Oxford University’s research budget is set to be slashed, as newer universities receive more government money.

Oxford might receive as much as £8.5m less over the next seven years, despite 70% of the University’s research judged to be world class or world leading, studies published in the Times Higher Educational supplement found.

Many newer universities, including several ex-polytechnics, are now rated highly enough to compete for research funding at the highest level, according to the latest Research Assessment Exercise, which determines how much funding universities get.

The University Press Office refused to comment on speculation that that Oxford’s funding would be cut, calling the predictions “purely speculative as no-one knows yet how HEFCE will calculate the funding.”

A spokesperson stated that the University was “pleased that the results reflected the world-class depth and breadth of Oxford’s research” and added that the University is “happy at this stage simply to wait and see what the funding outcome is”.

However, they stressed their hope that “HEFCE will ensure that its financial allocations will properly reflect the quality and the volume of the research assessed.”

Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor John Hood applauded the University’s achievement in gaining a higher overall number of researchers rated 3* or 4* than any other institution. He called the outcome “a genuine reflection of the breadth and depth of Oxford’s research activity.”

Other traditionally research-oriented institutions, including the London School of Economics and Imperial College London, are also expected to lose out as the money is redistributed.

Cambridge is predicted to lose a similar sum to Oxford, despite narrowly beating it to top the tables with 71% of its research rated world class. A relatively poor showing by Imperial, meanwhile, particularly in the field of medicine, has seen some sources suggest that it could receive as much as a third less funding.

Among the new universities to have made surprising gains were the University of Central Lancashire, which was ranked higher than Oxford for research in Linguistics, and De Montfort University, a former polytechnic in Leicestershire, which ranked equally with Cambridge for research in the field of English literature.

New government guidelines advise that funding should be spread more evenly. After the last RAE, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) gave 82% of its available money to just 29 universities.

The rate at which more money is given to higher rated departments is expected to be less this year, meaning that larger amounts of funding will go to 2* and 3* researchers, often in universities with less of a tradition in research.

An Iranian millionaire has been jailed for two years after he confessed to stealing pages from 150 rare books belonging to the Bodleian and the British Library.

Farhard Hakimzadeh, a respected businessman, publisher and intellectual, cut pages from priceless books using a scalpel or razor and inserted them into his own copies, the Wood Green Crown Court in North London heard last week.

The court heard that Farhard Hakimzadeh, boasted that his personal library was the fourth best of its kind in the world – inferior only to the Bodleian, the British Library and a university library in the United States.
The combined worth of the pages stolen from the Bodleian and the British Library is estimated at about one million pounds. A map cut out of one book is worth an estimated £30,000.

Judge Peter Ader condemned the offences as “very serious,” whether or not they were motivated by financial profit.
He stressed that Hakimzadeh’s background made him entirely aware of the damage he had caused to the books he defiled.

He told Hakimzadeh, “as an author, you cannot have been unaware of the damage you were causing. You have a deep love of books, perhaps so deep that it goes to excess.
“I have no doubt that you were stealing in order to enhance your library and your collection. Whether it was for money or for a rather vain wish to improve your collection is perhaps no consolation to the losers.”

Hakimzadeh’s barrister, William Boyce, had claimed that the theft was motivated by a psychological condition. He argued that the wealthy businessman had no need to steal the items for financial gain and his crime was solely the result of his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Richard Ovenden, the Bodleian’s Keeper of Special Collections, slammed Hakimzadeh’s actions as “cultural vandalism.”

He said, “most of these books suffered the deliberate removal of pages, and the damage caused will be permanent. The cost of the damage he caused to future scholarship in these fields is therefore significant.”

A University spokesperson stressed the long-lasting damage that had been done to the Bodleian’s collections due to Hakimzadeh’s actions. He said, “it would take a lot of staff time to restore the books.”

Hakimzadeh initially claimed he had bought the books from second-hand market stalls. Maria Colye, the Bod’s press officer said, “the thefts from the Bodleian Library were discovered when staff examined data relating to his use of the collections, based on reports from the automated stack request system.”

She added, “the Oxford University Library Services has initiated a review of security in the light of this theft; however, the Bodleian Library has to strike a balance between allowing readers access and ensuring its materials are kept securely.”

There are claims that Oxford undergraduates are part of the increasing trend amongst UK university students to turn to cognitive enhancing drugs to stay on top of academic work.

Drugs such as Ritalin (methylphenidate), Adderall and Modafinil are prescription stimulants usually used to treat neurological conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Narcolepsy.

However, there is a growing demand amongst students for these drugs to help them get through exam revision, or weekly essays.

Earlier this month, Professor John Harris, of the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester has called for these “smart drugs” to be available over the counter to students.

A study by Cambridge academics has identified that it is now more common for students, and even tutors, to turn to drugs aiding memory, concentration and planning for non-medical purposes.

One student from Lincoln College explained that they would never normally consider taking illegal substances but stated that she could “definitely understand why students would look for something more than Red Bull to keep them going when they’re in the library at four am.”

Cambridge’s study speculated that the drugs, readily available on the internet, could come to replace caffeine as a means of raising energy levels.

However, it also noted that the effects of “long-term use has not been monitored in healthy individuals”.

A spokesperson for Oxford University stated that the University would “strongly advise students against” taking drugs that have not been specifically prescribed to them, calling it “dangerous” and “illegal”. They also urged students to report to the police anyone trying to sell drugs.

Professor Philip Cowen of the Psychopharmacology Research Unit at the University of Oxford stated that use of the drug raised the “ethical question” as to whether everyone would be starting off on a “level playing field”.

However, some Oxford students have dismissed this question. One student commented, “I don’t feel it’s cheating because if some people get extra time, why can’t I take performance-enhancing drugs?”

A spokesperson for Oxford University stated that students who are struggling with stress and are tempted to turn to drugs should instead use the “range of support” offered by the University’s welfare systems.

He said, “They should talk to their tutors, their college welfare officers, OUSU, their GP, or the University Counselling Service.”

Students at Teddy Hall have been banned from participating in crew dates, following a series of embarrassing incidents.

Reports include stories of students stripping and stealing from different colleges whilst on dates with other sports teams.

Teddy Hall’s new sports representative, Marie Gorman, had emailed Stephen Blamey, the college dean, to request permission for a crew date to take place. In his response he told her that due to “sporting social excesses,” socials would be forbidden for all members of Teddy Hall sports teams.

Dr Blamey wrote in the email, “let me take this opportunity to warn you of a further pouring of cold water on sporting social excesses: ‘crew dates’ are to be banned, both in-coming and out-going…This is in response to the unruliness that such events so often give rise to,” The document was later circulated among students.

The captain of the college rugby club, Feargus Murphy, admitted that “our crew dates can get out of hand.”But he added, “banning them per se is not the right move. Sports teams going out for a curry together, onto a club – I can’t see a problem with that.”

One student at St Edmund’s said that the ban was mainly down to the behaviour of the college Rugby team at recent social eventst’s.

“At some point last year (our) rugby team got fined for stripping and trying to steal expensive crockery from St. Johns. Then last term the boys’ rowing team got kicked out of Trinity for doing pretty much the same thing,” she said.

An Ex-Captain of the St Edmund’s Hall rugby team said the dean was within his rights to put a stop to the socials, “the dean is obviously very against bringing the college into disrepute.”

He also admitted the team, including him, “behaved badly” at last year’s infamous St. John’s crew date after which they were fined.

The former sports representative for the college Caspar Le Fanu said that although crew dates had officially been banned, the idea of social events between sports teams was not over at Teddy Hall.

“Similar things will be going ahead under a different name, like ‘dinners’. They’re just not called crew dates,” he said, adding that the college authorities would find it hard to crack down on them.

The Ex-Captain of the rugby team agreed, saying: “You can’t stop them…there’s one this week.”

Dr Blamey declined to comment.

Rachel Cummings, OUSU Vice President for women, has been strongly criticised following her refusal to condemn the invitation to Larry Flynt to speak at the Oxford Union.

Cummings would not comment on Flynt’s invitation to speak in 6th Week, citing OUSU’s co-operation with the Union regarding women’s issues as her reason.

Flynt, the porn tycoon responsible for ‘Hustler’ and ‘Barely Legal’, has had his magazines described as “somewhere between gynaecology and butchery” while the noted feminist Diana Russell has accused him of being “responsible for an immeasurable amount of sexual violence against women.”

Hannah Gascoyne, a first year student at Jesus College was critical of Cummings’ refusal to speak out against Flynt, “by running for her position in OUSU she volunteered herself to serve as a voice for the women of the university. If her work with the Union is silencing her on important issues, then there’s clearly a problem” she said.

Another female student, who wished to remain anonymous, wondered whether Cummings was “a fair-weather feminist” and called the Union’s decision to invite Mr. Flynt “backward and pathetic”.

Cummings defended her refusal to speak out saying, “OUSU has a good working relationship with lots of societies, as is only correct. Sometimes talking to the press isn’t the most effective way of creating change.”

In the past she has publicly criticised the Kukui nightclub for promoting a show featuring dancers wrestling naked in KY Jelly, calling it “unacceptable” and urging club organisers “not to use women in this way.” She has also attacked the Oxford University Conservative Association for using allegedly sexist publicity material.

Lewis Iwu, OUSU President, defended his organisation’s association with the members-only Oxford Union. He said that Rachel is “doing her job by having these close links with the Union. She’s representing the female population by making sure that she has a good relationship with the Union.

“I don’t think it’s a case of hating our enemies and not criticising our friends. We think there are several ways of getting change and gaining influence. She explained to me why she didn’t want to comment and I agreed.”

Cummings has been working with the Oxford Union on increasing female participation in the society. Union President Charlie Holt said this involved “ensuring that events in the Union are not just focused on our male members, and that efforts are made to represent women and men equally in debates.”

She was a member of the panel that appointed Kirini Kopcke as the first Oxford Union Women’s Officer, a role tasked with attracting women to debates and involving them with the running of the organisation.

Lewis Iwu said, “the Union acknowledges the fact that they don’t have enough women running for positions and that’s something that needs to be changed. They acknowledge that in previous terms there haven’t been enough female speakers invited.”

When asked whether the addition of Mr. Flynt to the termcard was likely to encourage female participation in the union, the OUSU President refused to comment.

Students will now pay less money back on their loans, after the Bank of England slashed interest rates to their lowest rate ever.

The Bank cut rates to 1.5% last week, the lowest since its foundation in 1694, forcing the loans company to lower repayments. Recent graduates will now pay back their loans at 2.5% interest, half a percent less than a week ago.

Wadham undergraduate Rhian Petty said, “I never anticipated such a wonderful financial surprise.”

But news of the cut has been met with confusion by other Oxford students. Keble undergraduate Hannah Martin, said, “the interest cut is great, but some people aren’t aware that they are paying interest at all. There should be greater awareness of what we’re paying and how this will affect us.”

Oxford economics lecturer Christopher Bowdler said that the cut would benefit recent graduates most, as their loan repayments are reduced and they start to find themselves with a greater disposable income each month.

He said, “it’s rather like a reduction in mortgage rates. Authorities hope that by releasing this cash to [recent graduates] they will stimulate spending in the economic downturn.”

Martin Lewis, the ‘Money Saving Expert’ advises students not to worry too much about the exact rate of interest on their loan.

“There’s no ‘real’ cost because the highest you’ll pay is the rate of inflation,” he writes on his website. While graduates may be making savings now, “over the full term of borrowing, for most people, [the rate] should even itself out.”

The interest rate on student loans is influenced by two economic factors. The rate is either set at one percentage point above the Bank of England’s base rate or matched to the Retail Price Index measure of inflation. This calculates the increase in the cost of basic consumer goods each year and finds the average level of inflation from it.

The interest rate passed on to students is always whichever of these figures is lower, which until now has always been the Retail Price Index (RPI). The economic downturn has forced the Bank of England’s base rates below the RPI, creating the current drop in loan repayments for students.

The latest drop on the interest on student loans is the second since December, when the rate fell from 3.8% to 3%. It was previously set at 4.8%. The rules of the loans company insists that the interest on all student loans taken out from 1998 onwards is set at no more than one percentage point above the base rate.

Oxford Gossip, the infamous Oxford internet forum, reopened at the beginning of this week. The site, opened in 2003, provided a forum space for Oxford students to discuss the University’s social life and gossip.

It was forced to close in September 2007, following allegations of harassment and a failure to moderate the site’s content. The site has reopened with a new domain of www.oxfordgossip.co.nr. Nr stands for Nauru, a small island on the Pacific Ocean. It is thought that this is an attempt to protect the site from libel laws.

Matthew Richardson, the original founder of OxGoss, said that he knew nothing of the site’s relaunch.

Some students have argued the site is simply harmless fun, whilst others have stated that it had been used for the malicious targeting of individual students.

Katy Theobald, the President of OxWip said, “The anonymity of such a site allows people to post sensitive and potentially inaccurate comments.”

A University spokesperson said, “The Proctors have had no complaints about the revived website, but they would strongly advise students that anyone involved… is acting in a university context and must observe all the University’s regulations.”

Lewis Iwu, the OUSU President admitted “I had no idea the site was restarted.” However, he argued that the website had merits, “I think if used right, the website can be very useful. It will help people know what is going on in Oxford.” He added, “‘I think the website is fine to use, provided no one feels harassed or victimised”.

Niall Gallagher, a student at Worcester College, admitted that he used the forum before it was closed and added he had found it “quite entertaining”. He said, “it was maintained by the same sort of people generally – Union and OUCA. I was disappointed it closed. To a large extent it wasn’t malicious”.

His sentiments were echoed by Guy Levin, a Corpus Christi student who stated that the website was popular “because everyone was on it” and added that it was “amusing”.

However, another student stressed the site’s more negative aspects. He said, “the worst thing was threads like ‘The **** List’, naming and shaming all those people unfortunate enough to have got 3rds, and one Facebook hot or not thread, where OxGoss regulars would find what they thought were mingers on Facebook and emotionally abuse them for kicks. I understand it caused some serious distress to some of the people who were targeted. That was really low.”

Rosanna McBeath, OUSU’s Welfare VP said, “‘Gossip’ can be very harmful to individuals involved, especially when spread across the internet, with its wide reaching effects. I hope this time, the website is better controlled to prevent the problems that arose last time.”

Matthew Richardson explained “at its peak OxGoss was getting more hits than Oxfordstudent.com and Cherwell combined. It started to be used as a tool for national journos to spy on Oxford students and several national media outlets just quoted OxGoss directly in their stories.”

Another Oxford graduate, an administrator and a moderator of the old site said, “it was supposed to be a thing for my friends, internal fun.”

However, he admitted that “it got out of hand” saying, “it resulted in slander, affecting people’s employment prospects. We tried to moderate it but it always came back with people posting more and more”. After the site was closed in 2007, he said that both he and Richardson were “very, very relieved to see the back of it. It caused way too much fallout and loss of trust, particularly in Union circles.”

The website also attracted the attention of the University’s proctors who posted a warning to all students involved in the website or others like it.
This time round, Iwu called for restrained monitoring of the site, “I believe in free speech and the proctors should treat the website like the papers. They should just keep an eye on it and take up the concerns of students with a complaint.”

The Bullingdon Club has claimed to be enjoying a revival in membership, following a desperate bid to recruit members.

In 2006, the 200 year-old drinking society had only four members. In a bid to increase its ranks, it was “forced” to reach out to an ex-state school pupil. The student rejected the invitation.

The club has announced that it now has twenty members.

It is thought that the society’s recovery might be a result of its rebranding as the provisional wing of the Conservative party and its association with former members David Cameron, George Osborne and Boris Johnson.

The Bible President Obama was sworn in on last Tuesday was printed by the Oxford University Press. It first belonged to Abraham Lincoln, who took the oath of office using it in 1861.

The Bible was published in 1853 and was purchased by the Clerk of the Supreme Court. He gave it to Lincoln when the President realised he had no Bible to swear his oath on.

The 1,280 page book was bound in velvet with gilt edges. It is frequently on display in the Library of Congress.

Four members of Obama’s government are Oxonians

An Oxford PhD student in Bio-Chemistry has claimed to have developed a new product to ‘make hair loss a thing of the past’.

The product’s means of preventing baldness are still secret as it has not yet been patented. The creator, Thomas Whitfield, said it should be available for purchase within the next 12 months.

Whitfield promises that the product will offer a favourable alternative to existing ‘inconvenient’ and ‘very, very expensive’ techniques.

The product, ‘TRX2‘, takes its first two letters from the Greek word ‘trichos’ for hair, whilst X2 signifies the ‘second generation of hair’.