Sunday 27th July 2025
Blog Page 865

Meet the ‘Oardinary Boys’ set to take on the Atlantic

Fraser Macdonald Lister
-
0
Meet the ‘Oardinary Boys’ set to take on the Atlantic

Three thousand miles. Forty-foot waves. Fifty days, and then some.

These are the statistics facing Oxford’s “Oardinary Boys” as they prepare to take on the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

Oliver Glanville, a postgraduate reading for an MSc in Nature Society and Environmental Governance at Keble College, and George Randell, English alumnus of Trinity College, will be the first male Oxford pair to row from the Canary Islands to Antigua this December.

Childhood friends from the age of ten, they are looking to translate beer-boat expertise into an astounding ocean voyage. Glanville jokes that conditions promise to be “quite different from what I’ve experienced on the Isis”, whilst Randell describes the journey as “an elaborate way to get a six-pack”.

It is apparent, however, that their undertaking is no laughing matter.

They will row in a 24-hour cycle: one will sleep whilst the other sweats, in two-hour stints. Ten boats compete in the challenge, with one support boat that will be three days away from the pair at any given time.

Contrary to my expectations, Glanville tells me that the fastest route isn’t straight—sea yarns dictate that they “head south until the butter melts”, following historic trading currents as they pull an estimated one million oar strokes across the Atlantic.

“For the first week, you don’t sleep”, Glanville admits, describing how past competitors have battled seasickness and pervasive blistering over the opening days.

“But after that, once you get into the rhythms, you can appreciate the beauty of it”.

I ask how safe the expedition really is—Randell comments that “one of my greatest fears would be, if something goes wrong, that you’d have to be put on a container ship and go wherever it’s heading. You could end up in Shanghai, four weeks later with some burly Russian sailors”.

Container ships themselves will be a big hazard, though the most emphatic stories involve what lurks beneath the water. Glanville tells me that one team has had their hull pierced by the sword of a marlin, whilst Randell speaks of great white teeth found in the hull of another boat. Both wrinkle their noses at the story of an unfortunate pair who emptied their refuse bucket into the wind.

The Oxonians seem unphased by these sea tales, however, focusing instead on preparation over the coming months. They can expect to lose up to 20 per cent of their bodyweight during the event. As a result, their primary focus is to gain mass. They will have to take all provisions with them, relying on dehydrated food and a water-making machine for sustenance.

As I wonder at the sheer isolation of their voyage, Glanville tells me that more people have gone to space than have rowed the Atlantic. At points in the event, I don’t doubt that they will feel a million miles away: mental preparation is as key as physical training.

As for their motivation? Helping others. They are undertaking the event to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research and the Against Malaria foundation. Glanville tells me that Alzheimer’s has affected his family and many friends, whilst Randell stresses the importance of giving to transparent charities such as the Against Malaria foundation.

A big part of the challenge, however, is getting to the start line. They will have to fundraise both to get there, and also for their charities. The pair is seeking corporate sponsorship, holding raffles, dinners and the like in a bid to reach their sixty-thousand pound target. They will also conduct twelve-hour rows in London and Oxford city centres, hoping to garner support from the wider public.

Organised by Atlantic Campaigns, and broadcasted in a documentary by Sky TV, the event will have media exposure in the hundreds of millions.

Whilst individual donors, a number of breweries and kit sponsors Vineyard Vines will help the Oardinary Boys on their journey, there is no doubt that more fundraising needs to be done.

Flash kit may indeed prove useless to the pair: most people row the Atlantic naked to avoid chaffing.

It is worth reflecting on whether more Oxonians might be inspired to take on a challenge of this magnitude in the future. Whilst there is a societal expectation that graduates will quickly start their careers and enter the world of work, the competitors believe that this sort of adventure is a more worthwhile undertaking.

The message seems to be to use this position to take any opportunity you can, even if it’s as mad as rowing across the Atlantic.

Though they call themselves the Oardinary Boys, their endeavour is nothing short of extraordinary.

Oliver Glanville and George Randell’s journey can be followed at www.theoardinaryboys.com 

WATCH: Hugh Grant drinks from a shoe in New College bar

Mia Millman
-
0
WATCH: Hugh Grant drinks from a shoe in New College bar

New College alumnus and Love Actually actor Hugh Grant visited New College last Wednesday, and was seen attending formal before going to the College bar and drinking with students.

During his visit to his alma mater, Grant spoke about press ethics at a drinks reception before going to formal. Grant later was seen in the College bar with many students after formal, where he joined the New College Rugby Club for drinks.

Videos of Grant have emerged on various social media, where he can be seen taking part in Oxford drinking traditions including drinking from a shoe while wearing his NCRFC tie.

The New College JCR president placed an embargo on students speaking to the press about the visit, however Cherwell has spoken to a number of those present.

One student, Dom Hopkins-Powell, changed his Facebook profile picture to a video posted a video him racing Hugh Grant to finish a VK.

Another New College student, who was in the bar at the time, told Cherwell: “It was pretty fucking incredible.

“I found myself doing everything I resent in that kind of drinking culture: downing pints, being rowdy and watching Hugh Grant spill ale from his £200 loafers down his neck whilst doing a shoe.”

He added: “He was actually a pretty decent bloke—very well eloquent, very well mannered and witty, and looked people in the eye when he spoke with them, actually engaging with them.

“He bought everyone a pint in the bar—which obviously went down well.”

He also revealed what the actor thought of him: “He told me I looked like a ‘Piers Gav man’, which I can’t work out if he means I look like a seshlord or a drag queen.”

As can be seen in a Twitter video, Grant drank from a shoe while students chanted “I’ve never seen Hugh Grant do a shoe”.

More than a quarter of Oxford students don’t go clubbing

Cat Bean
-
0
More than a quarter of Oxford students don’t go clubbing

More than quarter of students do not go out clubbing in Oxford, a C+ investigation has found.

Of the 655 students surveyed, 26 per cent reported that they did not go out each week, and across the University the average number of nights out per week was less than two.

When asked whether or not Oxford has a problematic drinking culture, only 21.1 per cent of respondents agreed.

The college which averaged the most nights out was Exeter, at 1.7 nights out per week. Keble and Brasenose took joint second place with 1.5 nights out, while the rest of the colleges responding were below this figure.

An Exeter Entz rep told Cherwell: “We’re just a bunch of loose blokes who put them away on a night out”.

The College recently made headlines, after students commenting on public Facebook groups alleged to take ketamine.

In addition, 24.5 per cent of Exeter students responding to the survey reported having taken drugs in a club in Oxford.

Merton, despite its reputation of being ‘where fun goes to die’, did not claim the bottom spot for average number of nights out per week. Instead, Merton students’ nightlife seems more in line with that of St Hugh’s, St Hilda’s, Balliol, and Corpus Christi. These colleges all averaged between 1.1 and 1.2 nights out per week.

The college with the least prolific clubbing culture was Mansfield, which averaged less than one night out per week.

JCR President Joe Inwood said he didn’t “recognise” the figures, adding: “I can only presume we were all too busy clubbing to answer the survey.”

When comparing these results to each college’s placement on the Norrington Table, there is a slight positive correlation between number of nights out per week and a higher Norrington Table ranking. This would suggest that, on average, going out more frequently can only be good for students’ results.

OUSU to fight university over “ridiculous” scholars gowns

Fred Dimbleby
-
0
OUSU to fight university over “ridiculous” scholars gowns

The future of scholars’ gowns hangs in the balance after Wednesday night’s OUSU Council meeting saw a narrow vote in favour of mandating the sabbatical officers to consult students on lobbying the University to change its sub fusc policy.

A consultation will be held, in the form of a non-binding poll sent to all students regarding the wearing of scholars’ gowns in examinations for top-achieving students. The motion will be presented again after the poll has taken place in the next council meeting, where a decision will be made as to OUSU’s formal position.

The motion passed with 21 voting in favour, 18 against and three abstaining.

The motion was proposed by Matilda Agace and Isobel Cockburn, both from Wadham College. Cockburn argued that the use of differential gowns can “cause quite a lot of stress” to candidates and that they “create an academically hierarchical environment”.

The motion further noted that prelims, following which a minority of students are awarded the more prestigious gowns for outstanding results, “are not an adequate measure of potential”.

The proposers cited evidence that points towards an observed negative impact that differential gown usage can have on the wider student population. This was particularly noted among women, BAME and disabled people who, in an OUSU Welfare survey, were found to be more likely to be “stressed” or “overwhelmed” at Oxford.

The motion noted that “the gender attainment gap at Oxford is the worst in the country”, which along with meant that OUSU and the University should be doing all they can to decrease stress around exams.

Speaking to Cherwell, Isobel Cockburn said: “The idea came about from discussions with friends before finals. Everyone (tutors included) seemed to agree that the notion of scholars’ gowns is ridiculous in 2017, as it promotes a visual display of superiority which is simply unnecessary.”

In 2014, while men made up 54 per cent of the undergraduate student body, they received 60 per cent of the firsts, whilst women made up 46 per cent of the student body and received only 40 per cent of the firsts.

Others at the meeting, however, suggested that although there may be a correlation between scholars gowns and anxiety, the gowns themselves were not the cause.

It was pointed out that during a similar referendum held on the future of sub fusc in 2014 it was argued that the formal dress acted as a “leveller” during examinations, and a starkly different gown seemed to make this submission less credible. Oxford is currently the only university in the country to have such a differentiated system of gowns for exams.

Scholars’ gowns are also awarded to students who receive organ or choral scholarships to attend the University.

The motion was not against the wearing of scholars’ gowns by eligible students at other occasions, such as at formal hall.

Speaking to Cherwell, Harrison Edmonds, a high-profile campaigner in the ‘Save Sub Fusc’ campaign of 2014, said: “A move to abolish scholars’ gowns, or subfusc and gowns more generally, from exams, risks abandoning some of the traditions that help make Oxford University what it is.

“Exams are a very stressful period of time, and [it is] entirely possible to opt out of wearing subfusc if you believe it will impact on your performance.”

University regulations already state that only the commoners’ gown should be worn for oral or viva exams. This followed a petition in 2016 which gained 553 signatures, warning that the wearing of scholars’ gowns during this type of examination could cause biased results.

A university spokesperson said it had not yet been notified by OUSU of the motion. “Academic dress for students is determined by the Vice- Chancellor in consultation with the Proctors,” they said.

The scout system at Oxford must be scrapped

Michael Shao
-
1
The scout system at Oxford must be scrapped

The Fay School is an independent, coeducational boarding school located near Boston, Massachusetts. It enrols students between grades seven to nine in a boarding program, that is, the British equivalent of years eight to ten. Among other things, Fay students are expected at that age (eleven through 14 years old) to take care of their own laundry, clean their own rooms, and dispose of their own trash, as they board year long as the school.

Who knew, that expecting a 12 year old to be able to manage a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner to suck up spilt ramen powder could be such an easy request? Apparently, Oxford’s colleges thinks much less of us, and that its students, the supposed best and brightest in all of Britain, if not the world, are less competent at cleaning up their crisp crumbs and bread dust than prepubescent children.

As we know, each college has their own system of housekeepers, known colloquially as scouts. Scouts perform a variety of housekeeping duties for each individual student’s room typically during morning hours. Scouts also clean and maintain a number of communal living areas, such as kitchens, bathrooms, and showers. The system has existed nearly as long as Oxford has, and well into the 60s and 70s, scouts were still openly referred to as “servants,” bringing bottles of milk to the doors of students.

To be fair, while Fay might not get parents rolling in to complain of the dreadful living conditions that their students might have to live in, it’s not entirely unimaginable to picture Oxford mothers railing one out at a college principal for daring to ask their child, god forbid, unclogs their own sink, is it? That being said, this comparison is wholly unnecessary. If we have reduced ourselves to asking each other to perform basic duties such as taking care of ourselves, the same way children half our size and age do, which apparently we have, we should actively recognise that there is something seriously wrong with the way the university is shaping our behaviour and expectations.

The claim, furthermore, that scouts fill a “necessary” role, is ludicrous. Imagine any other world-renowned institution telling its students that they need to hire cohorts upon cohorts of cleaners to vacuum their floors them and scrub their windows to a shine. They would be laughed at, as Oxford is. A concept straight out of Downtown Abbey, it is, and should be, considered an ancient practice. The practice continues, regrettably so, at Cambridge University, and Durham University, where they are otherwise known as “bedders.” Outside of these three universities, there is no equivalent at any other major educational institution in the entire world.

Why that is not concerning to the main body of administrators and students at Oxford, I will never understand. The former equivalent system at Trinity College Dublin, where scouts were known as “skips,” was abandoned in the 70s, when British civilisation also typically abandoned other archaic practices such as restricting university admission to men only. Apparently this idea of progress has been lost on Oxford. The idea that adults, or anyone over a reasonable age, cannot be expected to clean after themselves, and instead, require other grown adults to clean after them, in spaces as small as college rooms, is utterly absurd.

The system of scouts also removes any sense of privacy, and automatically places students and scouts on a hostile ground over this effect. As if the smattering of CCTV cameras that spy on every nook and cranny of your college were not enough, the scout system is the icing on the cake that reminds you that the college you live in will never truly be your home. We are forced to give daily access to our rooms. The positive spin is typically presented as the requirement for scouts and students to develop a “trusting” relationship. I suppose that is the best way of phrasing the concept of being forced to agree to a system in which the posessions of students, both valuable and not valuable, are constantly accessible. This, along with the fact that many days of the week, scouts often have nothing to do, combine to create a naturally toxic relationship between scouts and students.

This occurs especially potently when scouts have to deal with the vibrant community of the spoilt—they face mockery and judgment from students who are faced with the existential conundrum of wanting everything done for them, but at the same time, naturally desiring privacy over their baubles, and so the cooking pot of rage boils. Reports of students unleashing verbal tirades on scouts, who sometimes do not speak English as a first language and thus don’t even understand what is being said, are not unheard of. Fortunately, we can see colleges such as Jesus addressing the issue at hand properly, which have been reported in the past to force scouts to adopt ‘Anglicised’ names, and colleges such as Christ Church who have been reported to force their scouts to learn English. In this manner, these two wonderful colleges have ensured that the scouts can receive a good scolding from entitled students and understand it too!

If all of the above were not concerning enough, what we should be most shocked at is that many scouts are not even paid a living wage. The Oxford Living Wage, separated from the national living wage costs because of the ridiculously high costs of living in Oxford, is £8.93 per hour, below the London living wage of £9.75 per hour. Despite this having been made clear by the Oxford City Council numerous times over the past and visibly declared on their online platforms, Oxford continues to pay its scouts below the Oxford Living Wage. More than 2,000 employers in Oxfordshire have signed up to the living wage scheme, and yet, according to vacancies advertised online, most colleges continue to pay their scouts below said wage. Hertford, which I regret to mention, because I suspect that they pay their scouts above the par in comparison to most other colleges, pay their scouts £8.45 an hour. It is reported that numerous other colleges continue to pay their scouts £7.85 an hour.

Harvard students famously campaigned for living wages for their own staff between 1998 and 2002. This past autumn, 750 workers went on strike, with the support of numerous student groups, to protest minimum wages that were not considered enough to afford a decent living, i.e. below the living wage. As a result, numerous dining halls closed all over Harvard, with the majority of the students on campus standing in solidarity with the workers, until the protest ended all dining halls return to normal operation. Unfortunately, I have the disappointment in believing that the same protest could never happen at Oxford, understandably so, as students study in one of the shortest year long undergraduate programmes ever, with tiny eight week terms.

The existence of terrible treatment outside of already terrible wages is no conspiracy. In a Cherwell investigation two years ago, incidents reported from scouts all over Oxford including instances of being forced to work from nine to 11 overtime with no compensation or apology, contracts that prevent scouts from having a lunch break, scouts forced to wear makeup and skirts, and persistent harassment from managers. Scouts themselves also lack the capacity to bargain or even remotely protest. The scouts at Oxford certainly have not unionised, and I suspect that they fully lack the ability to do so.

Reports at Jesus College of the harassment of scouts and the complete denial and gaslighting of scout concerns goes towards this belief. It is also well understood that scouts often refrain from discussing their wages or their working conditions in fear of losing their job, a state that no person should have to experience.

Finally, it is listed as a final resort, often by college principals themselves who relish in receiving housekeeping in their own college accommodations to free up time for their exhausting duties as revered heads of colleges of Oxford, that the colleges need tending to over the holidays. It is heavily ironic that college principals deliver platitudinous sermon after sermon about how learning takes precedence above all at that their colleges are first and foremost institutions of learning. If I were a wanderer with no prior knowledge of the colleges, I would not be able to tell the difference between most colleges at Oxford, and vaguely colonial hotels.

Then again, when colleges become displayed on TripAdvisor and get five star ratings for services, I begin to question myself if I am in a college that I am supposed to call my home, or a Hilton stuffed with tutors and an only somewhat meaningful history. How different really, are term stays from eight-week bookings at the Marriot?

The system of scouts makes a laughing stock out of the University of Oxford and each of its individual colleges. I would say that it contributes to the outsider picture of Oxford students as posh and spoilt that puts so many off even bothering to apply, but how far would that picture really be from reality? How the system remains to the present day confuses me because I thought that the university had moved past inflting the egos of the talcum-powdered brats that genuinely believe that less time spent scrubbing the mirror clean of last night’s spilt Dom Perignon means more time reading Isaiah Berlin and Sartre. Apparently, this is not the case. Get a grip, Oxford.

Editor: An earlier version of this article made unsubstantiated allegations of trafficking which have now been removed.

Blind Date: “I was on a date with one of the roguest guys in Oxford”

Lucy Frost and Nicky Halterman
-
0
Blind Date: “I was on a date with one of the roguest guys in Oxford”

Lucy Frost, First Year, Classics, Worcester

Arriving at Turf armed only with the name of my date inevitably led to some awkward staring at strangers until I was saved by the tentative question: “You wouldn’t happen to be Lucy, would you?” Thankfully, this was definitely the low-point of the date as we soon bought drinks and got to talking. On finding out that Nicky was from Oklahoma, I decided to ignore any initial thoughts of stereotypes drilled into me by Oklahoma! only to realise that he fit the bill almost entirely. It turned out I was on a date with one of the roguest guys in Oxford who spends his time playing ultimate frisbee, making cocktails, and spinning (as in full-on Rumpelstiltskin spinning wheel spinning). Despite the clash of his very rogue and my very mainstream interests, the conversation took off. With mutual appreciation of doggos, The West Wing, dabbling while rowing, and P!NK, we took our date to the Balliol bar.

First impression? His name’s Nicky.

Chat? Love it.

Personality? Sam Seaborn, is that you?

Second date? He’d have to get in line.

Nicky Halterman, Second Year, PPE, Balliol

My blind date got off to a somewhat worrying start when I was sent to the Turf at 8pm having failed to find out anything except that I was meeting someone named Lucy. Fortunately I ran into someone else dressed for a summer date and looking equally lost. We got a drink and somehow found a table on a Friday night, so things were already looking up as we set about the standard Oxford checklist of college/degree/part of London/societies. The conversation was enjoyable, if occasionally job-interview-ish, and eventually we managed to push through the opening to questions to showing each other pictures of our dogs, at which point I knew things were going well. We ended up retreating to my College bar for cheaper drinks and a pool table, calling it a night after another pint and some games of questionable quality. In the end the evening was good fun, though we never particularly found a great deal in common or a strong connection.

First impression? Positive, slightly awkward.

Chat? Enjoyable.

Personality? Kind, polite.

Second date? Probably not.

Laali Vadlamani wins Union Presidency for Hilary 2018

Emma Leech
-
0
Laali Vadlamani wins Union Presidency for Hilary 2018

Laali Vadlamani is the Oxford Union’s new President-elect for Michaelmas 2017 following her uncontested election on Friday 9 June. She will become President in Hilary term.

The ex-Treasurer from Trinity College received 496 first preference votes, with 136 votes going to RON.

This marks a particularly low turnout for the Union with only 770 members turning out to vote.

Members also voted for New College’s Stephen Horvath as their Treasurer-elect and St John’s Ed Evans as Secretary. The Librarian-elect is to be Sabriyah Saeed. All officer positions were uncontested as was the position for President.

The Standing Committee and Secretary’s Committee have also been elected with a particularly close result between Standing Committee candidates. 

Both sets of Committee positions were contested and saw James Lamming (Standing Committee) and Charles Wang (Secretary’s Committee) come out on top.

Michael Harkness is the Returning Officer.  

See the full results below:

OFFICERS

Treasurer-elect: Stephen Horvath – 499 (RON – 114)

Secretary: Ed Evans – 498

Librarian-elect: Sabriyah Saeed – 496 (RON – 119)

STANDING COMMITTEE (in order of number of first-preference votes)

James Lamming – 129

Brian Wong – 126

Shivani Ananth– 123

Julian Kirk – 122

Jan Bialas – 108

Runner up: Grace Joel – 88

SECRETARY’S COMMITTEE (in order of number of first-preference votes)

Charles Wang – 82

Shanuk Mediwaka – 77

Adam Watson – 66

Alex Yeandle – 63

Abigail Ridsdill-Smith – 58

Isabella Risino – 58

Charlie Cheesman – 58

Chris Garner – 51

Freya Dixon Van Dijk – 50

Genevieve Athis – 48

Mike Fuller – 42

Runner-up: Matthew Vautrey – 41

First Eliminated: Will Taylor – 25

Cherwell is recruiting for MT17!

Cherwell
-
0
Cherwell is recruiting for MT17!
Cherwell is now recruiting for editorial positions for next term. This is your chance to be part of one of the longest-running independent newspapers in the United Kingdom and to follow in the footsteps of past contributors such as Graham Greene, W.H. Auden, Hadley Freeman, and Evan Davis.

We are recruiting for section editors, deputy section editors, broadcasters, and contributors.

Apply to be a Cherwell section editor here or a deputy section editor here. Apply for a position on the Broadcasting team here. Copy and paste the text from the Google document into your own Google or Word document and email all application forms to [email protected].

Please email [email protected] by 8pm on Monday 12 June to give your intention of applying for a position. The deadline for application forms is 8pm the following day, Tuesday 13 June.

Cherwell is also looking for cartoonists, illustrators, and photographers—all interested contact [email protected] with details of any relevant experience.

Candidates will have a short, informal interview with the editors. Interviews will be held during 8th Week.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for recruitment updates and news.

Our Business team is also always looking for new recruits. Cherwell provides some of the best business experience in Oxford and provides excellent preparation for any media, consulting or banking career. We’ll train you on all relevant parts of the business and teach you to raise £10,000 independently. Email [email protected] to express interest.

Editorial job descriptions:

News:

News is a big section to edit, but it’s the one that has our most exciting headlines and reporting opportunities. This term, Cherwell has held the University to account over its Eurocentric curriculum, reported on a ketamine scandal at Exeter College, and covered the election in Oxford.

Being a news editor means you work closely with the senior editorial team, designing the news coverage, front page and posting content online. We need tenacious student journalists who have a nose for news.

To apply for News Editor, fill out the Section Editor form. It’s very easy to become a News Reporter (and you can still contribute to other sections of the paper too): just send an email to [email protected], come along to our weekly meetings, and you can be at the forefront of student journalism (maybe even literally on the front page).

Comment:

The Comment section has a well-respected tradition of printing cutting-edge opinion pieces from students on a range of Oxford and national issues. Our best debates and opinion pieces are read around the University and online, frequently attracting several thousand hits.

Joining the Comment team also allows you to interview leading political figures and celebrities. In the last year, Cherwell has interviewed Michael Gove, Fiona Bruce, Mary Beard, Jeremy Paxman, Richard Dawkins, David Haye, Slavoj Žižek and Jess Phillips MP among many others.

If you’re passionate about a subject and want to share your views and spark debate, join us. You can be a Deputy Comment Editor even if you haven’t written for us before—Deputy Comment Editors are intended to form a permanent core of reliable writers who can called upon regularly to write for the section. If you just want to write on an ad hoc basis as a contributor there’s no need to fill out a form, just email [email protected].

Satire:

Satire has provided a cutting angle on this term’s General Election, leaving no politician safe from its brutal lens. Each week our Satire Editor writes and sources a number of articles and cartoons. Fancy yourself as the next Hislop? Then this is the position for you. Fill in the Section Editor form to apply for the role of Satire Editor.

Life:

The Life section hosts a number of Cherwell’s most popular features, including our the John Evelyn gossip column and the (in)famous Blind Date.

We also have a Food & Drink page, which you can additionally apply to edit, or to write for. It features a wide variety of reviews and recipes. If you want to review college meals, or Oxford’s extensive number of bars or restaurants, this is the place to look.

Deputy Life Editors are intended to form a permanent core of reliable writers which can called upon regularly to write for the section. If you just want to write on an ad hoc basis as a contributor there’s no need to fill out a form, just email [email protected].

Investigations:

We are extremely proud of our Investigations section, otherwise known as C+. This is where some of the most in-depth, investigative journalism is done, tackling some of the biggest issues in Oxford today. This term, C+ has polled students ahead of this term’s General Election, and has investigated going out culture, life for disabled students at Oxford, and freedom of speech. If you want to test the waters of investigative life before becoming completely in charge of it, apply for Deputy Investigations Editor.

Features:

Appearing in the paper every other week, this term’s we’ve run some brilliant pieces on class at Oxford, Oxford’s traditions and ageism in pop culture. If you’re a fan of the New York Times‘ long form articles, want to interrogate and explore subjects in more detail and fancy reading (or writing) an article longer than the standard comment piece, Features is the section for you. Fill out the Section Editor form to apply to become Features Editor.

Culture:

This term, we created Oxbow, an eight page culture pullout, with pages dedicated to Film & TV, Stage, Music, Books & Lit, and Photo and Art. We’re one of the first ports of call for reviews of all the student plays, as well as all the other cultural delights which Oxford offers.

If you’d like to edit the whole Oxbow supplement please fill in the Section Editor form. If you’d like to edit any of the Film & TV, Stage, Music, Books & Lit or Visuals pages, please fill in the Section Editor form. If you would just like to contribute to Culture occasionally, there’s no need to fill in a form—please just email [email protected] expressing your interest.

Fashion:

Our Fashion section has gone from strength to strength this term. If you want to organise weekly photoshoots, or you’ve got opinions on fashion and fancy being the next Sartorialist, this is the section for you.

Deputy Fashion Editors are intended to form a permanent core of reliable writers which can called upon regularly to write for the section and to help with the weekly fashion shoots. If you just want to write on an ad hoc basis as a contributor there’s no need to fill out a form, just email [email protected].

Science & Tech:

Science & Tech has only recently found a home in our weekly paper, but the section, which started in Michaelmas 2016, now publishes regular, focused and cutting-edge articles in Cherwell.

Covering Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Medical Sciences, Engineering, and everything in between, the section allows a thoughtful scientist to publish musings on any new research that has been dumbfounding them, or even interview their favourite scientist. Recent articles have included a piece investigating the power of the nuclear bomb, the continuing process of human evolution, and the influence of the internet on global politics. Fill out the Section Editor form to apply to edit our Science & Tech section.

Sport:

We report on many major sporting occasions in Oxford—whether your interest is rugby, swimming or lacrosse, there are opportunities for objective analysis of the big games, or not-so-objective match reports from those involved in college matches. Get involved with the Sport section to continue this trend and expand high quality coverage to other sporting fields.

Apply to be a Deputy Sport Editor if you would like to be part of a permanent team of reliable writers which can called upon regularly to write for the section. If you just want to write on an ad hoc basis as a contributor you don’t need to fill out a form, just email [email protected].

Broadcasting:

Our Broadcasting section has produced fantastic content over the last term, from our weekly news round up to interviewing Oxford’s many parliamentary hopefuls, via covering various sporting events. If you have experience in production and editing, or are just keen to learn about being either behind or in front of the camera, then apply to join the broadcasting team.

Playing God since 10,000 BCE

Calum Stephenson
-
0
Playing God since 10,000 BCE

Why are human beings so afraid of the power that they possess? The world is our sandbox, and we have become the masters at manipulating it. We mined the ground to make our cities, with skyscrapers towering far higher than the tallest of trees. By harnessing radioactivity we’ve been able to capture the power of nuclear energy, while our burning of fossil fuels changes the very nature of our planet’s climate.

But while these ideas are modern — with their invention and their effects occurring within the last few centuries — one method by which humans have shaped their environment dates back over ten thousand years. As we developed a greater understanding of the animals and plants around us, we became more and more effective at raising them in our company, and through the selective breeding of the best individuals, we have morphed them to suit our needs. This process is known as domestication.

Its power is highlighted by a man named Kirk Cameron is a New Zealander evangelist who, in 2006, quite hilariously recorded an episode of his television show The Way of the Master in which he argued that the very shape of a banana — with its curved, smooth body and a “tab” at the top that allows easy access to the contents — was an “atheists nightmare”, as it was direct evidence for creation. Cameron was onto something; the banana was designed for human consumption, but not by god. Rather, through the continuous breeding of the tastiest and most comfortable plants in each generation humans have produced the modern variety, which is apparently indistinguishable from creation at first sight. The wild variety of the banana is small bodied with relatively large seeds, whatever flesh it has being very bitter to taste. We have effectively altered this small, awkward little fruit to suit our own image. We’ve played god.

And it’s not just been the bananas. Man’s best friend, Canis lupus familiaris, is our oldest plaything, with remains of the ancestral dogs found in close proximity to humans nearly fifteen thousand years ago. We’ve produced innumerable forms of dogs over the years, for reasons from security to cosmetics, again shaping them by selecting those with the most desirable characteristics for the task at hand. The same can be said of the wild mustard, Brassica oleracea, which through selective breeding has led to modern varieties of kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and kohlrabi, all of which remain the same species of plant.

Artificial selection at the hands of humans has existed ever since we took that first wolf pup into our homes, and has persisted in that form continuing into the present day. However, the relatively recent advent of the field of molecular genetics, accompanied by the ability to physically alter an organisms genetic code, have dramatically increased the ease by which we can manipulate organisms. It is possible to simulate an amount of evolutionary change that would take hundreds, if not thousands of years by traditional methods, within a single generation. It is this speed that causes unrest among the public, as there is no real difference between the two techniques, but seeing such change on the timescales of weeks, months or years can be unsettling to the human psyche, as we fear we have gone too far.

Our tendency to reject our ability to dramatically change the world around us is, in a way, both a flaw and a virtue. It has likely prevented much tragedy in the form of mismanaged genetically modified organisms, which do indeed have the potential to ruin ecosystems. However, this benefit is dwarfed by the failings of the paranoia. Genetically modified crops are necessary should we ever hope to solve the impending world hunger crises. Sterilised mosquitoes have continuously been trialled for use on wild populations, and they outline the potential for biological control mechanisms for diseases such as malaria. We could modify the nutritional value of the meat we consume, making the industry both more efficient and better for the consumer. Shaping the world around is what we have always done, it is only as technology progresses that we become faster and more effective at doing it. We need to wake up to this reality and stop being afraid of our potential.

Labour hold Oxford East as Lib Dems take Oxford West from Conservatives

Jack Hunter
-
0
Labour hold Oxford East as Lib Dems take Oxford West from Conservatives

An enlarged turnout amongst students is being thanked for an increased vote for Labour in Oxford East, as Anneliese Dodds was elected the new Labour MP in yesterday’s general election

Anneliese Dodds won the Oxford East consituency, which contains the majority of Oxford colleges, with 35,118 votes – representing an increase of 15 points to 65 per cent of the vote share. She increased 30-year MP Andrew Smith’s majority by around 8,000 votes.

In Oxford West and Abingdon, which contains a minority of Oxford colleges including St Hugh’s and St Anne’s, the Liberal Democrat candidate Layla Moran snatched the seat from Tory MP Nicola Blackwood, with 26,256 votes to Blackwood’s 25,440.

The National Union of Students have said Oxford East was one of a number in which the Labour vote share had benefitted from an increased youth turnout. In Oxford East, turnout increased by 4.6 per cent, as the Labour vote share increased by by 15 points. Long queues were reported in many constituencies.

Speaking to Cherwell last night, Anneliese Dodds spoke of her encouragement as the results came in. “Here in Oxford it has felt very very encouraging, they have been very supportive of Labour,” she said.

The results in Oxford matched Cherwell‘s recent poll of students which suggested that almost half of students at the university were planning to vote Labour in the general election.

Full results below.

Oxford East

Anneliese Dodds – Labour – 35118

Suzanne Barlington – Conservative – 11834

Kirsten Johnson – Liberal Democrat – 4904

Larry Sanders – Green – 1785

Chaka Artwell – Independent – 255

Oxford West and Abingdon

Layla Moran – Liberal Democrat – 26256

Nicola Blackwood – Conservative – 25440

Marie Tibdall – Labour – 7573

Alan Harris – UKIP – 751

1...864865866...2,516Page 865 of 2,516

Support Student Journalism

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

Donate

Explore

Follow us

More

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

Website by James Ashley