Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Blog Page 1577

St Anne’s encourages dryathlon for Cancer Research UK

Rowan Borchers
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St Anne’s encourages dryathlon for Cancer Research UK

St Anne’s students are being encouraged to give up alcohol throughout January to raise money for cancer research, building on the success of the college’s ‘Movember’ challenge last term, where 38 students raised £1,414.

The college’s JCR has contributed £50 toward prizes for the students who raise the most money through sponsorship.

The welfare reps at St Anne’s hope the scheme will raise thousands. One of the organisers, Isra Hale, told Cherwell, “If we could get a dozen people to sign up we’d be happy. When term starts and people are back in college, we’ll push to get students to try it for the first two weeks – show them that alcohol isn’t always necessary to have a good time.”

The Dryathlon, organised by Cancer Research UK, is a national fundraising campaign that started this year. Each ‘Dryathlete’ must take an oath, a “commitment to a month without alcohol, in the true spirit of do-gooding, for the glory of ‘Dryathletes’ and the honour of Cancer Research UK.” Participants then encourage their friends to sponsor them. A spokesperson from Dryathlon said that over 30,000 people are taking part, and each should raise around £100. Over 80 per cent of the money raised goes directly to research, with the rest funding Cancer Research’s campaigns and administration.

JCR President Oscar Boyd explained his college’s commitment to the Dryathlon: “St Anne’s JCR has a strong belief in supporting charities, and if fundraising can occur in a way that is both fun and beneficial, it would seem a wasted opportunity not to support a great charity such as Cancer Research UK.”

As well as raising money, the college welfare team wants to raise awareness about the health risks of alcohol. Hale stated, “When I first read about the project, I realised it could help raise awareness about drinking – apparently 65 per cent of university students are binge drinkers.

“Deaths from liver disease among under-65s in the UK rose 20 per cent in the past decade, while falling elsewhere in Europe. If students could learn to just reduce consumption, we could reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths.”

According to St Anne’s welfare reps, 12,500 students die of alcohol-related cancers every year.

The Dryathlon website states, “alcohol is linked to a variety of diseases, including cancer, as well as accidents and injuries”, and many people take part in the challenge for health reasons. According to Cancer Research UK, a causal link has been found between alcohol and seven types of cancer.

An Oxford University spokesperson expressed its support, telling Cherwell, “The university is very fortunate to have a student body that is so active in fundraising and volunteering.”

Toby Huelin, a second-year music student from St Anne’s, said, “I think it’s a great idea. I’m surprised more colleges don’t run it – it’s the new ‘Movember’!” 

Oxford don criticises admissions policy

Jacob Cassani
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Oxford don criticises admissions policy

AN OXFORD PROFESSOR has questioned the effectiveness of Oxford in- terviews as this year’s application cycle comes to a close. He said further work was needed to ensure that the applications process is “as fair and comprehensive as possible.”

Writing in The Times Higher Education Magazine, Professor Miles Hewstone of New College asked, “Oxbridge admissions tutors are committed to interviewing all their best candidates. Should we be doing this – or would we be better off putting the shortlisted candidates’ names in a bowl and seeking the services of a blindfolded boy?”

He claimed that the effects of the tutors acquiring such extensive information during the interviews process had not been properly researched, and that it may affect final decisions.

In the article, he argued, “We can and must try to test how well all the different pieces of information at our disposal help us to predict final grades. Here science could help, if we could translate each piece of evidence into a numerical value and then decide how to combine them all to predict the outcome most effectively.”

He also considered several arguments put forward in support of the current interview process. He noted that interviews appear to be a good test of the authenticity of students’ work and their intellectual flexibility, and serve as a useful way to “give those from less privileged backgrounds, who may have weaker academic records on paper, an opportunity to show their potential.”

However he also alleged that it was difficult to account for factors such as future motivation, saying, “We still struggle to predict candidates’ attainment because we don’t know how motivated they will be and how likely they are to deviate from the true path of learning.”

A spokesperson for Oxford University said that “as a research university we are committed to an evidence-based approach for our selection procedures, and Profes- sor Hewstone’s suggestions are very much in line with what the Univer- sity and colleges strive to do.”

She added, “Aspects of the selection procedure are regularly reviewed and scrutinised. His article is indicative of the level of discussion, self-scrutiny and commitment within Oxford to getting the admission process right.”

David Messling, OUSU’s Access and Academic Affairs Officer, was similarly supportive of the interview pro- cess. He argued, “Predicting future performance is, as Professor Hewstone points out, a difficult task. Oxford puts itself in a better place than many universities by having not just the general UCAS information, but also submitted work and tests, so it’s never the case that everything hangs on the interview.”

Holly Quinlan, an Access Ambassador at Exeter College, was more scep- tical about Hewstone’s suggestions, opining, “Although I applaud taking a critical look at the interview process, I’m concerned that using any kind of ‘points system’ would lead to students from more advantaged schools being coached on what to do to get the highest score.” She continued, “This is a concern with the process as it stands, and I very much doubt that the system Professor Hewstone suggests would change that.”

Adam Crozier, a first-year at LMH, was also in favour of the interview process, arguing, “A-Levels test nothing but your ability to hit criteria from a mark scheme. I’m pretty sure I only got into Oxford based on my interview where I was able to show my true passion for the subject.”

Professor Hewstone was not available for comment. 

Anger over Univ’s VIP Ball tickets

Jonathan Epstein
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Anger over Univ’s VIP Ball tickets

Univ students have complained about the selling of ‘VIP tickets’’ for University College’s black-tie ball in Trinity term.

VIP tickets, given to students who purchased tickets before the end of Michaelmas, work as a queue jump and grants the holder access to a VIP tent and a goodie bag with ball memorabilia. These VIP tickets are the same price as regular tickets, £80, but this has not prevented some accusing the Committee of elitism.

One Univ fourth-year claimed that the selling of VIP tickets “only serves to create some sort of divide in an event that is supposed to celebrate the college.” He continued, “It’s just pointless — a ball isn’t Park End and I don’t see any reason to differentiate between different types of tickets.”
He also added his feeling that the Ball President “has decided that there needs to be some sort of sense of exclusivity.”

Univ Ball Marketing Manager Joseph Saxby said that the VIP tickets have a practical role, explaining, “The purpose of the VIP ticketing scheme was to encourage those in Univ who were already planning to buy tickets to make their purchase before Christmas so that the Committee had the capital to begin signing contracts with production companies, etc.”

Saxby stated that their merit was proven by a 75% increase in ticket sales from the same time two years ago, when the last Univ Ball was held.
He added that some Cambridge balls charge more for similar extras. For its May Ball, Trinity College in Cambridge offers “VIP tickets for an exclusive champagne reception and early entry to the Ball”. These cost an additional £70 for two, and are a step down from dining tickets, which are an extra £130 per couple. A pair of basic tickets begins at £300.

Others claimed that, however practical the idea of awarding special tickets to early purchasers may be, the idea of creating a separate class of tickets, and the label VIP, are intrinsically elitist.

The Jekyll & Hyde-themed ball, scheduled for Friday 21st June, faces stiff competition, with Balliol and Queen’s both hosting their own balls that night.
Balliol’s white-tie 750th Anniversary Commemoration Ball, with regular tickets priced at £195 and dining tickets at £235, has already sold out.

Univ promises “a night of contrasts as the college is transformed into two areas inspired by the classic novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Aristocratic, prim, and proper Victorian society will be juxtaposed with the curious, the mysterious, and the bizarre.”

St Anne’s launches bike lending scheme

India Miller
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St Anne’s launches bike lending scheme

A pool of cycles, available to students for a termly fee, has been established at St Anne’s.

The new bike scheme will provide four unisex cycles for college members. Students will be charged a fee of £5 per term for use of the bikes, as well as lights, locks and helmets. The termly charge will be used to maintain the bikes and to purchase new ones when they are in need of replacement.

Similar schemes have already been introduced in a number of other colleges, and the JCR consulted its members in an online survey to decide on the specifics of the new system.

According to Oscar Boyd, JCR President, “The new St Anne’s bike scheme will offer those students without access to bicycles in Oxford an easy and affordable way to get around town. Visiting and international students in particular will benefit from the scheme, and it will mean future year groups will not have to scramble to snatch up second-hand bikes at the beginning of each year.”

Jonny Rix, JCR Treasurer, commented, “St Anne’s is known for having a high proportion of students who come from low-income backgrounds. This scheme might be of particular use to less well off students as it will mean that they won’t necessarily have to buy their own bikes.”

Helen Robb, ex-President of the JCR, was at the forefront of the motion to introduce the scheme. She told Cherwell, “The JCR were wonderful and really got behind the scheme – they supported the committee in putting the idea to the college and helped towards the funding for the bikes.

“The college also helped, with our bursar getting behind the idea and helping us to administer the scheme through the lodge.”

Robb added, “I’d absolutely encourage other JCRs to get involved with similar schemes. Oscar Boyd has done a great job helping to finally get the scheme up and running and I’m excited to see how it turns out when it gets started next term.” 

Oriel building works affect next year’s finalist rooms

Alexander Woolley
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Oriel building works affect next year’s finalist rooms

Owing to “major refurbishment” on Oriel College’s Rhodes Building, on the High Street opposite the University Church, some current second-year undergraduates will have to live in James Mellon Hall off Cowley Road in 2013-14.

This has caused concern among the JCR, although Oriel College has maintained its guarantee of accommodation for all JCR members.

JCR President, Natasha Bassett, wrote in an email to the JCR, “There has been a few panicking persons [sic] coming to me about what’s happening next year in terms of accommodation. As you all probably know, the Rhodes Building is being renovated for the whole of next year.”

In the same email sent at the end of last term, Bassett explained “What may change is where people live; for example, some second years may get to live in JMH .”

The details of how the renovation works will affect students are still under discussion.

Wilf Stephenson, Treasurer of Oriel College, said, “Handling of the knock-on impact has been discussed and agreed by a joint working committee led by the Domestic Bursar and comprised of representatives from the JCR and MCR.”

Stephenson, whose office will be affected, explained, “The Rhodes Building needs major refurbishment. This will include providing additional accommodation, better facilities and disabled access.”

The roof will also be replaced and a 1980s upper-ground floor will be demolished.

The provision of accommodation for first- and second-year undergraduates will remain unchanged.

“Freshers will continue to live on the main college site. All second years should also be able to stay on the main college site. However choice (and grade) of rooms will be more limited than usual. There will be some displacement of third years. Some additional accommodation has been secured,” Stephenson continued.

Graduate students will be hardest hit. “It is possible fewer non-fresher graduates will be provided with college accommodation than in previous years,” Stephenson added.

The Rhodes Building was erected in 1911 through funds left by Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of Oriel.

Oxford farming conference in Exam Schools

Vickie Morrish
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Oxford farming conference in Exam Schools

LAST WEEK the annual Oxford Farming Conference took place at the Examination Schools, with speakers including the Prince of Wales and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Running from Wednesday to Friday, the conference focused on the impact of our consumerdriven society upon agriculture.

The conference attempted to examine what farming delivers to society in financial terms, drawing upon big names in cultivation, politics and the environment to debate the issue.

Oxford has hosted the event for more than half a century and it attracts many distinguished speakers. One of the keynote speakers was Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson.

The MP told conference goers that 22 per cent of the food currently imported by Britain could easily be grown at home. Paterson also urged his listeners to remember the Olympic spirit and back ‘Team GB’ in all areas, including the support of British produce.

Among the eminent speakers was Prince

Charles who gave a pre-recorded speech by video link. The Prince, a longstanding enviromental activist, echoed Paterson’s message by advising the public to take a greater interest in the origin of their foodstuffs.

“We all have to realise that food does not simply appear on our plates as a matter of course. As never before, it is a gift to be treasured, and therefore the people who produce this resource should be prized above all others and supported in ways that enable them to carry on doing what they do in as durable and resilient a way as possible,” he said.

The future of agriculture was a significant topic of both the Prince’s speech and the conference overall, with the programme featuring talks such as ‘Finding a New Farming Paradigm’ and ‘Where might science, technology and our understanding take us?’

In his speech Prince Charles warned, “For too long in the West, I am afraid, we have enjoyed something of a consumer’s holiday. Food above all else has been seen as a cheap commodity to which little value is attached.

“There will be no food security if the world goes on prevaricating and postponing the kind of global action needed to tackle accelerating climate change, unsustainable population growth without regard to finite natural resources, violent and unusual extremes of weather and the catastrophic likelihood of a global temperature rise of four degrees centigrade by later this century.”

“Failure to tackle this immense and urgent challenge will merely ensure a glut of headless chickens,” he added.

Speaking to Cherwell on behalf of the Oxford Farming Conference, the Managing Director of the event, Mike Gooding, said, “The conference delivered its research report that set out to better understand what society gets from its connection with farming”.

He described the week as “a unique opportunity for scholars to interact with a wide crosssection of indust“ry.”

Failure to tackle this immense and urgent challenge will merely ensure a glut of headless chickens

Despite the conference’s initial success, the event saw a number of farm workers striking outside Exam Schools on its final day.

The farmers, angered about changes to their wage structure, were protesting against the future prospects of a levelled down minimum wage of £6.19 for all agricultural workers. Steve Leniec, a farm worker from Faringdon and chairman of Unite’s agricultural sector claimed that “it will be a disaster for our workers and for the rural economy.” 

Council to limit student housing

Anna Leszkiewicz
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Council to limit student housing

Oxford Council has unveiled new plans that aim to control the spread of student housing in the city.

The council’s proposals, which have been approved by a government inspector, plan to restrict the development of new student accommodation to the city centre.

The plans aim for there to be no more than 3,000 students from Oxford Brookes University and the University of Oxford living outside of university-provided accommodation.

In her report, planning inspector Shelagh Bussey highlighted “the tension that exists between provision for student accommodation and general purpose housing”. She also spoke of the need “to strike a balance between these two uses that often compete for the same sites to ensure that housing, and particularly affordable housing delivery, is not compromised.”

She added, “This conflict is exacerbated by the growing trend for colleges not associated with the two universities to locate and expand in Oxford, building on the ‘Oxford’ name, for which speculative student accommodation is being provided. The intention is that this would free up homes that are suitable for the general housing market.”

The plans also acknowledge that purpose-built student accommodation must be away from residential areas to minimise disturbance. The council proposed that student accommodation should be mainly located in the city centre, or adjacent to a main thoroughfare, to relieve pressure on residential streets. Current plans are to impose a cap of 20% on the number of houses of multiple occupations (HMOs) allowed in any 100-metre stretch of residential road.

A spokesperson for Oxford City Council applauded the plans, adding, “Public consultation revealed a local concern that having halls located in quiet residential streets can mean that some anti-social behaviour affects other residents at night. The Council responded to this by directing halls away from quieter residential streets. Whilst there are some limits on the location of student halls, our assessment did not consider that this unduly restricted opportunities for student accommodation in appropriate locations in Oxford.”

A spokesperson for the University added, “The 3,000 figure is not new and the collegiate university is in the process of expanding its provision of housing for students by building new accommodation, in order to stay below this threshold and ease the burden on Oxford’s rental market. The Castle Mill student accommodation project is the latest example.”

Rio Jones, Co-Chair of the Oxford Unviersity Lib Dem Society, claimed, “This is not only going to affect students. By setting a cap like that you are also hitting young professionals working in the city who can’t afford a house of their own in a place where housing is already in short supply. This could have really harsh consequences for already struggling tenants.

“This cap is essentially saying, ‘we don’t want too many of your lot in this area’, when I don’t think that students and young people are necessarily the creators of ‘disturbance’. I really do think these proposals should be a cause for concern for students and young people throughout Oxford; and having your own circumstances sorted shouldn’t be an excuse to not care.”

Meat-free Mondays battle ongoing at Somerville

Darcey Murphy
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Meat-free Mondays battle ongoing at Somerville

A JCR motion proposing ‘meat- free Mondays’ at Somerville College has caused split opinion amongst undergraduates.

The motion to provide only vegetarian choices in the Dining Hall on Mondays was put to the JCR at the end of Michaelmas term, and

initially passed with 27 students voting for the motion and 20 against. Two students abstained.

However, once the motion was passed, Somerville students who were unhappy about the result took to their college Facebook page, the ‘Somerville JCR noticeboard’. Marsha Sudar, Somerville JCR President, told Cherwell, “There was constant posting for a good three hours, and a group created against the motion. Nothing like this has happened at Somerville before. I’ve only been here two years, however I’ve been told by grad students who were at Somerville three or four years ago that there really never has been such a passionate response from the JCR to a JCR motion.”

One student, in opposition to the motion, wrote: “The funniest thing is, you’ve all ignored the fact that the college veggie options are uniformly awful…Why not vote for something everyone can get behind (and that there’s actually a chance that college will listen to you about) and petition them to make more palatable veggie meals?”

Another stated on the page, “I just can’t believe people complain about the motion passing, when they were too ‘busy’ for the 15 minutes that the motion lasted to attend, yet they somehow have the time to make hours of fuss over it straight after.”

A petition against the motion was handed to Sudar and a referendum on the issue was then called. One poster encouraging students to oppose the motion stated, “As adults, why are we being limited in what we can eat?” However, in response, Somerville student Richard Nias noted, “Hall not serving a certain type of meal does not stop you eating it. There are things called supermarkets and kitchens.”

Sudar further commented that, despite the heated discussion of the Facebook group, “Hustings went quite smoothly. It was exactly what the JCR executive had hoped for: an open discussion about various facets of the issue at hand. Around 50 people came, and many agreed afterwards that it was a very positive and worthwhile event.”

Somerville student Florence Avery agreed that it had been a positive experience. She commented, “I’m glad it passed and I think the discussion really got people thinking more about the impact of their food, which is great. Our JCR President, Marsha, handled everything brilliantly. It all happened really close to the end of term but she got straight on it and organised hustings and the referendum really efficiently.”

Other Oxford students were also receptive to the idea of ‘Meat Free Mondays’. Jamie Harris, founding member of Oxford Students for Animals, a group campaigning to increase vegetarian and vegan options throughout the University, commented, ‘Meat Free Mondays’ is a fantastic idea. With a bit of luck and lots of campaigning, hopefully the concept, or something similar, can be established more widely in public and private institutions throughout the country.”

Despite opposition, the motion still stood. With a turnout of 54 per cent, 119 people voted in favour of the motion, with 91 against. Nine people abstained. The Somerville JCR are now waiting for a response from the Somerville MCR before they approach the catering department.

‘Meat-free Mondays’ faced similar controversy at Wadham this time last year, as their SU voted to re- instate a meat option on Monday after a two-year involvement in the campaign. 

Interview: Bowling For Soup

Anna Mcintyre
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Interview: Bowling For Soup

This year, the punk/rock and roll band Bowling for Soup celebrate their 18th birthday. Old enough to drink, they have celebrated appropriately by completing their ‘One Big Happy’ tour of the UK and have, in their own words, ‘drunk enough vodka to qualify as Russian’.

It’s easy to get the impression from Bowling for Soup’s song writing style that they don’t take themselves too seriously. One listen to the song ‘Let’s Go to the Pub’ from their new album does nothing to dispel this feeling.

But five minutes into our interview, an entirely new idea comes across. Erik begins by trying to put his finger on the precise genre of their music and lists influences which cover country and western to death metal in one sentence. These are a bunch of friends that love almost all music and have a lot of fun creating the resulting blob for thousands of loyal fans. But they couldn’t be more serious about it.

In fact, he seems to dislike the idea that some might think it’s easy to do what they do – BFS spend more time touring and producing than many other bands of their genre. And when asked which of the two he prefers, Erik is quick to highlight how mentally and physically taxing both elements are. ‘Being in the studio is like taking tests all day long, but then being on the road is like you’re just constantly working out.’

But it’s all worth it for the feedback they get from the fans. And this is especially true of those in the UK – who Erik credits with the rescue of the band’s career in 2000. ‘We released this album that just did absolutely nothing [in the states]. We released ‘the Bitch Song’, and the video over here hit. Then all of a sudden, it was like “oh! There’s something happening!” For years and years our career was in the UK, and then the US just caught up with it… the UK music fans saved us and have given us the longevity of our career, because it happened here first!’

So, inspired by this deep thinking, we grilled him on solipsism. Erik’s response? ‘I’m quite certain that the only thing we can be sure exists is the self, but I also believe that you make the self what you want it to be, and then that projects and creates everything else around you. You create your own reality, and the more involved you are, the better it becomes. We pushed through and made a career out of something we love.’

So, seeing as he seemed to have the idea of the self covered, was he the same person he was when he started this interview? He ponders it. ‘Yes. Absolutely. We are very much about being real and what you see is what you get. I’m just me, I’m a big nerd, and you’ll never get anything other than that… What was the question again? Yeah. So in answer to your question: A2 + B2 = C2. That’s Pythagorean theory by the way!’

We left with a very different impression of BFS to when we stepped on their tour bus. They are masters of the art of balancing the playfulness of their music with the seriousness with which they take it. They’ve made it to the top not by luck, but through 18 years of clawing their way there. And now they can pay their rent doing what started as a bunch of friends playing to themselves.  They’ve done it. And we like to think that’s a little bit because of us Brits.

The Miserables

Jack Graham
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The Miserables

The release of Les Miserables (the film) has been eagerly anticipated by many adoring fans. After a record 27 years of the stage show, a rather impressive production team and cast have been assembled to transfer it to the big screen. However, for those who ‘hate musicals’ this is rather less appealing. The idea of Wolverine spontaneously breaking into an over-dramatic song is nauseating. Perhaps going to see The Hobbit for a third time would be better?

When people hear the word ‘musical’ it can conjure up various distasteful images (and sounds). Faced with memories of Glee Club members with cheesy grins painted on their faces, or the squeals of countless girls attempting (and failing) to sing ‘Defying Gravity’, understandably some are put off. Even despite these extreme stereotypes, on the face of it there is still something very fake about musical theatre. A spectacle – yes – some nice music – of course – but ultimately unrealistic. It seems utterly ridiculous that during normal dialogue a character should suddenly start singing. 

Certainly, many musicals have ridiculous story-lines, with feel-good hits which tend to add little or nothing to the plot or characters. For many years show tunes from different musicals have been enjoyed by entire generations of people and, similarly nowadays, light-hearted productions such as The Producers and Wicked have been incredibly popular. These musicals have their place, reaching their goal in entertaining the audience and providing the perfect form of escapism. Often musically and visually impressive, many of these shows include timeless classics which are widely adored, and rightly so.

But musical theatre can be far more than the jolly song and dance that it is so often seen to be. So much more can and has been achieved. For a start, just like in plays and films, most musicals include characters which are believable and with whom we can relate on a level which is not superficial. Take Les Miserables, for instance, in which Eponine’s unrequited love for Marius is something with which everyone can identify.

In order to bring across these very real, human emotions, music and lyrics can be the most powerful means. This is almost paradoxical; something so real being portrayed in such an unnatural way. In theatre and cinema, speech is usually completely realist, and with that comes huge benefits. Above all, the feelings which it portrays are incredibly direct. But music also has various ways to unlock these feelings, like a state of excitement, a sinister undertone or – most commonly – the realisation of love. Speech has power through both its meaning and the sounds made in its iteration, and this can be utilized very effectively in a song. With lyrics which complement the music, and vice versa, actors have the potential to explore their characters in a profound way.

What is most intriguing about Les Miserables is the way in which the actors performed their songs live on set in order to make them as real as possible; the music is not separated from the characters or their feelings. This leaves them open to criticism from both those demanding more polished vocal performances, and those who dislike the idea of seemingly realistic characters breaking into song. Though judgement must be reserved until having watched the film, their attempt to bring the characters to the audience in such an intimate – and genuine – way is to be applauded.

A musical, done well, has the ability to combine compelling music with convincing characters. And that should not be too hastily dismissed. 

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