THE
OXFORDSTUDENT One step ahead since 1991
Volume 73 Issue 5
Thursday 21st May 4th Week
oxfordstudent.com
Meet writer Juliette Towhidi
Jersey Boys come to Oxford » OXII Page 6
Sub-fusc: the voting begins
» Page 13
» Page 8
Tory tussle: OUCA students attacked ‘for political beliefs’ • Student “seized by the throat” after singing ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’
LAURA WHETHERLY DEPUTY EDITOR
Partial success for divestment
University has promised to ban any future investment in coal and tar sand Fossil Free Oxford Campaign
A first-year Oxford student has claimed he was assaulted for his political beliefs, following the Conservative Party’s success in this month’s General Election. Shane Finn, a student of Christ Church College, described how he was returning from a third week Port and Policy meeting organised by the Oxford University Conservative Association when he was “seized by the throat” near the steps of the Bodleian Library. According to Finn, he and a small group of fellow OUCA members were approached by two individuals singing “The Red Flag”, a traditional socialist song, just before one in the morning. According to Finn, the OUCA members decided to sing “I Vow to Thee My Country” in response, with the song intended as “light-hearted political banter”.
One of the ‘Red Flag’ individuals then allegedly “seized” Finn by the throat and “started to squeeze for about ten seconds” before being pulled away, having apparently “shouted that [Finn] was a traitor to his country for being Irish and supporting the Conservative Party”. Following the advice of his college, Finn has brought a report to the police, who may prosecute. The case may also be deemed a “racially motivated attack” because of the alleged references to Finn’s nationality.
Finn said: “It’s shocking that this has happened, but not necessarily unforeseen given the amount of hate and vitriol being slung against the Conservative Party. With the venom we were on the receiving end of, it was only a matter of time before violence came into it.” On the morning of the election result, Finn had also reported being targeted for his political beliefs, posting on Continued on page 5 »
Oxford University to move away from coal and tar sand investment
• Full divestment fails to make the cut, but OUSU and Fossil Fuel Oxford express their support for the change
NEWS TEAM
Oxford University Council announced on Monday that Oxford will “avoid any future direct investments in coal and oil sands”, following a year of campaigning by OUSU and other groups. This decision, while ensuring that the University has legislation in place to prevent investment in some environmentally-damaging materials, does not go as far as the full divestment proposed by OUSU. Louis Trup, OUSU president, commented: “I’m delighted that the University has taken a step in the right direction by pledging not to invest in coal or tar sands in the future. In the meeting, it was clear that the students who have been campaigning for this through OUSU’s environment and ethics campaign have
changed the minds of some major critics.” “The work the campaign has done alongside Dan Tomlinson and Ruth Meredith (OUSU’s previous and current VPs for Charities and Community) over the past 2 years should be applauded. However, this is only the first step. Now that the University has committed to some form of ethical investment, it must continue to take further steps to ensure that its wider investments are not funding devastating environmental disasters. But all in all, today is a good day.” Cara Turton-Chambers, OUSU’s Environment and Ethics Secretary, added: “We are delighted that the University has recognised that investment in coal and tar sands is unethical. The University has agreed to becoming more transparent with its investments, we believe that transparency is a key issue with the
university’s investment which needs be combated within university policy. “This decision marks important progress in the divestment campaign but campaigning will continue until the University agrees to full divestment.” In their press statement, Oxford University stated that it believes “this balanced investment policy strongly complements its wide-reaching research into climate change and its ambitious sustainability targets.” However, the position taken by the University has come under criticism from some, who have claimed that it has not gone far enough by failing to pledge full divestment. Juliet Davenport, founder of renewable electricity company Good Energy and graduate of Merton College, said in a statement: “I’d like to see a commitment
to divestment from all fossil fuels. The University is raising significant funds for investment in its future, so now’s the time to take a strong stance. “Oxford knows only too well what the effects of climate change could mean for its own historic city and its buildings… It’s a no brainer from an economic and an environmental point of view.” The decision has also been criticised for applying only to direct investments, and leaving a loophole which means that the University can invest in companies which deal in coal or tar sands as long as less than 10% of the company’s income comes from these fossil fuels. This means that Oxford University would still be able to invest in companies including Shell and BP. Andrew Taylor, Fossil Free Campaigns Manager at People & Planet,
said: “When it comes to big oil this is a cautious first step. Tar sands need to be kept in the ground and universities should divest from any company digging them out. If you live in the shadow of tar sand extraction and you have been air lifted to hospital after drinking the water after a spill, it doesn’t matter if under 10% of the culprit’s production comes from tar sands.” Oxford’s divestment campaign, Fossil Free Oxford, had stepped up their campaign in the weeks leading to the decision, including holding a protest dressed in boiler suits at the Radcliffe Camera on the grounds that “if the university is supporting the fossil fuel industry, we may as well dig up the Radcliffe Camera and search for oil there.” Other UK universities are expected to make decisions in coming months.
2 Editorial
21st May 2015
THE OXFORDSTUDENT
This week in Oxford.
Student comment of the week @JoeMiles94
“I have constant pain in my elbows from all the last minute revision note taking and I have to see a GP...”
Tutor comment of the week
‘We’re going to get absolutely binned at the subject dinner’ Said to a pesky young fresher
Alumnus of the week
Editorial Editors: Nasim Asl & Luke Mintz
One step ahead since 1991
Welcome
Congratulations, you’ve made it to the middle of term already. How has time gone so quickly? Here at OxStu Towers, we’re amazed at this - today sees the first of the third years finish their final exams. We’re somewhat envious of the rest of their term, yet we also wish the best of luck to their peers who are not so fortunate as to finish this early on. We would also like offer our condolences to the freshers, who have all this to come. Trinity sees the start of the end for a lot of second years as well - those that are about to embark upon their yearsabroad will be all too conscious of how little time they have left with their friends. It’s important, in light of all this change and movement, to pay attention to those around you as well as cherishing and relishing in the positives of this particularly overwhelming university experience. Its important to remember that this experience is not always positive for everyone - the Somerville harrassment story and the growing No Means No campaign are evidence enough of this. Brainchild of Polly Lamming, NMN is taking over social media as more and more students are vowing to speak out against sexual assault and harrassment; it’s incredible to see the student body working together in such a constructive and protective way.
Our main story this week concerns an alleged assault against members of the University’s Conservative Association, an incident which is currently under police investigation. Whilst neither of your editors would ever be found at at a Tory event, and we understand that tensions may be running high after the shock result at this month’s General Election, it is important to bring to light occasions at which these tensions may spill over into outright violence, and encourage all students to express their political positions through peaceful (if highly passionate) means. In other news, we bring you stories about the University’s decision to (par-
tially) divest from fossil fuels (page 1), the dramatic declaration of independence by St Catherine’s JCR (page 3), and Queen’s College taking a stand against dining societies (page 7). We commend the University’s decision to divert from investing in coal and tar sands. Hopefully other Universities will follow suit, making a small but sure contribution to a greener nation. We are also impressed with the initiative taken by members of St Catherine’s JCR this week. Whatever your view on the actions of the College, and the issue has indeed prompted considerable debate, we are glad that St Catz undergraduates are taking in interest in how their college is run, and demanding
OXII
News
Aung San Suu Kyi St. Hughs College 1965-1969
Monsieur Jean-Pierre, Translator
@lukewbarrett
Why is the top news story on The OxStu’s website a review of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’? Jean Pierre:
MUSIC
OUAFC to sign Raheem Sterling on a free transfer on the condition he is given a place to study Geography at Regent’s.
80/1
Shakeel Hashim snapped up by The Sun after bidding war for the budding hack
1/5
Sub-fusc to be replaced with mandatory tank tops, fedoras and socks with sandals
20/1
Sub Fusc is the topic of the moment the polls are open as we go to print, but Friday sees the end of the voting period. If you haven’t yet, make sure that you vote in the referendum! This is a topic that will legitimately affect every student here. Unsure or apathetic? Check out our comment section (page 10) for a student debate piece, as well as page 8, which sees the leaders of the campaigns try and win you over. If you want a break from the immediacy of this discussion, check out Features, where a tongue in cheek article concerning northern students is sure to wiggle a few eyebrows before page 21 offers some dinner date advice. If you fancy some more artistic endeavours, OXII is available. This week we have a moving interview with an Oxford street musician on page 3, whilst Arts and Lit speak to Paul Magrs about his children’s writing. Screenwriter Juliette Towhidi is interviewed on page 13, in the Profile section of the paper - if you’re a budding film writer, take note of her advice. Elsewhere, Sport offer more interesting debates on the place of domestic football cups within the UK and fashion turns sporty with a tennis inspired fashion shoot.
FASHION ARTS & LIT
‘You guys are legends’, VERSA editorial team: Letters Absolutely fantastic crewdate the other evening. Great banter, you guys are legends and really us on the chat front, but I think we won on the alcohol tolerance front. I am glad to see to the Editors. schooled that our ‘bonds’ are as physically strong as they are journalistically strong. We continue to break
more relevant and interesting news before you even hear about it and appreciate your willingness
Send in your letters of to be in second place. All the best, VERSA friends... unwavering support to ‘Are you guys hiring any new staff’, Lil’ Jon: our esteemed editors at: Having spoken at the Oxford Guild a few weeks ago, it has come to my attention that one of their
Editors Deputy Editors
affiliates, Mr Shakeel Hashim, Editor of the Oxford Tab, has produced a piece of journalistic abhorrance worthy of a place amongst the other great Tab gaffes. I thought I had finally found an answer for what I should ‘turn down’ for, but this was a false dawn. Instead, I would love to write for the OxStu and get involved before I intend on applying to study at Oxford this October. Thanks, Mr Jon.
Nasim Asl & Luke Mintz David Barker, Kate Bickerton, Laura Hartley, Hugh McHale-Maughan, Srishti Nirula and Laura Whetherly News Editors Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe, Jennier Lee and Cason Reilly Comment Editors Polly Mason & Kathryn Welsh Music Editors Naomi Southwell & Jacob Wiseman Screen Editors Thomas Bannatyne & Megan Erwin Fashion Editors Elizabeth Evans & Charlotte Lanning Arts & Lit Editors Marcus Li & William Shaw Stage Editors William Aslet & Lucy Oliver Features Editors Ariane Laurent-Smith & Elle Tait Sports Editors Alice Richardson & Ben Sanders
STAFF
odds-ford bets.
And the rest
MEET OXFORD’S HOMELESS EACH AND EVERY BODY IS BIKINI PASTERNAK’S SKETCH OF THE PAST BODY READY p.10 p.14 MUSICIANS p.3
editor@ oxfordstudent.com
I’ve got a shit barnet #chat
a degree of autonomy over their financial situation. This University belongs to its students, and we encourage students in other JCRs to ensure their College authorities are being held to account as much as possible.
Deputy News Editors Deputy Comment Editors Deputy Music Editor Deputy Screen Editor Deputy Arts & Lit Editors Deputy Stage Editor Deputy Features Editors Deputy Sports Editor Photographers
Scott Harker, Louis Mercier, and Latifah Sat Carolina Bax, Daniel Coleman and Elizabeth Webb Sean McIntyre Hector Manly Daniel Haynes, Sam Sykes and Georgia Watson Philippa Stacey Lynton Lees, Kate Plummer and Jamie Russell Taylor Yu Saskia Mondon-Ballantyne and Bethan Jones
Illustrator Chief Sub-Editor Sub-Editors
Associate Editors
Laura Mackenzie Sam Harman Jennifer Allan, Olivia Brown, Veronica Corsi, Henrietta Mosforth, James Sewry, Elizabeth La Trobe and Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan Alys Key, Sachin Croker and Jess Sinyor
Editors can be contacted at editor@oxfordstudent.com and Section Editors can be contacted through this address. We follow the code of practices and conduct outlined by the Press Complaints Commission. Address complaints to The Editors, 2 Worcester Street, Oxford, OX1 2BX, email: oxstucomplaints@ousu.org.
21st May 2015
News 3
St Catz JCR declares independence after conflict with college
• The college has withheld payments into the college’s account, totalling over £4,000 OXSTU NEWS TEAM St Catherine’s JCR has declared independence from the college following a financial dispute that has run since Hilary term. The decision, made at an Extraordinary Open Meeting on Tuesday evening, was a direct response from the JCR after St Catherine’s College has declined to transfer payments worth £4,000 into the JCR account for Trinity term, saying that under a new system, funds would be transferred directly to committee members. According to a statement made by JCR President Jack Hampton, there had been no written explanation about the change from the college, with the only notification “a brief and informal chat in the SCR corridor with the Treasurer”. In an email announcing the extraordinary general meeting, Hampton continued by describing this
behavior as: “unreasonable, rude and threatening”. The College has previously reported the President as being “unwilling and uncooperative” following an initial meeting between the JCR and college held on Friday. In the Tuesday evening meeting, the JCR motion declared the College’s apparent lack of communication with the JCR as “disrespectful”, and “demonstrating an apparent disregard of its opinions and concerns”. The JCR also resolved to organise direct action to protest the College’s actions. Numerous other colleges have expressed sympathy for St Catherine’s plight. At its Sunday evening meeting, Corpus Christi JCR donated a loan of £500 to St Catherine’s, in a show of “solidarity” with the College. Corpus Christi JCR President Bethany Currie commented: “It is of utmost importance that students of different colleges stand together
when college authorities try to encroach on our autonomy. The decentralised nature of our college system can make it difficult to unite and help each other, but Corpus JCR believes in offering support and solidarity to all students of Oxford. Students should be able to count on each other and stand shoulder to shoulder and we are proud to support Catz in their exercise of autonomy.” 12 other JCRs have have expressed interest in offering financial assistance to the College, discussing numerous £500 interest-free loans. In his email to the JCR, sent before the meeting, Hampton urged students to attend, describing the possible declaration of independence as the “biggest decision in the history of the JCR”. He continued: “Every member of our community should come
down to have their say. What is at stake is every service the JCR carries out, [including] our legal and charitable status. We also must decide how we will respond to the College’s treatment of us, which in my mind has been unreasonable, rude and threatening.” Hampton went on to say: “I have tried my hardest to work with college on this and be totally transparent with the JCR. But neither I, nor the committee, can make this decision alone; we can only make this decision together so please make the effort to come down to the JCR on Tuesday.” The decision was not perceived as so important by all students, however, with some JCR members taking part in a drinking game during the meeting. St Catherine’s College has repeatedly declined to comment on the story.
The motion that made St Catz JCR independent This JCR resolves: 1. To hereby declare its independence from St. Catherine’s College as an unincorporated association 2. To mandate the Executive to present amendments to the Constitution at the next meeting so as to codify this change in the JCR’s status 3. That the Common Room remains proud members of the College, and expresses its belief that independence is a normalisation towards the standard practice elsewhere in Oxford, and no way affects our commitment to the college itself.
Saleem Akhtar
Council retract plans to “criminalise” rough sleeping in city centre
• Move comes in reaction to online petition by On Your Doorstep which received over 70,000 total CASON REILY NEWS EDITOR
Oxford City Council have retracted a proposal to allow the police to penalize rough sleeping in the City Centre. This move comes in reaction to an online petition hosted by On Your Doorstep, the OUSU homeless campaign, in protest of this proposal received over 70,000 signatures. In a new draft of a proposed city centre Public Spaces Protection Order, released on Monday, the Council announced that it had removed any plans to tackle homelessness through a ban on rough sleeping. Council Leader Bob Price said: “We have discussed the proposal with our partners in dealing with homelessness and have concluded that there are more effective ways of tackling this problem.” The original proposal, first announced over the Easter vacation, suggested giving additional powers to local authorities to outlaw rough sleeping in the city centre. This proposal drew condemnation from the student community and beyond. As part of their opposition to this proposal, On Your Doorstep opened a petition on Change.org entitled “Don’t make life harder on Oxford’s rough sleepers”. This petition attracted 72,380 signatures over three months, with
help from publicity given by national homelessness groups. In addition to the petition, students and Oxford residents engaged in public consultation with the Council during the period after the March release of the original proposal. On Your Doorstep Chairman Freya Turner lauded the petition’s success, telling OxStu: “I’m sure that the sheer number of signatures and attention it got in local and national media were key.” “Our views were supported by a range of homelessness organisations in Oxford,” she continued. “I’m sure their expert opinion which backed up our concerns was an important factor.” Oxford City Councillor Bob Price commented: “Councillors had a series of discussions with the officers and the agencies involved in this work and concluded that the inclusion of that section of the proposed Order would not be very effective in improving the success rate in getting this group to use their accommodation.” In his statement, Price did not reference either local publicity or internet activism in connection with the Council’s final decision. Rough sleepers remain a problem in Oxford. The council had said the original proposal intended to target “a small number of people [who] continue to beg and sleep on the city’s streets
Stephen Lilley
despite receiving support and having been allocated accommodation”. Asked how best to provide help for these individuals without criminalisation, the Chief of Oxford Homelessness Pathways told OxStu “there are no magic bullets”. A variety of outreach approaches may be needed, along with a nuanced understanding of the health and situations of homeless individuals. “Sadly,” she continued, “some individuals continue to fall out of accommodation even when a lot of
effort is made to help them secure and maintain it... whilst we do not think a criminalising approach should be taken in these instances, action from the police is sometimes necessary.” The Oxford City Council currently spends about £1.4m annually on homelessness services and outreach. Turner, speaking on behalf of On Your Doorstep, pointed out that the Council relies solely on St. Mungo’s Broadway, who “take quite a hardline approach,” for their homelessness outreach. She told
OxStu that Council should “work with the whole of the homelessness sector in Oxford to discuss a better way to help entrenched rough sleepers”. The new draft of the Protection Order, while dropping the focus on homelessness, does allow some new enforcement powers. It gives police additional authority to tackle, among other things, aggressive begging, sleeping in toilets, out-of-control dogs, and busking in breach of the council’s code of conduct.
21st May 2015
4 News
St Giles bomb scare turns out to be a 'bag full of paperwork' LAURA WHETHERLY DEPUTY EDITOR
St Giles’, Woodstock Road and Little Clarendon Street were closed on Tuesday morning following a potential bomb scare. Buses and pedestrians were turned away, and shops and businesses on the roads, including Taylors, were evacuated for around 45 minutes while members of the police and army attempted to ascertain the extent of the threat. A bomb disposal unit was called to the scene, centred on the Army Careers Office on Woodstock Road. A sniffer dog was seen outside of the office, and it is believed that a “suspicious package” was found outside. One employee of the Careers Office was heard to remark that the package may have simply been “a bag full of paperwork”, following an x-ray by the bomb disposal unit. All of the closed streets were reopened by 11:10. One anonymous eyewitness said: “It was quite an inconvenience for people trying to get to their jobs and classes during the time. It seems a bit silly that a stray box of paperwork can cause them to shut down
a whole street, but I guess better safe than sorry. I saw a couple of girls who couldn’t get into their class at the language centre; it must have been a pain for them”. Several students were also affected by the road closure. One Regent’s Park student said: “I saw a Snapchat of the bomb scare - it was unnerving”. A staff member of Taylor’s Deli on St Giles’ commented to The Oxford Mail: ““Last year we had the same thing when everyone was evacuated for six hours. Last year it was real but this time it was a fake. Maybe somebody just forgot their bag. It’s good they took it seriously – we don’t want to explode.” This is not the first bomb scare to hit Oxford’s Army Careers Office. In February 2014, St Giles and the surrounding area were evacuated after Oxford’s Army Career Office was one of several to be targeted with packages containing “small, crude, but potentially viable devices”. Responsibility for this action was claimed by the New IRA, who said: "The IRA claims responsibility for the explosive devices that were sent to British armed forces recruitment centres in England. Attacks will continue when and where the IRA see fit."
Cason Reily
Trinity vote to endorse gender-segregated social events BEN HUSTON NEWS REPORTER
Students at Trinity College have voted against mandating that the JCR endorse only mixed-gendered curries, despite complaints from students. Sunday’s vote also lead to an overwhelming condemnation of the song “Chicago” - widely viewed as sexist being sung at JCR-sanctioned events. The proposed change to the JCR’s curry events, whereby they would be non-gendered, was strongly rejected, with 61 votes against and 32 for. The reform was originally intended to make the events “more inclusive” and as “a means to discourage rowdy behaviour.” Some students had also expressed concern about the rowdy atmosphere at the men’s events, and offensive sconcing at women’s curries. Concerns were raised during the meeting as to whether the JCR curry events were accommodating to those who identify as a non-binary gender and whether this would risk isolating future freshers. However supporters of the current system claimed that the events,
Anzacs fill hospital shortfall Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust will potentially offer nurses from New Zealand and Australia free flights and a $1,000 relocation package in order to resolve the staff shortage in the region's hospitals. More than 250 nurses from the EU have been recruited as a result of recruitment drives in EU countries such as Spain and Portugal. The trust has previously recruited from abroad in order to fill the employment gap and between April 2013 and April 2014, 96 nurses were recruited from abroad. Last year, the cost of such emergency recruitment schemes reached an estimated $20 million last year.
despite being nominally for men or women, were open to all genders and felt that an important part of the atmosphere would be lost in a mixed setting. These motions were brought to Trinity’s fourth week JCR meeting after a lengthy open debate was held in the previous meeting to discuss rowdy and intimidating behaviour, especially at the men’s curries.
“ The curries force non-binary students
to choose a gender for the night
”
At Sunday’s meeting, students expressed concern that while both the male and female events would be technically open to all, they would force non-binary or trans students to “choose” a gender for the night.
Florence Mather, a second year theologian, told the OxStu that she was disappointed in the result: “I am disappointed that the motion failed, because I think split gender curries are not representative of JCR friendships and are exclusionary to trans and non-binary students, who are already harmfully ignored.” The other proposal, to condemn the singing of the song “Chicago” at JCR-sanctioned events, was also passed, with 63 students voting for and 30 against the motion. The condemnation of the song, which contains a number of derogatory and misogynistic double entendres, was inspired by a similar motion passed by St Peter’s College JCR earlier in the academic year. The specific wording of the motion did not extend to a more formal ban and the question remains whether this will have any practical implications if the singing or similar activities resume. Mather continued by noting her disappointment that 30 people voted not to condemn the song: “As someone who's experienced sexual harassment,
Recognition for weather Nearly 100 skeletons station found at church It has come to light that the Radcliffe Meteorological Station, now located at Green Templeton College, is the UK’s longest continuously operating weather station. The station has been recording daily measurements at 9am on winter mornings and 10am on summer mornings since January 1815. Recordings are carried out by two students from the School of Geography and Environment, using techniques that have changed remarkably little over the lifetime of the station. The findings also confirm that December 2013 to February 2014 was the wettest winter on record.
Archaeologists excavating the site of a medieval church and nunnery uncovered 92 skeletons, including several “very unusual burials.” The old priory existed between the 12th and 16th centuries, before a farmhouse was built on the site, which is near Kassam Stadium in outer Oxford. BBC Oxford reported that "the amazing find" included among the bodies a woman found in a face-down position, someone who was the victim of a blunt force trauma attack, and a stillborn child. Archaeologists speculated that some of the women buried at the site may have been suspected of being witches.
I find it deeply upsetting to hear that people I had trusted think that it's okay to sing and laugh at.” John Musson, a fourth year Mathematician at Trinity, added: “I'm very happy with both results, the curry has been a huge part of my time here and I'd be sad to see it go. Chicago on the other hand was never a key part of the evening and if anyone was upset by it then there's no reason to keep it.” Leander Cascorbi, a Trinity second year, said the result reinforced
concepts of binary gender identity, saying: “It means that for at least one more year each Trinity student will have to decide whether they prefer the ‘male’ way of having fun or the ‘female’ way of having fun. I was hoping we had already overcome such concepts.” An additional motion to remove curries in the fresher’s week programme was postponed until seventh week in order for it to be discussed in the light of this week’s results.
Richard Gillin
Eight University academics honoured Eight Oxford Univetsity academics have been appointed to the Royal Society for their contribution to science. There are 47 new Fellows, and these eight academics from Oxford constitute the highest number of Fellows appointed to the Society from any individual city in the country. Sir Rory Collins was appointed for his studies researching statins which have helped prevent millions of heart attacks annually. Professor Benjamin Davis was appointed for his work on the chemical manipulation of biological systems. Professor Alison Etheridge was appointed for her contributions to the theory of probability in maths and statistics.
Church rejects all bishop candidates “Unable to discern the candidate whom God is calling at this stage,” the Church of England has deferred nominating someone to the position of Bishop of Oxford (covering Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire) until early next year. After the retirement of the Right Reverend John Pritchard from the post last October, Acting Bishop Colin Fletcher will remain in his position until a suitable candidate can be found. The Crown Nominations Commission, which is responsible for selecting bishops, did not give enough votes to any of the candidates for the position after interviews in May, and will reconvene in February.
21st May 2015
News 5
Students vote in OUSU’s sub fusc referendum • High turnout expected in referendum that could see end of compulsory sub-fusc for exams
JASMINE CAMERON-CHILESHE NEWS EDITOR
Students are voting in a University-wide referendum on whether to keep sub fusc clothing for university exams. Alternate campaign groups ‘Subfusc Off’ and ‘Save Sub Fusc’ have been petitioning throughout the University, holding hustings in numerous locations over the past week. From 8am on Wednesday 20th May to 6pm on Friday 22nd, students will vote on whether the traditional university clothing, worn for examinations, matriculation and graduation, ought to remain compulsory during examinations. OUSU council proposed the motion in March with 58 votes in favour of holding a referendum versus 10 against and 1 abstention. One leading member of the Save Sub Fusc Campaign commented: “We set up Save Subfusc because we are passionate about this tradition in Oxford. It is a superb leveller, everyone who is a student in Oxford, regardless of their background, race, gender or sexuality, has earned the right to wear their gown, and it puts everyone on an equal footing.” An OxStu poll from last month suggests student will vote to keep the traditional clothing, with almost 70% expressing support for the status quo, against only 22% saying they will vote to make sub fusc non-compulsory. “It also provides a sense of community between colleges. Our fear is that if Sub fusc is made noncompulsory, the arguments being made that it is elitist or exclusionary will become accepted, and people who want to wear it will feel overwhelming pressure not to. This happened at Cambridge, and it would be a real shame for students who have studied here, are studying here and will study here in the future, to see such a tradition go.” Speaking to The Oxford Student, Xavier Cohen, official leader of the ‘Sub-Fusc Off’ campaign,
outlined his arguments in favour of making sub fusc non-compulsory: “Lots of people like academic dress, and they naturally think this means that they should vote ‘yes’ to keeping it compulsory. But lots of people - for a variety of reasons - find it really uncomfortable during their all-important exams. “We’re saying that these people shouldn’t be forced to wear something uncomfortable during their finals, and that they should be able to choose to wear what makes them comfortable. If you vote ‘yes’, it’s a message that as students we endorse this damaging status-quo. By voting ‘no’, we enable those who don’t want to wear sub fusc to wear something else, and let those who do want to wear sub fusc to continue doing so.” Hustings and debates have taken place throughout various colleges including St Hugh’s and Balliol. The latest hustings event took place on Tuesday evening at Christ Church College. Undergraduate Daniel Turner, who attended the Balliol hustings, argued that the evening was a success for the Sub Fusc Off campaign. He commented: “The vibe in the room seemed pretty unambiguous: if you want people to have just a minimal amount of choice over what they wear in exams, you have to vote ‘no’ to subfusc. Louis Trup needs a mandate for reform. From the off, the ‘yes’ campaign conceded that an ‘opt-out’ would be desirable, but could never show us how this would be possible if we voted for the status quo.” In the official campaign statement published on Facebook, the main arguments in support of their campaign are listed, including the notion that: “Sub fusc represents a class and a culture which feel both alien and alienating. For many who are less privileged, who are wildly underrepresented at Oxford, sub fusc is associated with an elite. An elite that is the Other, intimidating and inaccessible.” First year History student David Lawton expressed his support of
the movement commenting: “I think it is a simple reflection of Oxford’s ongoing and obsessive fetishisation of the traditional. Cambridge decided to ban formal gowns in exams- perhaps a reflection of their superior intelligence.” Whilst 81% of student voted in favour of maintaining the tradition in 2006, the upcoming referendum reflects the desire of university officials and student representatives to respond to student opinions and concerns. It was this reasoning that resulted in the removal of gender restrictions for sub fusc which came into effect in August 2012. Sub fusc consists of a dark suit, dark socks or stockings, a white shirt and either a white bow tie or black velvet ribbon. Since 2012, sub fusc has been gender-neutral.
No to sub fusc 22%
Yes to sub fusc 69%
Here to stay?
The OxStu pre-referendum poll saw a clear majority in favour of keeping sub-fusc
OUCA member ‘suffers political assault’ »Continued from front page
Facebook: “So our party won the vote, but apparently it’s just because the electorate are stupid and don’t know what’s best for them. Oh, and today I found out that I am objectively an evil scumbag, yay for free and fair elections!” From this point, it is the police who will take responsibility for any further action, and Finn is no longer personally involved. According to Finn, he “owes a lot” to the other “Red Flag” singing student who did not attack him, reporting that he was “very apologetic” for his companion’s behaviour at the time. He has also said that the attacker has officially apologised. In the aftermath of the General Elec-
tion result, Oxford has seen increasing discussion over political affiliation, with Oxford Left groups uniting at a Planning the Oxford Fightback meeting held on the 13th May, and the Oxford People’s Assembly planning their participation in a national march against austerity this summer. A recent post on the Oxford University Practical Ethics Blog saw a philosophy academic arguing that people have an ethical duty to ‘unfriend’ those who had voted for the Conservative Party or ‘liked’ the party’s page on Facebook, describing it as “as objectionable as expressing racist, sexist, or homophobic views.” Thames Valley Police has not yet responded to our request for further comment.
Not voting 9%
Benjamin Woolf
‘No Means No’ campaign launched A new campaign to raise awareness of sexual assault has been launched in Oxford. The campaign has been launched by Jesus College student Polly Lamming, who wrote on Facebook: “Two friends sexually assaulted by fellow students in two weeks. Some of us have had enough: we didn’t work this hard to get here to fear going out in the evening and treated like pieces of meat. “There has been a proliferation in this kind of behaviour in the past year and it’s getting too much. We don’t have to put up with this and we won’t put up with it. No Means No. Know the boundaries please. #NMN.” The #endviolenceagainstwomen, campaign, which has been conducted mainly on social media, was accompanied by black and white photos of students.
A Z Z I P E N O Y BU
E N O GE T
E E R F COLLECTION or DELIVERY
dominos.co.uk
19 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HU
57 Between Towns Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 3LR
126 London Road, Headington, OX3 9ED
Opening hours: 10am - 5am, 7 days a week
Opening hours: 10am - 5am, 7 days a week
Opening hours: 10am - 12 Midnight, 7 days a week For orders after Midnight please call the Cowley store
(01865) 200 222
(01865) 777 137
(01865) 742 020
From the menu or ‘Create Your Own’ up to 4 toppings. Free pizza must be equal or lesser value than the first. Available on medium and large pizzas only. Valid from 11th of May until 31st of May for students.
S
SE
RV I C
E
N E T T O G R O F ? G N I H T E SOM
E TUD NT
News 7
21stMay 2015
Queen’s JCR sanctions new membership rules for dining societies • JCR passes motion mandating that several “elite” societies change rules of membership • Concerns that vote was not fully in line with JCR consitution after students vote publically LOUIS MERCIER DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
Queen’s College JCR have passed a motion 36 votes to 23 mandating several exclusive dining societies to change their rules of membership. This motion was put forward after the clubs, which are not considered “official” college societies, were pressured to do more in order to promote social inclusion. After several amendments to the original motion, Queen’s JCR voted that three dining societies, ‘Reginae’, ‘Eaglets’ and ‘Halcyon’, would have to change their selection and membership processes in order to make it less “elitist”. From now on, the dining societies, which organise at least three meals a year for members, are pressured to employ an open or balloted membership, accepting members based solely on objective criteria. While proponents of the motion accused the dining societies of elitism, opponents defended the societies as a key part of Oxford tradition and innocent from any systematic exclusion. Currently these societies are run as “private organisations”, albeit by and for Queen’s College students. Students are first nominated by current members before undergoing a selection process. Those opposed to the motion argued that as private organisations, they reserve the same rights as any other external organisation, free to choose their own rules and terms of membership.
Now that they have been mandated to conform to decanal standards, it is unclear whether or not the clubs will have to be considered official college societies.
“ These condemnations
are wrong at a time when negotiations are still going on
”
One Queen’s College student told the OxStu: “I’m not sure that the JCR has any jurisdiction over what are essentially private groups of people exercising their right to associate freely and who book rooms in college in the same way that anyone else can.” “If the JCR wants to lobby college to make it that any private function must have open balloted membership, or membership based on objective criteria, then at least that way they would be consistent in their approach.” Further consternation was caused in the JCR meeting due to an unorthodox method of voting for and against
the motion. The JCR elected to ‘vote by division’ – with proponents standing at one end of the room, and opponents at the other. Some students voiced unease at being unable to remain anonymous in their votes. The future of the motion is unclear given that the voting method is not fully in line with the JCR constitution. While the future is uncertain for these exclusive clubs, a spokesperson for one of the dining societies, going by the pseudonym “Rigolicious” channelled the words of Ed Miliband, and told the Queen’s JCR: “after this division, I urge both sides to put aside the rhetoric and stop it happening again. These condemnations are wrong at a time when negotiations are still going on.”
Queen’s College’s exclusive dining societies
2014
societies urged by Queen’s JCR to reform selection processes
1840
Foundation of the Eaglets
Voting by division students stand on opposite sides of the room to vote
36 to 23
majority vote in favour of making societies conform to decanal standards
Queen’s College JCR
Launch of £300 million Science Innovation Fund
• Oxford Sciences Innovation Fund to Boost Development of Science and Technology Business • £300 million fund to develop and bring to market companies based on the University’s scientific research LATIFAH SAT DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
Oxford University’s commercial arm has set up a £300 million fund to develop and bring to market companies based on the University’s scientific research. On 14 May, Oxford University and Isis Innovation (the University’s technology commercialisation subsidiary) announced the launch of a £300 million partnership to boost the development of science and technology business. Oxford aims to be a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, building on its position as a world-leading centre of learning teaching and research. The University is partnering with the newly created Oxford Sciences Innovation plc (OSI) to develop the University’s worldleading scientific research and work with academics to com mercialise their ideas into market-leading companies. OSI has been contractually
established as the University’s preferred partner for the provision of capital for spinout companies based on research from the Mathematical, Physical, Life Sciences (MPLS) and Medical Sciences divisions. This will include establishing new IP-driven businesses together with Isis and providing investment capital, as well as advice. OSI will, for the minimum of 15 years, be the contractually preferred partner of the University and Isis. OSI will have the right to acquire 50 per cent of the University’s founder equity acquired in each spin-out company, while the University will retain a protected 5 per cent equity stake in OSI. The Board of OSI is chaired by David Norwood, who has had a long career building a number of science, technology and investment companies. Norwood gave praises of the new project, saying: “The University of Oxford has been the birthplace of some of the best science in the
world and some of the biggest ideas in history. “The agreement with OSI and the strength of the cornerstone investors will create a fantastic opportunity, to turn world-leading science into market-leading companies and the opportunity to create significant value for all stakeholders.” £210 million out of the proposed £300 million final fund has already been provided courtesy of Invest Asset Management Limited, IP Group, Landsowne Partners (UK), Oxford University Endowment Fund, the Wellcome Trust, and Woodford Investment Management. This comes eight months after Dark Blue Labs and Vision Factory, two machine-learning and computer vision companies, were acquired by Google after spinning out from the University. Since 2000, Isis has helped set up more than 100 commercial companies based on research and technology from the University.
Oxford Nanopore Technologies and NaturalMotion both are valued at more than £200 million. Oxford University is currently ranked number one for the quality of its research in the recent Research Excellent Framework. The two science divisions are supported by a total research spend of over £400 million an-
YANA Motors
nually. The agreement with OSI provides an additional service for members of the University who are looking to spin-out a company. The preferred route for the commercialisation of University-owned intellectual property remains an Isis Innovation.
21st May 2015
8 Debate
Debate
‘Should students at Oxford continue to be required to wear sub fusc clothing to University Examinations?’ Your thoughts on Sub-Fusc... Stefan Harvey St. Annes, third year “I’m a first-generation student here: my parents (or indeed my siblings) didn’t go to University, so coming to Oxford of all places was quite a daunting experience for me. I think I won’t be alone in saying that the requirement to wear sub fusc in exams wasn’t actually my main concern when applying here as a first-gen student. It was questions more like “will I be clever enough?”, “will I make my offer?”, “will I enjoy life there?”. I don’t think having to wear sub fusc for examinations is a bad thing. Sure, it might not be the most comfortable option, but on a personal level at least it gets me into a working mindset, much like wearing school uniform. Being wished good luck for your exam by people you pass in the street because they can clearly see where you’re going is quite nice too. It’s a quirky Oxford tradition that I’d be sad to see go.” Tyrone Zachary Pembroke, graduate As someone from a working class background, I’ve been disappointed by the numerous class-based arguments claiming significant access issues arising from the wearing of subfusc at Oxford exams. Neither of my parents went to University, and so for me personally, coming to Oxford and wearing subfusc was a source of huge pride. It was an outward sign of the hard work I had put in and the community that I now belonged to, despite the numerous disadvantages I endured on the way. Far too often, these seem to be put forward by paternalistic middle-class students whose perspective belies their own privilege. This discussion on subfusc is a self indulgent distraction from the real issues that keep people like me underrepresented at Oxford. Instead of attacking our benign traditions, we shouldn’t lose sight of what’s really important. Jack Holland Corpus Christi, second year
Whilst personally I don’t mind sub fusc, I do believe it has a real impact on the way the general public and, most importantly, potential applicants perceive life at our university. Only two people in my year applied to Oxford, this was not representative of the amount of people I feel stood a chance of getting in. I had friends who didn’t apply because they didn’t believe they would fit in, when they thought of Oxford they thought of ‘funny outfits’ and ‘weird traditions’ – they still ask me about them when I visit home. I never really cared about fitting in, but worrying about not fitting in should not be a barrier to entry. I see someone meandering around in their academic wear almost every day here, they really aren’t hard to spot. It’s not surprising that one of the most common comments that I’ve heard from schools who attend access events is ‘isn’t it really posh here?’ Seeing someone wearing sub fusc on a school trip only to have your teacher say ‘look there’s an Oxford student!’ is to some, quite off-putting and only works in favour of the stereotype.
S
Harrison Edmonds Leader of the yes campaign
YES
University hold referendum on sub fusc - 81% vote to keep the traditional gown and mortar board, with the vote showing considerably higher turnout than most OUSU elections.
March 2006
T
he reason that I’m voting ‘no’ to compulsory sub fusc is simple: women students do unusually poorly at Oxford, and I believe that part of the reason for this is that sub fusc disadvantages women students. The gender gap in Oxford exams exists in every division, though not in every subject, and it fluctuates from year to year. The headline statistic is that on average, across the University, 23% of women get firsts, compared to 32% of men. There are two main ways that I think sub fusc contributes to the gender gap: through odd clothes and discomfort; and through something called stereotype threat. The first of these is easier to see, and is something that lots of women students have spoken to me about over my time as a student and a women’s officer. It’s also definitely something that I experienced myself: the “feminine” sub fusc options are weird and uncomfortable. They were clearly devised to complement the traditional masculine outfit, and are a very long way from standard formal clothing options for women. The women’s option is not only
ubfusc is one of those things that people associate with Oxford to the point where we sell teddy bears wearing it. It is popular, and well loved by students and non-students alike. It is clear to me that there are problems with subfusc as it currently stands. I find it absurd that students have been turned away by the proctors over the shade of their socks. But this does not mean that we should vote ‘No’ to subfusc being required clothing for exams, it simply means that we must change the rules. Up till the 20th century, aristocrats wore gold tufts on their mortarboards. Now only the Chancellor wears one. A hundred years ago, subfusc was the same as a morning suit, with white tie and tails. Now, we can wear a black bow tie or even a plain black neck tie. And we can also take it off when actually in the exam hall. As recently as 2012, gender restrictions on subfusc were thrown out. Academic dress is not static; it will change if we put the effort into changing it, through OUSU. But there is a danger to voting ‘No’ in this referendum. Cambridge made their academic dress non-compulsory for exams, and the practice of wearing it quick-
ly died out. This was partly because arguments about it being elitist and exclusionary were wrongly seen to become credible, and those who wanted to wear it felt a greater social pressure to conform and wear their own clothes, instead of drawing attention to themselves. Those same arguments are being made in the student newspapers, in Facebook groups and in general conversation here in Oxford, and there is the possibility that the practice of wearing subfusc for exams would die out. I, and many others, believe that this would something that students, both past and present, would greatly regret. Compulsory subfusc is still beneficial for those who are able to wear suits, but would prefer not to. Exams may be high pressure situations, but one of the purposes of University it prepare us for later life. And many of us are going to go into high pressure jobs, where we will be expected at work and at interviews to wear suits, or to wear uniforms, regardless of what we personally feel about them. Wearing subfusc at exams is a good way to set ourselves up for later life and the rest of our careers. Some of the most supportive messages I have received have been from
overseas students. I think is it because they can stand back from the Oxford bubble and see what subfusc means. They see it as the levelling tradition that it is. You earn the right to wear subfusc through becoming a student, by passing vigorous admissions tests. I had a chat with a finalist who told me that despite being the only Oxbridge applicant from his state school, when he goes into the Examination Schools, he feels an enormous sense of pride in wearing the same clothes as those from higher socio-economic groups also taking exams. Another student told me that as a black woman, people from her demographic had been excluded from Oxford in the past, but now that she was here, she was sure as hell going to make those traditions, including gowns and subfusc, her own. In fact, I believe that the feeling of alienation some experience when it comes to subfusc comes not from the clothes themselves, but the message that is constantly repeated by those who oppose it: that subfusc is not for them, they aren’t the stereotypical Oxford student. But there is no stereotypical Oxford student. Subfusc belongs to all of us because we are at Oxford University. Remember that, and vote ‘Yes’.
Following campaigning the LGBTQ Society, University proctors agree to remove gender restrictions on sub fusc. Reported by the Daily Mail as ‘Boys allowed to wear skirts at Oxford’.
OUSU Council vote to hold referendum on sub fusc, after being raised by Access VP James Blythe following consultation with the University.
OUSU holds three day referendum on future of sub fusc clothing. Turnout is expected to be higher than in OUSU elections, though most students are expected to vote ‘Yes’ to sub fusc.
July 2012
March 2015
much more reminiscent of a school uniform than formal dress, but also comes with that weird, fiddly black ribbon. Feeling like youhave been tacked on to a long history that hasn’t really made way for you is hard enough, but it’s particularly bad when the thing reminding you of that is something that is causing you physical discomfort while you are trying to write an exam. The second way that sub fusc disadvantages women is through something called ‘stereotype threat’. The term was first used in 1995, to describe what was happening in experiments that showed that black students perform worse in standardized tests than white students, when their race is emphasized. These results have been replicated with all sorts of groups of people doing all sorts of different tasks, and the evidence is pretty solid: if you remind someone that they part of a group that is “supposed” to be bad at a particular task, then they do badly at that task. More recent work has shown that women who are made to think about their gender identity perform significantly worse at tests that measure whether
there has been any obstruction to memory mechanisms, and this obstruction continues into subsequent tests. Sub fusc is a strange set of clothes, and all of it is gendered. The victory of the OUSU LGBTQ Campaign in removing the rules about who can wear which items of sub fusc is a big improvement, obviously, but it doesn’t solve the problem. Because the clothing options are strange for most people (well, for everyone who isn’t used to wearing a suit and bow tie), they require you to think about them and how they relate to your gender. The clearest part of this is the white bow tie vs. black ribbon choice. For virtually everyone at Oxford, these are both strange items of clothing. Literally the only thing that we have to differentiate them is the genders that they are associated with. By forcing women students to think about whether they are going to wear a ribbon or a tie, sub fusc forces women students to think about their gender. This triggers stereotype threat, and makes women do worse.
May 2015
Anna Bradshaw OUSU Women’s VP
NO
21st May 2015
Comment 9
Reform of the EU beats the serious risks of Brexit
Comment
• The people must be represented in the renegotiation • Outright abandonment of the union is too dangerous WILLIAM CARTER ST ANNE'S COLLEGE
A
s David Cameron recently confirmed, the UK is heading for an in-out- EU referendum by 2017. Given that just over half of the electorate voted for either the Eurosceptic Conservatives, or Europhobic UKIP, it is likely that those in favour of retaining the UK’s EU membership will have to make a strong case for reform rather than a clear cut Brexit. Despite the EU’s issues, critically the democratic deficit, research strongly suggests that a flat out withdrawal is not the best option for the UK and will lead to harmful consequences. Research suggests that pushing for Brexit presents threats to our GDP, European and world status and our universities, all dependent on the kind of deal our politicians can thrash out. Unfortunately, all this risk will potentially return little or no progress towards the desired goals of increased autonomy over our borders and laws. With such friction over the issue internally, and the recent SNP explosion, the quest for Brexit poses the real threat of the end of the UK as we know it. It is widely accepted that Brexit would bring economic problems to the UK in the short term. Unless the UK was able to negotiate a very favourable free trade agreement with the EU, we would face costly import and export taxes. If a favourable deal turns out not to be possible, it is likely that the UK would revert to exactly the inward economic protectionism that the EU was designed to combat. Losses to GDP, as estimated by the LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance, would be around 8 percent in a worst case scenario and 2 percent were the UK to get a favourable deal. These losses, even with no longer having to pay £11.3 billion annual membership fees, would be felt hard by a Britain already facing severe austerity. In fact, even unreformed membership is still gaining each household about £3,000 a year, or 5 percent of GDP overall, although this must of course be taken into the context of worries about immigration and loss of sovereignty. A Brexit would affect how and what we trade, which in turns affects the make-up of our society. The UK is overwhelmingly service based, comprising 84% of the total market in England, with similar figures for the rest of the UK. Losing or restricting our joint market access to
Europe will be bad for business; in order to keep London a top financial centre, the service sector would need to deregulate and liberalise further. For those of us who care about the effects of inequality, tax evasion and over-reliance on the city this is not something to be encouraged. The EU represents a great hope for a fairer Europe, already spending nearly a third of its budget on regional development for poorer areas of the union. EU withdrawal poses a threat to the quality of UK universities and to the opportunities of young people in general. It would almost certainly mean that EU students studying in Britain would have to pay full international-rate tuition fees and have no access to the UK loan system. Despite the prestige and UK student life, this price hike would certainly dent the numbers incoming, and make it more difficult to hire EU staff or collaborate on research
“ We must not let the EU reform con-
versation take place behind closed doors
”
internationally. UK students currently benefit from the new and improved ERASMUS+ higher education mobility scheme. This extra funding, about €350 per month, is a vital boost to the living allowances of students on years abroad. The UK sends fewer people abroad than other EU countries, but the skills and experiences gained from an international study or work placement are personally enriching and beneficial to the UK upon return. Having so many Europeans at university here creates a rich and multicultural environment that is conducive to debate and learning. Labouring the comings-and-goings of Erasmus students can only hinder us and our participation in the scheme remains contingent on our membership to the EEA. While the EU is not perfect in its approach to higher education, the best way to remedy that is to have the strong backing of the UK’s world class university system in a push for reform and continued development of what the EU offers students and
academics. For those who think the UK is better together, an outright withdrawal from the EU poses a serious threat to the union. With Scottish nationalism, despite the narrow loss of last year’s referendum, seemingly stronger than ever, the Europe issue could present an irresolvable bone of contention between Scotland and the rest of the UK. It would be a shame if fighting over the EU, and all the time and energy a Scottish secession would present, distracted the government and people at large from the more pressing issues at hand such as cutting the deficit and climate change. We must not let the EU reform conversation take place behind closed Westminster doors, being handed merely a Yes or No platter in 2017 having had no say in what’s on the menu. We must push for detailed, regular public consultations of every issue of this multi-faceted decision and encourage debate in diverse settings such as universities, trade unions and businesses. People should not vote along muddled party lines or assume that because of our broadly Eurosceptic government that leaving the EU is in practice a done deal. When discussing the EU, Europhiles must therefore galvanise people to engage and not let people fall prey to the false guarantees or lazy xenophobia of UKIP rhetoric. The onus is on us to educate ourselves about the EU, so our position is fact based and coherent leading up to the referendum. The EU has great potential and we must fight for what it could be, not abandon what it is.
Our society of contradictions 51%
of people said in a recent survey that they would opt to leave the EU, but...
Obscured from view:
34%
The UK's relationship with Europe is a web of complexities
said that they think the EU is generally a bad thing
2017
The year by which David Cameron has promised to hold an EU referendum European Parliament
21st May 2015
10 Comment
I
do understand why many people feel worried about a ‘No’ vote in OUSU’s referendum on compulsory subfusc. Traditions, once discarded, cannot easily be regained. Is it a passive-aggressive gesture directed at students from upperclass backgrounds? And at the end of the day, is it really so cumbersome to just wear a little bit of cloth every now and then? I’ve been listening to all of these arguments with a degree of sympathy – but I remain, very firmly, in the No camp. In the first place, I must politely insist that it is nobody’s business to tell me what to put on my body, and I struggle to understand why anybody would want to. This argument is sometimes answered by the claim that free choice already exists: people don’t have to apply to Oxford if they don’t like its traditions. It’s a notion that sometimes masquerades as modesty – “there are other good universities!” – but is really quite the opposite: a lack of self-awareness. So, yes, a large part of the argument is just about choice. Nobody is trying to ban subfusc any more than we ban May Day celebrations or the guzzling of port, non-obligatory traditions which continue to enjoy rude health. The only thing you’ve got to decide is whether you want to force some of your classmates to do things they don’t want to do. But there’s more at stake than that: a part of this, I must insist, is, yes, about access. I’ve already said that subfusc makes me uncomfortable; other people, including individuals from backgrounds less privileged than mine, may have had a different experience. Nobody has the final say, or the definitive claim to be representative. But having worked on a decently large number of access programmes, I can say one thing with certainty: there do, definitely, exist people in key access demographics who find subfusc to be bizarre, off-putting, and quite imposing. We only wear ‘robes’, as the outside world refers to them, a fraction of the time. But these occasions are also those on which students are most commonly photographed and videoed by the press. That’s not the press’ fault: those are the very days that are deliberately styled to symbolise the university, and the only
MAX LEAK WADHAM COLLEGE
RORY TURNBULL ORIEL COLLEGE
days that Oxford students are at all distinguishable from anybody else. I can verify that the question of ‘robes’ has been raised to me by prospective applicants, often with a degree of trepidation, and that there is a reliably good response to the line that my own college, Wadham, has long since abolished their role in internal functions. Some argue that the universality of subfusc (the kind of universality you only get when you don’t give people free choice), is actually a common bond between Oxford students. It washes away class snobbery by replacing it with a shared, betterdeserved academic elitism. But again, I’m skeptical. The worry that one is not good enough, not clever enough or not polished enough for Oxbridge is definitely not an equal-opportunities anxiety: big disparities in confidence, prior education and cultural capital make people from less privileged backgrounds much more susceptible to this kind of nervousness, and it really is the least we can do to try to lessen that impression. Or to put it another way: fun though it is, do we really want to pretend to be Hogwarts? It’s a mahogany-decked boarding school, populated by a special, elite, highly insular and secretive race of people who were selected at birth based on an attribute which is generally inherited from one’s parents. I would gently suggest that, as far as access is concerned, this might not be the kind of image we want to cultivate.
James Mitchell
ike all the other subfusced students stumbling down the High on that Monday afternoon last term, remembering my mortarboard was not exactly my top priority. I’m still struggling to tie my bowtie. And yet, pumped as we all were for Prelims, the wearing of compulsory subfusc was surprisingly satisfying. The sense of shared experience was palpable, as we all made our way down to Schools, white carnations pinned to our lapels, and, in negotiating the tourists, we could happily remember not only the gowned goliaths who have trodden the same path before us, but also the privilege it is to be able to study at such an institution as this. I therefore believe that it would be a great shame if we spurned this most Oxford of traditions, and reduced subfusc to nothing but an ‘optional extra’ and another vestige of the past. A key argument against compulsory subfusc is how it may be viewed by those below our ivory towers, and what message it gives to prospective applicants. The facts speak for themselves. University statistics for 2013 entry show that merely 56.8 percent of us went to state schools, even though nationally approximately 93 percent are not privately educated. Given that this is grossly disproportionate, it is widely considered that the problem is found in many not wanting to apply in the first place, believing that ‘Oxford’s not for them.’ Some think that subfusc is a contributing factor here, as it seems to fuel the stereotype that Oxford University comprises only blue-blooded bigheads who harken back to the days when all that mattered
Yet what we saw just before the election is if anything even more damning than the NUS campaign, if for no other reason than the fact that the events depicted occurred nearly thirty years ago. Moreover, the idea that one’s previous actions in University are an indicator not just of their current policies but of those of the entire party, ignoring not only the fact that one’s politics is not simply determined by class (look at the late Tony Benn) but cynically assuming that this proves that Miliband is on the side of ‘ordinary’ people and Cameron isn’t, a sentiment which has recurred on Twitter by the likes of Laurie Penny accusing all Conservative voters of creating and voting for suffering. I would further caution my fellow Oxonians from attempting to transfer this image of Oxford in those days into its present political landscape; the Bullingdon for one is far less noticeable and prestigious. Similarly, were Miliband involved in the ‘activist’ scene today, he would likely be known as part of a baying mob of no-platformers than a benevolent
protester – unless he went to Exeter and campaigned to cut the catering charge, of course. As a nation, we need better. We need a vision focused on the future and a vision for the country’s longterm future across more than just one term and sold to all citizens rather than packed into the boxes of identity politics, and not pathetic class war grounded in scarcely-relevant pasts and cynical assumptions. We need better than a patronising view of young people which assumes that we need to shut down TV channels to get us to vote or that Labour has a divine right to our votes because of our age and educational status which need only be supplemented by pretending the General Election is simply a social media campaign to be backed by such vacuous designer leftists as Russell Brand. And in the aftermath of an election in which large swathes of people voted for a Conservative government we can safely say that we deserve better, and should be entitled to never expect such a vacuous and shallow election campaign ever again.
L
SHOULD SUBFUSC BE YES MADE NON- NO COMPULSORY?
was knowing how to pass the Port. Of course, as we all know, the truth is far from this. Sure, there will always be those who have been tying bowties since they left the womb, but there is generally a great mix of people here, and subfusc is a way of removing, not exposing, any divisions. A crucial benefit of maintaining compulsory subfusc is that it shows that, whatever your background, anyone can come here and wear the same clothes. We are united, not only because we all look like penguins, but because Oxford, at least in theory, does remain a place for the élite: not for the wealthy or for those of some high social class, but the élite few who got the grades and were lucky enough to gain a place to study here. Furthermore, I wonder if trying to ‘normalize’ Oxford by undermining its ‘abnormalities’ is really the best course to follow. Oxford is unique. Our traditions, however arcane, give us a sense of identity and community – even, dare I say it, some pride - and subfusc seems to me an essential part of this. In fact, in a poll carried out by the Oxford Student, 70 percent of students want it to remain compulsory. I fear that, even if it is for all the right reasons, if we vote to make subfusc optional, we shall be taking away something actually quite special: our uniqueness. In neglecting our heritage, a vote against required subfusc would be kowtowing to those who wish to make our distinctive university resemble something like that browny coloured species of slug, Alion subfuscus (the number one hit when you type subfuscus into Google): bland and boring. So, if the purpose of making subfusc optional for exams is to increase applicants from less privileged backgrounds, then that can be nothing but honorable. But I just wonder if this quirky costume really is the guilty party here. Although I still haven’t mastered how to tie a bowtie, I shall be voting to keep subfusc compulsory. In fact, I believe it should be celebrated, not only as another eccentric Oxford tradition, but as the uniform that unities all of us who are obliged to wear it, no matter what our background is. For that alone, it must remain compulsory, otherwise we might as well be in Cambridge.
The British public deserve better from an election DAVID BROWNE MERTON COLLEGE
A
s a first-time voter who studied British political history in school, I was hoping for a more exciting final day of campaigning than the one we got in the end. Even given the vacuous tone of much of the scripted campaigning, I was hoping for something exciting to shake up the political landscape, like in 1992. Instead, we were treated to yet more of the worst aspects of this campaign’s politics: hollow class war, and a fixation on the past over the future. By now we are all familiar with the ‘Liar Liar’ campaign of the self-declared ‘National’ Union of Students, which showed once again how it wasn’t interested in representing students but simply pushing a partisan Labour agenda in the hope that its leadership – increasingly extreme even for the Left – could somehow secure a safe seat in the post-Blair Labour Party. In terms of the election, however, it sent out perhaps an even more
damaging message: namely, that this election is not about what is on offer for the future, but a judgement on the past. Considering that the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto contained several pledges to help young people, this seemed like little more than cutting one’s nose off to spite one’s face. A similar message played out the day before the election when considerable sections of the anti-Tory press were fixated on a newly discovered photo from Cameron’s Bullingdon days. The revelation of this photo the day before the election had a predictable effect, namely a fixation on the Club and what it stood for rather than the policies of the Conservatives as a whole. The way that this was juxtaposed with Ed (or ‘Ted’ since he was supposed to be the boy next door) Miliband’s first appearance on television as a rent striker by his supporters is strikingly similar to the values held by the NUS and sections of the student left: a constant assumption of bad faith from their opponents grounded in the past, rather than any attempt to engage with the present.
Scott Maxwell
Comment 11
21st May 2015
OUSU, libraries and cutbacks JAMES BLYTHE & JACK MATTHEWS OUSU VICE PRESIDENTS
This article is a response to the piece that appeared in the 0th week edition of Cherwell.
W
e want, as student members of the Curators of the University Libraries, the committee that oversees the work of the Bodleian, to respond to an article about changes to the Oriental Institute Library that appeared in the 0th week edition of Cherwell. We deeply regret the obvious unease in the student body about the proposed changes, and want to explain the context and clarify the situation for all concerned.
“ We regret
deeply the obvious unease in the student body
”
The Curators of the Libraries were required by the central University to find significant financial savings for 2015/16. This is common to most University services, and results from the need for the University to make a 5 percent overall surplus. James has been a Curator all year (Jack’s first meeting was in late Hilary term), and is also a member of the main budgetsetting committee of the University, which is called PRAC. We sit on these committees to represent students at the highest level of decision-making in the University. In response to the financial impetus from the central University, the Bodleian is exploring many different options. During Hilary Term, students and staff in the affected faculties were consulted, through the Committees for Library Provision & Strategy, on the possibility of merging the Oriental Institute Library into the Sackler Library. It is now clear that this was insufficient as consultation, and the Curators have endorsed a further surveying of students and more meetings with the relevant faculties’ leaderships. We, as student members, have reached out to the student representatives in the Oriental Institute and reported back to the other Curators that we found a very significant unease with the changes in the student body. The Libraries’ leadership very willingly agreed to meet with students affected and talk the proposals through with them, and the Curators have made clear that a decision has not yet been made. The current plan is that a decision will
be made in the 8th week meeting of the Curators this term. That meeting will consider the results of the consultation very carefully indeed, as students and staff have the right to expect. Professor Evans, who is quoted extensively in the article, and is a consistent and vocal but, in our view, utterly misinformed critic of the Bodleian, is, in our view, wrong to describe this process as railroading or secrecy or failure to consult. We hope students realize that we would never support, or allow to proceed, any proposal that did not include clear consultation with students before a decision has been made. The Curators endorsed consultation with students and staff in all the faculties that are affected, including Classics and Art History. While the initial proposal from the Bodleian does support the changes, a paper that supports a proposal does not mean the decision has been made, or that we are not prepared to listen to different views. We are working closely with senior staff in the Bodleian to help them enhance their consultation processes and we expect the Bodleian to be among the first sections of the University to make use of the benchmark on effective student consultation that OUSU has been developing over the vacation (and which will go forward to OUSU Council for approval in early Trinity). We find it therefore very sad indeed that Professor Evans’ comments were included by Cherwell without any response from those who know how sincere and thoughtful the leadership of the Bodleian is about listening to students. Tara Heuze calls the decision “all but made”. That is far from true and if students feel that to be true then we, as Curators, have failed in our duty. If students and staff in all affected faculties make a strong case against the change, they will be listened to. It is very clear to us as student representatives that, while the financial challenge is real and serious, the academic mission of the University is the first priority. Nonetheless the Curators have to balance the view of affected library users with the financial imperatives imposed by the central University (and in origin by the government) and with the strategic objectives of the Bodleian. To reiterate: no decision has been made. No decision will be made without listening to the results of a robust and effective consultation, which has the opportunity to engage students and staff of all relevant faculties in developing a new, shared vision for the future of their libraries. Our work, as your student representatives across the University, is centred on ensuring, indeed insisting, that student views are at the heart of how and what decisions are made in the University, and our commitment to that is unyielding.
“
Cameron arguably won his majority on the back of an unrivalled reputation on the management of the economy
”
Economic awareness needs to take centre stage in politics DANIEL COLEMAN
CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE
A
n economist and emeritus fellow of Merton College recently asked in an essay entitled The Austerity Con, ‘How did a policy that makes so little sense to economists come to be seen by so many people as inevitable?’ David Cameron’s ‘long-term economic plan’ was rejected by a number of high-profile economic observers on both sides of the Atlantic, weeks and months prior to the election. These included the likes of Mark Blyth, more prominently Joseph Stiglitz and, here in Oxford, Simon Wren-Lewis. For a perspective of scale in this condemnation, in March of this year CFM published a poll in which 33 prominent economists from various educational and research institutions across the UK were asked to evaluate the economic performance of the coalition. Only 15 percent commended the performance of the government, while one-third gave it a thumbs down, and a further third “strongly disagreed” with the assessment that the coalition had completed its economic tasks satisfactorily. Yet Cameron arguably won his majority on the back of an unrivalled reputation on the management of the economy. How is this possible? For a start, Miliband and the political left have failed hopelessly in this last election to mobilise credible economic arguments in their favour. They’ve laid down and played dead. They have failed to offer any convincing or appealing alternative to the austerity measures proposed by the Tories. Most fatally, they have allowed the “prof-
Harriet Bourhill
ligacy” label attached to the Labour Party under Brown to continue to go awkwardly unchallenged. But there are deeper structural problems at work here. The electorate should not need to be spoon-fed and guided in their economic opinions by political leaders (beyond, of course, elements of character and trust to fulfil their commitments). It is always overlooked that economics plays no significant part in the education of students in this country. It is available solely at sixth-form level and above, and even at this stage only as a niche optional choice. The majority of
“ Democracy suffers if the electorate is ill informed
”
British sixteen-year-olds are going into further and higher education without having grasped basic economic concepts. This is a bad thing for a number of reasons. It means that the electorate is not as capable as it might be - indeed, perhaps as it should be - of keeping its government economically in check. It needs to resort to the assessments of financial bodies and think-tanks, like the IFS, the IMF and the IEA in order to come to its own conclusions. (Indeed, many of these bodies were positive on Cameron. Christine Lagarde of the IMF supported the Conservatives in the “obvious” fact that “what happened in the UK has actually worked.”)
The electorate might also look to the assessments of high-profile economists or media outlets - both of which are highly unreliable and politically motivated sources in themselves. Individual economists have often held dangerously inordinate amounts of power over politics and political decisions. Thatcher famously held up Friedrich Hayek’s Constitution of Liberty and declared of her envisioned Conservative Party, “This is what we believe”. Countries around the world have historically adopted dogmatic, if reformed, variations of Marxist economics. Keynes warned in the 1930s that politicians everywhere found themselves “slaves to some defunct economist.” Economics is not an exact science - but this is a reason to take it more, not less, seriously. A basic level of education in economics increases the ability of each voter to decide upon otherwise impenetrable issues, including the importance of the budget deficit, the funding of the NHS, and the UK’s waning productivity in its financial services sector. It is crucial that these are debated in moral as well as technical terms, and that they are debated inclusively and informatively in the public arena. It is this writer’s opinion that democracy suffers if the electorate is ill-informed. Asymmetrical information suits politicians and not voters. It provides leeway for broken promises, and allows governments to dressup bad records as working policy. A deep educational overhaul needs to happen in this country. We need to take the study of economics more seriously, and see it not simply as a specialisation in further and higher education, but a cornerstone of our education, our politics and our freedom.
Ellie
Economics Student from Oxford
- Loves to ride her bicycle
What’s your flexible policy?
With the new flexible policy from Endsleigh you can insure only the items that matter to your life. Build your cover at
endsleigh.co.uk/university
Insurance recommended by
Your life. Your possessions. Your cover. Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This can be checked on the Financial Services Register by visiting their website at www.fca.org.uk/register. Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited. Company No. 856706 registered in England at Shurdington Road, Cheltenham Spa, Gloucestershire GL51 4UE.
OXII Kate Bickerton
XX I. V. M M XV
MUSIC
MEET OXFORD’S HOMELESS MUSICIANS p.3
FASHION
EACH AND EVERY BODY IS BIKINI BODY READY p.10
Vacancies
THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION ALTERNATIVE PROSPECTUS 2014-16
Summer/Freelance Opportunity -------------------------------------Designer -------------------------------------Editor --------------------------------------
OUSU is looking for a talented Designer and a talented Editor to work with us to produce OUSU’s flagship access publication, the Oxford University Alternative Prospectus for 2016-18.
AN INSIDE GUIDE TO ALL THE PERKS AND QUIRKS OF OXFORD LIFE
The Alternative Prospectus is published by OUSU every two years as part of OUSU’s commitment to access and widening participation. It is designed to provide an insight to Oxford life from a student’s perspective and the prospectus is distributed to every school in the country alongside the University’s official prospectus. To find out more go to: www.ousu.org/your-union/jobs
Are you a little bit geeky? Join our team of Software Developers on a starting salary of £28K plus excellent benefits No experience required Who are we?
What we are looking for:
Apply now if you have:
We are a fast–growing software company and market leader in the healthcare sector with SystmOne, our cutting–edge product suite.
We’re looking for smart graduates to join our expanding team of Software Developers. You don’t have to have any programming experience for this job – you just need to be super bright, willing to learn, ready for a challenge and a great problem solver. As well as a great job you’ll receive regular pay reviews, bonuses and a whole host of benefits.
A degree of 2:1 or higher (Any discipline)
To apply, send your CV and covering letter to careers@tpp-uk.com For more details visit www.tpp-uk.com/careers
A*AA at A Level (Including A* in Maths)
21st May 2015
Music 3
MUSIC Meet Oxford's homeless musicians
JACOB WISEMAN LINCOLN COLLEGE
• "You're the reason I'm alive": get to know Marion, Cornmarket's singer-songwriter street musician
I
t is a bright Wednesday afternoon and I make my way through the crowded Cornmarket Street in search of my interviewee. We had arranged to meet in the late afternoon, as he is busy over lunchtime with central Oxford so bustling. I find him among the buzz of tourists, local workers and students. It is not hard to spot his Spiderman beanie hat, but most noticeably he is playing acoustic guitar and singing. I stand and listen, waiting for the song to finish and reintroduce myself. His voice is raspy, sensitive and full of character, as he sings the line, “You’re the reason I’m alive.” It appears to be the chorus to a song unfamiliar to me. His name is Marion, and he is one of Oxford’s street musicians. So regularly on Cornmarket Street in the sun, rain or snow, his voice has become as recognisable as his Spiderman beanie to students across Oxford. He is homeless, but he insists on performing rather than begging in order to earn a living. “It is a necessity to survive to be honest with you. It’s a case of being on the street and having to make money. Won’t commit crime, can’t get a job. Well I can get a job but I can’t hold a job without anywhere to live. “I’d love to pursue music as a
career, but again it’s down to money. I can’t even afford to get a CD recorded. It would be the songs I play here and a lot of my own stuff.” The song that I had just heard, titled ‘You’re The Reason I’m Alive’, is one of Marion’s own compositions. It is about his mum. “To cut a long story short, I tried to kill myself a few times. Without the strength of my mum I wouldn’t be here.” For Marion, although music is a necessity, it has a unique restorative power to which he has an intensely personal connection. “Music can be the answer to so many emotional problems, it’s unbelievable. Without music, I don’t know where I’d be. I really don’t know. I’m fortunate enough that I am talented to be able to play music because if I didn’t I’m sure being on the streets, no money and loneliness would leave me in prison or a drug addict. Fortunately, touch wood, I’m none of the above. “It’s certainly the answer for me. Whenever I’m depressed I play music. It’s a way of expressing yourself without actually talking to one individual: you’re not unloading your problems onto one person. If you sing about it, it becomes a hell of a lot easier.” At this point we begin talking about how Marion came to live on
the streets. Having been married and employed for seventeen years, he tells me that he found his wife having an affair. He left home and soon found himself on the streets, unable to keep a job. Since then, he’s found a partner
“Without music
I don't know where I'd be
”
on the streets, who escaped from an abusive relationship. The daily question has become whether he has the money to get a place to sleep and food to eat. “At the end of the day, I see what money I’ve got. If I’ve got enough to get in a B&B, that’s what I do.” He adds that he refuses to make use of homeless shelters. “I won’t go in there. Too much drugs, too much alcohol, violence, thieving – it’s not an environment I want to be in. I may be homeless but I’ve got more respect for myself that that. I certainly wouldn’t put my partner in that position. If I make enough, we’ll go to a B&B; if not, we’ll find some doorway to sit in.”
He pauses and looks towards the floor. “People don’t realise just how expensive it is. It’s not like going shopping once a week and spending fifty pounds. If I want to eat a hot meal three times a day and the Missus needs to, with a few hot drinks throughout the day, it’s costing me thirty pounds a day. That’s just to eat. That’s extortionate. Then thirty-five pounds a night to get a roof over our heads. Every day: living expenses, toiletries, clothing, guitar strings. On some days just someone stopping for a couple of minutes to chat makes a world of difference to how I feel.” Marion feels that unlike others that live on the streets, he is lucky in his ability to make an honest living but it is hard work. However, he is frustrated by much of what he sees in the homeless community. “I sit out here in the rain, sleet and snow trying to earn my money. Then someone will walk along pretending they’re homeless, get twenty pounds from somebody and spend it on drugs. It’s the most frustrating thing in the world. “Honesty in today’s society is very hard to come by. The people that I am surrounded by can be greedy and manipulative. If had a choice, I wouldn’t give them the time of day, but I have to be polite because if I
didn’t do it that way I would become so angry and bitter and twisted. That takes too much energy. But there are people who come out here, pretend to be homeless, get £150 a day and go spend it on drugs. If I had £150 a day within three weeks, I’d have somewhere to live.” Marion tells me that his primary hope for the future is to get a place to live and a stable job. “I’m a qualified bricklayer, landscape gardener and chef. Once I find accommodation, I’ll be straight back into work and get back to normality. But I don’t think I would have changed this. It happened, that’s the way it is and it’s been a learning curve. But yeah, I want to get somewhere to live, get a job – normality.” Marion says that he likes “songs with a story”. And he certainly has one to tell. His musical heroes include Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Simon & Garfunkel and Eric Clapton. “I have an appreciation for lyrics in songs that actually mean something. I like songs with a story from start to finish. Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash - lyrical genius. I’m a real sensitive guy and the right song at the right time can make me fall apart and cry my eyes out. Sometimes that’s all I need and that’s down to lyrics and songs.”
Spare change An honest living on the streets ejaugsburg
4 Music
Home is no more for The Tallest Man on Earth
U
nder the misleading name “The Tallest Man on Earth”, Kristian Matsson sings gorgeous contemporary folk songs. Matsson has found it hard to shake comparisons with Bob Dylan, and it’s easy to imagine the shouts of “Judas!” as he takes to the stage to tour his new album, Dark Bird Is Home. This isn’t because he’s “gone
“When home is
gone the wanderer is suddenly adrift.
”
electric” – he’s already experimented with electric guitars – The Tallest Man on Earth has made what is perhaps an even more radical change to his sound: he now has a full band. From the moment the snare kicks in on the second track, it’s clear that Matsson has taken a new musical direction. Artistically, that he should change his sound for his fourth album makes sense, but the shift is all the more significant in the context of the album’s main inspiration: Matsson’s divorce from his wife, fellow Swedish singer Amanda Bergman. The Tallest Man on Earth is a traveller, and Dark Bird Is Home is about returning to find that the home you left is no longer there.
“At times like these even travellers can’t win”, Matsson sings on the third track, ‘Slow Dance’, which paints a picture of domestic bliss rendered so evocatively as to avoid sounding clichéd. Evoking a mood rather than a clear narrative, Matsson mentions dancing in the kitchen and the safety of a bed. But there’s something darker and inevitable behind lines like “In a place like this I shall never feel afraid”, which, by
the end of the song, becomes “At times like these I should never go away”. Here the instrumentation works brilliantly, with a swell of piano and strings adding emphasis at key moments, trumpets ecstatically breaking through the wall of sound. But elsewhere the full band approach is not so immediately successful. The backing for the first two songs in particular sounds bland and muddy, with everything pushed to-
gether in the mix. The wall of sound approach often leaves the individual elements indistinguishable, and the instrumentation sometimes sounds tacked on. With the crude use of instrumentation and the audible coughs and creaks of the studio, the listener is constantly reminded that they’re listening to something singular and personal. This may be Matsson’s loudest album, but it holds true to what makes him an exceptional songwriter: gorgeous melodies, emotive vocals and haunting lyrics. His style of songcraft requires and rewards repeat listens – these songs are filled with flourishes that don’t sound like hooks until they catch on familiarity. ‘Slow Dance’ is followed by ‘Little Nowhere Towns’, a piano ballad which offers a stark contrast. Like other guitarists before him, the piano sounds foreign to Matsson, and the results are eccentric and beautiful. The album was recorded in various countries while on tour, and ‘Little Nowhere Towns’ sounds painfully far from home. Poignantly, what sound like female backing vocals, which might have been provided by his wife on a previous album, are in fact from Matsson himself. As well as dealing with longing, ‘Little Nowhere Towns’ ruminates on Matsson’s life as an artist. But here artistic doubt is synonymous with the doubtful life of a traveller, a life grounded by the thought of returning home. But when that home
JEFF the Brotherhood’s talents are but a dream
O
f the musical outfits to come out of Nashville, Tennessee, JEFF the Brotherhood are arguably one of the more kooky of the bunch. Amongst the likes of Kings of Leon and Jack White in all his various guises and hosts of country music stars, brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall with their record label Infinity Cat Recordings and their garage and grunge rock sound added a new vibrant dimension to Music City. Releasing their latest album Wasted On The Dream on Infinity Cat however, wasn’t the band’s original intention. The album was to be released through Warner Bros, a distinctly more corporate entity. Come February, the band announced they have been dropped from their label and subsequently released the now long awaited album on Infinity Cat. Speaking of the decision the band commented: “it was apparent that you had to play this game where if you wanted to do something you had to make them feel like it’s their idea or it wasn’t going to happen” (Stereogum). Despite the band’s protestations, Wasted On The Dream was perhaps more suited for release on a typical,
larger label such as Warner Bros. The band evolved from a simple two piece to a grander rock establishment, featuring Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather) on bass, with guest contributions from Bethany Cosentino (Beast Coast), Diarrhea Planet guitarists (also on Infinity Cat), Evan Bird and Emmett Miller and even Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. These big names compliment the ambitious mission
“We smoked a lot
of pot in the studio constantly, basically.
”
statement for Wasted On The Dream in its attempt to blend 70s hard rock, 80s punk, ‘90s grunge with catchy pop melodies and harmonies. The resulting sound suits the zanier outlook of Infinity Cat. Reflecting on their music making process, the brother’s reveal: “The whole album was a very stoned album. We smoked a lot of pot in the studio — constantly, basically” (Stereogum).The
album sounds exactly that, the product of two rock nerds getting stoned in their garage and making music, which is undoubtedly a pretty accurate description. An approach like this shouldn’t be immediately decried as it has the potential for greatness. But here, many of the tracks are left feeling mediocre plagued by a vague sense of similarity despite the genre-hopping nature of several of the tracks. The third single from the album, ‘Black Cherry Pie’ features a flute solo from Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson alongside dense grungey guitars and off beat lyrics like, “Heard the world is turning into a giant ball of shit” and “maybe one to put a knife in your eye, black cherry pie.” What the band were going for in this song is unclear, but the track ultimately comes across as an incredibly forced impression of 90s teenage nihilism. Moving on to harder sounding tracks, ‘Melting Place’ and ‘In My Dreams’. I imagine ‘Melting Place’ to have come out of a particularly absurd pot-induced discussion of what the ‘70s hard rock and metal’ track would sound like. The result is a mildly cliched, Black Sabbath influence ridden track, complete
21st May 2015
JOHNNY MCQUADE TRINITY COLLEGE is gone, the wanderer is suddenly adrift, with only his art to hold on to. Matsson is known for his magical stage presence, and there has always been something powerful about the simplicity of a singer with nothing but a guitar. With the exception of a few choice instruments, the only time he would break this formula live was when sharing a microphone with his then-wife to sing ‘Thrown Right At Me’, channeling Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge’s sexually-charged performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test. But now The Tallest Man on Earth will be touring with a full band (including Mike Noyce from Bon Iver), and it will be interesting to see whether in doing so he sacrifices some of his emotive power and sex appeal. There’s a feeling that Dark Bird Is Home is Kristian Matsson pushing off from his previous body of work as well as his previous life. The title track comes at the end of the album and sets its parting tone. “I thought that it would last for a million years, but now I need to go”, growls Matsson, which sounds resolute when taken to be about his new musical direction, but heart-wrenching in light of his personal life. There’s a sense of boldly entering the unknown, as though Matsson has embraced the peculiar clarity of realising that he will never fully figure things out. “This is not the end, no this is fine” – indeed, it feels like a new beginning, it feels like spring.
NAOMI SOUTHWELL
SOMERVILLE COLLEGE
Brotherly love Abandoing the two piece proves to be a nightmare with unnecessary screeching guitar effects and synthetic sounding drum beats. ‘In My Dreams’ is the fuzz version of ‘Melting Place’, yet Bethany Cosentino’s vocals redeem the track and the duet set up is effective in providing some originality in what up to now is a collection of vaguely familiar sounding impressions of rock through the ages. If you like guitars and the sounds they make, none of the tracks on
Wasted On The Dream are unpalatable, they are frankly mostly enjoyable. The attempt to incorporate various elements of guitar music history from the past 30 years is admirable. Yet, as in their conception, the songs are probably best listened to whilst intoxicated. Preferably at a garage party that requires some guitar based ‘party’ anthems, lacking in originality and depth but pleasantly out-there nonetheless.
Music 5
21st May 2015
5th week Blues
OxStu’s 5th week Playlist in memory of BB King
Live at the Regal BB King
Five Long Years Buddy Guy
San Fermin’s musicality sounds out on Jackrabbit PATRICK KEEFE LINCOLN COLLEGE
F
rom the very first chord change of the sophomore album of this Brooklyn-based octet, it is clear that its tracks are better described as full musical compositions than popular songs. If it were not for the slightly problematic consequence of being sent down for plagiarism, I would happily submit one of the songs on this album for my music examination coursework. It is clear that songwriter Ellis LudwigLeone made great use of his time studying music at Yale. The opening track, ‘The Woods’, combines its unsettling movement in the opening bars with a Sgt. Pepper influenced instrumental cacophony to create a visceral sense of the foreboding forest. ‘Philosopher’ includes a use of extended cello techniques even my cellist tute partner can’t quite fathom. While ‘Emily’ brings in a catchy saxophone riff that is so cool it could go to Camera and leave with its social standing not even slightly tarnished. However, the title track, ‘Jackrabbit’, is the most brilliantly produced song on the album, and with Charlene
Naomi Southwell
Riding with the King BB King & Eric Clapton
Axis (Bold as Love) The Jimi Hendrix Experience
poration of string quartet textures on ‘Halcyon Days’. You can hear the influence of the film scores and operas he helped to write as assistant to composer Nico Muhly while still at college, and perhaps the virulent sound he produces owes much to this, along with the pop bands he played in throughout his college career.
Pretentious commentaries on this release’s fusion of historical genres over a contemporary electronic underlay aside, this is a concept album that is brilliant to listen to, with enough head-bopping tunes to keep you dancing. This might explain the album’s cover art, as you’ll be hopping like a musically enhanced mosh bunny all night long.
MUSICAL REINVENTIONS DAVID BOWIE
Try! John Mayer Trio
Kaye’s soaring vocal lines it produces an irresistible energy. It is worth noting that the tracks that feature Kaye as lead vocalist figure are the most dynamic songs on the album; the tone of her voice generates a more immediate response than Allen Tate’s Iggy Popesque rocky drawl on songs such as ‘Emily’. This is not to say that Tate’s tracks are in any way less engaging; his softer, deeply sonorous lines provide an effective contrast to Kaye’s stimulating energy. ‘Parasites’, the album’s first single, exhibits this duality, as the two vocalists sing a duet. The use of classical formulas and choral writing in this track provides a journalistically helpful segue back to discussing the musical scoring of the album. Lead songwriter Ellis LudwigLeone should always be mentioned with reference to his San Fermin project. His compositional prowess seems to know no bounds (fair enough if your name is Ludwig I suppose); he has clearly showed off his mastery of the academic discipline he acquired at Yale, with an eclectic and truly modern sound that combines a myriad of musical genres, from the baroque-pop symphonic titular track, to the incor-
David Bowie is the archetype of reinvention, a musical and cultural chameleon. The success of Bowie’s changing musical personas comes from his expert blending of aspects of culture, art, fashion and performing arts into his plethora of characters. Bowie artfully incorporates influences from male model and mime artist Lindsay Kemp, earthrise photography by William Anders, the novel A Clockwork Orange and Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto to name an incredibly limited selection. Bowie integrated this myriad of influences into his own artistic and musical output, reinventing them in the process of his own reinvention. A roundup of the more notable Bowie characters can’t not include Ziggy Stardust, the androgynous rock and roll superstar of the 70s. Next up is Aladdin Sane, Ziggy’s successor and reflection on the conflict surrounding his fame. Who hasn’t one uneventful Friday night tried to expertly recreate the synonymous lightning bolt makeup look? Just me? No-one can also forget Bowie as Jareth from the film Labyrinth, a singing goblin king from a cheesy 80s fantasy film. Still, no-one has come close to Bowie’s powers of reinvention that helped to ultimately cement his place as one of rock and roll’s ultimate icons.
BRAD MEHLDAU Joe D’Amore
The cover of Radiohead’s ‘Knives Out’ by jazz pianist Brad Mehldau’s trio is a textural masterpiece. Bassist Larry Grenadier holds down a melodic groove and fluidly shifts from a support role to co-soloist, while drummer Jeff Ballard punctuates a light, cymbal-driven beat with delicate snare accents. Mehldau’s technical talent is almost robotically good, and yet his extensive lines penetrate a rich harmonic territory with relentless emotional energy. Together the group manages to create an even more haunting rendition of the ghostly Radiohead original. Fans of this track will be happy to hear that it’s not Mehldau’s only Radiohead cover: in both solo and trio settings, he has done ‘Paranoid Android,’ ‘Exit Music,’ and ‘Everything in it’s Right Place.’ He’s also covered The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Nick Drake, among others. While his original work is equally good, Mehldau’s reinventions are special in that they exploit what no one else could hear in the songs we know, but at the same time they add dashes of personal flavor that completely redefine the originals. After hearing Mehldau, you’ll never hear Radiohead the same again.
SEU JORGE
AZEEM
Marita Lea
Jacob Wiseman
To reinvent the king of reinvention, David Bowie, is no small task. But to get the seal of approval from the man himself is astounding. This is the story of The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions Featuring Seu Jorge. The album is a collection of David Bowie songs performed by Seu Jorge in Portuguese for the soundtrack to the Wes Anderson film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Jorge also starred in the film as a safety expert whose side projects included performing acoustic David Bowie covers. Recorded in a Bossa Nova style, the album received critical acclaim from Beck and none other than Bowie himself, “Had Seu Jorge not recorded my songs in Portuguese I would never have heard this new level of beauty which he has imbued them with.” The tracks completely reinvent Bowie classics in a relaxed and easy style that still manages to convey the emotional complexity of some of Bowie’s best works. Although recorded in Portuguese, the translation to Portuguese is not exact. Despite the less than exact nature of the renditions, Jorge found himself playing in front of large crowds in the US, who were patiently waiting for the Bowie covers. To re-inspire such new levels of devotion for classic songs is a true mark of success for any reinvention.
Internet sensation Azeem is a master of reinvention. His recital on Saturday night presented viewers with a blend of old and new. Initially Azeem displayed prowess over the classical words of Gaubert and Devienne. But this flautist did not hesitate in subverting the classical conventions of his instrument. He brought out a drum kit, he beat-boxed; he was magnificent. At times during his original compositions, his flute radiated with a quasi-divine glow. A combination of delicate fingering and flutter-tongue demonstrated this flautist’s virtuosity. Taking full advantage of modern technology, Azeem streamed his senior recital to his global fan base. One hundred and five students cannot be wrong, and Azeem lived up to all expectations. In the words of the artist himself “it peaked real quick” – and this internet sensation did not fail to handle the pressure. Azeem decided that he would use his following to support aid to Nepal. If that reinvention doesn’t restore your faith in humanity, I don’t know what will.
6 Stage
21st May 2015
STAGE
Walk Like a Man Slick and secure, the boys in red are at the forefront of this piece, with the women reduced to mere adornments.
Helen Maybanks
‘Oh What A Night!’ - Jersey Boys at the New Theatre
J
ersey Boys is a remarkable musical shaped around the true story of the 1960s rock ‘n’ roll band, The Four Seasons. Its narrative follows their rise to fame and a turbulent career shaped by a long list of hit records. It is a frank and poignant insight into their success. Exploring the infamous story of their mob debts and Jersey politics, this musical takes a long hard look at four men finding their sound and then “trying to get home”. The plot is firmly built on the premise of “Four guys. Four stories”, portrayed using a collation of each member’s respective viewpoints. The narrative switches slickly between different soliloquizing voices emerging out of the music. This profusion of viewpoints is embraced by the innovative staging. The audience’s perspective is frequently flipped, positioning us as if we are backstage at one of their concerts, or watching the recording of a live television performance. Aided by successful deployment
of multimedia, simulated TV footage of the group’s performances is projected on the stage’s backdrop, effectively intercut with excerpts from The Four Seasons’ real-life TV appearances. Combined with evocative pop art images, the use of projections helped the production to capture a sense of the era. Performing Jersey Boys is no mean feat: the task of maintaining the heights of those harmonies alone has broken many voices. For the most part, this touring production seems to have achieved the required slickness - we see recording agents slide from desk to desk, propelled in rolling chairs. The voices of all four main roles are just as smooth and successful. Tim Driesen as Frankie Valli seems to slide up Valli’s legendary register with ease. Of the four leads, Sam Ferriday’s dulcet tones were a vocal highlight. His opening number ,“Cry for Me”, was one of the best of the night.
However, something was left to be desired. The American accents of the leads, were subpar, something that unforunately impacted on the quality of their acting. This issue with the Jersey twang was not only distracting for the audience, but also seemed to disrupt the actors’ concentration. Ferriday’s accent and intonation verged on the ridiculous, eliciting unwarranted giggles from the audience as ‘group’ came out as ‘grope’. This was a shame, as Bobby’s lines are not only the funniest but also the most poignant in the script. The dramatic energy and emotion of these moments was lost amidst bizarre syntactic emphases. Emotional dialogues shared between Bobby and Frankie were compromised as both actors struggled with their intonation. Driesen on occasion sounded elderly (a strange effect in the earlier scenes of Frankie’s youth). He only fully came into his own in his depiction of Frankie as an older man feeling the strain of
touring. A stand-out company performance must be credited to Nathaniel Morrison, who played a number of different roles, all with superb comic timing. His impressive vocal power on occassion matched that of Driesen as Valli. Having first seen this show performed in Las Vegas, I was again struck by the back-seat nature of the roles given to women. Although undoubtedly a story focussed on the the male leads, it is saddening that female actors only feature in this show in clichéd roles. They double as “ball-busting” wives, whining girlfriends and prostitutes merely sexy props for the suave male protagonists, something that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. One can’t help wonder that if women had played a more prominent role in their lives, things may have turned out a bit differently for The Four Seasons… However, compared to other musicals built on a collection of
LUCY OLIVER Worcester College hits by a single artist, Jersey Boys is a cut above. Although Mamma Mia can be fun, this story from across the Atlantic has a far greater tale to tell. Each song, scene, and line seems to come right from the gut, making this musical by turns enjoyable and heart-wrenching. Although the songs throughout are vibrant and catchy, their lyrics also betray a sense of darkness and torment beyond frivolous heartache. The close, communicating tales of tormented relationships and twisted, complex emotions perfectly intertwine with the oscillating trajectory of their career as a group. Although this touring production was not without weaknesses, Jersey Boys is undoubtedly a fantastic musical with a soundtrack that is great not only to enjoy but to ponder. The touring production of Jersey Boys is at The New Theatre until Saturday 23rd May, at 7.30pm with matinées on Thursday & Saturday at 2.30pm.
21st May 2015
Stage 7
Review The Oxford German Play: Killing Hitler, BT Studio
T
he Oxford German Society’s production of Killing Hitler exposes the key role of, Oxford Alum, Adam von Trott (Linus Ubl) in the July Plot to assassinate ‘the Monster’. The attempted plot may have been have been unsuccessful in 1944, but in 2015 the play’s plot, and production (Chris Jacobi and Benjamin Schaper), were sterling. The night began with introductory presentations by the play’s author Bernard Adams, Adam von Trott’s daughter Verena von Trott and Graham Avery, the president of the von Trott Memorial Funds. Combined, these presentations allowed a historical, emotional and political context to be developed before the play itself. This reinforced that Killing Hitler is grounded in reality: Adam Von Trott did enjoy walking over Magdalen Bridge and was hanged by the Nazis. Killing Hitler is ambitious. The play is bilingual, German sections having English subtitles, and jumps between both Germany and England and the 1940s and 1970s. Director Poppy Clifford should take great pride in the result of this ambitious play.
Using both German and English aided in exposing the duality of Adam Von Trott: a man capable of joking whimsically about tea in Oxford and also a man tortured by his identity as a German patriot during the Nazi Regime. Linus Ubl’s ability convincingly to deliver such a complex character for the duration of the play was some feat and worthy of high accolade. The effective use of lighting (Samuel Littley) and sound (Stephen Jacobi) throughout is also to be commended. Be it bombs or Beethoven the sound acted not only to deepen each scene, but also to allow the audience to keep up with the many temporal and geographical changes throughout the play. Similarly, the lighting was used to isolate Hans Lohmann (Edouard Gottileb) brilliantly when he was interviewed by Petra Schmidt (Hannah Gerlach). This interview was set in the 1970s and acted as an effective foil for the rest of the play. It helped to explain wider German attitudes to Naziism and the July Plot.
Review: I Nominate The BT Studio
A
Worcester College The interview scenes also added welcome, and well delivered, humorous respite - ‘you don’t mind me singing? I’ve been told I have a good voice.’ The only grey-lining of this silver cloud of a play was the performers’ use of the stage in the second half. Too frequently they
“ Worthy of high accolade ”
would inadvertently block the audiences’ sight of the subtitle screen behind them. Large chunks of dialogue were thus lost to nonGerman speakers. This was likely nothing more than a relatively minor opening night blip to be easily rectified for future performances. Killing Hitler ends with Clarita Von Trott (Chloe Cheung) poignantly reflecting that ‘Tomorrow will be a new day, an all together different day.’ The brilliance of the play on opening night instead leads me to hope that future performance will be all together similar nights. Killing Hitler is deserving of both large German and non-German speaking audiences due to its excellence as a play and relevance to Oxford. Check it out. The Oxford German Play: Killing Hitler was at The BT Studios from Tuesday 12th - Saturday 16th May.
The Oxford German Play
fter a bit of a slow start, theatre is starting to take notice of the Internet. Last year saw Privacy, The Nether, and Teh [sic] Internet is Serious Business in London. Now Sophie Sparkes has brought the craze to Oxford with an energetic piece of new writing full of neknominations, cameraphones and Facebook statuses. I Nominate shows how a chaotic, alcohol-fuelled night out has been warped by our online self-obsession. We start with a sudden burst of energy and movement that makes use of an unusually spacious BT studio. But this promising note dissipates gradually through the play. The dingy flat of John (Will Spence) and Carolyn (Katie Piner) plays host to his reluctant necknomination, which escalates quickly into a reluctant night out. Sparkes’ dialogue is mostly tight and punchy, but chemistry is lacking on stage in these calmer moments. When we move to the club, a few more issues become clear – the cluttered kitchen table doubles up uncomfortably as a bar, and the lighting state could be much
RORY KELLY
more imaginative. The movement around the central spotlight was awkward and didn’t feel very clubby. The main problem of this middle section was the music – some key dialogue was lost under The Prodigy, which although atmospheric, left me too confused as
“ Mostly tight and punchy ”
to who was who and where I was supposed to be. Nonetheless, the choice of soundtrack was solid. The set and lighting, on the other hand, fail to impress, and the cast ironically never seem at home in their surroundings. Spence was a consistent performer throughout, the strongest at keeping up his drunkenness, which sometimes fluctuated for other characters. Rebecca Watson’s neurotic Jodie was also clear (and quite a good dancer),
ANTONY PEARSON St Catherine’s College
Sparkes’ best mouthpiece for displaying our dangerous narcissistic obsession with social media. At times the script’s obvious jokes were overplayed and risked killing the comedy, and the cast seemed a little isolated, directing their angrier lines at no-one in particular. Hopefully, both these elements will be worked out as the run continues. Ultimately, Sparkes’ play shows a discomfort with the unhealthy cocktail of alcohol and the Internet, but fails to make itself heard clearly. The unsettling nature of Jodie’s Facebook streams of consciousness are the show’s strong point, and they could have been brought out more to really make our skin crawl. Instead, the tension that surrounds the four characters seems a little aimless. Sparkes’ attention to detail is fantastic, and her dialogue never risks feeling flabby, but I Nominate lashes out too randomly to be truly satirical. I Nominate was at the BT Studio from Tuesday 12th to Saturday 16th May.
Preview Into the Woods, The Queen’s College Gardens PHILIPPA STACEY
Christ Church
“I
nto the woods, then out of the woods - and happy ever after!” Go into Queen’s College, stroll through to the gardens and, for a few evenings in late May, you will find yourself a little wood. Here, the Eglesfield Musical Society’s staging of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’ invites you to immerse yourself in a world of journeys, giants, beans and wishes. Based on several of the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales, Into the Woods opens with Cinderella wishing to go to the ball, Jack wishing for his cow to milk and Little Red Riding Hood wishing for bread to take to her grandmother. An original storyline thrusts a baker and his wife, cursed with childlessness by a witch, into the woods to break the spell. Their quest for ‘the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn and the slipper as pure as gold’ causes their path to collide and intertwine with the other fairy tale characters in a tale of comedy and commotion. However the second act goes deeper and darker into the woods, and finds the traditional ‘happy ever after’ overshadowed by the dangers of wishing too much. Queen’s gardens are certainly a beautiful spot for this production. With a huge tree twinkling with fairy lights arching over the stage, the outdoor setting will provide a striking contrast with the use of physical theatre, as the chorus provides a living and moving woods. Director Laura Day tells me that her produc-
tion plays on the audience’s ability to imagine. In part they must ‘transport themselves’ to a fairy tale world, but the gently fading evening light will provide the perfect backdrop to the characters’ unravelling stories as they venture further into the trees. Whilst contingency plans are in place, it will be a great shame if typical English weather forces this production inside: the garden space provides the cast of ‘Into the Woods’ with some of their greatest challenges, yet promises a uniquely enchanting and magical setting. Though this production has been quickly put together with only four weeks of rehearsals as of now, the cast looks reassuringly ready. One of the most musically challenging numbers ‘Your Fault’ promises a vocally strong performance, whilst a glimpse of a suitably shameless Prince Charming confidently captures the hilarity of Sondheim’s satirical caricatures. Particularly intriguing is the role of the wolf, which in radical departure from Johnny Depp’s performance in the recent film of ‘Into the Woods’, will be played as a beguiling older woman. The cast all agree that ‘Into the Woods’ is a pretty weird show, but that’s not something they’re shying away from. With little Red Riding Hood decked out in 60s peddlepushers, a Liverpudlian giant and a Milky White bicycle, this performance promises to take you on a playful, tongue-in-cheek adventure into the woods. Into the Woods is at The Queen’s College Gardens from Wednesday 20th - Saturday 23rd May at 7.30pm.
What’s On Conjure
Tue 26th - Sat 30th May, 9.30pm @The BT Studio
The Wellington Boot Club
Tue 26th - Sat 30th May, 7.30pm @The BT Studio
Never Mind Where Your Daughter Lies Wed 27th - Sat 30th May, 7.30pm @The Keble O’Reilly
His Dark Materials Part II Wed 3rd - Sat 6th June, 7.30pm (matinée Thurs & Sat 2.30) @The Keble O’Reilly
8 Fashion
21st May 2015
21st May 2015
Fashion 9
Tennis off-whites
Balltenati
Model: Ella Harding Photography: Maria Do Photographer: Sakura Xiaomei | Models: Rosalind Brody, Lucy Thraves & Re’em Editing: Nick Hampson Styling: Lizzie Evens
10 Fashion
21st May 2015
FASHION Each and every body is ready
LIZZIE EVENS NEW COLLEGE
• Lizzie Evens discusses the controversy surrounding the recent Protein World advert
I
n many ways, the ideal of the bikini body is like the Gold Standard of currency. Many people carry an intimation of this value, though it doesn’t look quite the same, and society doesn’t deem it to be the same standard as the reserves. Whilst the idea of a stock of females with the perfect body is harrowing, this is where the analogy falls down as the perfect bikini body does not exist in the same way a gold bar does (the evidence of this lies in the obligatory photoshopping). I mean, anatomically, I am bikinibody ready. I possess the limbs necessary to poke through the straps and holes in a two-piece. I am the proud owner of the requisite torso to fulfill the gap in between. Yet such a sarcastic answer to whether I am ‘beach body
Celeb Buzz
H
eels may make you feel fab and glamorous when you’re getting ready in the comfort of your own room, but fifteen minutes into your night-out and you’ll be dreaming of sitting on the sofa in front of the TV and begging your friends to sit down for a minute in the club. Trainers are the way forward. They are actually made for you to feel comfortable when moving around – you’ll be able to dance for hours without the distraction of your feet crying out for mercy from their heeled prisons. This allows for you to stay out until you’re totally ready to go home, rather than spending £5 for an hour’s outing that you spent whining about the state of your feet.
ASOS
ready’ would inevitably be rejected. If I consulted my own image in a mirror, I certainly would find ‘fault’. Though, what is ironic is that I would fulfill many of the characteristics this company was trying to appeal to. I
“ They would struggle to find
someone who was universally accepted as beach body ready
”
am in the age demographic 18-30. I do go to the gym. I do take care over my appearance. I do take protein. This is where my biggest issue arises; for the majority of women I know who regularly exercise and use protein supplements, being bikini body ready is not a major motivator. Instead, the merits of being healthy, strong, achieving longevity and actual enjoyment through exercise are all the encouragement needed. The advertisers could have drawn from any of these positive, estimable qualities as opposed Even if you’re one of those superhuman beings that can wear heels with ease for hours upon end, the argument that they are more stylish is just not valid anymore. The sports luxe look has been featured on the catwalks for the past few years and trainers are a big part of that. Just like Uggs once were, a pair of Nikes or New Balance is now the staple shoe in most wardrobes, so your footwear option won’t be a solo choice on the dance floor. Gone are the days when the only pair of trainers owned were for running; now there is no need to be worried that you won’t look ‘dressed up’ enough for your night out. Even if you feel self-conscious wearing trainers out, how many people can honestly say that they remember what shoes other people were wearing the last time they went out? No one looks down, and it’s often the case that the room is too busy and people are having too much fun to be able to make out and judge their fellow clubbers’ shoe choices. Guys have no issue taking an outfit from day to night, because they can literally wear the exact same outfit, so there is no reason why this can’t be the case for everyone. Put on your kicks
YES
to imposing an ideal on women. Over the last week, the internet trend venerating the ‘dad bod’ prompted a tirade of coverage in US media. Kristen Schaal of the Daily Show said, “we are already obsessed with mom bods, or at least how fast moms can get rid of them,” exposing the disturbing nature of this phenomenon. She masterfully points to the hypocrisy of this standard and shows the difference in the physical expectation between men and women is, indeed, comic. If one skims down the femail tab of The Daily Mail there are numerous headlines announcing the ‘lithe legs’, ‘fabulous curves’, ‘slim line post-baby body’ and ‘curve hugging’ attire of women. It surprises me that articles commenting and on occasion criticizing the female body are targeted to a female readership. In answer to the question posed by Protein World, I am by no means ‘Bikini body’ ready and I think they would struggle to find someone who was universally accepted as such. Doubtlessly this was an ignorant marketing decision, yet I would stress a need to remain sensitive to the model in question. Yes, the ideals purported by the advert are objectionable, but the woman doing her job is not. Model Renee Somerfield spoke out stating ‘saying the ad is body shaming by body shaming the image is very contradictory’ (Huffington Post). I would agree and stress that whilst the ideal promoted may prove false, the model is real.
FLORA HOLMES LINCOLN COLLEGE
Debate:
Are trainers nightout appropriate? The ultimate battle of comfort and style EMMA NEWALL REGENT’S PARK
Protein World
E
ven though wearing trainers on a night out brings you endless comfort and dancing opportunities, a case may arise when wearing them is just not an option. Some clubs actually refuse entry if you’re wearing them, and if you’re out for a special occasion or have been to something beforehand, trainers may not be the relevant choice. As cool as they are, they can hardly be described as a glamorous option or black-tie appropriate, so there may be times when the trainers need to be left at home in favour of a more formal choice. Other shoes, like heels, can make you feel great and give you that confidence-boost you may need to own the dance floor. Also, a key point that is often overlooked is the fact that you want to keep your trainers in good condition. You don’t spend the best part of £100 (or over) on the latest, freshest brand for them to spend three hours in Park End, emerging covered in a layer of grime and grease if you’re lucky - or jaegerbombs and the fluids of overdrinking if you’re not. Soon they’ll become your ‘going out trainers’ because they’re now too grubby to be worn in the light of day. Some-
NO
times your trainers need to be saved for times when they can be truly appreciated! Obviously, there are cheaper trainer outlets around so it could be the case that you feel no qualms in wearing them out, and although I’d love to think that every clubber would have the confidence to don a pair of trainers and think nothing of it there will inevitably be some die-hard heel fans that will look down on them (literally). If you’re not ready, or feel it’s not really acceptable to wear trainers on a night out, that’s fine. The point is to have fun, and that’s a lot easier when you feel comfortable. If that’s in trainers, great! If not, who cares.
ASOS
21st May 2015
@greekvioletuk
This handmade lingerie brand combines delicate fabrics with intricate details. Bucking the trend of the wonder bra, these light pieces scream elegance and comfort and are available in a number of neutral colours. Some of these bespoke bras are a steal at just £12 - when you compare that with the likes of Topshop, generic designs at double the price it’s clear that it’s the right choice to support this emerging talent. With underwear becoming just as important as outerwear whether peaking out the side of a low-cut dress or just has a shirt thrown over the top of it, these lacey creations are sure to make a bold statement.
Paint the town orange
Fashion 11
CHARLOTTE LANNING PEMBROKE COLLEGE
• Charlotte Lanning talks about how she converted her friends to the tanning life
A
t home, a bit of fake tan is an essential for most nights out for me and my friends, especially as I’m fair skinned. So, when I arrived in Oxford, I was dismayed when I asked my friends if any of them had some fake tan for a crew date, they all looked at me blankly/laughed at the stereotypical request that matched my accent. I don’t understand the aversion! But yet, it would seem my powers of persuasion have sufficed and my friends have been swayed: I managed to convince FIVE of them to have a spray with me before our college’s ball this weekend. It’s an Oxford revolution! The trend of a tan dates back many years, and it is thought to have been started by the one and only Coco Chanel. During the Second World War women used gravy browning as a type of tanning product because there was a huge shortage of stockings. Then, in the 80s the artificial look really took off. This is often attributed to
the cheap holidays to Spain that became available, meaning everyone could get a taste of the sunshine that had often been denied to them. It is only in the past decade or so that the trend of faking that golden glow with makeup-like products has taken off. “Prominent” figures in British celebrity culture from Katie Price to the cast of The Only Way is Essex can be credited for the soar in sales at various points. In 2011, it was estimated that £35 mil-
lion is spent on fake tan products each year and St Tropez released figures stating that 41 per cent of the population use fake tan. It’s not just the obvious advocates of the trend
though - virtually every person on TV or on stage will use some sort of tanning product to get the right complexion for the lighting of the set. So, with such a widespread use of this trend, I think it’s time Oxford jumped on board (no doubt many hacks will be exposed to it when they start their media careers). Most people love a summer glow, especially for a special occasion, but it’s really important that the dangers of sun beds are made absolutely clear. Girls Aloud’s Nicola Roberts embarked on a successful campaign in 2012 that saw the age limit for sunbeds raised from 16 to 18. This sends a positive message that young and delicate skin needs to be protected against the damaging impact of concentrated bursts of UV radiation. So, while I’m not advocating looking like an orange, it’s clear that a tan is the perfect accessory to a pair of summer shorts or a ball gown alike. It’s definitely the case that faking is better than baking. The Tanning Shop in Oxford offers spray tans for just £9.99 from Sunday to Tuesday and is located on Blue Boar Lane next to Christ Church.
COUNTDOWN Small screen style heroines
Top 5 tips for a perfect fake tan
1. Invest in a mitt and a friend (preferably next door) that will do your back and other awkward parts 2. Don’t pick up your ball wrist band before your spray tan (although I’m sure none of you are as stupid as me). 3. Avoid getting dressed for as long as possible posttan, and when you do stick to baggy, old stuff that doesn’t stick and you don’t mind turning a nice shade of brown. 4. EXFOLIATE the day before, patchy elbows and knees are not a good look. 5. Don’t count Mississippily.
LIZZIE EVENS NEW COLLEGE
@greekvioletuk
3.Alicia Florrick
OxStu Fashion on Intagram
The Good Wife
T
@oxstufashion CBS
his ‘good wife’ has proved an enduring fashion icon, with her time on screen spanning six seasons. In the show Florrick’s style is used to chart her character change as she transformed from a humiliated wife to the sassy namedpartner in her own law firm. With this change, there came the introduction of sleek curls, a defined smokey eye and a plethora of snazzy jackets to emphasise the onus of her empowerment.
2.Claire Underwood House of Cards
T SUBMIT TO US If you have any ideas for articles, features, interviews or shoots please send them over to fashion@ oxfordstudent.com!
Netflix
his first lady is a fan of structured pieces, with a penchant for the skirt and shirt combination. Always sporting some elegant lines, much like the actual first lady, her toned arms complete many of her looks. Her cropped haircut has also been the focus of much praise in the fashion community and the subject of a Buzzfeed article announcing ‘The power and terror of Claire Underwood’s hair’.
1.Olivia Pope Scandal
N ABC
ot only is she able to avert image crises of any scale, but she is able to look flawless doing it. Her style is characterised by smooth lines, luxurious material and a monochrome colour palette. Pope’s style staple is undoubtedly a designer coat, she seemingly wears a new chic cut each week, and each week we covet the piece in question.
21st May 2015
12 Screen
SCREEN
Casting Call
Sony Pictures: Have they lost the plot? N o one expected Sony’s 2015 to be a smooth ride. After the unprecedented international incident surrounding The Interview, and the subsequent hack that splattered the gory innards of the studio’s workings all over the press, they suffered conflict from within and a flurry of poor publicity. And their attempt to recover from their two-pronged setback has not been a wild success. Spider-Man is the first problem. One of the most recognisable superhero properties out there, it was the one thing Sony had to hold onto in terms of major box office attention. But they made a mess of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a cacophony of poor writing and unanswered questions, leaving an embarrassing stub of a franchise on their books. Andrew Garfield was a reasonable lead, but the reboot of the property came too soon and was too similar. The problem was not, however, the core of the idea, but the wider execution. In their attempt to secure a cinematic universe to rival that of Marvel and DC, films were slated that should never have left the brainstorm. A Sinister Six movie, involving a sextet of Spider-Man’s comic book enemies, was something that no one was asking for. A Venom spin-off, perhaps warranted given the miserable attempt at the character made in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, is still in the works. There was also talk of an Aunt May movie. Really? And
with all these films in the pipeline before The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was made, the film is crammed with teases and directionless characters and foreshadowing that makes the actual film fail to stand on its own two feet. Garfield is gone, and now Sony are left with one of the most famous comic book characters in the world, but no face and a disappointing springboard to work from. Then Marvel came bustling in. Since Sony’s acquisition of Spider-Man in 1999, Marvel have had a huge hole in their ensemble. Spider-Man is arguably the comic book giant’s best known character, their biggest rival to Batman and Superman. It is astonishing that the Marvel Cinematic Universe managed to gain such momentum from an ensemble of largely B-list characters. The panic and financial woes that Sony suffered have opened up space for a deal to be made to share the character, saving Marvel a fortune, without denting their profits. Both studios will push on with films involving the character, and neither will profit from the other’s endeavours. It is an unusual state of affairs, one which seemed like a huge own goal for Sony on the surface, but which may have been their savviest bit of business this year. The inclusion of a new Spider-Man in front of the big Marvel audiences should rejuvenate the character and help to bury the bitter memory of Sony’s own failings. The only hope for
the franchise, which no one wanted to see rebooted, is the hope that another studio will do them a favour in making the character cool again. Asa Butterfield has reportedly been cast in the role, and is set to appear first in Captain America: Civil War. It’s a strange situation, on which Sony is betting a lot of money.
“ The only hope for the franchise is the
hope that another studio will do them a favour by making the character cool again.
”
But a Spider-Man universe isn’t the only thing on Sony’s books. And this is where things start to get weird. First, there is the new Ghostbusters film – an all-female remake of the classic ‘80s comedy. It is a controversial move. There is a case to be made that if you want a female-led film, you should write a new, female-led film, rather than slot a group of actresses
into a premise originally built around men. But the cast here is exciting. Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy have proven themselves on the big screen, while Saturday Night Live cast members Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are rising stars in the US. Directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), it has a winning combination at its centre and the potential to delight and surprise. But Sony wouldn’t stop there. There is also talk of creating a Ghostbusters universe, with Channing Tatum, a studio favourite, and Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman, star and director of the first film respectively, in charge. What a Ghostbusters universe entails is unclear. What makes a universe different from a simple series? Spin-offs and prequels, probably. The sigh of those who love to lament the lack of originality in Hollywood is deafening. This does feel desperate. Marvel have set a standard that other studios are rushing to emulate. Sony seem to be taking what they think are their most lucrative films and throwing all their weight behind them. They forget that the Marvel Cinematic Universe grew organically, and refuse to wait and see if there is enough enthusiasm for a new universe. Nowhere is the extent of Sony’s blind panic clearer than the revelation that they were planning a crossover between 21 Jump Street and Men in Black. Even for Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller this is a
THOMAS BANNATYNE ST HILDA’S COLLEGE
“crazy idea”. Astonishingly, there are no signs that this has been scrapped. Men in Black is a franchise that simply doesn’t need to keep going, while Jump Street should have the legs for a few more outings, given its television origins. For different reasons, neither needs an injection of ingenuity. It is a bonkers idea and one which would need the most deft of management. If it comes to fruition, it’ll be surprising. Add that to the female 21 Jump Street and it looks like Sony are clutching at straws. They are aching for a mega-franchise which can dominate the box office, but it doesn’t look likely. The email leak revealed a lot of left-field ideas that were probably not intended ever to reach the screen. Recent announcements, however, show that some of the concepts that everyone dismissed as ridiculous last year are being taken seriously. Sony are dedicated to their genderspecific films and the plan that no mainstream film should stand on its own without the possibility of a spinoffs, sequels and prequels. The studio has done well to hold itself together after a crippling security breach and the stilted, if widely publicised, release of The Interview. But the ideas they have are uninspiring or ill-judged. The attempt to drive women to the forefront alongside men is admirable, but it doesn’t feel authentic. And with some of the crazier ideas coming to the attention of the public, it really does seem like Sony has lost the plot.
21st May 2015
Screen 13
Mad Max: Fury Road
I
probably wasn’t the obvious choice to review the new installation of the Mad Max franchise. It’s not that I don’t like action films; I can enjoy Fast and Furious, Mission Impossible or whatever two hours of car chases and eye-watering stunts are on offer with the best of them. But there’s just always the nagging feeling that they’re not really for me. I mean this quite literally; such big budget, star-studded franchise films have a specific demographic – teenage boys and emasculated office workers – in mind, of which I am conspicuously not a part. Most female characters don’t do very much, say even less, and spend a lot of time running about in heels and/or wet for some obscure reason whilst not wearing a bra. Imagine my surprise when not only was Mad Max: Fury Road kind of fantastic (it really is), but also a feminist’s dream. All the real heroes are in fact heroines. Tom Hardy, who takes over from Mel Gibson as deranged hero Max Rockatansky, is really just along for the ride with Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa, probably the fiercest and most badass heroine to hit the big screen in my recent memory. This has not gone unnoticed by ‘men’s rights activists’. Writer for Return of Kings Aaron Clarey recently stirred up controversy with an article titled ‘Why You Should Not Go See “Mad Max: Feminist Road”’. In it he claimed that men were being “tricked” by the promise of “explosions, fire tornadoes, and [the] symphonic score of Fury Road”
into thinking that it was a “straight-up guy flick”, when in fact it was a piece of feminist propaganda. Well I’m sorry Mr Clarey, but there is absolutely nothing ‘straight up’ about Mad Max: Fury Road, ‘Trojan horse’ of feminist propaganda or not. This is the most extravagantly bizarre, fantastically over-the-top and transgressive film I have seen in a long time. It quite literally breaks all the rules. For those that are new to the franchise, the Mad Max films are set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia in which the desolate highways of the Australian outback have become the battleground for the bomb’s worst offspring: crazed, marauding gangs of bikers who leave a trail of death and destruction wherever they go. The original Max Rockatansky was a former policeman, driven mad by the murder of his family, who hits the road in search of vengeance. Tom Hardy’s Mad Max is enigmatic, to say the least. We are not given very much about his background other than visions of a deceased little girl, who despite presumably being his daughter, looks more like The Grudge than Annie, crying for help he is too late to give. There is very little dialogue - in fact, the trailer contains almost all the dialogue from the film’s first half hour – making it almost an epic silent film, albeit a screeching, cacophonously loud one. Max is mixed up in a jailbreak from the desert citadel, ruled by Immortal Joe, by one of his top soldiers gone rogue, Imperator Furiosa. Joe has imprisoned his five wives, or “breeders”,
MEGAN ERWIN CORPUS CHRISTI to bear him a healthy son; understandably, they’re not too keen, so Furiosa masterminds their escape in a petrol tanker/machine of death and an enraged Immortal Joe soon sets out in hot pursuit. That’s about it plot-wise. This is really just a two hour long car chase and stunt sequence, which should be boring as hell, but somehow its sheer manic energy makes it utterly compelling. Miller’s post-apocalyptic dystopia is almost burlesque in the extravagance of its depravity. The mysterious apocalypse has left everyone diseased and deformed, almost all the characters are either sporting strange growths, missing limbs or are grotesquely large or small. Immortal Joe’s army is comprised of skull-faced, self-mutilated kamikaze slaves, all desperate to sacrifice themselves and enter ‘Valhalla’. His war party is accompanied by its own fire-blowing guitar player, who swings from his amplifier/crane/monster truck blasting out continuous death metal. Back at the citadel, obese pregnant women are milked like cattle, the entrance is guarded by a despotic dwarf, and prisoners are farmed for their blood and organs. Despite being a remake, Mad Max is definitely one of a kind, if purely by virtue of its sheer lunacy and adrenaline rush. As Max says at the beginning of the film, “as the world fell, each of us in our own way was broken. It was hard to know who was more crazy: me, or everyone else.” I left the film sort of knowing the feeling.
O
LINACRE COLLEGE
3
Dustin Hoffman Hoffman’s reputation as someone you hire if you want a “difficult working relationship” comes not from any diva-style behaviour, but from a meticulous over-dedication. At least that’s what he claims. His most famous clash came with Sydney Pollack on the set of Tootsie, where he demanded greater creative control. Hoffman has one of the best CVs in the business, but he didn’t get there by following orders and being bossed around on set.
SNAP/REX
2
Christian Bale Even before the tape of his explosive outbreak on the set of Terminator Salvation came to light, Bale was known as a prickly customer. Despite claims that he likes to be low-key when off camera, his outburst at a crew member who merely walked across his line of sight suggests otherwise. It takes a really bad temper to launch into a tirade of 37 f-words in four minutes against one man in front of a whole crew, all of whom were presumably too terrified, or too reverential, to do anything about it.
BFI
1
Marlon Brando Candid photos from the set of The Godfather show Robert Duvall with Marlon Brando’s lines taped to his chest, revealing his laissez-faire attitude to the usual practice of learning lines. Brando was a notoriously uncontrollable prospect – an acting heavyweight, but one whose methods and attitude were ever unpredictable. A feud with director Frank Oz when shooting 2001’s The Score reportedly led to him refusing to wear trousers on set.
BFI
Warner Bros. Entertainment
CORDELIA SNELLING
COUNTDOWN
THREE MOST DIFFICULT ACTORS IN HOLLYWOOD
k, this is an oldie, but in the days of Netflix and Amazon Prime, why should Should You be Diggin’ This restrict itself to shows on the primetime? The influence of Netflix in my life has been a questionable one; yes, it introduced me to Fargo, The Falling, and American Horror Story, but it also enabled me to waste cumulatively about a fortnight of my life on The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl and (oh, the shame) 90210. However, the real beauty of Netflix is when you discover – or rediscover – an epic TV series from decades past. It was a Thursday evening, I believe, with an essay due for 9am the next day, when I discovered Buffy the Vampire Slayer. About 20 hours, two seasons and one very irate tutor later, I had found a new love. Now any diehard fans reading this are probably rolling their eyes very understandably; as one of the most popular TV shows of all time, ‘dis-
covering’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a bit like saying you ‘discovered’ Kim Kardashian. However, while the influence of Buffy in popular culture is omnipresent (remember Phoebe’s sister’s porn film, Buffay the Vampire Layer?), with the show originally airing in 1997 when I was three years old, I kind of missed the initial hype.
teenage boy in nineties suburban America, purely because it seems like the more capacious your clothes were the better. See Xander, one of Buffy’s side kicks, in his fantastically baggy flannel shirts and cargo pants, while Willow (sidekick number two) provides the geeky female counterpart with some truly incredible dungarees and printed animal T-shirts.
However, in a way I’m glad I did, because watching it now you get to enjoy it on a whole other level, as an incredible nineties time capsule. Let us begin with the clothes. This year has seen a massive comeback in nineties fashion, which I had decided I hated after enduring the ubiquity of the dreaded choker. Oh, how wrong I was! I think if I could choose to be anyone from any decade, I would choose to be a
Even the librarian/vampire slayer fairy godmother Giles certainly knows how to work a tweed jacket (though I’d say we get our daily dose of tweed living in Oxford). While Buffy spawned a whole generation of teen vampire popular culture, it differs from Twilight, The Vampire Diaries and its other successors in several important ways. While Bella from Twilight is an outsider, lacking in self-confidence
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
and basically without personality, Buffy is shamelessly out there. She is beautiful and knows it, she is into ‘girly’ things like clothes and nail varnish without these being represented as serious character flaws, and she has some banter and sassy put-downs up her sleeve. Usually with teen dramas where a woman is the protagonist, it is the underdog and social pariah that is the hero and any girl that is confident and beautiful is a cheerleader and therefore obviously a bitch. While this makes sense as most of us are not beautiful and confident and want to see ourselves vicariously succeed, it also means that teenage girls think being slightly wet and downtrodden is desirable. For this reason, Buffy has been the darling of feminists with too much time on their hands for almost two decades now. And though I came round to it some 17 years late, it still feels like a breath of fresh air.
14 Arts & Lit
21st May 2015
ARTS & LIT
Pasternak’s sketch of the past
• Valeria Strachevskaia takes a look at a hidden gem of the Oxford art scene • 125 years after his birth, Leonid Pasternak’s art can still inspire
VALERIA STRACHEVSKAIA ST HUGH’S COLLEGE
O
xford. Park Town. An ordinary mid-19th century terrace house, a white door with no signs and a handful of empty milkbottles. A nice lady, who looks and sounds indigenously British, is welcoming me at her home. It is hard to believe that this lady is the niece of Boris Pasternak, a Nobel Prize laureate, distinguished writer and poet, the author of the world-famous Doctor Zhivago the 125th anniversary of whose birth is being celebrated this year. Although the house is full of portraits and photos of Boris, it was not he but his father, Leonid Pasternak, who was living and working in this house for the last years of his life (from 1939 to 1945). Even in Russia, his name is overshadowed by the glory of his son, so it is no wonder the Wikipedia article does not mention the artist in the list of notable residents of this house and why this sacred and secret place is not really popular among Oxford art-lovers. But there is something truly special about Pasternak. Leonid Pasternak (1862-1945) was a gifted painter, professor of art at the Moscow Institute of painting and sculpture, member of progressive contemporary art groups the Wonderers and Mir iskusstva, and one of a very few painters in late Imperial Russia who appreciated and adopted the Impressionist approach to art, which is especially evident in his pastels. Lively masses of loose, intensive and to some extent chaotic pastel strokes in addition to Pasternak’s outstanding
News from the Motherland
Pasternak had an astounding skill of pinpointimng and vividly sketching his sitters’ most characteristic features Wikipedia Foundation
skill to see and to immediately sketch the most characteristic features of his sitters make viewing his pictures an inspiring aesthetic experience. In his notes about art the painter emphasises the vital role which observation, the ability to see and to memorise, plays in portrait painting. Pasternak’s personal skills came from his childhood experience of drawing caricatures for a school journal- he said that “there should be a caricaturist in every por-
traitist”. As soon as you enter the house, your attention is caught by a small but striking sketch of Boris Pasternak, hanging on a staircase-wall. This three quarters portrait depicts his confidence and solemnity by emphasising facial features, especially his large, projecting cheekbones. This image is so characteristic of the writer that it is no coincidence that it has often been used in Russia to illustrate Bo-
ris’s books, and as such has become perhaps his best-known and most recognisable representation. While wandering around the exhibition you will enjoy various portraits of famous people (both pencil sketches and full works in watercolor or oil) drawn in a dynamic manner and with such a great focus on characteristic features that you will soon start feeling that all these people are familiar to you. However, my favourite picture
Review: The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die
“R
atan’s exploding body ripped a hole in the front of the Bushuis library on Kloveniersburgwal that was twenty feet high and seventeen feet and three inches across.” There are bombs going off in Amsterdam, apparently suicide. George McKenzie, a student on her year abroad in seedy Amsterdam, investigates, finding herself drawn to the mystery that is baffling the police - and also to the mysterious Inspector Van den Bergen, who… And here we find ourselves in the yellow wood. Another novel might decide that Inspector Van den Bergen, a grizzled and greying detective responsible for solving the mystery of the explosions, is enigmatic because he defies categorisation. He might represent the outsider on the inside: close enough to the levers of power to rage impotently as an arbitrary elite pulls them for its own good; trapped by the glass ceiling of institutional ableism. (Anyone who defies binary categorisation tends to be a good chap.) But this is a crime thriller, and it’s the debris of mobile phone detonators rather than ableist institutional structures
which constitute the storyline. And so Van den Bergen is stripped of his potential heroic role in the fight for social justice, and becomes part of a love triangle. But it’s edgy, or maybe gritty, because he’s about twice the protagonist’s age.
“ It’s simply not surprising to learn
that in Amsterdam, students drink and vomit in canals
”
It’s the novel’s edginess and grittiness which makes it difficult to judge. On the one hand, author Marnie Riches has clearly done her research well, checking out the smallest details to create a convincing world. A case in point: George is reading Social and Behavioural Science at St John’s, Cambridge. It’s hardly surprising she’d take the
opportunity to go on a year abroad to escape. We can all sympathise with that. But the world she’s created is, to be frank, trying too hard. It’s simply not that shocking to be informed that in Amsterdam, students drink and vomit in canals; or that marijuana is legal and so everyone’s obviously constantly high; or that (gasp!) there’s a red light district where people take off their clothes and do naughty things for money. Perhaps it’s intended to form a backdrop to the real criminality which takes place, problematising popular perceptions of right and wrong by throwing irrational structures of authority into sharp relief and urging the reader to find their own understanding of morality unencumbered by convention. But probably it’s just because this is a thriller and everything’s more thrilling with sex, drugs and rock & roll. Perhaps it’s unfair to judge this book based on what’s not on its cover. It’s a crime thriller, and it does what it says on the spine: there’s an engaging plot with several twists, some of which I found genuinely surprising. Upon initial introduction to the characters, I couldn’t
have cared less if they’d all met a watery fate in the Amstel. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that, by the end, I didn’t actually want George, the main character, to die. In fact, I was glad she found some form of happiness. It wasn’t hard to put the book down (although that’s possibly an issue of format: I was reading on my phone, and Crossy Road was a constant competitor), but it wasn’t hard to pick up again either. I rather enjoyed reading it, although I don’t think I’ll read the sequel. It’s not great literature and doesn’t pretend to be. Which leaves the question of why I began to care about the characters. I think it’s the growing sense that the characters are dislocated and wandering through the text, unsure where they should be. George’s edgy life in Amsterdam is juxtaposed with stuffy, formal Cambridge; the brutal bombings, we eventually learn, are a twisted attempt to ascend the ivory tower; Van den Bergen doesn’t know where he should be and whether anyone loves him. The characters are lost and alone: the plot can be summed up as ‘Will enough people survive long enough to allow for some kind of journey’s
in the Pasternak house collection is “Hyacinths”. Frankly, I could have spent a day contemplating this magnificent pastel drawing. What strikes me most in the groundfloor room is an ancient edition of Leo Tolstoy’s book Voskresenie with original prints of illustrations by Leonid Pasternak. This book is an example of a thriving interplay between text and illustration, of a single entity formed by word and image. As Leonid Pasternak recalled in his memoirs: “the distinctive quality of Tolstoy’s art is that his books are not mere literature but life itself, and one tends to forget about the existence of an author. In reading this or that work, it was as if I had been present as unseen observer of all that was taking place, so that it was not difficult to produce sketches as if they had been done from life”. In 1921 Leonid Pasternak, along with his wife and two daughters, left Russia for Germany, but later came to England and settled in Oxford, following the rise of Hitler. Today Ann Pasternak Slater, a painter’s granddaughter and the house-museum caretaker, is keeping the artistic atmosphere alive. The first-floor room is preserved as it was in the 1940s with its old furniture and fireplace, mid-century children’s toys and even Leonid’s brushes in a ceramic vase. Pasternak House is an all in one: a gallery, a time-machine and a custodian of Russian cultural values. The museum is open to the public on the first Sunday of every month, 2-4 pm, by appointment only.
MATTHEW FORD ST JOHN’S COLLEGE end?’. Without giving too much away, they do and there is - and then there’s a sequel. In fact, there are two more already in the works. Presumably the journey will restart. There are enough loose ends. But I’ll leave it to others to see how they’re tied up.
IMAGE/HarperCollins
Arts & Lit 15
21st May 2015
Paul Magrs: magic and mystery Treasures WILLIAM SHAW CORPUS CHRISTI
P
aul Magrs is a versatile writer, to say the least. Over the course of his 20 year career he has written a huge number of novels, short stories and radio plays, in genres as wideranging as literary fiction, magical realism, horror, and even Doctor Who spin-off fiction. He has also recently branched out into painting, with his first art show opening in Manchester last month. Throughout his career Magrs’ writing has been characterized by an absorbing kind of wild excess, a willingness to embrace idiosyncratic structures and a playfully postmodern approach. In all of his work there is a sense of enormous authorial passion, so it is no surprise that Magrs has managed to accumulate a loyal and passionate fan base. He was kind enough to meet with me to discuss his latest novels, the importance of disregarding genre and the experience of writing his first memoir. The conversation opened with his last novel, the picaresque adventure Mrs Danby and Company. “I always wanted to write a Steampunk novel. I’ve always liked that genre, even before it was called Steampunk. I realised that everything I liked were kind of mystery stories, that’s the thing that connects everything I’ve done, in a way; they’re all mystery stories. For me that goes back to that kind of late Victorian or Edwardian time of serialised adventure stories. I wanted to do one that interacted with, or chimed off stories from that time, and brought in those kind of characters, and was a proper romp as well.” Of course, the adventure story can be deceptively tricky to write: did
Life on Magrs: career in brief 1995
Publishes his first short story, ‘Patient Iris’ in New Writing Four
1997
Publishes his first two magical realist novels, Marked for Life and Does It Show?
2002
Publishes his first children’s book, Strange Boy
2006
His novel Exchange is shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize
writing in this format involve any structural challenges? “It’s quite hard work to end each bit on a cliffhanger and obey all the rules of adventure writing, although I’ve kind of picked them [the rules] up from writing various adventure stories for things like Doctor Who in the past. But then of course, with typical perversity, what I do is go and write it as a novel in letters and diaries, make it even more complicated in terms of sequencing the events. It was all kind of a headache. But I loved doing the three different voices [of the characters] because they’re all a lot of fun.” Genre play is a key aspect of Magrs’ work – I asked him what had attracted him about Steampunk. Was it just a genre he hadn’t done yet? “Yes, exactly that. [Laughs]. Everything I’ve ever done, whatever the project, is about fulfilling some kind of ambition I’ve got for either a genre or a form, and that’s how I move from project to project. So for a while it was the idea of the magical realist novel, and then doing my own Doctor Who stuff, and then getting into things like space opera or mystery writing or gothic-comic stuff, they’re all just ambitions, it’s like ‘What else do I fancy doing?’ It’s only last year that I published my first kind of memoir-y book. That took a while to get round to. But yeah, it’s always a process of ‘What do I really want to do next?’ It’s not the most organised of careers, it’s all intuitively moving in the direction I want to move in.” This month sees the release of Magrs’ newest novel, the children’s scifi adventure Lost On Mars. I asked Magrs what the story was behind it. “I wanted to write a space opera for kids. I’d grown up with the Doctor Who books, of course, but there are the other kids’ writers of science fiction, like John Christopher and John Wyndham and Ursula Le Guin and Anne McCaffrey, who are kind of world-builders for younger readers. I wanted to do something that combined Ray Bradbury, and that vision of a quite exotic Mars, with the pioneer stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder and The Little House on the Prairie. To have frontiers-people on Mars and their struggles, that was the starting point; the idea of the Little House on Mars. And then it became this kind of epic with a gang of people struggling across the surface of Mars, looking for civilisation, but not the civilisation they expect to find- they find a Victorian city, so it’s all a bit of a surprise. Again, it’s meshing and blending different fictional traditions and conventions, and seeing what I can get to come out of them.” This meshing and blending has defined much of Magrs’ work. I asked what attracted him to this approach. “It’s completely natural. I could never colour inside the lines when I was a kid–it’s the same thing. Of course received wisdom is that it’s a difficult thing to do, and a difficult thing for people to sell. But I couldn’t write a conventional take on any genre. It’d be pointless. There’s lots of people writing conventional stuff.” Last November saw the American release of Magrs’ sort-of memoir The Story of Fester Cat, a book telling the story of Magrs and his partner’s fam-
from afar
Wikipedia
MARCUS LI
MAGDALEN COLLEGE
A
Paul Magrs
ily life from the perspective of their adopted cat. “I’ve been getting daily emails and fan mail from America and New Zealand and Australia, which is really lovely because it’s a kind of mixing genre thing. It’s from the cat’s point of view, like Virginia Woolf’s Flush. But we still haven’t got a British edition, because most editors didn’t like the mixing of fiction and non-fiction. Again, you hit upon these ridiculous genre excuses, these marketing excuses, which is a shame.”
“
I couldn’t write a conventional take on any genre. It’d be pointless. There’s lots of peope writing conventional stuff.
”
Despite this, audience responses have been overwhelmingly positive – the book has a 4.21 rating on Goodreads, and a wealth of good reader reviews. “People love Fester [the cat]. It’s the voice, very clearly singing out of that book. This kind of slightly rude, sweet voice.”
How did Magrs find the experience of writing such a personal book? “It was amazing. It’s almost two years ago exactly that [Fester] died. It was the end of March 2013, and the next day, or the day after, Easter Monday, I sat down and just wrote like a demon, and the first draft was done inside a month. With him telling the story, his whole life with us, going back– it was weirdly like being possessed. I’ve heard about people being taken over by the voice of a character for the length of a book, and it hadn’t quite happened in the same way. It’s a very intense, kind of magical experience, really.” So, what’s next for Magrs? “I’ve got a novel set here in Levenshulme, that’s a magical realist novel about a community, so it’s much more like the stuff I did right at the beginning, like Marked for Life or Does it Show?. That’s a bit weird, to go back to the original genre, in a way. That kind of soapy magical realism, which I’ve missed.” Magrs is constantly moving on to new projects, each more strange and interesting than the last, and hearing that he’s returning to his roots is very exciting. He’s not the only one who’s missed it. But whatever his next project may be, Magrs can always be relied upon to surprise his audience. He may freely hop between styles, genres and media, but one thing Magrs has never been is dull.
s I put fingers to keys, in ample leisure, to bring to you a heartfelt recommendation of one of the finest works of German literature, Thomas Mann’s The Confessions of Felix Krull, the Confidence Man, I suddenly come to the realisation that no 450-word column will ever be able do justice to the brilliance of Mann’s last book. Mann’s book is told in the first-person by the narrator Felix Krull, a fortuneblessed son of a champagne-maker in the Rhine region of Germany. As a child, Krull enjoys the decadent soirées hosted by his godfather Schimmelpreester, sexual rendezvous with the beautiful housemaid Geneviève, and above all, the dramatic performances by renowned actor Müller Rose. He enjoys dressing up as the Kaiser, occasionally as a flamboyant young prince, too. But early on, Krull’s childhood mischiefs are marred by his paternal company’s collapse and the family’s fall to bankruptcy. Despite such setback, Krull’s competencies as a charlatan help him to survive and rise up the social hierarchy again. Incredibly possessing the mental control to fake anything he wants, coupled with fine physical endowments, Krull is capable of making himself sick in bed in order to play truant. He manages to fake an epileptic attack to be exempt from military conscription. He has a convincing way of coaxing and manipulating people to his own profit. Armed with this natural ability to flourish in everything and anything he sets his mind to, he tells us of his success working as a waiter in a Parisian hotel through his alluring charms. He understands people and adapts his personal identity to his advantage; he succeeds in life precisely because he understands the importance aesthetics play in social interactions and personal development. Whilst he lacks moral integrity and disregards social conventions, he remains a true performer in every sense of the word. Reading about these traits, I cannot help but be reminded of some of our own Oxonions. Art functions as a social framework on which relations and personal identity are dependent. The reader is constantly reminded of Krull’s nakedness and his synthetic drapery of decorum and form. This the beauty of Mann’s prose, his witty irony always revealing another layer of possible meaning, and here, I think, is a light-hearted questioning of the bourgeois mores and its pompous lifestyle. This is truly one of the mustread works of 20th Century German literature.
FOR YOUR CULTURE FIX: SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!
21st May 2015
Profile 13
Juliette Towhidi Profile
SRISHTI NIRULA SOMERVILLE COLLEGE
T
estament of Youth is one of the seminal texts on war in the 20th century, and it’s recent adaption into film, starring Alicia Vikander and Kit Harrington, is a moving and respectful tribute to both the text and the woman behind it: Vera Brittain. An ex-Somervillian, Brittain documents her experiences during the First World War as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse. What is especially interesting about Testament of Youth is that in a world that is dominated by male voices Brittain provides both a woman’s and a civilian’s perspective on war. The woman behind the screenplay, Juliette Towhidi, asserts that this was one of the main reasons she was drawn to working on the screenplay: “As a woman writer, and as a woman anyway, we are very aware that war is always depicted from the male point of view – and understandably so because of the time they spent on the front line. But there are so many untold stories about the female and civilian experience of war, and that was a big attraction for me. Also the fact that Vera Brittain’s voice felt so modern to me. I’d read the book before, but rereading it again, it struck me how modern she felt – her sensibilities, her actions, her frustrations, her feeling of being hemmed in, and all her opportunities completely battled down by the environment around her and society’s prejudices. She seemed like a very relatable woman and I found it really exciting to tell that story – a really unusual opportunity.” Although this story takes place 100 years ago, it still feels relevant, and Towhidi believes that it is Brittain’s modern voice
Career Highlights 2003 Makes her cinematic debut with the screenplay for the iconic Calendar Girls 2013 Juliette tries her hand at writing for television with the mini-series Death Comes to Pemberley 2014 The first of Juliette's screenplays this year sees her write for James Kent's Testament of Youth 2014 Adapted Cecelia Ahern's Love, Rosie, starring Sam Claflin and Lily Collins
that contributes most to the universality of her story: “It’s too easy to see people in the past as somehow very different to us. I think what’s so wonderful about literature and writing is when you feel that connection with another human being across time or geography. There were obviously many women at the time who were more conventional than her, who were very happy to do the conventional thing and get married – and there’s nothing wrong with that. But she did stand out, so I suppose she felt like a woman out of her time.” Testament of Youth is very much a film about war, and a condemnation of it – throughout we hear the idea of a ‘the lost generation’. But not only was Vera a pacifist, she was also a feminist, and Towhidi stresses that the former very much came after the latter: “I think she was a feminist first, and she grew towards pacifism from her experiences in the war. Then the two went very much hand-in-hand. She had
“ When I started out there were
very few women screenwriters
”
a different perspective on things, which women often do have because they’re, especially historically, kept slightly out of the mainstream. So her perspective on war was bound to be different from the standard male view that had been presented and acted until then. But she was an instinctive feminist, because she was so intelligent and willful and feisty and felt so deeply the constraints placed on her. Her brother could go to Oxford, even though he clearly wasn’t as academically gifted as she was. She was bucking at these injustices when she was 18, 19, 20. But the pacifism came later as a result of seeing what war does.” Given that the film is set during the war, there is a great sense of duty that pervades the minds of all the characters in the film. Towhidi herself felt duty-bound to portray Brittain’s experiences to the best of her ability: “It felt like a huge responsibility to be tasked with this, because it’s an iconic text, a much-loved text. It was a huge best seller upon its release in the 30s and is still in print. Also, Vera Brittain’s daughter is Shirley Williams, so you feel a big responsibility to honour the material and to try and bring it to a new generation who are either aware of it and want to rediscover it, or have not read the book. It has fallen off the radar to some extent and so it felt like a good time for everyone on the project, including BBC films who originated it, to reawaken it and bring it back to life as it were. It did feel like a huge responsibility, but in a way you just put your head down and do the work.” Baroness Shirley Williams has said that her mother wrote a Testament of Youth, “not just to chronicle the war, but as a serious attempt to recreate the character of the lives she lost.” It is clear that Towhidi too, has successfully brought these people back to life through her words, as Wil-
Writing for the big screen:
Juliette Towhidi discusses her attachment to Testament of Youth, as well as offering insights for budding writers
Tim P Whitby
liams herself stated: “most films are twodimensional. This one, I’d say, has four dimensions.” Receiving such high praise from the daughter of her protagonist was one of the highlights of the process for Towhidi. From co-writing Calendar Girls to writing Love, Rosie more recently, it is clear that Brittain isn’t the only woman Towhidi enjoys writing about – she even notes positive progress for women in the industry: “I think things are getting better now, but when I started out certainly, there were very few women screenwriters working in film at least – more in television – but film was still a last bastion that needed to be stormed. There weren’t many stories really with women as central characters – they were always there as girlfriends that work in nurseries a lot, always looking after young children, either at home or were being paid to – and
it gets on your nerves a bit. So I was very drawn to stories that showed women in a different way. But I think that’s really changing now. I think there are more and more films centred around women and wonderful actresses who are getting fantastic opportunities that wouldn’t have been there for them, probably even ten or twenty years ago.” When it comes to advice for students looking to get into screenwriting, Towhidi stresses the importance of persistence: “You have to very dogged about it. Just write and write and write, and make mistakes or write really bad stuff but don’t worry about it. Keep going. Don’t let people put you off. It’s a very unstructured, un-hierarchical career path. You don’t get promotions as such; it’s quite hard to see your way through when you’re starting out. Also I’d say take the long-view; don’t expect things to happen overnight. It takes
a while to grow as a writer. Live life first so you’ve got experience to draw on. Don’t be in huge hurry, so go off travelling for a few years and then come back to it. Just do it. “I remember when I was starting out and I was living in Paris, I was a journalist first of all and I got in touch with a French screenwriter, Jean Claude Carrière, who has had an amazing career doing screenplays in French but also in the English Language. I just wanted some of his magic to rub off, so I asked if I could come be his assistant, and it was a bit naïve because writers don’t really have assistants unless they’re running errands or something. I remember him saying to me: you just have to do it, writing is like muscles you have to exercise and develop, just do your writing. That was the best advice, it sounds vague, but that’s it really at the end of the day. Just do it. Make mistakes and learn, and you get better and better gradually.”
REFERENDA TRINITY 2015
Wed – Fri, 4th Week
VOTE NOW & HAVE YOUR SAY!
Voting opens at 8am on Wednesday of 4th week and closes at 6pm on Friday of 4th week.
P √
At present, OUSU’s Statutory Elections take place in 1 Michaelmas Term. Should they be held in Hilary Term instead? Should students at Oxford continue to be required to wear 2 sub fusc clothing to University Examinations? Should students at Oxford continue to be required to wear 3 gowns and mortarboards to University Examinations?
VOTE &
HAVE YOUR SAY!
Oxstuff 15
21st May 2015
OxStuff
Come Dine With Me: New College Boat Party FOOD AND DRINK 6/10
As this isn't a ball, there isn't any food available but there is copious amounts of alcohol, some free, some not, but it all does the job. I paid £9 for a double vodka coke, which is a pretty standard price for London, but a far cry from the £2 drinks at Anuba, but it was quite obvious that the vodka was incredibly pure so it was almost worth it.
PRICE 9/10
£50 for a three hour boat ride that passes by all of London's biggest sights, plus a coach to and from London and two complimentary glasses of champagne is not a bad deal at all.
EUROVISION 23rd May, 7pm St John's bop room
Passion 20th - 23rd May, 7:30pm Keble O'Reilly Theatre
GIRL TALK 21st May, 10pm Kiss Bar
WOW FACTOR 9/10 The London lights look spectualar against the black sky giving everyone on the boat a view of London that few have had the priviledge of seeing. You can't deny that having Tower Bridge open twice so that the boat you're on can pass through makes you feel pretty damn special. The deck is packed with people trying to get a good view of the bridge opening each time it happens so I think it's safe to say that everyone is pretty wowed.
ENTERTAINMENT 7/10
There's a nice selection of student bands here playing covers of all our favourite party songs. Their repertoire isn't particularly large though and Uptown Funk is played twice
Cultural Appropriation: A Panel Discussion 23rd May, 4:45pm Magdalen Auditorium
within twenty minutes, but in their defense, it was very good and no one was sober enough to care.
ATMOSPHERE 9/10
Obviously the majority of New College have turned out for this party so pretty much everyone knows everyone and the atmosphere is buzzing. There are clusters of people seated downstairs and upstairs, milling around on the decking and jamming on the dance floor. Basically, everyone's having a damn good time.
TOTAL SCORE FOR NEW COLLEGE BOAT PARTY: 40/50
Oxford Speak Out 21st May, 2pm Christ Church JCR
Virtual Booth
The Importance of Being Earnest 22nd-23rd May, 2:30pm St Benet's Hall
PICK OF THE WEEK
Medea 21st May, 7:30pm Christ Church College
OxHoli 2015 23rd May, 11am Brasenose College Sports Ground
String of Pearls 19th- 23rd May, 7:30pm Burton Taylor Studio
Mental Health Panel 23rd May, 2-3:30pm Exeter College
Alexander Darby, New College Bloody Knuckles' Birthday Bash 22nd May, 10:30pm The Bullingdon
A Flea In Her Ear 20th - 23rd May,7:30pm Magdalen College
14th May 2015
16 OxStuff
Cliterary Theory ANITA HEAD
LONELY AND FRUSTRATED Why have this year’s freshers come to Oxford? The rich and vibrant student culture? The academically stretching and intellectually rewarding process tutorials? The golden employment chance of a 12-month unpaid internship in the ‘media’? No, of course not, you dweebs. It’s for the depth and breadth of the crewdating scene. The manner in which crewdating has taken off this term is frankly remarkable: it seems to be not unusual for my college’s freshers to be on four crewdates in a row. Disproportionately benefiting from this new found desire to be pennied, suffer shit banter and make out with a relative stranger is Wok and Roll. Oxford’s premier cheap Chinese was privileged to be the site of the Versa-OxStu crewdate last week, and for quality, quantity and value we cannot recommend it enough. It almost made up for the shit company...
WOK AND ROLL
SHAKEEL HASHIM (AGAIN...) Rarely do we at OxStu feel that anyone deserves a double appearance in Hackdaq in one term; even the mightiest of hacks (the Weeden-Sanzs, Nedvideks and Hamers of this world) have not been blessed with the honour. However, we can’t help but feel that especially egregious actions can break this rule: and Tab editor Shakeel Hashim’s latest article certainly places a great, sprawling, arrogant, tick in that box. Appearing online last week, Hashim’s piece (entitled “Don’t kid yourself: If you’re not at Oxbridge, you’re wasting your time”) has attracted more Facebook ire than a shared Conservative Party political broadcast. The inaccuracy, chutzpah and sheer knobbishness of Shakeel’s shit chat is hard to describe - and the anger of other universities (principally Durham) is genuinely terrifying. Why, oh why, Shakeel?
I
’m sitting in my college room. It’s raining outside, I’ve got an essay due tomorrow, and my friends have all abandoned me to go to the pub. The evening is already looking to be pretty grim – and then it starts. The squeaking of a college bed comes first, the screws complaining under the weight it’s being subject to. And then the squeaking becomes thumping. Very rhythmic thumping. As if my night couldn’t get any worse, my next door neighbour is getting laid while I’m in the middle of an essay crisis. Living in college accommodation, there is literally no escape from your friends and peers, even regarding the things that you would really, really prefer that they kept private. I know a scary amount about Next Door and Other Half ’s sex life. There was the initial period of intense, jushooked-up, exploratory sex, when I swear that I heard Next Door make noises that should come out of no human being’s mouth, and that very night when they tried BDSM for the first time. How do I know? The yell of “ow, ow, stop!” from just beyond the thin wall was unmistakable.
have begun to settle down a bit. I’m safe on Tuesday night, because Other Half comes back from swimming too tired to do anything more than just go to bed, and on Weds Next Door always has an essay crisis. On Thursdays though, they like to try and have threesomes after Bridge, which makes it even louder than normal. It’s not just awkward at night. When I’m stumbling to the shower at 8am, bleary eyed and hungover, I always seem to bump into one or other of them, looking vaguely happy from that passionate morning sex I’ve just heard. Even worse was that one time when they both came out of the shower as I was waiting to go in. Yes. They came out together, and, for the record, they were both flushed and slightly breathless. Even worse was the time when my parents were visiting – yes, you read that right. My parents have heard my next door neighbour having sex. The look on my mum’s face when the squeals of pleasure began becoming clearer and clearer is going to be etched into my mind forever, and I am not happy about it. So how the hell am I – or any of you unlucky folks, if put in the same situation as me – going to sort this situation? Trust me, I’ve tried most of the potential solu-
FLOP
UNIV WEAR ANYTHING BUT CLOTHES
tions, and so far, none of them have worked. Option 1: ask them to stop, or at least tone it down. The obvious solution, right? But knocking on the wall when the sound got too much had no effect, and when I went to the door to ask, Next Door appeared wrapped in nothing except a towel and all I could do was mumble something about borrowing a teabag. Option 2: embarrass them out of it. Trust me, I’ve tried this too. I’ve attempted to talk loudly with my (understanding) mates about how tired I am, but that didn’t seem to help. In fact, I think that the night after, they managed to break the desk humping each other while I lay in bed with a pillow clamped over my head tr ying to read Marx. Option 3: laugh it off. O ver the course of the last two terms, my friends and I have cultivated some pretty impressive imitations of the orgasm noises made by both parties. In the vague hope of encouraging them, we once tried while they were midflow and we were tr ying to have a chilled evening with disgusting quantities of pizza and an episode of QI. I’m actually pretty sure it just turned them on more, but hey, we had fun. So what can I do? The only realistic option is the one that I’m left with now. I have a duvet, a laptop and a pile of reading ready to get on with this sodding essay. Within arm’s reach is tea, chocolate, and a packet of industrial-strength earplugs from Boots. Go on, Next Door, bring it on. Marx and I are going to have a little quality time of our own while you and Other Half get it on furiously next door.
FLOP
BOP!
OxStuff 17
14th May 2015
The Malcontent
L
BN OC BABY W ith election wounds still fresh, and Facebook skirmishes triggered by the most light-hearted sharing of a George Osborne status, wearily and warily is Oxford gearing itself up for the next great political battle. The irresistible force of ‘Subfusc off’ is set to meet the unmovable object of ‘Save Subfusc’, in a clash already being billed as ‘over by Friday’, ‘entirely irrelevant’ and ‘fucking typical of that out-of-touch OUSU metropolitan elite’. Despite the titanic nature of their supporters’ battle (including knocking on up to three doors and a half-arsed sharing of a Facebook status), word has reached the OxStu that the leaders of the two campaigns, Harri-
son Edmonds and Xavier Cohen, have been more amorous than might be expected. Perhaps an over-enthusiastic attempt to show the merits of subfusc’s easy slip-off, or an angry attempt to rip off a scholar’s gown has led to the predictable result: our latest BNOC baby. Well-versed in University bylaws, and with an unbounded passion for the most esoteric of causes, not even the OxStu can pretend that the future for this baby can look any brighter than a minor executive role at OUSU. But, with rumours abounding that the two leaders themselves are looking for nothing more than that themselves, we can’t say that we’re overly surprised...
ast year, the Tab ran an article on ’stupid posts to offer-holders’ Facebook groups’. How we chortled and sniggered. Oh those mindless sixth formers, with their inane questions about ironing boards and potential saxophone groups - or, god forbid, those ‘lads’ bragging about being seen downing pints in the Turf by their interviewers. We were *so* much more sophisticated than that, contemptuously adding ourselves to our college group a few days before we journeyed up to Oxford, sneering at any obvious selfaggrandisement and generally being ubertogether cool potential Oxonians. But, like everything the Tab does, this was bad. Because it disguised the truly egregious evil of university Facebook interaction: the College freshers’ groups. Acting as yearlong hubs of college-based social interaction, these groups are actually, it transpires, the worst things ever. Oh, how shall I hate thee, **** College Freshers 2014-15? Let me count the ways. Principally, the fault lies in the fact that 98 (97 if you’re lucky, anal or the JCR President) % of the interaction on the page is entirely unrelated to your life. No, actually, I don’t give a shit that the 3rd dryer from the right on staircase 9 isn’t accepting the 20ps. I really couldn’t give a fuck about the chances of the Computer Room printer working, and I’m not going to check if you’re too fucking lazy to come down two flights of stairs to have a look for yourself. And, no, there’s not a fucking chance I’m going to sack off a hectic schedule of wanking, procrastination and
Netflix, get off my arse and come to see your consultancy strategy business big business panel/ operatic hummus-dance drum-dubstep-viola performance/ street porno. In fact, if I never had to see most of you, cramming your smug, chubby faces with steak across a badly lit College hall, it would be a genuine and unbounded pleasure. If we are to rub alongside together even tolerably well for the remainder of our miserable time in this mock-castle - or even if you just have an interest in precluding savage physical violence on my part – then I politely suggest that you desist from treating our shared College page as some kind of personal tissue to soak up all your wanky thoughts and speculations. I dread to think of the days when we lacked a separate ‘Formal Hall Exchange’ page; the animal frustration I would have felt at being distracted by desperate posts begging for a Guest Night ticket would have been frankly dangerous. A study once showed that the dopamine hit from clicking on a Facebook notification was equivalent to eating a square of chocolate; I’d like a similar one to be commissioned on my irascibility once I have seen that the notification in question is “Arsey the Fresher has posted a question to Freshers 2014-15”. The overwhelming disappointment, anger and wish to inflict cruelty is terrifying to experience. Please, for the love of sanity, use the pages only in necessities and not as some kind of fucking DIY agony aunt.
FLOP
BOP!
BOP!
From the archives We look back at the last time that sub-fusc hit the OxStu headlines... GOWNING AROUND
20th November 1991 (Issue 4 Volume 1)
A
Controversy is continuing about proposals that academic dress of ‘sub-fusc’ should be made optional at formal University events, writes Stephen Pritchard. A motion passed by OUSU council two weeks ago originally suggested that sub-fusc should be optional for exams, as a number of students felt it added to stress, and it was restricting in the already uncomfortable environment of an examination room. However, suggestions have been made since that wearing academic dress should be optional on other occasions too, including matriculation. Alan Beattie, Target Schools Officer on the OUSU executive cited the elitist image sub-fusc creates as one of the reasons for student opposition to it. He feels that were it to become optional, the University would be seen to be giving a signal to the outside world that it was moving away from its image as an “elitist and archaic university”. However, the proposals have met with opposition within Oxford. Worcester, Keble and Teddy Hall JCRs are overwhelmingly opposed to the motion, which Worcester President, Elliot Wallace, called ‘going against tradition for the sake of it.” The motion has also received substantial media attention, including a leader in The Times. Meanwhile, the final decision on changing the dress code lies with the Proctors. The Student Union will be holding an indicative vote on the proposal: “Students should be allowed to wear what they want to exams. The subfusc costume should be made option.” at the by-election. Tal Michael, President, commented: “we’d like to find out what students think before taking matters further.”
OUSU STASH LOOKING FOR STASH?
FOR ALL OF YOUR FULLY PERSONALISED, ETHICALLY SOURCED RANGE OF HOODIES, TEES, POLOS & MORE VISIT:
www.OUSUSTASH.com
21st May 2015
Features 19
The forgotten victims of mental health stigma
Features
• Carers rarely enter the discussion on mental health but the effects
on their physical and mental wellbeing are underestimated
ELLE TAIT MAGDALEN COLLEGE
I
was a carer the year before I came to Oxford. My mum had a mixture of physical and mental health problems, and I looked after her. There was not a moment that I didn’t want to do it, but there were many moments when it felt endless, when I felt trapped and completely lost. My life was managing someone else’s. For far too long, I had no help; it was just me, my brother and my mum. It was shocking how difficult it was to get help simply because my mum’s illness was deemed a mental health one. And while the biggest fight we have at the minute is obviously making sure mental health problems are taken seriously, we should also recognise the impact of failing to do so on carers. So many problems faced by carers are exacerbated when mental health is involved; it’s impossible to deny the link.
“ Obtaining support can feel like a fight not worth the struggle
”
One of the biggest barriers to helping carers is the failure to acknowledge these people as carers. As a mother, father, son, daughter or friend, for example, we rarely think of ourselves as carers. A carer provides help for someone on a regular basis, either because they cannot provide it themselves or need some assistance. We are not paid, and we save the government £119 million per year. Anyone of us can be a carer, and it’s often a role we find ourselves in without much control over the situation. This problem is surely exacerbated by the failure to treat mental illness as ‘real’, or deserving of help. If we don’t believe mental illness is deserving of our care, attention or support, then the likelihood of even thinking carers exist in relation to them is low. Moreover, the stigma surrounding mental health prevents many sufferers seeking help and it is often only through the involvement of outside professionals or support
services that a carer even recognises the role they are in. There are a number of effects that being a carer can have. Often we can be caring for someone alongside study or work – though not always – and this can cause stress and worry. It is hard to overstate the impact it can have on us when we feel we have two lives to manage and balance. This balance is incredibly hard to strike, and the feelings of guilt when we take time out for ourselves can often lead to self-isolation. Young carers often find it very hard to relate to their peers once there is so much more in their life; I often felt like I had two different personas and after a while it became so very hard to keep them separate. You become aware that your school friends don’t want to hear about the problems you’re having with GP appointments, or the side effects of certain medication on the person for whom you’re caring. But when this is all your life seems to be, it makes engaging with your peers almost impossible. And when our life seems to be solely focused on helping one other person, however hard we try we sometimes can’t stop the anger and frustration. The inner turmoil between desperately wanting to care for someone but feeling resentful that they have put you in a position where you need to do this can be inescapable, and it is damaging. One of the biggest problems with all of these things is when they go unnoticed: in a painfully ironic turn of events, they can often result in the carer developing mental health problems. It is believed that around 40 per cent of the UK’s seven million carers suffer from depression, and other mental illnesses. I am in that 40 percent, but for a long time I didn’t realise anyone else was. Seeking help isn’t easy either. Admitting to a professional that our role as a carer is having a damaging impact on our mental health can involve exposing the conditions of the person we are caring for, which can be a real concern to a carer not wishing to break trust or confidentiality. It’s very easy to say “take a break”, but it’s also very ignorant. For some of us, our roles are almost 24/7 – the suggestion that we “pop out for a coffee with friends” can feel so impossibly far away that it’s almost taunting. Carers of those with physical health problems as well as mental health problems express great difficulty in securing extra help which enables
them to have a break; four in ten carers say they have not had a day off in over a year. When we live in a country which grossly underfunds mental health (in some parts of the country less than 10 per cent of funding is spent on it), obtaining support for a carer can feel like a fight not worth the struggle. I’m not claiming that this is the biggest problem in the treatment of mental health in this country; it’s clear that if we do deal more successfully with the stigma, we will be indirectly making a huge positive impact on carers. But the issues involved with mental health are undeniably multi-faceted and the impact on and treatment of carers is one such facet. We can’t allow the battle for better mental health support to leave behind some of those who need exactly this help. If you are a carer, please seek support. If you know a carer, please encourage or help them to. You will be helping more than you know.
CARERS IN THE UK
1 in 10
people in the UK are carers
1.5 million
care for those with mental health problems
In the Public Eye
Mental health featured heavily in the General Election, but key elements still remain hidden
500,000
young people care for someone with mental health problems
49 percent
do not think society thinks about them
58 percent
of carers are female
3 in 5
people will be carers at some point
From top/ Cabinet Office, Ted Eytan, and the NHS
28th May 2015
20 Features
21st century science: getting a-head in the game • Though the 2017 head transplant could offer a breakthrough in the
treatment of degenerative diseases, it poses many difficult ethical questions
F
or years, the concept of a head transplant has conjured illusions of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, rather than being a tangible reality. Now, however, brain surgeon Sergio Canavero has proposed an operation, set to take place in 2017, in which a living human head will be transplanted onto a donor body. If it were to be successful, it could have hugely beneficial medical implications for the treatment of cancer, quadriplegia and diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Canavero, a member of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group in Italy, has described the proposed surgical procedure in a recent journal publication in Surgical Neurology International. The head donor is Russian Valery Spiridonov, a sufferer of Werdnig-Hoffman disease, a terminal and debilitating genetic disorder that leads to wastage of voluntary muscle and gradual loss of motor control. Though many volunteered, Canavero remains adamant that priority should be given to sufferers of a degenerative disease of the body, but who have a healthy head. In an interview, he stated that head transplants are not for those who are “old and arthritic”, but as a last resort treatment for severe medical conditions. The first stage of the surgery involves cooling the head and donor body in
order to extend the length of time cells can survive without oxygen. Canavero and his team will then dissect the neck tissue, using tiny tubes to link the main blood vessels. The spinal cord must be cleanly severed to avoid long-term damage, and therefore special surgical equipment will be used to slice the cord so that a force of only 10N is exerted compared to the average 26,000N force typical of spinal cord injuries. The head will then be transferred to the new body, during which time there will be a momentary period of clinical death in which blood is drained from the head before reattachment. The spinal cord fusion involves submersion in a group of chemicals known, somewhat inventively, as ‘fusagens’. One particular fusagen that will be used is polyethylene glycol, which promotes the meshing of fat in cell membranes. Repeated injections of fusagens will continue for several hours subsequently. Following the joining of the muscles and blood vessels, the patient will be kept in a coma for up to four weeks to restrict movement, and will receive electrical stimulation via an implanted electrode. This is hoped to aid fusion of the spinal cord and strengthen nerve connections. If fusion fails, stem cell injections may be another viable option. Canavero
has estimated that the surgery should take approximately 36 hours overall plus a year of physiotherapy to recover complete movement.
“ The concept of a head
transplant has conjured illusions of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
”
Others, however, remain sceptical as to the outcome and effectiveness of the treatment. Dr Christopher Winfree, assistant professor of Neurological Surgery at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, believes that the main concern is spinal cord fusion, as current technology does not allow for full healing. There are also concerns surrounding ethical issues, as some believe the body to be intertwined with the sense of self, and
Finalists and why they scare me • Finalists give off an air of insouciance which can awe the innocent fresher
F
inalists have made it. They are the kings and queens of the jungle, expert players in the Oxford game. They are old hands at tutorials; they have faced the dreaded exam season and survived. Every finalist I have ever met has been disarmingly friendly and perfectly polite. Frankly, I find them terrifying. In my mind there are two major reasons for this. The first is verging on tribal: they are higher up on the food chain than I am. Prelims fade into insignificance when compared to the lifechanging exams that finalists have to take. A confused mingling of respect and shyness mean that I would rather leap from the Bridge of Sighs than be shushed in the library, rather miss chocolate cake night in college than disturb someone’s concentration by being too rowdy on the way home from Hassan’s. Given the amount of work and dedication it takes to get to this stage in their lives, they’ve earned my admiration and so I try to keep a (borderlinereverential) distance. The second reason is subtler, and far more telling. It is due to the fact that finalists are ‘adults’, and not just in the legal, older-than-18 way, but in a real, surviving-onfood-that-isn’t-pot-noodlesand-toast way. They seem like
the type who have credit cards and can make important phone calls without crying afterwards. I bet none of them have managed to grow mould in coffee cups in
“ I envision having to spend my weekends being responsible
”
recent months, nor forgotten to put detergent in the washing machine and then wondered why their clothes weren’t clean. These are the kinds of people I might trust with important matters, or turn to for advice. And soon, that will be me. Or rather, that should be me. In a few short years I will be expected, by myself and by society, to have my life more or less sorted out. I will need to understand the concept of a ‘mortgage’ beyond the vague idea I’ve formed by playing Monopoly. I envision having to spend my weekends being responsible, perhaps paying bills or at a networking brunch,
that interference with this could be seen as ‘playing God’. Success of the procedure could raise the question of where the line should be drawn, for instance treating patients with body dysmorphia or those wishing to extend their life span. Technical risks include the body rejecting the head, inability to breathe independently or paralysis, though Winfree suggests that none of these are insurmountable issues. Canavero has responded to critics by reminding them of Valery’s condition and poor quality of life, and views spinal cord fusion and prevention of head rejection as achievable goals. The first head transplant attempt took place in 1954 when a surgeon called Vladimir Demikhov attached the head of a puppy to the body of an adult dog, meaning the resultant animal had two heads. Despite further experiments, none of the dogs lived for longer than six days. The first ‘successful’ head transplant was conducted on monkeys in 1970 by Robert White of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio. While the head was effectively transferred, he failed to reattach the spinal cord and therefore the monkey was completely paralysed. Artificial assistance was also required to enable it to breathe and it died after just nine days due to rejection of the
LAUREN MARTIN ST HUGH’S COLLEGE head by the immune system. Since 1970, very few head transplants have taken place, but surgical procedures have vastly improved in the past few decades. A recent study by Xiao-Ping Ren from Harbin Medical University in China made a breakthrough in overcoming cardiac ischemia (death of brain tissue due to insufficient blood flow) during head transplants on mice, which was one of the key problems in prior experiments. This has contributed to Canavero’s argument that “the technical aspects are now all feasible”. The operation itself was proposed in 2013, but is set to be officially discussed at a surgical conference run by the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons in Annapolis, Maryland next month. The conference will allow for both ethical and other objections from those in similar fields as well as providing an open offer for collaboration with those intrigued by the procedure. The operation, which will take place in either the USA or China, will require a team of 100 medical workers and incur a cost of $15 million. The date is set for Christmas Day 2017, and is intended by Canavero as a “gift” to Valery. Whether successful or not, it will undoubtedly also be a gift to the entire scientific community.
XANTHE GWYN PALMER WADHAM COLLEGE instead of holding hung-over Netflix pyjama pity parties for myself. In other words, it will become less and less acceptable for me to curl up in a ball on the floor and ignore my problems when I don’t feel like dealing with the real world. Worst of all, I will be expected to have an answer to the following, truly horrific question: “What are you going to do next?” Graduation seemed a long way away when I arrived in October but time passes differently in Oxford and I am starting to realise just how quickly these next few years will go. It’s hard to imagine ever being fully prepared for what’s ahead, but by the time Finals roll around we will all be flung headfirst into reality whether we’re ready for it or not. Finalists represent a deep fear of the unknown and of the future. As I blunder, directionless, through the first year of my degree, these creatures seem to swan past, riding the waves of stress and responsibility with an elegance and calm that I do not possess. I have no idea how they manage it. Are they truly as in control as they look, or are they paddling away furiously underneath the surface? Either way, it is my dream to one day be just as intimidating.
Fear of the Finalist
An illusion it may be, but the organised exterior is terrifying Jimmy Harris
28th May 2015
Features 21
Quesadillas for those que sera sera times JAMIE RUSSELL
WADHAM COLLEGE
Ingredients
1 tortilla wrap 40g cheddar cheese 20g Butter 1 spring onions 1 red pepper Some chorizo, ham or salami
W
hether it’s mid-essay crisis or mid-morning hangover, there are times when many of us want nothing more than a hot snack smothered in or filled with melted cheese. I, however, don’t eat eggs nor do I eat enough bread to warrant buying a loaf which immediately rules out an omelette or cheese on toast to satisfy this yearning. Thankfully tortilla wraps keep far better in the fridge than bread and can quickly be used to make delicious quesadillas.
Method
1) Take a tortilla and spread one side with butter. Place it butter side
down on a plate. 2) Grate an even layer of cheese over one half of the tortilla. Finely chop quarter of a pepper, a spring onion and some chorizo, salami or ham and add it to the cheese. 3) Fold the tortilla in half and press along the folded edge to ensure that it won’t open up again. 4) Heat a frying pan or, if you have access to one, a griddle over a high heat for a few minutes before adding the folded quesadilla to the pan. 5) Fry the quesadilla for 30 to 40 seconds before carefully turning it over with a fish slice. 6) Fry on the other side for a further 30 seconds and serve. Your quesadilla should now be a crisp shell full of melted cheesy goodness.
Tips and variations
If you’re in a rush or feeling particularly lazy then quesadillas can be quickly prepared in the microwave. Don’t butter the tortilla and simply microwave at full power on each side for about 40 seconds. This won’t give the crisp shell of a fried tortilla but still makes for a tasty, cheesy snack with next to no washing-up. Quesadillas, much like an omelette or a pizza, can be made with any
Bye, bye blues
ELLE TAIT
MAGDALEN COLLEGE
Jamie Russell
number of ingredients. Mushrooms, olives and cooked bacon can all make great additions; a little chilli sauce and a layer of refried beans spread in the tortilla can give an air of Mexican authenticity. These are just a few suggestions though and all sorts of flavour combinations can be experimented with. Just ensure not to put in anything that you wouldn’t eat without cooking first as it won’t be cooked thoroughly once in the quesadilla.
The inside of the quesadilla can also be spread with tomato puree, passata or a finely blended salsa to make something more akin to a calzone pizza. The cheese can be replaced partially or entirely with mozzarella to make a gooier interior or, for that matter, any other cheese that will melt to introduce further new flavours. There’s really so much that can be done with quesadillas, so take a break and see what you can create.
Denis Bocquet
Sparking the flames of passion
EMILY HONEY
rarely swipe right, but when I do, they are invariably tall, handsome, potential serial killers. Though I am yet to be chopped up sashimi-style for the benefit of the Oxford Canal, these virtual conquests somehow just never seem to stray far from the chestnut machismo of Christian Bale in American Psycho. I made a mental note to discuss this with my therapist as I swiped right on yet another floppy haired gent, a Gallic import by the name of ‘Michel’. “Haw-haw-haw”, snorted I, as I idly flipped through the photos of him playing guitar and wielding an outsize chainsaw. What fun! Yet Tinder is as Tinder does,
my gut back into its holding pen, I began to usher my conquest towards the upstairs exit, leaving a cloud of pheromones and naked desire in our wake, with the innocent hope that it would violently asphyxiate our pesky hecklers. Young love! Then, after emerging onto the street and into the callous light of 1am, I decided we should part ways with the understanding that we might resume the long, heavily petted road to biblical knowledge at a later date. Two dates down the line and I can truthfully report that I am yet to see his chainsaw in the flesh. As I’m concerned, that makes this a regular - ahem - Tinderella story.
I
and before I knew it I had left the safe embrace of serial croissant emoticons to meet ‘Michel’ IRL, at a seemingly respectable, well-lit, eminently escapable joint in Jericho. By some cute trick of Hallmark we ended up arriving together and locking our bikes in the same place, allowing me to indulge my nowfeverish hypochondria in the last dregs of daylight. Nice face, clean teeth, no discernable smell of rotting flesh... indeed, the only red flag was his sartorial choice of blue jeans with orthopaedic trainers. Feeling this was more indicative of possible American ancestry than homicidal intent, I traipsed into the bar all
aflutter, ready to embark on a slow process of social defrosting that might end in a polite handshake, or perhaps a riotous, asexual fist bump. However no more than three drinks in, something came over me perhaps the thrill of fresh romance, or a roofie - but before you could say ‘are you sure it wasn’t Flunitrazepam?’ we were PDA-ing like a couple of greasy-fingered teenagers in a backstreet Odeon. It was on the third audible shriek of “get a room” from some neighbouring crones some thirty minutes later that I knew it was time to wrap this puppy up. Discreetly tucking
LADY MARGARET HALL
Moyan Brenn
E
very term it rolls around and here it is again. 5th week, my old friend. Even if you don’t get the blues, the vibe in college feels different. We know we’ve made it halfway, but somehow we still feel so far from the end. Sometimes it’s even hard to put your finger on exactly what the problem is. And we all feel it, so we sympathise but don’t have the energy to really help. The debate about the potential of a reading week is much-needed; until a decision is made, though, we can keep indulging and treating and looking after ourselves while we attempt to get through this week. Read a book that isn’t about your degree. I know, I know, it feels like such a luxury – can you really afford to do that? Do you have the time to spare? Yes. You do. The good it will do you is worth far more than forcing yourself to read another chapter on what someone said about something someone else said. It doesn’t matter if it’s badly written – in fact, that’s one of my criteria for this sort of book. All that really matters is that you’re reading it because you want to. Sleep. Refresh yourself. Whether you need six, eight, ten hours, just get into bed and allow yourself to snooze. Take more naps, even. We grind ourselves down, and don’t give ourselves a break and work until the dark hours when we should really be in bed. It’s sad that we rarely wake up here feeling like we couldn’t sleep any more even if we tried. Sleep is good for the mind and body – we need to switch off. Spend quality time with friends. And sitting next to them in the library doesn’t count. Go out for a meal, eat pizza in your pyjamas on the floor, watch a film, go out and dance like crazy. Anything will work, but there really is nothing like a great dose of friendship to perk you up. Know that you are loved and cared about. Take a stupidly long shower, just because you can. Phone family or friends far away. Do some baking. Go for a walk or a run or whatever makes you feel better and calm and restored. Take some time to look after yourself, to prioritise you and your mind and your health.
21st May 2015
22 Sport
Oxford Sport In brief... A bitter fight: Athletics Varsity Oxford men and women went into this year’s Varsity match quietly confident of their chances of beating the arrogant Cambridge athletes this weekend. With some spectacular performances from Oxford athletes including Montana Jackson (OUAC Women’s Captain and Athlete of the Match) and Adam McBraida (OUAC President) who both stormed to victory in the 400m hurdles, Isaac Kitchen-Smith who narrowly missed out on the gold in the 100m with a new personal best of 10.91 seconds and OUAC Men’s Captain Sam Trigg winning with an enormous 7.22m in the Men’s Long Jump. An unfortunate overall loss to the tabs was followed by a champagne reception and meal at Gonville and Caius College Cambridge and a well-deserved night out.
Plans for Iffley Development The Iffley Road Sports Complex is the subject of development plans to expand, enhance and improve upon existing sports facilities to give a brand new sports hall, a redevelopment of the existing gym, sports hall and grandstands that run along the side of the athletics track. Fundraising is underway to make up the remaining cost of the improvements whilst building and construction is set to begin in March 2016. The University Handball team are likely to be pleased by the news of a new sports hall which will be big enough for them to play full-court matches in and allow them to host the annual Varsity Match in years to come.
Blenheim Palace Triathlon 20 participants are to take on as many Triathlons as they can over just one weekend in the ‘Weekend Warrior Blenheim Palace Triathlon’ event in aid of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research between 13th and 14th June 2015. The places to take part in this year’s event were snapped up within hours, some by returning ‘Warriors’ and others by fresh faces ready to take on this unique test of endurance. ‘Weekend Warrior’ and general entries are now sold out for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Blenheim Palace Triathlon on 13-14th June 2015, but Charity Pledge Places are available from: www.theblenheimtriathlon.com. Keep an eye on the website if you’re interested in getting involved next year and next time around.
Feature: Regent’s ask Half Blues to justify their sports ALICE RICHARDSON SPORTS EDITOR
Last week Regent’s Park College JCR proposed a motion that suggested those who have obtained a Half Blue in their chosen University Level sport will have to stand in front of the JCR and justify themselves, their achievement and their sport before their name can be added to the College’s Blues board in the traditional manner. Reasons given for
“Half-blues don’t
signify a lower level of achievement
”
the motion included cost of the Blues Board. An online petition was started soon after the proposal was made and gained 26 signatures from college members. The website for the online petition stated: “Instead of celebrating those who achieve the top award (blue or half blue) available to them in that sport on the college Blues Board, some of the JCR want to celebrate only full blues, and make those who win a half blue justify themselves before the JCR, and then be subjected to a humiliating vote on their achievement. If you win the top blue available in your sport, you shouldn’t have to come to a JCR meeting and defend that sport as a ‘real’ sport. This is hugely unpleasant, biased against the MCR, against women (for whom there are fewer full blues sports), and against those who take part in less traditional or popular sports.” Comments from those who signed included: “I’m signing because half blues DO NOT signify a lower level of achievement than full blues, only a less mainstream sport.” And: “As I am a member of the women’s first waterpolo team I feel very strongly about this! I have a friend in the first women’s hockey team and on comparing our pre-varsity schedules there was almost no difference in the amount of training that we were doing. It is sad that just because a sport is ‘newer’ means that we get “half”
Sporting news to share? Contact us at: sport@oxfordstudent.com
the recognition! And, now they want us to defend our sporting validity??? Waterpolo was recently voted the toughest sport in the world (yes above rugby)... How’s that for validation.” Eventually the motion was thrown out, but a lot of anger has been created by the proposal of this motion in the first place and the attitude it represents. This kind of questioning is one commonly faced by those members of the University Sporting committee whose sports have not yet been awarded the Full Blue or even the Half Blue status by the Blues Committee (run by Oxford’s sporting students themselves). It seems if you play a less mainstream sport, or your sport is not well-known/developed in the UK then your achievement in said sport, at whatever level is valued less. For all of the long hours of training, the sweat, tears and, yes, sometimes blood that goes into seasonal success at the Half Blue level or lower, to be told that your efforts are worth less, your hard work is worth less and your success is worth less simply due to the Blues status of your sport seems completely unfair. This is an institutional issue. The Blues Committee make the decisions when it comes to how worthy
“The wild variance
between the different requirements
”
your sport is of a Full Blue status and what requirements individual athletes within that sport must achieve to then obtain that Full Blue status themselves. Whilst it is important to maintain the integrity of the Full Blue status, the wild variance between the different requirements needed for each individual sport or each individual athlete to meet the Full Blue status in their sport, in my opinion, needs some attention and perhaps a review. For instance, Oxford Waterpolo is a Half Blue sport and, to achieve a discretionary Full Blue, a team has to come in the top 4 teams of BUCs (when that entails beating teams as well developed and difficult as Bristol and Cardiff) as well as beating Cambridge at the Varsity match.
Regent’s cause anger: A JCR’s motion is trounced but not before it causes a huge stir both in and out of college The University of Oxford
Vintage Men’s Wear
Meanwhile, in Cambridge, the same sport can achieve a Full Blue if the team that year beats Oxford at the Varsity match – there is no need for them to do well in BUCs. This discrepancy for the same sport at the two different universities is not only frustrating, but it reveals the somewhat arbitrary nature of which sport gets what when it comes to making Blues status decisions. That, however, is a separate issue in this instance. The fact that the Blues Committee exists in the first place is to stop things like this JCR motion from happening at all. It is the Blues Committee’s decision to award a sport either the Full or Half Blue status, or to not award either. It is not the place of an autonomous Oxford college, let alone their JCR, to pass judgement on the worth of an individual sport or an individual athlete’s achievement in their chosen sport. University sport is just that – it is performed at the university level. It is deliberately separated from college bureaucracy to avoid even further discrepancy in the judgement of Blues standards and
“ The
Blue’s Committee’s position is a difficult one
”
statuses. It is wholly incomprehensible that any JCR members would feel themselves to be in a position, or indeed to have the legal right to pass judgement on another JCR member’s sporting achievement at a university level. If an athlete has achieved their Half or indeed their Full Blue status as decided by their team captain and the Blues Committee, then that decision is final. The worth of their sport and their achievement has been judged categorically and no further deliberation is needed, let alone justification. The fact that this motion was even suggested in the first place beggars belief. It shows an arrogance of certain JCR members to pass judgment on something they are likely not to have any personal involvement with or any prior experience of. JCRs cannot force their members to stand up in a public arena to justify their sport and their personal successes in such a degrading way.
Whilst the Blues Committee’s position is a difficult one, the position of the University sports teams is trickier and that of the individual athlete is even more so, when it comes to judging upon and justifying sporting success at a university level. The JCR members of St Hilda’s college who proposed or supported this incredulous motion should take a long hard look at themselves. Although the motion was trounced by the fairer minded amongst their ranks, it is those members of St Hilda’s JCR as
“ University sport is just that - it is
performed at a university level
”
well as other college’s JCR members that would ever contemplate suggesting, let alone attempting to fulfil such an outrageous motion, that should be forced to justify themselves, not their college’s successful Universitylevel athletes.
Requirements to achieve Full Blues in Oxford: Waterpolo
Finish in the top four teams in the British University Championships (BUCS), beat Cambridge in the annual Varsity match.
Athletics
Run the full blue time, or jump the full blue length or throw the full blue distance and compete for the Blues team in Varsity against Cambridge
Women’s Rugby
Be chosen to represent Oxford University in the Varsity match against Cambridge, even if starting, or indeed remaining on the bench for the entirity of the match
Sport 23
21st May 2015
Should we put an age-limit on the League Cup? • Two regular domestic cups are worse than one, and making the League Cup an
Under-23 competition would greatly improve the England team’s dismal prospects BEN SANDERS
get twice the fun. That’s a natural assumption to make, and for some fans this is true. For a lot of fans, however – perhaps the majority – this isn’t the Mental fatigue: England’s national players often case. seem to be psychologically shat- Why do footballers and fans care tered - would one less competi- about winning trophies? Prize money is a motive for less wealthy clubs, but tion ease the burden? is typically seen as being small change for Premier League teams. So, I can Give youth big games: think of three reasons that motivate Young players often struggle pretty much anyone to strive for or to get into Premier League first follow a cup run. These are; desire teams for exceptional success, a wish to be remembered, and a yearning for brag-
ging rights. By having the FA Cup and League Cup run side-by-side, we’ve diluted these motivators for each competition. Triumph in the FA Cup clearly feels like a less exceptional kind of success when it comprises only one-half of that season’s domestic cup tournaments. Moreover, running both competitions means that the list of English cup winners has effectively doubled in size – making individual champions far harder to remember. It’s no secret that people generally care less about the FA Cup now than they did 10 or 20 years ago – I believe that a significant reason for this is the existence of the League Cup. As I’ve said; for some fans, the League Cup nonetheless generates net benefits. But many fans disagree, and I suspect we may be in the majority. These aren’t the only problems that the League Cup creates. It has become customary to discuss how English players are always tired at the end of the season, and how they suffer accordingly when playing in the World Cup or European Championships. A simple way to partially address this problem would be to just get rid of the League Cup. Of course, this would reduce the number of games that each team contests (a Premier League team that reaches the League Cup final plays six or seven games in the process). Perhaps more importantly, though, this would significantly reduce mental fatigue. Taking part in an extra competition means that each player has to focus on an additional objective. Players that reach the latter stages of a competition have to endure the hype
Joe Camporeale - USA Today Sports
Hawks, Cavs, Warriors and Rockets make the conference finals after an exciting second round filled with big plays made by big players • Paul Pierce, Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin head home despite impressive individual performances that unfortunately were not enough
SPORTS EDITOR
As we’d expect from an event that was once used as a marketing vehicle for milk, most of us see the League Cup as being less prestigious than the FA Cup. Nonetheless, the former still attracts a lot of attention. Both are treated as major trophies and the final of both competitions is a big event in each season’s calendar. This isn’t normal. Across Europe, the only non-British country that has two domestic cup competitions is France. And, the way it is now, the League Cup generates quite a few significant problems. With twice the number of trophies, we
“
One of many: Is it good to have two Having both cups domestic cups? dilutes motivation
for each of them
Today Online
Why change?
»Continued from back page big shots. My favourite sequence of the series happened in the dying
“ Everyone knew it was going in - fans
were cheering before it landed
”
seconds of Game 3, when Derrick Rose sized up Tristan Thompson and launched a prayer of a threepointer. For some reason, everyone in the arena knew it was going in – fans started cheering before the shot even went in, and you could see the faces of the Cavaliers bench drop as
”
they watched the ball swish through. And then the cameras focused on Rose, face devoid of any emotion whilst staring at LeBron as if to say ‘what did you expect from me’. You had Paul Pierce hitting a heavily contested bankshot in Game 3, and proceeded to give one of the most entertaining postgame interviews of all time – when Chris Broussard asked him if he called bank on the last shot, Pierce stared into the camera and announced ‘I called game’ before dropping the invisible mic and walking into the zealous embrace of Washington fans. You couldn’t help but love how Pierce was essentially the old dude who shows up at the park to play pick-up every now and then just to talk trash and whine about the younger generation - only Pierce would actually go ahead and bury the game-winner whilst the rest
and nerves that accompany this. Players that get knocked out of a tournament early have to withstand reproach from their fans and management and a sense of failure. These all carry mental costs. Often, in the case of England, it seems that they are not merely physically fatigued but also psychologically shattered.
“ This would be a
way to give young players big games
”
Take away a major source of mental strain – a cup competition – and this could significantly improve. The League Cup has a less prestigious history than the FA Cup so, if we had to get rid of one of them, it’d be natural to scrap the former. But I don’t think the answer to these problems is to get rid of the League Cup completely. Whilst that would address the issues explored above, we can instead use the League Cup to help fix a different set of problems that we face in English football. This is the problem of young players, their prospects and their playing-time. Another regularly discussed emergency that faces the England national team is that English clubs only rarely oversee the progression of English players into their first-teams. At the moment, young English players typically find it very hard to get game-time if they’re registered with a Premier
League team (notable exceptions are Liverpool and Tottenham). Increasingly, such players are loaned out to lower-league clubs. But experience in the Championship or League One is fundamentally different to that of the Premier League, where the opposition is significantly better and the media spotlight is much more intense. A standard Premier League game brings much more pressure onto a young player’s shoulders than most games in the lower leagues, and it’s a failure to deal with pressure that normally sees English players’ careers stall. A way to give young players some big-game experience against highquality opposition, then, would be to transform the League Cup into a competition in which only players under the age of 23 can play. This way, England’s established players – typically older than this, and thus ineligible – would have their mental burden eased. Young players would get important experience. The FA Cup would become obviously and fundamentally different from the League Cup – it would mean very different things to win each one, and people would care a lot more about the FA Cup as a result. Of course, the quality of the football on display in the League Cup would almost certainly fall as a result, and some fans would no longer care about the tournament. These are disadvantages. But this change would bring advantages to English football as a whole. Ultimately, this is all about replacing quantity with quality – and if we care about the FA Cup and the national team, then it’s a move we should make.
Second-round recovery for the NBA playoffs •
would fire up an airball or maybe pull a hamstring trying to jump. You had Stephen Curry, the newly-crowned MVP and undisputed face of the league, orchestrating the Warriors’ revolutionary offence against the seemingly indestructible Grizzlies defence. The man knocked down more three-pointers in the series
“ James Harden set the stage
for a historic Game 6 comeback
”
than the entire Grizzlies team combined, thus proving two things that people are only beginning
to recognize – firstly, unless you tackle Stephen Curry or somehow hack his wrist before the game, he is going to deflate your entire team by hitting three after three after three; secondly, that the modern trend of ‘pace and space’ offence is uncontainable by any rigid defensive system. Hand down, man down. And then you have the ClippersRockets series, which to me is by far the most intriguing. For the first four games of the series, Blake Griffin seemed to have transformed into 1993 Barkley - an unstoppable one-man fast break with a decent midrange jumpshot and the ability to jump into the rafters. Yet he dropped as fast as he rose in the last two games, disappearing in the fourth quarters and undermining the Clippers offence with wild jumpers. The Rockets were assumed to have a foot out the door, until
James Harden singlehanded pulled that foot back with a virtuoso performance in Game 5. This set the stage for a historic Game 6 comeback led by Corey Brewer and Josh Smith, who played as if they were Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan, hitting shot after shot whilst Chris Paul sat on the bench watching his legacy light up in flames. The Hawks, Cavs and Warriors won their series and, by the time you read this article, the Rockets or the Clippers will have joined them in the Conference Finals. Going into the playoffs, this was the expected result. What was unexpected, especially after the disappointing first-round series, was the level of excitement and drama that defined the secondround, leaving NBA fans like myself wondering what might happen next.
SPORT e-mail/ sport@oxfordstudent.com
Feature:
Opinion:
» Page 22
» Page 23
Regent's ask half-blues to justify themselves
Should the League Cup become a youth tournament?
A historic high for handball in Oxford • Club's glorious season featured double Varsity success and a bronze medal • As the sport becomes more popular, the case for Blues recognition grows stronger THERESA REIKER STAFF WRITER
Summer is approaching rapidly and as the season of Pimm’s and croquet (and exams) takes its turn, it is time to reflect back on our team’s contributions to Oxonian sporting success in 2014/2015. “We” being Oxford University Handball Club, OUHaC (not to be confused with OUHC; the hockey club). If you have no idea what handball
“ This is the most success our women
have ever achieved
”
is, fear not, I will explain. Handball is a bit like a mixture of basketball , football, ice hockey and rugby all at once. You can bounce the ball, but there are goals instead of baskets. There is a suspension rule for fouls and it is a contact sport. Handball is possibly one of the most popular sports in Central Europe, perhaps second only to football. Handball has been around in Oxford since 2001 and we may well currently be one of the most cosmpolitan clubs in Oxford, our players representing over 15 countries.
This season, both of our teams competed in the now annual Varsity match and in the University Championships, whilst the women’s team also competed in the London Regional Development League (the second league after the Super 8 League). League is a great opportunity for all of our team (made up of Brookes players and Oxford uni players) to play together. Over eight league matches, our women’s team remained undefeated. We most likely thereby won the league, but we are currently still awaiting confirmation from England Handball. In January, we competed in the second-ever Varsity game. Both our men’s and women’s teams were able to celebrate well-deserved victories against Cambridge. In the first match, the women’s team fought their way to a clear 31-21 triumph and the men’s team followed suit with a comfortable 31-24 win. Although we defeated Cambridge in Varsity, they unfortunately achieved some revenge over Oxford in the University Championships. Our men’s team - who had won the Championships for the last two years in a row - were beaten by them in the quarterfinal, and they proceeded to win the
Renaissance:
THERESA REIKER
whole competition. It was extremely exciting to see our women’s team achieve one of our most important successes this year, as we won the bronze medal in these Championships. This is the most success that any Oxford women’s handball team has ever achieved in this competition. After initially beating Middlesex in the group stage, our girls were then defeated by them on our second encounter in a nerve-wracking semi-final. Middlesex went on to win the whole thing, so we can proudly say that both of our teams were defeated by the later winners. Which is almost like winning the silver medal, isn’t it? So what’s coming next for Oxford's handball teams? Well, the British Beach Handball Championships are in August (which we competed in last year and are planning on competing in again this year). They are taking place on the south coast of England, and what could be a more exciting summer plan than a weekend full of handball, sun and sand mixed with BBQs and partying with a group of athletes from all over the world? In terms of the future of Oxford handball; next year, we are planning on es-
Handball in Oxford enters a new era tablishing an Oxford City team, so that in the long run we can separate Oxford University Handball from Oxford City Handball and train both teams more efficiently and to a higher standard. Eventually, it will be up to the Blues Committee to solve our little Blues dilemma. Despite the fact that handball first became an olympic sport as early as 1936 and has been a permanent olympic sport since the 70s, handball is not yet recognised as a Blue (or half-blue) sport. This is largely due to formal regulations and the status of handball in England more generally. But the sport is on the rise all over the UK and enjoying increasing popularity; hopefully, this will help to establish its status as a university sport. Making handball a half- or full-blue sport is especially important in order to make handball more attractive to individual players who at the moment receive no formal recognition of their work from the Blues Committee, despite competing at a national level. For us, these are exciting times, and it will probably be worth watching out for handball as it becomes increasingly
popular and competitive throughout the UK. And, if it sounds like handball might be your thing, come along to training and give it a try! Grab a group of friends and get a cuppers team ready. Cuppers will take place on 6 June from 6-7.30 pm at Iffley Road Sportsgall, potentially with a second round happening the week after depending on the number of teams that sign up. Also, come along to training any time you like. We train Mondays 7.30-9pm, Thursday 7-8.30am and Saturdays 6-7.30pm. Alternatively, get in touch via Facebook if you fancy joining or if you have a cuppers team.
What's up next for Oxford handball? Canford Cliffs Beach:
The British Beach Handball Championships await in August
Oxford City team:
Plans are in the works to establish this team, so that university handball stands alone
NBA playoffs: fans left with frayed nerves after a series of stunning twists
Drama follows dejection for fans of NBA basketball, as an underwhelming first-round is followed by gripping contests TAYLOR YU
DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
Expectations smashed: A disappointing first-round preceded a memorable second www.pitch.co.uk
For a brief moment, the NBA playoffs seemed destined to be underwhelming. Six of the eight firstround matchups ended within five games. The Wizards and the Grizzlies basically murdered basketball in the cities of Toronto and Portland respectively, as the two teams collapsed so drastically that both are left pondering the possibility of reconstructing their entire rosters. Just when the Bucks started to generate some sort of momentum, the Bulls responded by beating them back to mediocrity by a ridiculous margin of 54 points. Clippers-Spurs was the only series worth tuning into, and when the Spurs were sent home by Chris Paul’s other-worldly layup, no-one apart from die-hard
San Antonio-haters was left happy. How could you be when one of the best teams in the NBA is sent home
“ The
Bulls responded by beating the Bucks back into mediocrity
”
in the same round as the lowly Boston Celtics, just because the league still can’t figure out how to properly create playoff matchups? And then there were the injuries. When Wesley Matthew’s ACL gave in two months ago, Portland’s playoff chances went with it. A dislocated shoulder ended Kevin Love’s playoff debut because Kelly Olynyk forgot that he was being paid to play
basketball, not American football or sumo. John Wall’s was suddenly halted by a left hand diagnosed with a surreal five separate fractures, whilst C.J. McCollum’s forearm essentially rearranged Mike Conley Jr’s face. Hardly any team emerged from the first round unscathed, only adding more misery to the playoffs experience of fans worldwide. Then, just when I started to abandon hope for this year’s playoffs and shed tears onto my half-written essay, everything exploded. The second round was defined by big moments and individual flare. You had the Cavaliers-Bulls series, which essentially transformed into a one-on-one battle between two former MVPs, LeBron James and Derrick Rose, trading big games and Continued on page 23 »