NOT every Blues squad can boast an ex-international with forty-three caps and three league titles, not to mention a hat-trick of FA Cups, spurring them on from the sidelines. In fact, this claim can only be made by Oxford’s footballers, who have the privilege of being coached by the former Arsenal centre back Martin Keown for the 2007/08 season.
Oxford-born Keown, 41, is spending a year with the side as they look to make amends for last year’s Varsity defeat, on penalties, to Cambridge. The veteran defender is also taking his UEFA A coaching license whilst guiding the Blues through their debut season in the BUSA midlands top division.
Watching the veteran defender stalk the touchline, pausing briefly to bark out instructions to his players, it was easy to imagine the man in his pomp, towering over strikers and intimidating the opposition with his sheer presence.
After overseeing his side’s 2-1 win over Nottingham, including a backs-to-the-wall final twenty minutes, Keown revealed how his taking the reigns of Oxford football had come about.
“It was actually me who approached the University” he said. “I rang up John Roycroft, Oxford’s Director of Sport, and asked him if there was any way in which I could help out with the football here.
“The reason for approaching Oxford was that, besides being close to home, I’d have the opportunity to run the team and coach young players who are keen and willing to learn. It was also a good chance to gain real experience alongside taking my UEFA coaching badges.
“Basically, I took this on to see whether I still love the game enough to go back into the professional side of things. This team is giving me my football fix at the moment and the experience of managing these players will be invaluable in the future.”
The Highbury legend is not just here to further his own career, though. Keown enthused about bringing fresh players into the Blues set-up and appeared genuinely excited about helping to raise the profile of the sport in Oxford, and all the challenges that come with it.
“The most difficult element so far was probably the system of trials that we held at the start of the season” he said. “I hadn’t experienced a situation like that in a long time, so we’ll probably be looking at changing that aspect of the system somehow.
“What we don’t want is players slipping through the net as they’ve done in the past. There’s a lad called Cameron Knight, now in his third year, who only made his Blues debut this season. There has to be a better way of identifying talent throughout the university than the present trial system.”
When pressed on which of his players have particularly caught his eye this term, Keown was quick to avoid singling out just one or two men. “We’re a team, not a group of individuals” he insisted.
“It’s been hugely satisfying to see our improvement this term. The boys were beaten heavily by a representative side in our first game, but we’ve gone on to pick up some great results and challenge at the top of a tough division.”
Away from the league, though, student eyes will surely be looking to Varsity and a triumph over the Tabs, although Keown played down the importance of the set-piece fixture.
“I’m not just looking at this season in terms of Varsity” he said. “People will probably judge us on that one fixture, but in my eyes the sign of a quality team is showing consistency in the league.”
Arsenal fans in particular will be keen to learn whether Keown’s chest-thumping, aggressive demeanour on the pitch has translated to his fledgling career in coaching.
“I do try to be a bit calmer as a manager” he laughed. “What I like to see in football is composure on the ball and then aggression when you are trying to get it back. I always want to see my players putting in 100% effort out on the pitch, and thankfully the lads here have never given me less than that.”
Keown was turning out for local side Marston Saints when he was spotted by Arsenal, launching him on the way to a glittering career. Who’s to say, with the Blues riding high in their league and the man himself clearly relishing being back in the sport, that a second life in coaching won’t also begin with an amateur side in Oxford?

by Debbie DanceO n Tuesday, Oxford City Council will consider an application from Oxford University for its new library depository, which it hopes to site on the western edge of Oxford on the low-lying land which leads up to the River Thames. From here, too, the views of the ‘dreaming spires’ immortalised in the paintings of J M W Turner and the poetry of Matthew Arnold can be seen. Permission is close to being granted, however shocking and surprising this might seem.

What is proposed is essentially a huge warehouse in the foreground of the view, standing up above the City Council’s upper height limit of 18.2 metres in some parts, and showing blank inward-looking windowless walls to house the automated book stacks inside.

By employing sophisticated techniques, the University can use photographs and computer generated images to demonstrate that the new warehouse will have little impact on the view, an experience which Bodley’s Librarian describes as akin to looking for Wally in a Where’s Wally cartoon book in a recent article in The Oxford Magazine (2nd Week Michaelmas).  Their architects have added some works of mitigation, just in case, which take the form of a curved roofline, tree planting and colouring the building green. 

In our view, Councillors and others have been persuaded falsely by the University.  This building will not be fine, and will appear as much larger and more prominent than is being suggested, drawing the eye and incongruous in the landscape. 

We do not dispute that a new Depository is necessary for a University of such world-class status.  We are told that there are no other available sites, and it must go here.  However, we cannot agree, this is not a suitable site for such a building whatever the techniques used to disguise it. This site is in the views and on the edge of the low lying flood plain which was the subject of the extraordinary floods this summer.

The Trust has tried calling on the University and Colleges to get together and think again over this. We have not been successful. What legacy that in the 21st century that the University acts in such a negative way in damaging the very views of Oxford that it has created over 700 years, and in which the Radcliffe Camera and Bodleian Library have played such a significant part.”Debbie Dance is Director of the Oxford Preservation Trust, which owns owns over 600 acres of land in and around the City. Further details and images are available on the Oxford Preservation Trust website at www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk
Cherwell24 is not responsible for the content of external links.

Oxford, the site of so many significant scientific discoveries, is the perfect place for a History of Science Museum. Largely ignored despite its prominent position on Broad Street next to the Sheldonian (yes, that’s the building with the heads…), the permanent displays are well worth a visit. The display cabinets chart centuries of scientific endeavour: the highly ornate instruments reminding you that science can be beautiful as well as utilitarian. Even if you’re not a scientist (perhaps especially if you’re not a scientist) you should pay this place a visit. However, this month in particular, there are two exhibitions which you should visit.  
The Book of Imaginary Science is a series of sculptures by Roddy Bell. It is an exhibition concerned with ways of seeing. Alice Liddell’s Camera explores the dichotomy between reality and fantasy, self-perception and self-image. John Dee’s Angel of the Hours Clock is a beautiful and complex exploration of belief, and the desire to see the divine, the rotating contraption almost as fragile and ephemeral as the angels supposed to appear on them, ‘projected from the eye’ of a believer. All five pieces explore notions of personal identity and reality; in particular, the relationship between image and truth. The pieces are interspersed amongst the long-term residents of the museum’s collection, further blurring the lines between fact and fiction. 
Small Worlds is a series of rooms through which one walks, handset of poetry pressed to one ear, each room immersing you in a new microscopic world. The wallpaper and curtains (each ushering you into a new room) are printed with pictures of diatoms with fabulous names. The wall when you enter is covered with pictures of microscopic objects, some man-made, some natural: some identifiable: some wholly alien – the stomach bones of a starfish, the curve of a fly’s cornea. The exhibition is an exploration of scale and our place in this universe: at once tiny and insignificant, and hopelessly huge and isolated from a fascinating and gorgeous microverse. ‘“The nebula’s terror when it thinks of the atom” – a line in one poem sums it all up. Prepare to feel clumsy, inept, and out of scale when you leave.  
The Book of Imaginary Science runs from 25^th September to 25^th November
Small Worlds runs from 31^st October to 6^th April
Entrance is free
http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/
Cherwell24 is not responsible for the content of external links

An open letter to Oxford University Dramatic Society from Oxford’s theatre-going audience:
Get over yourselves. 
Earlier this term, Cherwell stage editor Rob Morgan, in what is undoubtedly his job, decided to run reviews of most, but not all, of the plays showing in Oxford that week. The following Friday, in what was undoubtedly not their job, members of the cast of Guardians and key OUDS officers criticized Morgan in a letter to the editor, accusing him of leaving their play out because of its venue. Their argument was that their OUDS funding was a “greater guarantee of quality than venue”.
It’s hard to know where to begin on this one – one column is hugely insufficient. Luckily, Thespionage has done half my job by mocking the ridiculous display of ego involved. Both student papers should be able to agree on one thing: OUDS does not get to dictate content. As long as there are more shows in Oxford than can be reviewed on a single page, there will be only one way to influence what’s in either paper – applying for a job.
But the Guardians’ letter raises another question: what, actually, is the point of student theatre?
Angels in America was said to be “the closest Oxford drama comes to professional quality”. Very well, but is getting close to professional quality really what Oxford drama should be striving for? Last year Naomi Hirst pointed out on Toast, “Oxford drama entirely mystifies the concept of supply and demand.” It’s true: we are oversupplied for our theatre needs. That’s fine. We’re also over-saturated in music, dance, debating, and (dare I say it?) newspapers.
We have so many plays not because we have massive audiences, but because we have so many actors. While watching most other student endeavours (like choirs) is free, I’ve spent £16 on theatre in the last couple of weeks. But just because I could have seen the RSC for less, does that mean Oxford drama should be striving for equal standards – and as a result, for an equally competitive and exclusive environment? I don’t think so. While showcase means some people do get professional quality training while they’re here, those fifteen people are not the point of student drama.
OUDS claims to have a purpose of cultivating relationships with drama societies and promoting a “cohesive dramatic body for its members”, It also claims to be dedicated to taking the odd risk and supporting a varied range of student drama. Which is great, when it works. Oscar Wood’s risky and original Big Breathe In was one of the few shows at Oxford worth the exorbitant ticket prices. But a brief glance over OUDS funding shows that most money ends up in not-exactly-daring plays involving “big names”. While Cuppers and New Writing are a good start, those who partake in them aren’t always supported after. In fact, it’s a challenge for a no-name show just to use the OUDS costume cupboard.
The mere fact that Thespionage exists is a nod to the fact that hackery has seeped from Frewin Court into the Madding Crowd. No-one is surprised to find that some lesser thesps who wrote asking for auditions for Angels in America never got responses, or that that there are unsavoury rumours about Macbeth’s casting. But while OUSU can fine you posters, and the Union ever-so-rarely remembers to call tribunals, OUDS hackery streams steadily on, unchecked, cultivating an air of exclusivity that keeps many aspiring actors distant and throws a long shadow over more “amateur” shows that struggle to get funds and audiences.    
What is OUDS? A mini-conservatory trying to produce polished, commercial shows while teaching our budding thesps to network just like professionals? Or a student society devoted to promoting wide involvement in varied, interesting theatre while giving students an outlet to try something new? It’s unclear what, if anything, their funding ‘guarantees’. Many hard-working casts have found their review cut, just as many aspirant producers have had their funding rejected and scads of talented actors have felt overlooked. As long as many of Oxford’s thesps feel excluded, OUDS darlings are bound to get upstaged by an outsider sometimes. You would hope they’d accept a chorus role with grace.

By Sarah Kent
John Kofi Agyekun Kufuor, President of Ghana, arrived at the Union with fully twenty dignitaries and journalists in tow. It was an impressive, dignified sight. Or at least it was until the President was shown into a private room. Then pandemonium broke loose; suddenly everyone was running up and down the halls of the union, scrutinising very carefully the pictures on the wall and shouting to each other, ‘is that ’61? Have you found ’61?’ This may seem like strange behaviour from fully grown politicians, but there was reason behind the madness. What they were looking for was a picture showing the members of the Union in 1961, a picture which features the President. I was soon running up and down the halls of the Union, in what can only be described as an ungainly manner, leading Ghanaian officials on a wild goose chase along the corridors. Luckily I was prevented from making a complete fool of myself by a call to meet the President.

I walk into the small room in the Union in which the President is being entertained and am immediately impressed. At 6 foot 3, a height that has lead to him being dubbed the Gentle Giant, Kufuor dominates the room, which he is clearly pleased to be in. For him this is not just a trip to Oxford, but a trip down memory lane.
Of course back in 1961, Oxford was a very different place; men’s and women’s colleges were separate and even the men’s colleges closed at 11pm. If you stayed out after that time you were stuck outside the gates for the night. Though the President did not tell me if he was ever left out in the cold without a bed, he did say that his bedroom was not always much more comfortable than the streets. “The rooms were not central heated, my bedroom had no heating system whatsoever and the sitting room had just a very small gas stove. The winter was savage, really savage and all I could do was get myself blankets, lots of blankets. I literally slept with my suit on.”

Pleasant though it is reminiscing, the President has not come to Oxford to be sentimental. He has come to talk about Africa. He is certainly qualified for the job. On a continent with many players, Ghana holds a central role. It was the first sub-Saharan colony in Africa to gain its independence in 1957, and is looked on as something as a role model for African states. It is a relatively stable country, having never experienced the civil wars or ethnic tensions so common in other African states. It also has a lot of potential; one of its primary exports is gold and a large oil field has recently been discovered. It could hardly be seen as short of natural resources. Indeed, Ghana is often hailed as one of Africa’s success stories.

All this sounds rather positive and President Kufuor is rightly proud of his country and the role he and his party have played in its development. Kufuor’s accession to the title of President in 2000 marked a landmark in Ghana’s history; it was the first peaceful handover of power in the country’s short lifespan. But Kufuor’s time is coming to an end. Next year sees another round of Presidential elections for which he will be unable to stand, having served the two terms allowed him by the constitution. He seems content with this. In a country where the smooth and peaceful passage of power is looked on not only as a constitutional demand but as a normal occurrence this may seem unimportant, but it is clearly something the President wishes to emphasise. When I ask him how he feels about having to step down next year he answers firmly, “I entered knowing my time would be up and I tried very hard to use my time productively for the country, and I believe I chalked some successes, and I believe when the time is up I’ll step down.” In England this may sound like stating the obvious, but in Africa, where heads of state frequently ignore the constitution in order to maintain power, this is an admirable statement.

Of course, the President’s serenity about the changeover may have a lot to do with his confidence in his party. Any suggestions that the opposition party may be making a comeback he poo poos as media propaganda. As proof he cites his government’s many successes. “If you went down to the ground to meet people they will tell you of the dramatic economic successes of the government, you would also see the infrastructure in terms of roads, energy, education and healthcare delivery, so many things.” The statement explains his confidence and seems impressive but a little too positive. Charming and earnest though the President appears, it is perhaps not only the opposition who have engaged with the media for its own purposes.

Whatever he maintains, Kufuor’s image is not squeaky clean. Although his government stands on a platform of ‘zero tolerance for corruption’, he has been accused of exactly that, and particularly of nepotism. Yet the President doggedly denies such accusations. When I ask him about it he is quick to defend himself, stating definitively “This is not true.” Of course, he cannot deny that his brother is the Minister of Defence and many of his in-laws hold prominent positions in the government, but the President is quick to defend himself on this count. He explains, “My direct brother, a very brilliant man, a very accomplished man, has been a parliamentarian since before I came to power and I believe he is qualified to be a member of parliament; my brother-in-law, perhaps the most senior politician in Ghana today. He contested me for the candidacy of our party to be president. If you take these two out I do not have a family member in the cabinet.” This sounds rehearsed but, sitting facing the President, his version of events is very compelling and I want to believe that he is the straight-down-the-line official he presents himself to be.

This is almost certainly a naïve hope, but one I’d rather maintain than go down the road of the cynic. Either way, before judgement is passed, Kufor’s presidency must be put in perspective. Corruption is practically a given in any world leader’s assent to power, yet equally it must be acknowledged that he is one of the least corrupt rulers in Africa at the moment. His policy of zero tolerance certainly seems to have been effective. Ghana is currently ranked a joint seventh alongside Egypt as one of the least corrupt countries in Africa on the Corruption Perceptions Index. Given the number of countries in Africa this status is impressive.

And this policy is not Kufuor’s only success. He has also been widely recognised, particularly in the international community, for the economic measures he has introduced in Ghana, many of which have involved increased international development, including the introduction in September of Ghanaian bonds, the first sold by a West African state. A further testament to the success of his economic policy is the award received by Ghana’s Finance Minister just last month from the World Bank, naming Ghana the Top Reforming African Country. But of course there is a downside to all this international recognition. The fact remains that Ghana is still a primarily subsistence agrarian economy and the injection of international money into the economy will not necessarily translate into development.

The problems Ghana faces in such ambitious plans were recently chrystalised in the country’s preparation for the 2008 Africa Cup, which Ghana will host. Two new stadiums had to be built for the event, and contracts were issued to a Chinese company. Immediately a problem arose. In order to complete the stadiums on schedule, the normal technology transfer in such projects – that is, the training and use of local workers – would have to be sacrificed, and sacrificed they were. But Kufuor seems sanguine about such problems. He sees international investment only as a result of internal growth and does not admit to any dangers in his policies.

Ghana is far from being a model country, and Kufuor follows suit. In terms of Africa, though, Ghana is a success story; in terms of politicians, Kufuor is earnest and, more importantly, successful.

Far right groups have called for a campaign targeting students who demonstrate against Nick Griffin and David Irving’s appearances at the Oxford Union in two weeks time.
Anti-fascist and student groups claim that students could be attacked on the day of the free speech forum in eighth week, and an Oxford student blogger has been sent death threats by neo-Nazi groups on the Internet.
Blogs on fascist websites have called for supporters to congregate in Oxford during the debate and to challenge protesters.
One blogger on fascist website ‘Survive or Die 14’ issued “a call to all right minded British patriots,” saying, “Plans have been made by every scum group in the area and around the country to try and disrupt this event. The brainless bullies of the left along with the self interested from various ‘minority’ groups will all descend on the town on that day in an attempt to stifle free speech.
“It is time that UK Nationalists showed these filthy vermin that we will not bow to threats of violence and bully boy tactics. In my own opinion we should be there on the 26th, not to stoop to the level of the scum by committing acts of violence. Our aim should be to let David Irving and anyone else who the reds attempt to stifle [know] that we are prepared to support them.”
Steven Altman-Richer, co-President of the Oxford University Jewish Society, said this was a clear indication of plans to intimidate student groups.
“We feel that this shows an actualised threat that fascist supporters will descend on Oxford for Irving and Griffin’s talk, therefore putting the safety of Oxford students at risk,” he said. “We are extremely concerned…not just for the safety of the Jewish community but for all minorities and all students.”
Sabby Dhula, co-ordinator of the national group Unite Against Fascism, also said that students were in danger and called on the Union to cancel the forum.
“We are very concerned for the safety of students, staff and all at Oxford University. A Neo-Nazi group is threatening to attack those who oppose the Oxford Union debate with the BNP.”
“The BNP is participating in a supposed civilised debate at Oxford, in order to give itself the sheen of legitimacy, when its stated aim of an all white Britain would only be achievable through violence, and its members have criminal convictions for violence and racism. We therefore call on the Oxford Union to stop lending legitimacy to fascism and withdraw these invites immediately,” she said.
Duncan Money, a second-year from Balliol, said that he had received death threats after criticising fascist groups in an internet blog, and described those planning disruption at the Union as “complete nutters.”
“I have received hundreds of threats from fascist groups,” he said. “My family has been threatened, my friends have been threatened and I’ve been threatened. On one occasion someone rang my home phone in the middle of night and said they would cut my throat. I have received hundreds of threats from members of the BNP and far right groups.”
Several groups have organized protests against appearances by Nick Griffin and David Irving. Wadham College Students’ Union is to protest in conjunction with members of student group ‘Make Oxford Just Initiative’, as well as members of the Jewish Society and the Islamic Society.
Thames Valley Police have advised people not to attend the Union on the evening of the debate if they are not permitted to attend the forum. They are currently liaising with the Oxford Union and protest groups in preparation for the event.
Oxford Union President Luke Tryl confirmed that there would be increased security measures in place, and announced his intention to hold a poll in conjunction with the Union’s termly elections to judge support among members for the invitations.

Rebecca Lacey warns of the dangers of irresponsible sex
What springs to mind when you think of casual sex? Drunken fumbling at the Bridge leading to more? Perhaps the casual arrangement known as ‘f**k buddies’ or ‘friends with benefits’. The term implies sex without a purpose, detached from any ties. But can you really describe anything about sex as causal?

Most Christians would teach that sex should only be within the security of marriage. The Roman Catholic church goes even further and argues that sex should not be causal even within marriage. Men “commit adultery with their wives by desiring sex for its mere pleasure and the satisfaction of instinct”. Sex should be for the purpose of procreation, pleasure is secondary. I’m not saying that you should be married to have sex. I firmly believe in the pleasures of good sex and the freedom of women to enjoy their sexuality. This has obviously become much easier since the development of the pill in 1967. But the idea of ‘casual sex’ is a fallacy. There is no such thing as sex with ‘no strings attached’. Alcohol-fuelled one night stands, often leave a horrible, nauseous feeling of regret at being used the morning after – the type of sex Cosmopolitan editor Lorraine Candy once termed ‘McSex’, cheap, meaningless, greasy. It isn’t possible to detatch emotions from sex. The chemistry agrees: oxytocin and vasopressin, hormones which enter the bloodstreams of men and women after orgasm, increase feelings of bonding and love towards your partner.

The increasing acceptance of casual sex in our society may also have contributed to the worrying rise of STDs and abortions: now one in four people will have an STD at some point in their life, and the abortion rate in Britain rose 3.9% from 2005-2006. Chlamydia, which has few or no symptoms and so often goes undetected, can lead to infertility in both men and women, damaging women’s fallopian tubes and leading to sperm damage and inflammation of the testicles in men.

Casual sex also takes away the intimacy that you can achieve when in a stable relationship. Worrying how you look and trying not to think about how many other people have slept in the bed you’re in just don’t compare to relishing the lustful, passion-filled sex that feels so good perfected in a loving relationship.

Toby Hill is out to have fun and get laid 
The guilt that can accompany casual sex suggests that there is something inherently amiss with it. If we consider where we have received such an instinctive reaction from though, one source seems salient: a religious code, initially intended to perpetuate the survival of a small Middle Eastern tribe a couple of millennia ago.

To believe such morality still holds decisive relevance for modern society necessitates a faith in the existence of an omnipotent God, whose commandments must be taken without question. Thus – if today we reject belief in an all-knowing God, then this entire moral value system must crumble; we can no longer talk of the simple ‘immorality’ of casual sex, or invoke our instinctive feelings against it. We’ve seen a similar process occur with homosexuality.

So! We need other justification if we are to condemn casual sex without a fundamentalist faith. And such concerns do, of course, exist; pure sensual pleasure rarely comes without a corollary …

A popular suggestion is that sex should be a highly emotional act between two loving individuals, and that to reduce it to a tool to induce sensual pleasure is to demean it. Of course, this conception of sex – as a high form of emotional communion – is almost certainly preferable. However, why can’t we just accept the existence of two types of sex? One – animal-like and of only momentary importance; the other, imbued with feeling and thus of lasting significance. To say the first demeans the second seems an arbitrary judgement; surely it is equally probable that the contrast between the two serves to emphasise the value of relationship-embedded sex.

A second problem is that of risk. Clearly, one reason that the sexual ethics of deceased societies are of less relevance today is that we have contraception. Safe sex! Of course, no sex is ever entirely safe. There is risk, but many of our recreational activities are risky. As long as this risk is accepted by two consenting adults, then surely it should be their choice whether or not to take it. Really, there can be no reason for anyone today to criticise another for their sexual promiscuity.

US CIVIL RIGHTS leader and former presidential nominee Reverend Jesse Jackson has warned that the an increased drive to encourage applications from black students is “critical to the integrity” of the University.
Speaking at the launch of the Aspire programme on Wednesday, which aims to recruit more black students to the University, Revd Jackson urged the University to step up its efforts to create a more culturally diverse institution.
“Critical to the integrity of the mission of the University is diversity. If it expects to influence the world, the student body must look like the real world order. It cannot exist as an island and be credible or relevant. The burden on the University is to honour the integrity of its mission of inclusion. Its credibility is on the line,” he said.
In the academic year 2006-7, there were 143 full-time undergraduate students from a black or mixed white and black background at Oxford, which is around 1.3 per cent of the entire student population.
Black students at Oxford agreed that the current system was still failing and welcomed the Aspire’s aims of addressing the situation.
Third-year Brasenose student Katherine Marks said, “I fully support the aims of Aspire because I think it is a great shame that there may be thousands of students out there who have the potential and the ability to come to Oxford and achieve great things but are not allowed the opportunity to do so based on what appears to boil down to skin colour. Now is the time to increase its cultural diversity by encouraging people who wouldn’t normal class themselves as the ‘Oxford type’ to apply.”
President of Oxford University’s Afro-Carribean Society Nennia Orji agreed that the issue was not one of black students’ ability, but rather a lack of opportunity and confidence.
“At the moment we’re lacking opportunity not ability. Aspire will really open up opportunities for black students. Maybe at the moment it’s a lack of role models that makes them think they haven’t got a chance,” she said.
The Aspire programme, a Regent’s Park College initiative in collaboration with Christ Church Canterbury University and the CTBI racial justice team, aims to widen access to higher education for young black students.
It will combine research into the obstacles faced by black participation in higher education with practical support to those who do decide to apply, including mentoring and visits to the University to meet with tutors and current students. 
Sukie Watson, a member of the University Access Team, pointed to current statistics as an indicator that more needed to be done. “Last year, we unfortunately only had a 16 per cent success rate of black students. It’s partly to do with the very small numbers who apply, but the simple fact is it’s not good enough. Aspire sets out to work on two aspects: first of all to understand the problem better, and secondly to try and do something about it,” she said.
“It is important for Oxford and for Regent’s Park to develop a more inclusive project to make Oxford more diverse because it does improve our intellectual ability. It makes us able to understand the world from new points of view. And because Oxford is a world-class university, it needs to have students from every part of that world and that’s what will make us an interesting and dynamic place for the future.”
Students agreed that a common problem which put many off applying to the University was the Oxford stereotype.
Michael Isola of Regent’s Park College said, “People think that Oxford’s just for white people, just for middle-classes students, just for boys from Harrow and Eton, and it is dominated by those people, but there’s a place for black people too.” While Jackson was in Oxford promoting Aspire he was named an Honorary Fellow of Regent’s Park College in recognition of his contribution towards human rights.

EXETER COLLEGE is in mourning following the sudden deaths of two first-year students on Monday. Sundeep Watts and Harcourt ‘Olly’ Tucker died within 48 hours of each other in two unrelated incidents.
After being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis on Saturday, Sundeep was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, where he passed away two days later. Olly suffered a heart attack while playing hockey at Iffley Road on Sunday and died the next day.
Exeter College has been closed to the public and authorities have expressed their condolences to the students’ families and friends.
College Rector Frances Cairncross said, “Exeter College is devastated by the deaths of Sundeep Watts and Harcourt ‘Olly’ Tucker. Our hearts go out to their families and friends. All the specialists dealing with him have assured us that there is no connection whatsoever between the two cases.
“The College has taken advice at every stage from the public-health authorities. Their view is that our other students are not at any increased risk of contracting meningitis. However, we have reinforced from Saturday onwards knowledge of the warning symptoms of meningitis. We have arranged an extensive network of counselling for anyone who requires it,” she said. 
According to the Health Protection Agency, Sundeep died from bacterial meningitis, which is carried by approximately 10 per cent of the population. The University has stressed that students are not at risk of a widespread meningitis outbreak, but have taken precautionary measures by distributing meningitis leaflets warning of infection symptoms.
Doctors attributed Tucker’s  death to a rare but potentially fatal heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which is often known to cause sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes.
Hugh Watkins, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and a fellow at Exeter, said that the condition was uncommon, only affecting 1 in 500 people and in most cases was not fatal.
He said that in a small proportion of cases it could cause sudden heart rhythm disturbances that result in cardiac arrest, and that this was often the reason behind the deaths of young people during physical activity.
“These heart rhythm disturbances can strike out of the blue. When people die during sport HCM is one of the frequently found causes. For those known to have the condition protective treatments are available. Because of this, and because HCM usually is inherited, families affected by this sort of tragedy are offered screening,” Watkins added. 
Friends and colleagues have set up Facebook groups honouring the two students, and tributes of praise have poured in for them.
Leeds student Sami Eldirdiry-Osman, who had known Sundeep since childhood, said, “He was the nicest guy you would ever meet. Me and Sunny spent so much time together as kids, Deep was like a little brother to me. I remember playing bulldogs in the garden and 40-40 round the house, so many good memories. Deep was the kind of guy who never said a bad word about anyone and was always smiling. He was smart, funny, athletic and he’ll be sorely missed by all,” he said.
Another friend wrote, “I’ve known Deep since primary school and throughout this whole time he has always been the kindest, sweetest and by far the funniest person I’ve met.
God Bless you Deep.”
Olly’s friends prasied his intelligence and sporting skills, describing him as a popular and friendly individual.
“Olly was more than just an intelligent guy, he was a gentleman, a well rounded and enthusiastic guy with a lot going for him and a good friend to anybody he ever met. Winning the best all-rounder award at school was just a small indication of his stature and abilities as a person,” said one friend.
Daniel Sonnekus added, “You grew from a shy new boy to an amazing popular star everyone wanted to be at school and if they didn’t want to be you they wanted to know you. You touched many people and will never be forgotten. We are all keeping your family in our prayers.”

By Edward Parker 
When it comes to going that extra mile, many people rise honourably to the challenge but, truth be told, the rest of us would rather stay in and watch Neighbours. For a long time, idleness has been associated with those who lack the motivation to do something useful with their brief existence. But now science might have another answer.

Many aspects of our behaviour on a day-to-day basis result from the intricate workings of our body’s internal clock. This extends as far as our temperature, the level of hormones in our blood, and, crucially, how alert we are. The biological clock, or “circadian rhythm”, is a self-sustaining loop that relates to the expression of particular genes throughout the day. In mammals, the main control centre for this daily rhythm lies in a part of the brain just behind the eyes, called the suprachiasmatic nuclei. Here, a range of genes is expressed in daily cycles, responding to varying light levels that influence our temporal behaviour changes. For instance, the two genes, Timeless and Period, act together to regulate a cascade of other physiological processes that govern our changing activity and temper.

Mutations in any of the numerous genes that influence our biological clock can result in this being speeded up or slowed down. In some cases, this change can be extreme. For instance, people suffering from the hereditary disorder, Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome (FASPS), wake up at around 4.30am and fall asleep at around 7.30pm. The tem oral program of behaviour and physiology is so scrambled that regular patterns of day and night are impossible to keep up with.

However, not all mutations are so extreme. Many variations of the genes influencing our biological clock only subtly alter our patterns of alertness and mood each day. In fact, it has recently been shown that the tendency of some to be “morning people” (think of the rowers who return from a dawn outing before you’ve had time to ignore your first alarm) may be in no small way related to predisposition of the biological clock.
And what about the rest of us? The genes which enable some people to pay attention during a 9am lecture are perhaps be the same ones causing the rest of us to fall asleep after five minutes. Of course, this might also be due to that late night at Filth you’re trying so hard to forget.