Wednesday 27th August 2025
Blog Page 68

Ovid meets modern identities in Sap

Harriet Wellock
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Ovid meets modern identities in Sap

“There used to be proper lesbian bars but they’re all Prets now” says Daphne in Sap.

This will certainly be a loose retelling of Ovid’s Daphne and Apollo, but a dutiful one nonetheless. It proclaims itself as a ‘queer urban fable about passion, power and photosynthesis’ that uses nature to grasp the complex relationship between a woman and her own sexuality.  With a tiny cast and only an hour to fill, the play uses the time old tale to make a daring commentary on the adversity still faced by bisexual women in modern society. This production’s Daphne is a bisexual woman working at a charity who becomes increasingly mired in the consequences of a hazy sexual encounter and a dishonest relationship. The classic is the binding force of the play that we don’t see, narratively underscoring hyper modern language as we traverse Twitter feeds with our protagonist, rather than the heavens.

The play is about understanding what it means to be a bisexual woman and to have your identity erased by people demanding categorisation. Daphne’s girlfriend, “Wonder Woman” will tell her that she doesn’t believe it is possible to be bi. However, the violence which Daphne faces over the course of the play only works to substantiate the possibility of her sexuality because it manifests in such fear and resentment in others. Towards the end of the play, Daphne reveals the statistic that bisexual women are five times more likely to experience domestic abuse than straight or gay women. As she is enveloped by awful life events unfolding around her, the protagonist must choose between grasping this identity and letting it possess and destroy her. Her transformation into a laurel tree represents the stoic ability to do the former. “Sap” is the positive substance made of identity and agency which will course through her in tree form. The transformation represents a kind of fortification and self-preservation against the other character’s cruelty and at large, of bisexual women against society’s malice.  

Director, Rosie Morgan Males promises to pack a wedding, restaurant, club, apartment and even Kew Gardens into the Burton Taylor. She told us that ‘you can expect a bit of everything’ as the play snaps very quickly between multiple locations and experiences with only two actors. Actor, Siena Jackson Wolfe nervously quipped that she better be entertaining because she’s ‘nearly all we’ve got for an hour’ and looked briefly forlorn when she recalled how many lines she has to learn in two weeks. She doesn’t leave the stage once. Other actor, Luke Bannister, faces a job equally demanding. He must embody every other character in the production, composing Daphne’s life and the play by weaving together the experiences of multiple, very distinct personalities. This is a copious story packed skillfully and dynamically into sixty minutes.

Luke even tentatively suggested that the play resembles something of Fleabag. We can see why in its comedy and ability to break the fourth wall, the fact of never hearing the protagonist’s name and experiencing the action solely with and through her. He was careful to express, however, that this is not a replication of the hit show but shares some of the absorbing yet buoyant qualities which make it a safe environment to explore very dark themes. 

In the vein of infusing an undeniably heavy play with buoyancy, we will be visually and sonically mesmerized. Mystical hangings and iridescent colors will dress the stage as a space constantly morphing around Daphne, flitting in and out of situations in real time and space and her internal world. A mixture of real-life sound and imported, non-naturalistic sound which the director coins a ‘non digestible soundtrack’ will aid the construction of these populated scenes and bind us closely to Daphne’s experience as her heartbeat fills the theatre. Think of it as an amorphic pallet onto which a dingy club and a sweeping Kew Gardens will be easily superimposed. You must be intrigued now. 

Siena added at the end of our interview that the brilliance of Rafaella Marcus’ script, not two years old, will do most of the work for the crew, but that the director’s ‘palpable passion’ will ensure that the prejudices and dangers of being a bisexual woman are confronted with humor, beauty and sensitivity. 

Sap will run from 19th-23rd November, 21:30 at The Burton Taylor Studio.

Oxford’s first Hip-Hop Society breaks it down

Honor Thompson
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Oxford’s first Hip-Hop Society breaks it down

In the wake of Atik’s closure and the blow felt by student nightlife, it would seem that music appreciation is taking a different turn this winter, and hopefully into the New Year. Following its announcement back in Trinity ’23, the Oxford student body had the launch party of Oxford’s first HipHop Society to attend. Traditions of soul, jazz, rock and many more exist within the umbrella and often contentious term ‘hip-hop’, a genre that seems to be in a constant state of expansion and evolution.

This notion of multiple genres influencing a stream of new, almost genreless music honours the huge and growing potential of this area of music. The dynamic and social nature of hip-hop was manifest in the success of Hip-Hop Soc’s launch night at The Varsity Club. In fact, the origins of the society arose from conversation around an MF DOOM ring representing the iconic MadVillain mask all the way back in 2023. After a year of discussion, the society is finally in action, boasting a ten-person committee and a far larger number of supporters.

From listening parties to song recommendations, Hip-Hop Society is using the interactive nature of music to their advantage. Strongly refuting the notion that rapping is easy, Tobe Onyia, the society’s secretary, spoke about his own views on hip-hop’s place in Oxford. He stated that the genre is often ‘viewed on a level below other genres’, being seen as easy or requiring less talent. Tobe also highlighted that ‘hip-hop from its roots is something that stemmed from black culture’, subsequently underlining that ‘the negative reception it gets is often rooted in subconscious racial biases’. 

Concluding his passionate testimony with comments on the the current state of hip-hop, Tobe noted that sub-genres like rap ‘do not have a fixed form and are ever expanding’, ultimately concluding that, ‘at the end of the day music is supposed to transmit emotion’. It is a resonant message speaking to the importance of authenticity in music. In introducing themselves, other committee members of the society took to instagram to expose their guilty pleasure listens, ranging from George Michael to Westside Gunn.

Evidently, the effects of hip-hop go beyond music. It represents the power of a collective, and its manifestation in the lives of people, young and old. The diversity of sound within the genre speaks to a rich fabric of talent and storytelling, and moreover a plane of emotion indicative of the shifts and changes in the world around us. Indeed, as Oxford’s newest musical society explores the ways it can bring people together and facilitate a much-needed space for hip-hop music, only one question springs to mind; where have they been all this time? It is safe to say that this new society embodies more than just hip-hop – their love for music is palpable, as well the warmness and friendliness of their members. They suggest that starting with anything produced by the Alchemist or Mike Dean will stand you in good stead for a ‘spiritual musical experience’.

After the much-anticipated ignition, Oxford Hip-Hop Society has finally got its foot on the accelerator, and is asking students to just hold on (we’re going home).

Good soup: India’s sauciest secret 

Aaran Thakore
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Good soup: India’s sauciest secret 

Soup has never really been for me. Being Indian, that might be unsurprising (and no, before you think it, curry is not a soup!). The geniuses behind the perfectly crisp bhindi and expertly rolled tandoori naan haven’t any worthy rival to the great umami-rich broths of Japanese ramen, the tangy sourness of a Barbie-pink borscht, the warm nuttiness of a bowl of egusi, or the subtle freshness of a chilled gazpacho, served straight from horseback off the Andalusian mountains. Sure, cultured gastronomic travellers will have noticed the Indian-inspired curried carrot and turmeric soup-concoction hidden within the ever-expanding jungle that is the M&S world food aisle, but we all know that 600g plastic-tub-contained monstrosity costs a much bigger portion of an already dwindling seventh-week Oxford budget than it’s worth. 

Growing up, my mother would routinely turn to soup as a fill-in dinner, a last resort dish to prepare when all else failed. Pull out any obscure-looking vegetable from the depths of our fridge drawer, chuck it in a pot with a little water and somehow, bingo, we have ourselves dinner. In an Asian household where we let nothing (literally) go to waste, this can be a health experiment as much as a cooking disaster. 

So, it’s no surprise that soup has always seemed so foreign, so uninspiring. The bold bright flavours of my homeland don’t come to mind, just a bowl of bland vegetables blitzed to within an inch of their life, dotted with a few sinking boats of soggy bread. But perhaps I was wrong. Maybe this global gastronomic phenomenon didn’t simply bypass an entire subcontinent. Maybe soup could be more than a mere phantom of a buried high school nightmare, a ploy by my mother to get me to eat more veg. Maybe, just maybe, it could be something for me too.

 It turns out the history of soup is actually quite complex. As an Oxford student used to overcomplications, I was hoping the origins of such a basic staple would be a little easier to pin down. The first soup was likely consumed sometime around 20,000 BC, when the oldest soup bowl found in Xianrendong Cave, China was dated to. 

In India, soup is perhaps just as historic. Even with the average cavemen’s digestive preferences long eradicated, some soup-resembling dishes remain within the diet of modern 21st century Bombayites. Unlike mulligatawny, which leaves nothing but the bitter aftertaste of postcolonialism in my mouth, dhal, or dahl, has strong ties to the Indian state. I still remember every Monday when I came back from school and my mother would open the door to the welcoming aroma of tarka dhal (which we rather creatively called yellow dhal due to its distinct turmeric-enhanced colour). This ritual felt like nothing other than a warm hug.

 So perhaps my original thought was wrong.  Perhaps India has great soups, but I simply haven’t been regarding them as such. I need to detangle the idea of soup and Western oppression, and return the autonomy of the dish to itself, a blank canvas available for individual expression. Because maybe soup is for me as maybe, soup is for everyone: a saucy dish that floods over the oceans that divide us. It can be something more than just a vague reminder of a colonial past and blandening of taste buds, an anglicised mockery of a subcontinent’s culinary prowess. 

Because soup doesn’t have to be purely leeks, carrot, celery and potato. It can be beans, chilli, coconut and galangal. Lemongrass, shiso, za’atar and pinda. So, as I slurp down this £3 roasted tomato Tesco meal deal soup, (£2.50 with a Clubcard) my thoughts aren’t with the five-year-old children I normally associate with such food. No, I think of the fiery plains of eastern Rajasthan, the smokiness of coal roasted jeera in a Kadai pan, and the creators of a warm, comforting dish full of love, compassion, unity and humility.

61% of Oxford tutorials done via short term contracts with ‘poverty pay’, UCU finds

Bryn Mollet
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61% of Oxford tutorials done via short term contracts with ‘poverty pay’, UCU finds

61% of Oxford University tutorials are taught by non-permanent academics, with 20% done by hourly-paid tutors, according to Freedom of Information requests from the University and College Union based on responses from 24 colleges. The data reveals difficult pay and working conditions for Oxford academic staff criticised as “Deliveroo-style” by UCU general secretary Jo Grady, who told the Observer that “academics are exploited into working on poverty pay”.

These findings follow a 2023 UCU report that finds hourly-paid college tutors had a real wage between £8.42 to £12.63 when preparation time for tutorials is considered in addition to the actual contact hours. Further, only 36% of casualised workers’ wages were above the Oxford Living Wage. The trade union described the situation as an “acute crisis” that “demands immediate action”.

Academic staff at colleges and the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education can be employed on fixed-term or hourly contracts, which offer more flexibility and reduce long-term financial commitments. The UCU argues that this limits job security, career progression, and access to benefits. 

The UCU is currently running a campaign to reduce the level of casualisation which has seen an increase in short-term contracts for Oxford academics. Over 500 students and staff signed an UCU open letter calling for measures to restrict casualisation at the University in April 2024.

Such contracts further create a “diversity deficit” among Oxford academics because it is harder for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to financially support themselves in such a role, a 2023 Cherwell investigation found. Notably, 74% of women were on fixed-term contracts compared to 61% of men, while 83% of BME staff were on fixed-term contracts compared to 61% of white staff.

A tutor told Cherwell that the quality of teaching is also affected: “I know from experience that it’s much easier to do that work well when you don’t have to split your attention between the present, the impending end of your contract, and the level of your bank account.” 

Oxford’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education Professor William Martin told Cherwell: “The academic quality of an Oxford education is extremely high, with the University rated first for teaching in the most recent UK National Student Survey results. We recognise that this is based on our committed academics and staff at all levels. We are determined that they are all rewarded and supported appropriately.

“The far-reaching recommendations of our Pay & Conditions review are already being implemented, including the introduction of an Oxford weighting payment, with our initial focus on areas of greatest need and impact, particularly for our lowest paid staff. We will continue to engage with our colleges regarding teaching positions that are college-only appointments.”

Rent in Oxford becomes more affordable despite cost of living crisis

Ila Banerji
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Rent in Oxford becomes more affordable despite cost of living crisis

Private rent in Oxford became more affordable last year than before despite the increase in cost of living. The recent report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) measures affordability by rent as a percentage of household income, so while those living on rising wages are better off, students who do not have increased income are not.

By measuring affordability as the proportion of household income being spent on rent, the ONS data shows that rents became more affordable last year: In 2023, households were spending 38.9% of their income on rent, as opposed to 42.5% in 2022.

The average monthly rent in Oxford rose from £1,500 in 2021 to £1,612 in 2023, in line with rent increases across the country. Meanwhile, average salaries have risen too. Nationwide, there was a 6.2% increase in weekly earnings from 2022 to 2023. 

This comes in the midst of a cost of living crisis, which saw an increase in day-to-day living costs, notably a spike in food prices in 2023 in contrast with the preceding years. Energy tariffs, another day-to-day necessity, rose sharply too. 

Oxford students, however, have only experienced the rise in rent and not the rise in wages. A student who rents privately told Cherwell that he did not find Oxford rents to be affordable. He continued to outline the problems he faced: “The house wasn’t cleaned at all upon moving in. The agency charged the previous student tenants £500 from their deposit to get the place cleaned, but it didn’t happen.”

Nonetheless, he said that he preferred privately renting to staying in college accommodation as it worked out to the same price due to “the additional costs that college accommodation has such as meal deposits and Vacation Residence,” especially considering “the lack of a proper kitchen”.

Despite this data, Oxford remains one of the most expensive places to live in the UK. The city faces a serious homelessness problem, regularly appearing as one of the top 5 areas in the UK for the proportion of the population rough-sleeping. The homelessness charity Oxford Gatehouse cites high rents as one of the reasons for this. The local council plans to build over 10,000 homes in the next 15 years to deal with the problem.

Largest ever UK study identifies social, ethnic discrepancies in lung cancer diagnosis

Maddie Gillett
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Largest ever UK study identifies social, ethnic discrepancies in lung cancer diagnosis

Oxford scientists conducted the largest ever UK study on lung cancer diagnoses that has revealed severe social and ethnic disparities, marking a significant step towards improving healthcare inequalities.  

The study found that people from the most deprived areas were twice as likely to develop lung cancer than those from the most affluent areas. Furthermore, people from deprived areas had a 35% higher risk of being diagnosed with more aggressive forms of the disease. 

Conducted by Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Science, it included over 17.5 million people and more than 84,000 cases, making it the most comprehensive study into lung cancer in the UK.  

Research leader Daniel Chen explained to Cherwell the reasons for this pattern: “This is likely due to a combination of factors: Higher smoking prevalence in these [deprived] communities, greater barriers to healthcare access, and increased exposure to environmental risks (poor air quality, exposure to secondhand smoke, etc).” 

Ethnic disparities were also identified, such as Bangladeshi men showing the highest lung cancer rates. A correlation between type of diagnosis and ethnicity was also discovered: Women were more likely to be diagnosed, as well as those identifying as BAME were twice as likely to be diagnosed with adenocarcinoma than those identifying as white. The researchers believe this highlights the role of genetic predisposition in lung cancer.

The study was published as the NHS releases its Targeted Lung Health Check Programme, which aims to detect cancer earlier, when it is more treatable, by focusing screening on areas of social deprivation.  

The new research also highlights the need to consider other aspects of identity, the report stating: “[Taken] together, our results have implications not only for targeting smoking prevention and cessation interventions in an accessible way, but also ensuring equitable delivery of the new lung cancer screening programme especially for women, those from ethnic minority groups and deprived areas to avoid exacerbating health inequalities.” 

Chen told Cherwell: “There has been a research gap in understanding the role of ethnicity in cancer, not specifically within the NHS but more generally. This is largely due to the under-representation of ethnic minority groups in research, often resulting in small sample sizes and limited data for assessing impacts across these populations.” 

He explained that, while previous research has considered ethnicity as a factor, it has nonetheless been insufficient due to regional focus and limited samples. In this Oxford study, however, researchers used QResearch data from over 1,000 practices and more than 10 million patients, enabling a “comprehensive, nationwide view” of these disparities.

Medicine applications decrease, more mature and international students apply

Liya Sebhatu
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Medicine applications decrease, more mature and international students apply

The number of 18-year-olds applying for early deadline courses, including Oxford, Cambridge, and medicine has fallen, new UCAS data reveals. Despite this, there has been a 1.3% increase in overall applications, with the number of mature applicants (over 21 years old) rising by 3% and international applications rising by 4.7%.

Applications to medicine courses have fallen by 3.3% – the lowest number since 2020. The peak demand for studying undergraduate medicine was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this figure has slowly declined since. For Oxford University, medicine has one of the highest number of applicants per place at Oxford; it is also the only course subject to a government restriction on the number of international students admitted for fees purposes.

Of international students, China remains the largest demographic applying to early deadline courses, and has seen a 14% increase from last year’s statistics. UCAS Chief Executive Dr Jo Saxton said: “It’s welcome news to see that global confidence in the UK’s higher education sector remains strong, with an increase in international undergraduate applicants to UK universities and colleges for early deadline courses.”

The number of applications from 18-year-old students of disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds (in the POLAR 4, Quintile 1 classification) has remained the same. UCAS has also introduced a new free school meals waiver, allowing students who received free school meals within the past six years to skip the £28.50 application fee.

Saxton said: “As the rising cost-of-living continues to present challenges to everyone, particularly those suffering financial hardship, I am keen to ensure that at UCAS, we do everything we can to support students in taking their next step.”

In Oxford’s 2023 -2024 admissions cycle, 21.2% of UK undergraduates came from the “least advantaged backgrounds”, with 7.6% of these being eligible for free school meals.Recently, the Labour Government’s Education Secretary announced that tuition fees will go up to £9,535 – or 3.1% – for home students in England starting from next year, marking the first increase in eight years.

University’s ethical investments review opens up to student input

Charlie Bailey
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University’s ethical investments review opens up to student input

The Ethical Investment Representations Review Subcommittee (EIRRS) is conducting a review of the University’s current policy prohibiting direct investment into companies that manufacture illegal arms, according to the University newsletter Gazette. Students are invited to provide input in the upcoming weeks through webinars and a form, and the report will be published in Hilary Term 2025.

The decision to form this report was made in June following months of protests and two encampments by Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P). At the time, OA4P stated that the decision was “a direct response to the mass movement of students, faculty, and staff across the University calling for disclosure and divestment”.

The current strategy was put in place in 2010 by the now defunct Socially Responsible Investment Review Committee (SRIRC) in light of escalating world conflict. SCRIC had faced student pressure to maintain the University’s ethical standards by prohibiting investments into companies which invest into illegal arms. They proposed that the University follow the guidelines set by the Munitions (Prohibition) Act 2010 and the Landmines Act 1998.

In response, the SRIRC produced a report declaring the University’s intention not to invest directly in companies that manufacture weapons or munitions prohibited under Arms Control Treaties, to which the UK is a signatory. Following a committee meeting in 2011, the terms of the report were tightened to ban investments into companies whose actions were illegal under UK law, even if they were legal in the place of the weapons’ manufacture.

The new report by the EIRRS, which has since replaced the SRIRC involves opportunities for student engagement, involving an form offering questions such as ‘‘What should be considered a ‘controversial weapon’ beyond those already banned under UK law?” and “Do you think the UK government should expand the type of weapons that are illegal?”. The suggestion is that the University may expand its list of companies to refuse investment from beyond those that directly contravene existing arms treaties. Students can submit comments until the end of the Michaelmas term.

Additionally webinars this week allow students to ask questions of Oxford’s investment approach, aiming to contextualise the review and help students formulate ideas for submissions.

Ashmolean Museum raises £4.48m to keep Fra Angelico painting

Joshua McGillivray
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Ashmolean Museum raises £4.48m to keep Fra Angelico painting

Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum has raised £4.48 million to prevent Renaissance painting The Crucifixion by Fra Angelico from being sold to an overseas buyer, narrowly meeting its 29th October deadline.

The Ashmolean had nine months to meet the deadline after the then-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport placed an export licence deferral on the work in January, delaying its leaving the country.

The artwork has been owned by a private British collection for the last 200 years. Director of the Ashmolean Xa Sturgis said the Italian work “essentially belongs to the [UK]”.

The Ashmolean bought the painting in a private treaty sale. The sum was raised owing to the museum’s Chairman Lord Lupton CBE, grants from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund, the Headley Trust, and various other donations.

Sturgis called the acquisition of the painting a “really exciting moment” for the museum, which already displays drawings by the Italian Renaissance artists Raphael and Michelangelo.

Angelico’s Crucifixion will be on public display in the Ashmolean from December. The painting is intended to be used as a teaching resource for those studying Art, History of Art, and Theology at Oxford University. It will also be freely accessible to the public and will belong in the collection shown to around 40,000 schoolchildren every year.

Fully titled The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen, the painting was created in the 1420s, and is believed to be Angelico’s earliest surviving work. Angelico, known in Italy as the “Blessed Angelic One”, remains among the most celebrated painters in the Italian Renaissance.

Sturgis said that the sixteenth-century art historian Giorgio Vasari “famously wrote that Fra Angelico couldn’t paint the crucifixion without tears streaming down his cheeks… He was very much concerned with the emotional response to a picture.” Head of the Ashmolean’s Department of Western Art Jennifer Sliwka concurred that the piece will be the “showstopper” of the gallery. 

Oxford lab sends human tissue into space in world first

Zach Burgess
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Oxford lab sends human tissue into space in world first

Samples of human tissue have been launched to the International Space Station, prepared by Oxford University’s Space Innovation Lab (SIL). The research, undertaken by Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, plans to study the effects of space’s low gravity environment on the human ageing process and cell regenerativity. 

The samples were placed within a sealed cube containing a miniature camera and microscope, which will be provided with power and data upon arrival at the ISS. Scientists at the SIL will use this to control and monitor the sample for a month, before the cube will return to earth, whereupon they will measure the expression of proteins associated with ageing compared to a control sample.

This experiment constitutes part of a study on the effects of the low gravity environment of space, known as microgravity, on the human ageing process and cell regenerativity. The SIL is investigating the hypothesis that some of these processes operate faster in microgravity, based on astronauts’ anecdotal experiences of ageing-associated conditions upon returning to Earth.

SIL founder Dr Ghada Alsaleh described the experiment as “a ground-breaking project that could help people live healthier lives, both on Earth and in space”, as conclusions will be used to inform research into age-related diseases by understanding the ageing process at a cellular level, as well as understand more about the impacts of space travel on the human body.

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