Oxford students have complained of excessive promotion by members of the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, as part of ‘Mission Week’.

A student at Exeter College described a “constant stream” of religious literature posted to students, and told Cherwell that he suspected his atheism and involvement with the LGBT may have had a role to play in his targeting. “I had a seventh copy of the gospels of St. John forced upon me today,” he explained, and added, “The misdirected resources of Mission Week have had no impact on me.”

Robbie Strachan, President of the OICCU, stressed the inclusivity of the society, encouraging students of any denomination or faith to attend lunch-time talks and events running throughout fourth week at the town hall. He told Cherwell “’This is Jesus’ is a week of events for every single student in the university to engage with the real Jesus. That means that meetings are open for all students to attend, irrespective of their personal convictions.”

He added, “We’d encourage people to come and see what all the fuss is about.”

In response to OICCU’s campaign tactics some students have produced rival posters and fliers with varying degrees of gravity. One particularly contentious poster listed several different gods with the “This is…” tag and featured quotes from prominent atheists claiming that organised religion is synonymous with “misogyny, genocide and homophobia.”  

The more light-hearted responses to the CU campaign include a list of cheeses entitled “This is cheesus” which was distributed in all University College toilets, and a series of labels found around St Hugh’s with declarations such as “this is kitchen” and “this is lamp.”

Regent’s Park College, a PPH affiliated with the Christian Baptist Ministry, reportedly had a ‘This is Jesus’ poster graffitied to read, ‘This is SPARTA’ in their JCR. Other parodies featured on Facebook show that students have gone so far as to create ‘This is Penis’ parodies of the poster complete with a silhouetted phallus. 

Second year PPEist Ben Deaner, creator of the ‘This is Penis’ meme told Cherwell of his motives, claiming, ‘As an atheist I have not yet ‘found God’ and as such you can imagine my excitement upon finding a poster labeled ‘This is Jesus’. After some enthusiastic shouting about how I had at last encountered my Lord and Savior I was politely informed that the object was in fact a poster and that the message was some kind of metaphor. In my disappointment and anger I created the ‘This is Penis’ poster.’

Not all are offended by the efforts of OICCU however with one anonymous student claiming, ‘I like that they’re making the effort to reach out to us, even if it can be a little over-enthusiastic at times. They mean well and I find the appeal of free lunches and toasties on demand pretty convincing in return for a half hour of pleasant talk.’

A first year student at New College commented, “Although I understand that the Christian Union is well meaning, the indiscriminate dissemination of ‘This is Jesus’ books seems to be nothing other than an explicit attempt to convert non-believers. I – and almost all others to whom I have spoken – have reacted against this, as it seems inappropriate in a diverse society in which we should all be entitled to our own views and beliefs.

“As someone who is Jewish and is open about this, I find really quite offensive the insinuation in the quotation attached to the book that “the truth will set you free,” implying that as a non-Christian I am somehow in chains, not emancipated, and destined for hell. Once again, I realise that there is no malicious intent behind the actions of the CU, and in general most people appreciate the philanthropic works of the Union, but I felt this was somewhat misguided.”

Second year Alexander Lynchehaun remarked, “Christians are annoying at the best of times, but this week has been something else.”

Oxford City Council has announced that it will scrap “prohibited streets” for street traders, prompting mixed reactions from Oxford residents.

Currently, traders such as kebab vans can only do business on designated streets, but some have argued that the changes will open up all of Oxford to licensed vendors. This potential for an increase in the number of kebab vans has caused resentment among their owners. One claimed that “more vans are a really bad idea, whoever came up with that idea is bloody stupid.”

He pointed to alleged antagonism between Hussain’s and the now absent Organic Burger Van on St. Giles as evidence of the risks of too many vans. Hassan and Hussain were in agreement that they are struggling already due to a combination of the nearby Tesco and Sainsbury’s, and later opening hours for outlets such as McDonalds and KFC. Hassan stated,  ‘I don’t want four weeks holiday, but I have to take it, as we’re just here for students. No students – no work.”

Among students, reactions were far more positive. One first year commented, “Before I came to Oxford I’d had one or two kebabs, now they’re practically all I eat, bring on the bonanza!”

Henry Blauth, a third year Classicist, said, “I fully endorse the celebrated marriage of my two favourite things – kebabs and free market capitalism. I think that this is an opportunity for the crap kebab vans to fall by the wayside – how Hussain’s withstood the full frontal Brazilian assault of the incredible Organic Burger Van I’ll never know, although it’s probably because they didn’t sell chips for ages. They misjudged the market. 

‘Hopefully the abolition of this frankly medieval by-law will unleash the doors to more portable eating establishments like the sorely missed Organic Burger Van. Who wouldn’t want to choose between Fred Wurst sausages on one side and Pork Sword hog roast on the other? Sounds like seventh heaven.”

Samuel Rabinowitz, a third year at Balliol, took a more philosophical approach. He said, “Imagine if Moses and the Israelites had kebab vans when they were wandering around the desert. It would have been much more hygienic than that food from the sky, some of which probably fell on the floor, which was presumably sandy. I applaud Oxford City Council for looking after their Chosen People so well.”

Christ Church and Pembroke Colleges, St Aldate’s Church and Commonwealth House have all opposed the move by Oxford City Council. A spokesperson for St. Aldate’s Church explained that they “weren’t happy with the way trading was going on”, especially as the location of one van is “very close to a number of working buildings.” He pointed out that people worship in the church most weekday evenings and that there are often people blocking the exit owing to  the “great big generator in the way.”

However, Councillor Colin Cook denied that the changes would lead to the feted ‘bonanza’. He commented, “We are not proposing to increase the number of street trading pitches currently available and therefore I am not expecting any increase in the number of vans.” Instead, he explained that the changes targeted “problems related to residents not being able to park outside their own homes because a few individuals were effectively using the main road in East Oxford as a garage forecourt running a business selling second hand cars.”

Though he noted that there was an “ongoing issue” for Pembroke and Christ Church over the location of a particular van, he said this was being dealt with, as Council Officers are searching for other possible sites.

Changes to the referral system for the University Counselling Service have caused concern amongst students this week. It has emerged that the number of sessions offered by the service will be dramatically cut this term.

Previously, students who were referred, either by staff members or themselves, would be assigned a counsellor, with whom they would meet and decide on the best course of action. If it was established that they would benefit from weekly sessions, then these would take place without any further assessment.

However, owing to the strain placed on resources at this time of year, the service has changed its policy. Instead of initially offering ongoing counselling, students will be given just two sessions, before having to “re-refer” themselves and then wait to be allocated support again.

Alan Percy, Head of the Counselling Service, explained that the measure is necessary to give everyone the best chance of access to the service. He commented, “The beginning of Hilary term is always the busiest time of year for the counselling service in every university. As a temporary measure, we have introduced a system guaranteeing an initial session with a follow-up session for those students who can be helped with a brief intervention, as we want to see as many students as possible before the end of term. This measure has been introduced in previous Hilary terms and has proved to be successful in bringing down waiting times.”

He added, “The service will continue to see students for on-going support. Where this is needed and appropriate, students will also be offered support through the service’s group work provision and self-help resources.”The Counselling Service is one of a number of support systems that are in place for students at Oxford. The services offered include one-to-one counselling, group counselling, self-help guidance and workshops. Where appropriate, there is also liaison with GPs and other professionals.

The recent change has elicited a mixed response from the student population. The main concern is that those students who are most vulnerable are going to be left without the help that they need, simply due to a lack of resources. One such student, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “I’m really disappointed about this development in the counselling service. Last term I was having weekly sessions and felt like they were really helping, but when I started a new set of sessions with a different counsellor this term, I was told I could only have one more after. I feel really let down by this, and I just can’t afford to pay for counselling privately. I don’t think people understand how important this is, I’m genuinely really worried about not having access to the help that I need.”

However, Kirstie Mok, Women’s Welfare rep at St Catz, focused more on the strain that can be placed on these services, commenting, “I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, especially if they feel they wouldn’t be able to cope with the number of referrals otherwise. There will always be the danger of someone slipping through the net and not getting follow-up counselling after the two appointments, but given the experience and training of the people who work at the Counselling Service, I don’t think this is likely to happen. It sounds like they are just going to make better use of all the other support networks and resources available.”

One second year student commented, “If this is a question of resources, then the University surely needs to look at what it can do financially to help. Leaving students without adequate support in the ‘pressure cooker’ that is Oxford is a dangerous thing to do. If they want students to excel academically, then they have to support them.”

The international reputation of British universities is under fire, according to figures released this week by UCAS.

The year 2011, according to these statistics, saw a drop of 11% in applications for British universities from within the European Union.

Though the number of international applicants to British universities is still on the rise, the decline in EU-based applicants could have disastrous consequences: Consultancy firm London Economics estimates that £5.66bn could be lost in revenue from fees in the next decade. Failure to recruit international students could also lead indirectly to a loss of £2.3bn in the British economy.

Several factors have contributed to the declining popularity of British universities amongst students in the EU. For the first time this year, applicants from the European Union are facing the new tuition fees of £9,000 a year, with the result that many European students are choosing to study in their countries of residence. In addition, it would seem that immigration crackdowns and negative publicity are discouraging potential foreign applicants.

At the University of Oxford, foreign students constitute a greater proportion of the undergraduate body than the national average: At Oxford, 15% of undergraduates are international students; the national average is 12%. Oxford, it seems, retains its appeal for foreign students, who comprise over a third of the university’s student body, some 7,500 students.

Jakub Warmuz, a first year computer scientist from Poland, spoke to Cherwell about his reasons for applying to Oxford, emphasising the university’s enduring reputation as an internationally-acclaimed hub of intellectual activity, “I’ve chosen Oxford because I’ve always dreamed of studying here, since my first visit to the UK, when I was about 11. Actually, I was so determined to study here that I didn’t even apply for any university in Poland.

“I applied because of Oxford’s worldwide reputation and everyday opportunities to meet world specialists in any field” he said. “I also wanted to meet people from different parts of the globe, to exchange opinions, to build up my knowledge of different cultures, and possibly arrange some international business after graduating. It’s not that it’s not possible in Polish universities, but the percentage of international students in Polish universities is incomparable to that in Oxford”.

Though Warmuz was enthusiastic on the possibilities with which Oxford provided him, he also commented on the obstacles international students might face, “Some students don’t want to leave their friends and family in their native country. Also, a lot of people don’t believe in English skills, and don’t even consider studying abroad because of an assumption that they’ll fail linguistically”.

Research by scientists from Oxford and Exeter universities, published this week, has shed new light on the cause of a series of ice ages that affected the earth 475 million years ago.

Until now, it has been assumed that global cooling began 200 to 300 million years ago with the emergence of large plants with large rooting systems. This new research reveals a significant change in climate occurring 100 million years earlier in the Ordovician Period (488-444 million years ago), due to the emergence of the first land plants.

Where a rise in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere causes an increase in temperature, a decrease results in the cooling of the climate. Scientists claim that the interaction of the first land plants with rocks resulted in a significant decrease in the carbon dioxide levels due to silicate weathering – the process by which mosses extract nutrients from rock formations by dissolving them with acid, leading to carbon dioxide reacting with the rocks and being removed from the atmosphere. The expansion of non-vascular plants (mosses) around 475 million years ago may therefore have accelerated this chemical weathering, causing a fall in atmospheric carbon dioxide and triggering formation of the polar ice caps.

Professor Liam Dolan from University of Oxford Department of Plant Sciences, one of scientists involved in the research, told Cherwell, “The most important message is that the invasion of the land by plants, a pivotal time in the history of the planet, brought about huge climate changes. It should also remind us that the removal of large areas of the world’s vegetation, which act as carbon stores, will increase atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and cause dramatic climate change.”

Third year Earth Scientist Tom Phelan commented, “Currently climate change is a global problem and scientific research into previous climatic events is not only important for the scientific community but also for the global community.” He added, “The recent discovery is important as it is clear evidence for the world to see that deforestation and removing plants from the Earth’s surface is only going to enhance the rate of climate change.”

Timothy Lenton from Exeter University, who headed the team of researchers, added, “Although plants are still cooling the Earth’s climate by reducing the atmospheric carbon levels, they cannot keep up with the speed of today’s human-induced climate change. It would take millions of years for plants to remove current carbon emissions from the atmosphere.”