Renowned author and Oxford alumnus Philip Pullman addressed hundreds yesterday over the planned closure of almost half of Oxfordshire’s libraries.

Speaking in Oxford’s Town Hall alongside MP Andrew Smith, the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy author turned his scepticism of worship towards a more secular target: the market.

Pullman had already publicly condemned the closures saying, “We measure the value of a civilized society by the number of libraries it opens, not the number it closes down.

“To deprive citizens of access to this most precious thing, a library, is to surrender to a savage and stupid fundamentalism, the worship of the market. We do not need to do this. We should resist it passionately.”

Pullman told Cherwell, “This [issue] is very close to my heart, as I love libraries, and as a citizen of Oxford.”

He also commented that he supported student action regarding tuition fees, stating, “[The government] are pricing people out and making it very difficult for people from poor backgrounds. I am immensely sympathetic. Unless your parents own a chalet in the south of France, it will be difficult for most people to pay that much.

“Oxford and Cambridge won’t find it difficult to recruit students and I fear that even more will come from private schools, that will be inevitable,” he added.

Government cuts would see 20 of Oxford’s 43 libraries shut down. Organisers hope that authors support will lend extra fervour to the campaign’s efforts, and change politicians’ minds.

The Oxford Education Campaign, a mainly student organisation responsible for last term’s protests which ended in the occupation of the Radcliffe Camera, are seeking to establish a long term relationship with the libraries, both for symbolism and solidarity.

When asked whether he would help campaign on student issues Pullman commented, “I am immensely busy and I can’t give time to everything. But my heart is with you on this.”

Next Wednesday has been designated as a day of national anti-cuts action, and the group are planning a “fluid” protest that will end in the occupation of a public building such as one of the closing libraries. Other locations such as the Sheldonian Theatre were discussed.

Julie Simmons, an ex-library worker and the current secretary for the Oxfordshire Anti-Cuts Coalition, noted the social impact that the closures would have. She commented, “many young people simply can’t afford to buy what they like or need to read.”

At OEC’s Monday meeting the effects of the cuts for young people who don’t yet and may not enjoy the privilege of attending a place like Oxford were also raised.

Efforts to save libraries include Stony Stratford, where residents collectively removed almost all of the library’s 16,000 books by each withdrawing their maximum allowance.

The first OUSU Council meeting of the term has failed to reach a decision on whether to lobby the University to restrict tuition fee rises.

A vote on the motion was postponed to allow for wider student consultation, although many JCR representatives said that they thought there had already been enough opportunity for this.
Whilst keen to consult with students, OUSU President David Barclay stressed “We can’t afford to wait on this”.

The motion, put forward by Barclay, proposed that OUSU should “lobby the University to set a fee level below £9000” and “establish fee waivers for students from the lowest income backgrounds”. It costs £16,000 a year to teach an Oxford undergraduate.

Although the motion recognised that “charging over £7,200 will secure the short-term financial future of the University”, Sutton Trust research cited in a separate motion suggested that “£7,000 is [the] level of tuition fees that begins to deter applicants from applying to university”.

At an Oxford Education Campaign meeting on Monday, member Kit Jackson described OUSU’s motion to lobby the University to limit fees as a “cop out.”

“The [university fees] vote may have happened, but that is no reason to back down from the position that there should be no increase in fees. We will continue to campaign for not raising fees at all.”

When asked how Oxford would react if Cambridge were to set a higher fee level, Barclay stressed that the lobbying plans would concentrate on the raise this year and that fees were expected to go towards the top end of the scale in the long run.

The meeting attracted a high turn-out. Many students expressed that the lobby needed to be well targeted, including Sébastien Fivaz, the OUSU representative for Christ Church JCR, which previously came out in support of the government’s tuition fee rise.

He said, “The University must not just simply set a good “headline fee”: the priority has to be actual help for students.

“The decision to postpone should send a really clear message that OUSU is actually consulting.”

The University Council in Ninth Week will make the final decision on the fee-level. Student representatives will be invited but it is not yet clear how many.
One member of the Executive pushed to lobby for a fee level below OUSU’s proposed £7,200. He stated that OUSU cannot be “too reasonable” and let the University “walk over us”.

One St Anne’s student presented himself as a “proponent” of a higher fees level, suggesting that the University was a “luxury good” and should avoiding looking like “the budget option.”

A Teddy Hall student responded by describing education as “not something you go out and shop for…you get in here by being clever.”

Colin Jackson, OUSU representative for LMH, said, “Postponing the vote to the next council was wise – rather than passing a vague ‘sentiment motion’ as we would have done, we now have the opportunity to consult our JCRs and form some real, tangible policy.”

The debate continues this evening. Aaron Porter, President of the National Union of Students, is addressing Oxford’s Labour Club at Corpus Christi about student action in response to the fees rise.

OEC are encouraging as many students as possible to attend the talk in protest tonight. Several members commented that “Aaron Porter does not speak for me or any students I know.”

Oxford has one of largest street counts of rough sleepers outside London, according to a recent report published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The report showed that Oxford ranked fourth after Westminster, City of London and Peterborough, with approximately 16 people sleeping on the streets on any given night.

Whilst sleeping rough is the outward emblem of homelessness, Leslie Dewhurst, a spokesperson from Oxford Homeless Pathways estimated that in fact the number of people sleeping rough was probably a lot higher than the report predicted.

“About 30 people sleep rough in Oxford, a further 90 sleep in hostels, and perhaps 200 people live in hostels with no security of tenure. Plus there is a countless number of people sofa-surfing,” she said.

A council spokesperson commented, “Numbers have decreased since the benchmark figures in 1996. Last year saw a spike in street numbers following an increase in the numbers of Eastern European clients with no recourse to public funds.”

They attributed the city’s appeal to homeless people to its “wide range of excellent services – including four hostels, day-centres, specialist mental health and substance misuse services.”

Whilst there are emergency night shelters such as those run by Oxford Homeless Pathways – the Julian Housing Centre on the Cowley Road, or the O’Hanlon House on Luther Street, spaces are limited and many homeless people sleep rough either on the streets, in disused buildings, or in other temporary accommodation.

When asked if there was a shortage of provision for the homeless in night shelters, Dewhurst said, “Well, on the face of it – yes.

“But the problem is a lot more complicated than that. The high cost of housing explains why there is so much homelessness in Oxford. But individually people are homeless for a variety of reasons, usually to do with a breakdown of personal relationships.”

“There is a national shortage of decent housing and most housing associations have long lists of people waiting for homes.

“In addition, some homeless people have issues such as mental ill health or drug misuse that make it very difficult for them to find suitable permanent housing. For most people, homelessness is a temporary situation but for some it becomes a way of life.”

Chris and Bruno are two such rough sleepers. Chris, 26, was put into foster care after his father and uncle committed suicide. “I was ten, and I’ll tell you, it’s no easier now than it was back then. I’ve been on the streets since I was 17,” he said.

Bruno, a Lithuanian migrant who came to England nine years ago, said, “I’ve been homeless for six years. I lived in lots of cities but I come to Oxford because the people are clever.”

The duo make a living peddling copies of the Big Issue on the street.
“It’s not easy to wake up every morning and be all happy and smiley and sell the Big Issue,” Chris said.

“I’d be happy to make £15 a day,” Bruno added.

There are various initiatives in the city addressing the issue with which Oxford students are involved. Frances Avery, a second year linguist at Keble began volunteering at the Gatehouse in first year.

She is now the Volunteers Co-ordinator for Oxford Homeless Action Group (OxHAG), which works with various organisations including the Shower Project and Steppin’ Stone, as well as holding fundraising events.

“We had a Club Night last term and SOUP (Society of Oxford Ukeleley Players) busked for us. We are also starting fortnightly discussion groups surrounding the issue, have a speaker event as part of the OxHub Series coming up and are planning some action against the imminent proposed changes to housing benefits,” she said.

“Since being with HAG it’s been empowering to see how many people are keen to volunteer and make a difference to society, and I also visited the Steppin’ Stone centre recently, where I saw some of the homeless people I had served at the Gatehouse helping out at the centre themselves and clearly making an effort to improve their situation.”

Projects such as the Gatehouse, one of Oxford’s community centres, provide the homeless with “simple food, daily newspapers, a library of books, internet access and a store of clothes,” said Andrew Smith, Project Director.

“There is no charge for our services, no strings attached,” he added.
The Gatehouse is currently in the process of relocating the centre, on account of the termination of their contract with the City council.

“We’ve known for a long time they want the building back and we will be served with a notice this month, which will give us a 12 months to find a new building,” Smith said.

Religious charities have also had a major role to play in providing aid to the homeless in the city.

“The Church helps a lot. If it wasn’t for the Christian community, crime would go through the roof,” Chris commented.

However, homelessness has become a way of life for many such as Chris and Bruno who find themselves in the vicious cycle of poverty.
“I have two truck licences,” Chris explained. “I’ve registered for work. But where do I come back [to]? Where do I shower, eat, sleep?

“I’ve got no goals or ambitions. I don’t know where to start. I’d like to go to France. I’d like to stop drinking and go back to normal but right now that seems a million miles away,” he said.

Bruno, who left his family in Lithuania commented, “I was a businessman with my company. I lost my business, then a divorce with my ex-wife, I can’t pay for everything.

“One of my friends said ‘Go to England’ so I took a plane and I come here. I got friends, a family. But I’m stuck. I’m scared – If I go back [to Lithuania], I don’t know what to do. What do I say, what do I tell my daughter when she says ‘Daddy, why did you leave?'”

Pulling out a photograph of a brown puppy called Cheeky, Bruno expounded the brutal struggle of the homeless.

“Somebody nicked him. My phone – nicked. My dog – nicked. My jacket – nicked,” he said.

This photograph and an article recently published about Bruno’s heroic act of helping an assaulted woman on the streets of Oxford are his two most prized possessions. Criminality caused by homelessness not only affects the wider population of the city, but is an endemic problem for homeless people themselves.

St Peter’s JCR President Rob Collier was named “King” of the college by undergraduates at a meeting on Monday.

A light-hearted motion was passed giving Rob the title and ordering his execution at the French Revolution-themed college ball on May 7th.
His Royal Highness commented, “The promotion to JCR King was certainly not something I was expecting to happen when I first ran for the role of President.

“As with anything, just have to take it your stride and hope it doesn’t get too bloody – though I’m not sure there is the guarantee of a pain-free execution at the ‘C’est la Revolution’ Ball.”

The execution will conclude the reign of the monarch and dismantle his ancien regime.

“The Ball Committee are doing a fantastic job in all departments- the Ball is the talk of our common room and I’m very pleased that I can be involved past the usual capacity of President,” added Collier.

The drive to execute the president seems to have arisen spontaneously from amongst members of the College. The Ball Committee Co-President, Stephen Dunne, said, “I had no idea the motion was even being discussed, and it has come as a bit of a shock even to me!

“I think the motion is really fun; it lets us be at our most creative when planning it. It’s good to have a challenge to combine the debauched lifestyle of the aristocracy pre-revolution with the murder and hysteria of the revolution itself.”

The ‘death of the King’, to be proclaimed at the ball, will be the climax of a series of mock executions using a faux guillotine on a raised platform.

Zoe Apostolides, a second year student reading English, said, “I fully support our cheeky new king, and the whole idea of “executing” him is exactly the sort of macabre twist a French Revolution ball needs.
“It’ll give him the chance to commit all sorts of banditry before the Big Night – bring it on Rob Rex.”

The new monarchy has inspired enthusiasm amongst students as well as staff. History tutor Nicholas Cole commented, “The ancient historian Polybius predicted that all political communities will cycle endlessly through democratic and monarchical forms of government over time, and it seems that JCRs are no exception.

“The responsible undergraduates of St Peter’s JCR have clearly decided to embrace this fate in a characteristically thoughtful and orderly fashion.”

The new monarchy at St Peter’s College is not unprecedented. St Hugh’s passed a similar motion in November last year, appointing an unelected College monarch who would make speeches at formal hall or at the openings of new buildings and refer to themselves in the third person.

A recent study by the London School of Economics suggests that there is a link between beauty and IQ.

The new research shows that there is a significant positive correlation between physical attractiveness and general intelligence, both with and without controls for social class, body size and health.

The news has been welcomed by Oxford students, who last year were collectively deemed the ugliest university in the UK by MTV show ‘The Freshers’. The same programme also found Oxford students to be “the worst behaved in Britain.”

Former Fit College champion Chris De Beneducci reflected that “Oxford has a bad reputation, but I do think the top drawer contains some absolute stunners”.

In the past, Oxford alumni have been internationally recognised for their beauty. New College produced actor Hugh Grant, who was voted the seventh sexiest man alive in a poll for People Magazine, as well as actress Kate Beckinsale who came twelfth in FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in 2008.

History student Matthew Chan, of University Challenge fame and namesake of the Facebook group ‘Matthew Chan: phwoar’ responded to the news with characteristic sarcasm. “I’m good looking? My calculations hadn’t anticipated this.”

Chan told Cherwell he has his own theory on the matter. “My feeling is that the preconception that smart people have to be ugly, and beautiful people have to be dim, is a kind of division of labour idea in which society runs more efficiently if some people exist just to do the work of looking good and nothing else, and others exist just to do the thinking.

“The fact that there are people who are both good looking and smart just isn’t economically efficient.”

Rachel Burrows, of Worcester College, was not entirely convinced by the findings either, commenting, “I think you have two categories of boys in Oxford; the pretty ones who struggle to find a personality, and the genuinely nice but slightly nerdy looking ones”.

“The men just don’t cut it in comparison to the girls in general”.
The study also showed that people who are good-looking attract partners who are both beautiful and intelligent. As a result, the children of these couples will tend to inherit both of these qualities too.

Third year chemist Michael Frazis certainly hopes so. His father George Frazis, who is CEO of Westpac New Zealand, was recently voted the 27th hottest man in Auckland.

MPs voted on Wednesday to scrap Education Maintenance Allowance in England.

Labour had called on the government to rethink its plans to axe the means-tested grant, which is given to students who stay in education past 16, but lost to a coalition majority of 59 votes.

It was confirmed in October that the EMA was to be cancelled as part of the UK’s budget cuts, and applications have already been closed to students who would be claiming an allowance of the 2011/12 academic year.

The government justified their move by arguing that the current system was inefficient, with Education Secretary Michael Gove claiming the allowance had been “poorly targeted”.

A protest was staged by students outside Parliament, whilst within, Labour’s education spokesman, Andy Burnham, claimed that social mobility would be “thrown into reverse” and that it was an attack on the aspirations of young people.

Gove responded that “you cannot spend money you do not have”.
The grants are of up to £30 a week and were intended to be spent on course necessities, books and transport.

The decision comes despite research published on Tuesday by the University and College Union which suggested that 70% of students in the poorest areas would drop out of college if they no longer received their EMA payments.

Oxford uses the EMA as a part of the contextual data used to gauge student’s academic background, and therefore to help in the process of selecting those student’s with the best academic potential.

Laura Bromely, a second year student at Trinity, said, “Even though it may be inefficient, it certainly helps many students through A level education which they otherwise wouldn’t have access to, and to scrap this assistance would mean places like Oxford in particular could lose bright, academically gifted candidates due to financial barriers”.

Aaron Porter, NUS president, said that the EMA was a “vital lifeline” for young people.

The government says it plans to support poorer students through a discretionary fund administered by colleges, which it aims to triple from its existing level of £26 million.

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) will restore power to the lights on the Northern side of Magdalen Bridge next week after a power fault which has left it in darkness for more than a month.

The company are now in breach of statutory requirements as the repair has not been rectified, despite stipulations that “energy contractors must repair street lighting faults within 20 working days” of the initial referral.

As a result of enquiries made by Cherwell and City Councillor Tony Brett, it has been announced that the required works will take place late next week.

Tony Brett, a Liberal Democrat Councillor for Carfax, originally made a complaint to the County Council on the 9th December and repeatedly contacted the Council about the problem.

Brett expressed concern that there may be “tragic consequences” if “without street lighting a cyclist in dark clothing or lights pulls out and a car, or worse, bus driver, doesn’t see them,” and asked that the matter be given priority.

Both female and male students have reported feeling increasingly fearful when crossing the bridge in darkness. “It feels much less safe at night”, Heidi Grek, a visiting student currently living near Cowley Road, told Cherwell. “I try to avoid walking home alone but that’s not always possible.”

A number of students also admit to cycling without bike lights or safety measures.

A spokesperson for the County Council has confirmed that SSE will be penalised, stating, “We will claim penalty payments at £10 a day, for every day over the 20 working days the fault is outstanding.”

The fine seems insufficient to some of those affected. “It just seems to be a nominal penalty”, commented Grek. “£10 per day isn’t a lot to a company whose individual shares routinely trade at ten times that.”

Anger remains over the time it has taken SSE to rectify the fault. Councillor Brett commented, “It’s a real shame this repair has taken such a long time, leaving Magdalen Bridge so dangerous at this late-dawn and early-dusk time of the year.

“I’d like to know why SSE didn’t repair the fault before term started as I know that many students feel unsafe enough as it is walking over the bridge, without having to do it in the dark.”

Construction has begun on a tunnel under the city which will provide extra electricity for the university’s labs.

The first phase of the 33kv cable’s life began last week at Osney Island and will involve tunnelling under the River Thames, Park End Street, Gloucester Street and St Giles. The project will take three and a half months.

Local citizens have complained about the disruption caused by the drilling, with one family even having their water supply cut off by engineers.

City councillor Susanna Pressell said the lack of information given to residents about the work was “disgraceful”, but the University has maintained that the work is necessary in order to meet the power demands of the science area for the next fifty years.

Oxford Brookes has become one of just eight remaining teams in the BBC’s University Challenge after beating Christ’s College Cambridge in the quarter-final last Monday.

The team have been training for five months with coach Dr Ian Bayley, a Senior Lecturer in Computing and former DPhil student of Balliol College. He has appeared on the show twice himself, in 1997 and 2001, when working for other universities.

Dr Bayley said that “the team’s talent was apparent” from the early stages. He remarked that “this is a great result against one of the country’s top universities and it shows how incredibly talented our students can be.”

The team was helped by Oxford University students, being invited to take part in Oxford’s Intercollegiate Quiz and taking on Exeter and St John’s in practice matches.

Oxford’s Magdalen College is also through to the quarter finals of the competition.

Universities and colleges in London, including Imperial College and King’s, are being asked to report to police on the organisation of student demonstrations on their campuses.

In an email, an officer from Counter Terrorism Command working on the Prevent programme, which tackles extremism, said the Met anticipated a “renewed vigour” at protests that could target finance departments to highlight concern over funding cuts. It advises drafting contingency plans against student occupations.

The officer added, “I would be grateful if in your capacity at your various colleges that should you pick up any relevant information that would be helpful to all of us to anticipate possible demonstrations or occupations, please forward it onto me.”