Oxfordshire Fire Services is making surprise visits to clubs this week to check their safety procedures. This follows a Cherwell investigation last week revealing not all clubs adhered to rules.

The Station Manager of the Oxfordshire Fire Services has made an unannounced ‘during performance’ inspection of three of the main clubs on Wednesday night. John Nixon started his inspection at 10.30pm and finished at 12.30am.

He said, “I can confirm that I personally went out to conduct a ‘during performance’ inspection of Escape, Kukui and OFS. The main purpose was to find out the staff’s understanding of what they should do when the fire alarm goes off. I spoke to the managers and the staff and it is ongoing.”

Steve Harrison, the Fire Risk Manager for the Oxford City Fire Brigade said his officers had made an initial visit to both Kukui and Escape last Tuesday.

He explained, “The records were as we would expect them to be. We got the assurance and confirmation that before the staff started working that night the managers would confirm that everyone was aware of fire safety training.

There is a Fire and Safety Order which has arranged a full fire audit of both Kukui and Escape. One is programmed for Thursday and the other for Friday. There will be a full fire audit of OFS next week.”

He confirmed the Station Manager’s unannounced inspections of the clubs while they were trading and stated the goal was to question staff on their fire safety training.

He said, “The Station Manager will visit all three clubs, either tonight or tomorrow night, while they are trading and with no prior notice to the clubs. They will have a personal chat with staff to make sure they are aware of fire safety training and so we can confirm for ourselves.”

He added that the fire services routinely inspect a selected number of licensed premises every six weeks under the Nightsafe partnership. He said, “We do on the spot checks to make sure for example the door staff are aware of the procedures and the DJ is aware of what to do if the fire alarm goes off.”

The Nightsafe partnership was launched in October 2004. The partnership includes Oxford City Council, Thames Valley Police, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Oxford City Primary Health Care Trust. Oxford Nightsafe carries out multi-agency inspections on selected licensed premises.

A fire broke out on the Odeon cinema on George Street last Sunday morning.
The fire is thought to have began when a motor in the projector room caught fire.

Two fire crews were called to the scene in the early hours of Sunday morning. However, cinema staff managed to extinguish the fire in the projection room shortly before the fire-fighters arrived.

No serious damage was sustained to the building, and the cinema was able to open as normal the same day.

Amorous students found themselves under threat at Exeter this week when a motion proposed at a JCR meeting on Sunday recommended that kissing be banned in the JCR.

Welfare Officer Beccy Taylor suggested that demonstrations of affection were isolating for singletons and provoked feelings of loneliness. The change was rejected on the basis that it would trivialize the constitution.

An Exeter student who attended the meeting commented, “I thought the motion was amusing but I don’t think embittered singletons should take their anger out on us JCR members in happy relationships.” 

Scientists have discovered the chemical signal that triggers the transformation of locusts from antisocial insects into monstrous swarms.

Scientists from Oxford University, Cambridge University and Sydney University monitored the behaviour of locusts. They have discovered the trigger is serotonin, a chemical which anti-depressant drugs aim to keep at a high level in humans.

“The question of how locusts transform their behaviour in this way has puzzled scientists for almost 90 years,” said co-author Dr Michael Anstey, from Oxford University, “Now we finally have the evidence to provide an answer.”

A survey conducted by Cherwell has revealed that up to eighty percent of Oxford undergraduates are not aware of the university funding available to them.

One student from St Catherine’s said that the university had “not been very forthcoming” with information on funding available, while another student from Exeter described the application process for certain grants as “amazingly bureaucratic.”

Sixty students from different colleges, years and economic backgrounds took part in the survey. Half of those questioned had received funding from the university, in the form of hardship or travel grants or the Oxford Opportunity Bursary.

Of those who had never been given or applied for any college or university funding, around thirty percent said that this was because of lack of information. A further thirty percent claimed the application process was “confusing,” while the remainder said that they had never needed financial help.

Over half of the respondents claimed to know the funding available for them at their college, but only twenty percent of those questioned could name any of the funds, or knew specifically what they were for.

A student at Jesus said: “I know there is somewhere to get money from.” When shown a list of the thirteen separate grants at the college, which fund academic and non-academic travel as well as sports and music, he said he was “amazed.”

“I have never seen these before,” he said.

Another of the students questioned said that they had received a £500 travel grant, but was “not sure of the title” of the fund.

Sixteen of those surveyed received the Oxford Opportunity Bursary, which gives students up to £3,145 pounds a year depending on their household income. Of this, only five were aware that they were entitled to apply for an ‘Enhanced Bursary’ which offers students up to an extra £1000 a year.

“I wasn’t made aware,” said one Wadham undergraduate, although he admitted that missing out on the bonus may have been his own fault. “I can’t work out why [I have never heard of this]…whether it was just me being unobservant of emails in my account,” he added.

The £1000 top up is sponsored by multinational companies such as Citi Foundation, IBM and Man Group.

Sixty percent of all the students questioned said they had not been emailed or informed of the grants by their colleges, but had had to research them themselves.

An Exeter undergraduate spoke about how he was put off applying for a travel grant which is be given to students to fund a trip round the world, meeting college alumni as they travel.

“There’s a very slim chance of getting it and you have to spend literally hours writing a plan of exactly where you’re going to go,” he said. “You don’t know where these alumni live so you may find out later that your plan isn’t even possible.

He added that the additional bureaucracy surrounding the application “put me off completely.”

The unwillingness to fully research and prepare applications for grants was described as “lazy” by another student, who asked not to be named.

“We are so privileged in Oxford with all the opportunities for travel we are given, and all these hardship grants on offer. It’s just lazy when people think they’re too complicated to find out about or apply for,” he said.

Other students, though, praised the way the university advertised the funding available. “All our grants are widely publicised,” said the St John’s student.

The student also admitted that she and other students received grants they did not need. “My parents own a company abroad,” she said, but explained that only their UK income was entered into consideration for the Oxford opportunity bursary. “This means that I get the get the full government loan, the full government grant and the bursary from Oxford [worth £3,145 a year].”

“In lower-sixth I went to a boarding school,” she added. “There’s also a Hilary Book Grant which gives St John’s students up to £292 pounds if they present the receipts for books they’ve bought. Everybody knows about it.”

She said that it was important such grants were available and widely advertised as it meant Oxford students, who are not allowed to work in term-time, could get some extra money. “We’re not allowed to work so we have to supplement [our income] somehow,” she said.

Another of the respondents to the survey said they were grateful for the grants available but claimed they were badly advertised. “I know a lot of people who would not be able to travel if they couldn’t get these grants,” they said. “But they need to be openly advertised.”

Oxford University U21 rugby team attended a cultural diversity course last week, following investigations into their infamous “Bring a fit Jew” and “Safari” themed socials.

Members of the team sparked outrage after players were told to bring a “fit” Jewish woman to a team dinner last term. The following week, pictures emerged of some of the same team blacked-up and wearing loincloths at an Africa-themed bop.

After proctors’ investigations, the U21s attended a three hour-long seminar-style session at St Anne’s college last Thursday lead by the University’s Diversity and Equality unit.

“We basically just had a talk,” said one of the players, who had attended the allegedly racist and anti-Semitic socials.

“There was a woman who told us how she felt she had been discriminated against in the past, and how the people who did it to her didn’t even realise it was discrimination.”

Another squad member said he believed that the team had benefited from the course, “I think we all learnt something.”

“I understand from the members of the team present that the evening was successful,” said Steve Hill, director of the Oxford University Rugby Football club.

He praised the proctor’s decision to send the squad on the course, saying, “it was definitely worthwhile.”

All members of the squad that played at Twickenham for the Varsity match last year were obliged to attend, whether or not they were present at the socials in question.

However, some students have questioned why the training was necessary. One Wadham undergraduate said, “as a member of an ethnic minority, I find it ridiculous that twenty-one year olds at Oxford University need to be told what discrimination means.”

But she conceded that the exercise would have been worthwhile if it meant an end to potentially offensive behaviour from the squad. “It’s great if they felt they have learnt something,” she said.

But others have raised concerns that the seminar could become a badge of honour for the team. One LMH finalist said, “I think a cultural diversity lesson will just make the team think that their behaviour is even more of a joke – it will probably just become a legendary event for them to boast about.”

She added, “the team should learn about anti-Semitism in history.”

Alice in Wonderland will be the focus of not one but two college balls this summer as both Exeter and Pembroke Colleges have come up with strikingly similar themes.

Exeter College’s “A Night in Alice in Wonderland” promises a “journey of mystique and intrigue” and is sounding remarkably similar to Pembroke’s “Through the Looking Glass,” which invites ball-goers to “trace Alice’s footsteps through the fantasy realm of Wonderland.”

Both Balls list smoking with the Giant Caterpillar, drinking with the Mad Hatter and a silent disco as among the attractions.

Each college’s Ball President was keen to emphasise the differences between the two.

“Our Ball is £30 cheaper,” said Exeter Ball President Emily Ball. “We’ve got dodgems, they don’t. We have a jazz band, they don’t. We’ve got a hog roast, donuts, amazing DJs. And we’re almost half sold out already.”

She also claimed that Exeter was not responsible for the mix-up. “It’s actually their fault. We published the theme on our website in June, so they should have known.”

James Finch, the President of Pembroke’s Ball, responded by suggesting that his college got there first. “We submitted the theme before they did. They claim to have put a message on their website, in a format that was not overly clear, but in the end we decided just to go ahead and compete on a slightly different level.”

“Their’s is a bit more low budget,” he continued. “We’re trying to focus more on the entertainment side of things, more on the quantity and quality of food and drink. On our scale and budget, the theme is going to be all out.”

But he was keen to emphasise that “there was no suggestion that either of us had copied it off each other.”

Other students identified further differences. David Thomas, a first year PPEist at Exeter, said that his college’s ball was “going to be better because it’s cheaper,” and pointed out that the two balls were not based on exactly the same story. “They’re different novels,” he said, “and we’re going for completely different audiences.”

“It’s not about the theme, it’s about the fact that ours is a more accessible ball if you want to go to one outside of your own college. We’re the only £50 ball in Oxford.”

But Etiene Ekpo-Utip, a Pembroke student, said that he was “kind of annoyed” by the theme clash. “It’s going to take the focus off Pembroke. We’re known as more of a party college than Exeter, and it’s a bit unnecessary to be honest.”

Nevertheless, he denied there was any anxiety, “at Pembroke we’re not worried because we’ve got way more attractions than Exeter.”

He also expressed his optimism for the event, “we’re just bloody excited about it.”

Mess left in a student kitchen in Pembroke was so appalling that the scout cleaning it was “physically sick.”

The state of the kitchen, described by the Home Bursar as a “squid and seafood extravaganza,” was caused by students cooking over the weekend.

Lauren Clark-Hughes, a Pembroke student said, “they left a horrible mess. There is a difference between a little bit of mess and this.” Another student mentioned the “fish guts” that were left lying around after the dinner.

Dr Bowyer, Pembroke’s Home Bursar urged the guilty students to admit to the mess.  He wrote in an email to the JCR, “until such time as those responsible come forward and take responsibility for the cleaning, or until I decide otherwise, the kitchen will remain closed.”

The students pleaded guilty only after Dr Bowyer threatened to examine the CCTV footage and button-key logs. The kitchens were reopened after two days. 

The Home Bursar stated, “I am pleased to report that someone has accepted responsibility for the mess in staircase 10 and I am satisfied that it was a matter of thoughtlessness not malice…I hope ‘fish-gate’ is now behind us!”

He added, “it was unfortunate that people had left the college and the kitchens in a mess.” The students were fined with an additional cleaning charge. 

College authorities suggested that the culprits may be students living out of college. An e-mail sent to the JCR mailing list stated, “as of now, let me also make clear that the kitchens on main site are solely for the use of main site residents and are not to be used by others. I shall advise porters and junior deans accordingly.”

If no one had stepped forward, a fine was to be imposed on the JCR. A Pembroke first year described this prospect as “not fantastic.” She added, “I hope the people guilty come forward… it might have been second years who are not supposed to use our kitchens.”

Caroline Daly, JCR President, commented “the mess left in staircase ten was an unfortunate incident which has now been dealt with by the Home Bursar. I am satisfied that no malice was involved in the situation and the students concerned have apologized.”

A divisive OUSU motion to condemn Israel’s recent attack on Gaza has continued to split JCRs this week, despite the fact that they will have to vote on it this Friday.

The motion would require the Student Union to condemn the Israeli attack and write letters in support of the ceasefire to Foreign Secretary David Milliband and his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni.

OUSU reps must get a mandate from their colleges before voting on the issue at this Friday’s Council.

Fierce debate broke out at JCR meetings across Oxford, many only settling the issue after lengthy and heated discussion.

Although St John’s College voted to endorse the motion, it met widespread opposition elsewhere, as St Anne’s, Magdalen and St Peter’s all voted it down.

St Catherine’s even mandated its reps to vote against any political motion raised by OUSU. Balliol remains undecided, and has instigated an online poll to settle the issue.

St John’s students argued through a long and sometimes bitter debate, passing the motion only with amendments which criticised Israel for breaking a ceasefire with Hamas. They also called for an international war crimes investigation into the conflict.

A St John’s undergraduate said that the meeting had been “thoughtful, positive and very well-attended.”

The JCR also decided to donate £500 to the Disasters and Emergencies Committee’s aid work in Gaza and to ask the University for a scholarship for Palestinian students.

OUSU’s right to take a stance on international issues was challenged by students opposed to the motion.

JCR members at St Anne’s voted against it after speeches urging the Student Union to focus on student welfare rather than political issues.

One St Anne’s student raised concerns that steps had not been taken to ensure that representatives would know how the JCR wanted them to act if new amendments or motions on the topic were brought up. They said “it’s about how the OUSU rep interprets it, and I’m not sure that’s fair.”

At St Peter’s many also opposed the substance of the motion. One remarked, “we all agreed that the OUSU motion as it stands is very unbalanced and even with all the amendments it doesn’t send a clear balanced call to Hamas and Israel to both cease aggression.”

Like St Anne’s, many students at Peter’s felt it was not appropriate for a student union to pass political motions. Peter’s reps were instructed to make any motion at council as fair and balanced as possible at the amendment stage, but to ultimately vote against it.

An especially long and divisive struggle in Balliol JCR ended without any firm conclusion. Students voted to leave the choice of which way to vote this Friday to their OUSU reps. But the reps shrugged off the responsibility, subsequently deciding to poll the JCR by email to decide the matter.

Balliol affiliates rep Yuan Yang said, “the fairest way to deal with controversial issues is to publicise them in some way at a JCR.” She agreed with Balliol’s JCR President Iain Large that “1 hour 40 minutes of often misled debating at a GM was not a useful way forward.”

She defended the email poll saying, “it extends the effective franchise to everyone in Balliol, including those who couldn’t attend the GM, gives them several days to consider their opinions, and also has options for people to add on additional comments or criteria for their vote.”

The poll gave a choice of four responses allowing Balliol students to vote for opposing the motion, abstaining, passing the motion but apportioning equal blame to Hamas, or condeming Israel outright. Yang said that there had been 70 responses in the first day of voting.

Not everyone appears to be taking the issue with complete seriousness, however. One suggested JCR amendment to the motion mocked OUSU President Lewis Iwu, who was recently criticised for giving advice to Barack Obama in an online BBC video.

It suggested he “write to the President of the United States of America, Barak Obama, outlining his advice upon the conflict in Gaza and any other matters that might be troubling the United States at present.”

This week’s JCR uproar followed similar debate last week in which Wadham passed the motion last week, but Jesus College decided to abstain, and Hertford foreshadowed St Catz’s move against all politcal motions.

Wadham College has been hit by a spate of thefts this week, with over £1,000 worth of goods stolen from students.

One finalist had his camera, mp3 player and sunglasses taken from his room on the 28th of January.

The door to his first floor room was locked, leading police to conclude that the thief must have entered through an unlatched window, accessible from a nearby ledge.

But he said that the burglar had only taken items from one particular drawer, leaving him puzzled and unaware of the theft for some time.

He said, “they left the rest of the room completely untouched and there were no signs that anyone had been in there.

“I reported it to the college and one of porters called me later to check on details but apart from that I haven’t heard anything.”

He was critical of college security, suggesting that, “a little bit of maintenance needs to be done” to improve it.

A second year English student had her mobile stolen on 29th January. She said, “I spoke to the Dean, the porters and the police. The Dean was at first rather blasé, saying these things happen and students have to look after their property.

“The head porter called me into his office yesterday though, sat me down, and wrote down a statement from me, word for word. It took bloody ages but it was worth it. It was automatically sent to the police for me.”

Another student, Victoria Lupton, had her laptop stolen from the college library at lunchtime on 26th January.

She admitted that people could be careless when leaving equipment around college saying, “people in Wadham are very lax about their possessions because everyone’s so trusting.

“You have to use a Bod card to get into the library and there’s a lot of people around so people are happy to leave their laptops there. But it’s really easy to get into the college and the library by following someone.”

She suggested that attitudes were changing but criticised the official response to her theft, “people are getting a lot more conscious about security, especially with their laptops. But the police weren’t very proactive; they didn’t even come and talk to me about it.”

The college librarian has since sent an email to all students warning them not to leave their laptops unattended.

The second year added, “the library staff now go round the library at regular intervals and note unattended laptops. They found nine the other day and put notes on them to warn the owners not to leave them. They are also investigating other ways to keep them safe.”

Another student had her laptop and digital camera stolen from her room on the evening of the 1st of February.

The student in question had left her room door unlocked and return to find her possessions had vanished.

One first year linguist suggested that members of Wadham were too trusting, “people will often hold the door open for people they don’t know. The other day I gave a
staircase code to someone I’d never met before – they looked like a student but
in retrospect it was a silly thing to do.

Wadham is a large college with lots of students living out, so it’s impossible to be able to recognise everyone. You don’t want to shut the door in someone’s face because it’s rude and they almost certainly have the right to be there – but sometimes they don’t.”

The second year stressed the need for caution, “everyone thinks we are in a nice little bubble but we are in the middle of the city with a high crime rate. Anyone can walk into college.”

Thames Valley Police are cooperating with college authorities as part of their investigation. But they urged students to stay aware of dangers, lock doors and windows and be vigilant on behalf of others.

College authorities are studying CCTV footage in the hope of identifying the burglars. The police are also investigating the incidents.

The college declined to comment on the burglaries or their security arrangements.