Wadham College’s Student Union passed a controversial motion this week mandating the College to consider funding a scholarship for a student from the Palestinian territories.

The motion, proposed on Sunday, stated, “It is important that we show our solidarity with the Palestinians,” adding, “The UK’s friendly and largely uncritical relations with Israel are a factor in Israel’s continuing disregard for international law.”

Although the motion passed by 16 votes to 6, there was opposition from JCR members about the inclusion of political statements in the proposal.

Jacob Haddad, a first year Engineering, Economics and Management student at the college, criticised the political statements in the motion, and argued that “This should be about access to education”.

He labelled the reference to Britain’s foreign policy as “irrelevant” and said that the motion would “alienate students and make them feel they have to take this particular political view [since they are] part of the Student Union.”

Katherine Halls, a member of Oxford’s Palestinian Society, who proposed the motion, said, “Unfortunately politics do affect matters of education. The bombing of Gaza’s University, which has made this scholarship necessary, was given legitimacy by Western governments.”

Katherine Halls continued, “One Oxford educated individual going back to the Gazan community can make a real difference. If this can be done here at Wadham other colleges will realise that they can too.”
At the Wadham Student Union meeting, Max Goulding, a second year mathematician, said that the student body was “sick of another increase in levies”. He pointed out that every Wadham student already pays an £11.50 International Student Levy, along with a £6.50 contribution towards charities.

Goulding mentioned the university-wide Reach Oxford scholarship as an alternative, apolitical scholarship for students from developing countries.

He said, “I believe that this is a very politically motivated motion as there is already a scholarship that is available for Palestinian students.

“I do not see the need to create a separate scholarship that seems to be pro-Palestine when the conflict is a very complex issue.”

A similar motion was passed last week at St Hugh’s College. The proposal was initially for a scholarship for Palestinian students, but was amended to broaden the search to include those in other war zones.

“Some students were concerned that we were making too much of a political statement by focusing on Palestine alone; we would rather help someone than turn this into an issue,” said Iman Effendi, the student who proposed the motion.

Both the St Hugh’s and the Wadham proposals cited the Crisis Scholarship at St Edmund Hall as a successful precedent.

The Gazan airstrike served as the impetus for the motion at Teddy Hall last year. However due to the objections raised, the then JCR President Charlotte Seymour adapted the conditions of the scholarship so that it would be available to a student from “a political conflict zone” rather than from Gaza in particular.

Sky Herington, the student who proposed the motion, said that she was “very happy” that the motion passed and that there is currently a Gazan scholar at the college.

However Herington said that she was “initially disappointed” that the motion did not pass unamended for the scholarship to help Gazan victims alone.

She explained, “I feel that this cause is too often sidelined in the British press and politics.”

St Edmund Hall students currently each contribute £5 per term towards half of the Gazan scholar’s living fees while the other half is funded by Hoping, a charitable foundation for Palestinians.
At Keble, a student from Pakistan applied for an undergraduate degree through the Reach Oxford scheme and a motion was passed in Trinity Term in 2009 to help fund his studies.

The motion to impose a mandatory £6.20 levy was passed unanimously by those present. However there was some discontent among Keble students, since the JCR President Zain Talyarkhan had reportedly assured the committee that the levy would be optional.
Of 360 undergraduate students at Keble, 58 people were present at the meeting for the motion.

“At the time some people were quite annoyed that a small proportion of the JCR made a decision affecting everyone’s battels on a non-opt-out basis,” said Nick Pointer, a second year student at the College.

The Wadham motion also referred to the student occupation of the Clarendon Building in 2009, which followed Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s Islamic University in December 2008.

Among the protesters’ demands was the creation of scholarships for Palestinians. The Senior Proctor had agreed that endowments towards such scholarships would be “most welcome.”

The motion will be further discussed at the next Wadham Student Union meeting.

If members of the Wadham JCR and MCR decide to go ahead with the motion in its current form, the Student Union will then lobby the College to looking into to the tuition fees of the Gazan scholarship student.

Cherwell can reveal that government cuts to scientific research are causing a brain drain in Oxford, as leading Physics professors are increasingly taking up better funded posts abroad.

Brian Foster, Professor of Experimental Physics, confirmed that he is currently negotiating the terms of a “very generous offer” to take up a research post at Hamburg University. “My decision is based on prospects for funding; Oxford cannot financially compete with national schemes of this magnitude.”

Prof Foster was approached by the Humboldt Foundation, who are funded by the German government, earlier this year. They offered him one million euros per annum to carry out his research, plus a generous salary on top of this. Foster said that this sum is approximately half of what he gets in Oxford to run his entire department.

Armin Reichold, a Tutorial Fellow and Reader in Physics at Balliol, revealed, “In the last two years, at least three post doctorates from the Physics Faculty at Oxford have left the country for departments and funding elsewhere, in places like the US, Spain and China.

“Other countries such as Germany, France, Japan are making huge investments in research and achieving more.”

David Urner, a Physics department lecturer, told Cherwell, “Many people are actively looking for new positions elsewhere; it’s not just the professors who are leaving but the departmental leturers as well. One of my colleagues left a few weeks ago. He liked it here, but he reluctantly accepted a position in France as it was an opportunity for him to continue his work there.”

In the seven years that Professor Foster has been at Oxford, he said that the funding has dropped by approximately 50%, and the size of his department is now about half what is was when he arrived in terms of support staff and technicians.

Foster said, “If I accept the new research post, the centre of gravity of my research will move to Hamburg, so it will be a loss to Oxford from that point of view”.

Professor Foster is the European Director of The International Linear Collider, which had its funding withdrawn in 2008. Major elements of the research for the this project were based in Oxford, but Urner told how the cuts meant that Oxford’s “involvement with this project has been practically taken away.”

Foster said, “There is certainly a tendency for specialists to be attracted elsewhere due to better funding opportunities in other countries. This will affect the university as well, as it will mean that leading subjects in Oxford will become weaker.”

Armin Reichold said, “When we look at the work of scientists in departments elsewhere, there is a sense that they’ve achieved a lot more because of the better funding. Unlike our projects, they have facilities dedicated to their own research.”

Reichold explained how although Oxford has not made any official redundancies, extensions on contracts have been withdrawn and people have left prematurely.

“We do our research very efficiently, but with these cuts there comes a point when you can no longer do what you need to do”, he said.
Reichold’s own project was recently brought to a halt as a result of reduced funding. He has now been “forced” to work with better financed industrial science projects.

David Urner, a department lecturer, told Cherwell that his time at Oxford has come to a “disappointing end”, after he learnt that his contract will not be renewed, and he will be leaving the University permanently later this month.

Urner said, “My line of work has essentially been discontinued here as there was not enough money available to continue employing everyone in the department. The people without permanent contracts are the first to go.

“Core research should be pushing the boundaries of technology, but now we are reliant on money from commercialisation, which puts constraints on our research. Once the commercial interest dries up, everything stops.”

Of Professor Foster’s post offer at Hamburg University, Urner said, “Brian Foster was offered a very prestigious position; him leaving would be a very big loss for the department.”

Professor Foster is a Fellow of the Royal Society, as well as Chair of the European Committee for Future Accelerators, and European Regional Director for Linear Colliders Global Design Effort.

Joe Phillips, a third year Physicist from Hertford, said, “If the leading experts leave to conduct their research elsewhere, this will have a massive effect on Physics at Oxford, as one of the main attractions is that you are taught by the best in the field.

“Oxford is known as having one of the best Physics departments in the country, if not the world, and it would be terrible to lose this reputation through a lack of funding.”

A spokesperson from the University Press Office said, “The University’s commitment to supporting the Department of Physics is as strong as ever. Oxford University’s world leading research position is in robust health.”

The origin of the cuts can be traced back to December 2007 when the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) announced that it had an £80m budget deficit.

It is thought that the deficit emerged through an accounting mistake that was made when the STFC was created by merging two existing councils.

Police are appealing for witnesses after secure buildings in two colleges were broken into last week and goods to the estimated value of £6,700 were stolen.

In one of the incidents, the burglar climbed through the window of graduate student Andrew Whitby’s room in the Balliol College-owned Jowett Walk Buildings and left with £6,000 worth of personal belongings.

Danny Donovan, of Thames Valley Police, told Cherwell that these included an SLR camera, high quality lenses, a laptop, watches and footwear.

The burglar entered Whitby’s ground-floor room at some point between 7:40 pm and 1:10 am on the night of 30 October, when the student was not in.

In a separate incident at Brasenose college on Tuesday 26 October, second-year student Ben Stafford had his laptop stolen from the college library.

A message sent by JCR President Paul Gladwell to Brasenose students stated that “the lodge has used CCTV to confirm the offender was from outside of college and are working with the police.”
Stafford had left his laptop unattended in the library, which, he told Cherwell, was “fairly normal” behaviour, although he added that “the college does send frequent emails advising against this”.

“Loss of work is obviously a kick in the teeth,” he said.

The Balliol student who was robbed is a Warden of the residence where the theft took place, and is employed by the college to support those living in Jowett.

He reflected that the burglary represented a blow to his “photography hobby”, but described his reaction as no different to “anyone who’s had all their stuff stolen”.

He said there was “always a risk” in having a room on the ground floor, especially when it backed out on to “a large, vacant field”. His room looks out over Balliol’s sports facilities.

However Whitby emphasised that he did not think Jowett Walk was “particularly insecure compared to other student accommodation.”
The gate to the complex can only be opened by a code, and to get into the residential towers a separate code is also needed.

Other tenants of the complex have expressed concerns about security. Olivia Cocker said it was “unnerving” and that she felt “horrified that someone managed to break in so easily.”
“I don’t feel safe in my own home anymore”, she added.

Such fear does not, however, appear to be universal among those living in Jowett.

Danny Anson-Jones, who described his flat as being “heavily equipped with Tesco value groceries”, issued a warning to any prospective burglar: “We don’t care if you’re running away, the tinned tomatoes are gonna be hurled at the back of your dirty little head!”

Balliol’s Domestic Bursar, Jo Roadknight, sent a message to students warning them to “firmly shut their windows when they are out of their rooms”.

Cocker and other residents said that they would now be more vigilant about such security measures.

Reflecting on how the incident has affected Brasenose, Ben Stafford said, “I think attitudes so far have become perhaps slightly more vigilant. Perhaps a certain naïveté has been lost, although it remains to be seen whether this is just a short-term thing or whether practices will change for good.”

A fob is required to enter Brasenose library, and Stafford expressed his confidence “in the way the college security is managed.
“Ultimately it’s always going to come down to individuals being vigilant”.

He put the security breach largely down to “the time of year, where we’re used to seeing new faces and wouldn’t question someone who came into the library behind us”.

Porters, college authorities and student representatives from both colleges declined to provide a comment on the incidents.

An open invitation to President’s Drinks at the Oxford Union was issued this week, sparking outrage among paying members.
Chris Adams, a third year student who is currently the Union’s Director of Communications, sent out a Facebook invitation to around 60 fellow Brasenose students, a number of whom were not members of the Union.

Adams created an ‘Event’ page claiming that James Kingston, President of the Union, was “bored of President’s drinks”, and so had asked him to invite anyone he wanted.

The page stated, “The current Union President (James Kingston) has been bored of drinks on Thursdays being quiet and frequented only by hacks this term, so said to me yesterday, “I’m sick of being frugal. Invite whoever you want.” I’ve told him I intend to hold him to his word.”

Adams went on to say “don’t worry if you’re not a member”, and twice emphasised that free drinks would be provided for all who chose to attend.

The event was advertised as continuing until 6am, and Adams claimed in the description that guests would be able to continue drinking “until the early hours”.

Members of the Union have expressed their anger that those who chose not to join the society were invited to the free drinks event, to which not even all members have access every week.

A message sent by Adams said that everyone invited would be on the guest list at the door of the event.

His invitation told members of the group that they should say that they were one of “Chris Adams’ guests”.

A Standing Committee member said, “This is ridiculous. The Union is designed to serve its members.

“President’s Drinks should not be open to anyone who fancies turning up.”

Members have also been voicing their anger. One second year PPE student, said, “I don’t think that it is very fair. Why should my membership pay for non-members to get drunk?”

A spokesperson for the Union said, “The Facebook group, which invited both members and non-members of the Union to President’s Drinks, was set up by a former member of Standing Committee and was not officially sanctioned by the Union. The Union cannot comment on the actions of individual members.”

“It is not Union policy to allow non-members into President’s Drinks, with the exception of debate speakers and their guests.”

An official within the Union explained that James Kingston was looking to increase attendance at the drinks event, but had not meant to imply that anyone could come.

A former Standing Committee member expressed his disbelief at the invitation being extended to non-members.

He said, “At the end of the day, members have paid a lot of money to have some sort of exclusive privileges.

“It can be good to show non-members the benefits that the Union brings, but I think that extending exclusive privileges to non-members that members have effectively paid for is wrong, and of detriment to the Union.”

The e-mail sent out by Chris Adams warned guests that they would need to dress smartly early on, but that as the evening went on there would be no need for formal wear.

“If you’re coming for 10.30 to 11.30ish, make sure you’re reasonably smart (e.g. at least shirt and proper trousers for boys), as the guests from the debate will be there.

“After then, don’t worry. The level of formality will degrade significantly.”

Adams added, “We should be able to fix queue-jump [for The Bridge] if you head over from drinks in small numbers.”

However after Cherwell questioned Adams about his invitation, the Facebook page advertising the drinks was radically altered.

There was no longer any mention of free alcohol, with Adams encouraging the guests “to buy some drinks from tescos/sainsbury’s.”
Another part of the new event page read “So: main drinks post-debate, confirm your attendance on here.” adding that “you need to be a member for this bit though.”

The invitation comes after the proposed £5 charge for President’s drinks was dropped last week.

When contacted for comment, Adams said “Union members will not be paying for this”.