While viewed as a great example of modernist design, the building is in a state of disrepair and has many problems, including fallen tiles and a leaking courtyard facade.

Malcolm Reading, the independent consultants organising the competition, are seeking architects willing to undertake the multi-million pound project and help provide a long-term solutions to the buildings problems.

The competition will have two stages: the first stage requires teams of architects to express their interest in the building project. From there a shortlist of five to seven teams will be compiled. The winner will then be announced around February next year, with the aim of having the construction work completed by late 2016.

The plans for the grade-two listed building include a restoration of its current facilities and an improvement in the building’s energy efficiency, whilst still retaining the character of Sir James Stirling’s original design.

The winning team of architects will have to create new student accommodation on the site, so that it may house around one hundred undergraduates, rather than the current capacity for 78. They will also have to take account of the Florey Building’s riverside location: the original plans for a riverside walk were never completed.

The Michaelmas line-up has been widely described by Union members as the best for years, featuring musician Billy Joel, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.

Joining them will be the schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, shot by the Taliban for campaigning for women’s right to education, the second man on the moon Buzz Aldrin, Game of Throne’s star Jack Gleeson and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson.

Emma Alexander, a second year PPE student said, “My Union attendance slightly petered off a term or so after joining, but I can tell already that this term’s speaker line up will pull me right back in, especially if the rumours about Malala appearing are true.”

The report was drawn up by the Oxford University Security Services, who compile thousands of hours of CCTV footage every year and liaise with the Thames Valley Police to prevent crime across the University and beyond. This dip is in line with current national trends. This year has seen a 9% drop in the number of crimes reported across England and Wales, thought to be the lowest incidence since 1981.

In the Complete University Guide’s most recent investigation into the safety of students in 120 UK higher education institutions, Oxford came 31st. Nevertheless Paul Sullivan, OUSS’s acting head of security, has commented ‘Although it is pleasing to be able to report a reduction in crime across the University, we should not become complacent. The University will never become a crime-free zone.’

The report isolates incoming students as being particularly at risk of losing their possessions, “New students bring with them valuable possessions in the form of laptops, iPods and cycles. Most of the items are both individually valuable and attractive to the opportunist thief.”

The report also warns that Michaelmas inevitably sees a spike in thefts, as befuddled first-years struggle to navigate themselves and their possessions safely through the week amid a sea of distractions. Their confusion is a boon to the ‘local, prolific criminals’ described in OUSS’ report.

The news that, statistically speaking, stolen goods represents the greatest threat facing students has come as a relief to those cowed by warnings in previous years about fraudsters stealing phones by impersonating police officers, and about serial attackers targeting lone students walking home in the small hours.

A spokesman for the University has commented, “The University takes safety, security and welfare of its students extremely seriously and offers a wide range of advice on these issues. A guide to personal safety and crime prevention, along with a list of useful contacts for help and advice, are available in the Security Services section of the University website. Any student who believes they have been a victim of crime should contact the police in the first instance.”

According to the data, you are most likely to get your bike stolen on a weekday afternoon (between 2pm and 6pm) from a hotspot, around the science buildings, the Keble road or the area surrounding the Said Business School. From the 7^th -10^th October, OUSS will be instituting operation ‘Safeguard’: uniformed officers will patrol theft flashpoints around the city, increasing surveillance of these areas and the visibility of OUSS.

The website OUSS maintains as an administrative department contains advice on how students can guard against becoming the victims of preventable crimes. They emphasise the importance of securing bikes with an adequate lock, preferably a D-lock. University staff and students alike are encouraged to combat tail-gating as far as they can by taking a robust approach to challenging unknown or suspicious visitors.

Robert O’Regan, a Brookes law student, commented “I do feel pretty safe in Oxford and it doesn’t really surprise me that crime rates have gone down in the city. I’ve noticed an increased police presence on the streets. Then again, 10% is a lot. I wouldn’t have expected crime to drop that much. After all, Brookes has just expanded to take more students, so I might have thought crime rates would rise rather than fall.”

Lydia Stephens, a third-year Exeter classicist and aspiring police officer, was less optimistic, saying, “It comes as a bit of a surprise that crime rates have fallen, although I’d be a bit wary – obviously, fewer reports don’t necessarily mean less crime. Really, though, It’s the tourists I feel sorry for. They walk around with bright yellow rucksacks that stick out a mile. You can almost see the thieves following with their tongues hanging out. Well, rise or fall, tourist or resident, there’s still no harm in being careful.”

Oxford University’s new Mathematical Institute facility, the Andrew Wiles Building, was officially opened last Thursday. The dedicated building will be at the centre of the department’s and its students’ academic life, serving for all 900 undergraduates, whilst boasting workspace for over 500 researchers and support staff, and featuring six lecture theatres which will also benefit the university as a whole.

The building’s design, by Rafael Viñoly Architects, aims to be architecturally sympathetic to the Oxford skyline. Named after one of Oxford’s most celebrated mathematicians- Professor Sir Andrew Wiles, who famously proved Fermat’s Last Theorem- the building reflects further mathematical influences in its architecture, from the paving patterns conceived of by Sir Roger Penrose, another Oxford mathematician, to the intricate canopies and windows.

Attended by guests including Sir Andrew Wiles himself, the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Hamilton, and the Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts, the opening marked a considerable consolidation for the Mathematical Institute, whose members were previously dispersed among 3 separate locations.

David Willetts commented: “The opening of this fantastic building is great news for Oxford’s staff and students, who will soon be learning together in a stunning new space.

“Maths plays a vital role in our education system, our economy and our society. Our top mathematicians help unlock the mysteries of science, and enable us to stay ahead in the global race.”

Alongside its functions for the University, the building is also available for local community meetings and events, and offers new opportunities for public lectures and conferences.

Professor Sam Howison, Chairman of Mathematics, said: “The space has already been used by a diverse range of groups including Oxfordshire Fire Brigade and Thames Valley Police. Indeed the building has attracted interest from beyond the city as people become aware that Oxford now has another top-class venue to add to its many attractions.”

Moreover, the Institute has stated that “it is a venue where we can welcome our collaborators, our friends, and the researchers of the future.”

The substantial funds for the development were raised largely through Oxford Thinking, the Campaign for the University of Oxford.

Unsurprisingly, many students belonging to the Mathematical Institute have welcomed the addition.

Eva Sanchez, a maths student at New College, said: “It’s incredibly useful as we’re normally scattered with no building. For example, we had our prelim lectures in the museum.”

Another maths student, second year Andrew Wills, remarked, “The building looks good and the interior seems attractive and comfortable.” He wryly added that the building’s name would sound better with a single-letter change.

The opening is no insignificant event, for both the university and the local community. Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, said: “The opening of the Andrew Wiles Building opens up a new chapter in the history of mathematics at Oxford. Modern mathematics embraces all of the sciences and beyond and this building will enhance collaboration between those working in different disciplines as well as providing a new space for university and community conferences and events.”

However, the building is not to the complete satisfaction of all. One such said: “it could still be a bit closer”, criticizing the building’s location in the direction of Woodstock Road. Despite these misgivings though, for the most part the Andrew Wiles Building promises to be a valuable addition to the university, and hopefully the wider community.

In a Lloyds Banking Group survey of the quality of life of students at universities throughout the UK, Oxford came in fifth place, behind Loughborough, Cambridge and Newcastle.

The study was based on factors including student satisfaction, living costs, sports facilities and salaries after graduation.

Although 88.2% of Oxford students are happy with their course, satisfaction amongst Durham students was even higher, at 90%, according to the Internationaal Student Barometer. Furthermore, while 90% of Oxford students were satisfied with their overall living experience, only 71% were happy with accommodation costs, college sport facilities and the cost of living.

Durham, on the other hand, excelled in these areas, listed as having the second best sporting facilities in Britain, with students benefitting from the lower cost of living in the northeast in addition.

Despite a lower quality of life, Oxford continues to lead the pack in a number of areas: according to the International Student Barometer, Oxford came first out of 200 international universities for the subject expertise of its lecturers. The first-year median salaries of Oxford graduates are similarly impressive, at £24,800 against Durham’s £22,000.

Overall, there was little correlation between student satisfaction and academic performance. High-performing universities such as Imperial College, London and UCL all have relatively low student satisfaction.

A first-year Classicist at St. Chad’s College, Durham, who was previously interviewed at Keble College, puts this phenomenon down to the “edgy and competitive” atmosphere he experienced at Oxford.

He told Cherwell, “Durham is nowhere near as intimidating as Oxford was, and the emphasis placed on extra-curricular activities whilst maintaining academic rigour and interest is helping me to enjoy both while I am at university.”

Whether the figures provide and accurate representation of quality of life, however, is uncertain. The quality of sporting facilities has a disproportionate impact on the results despite being based only on universities’ performances in British Universities and Colleges Sport competitions. Loughborough and Durham do well, having topped the BUCS table in the 2012/13 season, while Oxford’s croquet lawns and free gym membership do not score any points.

The phrase “quality of life” is also unclear, attempting to combine the subjective satisfaction of students with objective factors such as the number of pubs within walking distance of an institution.

Other polls have revealed a different story from the one put forward by Lloyds. This year’s National Student Survey of over 300,000 final year students in fact placed Oxford above Durham by one percentage point, while Bath, which is sixth in the Lloyd’s survey, comes top.

Despite the problems with this data, the results as a whole are positive: the National Student Survey reported a very high satisfaction rate of 86% nationwide, marginally increasing on last year’s record. These surveys may not give a reliable picture of the marginal differences between the experiences of students in top universities, but do identify an encouraging overall trend.

Admissions from students across the UK and the EU for the 2013 cycle were 446,000, a nine per cent rise on the lower than average 2012 figure, dispelling concerns that a hike in tuition fees would reduce the number of students applying to UK universities.

This year’s rise may have taken some universities by surprise. The University of York has been fined a total of £500,000 after accepting more students than permitted for courses starting this year.

Oxford have yet to release their admissions figures for this year, which are expected in November, but considering that Cambridge received its highest number of applicants for five years, the outlook appears positive.

Ed Eliot, a third-year historian, commented, “Given that Oxford is seen as such a prestigious university I’d imagine higher fees, although pretty ridiculous, wouldn’t put applicants off as much, especially when fees are high across the board.”

The increase in applications occurred across the UK including in Scotland, where the government voted to scrap tuition fees in 2007. However, there was a continued fall in the number of Scottish students studying at universities in England and Wales; just 1,540 – fewer than six per cent – opted to study south of the border, arguably because coming south of the border means paying the £9,000 fees.

Scottish student Will Hesselmann explained the situation north of the boarder, telling Cherwell, “With the tuition fee difference, that’s going to be a major factor in making a decision about which unis to apply to for any Scottish student. They’re faced with £9,000 a year extra, long (and often costly) travel, and a higher cost of living if they want to go to an institution south of the border, so it’s no surprise that the proportion of Scots is far lower than you might expect.”

Despite such considerations, the rise in applications has been widely welcomed by universities following concerns that, despite government assurances, applicants from underprivileged backgrounds would be put off applying for fear of debt.

An outreach facility, named The Northwest Centre for Science, has been set up as a result of a collaboration between Corpus Christi, Pembroke and the South Cheshire College. The centre aims to aid scientifically minded students from schools in the North West by providing them with vital skills to continue into higher education.

‘Imaging’ will be the scientific theme for the first year of the centre, which was launched in September.  It hopes to enhance the learning opportunities for students through a series of lectures given by teaching and research fellows from the University of Oxford and other top universities. These lectures will range from ‘Brain imagining’ to ‘Driverless cars’.

The new science centre will also give Year 12 students from Crewe and the surrounding area the opportunity to visit regional laboratories such as SuperSTEM at Daresbury Laboratories and even attend a summer camp at Corpus Christi College.

The first lecture in the series will be given by Professor Pete Nellist, Fellow and Tutor for Materials Science. He said he is“very excited about the opportunity to use university-based research activities as a resource that the Centre can use to enthuse and inform a new generation of scientists and to support them in their progression to higher education.”