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Professor Foster is the European Director of The International Linear Collider, which had its funding withdrawn in 2008.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”.

A 16 year-old boy is in hospital with stab wounds following a violent clash outside Baby love bar at the weekend.

The boy was stabbed seven or eight times in the chest in the early hours of Sunday morning. The incident took place as part of a large-scale brawl involving twenty people, which began after the close of Baby love’s Halloween Party night and continued onto the High Street.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is currently being held in the John Radcliffe hospital in Headington, where his condition is described as stable.

A 25 year-old man was arrested by police in connection with the stabbing and has been released on bail pending further enquiry.
The fight took place after Baby love closed, and it is not known whether those involved had attended the club night.
A manager of Baby love said, “We have no idea who or what it involved, because everything happened outside the bar. Nothing happened inside. We know as much as you.”

He added that the management were currently examining CCTV to assist the police with their enquiries.

Katie Carver, a second year student at Christ Church, said, “I go to Baby love regularly and this incident has really upset me.
“It’s shocking to think these things are happening almost daily now. I think as students we’re at risk because after nights out we’re not aware of the dangers.”

Police are working to discover what happened prior to the boy being injured and have appealed for witnesses.

Detective Inspector Helen Roberts, who is investigating the incident, said, “Thankfully, the 16 year-old suffered injuries that were not life threatening.

“But it was a serious incident and many people would have seen it. There may well be people injured who we do not know about. If anyone saw anything or was injured please contact us.”

The incident comes as the latest in a string of violent attacks in Oxford. Earlier the same night two people were hospitalised after a fight outside the Bridge nightclub, which left a man with serious head injuries.

Somerville students were left disappointed last weekend, as the College’s Hallowe’en bop was postponed by a week because of a late licensing application.

Hallowe’en will instead be celebrated on Saturday 6th November, while most other colleges are out at Bonfire Night events.
“There was no decanal reasoning for stopping the bop,” said Entz Rep Joe de Sousa.

“We submitted the alcohol licence application a day late and as such it did not come through in time.”

The Entz Reps declined to say why the application for one of the first bops of the year had been made too late in the first place.
The reaction around the college to the delay was mixed.
“It’s absolutely crap,” said one second year, who preferred to remain anonymous.

“The phrase ‘piss-up in a brewery’ comes to mind.”
However a number of students claimed to have had no intention of going to the event in the first place.

“Being a second year, I wasn’t really interested,” said Jake Shelley. “It gets dominated by the freshers, really.”

Anne Taylor, a Somerville fourth year, was more outspoken. “Of course hardly anybody apart from a handful of first years was going to go,” she said. “There’s just no spirit of camaraderie in the JCR.”

“It’s ridiculous that the Hallowe’en bop will be happening after Bonfire Night,” she continued, “but then it’s equally ridiculous that our college bar is losing money.”

Meanwhile, JCR President David Railton sent round an email promising the JCR that the bop would go ahead this Saturday.

“Look on the bright side,” it read, “you’ll get an awesome costume at half the price in the sale now.”

Brasenose college JCR received no nominations for Executive positions in the run up to its annual elections.

There were no applicants for the positions of JCR President, Vice President and Treasurer for 2011 by the deadline at midnight this Monday.

Returning Officer Rebecca Hill, who is organising this year’s JCR elections, said that she had been “surprised by the lack of enthusiasm” and that it was “unusual”.

JCR President Paul Gladwell agreed, “Having no nominations was disappointing, but I think it reflects that people are apprehensive about taking on such a time commitment. Also, people often just don’t want to run and lose.”

The news has caused concerns about the fate of the JCR among some Brasenose students, and one second year student suggested the lack of applicants was the result of negative student opinion about the JCR.
He said, “As the Cashmore affair proved, the JCR is toothless and that maybe a reason why people are not running.

“It’s a shame that no one put themselves forward originally and any one that does the job probably does not want to do it out of conviction. This is not what we want from our JCR.”

However, Gladwell dismissed the comments, saying that this is “a ridiculous idea that devalues both the good relations between the JCR and the SCR and college staff and the respectful and casual student atmosphere at Brasenose.”

The application deadline was extended to Wednesday night and Gladwell confirmed that there have now been multiple applicants for each position.

He said, “What is good is that we now have some solid candidates who are keen to build on what the JCR has already achieved.”

Thirty people forced the Vodafone shop on Cornmarket to temporarily close on Saturday, in a protest against corporate tax evasion.
The protest came after Private Eye magazine revealed that Vodafone negotiated a deal with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, agreeing to let the company off a large amount of tax.

The actual figures are unknown, although Vodafone have denied a reported figure of £6 billion.

Protesters sat inside the shop from 2pm for two hours, while others held banners reading, “Vodafone’s Tax Dodge: £6bn; Welfare Cuts: £7bn.”
The protesters were eventually removed by police, and one Oxford Brookes student was arrested after refusing to leave.

The protest formed part of a national day of action against Vodafone’s tax evasion, with sit-ins happening in stores in eight cities across the UK.

Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor announced last week that the University’s international fundraising campaign has collected over £1bn. The money will go to fund undergraduate teaching, new buildings and student scholarships.

Professor Hamilton described the generosity of philanthropic donors as “fundamental to Oxford’s future” and thanked them for continuing to give despite the economic downturn.

He also highlighted the long term need to make the tutorial system more ‘financially sustainable’ in the face of a permanent decrease in government funding.

The Campaign for the University of Oxford is set to continue until it reaches its final target of £1.25 billion.

Central to the fundraising has been Dame Vivian Duffield, chairman of the campaign since its official launch in 2008, who recently decided to step down. She is thought to have played a pivotal role in achieving this milestone.

A man selling fake qualifications, including masters degrees claiming to be from Oxford University, has been jailed for three years.
David Fox, 51, was found guilty of four counts of fraud and pleaded guilty to twelve counts under the Trademark Act and Copyright, Designs and Patents Act.

Mr Fox sold novelty diplomas and certificates through his website www.businessdigest.co.uk, which he claimed were “Better than the real thing and with much better grades!!”

Certificates for an Oxford master’s degree were available for £69.90.The website cautioned that its diplomas were “intended for novelty use only” and that businessdigest.co.uk “took no responsibility for their use in any matters perpetrating to unlawful behaviour.”

However, the website still boasted that “Our replicas are so good that they are often used as a replacement for an existing document” and that “our products have been subjected to the highest level of scrutiny and proven their value time and time again.”

A prosecutor said that Fox indicated that he knew what his degrees were being used for, because he frequently followed disclaimers with a “;)”.

Prosecutor Mark Jackson asked Mr Fox in court, “How funny would it be to prank your friends on the basis that you had got a BTEC higher national certificate in electrical engineering, do you wonder?”

Mr Fox was caught after Birmingham’s trading standards agency began investigating his company after a certificate claiming to be from the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health – a health and safety examining board – was redirected to them by the Post Office.

The trading standards agency investigated Mr Fox by having an officer from the department pretend to be a student named ‘Christina McCullogh’ and order a Grade A chemistry GCSE certificate, a 2:1 chemistry degree from the Open University and a masters degree in chemistry from Oxford.

Recorder Abigail Nixon, sentencing Mr Fox at Wolverhampton Crown Court, said, “The potential damage from your behaviour … is immense.” She added that his actions might have damaged “the fabric of society.”

News of the availability of fake degree certificates provoked a mixed reaction from students around Oxford.

One second year said, “It is immensely frustrating that someone could convince an employer that they had the same degree as me without putting in any of the work.”

Sammana Ladha, a first year student at Oriel College, said, “Its hard to believe that employers would mistake a dodgy certificate from an online business for a real degree.”

A new centre dedicated to China Studies is to be built on St Hugh’s College grounds, thanks to a £10 million donation from Hong Kong based philanthropist Dickson Poon CBE.

Dickson Poon is the founder of one of Hong Kong’s largest and most profitable retailing enterprises and is the owner of the Harvey Nichols Group in the UK.

The benefactor has said that he hopes that through a “balanced and dispassionate” understanding of Chinese culture, the new centre “will generate practical innovations and strategies to enhance the growing relationships between China and the West.”

St Hugh’s Bursar, Mary Kerr, said that the 6,600 square metre building would also serve to provide more accommodation for students.
Kerr said that the college had been planning to increase facilities, but that “it is extremely difficult to interest donors in such projects.
“Whilst discussing our plans with potential Hong Kong and Chinese donors, the Principal realised that planning a building that could also house China Studies would be a more attractive proposition.

“He was absolutely right and so far we have received donations and pledges of £13 million, but we need another £7 million.

“This is very exciting for St Hugh’s in terms of both increased facilities and prestige.”

The building is expected to house 70 ensuite rooms, a lecture space, study areas and kitchen and dining facilities.

Andrew Dilnot, the Principal of St Hugh’s, has said the he hopes that the Centre will enhance the College’s international credentials, and said he is anticipating scholarships for “outstanding students who want to study this fascinating and increasingly important part of the world.”

The China Centre will build on a 400-year relationship between Oxford University and China. The Bodleian Library acquired its first Chinese book in 1604, and there are now more than 40 academics involved in China-related study.

Construction on the China Centre will begin in 2012. In recognition of China’s increasing economic, political and cultural influence, the Centre will encourage collaboration between academics in Oxford and the East.

“Oxford already has more academics who work on China than any other European university and over a wider range of subjects,” Dr Rana Mitter, Acting Director of the China Centre, told Cherwell.
“Now the Centre will help us use that expertise to build further bridges to China’s major institutions through conferences, exchanges and new projects.”

“What happens in China will help to shape the century to come,” said Lord Patten, Chancellor of Oxford University and the last UK governor of Hong Kong.

“In Oxford we wish to be ever more involved in studying that exciting process.”

The country’s prominence is also reflected in the university’s large Chinese contingent. There are currently 750 Chinese students in Oxford.

“It is considered fashionable to study abroad. Eleven students from my local school alone received Oxbridge places this year” said first year student Kate Zhu.

The Centre will bring together academics from across the university’s currently fragmented China Studies department. The venture is directly supported by both the Humanities and Social Sciences Divisions.