Saturday, May 3, 2025
Blog Page 1698

War paint for the win

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Around the middle of Hilary term every year, the observant among you will have noticed a bizarre increase in strange Facebook profile pictures, sports players walking around from head to toe in stash and college friends avoiding the bar proclaiming that they are on a drinking ban. Why is this, I hear you cry? Because the Varsity Games are fast approaching and we want to do everything we can to ‘SHOE THE TABS’!! Competition with Cambridge touches every level of the game including practices which have come to be called ‘pre-Varsity rituals’, as let’s face it: common sense dictates that for team sports, a group of people who get on and know each other well will undoubtedly perform better on the day.

Every sport has a different way of going about team bonding. Some eat together every night the week before, some get together in the evening to discuss tactics and others impose a sex ban in the run up to the big day. Many teams try to create a talking point by targeting the one medium they know everyone has access to: Facebook. This happens a lot for advertising plays, events or general awareness. Remember, for example, when a message thread was passed around girl friends guiding them through a sometimes elaborate set of instructions as to what to post as their status? This was all to promote breast cancer awareness and to get men talking about a mysterious phenomenon sweeping across Facebook. The same happens in the run up to Varsity. Teams decide on a theme, let’s say Pokemon characters, and change their profile pictures to something noticeable and eye catching. There is also an element of psyching out Cambridge, sending out a warning that we are prepared to do whatever it takes to unite ourselves against the evil Tabs.

On the day itself, war paint is not uncommon. Pump up music blasts from a boom box on the sidelines and vicious death stares are exchanged as the captains approach the referee to do the toss. Old school friends who find themselves on opposing sides savagely throw aside any loyalty. Besides, these friends will have sold each other out by making sure their own team is familiar with the friend’s every weakness, ready to be exploited. The starting whistle blows; which team will come out stronger?

All going swimmingly for the Blues

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Oxford’s swimmers orchestrated a demolition-job on the Light Blues last Saturday at Iffley’s Rosenblatt Pool, winning 108 to 72 in what is a record margin for the august competition, inaugurated in 1892. Both the men and women were victorious, the men by 10 points and the women by a vast gap of 26. There was no shortage of motivation for OUSC as in last year’s Varsity they were pipped to the post, with the competition going right down to the last race which Cambridge won by 0.35 seconds. A phenomenal performance this year erased any bad memories and then some, as well as toppling University records.

After a lively start from Cambridge, who came first and second in the women’s individual medley, Oxford pulled away. A rapid showing from Tom Booth saw him top the men’s IM, setting an Oxford record with a time of 02:04.06, a whole nine seconds below the previous record. Momentum from this point forward was thoroughly with the Dark Blues. The 100m backstroke saw the Oxford women and men clean up with Kelsey Ida and Jordan Anderson clinching first places respectively, and the women also won the 200m freestyle.

The fly and the 400m freestyle saw narrow losses for Oxford’s men and wins for the women, with captain Lucy Spencer hurtling down in the freestyle to break the previous club record. While the women continued their stifling dominance, former captain Katherine Rollins setting yet another record in the 100m breaststroke, the men stepped up a gear, with wins from Dane Rook and Tom Booth.

Thus going into the relay stage the women were well ahead, 44-26, while the men’s competition was still very much alive, tantalisingly set at 36-34. In the end it was a blowout as Oxford took all four relays. Rachel Andvig topped her individual wins by smashing the 50m free record, thus deservedly earning the swimmer-of-the-meet award. The crowd hit the roof, and in fact the atmosphere had been brilliant all day with several former members of the club present. Erstwhile OUSC stalwart Will Allen-Mersh commented that “the Light Blues … watched a dominant Oxford side in vain”.

This is hardly the end of the club’s year though. Two of their number, Jack Marriott, who has taken a year out of Oxford to train with the GB squad in Loughborough, and Kouji Urata, have high hopes of representing Great Britain at the Olympics. For the rest of Oxford’s swimmers the colder but no less competitive waters of the Channel beckon, as this summer sees the return of the Cross-Channel Relay race. A real chance of doing the double over Cambridge in 2012 then, though they’ll want to do their best to avoid ferries, shipping routes and large marine fauna.

Stormclouds on the horizon? South Sudan at six months

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“We have waited for this day for 56 years. It is a dream come true.” Salva Kiir’s words chimed with the celebratory mood which dominated South Sudan’s independence ceremonies. Throughout our own media, the creation of the world’s newest nation state prompted plenty of comment and discussion. Simple stories made for eye catching headlines, creating a superficial narrative of Muslim against Christian in the preceding civil war. The West congratulated itself, having helped an oppressed group to achieve self-determination. This was balanced by a smattering of negative predictions for the future of the infant state. Yet despite the divergence of opinion, the fanfare and the hyperbole, South Sudan has slipped out of our newspapers.

The past six months have not been uneventful. All of the issues heralded upon South Sudan’s independence remain critical. The relationship with the North remains fraught with tensions. Oil management remains unresolved – while the South has the majority of the oil it can only be exported through the North and there has been no agreement on remuneration. Control of the borderland region of Abyei remains disputed. Infrastructure is non-existent and basic services are almost completely lacking.

Moreover the SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) has found the transition from a guerrilla movement to government predictably difficult. Salva Kiir, the current President, may have been an astute military leader, but he has excluded the powerful and dissatisfied Nuer ethnic group from his Cabinet, which he has instead stuffed with old SPLA soldiers. Accusers maintain that he has turned a blind eye to widespread cabinet corruption. Yet beyond these general issues two new crises represent a particular threat to the new nation.

 If South Sudan did make a brief return to our consciousness, it was over the explosion of violence in Jonglei province. While the SPLA had faced an insurgency by ex-Lt. General George Athor, the violence in Jonglei represented the most serious challenge yet to its authority and ability to maintain peace. Local disputes, mostly between the Lou-Nuer and Murle ethnic groups, erupted into a broader conflict. In the words of young Lou-Nuer fighters, they intended to “invade Murleland and wipe out the entire Murle tribe on the face of the earth”. So far, roaming bands of up to 8000 armed

youths have killed 3000 people, displaced another 140000 and stolen 80,000 cattle. UNMISS, the UN mission in the field, has deployed around half its combat-ready force in collaboration with the South Sudanese government. Recent weeks have seen a quieting of the situation, but tensions remain high. While the UN and Government response has been comparatively decisive and relatively successful, these disturbances in South Sudan’s largest and most populous state highlight its instability. In a way, Jonglei represents a microcosm for the new state. Without animosity to North Sudan to unify them, the South Sudanese now have to turn their attention to renegotiating their relationships within a new nation state.

The other news from the country was the announcement that South Sudan was halting oil production until a settlement over payments with the North could be reached. Talks are ongoing but production remains shut down. While this prompted more sustained interest from the media, a later development was much more unexpected. South Sudan and Sudan signed a “Non Aggression Pact” on 11th February in Addis Ababa. This promised to respect each other’s territorial integrity, though its sincerity might be doubted over contentious area such as Abyei. Some commentators have suggested that this agreement might be a precedent to greater economic unity, ironic given the South’s long struggle to be free.

Yet they may be right. Greater economic integration could make the South economically viable in a way it is currently not. Nonetheless, all of this speculation seems premature. By the 16th February the South was accusing the North of breaking the “Non Aggression Pact” by bombing border towns. This hardly bodes well for the long term seriousness of the pact. It is possible that the agreement does represent both parties’ desire not to pursue outright conflict. But conflict needn’t be overt, and might be pursued through proxy actors; existing secessionist movements in Darfur and the Nile, for the South. Meanwhile the North can renew its cooperation with the LRA in South Sudan. Yet this does not mean that conflict will end. A stable and successful South Sudan represents a threat to North Sudan’s continued territorial integrity due to the encouragement it gives to other secessionist movements around the Sudan. The ongoing low level conflict between South and North has a profoundly negative impact on the South’s ability to focus on its pressing domestic issues.

Six months on from independence the storm clouds of conflict continue to threaten South Sudan, both domestically and internationally. Many of the challenges to Sudan remain identical to those that plagued it six months ago. In one sense this is not surprising, given the magnitude of the difficulties facing the new state. South Sudan’s response to these challenges will have profound consequences for the region. What can be said with certainty is that the military struggle waged for independence by the SPLA from 1983 to 2005 has been the easy part of building South Sudan. All that has become clear over the last six months is the scale of the challenge facing the new nation.

For The Love of Film

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Disney has been pulling out all the stocks to make The Muppets a lucrative franchise again, but was it enough to impress audiences?

Review: Mephisto

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There are plays and then there are plays. Mephisto, the story of a radical cabaret troupe’s struggle for survivial in Nazi Germany, is most definitely the latter.

What strikes me first and foremost about this brilliant production of Mephisto is the attention to detail, construction and effective and imaginative use of the set. It’s superb, and some of the best I have seen, not just in student drama, but in the professional theatre too. It is especially wonderful when we as an audience are able watch performances at the club from behind, as if we were back stage. I don’t know much about lighting, and as a result I dont often comment on it, but even I could appreciate the beautiful brownish tinges to much of the lighting, which bathes the stage in an almost sepia tone. The music is equally as evocative, if not quite as brassy and ‘cabaret’ as I expected. There really is nothing quite like a live band, and the wide range of instruments played as part of the performance add a whole new dimension to it’s intrigue and poignancy, especially for me in the tender dance between Nicoletta and Erika in the first half.

The acting is also very good, though the intensity and dedication to character I feel can still be upped further throughout the run. I was particularly impressed by passion displayed by Richard Hill as Theophile Sarder as well as the impressive comedic talent and inventive energy of those members of the cast starring in the slices of political satire–Joseph Allan, Phillipa Baines, Zoe Bullock, Tim Gibson and Sarah Perry–dotted about the script. A word must also go to Milja Fenger’s direction, which is clean, sophisticated and inspired. I especially appreciate the lack of pretentious pause at the end of dramatic scenes, making the final moments of stillness in the play even more powerful.

I also applaud Milja for taking on a relatively unknown play and bringing it to the biggest venue in Oxford. It’s risky, but discovering new plays is what makes theatre most exciting. Yet it is here, with the play itself, rather than the production, that I am disappointed. The fact that I can sum up the plot line in a sentence at the beginning of this review, I think says it all. It’s the story of persecution in Nazi Germany, torn loyalties, and ultimate travesty, but its one that we have heard and seen framed in this way so many times before. I don’t deny that the period is one of immense importance and that its human cost can never be forgotten. But much has been said already, and to stand out Mephsito needed something to make us as an audience ‘sit up’. No matter how high the production values of this piece are, Mephisto doesn’t have this, and I leave the theatre moved and very much entertained, but ultimately unchanged.

4 stars

Fight the Falklands furore

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Weird as it may seem in the midst of an economic crisis and sweeping changes across the Middle East, the Falkland Islands are back in the headlines. And yes, Argentina still cares about them, quite a lot, in fact. Its government has been tightening the screws on the hapless islanders for a few years now, but the rhetorical onslaught of the past few weeks has been astonishing.

Cristina Kirchner called the place the ‘last refuge of a declining empire’. Really? Britain is clinging on to imperial splendour with a few villages in the southern Atlantic? I doubt anyone in the UK outside of a few dark, dusty corners of the civil service could even find the place on a map before Argentina invaded it. The subject barely makes it onto British curriculums, and is not expounded as a point of national honour worth fighting for. Unlike, dare I say it, in Argentina.

I dislike patriotic ranting in general, but find myself veering uncomfortably close to right-wing diatribe whenever the Falklands issue flares up. It’s hard to relate to the Argentine side of the argument, which places such an insane amount of weight on a such a profoundly meaningless dispute, driven mainly, I suspect, by an inability to face the fact that six hundred Argentines died in a pointless conflict.

It’s not just rhetoric, though; Argentina has been putting the screws on the islands over the past two years. First flights to Argentina were cut off, and now the one direct flight to the mainland, to Chile, which provides the islanders with most of their supplies, is coming under pressure. Then, a move across Latin America to ban ships flying the Falklands flag from entering port. But things really got serious when Argentina ordered its trawlers to aggressively fish the squid stocks on which the Falklands’ economy apparently depends.

Seriously? Restoring national honour by waging a proxy war on squid? That said, the UK has hardly taken the moral high ground; the government deployed Prince William to the islands, which aside from being perhaps the oddest manifestation of the ‘warrior royal’ shtick that has sprung up since we started routinely bombing other countries again, manages to look aggressive and quaintly pathetic in one stroke. It managed to conjure up the old spectre of imperialist Britain and the haughty princes that once ran it, while simultaneously reminding the rest of the world that instead of valiant aristocrats we now have a helicopter pilot kept in the public eye only by tabloid obsession.

This is shaping up to be the most absurd international conflict Britain has got itself involved in since the Cod Wars. (Look them up. They really happened.) Conflict is perhaps the wrong word, as both sides know full well that there is little chance of an actual war breaking out; indeed, the whole tiresome exchange of of diplomatic potshots might have been avoided if the Conservative party had simply ignored it.

That said, Britain may have a chance to lessen tensions somewhat. Argentina has fired up its patriotic engines once again in part because the 30th anniversary of the conflict is not far off, but equally because of Britain’s decision to start drilling for potentially substantial oil deposits near the islands.

Using the Falklands to get a legal foothold on natural resources thousands of miles away from the UK is little absurd. Though technically they may fall within the required distance from the islands coastline, any serious British claim to them is both tenuous and arrogant. In any case, the original (at least public) rationale for defending the islands is their right to choose who rules them, rather than a boost to BP’s share price.

The UK should offer Argentina rights to oil, gas and whatever other valuable fuels they can dredge up out of the depths in return for acknowledgement of the general principle that people have the right to pick their own government. We have no legitimate claim to the resources, and any argument that the islanders themselves need control of deep-sea fossil fuels would be strained at best. Argentina might ignore the suggestion, or get even angrier, but it would at least blunt the accusations of British resource colonialism that have left even America hesitant to oppose Argentina’s claim to the islands.

We’re too often blind to how politically effective even the vaguest tirades against British colonialism still are outside of the UK. In the Falklands, there is an opportunity to blunt those accusations, to be diplomatic, reasonable, and with fewer awkward cameos by princes. It should not be missed.

Oxford University cuts OUCA ties

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After a five month enquiry into the behaviour and administration of Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA), the Proctors have denied the society affiliation with the University for the current academic year.

The decision, made on Wednesday by the Senior Proctor, Laurence Whitehead, will mean that OUCA has retrospectively been officially disassociated with the University of Oxford since the beginning of Michaelmas and can no longer use the word “University” in their title.

This is the second time in recent years that OUCA has had to drop the “U” from their name, the first occurring in 2009 when the University withdrew their affiliation following an incident involving racist jokes being told during hustings.

According to a spokesperson for the University, “[the Senior Proctor’s] decision to deny the Association permission to register with the Proctors at the beginning of the current academic year is a result of the Association’s failure to reach the financial and administrative standards of a recognised student club.”

Miles Coates, current President of OUCA, told Cherwell, “We inherited significant problems this academic year from our predecessors, and we have since worked closely with the Proctors on detailed structural reforms. We obviously regret the Proctor’s decision not to register the Association this year.” 

Oxford University Labour Club Chair, David Butler said that in his view the ruling was fair, commenting “If OUCA have failed to meet the standards set by the Proctors, then it is right that their university affiliation is removed until they meet those standards.” 

One anonymous source, claiming to be a former OUCA officer, alleged, “It seems that there may have been a few financial irregularities in the accounts, mainly in Trinity 2011, which couldn’t be explained.” 

OUCA were the subject of controversy in the national media last term after a video showing one member singing anti-Semitic songs was leaked to the press. The investigation by the Proctors was instigated as a result of the reported behavioural misconduct and sparked a wider inquiry into the state of the Association leading to the decision made this week. 

However, after almost two terms of examination, the Senior Proctor ruled against taking disciplinary action against OUCA. The University Press Office commented that the investigation “determined that no Proctorial disciplinary actions are called for in relation to the specific allegations of misconduct.” 

Despite this, Robin McGhee, former Chair of Oxford University Liberal Democrats and a LibDem candidate in the coming elections, commented that, “OUCA have always been riddled with a rather nasty element of a privileged few, whose extreme opinion is in no way representative of the views of the Conservative voters or party. At the same time, they have apparently consistently demonstrated inability to actually bother to keep their books properly.” 

The problems with OUCA’s records were criticised by the inquiry and led to the Association being disaffiliated with the University. This decision, retrospectively active from the beginning of last Michaelmas, is effective for at least two terms before the society in question can re-apply to the Proctors.   

Coates stated that OUCA will comply with the outcome of the investigation and will attempt to reaffiliate with the University at the beginning of Michaelmas 2012. He commented, “The reforms we initiated leave OUCA with a comparatively rigorous administrative platform and I am optimistic that this will secure our registration on time for Michaelmas 2012.”  

Nina Fischer, President elect of OUCA emphasised the importance of the reforms, telling Cherwell, “My predecessors this academic year and the committee have been working hard to address the administrative concerns we inherited. I believe our reforms leave the society stronger in the long term, and well prepared to deal with any problem cases.” 

Former OULC Chair Colin Jackson commented that, “Regardless of how any of us may feel about their recent high profile actions, if the Proctors are correct in their assessment that OUCA have not kept up their financial records then they are being responded to appropriately.” He also added, “OULC collects dues from our members and proper financial record keeping is an obligation for us.”  

Butler reiterated that the record keeping required by the University of all its associated societies is “not arduous” and “would be done regardless of whether or not the Proctors forced us to do so.” He concluded, “To keep appropriate records is key to running a well-functioning society, such as OULC.” 

The anonymous former OUCA member said, “The Proctors’ investigation was kicked off by the scandal in the student media last term, but it turned into a much wider investigation into OUCA’s administrative procedures between Trinity 2009 and the end of last year.” 

More Oxford graduates are waiters than engineers

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The University has published statistics on graduate employment which reveal that, six months after graduating, more people worked as waiters or bar staff than worked as mechanical or civil engineers. 

Of the students who replied to the sur­vey, 49.5 per cent were in work only, six per cent in study and work, and 31.8 per cent in study only, with 5.9 per cent unemployed. In comparison, the most recent figures suggest that the national graduate un­employment rate is currently 20 per cent while the general national rate is 8.4.

Will Heard who graduated from Jesus in 2010 commented, “Oxford graduate un­employment is only just below unemploy­ment rate in the UK. Shocking.”

The director of the Oxford University Careers Service, Jonathan Black, told Cher­well that one reason for a lower unemploy­ment rate than the national average is that Oxford students are a “Highly desirable group of people, sought out by employers. They have fabulous transferable skills.” 

However, Black added that employers, “Do mark Oxford students down on team­work and business awareness.” 

Emily Jamieson, a 2010 history graduate from Jesus, commented, “At other univer­sities far fewer people are going to choose to keep on studying, or even have the op­tion available to them. So the fact Oxford has low unemployment is maybe more a reflection of people carrying on study than being able to go straight out and find work.”

Those studying medical sciences were most likely to find a job six months after leaving university, with only 2.2 per cent of them unemployed, none of whom were undergraduate medics. In the humanities, this figure jumps up to 7.8 per cent, with 13 per cent of graduates from the Oriental Studies Faculty unemployed.

While Magdalen had only 2.4 per cent of students claiming to be unemployed, Mansfield has the highest unemployment rate of 10 per cent.

 

 

However, Susanna Elliott, an Orien­tal Studies student from Mansfield, commented, “I’m not particularly worried about my employment pros­pects – which degrees are most val­ued come and go in phases. Having a good degree from Oxford, in what­ever subject, is still a solid basis for gaining employment.” 

Joshua Felberg, another Mansfield student reading Oriental Studies, commented, “While I am confident about my prospects in the future, I am worried that this disparity be­tween colleges comes down to nep­otism within other colleges. An Oxford degree should be worth the same whatever college it is from.” 

According to the report, science undergraduate students were the best paid, with materials scien­tists claiming an average salary of £35,300. Those who graduated from the English Faculty were the worst paid, with an average salary of £18,700. 

Univ English student, Louise Car­ey, commented, “I’m taking this de­gree because I love the subject rather than because I think it will land me a great job. I find English fascinating and rewarding so I wouldn’t say it’s been useless to me. If I’d wanted to maximise my employability I would have taken PPE or something.” 

Keble undergraduates had an av­erage salary of £35,900 six months after leaving, whereas those who graduated from Wadham were paid an average of £20,700. The college with the most students going on to further study is Merton, at 54.3 per cent. New College had the highest percentage of undergraduates find­ing employment, with 59.6 per cent of all students securing a job six months after leaving. 

The largest employer of Oxford students is the NHS, which employed 281 graduates over the last three years. Oxford University employed 266 six months after their gradua­tion. Thereafter, the major employ­ers are financial services firms such as Deloitte, PwC and Deutsche Bank. 

40 per cent of those with under­graduate degrees earned less than the student loan repayment thresh­old of £21,000. 

Considering graduates of both graduate and non-graduate degrees, 51 per cent of humanities students were paid less than this figure, whereas only 15 per cent of the Medi­cal Sciences division had a salary less than this. 

The figures also highlighted a sig­nificant gender divide in salary lev­els. In the Social Sciences, 62 per cent of male undergraduate students earn the median wage of £24,500, whereas only 37 per cent of female students earn that amount sixth months after graduating. 

Marta Szczerba, a 2011 PPE gradu­ate from St John’s, and now a man­agement consultant, claimed that there was “a definite advantage” from studying at Oxford. She as­serted that many companies only visit Oxbridge, LSE and Imperial so students from those universities are much more likely to be employed in those services. She also said that an Oxford education was a “signal” to employers, making Oxford students “more credible candidates”. 

She added, “I think the job situa­tion was much better for those in my year who got a job in third year, even for industries such as banking and management consultancy. Those of my friends who did not find work in third year are finding it a lot harder to get a job now.” 

Matthew Robinson, a 2008 Law graduate who was employed by McKinsey after leaving Oxford and then co-founded a technology com­pany, commented, “I think Oxford graduates have the same level of workplace-related skills as other graduates. However, it does give a huge advantage in how employers perceive you. 

“There is an increasing value in technology skills which make busi­nesses more efficient, and degrees which give these skills or rigorous maths-based skills are more valu­able. The exception to this is PPE, which employers believe gives a suit­ably broad skill-set.” 

Oliver Moody, a journalist who graduated last year from St Anne’s, said, “I think it is easier for Oxford students to find jobs – as long as they focus. If you know what you want to do, build up a half-decent CV and think hard about where you want to go after university. You can make an Oxford degree work for you.” 

However he continued, “There were a lot of people who just assumed that an Oxford degree would magi­cally confer a perfect, well-paid job without any real effort or thought. They didn’t do so well. There are a lot of hungry, focused students at less prestigious universities who are serious competitors in the market­place, and, as employers are increas­ingly looking for the finished article, they have the edge over Oxford stu­dents who don’t get around to look­ing beyond university. 

He added, “Of my friends from Oxford, about half have just started white-collar professional jobs, and the other half are still living with their parents.” 

Man arrested for knocking woman off her bike

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A 42 year old man has been arrested after a cyclist was knocked off her bike in Cowley. The 25 year old cyclist was struck by a brown Jaguar heading towards the city centre. The collision happened near the Hobgoblin pub on Cowley Road on Saturday February 11th at around 8pm.

The driver failed to stop after the crash, and Thames Valley Police have arrested him on suspicion of driving while unfit through drink. He has been bailed until March 11th.

The cyclist suffered cuts and bruising and was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital as a precaution for possible back injuries.

Georgina Brooke, of St Hilda’s, who was also knocked off her bike recently, told Cherwell that the problems cyclists have on Cowley road are due to a number of factors. “There are lots of traffic islands which are supposed to control the flow of traffic, but motorists try to overtake cyclists through these traffic control measures. There are also a number of pedestrian crossings of all types, as well as a lot of side streets. Also, pedestrians sometimes pose a hazard.”

Stabbing arrests

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A 22-year-old man has been left in hospital after suffering multiple stab wounds to his arm and stomach following an attack on St Clement’s street on Sunday 12th February.

The incident, which took place at around 1am, was thought to have happened after a fight between the victim and two other men, who have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and released on bail until April. 
Investigating officer Detective Con Craig Burchall, of Force CID in Oxford, said, ‘We now know there was a large disturbance involving at least five men, which originated in York Place and moved into St Clement’s Street at about 1am. Several witnesses have already come forward, but I am appealing to anyone who saw men fighting in this area at that time to come forward.’
The St Clement’s area has a high student population from both Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. Katrii Piparinen, a second year student at Mansfield who lives near St Clement’s, commented, ‘I’m of course shocked to hear that a stabbing took place near where I live. However, I have never personally felt unsafe living in Cowley. I think the main thing that students can do is just to be sensible by not walking home alone late at night and being willing to pay for taxis when necessary.’
However, this view is not shared by everyone. One second year student expressed desire to move away from the St Clement’s area, saying, ‘I really hate it here – you hear about incidents of this kind every week and there is none of the safety I felt living in the city centre. I can’t wait to get back into college accommodation – my experience of living out has not been very enjoyable.’