OUSU council is facing criticism for an “irrelevant” discussion of policies that are due to expire this term.

OUSU council annually evaluate every policy that is coming to the end of its fourth year. The policies, which are put forward by the Common Rooms and OUSU executives, are contained in the Student Union’s booklet of what OUSU believe.

The policies range from extending library opening hours to campaigning against the use of sweatshop labour in University products.

Students have been critical of this process. Jim O’Connell, Univ’s OUSU representative, has questioned the importance of the policy booklet itself, commenting, “I think there’s a danger of many students seeing this kind of long-winded process as being irrelevant to their needs, especially when issues under discussion include condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, which happened nearly a century ago.”

He added, “It’s these kinds of motions that lead to the perception that OUSU wastes time and isn’t focused on the needs of students and common rooms.”

Lewis Iwu has rebuffed these arguments. He said, “You might think that Policy Lapse is unimportant, but the motions contained in this booklet were each considered and debated in Council by your predecessors; MCR Reps, JCR Reps, OUSU Exec members and delegates. I’d hope that in a few years time, people take the time to review the debates we have in Council today and I hope you take some time considering the policies in this booklet.”

Magdalen JCR president Laurence Mills also stressed the need to consider the application of OUSU policy to lives of regular students.

He said, “Whilst we only go through this process once a year, I think that there are definitely some issues that we will be debating that a lot of students won’t think are relevant, and so it is important that we reassess whether or not we are focusing on the important aspects of student life that we can be making progress on.”

One of the most controversial policies to discuss is OUSU’s pro-choice stance. Matthew Brown, the President of Oxford’s Pro-Life society has found it “strange” to “take such a definitive position” when the student union represents many individuals”.

He added, “Note OUSU also refers to its pro-choice position as a ‘campaign’ which I believe to be unhelpful language. Their position is to ‘campaign’, in the affirmative, rather than to support all students.”

Defending this position, Both O’Connell and Mills argued that OUSU’s pro-choice stance is vital to maintain. O’Connell said, “OUSU needs to be pro-choice because it has a direct and hugely important effect on welfare, because people confronted with that kind of situation need the best possible information and advice.”

Oxford University has set up a new society to recognise those who donate money to the institution.

Part of the Oxford Thinking campaign, the donor recognition society known as the Vice Chancellor’s Circle was launched last week with a private reception, debate and dinner hosted by John Hood.

The title of the debate was, “Poetry is beautiful, but science is what matters”, and was chaired by the barrister Geoffrey Robertson QC.

John Hood said at the launch, “We are delighted to recognise our donors’ generous support in this way. Their support helps to strengthen our colleges, divisions, libraries, laboratories, and every centre, society, club and institution that sustains the intellectual life of the University and carries Oxford’s vital mission into the future.”

The society has one hundred founding members and includes college donors, alumni and non-alumni, individuals, trusts and foundations, and corporate organisations. However, the University has not released the names of the members.

The Oxford Thinking Campaign yesterday celebrated its first birthday. In its first year, the campaign has raised £713 million, 57% of its £1.25 billion target. However, the project has been facing difficulties due to the economic slow down.

Nevertheless, the university and colleges have received some notable gifts in the last year, including a single donation of £1.75 million to Wadham college, £3.25 million to the University’s summer schools and a single donation of $50 million to Christ Church.

The Chancellor’s Circle is not the first donor recognition society to be set up at Oxford. In 1990, the late Lord Jenkins set up the Chancellor’s Court of Benefactors, which now has 155 members.

The University’s Encaenia ceremony celebrates generous donors. Last year, eight men and women were honoured.

A delay in building at Lady Margaret Hall means over 40 undergraduates promised a place in a new college accommodation block will be forced to live out next term.

The college administration this week announced that it would help students find and pay for houses in North Oxford. JCR President Sourav Choudhury said the policy would result in “a substantial loss” for LMH.

The college had originally said that every second-year student would be provided a place in halls, and told the JCR to cancel their annual room ballot.

“Naturally students have shown concern, but they’ve been kept in the loop”, Choudhury said. “The Bursar is consulting individually with students to find houses that meet their needs.”

Jake Leeper, Vice President of the JCR, praised LMH staff, saying “considering that college did not have to offer the scheme I think that they’ve been excellent in working with students. Our domestic bursar has even begun to view houses with students so that he has a good idea of the type of houses students would prefer to live in.”

“I have been in regular contact with the administration staff since and think that by both sides realising the difficulties and unfortunate nature of the situation we’ve been able to come up with very good solutions.”

Both Leeper and Choudhury expressed approval of the college’s reaction to the delay. “We found out on Tuesday of 0th week that the building works scheduled to be ready by July were not going to be ready by the start of Michaelmas term. The next day, on Wednesday of 0th, we had an emergency accommodation meeting with college staff to discuss what we should do,” said Leeper.

Under the new agreement, LMH will subsidise students forced to live out next term a £300 subsidy. Those who live out for an entire year will receive £500.

Choudhury said 20 of the students due to live in the new accommodation block would still be able to remain in college after administrators agreed to suspend a refurbishment of LMH’s Victorian graduate housing.

He said that he felt blame should be evenly divided between those involved. “At this point it would be imprudent just to blame contractors. This is something that needs to be looked into in depth later.”

However, he added that he hoped the college might be able to obtain a refund from some of those involved in building. “Hopefully we can get some money back from contractors”.

The delay follows complaints over the level of noise coming from the building site at LMH, which bursar Bart Ashton last week apologised for.

He refused to comment on the latest developments.

Balliol JCR has become the first common room to sign up to pay a Living Wage to its staff.

The Junior Common Room has agreed to increase its core levy charge on members by £1.33 to pay a living wage to five of its staff. The motion presented in the last JCR meeting argued, “If members of the JCR support the payment of a Living Wage to JCR staff in principle, they should be prepared to support it in practice with a direct increase to the JCR core levy”.

Hannah O’Rourke, a Balliol student, campaigned in favour of the motion. “Living wage is a very important issue especially in times of recession. A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it”, she said.

She added that the move was “a useful way to apply pressure on colleges and the university. If we, as student employers, can pay a living wage, then surely they can to.”

JCR President Iain Large praised the principle that has been turned into practice. “The JCR has shown its support for the Living Wage Campaign for many years in principle. It is good to see that it supports it in practice too, by agreeing to fund a living wage for the staff it employs.”

Felix Flicker, the campaigner and a student at St Catherine’s college commented on the motion. “This is a vital step towards achieving a Living Wage in both Balliol College and the University as a whole. It is a further demonstration that student support for the campaign is very strong. Students aren’t content to be provising poverty pay salaries: nor should Balliol College be.”

The Living Wage Campaign argues that the £5.15 minimum wage is not enough for Oxford residents to live on. It suggests that all workers in the city should be payed at least £7 per hour to reflect the city’s housing, transport, and groceries costs.

Next week The Living Wage campaign is to hold a ceremony honouring institutions that pay the sufficient amounts to their staff. President of Oxford UnionCorey Dixon, OUSU President-Elect Stefan Baskerville and the Oxford Mayor will all receive a certificate of recognition.

Corey Dixon said the Union “was already a living wage employer and the event was conducted to publicly show our support”.

Oxford Council last week guaranteed all employees a minimum living wage, while OUSU has supported the campaign since its inception in 2006.

Social Sciences Library and two colleges nearby were hit by a power cut on Tuesday evening.

At about 5pm, the lights and the electronic equipment in the library suddenly turned off. After 15 minutes, the staff decided to close the library. This caused inconvenience for many revising finalists.

Mansfield and St Catherine’s colleges also were hit by the power cut. At St Catz, electricity was restored only the next day.

tudent political societies have been vigorously campaigning in preparation for the upcoming local elections.
On Thursday, those eligible to vote will choose two local councillors and one member of the European Parliament. All British, EU and Commonwealth students can vote. With heavily contested seats in the centre of the city, the student turnout can make a significant difference in the outcome.
Oxford University Liberal Democrats president Mark Mills argued that central Oxford constituencies will be a battleground between the Lib Dems and Labour. He emphasized the activism of the society. It has been knocking on doors, pidging leaflets and held street stalls. He himself will be standing for re-election in the Hollywell ward.
Oxford University Conservative Association has held three campaigns this term. Anthony Boutall, the society’s president said, “We are proud to be supporting the party whose record on value for money at a local level is unrivaled across the country – something maybe that University students don’t care too much about, but that the hardworking people of Oxfordshire do and should care about, especially given the financial hardship that many of them are facing at the moment.”
Jamie Susskind, the co-chair of Oxford University Labour Club stressed the continuous political activity taken by the club: “What makes us unique is that we have members out canvassing every single week of the academic year, not just at election time – listening to people’s concerns and feeding them back to the local party.”
The last election in 2005 saw the majority of seats taken up by the Conservatives, following by the Liberal Democrats. The Green party representation also increased dramatically. BNP and UKIP were not represented at all, although they are currently parting with the Greens for 4th place in European Parliament elections.
In a city where 26% of the population are students, the local vote bears huge significance. In 2005, approximately 50,000 people voted in the Oxford area, but university students were vastly under-represented. Most Council seats were separated by a few hundred votes so higher student turnout could sway results.
In their manifestos, all candidates unanimously support pedestrianising the city centre and improving biking facilities. Both Labour and the Conservatives have stressed the improvement of Oxford’s academic ability as high on their list of priorities.
The Liberal Democrats aim to increase representation and diversity in the University.
Labour Candidate Susanna Pressel reminds that at the local level personal ability is everything. “Try to meet the candidates first, rather than simply voting for a party.”
Current Green County Councillor Sushila Dahl urges, “vote to leave a legacy for future students”.

Pro-Palestinian students staged a protest last Sunday outside a branch of Marks & Spencer’s, demanding that the chain stop importing goods from Israel.

Activists leafleted shoppers and passers-by urging a boycott of goods of Israeli origin, such as dates, carrots, potatoes, and herbs. The leaflets stated that their aim was “to pressure Israel to respect human rights and international law.”

Habiba Islam, a student at Somerville College and one of the organisers of the protest, said: “As far as I’m concerned Israeli Marks & Spencer food is not just food, it’s blood-soaked food – the implicit endorsement of Israeli apartheid sickens me.”

“In the West Bank, the illegal settlements, the illegal wall, the segregation and home demolitions are clearly apartheid policies.”

Other student groups voiced opposition to the protest. Lorna Fitzsimmons, joint head of the Stop the Boycott campaign, said “Boycotts of any kind do nothing to promote peace and moderation in the Middle East.”

“A boycott has never been the right answer for those looking to genuinely help Palestinians and Israelis. The way forward must be to build bridges, encourage dialogue and allow ordinary Israelis and Palestinians the opportunity to engage with each other.”

Islam, however, disputed this, saying “The inhumane siege in Gaza prevented people from receiving life-saving medicine, and starved the ordinary men, women and children into a humanitarian crisis.

“Israel tries to call itself a fair democratic state and yet, again and again, it shows its utterly inhumane disregard for international law and human rights – we have to act to stop this.

“Boycott of Israeli goods is now a widely accepted ethical stance to adopt. It’s supported by Oxford City Council, as well as the Scottish, Irish and South African TUCs.”

Islam asserted that the activists would be campaigning outside M&S again on Sunday, and again in the future. also mentioned that the group had joined a campaign urging the Co-operative supermarket to cease to sell Israeli produce, and had sent over one hundred letters.

Marks & Spencer has a long-standing affiliation with Israel. Former Chairman Lord Marcus Sieff wrote that support for the economic development of Israel was one of the fundamental objectives of the chain.

The manager of Marks & Spencer Oxford said he was not authorised to comment on the protests, or the issue, but one member of staff who was working on Saturday evening said that she was “unaware that there even was a protest”.

The heads of two University societies have been accused of breaching their society’s constitutions.

Anthony Boutall, the President of Oxford University Conservative Association, has been fined by the Disciplinary Committee for failing to produce the term card on time. The president of Engineering Society, Sisi Zhou, has been accused of recruiting students in breach of the constitution.

An OUCA disciplinary committee held last Friday concluded that Boutall’s failing “to produce a printed Term Card and have it distributed by Saturday of Third Week was a substantial failure of office.”

Under the OUCA constitution, the President of the society is obliged to produce a term card by Saturday of first week, or risk the deduction of two “activist points”.

Further delay results in a disciplinary committee.

Anthony Boutall, OUCA President confirmed that he had known about the rule, but argued that the delay was due to the term card being returned late from the printers. He added that the details of all OUCA’s events can be found on the website, and that an alternative electronic term card was available on the internet.

He said, “I was told that the printers would only take three days…they should have been out a long time ago.”

Members of OUCA have been critical of the association’s attitude towards the constitution. One first year PPEist commented, “To be disciplined over a term card is ludicrous. Could there be a bigger signal that the association takes the constitution too seriously?”

Will Seligman, another OUCA member, stated that this situation portrays OUCA as “petty” and “lacking in understanding”.

Meanwhile, Oxford University Engineering Society has come under fire from members who claim that it is violating its constitution by recruiting members through an interview process rather than elections.

Frankie Fan, the society’s Marketing Officer has sent a Facebook message to 200 members of the society in which he called the recruitment process unfair and threatened to involve the Proctors in the matter, concluding that “the whole society needs changing.”

However OUES’ President, Sisi Zhou has explained that elections for members had not been taking place for the “past few years at least”, due to the “unfair nature of it being more a popularity contest than a fair process”.

She stated that the proctors have advised her to try to resolve the issue within the society before their involvement.

A General Meeting last Friday ruled that the committee members who had already been appointed for next year would be considered legitimate despite not being elected. However, the President and Vice-President will be selected through committee vote.

A new mobile telephone comparison site was created by Oxford scientists.

“Science has been put to work for struggling consumers in a free service to help them lower their bills,” said Stelios Koundouros, the co-founder of BillMonitor.

The UK mobile phone market currently offers almost 119,078 tariff variations and, the watchdog Consumer Focus says there have been almost 100,000 complaints concerning mobile phone services in the past two years.

Ofcom’s chief executive Ed Richards confirmed BillMonitor’s accreditation saying, “It’s important that consumers are able to access clear mobile pricing information.”

Schizophrenics who also abuse alcohol or drugs are four times as likely to commit a violent crime than the average person.

In contrast, among those who are clean the risk is only 1.2 times the average.

Dr Seena Fazel, researcher from Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry said, “we found that the risk of violent crime committed by people with schizophrenia is a lot lower than people might expect.”

The findings suggest that substance abuse treatment may help control the rate of violent crime among schizophrenics. Currently, up to 5% of violent crimes in society are committed by schizophrenics, among whom 30-40% are alcoholics and 10-15% abuse drugs.