The Bod is to hold a ‘book amnesty’ next week to recover books inadvertently removed from reading rooms.

Students will be able to return books that they have taken from the Bodleian’s non-issuing libraries without incurring a penalty.

The amnesty will happen prior to the installation of new book detection systems at the entrance to the Upper Camera and Lower Camera reading rooms.

Most other libraries in Oxford have electronic tags that cause alarms to go off at the entrance if a person has taken a book out with them.

Vanessa Corrick, the Deputy Head of Reader Services for the Bodleian Library said, “An approximate figure for the number of open shelf books which go missing is 90 in the calendar year 2007.

“It is difficult to be precise about this figure since quite a few books are found when we do an annual check of the open shelf books during the Long Vacation i.e. they have been incorrectly shelved, or have even fallen down behind other books.”

She added, “This is a fairly small figure, although of course we don’t even like one book to go missing.”

English student Julie Jackson commented, “I have never taken any books, I usually photocopy the articles I need, but I can see why people would be tempted to take them.

The security is poor, especially in the Rad Cam, and when people have deadlines to meet all it would take is someone to run out of money on their photocopy card and because it is easy people take the books they need.

“The security is good for only letting in students, you have to show your Bod card but for taking out books, the person on the door asks you to open your bag and can’t possibly recognise every Bodleian book.”

Jackson said, “I know people who have taken books and have just said to the security that they were from another library.”

Corrick also emphasised that students who do return the books will not be recorded or penalised in anyway; “[…] we are not taking notes of who returns material. We would be grateful to have books returned whatever their state as our conservation staff may be able to carry out repairs.”

For those who are struggling to tell whether a book in their possession is from the Bodleian libraries, Corrick said, “There should be a stamp with ‘Bodleian’ on it on books, most likely on the reverse of the title page.”

The latest college accounts, obtained by OUSU under the Freedom of Information Act, show that spending on teaching and staff increased significantly in 2007.

Yet the University remains riven by financial inequality, with huge endowments allowing some colleges to supplement their income, giving them a major advantage over poorer institutions.

The accounts reveal that colleges spent £244 million in 2007, with over half going on staff costs. Their combined incomes totalled almost £8 million more than this, meaning that overall the colleges made a slight profit on 2006.

Over £125 million was spent on staff, a rise of over 7% since last year. Yet as colleges look to raise money from tourism, conference facilities and fund-raising, spending on academics is lower than that for other staff, such as caterers, managers and IT experts.

Overall, colleges have capitalised on hiring out their premises as conference facilities during vacations, making over £24 million.

Poorer, newer colleges with more modern rooms have been keen to take advantage of this new source of income, with St Anne’s and St Catherine’s making around £1.6 million a year.

Hertford and Keble do almost as well from conference income, but Christ Church makes the most, receiving almost £2 million.

Christ Church has also been the only college to make a significant amount of money from tourism, making around £800,000. No other college except Magdalen has be able to make more than a six figure sum for admission charges.

Christ Church and New have also tapped in to another lucrative form of income not available to other colleges, together making £3 million from their choir schools.

The biggest division between the colleges continues to be the size of their endowments. Most colleges take in around £2-5million in interest per year, some of the biggest earners being Magdalen, Jesus and Christ Church.

Tracts of agricultural land puts St Johns in a league of its own, bringing in £6 million a year on top of £5 million from financial assets. All Souls is funded almost entirely by endowment income, as it receives nothing from tuition fees.

While historic Oxford colleges are worth hundreds of millions of pounds, they are one of the biggest drains on college finances.

Almost £6 million was spent on maintaining premises in 2007, while tending gardens cost just over £2 million. Wear and tear of buildings means that their value depreciates over time, at an estimated cost of nearly £12 million last year.

Almost every pub in central Oxford has banned trashed students, while one pub is even refusing to serve anyone wearing a gown, as part of a new Pubwatch initiative.

The decision is aimed at reducing both the cost of cleaning up after trashing, and the disruption caused to residents.

Darren Kent, the chair of Pubwatch and landlord of the Turf, described the initiative which involves pub managers across the city.

He said, “together with the Proctors, we’ve decided to clamp down on trashing.”

“All [tourists] can see is flour and disgustingness…[students] have no reason to go as far as they do” he added.

Kent said that the proctors’ treatment of trashing had been hampered by stretched resources and “they asked us to help them with the clampdown.”

A recent email from the Proctors condemned food abuse and noted, “two people broke limbs last year by slipping on flour wet from champagne and eggs, including a woman who skidded and crashed on her bicycle in New College Lane.”

Other pub managers have supported the move. The manager of the Wheatsheaf said, “we don’t want people coming in covered in baked beans and cat food and getting it all over our furniture.”

The landlord of the Bear Inn added that his staff had to spend up to two hours jet-hosing down areas of the pub.

The King’s Arms has gone even further, banning any student with gowns and balloons from entering around exam time.

The manager of the King’s Arms denied that the measure was extreme. He said, “it’s a precaution against their [students’] behaviour.”

Students have reacted angrily to the new initiative, though they insist it will not deter trashings.

One student, who recently trashed a friend with a water pistol full of mayonnaise, cast doubt on the stringency of the Pubwatch ban.

“I got into the Turf covered in flour and I got egged in the Turf. They’re not going to turn away ten people just because one of them is covered in flour,” he said.

The student also denied that there was much evidence of a major clampdown by proctors. He said, “I’d be fairly deterred from [trashing] outside exam schools,” but claimed he managed to egg a friend undetected on High Street.

Students have also reported that exam locations further from the centre have “no proctor presence.”

A spokesperson for the Oxford emphasised that this was an initiative by pubs, not the University, but added, “the University is supportive of this.”

Nightsafe, which coordinates an initiative to reduce violence in Oxford, endorsed the move by Pubwatch.

The manager of Nightsafe said that Oxford is a “tourist town” and “[the tourists] don’t want to sit in flour and eggs.”

VIDEO: Finalists get trashed

Video by Rachel Fraser

The Bodleian library will hold an exhibition to celebrate the University’s treasures this summer.

It will include previously unseen objects, documents and artifacts including a 14th century bishop’s  mitre made of silk and pearls belonging to William of  Wykeham, the founder of New College;  an illuminated Psalter belonging to Elizabeth, wife of Henry VII; and Samuel Johnson’s gruel mug.

The exhibition will also honour benefactors like William Gray and Lord Nuffield.

‘Beyond the Work of One’ will begin on 24 May and runs to 1 November, in Catte Street.

The trial of well-known animal rights activist Mel Broughton has been postponed until Thursday 12 June.

Broughton, who was a founding member of the SPEAK organisation, faces charges of conspiracy to commit arson against property owned by the University of Oxford, possession of articles with intent to destroy or damage property and keeping an explosive substance with intent.

A jury for the trial is yet to be picked.

JCRs are debating this week whether OUSU should hold a referendum on who should vote in its minority reps.

Students have argued that it is undemocratic for OUSU to decide who should be allowed a say in selecting OUSU’s future LGBT and ethnic minority representatives.

However others have argued that the referendum would support universal voting, and that the majority would therefore eclipse that of minorities.

The controversy arose again in the Fifth Week Council meeting, and continued into an Extraordinary Council meeting on Friday of Sixth Week.

Tom Haynes, OUSU rep for St Catherine’s, is one of the students behind the recent campaign for a referendum.
Haynes took the issue to his JCR, proposing a motion “request[ing] that OUSU holds a referendum in Hilary 2009 to determine whether or not [restricted voting] should continue.”

Haynes claims he hoped to trigger a referendum by getting nine other JCRs to pass similar motions, and sent an email to all the other OUSU reps, urging them to agree that a “referendum was the best way forwards.”

He argues that no conclusion has been reached because JCRs have not been consulted, and that a referendum is “the most democratic” solution to the issue. He said it would enable discussion on “the most final way to resolve this long running dispute”.

However Merton’s OUSU rep, Joshua Monahan, initially agreed with Haynes, but has since declared, “I’m withdrawing my support.”

Monahan admitted that he backed Haynes “for the sole reason that I thought the issue was being wilfully ignored,” but now believes that debate has pushed this issue forward.

Joseph Edwards, OUSU rep for Jesus College, agreed with Monahan.  He said: “Referenda are not the only way, or even the best way, of ensuring that the voice of Oxford students is heard.”  He went on to say that it would be a waste of OUSU’s time and resources to hold the referendum.

Luke Tryl, former Union president, who is rumoured to be running for OUSU President, said: “We should have as many referendums as possible.” He pointed out that responsibilities in OUSU often overlap, and that even a position like Vice President for Women is responsible for pro-choice policy, which affects men also.

Haynes’ campaign for a referendum has been halted when, after consultation with other colleges, further issues were raised. He claims that OUSU have decided to “re-open our discussion…early on in Michaelmas.”

An Oxford restaurant has been taken over by a BBC reality series on entrepreneurs. Sahara, an eatery on Blue Boar Street in Oxford city centre, is one of eight diners that will be featured in Raymond Blanc’s ‘The Restaurant’.

The show sees couples attempting to impress the celebrity with their business skills. Couples have to complete a number of challenges, including cooking and serving meals, drawing up menus and attracting consumers.

The winning pair are then rewarded with a restaurant financially supported by Blanc.

A Christ Church student booked to perform at the college’s Commemoration Ball next week has accused the Ball Committee of sexual discrimination and unfair treatment.

Iona Bain, President of the Christ Church Music Society said that she has “notified the college authorities to a potential case of sex discrimination against herself.”

Bain claims that she offered her services to the Ball Committee, but that problems emerged when College asked her to perform on a secondary stage, at the same time as the main act.

Bain has argued that her band has been “downgraded to a secondary stage” because “I don’t conform to the male indie stereotype.”

She was notified that her three band members from Wadham would arrive at the ball, perform and would then have to leave the premises immediately after their performance.

Bain said, “I didn’t expect my other band members were to be treated like gatecrashers after performing for free, especially with half the band having bought tickets.”

She added that it was common practice for performers to be allowed to enjoy the ball for free without being “promptly escorted out by bouncers.”

She continued, “I can only assume that the committee has handed out so many free tickets to committee members and other cronies, and paid so much for their guest acts whatever they are, that they are having to treat me and my band members in this shabby way.”

However, Bain’s claims have caused outrage amongst Christ Church students.

The Committee’s Music and Entz rep, Laura Spiers, claimed that no free tickets have been given out, apart from those reserved for four executive members of last year’s ball committee, and current committee members.

She said, “Any performers who have received tickets have been given tickets as a form of payment instead of cash.

“Iona and her band were also offered these tickets as payment but declined them saying that they would rather do it for free and in service of the college, a decision the ball committee respected.”

One second year from Christ Church, who wished to remain anonymous, said that Bain has “forced her way into playing at the ball” and has upset a lot of people.

“We have definitely not been giving away tickets to anyone.”

Frances Baird, the Committee’s marketing representative, claimed that Bain and her band were granted a slot on the secondary stage rather than the main one because there are “other bigger, and more high profile acts already filling the schedule on the main stage”.

Baird defended the decision to move Bain to a secondary stage: “it’s a slightly different atmosphere and it was better suited for her performance and it would better suit her band.

“It’s not secondary in that we think it’s any less valuable; it’s just an alternative for people who don’t want to be at the main stage so we thought it was more appropriate.”