Anti-OUSU sentiment has excited calls for JCR disaffiliation, culminating in a botched St Peter’s referendum on the issue which could have seen a rejection of OUSU membership. St. Peter’s student Matt Richardson, a staunch supporter of a college breakaway from OUSU, maintains that the referendum was “a farce from the beginning”. An appeal was lodged against his system of  proxy voting – previously validated by the JCR Executive – by the Returning Officer five minutes before the referendum was due to close, nullifying the vote. The ballot box remains with Master John Barron, uncounted. During the course of this dispute, the Master, who had been brought in as an arbitrator, declared that the JCR Constitution had in fact never been ratified, rendering the referendum void and the JCR without constitution.The JCR President, Rosalind Morgan, stated that, “A written complaint was brought by a member of the JCR and it was unanimously upheld.” Greg Stafford, a fellow anti-OUSU campaigner of  Richardson’s, was “disappointed” at the JCR Executive’s behaviour, claiming that the vote would have been largely in their favour.Richardson and Stafford had sought to block the annual statutory reaffiliation motion – arguing that OUSU “is not representative of the needs and views of St Peter’s”. The referendum has been rescheduled for this term. Stafford is convinced that they can “win again”.Oriel is the only college JCR to have successfully disaffiliated from OUSU, back in 2001. There was “overcharging” said Marcus Little Johns, former JCR President. There have also been rumblings of dissension amongst Merton and Magdalen. Worcester threatened to quit OUSU in June of last year following proposals to increase subscriptions. The student union later backed down to explore other means of making savings.
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The Oxford Union is set to face an electoral tribunal after sacked bouncer Imran Abrahams vowed to fight the allegations that led to his dismissal over the Christmas vacation.Describing the entire affair as a “fucking joke” Abrahams refused to comment further but was known to be in close contact with his lawyers throughout the week, as well as liaising with other Union insiders in efforts to secure his former position.Abrahams left his medical degree at Oriel College to work as a full time security officer at the Union. A former captain of the blues boxing team, he is skilled in Kray Maga – the Israeli military defence art. Members of Standing Committee, the Society’s ruling executive, were given the details regarding his departure in a secret meeting on Monday, an act which invariably ensures the leaking of all confidential information. Union President Edward Tomlinson stated that he was unable to enter into the details of the events concerned, merely confirming that Abrahams had engaged in actions warranting the charge of “gross misconduct”.At the time of going to print Cherwell is unable to disclose any details regarding the disputed allegations upon which Mr Abrahams’ dismissal was based.
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Former Merton College student and Oxford writer Mark Haddon, is the favourite to win the prestigious Whitbread Prize for his children’s novel, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.’ Haddon’s best-selling story has already won the Whitbread section prize for best novel.The book, which tells the tale of a fifteen-year-old mathematical genius with Asperger’s Syndrome, has also won him the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Book Trust Teenage Fiction Award. Though the novel was not shortlisted for the Booker Prize, bookmakers William Hill put Haddon at 2/1 to win the Whitbread Prize.Since graduating from Merton College in 1981, Haddon has worked in diverse fields: he has been a live-in carer for someone with Multiple Sclerosis, a cartoonist for The Guardian and Private Eye, and has won two BAFTAs for his television work. The Whitbread winner will be announced on January 27.
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The University has advised students not to waste their money on an Oxford University Student Union (OUSU) initiative encouraging students to apply to see examiners’ comments on their exam scripts.OUSU Academic Affairs Officer Louise McMullan originally claimed that a breakthrough had been made after she revealed that students could apply under the Data Protection Act to see any personal comments made on their exam papers. She said it was a “very good step forward for transparency in the examination system” that would be extremely useful for students. However, a university spokesperson denied that students would benefit, as there would be “little if anything to see”, and consequently said that the £10 fee charged for supplying the information was likely to be a “waste of money”.Under the Data Protection Act Oxford University is required to make personal information kept on file available. However, the examiners’ process of agreeing marks largely takes place during verbal discussion, with the examiners’ comments used only as prompts to the discussion. As the comments are purely for the examiners’ reference, they are nearly always destroyed immediately after marking. So while students have the right to see comments kept, but not the scripts, there is rarely anything to see. Clerk to the Proctors, Dr Brian Gasser said OUSU was “exploiting a quirk in the law” and in practice very little information would be divulged. Archive: 0th week HT2004

Priestly celibacy in the Roman Catholic Church has broken down and may have to be abandoned, an Oxford monk, and former Master General of the Dominican Order, has said.Father Timothy Radcliffe told Radio Four programme ‘Analysis’ that the Church could not ignore the fact that celibacy was being bypassed in many parts of the world. Speaking to Cherwell he called for a “real discussion” of the issue. Despite describing celibacy as “a thing of great beauty”, he believes the Church must take account of modern realities.The Pope has rejected calls to alter the 1,200 year-old rule outlawing marriage, but there are fears that celibacy is discouraging many from priesthood and that a high proportion of those in training are gay.A 1961 Vatican document bars homosexuals from religious vows, but studies have estimated that up to half of seminary students are so orientated. Radcliffe said that loneliness was difficult for some priests and claimed that there would be a problem if many more in the church became predominantly homosexual. The Pope has blamed the decline in new priests on the moral decadence and indiscipline of the western world. The church in England has already relaxed its celibacy rules by allowing married Anglican priests to convert and remain in holy orders.
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Universities in the UK are set to be left out of the running when it comes to recruiting overseas students, a study by the British Council has revealed. The report is backed up by disappointing rankings in the world’s top 500 universities.Oxford came 9th, beaten by Harvard, a host of other American Universities, and Cambridge. Despite a predicted nine fold increase in the number of international students in British higher education over the next twenty years, competition from the US and Japan threatens to loosen the UK’s hold on the multibillion pound market. In a Mori poll three quarters of students from abroad described British higher education as expensive, only 3 percent deemed it best described as welcoming. The University’s International Officer told Cherwell, “We are aware of the growing competition from other countries and we wish to maintain our position as a leading destination for top-quality students.” The British Council’s report coincides with plans to increase the number of overseas students in British Universities following the concessions made in the Higher Education Bill.As many as 80,000 British students will be denied places as Universities are tempted by the increased revenue brought by many different international students.
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The Ashmolean Museum has saved a valuable Renaissance perfume burner from the clutches of the Getty Museum.The Oxford establishment has had its eye on the bronze for four years, but has only now been able to raise £980,000 to buy it. The bronze joins the Fortnum collection of ‘Functional Art’, one of the seventh largest bronze collections in the world, where it takes pride of place. Crafted by Desiderio da Firenze in Padua, the centre of art bronze during the era, the burner would have scented the houses of the only the very rich.Timothy Wilson, Keeper of Western Art, admits that the burner is “the best of its kind”., and that it “fitted superlatively into this collection”.Massive donations by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the National Art Collections Fund enabled the Ashmolean to put up the asking price. The burner can no longer perform its original task, but it is believed that charcoal would have been placed in the bottom of the burner, with the flavoured pastilles in a tray above. A thin trail of smoke trailed from the mouths of the Satyr and Medusa.
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