OUSU Council passed a motion on Wednesday declaring that the regulations for subfusc should be made gender neutral.

Proposed by LGBTQ Executive Officer, Jess Pumphrey, the move highlights the issue that current transgender or gender confused students face when it comes to subfusc regulations. It is currently stated in University regulations that students must dress in a way “appropriate to their sex.”

Pumphrey told Cherwell, “It’s a small change that will make a number of students’ exam experience significantly less stressful by eliminating the need for trans students to cross-dress to avoid being confronted by invigilators or disciplined during their exam.”

She added, “It shouldn’t affect anyone else. I am hopeful that the university will adopt the proposal, especially since it has now been supported by OUSU.’

The motion passed without opposition at this week’s OUSU Council Meeting and will now be taken to the University for consideration.

Gail Bartlett, transgender rep for the Oxford LGBTQ Society called the proposals “much more inclusive” and commented, “Gender-specific policies by design are often an issue for trangender people, firstly because they entirely exclude people who do not identify as any gender (or more than one), and secondly because their enforcement relies upon a judgement call by an authority on the subject’s gender, presumably based upon their appearance. This is highly worrying for transgender students, who do not need the additional stress of whether they will be ‘challenged’ on their gender during exams.”

Former LGBTQ Executive Officer Katie Colliver, of University College, also supports the move, stating that discussions have been going on for some time about this topic. She told Cherwell, “Subfusc rules were being discussed by the LGBTQ Campaign whilst I was LGBTQ Officer last Michaelmas and I have heard first-hand from students who have experienced difficulties with the current policy. I am glad that Jess has been pursuing the matter and fully support the proposed changes.”

Student opinion seems divided. Benson Egwuonwu, JCR President at St Catz, agrees, commenting, “I think it’s a really positive step forwards in helping transgender people in the student community – they should be allowed to wear what they want.”

However some students feel the motion has ‘taken political correctness too far.’

One third year Law student commented, “This seems a bit unnecessary – it only applies to a tiny percentage of the student population and it seems unlikely that the a trans student would really be confronted by the Proctors about what they are wearing. This seems to be a further example of the politically correct society we now live in.”

Andrew Pickett, a 2nd year from St Catz added, “Although I wholeheartedly agree with the principle of the motion, I am not certain how this will be regarded by the University, when more pressing matters such as tuition fees require revision by the Governing Body. Surely this could be something of a distraction from more important issues.”

The proposal will be put to the University authorities and a decision will be made over the coming months.

After a turbulent LGBT History Month in Oxford, Lady Margaret Hall hosted a discussion on “corrective therapy” this Wednesday.

The event, entitled “Pray the Gay Away?” encouraged students to “Hear from two men who’ve tried and failed” the controversial practice, which seeks to rid homosexuals of homoerotic desires.

The discussion focused on the experiences of two individuals described by organisers as having a “fascinating personal connection with the issue.”

The first, Patrick Strudwick, was a “multi-award-winning journalist and columnist,” who famously authored an exposé of corrective therapy in the Independent. His reporting led to a high-profile case in which his “therapist” was found guilty of professional malpractice.

The second speaker was an administrative worker in the University who had “experienced corrective therapy for 2 years in his late twenties.” Both he and Strudwick discussed their personal experiences with the practice, and focused in particular on the “impact” it had on their lives.

A representative of the LMH event noted that both speakers offered “a unique perspective on the topic,” adding, “Patrick Strudwick approached the practice with the view of exposing how this ‘therapy’ is offered in the UK. His ground-breaking reporting led to a greater awareness of the practice and its prevalence despite the fact that it’s been banned by the main accreditation agencies.”

He continued, “Our second speaker turned to his Church pastor when he was in his twenties and in need of reassurance and support towards his sexuality. Instead he was subjected to two years of ‘corrective therapy’ which left a profound effect on his life.”

The issue of corrective therapy has been the cause of much controversy this term, after it emerged that Exeter College was to host an event run by Christian Concern, a group which advocates such therapy.

Owen Alun John, an LMH undergraduate behind the event, was confident that the discussion would “give a voice to some who haven’t spoken yet – ordinary gay people who’ve been through this, first-hand.” He added that he hoped the event had exposed “what this practice really involves – the exploitation of vulnerable people by reinforcing negative feelings towards their sexuality.”

Alun John explained the “aim” behind the event as a desire to “debunk the corrective therapy myth by offering a unique opportunity to hear directly from two men who’ve been through it.” He also noted that it had the full support of all members of the college, stating, “The event had unanimous support in college, from the Principal herself through to ordinary JCR and MCR members.”

He continued, “We’ve heard a lot in the University and national media recently from those who promote and practice this discredited ‘therapy;’ they’ve shared their pseudoscience and outright lies about how this practice is a great thing, has no harmful effects, and is just what many lonely and closeted gay Christians need.”

He concluded, “This ‘therapy’ doesn’t make you happy or healthy, and as the Royal College of Psychiatrists has held, it is a “deeply damaging” experience with “no evidence of success””.
Caspar Bullock, a first year student at LMH, described the event as a “fascinating” and “much needed discussion,” adding, “It’s great that LMH have been able to host such an event and have welcomed two speakers who both shared very personal experiences.”

The event was funded by LMH JCR and SCR following a unanimous decision in favour of the motion during last week’s JCR meeting.

Students have staged a protest at the Radcliffe Camera to show solidarity to the growing numbers of homeless asylum seekers in the UK.

Around 40 members of Amnesty International and Student Action for Refugees (STAR) slept rough on the lawn of the Rad Cam on Saturday.

This was part of an action week organized by a wider campaign, Still Human Still Here, which is a coalition of over 50 organisations who campaign to improve the treatment of asylum seekers, and have a nationwide action week in February each year.

Organizer of the Amnesty/STAR sleepout Joe Shields  explained, “Our main aim is for the government to allow asylum seekers to get a job if their case has not been resolved after six months.”

Other objectives of the Still Human Still Here group include providing the right degree of protection for asylum seekers as well as free healthcare. Shields continued, “Even when the UK grants asylum seekers refugee status they are refused the right to work and have to survive on £5 a day. Some are not given refugee status even though it is judged that it is unsafe for them to return home. With no other option these refused asylum seekers have to live on the streets with no support.”

In light of this, some students have taken their solidarity movement further and attempted to live on £5 a day.

Sarah Pine, a protester at the Rad Cam, said, “Refugees are treated as criminals. They are given no right to work, no certainty to remain and no chance of a future. It is no surprise that such high numbers of asylum seekers end up on the streets.”

Tilly Hill, a second year at St. Anne’s who also protested at the Rad Cam, said, “Media coverage of the issues surrounding asylum is largely negative; little attention is paid to the adversity and hardships experienced by asylum seekers. I think it’s really important to speak out on behalf of those whose voices are not often heard, draw attention to the problems and push for these changes.”

Brasenose college student Emma Plews commented, “The Rad Cam was a great location and lots of people stopped by to ask why we were there so hopefully we’ve spread the message a bit further.”

The protests come in the wake of studies revealing that the number of homeless people in the UK has risen by over a fifth and, of this number, over half are non-UK nationals.
Campsfield House, an Immigration Removal Centre 6 miles out of Oxford city centre, has been the target of an 18 year long campaign, called ‘Close Campsfield.’

There are 216 inmates at Campsfield House. Asylum seekers, or those seeking this status, are held there without charge and without proper access to legal representation for an indefinite period of time. According to Amnesty International, this is a serious breach of internationally recognized human rights.

‘Close Campsfield’ describes Campsfield House as a “prison.” Its closure has also been called by local trade unions, the Oxford & District Trades Union Council, student, faith and human rights organisations.

According to the Close Campsfield website, in 1998 the Oxford Mail said that “Campsfield is an abomination to human rights in that it presumes guilt from the outset.”

Bill Mackeith, spokesperson for Close Campsfield, said, “In 2002, the Home Secretary announced that he would close Campsfield because it was ‘not fit for the 21st century’. He reversed that announcement after the 14 February 2002 fire at Yarl’s Wood created an unplanned reduction in detention places.”

Members of STAR have been going to these protests by bike and bus for the last few months and, according to STAR member Rebecca Sparrow, “hopefully will continue to do so.”

Oxford University chiefs have noted that there are problems with current Freedom of Information laws, after being inundated with over 40 requests for information about a course from a failed applicant.

The University told a Parliamentary inquiry into FoI that the Freedom of Information Act provided insufficient protection from ‘vexatious’ requests such as the one by this student.
Oxford remarked that this case demonstrates that FOI laws, which ensure the public has the right to access information held by public authorities, should change.

A University spokesperson stated, ‘A lot of the current problems come from how many people use FoI to go on ‘fishing expeditions’ rather than making carefully considered and specific requests.’

The University received 330 FoI requests in 2011, compared to just 185 in 2005 when the Freedom of Information Act came into force. The spokesperson noted that just under a third of all requests have come from student journalists, with other requesters being the national press, special interest groups or ordinary members of the public.

However they stated that these requests can often appear trivial, commenting, ‘People should bear in mind that FoI uses up University resources and that material very similar to their request is often already publically available online.’

Merton College Dphil student Chong Chen disagreed with the university’s stance, saying, ‘I don’t see how this extreme example is a well-grounded reason to change the system. Honestly, I don’t even see 330 requests as a lot to handle.’ He added that the most requests are probably honest, and that this angry applicant was probably just a ‘nutter.’

First year PPEist Angus Barry agreed, stating, ‘My impression is that FoIs have done a lot of good and it would be difficult to change the laws about them to accurately remove those which are just wasting time.’

Law student Abigail Bridger added, ‘[Vexatious requests] are an inconvenience, but a trivial one compared to the other things that the Freedom of Information laws protect.’

A 45 year old Oxford student could compete in the 2012 Varsity boat race.

James Ditzell, an Australian and a masters student at Pembroke college where he studies Management, competed on behalf of his home country at the under-23 world championships in 1989 before many of his team-mates were even born; the rest of the team are comparative youngsters, with an average age of just 23.7. The second oldest is Justin Webb at 30 years old.

The President of the squad, Karl Hudspith, told Cherwell, “When James arrived on the first day it surprised me to see someone so old having a go at trialling for the blue boat. Initially I didn’t think he would last long, but he surprised us all by pulling a very impressive ergo score in the first week, beating many who were half his age.”

He continued, “Unfortunately age does have a cost, and an untimely rib injury that kept him off the water for six weeks dealt a big blow to his selection chances. However, even if James is not in one of the crews on race day, he has shown great character and determination to last the whole way through the season and complete the training program.”

Rowing is a notoriously demanding sport, requiring power as well as endurance, and can be challenging for more senior athletes. However, the maintenance of a good level of training can keep older competitors at their peak for far longer than previously thought.

Were Ditzell to be chosen to compete in the final team of eight, he would set a new record for the oldest rower to compete in the Varsity Boat race in the history of its 158 contests. The record is currently held by Mike Wherley, an Oxford student who competed at the age of 36 in 2008. The oldest overall competitor is  Andy Probert, who coxed for Cambridge at 38 years old in 1992.

The race will take place on the River Thames on April 7th 2012.

Pembroke Boat Club burned their boat on Wednesday as part of the traditional celebrations for winning Torpids.

Pembroke’s first Men’s Eight bumped the Christchurch on the first day of Torpids and maintained headship throughout the four-day competition.

The captain of the Pembroke boat, Austin Elwood, commented that it had been an “exceptional effort by the team.” When asked about the tradition of the burning of the boat, he said that it was something that “could only happen in Oxford.”

The Pembroke men’s crew last got to the Head of the River in 2009, but they were bumped before the end of the competition. Several rowers from the 2009 crew came to watch this year’s men succeed. Both male and female Pembroke crews also qualified to represent Oxford at the Henley Boat Races where they will compete against the fastest college boats from Cambridge.

The burning of the boat took place at 6.30pm on Wednesday in Pembroke’s North Quad. Around 100-200 people turned up to watch the traditional ceremony with one Pembroke finalist commenting, “It was an incredible thing to watch. I felt so proud.”