Wednesday 13th May 2026
Blog Page 407

Tiangong-3: China’s newest frontier

Harry Chapman
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Tiangong-3: China’s newest frontier

On the 29th of April this year,  the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA) successfully launched the Tianhe core module of their planned Tiangong-3 space station. This is not the first space station that China has launched, following the successful operational lives of Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2. However, Tiangong-3 will be their first third generation modular space station. Third generation space stations, like the ISS, are modular in design and assembled on orbit, as well as being capable of resupply and much longer missions than second generation stations. This is a tremendous step forward for China, a nation which has not been shy of signalling their extra-terrestrial ambitions.

CMSA has already agreed projects and payloads with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), showing their desire for international cooperation. This is set to disrupt the relative monopoly the International Space Station has over all members of the international community, who could not afford a space station of their own on projects in microgravity. The new station will enable China to do just this, effectively ending a decade long ban.

In this new era of worsening Russian relations with the West, the Russians are increasingly leaning towards China as their new partner in space. They have signed an agreement to explore the moon with the Chinese, whilst forgoing the American Artemis program to return to the moon. They have also pulled out of the ISS, with plans to stop supporting ISS modules by 2025. This departure was accompanied by a plan for a new Russian station, but the glory days of the Russian space agency (ROSCOSMOS) are behind them, and the likelihood of this coming to fruition is up for debate. The new station may even be constructed of retrofitted modules originally intended for the ISS, and Russia has a history of decade long delays for station modules. The timing of this move was also very close to the Chinese station launch, and was accompanied by some discussion around the ROSCOSMOS collaborating on the new Chinese station.

Despite this, the new station was launched to a 42° inclination, putting the station out of reach for any Russian launch site, the most equatorial of which is Baikonur Cosmodrome, at 45°N. This means all launches to the station will have to come from Chinese stations, barring American or western cooperation (this may have contributed to the partial walkback on ROSCOSMOS leaving the ISS). This is similar to China’s proposed crewed lunar program, which has planned international cooperation, but has also been suggested should be performed independently. Both of these programs suggest the same approach by China, of international cooperation, but guided by and with permission from China.

This is all a direct challenge to American leadership in space exploration, the US having dominated every aspect of space, from uncrewed interplanetary missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) operations ever since the later days of the Apollo program. This may even be the starting pistol for the next space race.

NASA and ROSCOSMOS have seen huge budget reductions from their peaks, with NASA falling from nearly five percent of the American federal budget to just half a percent. Both agencies have also fallen into ruts in their activities, with NASA being trapped in an endless loop of senate mandated redesigns, and ROSCOSMOS stuck flying essentially the same Soyuz vehicles designed in the 1960s. There have been some significant achievements in the remote programs, but crewed space flight has stagnated. Whilst commercial space activity has become much more frequent, with the cost of getting to orbit reducing and the number of launches in a year rising again, national agencies drive the majority of human space exploration, either through funding or direct programs. Since the Apollo program, and the end of the space race, these programs have been massively defunded and deprioritised. China’s space agency has an expanding budget and is relatively insulated from political decisions, giving it the perfect background for ambitious programs. The surge of China in space may even form new motivation which to drive the United States’ increasing divided political elite together to pursue space exploration. The current US administration has already used opposition to China to justify policymaking, one of the few similarities it shares with the previous administration.

Both China’s new station and their lunar program speak to their big ambitions in space. They may even provoke the US into a new space race, for better or for worse. They also both signal how China sees the future of cooperation in space, under Chinese leadership. This is similar to how the ISS has operated in regard to the US and Russia and the other ISS partners, but the US is increasingly not the hegemonic global power.  In a world of ever-increasing Chinese dominance, it is clear that the skies are no limit.

“Je ne comprends pas”: learning to love bilingual literature

Alexandra McLanaghan
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“Je ne comprends pas”: learning to love bilingual literature

My first experience of reading a bilingual novel was both painful and involuntary. It was that heady World Cup summer of 2018 – the likes of which we can now only dream of – and I’d spent most of it enjoying the sunshine and recovering from my A-levels. Yet as the calendar turned to September, there was an undeniable nip of autumn in the air, and with it, a nagging reminder of the untouched reading lists that my college had emailed me when my offer was confirmed. I applied to study English at Oxford because I’ve always loved reading, but this long list of weighty Victorian novels filled me with dread. I eventually managed to narrow it down to two that definitely needed reading and, daunted by Middlemarch’s 880 pages, I decided to begin with Charlotte Brontë’s Villette. I coped well enough with it initially, but as I progressed I was struck by just how much of the novel was actually in French, a language which one year of lessons at secondary school left me ill-equipped to understand.

If I had been worried about Oxford’s reputation as an elitist institution before, then this was more than enough to deepen my concerns. After all, I had applied to study English Literature, and it seemed unfair to expect, as standard, a knowledge of an entirely different language. Where I had wanted to engage in the reading, I felt cruelly alienated from the text, an alienation which was made more profound because it seemed predicated on an assumption that all undergraduates would understand French. Rather than try and puzzle out these indecipherable passages, I began to skip right past them, joking that this way I would be able to finish the novel much more quickly. All the same, my lack of comprehension left me with a creeping feeling of inferiority.

However, the cultural boundaries created by the deployment of multiple languages in a novel can use their potential to enact cultural differences without being exclusionary. This potential first revealed itself to me in a most unexpected place – the crime fiction of Agatha Christie. Christie’s Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, frequently speaks French in the novels, and phrases that would be substantially unintelligible to non-French speakers are left untranslated, yet Christie’s novels have never been considered elitist or exclusionary because of their bilingualism. On the contrary, her readership is famously so wide that her novels have outsold all books other than the Bible and Shakespeare. Poirot’s use of French in the novels also has an important stylistic function, as the characters within Christie’s novels make uncomfortable cultural assumptions about him based on the fact that he is a French speaker, and employs a kind of bilingual ‘Franglais’. His polite response to assumptions that he is French becomes almost a catchphrase – “Non monsieur, I am Belgian” – which in itself perfectly displays his dual English-Belgian identity. Language cements Poirot’s status as an outsider. A bilingual refugee, Poirot’s upper-class English suspects tend to dismiss him simply as “that foreigner”, a short-sightedness, which ultimately allows Poirot to gain the upper hand and triumphantly unmask the murderer.

In more recent literature, novelists have taken the sensitive yet powerful implications of language further, diversifying our perspective on what constitutes foreign languages and bilingualism. This shines through particularly in Czech novelist Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Whilst Kundera encompasses a variety of European languages, he also explores more abstract concepts of language. Thus, a musical quotation from Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16 in F, printed in the book as sheet music, strikes a perfect chord between two characters and gives them a fleeting moment of complete mutual understanding. Indeed, Kundera’s construction of identity is deeply rooted in his character’s personal experiences of language. We see this most clearly in the ‘Short Dictionar[ies] of Misunderstood Words’ that Kundera offers as biographical explanations for his characters’ different perspectives. One of the words, ‘cemetery’, drives an invisible wedge between lovers Franz and Sabina. For Franz, we learn cemeteries are simply an “ugly dump of stones and bones”, yet Sabina feels drawn towards them as an oasis of natural beauty, as well as a locus of her homesickness for Czechoslovakia. Here, ‘translation’ is no longer between two distinct languages, but within one, as Kundera exposes how deeply language is rooted in identity, and identity in language.

It may come as no surprise that the last bilingual novel I read, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s masterful Americanah, yielded a completely different response to my first. Here, high school sweethearts Ifemelu and Obinze‘s shared Igbo language offers up a delicious world of intimacy, which if anything, is enhanced by an exclusion from their linguistic union. However, Adichie is also inviting us to participate in the novel through both languages, and it is worth noting that although Americanah is Adichie’s third novel, it is the first in which she uses Igbo words and phrases without providing a translation. Part of the joy of reading Americanah is in its profound meditations on identity and belonging which are created by the novel’s bilingualism. Adichie raises the stakes for her inclusion of Igbo by portraying its suppression, such as when Ifemelu’s Aunty, Uju, chastises Ifemelu for speaking Igbo with her young son because “two languages will confuse him”. When Ifemelu argues that they had spoken both Igbo and English growing up, Uju puts her down flatly – “This is America. It’s different”.

After three years of studying English Literature, my perspective on the purpose and the effect of bilingual literature has shifted enormously. In fact, if I’d been more attentive to the course syllabus when I was applying, I might have realised that the literature of the British Isles has never been a monolingual entity, hence the incorporation of Middle Irish, Medieval Welsh and Old Norse (which I have been fortunate enough to study) as options within Oxford’s English Literature degree. I now realise that ‘English’ literature and identity are like vast jigsaws of different languages, which have all left their mark on the English language as it is today. As I approach the end of my degree, I see now that, rather than exclusionary, bilingual literature allows for highly specific and culturally vital expressions of identity, which themselves are all too often excluded from the literary canon. My best advice to anyone thinking of exploring bilingual literature is to be excited, not daunted at the challenge it presents the reader, and if all else fails, in the words of Roald Dahl’s Matilda: “Don’t worry about the bits you don’t understand. Sit back and allow them to wash around you, like music”. Maybe it’s time I gave Villette another go…

University return to sport: club Presidents react

Angela Eichhorst
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University return to sport: club Presidents react

After a remote Hilary, Cherwell asked Oxford University’s sports clubs about their plans for reopening.

“You can’t really get close to someone while you’re on a horse,” says President of Oxford University Equestrian Club Charlotte Stuart. “It’s a very COVID safe sport, which, I think the first time around while we were trying to get approval for training, it just took a bit longer than it needed to.” The team’s training grounds are 40 minutes away near Pangbourne where “a lot of us can transport ourselves individually, so it’s been so nice to be able to continue some sport and keep going.”

However, even for an outdoor sport like horse riding, the lockdown has taken its toll. While the Equestrian Club has typically only registered their first two teams for competition in the past, “this year we were hoping to register the threes to compete at BUCS [British Universities and Colleges Sport],” which unfortunately didn’t happen.

“We haven’t had many matches to look forward to,” Stuart says. “so I’d say it’s probably knocked motivation down a little bit.”

President of Oxford University Swimming Club Felix Gallagher has only had four weeks in the pool this year. After all indoor sports facilities shut under lockdown restrictions in October, “it’s been tough to get people involved,” Gallagher admits. Over the past six months he’s been running team fitness circuits over zoom but has noticed attendance drop. Online challenges where team members have 24 hours to asynchronously record their attempt at a burpee challenge have had more success. “I think everyone just got a bit zoomed out to be honest,” Gallagher says. 

Single lanes have been open at the Rosenblatt swimming pool since April 12th and Gallagher hopes the team can return to coached sessions from May 17th. After such a long lapse in practice, “the immediate concern is injuries, that people rush back into training and maybe don’t appreciate just how long they’ve had off and just how intense normal training is.” Gallagher is also concerned that “if [members] are not swimming at the same level they were before, they get disheartened, demotivated, and perhaps they quit the sport. I think we are a little bit worried that we might lose quite a few members.”

Gallagher was happy to see that the team’s zoom meetings this term were mostly frequented by the newest members of the group, some of whose only experience of Oxford University Swimming Club has been those first four weeks in October. Gallagher reckons the zoom sessions were “probably really beneficial in the sense that it was probably a bit less intimidating if you’re new to the club.”

Coronavirus decisions for Oxford’s sports clubs have been made by the Sport Federation, which students generally say has been forthcoming with its support. “They’ve made designated fast lane sessions for sports club members to have priority booking on… so they’ve been really brilliant about that and because it is when sessions normally are, it kind of fits into peoples’ routines a bit better” Gallagher says.  “They’ve been very helpful with our risk assessments for COVID and they’ve also sometimes provided extra money in terms of helping COVID relief for the club” says Oxford University Basketball Club Secretary Karl Baddeley. Gallagher remembers “early on in the first lockdown, they made a blues performance team Facebook group for all the blues athletes across all the different sports where they posted workouts and stuff you could do in your own time,” but he suggests, “maybe there hasn’t been as much communication on more of the welfare implications of not being able to see your team.”

In the rush to find COVID friendly activities, the Oxford University Walking Club experienced a huge spike in interest during Michaelmas term. President Isabel Creed describes the club as usually running “a very chilled walking system” with local walks open to anyone who gets themselves to the starting point on time as well as multi-day trekking trips around the UK that require more advance planning. When the lockdowns came, “we weren’t allowed to use minibuses and putting loads of people in a hostel was not really appropriate, so we haven’t really been able to operate [those longer trips]” Creed says.

“We were told that we could only have sixes by the university … which then meant that I only have 15 leaders, and not all of them were available each weekend.” As lockdown measures tightened further, Oxford University Walking Club had to move to 1:1 hikes and with a mailing list of over 1,000, people were inevitably disappointment when they were unable to book a place.

“We had an issue with people booking and then not turning up for the trips” Creed says. “People would let you know like 10 minutes before which, obviously, you can’t ring somebody at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning and say, Oh, can you come in 10 minutes.”

Creed eventually had to implement a system where two skips without an excuse led to exclusion for the term, with the valid excuse being contact with Covid. However, “sometimes people [would] then just tell me they’re not feeling well, and it’s quite difficult to work out if they’re unwell or not.”

While Creed says “a lot of people [got] frustrated, especially some of our older members,” she is hopeful things will be better this term. For Trinity “we’ve managed to kind of get some more leaders doing stuff and we’ve worked out a way of getting more people to be able to come on a trip because regulations are slightly different.”

“For social walks, we’re just going to let people off in groups of six. At least one or two people in their group of six will know their way around Port Meadow or you can follow the group [ahead] that’s distanced.”

Creed is recruiting members for a Pennine Way trip that was rescheduled to this summer after being cancelled last year, and she hopes that their other events this term will be successful at raising money for the charities Mind and Beat. After what the Walking Club went through at Michaelmas, “I do worry, though, that we might end up getting oversubscribed.”

For the Oxford University Basketball Club whose sport is played primarily indoors, they have managed to do some of their trainings outside. “Weather is a massive issue, if it’s raining half the time during autumn or winter” says Secretary Karl Baddeley. “Also being outdoors, there is higher injury risk,” because players will fall on concrete rather than wooden gym floors. “We can’t play as intensely as we normally would indoors, so that definitely limits training.”

Baddeley also says for their strength and conditioning regime “we have to do a lot of bodyweight stuff on zoom, all just in our rooms, which is fine, but obviously, that’s limiting as well.”

For Regent’s Park College Rowing President David Crowther who is preparing his college’s team for Summer Eights in week 7, “I guess the biggest fear is that someone does get COVID because … then the whole boat has to isolate.” While he expresses some concern about fitness, “everyone has been through that and we can kind of plan around that whereas [with covid] we can’t necessarily stop it.”

Most teams are holding out hope for a varsity competition at the end of term but with the shock of lockdowns in recent memory, students understand that the situation could change at any moment. “Best case scenario, we can have a friendly towards week seven or something, maybe, and then the one we really hope to have is varsity against Cambridge, maybe at the end of week eight, we don’t really know,” says Baddely. “That would be helpful. That would be best-case scenario.”

Gallagher also hopes to organise a friendly varsity but “there’d still be restrictions on number of people we can have poolside, and there wouldn’t be any fans. So I don’t know then because Cambridge will be hosting it, I don’t know if that’s viable for them.”

After a difficult year, what’s at stake is less about winning and more about morale. “Obviously, it’s kind of very much up in the air at the moment about government and university guidelines,” says Gallagher. “But if we can do that, we think that’ll probably be a good way to keep people in the club”.

Image courtesy of OUEC.

Oxford University to host G7 health summit

Charlie Hancock
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Oxford University to host G7 health summit

Oxford University will host a crucial health summit between the G7 nations on 3rd – 4th June. Health ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US will meet to discuss global health policies and actions. India, South Korea, South Africa, and Australia will also attend as guests.

Attendees will discuss issues concerning antibiotic resistance, clinical trials, and global health security against future pandemics. Digital health – the intersection of technology, healthcare, and personalised treatments – will also be on the agenda. The discussions will inform future discussions at the G7 Leaders’ Summit on 11th – 13th June.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Professor Louise Richardson, said: “Oxford University is honoured to host the G7 Health Ministers. This past year has demonstrated just how much can be accomplished when universities, business and government work together to advance global health. We hope that in the course of this meeting insights and information will be shared, ideas generated, and lasting partnerships forged. In particular, we hope that as a result of this meeting plans will be developed to ensure that we are never again caught unprepared for a pandemic.”

The G7 nations account for two thirds of the global pharmaceutical market. In addition, the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer vaccines were developed in the UK, US, and Germany respectively.

Matt Hancock, Secretary of Health and Social Care, said: “Oxford is the birthplace of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine and at the heart of British life science. Oxford is a perfect location to stage pivotal meetings on how the world readies itself to combat future health threats.

“We should not underestimate how far dreadful viruses can reach and the devastating impact they can have.  … Collectively we can build back better from this virus and … have an opportunity to learn from this pandemic and take measures that will develop global health security.”

A ministerial working dinner on 3rd June will also be attended by representatives from the life sciences industry. They will discuss the themes of the Prime Minister’s ‘Pandemic Preparedness Partnership’ between the public and private sectors.

Oxford City Council Leader, Councillor Susan Brown, said: “Oxford is proud to host this international gathering of ministers and life science leaders, to plan a global approach to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Our city has rightly become synonymous with excellence in life science research and manufacturing. We are proud that Oxford’s name is carried by the vaccine used most widely across the world. There is a real opportunity for those gathered to step up international support for the vaccination programmes still only in their early stages in many developing countries, particularly in Africa.”

Image: Yoonsuh Park/unsplash.com

Department of Chemistry Professor Kylie Vincent appointed first Academic Champion for Women in Entrepreneurship

Matthew Schaffel
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Department of Chemistry Professor Kylie Vincent appointed first Academic Champion for Women in Entrepreneurship

Oxford University has appointed its first Academic Champion for Women In Entrepreneurship, Chemistry Professor Kylie Vincent.  The post has been created to support the University Strategic Plan 2018-2023 and the Knowledge Exchange Strategy, which focuses on developing innovation and entrepreneurship at the University.

The role is expected to require Professor Vincent to spend two days per month working to support the University’s commitment to diversity in entrepreneurship. The Professor will work in her role with IDEA (Increasing Diversity in Enterprising Activities), a new initiative set up by the University which aims to reduce the barriers faced by underrepresented groups in enterprise and industry. Additionally, as part of her role, she will work with Enterprising Oxford, Divisions Departments, the EDU, and other researchers and professionals who provide support to entrepreneurs.

The role has been set up to provide ‘academic leadership for the discussion, and potential development and implementation of a Woman in Entrepreneurship Strategy’, according to the University website. Professor Vincent will also be tasked with providing a voice for women already interested or actively involved in entrepreneurship.

Chas Bountra, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Innovation) and Professor of Translational Medicine, said: “I am delighted to announce Kylie Vincent’s appointment as the first Academic Champion for Women in Entrepreneurship. Kylie brings a wealth of experience in entrepreneurial activities, including patenting, technology innovation, and research commercialisation, and is an active advocate for women in academia.”

Image Credit: Andrew Gray/CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Oxford LGBTQ+ society responds to OxMatch ‘homophobic’ question controversy

Matthew Schaffel
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Oxford LGBTQ+ society responds to OxMatch ‘homophobic’ question controversy

Oxford LGBTQ+ society has issued a statement in response to the recent OxMatch ‘homophobic’ question controversy. This centred around a question on the OxMatch questionnaire which asked applicants to rate out of five whether ‘I would be okay if my children were gay’.

The statement by the society on their Facebook page said that “In response to backlash regarding this, OxMatch released two public statements (that have since been deleted) where they attempted to justify the inclusion of the question. While we can empathise with their professed intention to identify homophobic users and to prevent them from being paired with LGBTQ+ people, the execution of this intention was poor, with there being other, more appropriate, alternatives that protect LGBTQ+ users.”

The statement highlights some of the issues that the society felt were raised by the question. This included the wording of the statement being “unnecessarily emotive”, failing to recognise the “weight and trauma” felt by many in the LGBTQ+ community from the process of coming out. The society also highlighted that Anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes manifest in a number of ways, while the question was aimed only at catching traditional ‘homophobia’. This would miss those who wouldn’t accept their child being part of the LGBTQ+ community, which the question grouped under the term ‘gay’.

The LGBTQ+ society committee said that they “reached out to OxMatch at the end of last week (the week beginning 3rd May), asking them to remove the question and introduce new measures and/or questions that would serve the same purpose in a more considered manner.” The society mentioned that they “would like to assure everybody that we were not simply asking for this question to be removed outright with no alternative, as this would have been detrimental to the safety of LGBTQ+ users of the service. Our intention throughout the process was to work constructively with OxMatch to find alternatives that were both more sensitive to LGBTQ+ issues, and more effective in achieving the goal of protecting users from homophobia.”

Oxford LGBTQ+ society noted that, along with the SU LGBTQ+ Campaign, they had offered to help to work with providers on future Oxford-based projects to help avoid similar incidents from occurring. They said that their emails to OxMatch, sent on the 8th May with a follow up on 12th May, were yet to receive a reply at the time they posted the statement. Cherwell can confirm that OxMatch responded to these emails later on the 12th May, after the statement had been posted.

Finally, the society’s statement reads: “Our biggest concern that has arisen from our correspondence with OxMatch is not the original oversights they have made, but their unwillingness to consider the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people and inability to actively engage when problems are raised. We don’t doubt that OxMatch is experienced in questionnaire and algorithm design, as they have pointed out to us, but such experience does not remove the potential of making a mistake through ignorance and a lack of awareness of LGBTQ+ issues. During our correspondence, their tone has been both defensive and accusatory towards us, showing no willingness to listen and learn from their failings.

“We do not wish to villainize OxMatch, but we do wish to hold them accountable, especially when they have a self-declared commitment to welfare and inclusivity. They have a responsibility to do better, and cannot rely on the excuses that in the past they’ve “not received a single complaint about this question” or that “the same question was used in other surveys without complaints”. These reasons do not absolve them of their wrongdoing in the present.

“We once again implore OxMatch to remove the question in favour of more appropriate measures that have been devised in consultation with LGBTQ+ people and to publicly apologise for the mishandling of this situation. These actions are the best way for OxMatch to truly affirm their commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusivity.”

In response to this, a spokesperson for OxMatch stated: “The specific question was put in due to previous complaints about individuals matching with those holding homophobic views. The question was designed to filter out homophobic individuals. We had not received a single complaint about this question before it was mentioned publicly despite thousands of students doing the survey. The same question was used in other non-affiliated surveys that ran in Oxford and elsewhere before without complaints.

“We have always sought to make OxMatch as inclusive as possible and welcome any suggestions about how to do that.”

Image Credit: Filmbetrachter/Pixabay.com

Review: “Beauty in Death” by Chase Atlantic

Poppy Atkinson Gibson
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Review: “Beauty in Death” by Chase Atlantic

Beauty in Death is the third studio album from the Australian alternative R&B band and production trio from Cairns, Australia. The group consists of lead vocalist Mitchel Cave, guitarist and vocalist Christian Anthony, guitarist, saxophonist, and backing vocalist Clinton Cave. Their newest album is the cherry on top of what is already an excellent discography with continuous themes and creative influences resulting in a smooth and flowing album arc.

It’s difficult to describe Chase Atlantic’s style. Think punk-pop meets alternative R&B meets moody trap soul, whatever genre they do occupy the subjects of their songs will always strike a chord in one way or another. Beauty in Death, as with their other work, focuses on highs and lows of substance abuse, depression, loneliness, and heartache and it’s almost certain at least one of these will be familiar to you.

Having seen them on tour in a gloomy, backstreet Bristol club complete with sticky floors, crowded mosh pit and chaotic staging, their newest album didn’t disappoint on the vibe. The album artwork is punky and weird, setting the tone for their songs and their general aesthetic. Imagine drug fuelled joy riding down dark, twisting country lanes as dawn approaches before crashing into an unmade double bed, the room bestrewn with old dishes, overflowing ashtrays and dog-eared posters. Euphoric exhaustion sets in and you drift off to sleep in the arms of the other half of your dysfunctional relationship. As someone not really living the life Chase Atlantic croon about, I find their music excellently diverting and transportive into another kind of life that I’ve only experienced in films and books.  

“The energy is less mosh pit, head banging, and more vulnerable”

Unlike previous albums, specifically, their self titled debut album and subsequent Phases, the energy is less mosh pit, headbanging, and more vulnerable. There’s talk of heartache and relationships crumbling. With this newest album you certainly get the feeling the band are writing from the mirky depths of real heartbreak rather than prematurely ended flings. There is a sense of desperation and loneliness with the single ‘Molly‘ which hops on the bandwagon of their practice of female titled songs including ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Cassie’. ‘Molly’ is both an ode to a girl and the drug and you come away feeling hooked on the chorus but pitying the boys for their chemical reliance.

‘Call Me Back’ is a triumph and is perhaps the most vulnerable the band has ever been, I found myself invested in the storyline of the lyrics picturing myself at a phone booth waiting on the end of a line for a call that just won’t come. The saxophone solos continued to be the icing on the cake, tipping you over the edge and making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. There were some unfortunate additions as with any album. Their single ‘Out on the Roof’ was a disappointment and I felt didn’t fit in well with the other songs. In the build-up to the album release, I didn’t hold too much hope, fearing that a lockdown produced album might be somewhat of a train wreck with too many clashing styles and experimentation. Instead, lending it to be more so a vanity project sound than a catalogue of art. ‘Please Stand By’ featuring De’wayne and Xavier Mayne was an unwelcome addition, jarring and out of place with the low fi vibe of the rest of the album. The three voices simply didn’t mix and coming almost slap bang in the middle of the tracklist made it an obstacle rather than an extra.

The title seems a little pompous and perhaps more appropriate for their earlier work which seemed to look drug-related and misadventurous death squarely in the eye. This time around there’s a sense that there’s more to lose and there is, in fact, no beauty in it. Overall, Chase Atlantic’s Beauty in Death is an excellent album and I look forward to when they will be able to tour again.

Image Credit: Poppy Atkinson Gibson

Protest marks one year since murder of George Floyd and calls for removal of Rhodes statue

Matilda Gettins
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Protest marks one year since murder of George Floyd and calls for removal of Rhodes statue

On the 25th May at 17:30, around 250 protestors demanded anti-racist measures from the government and the University. The protest marked the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd and criticised Oriel College’s decision not to take down the High Street Statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes.

The protest began at Bonn Square, with a speaker criticising the UK government’s denial of the institutional racism. He said “What happened to George Floyd has happened in the UK,” with protesters holding up signs saying #UKisNotInnocent. Individuals came forth and read out the names of UK victims of police brutality. The crowd then shouted the names as an act of remembrance, known as #SayTheirName. The protestors took the knee in solidarity, and raised their fists into the air.

Protestors take the knee and hold up their fist on Bonn Square Oxford as part of #SayTheirName. Many hold signs saying “BLACK LIVES MATTER / No justice No peace”.
Image credit: Matilda Gettins

Next, a speaker from Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford. Referring to the statue of Cecil Rhodes, she said: “The statue is still standing. Shame on you, Oriel College.” Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford’s main campaign against the statue began in 2015, following successful ‘Rhodes must Fall’ protests in Cape Town 2020. Protests resurged with the BlackLivesMatter movement in Summer 2020, leading Oriel College to express its desire to see the statue removed. However, after an independent commission suggested the statue be removed, the college has chosen not to take down the statue due to “regulatory and financial challenges”.

The protestors then marched towards Oriel College itself, shouting “Black Lives Matter” and “No justice, no peace”. Oxford citizen Shaloma said: “As a black female in the UK, I am very aware of racism even if it’s sometimes very under the table. I want to see my black women and sisters freed. And I think we’re the generation that will make it happen.”

Protestors march along Oxford Centre with signs saying BLACK LIVES MATTER and other slogans.
Image credit: Matilda Gettins

Once arrived in front of Oriel College, the protestors assembled on the pavement opposite the college, and chanted  “Rhodes was a racist” and  “De-de-decolonize / Oriel is full of lies”. Oxford student Wallerand Bazin said: “The statue is a symbol of the University’s support of colonialism. History is a construct, and the University must decide what it wants to keep. Keeping the statue is an act of discursive violence, and an act of violence against those who have been protesting against it for years.” Student Eve Devillers highlighted that not just Oriel, but the University must be held accountable, while another student emphasised that it was important to be a “white ally”.

Two minutes before the end, the protestors stood in the road in front of Oriel College, chanting “Rhodes must fall / Rhodes must fall / Rhodes must fall”. To end the protest, the organisers called for a minute of silence. The protestors reassembled on the pavement opposite the Rhodes statue, with their fists in the air as an act of remembrance and defiance. 

Two men holding their bikes and lifting up their fists into the air. Image credit: Matilda Gettins

This article was edited on August 18th 2021 to correct a quote’s attribution.

Oriel College Oxford has been contacted for comment.

Image Credit: Matilda Gettins

Marquee set up in University Parks

Flora Dyson
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Marquee set up in University Parks

The University of Oxford announced that a purpose-built marquee has been set up in University Parks to safely host outdoor events this term and into the Long Vacation.

The marquee is open and free to book for students and departments. It can be booked for social events through their department or division via Estates Services. It will be available until early July. 

The marquee has capacity for 30 students, in line with government guidance. It will be open-sided and accessible, with toilets nearby. Student event organisers may bring their own food and drink or pay to have it provided by the University catering company.

The marquee plans are the latest part of the Love Oxford campaign delivered in partnership with Oxford SU and the University. Love Oxford provides a hub for events organised across the collegiate University including by students, as well as in the community.

Ben Farmer, VP Charities and Community at Oxford SU said: “Throughout our planning for this year we’ve highlighted the importance of spaces for students to run events and socialise and we’re pleased the University have recognised this in providing the marquee. We’d like to thank staff across the University especially in Estates Services for helping to make it all happen.

“We know student clubs and societies have had a tough time over the past year and we’re committed to working with the collegiate University to ensure student-led groups get the support they need. We’ll continue to represent students on these issues on key committees like the Student Experience group to ensure students get the best possible support.”

Dr Jane Sherwood, Chair of the Student Experience Group and Director of the University Language Centre said: “The Student Experience Group, Parks, Estates, and the Van Houten Fund are delighted to offer a serviced Marquee in the Parks for departments to use this term. It’s one of a range of initiatives, such as Love Oxford, which the Student Experience Group is supporting to help strengthen student communities after this disjointed pandemic year.”

Image Credit: Ed Webster / CC BY 2.0

“Financial Challenges:” Inside the Oriel College commission report

Matilda Gettins
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“Financial Challenges:” Inside the Oriel College commission report

CW: Racism

The independent commission on Oriel college’s association with Cecil Rhodes released its 144-page report at the end of last week. It expressed support for the June 2020 desire expressed by Oriel College to “remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes” located on the High Street, as well as containing “recommendations concerning educational equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)”. Since the report’s publication, Oriel college has released that due to “regulatory and financial challenges”  it will not remove the statue, and will instead focus on EDI measures. 

The report outlines some of the different views expressed concerning the Cecil Rhodes statue as well as a plaque located on No.6 Edward Street, which it obtained by collecting submissions from 1447 sources. Of the 83 student submissions, 62 supported moving the statue. Of the 338 alumni submissions, only 95 supported moving the statue. The report notes that among the “younger alumni consulted” there was a “more widespread view that the memorials should be removed”. 

Of the 982 members of the general public who submitted their views, 966 were opposed to moving the statue. The report notes that almost 500 of these submissions were made within two days in March 2021, following an appeal to its supporters by the organisation Save Our Statues. 

The report also summarizes some of the main arguments made in submissions for and against the removal of the statue. Arguments in favor include: “Rhodes was contentious in his own day, let alone today. The statue, when it was erected, reflected one side of an argument, not both.” Other arguments included “Retaining memorials that symbolise colonialism and racial discrimination perpertuates such ideologies today,” and ”BME students, staff, citizens of Oxford … should not have to walk past symbols of racism that they find offensive and that commemorate those who oppressed their ancestors”.

Three young adults wearing masks at a protest holding signs which say: "ONLY RACISTS WOULD VALUE A DEAD MAN'S STATUE OVER THEIR MORALITY", "ANTI-RACISM ISN'T A TREND" and "SEND CECIL FOR A SWIM".
Three young adults wearing masks at a protest holding signs which say: “ONLY RACISTS WOULD VALUE A DEAD MAN’S STATUE OVER THEIR MORALITY”, “ANTI-RACISM ISN’T A TREND” and “SEND CECIL FOR A SWIM”.
Image credit: Matilda Gettins

Arguments against include: “Removing the memorials would reduce understanding of their context,” “We should judge historic figures by the standards of their own time, nor ours,” and ”Removing the memorials distracts attention from the real issues which need to be addressed”.

A further objection, made by Oriel college itself is that as the statue is located on a Grade II* building, “[any] changes to the building – including the addition of a permanent information board to explain the history and context, removal or replacement of the statue … would require planning consent”. 

This means that if the College were to decide to remove the statue, it would need the consent of two bodies: Oxford City Council, and Historic England. The Leader of the City Council, Councillor Susan Brown has welcomed Oriel’s commitment to removing that statue in the past and said: “It would be better for the statue to be placed in a museum, such as the Ashmolean or the Museum of Oxford, to ensure this noteworthy piece of the story of our city isn’t lost to history.” Historic England, however, has adopted the Government’s emerging policy of ‘retain and explain’. In a case of disagreement between the Oxford City Council and Historic England, the Communities Secretary would have the final say. Concerning monuments, communities secretary Robert Jenrick has said:  “We cannot – and should not – now try to edit or censor our past”.

The second main objection raised by Oriel college are the “financial challenges” placed by the statue’s removal. In his will, Cecil Rhodes left around 100,000 – worth around 12 million in today’s value – to Oriel college, making up “less than 2% of the value of his estate”. However, nearly all of this money has since been spent. 

The financial argument arises not from the original benefaction, but from the “total cost of removal” and from the worry that the “College will lose potential future benefactions if it moves/removes the Rhodes memorials”. However, the report notes that, should the College not remove the memorials, it may also “fail to attract funding from potential donors who would not wish their donation to be associated with Rhodes’ legacy”. The report adds “A statue of Rhodes was not a requirement of the will or of any subsequent negotiation concerning the endowment.”

Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) was a “prominent figure in the history of British colonialism”, whose “career was controversial [even] during his own lifetime”. Amongst other positions, he was Prime Minister of Cape Colony, where he made and supported “a number of important decisions [and developments] that intensified racial segregation”. These included  a “labour tax for African people only”, a “segregated local government system”, and the beginnings of “coercive compounds for black workers”. 

Rhodes was a “deeply committed British imperialist” and convinced of “racial superiority”. In an 1894 speech to Parliament he stated: “If the whites maintain their position as the supreme race, the day may come when we shall be thankful that we have the natives with us in their proper position”.

Substantial campaigning against the statue and calls for EDI measures at Oriel College began in Michaelmas Term 2015. This period of campaigning, run in large part by ‘Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford’, was inspired by successful demonstrations against a statue of Cecil Rhodes at the University of Cape Town. In November of that 2015, Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford presented a petition to Oriel College, demanding the movement or removal of the statue as “a welcome first step in the University’s attempt to redress the ways in which it has been an active beneficiary of empire.” 

In Summer 2020, protests against the Rhodes statue resurged, “[leading] the College to issue a statement in support of racial justice and educational inclusion”. Oriel JCR and MCR carried motions to remove the statue from its current location, and, at the time, the Governing Body of Oriel also expressed its desire to see the statue moved or removed. 

Image Credit: Michael Day / CC BY-NC 2.0

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