A recent report has brought to light that several Universities are dropping maths from degree courses because students cannot cope with it. Universities are being forced to cut back on the level of maths in courses, including psychology, economics and sciences, because students are unable to tackle complex mathematical problems.

Elspeth Garman, Professor of Biochemistry at Oxford University, told Cherwell that she is very aware of these problems, commenting, ‘Although we have not compromised on the level of Mathematics we deliver in our Biochemistry Course, I know that many other Universities have.’ She considers mathematical competence vital if students are going to be able to do quantitative science at a higher level.

Vicky To, a first year chemist agreed, ‘Although it might seem strange at first that a scientist would have to do what is essentially degree-level maths at points, I would find it more disturbing to encounter a practising chemist who had no understanding of maths beyond A level. For a grasp of many of the aspects of a science subject you have to be mathematically competent.’

Branwen Brockley, a biochemist from St Anne’s, shares this opinion, ‘Maths is so important in science, for proving theories and getting data.’ 

Brockley struggled with maths at the start of her course, stating, ‘I was quite shocked when I first arrived as I had not expected the course to be so maths based. I had only done maths to GCSE, meaning that  there was a massive gap between what I had learned at school at what I was taught during my lectures. They go through it so quickly, what we covered in one of our lectures my friend had spent a term doing at A level. In my maths lectures they tend to only recap the information, rather than actually teaching it. For Biochemistry they said it would be useful to have A level maths, I would say it is essential.’

Caspar Eliot, a second year mathematician at New College, commented that students who do not have A level maths can struggle, ‘Before an A level in maths became a prerequisite for PPE, some of the students would have real difficulty with economics because they just did not understand the maths involved.’

Valentin Sulzer,  a first year mathematician, noted that there is a lot of support available to students, ‘A maths or science course taught at Oxford is a lot more accompanied than at other universities. We don’t just have lectures, but attend tutes where we can ask all our questions.’ Branwen too is pleased with the help which is offered. She now receives extra tutoring for maths which is helping.

Professor Garman stated that the maths on the biochemistry course is considered particularly ‘hard-core,’ however she is convinced that any student who has been accepted on the course is up to the challenge of covering over half of A2 maths in 8 weeks. She commented, ‘Our course is harder work than most students expect, however it is often simply the case of building confidence in the student and helping them to believe that they can manage it.’

According to the report, which is entitled ‘Solving the maths problem’, the reputation of the country’s universities and graduates is now under threat. It states, ‘English universities are not keeping pace with international standards. Mathematics knowledge and qualifications are increasingly important gateways to further and higher education, for crucial life-skills and in order to respond to economic change. But the way it is taught and assessed in England has not always kept pace with these changes or with the needs of learners and has left one in four adults functionally innumerate.’

Xin Fan, a first year economist, responded to this, “This is a step in the wrong direction for Britain. We need to be moulding numerically sharp graduates to compete with the cohorts of proficient mathematicians and scientists coming out of the emerging Asian economies.’

An Oxford doctoral student in Biological Sciences, Nick Golding, has recently rediscovered a species of mosquito not seen in Britain since the 1940s.

Culex modestus is found throughout the continent and as far away as Russia, and can carry the potentially lethal Western Nile Virus.

The results of collaborative nationwide study between the Oxfordshire based Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the Health Protection agency yielded the unexpected discovery of established populations of the mosquito in marshes in Kent and South Essex.

Golding stated, “It’s unclear how long culex modestus has been breeding in the UK” but added, “It’s something to watch.” Its manner of migration is unknown, but other mosquitoes have been known to spread through international shipping.

The mosquito can transmit the Western Nile virus between birds and humans, and is thought to be responsible for other forms of disease. It does so by biting an infected bird, and then biting a human, acting as a ‘vector.’ The virus is not thought to be present in the UK at the moment, but it has caused almost one hundred deaths in various epidemics in southern Europe. An outbreak in the United States starting in 1999 has also caused more than one thousand deaths. Symptoms in serious cases include severe headaches, high fever and paralysis.

The team are now using satellite imaging to identify potential breeding habitats, before collecting specimens. Golding’s doctoral supervisor, Doctor Miles Nunn commented that the discovery “highlights the importance of expert long-term biological recording of UK wildlife by the scientific community.” The CEH maintain that Golding’s continued research into this insect and its habitats will prove invaluable for policy making and risk evaluation.

J.J. Castle, an Oxford medical student added, “The media often present research at Oxford as superfluous, but this discovery shows how scientific studies at Oxford can serve a useful purpose.”

OUSU has received £2000 in funding from the National Union of Students to run a programme for students with leadership potential.

Run in partnership with the Ruskin Student Union, the programme will aim to aid the development of leaders in skill areas including community engagement, student representation and equality issues.

OUSU Vice President for Women, Yuan-Yang told Cherwell, “The aim of the bid is to diversify student leadership; currently, only 25% of JCR Presidents are female, and Oxford University can do much better.”

She added, “I’m delighted that we have a programme to increase the political skills and participation of political minorities. More importantly, the programme will equip current leaders to transform obstacles to participation in their institutions, and be able to develop a diverse range of future leaders.”

The programme will be designed and co-delivered by Tracy Walsh, a leadership development trainer, who is the current head of Leadership@Ruskin and a seasoned coach for trade unions across the world. Whilst applications for the programme have already closed, students who are interested in hosting a workshop in their college will then have to opportunity to open it up to their Common Room.

One second year Law student commented, “It seems like a really good initiative, but it would have been nice to have a bit more publicity about it. I’m sure there are lots of students who would have liked to apply, but didn’t know that it was available to them.”

Professor Richard Dawkins and the Archbishop of Canterbury are to have a ‘civilised conversation’ in Oxford.

Officially branded a ‘dialogue event’, the  discussion is to be held in the Sheldonian theatre on the 23rd February. The topic of the discussion is ‘the nature of human beings and the question of their ultimate origin’. Philosopher Sir Anthony Kenny will be chairing the discussion.

The event will be a dialogue between the three speakers mentioned. The Chancellor of the University will also attend and give the welcoming address. According to the organisers, the hope is that ‘sound, academic discussion will pursue, as issues are considered by three leading academics with expertise in their own areas of study.’

A further hope is that ‘invigorating and inspiring reflection will result’, which will result in further research which in turn will be to ‘the benefit of human life and our world.’

The event is scheduled to take place on Thursday 23rd February from 4-5:30pm.

When contacted, Dawkins was quick to dismiss any misconceptions that the event is going to be a debate. When asked why he was taking part, he replied that he enjoys ‘civilised conversations’.

A website has also been set up for the event; www.originsofnature.com. Although tickets for seats at the Sheldonian sold out in a matter of hours, a livestream of the event will be available on the website. Updates of the discussion will be tweeted under the hashtag #dawkinsarchbishop. Also, a recording will eventually be posted on the website after the discussion has ended.

The event is hosted by the Sofia Europa Group of the Theology Faculty.

Margaret Yee, Faculty member and an organiser of the event, stated that it is being held to enable dialogue on a primary issue of concern. She believes that it is clearly a primary issue for many people, as the Sheldonian was booked out in 3 hours, and two overflow sites which will host the live event via big screens are almost filled (see the event website for details).

A spokesperson for the University stated that it promises to be an ‘interesting evening’.

Beth Hodgett, Theology student at Mansfield, thought that it was good to have the discussion, but thinks it inevitable the speakers will not find any common ground. Also, she was disappointed that all of the Sheldonian tickets had been sold, as she had not heard of the event before.

In further news, results from a major national survey of the religious and social attitudes of UK Christians have been published by the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. According to the survey, the numbers of those who self identify as Christians have dropped from 72% to 54% in the period between the last two censuses. Of these, 49% do not think of Jesus as the son of God, 4% doubt he existed at all, and 6% don’t think that God exists.

Dawkins provided the following response to the survey; ‘despite the best efforts of church leaders and politicians to convince us that religion is still an important part of our national life, these results demonstrate that it is largely irrelevant, even to those who still label themselves Christian.’

Turl Street coffee shop The Missing Bean has established an outpost in the St Cross building, home of the English and Law faculties.

Maureen O’Neill emailed Law students to inform them of the move, stating, “As an experiment, the Law Faculty Administrators have asked Missing Bean to trial sales of coffee right here in the St. Cross Building. For this first week they are seeing how it goes, seeing what word of mouth can do, and generally establishing themselves. We will actively advertise to faculty and students (with hours of business, that sort of thing) from next week.”

Reaction has been generally positive, with one first-year English student commenting, “They seem to be doing a pretty roaring trade. I’ve been procrastinating out here all day, and it hasn’t really been empty at any point.”

Laura Kennedy, another first-year, stated that she saw the move as important, saying, “As a law student harbouring a phobia of that mysterious place known to most as the law faculty, the opening of a coffee shop may actually be the spur I’ve been waiting for all year to lure me there.

Missing Bean employee Will Davies told Cherwell, “We source our own coffee and are involved in the roasting process, in every step from bean to cup.” He added, “It’s good that people on that side of town now have somewhere nearby and don’t have to go all the way into town. I know some lawyers who will enjoy our coffee.”

Bike theft rates have reached over one per day in Oxford causing concern among students and staff.

University Crime Reduction Officer, Norman Stewart, has drawn attention to the issue, commenting, “We are at present suffering an unprecedented level of cycle crime within the University. Whilst there are no particular hotspots, it is apparent that bicycles are being taken daily.”

“We are working hard to reduce cycle theft with Thames Valley Police and Oxford University Security Services (OUSS) by increasing surveillance and patrolling in the area of cycle racks.”

He added, “My message to students and staff is that we need your help too. Rather than just walking by if you see someone acting suspiciously, please contact OUSS immediately.” Stewart also revealed to Cherwell that there have been recent successes in arresting people with three being caught last week.

Balliol student Alex Body, whose bike was stolen last year, agreed that there is a need for people to act on suspicious behaviour, noting, “What I found surprising was that it was taken in the middle of the day from outside Balliol, and that no-one thought it odd for someone to either cut the lock or carry it off in broad daylight!”

James Ash, from St. Peter’s, who has also recently had his bike stolen, commented, “We cannot do anything about it as the police are so inundated with reports of thefts. It’s a hopeless scenario.”

A spokesperson for the University said, “While Oxford is actually a very safe city for students, with only 3% of all crime linked to the University, bike theft is obviously a big problem.”

Thames Valley Police noted that, “About 50% of people do not lock their bike correctly. The recommended minimum lock standard is a hardened steel D-shaped lock.

Corpus student Hattie Soper, who attempted to break her own bike lock after losing her key, said, “I can confirm that D-locks are very hard to break. I would be aggrieved, yet impressed, if anyone was able to smash that D-lock and take my bike.”

The university is asking benefactors for tens of millions of pounds in an effort to help fund 75 key academic posts following reductions in govern­ment funding.

A spokesperson for Oxford Univer­sity insisted that “it’s an exaggeration to say the jobs are in danger”, how­ever did concede that “the fact that we are fundraising for key posts is certainly true.”

A sum of £90 million is required overall. Oxford University Press will be contributing £60 million of this to­wards the university’s Teaching Fund, with the rest to be raised through philanthropic gifts.

A spokesperson for the University told Cherwell that “the cost of endow­ing an existing post in perpetuity is £2 million. The Teaching Fund will contribute £800,000 to each post, leaving £1.2 million to be raised by the University through philanthropic means.” The income from this £2 mil­lion will then be put towards paying the salary of the position.

The reliance on the Teaching Fund comes as a result of the government’s cuts to the higher education budget, which, according to plans, is to be slashed from £7.1 billion to £4.2 bil­lion by 2014. One academic said “in the classic expression, Cameron and his crowd know the price of every­thing, but the value of nothing.”

The University currently has a shortfall of around £80 million per year for teaching and a similar one for research. Even with the introduc­tion of higher fees for students, the teaching shortfall will still stand at about £77 million per year.

The posts in question are mainly in the Humanities division, with So­cial Sciences, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, and Medical Sci­ences also affected, but to a far lesser extent. 50 of the 75 posts for which funding is required are in the Hu­manities divison.

Joshua Felberg, a Theology student from Mansfield, does not believe that it is necessarily unfair that most of these posts focus on Humanities’ subjects. Felberg told Cherwell that “if cuts come in there is no need to necessarily balance them between sciences and humanities – such an approach would be absurd – the Uni­versity needs to think about which subjects will remain important and beneficial in the future.”

Two of the positions in question are the fellowships in Ancient His­tory and German at St John’s. Sir Mi­chael Scholar, President at St John’s, explained, “We were already getting into difficulties before the funding cuts were announced.”

He continued, “Those difficulties were greatly exacerbated by the gov­ernment’s announcement that the funding for humanities teaching was ceasing.

“We have filled a post in German literature and language in the same way.” He said, “It would not have been filled but we were fortunate to find a very generous donor who pro­vided £1.2m to keep it going.”

Physics and Philosophy student, George King, commented, “It’s not surprising that the humanities would be most at risk as they’re al­ways going to be more reliant on public funding.
“Companies tend to be more inter­ested in inventions and technology than 17th Century French literature.”

However Univ second year Juliet Roe disagreed, saying that “The gov­ernment are short sighted philis­tines for cutting funding to humani­ties.”

Philanthropists have already given £1.2 million to the Ancient History position, and the other £800,000 is to be supplied by Oxford itself. Among these donors is Edward Hocknell, an alumnus of St John’s and now a partner at the investment management firm Baillie Gifford in Edinburgh.

Hocknell said that “the much-admired fellow, Nicholas Purcell, moved to another college. With the government’s emphasis on funding science and technology subjects, the university and college were unwill­ing to replace him … This is a big issue for less obviously utilitarian subjects like Classics. The Literature fellow is retiring soon; we might have to pick up the tab for him as well.”

The Oxford Teaching Fund will close in September 2013, so the uni­versity needs to get matched funding pledges in by September 2013, so that they may be realised by September 2018.

Oxford is by no means the only university seeking donations to maintain academic posts. The Uni­versity of Glasgow is in the process of renewing a professorship in Ancient Greek. The last person to hold this professorship, Douglas MacDowell, left £2.4 million to endow the abol­ished post when he died in 2010.