A STUDENT standing for election as Pembroke’s Sports Rep was accused of making homophobic comments as part of his manifesto during JCR hustings last Sunday.

In the concluding part of his manifesto, first-year biologist Ashley Grossmann said, "Vote for Ash ‘cos Shezz is gay." His comments caused anger among JCR members who demanded that nominations be re-opened.

Lizz Paley, a Pembroke first-year, criticised Grossmann’s comment as tactless. "It was just immature, insensitive and stupid. I don’t know how he thinks he can represent the whole college when he says stuff like that," she said.

Another first-year said he felt Grossmann’s comments implied wider intolerance of homosexuality in the College. "It showed the underlying attitudes which permeate the College. If something like that had happened at Wadham it would’ve been looked at quite abhorrently and wouldn’t have been tolerated," he said.

Grossmann has apologised to the JCR and said that his comment was not intended to be taken seriously. "I am mortified to think that anyone may have been offended by what I wrote on my manifesto. It was supposed to be a childish, light-hearted joke, which in hindsight was perhaps rather ill thought out. I hope that anyone who has been affected by this will accept my apology. I would hate to think that anyone would consider me or Pembroke prejudiced or bigoted in any way," he said.

OXFORD students have been taking a ‘dangerous’ prescription drug without medical advice to help them concentrate for exams.

Ritalin is usually prescribed for sufferers of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but is being used by undergraduates to increase concentration during study.

A number of Oxford students have admitted to taking the drug, which in people without ADHD is said to improve productivity and focus, to help them through stressful and busy terms.

Health experts have warned that when using Ritalin without appropriate medical advice, students are exposing themselves to serious health risks associated with other amphetamines. Illegal possession carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, while dealing can lead to penalties of up to fourteen years.

One undergraduate who has dealt Ritalin to other students said that there was a market for the drug in Oxford. "There’s a huge demand for it. When people found out that I had it, loads of people came up to me and asked me for it. You feel euphoric and have a complete dedication to what you’re doing," he said.

A second year Exeter student claimed that the drug had helped him cope with the stresses of revision in the run up to end of year exams. "I took it a few days before the exam," he said. "You take it once a day for productivity. I would personally recommend it if you have difficulty concentrating as you can sit there for five hours straight."

He reported feeling no negative side effects. "It doesn’t do anything weird, although you feel a bit tired after," he added.

A Pembroke first year also stated that the drug improved his concentration on his studies. "It was the most productive I’ve ever been. I didn’t notice anything apart from my work and I would definitely take it again if it was freely available."

Many of the students approached said that they had obtained Ritalin from other students.

Dr Chris Kenyon, a practising GP for students at 19 Beaumont Street in Oxford, warned that Ritalin has numerous potential side effects, including difficulty sleeping, stomach aches, headaches and loss of appetite. Less common side effects include palpitations, high blood pressure, pulse changes and even clinical depression.

"The use of such stimulants for exams is something we would not recommend," Dr Kenyon said.

London GP Dr Anna Lindsay said she was concerned that students using any controlled drug without a prescription could be exposing themselves to serious health risks. "This would not at all be recommended for anyone who has not been prescribed it by a specialist, since it treats very specific conditions," she said.

DrugScope, the UK’s leading charity for drugs information and policy, states on its website that the effects of Ritalin categorise it as an amphetamine, along with the class B drug, Speed. "Heavy, regular use often leads to lack of sleep and food and lowers resistance to disease. Many heavy users become very run down and alternate between periods of feeling good and energetic, then feeling depressed and low.

"Delusions, panic attacks, paranoia, a feeling of being ‘wired’ and possibly hallucinations may also follow. Some users experience violent mood swings and can become very aggressive."

The Chief Executive of the ADHD charity Addiss, Andrea Bilbow, believes that the risks associated with taking Ritalin outweigh the potential benefits to students in high pressure situations, such as exam periods. "I cannot stress strongly enough that unless you have a formal diagnosis and Ritalin has been prescribed by a doctor, you should not be taking it," she said. "You don’t know what dosages to take. If you had any complications you wouldn’t know what they were without safeguards".

OUSU President Alan Strickland sought to reassure students that exams are not so important that they should resort to drugs. "Oxford exams can be uniquely stressful and it’s important that the University and colleges ensure proper support is available," he said. "Students can only do their best and fulfilling their potential will not be helped by taking drugs like Ritalin. Why risk long-term health problems to achieve a little more concentration?"

A GROUP of Oxford academics has condemned the Government’s energy policy and warned of serious consequences for the environment unless urgent changes are made.

Their criticisms were outlined in a report entitled ‘Energy, Politics and Poverty’, which questioned the government’s failure to meet targets on carbon dioxide emissions and described the current policy as "a hotch-potch of measures unlikely to deliver the government’s vision."

The taskforce, chaired by the Chancellor of Oxford University, Lord Patten, was composed of experts in various environmental issues and was set up by Ngaire Woods, Director of Oxford’s Global Economic Governance Programme and Christopher Allsopp, Director of Oxford’s Institute of Energy Studies.

Dr Woods emphasised the importance of the report as a non-governmental initiative. "This is a chance to take an outsider’s view of what’s happening in government. The report is completely independent and was not part of a Westminster initiative," she said.

The report also provides recommendations for avoiding what it calls the "serious risks" of not altering the government’s approach to energy.

Chris Turner, a spokesperson for the Department of Trade and Industry, said that the claims made by the report were "disingenuous".

He defended government policy, saying "Work is being done on these matters. The government’s White Paper on energy published last month sets out specific targets and plans for the future regarding reductions in CO2 emissions and the expansion of nuclear resources."

The White Paper pledges to cut CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by around 2050. It also aims to secure the UK’s energy supplies and ensure that homes are heated adequately.

Turner continued, "The report claims investment is needed in carbon-capture technology, but the White Paper has set out explicit measures by which this should be accomplished. Regarding the gas-storage infrastructure, the White Paper makes clear the possibility of using old coal and salt caverns to store gas while new terminals are already being built to store liquid and natural gas."

The Oxford report stressed attention to Africa and other developing countries that are put at risk by climate change.

University students and staff have slammed an Oxford City Council decision to issue £100 penalties for breaking new rubbish collection rules.

Seven fines have been issued for "side littering", where household rubbish encroaches on the pavement in front of a house. The new scheme affects the properties of many staff and students who live in houses across Oxford, but has been criticised for failing to inform residents of the consequences of breaking its new regulations.

A senior member of University staff, who wished to remain anonymous, said the system was fundamentally unfair. "It’s a draconian and aggressive attitude that the Council have adopted. Of course I’m against the fines. Oxford County Council has failed to educate the public, and now they’re punishing them for it. It’s privative government," she said.

She called for the University to take action on behalf of students affected by the scheme. "There’s no protection for the students. As soon as you step out of the colleges you’re in a cesspit of political manipulation," she said. "The students’ parents can’t help them, and the moment that they put a foot wrong, the Council come down on them."

Tom Smith, a second-year student who lives in Jericho, criticised the conflict between the new scheme and the recently introduced fortnightly bin collections. "With the ridiculous bi-weekly collections, in a house which contains six male students, we naturally generated a lot of rubbish which we had put in front of our house as usual," he said.

"We then got a letter threatening us with legal action if we didn’t comply, and a photograph of our house with the rubbish in front of it. We keep our rubbish at the back of our house, but now it’s taking up our garden space."

City Councillor Jean Fooks claimed that the ‘three strikes’ scheme had been effective in deterring offenders. "After the first inspection, the officers sent out 1,200 letters, then the second time only 200 letters were sent out, but just seven fines were issued in the end, which shows that the warning system worked and made people a little more diligent," she said.

Female students rejected proposals to abolish the position of OUSU Vice-President (Women) and replace it with a student advisor by a three to one majority last Thursday.

Over 2,000 students also voted in referendums to approve OUSU becoming a registered charity and to replace the Vice-President (Finance) with a professional finance manager.

A number of criticisms have been levelled at campaign groups for failing to obey electoral rules that may have undermined the fairness of polling.

The campaign against abolishing the Vice-President (Women), led by Labour Club members Olivia Bailey, Rachel Cummings and Joel Mullan, was penalised for allowing activists to send messages to a National Union of Students (NUS) mailing list.

NUS Women’s officer Kat Stark and NUS Committee member Sofie Buckland sent emails to the ‘Education Not for Sale’ mailing list, encouraging unregistered activists from around the country to come to Oxford on polling day.

OUSU President Alan Strickland wrote in his complaint, "The arrival in Oxford of unregistered activists, from other universities, secured through illegal electoral publicity on a national scale, clearly significantly undermines the chances of a free and fair election."

After the vote, Strickland said that activists from outside Oxford were detrimental to the entire process. "Many of the outside campaigners were canvassing men, as they had no idea men couldn’t vote, they were unaware of the financial issues, unaware of the real arguments on either side. It was a waste of everyone’s time and not contributing to the informed debate the referendum was designed to encourage," he said.

Stark apologised after the campaign’s publicity limit was reduced as a penalty, calling it a "mistake", but saying that Strickland’s version of events was "highly inaccurate." She added, "There were five campaigners from outside the University, only one of whom was male. All activists were fully briefed on the situation and were also briefed in detail on the rules of the referenda."

Olivia Bailey, JCR President of St Hilda’s and also one of the campaign’s agents, said that the five activists from outside the University were irrelevant to the overall result. "The women of Oxford spoke in their hundreds on Thursday and I think those who are claiming that the five external, concerned activists who came to Oxford on the day in some way changed people’s minds are being disrespectful to every woman who voted for their own representation, and for thoughtful, considered reform."

The ‘yes’ campaign for abolishing the Vice-President (Women) was repeatedly attacked for breaching electoral rules.

In his report, OUSU Returning Officer Peter Wright described the campaign as "disorganised and shambolic," and detailed five separate complaints regarding the content of the campaign’s posters. "The number of false and misleading statements on the campaign’s posters was staggering and suggests a lack of careful thought or preparation by the campaign’s agents. Although they at no point acted maliciously, they did act without due organisation or forethought and came close to forfeiting their deposit," he said.

Current VP (Women), Jenny Hoogewerf-McComb, complained that the campaign’s posters were false and misleading for stating that "This year we have no Safety Bus because two successive years’ VP (Women) failed to find a single penny of funding for it." An investigation by the Returning Officer revealed that it was the responsibility of the OUSU Business Manager to find funding and that consequently all posters were to be removed.

Other complaints about posters criticised statements made by Ben Harris, the Imperial College SU Welfare Officer and Katie Chevis, the Warwick SU Welfare Officer, neither of whom were registered activists. Another poster featuring a statement made by Maria Burgess, OUSU’s General Manager, was ruled as illegal for using a member of the permanent staff to support a campaign.

Bailey said that the campaign’s actions were trying to change the referendum’s result unfairly. "The yes campaign broke the rules on a number of occasions, having posters that were defamatory, breaking the rules on endorsements and failing to apply election barcodes. I think it’s sad that yes activists are trying to distort the result of this referendum with unfounded claims," she said.