A man is to stand trial for sexual assaulting and punching an Oxford student, whose “no-makeup selfie” has raised almost £17,000 for victims of sexual abuse.

Abdulrahman Abdelsalam, of Watling Avenue in Edgware, Greater London has been charged with sexual assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm after the incident, which took place in March. The 19 year-old has been released on bail and will appear before the Oxford Magistrates court on Friday, October 10.

After the incident, Jeanne Marie Ryan decided to “channel my rage into something productive” and posted a “no makeup selfie” which has since raised almost £17,000 for the Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre. The image, posted on her Facebook, showed her injuries from the incident, including severe bruising, a lacerated chin and a broken nose, accompanied by “I am sorry cancer research, but my #nomakeupselfie is for a different cause.” 

The incident took place at the Plush Lounge, on Park End street in Oxford, after confronting a man who started groping her on the dance floor. He told her to “smile”, and when she responded he punched her in the face, knocking her to the floor. When she managed to stand back up, he hit her a further six times. “He seemed really angry that he hadn’t knocked me out straightaway,” Jeanne has stated. “I was bleeding profusely and as he walked off, I was yelling at someone to stop him from getting away but he just walked out of the club. Ironically, Jeanne had chosen the Plush Lounge “because it’s an LGBT club and we just wanted to dance with no hassle. Everyone who goes there thinks of it as a safe space – it’s great for dancing and not being bothered by guys.”

Ms Ryan has said that “I’ve had hundreds of messages from women saying they’ve experienced the same thing – girls who’ve been punched, shoved or pushed down stairs for not kissing a guy back or telling him not to grope her. I wanted to speak out because there’s so much silence around this kind of thing.”

Stuart Hayles, manager of the Plush Lounge, said his team was “devastated” but that the assault that occurred as “extremely rare”. He added: “We commend her positive action in showing her injuries and using what was a revolting and unprovoked attack to try and help others.” However, Plush refused to say further to Cherwell as “the defendant has not yet been convicted, and that the investigation and trial of this case is still ongoing. As such, it is our policy not to comment until the adjudication is complete.”

Natalie Brook, from OSARCC, said the centre was “overwhelmed” by the response and thanked Miss Ryan for “bravely sharing her experience”.She added: “We would like to see all clubs and pubs in Oxford adopting a clear zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment.”

The assault is one in a spate of incidents that have occurred on the Oxford clubbing scene recently, including the sexual assault of an eighteen and nineteen year old during the period of Brooke’s Freshers’ Week. 

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.