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.
Archive: 0th week  HT 2004

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.
Archive: 0th week HT 2004

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.
Archive: 0th week HT 2004

The number of state school pupils who received an offer from Oxford University fell this year despite an increase in the number of applications. It followed a report that showed Oxford was already failing to meet targets for admitting students from poorer backgrounds.The annual admissions statistics showed that the percentage of successful state educated applicants fell to 51.5% from 54.7% last year. They also showed that privately educated applicants had a greater chance of success (35.9%) than their state sector peers (30.6%), and that men had an advantage over women. The fall in admissions from maintained schools came despite a 3% increase in applications. The overall level of applications was up by 6%.The Director of the Colleges Admissions Office, Jane Minto said she was encouraged by the rise in applications, which showed that the University’s message of welcoming bright students irrespective of background was getting through to young people. She attributed the fall in admissions of state pupils to the greater competition for places and claimed that the admissions process was based on “merit and potential alone”.The fall came a week after a report from the Higher Education Council, which showed that the university was failing to meet its benchmark for attracting working class students. Oxford was set a target of 13% of admissions from lowerincome groups, who make up 40% of the population, but admitted only 9%. Its record fell behind only Cambridge and Exeter as the worst in the country. OUSU President Helena Puig Larrauri said the news was “doubly worrying at a time when the government is discussing increases to university fees.”
Archive: 0th week HT 2004

Government minister, David Lammy has accused Oxford of prejudice against black applicants, a claim rejected by the University. In The Guardian newspaper, Lammy accused Oxford of being “tinged with old fashioned class prejudice.”The University attempted to deflect the allegation by highlighting figures, which it claims show how much it is doing to attract students from ethnic minorities. In 2003, 141 black students applied, of whom just 21 were admitted. A spokeswoman admitted numbers were low cited 2002 UCAS figures showing that only 37 black UK students achieved grades AAA at A-level However, ex-chair of OUSU’s anti-racism group, Zakir Hussein agreed with Lammy’s criticisms and claimed that “institutional racism is still a major problem.”
Archive: 0th week HT 2004

Oxford may be obliged to earmark ‘wild-card’ places for state school pupils who gain unexpectedly high grades at A-level. The proposal aims to help pupils, who exceed their predictions, to gain entry to top universities immediately rather than reapplying post A-Level.The proposal has been made by Professor Schwartz of Brunel University, who is leading a government task force to reform university admissions. Oxford has dismissed the system as unworkable and not in line with their interview requirement.A University spokeswoman said “It would mean reserving places on the off-chance that somebody might get better grades. We prefer people to make considered applications rather than keeping places open for somebody who might decide at the last minute to come.”Archive: 0th week HT 2004

The son of Conservative Party leader Michael Howard is training to become an Anglican priest, six years after he was accused of “spiritual nazism” in Cherwell.Howard, who was brought up in the Jewish tradition of his father, was converted to Christianity at Eton College before studying for a BA English Literature degree at St. Catherine’s College. Whilst at Oxford he aroused controversy by organising a meeting of the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, and encouraging members to bring Jewish friends to tell them about Christ and Christianity.Explaining his views, Howard said, “As Christians, it is our duty to reach Jews, who are a priority in our evangelism.” “It is a process of reasoning, persuading them to become Christians. Christianity is fulfilled Judaism,” he added. The specific targetting of Jewish people for conversion was attacked and Howard was accused of “spiritual nazism” in Cherwell by Shmuley Boteach, an Oxford rabbi.The dispute attracted national media attention, with Howard responding to Boteach’s accusions in a full article on The Daily Telegraph’s opinions page. After his degree Howard stayed on in Oxford as a Christian youth worker. He is in his first year of ordination training at Cranmer Hall, Durham.Archive: 0th week HT 2004

The Oxford City Council has ruled out a London-style congestion charge to ease the city’s grid-locked streets. Despite initially considering the scheme following the success in the capital, Councillor David Robertson confirmed that the charge was not an option.
Archive: 0th week HT 2004

Oxford is one of the worst places to shop in the UK, a new survey says, and is unlikely to improve. The survey of 30 towns and cities placed Oxford 28th in overall retail performance and 26th in terms of its future prospects.Poor parking, street layout, lack of cleanliness, and the aesthetics of retail buildings were blamed. The results seemed to confirm the findings of a Radio 4 poll that previously named Cornmarket as the second worst street in the UK. Repaving work that has so far cost £2.2m is restarting following a break over the Christmas period.
Archive: 0th week HT 2004

Amidst growing speculation over the financial future of British Universities, Oxbridge college bursars have increasingly been looking to the City to consider their investment strategies.Dr. Robert Gasser, Bursar of Brasenose between 1982 and 2001, has arranged a series of roundtable discussion forums for Oxbridge bursars in conjunction with his current firm, Chiswell Associates.He commented that “the financial pressures have concentrated minds”, as it emerged that St. John’s College, Cambridge was facing a deficit of £2.4 million against a projected sharp drop in government funding alongside top-up fee proposals.Archive: oth week HT 2004