A postgraduate applicant who claimed St Hugh’s College refused to admit him on the basis of financial means has told Cherwell he is “prepared to appeal all the way to the European Court of Human Rights if [he has] to.”

Damien Shannon, 26, filed a claim against the College last month after he was unable to demonstrate that he could meet living costs of £12,900 on top of his master’s tuition fee, thereby forfeiting his offer.

He claimed that students were being selected on “on the basis of wealth, [excluding] those not in possession of it”, meaning the less well-off were “disproportionately discriminated against.”

After the hearing on 15 February at Manchester County Court, Judge Armitage QC reserved judgment, and will deliver it with written reasoning at a later unspecified date.

St Hugh’s have argued that fulfilling the University’s ‘financial guarantee’ guards a student’s wellbeing so that there is no risk of academic focus being distracted by money worries.

During the hearing, Oxford’s director of graduate admissions, Dr Jane Sherwood, said she had been mistaken in suggesting that other universities such as Exeter and Goldsmith’s College, London, assessed applicants’ means in the same way as Oxford.

Shannon accepted the admission of false comparison, but told Cherwell he was still of the opinion that “refusing access to those who cannot afford nightclubs etc. is manifestly unreasonable and cannot have been the outcome of any kind of expert analysis.”

The University, a separate legal entity from St Hugh’s, gave an explanation for the size of the guarantee. A spokesperson said, “The core of the minimum recommended amount for annual living costs comes from a survey undertaken each year of domestic bursars in every college.

“Domestic bursars manage accommodation, catering etc., and have expert knowledge of the local costs of core items of students’ living costs and expenditure. The survey provides estimated costs of things like accommodation, food, utility bills and other items, as well as estimates of costs for future years.”

They stressed that the £12,900 figure still lies below the £13,726 national minimum doctoral stipend provided by the UK Research Councils, which “gives us confidence that it is not an overestimate.”

Shannon contested that “the expertise of the bursars must be tested by cross examination.” In his court submission, he highlighted what he called “optional” costs, including “an unspecified amount for ‘sport and leisure activities’ – I wonder whether this includes punting.”

“Every single [cost] is intended to support a typical lifestyle,” he continued. “None of them have anything to do with being financially able to complete study.”

Shannon demands the financial guarantee be struck down or comprise “essential expenditure based on actual research of likely living costs”. He commented, “It is absolutely insane that people are turned away for not having money they do not need.”

Shannon maintains that he is being denied his human right to education as prescribed by the European Convention on Human Rights, making him a “victim” under the UK Human Rights Act.

“Oxford is in the very fortunate position of having enormous resources at its disposal, but precious little of this serves to widen access among postgraduates. Saying “go away and earn the money and come back in a few years when you are wealthier” simply isn’t good enough,” he told Cherwell.

The University vigorously denies this. Pointing to announcements such as last year’s £26m Ertegun donation for graduate humanities study, it stated, “Oxford offers more postgraduate financial support than almost any other UK university, and has been proactive in highlighting this national issue by fundraising for scholarships and lobbying for a national loans scheme. The Vice-Chancellor wrote about the issue in The Times in March 2012.”

St Hugh’s College declined to comment on the case so far.

Wadham College has announced its acquisition of two tortoises in preparation for the 2013 Corpus Tortoise Race. 

The two Hermann’s tortoises, called Archibald and Theodore Manshell, have been donated to the college by Connie Bloomfield, a second year classicist at Wadham.

Bloomfield told Cherwell, “For me the tortoises are really special. I was given them as a present from my family for my seventh birthday. I thought it would be something really nice I could give back to college. Plus I’m not at home very much, so I’ll be able to see them more at Wadham. And perhaps I’ll even see them when I come back to visit Wadham, when I’m ancient and they’re ancient.” 

Although the tortoises will not arrive at Wadham until the start of Trinity Term, the college has not hesitated in preparing for Archibald and Theodore’s arrival. 

In a recent motion Wadham College JCR elected Joe Williamson, a second-year biologist, as Tortoise Officer, whose duties are to include seeing that the tortoises are fed and looked after, setting up enclosures, and escorting the tortoises to a JCR meeting to vote on motions.

Williamson added, “They will be dressed up in fancy dress for SU meetings and we will endeavour to have weekly socialising sessions with the tortoises for people who do not like the welfare officers and need a reptile friend.” 

Yet the primary role of the Tortoise Office will entail getting Theodore and Archibald in shape for the Corpus Tortoise Race in the spring. 

Williamson outlined his expectations of Archibald and Theodore in the upcoming challenge. He stated, “The goal for the races is to win. We will accept nothing but victory. If we can only enter one tortoise, the less athletic individual will be a cheerleader on the day.” 

Last year, Worcester’s tortoise, Zoom, claimed the victory title in the Corpus Tortoise Race, leaving slower participants from Brasenose, Corpus and Jesus in its wake. 

Wadham JCR President Jahnavi Emmanuel commented, “Wadham has been very positive about the tortoises in general, and everyone is very excited to meet them – our newly elected Tortoise Officer has already received several queries from interested Wadhamites!” 

It has been alleged that the Wadham tortoises that competed in prior races at Corpus have since gone missing, been stolen, or gained entry to a better and unearthly place, which has complicated Wadham’s ability to participate in recent races. 

“We hope that in the summer months, they’ll live in an appropriate cage in the gardens. During winter, they’ll have to live inside – we’re in the process of working out exactly where,” Emmanuel added. Theodore and Archibald lived mostly outdoors at Bloomfield’s family home just north of Brighton. 

Each year the Tortoise Race is held at Corpus Christi College midway through Trinity Term. This tradition seems to have begun in the 1960s, though the first accounts of college tortoises at Oxford date back to the end of the nineteenth century. 

In recent years the race has raised money for a number of charity organisations, including Maria Veliko’s Bulgarian Orphanage and Oxford Aid to the Balkans. The 2011 event raised £2000 for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.

A recent ban on muddy sportswear in Keble Cafe resulted in an emergency motion being added to the college’s JCR meeting agenda. The motion, proposed by rugby player John Harkness, stated that, “This ban constitutes a draconian violation of our freedom of expression, at odds with Keble’s reputation as a fair and inclusive college.” It concluded with the assertion that the JCR President James Newton should make a  eversal of the ban his “top priority.”

An amendment was proposed, suggesting that a reversal should simply be “a priority” for Newton. A vote was eventually taken on the amended motion, with first results coming back as 24 for, 14 against and 26  abstentions.

However, due to the vehemence of the rugby players present, a re-vote was called, and the motion with results finally standing as 26 for, 13 against and 22 abstaining. Harkness told Cherwell, “I was obviously delighted when the motion passed, despite the President’s attempts to gazump it. A victory for justice and common sense.”

In an email to Keble students the next day Newton said, “It is only muddy sports clothing that is banned. Please feel free to go in there in whatever sporting attire you so wish.” He told Cherwell, “Keble is renowned worldwide for its sporting prowess. It is therefore of great relief that our stash-clad heroes are still able to access their much deserved flowerpot muffins – so long as they learn how to shower first…”

Oxford City Council has announced plans to collaborate with the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes in order to help improve the literacy and numeracy of primary school children in Oxford.

The new ‘Leadership for Learning’ campaign is funded by Oxford City
Council. It will provide training days for staff and governors at eleven Oxford primary schools, as well as inviting parents to partake in a series of public seminars on issues relating to the education of their children.

The programme was initially queried by Craig Simmons, an Oxford City Councillor, who expressed concerns over whether the programme was funding work which is already being carried out by Oxford and Oxford Brookes universities. He was quoted in the Oxford Mail last Friday as saying, “This is a huge issue. The council is strapped for cash and should not be subsidising the university to do things it should be doing anyway.”

Yet after consulting the City Council on the specifics of the programme, Simmons told Cherwell, “Although some of the City Council money WILL go to the universities, it is to be spent on improving educational attainment in primary schools, which would constitute a clear extension of the outreach work.”

He also commented, “I think thatmthis work is essential in widening access to higher education. I very much support the current Oxford City Learning Partnership which is spearheading this work.”

However, Simmons also expressed a continuing concern to ensure that the programme is effective in achieving its stated aims, commenting, “I will, however, continue to liaise with officers to ensure that maximum benefit is gained from the additional City Council investment.”

Anna McIntyre, a college access officer, told Cherwell, ‘‘I think it’s wonderful
that both Oxford universities are getting involved in planting the first seeds of high aspirations in children that would otherwise perhaps not be recognised as needing it until late in their secondary school life, which is too late.”

She qualified this, however, adding, “I feel the council should be doing more to directly help these schools themselves and not just pull in universities to help out: the universities will be using government funds, not their own money.”

Students from Wadham have suc­cessfully raised over £6000 for Kids’ Adventure, a charity run by a Wad­ham student, by walking from Ox­ford to Wembley Stadium in North London. The walk took place on the 2nd and 3rd of February, covering a total distance of 54 miles.

Sam Hurst and Josh Vivian devel­oped the initiative in order to raise money to support Kids’ Adventure, while the charity is organised by Au­gusta Higson, a fellow Wadhamite. Wadham footballer Jack Webb told Cherwell that the project came about as a result of his childhood prom­ise, “that [he] would get to Wembley whatever it took.” He added, “It’s a really great project that is responsi­ble for making a difference in a lot of children’s lives, even if it does mean that they are in college, screaming outside my window at stupid o’clock on Saturday mornings.”

Wadham’s JCR President, Jahnavi Emmanuel, said, “I think it was an amazing project and the fact that they were fundraising for a Wadham-based charity meant that the whole college really got into it.”

Higson added that the support has been fantastic and that “if anyone is interested in volunteering please email me on: kidsadventure@oxford­hub.org.”

StudentStudent – A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. →

Students at St Catherine’s College were informed of an attempted break-in on college accommodation on Saturday morning, although this has since been denied by the college, who claim it was a “complete misunderstanding.”

In an email sent out to all St Catz students on Saturday morning, the
Junior Deans wrote, “This morning at approximately 5.30 a student reported that a man had tried to enter their room, repeatedly rattling
their door before continuing to walk around the staircase.”

Despite the police being called and the college being searched, the burglar was not identified. The Deans also expressed concerns that a number of students do not lock their rooms, reminding students that “Catz is an open college, and while instances such as this are rare, they certainly need to be considered. It is very important that you lock your doors at night.”

Despite the email being sent out warning students of the reported  intrusion, St Catz Dean Adrian Smith sought to reassure students. Speaking to Cherwell, he maintained, “This has been tracked down and dealt with, it was not a break in. The email went out as a precaution and the student bodies have been made aware.”

A spokesperson for the college told Cherwell that the whole incident was a “complete misunderstanding”, although the college refused to develop further on the origin of the confusion.

This is not the first time that St Catz have experienced security issues. Back in 2009, a similar intrusion was reported, and items worth close to £300 were stolen from college premises.

A visiting Economics student at St Catz, told Cherwell, “I think it is important that students should feel safe and protected. But in an open college like St Catz, it is quite difficult for porters to check everyone who enters the college, so Catz students should be more cautious with leaving their doors unlocked. In my opinion, the college responded to this iincident quite effectively.”

Security measures at the upcoming Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race will be changed to avoid a repeat of last year’s incident, in which a protester jumped in the Thames.

Trenton Oldfield was sentenced to 6 months in jail following the stunt, which brought the race to a standstill and saw him narrowly avoid being struck by the oars of both teams. Released in December on the condition of wearing an electric tag, Oldfield has stood by his actions, and even claimed to be considering further action this year.

As a result, race organisers have decided to use new initiatives, and have confirmed that professional security companies will be involved.

Speaking to The Independent, David Searle, executive director of the Boat Race Company Limited, said, “We’ve obviously been looking very hard at security and we are making some changes. It is very, very difficult to police eight and a half miles of bank. We are taking additional measures this year and we have looked at all of our actions last year. We’ve reviewed them and thought about how we would react slightly differently, not much differently, if it happened this year. All I can and will say is that any who does it is taking their lives in their hands… we just say to people: Just don’t consider it.”

Organisers have made a point of emphasising the risk posed by such action – not only to perpetrators, but also to participants of the race (who could face hypothermia), emergency services, and the following flotilla. They have also encouraged the public and spectators to report anything suspicious on the day.

Jim Ormiston, President of Balliol Boat Club, said, “I think [race prganisers] should do all they can. However, I certainly don’t think they were too lax last year; nothing like that had ever happened before. I really hope that nobody does try to repeat the farce of last year.”

“It was horrendous to watch [someone] rob so many people, who have essentially given up a year of their lives for that race.”

The 159th Annual Boat Race will take place on 31st March at 4:30pm. The race is one of the oldest sporting events in the world.

A letter sent out to the JCR stated, “This evening saw the last Deans’ Dinner of the year. Over the past few months we have invited all first-year undergraduates to dine in the New Room as our guests. At each din­ner several decanters, stoppers, and other items of College property have been removed without permission.

“We would be grateful if these items could now be returned. The same applies to any items removed in previous years. Often, as tonight, it has been obvious what has been happening, but we have turned a blind eye to those involved on the as­sumption that these items would be returned quickly and safely.”

The letter added that stolen items could be left anonymously outside the door of the Senior Dean in a sort of amnesty programme. It conclud­ed, “If we do not receive the removed items we will have to consider wheth­er we should continue to hold these dinners next year.”

JCR President Millie Ross implied that individuals could be punished as well, writing on the JCR Facebook group, “the staff often note who they spot with what (you’re less subtle than you think!) so I wouldn’t take the risk if I were you. It’s fine as a harmless prank of course, and it is a bit of a tradition now, but if the stuff isn’t returned they won’t be able to host them next year and that would be such a shame for the next cohort.”

She later wrote, “The Deans have notified me that if they don’t have the items back from Deans’ Dinner TODAY then they will have to believe they were stolen (rather than taken as a prank) and act accordingly. They are even still missing big items like fruit bowls and decanters.”

First year English student Frank Lawton quipped, “Other than the small matter of it technically being theft it seems to be to be a great and noble tradition. After all, I feel like I’ve been robbed every time I open my battels sheets, it’s only fair that we even up the score now and then. Furthermore, I thought University encouraged education and equip­ping us with the skills we’ll need for our careers? Personally I would like to be a bank robber or a high profile art thief.

“Dean’s Dinner is essentially glori­fied fieldwork for such aspirants. The full dining set was an impressive ac­complishment, although I think try­ing to steal the Deans themselves was pushing it a bit too far. But I guess that’s all just part of the learning curve.”

A first year historian commented, “I think traditions like this are great as long as they’re just a bit of fun and don’t end up costing the college or depriving others in the future. I myself, along with many others, removed a rather large number of items on Friday night, which I re­turned to the Deans over the week­end. I was impressed when returning my decanters to find an antique table and a silver tray had also been left there.”

“I can understand why it was necessary to request that the items be returned but I very much enjoyed the dinner and hope they will be held in the future; and they wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun without the added thrill of everyone trying to subtly cram cutlery and tableware into their pockets!”

In an email to the JCR on Monday, Ross reported, “the Deans are very pleased to see a large majority of the items returned and it’s unlikely they’ll have to take any further ac­tion!”

Last Saturday, a petting zoo visited The Queen’s College as part of a series of events run by the JCR welfare team to relieve 5th week Blues. The animals that visited the Nun’s Gardens at Queen’s were Grahame the sheep, Cola the goat, Rex and Queenie the chickens, Splash the duck, Blackberry the rabbit, and Amber the sheep. 

Queen’s Welfare Rep Mark Holmes explained, “When it was suggested that we get a petting zoo, I dismissed the idea out of hand to put the JCR off the scent but then we quickly began googling like mad. I just thought it was fun and had great potential to get people talking during 5th week and spend our budget on an event that would really attract people away from the libraries for a while; even if just out of curiosity.”

“What I expected to be the biggest hurdle, getting college permission, really wasn’t a hurdle at all! The Home Bursar was really receptive once she had realised that this had been fully thought out. Logistics were a nightmare initially, but the company and the college were flexible. When I arrived at 9.30am to a transit van with a trailer attached, the bleating of Grahame the sheep was certainly a little bit surreal.”

Female Welfare Rep Maria Newsome, told Cherwell, “The petting zoo visited us for four hours on Saturday, and it felt like almost all of our members couldn’t resist coming out to stroke and pet the animals. Who can really be stressed when cuddling a rabbit?”

While the petting zoo was a 5th week favourite for nearly all who attended, for students facing exams it was particularly welcome. Second-year classicist Christine MacVicar said, “It was just nice to get outside for a bit; I definitely want another one! It really helped calm me down.”

Jane Cahill, The Queen’s College JCR President, said, “Holding that rabbit was the best thing that’s happened to me all term. The JCR will look to procuring more soft, fluffy things in the future.”