Fears about security at the Oxford Union have intensified after a series of incidents including the theft of money and claims of assault on the premises.

Staff and committee members have also complained that they have been placed in dangerous and unpleasant confrontations with intruders due to a lax entrance policy.

President-Elect James Dray raised the issue of security in last week’s committee meeting, stating that there is “a huge security problem with numerous thefts from the gardens and the buildings, which makes the buildings unpleasant to be in during the day.”

This week, the debating society’s standing committee was told that recent thefts included Bodleain cards, membership cards, and money belonging to treasurer Nouri Verghese.

When asked why the Society’s sophisticated card scanners were not being used to screen those entering Union buildings, President Corey Dixon was forced to admit that they had been stolen.

One member of staff at the Union, who wished to remain anonymous, said that although security has improved in the last year, progress had been slow. He said that a major worry for Union staff is a homeless drop-in centre, the Gatehouse, almost opposite to the entrance. “We often have to turf out alcoholics during the day; I can only imagine it would be worse at night.”

Secretary Laura Winwood admitted she had also been forced into an unpleasant confrontation with intruders in Union buildings. She reported to the Standing Committee an incident in which she had tried to apprehend two men she believed to be potential thieves in the courtyard, saying “They grabbed me by the arm and threw me back. They were quite big and thuggish. There really is a problem”.

Other staff members said they had felt threatened by homeless individuals who entered the building during the holidays. During the committee meeting it emerged that there is only one full time security guard at the Union, despite the premises having two main entrances.

Bursar Lindsay Warne said “standing committee approved a £9,000 reduction in our security budget, which as we pointed out at the time meant we had to fire somebody.”

Dixon said he was “very happy to pass a motion to hire another door staff”, but no decision has yet been taken. Last week he proposed a poll of Union members to gauge response to their money being spent on security measures

Staff, however, criticized his decision not to consult them on any possible changes.

An employee of the Union said “It seems obvious to consult the staff about security, after all, we are the ones most affected.”

Union members seem surprised at the lack of security around the buildings and the level of crime reported, with one commenting “for the fee that we’re paying, you’d expect that they’d at least be able to look after my bag. There might be an open gate policy, but at the end of the day it’s a private building. It should be safer.”

Several of the thefts occurred during Presidential Drinks. There are concerns that non-members are often allowed to attend the weekly invitation-only event, with librarian Stuart Cullen admitting that he knew some who had been allowed to stay.

Dray told standing committee members that he had looked into the possibility of an automatically operated gate with an attached scanner able to read Union membership card barcodes. He added that the Cambridge Union operated a similar system, and claimed to have spoken to a company who believed they would be able to make such a system worked.

However, when asked for details, he stated that he was unsure of the specifics of the plan. “This isn’t something I’ve looked into or investigated properly,” he said.

Dray also said that he felt Union members might oppose such plans, saying “a number of members have said in emails to me that they opposed any gate”.

There have also been concerns over uncontrolled admission of members of other societies during joint events at Frewin Court, and the Union’s difficulties in controlling their behaviour. Bursar Warne said she felt that a proposed Oxford University Conservative Association event on the premises was likely to be particularly troubling.

“On past experience, they will cause trouble, and they will throw up everywhere”, she told committee members.

Oxford-based student charity TravelAid has produced a naked calendar with the aim of raising money for projects in the developing world.

Oxford Undressed features shots of naked students with their modesty preserved by typical Oxonian adornments such as books and mortar boards.

The calendar features classic images such as punting on the Cherwell, string quartet in the Holywell music room and trashing on New College Lane, and will be on sale for £10.

Catherine Little, the charity coordinator said, “TravelAid is expanding both in the developing world and out to different universities across the UK, and this calendar is part of our fund-raising ethic which promotes development through enterprise.” The initiative follows a similar calendar that raised over £2000 to buy a school bus in Nepal two years ago.

A second-year student at Trinity who participated in the calendar recounted, “Doing the calendar shots was quite a giggle; never before (and never again, I expect) had I sat naked in a punt at 5.30 am in the rain! I’m going to spend the summer vacation teaching in rural China.”

One Hertford student, who has previously posed for a naked calendar added, “What an excellent cause – you get to help a charity and support people by stripping off at the same time. Win win.”

Recent years have seen a number of naked calendars produced in Oxford. In 2006, St Catz undergraduates stripped for a calendar in memory of a student killed in a cycling accident; in the same year members of St Anne’s, including porters, bared all in aid of the homeless.

Naked calendars have not always been greeted with a warm reception, illustrated in 2003 when ten LMH students were given a dressing-down for posing naked in the fellows’ garden without permission.

Portia Roelefs, OUSU’s part-time women’s officer, commented positively on the charity’s efforts. She said, “Whilst I personally cannot imagine actually choosing to hang it on my wall, I admire the creativity of Travelaid’s fund-raising.”

TravelAid partners with local charities and communities to alleviate poverty and build social capacity in the developing world.

Students are offered the opportunity to travel to project destinations during the summer, including China, Ecuador, India, Kenya and Nepal.

Oxford University Security Services have recently reported that “cycle theft appears to have increased dramatically over the past couple of months.”

The Security Services have advised that cycle crime is occurring in many places, at all times of the day and night, and all over the University and College estate. Cycles are being cut free, with cable locks in particular being the most vulnerable. The thieves are also taking the cut lock with them, possibly to prevent DNA or fingerprints being left at the scene.

One student commented, “It’s really frustrating. I left my bike locked outside Worcester for a couple of hours and came back to find it had been stolen. I went to the porters’ lodge, and they told me it happens all the time. Some of my friends have had their bikes nicked too. I’ve got a better lock now, but I really can’t afford to lose this one.”

The University has a CCTV service which does help reduce bike theft. In just 10 days during 4th and 5th week, the University was able to use CCTV to catch 10 thieves.

At St Anne’s college, Bursar Martin sent an email out to the student mailing list saying, “We have seen theft outside of Green College (opposite St Anne’s) and a cycle parked on the pavement in front of the Gatehouse has just been stolen.”

The police have also angered some cyclists with their recent stop check on the city centre. A record number of Oxford cyclists were issued with £30 fines recently for riding in pedestrianised areas. The police collected £2,850 in an operation to make Oxford safer.

Last week they dished out 95 fines in 3 hours. They were monitoring Queen street and Cornmarket, where cycling is restricted. Each fine was £30.

“I think that’s disgustingly excessive,” said Andy James, a cyclist from Magdalen. “I think it would be better if the police just asked people nicely to get off. I think police time is better spent stopping cyclists being run over by traffic considering the relatively few cases where pedestrians are run over by cyclists.”

A St Anne’s second year, who asked not to be named, said he had been fined for cycling on Cornmarket last year. He accused police of being unnecessarily aggressive, saying “They were shouting at me in a really angry way, as if I’d done something really dangerous. I felt quite frightened.”

The police defended their crack down on cyclists. PC Steve Higa said, “If people cycle, there is a danger to themselves and pedestrians. It makes it even more complicated with buses in Queen Street. We don’t want anyone to get injured.
“Most of the cyclists got off their bikes when they saw us so they knew full well what they were doing was wrong. There’s no excuse. The signs are very clear.”

“I don’t see the point in cycling on Cornmarket street,” said a first year history student, who also regularly cycles in Oxford. “There are too many people in the way – it’s faster to walk. Though it would be good if they put a sign up making it clearer that you could be fined.”

Cyclists in Oxford have been facing further difficulties with the Council enforcing rules more strictly on where they can park. For cyclists with bikes which are not stolen, they may still lose their bicycles to the Council.

Oxford City Council planned this week to remove cycles parked on the pavement for Woodstock Road. Students at colleges along the road, such as St Anne’s, will have to move their bikes to cycle storage areas or face losing their bikes.

The University Security Services have been offering advice to students worried about bike theft. They recommend buying D locks rather than cable locks. D locks can still be cut by thieves, but it takes a lot longer.

The threat of swine flu has forced the cancellation of a Hong Kong-based project run by Oxbridge Summer Camp Abroad (OSCA), prompting fears about the future of other charity projects.

OSCA, a student-run organisation, organises teaching camps around Asia. The decision to cancel the trip follows a statement from the Hong Kong government that any school found to have swine flu will be forced to close for two weeks.

Such a possibility has made many schools unwilling to host the OSCA camp.
Philip Maughan, the Oxford co-coordinator for OSCA, added that local charities and organizations could no longer back the nonprofit venture. “This [the situation] made it difficult for the supporting charities and organisations in Hong Kong to continue to back the project given schools could disappear at any time. Their position was strengthened by the first school closure as a result of swine flu just last week”, he said.

Juan Scouller, the co-ordinator of OSCA explained that the decision was taken following consultation with local Hong Kong residents. “It was not our decision, nor is it a decision we agree with.”

The Hong Kong project was due to take place for about 6 weeks in July and August. Around 35 Oxbridge students were expected to be going.

Tim Kelly, one of the students intending to go, expressed his regret. “We’re all really disappointed that it was cancelled, everyone involved put a lot of work in to make it work, and it’s just such a shame that it had to be cancelled for something like this.”

He added, “OSCA is working very hard to see if any of the camps can be salvaged or replaced, but given the limited time remaining it is a very difficult task.”

OSCA is actively helping out those whose project has been cut. The organizers are offering to return the £200 deposit paid by each student when they accepted their place, or to provide a subsidized £300 flight to Hong Kong.

Other OSCA projects are anticipated to run as expected. Maughan commented “OSCA Beijing and Japan are still going ahead – location has a great deal to do with the cancellation of OSCA Hong Kong”.

Similar projects run by ODA, StudyChina and TravelAid are also expected to go ahead as normal. TravelAid stated, “We will not be cancelling any project at this time due to swine flu. We will continue to monitor the situation regularly and update our advice in accordance with recommendations from the FCO and WHO.”

The organization also stressed necessary precautions to be taken before the departure.

“TravelAid is holding a meeting for all volunteers before departure, in which they will receive information on swine flu prevention techniques.”

University College Boat Club’s president-elect has blamed his Oriel rivals for a dramatic crash during the men’s first division summer eights on Thursday.

The collision occured as Oriel drifted on the Isis, recovering after being bumped by Pembroke’s rowers moments earlier. Videos show Oriel cox Philip Clausen-Thue standing up in the boat as he sees Univ’s boat approaching, shouting and waving his arms at the oncoming rowers.

Clausen-Thue was forced to jump into the Isis to escape as the rival boat smashed into his seat. He was later fined for losing his team’s Bod cards.

Oliver Cox, currently UCBC’s vice-president, said “I think that from the Univ point of view I know there’s been a lot of criticism of our cox. In my opinion, that’s unfounded. I think that the real blame has to lie on Oriel for not clearing the path of the race.”

Colin Keogh, a Blues rower who was in Oriel’s boat at the time of the crash, defended his teammates. “I don’t know all the rules and regulations, but our cox did all he could to make it clear to Univ that we couldn’t move.”

He said he felt it would be wrong to blame any one team for the incident. “I don’t want to point fingers – obviously Univ was not trying to hurt us. Bumps racing is always going to be a dangerous sport.”

Cox said he understood criticism of the race marshals, but didn’t feel they had been to blame in this instance. “Some people will say they should have klaxoned earlier and so on. The problem with the later divisions is that it tends to be the less experienced marshals, because most of the best people are rowing. I don’t think on balance though, that it was their fault.”

Matthew Price, another of Oriel’s rowers, refused to respond to Cox’s allegations, saying “I don’t want to comment because it may compromise our position”. He confirmed that his team’s boat had been “severely damaged” by the crash.

Repairs on competition-standard rowing shells can be enormously expensive, with new boats costing as much as £20,000.

Cox, meanwhile, said his team’s boat had survived the crash with only minor damage. “The bow was slightly damaged, but nothing serious. Oriel came off the worst.”

Oriel went on to finish in third position. Univ faired worse, coming sixth after rowing on every day during the competition.

The University is to unveil plans at Congregation to tighten up regulations on drugs and attempted property damage by students.

The new rules would also remove the £100 limit on Proctoral fines.

The possession of drugs would be reclassified as a breach of the Code of Discipline. Additionally, any “attempt to deface or destroy property” will be seen as a violation of the Code. Previously, it was only considered a breach to actually damage property, not simply to attempt to do so.

In other changes to the University’s rules system, students who break university regulations will now have the right to appeal “against decisions to suspend a student pending criminal proceedings or a University disciplinary hearing.”

A representative of the University Press Office said, “The amendments before Congregation to Statute VI relating to discipline is a tidying-up exercise – the amendments are all technical changes or clarifications. These are mainly efforts to tidy up Statute XI and introduce comparatively minor changes in the light of experience.”

The Press Office also said that the removal of the cap on fines would have no practical effect , as the Council has for years set fines by specific regulations.

The proposed changes will be put to Congregation, the University’s supreme governing body, on the 16th June. If approved, the new rules will come into effect in October 2009.

The Press Office added, “The amendments have been under discussion for several months and come forward now so that, if approved, there will be time to amend websites etcetera, before they come into force.”

It is likely that all of the proposed amendments will be passed by Congregation. Peter Oppenheimer, President of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, is one of the academics voting. He said they were “not changing anything that’s not already illegal.”

College regulations usually include a clause about drug possession. For example, Magdalen specify, “The College will report any breach of the law to the Police.”

One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, commented, “I doubt this rule change is going to do anything to stop students possessing drugs. I think most students assume it’s not allowed, anyway.”

An Oxford University student has become the ninth person in the city to be diagnosed with swine flu.

The postgraduate zoology student contracted the disease overseas while visiting Phoenix in Arizona.

Dr Ian Brown, University’s director of occupational health explained, “The student started to feel unwell while in Arizona, and has been at home in isolation since returning to the UK.

“He has been treated with Tamiflu and is now feeling well and asymptomatic.

“Given the size of the university and the number of academics and students who travel overseas, this is not an unexpected development and is not a cause for concern.”

The World Health Organisation warned it was getting closer to declaring a global outbreak of the virus.

The disease has reached 64 countries and infected 18,965 people, killing 117.

The majority of cases and deaths have been reported in Mexico and the US, but increasingly the virus is spreading in Europe and Australia.

The Oxfordshire Care Trust urges all to protect themselves from infection through correct respiratory and hand hygiene practice.

Speculation is mounting as to who will next fill the Oxford Professor of Poetry post in the wake of Ruth Padel’s resignation.

The University has announced it will renew its search later this year. Padel resigned after only nine days in the position, following the revelation that she forwarded negative information about her opponent, the Noble Laureate Derek Walcott, to journalists.

Walcott has stated that he will not stand again. Meanwhile runner-up Arvind Mehrotra has sought to distance himself from controversy, claiming he needed time to consider whether he would accept another nomination. Others, such as Australian ex-pat Clive James, have shown no reservation in vying for the Professorship. “It’s the only job I want,” James told the Guardian recently.

The three hundred year old position of Oxford Professor of Poetry has historically been occupied by figures such as Matthew Arnold and WH Auden. While the names of more traditional choices such as Simon Armitage, JH Prynne, and Oxford don Jon Stallworthy have been mentioned, some see the scandal as an opportunity to expand the search beyond the customary candidate pool which has been largely white, male, and British.

Various commentators, including novelist Jeanette Winterson and poet Jackie Kay, have expressed sadness that the tenure of the first woman to hold the position ended in disgrace. Women mentioned as suitable to take Padel’s place include Alice Oswald, who studied classics at New College, Oxford, and now works as a gardener in Devon. Oswald is noted for her lyrical, romantic nature poems.

Others have suggested that a non-English poet fill the post. Seamus Heaney, who held the Oxford Professorship from 1989 to 1984, has proposed Hans Magnus Enzensberger, widely regarded as Germany’s most eminent living poet and cultural commentator. Winner of the Pasolini and Nuremberg Cultural Prize, Enzensberger has explored civil unrest and middle class existence in his work.

Other potential foreign candidates include American Jorie Graham, who is the first woman to hold the Boylston Professorship of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard, a position previously held by Heaney. Graham has been heralded as one of the leading poets in America for her metaphysical introspections.

The immensely popular Australian poet Les Murray has also been named as a possibility. Considered by many to be one of the world’s leading English-language poets, Murray’s work focuses on Australian identity. In his prolific output he has frequently championed the traditions and culture of indigenous Australians and rural life.

While the Padel scandal has rekindled debates over aesthetics and morality, the search for a new candidate invites discussion about whether nationality and gender should play a role in the nomination process.

Eloise Stonborough, secretary of the Oxford Poetry Society, applauds the idea of a diverse candidate pool. Ultimately, however, she feels candidates should be judged based on merit alone. “Inviting people as women or foreigners is missing the point.”

Construction work has been continuously disrupting the lives of students with some Oxford colleges providing no compensation for the distress.

Wadham, Somerville, Christ Church, St Peter’s and LMH have all been undergoing building works with the noise pollution disturbing students’ revision for exams.

The noise from the building site in Wadham’s back quad has prompted some students to request alternative accommodation arrangements, as the rooms close-by have proved impossible to work in.

One Wadhamite commented, “The noise during the day has driven one of my housemates out of our staircase, and the noise almost drove me out as I could not work in my room.”

He added, “No compensation was offered, or even talked about, which from a college the size of Wadham was unexpected.”

Residents of Staircase 9 have also suffered from visual pollution with the view on the lawn replaced by a dusky building site. The construction works have made access to the rooms very difficult.

One inhabitant of the staircase complained, “The works have turned our staircase from one of the best located, opening out onto a green lawn, to one of the most remote and inaccessible…Additionally, the view upon leaving the staircase is of the grey wooden fence which surrounds the site.”

The college authorities were unavailable to comment.

Somerville students have been disturbed by the drilling noise from the development of Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. The construction site backs onto Somerville College, and the early morning drilling has infuriated students.

Grace Benton, a 2nd year Somerville student complained, “My room backs onto it so when they’re doing drilling I get woken at eight by my room vibrating. Quite a lot of other people have said the same.”

Working in the library is not an option for those hoping for a quiet place to revise. Hannah McDougall, a third year historian pointed out, “It’s so inconvenient that every time you go into the library all you can hear is drilling. The desks shake.”

The building project includes the development of a new humanities centre, along with a Mathematical Institute and additional accommodation for Somerville students. The dates for completion of the project have not been confirmed, since the planning process is ongoing.

The University has explained that the work carried out is the demolition of existing buildings. “The work has been discussed with both the adjoining colleges, as part of an ongoing dialogue on all work we intend to carry out on the site. At Somerville, they have moved students nearest to the noise when particularly noisy work has been going on and they have been involved throughout the work and informed about what is happening when”, the spokesperson has explained.

Students at Christ Church have also struggled to cope with the noise pollution. The renovation work to the library on Peckwater’s quad has caused many difficulties to finalists. One Christ Church historian commented, “though I understand the necessity of the work, its timing, which so neatly coincides with a hundred students’ finals, is impeccably awful – some people still manage to work in the library, but god knows how. Builders’ chat whilst leaning against your window isn’t exactly helpful either.”

Students have not been compensated for the inconvenience.

Other colleges have been more responsive to the demands of students. St Peter’s offered reduced rent for the renovation work done on a college staircase.

JCR President, Sanjay Nanwani explained, “The entire project was very professionally run with adequate signage and notice given to students. Prior to the work, there was an agreement that there may be a need for compensation for any inconvenience or disruption to students.”

LMH students have also been disrupted by the ongoing construction work, which started in February 2008. Although the building of new undergraduate accommodation has already run over schedule, it is thought it will be finished later this year.

Arrangements were made by the college to minimise disruption by ensuring the noisier work was scheduled over the vacation periods. Students were also made aware of the likelihood of disturbances in accommodation close to the site before room selection took place last year.

JCR President Sourav Choudhury expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the college carried out the process, explaining that the college has accepted applications for rebates from students. He pointed out, “each application was considered on a case by case basis with myself present to ensure transparency and fairness.”

“As well as this, the domestic bursar sends a weekly email detailing the progress on the buildings project, and he has come into a few JCR meetings to field any questions or concerns that the students may have”, he added.