A book detailing bizarre
questions that have been asked at Oxbridge interviews has been produced by the
company Oxbridge Applications. Tell Me About a Banana…So You Want to Go to
Oxbridge? is comprised of questions collected from over 15,000 Oxbridge
applicants over the past five years. The book cites examples such as ‘What
is the most interesting thing about a squirrel?” addressed to a prospective
PPEist.Asma Nizami, an undergraduate
lawyer at Wadham College said, “I think, nowadays,
candidates are far more aware that they have a right to be interviewed fairly.”
One second year, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was “extremely
shocked” when she walked into her interview and was faced with an Oxford tutor on a space
hopper.Oxford Admissions and admissions tutors
throughout the University refuse to comment on whether such unconventional
interviews take place, querying the authenticity of some of the more extreme
questions from the book. For example, the book states that the question ‘If
ancient history was a shape, what shape would that be?’ had been posed to
candidates applying to read Ancient and Modern History. Professor
Howard-Johnston, an Ancient and Modern History lecturer from Corpus Christi College
said, when asked whether this would be a likely question, “I find it rather odd”
and that he was “surprised that someone could be asked that.” Professor
Howard-Johnston’s own answer to the question was that if ancient history was a
shape it would be like a “Loch Ness monster or a three-humped camel because the
humps would represent the Greek, Roman and Christian Empires.” Tutors also commented that even
though many questions sound unusual, they were a relevant method of assessment
when put in context. For instance, in reply to “What does George Bush have in
common with a monkey?” in a Human Sciences interview, a tutor suggested in an
article in The Times that “the candidate might talk about evolution or taxonomy.”When asked about its position
regarding the book, the University said, “We do not endorse any commercial operations
or publications offering advice or training on our admissions process, nor do
we guarantee the accuracy of any such company’s information.”ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005

Oxford University has this week unveiled initial
design plans as part of the Masterplan for the Radcliffe Infirmary development
due to commence mid-2007.The project team is to maintain
and renovate the original Radcliffe Infirmary building, completed in 1770, but
replace the more recent surrounding development with new buildings.A spokesperson for Rafael Vinoly
Architects, who have been employed by the University for the project, said, “The
inspiration for the new development came from the surrounding environment. For
instance, the nearby observatory and the Oxford University Press building were
very important in our planning process.“We wanted to open the visual
avenues so that the original buildings could be appreciated as they deserved to
be. We also wanted to remove the later additions that were suffocating the
Radcliffe Infirmary and have it in its original garden position.”The new development is potentially
to house the Mathematics and Statistics departments and the Humanities faculties.The Radcliffe Infirmary site lies
between the Woodstock Road
and Walton Street
and is also bordered by Somerville and Green Colleges.The University has estimated that
it will need a surplus 100,000 sq m for functional estate over the next 20
years due to growth in educational and research activity. This need is to be
catered for principally by the Radcliffe Infirmary Site, which was purchased
from the NHS in March 2003.The University’s interest in the
Radcliffe Infirmary site for development dates back to the 1960s, when the
Holford Report on land requirements of the University identified the Radcliffe
Infirmary as the only sizeable developable land in the city centre, and stated
that the acquisition of it was of “primary importance”. A spokesperson for the project
team spoke of his satisfaction with the Masterplan’s progress: “I don’t think
anyone envisaged arriving at a universally agreed concept as rapidly as we have
done. 180 people have visited on the first day of the exhibition and the
feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”One student, who did not wish to
be named, said he had visited the exhibition on the day it was was opened. “I
think the plans look very impressive, but I am concerned that the location of
the new site is too far removed from the centre of the city. The majority of
the colleges are a good ten or 15 minutes walk from the Infirmary development.
It would be a shame if the new learning centre meant that the city lost its
vibrant atmosphere to North Oxford.”ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005

Faeces and urine were found in St John’s
College table tennis room by cleaning staff last Friday morning.Puddles of urine were discovered on the floor of the room and human faeces was found in
a bin. A trail of faeces also lead out into the rest of the building. Dr
Carolyne Lar­rington, the college’s Senior Dean, described the actions as
“completely disgusting”.Larrington said that the college’s table tennis room was accessible via a fire exit door
that all college mem­bers have a key for. She said that there were no CCTV
cameras in that area of college and that the punishments for those responsible
would "depend on the other members of staff".The college’s decanal team are cur­rently conducting an investigation into the
matter. Larrington said they were “taking the incident very seriously” but she
added that she was “unable to comment” on any possible suspects.Harry
Kretchmer, JCR President, joined the Senior Dean in condemn­ing the action.
“It’s a disgusting thing to do,” he said. “The matter is being dealt with and
those who commit­ted the offences will probably be excluded from college if
caught.” A professional cleaning company was hired by the college to clean the
room. In an email sent to all mem­bers of St
John’s, Dr Larrington said this had incurred
“considerable cost to the college” ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005

Cherwell has been nominated for Best
Student Newspaper of the Year at the NUS/Mirror National Journalism Awards.
Isis Magazine, which also is owned by Oxford Student Publications Limited, had
two writers shortlisted, Noor Kadhim for Student Feature Writer and Laura
Barnicoat for Student Fashion Journalist. The Oxford Student picked up two
nominations, Roger Waite for Student Reporter and Patrick Foster for Student
Investigative Journalism. The results will be announced at an awards ceremony
on Saturday 12th November in the Marriott Hotel, London. Cherwell is up against five other contenders.ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005

The Christ Church
based Christopher Tower Poetry competition has launched this year’s competition
with a major increase in prize money. The competition, for budding poets aged
16-18, is now offering a £3,000 first prize, with £1000 and £750 for those in
second and third position. The winner’s school will also receive £500. The
increase from last years £1500 top prize is “taking it up a gear” according to
Dr Peter McDonald, competition judge and Christ Church
tutor. The competition was launched at last week’s Cheltenham Literary
Festival. In previous years, the themes have included “Gravity” and “Early
Morning”, and Philip Pullman and Gillian
Clarke have been among the judges.ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005

Oxford University is establishing a new
scholarship scheme for Chinese students. The project will run initially for two
years from 2006 and is aimed at doctoral candidates. Ten scholarships will be
awarded each year. The memorandum states that students will come from specific
universities in China,
and will work in agreed subject areas. Na Li, President of the University’s
Asia-Pacific Society, stated, “There is a lot of academic talent in China that
cannot find its way to Oxford because of the substantial fees involved, which
are usually above £20,000 a year. A move like this can only be good for the
University and cross country relations."ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005

Oxford-led palaeontology
researchers have discovered some of the oldest, and smallest, remains of our
human relatives in Egypt.
The mini teeth, jaw and facial bones of the two fossilised anthropoids are 37
million years old, two million years older than most previous discoveries. The
smallest weighs an estimated 160-270 grams. Dr Eric Seiffert, university
lecturer and project co-leader, said it “filled a major gap in our
understanding” and was interesting because the large eye socket of the Biretia
megalopsis suggests it was nocturnal.ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005

A recent study led by Dr Ajit
Lalvani, of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, has revealed that the
BCG vaccine may not just prevent the progression from tuberculosis infection to
an active disease, but may also prevent the contraction of infection. Dr
Lalvanic and his team conducted the ELISpot skin test to assess infection on
979 children in Istanbul
living with someone infected with TB, The results showed that 24% of the
children with a BCG scar, who had been vaccinated already, were not infected.
These results mean a great leap in progress for approaching the vaccination
against, and treatment of, TB.ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005

The Bodleian library and University College have acquired a new group of
letters written by the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley who was a undergraduate at the
college. The letters were written by Shelley and his friend Thomas Jefferson
Hogg over two terms whilst at Oxford,
and were addressed to the inventor Ralph Wedgwood. The letters were found in
the contents of a house, and bought by University College
and the Bodleian with aid by a donation from the AG Leventis foundation. Lord
Butler of Brockwell, master of Univ, said “I feel very excited indeed about
these letters.” Ronald Milne, Acting Director of University Library Services
stated, “These new Shelley letters not only add considerably to our
understanding of a significant point in the history of the University and one
of its most famous students, but they provide new raw materials for scholarly
research for our postgraduate and higher-level researchers in Oxford.”ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005

Kenneth Peach, Visiting Professor
of Physics at Oxford University and Director of the John Adams Institute
for Accelerator Science, has been awarded the prestigious Rutherford Medal and
Prize by the Institute
of Physics. The prize
recognises Professor Peach’s “contributions to high-energy physics” and his “key
role in reviving accelerator science for particle physics applications in the UK”. Upon
receiving the award, Professor Peach stated “I am very pleased that, through
this award, the skill, dedication and enthusiasm of many people who contributed
to this work have been acknowledged.”ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005