Government ministers have been urged to encourage the
replacement of celebrity university chancellors with professional
fundraisers. The initiative is a result of new recommendations from the
Government’s task force on student endowments, which states
that chancellors should be paid, providing they spend several
days a week raising money for their university. The Government is
desperate for British universities to emulate their American
counterparts by becoming effective fundraisers. Chris Patten, the current Oxford Chancellor, who spends the
majority of his time working at the European Commission, is
unlikely to see his job change despite the proposals. Then right
to vote in the election for the life-long post of Oxford
Chancellor is extended to Oxford graduates only, meaning the
Government has no say in the matter. A University spokeswoman
informed Cherwell, “It is unrealistic for a university to
tie its Chancellor down to two or three days a week fundraising.
Currently money is raised through a University bursary initiative
which gives sufficient help to poorer students.”ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004 

More that 200 protesters took part in a candlelit vigil last
Saturday in opposition to the proposal for a new asylum centre
near Oxford. The complex is intended to house 750 asylum seekers and will
be built on land between Arncott and Piddington. The High Court
rejected an appeal against the construction of the centre in
March. The vigil was organised by the Bicester Action group and was
supported by the Conservative MP for Banbury, Tony Baldry, who
has been a dedicated opponent of the plans. He claims, “The
idea of fitting asylum seekers into the Oxford countryside is a
crazy policy.” If it is built, the complex will become the temporary home of
an estimated 400 single men, 50 single women and 300 family
members, while they await a verdict on whether they can stay in
the country permanently. Although the centre is theoretically self-sufficient,
residents are free to leave and return as they please. This has
led to apprehension among locals.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004 

Oxford University could soon be in serious conflict with the
colleges over its future. University authorities are planning
radical changes to ensure that Oxford’s status as a
world-class institution is secure. Part of the plan is to make the University run more like an
efficient business. Several policies suggest that Oxford is keen
to keep up with its rivals, particularly the leading American
universities, by centralising the administration system. In
practical terms, authority will move away from colleges to the
central University offices. The change is likely to cause friction between the University
and the colleges, which all have a proud tradition of
independence and are expected to fight attempts at change. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Bill Macmillan’s plans for the next
16 years include a policy to expand the number of graduates by
1.9% each year. Admitting more graduates to the university is
often a lucrative means of fund raising, especially if the
University’s reputation continues to secure the attention of
overseas students. It remains to be seen if the it will consult all its students
before adopting such a radical approach, and, if the changes are
controversial, what action the student body will take. The University and various colleges declined to comment.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004 

The Balliol Summer Event took place last Saturday, but the
traditional Oxford black tie was conspicuously lacking. Balliol’s answer to the college ball attracted 600
people, but no dress code at all. The evening was an opportunity
for Balliol to showcase its distinct identity, and its
informality has been described as “typically lefty.” The main attraction was the presence of DJ Yoda, who is well
known in British hip-hop. DJ Yoda, having attended several Oxford
college black tie occasions, described the Balliol Summer Event
as a “ghetto ball”.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004 

Oxford’s postal workers are to vote on Sunday whether or
not to enact another series of walkouts which will paralyse the
mail network in the city. The news comes shortly after unofficial
strikes left Oxford without post for almost a week. The new threats of disruption come in response to the leaking
of confidential witness statements which were part of an inquiry
into the previous strikes. The Communication Workers Union claims
the statements ended up with a group of alleged bullies and that
workers fear further harassment and intimidation unless something
is done. The previous strike was also justified along these
“health and safety” grounds. The previous unofficial strike caused widespread disruption to
businesses as a huge backlog of undelivered mail piled up. The
city council estimated the economic costs to local businesses at
over £500,000. Pensioners and Businesses are once again expected
to be among the hardest hit by industrial action. Students will also be affected, with some claiming to have
given up on Royal Mail altogether. David Adams told Cherwell that
“I’m shifting to pigeons” whilst the Lincoln Ball
Committee decided to deliver all the tickets to last
Saturday’s ball in person rather than chance the vagaries of
the postal system.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004 

The pro-Moscow President of Chechnya, Akhmad Kadyrov, has been
killed in a bomb explosion. The President was attending a ceremony commemorating Russian
victory in World War II in a stadium on Sunday morning, when the
bomb, planted under seats near the VIP box, exploded. Five others
also died and more than 50 people were injured. Mr Kadyrov was a former rebel and supreme mufti (Muslim
religious leader) of Chechnya. In the mid-1990s he called for a
holy war against Russia and led a division of guerillas. However,
when Vladimir Putin became President in 1999 he changed his
position to supporting Russia. This won him power, but also
engendered resentment among many Chechens, including former
President (and current rebel leader), Aslan Maskhadov. Maskhadov
has denied responsibility for the bombing. After three years as interim President sponsored by the Moscow
government, Mr Kadyrov was made President last October, when an
election considered by the EU and others to have been suspicious
awarded him 81% of the vote. As both interim and permanent President, Mr Kadyrov continued
to build a private army. Despite being viewed by many as a
Russian puppet, he was often deeply critical of Russian actions
in Chechnya. Fresh Presidential elections will take place in September.
Until then, Prime Minister Sergei Abramov will function as
President. Mr Kadyrov’s son Ramzan, the head of his private
army, has been made deputy leader, prompting suggestions that the
Russian government are grooming him to succeed his father. An
additional 1,000 troops will be sent to Chechnya by the Russian
government.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004 

After a month of polling, voting has finally closed in
India’s general election. It was predicted that the Prime
Minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had failed to secure
an overall majority. In the world’s largest democracy, over 600 million adults
had the right to vote in the election, in which over forty
parties were represented. The BJP had been widely expected to win
the election relatively easily. Their main threat was the
Congress Alliance, which governed India for its first 50 years of
independence, led by Sonia Gandhi. Two Communist parties have
also polled well. The main issue in the election has been the economy. The BJP
had to abandon their ‘India Shining’ slogan in the
campaign following harsh criticism. The party needs to gain 272
seats for an overall majority in Parliament. Current polls
indicate that it has won between 240 and 280 seats. Turnout was
less than 60%.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004 

Give George Bush credit. You might think the day he
acknowledges environmental and climate change will be the day he
can heat up one of those killer pretzels of his simply by the
power of the sun’s rays. However, the earth’s not the
only thing to have been feeling the heat – the environmental
record of the former oil man has become an electoral issue. And,
as with so many other issues, the Bush team has done a brilliant
job of obfuscating the facts. Bush was recently in Florida’s Everglades to tout his
“commitment to conserving Florida’s natural
beauty.” His administration has backed an $8bn conservation
project in the swing state that handed him the presidency. Though
the photo-op was a curious one – Bush was actually shown
cutting down trees – the Florida project is brilliant
electoral politics and helps to distract from the fact that he
approved the scrapping of a mandated clean-up of 161 mercury-
polluted streams, rivers and lakes in Florida alone. Meanwhile, John Kerry has run a disastrous campaign, allowing
the Republicans to brand him a flip-flopper on issues with which
he should be pounding Bush. To the delight of the Bushies, Kerry
denied owning an SUV only for reporters to point to his Audi
Quattro which Kerry explained away by weakly saying that it
belonged to his wife. Similarly, it seems incredible but Kerry’s war record
– a major asset in this Khaki election – has also been
successfully trashed. Republicans have questioned whether Kerry,
still walking around with Vietnamese shrapnel lodged in his body,
deserved his Purple Heart for bravery because he had not been
sufficiently wounded. The sheer audacity of the Bush team needs
little explanation; most went out of their way to avoid combat. It’s been an awful few months for Bush but he is still
neck and neck with his opponent, who has allowed himself to be
defined in the worst possible terms. The smearing of Kerry and
his record is crass and dishonest but, by George, it’s
working.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004 

Sip
102 Walton Street
(01865) 311322 Going to Sip is a bit like being a child at a grown-up,
middleclass dinner party. It’s full of old people talking
about their jobs in the media, and how their roof extension is
coming along. You feel compelled to order the banana and honey
milkshake (which is amazing), don’t know what to say to
anyone and quite want to go to bed, or do something naughty, like
steal one of the stylish ashtrays. Sip is one of the many bar/restaurants lurking around Oxford.
Upon entering you are met with a white haze of minimalist light
and glass. There is a massive projector on the wall, which shows
films without sound. When I went they were showing Leon, which
was strangely hypnotic and annoying. The drinks are expensive, but delicious, with a variety of
cocktails; I recommend the Peach Bellini. The only students to be
found at the Sip bar are American millionnaires, on an exchange
from Harvard. The music might be described as
contemporary-minimalist-chillout. The restaurant is the best thing about Sip, provided you have
a minimalist appetite and a massive wallet. The food is listed
under four categories: “From the Air”, “From the
Land” (get the tempura chicken), “From the Water”
and “From Heaven”. The food arrives on dolly-sized
dishes, containing a portion of approximately 2.5 bites. You might find yourself transforming horribly into a spoiled
brat, and consider stealing your friend’s food. It tastes
exquisite, but I would advise you to eat before you go to the
restaurant at Sip, or you might find yourself ruining the whole
gastronomic experience, and stuffing your face with fish and
chips from this rather dear establishment’s next door
neighbour, Posh Fish, on your way home.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004