The disparity between Finals
results which exists between male and female undergraduates will be discussed
at an Educational Policy and Standards Committee (EPSC) panel meeting on 22
November.The EPSC meet twice a term and is
chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), Professor Elizabeth Fallaize of
St John’s. It
consists of three panels dealing with examinations, graduate and undergraduate
matters. The EPSC’s responsibilities
include curriculum design and course structure, learning and teaching, assessment
and academic and pastoral support and guidance. The committee includes undergraduates
and contributes to policy and development, considers proposed amendments to
course and examination regulations, and deals with individual dispensations.Fallaize said, “The University is
very concerned about the Finals gap and is working with OUSU to discuss ways of
tackling it. Many studies have been conducted in the past on the matter but it’s
very difficult to draw easy conclusions from them.” She added, “But we are
still very determined to find the solution.”The OUSU Vice-President (Access and
Academic Affairs) sits on the EPSC undergraduate panel and OUSU’s
Vice-President (Women) has also been invited to attend the forthcoming meeting
in order to offer ten suggestions on how the University can act on the Finals
gap.  Ellie Cumbo, OUSU VP (Women), said,
“It is important that we take suggestions from students directly – that’s what
OUSU is for. Our plan is to first of all contact members of women’s campaigns
and JCR presidents.” “For the next four weeks we’ll be
running a high-profile call for students’ views on what will help and what will
not.” Cumbo added, “This is a breakthrough opportunity for the women in Oxford to tell the University
what their academic needs are. The fact that the University is at last gearing
up to take action on the Finals gap, and is also engaging directly with OUSU in
order to do it, is a textbook example of how a top-flight university should
work.”She continued, “I hope students
of both sexes will be encouraged to tell their JCRs, or me directly, what their
ideas are – both what will help and what won’t. If they’re prepared to speak
out, I believe we really could be at the beginning of the end of the Finals
gap.”ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

A former student of Trinity College
and Fellow of Oriel, John Henry Newman, is heading towards canonization after a
Boston deacon claimed that prayers to the Oxford theologian cured
him of a spinal disorder.Newman was a key member of the Oxford
Movement, also known as Tractarianism, which was a controversial Anglican high
church movement active in the 1830s. He was made vicar of the University Church
of St Mary the Virgin on High Street in 1828. Newman shocked the Victorian Anglican
church by his conversion to Catholicism in 1845, and founded the English
Oratory in Birmingham
in 1848. Newman’s beatification cause, the
first step towards becoming a saint, was opened in 1958. He can already be
described as the Venerable John Henry Newman, but canon law requires a miracle
to be performed by the individual before they can be considered a candidate for
sainthood.Until the miracle described by
the Boston
deacon, who cannot be named, no miracles had previously been performed at Newman’s
intercession. “I had to tell [Pope John Paul II] that the English are not very
good at miracles,” Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor said in an article in The
Times. “It’s not that we are not pious, but the English tend to think of God as
a gentleman who should not be bullied.”  The current head of the Catholic Church,
Pope Benedict XVI, is said to have admired Newman since his days as a student.
In a letter to Trinity
College, where Newman was
the first Honorary Fellow, he praised the Cardinal’s “disciplined commitment to
the pursuit of religious truth”. Father Robert Byrne, Provost of
the Oxford Oratory which was founded by former members of Newman’s Birmingham oratory, said “Newman has long been associated
with Oxford and
so we are absolutely  delighted with the
news.” If canonised, Newman will be the first
English saint since the Reformation. Other Oxford
saints include St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford,
and St Edmund Campion, a scholar of St
John’s college martyred at Tyburn in 1581 and canonised
in 1970. Clare Hopkins, archivist of Trinity College said “[The honorary Fellowship] was
an honour that meant a great deal to him, as it was only six years after the
Statutes of the University had changed to allow Catholics to be members,
something that had been denied to them since the reign of Elizabeth I. His
visit to Trinity was his first visit to Oxford
since his conversion…Trinity
College remains very
proud of John Henry Newman today.”ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

Sir Richard Southwood, an eminent
zoologist and former Vice-Chancellor of the University, died on 26 October
2005. A lifelong naturalist, Sir Richard founded and chaired the division of
Life Sciences at Imperial College, London before
moving to Oxford
in 1979. In Oxford
he was appointed Linacre Professor of Zoology and head of department, a position
he held until 1993. A fellow of Merton
College and Emeritus Professor
in the department of Zoology, he made major contributions to both college and
University life. Sir Richard’s interest in natural
history, based on the observation of plants and creatures around his childhood
home, began at a very young age. His early entomological work was on the
morphology and taxonomy of Hemiptera-Heteroptera. This lifelong fascination
with insects led to the production of several influential books, including Life
of the Wayside and Woodland and Land and Water
Bugs of the British Isles.The Story of Life, his most
recent book, was published in 2003. It surveys the evolution of life in all its forms, from the earliest
single-celled bacteria, via the evolution and extinction of animals such as the dinosaurs, to the variety of life today. As head of department, Sir Richard encouraged
communication between various groups within the Zoology department. The
integration of research from disciplines such as molecular biology, animal
behaviour and ecology allowed exciting hybrid work to flourish, including that
of Richard Dawkins, who moved from animal behaviour to evolution.Shortly after he became Vice-Chancellor
in 1989, Sir Richard took over the Presidency of Campaign for Oxford, the University’s first major fundraising
campaign. The campaign proved to be incredibly successful, raising £340m by the
time of its completion in 1994.In addition to his contributions
to academia, Sir Richard’s public service has been extensive and important.  During his four years as Chairman of the Royal
Commission on Environmental Pollution, three major reports were published and
several research projects launched – his 1983 report was influential in the phasing
out of lead-based petrol in Britain. While serving as Chairman of the National
Radiological Protection Board, he established an EnvironmentalIssues Panel with a wider membership
of ‘green’ organisations. He also chaired the Working Party on Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy. The Working Party’s recommendations in 1988 and 1989
guided the government’s policy on dealing
with BSE.In 1994 Sir Richard became Co-Chairman
of the Round Table on Sustainable development, an initiative set up by the
Conservative Government to advise on environmental matters. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Dr John Hood, said, “Sir Richard
Southwood had a reputation for sharp political intelligence and rapid
decision-making, characteristics which served him well during his time as
Vice-Chancellor.”He continued, “His enthusiasm and
keen interest in interdisciplinary work inspired many scientists to look beyond
the confines of their own field. He will be remembered as an eminent scientist
and a dynamic leader.”Professor Paul Harvey, Head of the
department of Zoology, said, “Sir Richard Southwood was an outstanding servant
of our University to the very end. For many years after his formal retirement,
he  presented a marvellous,
annually-updated series of lectures to our undergraduates. His strategic advice
to the department at open meetings or in personal consultation was invaluable
and, like him, will be sorely missed.”ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

A male student from Keble had his
drink spiked at The Bridge nightclub on Tuesday. The student, who wishes to
remain anonymous, had his money stolen and was hospitalized as a result. The student said, “I went to The Bridge
with a mate on Tuesday night and met up with some others there. We bought some
drinks and stacked them up so we didn’t have to keep queuing – I only had about
six  drinks over five hours.  “The last thing I recall was
having three drinks waiting on the bar and getting about half way through the first
one – after that it was total memory blackout until this morning when I woke in
a hospital bed with a drip.”He went on to say that he had about
£50 removed from his wallet that night, but that nothing else went missing. Eve
Bugler, Keble’s JCR President reiterated the importance of going to the
hospital in cases of suspected drug spiking and having tests done so that there
is enough evidence for the police to proceed with investigations. Bugler said, “despite Oxford seeming like a
safe city, it is important to emphasise to all students that they should be
vigilant all the time. All should make sure that they watch their drinks and do
not accept drinks from strangers. Hopefully a greater awareness of the
importance of being careful will help to eliminate incidents like these.” A spokesperson from the Thames
Valley Police advised students, “Try to buy your own drinks and don’t take
drinks from people that you don’t know. don’t leave your drinks unattended.” Following
the incident, an e-mail was sent out to members of the Keble JCR and other
colleges including St Edmund Hall, urging students to be cautious.  The victim said, “I’ve informed
the JCR to warn everyone to be careful: it doesn’t seem to be an isolated incident
and it’s not only girls at risk.” On Wednesday, former Keble student Richard
Craig was also hospitalized after being attacked in Park End, which had been
hosting a Zoo entz night. He received stiches in his head resulting from having
been “bottled”, although was released from hospital the same night.Ruth Pitcher, Keble JCR Welfare Officer
told Cherwell, “The College is extremely
concerned about such occurrences and in light of recent events have strongly
advised students to err on the side of caution when out at night. I would like
to reiterate the importance of vigilance in bars and clubs, and encourage
everyone to keep drinks as close as possible at all times.”ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

Lincoln JCR has decided to hire a
prostitute for one of its undergraduates for his birthday. The motion was submitted
at Sunday night’s JCR meeting by members of Lincoln’s football team, who were worried about
team mate Thomas Plowman’s apparantly deficient love life. The motion, which passed almost unanimously,
noted that Plowman, a second year English student, “has not had sex for a long
time”. It continued, “Nothing would please Mr Plowman more that to get his end away
on his birthday”. Amendments to the motion ruled that
the prostitute in question must be male and bestowed with “a large phallus”. A
maximum price for the prostitute was set at £10 “for everything”. One student
said, “It would be cheaper to buy him a ticket to the Brookes Pleasuredome.” JCR President Ollie Munn said, “The
JCR is always looking for new ways to offer its members a good service, even if
we do have to hire in outsiders.”The motion specifically
stipulates that “Mr Plowman must also be the penetratee rather than the penetrator”.
In the interests of Plowman’s welfare, it has been decreed that “The JCR also
resolves that Tom must then book an appointment for the following week with Dr
Gancz”.ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

A spoof driving test posted on a website
by a Christ Church student prompted the driving
Standards Agency (DSA) to threaten legal action for the unauthorised use of the
company’s official logo. The threat was outlined in a letter sent last month to
third year physicist Andrew Steele, the student responsible for the ‘blog’. The
letter, which was received on 30 September, called Steele’s use of the DSA logo
an infringement of the DSA’s rights contrary to the Trade Marks Act 1994, as
well as being an infringement of [their] copyright”. The letter went on to request
Steele to remove the DSA logo from the spoof theory test and for them to agree “not
to make use of the DSA’s property rights in the future”. Steele said he was “a bit
surprised because the theory test has been online for two to three years.” The
letter requested that the logo be removed by 22 September, but was itself dated
28 September. Steele promptly replied to the letter, concerned that it may have
sent by an individual or group impersonating the DSA due to the mistakes with
the dates, the misspelling of their address and the lack of a reference code on
the letter.Within five working days he had
received a response assuring that the letter was in fact from the DSA, as well
as an apology for the mistake regarding the dates, stating that they had meant
to set the deadline of 22 October. Following the response, Steele edited the DSA
logo, and continued to use the edited version.  However, the commercial director
of DSA contacted Steele saying that he did not “find the logo acceptable given the
use of colour and style”, as the colours still matched those used by the DSA.
The DSA appeared to be offended by the spoof test, aside from the fact that
their logo was being used, saying, “Road safety is a matter taken very
seriously by the DSA and you are clearly treating this serious subject as a
light hearted one.”Steele then changed the logo, an action
noted by the DSA. However, the commercial director writing to Steele asserted
that the problem of the spoof theory test, posted online, put a “sarcastic slant
on the theory test”, and that the DSA “does not approve of or endorse [Steele’s]
‘Mock Theory Test’ in any way”. Steele said he “thought it was a bit
ridiculous that [the DSA was] wasting government time and resourceschasing up satirical student websites.”
He went on to add that “it’s what you would expect from a headmaster at a
boarding school rather than an official government organisation”.‘Blogs’ or weblogs are personal web
spaces usually containing periodic journal-style entries which may be used to
promote the views of individuals or political campaigns, media programmes and corporations.
Many blogs enable visitors to leave public comments.ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

An Oxford City
councillor has called for prostitution to be legalised in the Cowley Road area. Sajad Malik told the Oxford Mail,
“Prostitutes use anywhere dark and anywhere quiet in my ward to do their
business. They leave behind filth in alleyways, parks and tracks: it’s a health
issue.”He added, “It would be far safer for
the girls if they were in licensed premises where they could have regular health
checks. Prostitution has been going on for centuries; there is nothing we can do
to stop it.” Mr Malik proposed that Oxford
should consult Liverpool City Council who are currently setting up a scheme for
prostitution tolerance zones.Ruth Beer, councillor for Oxford Marsh
said she supported Malik in his frustration and that his decisionto speak out “raises awareness of
the problem and of the need to debate these issues.” Beer added “I completely understand
that no one wants it on their doorstep but criminalization obviously isn’t
discouraging it.” Members of the University have expressed
concern over the issue, particularly as Cowley is a popular areafor student accommodation. Ellie Cumbo,
OUSU VP (Women) said, “The Cowley Road doesn’t have themost impressive street safety
record as it is, which is already a grave concern for the many students who
live there.” She continued, “Female students already
feel extremely uncomfortable walking through parts of the area at night, and so
filling it with people who are specifically there to buy sex could hardly be
more detrimental totheir welfare.”Dr Ann Buchanan, dean of St Hilda’s
College said that she “would be very concerned” if the changes Mr Malik has
proposed came into place and she pointed out that “there have already been a
number of cases of students being approached inappropriately”. Emily Pull, JCR President for Exeter said, “There are
already a number of safety concerns about the Cowley/Iffley area with incidents
of sexual assaults and violence.” She added, “I believe this wouldlead to segregation of the centre
of Oxford and
Cowley even more so than exists at present and I don’t believe this is
something that is in anyone’s interest to do.” In a letter signed by Craig
Simmons (St Mary’s Ward) as well as four other Green Party councillors for theCowley area, support was given
for the legalisation of prostitution, but they stated that they did “not agreewith the Liberal democrats that Oxford should go it alone”.
“Our view is that such a change requires national legislation if the problem of
sex tourism ‘hot spots’ are to be avoided.”ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

The Ashmolean Museum this week confirmed they have completed the purchase of a painting by renowned Romantic artist Samuel Palmer for close to a quarter of a million pounds. The painting, titled The Prospect, was bought with grants from charitable funds but, unusually, members of the public were also asked to donate to a collection specifically created for the purchase of the work.The Ashmolean already owns an impressive collection of Palmer’s work, but this later work is considered a high point in his career.Susie Gault, the Museum’s press officer, said, “We are extremely thankful to
all those who helped the Ashmolean to acquire this unique watercolour.”ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

St John’s has suspended the next college bop
following several incidents of vandalism to College property. The 8th week bop
will go ahead as long as there is no further damage to college properties.
College authorities have also announced that the entire JCR and MCR will have
to pay for the damages. Faeces and urine were found in St John’s table tennis
room by cleaning staff a fortnight ago, as reported in Cherwell last week. In an email to the
JCR, Senior dean Dr Carolyne Larrington said that a professional cleaning
company was called in to decontaminate the room, at “considerable cost to the
College”. Last Saturday, following a St John’s bop, College
squash courts were vandalised. A third year undergraduate said, “As I
understand it, a fire extinguisher was dropped from the balcony of the squash
court, and exploded on the floor.” In the basement of the Beehive accommodation
block, rubbish was tipped into one of the toilets, leaving it in “an unusable state”.
Walls in the JCR Games Room were also vandalised and a pool cue was pushed
through the felt of the pool table.College authorities are
conducting an investigation into the vandalism. Dr Larrington said that “it
would be in everyone’s best interest if he or she contacts the Senior dean on a
confidential basis.” Several  undergraduates
at the College have been summoned by the Senior dean for questioning. Dr
Larrington declined to comment on decanal proceedings. Harry Kretchmer, JCR President, plans
to meet the Senior dean with several JCR members to discuss the recent
vandalism and action proposed by the College authorities to deal with it.
Kretchmer will also raise the issue of vandalism at the next meetings of the
JCR-MCR Joint Council and the decanal Committee.Speculation as to the identity of
the “college poo bandit” is rife around St
John’s. Some JCR members have noted that the faeces
were discovered following a St John’s
and St Anne’s joint rugby team curry night. Last Tuesday a Cherwell reporter received a text message
from a member of the rugby team which said, “If the story sees print, I will hunt
you down and kill you.” At the time of sending, the rugby team was on a crew
date at The Bridge. “Exclusions have been mentioned,”
said Kretchmer, “though they may only be temporary.” In an e-mail to the JCR, Dr
Larrington said, “The damage to the Table Tennis Room last week will be paid
for by a general damages levy across the JCR and MCR. Further levies may be
imposed.”Some members of the JCR feel that
the general damages levy is unfair. A second year at the College said, “I wasn’t
even at the bop, man, and I didn’t even shit in the table tennis room. I don’t
see why I should have to pay for it.” “I’m not planning on paying the levy,”
said Clem Mitchel, a third year, “it’s like they’re trying to hit a nail with a
sledgehammer.” Another finalist added, “It’s ridiculous that the SCR doesn’t
have to pay the levy. Dons are just as likely to poo on the walls as first
years.” Kretchmer said, “While there is a
sense of ambiguity over the identity of the culprit we all have to take responsibility.
Everything rests on whether someone is caught.” He said that investigations
into the vandalism were ongoing and that “the JCR Committee is working closely
with the Senior dean to resolve the issues surrounding these incidents”.He added, “This behaviour is not representative
of St John’s
JCR or MCR, many of whom have written to me expressing their disgust at the incident.”
“Day to day I find the College to be an extremely pleasant friendly community.”ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

The Chancellor of Oxford University has
spoken publicly for the first time in support of attempts to reform the University.In a speech to an audience of alumni last
week, Lord Patten suggested that Cambridge should
follow Oxford’s
lead and introduce sweeping reforms if it is to remain a world-class
university. He said that he hoped Oxford’s
efforts would “make it easier for Cambridge
to follow us if we can get sensible proposals in place.” Cambridge declined to comment. Patten told Cherwell, “Oxford is a great university but we have to
ensure that our management is up to the task of keeping us world-class. John Hood’s
reforms are the culmination of a reform process that began a decade ago. I
strongly support what he is doing which would help us to get more support from
benefactors and to persuade the government to be more generous.”Lord Patten’s comment comes ahead of a
meeting of the Congregation on 1 November to examine a governance discussion
paper. The paper is a revised version of a May Green Paper produced by the
Working Party on Governance and led by the Vice-Chancellor entitled “The Governance
Structure”. This paper proposed to separate academic and institutional
governance by having an academic council and also a board of trustees to look
after the University’s administration, financial and property management. The
board of trustees was to be composed exclusively of external members, an idea
which many disliked.The latest discussion paper has replaced
the board of trustees with a council, which will contain seven external members
and seven internal members and will be chaired by Patten. The academic council, initially to be
comprised of 150 members has also been streamlined to 36, among whom will be
two student representatives. This will be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor.A spokesperson for the University pointed
out that under the existing system, the Vice-Chancellor is responsible for both
academic and institutional governance and so there could be a potential
conflict of interest. By contrast, both the Green Paper in May
and the reformed discussion paper will separate the two areas.The spokesperson added, “Under the
governance proposals, the Congregation retain ultimate power: they can move a vote
of no confidence in anything Council does.” She said, “The Congregation will
have the opportunity to discuss the proposals on 1 November, and that is a
forum for a frank exchange of views, and an airing of any potential concerns,
about the proposals, after which written responses will be received.” Andrew Graham, The Master of Balliol and a
new member of the University’s Council, commented, "The new proposals from
the Working Party on Governance show that there has been a great deal of
intelligent listening. There are still some points of substance to
discuss – and I shall want to hear what colleagues have to say in the debate in
Congregation – but, in my view, we are now heading in the right
direction."The University spokesperson explained the
need for governance reform: “Oxford
University is a large and
complex organisation with 17,000 students, nearly 8,000 employees, and a
turnover, including OUP, of £880m, so it’s essential that the system if
governance is appropriate for the size and complexity of the institution. Since
the governance structure was last reformed in
2000, it has become clear that the current system is not entirely satisfactory and
can be improved. One of the main aims of the proposed changes is to ensure that
academic decisions can be made in the fullest confidence that the University
has the best possible institutional framework (financial, legal and
administrative) in place to support and sustain the academic endeavour.”ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005