Page 153 – Cherwell

How do we keep Campsfield closed?

Features

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27th May 2023

In the first week of Hilary Term, The Student Union became an officially named member of the Keep Campsfield Closed Coalition. The coalition has been organising repeated protests to raise awareness and to express the strong local opposition across Oxfordshire to Campsfield immigration centre’s reopening. But what is Campsfield?

Located in Kidlington just 5 miles north of Oxford, the Campsfield immigration centre was active for over 20 years before being closed in 2018. And yet in June 2022, the current Home Office announced its plans to reopen the centre. The 400 beds of the new facility would once more be occupied by people in exile whose situation the Home Office deems irregular. The people who enter those centres are detained without trial and constrained to a purgatory, waiting for the unforeseeable rulings of the Home Office. The inhabitants are subjected to a hell of administrative threats of expulsions, even though most of them will eventually be granted asylum. There are currently seven immigration detention centres currently running across the UK, which according to the government can accommodate up to 3000 people in total. Campsfield’s reopening would therefore largely increase the Home Office’s detention capacities, and cost no less than £227 million. The Home Office intends to justify this cost by ‘going to the market’, which translates to leaving the responsibility of its administration to private companies. According to multiple accounts of past detainees, this model further worsens the conditions of detention as the administration is run in a perspective of making profits.

The closure of Campsfield in 2018 occurred in a context of repeated protests from local human right activists, as well as numerous hunger strikes and disturbances organised by the detainees themselves. In 2018, the Immigration Minister, Caroline Nokes, presented Campsfield’s closure as a milestone achievement towards the Home Office’s aim to reduce the immigration detention estate by almost 40% from 2015. In her address during Campsfield’s official closure, Nokes declared: “Now is the right time to modernise and rationalise the detention estate. We are committed to ensuring we have a fair and humane immigration system that provides control, and detention must only be used when we are confident no other approaches will work.” The closures of 2018 followed up on Stephen Shaw’s commissioned reports on detention centres which carried shocking revelations about the failings of this system, the precarious running of the facilities, and its effects on vulnerable people in immigration detention. The Home Office further committed to a collaboration with charities and communities in developing alternatives to detention, protection of the most vulnerable and lastly to increase transparency.

However, there has been a drastic shift in the government’s attitude vis à vis immigrant detention. Despite Nokes’ declaration and the Shaw reports which revealed the archaism of this system behind closed doors, a brand new official discourse has emerged in the last 5 years. This was set out by the current Home Office in 2021: “Those with no right to remain in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to remove them. Immigration detention plays a vital role in tackling illegal migration and protecting the public from harm.” (Home Office and Tom Pursglove MP, 23 November 2021). The current Home Office’s choice of words is clearly characteristic of the current tendency across Europe to make immigration a matter of security as irregular immigrants are constantly presented as potential threats to the public.

In February of this year, I interviewed Allan, one of the founding members of the Keep Campsfield Closed coalition (KCC) which was revived soon after the Home Office’s announcement in 2022. Allan was himself detained in Campsfield in 2013. He arrived in the UK in 2009 after escaping from political persecution in Uganda, working and paying taxes while waiting for his asylum request to be processed. One day he was taken without notice to Campsfield after his residency status was rejected. After being detained for 9 months, a judge ruled the end of his detention, and he was granted asylum status. Allan has experienced the criminalisation of immigrants and asylum seekers firsthand: “(detained) people who went out to access medical attention, to see dentists or to see any other physical pains or whatever, they had to handcuff them, taking them to the dentist. So anybody who gets to see you at the dentist may think you are some very, very big criminal from somewhere”. And yet, only 10% of people detained in detention centres actually are foreign nationals with prison sentences. As for the other 90%, “their cases are just purely ‘immigration’”.

The Home Office presents detention centres as instrumental to deportations within the Rwanda Agreement, which allows people deemed ‘inadmissible’ in the UK to be flown to Rwanda to seek asylum there, and thus: “a fundamental part of our Nationality and Borders Bill and the New Plan for Immigration which will make it easier to remove people who have no right to be in the UK.”

However, unlike the official name ‘Immigration Removal centres’ suggests, a large majority of the people detained are never ‘removed’. According to the KKC: “86% of people leaving detention in 2021 were released on bail, and most made successful claims to asylum or other forms of humanitarian protection, rendering their detention wholly unnecessary”. If by law, these detentions are supposed to be strictly temporary, reality proves much different. As MP Layla Moran puts forward in a debate at the Parliament on September 23rd 2022, “the average length of detention was 55 days, but some men were held for “excessive periods”. The longest detention in that year (2018) was one year and five months, but we have heard from detainees who were held for more than three years. Many detainees are not held in one centre but are deported, released, or moved around the system.”

The ‘indefinite’ nature of the detention, coupled with the weekly “threatening” notices from the Home Office, are what Allan experienced as being the most scaring to the detained people’s mental health :

“The issue with being in a detention centre is the uncertainty because a person who’s in jail, real jail, is sentenced; the person knows: you’re spending three months, you’re spending a year, you’re spending whatever time, but in the detention centre, it’s indefinite. That is the hardest part of waking up and not knowing what is happening to you the next day… and you know what the Home Office does? They’ll keep writing you letters almost every week and none of those letters are good. You open up a letter that is threatening you, that is calling you ‘a danger for society’, you’re this and that. That’s something that breaks you down, because you came to a country seeking refugee status, thinking they will give you protection. But the people you run to, they keep the money to keep you in detention. Because it’s like if you have a boyfriend and the boyfriend has been abusing you and beating you up and doing all horrible things to you, then you run to your neighbour thinking your neighbour will keep you out of that danger, close the door. But he just opens the door for your boyfriend to continue beating you there.”

Detention centres traumatise the detainees, denying them access to any mental health support; according to various accounts, this led to self-harm and suicide, as it is thought to have been the case in the Colnbrook immigration removal centre near Heathrow on the 26th of March of this year.

Behind closed doors, immigration centres are inherently opaque, allowing for repeated violations of the rights of the people they detain. Although the law forbids the detention of minors, recurring testimonies actually reveal the presence of children in detention centres, one example of which is accounted by MP Layla Moran:

“In 2013, I uncovered that a child was being held at Campsfield. A boy was held there for between two and three months. He would have been the only child in an adult-dominated, guarded facility with barbed wire fences. He would not have been allowed to go to school and he would have been unable to interact with other children or lead any sort of normal childhood. We know very little about him other than that he was between 12 and 16.’”

Furthermore, the flow of information in and out of detention centres is strictly limited to, at times, unlawful extents. Journalists are never allowed to pass the threshold of detention centres, and as detainees do traverse it, their smartphones are confiscated and exchanged for ‘little phones’ to which they can transfer their lines, phones which of course do not allow access to the internet, nor to take pictures, videos or recording of any kind. In my conversation with Allan, I asked him if they had any other means of accessing internet:

“There is a library where you go, this internet, you can go online, you can go on your emails, but most of the sites were blocked. (…) things like YouTube, things like Facebook, lots of things, lots of sites were blocked.”

“Lots of sites” include the charity organisations which provide legal aid and support for asylum seekers. This unlawful restriction of access to information is also part of the history of Oxford University’s involvement with Campsfield, as late Professor Barbara Harrell-Bond (Emerita Professor and founding director of the Refugee Studies Centre from 1982 to 1996) was devoted to providing legal help to Campsfield detainees, and as accounted by Allan, advocated to lift the censorship of information which blocked the access to a variety of internet sites in the centre.

So what explains this shift in policy? And furthermore, how did this shift occur in the context of an appearing continuity of the conservatives’ hold on power? Since 2017, Downing Street has been occupied by all rather anti-immigration conservative politicians and yet, the policies regarding immigration detention have completely changed. It is first surprising that it was under the government of Theresa May that the Shaw reports were completed, and thoroughly acknowledged as accepted, shown by the large plans to close the detention centre. On the occasion of the organisation of a roundtable headed by MP Layla Moran in February, a Lib-Dem Councillor shared his thoughts with me on this interrogation. According to him, the explanation was twofold: first of all, he characterised Theresa May as having been relatively flexible when facing results from studies as well as public opposition, leading her to respond to the general condemnation of immigration detention centres. This pragmatism was not shared by her successors. He added that the shift occurred during the late days of the Johnson II government. Facing a growing precarity of centrist support, his government held more tightly to its supporters of the hard nationalist right, which explains this frenetic and alarmist attachment to detention centres. More recently, the government has extended the investment in detention centres beyond its borders with the announcement of a £500m package of UK public money meant to fund the construction of detention centres in France to prevent refugees attempting to cross the Channel.

This year Oxford University has been awarded with the University of Sanctuary status, an award ‘recognising Oxford’s continued determination and initiatives to aid sanctuary seekers, whether they be students, staff or members of the local community’. The Sanctuary Fair on Thursday 11th marked the first appearance of the newly born Oxford Student Action for Refugees (STAR) group created under the impulse of Law student Juliet Van Gyseghem who declared that ‘the current focus is on the Campsfield campaign, but we will extend from this considerably in MT23’. What a better opportunity for the University to be coherent by acting accordingly with the claims for which it was recompensed? A first step would be signing a pledge to withdraw the University’s investments in industries profiting from border violence against people in exile, as Divest Borders Oxford has called for.

In the first week of Hilary Term, The Student Union became an officially named member organisation of the Keep Campsfield Closed Coalition (KCC), with the SU president Anna-Tina Jashapara attending their monthly meeting to push forward the campaign’s agenda within the University. New resolutions state that the SU will “commit itself to call on local and national government to reverse the decision to reopen Campsfield House detention centre” and support campaigns and protests against the planned reopening. Students are supporting KCC and Divest Borders though passing motions in their Colleges’ JCRs and MCRs. This includes Christ Church, Keble and Exeter JCR which made a contribution of £150 each to the campaign, as well as Wadham’s MCR. This process within colleges has been enabled by the support of Divest Border Oxford’s who put up a toolkit for anyone wanting to present such a motion. This step may be promising, in developing student mobilisation, and using the University’s reputation and connections as an added pressure on local and national governments. An open letter addressed to the government, is currently circulating through Oxford University networks, and has been signed notably by both heads of Colleges of Sanctuary: Mansfield College principal Helen Mountfield KC, and Jan Royal from Somerville.

Despite these developments, student awareness of immigration detention remains largely limited. Yet, detention centres crystallise institutional racism and xenophobia. They participate in criminalising asylum seekers, in aggravating the precariousness of their situations and in preventing their social and economic integration. Without trials, they condemn individuals to wait in a limbo of uncertainty for a decision on their fate, preventing them from seeking the legal help and support that they are entitled to. All in all, immigration detention centres are the spear of systemic persecution of asylum seekers, often already scarred by such traumatising experiences.

As students of Oxford, we are also members of the Oxfordshire community; as such, we bear a political responsibility to recognise the persecution reopening Campsfield would entail for asylum seekers. We must take action on a local issue which would have national scale consequences.

For more information about the campaign: https://keepcampsfieldclosed.uk

Email : [email protected]

Toolkit made by Divest Borders Oxford for JCR/MCR motions to support the KCC Campaign: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1NPZkZyC9Y2f1XgDyQOcX1ateV7dH8Gl8Link

To sign the petition : https://www.change.org/p/keep-campsfield-house-detention-centre-closed

Unlocking the Power of EdTech: Revolutionising Education for a Brighter Future

Features

Anas Dayeh

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27th May 2023

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Unlocking the Power of EdTech: Revolutionising Education for a Brighter Future

EdTech: Pioneering the Future of Education

In today’s modern era, technology’s imprint is increasingly prominent, reshaping all aspects of our lives, and carving a new trajectory for the learning process. This exciting convergence, known as Educational Technology (EdTech), has been a transformative force, redefining how students learn, and teachers instruct. Its scope extends from physical hardware to diverse software applications and digital platforms, becoming integral to every step of the learning journey.

EdTech encompasses an array of digital resources—both online and physical—intended to optimise students’ academic potential. The journey of EdTech has seen it evolve from simple facilitative tools to intricate platforms that respond dynamically to individual learning needs. There’s a symbiotic relationship between technology, artificial intelligence, and education, with the potential to substantially enhance the quality of teaching and equalise opportunities for disadvantaged students. Through animated videos, specialised teacher feedback, and research in cognitive science, EdTech provides tailored and personalised education, outperforming traditional one-size-fits-all classroom instruction.

Despite these advancements, a disconnect remains in EdTech’s adoption by policy leaders. They often favour traditional educational methodologies, neglecting the integration of innovative solutions that could rejuvenate our learning systems. The inadequacies of this approach were glaringly revealed during the pandemic when distance learning became a necessity rather than a choice. Yet, despite the lessons drawn from this experience, a safety net for such emergencies needs to be more conspicuously present in many policy decisions.

Recent policy shifts have increased student responsibilities and expectations, demanding greater academic accomplishments without providing the requisite resources for achieving them. The augmentation of grade boundaries, the proposal to mandate Mathematics until age 18, and the resulting additional workload and pressure on students and teachers alike point to an unmet need for extra support, especially for students from working-class backgrounds.

II. Why am I EdTech passionate? Personal Journey: A Testament to the Power of EdTech

My academic journey serves as a vivid testament to the transformative impact of EdTech. As an A-Level student from a sixth form with an average grade of D+, no GCSEs at the onset of my A-levels, and having recently moved to the UK, my academic prospects seemed dim. My first year was a daunting experience characterised by consistently low grades and growing concern amongst my teachers regarding my prospects of passing the final exams.

The turning point came with a scholarship for students on Free School Meals from Uplearn, an online learning platform that leverages AI and cognitive science. This opportunity transformed my academic trajectory, enabling me to achieve A*A*A at A Levels and be the first to get an offer from the University of Oxford in my sixth form since 2017. Without a shadow of a doubt, I attribute this achievement to the invaluable technological assistance provided by Up Learn and other EdTech tools I’ve used.

Inspired by this personal experience, I recently submitted a motion on behalf of the Oxford University Student Union to the National Union of Students (NUS). This motion urged the NUS to lobby the government to prioritise investment in education technology, particularly emphasising those utilising AI’s power. The objective was to encourage the government to develop and implement technology-based learning resources and programs that provide a more personalised teaching experience, alleviate teacher workload, and allow students to learn at their own pace, both within and outside school.

While my passion for EdTech continues to grow, it’s tempered by an increasing sense of frustration with the government’s traditional approach to educational reform. The overall strategy focuses on raising funding for traditional physical resources and occasional limited curriculum reform. While these efforts are necessary and can yield incremental improvements, they fail to substantially benefit students to the necessary level.

On the rare occasions where government funding is seen, there’s a persistent trend to invest millions in conventional teaching methods with the hope of elevating pupil performance and mitigating educational inequality. While significant, modern educational technological tools should complement these traditional methods and funding. We must advocate for equal access to these resources for all students, as their effectiveness has been demonstrated for those fortunate enough to access them.

Currently, most initiatives to expand access and advancement in EdTech arise from the private sector. However, public support could greatly amplify these efforts, leading to significant strides in EdTech. For instance, only six individuals out of the 8,000 civil servants in the Department for Education were tasked with the responsibility for technology in schools at the onset of the pandemic – a clear indication of the gap that needs to be addressed.

The fundamental transformation in education will come from bridging the divide between traditional and technology-enhanced learning. This effort demands the full support of both the public and private sectors.

III. Personalised Learning through EdTech: A Closer Look

The Imperative Role of EdTech

With the capability to transform the academic terrain, EdTech is an essential tool to enhance outcomes, dismantle educational inequalities, and equip students for a future steeped in technology.

Personalised Benefits: The Microcosm of EdTech

A fundamental benefit of EdTech lies in the improved engagement and motivation it engenders in students. Through interactive and visually appealing content, learning methods become more accessible and enjoyable. A critical aspect of this engagement is the flexibility that EdTech platforms provide – learning can occur anywhere, anytime, bypassing the confines of traditional school hours.

For instance, AI chatbot EdTech solutions like Khanmigo, developed by Khan Academy and powered by ChatGPT 4, offer unprecedented support to students. They guide through maths problems, help debug code, and even engage in constructive debates. Such 24/7 assistance is a revolutionary leap from conventional teaching methods. By assisting teachers with administrative tasks, AI gives educators more time to focus on their primary responsibility: student growth and learning.

Another standout feature of EdTech is its ability to promote personalised learning, leveraging cutting-edge technology like AI and cognitive science to create an adaptive learning environment that dynamically adjusts to the unique needs of each student. It tailors content to a student’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing learning at a comfortable pace. This shift from a one-size-fits-all teaching approach to a more individualised one enhances the learning process and improves outcomes.

Take, for instance, Up Learn—an innovative online platform that blends AI and cognitive science to help students achieve stellar grades at the A-Level. Remarkably, 97% of learners who complete a course on Up Learn secure A*-A grades. This platform doesn’t merely supplement conventional resources such as textbooks and tutors but provides a comprehensive learning suite to ensure mastery of the subject as efficiently as possible.

Up Learn utilises short animated videos to demystify complex topics, providing clear, engaging explanations. To help students refine their skills further, it offers opportunities for essay feedback from subject specialist teachers. But what truly sets it apart is its adaptive learning capability. It harnesses the power of AI and the insights from cognitive science research to pinpoint the areas where a student struggles. Instead of generalised teaching, Up Learn targets these problem areas specifically, ensuring that each learner’s issues are meticulously addressed.

This targeted, individual-centric approach, a far cry from traditional classroom teaching, proves more effective in facilitating learning. It emphasises how the adoption of EdTech could transform learning, making it not just more engaging, but also more meaningful and effective.

Broad-based Benefits: The Macrocosm of EdTech

EdTech’s potential reaches far beyond enhancing individual learning experiences—it holds the power to create lasting, transformative change on a much broader scale. Its capacity to provide quality education to learners in remote or underprivileged areas, both within the UK and globally, is unparalleled, a fact thrown into stark relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the pandemic also revealed a stark digital divide among educational institutions. The readiness to transition to online learning varied drastically, with deprived areas often left behind. According to the Sutton Trust survey, only 23% of schools in the most deprived areas had an online platform ready to receive students’ work during the lockdown. This compared poorly with 60% of private schools and 37% of state schools in the most affluent regions, exposing the deep-rooted disparities in our educational landscape.

To redress this imbalance and equip all schools for potential future crises, increased investment in EdTech across the UK is imperative. Not only will it facilitate a smoother transition to online learning when required, but it can also support the integration of a blended learning approach—combining traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning. This ensures educational continuity, preventing major student learning disruptions during crises.

IV. A Vision for the Future: The Unleashed Potential of EdTech

Fostering Innovation and Expanding Growth of EdTech

Drawing from the considerable strides EdTech has made, industry experts foresee a surge in AI-driven, AR-enhanced, and VR-integrated educational technology products. This upswing in innovation, backed by the anticipated market expansion, portends a transformative shift in the educational landscape.

As education transitions towards more student-centric, engaging, and interactive models, we stand at the precipice of significant advancements in educational attainment and the cultivation of lifelong learners. However, these potential gains hinge on creating an environment that encourages innovation and adoption of these tools, necessitating accommodative policies, sustained investments, and effective partnerships between educators, policymakers, technologists, and students.

Shaping Policies for a Forward-Thinking Future

Seizing the full potential of EdTech calls for a unified approach involving government, private sector, and educational institutions. Government public policy should focus on making optimal use of both existing and emerging technologies.

Building a comprehensive, AI-driven, adaptive learning platform could enable the government to provide the population with essential life skills and diverse courses, given the substantial funding at its disposal, unlike current private platforms, which typically concentrate on primary subjects such as maths, English, and sciences. A government-funded and owned platform could diversify its offerings, include a vast array of subjects, and make use of the enormous amount of resources available to government departments. Courses ranging from KS2, GCSEs, and A-levels, as well as digital skills for the rest of the population.

Empowering educators is another crucial element of this vision. Comprehensive training should be provided to teachers to effectively incorporate EdTech into their teaching practices, amplifying its efficiency, and enhancing student learning experiences.

Local initiatives like the “EdTech in the Cloud project“, a collaboration between the OXR Hub at the University of Oxford, Oxfordshire County Council, and Amazon’s Web Services, exemplify one possible vision of forward-thinking public policy. This project aims to mitigate educational inequalities by exploring how scalable immersive technologies could enrich learning experiences in secondary schools.

Eradicating Inequalities in EdTech Access

A pressing issue warranting urgent attention is the inequality in EdTech access. The technologies mentioned are already available. They’re not based on an imaginary future and are used by many private schools nationwide to improve their students’ performance. Platforms like Uplearn, although highly effective, carry a price tag that many across the UK find prohibitive. While scholarships are available for some students, we need to aspire to a future where access to such advanced technology is universal.

To bridge this digital divide, it’s essential for the government to invest in developing and implementing technology-based learning resources and programs, as mentioned above. A government online learning platform will mean that all students, whether private or state educated, will be able to access the same level of high-quality learning.

This should entail equipping every child with a computer or laptop for online content access and infusing technology into the curriculum.

It is simple. These resources should be freely available to all students, ensuring that the transformative power of EdTech is not a privilege for a few but a right for all.

Conclusion: Harnessing the Power of EdTech

EdTech has already demonstrated transformative power in reshaping education, and the future of this industry looks even more promising. I stand as a testament to the potential of EdTech to overcome educational barriers, create equal opportunities, and elevate academic performance. My journey, as well as that of many students worldwide, speaks volumes about the efficacy of EdTech tools and their immense potential to transform the education sector.

The success of this technological revolution relies heavily on its accessibility. We must ensure that the benefits of EdTech reach every student, irrespective of their socio-economic background. A proactive role from the government is crucial in this regard, investing in public initiatives and collaborations to promote technology integration in our education systems.

We must also strive to make teachers active partners in this journey. Only then can we ensure that the promise of EdTech is fully realised, optimising our educational infrastructure to prepare our learners for a digital future.

As we navigate the 21st century, it is clear that traditional approaches to education need to evolve and adapt. Technology is no longer a luxury, but a necessity that has the potential to democratise learning and tear down walls of inequality. Let us leverage the power of EdTech to make quality education a universal right, not a privilege.

EdTech, for me, is more than just a passion—it is a mission, a calling, and a vision for an equitable, accessible, and transformative future of education.

The Crown in our republic

Opinion

Eduardo Benitez-Inglott y Ballesteros

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27th May 2023

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Recently, the institution of the British Monarchy has been the particular subject of considerable discussion, and it is evident that younger generations’ support may be, in fact, dwindling. The absence of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away last September, may also signal that King Charles does not have the same level of support as his mother.

Modern republican discourses often argues the case for the abolition of the monarchy on the basis that it represents ‘exclusion, elitism and hereditary power and privilege at the expense of everyone else.’ I value and respect their perspectives, yet respectfully disagree. First and foremost, someone elite, affluent, and from a privileged upbringing can be perfectly elected as head of state, and this will not solve the issue at hand. Secondly, a massive logistical-administrative operation in itself, dismantling the British Monarchy could well turn to be an expensive mistake that could jeopardise our prosperity and stability as a nation.

Turning the status quo upside down is expensive, but also unnecessary. For one thing, the Crown, is so much more than just the bejewelled item that Charles III wore on his head last May 6th; it is also the transcendental symbol of unity and permanence of the State, at the service of the common good, on which it depends. In our days there is no Divine Right of Kings anymore, but one can argue that the Royal Crown prevails due to popular consent.

I completely agree with the words of the director of British Future, Sunder Katwala, a former republican and one-time secretary general of The Fabian Society, who writes for The Guardian: ‘we should place a higher premium on the symbolic value of institutions that help us to transcend our political divides.’ At present, the Royal Crown represents -and is at the service of- the people’s re(s)publica, our public affairs, our livelihoods. The expectations it creates render it as a multi-faceted symbol of the unity of our community, politics, and public affairs.

We shall achieve the concord we require during this difficult time with the Crown as our common denominator, as we always have done as a nation. This all the more important, especially now. UK’s institutions are currently the target of increasing criticism and divisiveness. According to the most recent Office of National Statistics poll on government trust in the UK, only 35% of the public trusts the Government, well below the average of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (41%). Another interesting instance is that the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and the Constitution’s report An Independent Judiciary-Challenges Since 2016 among others noted ‘the troubling appearance (even if it is only an appearance) of the politicisation of the judiciary’. The courts of law are a cornerstone of our democracy, and they must be as impartial as possible in practise and in the eyes of the public.

I support the people’s re(s)publica, not a republic of the state. The Royal Crown unites us in a manner that no elected politician can, and in so doing protects our way of life in a way that any eventual establishment of a Republic cannot. We, the people, are the State’s skeleton, on which the legislative, executive, and judicial institutions lie, while the Crown is the flesh that binds everything together. There is definitely justification for continuing to preserve the people’s republic through the Crown in the king’s person. The will of the majority, in the form of a perpetual referendum, has preserved it generation after generation. In fact, there has never been a single time in the last thirty years when the republican choice was more than 25%, whereas the monarchy option has always been in the 60% and higher. For the Republic, a Royal Crown.

None of the aforementioned, obviously, makes me uninterested in the viewpoints and arguments of my republican friends. This is especially the case given the highly contentious arrests of republican demonstrators. The argumentative counterbalance should be considered with all its implications. I believe that it is critical to listen to republican points of view in the same way as we would do to pro-monarchists, because there is room for everyone in our democracy. Equally true, it is important to remember that the arrests were prompted by the Public Order Act 2023, passed just a few days before the Coronation.

The British Monarchy then serves as an unbiased centre of gravity for the entire country in the royal person, performing vital ceremonial responsibilities and yet remaining impartial from the controversies of politics. When it comes to Charles III, he certainly has had his fair share of controversies, minor and major… but is any of us free of similar things? Let them who are without sin cast the first stones! Charles, the Prince of Wales, he was at the time; he is now Carolus III Rex [King Charles III, in Latin]. We ought to offer him, as we would to any newcomer, the chance to do what he has been working towards for most of his life.

Is the motion ‘Monarchy or Republic’ useful to help improve the country we live in? Perhaps we should instead start considering how the Crown might improve its role as a rallying point in order for British democracy to become more vibrant. Perhaps we should consider how the monarch’s diplomatic functions can be enhanced to attract more financial investment. Perhaps the British Royal Family should be more involved in promoting affordable housing programmes to aid the vulnerable. All these possibilities underline that a new focus on improving an existing status quo can be more useful than destroying the very system that allows all of us to be free, that has witnessed the emergence and development of our democracy and keeps the ship stable amidst the storm.

Herein lies the secret to the Crown in our republic.

God save the King.

Image Credit:Firebrace//CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Over 100 academics sign letter in support of trans students

News

Maggie Wilcox

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27th May 2023

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Over 100 academics sign letter in support of trans students

Over 100 Oxford based staff members have signed a letter supporting trans rights in solidarity with the Oxford LGBTQ+ society’s campaign against Kathleen Stock. This follows the creation of three letters, two in support of the Union and Kathleen Stock, and one opposing the event and her views.

The most recent letter in support of trans students denounces the “harm and suffering” trans people have faced in recent years and firmly opposes the Union’s decision to “amplify” Kathleen Stock’s views. The letter was written and organised by Amiad (Addi) Haran Diman, president of the Oxford University LGBTQ+ Society and doctoral researcher in politics at Lincoln College. The letter also takes issue with the response of University leadership, which they believe has not given sufficient “care and attention to student concerns and student welfare”.

The letter also argues that the event and the University’s response have contributed to “the press ridicul[ing] the need to care for the well-being of the student population”. This sentiment echoes the frustration found in the previous anti-Stock letter, signed by students. One of that letter’s authors, Kelsey Trevett, stated they were “deeply frustrated to see Prof Williams’s conflation of two issues, culminating in his letter in the Telegraph, fuelling media hostility towards trans students. Our open letter demonstrates that when given a voice, students place the safety of our community first and foremost every time. Our voice must not be undermined by university management.”

Haran Diman was motivated to write this letter as “Oxford University’s trans students have been ignored and abandoned by a university administration that has been captivated by misleading reports from the right-wing media.” They went on to thank the academics who supported the letter and the LGBTQ+ Scoiety’s efforts. Amongst the scholars to sign the open letter are Prof. Kate Tunstall, who was interim provost of Worcester College from 2019 to 2021; Prof. Dan Healey, who pioneered the research on LGBTQ+ experience in Soviet Russia; Dr Pelagia Goulimari, Co-Director of Oxford’s MSt program in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Dr Jack Doyle, Oxford’s first departmental lecturer in LGBTQ history; and Prof. Max Van Kleek, LGBT fellow of Kellogg College and senior member (faculty supervisor) of the OULGBTQ+ Society. The LGBTQ+ Society underscores that the signatories include more than a dozen senior professors and more than half the signatories hold PHDs.

“This is a critical time to support, protect, and celebrate our trans students (and, indeed, trans people worldwide), to counter the increased hostility, violence, and discrimination they are now facing at levels unprecedented in years.”, said Prof. Max Van Kleek, one of the letter’s signatories. “The trans movement are not enemies of free speech; they have every right to protest speakers who frame them as anything but our full, valid, equals.”

Kathleen Stock will speak at the Union at 5pm on May 30. A counter demonstration has been planned by the Oxford LGBTQ+ society at the same time.

The “media matriarch”: how Oxford unknowingly platformed Pastor Tobi

News

Jakub Trybull

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26th May 2023

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The “media matriarch”: how Oxford unknowingly platformed Pastor Tobi

“Hello and happy Sunday to you,” Tobi Adegboyega says to the camera. Walking through the ivy-draped quads of Trinity College, he talks about the importance of such institutions and expresses his gratitude for the invitation to speak “on this ground”. The video, shared with his 365,000 followers on Instagram, says in its caption that “[a]t Oxford University this weekend I got to answer some questions and share some thoughts with students and leaders of the Trinity College”.

However, Cherwell can reveal Adegboyega was not invited by the University or the student group he addressed. Instead, he had been brought in by friend and fellow member of NXTION Family, Phadria Prendergast, using the event to publicise the group’s work.

Adegboyega, widely known as ‘Pastor Tobi’, founded and led the Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church (SPAC Nation). This group initially shot to fame in 2018 for encouraging young people to abandon crime and gangs and to set themselves onto a better path. However, it has since faced numerous allegations over financial fraud and sexual misconduct and has been shut down due to insolvency. Adegboyega and other former members of SPAC Nation have subsequently formed a new church, NXTION Family.

Adegboyega, or ‘Pastor Tobi’, is not alone in using the image of Oxford to advertise his controversial brand.

The event

Adegboyega’s video depicts a “Women in Media panel”, held in Trinity College on 5th May. The event was organised by Oxford Women in Business (OxWIB) and The W magazine, which Prendergast leads. She was the main speaker throughout the event and at the end, she invited Adegboyega to the stage for a 20 minute one on one interview that had not been planned or sanctioned by OxWIB.

The W initially reached out to OxWIB in March, looking to co-host a “Women in Media” panel. Over the course of several weeks, the two organisations discussed logistics and what speakers to confirm, benefiting from Prendergast’s “extensive network”.

By May 3rd, The W had sent OxWIB an email with a list of already confirmed speakers, stating that it would be “fully confirmed by the end of the day”. The list did not include Tobi Adegboyega nor did The W send the promised final list.

Following a Zoom call later that day, OxWIB set a clear deadline for speaker bio changes later that evening because of “the short notice on speaker confirmations”, and emphasised that after the deadline “[we] won’t be able to make any changes”. They also stated that an OxWIB member would be mediating the questions and panel discussion, although on the day Prendergast dominated the questioning.

Cherwell has seen the invite The W emailed to panelists. It talked at length about the event being hosted at Oxford University, about The W and about Prendergast, whom it claimed was a “University of Oxford mentor”. The invitation also stressed that the panel would explore the underrespentation of women in the media. OxWIB was not mentioned once.

Once speakers confirmed that they could attend, they were sent a finalised list of the programme, which included many genuine female editors. It stated that Prendergast would be moderating all the interviews, with OxWIB being reduced to introductions.

The finalised programme did not mention Adegboyega, only indicating that there would be a “Special Guest interview”. Programmes handed out on the day only stated that Prendergast would be interviewing “PT”, Adegboyega’s nickname used in NXTION Family.

Adegboyega’s visit was a surprise to all, including the female media figures invited to speak on the panel. One of the panelists told Cherwell: “I agreed [to come] as I felt it would be a good thing to support younger people with an interest in the media and speak to the students at Oxford uni.

“I had no idea who the guest speaker was and was genuinely surprised by his presence (especially after having Googled him on the way home). It was entirely out of kilter with everyone else.”

Another added: “As I sat there I thought their discussion was odd and wondered what the agenda was, and double checked the program to see who it was. Which if you refer to the program will see that it only mentions special guest.[sic]”

The W previously told Cherwell Adegboyega was invited “becuase he is well versed and experienced in handling the media”, and called him a “media matriarch”.

At the event and during the networking that followed, The W collected the contact information of all attendees. They told Cherwell “[t]here was no guest list and on the day no one took note of attendees via OxWIB, therefore The W created a guest list on the day of every attendee on arrival whilst they received goody bags”.

OxWIB are advising anyone who attended the event to email [email protected], urging attendees “not to engage with anyone you gave contact information to at the event”.

The video

Two days after the event, Adegboyega posted a video to Instagram. Standing in Trinity’s quad, he tells the camera “I count it a great privilege to be invited to speak on this ground”, while the caption claims he is there to address “leaders of the Trinity College”.

A spokesperson for Trinity College told Cherwell that “contrary to the claims of the video, the event was not a college or University-hosted event and no college or University staff were present to meet with Mr Adegboyega”. They added that they “consider his video to be misrepresenting the nature of his visit to the college”. Trinity College policy normally requires permission for external people to film on Trinity grounds, which was not granted to Adegboyega as all arrangements were made through OxWIB, who were unaware that this filming was happening.

The video includes selected clips of the one on one interview between Prendergast and Adegboyega, sequenced with cinematic pans of the attendees at the event, who did not give permission to be recorded, especially for promotional purposes.

In April, Adegboyega spoke at an event held at Corpus Christi which generated similar footage posted on his/Pulse TV’s YouTube and Instagram accounts. Again, he was a speaker for an event hosted by another third-party organisation.

The video bears close resemblance to the other videos posted by Adegboyega, often posing in frames displaying wealth and powerful institutions, including the UK parliament.

The associates

Adegboyega and Prendergast have a history that predates the Women in Media panel. According to Abegboyega’s website, “Phadria has been part of the Nxtion Family since 2017, where she is part of the Welcome Team”.

On her Instagram, celebrating that she was on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list (which has been home to several fraudsters), Prendergast writes “thank you to the family I finally found in 2017, my real father (PT) who has all the words I need to write”. ‘PT’ is a nickname often used by those familiar with SPAC Nation and NXTION Family to refer to Adegboyega.

Visible in footage from the event is another associate of Adegboyega’s, former SPAC Nation pastor and current member of NXTION Family Mariam Mola (also known as Mariam Mbula or Nopapa Mbula). Mola was the subject of the BBC Panorma investigation Catch Her if You Can, which described her as a “career con artist”. Mola has racked up convictions and jail time across Europe, including charges that she led a crime gang in Italy that targeted luxury stores with fraudulent credit cards. According to the BBC, she also operated a “TRAP house” for SPAC Nation and pressured young women in her safe house to hand her control over their finances.

Prendergast’s LinkedIn profile previously indicated she worked in waste management before switching to journalism. The W, for which she is “global” editor-in-chief, is a new publication incorporated on 30th March 2023. It does not appear in retailers and trying to buy a copy online returns with an error. Despite striking design similarities, it should not be confused with W, a fashion magazine and subsidiary brand of BDG.

Prendergast previously ran the Women of the City magazine (WOTC), which she describes on LinkedIn as “Europe’s fastest growing women’s magazine in enterprise and community” with “a global readership of over 250,000”. However, victims of WOTC’s alleged fraud tell a different story. Accounts on Instagram and Twitter dedicated to “exposing the WOTC scam” gathering the stories of victims who claim that the magazine posed as legitimate and charged up to £14,000 for products such as photoshoots, cover features, displays on London taxis, and “a panel at Selfridges with names such as Bobbi Brown”, only to ghost them after receiving payment.

WOTC has also been accused of handing out “grants with a catch”. One writer received a £500 grant for web design only to find themself £750 down the drain. The grant could only be applied towards the cost of services at one firm, Revolt, whose website was coincidentally registered by WOTC. The invoice from Revolt ended up totalling £1250, and it contained no address or company registration details.

Following the “Women in Media Event”, OxWIB told Cherwell: “OxWIB did not know that Mr. Adegboyega would be one of the speakers at the Women in Media Panel, and we did not know about the link between Prendergast and Mr. Adegboyega until after the event.

“We believe we were deliberately misled into thinking that this would be an ordinary event, when in fact the intent behind it was to platform Mr. Adegboyega and provide further legitimacy for the W Magazine. We are appalled to have been used in such a way, but we have a duty of care to our members to ensure that any personal information given out at the networking session does not put them at risk.”

As of Wednesday 24th May, Adegboyega’s video of Trinity College has over 2,400 likes. Neither Adegboyega, The W or Prendergast have responded to Cherwell’s requests for comment.

Whatever floats your boat: Leo Buckley on the realities of the river

Lifestyle

Freya Jones

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26th May 2023

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Whatever floats your boat: Leo Buckley on the realities of the river

I agree to interview Leo Buckley about the realities of living on a houseboat with a certain amount of trepidation. In my opinion, any student who volunteers to move out of town and subsist in a barge on the River Isis must be slightly mad. However, the sun is shining and Buckley is smiling as he greets me on the towpath and welcomes me cordially into his floating home.

The barge is dark green and pretty dilapidated, with fallen leaves and empty bottles littering the back deck.

“Let’s start with a glass of rosé on the roof and then I’ll give you the Grand Tour,” Buckley declares, pulling back a heavy tarpaulin from the boat’s entrance and springing off into the galley.

I remain on the makeshift wooden gangplank, watching and waiting. As someone with bad motion sickness, I look at the river and wince inwardly.

“Here we are!” Buckley’s back, brandishing a bottle of cheap alcohol. He clambers onto the roof and spreads out a picnic blanket, before offering a hand to help me up.

“How long have you been living on the boat?” I ask, pulling out my notebook and getting to business.

“About a month, since the beginning of Trinity.”

“And what made you decide to leave college?”

Buckley sips his rosé and tells me the story: he was asked to leave college accommodation last term after throwing one too many parties in his room. Disliking Oxford’s high housing prices and the prospect of finalist digs next year, he decided to “seize the moment” and opt for this waterborne alternative.

“Do you rent?” I ask, still deeply unconvinced by the wisdom of his decision.

Buckley nods, telling me that his landlord – or “boatlord” – is himself a former Oxford student who now lives and works abroad. “He lets this boat to me for a mere £440 per month. I also pay an extra £40 for one of those big canisters of gas to keep the kitchen going, but all in all, it’s very affordable.”

I raise an eyebrow and take more notes. You get what you pay for.

At that moment, we’re interrupted, as a crew of rowers slices past on the river and almost crashes into us.

“Don’t worry!” Buckley cries, as the boat rocks from side to side. “Barges like this are very stable and hard to capsize. I’d say it’s unsinkable.”

I try to smile, feeling queasy. “Famous last words.”

“You get used to the rowers,” Buckley tells me, as they pull away and the cox cycles past us on the towpath, hollering. “They’re my community out on the river. I’ll be selling Pimms from my boat at Summer Eights and I’ve told the referee he can use my roof to plant the finishing flag!”

After that, Buckley shows me inside. Thankfully he’s had the houseboat’s small windows open, but the place still smells musty. Maybe you get used to it with time.

First my eyes are drawn to a cushion with Tony Blair’s face on it, grinning up at me from a scruffy green couch along the galley wall.

“As you see, I have all I could possibly need,” Buckley says with a flourish. He then proceeds to show me the kitchen: it’s well-equipped, but a pan of… something… is congealing on the stove and the wooden worktops look like they haven’t been cleaned properly in years. Instead, they’re covered in crumbs and vintage issues of Playboy Magazine.

“Do you miss having a scout?” I ask.

“No, I think the scout system is morally questionable at best, and highly invasive at worst,” says Buckley, answering seriously this time. Then he smiles: “Besides, I love vacuum cleaning!”

I find this hard to believe, and my eyes widen in surprise as he produces a small handheld vacuum cleaner from a cardboard box. The device is filled with a bird’s nest of hair, debris, and something which looks like sawdust, but it does appear to have been used recently – and quite possibly for the last time…

Next comes the bathroom. Before I know it, I’m staring at Leo Buckley’s porta-potty.

“The toilet does work,” he assures me, “but it’s best left only for emergencies.”

As far as I’m concerned, the porta-potty is tantamount to an emergency in its own right, and I’m relieved when Buckley turns round to show me the shower.

This is actually a hose which pulls out of a tap in the tiny basin behind us. Meanwhile, a plughole is ingeniously uncovered when Buckley lifts the floorboard below. Nonetheless, he confesses that he’s never actually showered on the boat, wisely outsourcing his ablutions to the showers back at college or in nearby gyms.

“Do you find that life on a barge is conducive to work?” I ask.

“No,” Buckley admits. “Although it does force me to get out into town, to college, libraries, and the Union, where I usually write my essays.”

“How does it compare to life in college overall?”

Apparently there are advantages and disadvantages.

“The worst thing is honestly working out where to hang my suits,” he tells me. “As you can see, I have very limited options.” He pulls out a coat hanger bearing at least a dozen ties and holds it up for me.

Another concern was whether he’d be able to stand up in the boat. At the height of 6’4, Buckley wondered if he’d end up with a bad back, but tells me he was pleasantly surprised to find he could stand up fully.

“Do you ever wish you were living back on land?”

He shakes his head. “Not at all. While I don’t spend too much time on the boat, it’s infinitely better than college and personally I think you’re doing Oxford badly if you spend too much time at home. I’ve also become surprisingly self-sufficient and I finally have the chance to live out my true Brideshead fantasy.”

I take a deep breath. The view across to Christ Church Meadows is certainly beautiful on a clear day, but barge life would never be for me.

Still, Buckley can’t recommend it highly enough. “I can sleep and I can host, and that’s all I need. I’m a happy man.”

As he shows me out, he invites me to “Barfters”, the slightly dubious name of his famous boat after parties. I’m personally immensely thankful to be back on terra firma, and think I’ve spent quite enough time onboard Buckley’s boat for one day, but as to whether or not I’ll return for “Barfters”, we’ll have to see.

Time to put a lid on it

Opinion

Fatima El-Faki

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26th May 2023

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Oxford’s drinking culture is known for the “work hard, play harder” mentality adopted by its university students. Most social interactions centre on the pub, the very conveniently subsidised college bars, or even formal dinners. It’s inescapable. Students are incentivised to attend networking events with on-the-house prosecco, offering a taste of the drinking culture at the workplace.

However, as you progress through your degree, having that extra glass becomes less appealing when considering the inevitable, next-day hangover. I’ve noticed how your own drinking evolves just as much as you do throughout your time at university.

I remember being a first year and witnessing jaws drop when somebody mentioned that they didn’t drink. But over time, people stopped caring. I believe that having open discussions is key, especially its inclusivity, as social interactions revolving around alcohol are so normalised that individuals not participating are almost unheard of. The apparent decrease in drinking can be described as ‘sober curiosity’, as the author of Sober Curious, Ruby Warrington, has dubbed it. The term describes the self-reflection of one’s alcohol consumption, and its prevalence corresponds to fewer and fewer people feeling pressured to drink at every given opportunity.

According to a UK university-wide survey by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS), 81% of students said that drinking and getting drunk are a part of university culture. It is not inconceivable that those who do not drink might even doubt whether or not they are receiving the ‘full uni experience’.

According to the same survey, nearly two thirds (61%) of students drink at home or at a friend’s house before going on a night out.

A student told Cherwell that they felt as though not drinking was a social barrier as they felt “weird being the only one who didn’t drink” and they would never attend ‘pres’ or ‘pre-drinks’ where “everyone bonded and got to know each other beforehand”. The idea that students have to drink to feel included needs to be broken down, and seeing the rise in alcohol-free options or even alcohol-free events on weekdays is a helpful step towards this. However, another student from St. John’s College addressed the financial barriers regarding alcohol-included tickets. Attending as a non-drinker, they said, simply “isn’t worth the money”.

Moreover, the drinking culture at Oxford is hardly reflective of one’s social experiences after graduation. As individuals from different cultures and upbringings enter our lives, it is unrealistic to expect everyone else to conform to the student drinking lifestyle that we are accustomed to at Oxford. However, non-drinkers remain a minority. According to DrinkAware, only 20% of adults aged 16+ were non-drinkers in 2019, and in 2021, 53% of adults aged between 18-24 said they had an alcoholic drink in a pub, restaurant or bar the previous week.

Despite the inevitably high likelihood of encountering drinkers during and after university, it is nonetheless important to highlight the shift in views on alcohol consumption in the workplace, especially in the private sector. Research by DrinkAware shows that private sector employees are more likely to be expected to drink at work events than those who work in the public sector. Private sector employees are also 2.5 times more likely to have alcohol subsidised by their workplace. However, in 2022, 130,000 Britons took part in Dry January compared to 4,000 in 2013. Whilst this 32.5x increase seems impressive, this figure is still only a quarter of the UK adult population.

Britain’s drinking culture is certainly not going away. On the whole, everyone faces social challenges, whether you are a drinker, a non-drinker, or even ‘sober curious’. Although alcohol can bring people together, it can also leave a fair number of people on the outskirts of social settings. Ultimately, we should always refrain from placing pressure on others to participate in drinking, and Oxford is the place to start.

Image Credit: Jorge Royan//CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Embracing the Echoes: The Significance and Allure of Literary Retellings

Rumaisa Khusru

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26th May 2023

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Embracing the Echoes: The Significance and Allure of Literary Retellings

The concept of reimagining an existing story is relatively new in the context of storytelling, emerging more prominently in recent years. And while some people love retellings, others may find them unnecessary or redundant. They believe that the original stories already hold timeless value and don’t require reinterpretations or adaptations. I may also have been apprehensive at first, but over the years, I’ve grown fond of many retellings and have seen and appreciated the beauty of looking at classic stories from a new and fresh perspective. Retellings can be a celebration of those original stories, breathing new life into them and allowing them to resonate with a contemporary audience.

Here are some retellings that have altered my perspective on the genre and, hopefully, will help you do the same:

Tiger Lily was the first retelling I read. It puts a spin on the classical Peter Pan story and narrates the plot from Tiger Lily’s perspective. The retelling made me realize how misunderstood a character can be when portrayed in a slightly different light. It opened my eyes to the beauty and complexity of retellings and how they can challenge previously held opinions and beliefs.

Jodi Lynn Anderson skillfully weaves a tale that explores the complexities of love, identity, and societal expectations. Through Tiger Lily’s eyes, we see the challenges she faces as a member of a marginalized indigenous community, her fierce loyalty to her people, and her love for Peter Pan. By shifting the narrative perspective, Tiger Lily confronts preconceived notions and offers a fresh depiction of the characters we thought we knew.

The Song of Achilles remains one of my all-time favorite books! A vast array of Greek mythology retellings explore the realm of magnificent gods and glorious wars, and The Song of Achilles is a beautiful narration of the Trojan War from the perspective of a young-prince-turned-exile, Patroclus.

What sets the novel apart is its poignant and intimate portrayal of the Trojan War through the eyes of Achilles’ closest companion. Madeline Miller’s exquisite prose brings forth the emotional depth of Achilles and Patroclus’ relationship, capturing the tenderness, sacrifice, and tragedy that unfolds amidst the backdrop of the war. Through this retelling, Miller delves into the intricacies of the characters, exploring the motivations and vulnerabilities of Patroclus and Achilles. The story humanizes these legendary figures, peeling away their divine status by shedding light on their inner conflicts and desires in ways the Iliad never portrayed.

A House of Salt and Sorrows strays the furthest from the original version of the three books. Erin A. Craig adds a layer of twisted horror and gore to the children’s fairy tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. It was fascinating to read as she expertly combined elements of dark fantasy, mystery, and suspense.

The retelling’s shift from the traditional fairy-tale narrative allowed for a deeper exploration of the characters’ emotions and incentives. Annaleigh Thaumas, the protagonist, became a multi-dimensional character haunted by grief, suspicion, and a relentless quest for the truth behind the mystery surrounding her sisters’ deaths. While it may have deviated significantly from the original tale, the novel stood out as a bold and ingenious retelling. It pushed the boundaries of the source material, giving it a distinct essence that will resonate with those who enjoy darker narratives.

If you remain hesitant about reading a retelling because you are afraid of “ruining” your perceptions and nostalgic attachments towards the original works… don’t be! I’m sure some of your new favorite novels will be found among retellings. Rather than thinking of these retellings as attempts to alter the original texts, it is helpful to view them as authors exercising creative freedom to offer a fresh perspective on classic tales and to reveal unexplored facets that could have existed. Similar to the way Anderson highlights Tiger Lily in the retelling when the original cast her aside, or how Miller illustrates the parts of Achilles that existed beyond the battlefield that Homer’s Iliad did not explore, or how Craig turns her version of The Twelve Dancing Princesses into something much more sinister and laced with horror – retellings have the ability to dig into the depths of secondary characters or reinvent settings and themes in ways the original tales couldn’t.

Inside the Oxford fashion scene: the Fashion Gala designers

Anya Biletsky

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26th May 2023

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Inside the Oxford fashion scene: the Fashion Gala designers

The second Tuesday of Trinity is becoming a major date in the calendar for the Oxford fashion scene, host as it is to the now-annual Fashion Gala. At this year’s event, guests were witness to a runway showcase of outfits by some of Oxford’s most promising young designers. The looks ranged from floor-length statement dresses to graphic trench coats to elegant blazers and tartan two-pieces. For some, this was their second time showcasing their works in the Fashion Gala, whilst for others it was their first time having their designs publicly exhibited.

I spoke to some of the Fashion Gala designers, who told me about their background in the world of fashion and design, their pieces for this year’s gala, and where they find their inspiration.

Thomas Kemball

Thomas is a second-year student reading English at Lincoln College, but he has long been interested in the visual, having taken an art foundation year, during which he began working closely with textile art. His love for fabrics and skill at sewing only went further and further from there. Chances are, you’ve already encountered some of his work; Thomas is a veteran of fashion at Oxford. As well as the Gala, he has been involved in student plays, working as Costume Designer for the Tempest at the Oxford Playhouse in Hilary 2023, and he is styling for Mitigating Circumstances this term.

At last year’s gala, Thomas explains, he made and showcased his “first proper outfit” – a dress inspired by the Battenberg cake. If that isn’t delicious enough, this year he brought five designs to the gala, influenced by the “teatime aesthetic”. The designs were all connected by the theme of “heritage and Britain”; identity is at the core of Thomas’ designs. When asked about his fashion inspirations, Thomas cited designers like Mimi Wade, Martine Rose and Grace Bonner, and expressed particular interest in the collaboration between Louis Vuitton and the late Virgil Abloh – he finds “lots of influences everywhere”. And he certainly brought these interests together in his designs. Through the imagery of “quintessential Britishness” (including a top made out of a scone print), he explores what it means to be English – “who is allowed to be English, who looks English, who doesn’t look English”. He incorporated an array of materials, including tartan, lace and bows – very much in appropriate homage to Vivienne Westwood. Whilst the theme of identity is central to Thomas’ designs, he emphasises that he equally wants his work to be “light-hearted”. “Fashion is an art form, but it’s fun”, he tells me. He was very keen to make the process collaborative with the models who wore his designs on the runway, which he considers a chance for “showing off the person and the clothes at the same time”.

Rose Morley

Rose studies Geography at St Edmund’s Hall and is in her second year – not only of her degree, but also of showcasing her sartorial skill at the Fashion Gala. Known for her vibrant, eye-catching statement pieces, last year Rose created an elegant black dress made with blow-torched foil attachments which made heads turn.

This year’s piece was no less daring – a floor-length fuchsia gown, which Rose modelled herself, complete with a gravity-defying updo, powdered makeup and a hot pink lip. She describes her dress as “totally luxurious in a Shocking Pink satin”, which is a “delight to look at” but “rather more terrifying to stick a needle into”. I for one am glad she overcame this fear to deliver to us what was a spectacular runway look. Rose explains that the idea for the dress came from imagining what would happen “if Kylie Jenner’s Schiaparelli lion dress got put through the mind and motifs of Frieda Kahlo.” The make-up, which is quite frankly a whole art piece of its own, “takes inspiration from the incomparable Pat McGrath’s Christian Dior Spring 2007 and Autumn 2009 looks”. Meanwhile, the luscious up-do nods to the delights of Marie Antoinette, in that the “hair is a little up in the air, quite literally.” Rose raises the bottom of her skirt to show me a pair of delicate cream Mary Janes, which finished off the daintiness of this regal 18th-century look with a maximalist twist.

Rose explains that her mother is one of her inspirations in all things fashion, giving her a “childhood of going to school in period-accurate costumes for WWII dress up day or World Book Day” which “sparked the joy” for “dressing up”. Her joy for “dressing up” is very much palpable in the exquisitely adventurous looks she has brought us for two years running.

Olivia Tajo

Olivia designed and made four pieces for this year’s Fashion Gala, the first time she has displayed her designs in Oxford. Now in her second year studying English at Wadham, Olivia has ventured into the Oxford fashion scene with a bang – as well as the Gala this Trinity, she is also designing the costumes for Elspeth Rogers’ fifth week play The House. However, Olivia has long been involved in fashion design; they tell me how they first picked up sewing as an after-school activity when they were younger, as it was the only alternative to the dreaded sports option. What started as a casual hobby rapidly became an avid interest. She would flick through magazines and be especially drawn to couture designs, which she then sought to emulate in her sewing.

The two dresses which Olivia made for the Gala, they tell me, were “based on 1999 Givenchy couture”, with a distinctly “mid-summery, flowery vibe”, fitting indeed for the warmer days we are enjoying now that we are in the sunniest term of the year. The long-term use of items of clothing is something Olivia takes to heart, as she explains that she tries to maximise the wear of a garment before giving it away. Indeed, Olivia made one of the dresses from “some old bedsheets”, explaining that they “really admired the pattern” of the bedsheets and so thought they “could not leave it to waste”. And she put it to good use indeed. Her aim with the dress was to render it in some degree a piece of visual trickery, looking like it would be “impossible to make” (though she confides that it was “difficult, but not impossible”). Olivia’s second dress likewise toyed with the notion of illusion, having found its inspiration in an unlikely place: her school library. There, amidst the bookshelves, Olivia became intrigued by the book roses which the school librarian made, and then sought to apply a similar technique to dress-making, experimenting with folding fabric to create an origami-esque effect.

Lottie Oliver

After modelling in last year’s Gala, Lottie became eager to bring a design of her own to this year’s showcase. A third-year Chemistry student at Lincoln, Lottie is a proficient dabbler in the sartorial sphere, with an unconventional manner of designing; she tells me she does not “follow patterns when [she] make[s] clothes”, but has a more freestyle approach. Whether or not she plays by the fashion rules, her look for the Gala did everything right. Nodding distinctly to the aesthetic of fairytales and the magical, Lottie created an ethereal piece consisting of a pale blue dress with leafy strap sleeves and rose buds of yellow and red. The most impressive element of the design, however, were the wings, made out of real “twigs and flowers and leaves”, a dazzling collage crafted from the materials of the natural world. Much like real fairy wings, Lottie’s construction was delicate; indeed, she tells me she initially wanted to make the wings only out of sticks, but “structurally that was going to be difficult”.

She cites pantomimes and the theatre as a point of interest to her and an influence on her dramatic style of design. Her fascination with the fairy aesthetic came partly from a book she read as a child, in which the fairies’ clothes were made out of flowers. As well as this, Lottie found inspiration in the film Maleficent, especially the magnificent black horns of the eponymous character. Lottie explains that, like Maleficent’s horns, she wanted the wings of her design to “look like they were almost growing out of my back”, springing organically from the rest of the design.

Back over the COVID-19 lockdown, Lottie tells me, she transformed old curtains which her grandma offered to her “as a joke” into a piece which she recently wore to the Glitterball. Similar to Olivia’s repurposing of old bedsheets, this rings true to the theme of the gala, “buy less, choose well”, with its emphasis on using what one already has to create spectacular outfits. It is thrilling to see designers’ creativity being fuelled by what seem nondescript, everyday items.

Beth Eames

Outside her academic studies – she is working on an engineering DPhil at Balliol – Beth is known amongst her friends for making her own clothes. Whether for an Oxford ball, an evening occasion, or a work meeting, Beth tells me that her friends often come to her with requests for pieces for various occasions – and with good reason. Beth tells me that she has been enthused by clothes-making since she was a child, learning to sew as a pre-teen and developing a soon-indulged “obsession” with having a sewing machine. A pattern-drafting course she took proved significant, as, she tells me, “making your own pattern felt very important” to her at that stage, “so that I could make stuff that I actually liked” as opposed to having to use pre-made patterns. Making her own year 11 prom dress was another exciting milestone for Beth.

At the Fashion Gala, Beth showcased a sophisticated ensemble of six of her “evening wear” inspired pieces. The women’s looks, Beth tells me, are each made from “2 metres of Liberty London silk”. One of the dresses is “based on a commercial pattern”, which Beth then altered and to which she added slits and other personalising details. The designs are made from “different prints that I have loved and gotten obsessed with”, and from fabrics which are beautiful “to feel” as well as to look at. She also made a “matching linen suit”, a piece which finds its inspiration in the smart stylishness of business wear. The men’s look, a matte silk shirt, “looks more everyday”, but this does not make it any less chic – Beth is an expert in the marriage of comfort and flair.

Indeed, comfort is one of Beth’s priorities when making clothes. The urge to make occasion wear of her own came from the frustration of the difficulty of finding dresses for black tie events which both looked good and felt pleasant to wear. Making her own clothes means Beth can focus on creating pieces which are perfectly tailored to her own tastes and frame. The result are gorgeously original designs; she need not worry about arriving at a ball or elsewhere and finding herself in the same dress as someone else, nor fret about a too-low neckline or a sleeve which is too tight or too loose.

These five designers offered up a wonderfully varied range of pieces for the Gala. Each of them is at a different stage in their fashion journey, and it is pleasing to see that the Fashion Gala affords them a place to have their creativity showcased in Oxford. The guests on the night itself matched the designers’ enthusiasm for fashion, arriving in an array of outfits of varying levels of extravagance and responding vivaciously to the catwalk event. The atmosphere was exuberant, rewarding indeed for the twenty or so designers who took part in the Gala this year.

The shift towards online thrift: a guide

Shaan Sidhu

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26th May 2023

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The shift towards online thrift: a guide

Once upon a time, my mother used to vehemently admonish against wearing “other people’s tat”. However, after many an intense discussion, I seem to have persuaded her of the benefits of shopping for second-hand clothes and accessories. Often, we buy pieces from the same high-street label, except my Karen Millen tends to be a decade older than hers. Although it is still not enough for my mother to convert to the thrifting shift, she is constantly reminded, partly by her experience, partly by my own tastes, that the quality of new clothes has gone downhill.

So far, I have emphasised the importance of quality and have made no mention of cost, even though the latter is what motivates many to shop second-hand or vintage. However, finding older pieces that last longer is an equally exciting prospect. A steal is a steal, so I shall provide expertise about where and how to acquire one online.

Depop

Founded in the UK in 2011 and now perhaps the most globally accessible app or website for buying and selling second-hand pieces, Depop is the one that comes to mind when one thinks about buying ‘vintage, streetwear, one-of-a-kind, Y2K’ for the first time. Though I have found and bought some of my favourite staples from here, I recently decided to limit the types of garmentI purchase from Depop given how much the prices have inflated since I joined.

If your reason for thrifting involves no financial compromise, then Depop’s plethora of independent vintage sellers will certainly appeal to you. Lots of people set up shops and businesses with a curated aesthetic and a consistent style of stock. Since these sorts of accounts are aiming to make a significant profit rather than selling old unused wares, the prices are ultimately going to parallel those on the high street. However, you can occasionally appreciate that the higher cost reflects not just the quality of the piece, but the effort put into garment sourcing in the case of more established sellers.

That said, if you hunt closely and ‘like’ or ‘save’ all the pieces you at least like the look of (despite the price), you can develop a curated ‘Suggested for You’ page, which might help you get closer to finding more pieces you like. I reserve Depop personally for pieces for formals and balls, and general style inspiration.

Vinted

As soon as you open the app, Vinted presents you with a curated newsfeed that considers not only your preferences for sizes and brands, but also takes into account the descriptions of your commonly favourited or searched items. This algorithm thus makes Vinted one of the easier websites to navigate through and find new wardrobe pieces. Though there are signs of inflation here and there, I find the prices to be generally more reasonable than on Depop, to the point that Vinted is my go-to app for hunting for new clothes and styles.

There are fewer people trying to make big buck from selling their clothes and more who want to simply clear out their wardrobes. The app also encourages buyers and sellers alike to send in offers, and this insistence on price negotiation can really impact how much money you save depending on whether the seller approves it.

The only drawback is the additional fixed buyer protection fee that goes on after the item and shipping prices. As the name suggests, it is a regulation in place to help you in case of damages, losses, or scams, and it only amounts to about a pound more, but is certainly off-putting when your total skyrockets from £3 to £6.85. Other than that, I could not recommend Vinted more.

eBay

There was a point in time when I used to adore eBay, as it was the best website for finding anything second-hand at affordable prices. The demographic of sellers tends to be like that of Vinted, with most people prioritising the decluttering of their homes as opposed to making substantial profit. It is also easier to find items that are being sold overseas than on Vinted, so you might have more luck finding what you want due to the broader catalogue on offer.

You can purchase items through auction or instant buy, and, in many instances, you might even be able to put forward an offer. Another benefit of eBay’s buying process is that it is less complicated than that of Vinted due to the absence of additional buyer fees. I would say that more people have caught onto the rising popularity of second-hand shopping, and this is reflected in rising prices, but I still find eBay to be a good place to source unique jewellery and cool accessories.

My main piece of advice for navigating eBay is to know exactly what you are searching for, and how other people might describe it. Sometimes people give details in the description but write nothing about size, colour, or era, which means filtering your search might cause you to miss out on some good pieces.

Some final online thrifting tips:

If you start to recognise common brands, research them before you buy. I tend to search for specific names and labels because I know that I like their styles and I can trust the sizing – when you buy second-hand online there is often a no-return policy except in the case that something arrives damaged.

Just because a piece is no longer sold or the brand itself is discontinued it does not guarantee that you are buying a one-of-a-kind item. If you get beaten to a purchase, fear not – there is still a chance that you will find it again, perhaps at a lower price.

Ask the experts – if your parents donated all their best clothes long ago, they could still advise you on brands and pricing. Most of the brands I end up buying from are the same high street shops that my mum used to frequent – she informs me about the brands that were worth it and those whose prices are now heavily inflated on Depop, and this has influenced my shopping habits for the better. She loves to remind me that Bay Trading for £20 is an utter rip-off, and that Jane Norman is slightly tacky.

It is okay to deliberately buy fast-fashion second-hand since it is already in circulation and will not constitute to financially supporting unethical practices. Honestly, the longer it avoids landfill the better.

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