This week, OUSU Council passed a motion that would see OUSU condemn the Iranian government’s oppression and imprisonment of protesting students.

The motion also mandated the OUSU President, Stefan Baskerville,  to issue a statement requiring the Vice-Chancellor to take an active position in support of the creation of the Neda Agha-Soltan scholarship.

Baskerville stated, ” I believe that students should be able to propose motions to OUSU Council on the issues they consider to be important, and that the OUSU Executive should follow mandates set by OUSU Council. It is for students, not me, to decide what I should say on their behalf.”

This motion follows one passed by Queen’s JCR in Michaelmas, which established a graduate scholarship in Philosophy in memory of Neda Agha-Soltan who was shot by Iranian police.  The first recipient of the award was Ariane Shavisi.

Last term, the Iranian embassy in London wrote a letter to the Provost of Queen’s College, accusing Oxford University of joining a “politically motivated campaign” which it felt lay “in sharp contract with its academic objectives”. They felt that this was part of a more general pattern of “British interference” following the Iranian presidential elections.

At the time, Oxford was keen to stress that this scholarship was an internal matter for Queen’s College, and did not represent the university as a whole. However, the motion bought before OUSU encourages the Vice-Chancellor to take a more active position.

Neda Agha-Soltan, a Philosophy student, was shot in June of 2009 during the protests in Tehran against allegedly rigged Iranian presidential elections. 
The motion noted that students have been “instrumental” in the wave of democratic protests in Iran, and that they are “routinely imprisoned and tortured” for their role in the democratic uprising.

The motion had strong political overtones, which were absent from the original motion passed by Queen’s JCR. It  resolves to condemn “imprisonment of student” and “attacks on Student Halls of Residence” as well as “the Iranian government’s oppression of pro-democracy activists in Iran”.

The individal advancing the motion urged the council to vote for it, stating  “The University has not backed the Queen’s College scholarship because it is a political motion. It is incumbent upon us to make the University take a stand. Students across the world should stand up in solidarity with students under threat. Passing this motion may not render Iran a democracy over night, but it will certainly add to the sense of impunity felt at the lack of democracy in Iran”.

JCR President of Queen’s College, Nathan Roberts told Cherwell, “When Queens passed the motion, the Provost was reserved in his support due to concerns for safety of the scholar. People have already tried to find the room number of the student who has taken the scholarship. The Queens motion emphasised giving Iranian students the opportunity to study at Oxford, rather than issuing a condemnation of Iran.”

Commenting on the scholarship, Queen’s Provost, Professor Paul Madden, said, “Oxford is increasingly losing out to its competitors in the race to recruit top graduate students. Donations such as those that have enabled us to create the Neda Agha-Soltan Scholarship are absolutely vital for us to continue to attract and retain the best young minds.”

However, Roberts expressed doubt over the future of the OUSU motion, due to its overtly political clauses which he feels the University will not want to be connected to. “I am concerned for the safety of the student, but I am also sceptical that this will get any further. As students, we can have a powerful voice on the international stage, and this motion does not seem to chime with British diplomatic efforts.”

Hannah Cusworth, OUSU Academic Affairs and Access Officer, commented, “Student solidarity is important. I can see why the Vice Chancellor would be put off by the political aspects of the motion, but I hope it will be judged it on the merits.”

The motion passed with no votes in opposition.

Oxford University Library Services revealed in last week’s Annual Report that they had a budget deficit of over £2.5 million for the year 2008-9, surpassing the previous year’s overspend by £1,000.

Their overall income, of £31,756,183, provided mainly by a block grant from the University, fell far short of their expenditure of £34,292,288.

The report admitted that “For some time the Libraries have laboured under a deficit, with insufficient revenue to cover the costs of their services”. It also reiterated the vital importance of donations in covering the shortfall not met by the University’s grant of over £21 million.

However, the report also stated that the actual overspend of £2.54 million was less than the forecast £2.6 million, indicating the success of the “number of efficiencies and innovations to reduce expenditure” implemented by staff.
By far the largest expense is staffing, which eats up £18.8m of the annual budget. With a total of 562 staff in July, this amounts to an average wage of £33,396 per member of staff.

The section whose expenditure has increased by the largest proportion is Information Provision and Access, which saw an increase from £4,348,746 for 2007-8 to £6,083,212 for the previous year.

Much of the increased expenditure has arisen from the drive to go digital, with the Library Services dedicating £4.4 million on acquiring electronic resources and back copies. These include the historical archives of the Guardian/Observer newspapers and the London Illustrated News, as well as resources such as ‘Cambridge Histories Online’ and the ‘Universal Database of Russian Military and Security Periodicals’.

Among other online successes in the previous year has been the introduction of SOLO, enabling users to search a database of almost all University and College libraries, and the upgrade to OXLIP+, which allows remote access to the library catalogues. Downloads of online journal articles have almost doubled since 2005-6, rising from 3.3 million to 6.1 million, the Libraries have invested in an increasingly popular method of research.

Other activities reported to have been undertaken by the Libraries in the past year are over 1000 document restoration projects, several exhibitions – including those for the Magna Carta and World Book Day – and the processing of what the report names “arguably the most significant modern literary archive to come to the Bodleian Library in thirty years”, the Alan Bennett archive.

An expense conspicuously absent from the report was the cost to the libraries of books stolen or lost by borrowers. As any student who has used SOLO, the University’s online search catalogue, will know some books are consigned to the ambiguous fate of “Lost, presumed missing”, but it is unknown how much these lost texts cost the libraries to replace each year.

The report mentions the implementation of “book detection systems” in the Old Bodleian Library throughout 2009, implying that there are some concerns over the security of the texts available on open access shelves.

It has been suggested that the cost of lost and missing books is incorporated into the category of “Operational Expenditure”, which totalled over £8.8 million, a figure which could potentially be reduced – therefore tackling part of the total budget deficit – if tighter security measures were enforced.

A member of staff at Library Services stated that the cost of replacing any missing books would fall on the individual faculties and come out of their general budget for purchasing new materials.

The representative went on to explain that although problems can arise when the lost books are now out of print, the overall cost of this issue to the Libraries is relatively low compared to the total expenditure.

However, the report forecasts a more positive financial outlook for the Libraries over the coming years, stating the Services’ trust in the University which “proposes to resolve the issue from 2010–11 when a new services funding mechanism will be introduced”, despite the likelihood that the Libraries of Oxford will be receiving less University funding in the coming years.

A footnote of the report suggests that the Libraries will potentially be required to cut their reliance on the block grant by 10% over the next three years, although this is not yet confirmed.

Nonetheless, the Library Services remain optimistic, highlighting their focus on “strategic priorities” to maintain financial equilibrium over the coming years.

On Sunday night two members of the public allegedly broke into Lincoln college and made their way into a Lincoln student’s room.

Students have been expressing their concern at the college’s security following the incident.

Zoe O’Shea, a Lincoln fresher, woke up at 1.30 am after she heard her door open. Initially expecting it to be friends, she was shocked when two strangers were standing feet from her bed.

She described them as “stinking of alcohol and cigarettes.”

O’Shea said that the man and woman claimed to be looking for ‘Susie.’ They then asked if there was a party going on where they could find some alcohol.

When she asked them to leave, the pair headed for the JCR where the Superbowl was being aired. The two had been seen earlier in the evening looking into the JCR from Turl Street.

When asked about the incident, Lincoln’s Junior Dean commented that this was the first he had heard about a break-in. He said that there had been no official report made regarding the incident and therefore no statement could be made.

However, O’Shea claimed that she went to a porter to report the incident, and was told that “I should have locked my door”.

“She [the porter on duty] was quite stern and unsympathetic,” she said. Richard De Vere, a Lincoln mathematician, was watching the Superbowl when they came in, once again asking for alcohol. The pair this time claimed that they were friends of ‘Sarah’ and asked where the free drinks were.

He described the two as looking “poorly kempt” and being in their 40s. He also stated that they appeared very drunk.

Finally a student went to find a porter and the two were forced to leave the college.

James Meredith, JCR President, said, “I’m absolutely horrified by the incident, and intend to discuss it further with college authorities.”

“It is worth noting though, that I brought the fact that the security system at the bottom of staircase one wasn’t working to the attention of college last term.”

At present Lincoln uses a swipe card system at night. It is suspected that the intruders waited until someone else swiped their card, and then followed them in, otherwise known as ‘tail gating.’

Lincoln Bursar was contacted for a comment, but has not yet responded.

Oxford students shouldn’t have to always moan about decreasing University endowments as they are all benefiting from the most generous financial support in the country, a Cherwell survey shows.

£5,100 of Oxford Opportunity Bursaries, £1,100 worth of college grants and a further array of scholarships are up for grabs for the poorest freshers at Oxford.

In contrast, students at Manchester University can not claim more than £3,000 worth of grants, whilst UCL offers a yearly bursary of £2,775.

Just last week, college accounts were released which showed millions of pounds in losses this year, with LMH, Magdalen and Balliol among the worst affected.
Students complained of limits to student privileges, such as St John’s recent decision to cap vacation residence in the college at 21 days. Another claimed that he “currently [has] no lectures this term,” attributing this to University cutbacks.

Earlier this term New College Bursar David Palfreyman warned of some “unlucky” colleges who might be unable to replace staff if they were to leave.
But one former LMH language student who rusticated last year and took up a place with UCL, told Cherwell that Oxford students complaining of funding cuts should “stop whinging and get a job”.

“They’re trying to merge language departments here, which will mean that I might not even get grammar classes next year. I’m paying thousands of pounds for ten hours of contact time,” Robinson said.

Manchester University plans to make 400-staff redundancies, while a £10 million budget deficit at Bristol could lead to up to 250 university staff being fired, from caterers to academics.

UCL, which now ranks above Oxford in the Times World University List, plans to shed 15% of staff positions, a move that has led leading academics to warn of a decline in teaching standards.

KCL has come under fire for removing a number of high-profile academics, or forcing them into retirement.

Other universities are also unable to offer the level of student support open to Oxford undergraduates.

UCL offers a bursary of £2,775 pounds for students with a household income of £11,900 or less. This is comparable to the £3,225 offered in the Oxford Opportunity Bursary to students with a home income of less than £17,999.

However, once household income reaches £16,200, UCL offers students only half of the government grant.

Aside from government grants, LSE offers a student support fund for unseen financial difficulties and general student costs.

The maximum Bristol bursary is £1230, though there is also a top up of £1100 available, and a potential hardship fund of £2450.

Manchester offers various student grants, though no student is allowed to claim more than £3000 a year. On top of the Oxford Opportunity Bursary, those from the lowest income bracket are entitled to £875 to cover the ‘start up’ of University, as well as the option of applying for an additional £1000 top-up later in the year.

The Oxford Opportunity Bursary is the most generous in the country without considering extra grants, which could give students a total award of £5,100.
Nick Jaques, Magdalen JCR vice-president, said that despite the University’s current economic difficulties, the amounts offered in student support should remain high.

“Student welfare is obviously a priority, so it is likely to be one of the last things ‘cut’,” he said.

Magdalen was shown to have one of the biggest falls in endowment funds, though the college still gave out £155,000-worth of support grants to 110 undergraduates this year.

Univ, the college reporting the highest gain over the period, in the last year handed out £130,000 in Oxford Opportunity Bursaries, £1,000 in Oxford bursaries, £15,000 in ordinary scholarships and, £5,000 in college prizes and £3,000 in book grants.

Most colleges still offer free book vouchers to matriculating students, and give cash rewards to those who achieve firsts in collections or mods.

“Oxford students want more money? But I thought that was what ‘collections’ were for?” said one London student.

The lowest paid workers at Christ Church are working for as little as £5.80 an hour, the lowest fixed wage of employees at any college, according to an investigation by the Oxford Living Wage Campaign.

The Living Wage Campaign has calculated that the lowest “sustainable” wage people in Oxford can live on is £7.01 per hour, yet at least six Oxford colleges pay some of their employees less than this “living wage” sum.

The Campaign submitted Freedom of Information requests to all Oxford’s colleges, but 25 colleges have thus far failed to respond.

Three colleges have refused to disclose the information. The Campaign is appealing this decision.

From the information gathered so far, Pembroke pays the lowest wage to any employees, with two apprentice chefs currently on £5.29 an hour. The college has explained however, that the wages are at this level for a probationary period of sixth months, and are expected to rise as the chefs gain experience.

At Christ Church the lowest-paid workers at the college are on wages of £5.80 an hour, despite the fact that Christ Church is one of Oxford’s richest colleges with an endowment worth over £260 million. Campaigners staged a rally outside the college on Wednesday morning to raise awareness of the low wages. Over the next three weeks campaigners will also visit 18 Oxford colleges to collect signatures for a university-wide petition for the living wage. Christ Church were unavailable for comment on the issue.

According to the Campaign, working in accordance with the City Council, OUSU and the Rowntree Trust, at least five other colleges pay below the living wage figure, with the wages per hour of some staff standing at £6.95 in Merton, £6.83 in Queen’s, £6.79 in St Antony’s and £6.60 in Jesus .

Stephen Bush, Director of the Oxford Living Wage Campaign, condemned the attitudes of colleges towards low pay.

“These figures reflect that no college cannot afford to pay a living wage,” he said. “It is simply a matter of priorities.”

A former Oxford student jumped to his death in London because he was accused of sending a prank email, an inquest has been told.

Anjool Malde, 24, jumped from the eighth floor roof terrace of the Coq D’Argent restaurant in central London with a glass of champagne in his hand, just two days before his birthday last summer. The incident was captured on CCTV.

He had been suspended by his bosses at Deutsche Bank two days before his death.

He was accused of posting a joke message in the name of one of the bank’s clients on a financial website, stating “I’m hot, I’m hot.”

Despite denying responsibility, the message was traced to Malde’s computer.
Two other emails were traced to Malde’s work computer, which had both been sent to the bank’s client. Sent under the name of Raj Rocks, the sender offered an apology in one and mentioned “feeling suicidal”, and in the other offered £500 to charity to “make the matter go away”.

A verdict of suicide was recorded by City of London coroner Paul Matthews.
Malde, known as Jools to his friends, read Geography at St Peter’s College. He worked as an online news editor for Cherwell, and frequently wrote stories for Cherwell and The Oxford Student. He was on Standing Committee at the Union. He also moderated the University gossip website OxGoss.

After graduating in 2005 aged 20, he came second in the UK Graduate of the Year awards.

Success after university followed. Malde was the co-founder of Alpha Parties, a firm which specialised in arranging social events for graduates and young professionals.

He had invited friends to a birthday party in Spain, in his recently-purchased £300,000 penthouse apartment.

Malde attended a party the night before his death with friend Irra Khirivskaya, a model. She said that although they went, he was very withdrawn and they left early.

She said that he “didn’t much care about being in the bank”, as he told her about the disciplinary meeting he faced at work.

Miss Khirivskaya commented, “His actions can’t be explained as the actions of the Jools I know. He was someone who temporarily lost his wits.”

However, she did concede that “The efficiency of his actions, their style and precision, were all very typical of Anjool.”

A spokeswoman for Deutsche Bank, Michelle Gathercole, said that Mr Malde had not been suspended. She added: “We are deeply saddened by our colleague’s death and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this time.”

Tabassum Rasheed, a second year PPEist interviewed by Malde last year for an Easter internship at Deutsche, described him as an “animated, friendly guy” and added, “He was really helpful and seemed genuinely interested in the lives of the people he was interviewing – not just doing it for the job.”

Those working in the area around the Coq d’Argent described a “really awful” scene after Malde’s suicide jump.

Malde was not the first person to commit suicide from the restaurant. In April 2007, Richard Ford, a City marketing executive, also jumped from the terrace, landing on top of a number 76 bus.

Eighty per cent of men and almost seventy per cent of women will be overweight by 2020 according to a study by Oxford University’s Professor Klim McPherson.

Unlike childhood obesity rates, which according to a previous study have now peaked, adult obesity is expected to continue to rise.

The study predicts that 41 per cent of men aged 20 to 65 will be obese by 2020, along with 36 per cent of women.

McPherson stated, “We are being overwhelmed by the effects of today’s ‘obesogenic’ environment, with its abundance of energy-dense food and sedentary lifestyles.” He warned, “The Government needs to redouble its efforts to tackle obesity.”

New College’s pet kitten Otis has been missing for several days, prompting great concern amongst College members.

The cat, which is six months old and marmalade, was last seen in New College eleven days ago, on Monday 8th February. Since then he has been spotted on Mansfield Road and it is thought that he may have walked towards Manor Road.

Zoe Norridge, Fellow in African and Comparative Literature, who oversees the welfare of the College pet, has encouraged the public to report any possible sightings to the New College porters.

She commented, “Otis is much missed by all the college. If you see him please do try to pick him up and give us a ring. He’s been lost for nearly two weeks now and we’re really keen to have him home.”

An Oxford University spokesperson has quashed rumours that the University is planning to launch a perfume and aftershave range.

The denial was prompted after national papers reported that perfume bottles featuring the University coat of arms were soon to be on sale. It was claimed that the University was seeking new ways to exploit the Oxford brand.
A University spokesman confirmed that the idea had appeared on a ‘mood board’ produced by Oxford Limited, which works to promote the University’s name, but stated “The University of Oxford has absolutely no plans to produce a perfume.”

“All products created by Oxford Limited are designed to be relevant to the history and accomplishments of the University of Oxford… We do not feel that a product such as perfume would be relevant.”