Wednesday 15th October 2025
Blog Page 509

COVID-19 Is Changing the Way We Socialise

Janae Byrne
-
0
COVID-19 Is Changing the Way We Socialise

With the UK in lockdown, we must resort to new forms of socialising. The lack of daily routine and inability to meet other people seems to provide an endless void for those staying at home, but once this void becomes filled with unlimited social media interactions, are we actually becoming overstimulated in our attempts to navigate social isolation?

The importance of social media has taken on a new meaning in the context of a global pandemic. It is a powerful tool for bringing people together which many relationships and friendships are currently dependent on. Unable to see my best friends for the foreseeable future, I feel very privileged to have the means of keeping in touch with them virtually. However, with this being the prime way of communicating with people outside of my household, I am finding myself spending more time than ever staring at a screen.

I must admit, there was a certain novelty to it at the beginning of this period of lockdown, with the non-stop Houseparty notifications resulting in impromptu conversations with people I hadn’t spoken to since high school. But once I’d FaceTimed everyone in my contacts and swiped through an endless stream of mundane Instagram stories, I noticed that what initially seemed like vast amounts of time to fill was actually becoming saturated with meaningless interactions.

As much as we can replicate reality through Zoom calls, it can never replace it. When my friend and I ran out of things to talk about 1 hour into a FaceTime call I seriously started to question the basis of our friendship. But when in real life would you sit and talk face-to-face with someone without any external distractions? I can hardly offer them a virtual cup of tea when the conversation runs dry.

Video-calling loses the subtleties of real-life and intensifies social interaction to the point that it feels unnatural. This is a concerning factor with the majority of students receiving teaching online over the coming weeks. I worry that video-call tutorials and seminars will never achieve the same dynamic as those in person.

Social media provides a fast-paced stream of communication that is alien to real life. In under a minute I can watch someone cook their dinner, flick through an album of photos of ‘pre-corona’ times or read a series of quarantine routines on Twitter.  The mutual boredom of all those without a job or classes to go to means that social media is, now more than ever, the nation’s stream of consciousness.

In a recent article in The Guardian, Joel Golby claims, “coronavirus has infected our culture, and the discourse is mutating around us, and the language and intensity of discussion will be permanently disfigured by this once-in-a-lifetime event”. People are aware of each other’s lives now more than ever and the effort needed to keep in contact is reduced to simply picking up the phone.

I wonder, when we finally reach the light at the end of the tunnel, how we will re-adjust to the coffee dates and pub trips which require more careful planning. I hope that the magic of casual interaction, the sitting and enjoying the presence of someone else without formal communication, is something we will have a new appreciation for when normality resumes.

Currently, socialising online is our only option. Yet I would encourage people to see social media as a complement to reality rather than a replacement for it. We must be creative with the way we use the technology we are privileged to have. It warms me to see people getting together for virtual dinner parties, movie nights and reading groups. Keeping up the routines and activities we took for granted before this pandemic helps to make this craziness feel slightly more normal.

Socialising is important, but it isn’t everything. While many of us are blessed with more free time than we’ve ever known, why not take up a new hobby or do those things that you previously never had time for? I have started reading a book for pleasure for the first time since high school, spent more time playing the piano, and even made time to do arts and crafts. So next time you find yourself scrolling through an endless stream of ‘hot takes’ on Twitter, why not take some time for yourself? I promise you won’t be missing out on much. These past couple of weeks have taught me not to be ashamed of declining group calls to continue with my knitting.

Friday Favourite: The Things They Carried

Wei Khai Lim
-
0
Friday Favourite: The Things They Carried

In the perverse manner of a bored and immature conscript in peacetime, I spent my weekends off in 2015 and 2016 consuming as much media about wars as I could. The Vietnam War was a favourite theme. Everything was so familiar to me: the vulgar cadence songs in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket declared themselves ancestors to the ones we inherited in the Singapore Army; Pte. Chris Taylor’s dog-tag sticking to his neck after hours of sweat in Platoon (1986) reminded me of the recurrent heat rashes we all got outfield. Even the way men react to enemy fire recalled my own instructors, and the sheer fatigue of each week spent in the jungle.

Thankfully, the similarities ended there. After all, I wasn’t fighting in a war, and I could still bring books into the barracks – all the while pretending to myself that being able to strip and re-assemble my assault rifle made me a patriotic hero. So I looked for, and found, Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried (1990), which accompanied me on the interminable hours in the live-firing range. Like the movies, it insists: ‘a true war story is never moral.’ And insists again:

‘If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie. There is no rectitude whatsoever. There is no virtue.’

Of course, as both Wilfred Owen and military clichés remind us, the real ‘victim’ of the lie is the dead soldier. Yet the silly strength of O’Brien’s ‘true’ war stories is their ability to make us believe how beautiful dirt is, and in how much courage narrative gives us when we’re far enough away from the events it is based on. Away from any real theatre of war, I nevertheless felt convinced to perform nobly for my bored friends and family – ‘the infantry is so tough, I should’ve malingered like <person X> instead’, or ‘yeah I gave up my foot for the country’ (I didn’t even catch footrot, I had just bruised it kicking a root). To rehash some tired platitudes, O’Brien’s power is more than his ability to formulate a world that isolates narrative from reality, but also consists in his capacity to transport us away from the latter. The Things They Carried carried me through moments of isolation – isolation that inevitably washes in when you pluck an irritable and unready boy fresh out of school, throw him into a group of other angry young men and tell him he has to earn their respect. Lieutenants in armies worldwide still famously fail to accomplish this, let alone the enlisted corps that can’t hide from their men once commissioned officers have long disappeared into their field offices.  I was a sergeant, and so enlisted, and so for the first time in my life I truly had nowhere else to go. Every tomorrow was something different, and I had to roll with the (sometimes literal) punches.

But later, in those long, silent hours (quiet for ‘tactical’ reasons) marching through the green, I imagined that someone who had come before me can sympathise, and that if I have it hard, someone else has had, and will have, it harder – including my own troops:

‘They plodded along slowly, dumbly, leaning forward against the heat, unthinking, all blood and bone, simple grunts, soldiering with their legs…’

I took each step as I did each clause here, with no wailing but some gnashing of teeth. O’Brien gave me a way to think and talk about these muddy memories in retrospect: with more modesty than I had managed, but we shared that tone of relief all people speak in when we no longer have to  do something difficult.

Now, over 3 years after I finished my term of service, I find myself in isolation again, this time with the law itself putting a cordon around my movement. At time of writing, I am serving day 7 of a 14-day isolation notice. I realised that I have finished 8 terms of a degree in English (with my tutors, all 4 of whom would probably disapprove of my mawkish review). I have used the houseparty app 3 times in the past 6 days for ‘virtual pubbing’. I sleep 4 hours a day, twice a day owing to jetlag. I am putting numbers on things to have a grasp on time passing, but even that is slowly slipping away from me. So for some calm and control I returned to O’Brien, but the things I value about The Things They Carried are no longer the same. I am more cynical now; more self-reflective about how much power books and movies and poetry really have about the way they move me. In the recent, crazy days, people have rightfully called out Waterstones supremo James Daunt for attempting to argue that book retailing should go on business-as-usual. Opponent arguments have gone many ways, including the fact that Audible – recognising the essential importance of books – has now made hundreds of volumes available for free to stave off our cabin fever. Good things, and good conversations about how important books and movies are to our cultures. Perhaps a sign that I should watch, read, or listen to something new.

Yet I still go back to The Things They Carried. It must be said that I hate to think about metaphors of ‘war’ in relation to the novel coronavirus. Susan Sontag years ago had already warned us that ‘military metaphors contribute to the stigmatizing of certain illnesses and by extension, of those who are ill.’ But military metaphors are productive because they are triumphalist, so they persist with us as we look forward to eventual victory over an illness that has and will continue to rob us of the vulnerable in our midst, not to mention countless milestones in our lives. As NHS England curiously declares ‘outbreaks of altruism’, O’Brien gives the time of day to the heroes in our midst: heroes because, like the soldiers who have been sold pipe dreams of glory, they are just like us.

‘They carried all the emotional baggage of [women and] men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing – these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight.’

As he takes us away from the gore and the dirt, O’Brien brings his camera eye-level with the people who push past the rubble for the rest of us. I can’t look away. Once again, I have nowhere else to go. Auden would have us believe that violence is ‘history’, that 30s slang for public affairs ‘that never sleeps or dies, / and, held one moment, burns the hand’. O’Brien will burn your hand while letting you watch how he does it. In the time of Coronavirus, he will prove that loving yourself can also come through loving other people.

EXCLUSIVE: Union to move to podcast format for Trinity

Tilly Walters
-
0
EXCLUSIVE: Union to move to podcast format for Trinity

The Union will go online only for Trinity Term, with talks and debates in podcast format, Cherwell can exclusively reveal. 

The society will continue with a full termcard, which will be released in 0th week. It will have regular individual speakers, two debates a week (on Tuesdays and Thursdays), and will hold several “weekend specials” throughout the term. 

Talks will be similar to their standard format, with the President or Librarian interviewing. Debates will more closely resemble a panel format, with the hosts interviewing the speakers one by one, followed by a discussion. The talks will be recorded collectively, so individual speakers have the chance to respond to each other. All podcasts will be pre-recorded. 

Speaking to Cherwell, President Mahi Joshi said: “With teaching going fully online for Trinity, and few students expected to be in Oxford, it would be impossible to hold our traditional events in Oxford. Not only would few of our members be able to attend, but it would potentially jeopardise the health and safety of all those involved.

“Moreover, current travel restrictions mean that it would be effectively impossible to secure any confirmations, either from UK-based or International speakers. All the work we as a committee do over the vacation is in the interests of putting together a term card which shares exciting and important voices with our members, and organising fully online events is the only way to achieve this in TT20.”

Interviewing speakers, and conducting debates remotely will allow a solution for travel restrictions currently in place globally. Joshi commented that, “The online format of the podcasts means that it will be easier to welcome speakers who might not be able to make it to the Union for a traditional event, whether for reasons of mobility or distance. We hope that, as a result, we will have a broad range of participants joining us, making for a diverse and exciting term card.”

Members will be able to submit questions to speakers through a form shared on the Union’s Facebook page. The host will choose the most popular and interesting questions and pose these to the speaker. Joshi said, “For individual speaker events, tough lines of questioning by the host, as well as pre-submitted member questions, will challenge speakers as normal. 

“For our debate podcasts, the opportunity for speakers to engage more directly with each other than they might in a debate means that any controversial views will be directly and intelligently challenged by speakers with differing views.”

She hopes that the online talks will provide a convenient alternative to traditional events, and noted that: “We appreciate that few people’s first thought at the announcement of Trinity being fully online is, “oh no, what about the Oxford Union!” But during these isolating times, our podcasts will hopefully give members the opportunity to listen to something insightful and inspiring, outside the day-to-day COVID news.

“We also hope, with students feeling disconnected from Oxford during this remote term, our podcasts will offer students a connection to Oxford life, and will give them something to look forward to each day.”

The Union buildings, including its members’ bar and library, closed early at the end of 8th week. Buildings will be reopened as and when government measures are changed. Library loans will be extended to the 13th of October, 2nd week of Michaelmas Term 2020. 

The Oxford Union podcasts will be released on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Amazon Alexa.

Staying sex-positive during a global pandemic

Genevieve Athis
-
0
Staying sex-positive during a global pandemic

The Coronavirus pandemic, of which the far-reaching consequences will not be fully appreciated for many years, has seen a short-term shift from young people living independently, to returning to their family homes. While for many people it is reassuring to be with family at such unprecedented times, it also means time away from partners, friends and a huge loss in the independence that comes with living on your own. Deprived of partners, privacy and Thursday night Bridge, and with the amount of time isolation is set to continue appearing uncertain, it is inevitable that many students will be feeling sexually frustrated. This frustration is entirely natural but is somehow harder to wrestle with than other issues associated with social distancing because of outdated societal attitudes about sex and (specifically female) sexuality. 

“Don’t have sex, because you will get pregnant and die!” Not only is this infamous Mean Girls line a ringing indictment of America’s (lack of) sexual education in its schools, it also speaks to wider cultural norms that associate sex with shame. It is a plea to restrain sexuality at all costs and if you must express yourself sexually, then the least you can do is have the decency to keep it private and not talk about it. In the UK too, our sexual education is often limited to non-existent. At my school it consisted of looking at different pictures of people suffering from STIs, followed by a Q&A in which questions about LGBTQIA+ issues were actively ignored. Sex-positivity aims to counter prevailing narratives that sex is inherently shameful. It encourages openness towards sexuality in all its forms and emphasises sexual pleasure, fulfillment, health and education. Essentially sex-positivity says ‘What’s the big deal?’. 

For many students, being back at home makes their usual forms of sexual expression or activity difficult. This is less than ideal at a time when stress levels are already running high, and complicated by the enduring taboo around sex in contemporary society. In the absence of human contact – here are 9 recommendations on how to maintain a sex-positive attitude in these troubling times: 

  1. Take the time to educate yourself about sexual issues! I recently went to a talk by Tarana Burke (founder of #MeToo) and I was shocked by how little I knew about the original motivations behind the movement. Sex-positivity tries to combat the lack of public education available about sex and sexuality by providing information – after all knowledge is power. Lots of sex educators/organisations have platforms on Instagram (@evyan.whitney, @karleyslutever, @sh24_nhs are just a few examples). Take the time in isolation to read up on issues you feel out of touch with or unsure about!
  2. If you’re away from your partner at the moment, self-isolation is the perfect opportunity to explore phone sex. Focusing on your own body and your partner can be a great way to relieve anxiety and phone sex can provide more intimacy than sexting. 
  3. However, for those of us who don’t have the benefit of a mansion in Surrey (or equivalent), phone sex might not be an option as you’re likely to be living in close quarters with the rest of your family. In light of this, sexting can provide a way to enjoy shared experiences of pleasure without being stressed that someone is going to overhear your conversation. 
  4. Porn – it had to come up eventually. For many people porn is the first way they explore their sexuality and educate themselves on sexual issues (often for lack of other alternatives). However, for many feminists porn is the embodiment of exploitative male power which commodifies women’s bodies and normalizes fetishes, abuse and degradation. The last decade has seen the rise of ‘ethical porn’ (check out Erika Lust’s main site, BrightDesire.com, makelovenotporn.tv and CrashPadSeries.com) which often describes porn made by and nominally for women, with a specific focus on female sexual pleasure to correct the imbalance of mainstream porn. For many people these porn sites can provide an alternative to the frankly off-putting depictions of sex on mainstream websites. 
  5. Read a book – for those who reject porn in all its forms, erotic literature can provide the answer to guilt free self-pleasure. From classics like the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy and Sarah Water’s Fingersmith, to short stories by amateur authors which can be found on sites like Literotica, there is plenty to choose from. 
  6. Sales of sex vibrators are through the roof at the moment. Instead of buying a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, consider a toy that will relieve your frustration rather than adding to it. 
  7. Talk to friends/partners/anyone about sex – discussing sexual issues can be a very liberating experience: the ability to be open and be honest about sex is critical to developing a healthy relationship with your own sexuality and discussing intimacy can also help to bring you closer to those that you choose to confide in. 
  8. In times of acute boredom many people turn to Netflix for refuge. Sex Education provides over thirteen hours of sexual escapades with an emphasis on education and debunking common myths. 
  9. Finally, for anyone that is interested in female pleasure OMGYes.com is a website that uses scientific research to provide practical pleasure techniques for its users. However, it will cost you a £39 one-off payment to access the website in full. Although, let’s be honest – what else have you got to spend your Trinity Term student loan on at the moment? In the words of Emma Watson, it’s a “pretty cool website”. A sound investment if there ever was one.

Sheldonian Theatre Plans for Gender-Neutral Toilet in Refurbishments

Irene Zhang
-
0
Sheldonian Theatre Plans for Gender-Neutral Toilet in Refurbishments

The University of Oxford Estates Service has submitted a planning application to Oxford City Council for the refurbishment of basement toilets in the Sheldonian Theatre, including the introduction of an independent-access, all-gender bathroom.

On February 27th an application for the internal refurbishment of Sheldonian Theatre basement toilets was submitted to Oxford City Council, and the planning application was validated on March 6th. Aric Barcena, the case agent for the application and an architect employed by the Conservation & Buildings Team of the University’s Estates Service, explains that since the Sheldonian Theatre is a Grade I listed building, an application is needed to measure ‘impact’ and provide ‘mitigating details’.

The application submitted includes a heritage assessment done by the University: according to the Estates Service, the basement toilets in question are not original to the building but were added in the 20th century, and their “current conditions and aesthetics … are not in keeping with the rest of the building’s interiors”. The University cites adherence to the Equality Act of 2010 as justification for the refurbishments, asserting that the new gender-neutral toilet will improve “privacy and gender-equality” for all visitors and users of the Sheldonian Theatre.

The proposal describes the refurbishments as such: “Internal refurbishment of the north and south basement toilets to include upgrades to mechanical and electrical services, replacement wall and floor finishes, internal redecoration works and new suspended ceilings. Alterations to the northeast female toilets to provide a new WC with independent access from the corridor. Reconfiguration of the southeast male toilet layout to conceal the existing services.”

The Conservation Officer from Oxford City Council told the Estates Service last year at a site visit that “it does not appear that the proposed scheme would impact any original/historic fabric of significance”, and Barcena anticipates no resistance to these upcoming works from historical societies. However, due to the current situation with COVID-19, he cautions that the timeline for these refurbishment works will all depend on the government’s pandemic guidelines for the construction sector and the effects on the supply chain. A full budget has yet to be calculated because the Estates Service is waiting on contractors’ bids, but once the planning application is approved and the full values of the works are calculated, the works will be planned in “continuous phases”, thus allowing some toilets to remain open while others are being refurbished.

Oxford SU LGBTQ+ Campaign’s 2018 Trans Report criticizes a general lack of gender-neutral facilities in many colleges and University buildings, and strongly recommends that “all University, college and faculty buildings be required to install gender-neutral facilities”. Aric Barcena comments that the University’s Estates Service is “always looking for new opportunities to increase the equality standard in university buildings”, and asks that anyone interested in this issue contact their Accessibility team for more information and future plans.

Image Credit to Mark Addison. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Oxford company to screen 15,000 drugs for COVID-19 cure

Christina Kirk
-
0
Oxford company to screen 15,000 drugs for COVID-19 cure

The Oxford-based company Exscientia will use artificial intelligence to evaluate over 15,000 drugs in order to test them for effectiveness in curing coronavirus. The Scripps Research Institute in California is providing Exscientia with the collection of drugs that will be screened in the process.

This endeavour is to be undertaken in collaboration with another Oxford-based company, Diamond Light Source – a national synchrotron science facility, which acts as a giant microscope, operating by deflecting electrons through a magnetic field to generate a bright light that enables scientists to effectively study viruses. 

According to Professor Andrew Hopkins, the chief executive of Exscientia, the company is hopeful that they can discover a compound that can be repurposed to treat coronavirus within the next six to 12 months. Then, the drug would be used in clinical trials, being tested on patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Still, Hopkins emphasized that the timeline of the project is difficult to estimate.

“When designing a brand new drug, even when using Exscientia’s accelerated AI methods, we do not expect such a new molecule to be ready for testing in human clinical trials until the end of 2021. However, if we discover a molecule that already has regulatory safety data, we can speed that up to a matter of months before human testing can begin, depending on how fast we can source or manufacture sufficient quantities of the drug substance for clinical trials,” Hopkins said.

In a comment given to The Guardian, David Stuart, director of life sciences at Diamond and professor of structural biology at Oxford University, remarked on the ability of Exscientia’s drug discovery process to expedite the rate at which clinical trials can begin, while still ensuring safety. 

“The drugs we are testing have either been approved by the [US regulator] FDA for other diseases or have been extensively tested for human safety. By being able to repurpose existing molecules, we can save a lot of time in the drug discovery process, meaning a faster route to clinical trials, and potentially a treatment for patients,” Stuart said. 

The project started in the later half of March, and Exscientia projects that its first data sets will be ready within the next six to eight weeks. Drug molecules that appear to be viable combatants against Covid-19 at this stage will be further tested to ensure effectiveness as treatment against the virus.

Diamond Light Source has several online resources updating the public about the progression of this project. Dr David Owen, a structural biologist at Diamond, has provided updates about Diamond’s contribution to the project so far.

“[W]e are looking at clinically approved compounds with the view of repurposing drugs already available for other diseases. The … strategy could provide an accelerated platform for drug discovery against sars-cov-2. It should be stressed that the development of clinically approved antivirals can take more than a decade to develop and made available in the clinic. Our research at present will help guide the identification of potential strategies for selection of drugs to be screened and we hope will aid direct researchers in the current crisis,” Owen said in a recent update.

Exscientia specialises in drug discovery and design using artificial intelligence. In order to screen molecules for effectiveness against the virus, Exscientia will use algorithms, machine learning, and biosensor technology, which will assist researchers in analysing the viral pathogenesis of COVID-19.

In regards to the Exscientia’s collaboration with Diamond, Hopkins outlined the process as follows:

 “Firstly, we are generating a large amount of high-throughput screening data for 3 key COVID-19 drug targets through this collaboration with Scripps and Diamond. Secondly, we are also working with Diamond on discovering seed data to the design of new drugs, in what is called fragment screening, where we take compounds that may only be 1/3 the size of normal drugs, called a ‘fragment’ search, to find which ones may bind and provide us with anchor points from which our algorithms can evolve new compounds. For any hits we discover, Diamond are poised to also determine the protein structures of any drug molecules bound to one of the Coronavirus proteins. Three-dimensional structure data can accelerate novel drug design.”

In addition to Diamond, Exscientia is also working in partnership with Oxford University. Since January, Exscientia, Diamond, and the University have been working to develop proteins for drug screening in aims of producing viral proteins for screening and structural analysis, which can provide atomic-level detail that will assist researchers in understanding anti-viral properties. 

Vigorous efforts to find a cure for COVID-19 are happening globally and have generally focused on existing drugs – particularly the Japanese anti-flu drug favipiravir, HIV treatment Kaletra, Ebola drug remdesivir, and anti-malaria drug chloroquine. Results from clinical trials using remdesivir as treatment in China and the US are due in April. UK biotech company Synairgen is currently testing an experimental lung drug – which was developed as a treatment for chronic-obstructive pulmonary disorder – on COVID-19 patients.

Image Credit: Mark Addison. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Clothes without prejudices: a world of modest fashion, baggy clothing and androgynous style

Reem Sultan
-
0
Clothes without prejudices: a world of modest fashion, baggy clothing and androgynous style

Reaching the ripe age of 21 hasn’t stopped me from looking for ways to feel young. Thinking back to dress up with mama’s clothes and sliding my size 13 feet into the toes of her shoes made me want to feel small and comforted, to go back to a world where I didn’t have such an unendingly busy life. It’s days like this where a jumper whose sleeves hang over my hands the way my mum’s dresses swallowed me up is truly a tonic- it’s the sweet feeling of being swaddled at a time where the outer world feels a lot to face alone.

Since I can remember, I’ve had a complicated relationship with occupying a physical form in a world where there is a ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way to do that. Oversized clothes shift that public worry of what works for your body shape first and clothes second, by presenting a fashionable way for the contours of your body to be virtually indistinguishable from the layers and folds of fabric. It’s also, to a degree, more inclusive- with modest fashion on the rise, trends are now more open to people whose cultural or religious dress conventions might often contrast with popular styles. However, fashion is profoundly personal, and I’d hate myself if I accidentally propounded the 2009 not-like-the-other-girls, “she wears short skirts I wear t-shirts”, Taylor Swift rhetoric of placing a social prize on the retention of a coy female modesty- I prefer the idea that choice is meant to liberate! Liberation for me just happens to be my clothing functioning as a spare bedroom.

Central to any discussion of oversized fashion today is the roots from which its modern incarnation sprung- early hip hop culture in the 1980s and 90s. From MC Hammers’ blouse trousers letting him Hammer time unencumbered by the restraints of the common pantaloon, to Aaaliyah’s baggy trousers and oversized jackets (which sometimes flaunted her femininity by drawing attention to her waist), to Queen Latifah’s big tees and hoodies in the iconic U.N.I.T.Y video – not to mention the fashion of the most culturally significant acronyms NWA and TLC. These all point to hip hop culture (which both influenced and was influenced by Chicano culture) as a vital root for today’s oversized trends. Recognition of Cross Colours in particular (the first streetwear brand and hip-hop movement) who used their clothing to voice political and social issues faced by African American communities, is vital when appreciating Cross Colours cultural hallmark of how politics is embedded in fashion, down to the very stitch. It’s this oversized clothing trend, which has been recently remoulded into high-fashion palatable for the white and middle class, that has previously seen countless ethnic minorities profiled and, in many cases, worse, because of conventions surrounding their dress.

It’s easy to see how we can use our bodies’ as canvases for the exploration of politics, gender, form, and shape through what we choose to sport- whether the clothes obscure or reveal us. Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garcons, attaches particular importance to the void and the abstract, focusing on space and nothingness in creating clothes with and without shape- emphasising the value of absence and the glory of shapes and protrusions that serve to reconsider and reinvent the human form in a way that maximises its potential, rather than keeping within conventional moulds. Successful baggy clothing doesn’t have to be confined to designer labels, as one can, through the dimension, depth, and manipulation of form in the drapes and folds of pretty much any oversized garment make – in my eyes – an opulent, gorgeous, and unapologetically abundant creation.

The liberative qualities of oversized clothing have also historically (and presently) meant freedom from the prescribed feminine silhouette. From the famous 1920s lean n mean, gamine flapper dresses to the Annie Halls of the 1970s, tailoring has been used to convey a message of female empowerment, subversion, rejection of the past, or even just a rearrangement of priorities (bringing motion over poise, for example). However, there’s a paradox begging to be addressed. Historically, female empowerment by fashionable means has often relied on a concealment of ‘femininity’ in order for one to be regarded as having authority or reason. These days, though, what I like about oversized fashion is that through unisex clothing brands like Collusion, the idea of a gender binary is comparably void. Playing with shape and form without having to adhere to gendered silhouettes is arguably more comfortable in this arena. There’s a huge case to be made for oversized fashion concerning body image, gender conformity and freedom of choice for many, being a huge plus.

This is not a command for everyone to wear oversized clothing- I say this is a persistent problem concerning fashion. It is the policing of what plus size people can and can’t wear, based on what is most ‘pleasing’ to a public gaze fed by flat tummy teas and fad diets. In an ideal world, clothes wouldn’t be used to hide, but to celebrate- both the clothes and the body. Bottom line is (however shocking it may be): people should be able to wear whatever they want. The ways that fabric clings to it, hangs from it, moves with it- whether it is draped in velvet or barely covered by a whispery mesh, the body and its clothes are simply magical.

St John’s cancels ball without guaranteed refunds

Violeta Perea Rubio
-
0
St John’s cancels ball without guaranteed refunds

St John’s College has announced it will be cancelling its Commemoration Ball due to take place on the 26th of June 2020 in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Unlike other Commemoration Balls in Oxford, St John’s will not be postponing it to next year and are yet to offer a definitive refund policy.

In an email sent to students this Wednesday, Professor Maggie Snowling (St John’s President) and Professor Patrick Hayes (Senior Dean), stated that they “are not able to say whether we will be able to offer a full or partial refund for tickets purchased.”

Tickets for St John’s Commemoration Ball 2020 were priced at £179 non-dining and £219 dining and are completely sold out. In the terms and conditions for the tickets, it states: “Tickets for St John’s Commemoration Ball 2020 are strictly non-refundable”, even in the event of cancellation.

Article 7.2 of the T&C states: “If the Ball or any aspect of the attractions at the Ball has to be cancelled or curtailed owing to circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the Ball Committee, including, but not limited to, adverse weather conditions, no part of the ticket price will become refundable.” Some have questioned the extent to which the cancellation is “beyond the reasonable control” of the College, noting government confinement measures do not currently extend to the 26th of June, or a potential later postponed date.

St John’s College is the wealthiest college in Oxford, with The Guardian reporting it owns over £600 million in land and property. The College rejected a Freedom of Information request in December 2018 petitioning for a list of the assets owned by St John’s. In the past year, the college has been criticized by some of its student body for a lack of transparency, exemplified in the divestment protests which took place this February.

The President and Senior Dean at St John’s College did not reply to a request for comment made by Cherwell.

St John’s declared it is prioritizing to “honour its financial commitments to providers” such as free-lance artists and small contractors by using funds from ticket sales to pay for costs not covered by insurance claims. The College has stated it will “try to minimize” the amount taken from ticket sale funds. However, they emphasise the “economic challenges” facing St John’s at this moment due to the pandemic.

Other commemoration balls such as Trinity’s and Worcester’s have either been postponed to next Trinity or offered full refunds to ticket-holders. Hertford College was able to offer full refunds for the ball set to be held in the last week of Hillary 2020, despite its last-minute cancellation.

The ball committee was told that “concerns over the financial pressures faced by the College” made it impossible to promise refunds at this point in time. St John’s explained that the increase in “calls on our resources from students experiencing financial difficulties” as a result of the coronavirus outbreak is one of the main “economic challenges” inhibiting the assurance of full refunds to students.

St John’s College has recently faced backlash from its students for not prioritizing student needs and opinions. This criticism has resurfaced in the College’s response to the coronavirus crisis, and is increasing in response to the ball cancellation.

The College explained that postponement is not possible due to “both internal and external” factors. The ball committee was told by the College that “there was a concern that even restrictions would still be in place in 14 months’ time.”

However, the St John’s Encaenia ceremony is still due to be held in 9th week Trinity 2021, wherein the Vice-Chancellor hosts a Garden Party with a large number of attendees. The ‘Gaudy Dinner’ held for St John’s alumnae has been postponed from April 2020 to Friday of 9th week 2021. Similar dates were suggested as alternative postponement dates in a student-written Impact Assessment published on St John’s JCR page, but were rejected by the college.

The College told its students: “On one level there are problems with all of the different dates. But on a deeper level what we’re confronting is enormous uncertainty next year, with (among other things) the possibility of acute pressure on College accommodation, resitting of examinations, ongoing or repeated restrictions on events, and potentially very high levels of student hardships. In these possible circumstances, we feel it is not opportune to be planning for a College ball.”

In a statement on Facebook, the Committee said they are writing an open letter alongside St John’s JCR and MCR to present at the next Governing Body meeting. They have stated they are trying to persuade the college to make possible full refunds.

The Ball Committee has assured students they “will be working hard to liaise with vendors and reviewing contracts to see how much of money we have spent so far can be recovered.”

A Cancellation/Postponement Impact Assessment for St John’s Ball published on the College’s JCR Facebook page presents two scenarios. In the “worst-case scenario”, ticket-holders would be refunded £41.95 below the buying price. This lowers to a £31.05 refund gap in the proposed best-case scenario. The Assessment favours postponement arrangements based on a comparison of measures already taken by other colleges regarding their summer balls. The Assessment has since been removed from the Facebook page.

A student at St John’s College anonymously told Cherwell: “I no longer see the point in attacking a college governing body that is fundamentally obstinate and, despite all claims to the contrary, does not care about its students.”

Similarly, Alexander Wulfers, a PhD student at St John’s, tweeted: “I am devastated to hear that my college is refusing to guarantee students who bought a ticket for the cancelled commemoration ball a full refund. At close to 200 GBP, balls are a huge expense that many students save for over a long time.

“Lots of now-struggling institutions like our local movie theatre have been amazing about paying back their customers. I never would have expected that the one institution that is not forthcoming about this is my own college.”

A spokesperson for St John’s College Ball Committee told Cherwell: “Although we argued strenuously for a different outcome, we’re now eager to maintain a constructive relationship with the College as we urge them to move forward in a positive direction. The Ball Committee continues to work closely with the College at this difficult time to try and come to a solution.”

St John’s College has been contacted for comment.

Image Credit to Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia. License: CC BY-SA 4.0

This House Believes Oxford University is Defined by its Students

Jack Glynne-Jones and Joseph Mochhoury
-
0
This House Believes Oxford University is Defined by its Students

Proposition: Joseph Mochhoury, St. Hugh’s College

Oxford University is defined by its students. And the Earth is blue like an orange.

The student is the best ambassador the University will ever have; the Oxford alumni will defend the University because they define it – and to a certain extent, the University also defines its students. This is of course reciprocal. It is not about the diploma, but about the diplomacy.

It is the success of the students that has made and is still making the success of Oxford University. Not the other way around, although the other components of the University (teaching, research, etc.) can help the students fulfill their potential. The student will always cherish her/his years at Oxford, often regarded as a new starting point. Scientific research shows us that in these years, the human brain is still developing until the age twenty-five. Innovation is key to all kinds of research. 

University is about using the Socratic method. It’s not about giving people answers but about drawing ideas out of the individual. This is why there is no age limit to be a student, and mature students do exist and are growing in numbers. It is said you never stop learning in the ‘university of life’ – this is the notion that life experience itself gives somebody a form of education not shown as formal qualifications.

A reason why Oxford University is so attractive is because students will emulate one another, and people genuinely want to meet other people like them. Also, talking and exchanging with students is the best way to have interesting cross-disciplinary discussions that are relevant to today’s world.

It is also the so-called ‘Oxford bubble’ that strengthens the idea of a stereotypical Oxonian student. Perhaps when this bubble bursts things will eventually change. A greater state-school intake will hopefully bring a more diverse outlook that will lead Oxford to a post-modernist universality. Oxford University is definitely progressive, a work constantly in progress and, thankfully, unfinished business.

As COVID-19 shows, it may be possible to move teaching and examinations online, but you simply cannot move the buildings. These empty streets just don’t feel like Oxford University, where so many nationalities are normally represented. It is a meeting place for students around the world. This is why now more than ever we can affirm that Oxford University is defined by its students.

Opposition: Jack Glynne-Jones, Lady Margaret Hall

Oxford University defines its student body before it has even arrived in Oxford. Through the rigorous application process, it funnels out those who it does not see as being ‘Oxford material’. These interviews have a particularly intensive style which supposedly identifies those who ‘know how to think’, who have an aptitude for a certain critical approach.

The interview style may favour those with audacity and a belief in their own abilities, and famously benefits private school pupils where Oxbridge interview training may take place. I know of people who have turned down their offers after being put off by the nature of the interviews. Those who enjoy these challenges are not only more likely to succeed in the application process but are more likely to accept their offers or apply in the first place.

If we look at the University’s major changes throughout history it is clear that these have been based less upon pressure from the student body and more on changes in society. Take the decision to accept female students in 1878 as an example. Arguments made by external feminist groups led to the formation of the Association for the Higher Education of Women, consisting of some college masters and wardens. The all-male student body, at best, expressed a perplexed indifference to their new fellow students. At worst, some engaged in boorish and intimidating behaviour. The decision to not only allow female education to continue but to set up more female colleges starkly highlights the way in which it is the University’s governing bodies that shape its identity, not the students.

Ancient traditions and architecture are perhaps the strongest factors shaping Oxford’s identity. When people speak of Oxford, what first comes to mind tends to be the Radcliffe Camera, Christ Church dining hall, the old Bodleian, gowns, Latin speeches, and peculiar parades through cobbled streets.

Oxford has seen plagues, the burning of martyrs, and the English Civil War. There are few universities in the world which can claim such a history. These things not only attract tourists but, I believe, act as a major draw to many students also. These strong roots shape not only the way others view the University, but the way it views itself. A lot of students who arrive with a scepticism of ‘posh boat races’, ‘port and policies’, and ‘bops’, soon find themselves falling for all the Oxford jargon, throwing themselves at these events, including myself.

Despite all this, I am optimistic that the student body plays a vital role in maintaining the University’s identity. The incredible selection of student societies, mostly set up by students, are a key part of Oxford life, and I highly value the way we contribute to the soul of our university. However, I believe that the institution’s old traditions and teaching style are the major factors shaping its identity. Perhaps it is because it is less the job of the student to change the University to suit their own desires, and more the job of the University to change the student, which makes higher education, and the university experience anywhere, worthwhile.

Album Review: Ruthie Collins’ ‘Cold Comfort’

Maxim Mower
-
0
Album Review: Ruthie Collins’ ‘Cold Comfort’

In these days of self-isolation and social distancing, we find ourselves with a lot of time to look inwards. But no matter how much introspection you get done, one thing’s for sure — Ruthie Collins is way ahead of you. On her sophomore album, Cold Comfort, she shows incredible self-awareness, guiding the listener through a tumultuous tunnel of guilt, grief, and heartbreak, before courageously emerging out the other side.

The album opens with ‘Joshua Tree’, a movingly poetic tale of setting your demons free under the light “where a million stars catch fire to the sky”. It plays like a bottle of Jack Daniels honey whiskey, with Collins’ soothing, sugary vocals washing warmly over you before the kick of emotional rawness reminds you that this isn’t a child’s drink. The line, “Will you say my name like hallelujah, love me like you’re free”, hints at the underlying tension, and we soon realise this is a song about a lost loved one. The accompanying video fills in the gaps, with Collins being haunted by flashbacks of her partner’s battle with substance abuse, before it reaches its tragic denouement. The song is inspired by country legend Gram Parson’s death at the Joshua Tree Inn.

‘Untold’ carries the same gravitas, as Collins pulls you hypnotically along the winding road of “a love story untold”, the track building with every twang of the electric guitar to a bittersweet crescendo. She lets loose on the titular ‘Cold Comfort’, with a punchy, high-energy beat and a compelling hook. She tries to rationalise her pain, reassuring herself that it will only get better with time, before conceding that this is only a ‘cold comfort’.

The battle between head and heart is a persistent theme, particularly on ‘Bad Woman’, Collins’ recently released single. She grapples with her temptation to pursue a taken man, and playfully wonders whether life would be easier if she could just leave her conscience behind and do what she wants. Collins finds herself stuck in another moral quandary on ‘Cheater’: she begins to have feelings for a new man, and while her ex is no longer a part of the picture, she still finds herself feeling as if she’s cheating on him. Collins repeats the word “cheater” over and over again, as if we are hearing the voice in her head incessantly taunting her.

Cold Comfort is a tangled, thorny bouquet of roses, the sweet scents and elegance constantly countered by the anguish lying beneath. Every song has a sombre tinge, and this makes for a captivating listen. Given the testing times we are in, my initial reaction was to wish Collins had included a few shafts of light to break up the clouds of darkness that hang ominously over her new album.

I would still say some moments of uplifting levity wouldn’t go amiss, just to show Collins’ versatility as an artist. However, the more you listen, the more you realise that the tone of this album isn’t one of torment or pain, despite its subject matter. It’s overwhelmingly peaceful and easy to listen to, and this takes me back to Collins’ self-awareness. She may be documenting tragedy, but we hear her voice coming from a place of acceptance, and despite the flashes of agony that pervade Cold Comfort, the feeling the album imparts to the listener is one of serenity.

Collins’ warm, laid-back voice coupled with her vintage-chic aesthetic gives her an appealing uniqueness, and it feels as though she is heading for the country charts in her own lane. She draws inspiration from the likes of Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris, and the poignance she gives to every line, every image, and every melody underlines her dedication to the history and craft of country music. If you’re going to be a country star, you have to be able to tell a good story. On Cold Comfort, Collins pieces together a richly detailed and deeply moving tapestry of tragedy, vulnerability, and, despite it all, strength — leaving listeners with a renewed sense of determination to tackle the unprecedented challenges facing us today.

Ruthie Collins’ album ‘Cold Comfort’, featuring the brand new single ‘Bad Woman’, is released on April 3rd.

1...508509510...2,527Page 509 of 2,527

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 Jamie Ashley