Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Blog Page 204

No guts, no glory : the Bones and All premiere

Natascha Norton
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No guts, no glory : the Bones and All premiere

I found myself at this year’s London film festival, full of anticipation and moral questions as I awaited the UK premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s new film Bones and All, a cannibalistic love story starring Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell. Guadagnino prefaced the screening, with the statement that the film is intended to be “reflective of today” in the way that certain people are forced out of society, aiming to be an embodiment of “the way that young people can overcome that sense of oppression by being the way they are”. Despite this comforting sentiment, I was still quite hesitant about whether this delicate message would effectively come across through the 18+ lens of cannibalism. 

Bones and All follows the tale of two outsiders, Maren, tenderly interpreted by Taylor Russell, and the later introduced love interest Lee, played by Timothee Chalamet, as they run from their pasts toward an attempted self-awareness through the winding landscape of Reaganite America. Although cannibalism is what brings these two characters together, this is not a promotional depiction of a couple on a killing spree. Instead, we are taken along on an introspective journey which calls the very morals, rules and restrictions placed on ourselves as individuals and our society into question. 

Bones and All mixes the familiar and unfamiliar to create a hyper-realistic, yet off-kilter atmosphere; one which causes tangible tension in the theatre from the outset. A paradoxically excitable tension best compared to the feeling when one is strapped into a rollercoaster and slowly making the ascent toward an unforeseen drop; the adrenaline rush that keeps viewers coming back to horror films to feel the buzz. Guadagnino’s range of visual and audio techniques give the movie an attractive arthouse feel. The audience is taken on a journey spanning states, time and supporting characters that weave themselves into and out of the plot unexpectedly. These changes in location, mixed with close-up shots and snippets of characters’ memories, effectively attach the audience to the protagonists and their struggle for stability and community. Guadagnino’s true cinematic talent is embodied in the closing shot of Bones and All – a shot which has the same emotional profundity as the famous close-up shot of Timothee Chalamet crying in the flickering light of a blazing fire at the end of Call Me By Your Name (2017). Although the content of these two films is drastically different, Guadagnino’s ability to strike emotion into an audience was evident as the film credits roll. The vacuum of tension in the theatre was replaced by two minutes of applause, silent sobbing and an audible gasp from the woman sitting next to me. 

Special commendation must be given to the main actors, Chalamet and Russell – as well as the supporting actors: Mark Ryanlace, Chloë Sevigny and Michael Stahlbarg – for their gentle approach to such complex characters. All display their dynamism as artists by providing much-needed humanity, and the acting abilities necessary to carry these heavy dramatic roles across the finish line. Without this, the film could’ve easily turned into a flesh-eating fest full of audience walk outs and misplaced promotion of cannibalism. Commendation must also go to the beautifully haunting soundtrack, provided by award winning duo of Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, which significantly added to the sensory layering of the thriller – of which the plot itself was both unexpected and successful in reimagining the romantic genre. Bones and All manages to mix the existentialist style of Jean-Luc Godard with all the terrifying psychological thriller aspects of Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017), whilst still alluding to the classic generic conventions of star-crossed lovers like that of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

I left the Royal Festival Hall slightly nauseated and love-sick but wholly impacted. The audience’s collective reaction thought the film was intense throughout; one of laughter, screaming, grimacing and crying. If a film’s success is measured in reactivity, emotivity and audience impact, Bones and All is a triumph. My only fear is that the brutality and vivid depiction of gore in the film that gave it its 18-rating may bar the younger generation Guadagnino intends to reach. Despite that, Bones and All establishes itself as a film full of natural beauty, tragedy and gruesome violence that somehow manages to capture a human vulnerability and desire for acceptance that is both universal and extremely relevant in our post-lockdown world.

If nothing else, Bones and All will make you feel something, whether it be good, or bad and undeniably spark conversation, introspection and philosophical debate. Is that not the real purpose of art? If so, bravo. 

New Bodleian exhibit sheds light on destructive legacy of the British Empire

Elliot Armstrong-Reed
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New Bodleian exhibit sheds light on destructive legacy of the British Empire

The University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries has partnered with the Museum of Colour and Fusion Arts to create These Things Matter: Empire, Exploitation and Everyday-Racism, a one-of-a-kind collaborative exhibition that will examine the devastating long-term impacts of the British empire.

The exhibition will run from Thursday 17 November and be accessible to the public both in-person, at the Weston Library’s Blackwell Hall, and digitally, via the Museum of Colour’s online platform. Featuring selected artefacts from The Bodleian’s colonial collections, These Things Matter will aim to demonstrate how everyday communications helped to maintain the dominance of the British empire and Transatlantic Slave Trade. It is hoped that the inclusion of these artefacts, offered through a 21st century lens, will enlighten visitors as to their use in the systematic oppression of people of colour over several centuries.

The brainchild of Samenua Sesher, founder of the Museum of Colour, These Things Matter will feature the work of seven selected contemporary artists, one for each of the six artefacts on display, in addition to one piece reflecting the display in its entirety. Bunmi Ogunsiji, Grace Lee, Mina Atiq, Dirty Freud, Nilupa Yasmin, Mahmoud Mahdy and Johannah Latchem will each offer a personal response to their respective artefact through digital displays, art installations and sound. Collectively, the exhibition will take its visitors on a unique journey through the history of the slave trade by forcing them to consider the simple tools that ultimately enabled this systemic persecution.

Sesher credits her discovery of the so-called Slave Bible- a reworking of the Holy Bible that sought to deprive literate slaves from knowing of their right to freedom or dissuade them from thoughts of rebellion- as an initial source of inspiration. The Bible, which is currently held in the Bodleian’s collections, forms a central part of the exhibition. Of this discovery, Sesher has said: “Museum of Colour and the Bodleian were looking at how to build on our work together on Museum of Colour’s pilot exhibition, People of Letters. So, when I learnt about the ‘Slave Bible’, and that the Bodleian held a copy, I realised that we had the makings of a really compelling exhibition.”

She continued: ‘This exhibition will highlight the less discussed but conscious emotional manipulation in items like books and maps. Our co-curative process enabled us all to see the legacies in our societies today. The ongoing manipulation which makes some people think they are better than others and convinces other people that they are less.’

Antony Brewerton, Director of Academic Library Services at the Bodleian Libraries, said: “The Bodleian Libraries is honoured to partner with the Museum of Colour and Fusion Arts for such an important exhibition. Throughout history words and other mediums have been used to manipulate society and achieve certain outcomes, and the Transatlantic Slave Trade was no different. It is important that people know that and I am proud that the Bodleian is able to host such a necessary experience.”

These Things Matter also signals a new mode of collaboration within the culture and heritage sector whereby traditional, large-scale, organisations are increasingly looking toward working with micro partners, in the hopes of creating accessible visitor experiences. Kieran Cox, Artistic Director of Fusion Arts, has paid tribute to the featured artists, saying: “I specifically want to highlight and give gratitude to all the artists who have engaged with the artefacts and objects with such deep care, responsibility and generosity. The content of these documents evokes such strong, and raw, emotions that not only speaks to the atrocious emotional control, repression and violence of the past but also to the present-day everyday experience.”

Image credit:Bodleian Libraries

Turning ladies’ Figure Skating into another sport: Eteri Tutberidze and the future of Figure Skating

Aimee Hunter
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Turning ladies’ Figure Skating into another sport: Eteri Tutberidze and the future of Figure Skating

CW: Eating Disorders

“It’s amazing what they’re doing there!” declared commentator Chris Howarth during the 2019 Grand Prix Final. “Turning ladies’ figure skating into another sport.” 

He was referring to four of the competing women – or, more accurately, girls, not one over the age of seventeen – and their coaching team, all hailing from Russia. Known colloquially as ‘Team Tutberidze’ after their famed figurehead of a coach, the group had dominated the women’s discipline for years. At the time, Howarth’s praise was almost the default, one of many voices lauding the group at every opportunity. But less than three years later, attitudes would sour drastically as this same team became embroiled in the biggest doping scandal the sport has ever seen.

The news of fifteen-year-old Kamila Valieva’s failed drug test arrived midway through the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, throwing the event into chaos. Yet on the 17th February, she still stepped onto the ice, to perform a skate that only days ago the world had expected would make her Olympic Champion.

It was not to be. Valieva sobbed after a mistake-riddled performance, her pink rabbit plush tissue box huddled in her lap. Her coaches had their arms around her, but coach Tutberidze’s stinging words from only moments ago still hung in the air. 

“Why did you stop fighting?” she demanded within seconds of her student stepping off the ice. The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, called her attitude “chilling.” 

The investigation into the case is yet to conclude publicly; officially, the blame is yet to be laid. But for many in the figure skating world, this was the long-anticipated lightning strike after years of rolling thunder. 

For anyone who has paid any recent attention to figure skating, Eteri Tutberidze will have been a difficult figure to remain ignorant of, or indifferent to. Once a skater of no particular note, Tutberidze’s rise to prominence as one of the most successful coaches of the last few decades can be tracked through the brief, bright careers of her students: the ‘Eteri girls’, all prodigal teenagers with astounding athletic ability. 

First there was 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya, the star of the 2014 Olympic Team Event. With her stunning flexibility and jumping skill to match that of women years her senior, she became one of the youngest Olympic Gold Medallists in figure skating history with the rest of Team Russia. But Lipnitskaya faltered quickly, and by next season, she was struggling to medal at any international events. She retired officially at the age of 19, due to various leg and hip injuries, and it was later revealed she had at one point been in treatment for anorexia. (Tutberidze had previously commented to the media on how easily she gained weight.) 

But this was of no concern to Tutberidze; she had found a new star in Evgenia Medvedeva. Praised for her stunning consistency, Medvedeva was twice World and European Champion, with countless other international victories between 2015 and 2017. But as the 2018 Olympics loomed, the then seventeen-year-old Medvedeva began to struggle with injury. Her dream of Olympic Gold was eclipsed by her younger teammate, also coached by Tutberidze; fifteen-year-old Alina Zagitova won Olympic Gold. Although Medvedeva initially declared determination for redemption in 2022, she eventually retired from competition at 21, her back damaged to the point where she can no longer twist to perform certain jumps. 

Zagitova won the 2019 World Championships, but the rise of three more Tutberidze girls into the senior ranks meant it became her turn to be overtaken. She finished sixth of six at the 2019 Grand Prix Final and announced she would take a break from competition. She has not returned. 

The arrival of the ‘Triple A’: Aliona Kostornaia, Anna Shcherbakova, and Alexandra ‘Sasha’ Trusova, was yet another game-changer. All were capable of at least one ‘ultra-c’ jumping element; jumps rarely performed by women that even men struggle with. Kostornaia had a triple axel, and Shcherbakova and Trusova could jump four rotations, something almost unheard of in women before them. The trio’s rivalry was considerable, and they swept podiums completely throughout 2019-20. COVID-19 curbed some of their momentum; Shcherbakova triumphed in 2021, Trusova just behind her, but Kostornaia has bounced between different coaching teams, struggled with COVID and various injuries, and recently underwent knee surgery. She still skates, but her competitive future is uncertain. 

Again, no matter. Tutberidze had Kamila Valieva waiting in the wings. Already a junior phenom, Valieva entered her very first international senior season in 2021 as the pinnacle of all that made these girls so successful. She could jump both quadruples and triple axels. Her flexibility and spins were stunning. The Olympic Gold seemed guaranteed.

An inevitable question is how Tutberidze and her team coach these girls to glory. Figure skating scoring is a whole different controversy in and of itself, but Team Tutberidze’s utilisation of it is fairly simple; find the easiest ways to add on inarguable points, and the rest will follow. If the Tutberidze girls can jump with more rotations than anyone else, every program they skate is points higher, before half the marks have even touched the scoresheet. As for how they can jump like this, they learn younger than most, using arguably incorrect but easier technique while their bodies are still small and light and can rotate faster. Then the team hastily accounts for the presentation score, by creating programs with recognisable characters and music and bold costumes, to compensate for the fact that these girls will inevitably lack nuance in their expression that their older competitors have developed with time. Schindler’s List, Black Swan, Anna Karenina, The Master and Margarita. Trusova was the defiant Cruella de Vil, Valieva the girl chasing a butterfly. The girls don’t have to be the best performers, or the most skilled in their actual base of skating. All they have to do is land their jumps and hope their bodies can sustain it until the next big championship. For years, many fans and some commentators voiced scepticism towards the scores received by Tutberidze’s camp – what were these high scores really endorsing? But nothing has ever changed. By February 2022, Valieva held all three possible scoring world records.

Unsurprisingly, Anna Shcherbakova, Alexandra Trusova, and Kamila Valieva were the three chosen to compete at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Valieva was the only one selected to participate in the Team Event; she won both of the segments she competed in by significant amounts, and was key to Russia’s victory. But just hours before the intended medal ceremony, the news came that it had been postponed. Other developments emerged: that there was a legal issue involving the Russian team. That someone had tested positive for a banned substance. That it was Valieva. Although administered in December, the sample analysis had been delayed by COVID complications, and now it arrived 4 days before she was due to compete for the individual title. 

As the dust settled, the surprise faded somewhat. Valieva’s team claimed her grandfather took the drug in question, trimetazidine, and she had shared a glass of water with him. Accidental contamination, they insisted. But trimetazidine is used to treat heart conditions, and it allows for increased blood flow and more efficient oxygen use. Suddenly, the incredible stamina the girls were famous for was under microscopic attention. It was noted that Team Tutberidze’s doctor, Filipp Shvetsky, had previously been suspended for doping violations. A controversial instance from the year prior where an unwell Shcherbakova seemed to be given some sort of smelling salt before a skate resurfaced. 

There was fierce debate over if Valieva should be allowed to compete, but the complexities of her case as an underage ‘protected person’ and the lateness of the sample meant the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in her favour– with the caveat that if she won a medal, none of the medals would be awarded until the investigation had concluded, months from then. (The Team Event remains formally unrewarded to this day.)

Multiple unsteady landings and two falls meant Kamila Valieva was fourth at the Beijing Olympics. She had never been anything other than first internationally. 

“At least they won’t cancel the medal ceremony now,” she said through tears as her scores were shown. Shcherbakova and Trusova were first and second respectively, but there was not much more joy amongst them. Trusova, who had landed five quadruples for the first time, was devastated to have lost the gold to Shcherbakova. Her anguish was followed eagerly by cameras as she refused consolation from Tutberidze, declaring she hated the sport, and that Tutberidze had known ‘everything’, only escalating the scrutiny upon the team. 

Anna Shcherbakova, the 2022 Olympic Champion, sat alone and unmoving with her own tissue box plushie – a brown bear – on her knees when her victory was announced. Her coaches were engrossed in managing disaster.

Meanwhile the Olympic Bronze Medalist, Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, was so astounded to discover she had a medal at all, she burst into the only tears of joy in the room. It had been almost a given that the three Russian girls would be the medallists; only the order had been up for debate.

The following month, all Russian skaters were banned from international competition as sports federations reacted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hence, these girls have not competed internationally since that day. Kaori Sakamoto was the 2022 World Champion.

“Thank God,” NBC commentator and former skater Johnny Weir had declared as Valieva’s Olympic free skate concluded. He was one of many outraged voices following the scandal. But only a few months earlier, Weir had travelled to Tutberidze’s rink in Moscow – ‘one of the most iconic skating schools in the world,’ he called it. He conducted interviews (that have never aired) and took selfies with Valieva – who he nicknamed ‘Mila’. Then he thanked God for her failure two months later. His u-turn was a common one, and while the possibility of doping was not often voiced by anyone other than the most cynical of critics, there had been plenty to raise eyebrows years before the Games. If mere fans can pull together detailed databases of all of Team Tutberidze’s controversies, then it seems impossible that those working within the sport could have been completely ignorant. 

Constant serious injuries, strikingly early retirements; getting the points on the scoresheet, but damaging themselves in the process. Admissions to eating little and drinking almost no water in competition to avoid gaining even the smallest amount of weight. The questionable jumping technique that seems to crumble after a handful of years. Girls in tears after a skate anyone else would have celebrated, because it was not utterly perfect. A camp more than worthy of criticism – but largely concerns gained little traction. Because Tutberidze’s students, many of whom had barely known any other coach, did not oppose her. Because her methods allowed her to win. 

In 2020, the International Skating Union held the inaugural ‘ISU Awards’; community-voted superlatives such as ‘Best Costume’. Tutberidze was nominated for ‘Best Coach’, and six former skaters of note composed the final jury that voted for her to win. Her controversies were not unknown at this time, but nevertheless she was deemed the sport’s best coach. Because her methods allowed her to win.

Since Beijing, the ISU has passed a rule that will raise the senior age minimum from fifteen to seventeen over the next few years. This was met with significant approval, but was treated as perhaps more groundbreaking than it really is. With this rule in place, a case like Valieva’s is unlikely to play out again, and ideally it encourages career longevity. But it seems naive to think that this will stop coaches pushing young skaters to extremes to win junior competitions instead. Now, many performing extremely taxing jumps simply may not make it into seniors at all. Take thirteen-year-old Mao Shimada, who is currently dominating the junior circuit with a triple axel and quadruple toe loop. Under the new rules, Shimada has another four years as a junior. There are adult women capable of ultra-c jumps, but as we have seen, the precedent for safe maintenance of this level of ability – especially when starting so young –  is not promising.

Also in the wake of Beijing, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency began an investigation into Valieva and her entourage. As of time of writing, their findings have not been announced, but expectations were always low. They sank even lower after the 25th of September, when Valieva performed her new free skate for the first time. The program, choreographed by Tutberidze and longtime team member Daniil Gleikhengauz, was set to The Truman Show soundtrack– and interspersed with soundbites about Valieva’s investigation. As the final move, she drew the hood of her costume over her head, in clear reference to a photo of her that circulated widely during the Games: walking through the mixed zone, her pink rabbit in one hand, the other holding her hood over her face to avoid photographers. Not one adult walked with her.

While Valieva relived likely the most difficult days of her life, Shcherbakova was absent, recovering from knee surgery. Trusova skated the short program but withdrew before the free skate, revealing a back injury. Only days later, she left Tutberidze’s camp, directly stating that the heavy training regimen was aggravating her injuries. These developments do not give the impression that Team Tutberidze fears any sort of consequence, or have altered their approach; they continue as they always have.

It took a child failing a doping test for any concerted attention to be placed upon the years of Tutberidze’s empire that this article can barely scratch the surface of. And of course, they are not the only camp whose treatment of their young students needs questioning. U.S Figure Skating too has faced many cases of abusive coaching in recent years, and Mie Hamada, coach of Mao Shimada and many others, was recently sued for harassment.

The fact that the biggest possible disaster, on the most high-profile stage in the world, resulted in only a few minute changes is intensely disheartening. The figure skating community cannot continue to be selective in its protection of young athletes in pursuit of an exciting headline about a prodigy. The ISU’s anti-doping scheme operates under the tagline ‘pure as ice’; if this is the image they would like their sport to emulate, they would do well to look a little closer at where their gold medals are coming from. 

(Image Credit: Benson Kua from Toronto, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

‘Blithe Spirit’: In conversation with A-squared Productions

Teagan Riches
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‘Blithe Spirit’: In conversation with A-squared Productions

‘Blithe Spirit‘, running at the Keble O’Reilly theatre from the 9th – 12th November will be A2 productions final Oxford show after successes such as the ‘Dumb Waiter’ and ‘Girls and Dolls’.  I sat down with director Alex Foster, who is also co – founder of A2 Productions and Alfie Dry, a third-year human scientist playing the part of Madame Arcati, to discuss their upcoming show, launch night and their thoughts on Oxford Drama.

Alex starts by telling me about the Original ‘Blithe Spirit’ as written by Noël Coward in the 1940s. It’s about a man called Charles Condomine, married to Ruth Condomine, who invites a spiritual medium, Madame Arcati, over to his house to get information for a new book he’s writing. During a séance they accidently bring back his dead wife Elvira as a ghost. The rest of the show follows how Charles, Ruth and Elvira deal with Elvira being brought back as a ghost. Whilst staying true to muchriting, , they have decided to remix the story: the séance now brings back Charles’ dead husband, and Madame Arcati is now a drag queen. 

Q. What can we expect from your rendition of ‘Blithe Spirit’? 

Alex:  It’s really fun – just a big gay celebration of everything I’ve always wanted to do in Oxford Drama.

 Alfie: It’s flirty, it’s frivolous, and I think Alex made a good choice in bringing out the queerness in the piece because it is coded very queer anyway. Noël Coward himself was queer, and so bringing out these characters and giving them the full flesh of life like Noël Coward might have intended has been really fun. We’re exploring what it means to be a lot of different identities in a lot of different ways, which has been very fun and a very thought-provoking process. 

Alex: Madame Arcati is very much man and woman at the same time. The fact she brings back Charles’ husband and now he’s got this kind of dead and buried homosexuality contrasted with his apparent straightness. Now it is quite literally bringing the skeletons out of the closet. 

I would say very recently I’ve made my peace with my sexuality, and it’s taken a very long time. The fact that Charles is bisexual now, as opposed to heterosexual as he is in the original script – it felt like I was kind of being true to myself, but also to Noël Coward, who was very much a gay man. 

To my knowledge, we are the first ‘Blithe Spirit’ to have a drag queen playing Madame Arcati and definitely the first to bring back a man. 

Alfie: I think it’s important to remember that whilst we do have all these lovely queer themes and there are deeper meanings for cast members and writers alike, it’s just loads of fun. 

Alex: I think above all, yes, it’s got deep themes but it really was just an excuse to put four absolutely sensational comic actors on the stage. What’s quite funny is that making it more pronouncedly queer has meant that the jokes are just dirtier and sexier and funnier. We get quite crude at times, but it’s just going to be a wild four nights in the O’Reilly. 

Q. Why was it important to you, and why is it important more broadly speaking to adapt the play to include queer themes? 

Alex: I think it’s obviously hugely important for plays to delve into queer themes, yes potentially there are certain plays, not just in Oxford but generally, which are using queer themes as a marketing ploy.

I think at the end of the day, if you are adapting a play for queer themes, I think that’s good enough. You don’t usually have to think too hard about it because the original play isn’t going to go away. Like Dracula wasn’t queer until Serendipity Productions did it last term. That’s its own interpretation of that. It doesn’t mean that the original Dracula or the original ‘Blithe Spirit’ goes away. It’s just a different understanding of the text that allows you to open up all these other questions. 

Alfie: I think the important thing is that we have a queer leader steering the ship. We have queer cast members playing queer characters, in most cases. Even then, those who are straight will talk and this creates dialogue, which I think is really important; people getting a better understanding of what it’s like on either side. 

I would say the only thing for me that I feel is still possibly an issue, is that a lot of people will feel like they would like to hide their sexuality, especially in this industry, in fear of only being put into queer roles, of which there aren’t as many as we’d like. 

Me being a drag queen, I love this. I’m so glad to be doing this show. I’ve also had the opportunity in Oxford to play many straight roles, which has been great, but whilst I think it’s important that we remember to celebrate our queerness and cast queer actors in these roles, don’t pigeonhole us either.

They talk about how this is their collaborative perspective on the writing which has undergone many revivals. Alex talks about the joy of being able to add their own interpretation, opening up new questions but also staying as true to the original writing as possible, stating: “The script’s not being edited beyond changing Elvira’s name to Evelyn. All the jokes are the same”. 

Q. We all need a bit of light – hearted relief, but what made you choose to stage a comedy? 

Alex: I really like comedy because there’s kind of an instant feedback mechanism with the audience. If you’ve gone out to make a comedy and people are laughing, you know that you’re doing a good job. It’s a bit easier than in a tragedy where you throw yourself into the abyss and you’ve got a monologue and  the audience might sit up in their seats, but you can’t really tell quite as much if they’re enjoying it. It also means it hits harder when there are darker moments, as you’re eased into an almost false sense of security. 

The real answer is, I just like people laughing at my shows, it’s just fun, isn’t it?

Alfie: I think it’s interesting for us bringing up the idea of “easy or hard” here. I think comedy is harder to write; I think it’s harder to perform and harder to direct because a single missed beat and you’ve lost it. You’ve lost the joke and you’ve lost the audience’s interest. 

I think that’s why it’s shied away from in the Oxford drama scene. I think sticking to a show, which can be defined as a comedy, is a really brave thing to do. 

Q. Is it important to you to have cast and crew who are just starting out in Oxford drama?

Alex: Obviously during covid we had a full year where there was no in-person drama at all, and after lockdown it was the third-years who had their first year pre – covid doing all these shows and passing the institutional knowledge onto us. Especially with lighting and sound, it’s just so complicated and that knowledge wasn’t there. We did an introduction to tech and lighting at the O’Reilly the other weekend and that was really helpful because Evie, our wonderful lighting designer, explains it to people. Then it’s like, oh this actually isn’t that hard.

The moment you get involved and the moment someone takes a chance on you it becomes much easier. Which is why we did ‘Girls and Dolls’, it was probably the show that I’ve been proudest of in Oxford because everyone there was new, and these people sold out the BT. No one knew their names before, they bloody well do now. The entire creative team was new. Bella, who was one of the directors, is now producing ‘Blithe Spirit’. It’s wonderful to be able to see these people finally get given a chance in Oxford for drama. Three of our actors and our assistant director Lucas Angeli are all freshers or haven’t been involved before. 

Now that the institutional knowledge is being built up again it’s on the third and fourth years in Oxford to pass that on. 

Alfie: I think as an actor when you do see the same faces everywhere and then you go to an audition and you see that face, you can think well what’s the point? It’s difficult because obviously when you’re doing a show with people you tend to get very close, so not only is there that person in the room who seems to get everything, but everyone loves them, cause everyone’s done a show with them. It’s very intimidating, because it feels like you’re trying to break into a kind of unsurpassable network. 

I think that’s why it’s so important to cast freshers because many of them have some sort of background in acting which is great, they can use that and there’s already talent there. Many of them will not. It’s about creating that space where they feel they can ask those questions.  In my first few shows, people were so welcoming. 

As Alex said knowledge is passed on and trying to make it as accessible as possible is hugely important. 

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Q. Can you tell us more about the ‘Blithe Spirit’ Launch party at Plush on the 31st October? 

Alex: Your good suffering on Halloween. It’s going to be fun!

Halloween is spooky and it has ghosts. If Alfie were here, he would call it gay Christmas because it IS gay Christmas. Everyone’s looking sexy, whether that’s like a sexy mouse in mean girls or an unsexy Olive in ‘Angus thongs and perfect snogging’, which is like my Bible at this point. That’s why we’re doing a plush night on Halloween. What a spookily good deal we’ve got. You’re getting a free shot, maybe it’s a ‘Blithe Spirit’, maybe it’s a Blithe Vodka, who knows? You’re getting a free drag show from Miss Take. Who wouldn’t want to be there? It will be one for the books. 

I think it speaks on a more profound note about the kind of inclusivity we are building. If you are not having fun in Oxford Drama, then why are you doing it? Stop! This is my last play in Oxford, but I thought before I go, just do everything I’ve always wanted to do. 

Q. What are your final thoughts?

Alex: ‘Blithe Spirit’ is a celebration. It’s a celebration of these amazing actors, of Coward’s brilliant script. As it’s an O’Reilly show, it’s got a lot more for backstage people to actually get involved in. I love Oxford drama. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. To be able to go out on a show like this that just celebrates everyone and everything within the cast and crew is just…. like this is the way to go out. This is how I would want to go. 

‘Blithe Spirit’ is on at the Keble O’Reilly theatre from the 9th – 12th November. If you purchase tickets before the 1st November you get discounted entry to Plush on the 31st October, a free shot and there will be a performance by Miss Take from 9:15 to 9:45. Links to tickets can be found on A2 productions Facebook page as well as on their Instagram @asquaredprods.

Image credit: @asquaredprods

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Oxford Black voices on Black History Month

Zoe Abereoje
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Oxford Black voices on Black History Month

Tell me about the first black history month you remember.

Depending on our backgrounds and childhoods, our experiences of the first time our black history was celebrated differed. I asked around and these were a few accounts.

‘The first black history month I remember was in Year 5. My school never called it black history month. Well, they did, but the celebration was always international – we had an international day. My mum came in and made jollof rice; my friend’s dad came in and spoke about how he migrated from Nigeria. My other friend had his mum come in and brought some interesting Spanish food. It was great, it meant we could learn about different cultures. It also meant that my mum was teaching these random English girls’ mums how to make jollof rice the next weekend.’ Kerena, Trinity.

‘I think I was about nine- my mom and my aunt sat me down at the kitchen table and said, “it’s black history month, so we’re going to teach you about black history”. And I was like “okay?”, because I had a vague understanding of black history from all the stuff we did in school, which wasn’t ever in-depth. I knew about MLK, and stuff like that, and not anything more. But my mum, the first figure that she picked out was Mary Seacole, because we’re Jamaican and Mary Seacole was a Jamaican nurse who served in the Crimean war. Everyone only remembers Florence Nightingale in the Crimean war and all the help that she gave, and Mary Seacole was always tucked away. So, my mum was like, “this is a figure that you totally need to know because not only is it part of your own culture and heritage, but she was also a significant black woman and it’s good to have icons to look up to.”’ Charlee, Worcester.

‘The first black history month that I can sort of remember most clearly was back in my childhood. It was very much based around the usual history from slavery onwards, slavery being the pinpoint start of black history. A lot of it was Americanised, rather than being focused on Black British history, although we are in Britain. There were attempts to include different cultures, predominantly black cultures, in some of the cooking and music that was celebrated at that point in time.’ Claramae, Trinity.

‘It was in Year 1, they told everyone, well, all the black kids, to bring stuff that remind them of their country. So, my dad printed off a map of St Lucia and I brought it in, and I was so happy with it. But this little boy called Connor ripped it up. He ripped it up into pieces and that’s when I knew…. I was very upset by the whole thing, and that’s my first memory of black history month.’ Rebekah, Trinity.

‘The first black history month that I remember is probably when I was in primary school. This one is really memorable because of the fact that we were able to bring in cultural dishes which allowed me to taste foods from countries that I’d never tried before. I brought in fried dumplings because I’m Jamaican and a lot of people really liked them, and that made me feel very special about my culture and very proud.’  Shanaé, Worcester.

‘My first BHM was in primary school. I was lucky enough to go to a primary school where there were so many different ethnic groups, so black history was highly celebrated.’ Suleqa, Trinity

What emotion do you attribute to BHM: do you see it as celebratory or a sombre time?

Black history is so diverse but for black people it can be complex to process; immense pride can be matched with sorrow and disappointment at the history of our people.

‘I wouldn’t say there’s one emotion you can feel towards black history month. It’s celebratory and somber because black history shouldn’t be defined as pain. It can be learning about your near black history, your family’s heritage and where they have migrated from. It could be going back to slavery but that’s not all of our history. For me, I know it is because of my surname, but it doesn’t have to be the only thing we look at. So, it’s celebratory [regarding] how much we’ve achieved before and after slavery, but obviously sombre in the sense that black people are always looked at as behind or below somebody else when looking at western history.’ Kerena.

‘BHM makes me feel […] a mix of emotions; I feel proud but sad. Grateful but angry. I don’t look forward to BHM. I don’t particularly dislike it or have trepidation at the thought of it, but I don’t mark it on my calendar. When I think of October I think of Halloween. I choose to put it to the back of my mind. It reminds me what I already know on a daily basis, which is my entire race and culture and everything I know is sourced from this root of pain. We celebrate all the good things, and we celebrate black excellence, and all of that struggle, and getting through all the ordeals of the past. I’m appreciative of who came before but it reminds me about how much suffering, hurt, pain, toil, and death people went through for no reason other than bigotry and hatred and that upsets me every time.’ Charlee.

‘The initial emotions that I attributed to black history month were anger, upset, sadness and shock at the level of oppression, discrimination and racism that black people had to face across the globe. As I got older my emotions started to change as I started to research my own Jamaican lineage and being aware of my African ancestry. Those emotions started to morph to be more celebratory due to my pride in the accomplishments of black people across the globe, in the face of oppression and discrimination. At this time, I would say my emotions towards BHM are a mixture of both sadness but also pride in knowing that we’ve contributed so much to the world. Not only culturally but also intellectually which is often overlooked.’ Claramae.

‘I think it’s more celebratory – people try to make it sombre by talking about all the oppression black people have ever faced during their lives, but I hate that view. There are so many positive things that black people have achieved and we so often don’t go over it. There are so many people that we don’t learn about; we always learn about the same people, and although they have done amazing things in their own right, most of the time they had to do it through oppressive periods like slavery. People focus on the part where black people’s lives sucked, whereas I personally think it should be more celebratory. We should talk about people that we don’t necessarily learn about, fight stereotypes. Black people accomplish so much, there are so many things that black people have made that have shaped our lives today and I think it should be more celebratory.’ Rebekah.

‘I think I do typically associate BHM with positive emotions, because it has been a time when black people can come together to discuss our history and celebrate black culture, though occasionally I do find that it can be quite a sombre time as well because of the fact that you are being reminded of the negative impacts of black history and how poorly black people were treated in the past. That can bring about negative emotions. However, I think generally it is quite a positive month.’ Shanaé.

‘I view black history month as being displayed as more celebratory even if it shouldn’t always be like that. More than anything, black history month should be used as a time to educate people, not only people from different ethnic groups, but also black people. I think there are so many of us who don’t know our own culture, who don’t know the rich cultures that we come from, just because we have been taught that black history month is constrained to the transatlantic slave trade. Black history month has always been, that and abolitionists, specifically white abolitionists.’ Suleqa.

Do we forget black history in the UK, and if so, who’s a figure you want to promote?

As black people living in the UK, the past and present experiences of black people in the US can sometimes mirror ours, but during black history month does it overshadow our UK history? Online discussion has increasingly centered around this topic.

‘I’d definitely say we forget black history. I’m so sick of only seeing Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, and more recently Malcolm X, being celebrated when we have black history so clear in the UK from things like the Windrush scandal, or even the migration of our parents back in the day and how they were treated, the race riots, and other events like that. I think it should be learnt about, but we never talk about these things. A good place to start is to read Natives by Akala. He goes into detail about UK black history, it’s amazing. We definitely forget black history in the UK.’ Kerena.

‘I think we absolutely let black history in the UK get overlooked. If you asked me to name a singular UK black icon of the civil rights movement, I won’t have anything to tell you. Because of how much the States were slave-run, the Civil Rights Movement was really powerful and globally impactful – but you forget that the UK is the country that started racism and started slavery and it is bizarre to me how much it is shoved under the carpet. I can’t tell you about any notable black activists from that time period.’ Charlee.

‘I don’t think we have forgotten all elements of black history in the UK. I think a lot of us are quite aware of the contribution of African Americans to black history and black history month, and I believe it originated there and is celebrated in February, whilst over here it’s celebrated in October. I would say that we have overlooked the contributions of Black British individuals in the UK, or black individuals who have resided in the UK. I would like to promote a figure called Doctor Harold Moody; he migrated from Jamaica to England with the hope of becoming a doctor and advancing into the medical profession despite facing rejection based on his race. He decided to open his own private clinic, I think, in Peckham, London, and serve his own community that way. He also funded the League of Coloured People in 1931. And I would also like to highlight that there are a lot of people doing such amazing work in the black community that we’re not aware of. I think we should try to look for and highlight the gems we see in our own day-to-day life.’  Claramae.

‘I do think we forget black history in the UK. People like to focus on slavery because it was so much more extreme in America; that’s kind of where we look to when we think of black history. But Black British history is just as wealthy, it’s just that we don’t look at it as much – I think because it would make Britain look bad. It’s easier to look at America and say “oh, look at those guys, they are so evil”, but we need to focus on British history, too. I don’t know a lot of names, but there’s a black lady on CBeebies’ Stargazing [Maggie Aderin-Pocock] – she’s really smart and she presents astronomy. People like her are role models. Even my uncle, does so much stuff to help African development and even western countries that are suffering. People like that should get more props.’ Rebekah.

‘I definitely think that Black British history is forgotten about a lot more than, say, Black American history. When I was in secondary and primary school, I remember learning about notable figures in America, the black people who were involved in the civil rights movement and things like that, but not so much in the UK. A figure that I want to promote is definitely Mary Seacole, because I feel like even though she was quite similar to Florence Nightingale in what she did, she doesn’t get the same rep. She was born in Jamaica and decided that she wanted to be a British army nurse, she applied but unfortunately her request was denied. Rather than letting that deter her, she persevered and became one anyway, becoming really popular among British soldiers. She deserves to be spoken about more because her impact goes under the radar.’ Shanaé.

‘We definitely forget black history in the UK, and a figure I want to promote is Mansa Musa. I think when people think of black history they always think of activists and, don’t get me wrong, they should be celebrated, but we also have so much rich history that we forget. The richest person that we know of now was a black person; the Mali empire was huge as were so many other West African cultures, and so many East African cultures as well. I think that we always forget that black history shouldn’t just be constrained to activism and injustice, we also had such incredible civilizations.’ Suleqa.

Image Credit: Zoe Abereoje and Diliff/ CC BY 2.5 via wikimedia commons for the picture of the Radcliffe Camera.

Is an essay crisis preventable?

Phoebe Walls
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Is an essay crisis preventable?

Every evening at dinner many students stress over their uncompleted work. The term ‘essay crisis’ encapsulates the impending doom of an essay that is at risk of not being finished before the deadline. With hundreds of deadlines to juggle in a mere eight-week period, it’s only to be expected that we’ll feel the time pressure of churning out essays on time.

My tutor told us to treat our degree like a 9-5 job slotting our work in amongst those hours. I typically get up at 8, have breakfast in hall, the first Pret trip and aim to be at my desk by 9. By the time I’ve tackled the rigorous security of the Oxford-Single-Sign-On login, I start working. This routine does not always happen. If I’ve been out the night before the start time of work tends to be at least slightly postponed. Many people can have a lie in after a night out. I wake up to the sound of MCR students talking at my ground floor window or better still my neighbour’s Italian opera singing. Sometimes I wake up to the sound of bells and wonder if I’m still dreaming. I potter around Oxford contemplating my existential crisis and then return to the books. Speaking of books, as a humanities student the essay reading lists, however fascinating, are bound to leave anyone feeling overwhelmed. It sometimes feels like every single piece of literary criticism ever written has been uploaded onto canvas.

For me, part of the essay writing process is heading to the Taylorian library, a beautiful building but complete maze. Thousands of books are spread across different floors. I hover by a shelf for a long time before realising I’m in the wrong place. I’m out of breath after traipsing up staircases and even climbing a ladder. Then I have to avoid walking under it as the last thing I need is seven years bad luck. Collecting the books needed to understand my degree, invokes a crisis. Once I’m back in my room, with my impressive, back-breaking haul, I begin to chip away at the reading. I like to sit in my room’s maternal red rocking chair. The key to successful reading for an essay is to find those perfect quotes amongst mind boggling waffle.

After gathering sufficient handwritten notes, I begin to try to construct an argument in my mind. Essay questions often appear like riddles, I read them several times, and choose the least hideous one. I enjoy making a plan and seeing an argument come together. I’ve found the best essays are the ones I attempt to write in a single day. My argument is more coherent. Then there’s the task of working out how on earth to reference.

Reading, writing, and planning an essay is difficult to squeeze into one night. Many Oxonians manage this by pulling the infamous all-nighter. This prospect has never appealed to me. By six pm I’m eager to put away the library books and shut down my laptop. I’d rather spend my evening at rehearsal or with friends. I think the so-called essay crisis is preventable with time management and the acceptance that not every essay will be perfect. But you learn more from the Picasso painting analogies and constructive feedback.

Image credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters

Clarendon Centre Development

Cecilia Catmur
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Clarendon Centre Development

Oxford’s Clarendon Centre reveals new construction plans amid a large-scale urban regeneration project in the city centre. 

The shopping mall, built in the 1980s, will get a complete makeover. A large chunk of the building will be knocked down, and replaced with 101 units of Brasenose student accommodation. Another porter’s lodge will be built for the College. Retail stores, restaurants, and offices will take up the rest of the now largely-unoccupied space. 

The owners of the Clarendon Centre, Lothbury Investments Managements, have spent the last few years revamping North Bailey House- another property of theirs on New Inn Hall Street. The building is expected to open at the end of March 2023, and offer 20,000 sq ft of “exceptional new office development in central Oxford.”

Together with the North Bailey House, the Clarendon developments will change the shape of central Oxford. A fourth floor terrace with a café is expected to open, and provide “public access to a landscape designed roof space which will showpiece the stunning Oxford skyline.” A new network of pedestrianised streets will connect New Inn Hall Street, Queen Street, and Cornmarket; and a new public square will be built into the centre of it all. 

The public square is a step in Lothbury’s plan to facilitate the ‘greening’ of central Oxford. It is designed with a focus on sustainability. The new open space will have: 23 trees; an unspecified ‘water feature’; ‘green walls’ and ‘green roofs’ (living surfaces made of plants); and a public drinking fountain.

The plans also reveal an attempt to create new pedestrian access through Frewin Court – one of the oldest streets in Oxford. Frewin Court is referenced as early as 1405, then called Bodin’s Lane. In the 19th century, the court was home to Guy & Gammon, Oxford’s local wine and spirit merchants. 

Now, the lane has devolved into little more than a bike rack and a Plush smoking area. When the new Clarendon Centre is built, the deep end of Frewin Court will turn straight on to cafés, retail, restaurants, and a green public square.

The project is not expected to be completed until 2028 or 2029. Until then, we will have to do without the Clarendon Centre and its rain-proof shortcut from Queen Street to Cornmarket. But on the bright side, the Plush smoking area is safe, for now.  

From Christian Cole to Andi Marsh to Deborah Ogunnoiki

Deborah Ogunnoiki
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From Christian Cole to Andi Marsh to Deborah Ogunnoiki

When you think of Classics at Oxford, the image that may come to you is likely Boris Johnson. Or maybe not Boris Johnson, but someone Boris-esque. They went to Eton, or maybe Winchester, they’ve been studying Latin since they could talk, and they visit their ‘chalet’ in the French Alps every winter. They’re white and upper-class and male. The perfect image of Oxford. And even though you can’t see my face in this article, the Nigerian-ness of my name should be a dead giveaway that I do not fit into that stereotype. I am a Black, state-school-educated woman, and that is why Christian Cole is such an important part of Black British History in Oxford.

Christian Cole was born in Sierra Leone, which at the time was a British colony, in West Africa in 1852. Cole was the grandson of a slave and was educated at Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He enrolled in Oxford in 1873 as a non-collegiate student, until he was made a member of University College in 1877. His fellow students included the notable imperialist, and racist, Cecil Rhodes (guess which of the two later received several six foot statues, and which one got a measly plaque? Oxford really needs to fix that.) Cole remained a member of University College until 1880. His presence made him the centre of attention, which included many press cartoons depicting him with racial stereotypes, which was not made any easier going to university with the Cecil Rhodes as well (sorry, I simply can’t get over that). His experience most likely prompted his anti-racist writings:

“Ye white men of England

Oh tell, tell, I pray,

If the curse of your land,

Is not, day after day,

To increase your possessions

With reckless delight,

To subdue many nations,

And show them your might.”

(From ‘Reflections on the Zulu War, By a Negro’, BA., of University College, Oxford.)

Cole went on to become the first Black African to practice law in the English courts after being accepted by the Inner Temple in 1883. His career was unfortunately short-lived as he died in 1885 at the age of 33 from smallpox. 

Though Cole’s life was short, his legacy is almost infinite. Writing this, 137 years after his death, as another Black classicist at Oxford, I am compelled to look back at what inspired me to do this degree, here, at Oxford of all places. 

My earliest inspiration from a Black classicist is when I met Andi Marsh at UNIQ Summer School. Going to UNIQ I was a nervous wreck; I was violently aware that it was likely that I would be the only Black person in the Classics course. After all, I had never met another Black person studying the Iliad or Latin. But that day on the 29th of July, I met Andi, a rising 3rd-year Classics student at Oxford. My disbelief at meeting a Classics student who looked like me quickly turned into excitement – it became so much easier to picture myself in the exact same position as Christian Cole and Andi Marsh. 

Andi is also the founder of the Christian Cole Society; she tells me she founded the society as “an antidote to Classics as it existed before, Classics as a subject known for its elitism and whiteness”. She goes on to say that “I wanted to really confront that and challenge that and make Classics something that is inclusive of our stories as Black people, and other ethnic minorities…Christian Cole Society is about inclusion in a subject that has a real history of exclusion.” Andi’s words have never rung truer – a couple of months after I met her at UNIQ, Boris Johnson, the Golden Boy of Oxford Classics, was elected Prime Minister. Suddenly, the image of Classics, the legacy of Christian Cole, became less and less relevant to those who represented Classics in mainstream media. On Christian Cole, Andi tells me the reason he was so important to her that she named her society after him. “The mere fact that he is only now getting recognition for the way that he literally paved the way for so many Black classicists after him… I am proud that we were able to name our society after him…We are his legacy as Black classicists.”

As pathetic as it might sound, Andi’s words brought tears to my eyes. She almost single-handedly revived the legacy of Christian Cole, a history that the University didn’t try to protect as much as they protect Rhodes’ statue. Being a Black Classicist is a tough journey, but as much as an inspiration as Christian Cole was to Andi, she was to me, and I can only hope to continue that legacy the same way she did for me. 

Image Credit: Andi Marsh on the left and Deborah Ogunnoiki on the right.

Week 3 editorial

Cherwell Editors
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Week 3 editorial

Pieter Garicano, Cherwell Editor-in-Chief:

Our front page this week deals with the mismarking of finals and their consequences. One student had a 64 marked as a 46. Another missed their graduation — and the family their last-minute flights — as the department failed to repair their mistakes in anything close to a timely manner. It seems, at least, that these failings represent a one-off incident for the Engineering Department. But that may be precisely the problem — in a University as decentralised as Oxford, things can go wrong for a long time in an isolated corner. Of course, the most obvious example of this is the collegiate system. Functionally independent institutions, the University has little recourse when the colleges go awry. The years-long saga where the governing body of Christ Church resorted to increasingly embarrassing options to try and force their own dean to leave is but one example. But the Engineering Department isn’t part of the collegiate University. It reports to the administration in Wellington Square (‘Central’ in Uni parlance), responsible for the University as a whole. But even Central’s powers are limited. Much is done by slow-moving committees. Individual professors carve out fiefdoms, with tenure as their shield. Positive change — when it happens — is limited not just by the good intentions of those involved, but by the sharp boundaries that denote different institutions here. A coherent plan to increase access in one department might as well be martian to another. The scandals affecting some departments — as they did History last year, when an Al-Jazeera investigation showed some professors were “alcoholics and sexual predators” — are a stain on the University as a whole. Of course, the fact that the institutions are independent complicates change of systems as much as it does change within systems. Anachronisms are part of the University’s DNA. But anachronism isn’t an excuse for complete failure. And in mismarking the Engineering finals, and refusing to help the finalists, that’s what the department is guilty of.

Leah Mitchell, Cherwell Editor-in-Chief:

October is Black History Month in the UK, which has inspired some of the articles in this week’s edition of Cherwell spotlighting Black history, culture, and achievements. Doing so feels perhaps particularly vital right now, in our deeply troubled political climate. I am a huge believer in the power of education and compassion to have a transformative effect on how we treat other people and operate as a society. As a result, representing Black stories and voices in Cherwell’s pages is important to me for the same reasons that my first real involvement with Cherwell was through banding together with some friends to establish a column about Jewish culture and identity: I am committed to the belief that when we see the full picture, and the real and rounded human beings within that picture, our capacity for meaningful solidarity and inclusion grows exponentially. Otherwise, of course, we are only seeing a half picture, a half truth; and half-truths, as history has shown us time and time again, are bendable. Manipulable. Dangerous. 

To quote the peerless Black scholar bell hooks, we must “return to love”, since “to love well is the task in all meaningful relationships, not just romantic bonds”. hooks sees love as an intentional, radical act which is inextricably connected to justice and truth telling. Love, above all, requires both knowledge and empathy. This, in my view, is the most important task of Cherwell this week, and indeed perhaps in all weeks: contributing to the project – the project which belongs to all of us – of building knowledge and empathy. I’m sure we don’t always do this perfectly, but it is nonetheless a sincere goal – what else is the point of all this? Why else does it matter? We, at the core level of our shared humanity, are nothing without community – and community is nothing without love.

Engineering department chaos: students miss graduation, offers, amid marking debacle

Suzanne Antelme
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Engineering department chaos: students miss graduation, offers, amid marking debacle

Chaos has erupted among the fourth-year Engineering cohort as a number of candidates were marked incorrectly for their papers – or seemingly not marked at all. The Department of Engineering Science has been slow to respond to requests for mark checks, leaving students in an awkward limbo of uncertainty as to their degree classification.

These exams are important, as to continue to fourth year – in order to earn an integrated master’s rather than a BA – Engineering students must have a combined average above 50% for their second year Part A and third year Part B exams. The marks are also often crucial for students applying to internships and jobs. 

Cherwell spoke to a student who found themselves below the 50% threshold after receiving their Part B results. The student contacted the Department immediately to ask for a mark breakdown, only receiving a reply two weeks later after the Undergraduate Studies Officer returned from annual leave. The student was told to make a data access request to the University’s data compliance team, who took another five weeks to respond. The mark breakdown revealed that a twenty-five mark question had not been included in the mark – significant because the student had missed the 50% threshold by just fourteen marks. 

At this point the student’s family had already booked expensive last-minute flights and accommodation to attend the unexpected graduation. The student, by now “getting stressed”, contacted the Undergraduate Studies Officer only to be told “[w]e do not permit 2nd marking [sic]”. They said they had done “a courtesy check” and claimed “we didn’t miss anything off the marksheets”.

However, when phoned by the student’s senior tutor, the Department agreed to check the marks again. The process was delayed for two weeks, this time because the Chair of Examiners was on leave. Five days after their graduation ceremony – shortly before the beginning of 0th Week – the student was still waiting for a reply and emailed the Department yet again. They received an automated email that their results had been updated on Student Self Service, and discovered they now met the threshold and could continue to fourth year. The Department did not apologise.

Cherwell also spoke to an Engineering student who has been prevented from continuing to fourth year because of their Part B exam results. When two papers returned much lower marks than expected, the student consulted with their tutor. While an initial admin check on the lowest paper returned nothing, the tutor asked for an admin check on the other papers and one mark jumped from 46 to 64. The student hypothesised that the Department must have “literally written the numbers the wrong way around”.

Under the impression that there was no other way to appeal the remaining unchanged mark, the student applied for an ‘exemption of examination criteria’, asking for certain serious mitigating circumstances in their second year to be taken into account when calculating their average for both years. In late August the student heard by word of mouth they could actually appeal their results through a Subject Access Request (SAR). But they were still waiting for the verdict on their exemption appeal, and their tutor advised them to wait.

It took over two months for the Department to return a verdict on the exemption appeal, which they rejected – a decision the student found “hurtful”. They immediately submitted a SAR, but by this point it was already 0th Week. The student expressed frustration that the Department had been “so slow at responding”, as even if the SAR reveals the missing mark they suspect and they pass the 50% threshold, they will only be able to join fourth year in 2023. 

The student commended the efforts of their tutor, but referred to the Department’s “care, effort and organisation” as “appalling”. They are now in a difficult financial situation, unable to access student loans and scrambling to sublet their rental accommodation. Their career prospects have also been “hugely impacted”, as they had to apply to jobs and master’s degrees without clarity over their degree classification. The student already holds a job offer from a prestigious firm but is worried that the uncertainty around their marks and when they will graduate might breach the conditions of the offer and cause them to “lose the opportunity of a lifetime”. 

They told Cherwell: “[I’ve] thoroughly enjoyed the course up until now, but … [t]he [Department] has fundamentally wasted thousands of pounds of my money, huge amounts of my hard work, and a year of my life.”

Annabel Staines, an Engineering student at Wadham, discovered on results day that one of her papers was missing its mark entirely and another was significantly lower than expected. She emailed the Department on 13th July and was also told that the Undergraduate Studies Officer was away on leave. After emailing them again on 9th August she received an automated reply explaining the Department had a “high workload” so “response time may be longer than usual”. The email asked Staines to “please try not to send multiple emails on the same matter”. 

Staines received an update on 23rd August and saw the paper with no mark had been corrected. There was no change to the other paper, however, so she reached out again on 30th August to ask for a mark check. The Undergraduate Studies Officer sent her a short email saying the deadline to appeal had passed on 11th August, to which Staines replied with a screenshot of her email from 9th August. The Undergraduate Studies Officer finally sent a mark breakdown after Staines submitted a Freedom of Information request to the data protection team. 

Throughout this exchange Staines had been advised by Wadham’s Exam Officer, to whom she then sent the mark breakdown showing only one question had been marked alongside a copy of the PDF script from her exam demonstrating she had submitted three questions. This was passed to Wadham’s Academic Officer, who included it in an email to the Department asking for the issue to be resolved as soon as possible. Staines, however, is still waiting for a resolution. She is very frustrated with the Department’s communication, and notes that “the process feels like it could be simpler but is made more complicated as [the Undergraduate Studies Officer] almost never responds to emails”. She criticised the Department for not having someone on hand to guide students, saying that in her experience, it “will only help you if you ask for the right thing”.

Cherwell contacted the Department to ask how many Engineering students had queried their Part B exam results hoping to better understand the scale of the issue, but no figures were received. Staines had reached out on a group chat asking anyone affected by missing or incorrect marks to react. Twenty-seven people reacted to the message, sixteen of whom then messaged Staines privately. She estimates there are about 170 people in her cohort. 

The Department told Cherwell: “[We have] received a number of enquiries from students about their Part B exam results and we are in the process of carrying out a thorough investigation, which is likely to take several weeks. […] Once we are clear about the scope of any issue found, we will take appropriate action.”

The Department added that it would be “taking this opportunity to carry out a thorough review of our processes to minimise any potential risk to a fair assessment for all students in the future”.

Image credit: Oxford University Engineering department

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