achievement.

This weekend marks the start of the Athletics Cuppers competition between various colleges. Many are keen to follow in the footsteps of Sir Roger Bannister, given that the event takes place at Iffley itself.

One student at New College commented that, “It is very sad to hear the news regarding Roger Bannister, he is a great inspiration that changed the future of the sport. I cannot wait to take part in this year’s Cuppers competition that takes place at a location that symbolises a turning point in modern athletics.”