St Catherine’s student dies after
traffic accident on Cowley Road Emilie Harris, a twenty-year-old student at St
Catherine’s College, has been killed after being knocked
down by a bus on Cowley Road on Wednesday. She was a first year
studying Human Sciences. A friend described Emilie as “a bubbly person with so
much to give. The College, the University and the world had been
robbed of an amazing person.” Another said, “Of all the
people I’ve ever met, she never had a bad word to say about
anyone. It’s so very wrong that she should be taken
away.” St Catz has been in mourning for Emilie’s death. Candles
were lit in the main quad and wreaths of flowers have been placed
at the site of the accident and in Magdalen College chapel. One student said, “We’re all in shock. We sat in
hall silently when the news was announced, the College is just
stunned. She was so integral to this College, everyone knew her
and loved her, its just such a waste.” The College has called all students to attend a meeting on
Friday morning. JCR President Matthew Bambrough emailed students
to notify them about the news and let them know about the avenues
of support available. He asked students not to hesitate in
contacting him no matter how “trivial you think your worry
or grief might be.” He said, “Emilie was a beautiful
individual in every sense of the word, who brought happiness and
laughter to the lives of all she touched. She lived her life to
the full and her kindness and compassion towards others is
something that shall never be forgotten.” The Master of St Catz, Roger Ainsworth, said, “I was very
shocked and terribly saddened by this awful news of the waste of
such a productive young life. Emilie was well known to me as a
very lively, dynamic, engaging and personable student, always
ready to engage in a discussion at a moment’s notice. She
was very able academically, and the whole College sends its
heartfelt sympathy to her family at such a terrible loss. From
the student perspective she was seen as the warmest of people,
very popular with her peers and full of fun. She was known and
loved by all.” Emilie was cycling when she moved out into the road and was
hit by the bus outside The Elm Tree pub at 3.28 pm. Ambulances
and police immediately arrived on the scene but were unable to
revive her. She was pronounced dead at the John Radcliffe
Hospital just after 4pm. Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident. Inspector
Steve Bridges said, “It’s not entirely clear the exact
circumstances that caused this to happen.” It is hoped that
analysis of CCTV footage from cameras on the bus will provide
more information. Emilie was from Shawford, near Winchester, in Hampshire. An
inquest will be opened into her death next week by the
Oxfordshire Coroner. Witnesses are asked to contact Thames Valley Police by
telephone on 0845 8505505.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

A Christ Church student is in a critical condition in hospital
after falling from a first-floor window in Blue Boar Quad. The first year student fell from the 1960s building on
Saturday. The Senior Censor at Christ Church, Dr Judith Pallot,
said that he had “sustained a fall”, although she
stated that no one is thought to have witnessed the accident. She
pointed out that the alarm was at once raised and the student was
“immediately attended to” by college authorities, who
contacted the emergency services. Friends of the student have requested that he remains
anonymous. As a result of the fall, he has suffered serious
injuries. He remains unconscious and in a critical condition. A Christ Church undergraduate told Cherwell that she feared
his condition was “critical”. “I think it’s
very worrying that such a serious accident could happen to a
student here,” she said. JCR President, Jonathan Edwards, said that he was not in a
position to comment on the accident and felt that it was
inappropriate to provide any further information as he did not
“know all the facts”. He was keen to emphasise that
“the college and the JCR are doing all they can to support
his friends and that our thoughts are with the student and his
family”.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

The decision by Oriel undergraduates to remain outside OUSU
has been criticised by 23 JCR Presidents who feel that their
members “subsidise” services which Oriel JCR does not
pay for. Yet, as the plethora of JCR Presidents request Oriel to join
them in OUSU, the vast majority of JCR members considered
themselves to be better served by independent status. In a letter
to Cherwell, the Presidents cited their
“disappointment” that Oriel will continue to “miss
services and support”, citing in particular the role of
sabbatical officers. Last Thursday, Oriel JCR members voted overwhelmingly against
re-affiliating to OUSU in last week’s referendum.
Constitutional change in Oriel requires a two thirds majority but
on a turn out of some 77% of the JCR, over 70% of students voted
against affiliation. Returning Officer, Mohammed Khuram, defended the sovereignty
of Oriel members and stated that their overwhelming rejection of
Student Union membership “showed that College members
neither want nor need” such services. However, the referendum did not pass off without controversy;
a tribunal had to be called after complaints of electoral
malpractice were made against David Follows, the leader of the
“no” campaign. Follows had quoted various people
criticising OUSU on “Vote No” posters. Two of those
quoted complained that their comments had been taken out of
context. The tribunal report concluded Follows had not misquoted them,
but conceded that neither individual was “anti-OUSU”.
It suggested that in future referendums permission should be
sought for use of quotes in the context of the referendum.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Questions of dodgy dealing have arisen regarding the sale of
bicycles at the Oxford Union this week, following a complaint
from a student who claims that her own bike was sold there just
two weeks after it went missing. Eleanor Stringer, a second year at Lincoln, had her bike
stolen in Fifth Week of Michaelmas outside Lincoln’s sports
ground, only to see it locked up outside Jesus in Eighth week. After several more sightings she eventually found its new
owner, who told her she had bought the bike for £45 at the Union
bike sale in Seventh Week of Michaelmas. Stringer said that the
bike was “pretty battered” so she decided not to make a
complaint to the police. Just as the allegations were being made earlier this week,
links to the company running the bike sales disappeared. The
Union informed Cherwell that, unlike most other cases where
companies are allowed to use their premises, no formal written
contract existed between the Society and the bike company. The company was unavailable to comment on the allegations face
to face, and the weekly bike sale did not take place this
Wednesday, although a spokeswoman for the Union explained that
this was normal in the second half of Trinity. In normal circumstances the company does sell stolen bikes
that have been recovered by the police. Thames Valley Police explained that stolen goods that are not
claimed after three months are sold cheaply by the police to
raise money for victims support charities. A spokeswoman said, “The auctions are jam packed and
there’s usually a dozen or more bikes at each auction.”
She went on to explain that “bikes are particularly
problematic because so many students don’t report them
stolen and even if they do they don’t have them security
etched or know enough details about them for us to find their
bike from the hundreds on the stolen goods database.” Thus, while in normal circumstances the bikes on sale at the
Union are perfectly legitimate, questions still linger in the
case of Eleanor Stringer’s bike. Commenting on the matter
she said, “It is entirely possible that it was sold in good
faith, but I do wonder.”ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

After a year in which OUSU made less than £5,000 from running
Entz, the student union has decided to create a position with a
salary of around £13,390 to try and boost its profits. In the past, OUSU has blamed its low profits on Oxford’s
collegiate system but recent figures from Cambridge’s
Student Union (CUSU) appear to contradict this: so far this year
CUSU has raised a £49,529 profit from entz and expect to make an
overall profit of £78,950 by the end of the academic year. In
contrast to OUSU, where the Business Manager, the VP Finance and
the President organise entz, CUSU employs a full time Entz
Manager. The proposal, which was drafted by OUSU President Helena Puig
Larrauri and VP (Finance) Rodrigo Davies, will be voted on in
OUSU Council today and both were keen to stress the benefits of
an increased income stream, an expected £50,000, from entz.
Quoting an internal Future and Finances Report that states
“attempting to further reduce costs would be detrimental to
the work that OUSU does” they claim that to continue to
provide services to students they need to increase commercial
revenues. They also argue that the only way to build up enough
funds to purchase a central student venue would be from greater
commercial profits such as from entz. However not everyone thinks the proposal will be successful;
one student at Cambridge told Cherwell that “given there are
so few clubs in Cambridge, it’s very easy for CUSU to
monopolise the market, but at least they do it well unlike
Oxford, from what I’ve heard.” There are also issues
about OUSU muscling in on the success of student-run Rock
Student. Manager Balreick Srai argued he was not worried:
“OUSU is not much of a competitor to us and never will be,
just look at their track record. They’re never going to have
the same incentive to make money that makes us work as hard as we
do, and anyway they should be trying to make entz cheaper not
squeezing more money out of the students they claim to
represent.” He called on OUSU to work with Rock Student
rather than “wasting money trying to compete”.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

A lucky Oxford audience salivated over a topless Jude Law and
bartered over Jonny Depp’s pants last Sunday to raise money
for terminally ill children. ‘Childish Things’, a £50-a-head star-studded event
celebrating the joys of childhood, was held at the Oxford
Playhouse. Hugh Laurie, Steve Coogan and Radiohead were amongst
the celebrity entertainers raising money for Helen House, a
hospice for children with life-threatening illnesses, which costs
£1.5 million a year to run. Over 600 attended the sell-out show, including celebrities
such as broadcaster Jeremy Paxman. Offerings included readings by
Hugh Laurie of childhood-related Dahl and Blake poems. Rory
Bremner received one of the biggest applauses for his trademark
political satire, particularly on the issue the Iraq war. Jonny Depp’s pants and other auctioned film memorabilia
alone raised around £10,000, the original target. A delighted
audience also goggled at heart throb Jude Law’s half-naked
body, after he sold the undershirt worn in blockbuster Cold
Mountain for £2,500. For the grand finale, an unusual
collaboration between Radiohead and Bill Nighy performed
‘Love Is Around Us’. One of the few students who could afford the fundraiser’s
ticket price, Adam Smith of Magdalen said, “It was a really
good cause.”ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

An Oxford city councillor has called for a citywide ban on
smoking in public places, provoking anger from city pubs and
students. Susanna Pressel is urging the council to review the benefits
and dangers of smoking in pubs and restaurants, in light of the
successful implementation of such bans in New York and Republic
of Ireland. Oxford City Primary Care Trust has welcomed Ms Pressel’s
suggestions. Recent medical evidence suggested that smoking in
the workplace causes 700 premature deaths a year. Pressel did
express concern about the possible implications on the
city’s traders if such a ban was imposed, but said, “if
pubs and clubs can cope with the ban then I think it would be
very good idea.” Her suggestions have angered the
city’s pubs. “It would have an absolutely terrible
effect,” said David Benefield of the King’s Arms;
“In Ireland trade has dropped by 75%; there would be a
public outcry here.” St Peter’s finalist Christopher Hallebro, a non-smoker,
said that it was “an outrageous intrusion into people’s
civil liberties.” The anti-smoking group ASH applauded Pressel’s suggestion
and disputed Benefield’s facts. “The tobacco industry
has claimed that they have suffered a 30% decline, but the
hospitality sector dispute that there was any impact at
all,” said spokesman and Oxford graduate Ian Willmore.
Willmore said he was an occasional smoker during his time here at
Oriel. “I don’t think I was aware then of the dangers
to other people’s health.”ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Two men violently robbed an Oxford supermarket last Friday
night, escaping with a five-figure sum. The robbery occurred at approximately 10.30pm at the Coop on
Banbury Road, when the men bound up three workers with tape and
brandished a weapon, thought to be a shotgun. They also sprayed
pepper spray into the eyes of one male member of staff who had to
be treated at the John Radcliffe Hospital. A 29-strong team of armed officers and dog handlers were
immediately dispatched to the area after police were notified.
Detective Parsons of Oxford CID described the two thieves as
white males, both of a muscular build and dressed smartly,
wearing clothes “similar to that of night club
doormen”. One man, about 40, was of a very large build,
taller than 6ft, and bald. The other, about 30, was smaller.
Parsons told Cherwell, “One of the men was wearing
sunglasses, which might have stood out, considering it was night
time.” He also believes that one of the men may have smelt
pungently after his escape as the pepper spray would have hung on
his clothes for some time. A co-op spokesman said, “this was a very upsetting and
shocking incident for our staff.” Staff at the Co-op said
they had been told not to discuss the robbery. Anyone with
information should call 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers on 0800
555111.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Oxford has finished runners up to Cambridge in The
Guardian’s league table of UK Universities for the second
year running. It scored 83.33 out of a possible 100, just
fractionally behind Cambridge who scored 83.40. Just last week,
Oxford topped Cambridge in the annual survey in The Times. The Guardian survey differs from its more famous Times’
counterpart as it mainly assesses an institution’s quality
of teaching and does not take into account any research data.
Oxbridge thoroughly dominated the survey once again, with the
universities ranked first or second in almost every subject that
they offered. Oxford once again showed its dominance in the Arts and
Humanities, topping the individual subject rankings in History,
Politics, Economics, Philosophy, Theology, Law and Management.
Teaching in Physics, Computer Science, Biosciences and Medicine
did very well too. Overall, Oxford was first in 12 out of the 27
disciplines offered. The rise of the less heralded universities, some of which were
former polytechnics, over their more established counterparts is
noteworthy. SOAS came a spectacular fourth while the relatively
unknown University of Aston was ranked thirteenth. The Times
1. Oxford
2. Cambridge
3. Imperial
4. LSE
5. Warwick The Guardian
1. Cambridge
2. Oxford
3. Imperial
4. SOAS
5. LSEARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

No. 20 Northmoor Road, the Oxford house in which J.R.R.
Tolkein lived for seventeen years and wrote The Hobbit, is up for
sale. It is expected to fetch £1.5million, despite having no
central heating or kitchen. The house has a rich history and was
originally built for Basil Blackwell, founder of the famous
Oxford Bookshop, while the Tolkeins lived next door to him.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004