One Worcester student had a different kind of tree in their house this Christmas.

Eleanor Wilkinson, a third-year classicist, was awoken on the 13th December by a huge beech tree falling through the roof during a storm. She described a “deafening crash which shook the whole house.”

The tree fell into her parents’ bedroom, landing on the side of the bed where Wilkinson’s mother usually slept. She was away on the night but her father was taken to hospital, having suffered severe damage to his ear.

The family were moved out of their home while surveyors were stabilising it with scaffolding, though they eventually did return. Having found the house cramped and stressful, however, she decided to return to Oxford early.

Wilkinson told Cherwell that it had been “a terrifying experience.” She stated, “It was all fairly surreal and I felt quite shaken up for a week or so.” The incident has also affected her Oxford work, as the student has since been unable to access her books and has taken time out to help clean-up the house.

Despite the negatives, the Worcester student said that she was grateful that there were no more severe injuries, and that her mother was away in London, stating: “I hate to imagine how much worse it could have been had this not been the case”. She even found a positive from the incident and its subsequent reporting in The Sun, posting a link on Facebook remarking, “it isn’t everyday you pose for the Sun in your pyjamas.”

The St Hilda’s College administration has been accused this week of causing much of the college’s MCR committee to resign, after various members left their positions prematurely at the end of last term.

MCR committee members at St Hilda’s are normally elected in Trinity term, and carry out their roles for a full year. However, seven members of the 2011-12 committee, including the President, Vice-President and Treasurer, announced their resignations in November, having served for just one term.

A member of the St Hilda’s MCR, speaking to Cherwell this week and claiming to be “familiar with the events that happened last term”, alleged that these resignations were the result of an ongoing conflict between the MCR and SCR.

The MCR member, who wished to remain anonymous, said that conflict arose after disagreement surrounding an MCR cocktails event, which had been scheduled to take place in St Hilda’s MCR on Guy Fawkes Night but was cancelled shortly beforehand.

The MCR member’s account of events suggested that college authorities stopped the cocktails from taking place, on the grounds that the MCR, as they saw it, had not followed correct procedure in arranging them.

The member claimed that “This event fuelled a state of confusion within the MCR, as the MCR was no longer sure of what the college rules were for running events”, and also criticised the college Dean, Dr Margaret Kean, claiming that when asked about the rules “she gave snippy remarks and avoided answering.”

The MCR member continued by alleging that meetings were held following the incident between MCR and SCR representatives, but that “no resolution was reached in the course of those meetings, as it seemed that the SCR was unwilling to hear the other side or make any concessions.”

The member gave an account of events leading up to the seven committee resignations, saying, “It was quite apparent that events had reached a stage in which the MCR Committee and the college administration were no longer able to work together.

“This breakdown exhibited itself as the administration’s breaking of agreed protocols, the administration’s unwillingness to communicate new rules to the committee, and the administration’s unwillingness to take steps to resolve the contention between the committee and its representatives.

“Given these circumstances, the MCR Committee felt that they were no longer able to work in an environment where what had been agreed upon was randomly changed, while the new rules were not being communicated.”

However, the source criticised the manner in which the resignations were handled, saying, “The resignations were poorly announced. The MCR body was not made aware of the underlying problem with College (only the committee knew what was going on). Likewise, the college was not officially informed of the reason why the MCR committee was resigning.”

The St Hilda’s JCR President, Sarah Finch, though not endorsing this version of events, seemed to accept the notion that some kind of conflict with the SCR was to blame for the multiple resignations, telling Cherwell, “I can’t really comment on the details of what happened, but I understand that it was a clash with college. It’s a shame that things went to such extremes, but a new committee has been elected now, so that is good news, as Hilda’s has a really strong graduate community.”

By contrast, those MCR committee members who resigned last term have offered alternative explanations. In a joint email, they told Cherwell that they left the committee “principally in relation to time commitments”, saying, “These were all roles that people had taken on in Trinity term last year, before knowing their schedules and commitments for 2011-12.”

They denied that the MCR cocktails were cancelled by the college against the MCR’s will, saying that the decision not to hold the drinks was due to the fact that they coincided with a memorial event for Chao Cao, an engineering fresher at St Hilda’s who died in tragic circumstances last term.

Outgoing committee members also refuted the claim that “the MCR Committee and the college administration were no longer able to work together”, claiming that they continued to organise “events planned both prior to and following the cocktail party, and which were, where relevant, agreed with College.”

One resigning member, speaking individually, added, “There were some misunderstandings and miscommunication between the MCR and college but certainly nothing sensational. As one of the members who chose to resign, I can assure you that my decision entirely based on
time constraints as I explained at the college and MCR committee at the time.”

Dr Georgina Paul, Tutor for Graduates at St Hilda’s, echoed the account of outgoing committee members, and suggested that relations between the MCR and SCR are now healthy, saying, “Communication channels between the MCR and the relevant College officers are functioning excellently as the incoming MCR President and her team set about organising a schedule of events for the forthcoming term.”

The Dean and the Tutor for Graduates issued a joint statement, saying, ‘The College is grateful for the hard work of the outgoing Committee members and is looking forward to working with the current MCR Committee this term.’

An Oxford councillor reviewing a bid for the construction of 26 student flats in East Oxford has labelled some complaints against the bid ‘frankly offensive.’ Tony Brett, a councillor for Carfax Ward and Chairman of its Planning Review Committee, said that the language used in emails to him sounded ‘horribly like the racism of the 60s, the homophobia of the 80s and the sexism of the 70s.’

He cited emails from residents claiming that students ‘are incapable of talking quietly or without using offensive language in every sentence […]along with continuously playing loud music.’ Another email from a resident said that the ‘community is being destroyed and controlled by the universities and their students.’

Mr Brett, an alumnus of Corpus Christi, said, ‘It is very dangerous to start making assumptions about people’s behaviour based on who they are rather than what they do. There has always been a bit of ‘town/gown’ tension in Oxford and I suspect there always will be.

‘It’s true to say that student numbers have increased quite significantly in the last five to ten years but I don’t believe that should be any reason for all people in Oxford not to be able to get on with each other and live in harmony. We hear about resident/student battles but my view is that students are also residents and as much a part of the community as everyone else.’

Ed Chipperfield, Chairman of the nearby James Street Residents’ Association, criticised Mr Brett’s choice of comparison. ‘Residents, including students, should feel free to raise objections to planning or voice criticism about how their environment is managed. Tony has carelessly abused the trust that people place in him as a councillor by ridiculing people’s honest opinions in a public arena.’

He pointed out some tensions in his area, saying, ‘There are a few issues that everyone agrees need tackling. We have a real problem with antisocial behaviour, particularly late at night and especially after Fuzzy Duck’s at the O2. I can’t speak for everyone in East Oxford, but I can let you know what I’ve seen in the last six months. People kicking walls over, knocking bins off their stands, climbing lampposts, urinating through people’s letterboxes, urinating through garden fences, falling over in front of moving traffic, two cases of ABH – there’s more, but this gives you a picture.

‘The real friction is just a simple fact of numbers: there’s an expanding amount of students in a very small area, making locals into a smaller proportion of total population than ever before. You can’t blame people for wanting to live here. If the proportion of students is allowed to rise without check, then we’ll see a lot more independent traders shutting down because they can’t sustain their businesses.

‘There is no divide between students and locals in East Oxford. Clean streets, safety at night, thriving local businesses, a good night’s sleep without disturbance – what’s good for locals is good for students, too.’

A spokesman for Oxford University said, ‘The University of Oxford is committed to playing a role in the local community and minimizing any disruption to Oxford residents. We are the city’s largest employer; our world-class museums and our various green spaces are free to enjoy; our medical research directly benefits local hospital patients; we work closely with local schools, including primary schools; and over 3,000 Oxford students are involved in volunteer work, many of them locally.’

The spokesman also said, ‘The University of Oxford provides extensive accommodation for its students: at least two and often three years of accommodation for undergraduates, in contrast to most universities, which provide one.

‘The University is committed to creating more student accommodation to further ease pressure on the local rental market. Student accommodation developments are undertaken not just for the benefit of students but to ease the pressure of a large student population on city residents by taking students out of the rental market.’

St. John’s announced this week that it has officially gained Fairtrade status, and become the eleventh college to join the Oxford Living Wage campaign.

Uchechukwu Ukachi, John’s JCR President, told Cherwell that the changes were achieved through the collaboration between the JCR, MCR and some members of the college staff.

He said the changes were “fantastic”, adding, “the JCR believes that this is just the beginning of our commitment to Fairtrade and living wage.”

Although Oxford Brookes became the world’s first university to attain Fairtrade status in October 2003, and Oxford itself has held Fairtrade City status for over five years, Oxford University has not yet become Fairtrade. The University would need over two thirds of colleges to conform to Fairtrade Foundation rules to qualify.

Philip Coales, JCR Vice President, said, “The Fairtrade certification is a strong move and we are also looking into sustainable fish sources. Soon the only cod served in college will be a healthy portion of Modern Warfare.” Edward Love, Environment and Ethics Officer, said it was “an absolute pleasure” to see the college officially become Fairtrade.

Following discussions which began last year, the college will also ensure that all scouts see their wages increased. Those with a GNVQ (General National Vocation Qualification) will be paid a Living Wage while staff without a GNVQ are encouraged to obtain this qualification for a further pay rise.

The Living Wage Campaign, which “calls for every worker in the country to earn enough to provide their family with the essentials of life”, sets the Living wage at £7.20 an hour, an increase of nearly 20% on the national minimum wage of £6.08.

The Chair of OUSU’s Oxford Living Wage Campaign, Carys Lawrie, called the changes “a great achievement”, adding “we are hoping this will lead to increased pressure on other colleges to follow suit.” Speaking on the campaign, she said “We aim to have everyone in the university understand why the Living Wage matters, and more specifically to work towards having a campaign in every college which does not already pay the Living Wage. We are also hoping to encourage those colleges who do pay a Living Wage to work towards accreditation as Living Wage Employers.”

Dan Stone, OUSU Charities and Community Vice President, commented, “This decision shows a commitment to ethical employment practices and the just treatment of workers across the globe. We welcome the decision and hope that other colleges will follow suit despite the tough economic times”.

Birmingham University has recently been granted an injunction that criminalises any occupation of university property for the next year.

The injunction follows a recent occupation of an abandoned campus building and other protests which have resulted in sanctions against students.

Tessa Gregory, a solicitor at Public Interest Lawyers who is acting on behalf of Birmingham students, described recent events as being ‘a shameful attempt by the university to prevent students from exercising their lawful right to protest.’ A Birmingham University spokesperson claimed that the injunction would have no effect of the right of student protest on campus; ‘it merely covers the unauthorised occupation of campus or buildings.’

Other universities have also resorted to legal action to end occupations. Sheffield University have recently withdrawn a similar injunction last week after successful negotiations between student occupiers and university authorities. Students at Royal Holloway were also threatened with a high court injunction, although the occupation ended before the university resorted to such action.

Asked to comment on the Birmingham injunction and Oxford’s response to a future occupation, an Oxford University spokesperson stated that the University ‘fully supports people’s right to protest, as long as it is within the law. We do not support occupying University buildings as a means of protest. Any response to a particular protest would depend on the circumstances.’
In November 2010 the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford was occupied by a group of students as part of a wider protest against public sector cuts. The protest ended after more than 24 hours when the police managed to break through a door.

The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts has placed the blame on the increasing privatisation of higher education. They say that certain principles, such as freedom of expression and democracy on campus, are being lost, as ‘high paid university executives are cracking down on all forms of dissent on universities’ campuses.” They will ‘fight this draconian injunction in court’ as well as disregarding the injunction in practice by organising more protests at Birmingham University.