Hello to everyone, freshers and returning students – We'd like to welcome you to Michaelmas 2007 with Cherwell 24. Our redesigned site, launched last term, continues to grow and in the next few weeks you can expect to see new video news stories, podcasts, blogs, and comment functions. We encourage you to register to enjoy the full interactive capabilities of the site. A particularly warm welcome to the freshers – we hope you enjoy Oxford and turn to Cherwell 24 to stay updated on what's going on around the city. Check out our Culture section for what's going on in theatre, music, art, and film in Oxford that week, and keep an eye on our News ticker for breaking stories. If you're interested in getting involved with Cherwell 24, we're always looking for contributors in any section. You can get in touch with out section editors as follows:News: Laura Pitel (St Anne's)Features: Charlotte King (Balliol)Stage: Sinead Mattock (Brasenose)Music: Vikram Joseph (New) and Joseph Rowan (Balliol)Books/Exhibitions: Daisy Dunn (St Hilda's)Science: Connie Han (Madgalen)Sport: James Beard (Wadham)
Comment: Matthew Burn (Wadham) and Samuel Counsell (Trinity)Additionally, we're expanding our multimedia section, so if anyone has experience or interest in working with internet video, audio, and other user-interactive features, or you're interested in an area not covered by the sections above, drop the editors a line at:online(at)cherwell.orgWe'd love to hear from you. Enjoy Michaelmas and see more – see 24.Leah Klement (St Anne's) Fiona Wilson (Hertford)Editors

All summer I was moving about, country to country, meeting different people, spending time with different friends, having all sorts of fun. Now I find myself with a flat, a rent, a bank account and a stable job. This is so unlike me. Geographically, I am in a provincial town in the middle of nowhere. In Belgium.I had put a note downstairs saying, in French, “I am new to Liege, if you are doing anything interesting, please knock on my door first. P.S. Interesting things include: watching films, drawing, staring at the ceiling, making tea." The next day, I get back from the school where I am an assistant, teaching future English teachers (and get paid a jolly sum in the process). As my boots stomp stomp up the wooden stairs of my building, someone calls out my name. I saunter in through an open door and sit down on a stool. This experience should go down in history.There are two boys a couch. One is bald and topless, playing Super Mario on a Playstation. The other has hair and a t-shirt and is watching his friend play on a Playstation. The Bald One immediately says, without stopping the click click clicking of remote, “Hello. I don’t know what you are going to do in Belgium. There is nothing to do here.” Wow, I thought, my social life bodes well. I asked why he said this and mentionned the amazing library I’d found that rented tons of cds and dvds and the cinemas and live music. Super Mario sunk and Baldie retorted, “But life sucks because I haven’t found the woman who’ll be my wife.” This may sound like the beginning to an excellent porn film, but you are happilly decieved. I ask their ages, and incidentally what they do. They are 24, studying marketing and advertising at the art school in town. They insist on mentionning how they are both sons of farmers and how in Liege is so revoltingly fashionable (!). Baldie goes to make himself dinner and so I try to make the other one chat to me. I ask him what he likes, and he says “Sylvester Stallone.” This has to be one of the most amazing discoveries I have made since I’ve started Oxford. It got even more surreal. I walk over to the dvd collection under the television and pick out a film at random, then another and another, and every film I pick out does indeed have Sylvester Stallone starring in it, he watches the television, as he says proudly, “I’ve nearly got them all, I’m only missing a few.” I make the unfortunate mistake of saying I’d seen all five Rocky’s and he blurted out, irritated “Six! There are six Rockys.” I don’t think there was a tinge of joke in his voice.
But on the plus side they are friendly and welcoming, which is good news.

The government recently passed a bill legalising use of animal-human hybrid embryos in medical research. Namrata Turaga and Nela Cicmil  argue on the ethical, scientific, and societal implications. 'Human-Animal' Stem cells: Growth towards the future
Namrata Turaga argues that hybrid embryos are a step forward for humanity

On the 8^th October, stem-cell research in England changed forever. The government revised the Human Tissue and Embryology Bill to legalise the use of Human-animal hybrid embryos in research. Interspecies embryos can now be used under HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) license, though subject to tight regulation. With so many moral issues at stake, you may be asking: is this support from the government justifiable?
Before trying to answer this question, one needs to understand exactly what these hybrid embryos are, and what their scope for usage is. In order to make them, the entire DNA from a cow egg is extracted via an opening created by using a laser, and human DNA is then inserted into this cell. Then an electric shock is then applied, making the cell divide into an embryo, thereby providing human stem cells for extraction. In this way, all the hybrids created are 99.9% human and only 0.1% cow, hardly justifying the claim that this research is blurring the lines between animal and human species.
The embryos are kept alive for only 14 days. It is not the intention of the research to actually create a bizarre ‘cowboy’ or ‘cowgirl’ hybrids), but to use these stem cells to further our understanding of and find revolutionary cures for a plethora of diseases like Alzheimer’s, Motor Neuron Disease, Parkinson’s and even spinal cord injuries, which have so far frustrated researchers and clinicians alike, devastating hundreds of thousands of lives. Stem cells form the building blocks of the human body and have the potential to transform into any cell needed, making them invaluable for such degenerative diseases.
Currently, the formation of these cells relies on human eggs left over from fertility treatments, which are in short supply and not always of good quality. Allowing the use of hybrid embryo stem cells makes the process less cumbersome and yields much better results, increasing the scope of research by several factors. Not only will this pave the progress of British science into the realm of world class groundbreaking research, but more importantly, it gives hope to all the people with degenerative diseases. With more materials at their disposal, scientists are more likely to achieve a breakthrough sooner. In real terms, this means many sufferers have a greater chance of regaining a quality of life currently impossible to achieve.With so many positive outcomes in sight, the use of human-animal embryos has been backed by not only the government and the HFEA but also by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the Commons Science and Technology Commission and Nobel Prize winners like Sir Paul Nurse and Sir Tim Hunt, to name but a few. The HFEA stated, "we have been calling for an updated, clear framework that is fit for the scientific, moral and ethical pressures of the 21st Century and this response has brought that another step closer.” But what exactly is this morality and what is this issue of ethics?

The French philosopher Paul Ricouer offers his views on morality by saying ‘The moral law commands us to make the highest possible good in a world the final object of all our conduct’ while Nobel prize winning Philosopher Albert Schweitzer summarises ethics by saying, ‘A man is truly ethical when he obeys the compulsion to help all life which he is able to assist and shrinks from injuring anything that lives.’
Given that all the research with hybrid embryos is purely geared towards clinical outcomes, all the objections pale in comparison to the bigger picture of truly helping humankind. Hopefully people will realise the implications of the use of the hybrid stem cells and the Human Tissue and Embryology Bill will be accepted by all, thereby materialising the hopes of all sufferers of debilitating diseases.

Hybrid monsters – Ethically Unsound
Nela Cicmil argues that creating human-animal hybrids is scientifically and ethically unsound
The use of embryos has always been controversial and provocative. The new bill allowing part human, part animal embryos in medical research has unsurprisingly sparked a heated debate. The loudest voice of dissent is often that of “faith”- based and pro-life groups, who are on principle also against many other types of medical research. But you don’t have to be religious to see there are ethical reasons why the creation of hybrid embryos for research purposes is morally no better than the creation of human embryos for research purposes, and why in many ways it is worse.
It is currently illegal to create human embryos purely for research purposes. Scientists must depend upon the few rejected embryos from fertility treatment, which are often in poor condition, or donated embryos from the same source, which are in also in short supply. Research groups, from the University of Newcastle and King’s College London, wish to perfect their experimental techniques on hybrid “practice” embryos, so that the few human embryos they receive can be put to more efficient use. Hence, banning the hybrid embryos will not cut off entire routes of research into potential treatments into diseases such as MS, Alzheimer’s, motor neuron disease and Parkinson’s disease – if stem cells are even the answer.
The Newcastle research group also plans to insert disease-causing human DNA into the animal ovum to create a hybrid embryo. They hope that this will give some clue to the development of certain genetic disease. However, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) prohibits the replacement of nuclear DNA of a human embryo by DNA from another human source – so why should replacing the same DNA into an animal ovum be an ethical improvement? Additionally, it is likely that the stem cell of such an experiment would be so contaminated by the animal components that it would differentiate in a way that is nowhere near “normal”. The results would be extremely difficult to interpret at best.
So, we are left with the ethical considerations.  Medical research uses the principle that humans are special in some way, and different to and better than animals. That is how animal testing in medical research is justified. Additionally, human life is assumed to be sanctified, which is why creating and destroying even the earliest and least developed human embryo purely for research purposes has been deemed to be morally unjustifiable for any ends/ benefits. Therefore, the mixing of 99.9% human and 0.1% animal genetic elements at such a basic level, with the potential to grow into a kind of life form, is abhorrent because it violates and perverts this human sanctity and challenges our understanding of what it is to be human.
When researchers in Korea injected human stem cells into a mouse embryo and developed the mouse to full term, the experiment faced widespread public outrage, especially after it was found that some of the human stem cells had found their way into the nervous system. In the UK, there is an agreement not to perform such procedures. Was the mouse partly human, because it contained some human stem cells? Is the 99.9% human embryo partly animal, because it contains some animal components? The creation of such entities should not be allowed until we have satisfactory answers to these questions. At this time, the challenge to our idea of what it is to be human is enough to make the creation of hybrid embryos for research purposes morally equal to, or more abhorrent than, the creation of human embryos for the same purposes.
Lastly, it must not be forgotten that there are other, legitimate ways to obtain useful human embryos, such as from the blood of the umbilical cord. Improvements in storage and donation procedures of unused IVF embryos would help researchers more than would the creation of hybrid embryos, whose stem cells would always be subject to animal genetic interference. There are other active pathways for research into treatment of the serious diseases described above; hybrid embryos are by no means the only, best or most efficient method of finding the cure. Let us use procedures that do not violate the principles of human sanctity, and prevent the legalisation of the one that does.

 On a day of sensational rugby world cup upsets it seemed only the Oxford blues could follow script as they stormed to a comfortable 34-0 win over Trinity College Dublin.

Earlier in the week Trinity had secured an excellent 16 point victory over varsity rivals Cambridge, running in 5 tries in the process. Thus this fixture provided Oxford a golden opportunity to gauge ability and perhaps gain a psychological advantage over the light blues. Oxford certainly seemed aware of this prospect as a very physical blues side strode out onto the Iffley pitch with real purpose. Trinity, the middlemen in this sizing up of varsity sides, also appeared determined and some explosive hits in the opening moments dispelled any illusions that this was a gentle pre-season run around.

At these early stages in the season Oxford are seeking out several different combinations and seven changes were made to the starting line-up that faced Kanto Gakuin of Japan. Strong running back Euan Sadden moved into outside centre from the wing and, most notably, Joe Roff returned to the side not at last year’s position of centre, but at fly-half.

Although just an experiment to test the cover for regular fly-half Craig McMahon, Roff appeared as comfortable at fly half as he did on the wing for Australia. Floating out some delightful miss passes and linking up well with centre Sadden, Roff may have made McMahon sit a little uneasy on the bench.

Roff wasn’t the only playmaker however, with strings being pulled from all corners of the midfield. Inside centre Tom Gregory slotted in well at first receiver when Roff was tied up and scrum half Toby Henry took responsibility for the play on several occasions. It was his incisive snipe down the blindside that freed up winger Chris Haw to stroll over for the first score on 8 mins.

Oxford continued to press for the remainder of the half. The physical dominance of the blues pack securing the vast majority of possession and probing kicks from Roff and Henry keeping Trinity pegged back. Despite the quick recycling of ball and some strong breaks from Sadden, Oxford failed to add to their lead before half time. Trinity had to consider themselves lucky to go in only one score behind having only sustained one real period of pressure in the opposition half, the attacks thwarted by some excellent drift defence.

At this stage the flood gates were creaking and soon after the restart they burst open in spectacular fashion. Flanker Peter Wright snapped up some loose ball at the breakdown and charged his way to the line, only to be caught metres short. The support from hooker Dan Rosen was exemplary and after a bruising hand off he crashed over for the second score.

A petty sin binning for Oxford number 8 Tony Jackson did not ease the pressure on Trinity and some quick ball spun wide by the Oxford backs allowed full back Tim Catling to waltz in for the third try.

Trinity tried their best to find a way back into the match with captain Joe Burns injecting some much needed urgency from scrum half. They found their way into the Oxford twenty-two and had replacement Luke Mantel held a certain try scoring pass, the game’s closing stages may have been very different. As it was, the physical prowess and perhaps superior fitness of the Oxford side began to tell as Trinity appeared to become more and more deflated as the half wore on.

On his return from the sin bin, Tony Jackson rumbled over for two scores and Tim Catling also got a second as the misery was piled on Trinity.

Steve Hill, Oxford’s Director of rugby, was understandably delighted with the performance, but played down any comparisons with the Cambridge scoreline. “The dominance of the forwards was very pleasing and we showed great patience in wearing down the opposition.

“Cambridge were fielding a weakened side and we mustn’t get carried away with this result.”

For an experimental side the result was fantastic, if a little unexpected, and the conclusions drawn will be positive. At this early stage there’s no doubting which is the happier of the two varsity camps.

Student groups are to launch protests after the Oxford Union invited controversial historian David Irving and British National Party leader Nick Griffin to take part in a free speech forum.

OUSU President Martin McCluskey will chair an emergency meeting of sabbatical officers today, having vocally condemned the move to members of the Oxford University Labour Club on Wednesday night.

Both the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Union of Jewish Students have also promised to stage demonstrations if Irving and Griffin speak on 26 November.

Irving was imprisoned in Austria in 2006 for Holocaust denial, although at his trial he recanted his views, and is now absolutely without doubt that the Holocaust took place. Griffin has previously referred to the Holocaust as the "Holohoax".

Oxford Union President Luke Tryl said, "I can confirm that we have sent invitations and are in discussion with David Irving and Nick Griffin for our free speech forum on 26 November."

He defended his decision to invite them, saying, "It’s nothing to do with the Holocaust or racism. We always believe that we are the last bastion of free speech, and we want to explore where the limits of that lie through our forum.

"I expected OUSU to condemn this. I hope they’ll recognise that this isn’t being done because I sympathise with Irving or Griffin. I utterly condemn these people’s abhorrent views, but we are a debating society committed to free speech."

McCluskey claimed that any appearance would discredit the Union. "I find it utterly appalling," he said. "It sets a really disturbing precedent. The Union being a student run society, it sends out the wrong sort of message. All this is doing is giving them a platform in a prestigious arena.

"I think as a Union member it’s despicable that my membership fee and the membership fees of hundreds of freshers will be paying for hospitality for Holocaust deniers."

He added, "I’d want to know their reasoning as to why they were invited. It just seems to be courting controversy."

NUS President Gemma Tumelty promised that any appearance by Irving or Griffin would be strongly opposed.

"The Holocaust denier David Irving and leader of the fascist BNP Nick Griffin have no place in our multicultural society, let alone on our diverse university campuses. NUS utterly opposes racism and fascism wherever it arises and will certainly oppose any attempt by Oxford University’s debating society to invite Irving and Griffin to speak.

"We would condemn their presence on any campus and will certainly be active in campaigning to ensure that they are not given a platform at Oxford. Whenever we get confirmed information about his intended campus visit, NUS will act swiftly and severely," she said.

A spokesperson for the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) also attacked the Union’s decision to invite Irving and Griffin, and said that Irving and Griffin’s presence could be dangerous to certain minorities of students.

"We absolutely don’t approve of the speakers," he said. "Giving credibility to the Nick Griffins and David Irvings of this world has serious repercussions for Jewish students and other minorities. Where the BNP appear, we see a rise in racism, and that’s something the Oxford Union President should take into account.

The Union stated that Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, would also speak at the forum alongside author Anne Atkins and student debaters drawn from the Union’s members.

"I have agreed to debate the subject ‘This house believes that even extremists have a right to freedom of expression within the law’ at the Oxford Union," Dr Harris said. "It follows logically that I will not seek to support extremists by refusing to debate free speech with them.

"Extremist or offensive, but otherwise lawful speech should be ignored, ridiculed or argued against. It should not be shut down or driven underground. It is counter-productive to make free speech martyrs out of these people," he added.

In 2001, Union President Amy Harland cancelled a planned appearance by Irving after protests and fierce debate among the University community.

The University and College Union stated that the Union was repeating its previous error.

A spokesman said, "We have been here before when Irving was invited to speak in 2001. The outcry that followed ensured that invitation was withdrawn. We do not understand why seven years on, with Irving’s academic credentials far from enhanced, the Oxford Union wishes to repeat that mistake."In January 2007, Griffin was prevented from taking part in an Oxide Radio interview due to OUSU’s no-platform policy, which denies OUSU venues and services to those with fascist views.by David Matthews

By Matthew Hackett FEARS that student safety on Cowley Road is at risk has prompted OUSU to launch a major campaign to have CCTV installed by the City Council.
OUSU President Martin McCluskey criticised the Council’s East Area Parliament, which recently rejected demands for greater surveillance due to the expected cost. “It’s shocking that they have blocked the installation of CCTV on Cowley Road,” he said. “I want to ensure that students and residents living in East Oxford are safe and there are adequate measures in place to protect their personal safety.
“CCTV would also allow the police to allocate resources more efficiently and ensure that the surrounding streets are effectively policed.”
Violent crime increased by 34.7% in the first six months of 2007, and last year there were over 900 crimes recorded in the Cowley Road area.
In September 2007, Superintendent Brendan O’Dowa called for the installation of eight cameras between Magdalen Bridge and Magdalen Road. City Councillors rejected the proposals, claiming that they would cost over £200,000.
“The local police are begging for CCTV,” McCluskey said. “In busy periods there can be as many as 3000 people spilling out of pubs and clubs, requiring a huge police operation.”
He admitted that OUSU had previously ignored the needs of second, third-year and graduate students who were living out in East Oxford. “We’ve been too college focused and just haven’t done enough,” he said. “Our call for CCTV on Cowley Road isn’t just to protect our students, but every resident in East Oxford.”
The campaign has the support of local Labour MP Andrew Smith, who represents the East Oxford constituency. Smith said that he was confident of success. “We’re going to fight for this all the way,” he said. “I have been struck by the level of support for CCTV among residents. This is a campaign that unites both town and gown.”
Chair of the East Area Parliament, Nuala Young, criticised OUSU and Thames Valley Police for their campaign. “The senior officers calling for cameras keep changing their figures. They previously said that things are getting better, but now they seem to have changed their minds,” she said. “We in the East Area Parliament are the elected representatives, yet they seem determined to act in a quasi-legislative role.”
Councillor Young said that she hoped to engage in a more productive debate with police chiefs. “I want to see less publicity-seeking and instead sit down for a serious discussion.
“Most of the crimes in question take place in side streets, which cameras would do nothing to detect or prevent.” She also fears the use of CCTV as a substitute for actual policing and outlined alternative solutions. “We would like to see more police officers on bicycles. This is quick and direct.”
The Green Party councillor also added that the scheme would involve further dangers. “We’ve had a whole summer of roadworks and businesses are really suffering,” she said. “The installation of cameras would require the road to be dug up again and do further damage to local commerce.”  
She voiced concern that the use of CCTV would infringe on residents’ civil liberties. “The UK is the most watched society in the world. We already have more CCTV than Africa and Australia put together, it’s absolutely ridiculous,” she said.
McCluskey responded to her criticisms, saying, “We’re taking measures to safeguard people’s privacy. Cameras would not be able to see into houses and there would be strict regulations as to who could view footage.”

 By Jake Whittall
Pembroke students have accused police officers of acting without proper care or consideration after dragging an unconscious student across the pavement and shouting at him.
Friends of the student were “shocked” by the officers’ actions after the individual fell heavily against a wall after drinking half a bottle of vodka at a house party in Cowley.
One eye witness, who wished to remain anonymous, described how the passing officers had shown little concern for the student.
“These two cops got out and told him to ‘get up mate’ and kicked him while he was down. I told one of them that we had called 999. He said he’s just drunk. But I told him that wasn’t the point. I said to him that he was drunk, but the reason he was on the ground was because he had knocked himself out.”
“He replied that the ambulance won’t take him like that because he’s drunk. They ended up just dragging him along the road to the side of the pavement,” he said.
Another student, who also wished to remain anonymous, added, “I was quite shocked by the actions of the police.”
According to witnesses, the student attending the end of fresher’s week party had downed half a bottle of vodka in order to impress freshers. One witness described him as being “out of it.”
“He was taken out of the house and banged his head,” one witness said. “It was serious. He fell dead weight and hit a wall. We lay him down on the side of the road. After we lay him down he lost consciousness, so we called 999 and they told us how to put him in the recovery position.”
The student, who was taken to the hospital by the ambulance crew as a precaution and placed under observation for a night, has since made a full recovery.
Thames Valley Police were unavailable for comment.

 BLUES FOOTBALL

Wednesday 17^th October

Northampton v Men's Blues

Loughborough v Women's Blues

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Premier Division

Results

Wednesday 17^th October, 2pm

Jesus v Brasenose

Lincoln v Worcester

New v Wadham

Oriel v Teddy Hall

First Division

Results

Christ Church 2-6 Balliol

Hertford 2-1 Somerville

LMH 8-1 St Hugh's

Keble 0-2 Magdalen

St Catz P-P Exeter

Monday 15^th October, 2pm

Balliol v Exeter

Magdalen v LMH

Somerville v Keble

St Catz v Hertford

St Hugh's v Christ Church

BLUES RUGBY

Blues 34-0 Trinity Coll. Dublin

Greyhounds ?-? Ox Brookes

U21s 18-28 Trinity Coll. Dublin

Saturday 13^th October, 2.30pm

U21s v United Hospitals

(at Iffley Road)

Monday 15^th October, 7.30pm

Blues v London Welsh

(at Iffley Road)

Wednesday 17^th October, 2.30pm

Greyhounds v Cardiff Medics

(at Iffley Road)

COLLEGE RUGBY

First Division

Results

Keble 72-0 St Hugh's

St Catz P-P Teddy Hall

St Peter's 12-21 Magdalen

Tuesday 16^th October, 2.30pm

Teddy Hall v Keble

St Hugh’s v St Peter's

Magdalen v St Catz

Second Division

Results

Worcester P-P Trinity/LMH

Wadham 17-10 CCC/Some

Christ Church 38-21 Exeter

Tuesday 16^th October, 2.30pm

Worcester v Wadham

Trinity/LMH v Christ Church

Exeter v CCC/Some

BLUES RESULTS

Men's Badminton ?-? Cambridge

Men's Basketball ?-? Aston

Men's Volleyball ?-? Nottingham

BLUES FIXTURES

Wednesday 17^th October

Bath v Men's Badminton

Warwick v Women's Badminton

Brunel v Men's Basketball

Nottingham v Blues Netball

Men's Volleyball v Ox Brookes, 7pm

Women's Volleyball v Nottingham, 5pm

Ox Brookes v Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey v Bath, 2.45pm

Birmingham v Men's Squash

Women's Lacrosse v Exeter, 2.30pm

Women's Tennis v Ox Brookes, 12pm

 By Matthew Hackett

Vice-Chancellor John Hood has attacked a Government drive to tackle religious extremism on campuses, warning that it could have dangerous consequences for academic freedom.

In his annual Oration speech, Hood called for debate on the Government’s demand that tutors "report" suspicious student activities.

"It is vital that public policy, designed to address the undeniably real security worries about terrorism, does not undermine that very scholarly endeavour which can help to build and propagate knowledge and understanding in society," he told assembled dons.

"There has already been talk, not all of it well thought through it seems to me, about the ‘policing’ of campuses. It is a subject requiring the most careful debate, a debate for which Oxford is, I believe, well qualified. The debate may be difficult, but it is also urgent, as politicians and educators alike have begun to acknowledge."

Hood also urged caution in assuming that University students are being exposed to Islamist extremism. "Well-founded or not, this perception may prove to have profound and challenging implications for academic freedom and for the way it is exercised in the years ahead," he said.

He claimed that an informed understanding of Islam was crucial to prevent academic freedoms being undermined, adding, "The exposure of young people to powerful ideas of all sorts is a fundamental and important part of the educational process."

Professor Anthony Glees, an academic at Brunel University who claimed in April that Oxford and other universities had been infiltrated by Islamic fundamentalists, condemned Dr Hood’s comments.

"I simply couldn’t believe that anyone in his position would have spoken in this way," Glees said. "His remarks were not only ill-informed and frighteningly superficial but more than that, given his position as Vice Chancellor of one of our most prestigious universities, they were utterly irresponsible.

"To urge dons not to keep their eyes and ears open for Islamist extremism on campus is to suggest to them that they have rights in our society which are not enjoyed by any other group, not doctors, not lawyers, none. What makes dons think they are entitled to be different from any other citizen? If they do, it is just one more indication of how far removed they’ve become from the real world."

Usaama al-Azami, President of Oxford University Islamic Society, supported the Vice-Chancellor’s criticisms of government policy. "I think if most people saw or heard something that troubled them, they would contact the people necessary to look into things if they deemed that necessary, and that applies to all citizens," he said.

"Tutors who are looked up to should not be the ones who are especially keeping an eye on their students. That would damage the vital tutor-student relationship that makes Oxford the world-class institution it is."

Al-Azami claimed that government pressure could have potentially negative effects on minority members of the University community. "I think it can amount to the targeting of Muslim students and intimidation. I believe extremism is a very real problem, but it should be dealt with in a more sober manner.

"Groups that have left extremism have done so as a result of extensive debate and discussion, and never as a result of forceful suppression. Dealing with this problem, first and foremost, needs education."

Banned extremist Islamic organisation al-Muhajiroun have been recruiting at universities across the UK, including Oxford, in the past two decades. In July Omar Bakri, second-in-command of al-Muhajiroun, admitted to speaking at meetings in Oxford over a 14-year period.

Bakri told the Spectator, "We used to have open discussion sessions inside the Student Union. We were there every Wednesday or Thursday, but we never used an Islamic name. We always had a variety of names: ‘peaceful society’, ‘shisha society’, ‘intellectual society’. No-one paid any attention to us. They didn’t see us as extremists but as intellectual students."In May, the University and College Union, the largest UK union for academics, voted to reject government plans instructing academics to report students with extremist views. They called for members to "resist attempts by government to engage colleges and universities in activities which amount to increased surveillance of Muslim or other minority students and to the use of members of staff for such witch-hunts."

 The Blues Rugby squad met at the beginning of September for a week of training in Oxford prior to a trial game against Henley Hawks. A two-week tour to America followed, with periods spent in New York and at a training camp based at Penn State University.

The benefit of the tough summer programmes provided by Strength and Conditioning coach Tom Tombleson was immediately obvious, as was effort put in by players in other areas to improve their performance off the field this year.

Johnny Chance’s intensive humour training has seen him rocket up the banter stakes to the point where he is considered ‘quite funny,’ an improvement on ‘nice' and now our physio Cath even knows his name. Bertie Payne has obviously been taking singing lessons, although forgot to supplement them with work on his French accent while Olly Tomaszczyk has been doing a part-time sports science course. Dan Rosen’s new techniques for sleep deprivation of others, perfected on poor innocent rats over summer, showed impressive improvement and TT has been working on his personal pronouns. Winston Cowie has, needless to say, been boozing.

As well as a great opportunity to put in some hard training without the various distractions of term time in Oxford, the tour was invaluable in getting to know new players, and was successful to the extent that boundaries were quickly blurred with distinctions between old and new all but disappearing.

How did we previously survive without Stu ‘The King’ O’Flanagan’s private detective skills? Without Tom Gregory’s choreography? Without Ricky Lutton’s 24 hour on-call fire service? Without the spiritual guidance and problem-solving of our two agony aunts, Jacko and Rupert Allhusen? I could go on.

Back in Oxford, the training regime necessarily slackens somewhat due to other commitments on players’ time, but the competition for places has ensured a continued intensity at all sessions, which in turn has led to convincing wins in our first two home games. As we enter a run of Monday evening fixtures, the squad is in good shape for the challenges ahead, which will culminate, of course, in the Varsity Match at Twickenham on 6th December.