Oxford students face some of the largest living costs of any in the country, a survey has shown. The average rent paid by an Oxford undergraduate in 2010 was £106 per week according to an independent guide to universities, Push.co.uk.

Students at Cardiff University pay almost half the amount for their accommodation as students in Oxford.

A University spokesperson defended accommodation fees in Oxford. She said, “The overall average for all Colleges comes to an average rent of £119 per week so the accommodation charges are considerably lower than in the private housing sector in Oxford.

“Terms are short at Oxford, which makes accommodation costs over the entire degree less than at many universities.”

The disparity between the accommodation charges at different colleges has also caused alarm among students. Some students have been asking the University to justify the fact that students at different colleges to pay such different rates.

At Brasenose, students can chose to pay approximately £2,174 in their first year for accomodation, whilst at Trinity College students pay over £3,600.

Both the University and OUSU responded by pointing out that a lot of college accommodation is heavily subsidised.

The discrepancy between accomodation costs among colleges can be partially be attributed to the fact that battels vary enormously in composition from college to college. Some battels include ‘facilities charges’ of over £200, whilst others ask for room deposits.

Trinity College JCR President, Charlotte Meara, said, “It is important to note that other services are included in this charge and the JCR has chosen to retain a system of equality with regard to rent. We are always working with college to make sure that the JCR gets good value for what are comparatively higher accommodation costs.”

Trinity’s Domestic Bursar, John Keeling, denied that high accommodation costs might deter students from applying.
He said, “Our charges do not appear to be deterring potential applicants from applying as we had about 18% more applications for 2011 vis a vis 2010. And of the successful applicants 3% more than last year came from maintained schools.”

St Hugh’s students are also subject to large accommodation costs relative to other colleges. This is mainly due to the base rate accommodation charge of £1,123 per term.

First year student, Kirsty Flanagan, suggested why the St Hugh’s fees were so large. She said, “St Hugh’s is set in large grounds and so the gardens’ upkeep probably makes our rent more than that of smaller colleges. The comparison that matters is not with another college’s accommodation but with another student at St Hugh’s who will pay the same but may very possibly have a much better room.”

OUSU President, David Barclay, said, “Although the cost of living in the city is higher than other parts of the country, some college accommodation in Oxford is widely regarded as amongst the cheapest university accommodation in the UK, and many colleges heavily subsidise their accommodation for students.”

Despite this, students in some colleges are paying over £1,000 more per year than at other colleges for the most basic accommodation that their colleges provide.

The OUSU President acknowledged that battels were not standardised across the university and that this could lead to confusion.

He said, “Inequalities between colleges need to be looked at not just in terms of accommodation charges but as a whole in terms of compulsory charges, which in some colleges includes kitchen charges, gym charges, food charges etc. It is true that such inequalities do exist, and under the new fees system I think it is only fair that students should have all of that information available to them.”

A University spokesperson pointed out that fees were set by individual colleges rather than the University.

She said, “Individual colleges determine the levels at which they set their rents and charge students for food and other living costs, including the timeframe over which any changes are implemented.

They are set on the basis of discussions between Governing Bodies and student representatives of that college.”

She went on to say, “College accommodation includes features rarely found in private rented accommodation, such as IT provision, security, insurance cover, access to onsite subsidised catering and emergency assistance for students needing emotional support or healthcare.”

Both David Barclay and Alex Bulfin, OUSU VP for Access and Academic Affairs, pointed out that bursaries and funds were available to students who were not able to meet the financial demands of Oxford.

Barclay said, “We are currently working with the University and colleges to ensure that we have a rigorous bursary system in place for those who need it and that it is able to cope with any variety in college costs.”

“The University recognises that no matter what financial background a student is from or what college they attend, all students must be able to afford to live during their time here in Oxford, and OUSU will continue to work with them on this important area of policy.”

A University spokesperson added, “The ‘Oxford Opportunity Bursary’ is one of the most generous in the country: the maximum bursary is £3,225 per year, plus an £875 top-up in the first year for starting costs.

“About a quarter of undergraduate students currently hold Oxford Opportunity Bursaries, which will mean the total spend on bursaries for the year will be £1.86 million.”

JCR by-elections at St John’s College were enlivened this week by a less than serious candidate for the the position of Environment and Ethics officer.

Ben Lewy, a second year, grabbed the attention of voters by advocating controversial policies. One poster depicted Lewy holding a gun, next to a caption reading “Divest from arms companies? Bullshit”. Another candidate had called for an end to unethical investment.

The by-election, which took place on Monday evening, resulted in the appointment of Edward Love and Shaahin Pishbin to the position.
Lewy ran a controversial campaign, choosing to advocate policies that caused a stir in John’s.

On a poster, he pledged to “make sure that environmentalism just isn’t an issue in college.” He called upon voters to support him in his bid to tackle the problem that Global Warming poses to Oxford, saying that “As one of the city’s largest sources of hot air, our JCR has a duty to be part of the solution”.

During the hustings, candidates were grilled on their credentials for the role. When asked about the most unethical thing he’d ever done, Lewy replied, “I made someone cry once.”

The candidates were then questioned over their ability to annoy people, this being a desirable skill for cajoling the College authorities over environmental issues. Lewy duly replied by saying “I am really good at annoying people”.

The eventual winners, Love and Pishbin, commented that they did not feel the need to “lecture” on the importance of the role.

Phillip Coales came in second place, with Lewy bringing up the rear. Talking to Cherwell about his campaign and defeat, Lewy said, “I thought it was quite funny. Unfortunately, not enough other people did”.

Some people did appear enjoy the novelty campaign, with Lewy even managing to glean 21 of the 128 votes casts.

David Messling, JCR president, told Cherwell that he thought Lewy’s antics “were great for raising the profile of the JCR.”

Helen Austin, a member of the JCR committee at John’s, was sure that no one found the content of Lewy’s campaign offensive, albeit a distraction from the actual process of voting in new committee members.

The outgoing officer, Emma Fay, had effected changes to recycling in College and candidates for the position declared their intentions to “continue Emma’s excellent work” in the event of their success in the election.

Fun has been put down once more at Jesus College this week, after the JCR fulfilled their commitment to frame a letter of apology commissioned last term.

The letter, written by the perpetrator of an “incriminating stain” on the pool table, was ordered in a motion passed at the JCR meeting in 6th Week of Michaelmas. Acknowledging rumours that the stain was “composed of bodily fluids”, it went on to state that “no JCR member wishes to put their hands in the bodily fluids while playing pool”.

In order to deal with the incident, the motion proposed that the said male should write “a letter of apology to the entire JCR explaining his actions” which “will be framed and placed beside the pool table”.

The anonymous student states in his letter, “The pool table is a piece of equipment that facilitates a multitude of complex, enjoyable and satisfying cue sports, among them pool, snooker and billiards.
“It is not, therefore, an appropriate place for me to deposit two teaspoons of my unborn children.”

Second year Jesus student Declan Clowry, said, “I think it’s good that he had the balls to come clean. I just hope it doesn’t become a cue for more unorthodox potting in the JCR pool room.”

The motion was proposed by Jesus student Max Gordon-Brown, and seconded by Michael Lisanti. The shaming of the students involved was passed with an outright majority, with only one JCR member voting against it.

One Jesus student, who asked to remain anonymous, said that he was “a little bit impressed by the guy. Nobody thought he had it in him”.

Fears of the “death of fun” at Jesus were sparked last term when JCR members fought back against academic initiatives imposed by college authorities by wearing of black armbands to mourn the loss of merriment.

A respected Oxford historian has sparked international debate this week as he urged governments to reconsider what information really needs to be protected in light of WikiLeaks.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, Timothy Garton Ash, professor of European Studies, said, “Every organisation should think very hard about what it is you really need to protect. You’re probably protecting a whole lot you don’t need to. And then do everything you can to protect that smaller amount.”

He added, “I do not believe that the online world means that there can be no secrecy and everyone will know everything about everyone.”

He spoke at a closed session at the Forum where participants wrestled with the thorny questions surfaced by the explosion of online information and the WikiLeaks phenomenon in particular.

Home Office proposals which would make entering and staying in the UK more difficult for foreign students and their dependents have been declared “disastrous” by leaders in the Higher Education sector.

The changes, which would affect the many international students at Oxford, were highlighted last week by Cherwell.

A report by the UK Border Agency has suggested closing the popular two-year post-study work visa, limiting international students’ ability to work in term time.

Dominic Scott, Chief Executive for the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), called the proposals “probably the most radical proposals for a decade, if not a generation.”

Major higher education and international education sector stakeholders have come together this week to object to the government’s proposed changes to the international student visa system ahead of the end of the consultation period on Monday.

Tony Millins, Chief Executive of English UK, commented, “This is a cross-sectoral initiative and the fact that we have come together indicates very strongly how importantly we see this issue.

“In a week that began with the shock economic news that Britain’s economy contracted by half a per cent in the final quarter of last year … I think we need to concentrate on the growth aspects of international education.”

Aaron Porter, President of the NUS, said, “I think it would be an absolute travesty at a time when universities and students are facing unprecedented challenges for an additional, unnecessary and indeed economically counter-productive challenge to be thrown into the mix.

“It wouldn’t just be international students that would lose out from the opportunity of studying in this country, it would lead to a worsening of the experience for all students, both home and international.”

Oxford University has echoed the sentiments expressed by Porter, commenting, “both the UK and the economy will undoubtedly lose some of the best international students, as well as some incredibly skilled people, because of these changes.”