The rules of the Oxford Union are set for a radical overhaul after sweeping changes to the society’s rulebook were revealed this week.

The reforms were being billed as the most fundamental changes to the Union’s rulebook, which currently runs to over 127 pages, in more than a decade.

Members of the debating society were due to vote on the changes at Thursday night’s debate on the American election, with the proposals expected to pass comfortably.

The list of reformed rules includes the infamous Rule 33, which sets down strict campaigning guidelines for those running in the Society’s elections. The rule essentially outlaws canvassing, stating that those running for election cannot publicise their candidacy apart from telling their “close personal friends.”

Controversy over the campaigning rules reached its peak a year ago, when the Society’s former Treasurer, Krishna Omkar, was elected as President in the Michaelmas elections only to be subsequently disqualified by an Election Tribunal and banned from ever running for election again, triggering a scandal that grabbed headlines around the world.

Ten months on, President Josh Roche announced the list of drafted changes during a press conference on Tuesday, saying he was confident that they would be passed handsomely when proposed to members.

“I have three key aims: better running of the Society, better service to its members, and a better image,” he said. “I am incredibly excited by these changes.”

He added that he hoped rewriting the rules would help boost the Society’s reputation in light of recent events.

“I know that in some quarters the Union has a bad image,” he said. “Some people believe that the Union can and will never change.

“This is our response; not in words but in deeds and on paper.”

A spokesman for the Oxford Union Society said, “We’ve essentially torn up the rulebook and started from scratch.

The proposed alterations to the Society’s electoral system are just one feature of a massive overhaul of the institution this term, with a re-introduction of ‘College Secretaries’ to improve links with Junior Common Rooms, a Members Survey and workshops for women all in the pipeline.

“I am confident that by the end of this term the Oxford Union will be in better condition than ever to meet the expectations of its Members.”

Reaction by members to the rule changes, has so far been cautiously optimistic.

Nick Coxon, a second year student at Wadham, said that he backed the changes but was unsure whether they would change the culture of the Union.

“The reforms are smart and they make sense,” said the PPEist. “But this should have happened a long time ago. For now, the Union is and remains an elitist institution.”

Students across Britain will now receive a ‘report card’ along with their traditional degree classification.

The reform of the centuries old system comes after a report said that the existing system of firsts, seconds and thirds no longer provides enough information for graduate employers.

Students will now receive a two-page sheet of paper giving a comprehensive list of their achievements.

The file, titled Higher Education Achievement Report, will include a breakdown of marks and may even give details of performance in oral tests and coursework.

Bob Burgess, the vice-chancellor of Leicester University, who developed the scheme, said, “the honours degree classification system is in urgent need of modernisation.

“Every year, the case for a significant change grows stronger and voices calling for reform grow louder.”

The new scheme comes off the back of the Burgess Report, which was commissioned by Universities UK, a body of UK university vice-chancellors.

With the lack of detail that an honours classification provides heavily criticised by the report, 18 UK universities are now trying out the new grading plan, including St Andrews and UCL.

Oxford University, however, will not be among the first group of institutions trialling the scheme.

However, a University spokesperson refused to rule out the possibility of joining the scheme in the future.

She said, “The skills recruiters will want are not necessarily those tested by an Oxford degree, which is why they have their own selection criteria for graduates.”

A Pembroke student has allegedly punched a porter from St John’s cCollege, Cambridge, after losing a rugby match last week.

Earlier in the day, Pembroke had been beaten decisively by St John’s but had joined their rivals in the evening after their black-tie dinner.

A third year from Pembroke, who wished to remain anonymous said, “the entire team were drunk and the bop was closed early as a result of drunken and rowdy behaviour.”

Varsity, the Cambridge student newspaper, reported that an Oxford student punched a porter, but the third year from Pembroke doubted this.

She said, “I know that someone definitely tried to punch a porter, but whether or not they actually made contact is unsure.”

There was no other damage caused by Pembroke rugby team, but their behaviour still marred the event for many other students.

Tom Chigbo, JCR president for St John’s said, “One or two people were involved in the incident, it’s not clear whether he landed the punch.”

He continued, “A couple of people got really drunk and irresponsbile.”

However, Chigbo added, “There isn’t some kind of war between John’s and Pembroke, but Johnians and quite disappointed that this happened.”

Dr Helen Small, the dean for Pembroke said, “I am currently undertaking disciplinary action against the rugby team, but I can’t say any more than that as the students have yet to be contacted.”

Caroline Daly, Pembroke JCR President, was unavailable for comment.

The future of the Varsity rugby match is safe, as a new sponsor, the Japanese bank Nomura, stepped in this week to back the historic game between Oxford and Cambridge.

Peter Bridges, chairman of Oxford’s rugby team, expressed his delight, saying, “Oxford University rugby football club (OURFC) is delighted that Nomura has agreed to sponsor both the men’s and women’s Varsity Matches in a four year sponsorship agreement.”

OURFC have been searching for a new sponsor since the bankrupt financiers, Lehman Brothers, collapsed in September, leaving a significant hole in OURFC’s finances.
Back row Blues player, Chris Davies said, “This is great news. We are very grateful.” Avid rugby fans are also relieved. One student said, “Varsity match is a massive tradition, it’s central to our sporting calendar.”

Bridges urged students to attend, “so we have a bumper crowd for our new sponsors.”

Matt Smith, a second year medic, said, “I am eagerly anticipating the upcoming game, and am glad that it’s taking place.”

The match is to be held on 11 December.

Oxford University should go private, as it is nothing but a “finishing school for the privileged,” a leading academic has declared.

Brian Roper, vice-chancellor of the London Metropolitan University, told The Times Higher Education Supplement that government funding would be better spent on universities such as his own.

“My response to that is to say ‘you want to be free? Get free. Don’t take any state funding, just go.’ That means no teaching grant, no QR (quality research) grant – that should be kept for the state universities,” he said.

“The money could be better used in places which transform people’s lives rather than serving as rather superior finishing schools, which is what these other places are about.”

“If you don’t like the deal, don’t take the money”

He said, “You take the money, you deliver the objectives. If you don’t like the deal, don’t take the money.”

Roper’s comments came after Chris Patten, Chancellor of Oxford University, called for a complete removal of the cap on tuition fees,

This follows John Denham, the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, has criticised the University for not doing enough to widen access.
The warden of New College, Alan Ryan wrote that “Denham was, when he was at the Home Office, a decent, intelligent, humane and well-informed minister.”

“Ever since he got to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, however, he’s been a changed man and now talks ill-informed nonsense and picks needless fights.”

Denham has responded to the criticism, saying, “I spent a year in this job making no institutional criticism of either Oxford or Cambridge universities… the recent furore has really underlined how the media debate lags behind reality.”

Media focus unhelpful

A spokesperson for the University said, “Oxford University works hard to ensure it attracts the best students regardless of background.

“The media focus on admissions to Oxford can be unhelpful, particularly when it perpetuates out of date and often incorrect ideas about the admissions process.”

The Vice-Chancellor, John Hood, was unavailable for comment. He has consistently refused to be drawn in to the privatisation debate.

Mike Nicholson, Oxford’s Director of Admissions, earlier argued that there was only a “finite pool” of students from state backgrounds with the ability to flourish at Oxford. Nicholson said that, of the 28,000 students achieving three A’s at A Level, 11,000 already applied to Oxford, and a similar number to Cambridge.

Critics of the University have attacked the comments by Patten and Nicholson as evidence of Oxford’s reluctance to widen access to the institutions, an accusation the University strongly denies. The latest admissions statistics for Oxford show that a mere 53.5% of students come from state schools, compared to their 93% representation in the school-aged population as a whole.

Oxford University is currently topping the charts on iTunes U, a free lecture podcast service.

A lecture by Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stigwitz has shot to the top of the list less than two weeks after Oxford joined the iTunes university portal, beating Cambridge who joined the service on the same day.
Oxford University also has a further eight entries in the top thirty.

Stiglitz focuses on the credit crunch and the “darker side of globalisation” in his talk titled “Global Financial Debacle: Meeting the Challenges of Global Governance”.
Student reaction to Stiglitz has not been wholly positive. One Magdalen student said, “I tuned out within the first 30 seconds.”

However, she said the idea was good in theory, “it’s like having the radio on.” She dismissed the idea that podcasts could take over from normal lectures because of the purely audio content: “you’ve got to have the visual. There’s so much to write down.”

Another student commented, “people have different working patterns… Other universities have done this. I’m very glad to hear that Oxford is catching up with the times.”
Oxford and Cambridge have been accused of bringing their rivalry into the electronic age by both launching their sites on iTunes U on the same day. However, both universities claim they simply want to give wider access to their academic material.

Oxford and Cambridge have an impressive cast of celebrity lecturers appearing on their sites. Sir Nicholas Stern, the climate change academic features alongside Michael Palin in Oxford’s offerings, whilst Cambridge has a talk from historian David Starkey.

Oxford’s vice-chancellor John Hood hopes that all the podcasts will appeal to “applicants, alumni, supporters of the university, and the intellectually curious.”
In its first week of joining iTunes, Oxford University’s page had 168,000 visitors.

Oxford City Council has unveiled radical plans to transform the city centre, making it more pedestrian-friendly.

The plans, announced on Monday, include the pedestrianisation of Queen Street, George Street and Magdalen Street. Broad Street may also join the list.

Queen Street’s bus stops may be removed as early as next summer, with the plans for George Street and Magdalen Street going ahead in 2010.

Council leader Keith Mitchell said, “The detail on this work is currently in its earliest stages. However, people should be in no doubt we are very serious about improving these routes.”

A student from Lincoln College has received an award from the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in recognition of an act of bravery.

Dr. Joseph Raimondo, who is studying for a DPhil in neuroscience, apprehended a burglar in spontaneous moment of heroism earlier this year.

Raimondo cycled after Wadham burglar Jason Callaghan as he fled along South Parks Road before tackling him to the ground.

Callaghan was sentenced to four years in jail this May after he pleaded guilty to burgling Wadham in February.

He had attempted to raid the room of tutor Giulia Zanderighi.