Protesters gathered outside Oxford Town Hall on Tuesday afternoon, to protest against internships and work experience which do not offer a form of payment or reimbursement for any expenses incurred.

The protesting group, Intern Aware, campaigns for greater equality in the field of internships and work experience. They urged the government to scrap legislation which allows companies to offer internships without payment, claiming that these are “highly unequal and unfair”.

The protest coincided with the Advertising, PR and Marketing Fair going on inside, where certain companies advertising unpaid internships were holding exhibitions.

Third year LMH student Hannah Wilkinson is the Campaign Director for Intern Aware Oxford. She believes that prospective interns from lower-income families will be dissuaded from applying for experience opportunities in some fields because of the financial implications involved in travel and living costs during the period of employment. She also feels that it is unfair for businesses to use interns to execute tasks which deserve a rate of pay.

Wilkinson told Cherwell, “Not only is this damaging for social mobility, but what these businesses are doing is often illegal. We’re talking about big companies with profits in the millions. It’s not like they can’t afford it.”

In a statement released following the protest, Wilkinson said, “If you’re working set hours and doing tasks which contribute to your employer’s business, you are likely to be in legal terms a worker, and entitled to pay. Just because your boss decides to call you an intern, it doesn’t change the law.”

When asked what action the government should take to remedy the problem, Wilkinson stated, “The government should do more to enforce its legislation. There are many cases where individuals have won court cases against companies, but it shouldn’t be up to these individuals to take action”.

Indeed, it appears that Intern Aware’s influence is starting to take hold. So far, they have been successful in convincing the University of Oxford’s Careers Service to stop advertising unpaid work experience placements to students which last longer than two weeks. They are now looking to have the Careers Service remove unpaid placements completely, saying, “We are trying to get people to reconsider taking unpaid internships. Firms will be forced to alter their stance if no-one applies.”

OUSU President Martha Mackenzie has expressed similar feelings on the issue, condemning unpaid internships as “one of the last remaining forms of acceptable exploitation”.

Arguably, part of the problem is ascertaining whether an intern is entitled to payment or not. According to Directgov, the name of the position you hold is of no significance in determining whether you are a “worker” and eligible for National Minimum Wage or a “volunteer” and ineligible. The website says that “You can be a volunteer even if you work under the supervision or control of a manager/director, or you have to meet specific standards or guidelines.”

Second year St Hugh’s student Praful Nargund urged the law to clarify these definitions, saying that he has experienced both a paid internship and unpaid work experience and found “the level of the work to be similar”.

However, he does not foresee a decline in the number of applications for unpaid internship positions, saying, “Competition for internships is so fierce at the moment that people will grab anything they can get”.

He described how companies “shouldn’t take advantage of the fact that most young people see internships primarily as an investment in their futures. Indirectly excluding candidates whose parents are unable to fund their expenses will be damaging to the UK in the long term.”

The Migration Observatory, a team of academics attached to Oxford University, released a report on Sunday which seeks to uncover the British public’s real opinions on immigration.

The report, “Thinking Behind the Numbers”, is described by the Observatory as “the first systematic analysis of who people in Britain really think of as ‘immigrants’, and of how people’s views differ substantially toward different immigrant groups”.

Based on a survey of 1,000 people questioned in September, the report reveals that “seven in ten people in the UK (69%) support reductions in immigration”, a figure in keeping with previous surveys.

The findings highlight that national preferences for reducing immigration do not focus on the largest groups. Students coming into the UK make up the largest proportion of legal migrants, at 37% of the total immigrants coming into the country in 2009, yet are of the lowest concern to the public.

The report details that, “preferences for reducing immigration are most common where there are more restraints”. The Observatory announced that the “most commonly chosen targets for reductions include asylum seekers (56% of respondents) and low-skilled workers (64% of respondents).”

Dr Scott Blinder, the report’s lead author, comments that, “what this report shows very clearly is that the Government is stuck between a rock and a hard-place”, with the public in favour of reducing the numbers of the groups that the government can do little about.

EU membership and international conventions restrain the government from easily reducing the numbers of either group of immigrants.

The findings indicate that opposition focuses on illegal immigrants, with “a majority of those who wanted to see immigration as a whole reduced felt that reductions should target “only” or “mostly” illegal immigration.” There is also “broad opposition” to unskilled migrant workers, with 64% of the respondents agreeing, compared to only 32% against skilled migrant workers.

Dr Blinder commented saying that, “Blunt questions about whether the British public supports or opposes immigration in general do not capture the complexities of many people’s real views”, asserting that these findings will not give policy makers a real enough understanding of what the majority of the public wants.

The report finds relevance in the University given the number of international students and staff. 40% of the academic staff at Oxford are citizens of foreign countries, whilst over a third of the total student body are not British nationals, including 15% of undergraduates and 61% of graduate students, a total of 8,000 people.

Piotr Galeziak, a history and politics second year, originally from Poland, commented, “We must understand that there is no simple way for a government to limit the numbers or origins of migrants. The solution to the problem is to be found in comprehensive regulations and an education of the English society in the understanding of the potential benefits of immigration.”

He continued, “Having personally spent most of my life as an immigrant, and studied in international milieus such as the European School, or, to a lesser extent, the University of Oxford, I have been able to benefit from the incredible advantages of cultural exchange, but have also been faced with xenophobia, and institutionalized casual racism, promoted even by some major companies in the United Kingdom.

“Immigration can either be succesfully regulated, turning immigrants into tax-payers, or an attempt can be made to cut off the flow of immigrants, which can only result in the increase in illegal migration.”

Douglas Sloan, a second year History and Economics student, criticised the opinions revealed by the study, saying that, “Those surveyed clearly want to see immigrants contributing something meaningful to society. Surely, though, they’ve got to ask themselves if the average Briton would meet those same criteria. When Britain’s underwater in 30 years time do they really want only a few ‘skilled’ Brits to be allowed out?”

OUSU heard proposals last week which could lead to the creation of an OUSU Letting Agency, to cater specifically to Oxford students.

Based on the model of Cardiff Student Lettings, run by Cardiff University Student Union, the proposed agency would connect students with existing rental properties, but only would only include landlords who had signed up to a code of standards put forward by OUSU.

A significant number of Oxford undergraduates have to rent accommodation privately at some stage in their degrees, as at least 15 undergraduate colleges and permanent private halls cannot guarantee accommodation for the duration of all courses.

The motion at last week’s OUSU council meeting was proposed by Clubs and Socs officer Jacob Diggle. He commented, “Where we live has a massive impact on our university experience – in terms of finances, welfare, academic performance etc. A large number of colleges do not provide accommodation for all the years of a student’s course and so many are forced into the private rental market. This problem is particularly acute for graduates, mature students, international students, students with children etc – all groups currently receiving the least support from OUSU.

“The University and colleges will never be able to provide enough space for every student and the private market is an essential tool, but it is unacceptable for letting agents to exploit this demand by telling students to camp outside their offices for days, or provide huge bonds in order to secure a house.”

Cardiff Student Lettings was set up 4 years ago, providing a free service for students but charging landlords an agency fee. The agency has made a profit every year since it began, and it was suggested that OUSU might be able to earn money from the project to fund other student support services. The council resolved to look into both profit making and not-for-profit options.

Diggle told Cherwell, “As well as providing vastly increased protection for student tenants and charging them no fees, the [Cardiff] agency made £100,000 profit last year. Rather than commanding JCRs to push for a rent freeze, setting up an OUSU Letting Agency seems to be a much more effective tool for improving students’ accommodation.”

OUSU Rent and Accommodation Officer Eleanor Brown is currently investigating the logistics of establishing the agency, and expects to have completed an initial report by 6th week of this term. She told Cherwell, “You do find that students are exploited by landlords.” She also agreed that the problem is particularly prevalent for graduate students and international students.

The NUS already has a series of guidelines for student housing providers, but Diggle claims these are often ignored by landlords and agents in Oxford. OUSU has also been planning to release a code of standards for landlords and letting agencies next term, and these will now be considered alongside plans for the agency. Oxford Brookes currently runs a similar scheme to the proposal, linking students with a number of privately let residences each year through their ‘Stu-Rental’ shop.

Opinions at the meeting were divided on the proposal, with the primary concerns being the feasibility and financing of the initiative. Diggle suggested that with some research OUSU could make a strong enough proposal to the university to be awarded a grant for the start-up costs, however OUSU President Martha Mackenzie responded that it could be difficult to secure funding at this time.

Tom Beamont, JCR Vice-President and accommodation representative at Pembroke, commented, “Anything which improves the student experience of rental is obviously a good thing, especially any move towards reducing the extortionate agency fees paid by students in Oxford.”

A new survey by the Oxford Internet Institute has revealed that nearly half of internet users in Britain are ‘Next Generation Users’, who routinely access the internet on the move using portable devices.

The researchers defined ‘Next Generation Users’ as people who access the internet using smart phones, tablets, and readers, or own three or more computers. They found that 44 percent of Britons fall into this category which is more than double the proportion found in 2007.

The study also looked at the type of people who were likely to use the internet in this way and found that annual income more than age determines who the Next Generation Users are likely to be.

Among students, the research found that 52 percent were part of this ‘Next Generation’ which was almost identical to the 51 per cent of ‘employed’ internet users of all ages who were Next Generation Users too.

Report author Professor William Dutton from the OII said, ‘There is too much focus on the sales of new products, like smart phones and tablets that miss the big picture captured by the Next Generation User.

‘The rise of Next Generation Users is reshaping how people use the Internet. The internet has become a central part of their lives, particularly in how they inform and entertain themselves. These users are not just passive consumers either; they actively create content for others.’

Co-author Dr Grant Blank from the OII said, ‘We have to think about more than simple access. How people make use of their access also matters a lot. Next Generation Users are changing lives for themselves and others through the use of multiple portable devices to stay connected with the internet, and this is creating a new style of interaction.’

One ‘Next Generation User’ and second year Historian, Elle Costigan, commented, “I have recently broken my blackberry and I feel totally lost without constant internet access for Facebook and BBM.”

Another second year Univ student who recently found himself literally lost on the way back from Lola Lo said, “after converting a good proportion of my student loan into Jagerbombs I sobered up in a cul-de-sac somewhere in the vicinity of Pembroke, and I’d probably still be there were it not for Steve Jobs.”

The report also looked into other aspects of internet usage and found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that young people are much more likely to use the internet. 99 percent of people aged between 14 and 17 use the internet, compared with only one-third of people over the age of 65.

Overall, internet use in Britain has grown from 59 per cent in 2003 to 73 per cent in 2011.

Another key finding was that more women than men engaged in social networking. 63 percent of female internet users compared with 57 percent of men who accessed the internet.

A library donated over a century ago by All Souls College to the community of Kensal Rise faces closure after a High Court ruling supported Brent council’s decision to close it. The library was opened in 1900 by American author Mark Twain.

Campaigners are maintaining a 24-hour vigil outside the library to prevent workmen boarding up the building and taking the books away. It is believed that, owing to the covenant under which the library building was given to the community, ownership of the building will pass back to All Souls if the building ceases to be a library.

All Souls is one of the world’s most exclusive academic institutions: it has no undergraduate students, as its membership consists solely of Research Fellows.  Margaret Bailey, head of Brent Libraries SOS, said, “They have their Codrington library –  we should have our library”, reflecting her hope that even if ownership were to revert to All Souls, they would allow the building to continue to be used as a library.

The campaign to keep the library open has garnered much support and has raised over £35,000 towards legal fees. Thomas Seaman, the Estates Bursar for All Souls College, stated, “it is our hope that Brent Council and the campaigners can reach a solution which allows the building to keep on running as a library: this would be the ideal solution for us.”

Seaman added that the college has tried to persuade the council not to close the library by pointing out that the council will not, in any case, be able to sell the building or the land, since ownership will pass back to All Souls if the library is shut.

He warned, however, that if ownership were to revert to All Souls they would be unlikely to keep the library running, telling Cherwell, “All Souls is an institution committed to funding world-class research in Oxford. We cannot justify funding a library in Kensal Rise: that is the ambit of local government.”

Cambridge University has elected Lord Sainsbury as its new chancellor in the first real contest for the post since 1847. The millionaire philanthropist succeeds the Duke of Edinburgh who held the title for 34 years.

While the role is largely ceremonial, the recent choice was more contentious than usual after a number of candidates, including a popular local shopkeeper, were put forward.

Sainsbury is a Cambridge graduate and has donated millions of pounds towards science facilities at the university. He worked for the family business Sainsbury’s, rising to chairman, and previously served as government minister for science – a position he held under Tony Blair’s premiership.

The other contenders for the prestigious title were the lawyer Michael Mansfield QC, actor Brian Blessed and Abdul Arain, owner of Mill Road’s Al-Amin store. While Sainsbury gained over half of the vote, many students backed Arain’s campaign in a demonstration of solidarity with small shop owners.

Campaigning spread to the social networking site Twitter, with a plea that academics cast a vote for ‘Anybody but Sainsbury’. The Single Transferable Vote system used by the university means that a candidate requires a majority of first-preference votes to be sure of victory.

Speaking about his victory, Sainsbury commented, ‘I am pleased and honoured to have been elected as the next chancellor of Cambridge University and would like to thank all those whohave supported me, and the other candidates who have made this such a friendly election.’

Some students were unsurprisingly disappointed in that respect. Matthew Johnson, chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association said Sainsbury’s political background was “a drawback for my association”, though he added that he felt the new chancellor was a “charitable, intelligent and successful gentleman”. 

There was some disappointment with the level of turnout for the election. While the University had predicted that 8000 votes would be cast, less than 6000 made it into the ballot box.