Where oh where would we be without The Pencil Skirt? How to look smart in a work environment without succumbing to The Trouser Suit? How to look sexy without flashing acres of flesh? And how to look ladylike? This wardrobe staple had its roots in the ‘hobble’ skirt. Initially designed to impede the wearer so much that they were forced to ‘hobble’, it was the contemporary equivalent of last season’s ‘turban’ look: doomed in fashion reality (and quelle surprise, designed by a man, Paul Poiret). The first trendsetter for this look was Katharine Wright, sister of the Wright brothers, who tied a rope around her skirts to stop them flapping about in her brothers’ new airborne invention – practical beginnings for a popular style considering women were still hoiking themselves in with corsets. Pencil skirts returned with a vengeance during the late 1940s and ‘50s: they were considered the ‘practical’ option in a world without trousers. So where does this leave the current pencil-skirt wearer? She is a woman (probably), and proud of it – this is not a style that allows for half measures. She does not cycle (for how does one get one’s legs over the saddle?) and is hopefully wearing heels (never wear flats with a pencil skirt unless you want to look like an overweight hobbit). A bit of Googling also alerted me to its pre-eminence in the fetish market. Nice.
Despite this, the pencil skirt is swiftly becoming a byword for high-powered office-wear: this is a lot of effort to go to on a regular basis. But why should this style be restricted to the imaginary fashionista I just described? This is actually the most flattering style of skirt for any shape, guaranteed to accentuate curves for those lucky enough to have them, and create a voluptuous illusion for those who don’t. Pencil skirts tap into a million male fantasies.It seems the designers agree. Hundreds of models minced down the a/w runways in high-waisted, calf-skimming skirts, and looked damned good for it too. Who are we to question Yves Saint Laurent or Hermès? Patents, jewel colours, slight fetish undertones – a pencil skirt will work all these trends and give maximum impact. Even this season’s make-up evokes the pencil skirt and all that comes with it, so shift the Ugg boots, slick on some red lipstick, and be a lady.
By Josie Thaddeus-Johns

Class war has broken out at St Edmund Hall after complaints from students forced the eviction of a pair of non-student guests.

Oxford residents AJ Dolan, 18, and Adam Morrison, 19, were left with nowhere to live after being ejected from their previous accommodation, and were offered lodging by Andrea Young, a first-year Law student, in her room at Teddy Hall.

Last Thursday they were asked to leave after complaints by her fellow undergraduates. Some students said that they felt intimidated by the presence of the Oxford locals, claiming they shouted and, allegedly, spat at them. The pair deny this.

Young does not believe that the students had any reason to complain. The College could not confirm who had filed the complaint . Young has said that she believes that it was made by two public school students who she feels intended to provoke conflict.

Young said, “There have always been underlying [social] tensions, to be honest with you, and this is basically what has brought this to the surface. There are people, definitely not everyone, who keep to their specific friend groups and give short answers when friendly efforts were made to approach them.”

Young defended her friends and her decision to let them stay with her. She said, “I think this is the whole point, in that the intimidation towards them was completely unfounded. It was not like they were walking around in college. They stayed in my room most of the time. If college students saw random people walking around in college, then I would understand the fear but that most certainly was not the case.” Dolan stayed a total of two weeks and Morrison for five days.

Dolan said he felt that his and Morrison’s eviction was purely an act of prejudice by certain “posh” students against those of “the lower class.”

“We would walk into hall and we could feel all eyes on us, because of they way we dress and the way we talk,” he said.

But he added that, despite initially feeling intimidated, he found that he got on well with most of the students who made the effort to talk to him.

“The people who did make the effort to get to know me were really cool,” he said. “It’s just those who refused to even talk to me that were instantly prejudiced against me for being poor. A couple of times I would try to say hi to people and they wouldn’t say it back.”

Dolan and Morrison said they felt that, overall, students seemed “very spoilt.” Dolan said, “They [Oxford students] have no idea. No idea what life is like at all. They absolutely get everything handed to them on a plate and they don’t have to do anything. All they have to do is study.”

“Basically, they don’t understand what hard life is. They don’t know what it’s like to be homeless, to not have money, and to sleep on the streets,” said Morrison.

Some Teddy Hall students were very accepting of the pair. “They were really chilled and easy to talk to,” said Jane Rudderham, a good friend and neighbour of Andrea.

But Katie Inzani, a Teddy Hall first year reading Material Science, said that she did not expect the incident to change Oxford’s class-oriented culture. “This simply validated such a culture existing,” she said.

Anthony Boutall, a student who lives one floor below Young, said, “While the College law must be upheld, there is no need to make classist stereotypes on either side, or to subscribe to a heinous hypocrisy which allows some to act in certain ways but forbids others from doing so on the basis of social background. In truth, AJ and Adam were less intimidating to the majority of Teddy Hall students than others who choose to get blind drunk, play loud music, and cause general disgruntlement within college.”

But he added, “I am certainly not a class warrior, and if the College has said that it is in breach of the rules to have semi-permanent occupants of other peoples’ rooms, then that must be respected.”
Dolan has temporarily moved to his mother’s home in south Oxford until he finds his own place to live.by Sangwon Yoon, Reporter

Oxford University’s support for ethical trade gained ground this week after Hertford announced that it had officially become a Fairtrade College.

It is the third Oxford college to be given Fairtrade status from the Fairtrade Foundation, after Linacre and Wadham. Motions of support for Fairtrade were passed by Hertford JCR, MCR and the governing body. The announcement is the culmination of a four-year project by Hertford members to win the status.

The motion passed stated “That many colleges are currently working towards Fairtrade college status and that if two-thirds of colleges become Fairtrade colleges, Oxford becomes an official ‘Fairtrade university’.”

The JCR resolved to ensure that “Fairtrade products…be  available at all catering outlets in college and that JCR members should be informed of the benefits of Fairtrade.”

Mike Prater, the Hertford College JCR Fairtrade representative explained, “Fairtrade products guarantee developing country farmers a fair wage and ensure good standards of social welfare and environmental sustainability are upheld. We hope that Hertford getting Fairtrade status will act as a catalyst to encourage other Colleges to switch to Fairtrade.”

In order to become a Fairtrade college, the Foundation sets five criteria. These include ensuring that Fairtrade products are stocked at all catering outlets around College as well as creating a Fairtrade steering group.

 To meet these criteria, Hertford sells Fairtrade tea, coffee, Divine chocolate and bananas in Hall and the JCR has since October 2006 sold Fairtrade Hertford Hoodies.

The College also takes part in the Valentine’s Day Fairtrade chocolate delivery service whilst members have promoted Fairtrade products through food and wine tasting events.

The first meeting of Hertford’s steering group occurred in Michaelmas term, with  Hertford’s Home Bursar Jo Roadknight and Bob Hart, the Hertford Catering Manager, in attendance. The Committee noted that Fairtrade products should be purchased even if they are marginally more expensive than non-Fairtrade products.

Melissa Boulter, who seconded the Fairtrade motion, said, “I am really proud that Hertford has gained Fairtrade status and that our college has come together around something so positive. It is a small step towards a more equitable society.

“It would be brilliant to see other colleges follow us and make a commitment to Fairtrade, through stocking more Fairtrade products and raising its awareness, so that more of the producers of the products we buy in the University can get a fairer wage.”
by Rob Pomfret, Deputy News Editor

What do you get when you achieve a perfect balance between aggression and control, between bluff and power, between swallow-dives to the floor and leaps to the net? Indoor volleyball, that’s what. On Saturday 9th February the Varsity Volleyball matches will be held. I could rhapsodise about the elegance of a quick attack, the satisfaction of setting up a stuff block, the exhilaration of seeing the defender fling themselves forward to pick up a ball, but why bother? Go and watch one of the most exciting sporting events of the year. The men’s dark blue side has a tough task ahead of them, having been beaten by Cambridge twice this year. However, it’s noticeable that when the Tabs are feeling threatened, they lose their nerve and roll easy shots into court. If Oxford can apply some early pressure, the blood will be in the water. According to captain Billy Hwang, “Sure, Cambridge have a good team, but they’re mentally weak. We can take them”. For the women, Oxford has one of the strongest teams we’ve ever seen. Their defence is rock-solid, led by Hannah Ruddick (playing for team GB) while their offence benefits from some highly experienced players. Watch out for waif-like captain Jana Orszaghova, who employs a vicious line-shot. Middle Rebekka Ott has been selected for English Unis, so keep an eye on her too. Volleyball may be a minority sport in the UK, but the Oxford club is doing its best to change that. They run a popular indoor league and a second team which is open to all students. Last year they won the Outreach club award and they’ve just received Clubmark accreditation. They’ve moved on from Deloitte as main sponsor and established ties with volleyball-mad Russia through sponsorship from Delight 2000. Recognising the massive over-crowding at Iffley, the club recently signed a contract with an Oxford school to supply coaching and equipment in return for hall rental. Finally, the club wants to build on a third-place finish at last year’s student beach cup, by working to build a beach volleyball court. If you’re going to come watch the game, here’s a few tips. A point can be won when either serving or receiving. To win, a team has to win three sets, but the fifth set is to 15 rather than 25 points. Every once in a while the referee will stop play and hold up his palm or two fingers. That means a player didn’t get a clean contact with the ball. They’ve either held and thrown it (open palm) or touched it twice (two fingers). The referee is helped by the second ref who checks for net-touches (any nettouch means a point to the opposition) and the line-judges (flag up if the ball went out, down if it went in). On both teams there’ll be one person with a different-coloured shirt. They’re the libero or defensive specialist (like Hannah), who replaces a tall gangly person good at hitting with a fast person who’s good at scooping up balls from all over the court. Each team is divided into three front-court and three back-court players, who rotate round when the team wins the service. If a player is back-court and they want to attack, they have to jump three metres away from the net. That doesn’t stop back-court specialist Darek Nehrebecki. You’ll see the middle attack run a bluff, trying to pull the blockers with him. Then, as the blockers return to earth, the ball goes out to Darek who’ll drill the ball through the resulting gap. Poetry in action. That’s what volleyball is all about.by Paul Swift

Wadham students have been offered the chance to live in Balliol-owned accommodation next year while renovation work is carried out in college.

Housing on Jowett Walk will provide for 21 Wadhamites and will be subsidised by  the College so that students will rent rooms for the same price as those living in.

The news was welcomed by students who had feared being moved to the Merifield annexe, located in Summertown. SU President Leonora Sagan said, “I am delighted with the new proposal and it was myself, my Treasurer and Housing officers who proposed it to College. We have already had so many volunteers we’ve had to do application forms.”

She went on to add, “The proximity [of Jowett Walk] also means that those who wish to can still have meals in College anyway, and will be centrally located.”

Housing officers Sally Caswell and Beth Doran expressed their approval at the new proposal, saying, “We are extremely pleased with this situation. The complex allows students to live close to their friends and so enjoy what might be their last year with their friends.” The site is said to offer students a good deal as it is self-catered and a short distance from the College library.

The College originally sent a JCR email asking for 13 volunteers to move to the Summertown annexe because of planned renovation work on the front quad. As the annexe is approximately a 30-minute walk from the centre of Oxford, students were reluctant to give up a guaranteed place in College and feared being forced out.

James Coe, Wadham SU Treasuer, explained, “The Balliol JCR president made us aware that rooms in Jowett Walk were available but the cost looked too high for our students. We therefore looked into seeing if the College could afford to subsidise the rooms so students would not be losing out and have somewhere they wanted to live… Although I was a little surprised how readily they took up this solution I expected a compromise along these lines could be reached.”

He added, “The overwhelming opinion is that those who were to be forced to give up their guaranteed year in College now have an attractive convenient place to live while doing their finals. I think the students are happy and the College is happy, so it is win-win.”

Balliol JCR President Adam Smith said, “I discussed the issue with our Domestic Bursar who had already received an approach from Wadham concerning the rooms. Balliol JCR is glad to help in any way possible.  I am pleased that a solution has been reached.”
by Katherine Hall, Deputy News Editor

How many members do you have?
Excluding new players, we have 11 each session – we’re looking for more.

Who does the Octopush Club represent and why should we sign up?
We represent the Octopush (think Underwater Hockey) players of Oxford! A brief description: wearing snorkelling kit, dive down and push/flick a weighted puck into goals at the opposite ends of a swimming pool. This is the ultimate 3D game, with skills, fitness, tactics and teamwork to distinguish you as a good player. The water is a great leveller so anyone can play. We’ve got kit you can borrow, and there are social events too!

Why do you think the Octopush Club is important?
It’s promoting a different approach to water and is far more satisfying than just swimming lanes. The University has a very large range of sports and I’m pleased to be running a club diversifying that. Oh and we couldn’t play if there wasn’t a club.

As a member of the Octopush Club, what has been your most memorable experience so far?
Probably running the club as its new president – but the ‘07 University Nationals will also stay with me; it was very well organised and our team managed 6th out of 10.

So what does the Octopush Club have planned for 2008?
There’s this year’s University Nationals in 6th week, and hopefully expanding the club. We’d like to get some new goals too!

Tell us something you didn’t / couldn’t say at fresher’s fair?
Your first session is now free to try!

When do you meet and how can we get involved?
Our main club sessions are on Sundays at Ferry Sports Centre, 5.45-7.30pm Check out www.users.ox.ac.uk/~octopush for more info, or email [email protected]

Interview by Louise Collin

OUSU Council voted to scrap a referendum on its controversial No Platform policy last Friday, deciding instead to replace it with an amended version.The new version is intended to be much more specific in detailing who and what are covered by the policy.The referendum was called by OUSU President Martin McCluskey at the end of last term, in response to the demands of JCRs. It had originally been scheduled to take place in fourth week.However many members of OUSU Council felt that the problem was with the wording of the original policy rather than with the idea of a No Platform. An amended version of the policy was drafted by OUSU Vice-President James Lamming (pictured), which Council then voted by a clear majority to accept.
Lamming said, “Along with almost everybody, I’m relieved that this issue has been settled and that we can now focus our energy on improving areas that have an immediate impact on the student experience.”Keble JCR President John Maher, who has in the past been a vocal critic of the policy, agreed. “The general reaction is one of relief; everyone was tired of fighting about No Platform and there’s a feeling that the issue has finally been settled in a fair way,” he said.He added, “I’m disappointed that students won’t get to vote on No Platform but I guess at the end of the day the point of democracy is that you don’t always get your way.”One student, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “I feel really frustrated. OUSU has dangled the possibility of voting on this issue in front of us and now they don’t have the decency to follow through with it.” The amended policy distances OUSU from the National Union of Students (NUS), which has a relatively strong No Platform policy. NUS President Gemma Tumelty said, “Academic freedom and freedom of speech are often cited as reasons to afford a platform to racists and fascists.”However, NUS believes that the right to freedom of expression must not be separated from, or take precedence over, the right to freedom from oppression,” she added.

No platform policy changes:The name: The new policy is nameless in order to distance it from other No Platform policies, such as that of the NUS.

Oxide and The Oxstu: The old No Platform policy applied to all OUSU media, leading OUSU to ban Oxide presenters from interviewing Nick Griffin in Hilary 2007. Under the new policy, “Media covered in independent agreements” such as Oxide Radio and The Oxford Student are editorially independent.

Use of OUSU mediums: Under the new policy only individuals who are going to actually advocate violence using OUSU mediums are prevented from using them; under the old policy, anyone who had previously advocated violence against a minority group could be prevented from using OUSU mediums.

Decisions must be ratified by council: The old policy gave the OUSU executive the power to decide which individuals or groups should be refused a platform; under the new policy, any decision taken by the executive must be ratified by a simple majority at OUSU Council.

by Paul Rainford (Blues Football Captain) The superb 4-1 victory against Worcester University last Friday ensured that we were crowned BUSA Midlands champions. I feel compelled to emphasise the immense sense of pride and gratitude that I feel at having been part of this team and this achievement. Great credit must be given to players and coaching staff alike, and, indeed it is difficult to downplay the importance of the influence of Martin Keown. His unwavering faith in our abilities as players and his own abilities as a coach to achieve success has been a vital component in this recent triumph. Clearly his experience at Arsenal has fostered an unwillingness to compromise in the pursuit of victory, and his influence is calming yet inspirational such that the team have been driven to believe that success and quality should come as standard. However now that the immediate celebrations are over we must be prepared to put this recent result behind us and move on to address the further challenges that lie ahead. It would be easy to allow the tempo to drop by relaxing back into a comfort zone and wallowing in self-congratulation, but such an approach would be detrimental to our further ambitions in the national knock-out competition (where we are scheduled to meet Team Bath in the first round) and the Varsity match. With no competitive fixture now until Wednesday of sixth week we will look to raise the intensity of our physical training in order to reach our peak levels of fitness. I would like to take this opportunity to say a brief congratulations to all those who were involved in the Duncan Mulholland Memorial match, which took place last Saturday, and made it a fitting tribute to an individual who was undoubtedly an important and much respected figure in the club.

Four matches, one sorry day to avenge for, hundreds of expectant supporters watching on… it could mean only one thing. If you want to feel proud to be blue this 5th week then come and support the might of OUHC as they do battle with the old enemy. Oxford’s 2nd and 3rd teams, both men and women, will line up against their Cambridge counterparts in what is shaping up to be an enthralling day of hockey. Last year, Oxford came out second best in all four fixtures and everyone involved with the club is keen to show that last year’s nightmare was a one off. Competition for places throughout OUHC has been at an unprecedented level this year, with the men’s 2nds arguably having the most success on the field. Top of their league and boasting former Blues players Adam Briggs (LMH) and Neil Gallacher (Brasenose) in their line-up, Adam Tozzi (Pembroke) will lead out his team for the final time with expectations justifiably high. He was keen to add, “Whilst we desperately want to win the varsity match, it will not make or break our season. Becoming league champions is just as important and I will not consider the season a failure if we win the league but lose Varsity. The strength of the squad this year, however, should see us win both.” The women’s 2nds also boast a strong team, with some fine performances in both BUSA and their Saturday league. Ably led by Aynsley Bruce (University) with some exciting new talent on show they will be hopeful of overturning last year’s defeat. Emily Hancock (Somerville) rates Oxford’s chances, “Cambridge have a strong team, but we are confident we can raise our game.” Both 3rd teams will be looking for something to remember their seasons by, having endured a difficult run of games, but it seems that form could be turning at the opportune moment with the men winning impressively at the weekend and the women turning solid performances into goals and at the right time. Oxford will be hoping for a strong, vocal turnout to help ensure the tabs go home empty-handed.by Ian Rossiter

Sean Faye presents the case for abandoning Valentine’s Day…. and adopting spontaneous romance
It’s that tine of year again – Valentine’s Day. My cynically-disposed mind imagines the typical scores of cheating boyfriends presenting their girlfriends with ‘on-offer’ flowers and battered Milk Tray boxes, bought from the Tesco Metro on the way home. The really romantic chaps may even book a table at Pizza Express (set menu, of course). My problem with Valentine’s Day is that it is typifies the smug, yet half-arsed attitude of modern couples. I have often believed that ‘Valentine’s Day’ should be renamed ‘Co-dependence Day,’ not because all couples that choose to celebrate their love on February 14 are necessarily co-dependent, but because the day naturally fosters the co-dependent ideals that surround us throughout the year.
I already know what you’re thinking. You have probably guessed that I’m single; I will fill you in further and tell you I have never been in a relationship and never celebrated Valentine’s Day (I never even did that creepily Freudian thing when you make your mum a card instead). So I am clearly an embittered, loveless cynic. That is a view I am not entirely unfamiliar with, having been told so every year by my marauding bands of loved-up friends. Yet often the friends that tell me this one year are the ones who are forcing me to do something with them to avoid Valentine’s Day the next. Valentine’s Day seems like a day set aside for people who like to feel self-indulgent and waste endless hours walking around with their chosen companion, regardless of whether they like them that much or not, and then going for an overpriced meal. Perhaps it’s just me, but that doesn’t seem different to any other day. The only difference on ‘Co-dependence Day’ is that single people are shamed out of bars, cafes and restaurants because instead of ID, you need a partner for entry.
What is most troubling, however, is that increasingly the spirit of Valentine’s Day is spreading throughout the year. Television, magazines and, often, our friends work on the mission statement ‘you’re nobody until somebody loves you.’ Anti-gay rhetoric has always considered same-sex relationships as a reprehensible ‘lifestyle choice.’ In fact, all types of relationships are equal in being a lifestyle choice, and for many, being single is too. On Valentine’s Day, however, such a belief is apparently unacceptable. The day makes relationships the norm and those who are not celebrating are excluded by their involuntary and deeply shameful status of ‘single.’ What surprises me most is the fact that so many women tacitly support what is surely one of the most sexist days in the calendar. Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day still works on the presumption that the man buys his partner a gift, arranges a sequence of romantic activities for her and perhaps throws in a bit of perfunctory sex at the end of the day. It is chiefly single women who are made to feel bad that they have no such wooer in mid-February. Being a girl without a guy on Valentine’s Day means you’ve failed in bagging a generous man. Sorry, since when did we all live in a Jane Austen novel? Whatever the circumstances of the pair are throughout the year, there is one day where women are made to feel like they must have a man to care for them and protect them or they’re worthless.
Another way in which Valentine’s Day epitomises the modern lifestyle is our complete incapability to have any genuine sense of romance. People are forced to pay their way to assembly-line romance or, perhaps even worse, do-it-yourself expressions of affection. Last year, one of my housemates had a card made for her out of felt. Her admirer had clearly spent a great deal amount of time making it, but resembling as it did a heart after a coronary attack, it earned only ridicule from both her and her friends. Another person I know made a paper rose out of a page of Cherwell. Comically enough, the romantic sentiment was dulled by the fact that a photo of me loomed across the carefully crafted petals. If we are being honest, our ‘aww isn’t that sweet’ response to a couple explaining their romantic treasure trail, or how they serenaded one another, actually masks the more natural ‘that’s fucking embarrassing’ response. Until the 19th Century, Valentine’s Day was marked by the sending of love letters. Handwritten, scented and often poetic, it is hard to imagine modern-day lovers pulling this off without looking disgustingly sentimental. Our generation are just too self-conscious to produce any spontaneous, genuine romance. Indeed, doesn’t a fixed calendar date run against the whole idea of romance anyway? Surely, one of the key ingredients must be spontaneity – I know the same card, flowers and restaurant every year would hardly have me burning in the flames of passion. Even anonymous valentines are slightly menacing on the one day it’s OK to stalk someone without being liable for a restraining order. At the root of most people’s celebration of Valentine’s Day is, above all, a sense of obligation. I have already said how Valentine’s Day stigmatises single people, but (from the outside looking in) it seems to do little for couples’ relationships either. The consumerist pressure on Valentine’s Day has become so great, as with Christmas and New Year, that one is led to believe if you don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, your relationship is worthless. Like December 31st, Valentine’s Day begets such a weight of expectation from both partners that it is impossible to fully live up to it. If most lovers are honest, Valentine’s Day falls slightly flat, perhaps because in post-Reformation England, we lack the greater sensuality and festival culture of our European and South American counterparts. Its lack of inclusivity makes it anti-social for anyone but the couple themselves, who are forced to spend time with just each other, just because that’s what everyone else is doing. The amount of pressure is an unnecessary stress on the relationship. How many of our friends have had spats or even broken up with their boyfriend/girlfriend on Valentine’s Day? Take my advice, shrug off Valentine’s Day and spend quality time with your partner (if you have one) on February 15th instead – it’s a much bolder statement.