Oxford has dropped out of running for the UK Capital of Culture in 2013. It has emerged this week that the city will instead be bidding for the UNESCO World Book Capital.

The decision not to compete to be the first UK Capital of Culture was made despite Oxford was on the shortlist of 29 cities. Oxford City Council cited lack of funding as one of the main reasons for the withdrawal. It was felt that Oxford “could not commit a large amount of money required for such a speculative bid and there was no funding attached if we received the City of Culture.” There was also uncertainty about what was required from the winning city and the Council felt that resources would be better directed towards the bid for the World Book Capital in 2014.

In order to qualify for the nomination, Oxford needs to convince a panel made up of UNESCO judges and representatives from the three major branches of the publishing industry that they have created a suitable programme of events to promote reading in the city.

Reactions to Oxford running for World Book Capital have been very positive. A spokesperson from the University of Oxford stated, “We are delighted that Oxford has been chosen as a potential candidate to become the World Book Capital. We look forward to working with our partners in the city to ensure Oxford is a serious contender.”

The Bodleian Library is also supporting the bid. A spokesperson commented, “Oxford’s libraries have made a major contribution to the book culture of the city for at least 800 years, and continue to play a key role in supporting the world class research and learning, publishing, reading and writing that take place in the city today.” There seems to be a consensus that the award would have a positive impact on the city, bringing recognition to Oxford as a centre of excellence.

Donna Clews, a co-ordinator of STIR, Oxford’s guided reading project, emphasised the importance of reading, drawing attention to the benefits of getting children excited about books at a young age. She said, “Winning this competition would place reading at the forefront of Oxford’s identity in a context not purely related to the university and I believe this won’t just result in a lot of excited students but will also increase literary engagement with people who live, work and grow up in Oxford.”

Alice Beckwith, a keen STIR volunteer, added, “I have seen first-hand the positive effect which reading has on children’s development and confidence. If Oxford were to be World Book Capital in 2014, it would be a massive boost to the community, involving everyone in a productive and fun activity.”

UNESCO World Book Capital is a relatively new prize, instigated in 2001 after the success of the World Book and the Copyright Day. The nomination does not include a financial award, it is “an exclusively symbolic acknowledgement of the best programme dedicated to books and reading.” The current World Book Capital is Beirut, its term began on April 23rd 2009, UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day, and will run for twelve months.

Members of the academic committee at Brasenose have questioned the validity of a JCR motion which voted against room privileges for scholars. In two meetings last term, 90% of students in attendance voted to remove the right of scholars to be placed top in the room ballot.
The motion, proposed by JCR president, Arvind Singhal, would have seen students who gained distinctions in last years’ prelims competing with commoners for less desirable accommodation. However, Brasenose SCR ruled that the decision was not representative of the student body, since only 50 students out of around 360 were in attendance.
The issue poses problems regarding the nature and effectiveness of JCR meetings, as Arvind Singhal said, “We do not normally have provisions for referenda [so] it could be a dangerous precedent to set.”
Following the controversy, it was decided last week that Brasenose students would be asked to vote on the issue by online survey. The survey received 149 responses, around half of the total undergraduate body, of which 52% were against room privileges for scholars.
Duncan Turnbull, outgoing Brasenose ball president said, “It is a highly boring debate which comes up every year because so many people are disappointed with coming near the bottom.”
Currently, precedence is given to the top four JCR committee positions with scholars and exhibitioners coming next, and finally commoners.
An examination of colleges who grant room privileges to first-class students shows that they are inversely associated with Norrington table rankings. With the exception of Christ Church, a number of colleges who award room privileges to scholars, including St Hilda’s and St Catz, have achieved consistently lower scores in the academic league table.
“A room is not enough of an incentive for people to work, they will only work if they want to”, commented one Brasenose student.
Colleges who allocate higher room draw positions to scholars are still in the minority, with the vast majority of colleges sticking with a random ballot system.
Concerns have been raised about the fairness of the system in the light of a large discrepancy in the allocation of distinctions across subjects. Examiners’ reports covering 2008 and 2009 show that while the number of students awarded a distinction in Chemistry prelims might reach 33.5%, only 11.7% of those studying Law and 9.5% of Medicine students were awarded top marks.
Hannah Cusworth, OULC co-chair elect and Brasenose student said, “Of course people who do well in exams should be rewarded by college but people are more likely to get firsts or distinctions in certain subjects than others.”
It has been suggested that one way out of the question for Brasenose would be to award incentives to scholars which do not work at the expense of other students – one option might be to pay for scholars’ gowns. Brasenose scholars are currently awarded £200, whilst exhibitioners receive £150.
No final decision has yet been made, but privileges will remain effective for scholars and relevant committee members taking part in the room ballot this Michaelmas. Questions remaining over the issue mean that Brasenose SCR is likely to reconsider both issues next year.

Second and third year students at Christchurch and Magdalen spiced up the formalities of Matriculation Day with light-hearted hijinks last week.

Christ Church freshers were dished up a veritable plate of sauciness as they assembled for their college photograph. One anonymous male student put all on display as he streaked across the college’s main quad and frolicked in the fountain – wearing nothing but a balaclava.

Meanwhile, two third-year students at Magdalen successfully re-matriculated at the Sheldonian Theatre and even appeared in the Magdalen 2009 photo.

It is an annual tradition for Christ Church’s older students to distract the freshers while they are photographed in subfusc. Last year, a large number of students staged a battle dressed up as pirates and zombies behind the cameraman. This year, besides the traditional dancing, freshers witnessed a naked man jumping into the Tom Quad fountain.

The student, whose identity is unknown, stormed onto the quad wearing swimming trunks to where some second year students had gathered around the fountain. He tantalised the assembled crowd with risque antics before removing his shorts and vaulting into the water before fleeing the scene.

A second-year student at Christ Church, described the scene. “One guy came out in swimming shorts and a balaclava from Fell Tower, ran toward the freshers, mooned them and ran across the quad for a bit. He then pulled his shorts off to gasping freshers, front flipped into the fountain, climbed out and legged it back through college – and didn’t get caught.”

Another student at the college described the incident as “a pretty graphic demonstration”. She added, “the deans described the students as ‘a very brave man'”.

Christ Church’s censors are reported to have given up the search for the perpetrator, owing to the difficulty in determining his identity, and disciplinary procedures are extremely unlikely.

However, the streaker was willing to give one comment to Cherwell anonymously, “The fountain was freezing.”

Meanwhile, Matthew Chan and Matthew Shribman, two third year undergraduates, successfully posed as first years in their college’s freshers’ photograph, then went unchecked as they accompanied freshers to the Sheldonian and infiltrated the matriculation ceremony.

The two students dressed up in sub-fusc, and Chan, who as Magdalen JCR Vice-President was helping with the administration of the freshers’ photo, wrote his and Shribman’s names on blank namecards and stood in the photo. They were already in position before they were noticed by the academic administrators.

Nobody queried either of the two students as they entered the Sheldonian Theatre, even though Chan was wearing a scholar’s gown and then underwent matriculation for the second time in their academic careers.

“We just walked in with everyone and nobody stopped us – they weren’t looking properly,” said Chan.

Reflecting on their rematriculation experience, Chan and Shribman said, “We created a space for the past to emerge amidst the smiling faces of the future… Rematriculation is not a prank. It is a repetition of a ritual, something profound, worshipful. Rematriculation is liturgy…Third years posing as first years, we have become something in between the two. Second years.”

College authorities were unavailable for comment on the issue.

Nathan Roberts, removed as Queen’s JCR President at the start of term, has been denied the right to appeal the college’s decision.

Earlier this week the Provost informed him that the Governing Body would not be hearing his appeal, which had been due to take place on Wednesday.
Elected during Trinity Term, Roberts was removed from his post by the college authorities after they deemed his prelims results unsatisfactory.
Reacting to the news Roberts said, “The Provost wrote to me explaining that he has decided I can only appeal expulsion or rustication. This is a seriously concerning decision.

“In unnecessarily refusing me an appeal he has said that the committee can make any decision it likes. It can force the student to give up sport, it can force the student to stop playing in the local youth band, it can force the student to walk around on his or her hands all day, and these actions are apparently beyond scrutiny or accountability.
“Despite implying to me that an appeal was certainly an option, the Provost has suddenly reversed his decision and in doing so undermined both the JCR and me.”
The Queen’s College informed Cherwell that they had no comment to make.
Last week thirty JCR presidents signed a statement of support for Roberts, offering their “complete confidence and support.”

OUSU President Stefan Baskerville today reaffirmed his support for Roberts. “The denial of Nathan’s right to appeal is wrong and unacceptable. Right of appeal is a very basic part of any fair disciplinary process, and the college’s claim that students may only appeal decisions to expel or rusticate them is a serious error of interpretation. I continue to support Nathan’s right to appeal the decision.”

Jesse Harber, St Hilda’s JCR President, said “I’m disappointed in the decision of the Queen’s SCR not to allow him to appeal – it sets a precedent that in the future will really short-change students who feel that they have been wronged. It’s a sad fact that disciplinary procedures vary wildly across colleges, and an unlucky student can find themselves being severely punished for something that is only a minor offense at another college. This is entirely separate to the issue of whether his original dismissal was acceptable. Whether a decision is correct or not, it should always (within reason) be allowed to be appealed.”

Owen Evans, St Anne’s JCR President, said that “Nathan has strong support among the JCR Presidents, and we will continue to support in any way we can.”
Duncan Cook, Jesus JCR President, has also given his support. He commented, “I believe all students should have the right to select their own extra-curricular activities.”
The Provost still has the option of reversing his decision, and Roberts is hopeful that he will do so. “There is no ‘harm’ in allowing me to argue my case, and I in fact think this most recent ruling is the most damaging of all.

“I understand a teddy-bear is standing in the upcoming presidential elections. Teddy will have my vote.”

This week in Cambridge, the town has been buzzing with news of witch-kings, shock-jocks, hoaxes and multimillion pound London dealings.
Attempts by Magus Lynius Shadee, self-appointed ‘king of all witches,’ to set up a centre for the occult has upset religious leaders across Cambridge. Fr Dick Healy of the Church of Our Lady described the witch-king as “twisted.” Shadee chose Healy’s church earlier this year to perform a ritual to summon a demon and ‘cleanse’ the church. Fr Healy confirmed he would not be performing an exorcism, but will consider reporting Shadee to the police.

Over at the Union, plans to host Michael Savage, the US shock-jock, have been abandoned for financial reasons. Savage, who has been banned from entering the UK for his arch-conservative nationalist views, will no longer be speaking at the political correctness debate later this term via video-link. Many will be pleased not to give a platform to a man accused of “abuse[ing] our standards and values to undermine our way of life” by the British government.

Pranksters at Jesus college are being sought out by their porters after successfully duping their entire JCR into believing that Jesus’ lawns, being re-seeded at the time, were soon to be paved over. In an official-looking letter posted to every pidge, students were invited to register their opinions of the plans by filling out a complaint slip and dropping it in a feedback box in the post-room. It is not known quite how many complaints were dropped in the box before the porters removed it, but the lawns-paving protest movement had it’s own facebook group and petition by the end of the week. Since the news that it was all a hoax has emerged, both have, sadly, been abandoned.

Trinity, the wealthiest college in Cambridge, has bought the lease for London’s O2 arena in a £24m deal. They described the move as “part of the long-term investment strategy of the College.” Trinity’s overall estimated endowment now sits at £621 million.

Worcester College JCR’s Freshers’ Rep is still waiting to be paid £1395 after he was forced to pay for parts of Freshers’ Week with his own money.

There are concerns that students will be put off applying for the position in the future unless they can afford to hand out over a thousand pounds at the start of Michaelmas.

Matt Henshaw is waiting for a cheque from £1300 from the college as payment for freshers t-shirts, while last Sunday the college JCR voted to reimburse him by a further £95 for other costs.

He would have been £4000 in the red had he not managed to negotiate with the company organising the club nights. He was then allowed to pay for them once he had received money from tickets sold.
“The college did say that if I had a full schedule and budget planned out for the week by the end of trinity term they could give me money upfront but this just simply isn’t possible when I don’t take the role until Easter and what with exams that term too,” said Henshaw.

Henshaw was keen to stress that he will not be ending up out of pocket, but pointed out, “I think it could potentially put people off the role as even though I know I’ll get it back, being nearly £1400 out of pocket isn’t a comfortable position to be in right now, since I have to pay college battels too.”

Jack Hammett, current JCR Vice-President at St Anne’s, who ran the college’s freshers’ week, revealed that he too had to put up some of his own money to pay for it. He was warned about this before applying for the role. “I had to pay several hundred pounds of my own money which was inconvenient at certain times, but was lucky to be quickly reimbursed by the JCR soon after the end of Freshers’ week.”

“Much of the freshers’ week entertainment needs to be paid for in advance and it often is the case that the JCR treasurer is unable to pay for these costs during the summer vacation. In submitting a Freshers’ week funding motion at the end of Trinity, it was apparent that some personal funding would need to be made.”

David Barclay, former Worcester JCR president, was critical of the college for putting the Freshers’ Rep in a position of financial uncertainty. “Obviously it is unacceptable to ask a Freshers’ Rep to stump up so much of their own money without clear guarantees that they will make it all back. It falls to the college to put its money where its mouth is on equal opportunities and provide a Freshers Budget in order to take away any barriers to people applying for the position. “Freshers Reps should be chosen on the basis of their ability to organise, entertain and welcome, not on the size of their chequebook.”

Katharine Terrell, former St Hilda’s JCR president, commented that “Colleges hand over nearly all responsibility for arranging freshers’ week activities to unpaid students who are essentially volunteering their time while doing a full-time degree, while at the same time imposing unreasonable or unrealistic requirements.  We are adults arranging social events at the beginning of our university careers and colleges should liaise with us as such.”

“Freshers Reps should be chosen on the basis of their ability to organise, entertain and welcome, not on the size of their chequebook.”

Not all students appear particularly concerned about the Freshers’ Rep having to pay out of his own money up front. One first-year History student commented, “I think it would put some people off. But it wouldn’t put me off applying, as long as I knew it was going to get back to me at some point.”
Alex Cavell, a Chemist, disagrees. “It probably would put me off applying, because it is not right that students should be out of pocket (even on a temporary basis) for something they are doing voluntarily and for the benefit of others. It would be better if they were given a budget and funds in advance from which to plan and spend for freshers’ week.”

Other colleges have found ways around the problem of paying for freshers’ week. Alastair Livesy, Magdalen’s freshers’ rep, said, “We have a really good system – for small amounts I pay out of my own pocket but don’t have any trouble getting the money back – and if there’s a substantial amount we need to pay for, such as putting a deposit behind the bar at a club, we can get a cheque and don’t have to pay out of our own accounts.”

Henshaw said that he was arranging a meeting with the college accountant to make sure that the situation does not arise again next year. “While everything has come out okay this time, there is always a possibility that next year a student could end the week losing money, which shouldn’t happen when they’re organising something like freshers’ week.

“I find it suprising that the college offers so much money for the Entz and Welfare budget for the term but then nothing to the freshers’ rep who is essentially in charge of an entire week of Entz and Welfare events.”

Oxford is the UK’s most charitable city, according to a new survey.

The average Oxford resident has donated £67.44 to charity over the last twelve months, compared to the national average of just £49.90.

William Seligman, JCR rep for charities at Magdalen College, welcomed the news, saying, “I am pleased that despite most students being more conscious than ever of their own economic situation, they are still donating considerable amounts to charity.”

Jake Leeper, President of Oxford Hub, said he would “react cautiously” to the news. He said, “Oxford is a city with extremes of wealth and poverty, and £67 can be relatively little to one individual but would mean significantly more to someone with a modest income.”

Leeper also pointed out that the survey fails to take account of “the economic value of volunteering.” He argued, “Sometimes giving your time is more valuable than simply making a donation, and for some people is the only option.”

250 Oxford students volunteered for Oxford Hub projects last year. The organization currently runs 5 volunteering projects in the city.

Wadhamite Sarah Duncan has volunteered in a primary school and a care home in Oxford. She said she enjoyed “doing something tangible instead of just essays”, having “a new focus and environment” by meeting people from Oxford that aren’t students.

She also noted how volunteering can be positive for students as they feel less like “a drain on society” and teaches skills you won’t learn in the classroom.

One St. Hilda’s student expressed surprise at the news saying, “I didn’t think a city with so many students would be so generous. I might donate occasionally, but I don’t have any long-term commitments to charity.”

However, Seligman claims that in his experience “students in Oxford are keen to support charitable endeavours.”

The survey, carried out by Cardsave Community, questioned over 5000 people. They discovered Liverpool was the UK’s least generous city, with each resident giving an average of just £39.18 to good causes over the past year.

Other top charitable cities include Swansea, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Cambridge, Plymouth, Manchester and Portsmouth ranked among the least generous cities in the country.

A spokesman for Cardsave Community said, “Many people have seen their bank balances suffer this year as a result of the recession, but it’s great to see that people are still supporting their favourite charities.”

He added, “Every penny counts and no matter how small a donation is, it will help someone out.”

A survey by the Charities Aid Foundation has discovered the under-35s are giving more to charity now than ever before, though people aged between 35 and 44 are the most generous over all.

Since Cherwell’s report on violence in freshers’ week last issue, more details of the incident on New College Lane have come to light. Police are now asking for witnesses of an attempted mugging which occurred on Thursday of 0th week. It has also been confirmed the victim of the attack was a New College student.

At about 11pm, the student was walking home after buying food at a kebab van on Broad Street. A man followed him up New College Lane, approached him and demanded his money.

Detective Sergeant Matt Jarman, who is in charge of the investigation, said, “When the victim refused to hand over money the offender threatened to use a weapon. The victim still refused so the offender got him in a headlock.”

The student managed to break free from the mugger’s grip and started shouting to attract people’s attention. “The suspect then ran off down New College Lane into Queens Lane,” reported Jarman.

The Dean of New College said, “The College takes such attacks seriously, and urges all undergraduates to come forward and report anything they may witness on such occasions.”

Tom Scott, JCR President for New College, said, “Oxford may seem like it exists in a bubble but, as recent troubling events have reminded us, people here still face the dangers that exist across the country. It goes without saying that we would like all of our members to stay safe when they are on the streets, particularly at night.”

Despite the attacks in freshers’ week, the University pointed out to students, “Oxford is a very safe place to live, work and study and violent crimes against students are rare.”

A spokesman for the University stated, “Advice on personal safety and security is included in the handbook, Essential Information for Students, which is handed out by colleges to new students at the start of Michaelmas Term.”

Students are advised in the handbook to try to anticipate trouble before it starts and stay in groups or pairs. One extract reads, “If the worst comes to the worst and you are attacked, try to escape rather than fight back, especially if you believe that your assailant may be armed. You are not being a wimp-it’s good commonsense!”

The attacker is said to be white, aged between 20 and 25, about 5ft 10in tall and slim. He had short hair, was clean shaven and was wearing a dark hooded top and bottoms.

Anyone with information that could assist police enquiries is urged to contact Det Sgt Jarman via Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police and don’t want to leave your name contact the Crimestopppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Tom Scott, added, “”We of course encourage anyone who can to come forward and help the police with their investigations.”

The number applications for postgraduate courses at Oxford has soared this year, suggesting that students are reacting to the squeeze on the job market by opting for further study, a Cherwell investigation has revealed.

The Oxford University Graduate Admissions Office confirmed that across the whole university, over 17,000 graduate applications for entry in 2009-10 had been received. This is an increase of 25% from 13,551 in 2008-9, and of 35% from 12,582 in 2007-8.

However, Oxford has not significantly increased the number of places available, making 6,076 offers compared with 6,055 in the previous year – a rise of just 21 offers to meet over 3,000 additional applications. This means that while the success rate for applications for courses starting in 2008-09 was 44.7%, this year it was as low as 30%.

Linacre and Kellogg, both popular graduate colleges, confirmed that they had seen a rise in the number of applicants this year. While Kellogg said that it had increased the number of places it offered, Linacre said that it had not.

The Graduate Admissions Office revealed that the substantial increase in applications had affected subjects across the board. Applications for Clinical Medicine rose by 130%, for Engineering Science by 72%, for Medieval and Modern Languages by 61%, for Linguistics, Philosophy and Phonetics by 51%, and for Economics by 46%. Applications for Interdisciplinary Area Studies rose by the huge margin of 156%.
A spokesperson from the Oxford University Press Office said, “There has been a rapid rise in the number of graduate applications received at Oxford. There are likely to be many reasons for this rise, including but not limited to changes in the job market.”

Sarah Hutchinson, OUSU Vice-President for Graduates, told Cherwell, “Graduate numbers at Oxford have increased significantly over the last few years. This year, for the first time, graduate applications significantly exceeded those of undergraduates.

Presumably this is a reflection on the tough job market graduates were facing. However, increasing graduate places to meet increasing demand is not a simple process, and the University needs to ensure that any increase in student numbers does not dilute the education students receive.”

Statistics released by the Higher Education Careers Service (HECSU) last year predicted that 10% of those graduating in the summer would be out of work six months after the end of their degree courses. This prediction, coupled with extensive national media coverage of the recession and the increasingly competitive job market, seems to have led many students to apply for further study, often in the belief that a single university degree would not be enough to help them into their preferred career.

Around 10% of those applying for postgraduate study at Oxford this year were already studying at the University. Samuel Withnall, who completed a Classics degree last summer, chose to remain at New College this year. He opted to take a postgraduate course despite having secured a job offer, to raise his chances of finding more lucrative employment.

However many of his friends were not as lucky. He commented, “My flatmate did Classics at Brasenose, graduating with a good First. He wanted to do management consultancy, and applied to various places with no luck. He applied for the 2-year MPhil in Ancient History at Brasenose as a backup. He got full AHRC funding, and so took the place simply because he didn’t have anything better to do. He wishes he had a job.”

The increased numbers turning to postgraduate qualifications to escape the competitive job market, however, now find themselves facing an almost equally competitive struggle to win a place to continue their studies. Concerns have been raised about whether the rise in competition for both graduate study programmes and employment will have a negative impact on student welfare.

One third-year said, “It’s bad enough having the stress of finals to cope with – knowing that we’ll have to fight tooth-and-nail to find anything at all to do afterwards really doesn’t help.”
Francesca Wade, a second-year Classics undergraduate from Brasenose, voiced the sentiments of many of her peers. “I would consider taking a postgraduate degree, not just if I couldn’t get a job but for its own sake too.  This extra advantage might well give you the edge over other applicants, and in a recession I suppose taking one is a way of biding time.” 

Of those questioned in Cherwell’s survey, a significant proportion were going on to further education, and many of these had found it difficult to get places on their preferred courses. One student applied for 4 postgraduate study courses but did not receive the place he wanted. He blamed the recession for the difficulty he had in finding somewhere to study, saying, “it may have made my range of options slimmer as universities become less willing to give places.”

Of those applying for jobs, the prospect was just as daunting. One student had applied for 10 jobs over a 4 month period and received 8 rejections. Another said that he had been looking for 12 months and had applied for over 20 jobs, and also had had “mostly rejections”. He felt that the choice available to him was restricted “because most places I want to work are heavily reducing numbers and have a far larger group of people now to choose from.” All those interviewed agreed that the process of applying both for jobs and for graduate study was “fairly stressful”.
 
Demetrios Zoppos, Chief Executive of ‘gradfutures.com’, a website aimed at helping finalists into employment, agreed that the market conditions were proving problematic for graduates. “Statistics suggest that [the percentage of graduates entering full-time employment] could be as low as 50-60%. In recessionary years this number reduces and more choose to stay in full time education. Most students currently in university education have lived through generally prosperous times, so a downturn of this severity (and nature) can be disconcerting.” 

Oxford’s Careers Service also came under scrutiny in the investigation. Over half of those interviewed said they felt that the University had been “not very” or “not at all” useful. However one interviewee praised the facilities available, “I must have been to a careers adviser three or four times, and they were always easy to book. While none can know everything about a particular vocation they helped me get a rough outline of the options available.”

Christ Church college nurse Mrs Jan Undery was killed in a car crash at 7.40am on Wednesday.

Undery was driving a silver toyota when it crashed at a junction with a red pick-up truck. She was declared dead at the scene, whilst the two occupants of the red car are now in John Radcliffe Hospital with minor injuries.

The college e-mail sent to students read, “Those of you who had personal contact with Jan may feel particular grief at this news. We hope that as a community we can be supportive of each other at this time.” Students were also advised to go to Pembroke if in need of a nurse.