Tuesday 5th May 2026
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Oxford launch new sexual harassment and violence service

Daniel Hall
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Oxford launch new sexual harassment and violence service

Oxford University have today opened the new Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service to offer “a safe place for students to be heard”.

The service, the opening of which was revealed by Cherwell in February, will provide “independent advice and guidance” from trained specialist advisors as part of the service, the University have announced.

Oxford staff will now also be given training and advice on how to respond to sexual harassment and violence cases.

The launch of the service will form part of the Oxford Against Sexual Violence Campaign, which is jointly run by the University and Oxford SU. This collaborative project between colleges and the University will be delivered in association with Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis Centre.

The service comes following recommendations from the University’s working group into sexual harassment and violence at the University, chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, former Principal of Mansfield College.

The service, which will offer “professional and confidential support and advice”, states on its website that it will support students regardless of the time or place the sexual harassment or violence took place. This support and advice will be available in a setting that is “independent” of students’ college or department.

The website offers a definition and examples of sexual harassment and violence, as well as information telling students how they should contact the service to speak to an advisor.

Oxford University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education, Professor Martin Williams, said: “At Oxford, we are committed to preventing and responding to all incidents of sexual harassment and violence.

“It is never acceptable, and we take a zero tolerance approach. We already have a range of measures in place to tackle sexual harassment and violence, and this new service is another step forward in tackling the issue.”

Vice-President for Welfare and Equal Opportunities at Oxford SU, Ellie Macdonald, said: “Oxford SU is pleased to be working alongside the University to support the work that the new Sexual Violence and Harassment Support Service will be doing.

“This has been one of the first projects that we’ve been working on as sabbatical officers, and it is fantastic to see the University take a clear zero-tolerance approach to sexual violence.

“We also hope that the new support service will enable more students to have confidence in the University when an incident occurs.”

A promotional campaign has been launched for the service, aimed at new and continuing students.

The campaign includes a video featuring staff and students from across the University, including Professor Williams, Oxford college heads, professionals from the Support Service, and Student Union representatives.

Principal of St. Hugh’s College, Dame Elish Angiolini, who appears in the video, said: “Colleges are committed to tackling sexual harassment and violence and we are clear that zero tolerance applies to everyone.

“If a student experiences sexual harassment or violence, we know that getting the right support and independent advice early is crucial.

The new Support Service is joint initiative between the Colleges and the University and an important improvement in the way that we respond to allegations of sexual harassment.”

Coming to Oxford: Shy FX

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Coming to Oxford: Shy FX

As Andre Williams left the SOUR Records building, he was not to know that his career as the DJ, Shy FX, was about to rapidly escalate. He told DJ Target in an August 2018 interview for the BBC, “I left the gangsta track there… and they called me back and said they wanted to sign me as an artist.” That ‘Gangsta’ track was to become ‘Original Nuttah’, released in 1994, which featured the MC, UK Apache. The plan was always fairly simple, “I was making tunes just to hear a DJ play my tune on Kool FM,” he told DJ Target. The legendary pirate radio station was his aim, and ‘Original Nuttah’ was his first notable success to be aired on the illegal airwaves. The song is now a universal hit whether it’s played in clubs, at festivals, carnivals or simply in the car. But Williams’ career path had been set long before this point.

Williams was born in 1976, and he grew up in a family brimming with music. His Jamaican grandfather owned a reggae shop, where he often spent time as a child. He has said how bassline reverberated through his home, and how he would often come downstairs to see his parents dancing in perhaps a more intimate way than a small child would want to witness. In a career spanning 24 years, Williams has spawned a cosmos of hits and dipped his toes into reggae, drum and bass, jungle and mainstream chart music. This has propelled his career further than that five-year-old boy toddling around a reggae shop could ever imagine.

When the birth of TechStep came around in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a move to dark basslines. Williams lays testimony to, the atmosphere in the clubs becoming more sinister, with the male to female ratio being more heavily male dominated. Ed Rush, a TechStep artist in his prime during this period, bluntly declared “I want to hurt people with my beats”. “When dark things are happening,” Williams said, “I make the most happy tunes just to get my head out of that space.”

The ‘happy tune’ he decided to make was ‘Shake Ur Body’, released in 2001 in collaboration with T-Power. The song went number 7 in the UK Hit Singles Chart. It is not difficult to see why: the song’s Latin-style opening is audacious for what is ostensibly a drum and bass track. As the bassline kicks in, the song takes on a slightly heavier form, but not so heavy as to isolate from mainstream dance tunes. The vocals, provided by R&B vocalist Di, are not the standout feature of the song, but instead they support the beat laid down by Williams. However, the most surprising thing about the song is that it never appeared as though Williams was ‘selling out’. He said that he “just wanted to hear some good, feel good music”. The relative fame that comes with making a top 10 track never tempted him to remain in the mainstream charts, and the next epoch for Shy FX was to again be as different as the last.

T-Power and Shy FX, off the back of the success of ‘Shake Ur Body’, together released the album Set it Off in 2002. Set if Off is host to a menagerie of feature artists, including the aforementioned Di, as well as Coree Richards, Charmaine and many others. This diversity in features matches the diversity of flavours available on the album. The main hit is ‘Don’t Wanna Know’. It will be known to any football fan that was between the ages of six and fourteen between 2008-2012 as the backing track to SoccerAM’s ‘Skill Skool’. If the song were merely an instrumental, it would be a happy hardcore frenzy of salsa and bassline, however, Di’s rich vocal turns the song into a definite crowd pleaser. The superb ‘Calling You’, with vocals supplied by Sharlene Hector, could almost be a bassline Bond theme. The song ‘Nature’ takes Williams back to his dancehall past, and you can see how Shy’s grandparents’ influence pervades through the track. The album, whilst containing some individually successful songs, did not achieve outstanding reviews. It was too broad-ranging, with too many different styles and no central theme. This is perhaps one instance where Williams’ tendency to try everything let him down.

It took until 2014 for Williams to launch another album. In explaining why this was, he said that the tendency with albums is that you make the project and then tour the project. That’s not what he wants to be doing, because he enjoys how his “sets are so eclectic”. He stresses that freedom to do what he wants, and to not stick to one style, is a “blessing”.

The song ‘Who Knows’ was perhaps the moment to which the entirety of Williams’ career had been leading up; his first major single with its roots firmly entrenched in reggae. “It was something I wanted to do from a yute”, he said in 2018, but “I didn’t want to do it until I was able to do it properly.” He certainly did it properly. ‘Who Knows’ was the first official single from Protoje’s number one Reggae album, Ancient Future; a song not shy to the radio. Shy FX lay the song down and branded it with his indelible drum and bass stamp. The remix opens in almost the same manner as the original, but then the backing track is transformed from a mid-speed, reggae-style beat to a tempo more suited to the Fever rave that Shy FX first played in the 90s than to a scene like Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica. It is safe to describe the song as a ‘hit’; up there with ‘Shake Ur Body’ as one of Williams’ best works. Three million plays on YouTube and eight million plays on Spotify emphasise its popularity. It is no wonder Williams is so proud of the effort.

Williams’ newest release, ‘Badboy Business’, in classic Shy FX fashion, bridges genres and throws up the unexpected. The lush, soulful sounds of Kate Stewart are interrupted by a dancefloor madness, with lyrics provided by Mr Williams. The song went down in the same way at Notting Hill as it will when Williams comes to Oxford, at the O2 Arena on Friday 23rd of November.

Throughout his career, Williams has never been afraid to propel himself into any galaxy of genre. It has never once felt as though Williams was undertaking any task for money or for celebrity. It is perhaps down to this honesty that he has become a household name and a beloved figure in so many different regions, genres and countries. In his own words, “ultimately, the tunes [are] for me and the mandem.”

The return of Rodarte

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The return of Rodarte

“It was raining buckets but WOW was it worth it,” wrote Eva Chen, fashion director at Instagram. At Rodarte’s first New York Fashion Week show in two years, designers Laura and Kate Mulleavy unveiled an explosive kind of softness. In a cemetery on East 2nd Street in the pouring rain, guests were shown a stream of tulle and frothy lace. Odille Gilbert’s flowers were woven into the hair of each model, and every piece was punctuated by the label’s signature ruffles. In their return to the live performance of fashion, Rodarte seemed to be preoccupied with ideas of transience: the fresh flowers, the graveyard setting, and the girlishness that informed the collection. Indeed, the pieces were noticeably more delicate than those of SS17, the label’s last collection shown at NYFW, which was dominated by leather, metal studs and safety pins exposing the rude mechanics of clothes production.

However, Rodarte’s ethereal softness for SS19 is not to be confused with fragility. Fantasy and romance were at the centre of the designers’ vision, but the performance of these themes acted to assert the power of childish femininity. Ruffles were created from tough leather, and tulle dresses were made in audacious fuchsia as well as pastel colours. Traditional expectations of fabric and colour were gently subverted in order to ensure that there was little vulnerability to the house’s celebration of girlhood. Ballooning sleeves and skirts also meant that the Mulleavy sisters’ designs also took up huge amounts of physical space, making it difficult for Rodarte’s women to be overlooked.

Every element of the show was self-consciously theatrical. Even away from live performance, the house has always drawn attention to the fact that it is putting on a show. Rodarte’s AW18 collection was revealed through a series of photographic portraits by Autumn de Wilde, who used a visibly artificial painted backdrop in each picture. In drawing attention to the mechanics of what Leandra Medine has called “the fanfare and mystery and fantasy of getting dressed,” the brand lends a further irony to this girlish kind of dressing. Now that Rodarte has returned to live Fashion Week shows, we should look forward to them using setting to create knowingly artificial performances, with overtly cinematic and atmospheric settings, within which clichés can be subverted.

Critics of the show focused on how the Mulleavy sisters had placed escapism and idealism centrally within the identity of Rodarte, and couture as a whole. Leah Chernikoff at Elle felt reminded that “fashion is about selling a fantasy, just as much as it is about selling clothes.” However, in an age of irony, Rodarte’s fantasy cannot be totally transparent. The way in which these hyper-feminine silhouettes towered on the runway suggests that Rodarte’s fantasy is in fact one of female power. The house’s pieces for SS19 seem to allude to fairy stories in their ethereal quality, narratives within which delicacy often renders women vulnerable. However, the pieces also seem to show how this delicacy can be channelled into strength.

Rodarte is not the only house centring this subversive brand of femininity in its identity. Obvious parallels exist with London-based Molly Goddard, who has almost become synonymous with frenetic tailoring and excitable colour palettes. Although Goddard’s most recent collection was admittedly slightly more muted, ruffles still took centre stage. Her signature huge tulle dresses perform a daring kind of ultra-femininity, and have been worn by Adwoa Aboah, Edie Campbell and Rihanna. Molly Goddard’s celebration of girlhood is so glaring it almost feels aggressive, but joyfully so. The parallels between the work of Goddard, Rodarte, and other designers across the industry, implies a shift towards a more nuanced presentation of femininity within fashion: one that celebrates classically female textures and fabrics without sacrificing toughness.

This boundary between female fragility and muscularity is also blurred by the ways in which we style the garments of Rodarte or Goddard to bring out their implicit irony. Perhaps this is best expressed in Rihanna’s outfit at the Women’s March last January. She wore a pastel pink tulle dress by Molly Goddard. For anyone doubting the way in which such a garment could present a challenge to a misogynistic status quo, look to the slogan on the sweatshirt Rihanna had paired with the dress. “This Pussy Grabs Back.” The feminine dressing that has been considered to render women the most fragile can, in fact, be a powerful tool.

 

Crazy Rich Asians review — a rom-com deserving of the big-screen

Jonnie Barrow
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Crazy Rich Asians review — a rom-com deserving of the big-screen

Think of a recent rom-com you’ve liked, and the chances are you saw it on Netflix. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and Set It Up, for instance, are the kind of films that thrive on streaming services even while many studios seem to believe that rom-coms hold no profit potential next to the sequels, reboots and comic-book movies that currently dominate your local multiplex. Even critically-adored rom-coms that do get a cinematic release tend to be financed by streaming services – see the Amazon-produced Oscar darling The Big Sick from last year.

This is pertinent because when Netflix got wind of Crazy Rich Asians, they actually offered boatloads of cash and complete artistic control to the filmmakers if they sold the film to them instead of theatrically releasing the film with Warner Bros. The director, Jon M. Chu, decided to stick with the Warners deal, a financial gamble that could have lost them a lot of money, but would hopefully turn the film (with its all-Asian ensemble cast) into more of a pop-cultural event by virtue of its cinematic release.

It’s a gamble that’s certainly paid off financially, but it’s also produced one of the most instantly loveable rom-coms in years. Like Black Panther earlier this year, Crazy Rich Asians is so rooted in its cultural specificity that it manages to overcome the conventions of the genre even if it occasionally lapses into some worn-out cliches of its genre.

The story follows Rachel (Constance Wu), a young Chinese-American woman who, after dating her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) for a year, accompanies him to Singapore for the first time for his best friend’s wedding. At the same time, she meets his family and finds that they are unexpectedly crazy-rich, forming the basis for a classic culture-clash as she navigates through the ways of the ultra-wealthy and a culture that’s more alien to her than she could have anticipated.

Even in that brief synopsis you can sense that Chu might have taken a bingo card of rom-com staples and used them as a storytelling manual, but sometimes the cliches stack on top of each other so overtly that it feels almost inspired. There’s a soundtrack which heavily relies on pop songs, a mouthy best friend AND a gay best friend, but the moment the film ensures that the gay best friend runs our heroine through an obligatory makeover montage while “Material Girl” plays over the top, you can’t help but laugh at the sheer audacity of the filmmakers in their commitment to cliches.

But the broader mechanics of a romantic comedy must be predictable, because if even a minor element is changed then the film ceases to be a romantic comedy. The relative success or failure of a rom-com instead comes from the details of the characters, the scenarios and, indeed, the romantic and comedic elements themselves. 

This is where the film truly shines. Each individual element, even the cliches, are often executed so proficiently or boldly that they manage to feel far fresher than they are. For instance, the mouthy best friend is played by Awkwafina (already a break-out presence in Oceans 8 a few months ago) who might be the film’s comic secret weapon. And the poppy soundtrack is made up of Mandarin-language covers of familiar songs – Katherine Ho’s cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow” which plays over the closing reel, is a particular highlight.

It’s hard to believe that one of the year’s best mainstream films comes from the director of Now You See Me 2, but Chu infuses the film with a buzzy visual energy (especially during an early texting montage, which are always deceptively tricky to render cinematic) and draws great performances out of his ensemble cast.

The characters themselves are genuinely delightful to spend time with. Wu and Golding are instantly believable and likeable as the central couple – not only because they’re both gorgeous and lovely, but also because their relationship feels rooted in empathy and mutual respect, which is rarer than you might think in a mainstream romantic comedy.

Gemma Chan is worth singling out as she contributes a devastating supporting turn to a side-story that adds a welcome poignancy to the proceedings, but it’s Michelle Yeoh’s performances as Nick’s mother that truly grounds the film. The story is rooted in Chinese and Asian cultural ideas of family, filial devotion and sacrifice, and Yeoh’s character provides the film’s emotional and thematic through-line in a way that never feels on-the-nose or preachy. While she often butts heads with the ever-reasonable and measured Rachel, you always have a clear understanding of her motivations, and none of the film’s conflicts feel contrived at all.

While a slightly rushed ending and a (thankfully brief) cameo from Ken Jeong threaten to mar the proceedings, this is unquestionably one of the most delightful films of the year. Take everyone you know and love to see it, and remember to thank the filmmakers for ensuring that the film received a proper cinema release so that this joyful ray of celluloid sunshine can close out the summer as it deserves to.

Neglected discontents: what did Oxford’s most famous students really experience?

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Neglected discontents: what did Oxford’s most famous students really experience?

It should come as no surprise that the depiction of Oxford in literature and film is more fiction than fact. An impression of Oxford informed by what I’d read and watched prior to Fresher’s week would have led me to believe that if I was unlucky enough to have a ground-floor room nocturnal vomiters would be an inevitability (a misconception which would have been blamed on Brideshead Revisited to blame), and that there was a higher-than-average proportion of good cheekbones amongst the undergraduate population (for this The Riot Club takes responsibility). 

But while these might be misleading, the novelistic and cinematic forms do not purport to be anything other that fictive. A fallacy of greater import is the claim Oxford lays to a rich catalogue of alumni, from which a substantial part of its prestigious reputation and unerringly impressive history of excellence is derived. At a glance these former students are handful of familiar names, in particular those of eminent figures in the literary world, which intimate that the University itself plays a pivotal role in the formation and cultivation of artistic genius. But this linking of the individual with the institution is at its best simplistic and at its worst an injustice; in several cases, the retrospective tribute Oxford pays to its bygone pupils interests itself in only the name and the fame, amounting to an astounding truncation and disregard for their actual experience and opinions.

Percy Shelley is one of Oxford’s better-known discontents. Nonetheless, the Shelley Memorial in University College exemplifies this tendentious habit of exalting those whose relationship with the University was strained, to say the least. Here Shelley appears in his most quintessentially Romantic guise: strikingly feminine, nude, a classical ideal in white marble beneath a semi-celestial dome. But this celebration of him as the archetypal poet of a revolutionary literary movement is fraught with irony. The issue is not only that the adolescent Shelley was naturally adverse to the pompous and stagnant customs of such an institution and the publication of The Necessity of Atheism resulted in his expulsion less than a year after he’d matriculated. The monument itself was initially treated with hostility; originally commissioned by Shelley’s daughter-in-law for the Protestant Cemetery in Rome, the college only reluctantly accepted the oversized statue when it was promised that the costs of its installation would be fully covered. Shelley desired freedom and found the regimented teaching he encountered at Oxford stifling. Oxford, in turn, did not want its tradition disturbed and was only too glad to be rid of the controversial young man. It would not be unreasonable to say Shelley loathed the University and the authorities of the University loathed Shelley – yet now that his name has found a comfortable resting place in the literary canon it delights in honouring his memory.

Over a century later, a similar contempt was to be displayed by W.H. Auden. This distaste is evident from his poetic rendering of Oxford, which condemns the circular, self-perpetuating paradigm upon which the activities of the university are predicated. The extent of this disillusionment is exposed by examination of his own time at the university. Despite a pre-established conviction that he was going to be a poet, Auden’s academic career is marked by dramatic changes of subject. Arriving at Christ Church on a Natural Sciences scholarship in 1925, he switched first to PPE, before settling with what many would imagine was the obvious course for him – English. This triad of toyed-with degrees suggests not a youthful capriciousness, but, rather, disinterest; Stephen Spender recalls that his friend treated Oxford “as a convenient hotel”. Another of Spender’s memories reveals that Auden’s favourite walk was along the canal. Such a route is situated beyond that part of the city dominated by the University; arguably this preference constitutes a form of ambulatory retreat from the buildings and activities he was so disdainful of. 

It would, of course, be similarly reductive and erroneous to insist that these figures and the multiple others attached to Oxford did not benefit at all from their time there. It is not implausible to speculate that Shelley’s prodigious literary production during his brief period as a student was facilitated by the scholarly environment. Had he not been at Oxford it’s doubtful whether Auden would have encountered the other innovative young poets (Stephen Spender, Louis MacNeice, Cecil Day Lewis), without whom his talent and ideas might never have developed. But it’s all too easy for the criticism and the dissatisfaction to be forgotten, and the truth fragmented. To simply acknowledge the association between college and alumnus is to neglect the whole story. Not only does it fail to recognise their potential – it also fails to recognise what Oxford might actually have done for them. 

Freshers’ Week – the highs and the lows

Honor Brocklebank-Fowler
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Freshers’ Week – the highs and the lows

For about a month prior to coming to Oxford, I was a bundle of nerves. Freshers’ Week would be “a blur” I was told by nostalgic second-years – your first taste of Oxford, but yet entirely different from any other week here, no matter how you choose to spend it. Upon arrival, you’ll probably be subjected to an uncomfortable meet and greet over tea and biscuits in the JCR – which for me, was definitely the low point of Freshers.

I had come straight from lugging pretty much all my worldly possessions up three flights of stairs, and was acutely aware that I was bright red and soaked with sweat – definitely not the first impression I envisaged. Opting instead for a tactical shower, I then spent the next forty-five minutes too nervous to go back down to the JCR.

But things improved. Over dinner in Hall, I met a group of people that I immediately meshed with and proceeded to stick to them like glue for the remainder of the week – and the entire year as it turned out. Whilst this won’t be everyone’s experience during Freshers’, as you drift from one activity to the next you’ll quickly find some people you can at least tolerate for the next five days.

Whilst lots of people complain about the initial Freshers’ Week essay, in all honesty I found this to be a welcome source of structure. After enduring two days of the abject strangeness that is listening to Mr. Brightside on a near-constant loop in Bridge, I was relieved to meet the other students in my subject and our tutors. Although apprehensive, (especially given the essay topic was Bleak House, a novel I am yet to read in any detail), I remember feeling glad to have something concrete to focus on.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the amount of freedom we had. Despite the ‘whirlwind’ stereotype of Freshers’ Week, I felt I still had time to unpack, adjust to my surroundings, get to grips with my first essay, and sample a taste of Oxford’s sophisticated nightlife. Yes, I still was victim to a bout of the inescapable Freshers’ Flu, but it was still very much ‘my week’ and one that I will definitely remember forever.

How to: get through preseason sport

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How to: get through preseason sport

You’ve had a long summer holiday and spent the last month celebrating your results, maybe travelling and generally avoiding any necessary preparation for the forthcoming week.  If you’re lucky you might have been to IKEA to get your new bed sheets and some fairy lights but you certainly haven’t been to the gym. So you’re dreading the return to Oxford, and the return to a busy training schedule.

If you’re staying with an older player you will have their address and make your way there laden with bags and sticks for the week – praying they will take pity on your bewildered, unfit soul.

When the first day of training comes around there are loads of new names and faces to remember before the lacrosse can begin.  Despite having a really fun holiday, you struggle to think of even one interesting fact about it.

Having worried about your fitness you begin to realise that you are not alone– most people haven’t played all summer either and the number of dropped balls almost matches the number of breaks you need to take. You’ll probably regret wearing your school kit but at least everyone else will be shamefully adorned in all types of Oxford stash. The rest of the week flies by– when you’re not training, eating or sleeping you’ll have some time to see Oxford and get to know your way around. You might feel intimidated by the wise 3rd years but as survivors they are a great source of advice for freshers’ week and beyond.

You’ll also begin to be very grateful to have a nice warm, clean college room to go to next week after seeing the second year houses in Cowley.

Throughout the week there are lots of murmurings about the social. Words like crewdate, sconces and shoes are being thrown around and even when these are defined, it’s all still pretty baffling. When the final night comes around you’re so relieved you have managed to disguise your lack of fitness all week, you haven’t even had time to think about the social. When you arrive, all the stories seem to fit into place: pennies are flying round like bullets and every conversation is punctuated with the chiming of metal against glass – time for a sconce. The first social of the year is a great team bonding exercise. You will wake up the next day after a blurry night in Park End hoping you haven’t embarrassed yourself but a lot closer with your teammates and with plenty of stories to tell after just one week in Oxford.

On summer style: what we did on our holiday

Chloe Dootson-Graube
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On summer style: what we did on our holiday

Editor’s note: Although fashion may take a backseat in this collection of images, Chloe Dootson-Graube explores a different medium for expressing freedom within fashion. With summer already seeming long gone, and the intensity of fashion weeks clogging our newsfeeds, Chloe muses on the details of holiday clothing in a playful and calming way, capturing that wonderful moment abroad when you don’t have to care what you wear. By digitally stencilling photos from time away, she creates a vibrant and innovative way of storing memories.

 

Oxford ranked world’s best university for third year running

Greg Ritchie
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Oxford ranked world’s best university for third year running

Oxford has been crowned the world’s best university for the third successive year, according to the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The University beat second-placed Cambridge to the title, ensuring that Oxford remains the only UK University ever to top the international rankings.

The new league table for 2019 was unveiled at the World Academic Summit in Singapore this afternoon, with Oxford first among the 1258 universities assessed worldwide.

Vice Chancellor of Oxford University, Louise Richardson, said: “We’re deeply gratified by this result but also delighted to see how strongly British and other European universities have performed.

“As we in the UK face the great unknown that is Brexit we look forward to ever deeper cooperation with colleagues abroad. It has never been more important that we engage internationally in furtherance of the themes of this year’s World Academic Summit in Singapore – advancing knowledge, driving the economy, and recognising the transformative power of academic research.”

Chief Knowledge Officer at Times Higher Education, Phil Baty, said: “Oxford has once again been confirmed as the world’s number one university – the third consecutive year in the top position.

“You cannot lead the World University Rankings without an outstanding performance right across our full range of performance indicators, covering teaching excellence, research power and impact, industry relations and international outlook.

“Oxford stands out across the board, but what sets it apart from the top-ranked schools below it, primarily from the US, is its exceptionally international focus. Oxford thrives, not just due to strong levels of research funding, and a remarkably intimate teaching environment, but primarily due to the talent on its campus – and there’s no doubt Oxford is a magnet for talent globally, attracting the brightest and the best students and faculty from all over the world.”

The full rankings can be found here.

Exclusive: Union open period events announced

Cherwell News
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Exclusive: Union open period events announced

Tony Abbott, Sir Paul Smith, and Jo Malone will join Jude Law and Jeremy Gilley at the Oxford Union during its annual Open Period, Cherwell can exclusively report.

Heads of state and diplomats feature heavily in the first few weeks, including the Iranian Ambassador to the UK and the former President of Botswana, Ian Khama. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, will explore the geopolitical future of the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, former Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, will deliver a talk entitled “Brexit – be happy!”, while former President of Finland, Tara Halonen, will discuss sustainable development.

Two debates will take place, notably the perennial ‘No Confidence’ debate including Universities Minister Sam Gyimah MP, Conservative Chairman Brandon Lewis, and Shadow Defence Secretary, Nia Griffiths MP, for the Opposition. There will be ten individual speaker appearances.

Two special events will take place during the period. Firstly, on 10th October. RT (formerly Russia Today) UK editor Nikolay Bogachikhin will be giving a presentation followed by a Q&A accompanied by Deputy Editor in Chief, Anna Belkina.

In addition, a special ‘Head to Head’ event will take place on 17th October, which will see EU Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, who is responsibile for the euro and fiscal union, arguing that ‘The Euro is Stronger than it has ever Been’, a day before a crucial meeting of the European Council.

With a new prominence of titled talks across Michaelmas, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev will also be lecturing on ‘The Security Challenges Facing Europe.”

Leaving current affairs behind for the metaphysical, the final debate of the Open Period, “This House Believes that Science Alone Cannot Answer our Deepest Questions” will bring together philosophers, such as Oxford’s own Prof Richard Swinburne, and scientists including American cosmologist Frank Tipler.

Any student with a Bod or Brookes card will be able to attend any of these events prior to the 18th October without Union membership. Those interested in becoming members will be able to at a reduced price during the Open Period.

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