A New college student was arrested for running out in front of
a car which was part of the Chinese Prime Minister’s convey.
Second year Matt Sellwood was part of a group of protesters who
interupted Wen Jiabao’s visit to Oxford on Monday. The students, some of whom were members of the Oxford Tibet
Society, were demonstrating against the Chinese government’s
Tibet policy. The incident took place during Jiabao’s visit
to the new Chemistry research building on Parks Road. Having run
into the path of the oncoming car, Sellwood was apprehended
swiftly by officers, and taken by police van to the St
Aldate’s police station. He was held there until being bailed, awaiting charges under
the Public Order Act. His case will be heard at Oxford
Magistrates’ Court on 18 May, though he will not face
custodial charges. Meanwhile, the rest of the Chinese politician’s tour
proceeded smoothly, although protestors followed him to Christ
Church, where he took tea.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004
Chicken chow main-road
Attacker strikes in Lincoln
A man assaulted two Lincoln students last week, one of them
inside the College grounds. Police were called shortly after 1am
on Saturday morning, when the man attacked a student on the
street before entering Lincoln House and assaulting another
student. He was restrained by one of the victim’s friends
until the police arrived. Jason Pawluk, a Lincoln Student, was crossing Turl Street to
Lincoln House directly opposite the college. He told Cherwell a
man approached him in his early twenties who “appeared to be
heavily intoxicated.” The student tried to avoid the drunken man but suffered a
glancing blow: “I was uninjured but a little shaken by the
experience.” Shortly after, the intruder entered Lincoln
House where he assaulted Alex Bates, a student from Hertford
College before another Hertford student, Andrew Macdonald,
wrestled the man to the ground. Witness Sasha Taylor, of
Magdalen, and friends were leaving after an evening spent at a
school reunion. The man sped past Taylor, but she merely presumed
he was a Lincoln student returning from a night out, until she
turned to see Macdonald fighting with the intruder. The police then arrived to find the man restrained and the
situation under control. Taylor explained, “I waited until
the police had intervened and then went across to see how Andrew
was, when I found that it was Alex who had the real shock in
taking the initial punch.” The police warned the drunken man that his behaviour was
unacceptable, but decided not to arrest him.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004
Union theft confusion
Both The OxStu and The Times reported last
week that two pictures were stolen from the Oxford Union Society,
but it would appear as though both newspapers may have been
mistaken. One of the ‘missing’ pictures is a portrait of
former Union President and British Prime Minister William Ewart
Gladstone, yet we are told it is not an “original”
print, despite having some sentimental value. The other missing item is the debate order of 9 February 1933
– a record of the day on which declared they would not fight
for the nation, passing the motion by 275 votes to 153. The
result of the debate lead Winston Churchill to famously condemn
the society. Georgina Costa, this term’s President of the Union, told
Cherwell that the pictures are no longer on the society’s
walls, but that there are copies in the Union’s archives.
She said that the situation “looked more serious than it
was” at that time. Meanwhile journalist Andrew Pierce, who wrote the article in The
Times, responded to users of website Oxford Gossip ridiculing
the story by emailing the site moderator stating: "if the
presidednt [sic] of the union says its the only one, i thought
that would be good enough". The archives are not at the Union’s buildings at Frewin
Court, and so it has not yet been possible to ascertain whether
the pictures, or copies of them, are definitely there.
Investigations are said to be continuing.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004
Balloon festival lights up the skies
30,000 people turned up to watch the sixth annual Oxford
Balloon Festival last weekend although strong winds hampered the
performance of the balloons, a record number of which were on
display. The two day event started at Cutteslowe Park on Saturday night
with a fireworks display and a light show. Sunday saw 36
balloons, including a massive Russian airship, launched into
Oxford skies.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004
Celebrity chancellors under threat
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
Candlelit asylum vigil
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
Conflict on Future
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
Balliol drops black tie
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
News in Brief
Happiest place The least deprived area in
England is Chorleywood West in Hertfordshire, according to the
Department of Social Policy and Social Research at Oxford
University. They measured 32,482 neighbourhoods across the
country for their quality of life. The information will be used
to improve the quality of life in disadvantaged communities. Misplacing sex In a development on last
week’s story in Cherwell about ‘sexing-up’ of
environmental problems such as global warming, the Oxford
scientists who published the report complained of
misrepresentation. They assert that the media, not charities, are
to blame for sensationalist headlines on climate change. The
report says, “It is crucial that politicians and
policy-makers are informed by a balanced assessment of scientific
knowledge.” By Fintan West Italian Don dies Dr Clara Florio-Cooper, a
lecturer in Italian at the Univeristy, died “very
suddenly” on 4 May. In an email to the faculty, Martin
McLaughlin, Professor of Modern Languages expressed her regrets.
Dr Florio-Cooper’s funeral took place on Wednesday at St
Margaret’s Church. As a mark of respect and in order to
allow students to attend the service, all lectures and classes in
Italian were cancelled. Catapulters cleared Two men have been cleared
of Kostadin Yankov’s murder. Yankov, a Wadham student, was
killed in a human catapult accident in November 2002. Richard
Wicks and David Aitkenhead, who organised the event, had been
accused of gross negligence. “The prosecution evidence [did]
not come close enough to prove such a grave criminal
offence,” Judge Hallett commented. The jury at Bristol Crown
Court were instructed to deliver a not guilty verdict. By
Frederick Fisher Eton too good A report by the Indpendent
Schools Inspectorate has claimed that A Levels are too easy for
Etonians. The report contrasted the stimulating teaching at the
school with the limited scope of the A Level examinations. Eton
College has indicated it may pull out of A Levels unless the
system is reformed. Rag Week Rag has been organising all sorts of
fundraising activities for Rag Week, including a pub crawl, a pop
idol contest, and a sports day at Iffley Road. The money raised
will be split between Helen House Hospice, Oxford Homeless
Medical Fund, the Karenni Student Development Programme, Oxford
Aid to the Balkans and Hopes and Homes for Children. Cheeky A ‘mooner’ at the Lincoln
College Ball required medical attention to remove shards of glass
from his back-side, after the window he used to frame his display
gave way. The incident, involving a hired break-dancer, happened
at around 3 am in an attempt to make a mark on a
‘Survivor’s Photo’. A firstfloor MCR window pane
shattered from the force of his posterior.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004
Yet more post chaos
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