Sunday, May 11, 2025
Blog Page 25

Of mice and mould: Accommodations quality tied to college wealth

Subhan Aslam
-
0
Of mice and mould: Accommodations quality tied to college wealth

Cherwell surveyed over 600 Oxford students to reveal which colleges have the worst accommodation, as well as disparities in value for money, rent prices, and student satisfaction. From faulty heating to pest infestations, the results expose systemic inequalities in Oxford’s accommodation and the reality students are left to deal with.

Oxford University students are facing serious accommodation issues, from sky-high rents to freezing rooms and persistent mould. Cherwell surveyed 650 students across 32 colleges to uncover the reality of student housing. The results expose stark disparities: while students at wealthier colleges enjoy better value for money, those at poorer colleges contend with pests, faulty heating and unresponsive administrations.

Respondents rated their overall housing, as well as their bedroom, kitchen and bathroom facilities, on a scale from 1.0 (“very unsatisfied”) to 5.0 (“very satisfied”). These scores were averaged to provide a comprehensive measure of student satisfaction, with the same approach applied to ratings of value for money. Students also had the chance to report problems with heating, mould or pests and to evaluate how well their college handled maintenance complaints, ultimately shining a light on which colleges provide the best places to live.

Student Satisfaction

Across the student body, the average rating was 3.60/5, indicating that students generally felt “neutral” to “satisfied” with their accommodation. The most satisfied students were from Somerville College and Worcester College, both of whom gave a rating of 4.14, followed by Merton College at 3.94 and Corpus Christi College at 3.93. One Merton student praised the “fantastic accommodation and maintenance team,” adding, “honestly, for the amount we’re paying, it is insane that we get such a good service.” The least satisfied students were from St Edmund Hall, which received a rating of 3.17, with Lady Margaret Hall and Pembroke College close behind at 3.18.

Bedrooms received an average score of 4.12, standing in stark contrast to the much lower rating of 2.94 for kitchen facilities. One Exeter College student described sharing a “tiny kitchen” with 115 people as “anxiety-inducing,” while a Brasenose College student described their “kitchenette,” which amounted to little more than “one mini fridge with a microwave and toaster placed on top” for eight people. Bathrooms fared slightly better, averaging a score of 3.62 across all colleges, though experiences varied widely. Mansfield College students praised the accessibility of en-suites whilst a St Anne’s College student however, told Cherwell that in their first year they shared a bathroom “smaller than an airplane toilet” with seven others.

Value for money

Students at LMH reported the lowest value for money with an average score of 2.10. Following closely were Wadham College with a score of 2.54 and St Peter’s College with 2.56. On the other end of the spectrum, students at St John’s College felt they were getting the best value with an average score of 4.21 – no surprises there since student’s from John’s reported the cheapest rent of all the colleges surveyed. Students at Balliol College and Merton also felt they were getting a good deal, with both colleges averaging a score of 4.07. 

Cherwell found that the more someone is paying for their accommodation, the poorer they will rate it’s value for money. With a higher rent, one would expect more reliable heating and better protection from mould and pests. However, this is not the case. In fact the survey showed quite the opposite. As the average rent of a college increased, so did the percentage of rooms experiencing issues with heating, mould, or pests. In short, at Oxford, paying more for accommodation does not guarantee a better living experience; rather, it may mean dealing with black mould, silverfish, and cold, sleepless nights.

The most reliable indicator of value for money in college accommodation is the size of a college’s endowment. A systemic issue means that wealthier colleges can offer better-quality housing, while students at poorer colleges are left to contend with mice and mould. Figure 1 illustrates that colleges with larger endowments per student tend to have lower average rent costs and thus receive higher value-for-money ratings. The 10 colleges with the lowest endowment per student charge an average of £1,926 per term for rent, while the 10 wealthiest colleges charge £1,689 per term on average. Moreover, 57% of students from the least well-endowed colleges reported issues with heating, mould, or pests, compared with 50% from the wealthiest colleges. Overall, a strong correlation was found between higher average termly rent of a college and an increased proportion of students reporting accommodation issues.

Accommodation issues

More broadly on the topic of heating, mould and pests, respondents to the survey were asked to report any issues they had experienced in their accommodation, focusing on these three key areas. The survey found that 55% of undergraduates living in college accommodation were dealing with at least one of these issues, with figure 2 showing the prevalence of each one. LMH had the highest proportion of students reporting issues, with 90% living in affected rooms, followed by St Catherine’s College with 85% and Exeter with 72%. Notably, all three colleges rank in the bottom half for endowment per person, highlighting a potential link between funding and facility quality.

Heating

The survey showed that 38% of undergraduates were dealing with heating problems. One student from St Catherine’s told Cherwell: “In first-year accommodation, I was so cold that I couldn’t type on my laptop and was constantly sick.” The worst colleges for heating issues are LMH, with 90% of students reporting issues, St Edmund Hall at 69%, and the aforementioned St Catherine’s at 57%. The problem of insufficient, or broken, heating is not confined to these colleges. A Hertford College student described that “In the November storms the room was so cold I was turning blue and having to wear 3-4 jumpers”, and they ended up sleeping in another student’s room for a few days to escape from the cold. A student at Exeter reported that in all rooms in their college owned house “thermometers normally show 14°C”, a full 4°C below the NHS recommended temperature for a room. The environmental impact of leaving radiators running was understood by many respondents, and one student from Wadham spoke about how they “understand the need to save energy”, but then went on to say that to deal with the cold they had resorted to “turning the oven on and leaving it open”. The overarching sentiment from students was a desire for greater control over when the heating is turned on in their accommodation, as well as a suggestion that colleges consider improving the insulation of their buildings.

Pests

When it comes to pests, 19% of respondents reported encountering them in their rooms. The most common issue was mice, accounting for 29% of all reports, followed by cockroaches at 23% and silverfish at 21%. The colleges with the highest percentage of rooms affected by pest issues were LMH, with 50% of students reporting problems, followed by St Catherine’s and Pembroke, both at 42%. A student at Hertford reported that “There were cockroaches and an ant infestation in main site rooms last year, which the college admits is a regular problem and yet not one that they attempt to fix”. One student at Brasenose shared how they came back from the Christmas vacation to find bedbugs in their room. The college responded quickly and treatment was done 3 days after the issue was reported, however the bites continued for two weeks after this. This time the responses from Brasenose were not as proactive and they told the student to wait as the treatment would take a while to start working. The student asked to move rooms and was told “plainly that this would not be possible”. Having received no compensation, she told Cherwell, “the college grossly neglected their responsibility to provide me with a safe and liveable room”. 

Mould

An issue that affects student houses across the country is mould, and Oxford is no exception. 21% of the respondents reported dealing with mould in their rooms. Whilst this figure dropped to 15% in the newer secondary accommodation buildings of colleges, it rose to 36% in college owned houses. The colleges that reported the highest level of mould across all undergrad rooms were Magdalen College at 50%, Worcester at 45% and Mansfield at 44%. A student living in the Linbury Building in Worcester described how last year, “every time I moved in the bathroom would be covered in black mould” and “as part of our moving in routine, my mum and I would use a mould spray and sponge to clean it all”. One student at Mansfield described their windowsill as “entirely mouldy, with the wood rotted away.” They reported the issue to the accommodation manager at the start of Michaelmas, requesting it be replaced by Hilary. However, upon returning this term, they found the mould had been painted over, while the rotting wood had not been replaced.

Reporting issues to college

Given the number of persistent issues in undergraduate accommodation, it is unsurprising that 55% of undergraduates reported having raised a problem with their college at some point. These students were then asked to evaluate their college’s response, rating its helpfulness on a scale from “very unhelpful” (1.0) to “very helpful” (4.0). Across all colleges, the average score was 2.98/4, indicating that most students regarded their college’s response as generally ‘helpful’ in addressing accommodation issues. The colleges with the lowest ratings were LMH, with a score of 2.11, St Edmund Hall at 2.17, and St Catherine’s at 2.29. It is unsurprising that the survey found a strong correlation between the perceived unhelpfulness of a college in responding to accommodation problems and the proportion of rooms that encountered issues with heating, mould, or pests. Many colleges provided stories of insufficient responses to major problems.

One student living in a St John’s owned house reported how they had no plumbing in their house for 6 weeks. The problem was reported on Tuesday 8th of October, and a contractor was brought in on Monday the 18th of November. In the weeks between they said “we were banned from using all showers and toilets in the house” and instead had to use the house next door’s facilities. Despite this all members of the house were still required to pay the full £264 facilities charge.

In a college house at Merton, one student’s room was “growing mushrooms out of the wall”, whilst another “had a constant stream of dropping water coming through the ceiling”. The mushrooms were growing from a patch of mould that the college only sought to deal with after the student had gone to the welfare team. The student living in the room with the leaky ceiling had to stay in hotel rooms on numerous occasions and was “offered no compensation”. The respondent went on to say they felt that the college is “far more concerned about their reputation […] rather than the individual students welfare”. 

Conclusion

Cherwell’s survey of Oxford’s accommodation reveals a stark divide tied to college wealth. Students at colleges with smaller endowments are more likely to face persistent issues like pests, mould, and heating problems, while those at wealthier colleges enjoy significantly better living conditions. A lack of responsiveness from college administrations is another major concern, with many students feeling their complaints are ignored or dismissed. Despite higher rent prices, these problems persist, underscoring a systemic failure in Oxford’s accommodation system.

Note: While on average 23 students per college responded to the survey, not all colleges had an equal number of responses. Those colleges with significantly fewer responses are: St Peters (9), LMH (10), Magdalen (12), Wadham and St Edmund Hall (13). Any responses from colleges or halls with fewer than nine responses were excluded.

College Responses

LMH: “We continually work to address any concerns raised by our students about College accommodation.”

St Catherines: “St Catherine’s continuously strives to ensure that student accommodation meets high standards – despite challenging circumstances during the past year – and we take student concerns about accommodation seriously”

University: “University College always endeavours to respond to any cases of mould in College student accommodation when they are reported to us and undertake a fungicidal wash down as soon as we can and usually within 24 hours. Occasionally we are required to wash down and redecorate, which can take a short while to arrange. In some cases, we can instigate a more permanent solution where we are able to do a thermal line-out, although this is not always possible in the heritage properties.”

St John’s: “We are aware that the delay in resolving the plumbing issue was frustrating for students living in the building. Unfortunately the problem was more complex and could not be fixed by our internal Works team. We had to instruct a specialist contractor which took longer than we had hoped. The adjacent interconnected facilities were made available to affected students, and the College also offered to find alternative accommodation to students who wanted to move until the problem was fixed.”

Mansfield: “Mansfield takes the safety of its students and staff very seriously. We have had problems with mould in some ofour older buildings (which we are looking to replace), and have robust procedures for logging mould reports and taking remedial action to address them. Students in en-suite rooms are also given guidance on using the extraction fans provided, and ensuring good ventilation to avoid mould developing. In addition, all students are encouraged to use the free laundry facilities provided at College, so they can avoid introducing damp by not drying wet clothes in their rooms.”

Worcester: “Worcester College is committed to providing high-quality accommodation that is fit for purpose. We continually invest in our buildings and welcome feedback from students, to which we are quick to respond. Effective ventilation is vital in reducing the build-up of mould, especially in high-risk areas such as bathrooms and kitchens, and we work closely with the JCR and MCR Accommodation Reps to share best practice and remedy any issues swiftly.”

Exeter: “Exeter’s Rector is just about to contact Exeter students about these very issues (he may have done so already) as they are a priority for the college”

University announces new access and participation plan including potential exam reform

Conor Walsh
-
0
University announces new access and participation plan including potential exam reform

The University of Oxford has announced its new Access and Participation Plan (APP) which aims to reduce gaps in educational attainment between differently privileged students and to reduce barriers to entry for undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

The APP will operate from 2025 to 2029 and aims, in part, to “expand the range of summative assessment available to departments”, giving departments the scope to move beyond traditional exam formats. The expansion of assessment options has received backlash in the national media, with former Prime Minister and Oxford alumnus Liz Truss calling the reforms “nonsense”. 

Speculation in The Telegraph alleges that this ‘expansion’ will entail less rigorous exams or coursework instead of collections. However, aside from focusing on inclusivity and the provision of reasonable adjustments, it is unclear from the initial report what assessment reform will actually amount to.

Aside from examination provisions, the university will spend £12.9m on programmes providing transitional support to incoming undergraduate students. This is in addition to the £3.3m spent on programmes designed specifically for black and other racially minoritised students.

The university will also continue to fund sector-leading access programmes, such as UNIQ, which offers application support and residential places to disadvantaged school pupils from under-represented backgrounds at Oxford.

The APP pays a particular focus to black, socio-economically disadvantaged, and disabled students. As part of these measures, the university hopes to guarantee that 94% of students from black, disabled, and free-school-meal backgrounds will receive a 2:1 or above. The plan also aims to increase the proportion of undergraduate entrants who received free school meals to 10.7%. In the UK, a child can be offered free school meals if their parents are recipients of various income supports, depending on their local council. 

At Oxford, 81% of black students achieved at least a 2:1 in their degree compared to 95% of white students in 2021. The report acknowledges that “Black students are significantly less likely to be awarded a good degree than their white counterparts.” It suggests possible reasons for this could be an “intersection with socio-economic disadvantage” and also a “lack of ethnic diversity among University staff”, “under-representation in curricula and teaching”, and “racism”.

Universities are required to provide access and participation plans by the Office for Students (OfS), as stipulated by the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 and the Equality Act 2010. These plans must be approved by the OfS in order for universities to increase tuition fees in line with the government’s tuition fee cap of £9,535.

Compared to other UK universities, Oxford performs well in completion rates and attainment gaps between various student groups. However, access remains a problem with only 7.9% of Oxford entrants having received free school meals compared to the national average of 18.6% across UK higher education institutes.

A university spokesperson told Cherwell that: “In the coming years we will continue our access and outreach work to increase the number of students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds admitted to Oxford, and will put in place additional measures as part of our ongoing programme of on course support with the aim of supporting specific student cohorts to achieve good degree outcomes.”

On access and participation arrangements at Oxford, one JCR President told Cherwell: “The financial support offered for disadvantaged students, especially to fund work experience abroad, has transformed my university experience for the better. 

“There is no doubt that Oxford should admit the most capable applicants regardless of background, but the root of the issue is inspiring such students to apply in the first place. I’m especially glad to see Oxford recognising this and targeting it directly with schemes like UNIQ.”

The Student Union told Cherwell: “Having played an active role in the development of the APP last year, we are pleased that the SU’s submission has been incorporated into the University’s plan, and we welcome the University’s ongoing work to improve access.

“Historically, like other universities, Oxford has not always met its APP targets. The SU has been clear that our priority should not just be around access, but enabling the success of all students whilst studying. We will continue to encourage and work alongside the University to ensure sufficient reflection takes place in order to meet future targets.”

The University reveals new plans to improve “Town and Gown” relations

Shahar Eyal
-
0
The University reveals new plans to improve “Town and Gown” relations

The University of Oxford has announced new plans to support ‘town and gown’ relations within the local community in an initiative that aims to “support transformative social and economic change locally.”

The new programme, entitled ‘Beyond Town and Gown’, outlines plans which aim to “turn the page on that town and gown separation” and “work towards a more inclusive Oxford”. The University says that their approach will support local engagement through “championing, connecting, and convening”. This involves developing existing community initiatives, making the University more accessible to locals, and bringing people together to collaborate on solutions to local problems.

Key projects include partnerships with schools, such as the College-Primary Twinning Project, which pairs local primary schools with Oxford colleges, and gives them access to college facilities and opportunities to partake in extracurricular activities and tutoring, on college sites, as well as in their own schools. 

The plan also includes the expansion of various cultural programmes that the University is already involved in, including long-running outreach efforts that involve opening up Oxford’s gardens, libraries, and museums, which host various educational and cultural events for local residents. The University has also supported community organisations through small grants, collaboration with local schools, and has worked closely with Oxford City Football Club.

The University has also been recognised as a University of Sanctuary, providing scholarships and support for refugees. The University is currently working on a project with Asylum Welcome to create a Refugee-Led Research Hub in East Oxford, which will offer opportunities for sanctuary seekers in Oxford. 

University Local and Global Engagement Officer, Professor Alexander Betts, told Cherwell: “After 800 years of town-gown divide, we know that this will take time and we are at the start of a journey. We are committed to working collaboratively with the city, the county, and the local community to shape a brighter future for people across the region. We will do that by contributing to sustainable economic growth, sharing the university’s facilities and expertise with local residents, and building enduring relationships with the local community.”


The ‘town and gown’ relationship has been historically divided, with conflicts between students and townspeople dating back to the 13th century. Today, the separation continues as the university’s growth and demand for student accommodation “sometimes strain local infrastructure” according to the University’s report. Recently, plans for the redevelopment of a Magdalen College accommodation block by the Cowley roundabout and the construction of a new research lab in Headington were the target of many objections and complaints from local residents, and are at the fore of these tensions.

Mini-crossword: HT25 Week 3

Zoë McGuire
-
0
Built by Cherwell Editors using PuzzleMe"s online cross word generator

Previous mini-crosswords:

For more crosswords and other puzzles, pick up a Cherwell print issue from your JCR/Plodge!

Cartoon: ‘Rishi returns’

Caitie Foley
-
0
Cartoon: ‘Rishi returns’

Caitie Foley reacts to Rishi Sunak’s return to Oxford at the Blavatnik School of Government.

Have an opinion on the points raised in this cartoon? Send us a 150-word letter at [email protected] and see your response in our next print or online.

In conversation with ‘The Children’

Olivia Sloan
-
0
In conversation with ‘The Children’

‘If you’re curious as to how and why cows, nuclear reactors, tricycles, peperami, and old people doing yoga all fit into one play…come and see The Children! It is funny, frightening, and emotional.’ Divya’s response sums up why exactly Cherwell sat down with the team behind Fennec Fox Productions’ recent rendition of Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children. The production team of Joshua Robey, Emma Scanlon and Divya Kaliappan helped us to unravel the ‘hidden mysteries’ behind a play centred on themes of climate change and nuclear disaster, while cast members Alice Macey-Dare and Nathaniel Wintraub demonstrated just how they brought this ‘beautifully rich character drama’ to life. 

Cherwell: As the play is a bit more niche, please give our readers a brief summary of the plot.

Josh: A nuclear accident (similar to the 2011 Fukushima disaster) has devastated part of the Suffolk coast. Making camp in a borrowed cottage on the edge of the exclusion zone, retired nuclear engineers Hazel and Robin are getting by with unstable electricity, dodgy plumbing, and a gnawing sense of distance growing between them. The unexpected arrival of Rose, a colleague from 40 years earlier, prompts a devastating reckoning for all of the characters. There’s a lot of hidden secrets that Kirkwood finds brilliant ways of revealing throughout the play.

Cherwell: What inspired you to work on The Children and how long have you been thinking about this production?

Josh: I’ve wanted to direct a production of  The Children for a few years now. I read it about five years ago and subsequently wrote my master’s dissertation on it along with Kirkwood’s other plays. What’s so intriguing and unusual about it is that it is a play about the climate crisis, but it takes a completely different direction to most other shows about the issue. It’s not solving the problem politically like Steve Waters’ The Contingency Plan or Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson’s Kyoto, nor is it a piece of lecture theatre trying to inform its audience of the facts like 2071 (Duncan Macmillan and Chris Rapley) or A Play For the Living in a Time of Extinction (Miranda Rose Hall). It’s about some technically skilled but also very ordinary people confronting the moral logic of the world around them. It’s a play about how we sit with moral discomfort and turn that into positive action, a theme I’m really drawn to in drama.

Divya: I had already read and watched The Children before applying for the Assistant Director role. The main inspiration came from the idea of working with actors to build up the incredibly complex characters of Hazel, Robin, and Rose – it’s one thing reading a play but watching the characters come to life is really quite special! Helping them to portray old people was a challenge and new for me, and they certainly have a lot of hidden layers.

Emma: I was wrapping up working on a big cast, Early Modern production when I saw the ad on the OUDS portal and was really excited about the idea of working on a small, contemporary show. I read the play and was really captured by Kirkwood’s manner of writing dialogue – the little misunderstandings, odd comments, interruptions, and jokes we make as we talk are so beautifully written so as to be both comical and fun and also devastatingly real. The heavy moments are never weighed down because the voices of the characters are so human and natural that the play – almost entirely dialogue – flows completely.

Alice: As an actor the idea of being in The Children really appealed to me. The opportunity to act such subtle characters whose feelings and motivations are slowly unfurled through their seemingly innocuous interactions seemed wonderfully challenging. Also playing an old person is fun.

Chewell: How have you portrayed the characters in this play? Have you taken any ‘new spins’ on them?

Josh: Kirkwood writes incredibly nuanced characters with such great sensitivity in this play, so a lot of the process has been really digging into the characters as they appear on the page, reconciling their wonderfully human inconsistencies. For example, Hazel is this fantastically generous and caring character who also has a defensive streak of selfishness that emerges sharply at times. Often it’s what seem to be the contradictions that point to the real essence of a character, and finding those with this team has been a delight.

Nate: The play is about three characters in their sixties but there is such a tangible youthfulness to them that it has felt effortless to infuse our own young adult sensibilities into our performances. There’s an added dimension to this play, which is largely about aging, when the actors are young, and it’s been so interesting to think about how we refocus our life as we get older, which is so evident in the text. I think it’s so important that the crew decided not to visually age the characters too much, and instead let the youthful image on stage play out as more of an internal conception of what Rose, Robin, and Hazel ‘look’ like.

Emma: Nothing especially radical but definitely very personal. With a relatively small crew and a very small cast, it’s been great in rehearsal to really get to discuss motivations, intentions, reactions – even things that don’t happen on stage, like the general shape of Robin and Hazel’s marriage or what the moments right before the first line looked like. The cast have been really great at getting into the space of their characters and understanding how they think, and I feel that’s resulted in a unique and, well, personal depiction of all three.

Cherwell: Is interesting costuming and lighting central to this play? How did you play about with ‘setting the scene’?

Josh: All of the characters in the play are in their mid-to-late sixties, so capturing that with a student cast has meant costume is hugely important. Our costume designer Hannah Walton has done a great job capturing this. From early on, we decided we didn’t want to age up the actors in any intrusive ways, and we have kept reminding ourselves throughout that these characters are all young at heart and not that advanced in years, certainly not in how they see themselves. Therefore, we’ve chosen costumes that fit with their demographic while retaining a youthful edge.

The lighting is a vital component in the play and has been since the play was first pitched. Since the nuclear disaster, there have been rolling power cuts, so the lighting is almost all designed to mirror the natural light. We’ve set it in real time starting at 7:30pm on a late-summer evening, so the sunset is conjured through slow, hopefully imperceptible shifts in lighting taking us from daylight to the warm glow of sunset, to the darkening dusk. I’m so excited to see the lighting (from lighting designer Matty Ara) in the space.

Emma: Lighting is absolutely paramount! The show takes place during an August sunset in real time, so you get a sense of the day really slipping away and the night settling in as the play progresses. Costuming is important, to set the right vibe for three people in their sixties being played by students, but we also did some really fun work getting our wonderful cast to act and move like sixty-odd year olds. Lots of chair work and fine-tuning leg crossing or leaning – a lot of things I’d never thought about before but really came to life in the show. Courtesy of our wonderful movement director (also called Emma!).

Cherwell: What scene do you think really encapsulates the essence of the play and why?

Nate: A spoiler-prone question! I’ll answer it by saying there’s a beautiful parallel in the opening and closing parts of the play respectively, where Hazel and Rose briefly speak about their scientific field, nuclear physics, and the inter-scientist mystery of what goes on in other fields. There’s a moment at the end that sort of harkens back to that discussion but also what it is to really be “retired” and the responsibility you have to the things you’ve spent your life on. Made me tear up in rehearsal today!

Emma: Without spoiling anything too special, there’s a beautiful scene where the characters reminisce over a party they went to back when they were all young and working together at the nuclear power station. The scene is such a beautiful break from the tension of the play – it’s not an escape, but it really lays out why and how these people have cared about each other for so long despite all of their difficulties.

Josh: Without spoiling anything, for me, the essence of the play comes in two moments towards the end. One is a beautiful monologue from Robin about cows which I won’t spoil, and another is a speech Rose makes about the kind of person she wanted to be. That speech ends in my favourite line of the play – a moment both incredibly generous and yet wistful for a life not lived. Both moments encapsulate the play’s theme of knowing morally what is right, but the real difficulty of doing the right thing practically and emotionally.

Cherwell: Why should audiences come to see The Children?

Josh: The Children is hilarious and utterly moving.  It’s a great chance to see a contemporary play in Oxford, and one that subtly relates to our lives and decisions. It speaks to the climate crisis in a way you’ll likely never have seen before, the actors are truly superb, and you’ll be thinking about the cow speech for weeks to come! I know I will.

Alice: Genuinely one of the most shocking and powerful pieces of theatre I have ever seen let alone been a part of! The characters themselves are incredibly rich in depth giving The Children an emotional impact that cannot be understated.

Nate: I love a piece of tightly written theatre and The Children is about as tight as it gets. It’s been a joy to get to work with this extraordinary text and watch my scene partners decode its density and power. Such a gift to be a part of this production!

Divya: If you’re curious as to how and why cows, nuclear reactors, tricycles, pepperami, and old people doing yoga all fit into one play…come and see The Children! It is funny, frightening, and emotional. 

Emma: It’s such an incredible text and I’m so amazed by how beautifully it’s come together – I was nearly in tears just watching one of the rehearsals of some of the more poignant moments – but also it’s a really fresh exploration of our responsibility to each other, especially in the context of the climate crisis. Often those conversations can feel preachy or impossibly bleak, but Kirkwood’s approach leaves so much space for who we are and, especially, what we want in the context of a great environmental (in this case, nuclear) disaster.

Fennec Fox Productions’ The Children is being performed from 4th – 8th February 2025 at the Oxford Playhouse.

Tickets are available here: https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/the-childern

Plans for new labs called ‘selfish, short–sighted’ by local groups

Mair Andrews
-
0
Plans for new labs called ‘selfish, short–sighted’ by local groups

The University of Oxford proposal to develop a new three-storey lab in Headington has been labelled “selfish and short-sighted” by Headington Heritage regarding its environmental impact. The new three-story labs building is proposed to be part of Oxford University’s Old Road Campus in Headington, including a substation building, cycle storage building, and associated landscaping.

The Old Road Campus is a University of Oxford site in Headington dedicated to biomedical research and includes buildings such as the Nuffield Department of Medicine Research, the Big Data Institute, and other lab buildings and for research on childcare, tropical diseases, and rheumatology. 

Highfields Residents Association (HRA) and Headington Heritage have objected to the plans, fearing that building works will disturb residents and that the height of the labs building may “impinge visually on the residents” and cause light pollution. Fears of traffic build-up and flooding in the area have also been raised.

Headington Heritage told Cherwell that “the endless expansion of facilities with no mitigation and addition of staff is selfish and shortsighted, and environmentally unfriendly to the extreme.” It holds the University and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUHT) responsible for “a traffic and housing nightmare” and “environmental damage” because they are using land for “car parking” rather than “to provide housing and alleviate the housing crisis.”

In 2013, the campus had planning permission granted for 48,000sqm of research floorspace over five building plots with a car park with space for 459 cars. The scheme’s planning and consultation statement said: “The application clearly demonstrates that the quantum of development is in accordance with the previously approved details, and consistent with national and local planning policies, as well as other material considerations.”

The HRA have said that they welcome the project to facilitate and consider creating a labs building to house a research centre for pandemic sciences, but they are concerned about the effects it may have on the quality of local residential living conditions.

Thames Valley Police also submitted an objection citing security measures of the labs building and other potential vulnerabilities for residents. 

No plans to adjust the labs building proposal or address these residential concerns have been announced as of yet. 

Our intellectual self-indulgence is killing social progress

Rizina
-
0
Our intellectual self-indulgence is killing social progress

I live on-site at Jesus College where I share a kitchen with four other postgraduates: an archaeologist, a classicist, and two historians. In the practice of making our ‘flat’ familial we hold Sunday potlucks: meals where each guest contributes a dish. Conversation covers the usual topics: classes, career aspirations, politics, supervisors. We bemoan the state of the world: looming climate disaster, Donald Trump’s inauguration in the US, neoliberalism’s intellectual hegemony, all appearing engaged citizens. Yet, a striking cognitive dissonance ensconces each dinner. As the conversation arrives at what fills our days now, and what will occupy our future — 80,000 hours of work — any social conscience evaporates. 

The archaeologist studies Egyptian ruins, the classicist Byzantine literature, the historians 18th century Spanish archives. Their time between their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees? Archival research, diving at a maritime archaeology site, ‘pondering,’ working at a café in Seville. Their plans for the future: unsure, teaching English in Europe, academia, travelling. As the philosopher and policy MPhil, I query, expectedly but gently: “Why? What drives your intellectual interests and career plans?” Their answers, simple, clear: “I like it.” 

I’m certainly no masochist. I believe we should like our work. But I also believe that intellectual self-indulgence and disregard for social utility — abundant at Oxford — are killing social progress. 

The raison d’être of universities like Oxford and Stanford (where I completed my undergrad) is instrumental. The former: “We will work as one Oxford… to provide world-class research and education. We will do this in ways which benefit society…” The latter: “Stanford’s… vision and founding purpose [is] promoting the welfare of people everywhere..” Universities are ideal places for designing prosperous societies — they possess the human resources, research capabilities, and instructive power to mould young minds, test ideas, and scale solutions. 

If only the students would oblige. 

In The Destruction of Six Million, Hannah Arendt responded to two questions: (1) whether silence around Hitler’s atrocities and the rise of neo-Nazism had roots in European humanism; and (2) the source of helplessness shown by Jewish masses and leadership during the Holocaust. She wrote, “The world did not keep silent; but apart from not keeping silent, the world did nothing,” and “…Tadeusz Borowski, the Polish poet, had this to say in his report on his own stay in Auschwitz: “Never before was hope stronger than man, and never before did hope result in so much evil as in this camp… That is why we die in the gas oven.”

Arendt’s essay notes a glaring gap between rhetoric and action: public denunciations became routine but were only symbolic. Despite extensive discourse on crimes against humanity there was limited progress in holding offenders accountable. In Germany, while the public expressed guilt over past atrocities, lenient sentences for Nazi criminals persisted and former Nazis occupied prominent positions. 

Now, my grasp of history isn’t so weak that I consider Arendt’s time synonymous with our own. But there are parallels. Roughly two billion people – one quarter of humanity – live in conflict-affected countries, with the highest conflicts ever recorded in 2023. Ethnic cleansing is occurring in the Zamzam camp in Darfur. Progress towards Zero Hunger by 2030 has stalled; the world will not reach even low hunger levels until 2160. Technological totalitarianism looms and autocracies outnumber democracies, 74 to 63. Elections in 25 countries have grown less free and 39 countries are tightening restrictions on press and free expression. 

And so, the conversations which flow from my kitchen every Sunday at 7 PM are redundant. Arendt would scoff at our moral posturing — we express dismay and hope, again and again, without doing anything. Worse, we’ve constructed an artificial endorsement of virtue which justifies our dedication to pursuits that contribute little to the issues humanity faces. This is supported by empirical research on moral licensing — past “morality” licenses future immorality. Our Sunday dinners, then, are a dangerous ritual of self-excusal.

Arendt’s alternative to hope is natality. Influenced by Augustine’s view of creation as a political act, Arendt associates freedom and responsibility with the capacity for action that natality provides. Hope is something we wish for; natality is something we do. Natality challenges us to transform the world through direct engagement. Arendt holds that our immortality is found not in the afterlife but in the actions we take; we leave behind only what we accomplished for society. 

Those who access a world-class education have a special imperative to act. Our education offers the networks, capital, and critical thinking to affect change; we are overwhelmed with fellowships, funding, speakers, legitimacy. We are also often the people who in our personal statements, vying for oversubscribed spots, wrote prosaic visions of using our education to shape a better world. It is telling that once our ticket was secured, these waned.

Though Stanford had its own problems — independent thought evaporating when private equity and FANG recruiters occupied White Plaza — there I found peers who believed the point of a university education was to try to contribute something. From my class alone, from students across disciplines, Terradot is assisting carbon capture; Grove AI is powering clinical trials; Farmlink is tackling food insecurity. Even the plethora of tech bros can articulate a case for eventual impact: take Microsoft’s $3 billion AI training investment in India which will ameliorate poverty or Google’s AI Accelerator where non-profits will scale generative AI tools to reach 30 million beneficiaries. 

I am not asking my Oxford peers to abandon what they like or love, or intending to fuel scepticism towards humanities education. I’m simply encouraging my peers to explore how the skills they’ve developed can contribute to society. To, at the very least, consider social utility alongside intellectual self-indulgence. The world needs their ideas and efforts. 

Moral agnosticism — the wilful refusal to contribute to the collective — is not morally neutral. While intellectual freedom does and should exist, it cannot remain above scrutiny. Neglecting the collective good is not benign. To absolve such choices is to legitimise complicity in an unjust status quo — it’s time my peers faced the music.

Have an opinion on the points raised in this article? Send us a 150-word letter at [email protected] and see your response in our next print or online.

Dating across the Oxbridge divide

Laurence Cooke
-
0
Dating across the Oxbridge divide

A sunny day at the Boat Race, and the air is thick with shouts of “God damn bloody Oxford” — Cambridge’s rather lame equivalent of “shoe the tabs”. I’m with my girlfriend’s friends from ‘The Other Place’, and Oxford’s dismal performance on the Thames has caused much mirth, most of it at my expense. 

A long-distance relationship, which started after UCAS but before uni, set me and my girlfriend on firmly different sides of the Oxbridge divide. Should a similar thing ever happen to you (or you’re just curious), consider this your survival guide to making the most of the situation, with all its perks and pitfalls. 

Firstly, prepare for the fact that despite being very similar, the two universities and their respective towns don’t like having much to do with one another. No direct train or bus (except four hours long and via Bedford) means a whistle-stop tour of London’s major termini and an unhealthy dose of the Hammersmith and City line. Add to this the journey being inexplicably 15 quid cheaper in one direction, coupled with the mighty institution that is the rail replacement bus, and you have a perfect transport storm. 

It’s all worth it once you’ve completed the odyssey, of course. Having a partner at Cambridge means double the pretty quads, double the formal dinner opportunities, and double the self-righteousness. Given we’re both worked into the ground by our tutors (sorry, supervisors), it’s easy to be on the same page about work-life balance. ‘Library dates’ become a fixture as their libraries are far more lax about entry than ours — admittedly because they’re quite ugly. I’ve also managed to ask a question in a Cambridge anthropology lecture despite having no knowledge of the discipline, nor actually the right to be in the building. An Oxbridge relationship offers extra academic motivation, as they give Cantab freshers something that resembles our scholar’s gowns without even needing a first. 

Socially, it’s probably a dead heat as to which city has the worst clubbing scene, and whether ‘entz’ beats ‘ents’ (the tabs’ less snappy abbreviation). Exploring both cities at least gives you a wider sample to choose from, although Oxford post-club food is far superior to Cambridge’s. Where Cambridge does win is with the ‘backs’, as the river flows through more of the colleges than at Oxford. They do their best to ruin this though by somehow being even snottier about guests than the Christ Church porters. 

A big advantage as an Oxbridge couple is that the term dates generally coincide, barring the fact that Cambridge terms bizarrely start on a Tuesday. This is helpful for planning ahead, especially if you’re also long-distance outside of term like we are. Given the trials of the work and social calendar at both universities, planning and clear communication become a cornerstone. As does an overfamiliarity with Jack’s (an ice cream parlour every Cam student is obsessed with), alternating Valentine’s and anniversary formals, and constant teasing that every street in Cambridge looks like Cornmarket. 

The points of comparison are endless, and my life is so much richer for dating across the divide. You can, of course, even see her version of this article featured in Cherwell’s rival, the Cambridge paper Varsity. My only qualm is that everyone thinks we’re hopelessly privileged as an ‘Oxbridge couple’, that this was always going to happen, when in fact we’ve somehow fallen into this strange, lovely world that I have to sometimes blink several times to check is real. I can’t claim that we’ve eliminated the Oxbridge rivalry, because quite the opposite is true: the differences have been absorbed into our relationship. If that sounds like fun, do date across the divide — I’d highly recommend. 

How the latest bag trend is all about you (or not)

Cerys Bennison
-
0
How the latest bag trend is all about you (or not)

A bag, Birkinified: clad in charms, keychains and ribbons, a young woman flaunts her newly on-trend Prada tote in front of the camera, zooming in on each kitschy, personal addition. Newly outfitted in the fripperies of individuality, the bag’s adornments act much like a luggage tag at the airport – functionally distinctive, but also a possible creative extension of self. THIS IS ME, it seems to say, AND I AM FABULOUS!

In this case, the Prada bag is captured on TikTok, the wonderful and wearying workshop of all trends today. The Birkinification craze derives  from the ‘trinkifying’ trend where people (primarily young women) personalize their bags in the manner of fashion icon Jane Birkin. Swinging 1960s It-girl, singer and actress, the tale of Birkin’s eponymous bag is entrenched in fashion history: on a flight to London in 1981, she unknowingly found herself sat beside the Hermès executive and visionary Jean-Louis Dumas. When her belongings spilled out of her bag upon putting it in an overhead compartment, he declared that he would make her a new one. Strolling up later to Hermès  to collect her custom-made order, Birkin was then asked if she would give her name to the bag in return for an annual fee, which she donates to charity. Hence, the world’s arguably most famous (and unarguably most expensive) bag was born.

Birkin’s Birkin is always smattered with stickers, charms and tags. However, the joyous thing about Birkinification is that you don’t need the probably-more-than-£100,000 Hermès to emulate the look. Of course, there are high-end iterations (as seen on the Miu Miu SS24 runway) but, as Fiorelli designer Nia Davis has stated, any bag will do. As long as the manner of decoration resonates with that of Birkin – chaotic, fun, personal – then anyone can get in on Birkinification.

Yet in this sense the trend undermines itself: anyone who wants to try Birkinification does, decorating their bag in a way that is supposed to conjure their own individuality, but in the end merely confines them to the herd-mentality nature of a trend. Supposedly, the adornments create a distinct shorthand of trinkets that evoke your personality alone – but how can this be so when the way of expressing it is a template? Whilst striving for individual distinction, you are also modelling yourself on Birkin’s originality, thereby consigning yourself to a group in which no individual besides Birkin is relevant. This is even more emphatic when Birkinification becomes subject to any TikTok core currently residing in coreville. ‘Coquettecore’ and ‘balletcore’ have both inflicted themselves on Birkinification, meaning  that, in reality, the unique personal objects which adorn these bags turn out to all be the same. Lace, pink ribbon and pearl chains… who can see where the trends stop and the individual begins?

Birkinification may masquerade behind the premise of individuality, but – all the above being said – it is certainly good fun. To decorate and make the bag your own: there is something endearingly childish about it,.  having somewhat strayed from Birkin’s style as the inspiration source, Birkinification shows how trends are themselves subject to trends, and how fashion icons are eclipsed by the fashions they pioneer. At the end of it all, you might lose your individuality to the trend – but hopefully you’ll still know which bag is yours.

1...242526...2,493Page 25 of 2,493

Support Student Journalism

Cherwell is Oxford’s oldest independent newspaper, established in 1920. We are entirely student-run. By supporting us, you will contribute to keeping our paper in print and online. Every donation makes a difference.

Donate

Explore

Follow us

More

Oxford Student Publications Limited © 2025 - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy

Website by James Ashley