Balliol College has temporarily reversed the decision to introduce a controversial ‘domus charge’ to all students, meaning that no incoming freshers will be affected.
The decision to put the charge on hold, pending a review at the end of this term, was taken in the final weeks of Michaelmas term.
In a meeting with the College executive, Balliol JCR and MCR presented a joint document detailing potential flaws of the domus plan, which would have seen a blanket charge of up to £500 imposed on all students.
Students proposed alternatives to the charge and in response Balliol officials agreed to reconsider the levy.
JCR President Stephen Dempsey told Cherwell that possible alternatives include “changing the system we currently use with domestic staff, revitalising our Hall, looking into managing Balliol’s off-site accommodation to improve efficiency and, although not yet approved or fully investigated, maybe even finding ways of utlising our extensive archives to make up the deficit.”

The news comes despite College Master Andrew Graham claim in an email to students dated November last year that, “The simple reason we have turned to a student charges is that we have already done everything else,” and that, “if Balliol is to remain one of the best educational institutions in the world, the funding has to come from somewhere”.
One Balliol student, Chris Gross, was quick to point out that the domus charge is far from being forgotten altogether. He said, “While this is a very positive step forward, and a testimony to the ability of students to mobilise quickly and effectively, it’s not the end of the fight and students need to maintain the pressure on the college to find other ways to make up for their financial mess.
“This is an issue that affects other JCRs, and hopefully our limited victory here can be the start of a university-wide push against unfair and possibly illegal charges on students.”
Meanwhile other students are more positive about Balliol’s future. JCR Secretary David Bagg commented, “I believe that the JCR, MCR and College all have the best interests of students at heart, and any forthcoming proposal will be well-considered and fair.”
Dempsey said the decision was “not a victory for the students of Balliol alone but one for the whole college, helping us to get through a difficult financial time without endangering the qualities that make Balliol such an outstanding college in the first place. We are delighted that the College has taken this opportunity to work with the student body on an issue which is so important to all of us.”

The £132m redevelopment of Oxford Brookes University’s Headington campus looks set to go ahead after a judicial review in the High Court last month ruled that Oxford City Council acted legally in approving planning permission for the project.
Local Headington Hill resident Martin Young, a retired property manager, took the case to the High Court after questioning the legality of building a “major social and entertainment centre that borders a residential area”.
However, Judge Anthony Thornton QC ruled that “the fact that members of the public will be entitled to use these facilities for buying books, visiting the bank or patronising the cafés does not alter this ancillary use, since members of the Brookes community will predominate”.
The University’s initial planning application was rejected by the council after residents complained that the buildings would be too tall. In 2009, locals speaking to The Oxford Times expressed their concerns about the “colonisation” of parts of Oxford by “student ghettos”.
Full planning permission was finally given to a revised design in June 2010, to which Oxford Brookes said they had made “significant compromises”. This included taking a storey off the height of the building, and removing the nightclub from the proposal.
Building work has already begun on a new library, lecture theatre, students’ union and public square, which Vice-Chancellor Janet Beer said would mark “the beginning of vital improvements to our campus”.
The Vice-Chancellor posed the question, “If [students] can eat, drink and study at Starbucks, why shouldn’t they expect to do that in a university?”
The ambitious revamp has provoked mixed responses amongst Brookes students. First year Joshua Read said, “It’s okay, but it’s pretty inconvenient for everyone at the moment. It’s going to be a building site for the next 3 years.” Another student training to be a primary school teacher stated positively that, “Because Headington is the main campus…I do think it needs to have a good, up to date library due to the fact that so many courses use it.”
Oxford Brookes has been keen to emphasise that “around 80% of the building is devoted to essential facilities such as library and teaching spaces”. They also pledged to remain “committed to working closely with local residents and the Council”, and to “continue to work to address the concerns of our neighbours” after the final design was approved.
Despite Brookes’ efforts to engage with the local community, Martin Young was not deterred from mounting a legal battle.
Young explained to Cherwell that, aside from his concerns about the erosion of residential privacy, his main point of contention was that the developers “want shops, without getting permission for shops”, and that he has submitted a request this week for permission to appeal the High Court’s decision.
Young admitted that “Litigation is a capricious process, as one learns to one’s cost”, but added that “There’s a time in life when you think you shouldn’t be pushed around.”
Oxford Brookes has distanced itself from the issue, stating, “This case is between Martin Young and the City Council, not Oxford Brookes. We believe the Council has a very strong defence and we are proceeding with the preparations for the building as planned.”
When upholding the Council’s decision, Anthony Thornton QC described Mr. Young’s effort as “valiant”, though “doomed to failure”.
Oxford University carried out a similar process of consultation with the community over plans for the equally ambitious £200 million development of the former Radcliffe Hospital site on Woodstock Road. Oxford’s proposals created relatively little controversy.

The licences for two popular Oxford venues have come under scrutiny this week by both the council and the public.

Thirst Lodge has sparked fresh controversy over its reapplication for a Sexual Entertainment Licence, following nationwide legislative changes to licensing policy. The Oxford Council website states that the licence would allow “Exotic/erotic dancing, Lap/Pole and table dancing, Semi and/or full nudity dancing.” A hearing will be held in March.

The Lodge has repeatedly provoked community outrage since January 2009, when the bar first applied for a licence, only to withdraw in the face of local outcry. A second application was approved in December 2009.

Members of St Ebbe’s Church in Pennyfarthing Place, where The Lodge is also situated, have encouraged students to object to the renewal of the licence.

One attendee of the church said, “The new Oxford City Council regulations state that venues offering sexual entertainment should not generally be sited near historic buildings or tourist attractions, schools, play areas, nurseries, children’s centres or similar premises, shopping complexes, residential areas or places of worship.

“Clearly The Lodge contravenes this in a number of respects, and in adopting these new regulations, Oxford City Council were responding to guidance issued by the Home Office, which states that, ‘these provisions…. will give local people a greater say over the regulation of lap dancing clubs and similar venues in their area’.”

Katharine Terrell, OUSU’s Vice President for Women, also objected to the licence, voicing concerns about the welfare of the women working at The Lodge. “Women who work in the sexual entertainment industry are at a high risk of sexual assault and rape, often effectively earn below minimum wage, and are usually unable to unionise,” she told Cherwell.

“The trafficking of women (many underage) into sex work in the UK remains widespread, yet most establishments do not ensure their workers are not trafficked or coerced and it is difficult for the punters to tell whether women have been trafficked or coerced. My concern is that visitors to sexual entertainment venues do not appreciate all these issues and simply see it as a good night out with no consequences.”

However, some see no harm in The Lodge continuing to offer such entertainment. One third year Chemist, who wishes to remain anonymous, said “Thirst Lodge spiced up Oxford no end. I’ll be gutted if the girls go.”

Julian Alison, a licensing officer for Oxford County Council, told Cherwell that “considering The Lodge has been operating as an adult entertainment venue for almost a year, without any increase in crime or violent incidents in the area, the result of the hearing in March could really go either way”.

Meanwhile, The Bridge may have its Premises Licence reviewed. Oxford Council state on their website that “Thames Valley Police are seeking a review based on the grounds the operators are not upholding their obligations under the four objectives of the Licensing Act most notably the prevention of crime and disorder.

“Thames Valley Police now believe that the most appropriate recourse moving forward is to refer the premises on again to the Licensing committee.”

The application for review comes in the wake of a spate of violence outside some of the city’s most popular night-time haunts. In October, four men were arrested after a brawl outside The Bridge, which saw two people being taken to hospital, one with serious head injuries. The event occurred on the same night as a stabbing outside Baby Love bar.

The Principal of Brasenose College, Professor Roger Cashmore, whose use of expenses was recently questioned, is to retire at the end of this academic year.

Cashmore was the subject of national media attention when, in May this year, a report leaked to Cherwell suggested he and his wife had misused college travel expenses.

The report raised “serious doubts” as to whether a trip to Pakistan in November 2005 was made on College business, even though it was “funded mainly by the college”.

The report also noted “the high cost of the ticket” for the Principal’s journey to the North American Reunion in April 2004.

It stated that despite the fact that “no authorisation seems to have been given” for a trip to North America in 2007 and a “Visit to Greece” in 2008, the Principal flew business class and costs were met by the college in both cases.

Following this, a source claimed in October, that the Governing Body of Brasenose had passed a motion of no confidence against him.

The 66-year-old has been on research leave since October, with Professor Alan Bowman acting as Principal.

According to a statement issued by the college, the experimental physicist plans to concentrate on his research projects which include work on the Large Hadron Collider and a recent appointment as Chairman of the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Cashmore, a Cambridge and Balliol alumnus, has been Principal of Brasenose since 2002 and oversaw celebrations to mark the College’s quincentenary last year, including a visit by the Queen.

Students at Green Templeton College were shocked this week after a man burgled their accommodation in broad daylight.
The unidentified man gained access to Observer’s House block on Tuesday 11th January around lunchtime and wandered around for 20 minutes before gaining access to a residential building.

He entered through an unlocked exterior door and stole two laptops, an SLR camera and some jewellery.

One of the students was eating lunch in the kitchen when his laptop was taken from his unlocked room on the top floor, the other was away in London.

Graduate Common Room President Aaron Krolikowski said that students who were around at the time have managed to identify the man on college CCTV footage.

Krolikowski also emphasised that “the Police have been very helpful, forensic teams have taken fingerprints and a burglary expert team has also visited the College”.

He added that “the Graduate Common Room have been working closely with the College administration since the incident to indentify weak points in security.

“We have considered putting new locks on some of the doors, including electronic ones to tighten things up as much as we can”.

This news comes after thefts at two other colleges last term. In October, a man broke in to Balliol and left with nearly £6000 worth of personal belongings. A student at Brasenose had his laptop taken after he left it unattended in the College library.

Other colleges have warned their students about the risk of theft, with St Anne’s bursar advising students as they return after the vacation not to “prop open doors when unloading as this permits access to residential buildings”.

Thames Valley Police advises students to shut and lock all doors and windows at night and when they go out.

The final day of this year’s Varsity ski trip saw dozens of students strip naked in the snow and perform “outrageous” tasks as they competed to win a free holiday.

The Valley Rally competition, sponsored by luxury holiday company Scott Dunn, offered a free 5-star skiing holiday worth £2,000 in Saint Anton, Austria, for the winning team.

Teams took part in challenges such as smashing an egg “in the most creative manner possible,” eating buckets of snow and posing for “adventurous” photographs.
The winning team, all from St Anne’s College, placed an egg between the buttocks of one team member while another smashed it with a wine bottle. At the end of the challenge the team ate the egg.

They also posed for erotic pictures on the slopes whilst naked, covered in pasta sauce and hot chocolate, in front of a crowd of 500 people.

Despite attracting criticism from some for their behaviour, the team said they were glad to have won the competition.

One team member said, “I think I may have got hypothermia but it was definitely worth it.”

Another member of the winning team, said, “I sold my dignity for a free holiday.”

The top three teams in the competition were all from Oxford, and the runners up drank each other’s urine. Students were also seen to strip naked to pose for photographs in snow drifts and to simulate sex acts on one another.

One Varsity rep described how he believed he had witnessed students “losing their souls” while competing.

Another rep, from tour company Off the Piste, said that she had been surprised at the willingness of participants to take their clothes off, especially given the freezing conditions and the presence of photographers.

A video of the Valley Rally has since been posted on YouTube, where one girl can be seen with her top off.

In another round, where the task was to eat as much snow as possible from a bucket in one minute, a group of Cambridge students requested to be allowed to urinate in the snow before consuming it, “for extra points.”

A member of the group told Cherwell, “It was disappointing to make such an effort early on and then not to win. It makes it feel like it was all a bit pointless.”

A large number of students originally signed up for the Valley Rally, but a high proportion dropped out when the nature of the competition became clear.

The event had been marketed to students on the Varsity 2010 website with the tagline, “Make sure you don’t miss out on this great afternoon on the slopes.”

According to a spokeswoman for Scott Dunn, the company choose to sponsor the Valley Rally as they saw Oxbridge students as a “great audience for a high end operator like themselves.”

When contacted by Cherwell, Scott Dunn seemed unaware of the nature of the competition, and said they had believed that were sponsoring a “fun ski race.”

The week-long trip to Val Thorens, in the French Alps, was also marked by another incident, when one of the coaches travelling from Oxford on the last day of term was involved in a serious collision on the M25.

44 students, mostly from New College and Oriel, were on board the coach when it crashed head-on into a lorry at approximately 2 o’clock in the morning. Treacherous weather conditions had forced the lorry to skid into the opposite lane.

Almost all passengers on the coach suffered cuts and bruising, and several were taken to hospital for further treatment. The driver of the coach suffered a broken leg and a broken wrist.

The collision occurred at Clacket Lane, near Croydon. Having been evacuated from the coach, the students were marshalled into a service station, where they spent three hours giving statements to the police and being assessed by ambulance crews.

The service station’s hotel provided students with rooms, and in the morning they were transferred to a new coach to continue their journey.

A number of students expressed their thanks to the coach driver, whose quick braking prevented the accident from being potentially far worse.

Travelling to France proved difficult for all the skiers, as coaches and planes left amidst MET Office warnings of extreme weather conditions and “widespread icy roads.”

‘First-lift’ customers, who had paid extra to fly out to France early, were frustrated to be told that they would not be able to board their flights and would instead have to travel by coach.

An Oxford University professor has become the second living British expert of the arts to be elected to Portugal’s national academy.

Professor Tom Earle has been made a foreign member of the Academia das Ciências de Lisboa – Classe de Letras, the equivalent of the UK’s British Academy and Royal Society combined.

He has lectured at Oxford for more than 40 years specialising in Portuguese Renaissance literature.

Professor Earle said, “This accolade is a great honour. As a foreigner I have been received into a body that recognises outstanding achievements by scholars of Portugal in the sciences and arts.”

He added, “I have been able to spend a very long time studying this esoteric subject. It has been a lifetime well spent.”

A fraudulent applicant for study at Oxford has pleaded guilty to twenty counts of larceny, identity fraud, falsifying an endorsement or approval and pretending to hold a degree. Adam Wheeler, 23, was sentenced to two and a half years in jail, suspended for ten years.

Wheeler fabricated his SAT scores and forged documents that enabled him to attain a place at Harvard. He won several prizes by dint of a CV in which he claimed that he had written two books, co-authored another four, and lectured in Armenian studies.

He was eventually exposed when an English professor on the adjudicating panel for the prestigious Fulbright and Rhodes scholarships noticed similarities between the applicant’s submission and the work of a colleague, and subsequently instigated an investigation into Wheeler’s academic record.

A consortium including Oxford University has bought the majority of Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station in Cornwall. Oxford will work with defence technology firm QinetiQ and the UK Space Agency to turn the former telecommunications hub into a world class space centre.

Steve Rawlings, Professor of Astrophysics at Oxford and academic head of the 1.5 billion Euro Swuare Kilometre Array Radio Astronomy Project (SKA), said, “The opportunity to include Goonhilly in a number of leading radio astronomy projects and related research and development work is truly exciting.

He said that the University is “thrilled by the possibilities of having its students and staff down in Cornwall where the new outreach centre will attract many young new scientists who will be rubbing shoulders with top flight engineers and physicists from around the world.”

Oxford City Council, in conjunction with the national homeless charity Crisis, has begun work to convert a former fire station in central Oxford into a new centre for the homeless.

The £3.5 million Crisis Skylight centre will include a gallery, an auditorium and a dance studio designed for community groups and the homeless, as well as a café open to the public.

The centre will offer creative workshops in drama and the arts, as well as classes in practical skills such as literacy, numeracy, carpentry and IT. The focal point of the arts-related activities will be a new arts company, Arts at the Old Fire Station.

The Gloucester Green site was first established as the headquarters of a volunteer fire brigade in 1870, and functioned as Oxford’s main fire station from 1896 to 1971. It has since served as a theatre and an arts centre, and is currently in use by the nightclub Live Nation Club.

Gina Ford, a first year student of Archaeology and Anthropology at Keble, has volunteered for Crisis’ London branch and looks forward to getting involved at Oxford.

“Seeing people on the streets as I’m walking to lecture or coming home from a night out really brings home the problem,” she said.
“A Crisis centre is certainly a better use of the building than a nightclub.”

The project has received funding from the government’s Places of Change Programme, which aims to reduce the number of people dependent on the hostel system for shelter.

A representative for Oxford Hub told Cherwell, “Oxford has the highest number of rough sleepers in the country outside of London and there is a clear need for a comprehensive approach to tackling this issue.

“We look forward to seeing how we can work with the centre to provide new opportunities to volunteer with Oxford’s homeless.”

Local contracting company Kingerlee was appointed to the project after the original contractor, ROK, went into administration in November. Kingerlee, which is set to begin work on redevelopment of the building in January, is the same firm that built the original building more than a hundred years ago.

Kingerlee has done work with many of Oxford’s colleges, most recently a lecture theatre for Queens College and the Kendrew quadrangle at St. John’s College.

Councillor Bob Price, leader of Oxford City Council, said, ” The difficulties caused by ROK going into administration will mean that the project will be completed a couple of months later than hoped but we have been able to secure a new contractor very swiftly.”

The building work is set to be completed by autumn this year.