Oriel News - Issue 19 - Summer 2017

I S S U E 1 9 | S U MME R 2 0 1 7

2 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

WELCOME FROM THE PROVO ST

Welcome to the latest edition of Oriel News, a chance to update you on what’s been going on in College over the last couple of terms.

Naturally, the College started Michaelmas Term in very good heart following last summer’s wonderful Finals results. This made quite a welcome for our new generation of Freshers and has, I hope, set them an inspiring – if slightly daunting – example to follow. The start of Michaelmas also saw the grand reopening of the refurbished MCR, which got a fine makeover during the summer. It has lost none of its character, and is a thriving hub for our postgraduate community.

Our newcomers soon settled in to the rhythm of academic work and I know from my conversations with them how much they are enjoying their studies. They are also playing their full part in the busy social and extra-curricular life of the College.

As ever, music deserves a special mention. This year we have had the pleasure of having mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly as our Visiting Musician. She held two sold-out masterclasses in College, as well as a wonderful concert at the Holywell Music Room. The other sold-out Oriel music event was the Champagne Concert in October, which featured 11-year-old composer, violinist and pianist Alma Deutscher, who alongside all her other gifts is the granddaughter of an Orielensis.

We also have rowing success to report. This year’s Torpids saw the women take centre stage, with the women’s First VIII claiming Head of the River for only the second time in their history. This achievement was particularly exciting as seven of the eight women had never rowed before coming to Oxford. The women’s Second VIII also got blades. Although the men’s First VIII couldn’t quite make it a Double Headship, finishing the week in second place, there was still opportunity for them to celebrate with the official launch ceremony for their new boat, the Jonathan Close-Brooks.

Returning to things academic, I am pleased to tell you that Oriel saw a dramatic increase in first choice applications last autumn, up by 35 per cent on the year before, and well above the university

average. This is a credit to our Outreach efforts and likely also reflects the College’s rising academic profile: it can only be good for the College’s long-term health.

Outreach is one of the areas where the generosity of donors has an enormous impact on the College’s success. Last summer, thanks to the generosity of an alumnus, we were able to run a set of Year 12 Study Days for high-achieving candidates from backgrounds that are under-represented at Oxford. We can trace a line between those events and a number of successful applications to Oxford and to Oriel, and it’s great to be able to see such results.

I spend a great deal of time talking individually to students and hear some powerful accounts of the benefits of the financial and other support that is available in College. Often funded through the generosity of donors, this assistance makes a great difference to many students’ academic progress and welfare, and it is much appreciated.

We are always trying to find more ways to engage with our alumni through our publications, the internet, events in College, or by travelling to where they are. In late February, a number of us hosted an Oriel Edinburgh Dinner. It was a wonderful event and such a pleasure to catch up with our alumni in Scotland and others who found Edinburgh an agreeable weekend destination. Also in February, we held the first ever Returners’ Dinner in College. The event was a lovely chance for last year’s graduates to get together free of the shadows of exams, and for us to hear about what they are doing now.

Time seems to move so quickly here, and it is hard to believe that I am already almost four years into my five-year term as Provost. It’s a wonderful experience to be part of such a successful College and to get to know its community around the world. I look forward to seeing more of you over the remainder of this academic year and next, and to continuing to share with you all the news from Oriel.

Moira Wallace, OBE

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 3

JCR Report questioning, Lena Schneidewind (3rd year, Chemistry) was chosen as Ball President. She will head the Executive Team, which includes Priyanka Nankani (1st year, PPE) as Vice-President, Madalene Smith (2nd year, Classics) as Secretary and Angus Forbes (1st year, PPE) as Treasurer. The team will be working hard from now until Trinity 2018 – let’s hope for another spectacular Commemoration Ball!

College sport continues to be a focal point for life in the JCR. Having spent years rooted at the bottom of JCR Division 3, the men’s football team had a successful season as they circled near the top right up until the last week of Hilary. Agonisingly, a last-minute winner for local rivals Corpus against Magdalen meant the team missed out on promotion, but the vast improvement can only be built upon in the next few years. Elsewhere, the netball team continued to battle it out in Division 1, while the hockey team (now joined with St. John’s) had a fantastic Michaelmas. The team won Division 2 and are now playing well in Division 1. The newly formed pool team once again made their mark across college bars as they entered both the league and Cuppers, with matching (bright pink) jumpers and bucket hats.

Oriel JCR continues to be represented at University-level sports.

Dylan Rubini (1st year, Engineering) and Sandy Macaulay (3rd year, Engineering) have been heavily involved in the University Athletics setup. Thomas Paine (4th year, Mathematics) led the men’s squash team to a resounding Varsity victory. Isaac Virchis (3rd year, PPE) captained the men’s thirds football team, with Eoin Monaghan (2nd year, PPE) also playing. Annabel Hazlitt (3rd year, History) has been excellent once again playing for the Hockey Blues and Imogen Duffy (4th year, Biochemistry) took part in the Women’s Blues rugby match for the second year running. Imogen was joined in the University Rugby setup by James Somerville (2nd year, Law) and Alexander Agureev (1st year, Engineering), who both represented Oxford in the u-20 Varsity Match against Cambridge. Elsewhere, Tess Leyland (2nd year, Ancient and Modern History) and Maddie Pollard (2nd year, English) represented Oxford Sirens at multiple national cheerleading competitions throughout the year, while Wesley Rawlings (2nd year, Physics) was chosen as President of the University Pool Club. The JCR are very proud of all students who dedicate so much of their time to excelling at these sports.

Continuing our strong tradition in drama and the arts, Oriel Freshers had not one, but two plays make the final stages of drama Cuppers.

Bod, an original script written by Angus Forbes (1st year, PPE) and Seb Santhiapillai (1st year, History and Economics), and an adaptation of Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound directed by Albert McIntosh (1st year, Physics) both proved immensely popular with audiences and judges. Unfortunately, both plays missed out on the top prize, but congratulations to the two groups for what is an unprecedented achievement in the University drama scene. Elsewhere, Maddie Pollard was chosen as sub-editor and subsequently deputy-editor for the ISIS magazine and Emily Bell (3rd year, English) acted in a performance of Keeping up Appearances. Lastly, preparations are underway for Trinity Term’s garden play, The Taming of the Shrew, which will no doubt showcase the best of Oriel’s dramatic talent!

In other exciting news, Hilary saw interviews for the 2018 Oriel Commemoration Ball Executive Committee. After some intense

The JCR Committee continues to be as active as ever in the JCR. Having enjoyed a successful Freshers’ Week, the year began rather controversially, as the JCR passed a motion to officially rename Corpus Christi “0th quad” which left everyone in a slight state of confusion as to whether we were at war or not. Weeks passed and it was decided the feuds (now involving Merton and Christ Church) were to be settled at a sports day. In other Michaelmas news, the JCR elected Leda Hadjigeorgiou (2nd year, Classical Archaeology and Ancient History) as its new Vice-President, while the traditional Christmas play, welfare brunches and bops continue to be as popular as ever. Hilary Term saw yet more elections, sub fusc pancake racing and a referendum for “informal” formal voted down.

Oriel continued their dominance on the river, with much success all round for a variety of crews. In Michaelmas, the men’s First VIII claimed the Fairbairn Cup, and seventh week of Trinity saw one of the highlights of the rowing calendar as throngs of Oriel students descended on the Boathouse for Torpids. Over days of intense rowing (the cold and rain didn’t help either), Oriel once again had much success. W2 claimed seven-bump blades, while M1 finished second on the river, narrowly missing out on taking the Headship from Pembroke. Most excitingly, however, Oriel’s W1 claimed Head of the River – for only the second time! A nail-biting finish on the final day saw the crew just row away from Wadham, much to the delight of the Boathouse. Having carried the boat back to College through the streets of Oxford (narrowly preventing it from cracking), the crew were able to celebrate with a customary boat burning. Well done again to all involved.

Oriel even made it onto national television this year, as for the first time in over 13 years we successfully entered a team on University Challenge. The JCR was represented by Eoin Monaghan (2nd year, PPE) and Roxanne Taylor (4th year, Classics and English). They were joined by Nathan Helms, Tobias Thornes and Alec Siantonas of the MCR. The team successfully saw off Manchester University in round one (though not without making a variety of newspapers for our “shocking” lack of popular music knowledge), before coming undone against a very strong side from Bristol University. You can read a more detailed report from Tobias Thornes in this edition. In other quiz news, a group of Oriel Freshers were crowned winners of the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Freshers’ Quiz in Michaelmas.

Eoin Monaghan, JCR President (2016/17)

4 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

MCR Report The MCR welcomed 101 new graduate members this year, along with 40 4th-year undergrads. Among incoming Freshers, the largest subject group was theology, with 11 new postgrads this year.

We were proud to be able to welcome everyone to our newly refurbished common room and MCR bar, which was renovated under the direction of Mark Johnson, MCR President for 2015/16.

The new coffee machine has been particularly popular, with members and guests drinking around 5,000 teas or coffees each term, made available for no cost in the MCR.

We have a strong MCR Committee with over 20 members, the majority of whom are Freshers this year. New positions include an international student representative and a representative for graduate students with families. The committee has organised yoga, Guest Nights, welfare teas and snacks, exchanges with other colleges, wine tasting in Hall, punting, board game nights and other events. Guest Nights have sold out faster than a Beyoncé concert, with tickets gone in two minutes in Michaelmas and in about a minute in Hilary.

This year we continued with our tradition of having an exchange with our sister college, Trinity College, Dublin. The exchange was started in 2013 by Joelle Grogan, a Trinity alumna and MCR President 2012/13, and the exchange has now continued for five years. This event (pictured) is a highlight of the year for the Oriel MCR members lucky enough to go. We are grateful to Rachel Williams for her work organising the exchange and many other lovely events this year.

At Torpids this year we had three MCR members in the women’s Headship-winning crew – Eleanor Ainscoe, Alex Fortacz and Rebecca Leigh. There was a great show of MCR support down at the Boathouse, and everyone had a great day, and indeed a great week.

Oriel Talks, founded by Nisha Mistry last year, has continued to be massively successful. Each event has a keynote given by a member of the SCR and two short talks from other members of the College community. These are followed by dinner in hall and second desserts in the MCR. Oriel Talks has been a great way for members to come together across common rooms and learn about other members’ research interests. Themes so far this year have included “The Material Things”, “Make or Break”, “Resilience”, “From First Principles” and “Anthropocene”. We are grateful to Alex Fortacz and

MCR Refurbishment Over summer 2016, the College embarked on a £150,000 upgrade and refurbishment of the Middle Common Room with the support of generous alumni. The newly refurbished common room is much used by the current MCR and we are convinced that we now have the best rooms of any common room in Oxford!

New armchairs, lighting and furnishings have made the main MCR room a cosier place for study and catching up with friends. Our new coffee machine ensures that the MCR is packed full of graduate students enjoying their free cappuccinos, lattes and flat whites every hour of the day. At the time of writing, the MCR has consumed over 14,000 beverages. Surely this significant investment in caffeine supplies will have good outcomes for the productivity of graduate students! The free newspapers and magazines remain a permanent fixture, the perfect accompaniment to our comfortable leather Chesterfield sofas.

The refurbishment also included the graduate study room above the MCR, which is now mercifully warmer thanks to upgraded heating – it offers a secluded space for graduates to work away from the library and closer to the supply of coffee. The study room contains some particularly nice photos of the College buildings and events

taken by MCR students. A more recent addition are the standing desks, providing students with alternative ways of working.

The refurbishment of the bar doubled the length of the counter and replaced the old kitchen with a far more modern and functional space.

The new bar was fitted into its surroundings by French polishers who had just finished work on the Chapel. The wall behind is fitted with mirrors to make the new space feel far more spacious than its predecessor. There is in fact room for chilling 600 bottles of beer and storage for the many different varieties of spirits, whiskeys and non-alcoholic drinks which make the MCR such a popular place to spend time. A brand-new speaker system makes it far easier to listen to music in both main rooms and the new, very futuristic

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 5

The Annual Telephone Campaign During the Easter Vacation, 12 Oriel students took part in the College’s annual telephone campaign, speaking to over 400 Orielenses around the world and raising over £150,000 in support of the College’s 2026 Campaign.

The response to the campaign from Orielenses was fantastic, with over half of all those contacted choosing to make a gift to the College. Our student callers also benefited from the wealth of knowledge and experience that alumni were able to offer them during their conversations – including career advice and some fascinating stories about life at the College over the years.

The telephone campaign is not just about raising money to support the College. It is also about connecting current students with alumni, thereby helping to maintain and develop Oriel’s close-knit community. It is a fantastic opportunity too for current students to develop some transferable skills and enhance their CV in preparation for life after graduation. Our thanks to all who participated.

Abdel Wahab Turkmani for their work to continue this excellent series of events.

At the instigation of MCR committee member and Environmental Officer Tobias Thornes, the College has begun having a fortnightly Vegetarian Formal in Hall, which has been well attended by undergraduates and postgraduates.

Peter Gent, MCR President (2016/17)

mood lighting enables the rooms to be set up for a variety of uses. The new bar has had plenty of use already this year and has proven to be a very popular improvement.

The MCR refurbishment was a much needed and valuable contribution to graduate life at Oriel. The hard work and support of both Richard Noonan and Wilf Stephenson ensured its success. I must also thank the many MCR members who contributed to the planning, including Gabrielle Bourett-Sicotte, Nisha Mistry and Peter Gent.

Floreat Oriel!

Mark Johnson, MCR President 2015–16

Top Row: Sofija, Lara, Ed, Cyrille, Yi Yun Bottom Row: Phoebe, Peggy, Tacita

6 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

Torpids Victory for Oriel’s Women Torpids 2017 was the most successful campaign ever for women’s rowing at Oriel. This year has seen the winning of the second Headship in our history, as well as our second boat rising an incredible seven places in four days – achievements that are testimony to the drive, passion and tenacity of all of the women in the squad.

It has been a long road to our Torpids success, training through the gruelling winter months, putting up with cold, rain, wind and even snow. The training programme began in early Michaelmas Term, with the process of recruiting novices into the sport. Nearly all of the women in each year’s squad learned to row entirely at Oriel, and this year was no different – we had 12 women join the team with no prior experience. The terms seemed to fly by, with the squad competing at numerous national rowing events, all the while developing their fitness and rowing ability.

By the start of Hilary Term, we had chosen our crew configurations.

Our first boat was to be comprised of three women from last year’s top boat, three returning rowers from lower boats in the squad and two novices. This is something of an anomaly, as complete novices normally aren’t at the level of skill required to be able to race at such a high level, though I’m happy to say this year is a deserving exception.

We spent our final weeks leading into Torpids getting as much race training as we could. In the week before, we invited Wolfson’s first boat to Wallingford (where we train) in order to do some private “bumps-style” races, not only to gauge our relative boat speed but also to give the women experience of a real race situation. This ended up paying dividends, especially for the newer rowers, as it gave them an opportunity to get to grips with the emotions and stresses of racing in advance of the first day of Torpids. To quote our coach James after the outing: “That was so incredibly valuable!”

Before long, Torpids was upon us. Four races spread out over four days. We started the week in second position, behind Magdalen.

After a particularly intense battle for the Headship in 2016, in which we came within two feet of success, we were ready to go head to head once again. Behind us was Pembroke, followed by Christ Church, and then Wadham. The first day was a day of mixed emotion, as we were confident we were faster than Magdalen, but unsure as to how things would play out behind us, which ultimately would give us indication of the days to come. We rowed to the start

line, got off to a fantastic start, and bumped into the Headship position in fewer than 20 strokes – an unbelievable feeling! Lower down the river our second boat started their racing in style with an early bump on Lincoln II, who then went on to bump a crashed Regent’s Park I, securing them a two-position rise in a single day.

Thursday was thankfully a less eventful day. We rowed over as Head comfortably, with Christ Church gaining on us only in the last 250m, due to a few minor mistakes in our row. This wasn’t a bad thing, however, as we were confident we could improve on the Friday.

Behind Christ Church, Pembroke were bumped by Wadham, who ended the day in third – looking to regain their lost ranking from a poor showing last year.

The penultimate day brought with it a number of surprises. The first was our second boat beginning the day by moving up three places and into the third division for the first time since 2003. The second was what happened behind our first boat during their race.

Wadham rocketed out of the start, winning themselves an early (and unexpected) bump on Christ Church, leaving us able to have a relaxed row over the course and conserve our energy for the final day.

Saturday was a day I’ll never forget. Continuing their successes, the second boat bumped St Peter’s just before a klaxon, earning themselves blades with seven bumps (far more than the usual four).

In good (albeit nervous) spirits, we prepared ourselves for our final race. In first position, for the first time since the Headship was lost in 2008, we were ready to go to war with Wadham. Hordes of supporters had come down to the Boathouse to cheer us on as we rowed past.

Once we arrived at the start line, all feelings of trepidation vanished, as we knew what we needed to do. The cannon fired, and we got off to a flying start, holding Wadham on station for the first two minutes.

They then began to slowly eat into our lead over the course, inching closer with each stroke, but falling away whenever we made a move to compensate. It wasn’t until we reached Boathouse Island that they really closed in on us – as we passed the Univ raft they were under three feet away. I remember looking over my shoulder and realising that if they managed to make up that tiny distance, everything the team had worked for over the last two terms would be gone.

Despite all that was going on, with the wall of sound coming from the boathouses and Wadham right on our tail, the women kept their

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 7

composure and held on, keeping them at bay. It wasn’t until we reached the Oriel Boathouse that we started to pull away. Knowing that we had to “run” away from them, I started to steer away from the racing line, to make them need to chase us to achieve the bump.

The small amount of distance gained slowly got larger as it became clear that the Wadham women had expended all their energy getting close to us, and we crossed the line half a length clear of them.

The sound of the clacker dropping was a welcome one, and the boat erupted into cheers as the celebrations began. We rowed back to the boathouses with heads held high and were met by raucous

applause and cheering – we had done it! Never in my life have I been in a boat that has rowed a race as “gutsily” as this one – the result is certainly well deserved.

Torpids has been an incredible journey for all of us. We’ve gone from university students to winning athletes in such a short time.

The level of team spirit exuded by the crew is unparalleled, and I feel truly privileged to have had such a great squad and incredible coach. Roll on 2018!

Edward Carroll, Women’s Captain of Boats

Meet the Crew Stroke: Eleanor Ainscoe (2014, Earth Sciences) I’m a DPhil student studying Earth Sciences, and rowing at Oriel has been a great counterbalance to spending so much time on my narrow research topic. I learned to row at Bradford Grammar School so I got into the sport before there was any talk of 5am alarms – they’re definitely not my strong point!

7: Meredith Ellis (2014, Mathematics) I’m a 3rd year studying Maths. I hadn’t rowed before I came to university, my sport of choice being karate, which I’ve done since I was six years old. It was really easy to get into rowing at Oriel, however, and in my first year I went from complete novice to rowing in W2 for Torpids and Summer Eights. I moved up into W1 last year with the support and guidance of an amazing crew and I stroked W1 for Summer Eights. To have achieved the Headship after narrowly missing out last year is the perfect reward for all our hard work over the years.

6: Lara Bonney (2016, Physics) I’m a first-year Physicist and started rowing when I arrived at Oriel last October. Before coming to Oriel, I did very little sport and my friends and family were very surprised when I took up rowing! In spite of their disbelief, I have loved learning to row and being a part of the team.

5: Josephine Wilks (2015, Classics and English) I’m in my second year studying Classics and English. I only started rowing at Oriel, although my whole family have rowed for as long as I can remember. Up until now I’ve tried to resist rowing, but the chance to do so at Oriel was too much to pass up.

4: Alexandra Fortacz (2016, International Relations) I’m a first-year MPhil International Relations student. I only started rowing in October, when I came up to Oxford. I’ve been playing handball for a very long time, so I was excited to pick up a new and very different team sport. Despite the early and freezing mornings and the numerous blisters over the last

few months, training with the team and our coach has been an inspiring journey and I have loved learning to row.

3: Sally (Sarah) Foster (2014, Classics) I am a third-year Classics student in my penultimate year. I took up rowing in the summer of my first year here at Oriel, but this year was my first time doing Torpids.

My usual sport is long-distance running, which I have done competitively for many years – I completed my first marathon event last October – but I also enjoy acting, music, doing my degree and especially juggling all these commitments.

2: Alice Blanchard (2014, History) I’m a third year studying History at Oriel. I started rowing in the summer of my first year, enjoying the sunny weather but soon got into it enough to commit myself to some chilly November early mornings. Over the summer, I even tried out the rowing club in my hometown of Liverpool. I’ve had such a fantastic time with the team this term and Torpids was the icing on the cake.

Bow: Rebecca Leigh (2013, Italian and Classics) I am a fourth year reading Italian and Classics.

I began rowing in my first year at Oriel – it has been a wonderful journey, starting at the very beginning with Christ Church Regatta and working all the way up to rowing over as Head of the River at Torpids with the first boat. Beyond my role as Vice-Captain, I believe my biggest contribution to the women of OCBC has been opening their eyes to the performance-enhancing qualities of ugly, ugly Lycra.

Cox: Edward Carrol (2015, Computer Science) I learned to cox at a young age at my previous school, competing at national and international events. When I joined Oriel in 2015 to read Computer Science, it didn’t take long for me to start coxing for the Boat Club, and I haven’t looked back since, becoming Women’s Captain at the end of that year. When I’m not on the river, I’m singing with the Worcester Choir, or playing non-contact ice hockey with the Oxford ALTS society.

8 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

Orielensis Crosses Greenland Ice Cap This time last year, my life was very different. The alarm would go off at 6.30am, setting in motion a painfully monotonous routine which concluded at 9pm (with 9.5 hours of cross-country skiing in the middle) every day, for an entire month.

In search of something unique for my first fundraiser, I opted for an unsupported crossing of the Greenland polar ice cap – the vast body of ice that covers 80% of Greenland’s surface and is second in size only to the Antarctic ice cap. For someone who works in an office and had exercised little since a leisurely outing in the Oriel Fifth VIII in the summer of 2008, this was ambitious to say the least. I had actually planned to make the crossing in 2010 but withdrew from training, believing I would be unable to meet the required standard of fitness in time. It was my girlfriend, Steph, who encouraged me to get the monkey off my back – and even offered to accompany me on the expedition.

An intense training programme followed – five days a week (four evenings in the gym or roller-skiing, with a five-hour tyre-hauling session in the park on Sundays) for six months; I also gave up alcohol for the last four of those months. And on 20 April last year, Steph and I set off with a guide from Kangerlussuaq in the west of Greenland for the small fishing village of Isortoq in the east – some 575km away along the line of the Arctic Circle.

Unsupported, we hauled food and equipment for the entire expedition in sleds and skied for nine-and-a-half hours a day in temperatures as low as -30°C. It was exhausting. But the physical exertion of dragging an 80kg sledge across the ice day after day was only one element of the challenge. The bleak landscape didn’t change for a month; we didn’t see darkness for a month; we kept the same company, ate the same three meals and slept in the same sleeping bag in the same single small tent every day for a month – with no way of showering and only a single change of underwear…

We completed the crossing in 24 days – about a week ahead of schedule thanks to some hard graft and more than our fair share of favourable conditions. More than six years after first thinking of the crossing, the sight of the edge of the ice cap at the close of Day 23 was an emotional one.

It was the hardest thing we’ve ever done and it was, quite simply, epic in every sense of the word. An old-school adventure in its truest sense, it was more than we ever expected it could or would be, and an experience I expect we will keep with us always.

The expedition had a bit of everything – days where we felt heroic and others where we came close to crying; some days under a

bright blue cloudless sky, other days where we could barely see our hand in front of our face, days when our gear was frozen solid and others where we were quite literally blown off our feet by storm winds; some days brought us to our knees while on others we felt limitless. But more often than not we had good weather (-30°C rather than the typical -40°C), which allowed us to make good daily distances – particularly during the final week.

But the unseasonably warm weather proved to be a double-edged sword, ultimately thawing the glacial lake and melting the sea ice that covered the 11km stretch between the end of the ice cap and the small heliport at Isortoq. As a result, this ordinarily nondescript three-hour finale morphed into an entirely separate adventure in its own right, as we sought to reach Isortoq by any route possible with our sleds (holding about 40kg of gear) on our backs. Over two exhausting and emotional days we covered 7km as the crow flies (and many more as it doesn’t) before being picked up by two hunter fishermen who ferried us the remaining 4km – our land route was cut off by a series of sea cliffs and a vast ridge. We loaded our pulks onto the boat, collapsed in a state of mental and physical exhaustion (each having lost a stone in weight) and then carved our way between vast icebergs. It was a fitting end to an incredible adventure, which raised more than £14,500 for the National Autistic Society, Ambitious About Autism and the Winnicott Foundation.

Photos of the expedition can be found at www.greenlandicecapcrossing.com/expedition-gallery.

A video will also be uploaded in due course.

We’re also pleased to announce that on Day 17 I proposed to Steph (at 66°16’48"N 43°29’36”W). She accepted and we are now engaged!

Patrick Duhig (2005, Theology)

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 9

Taking Faustus to the Fringe Doctor Faustus, a new musical composed by Oriel undergraduate Sarah Wright (2014, Modern Languages) and John Paul, (St Peter’s), is touring this summer, including stints in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Below Sarah explains the inspiration behind the play.

Les Misérables was my favourite musical when I was growing up.

Since coming to Oxford, I’ve worn a number of different theatrical hats, from director to actor to producer, often to my tutors’ dismay.

When it was announced that Claude-Michel Schönberg – the writer of Les Misérables – would be this year’s Cameron Mackintosh Professor of Contemporary Theatre, and would be running workshops for those who wanted to write musical theatre, it was too good a chance to miss. I joined forces with John Paul, a third-year Music student at St Peter’s, and together we came up with the idea of submitting a musical version of The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, Marlowe’s sixteenth-century play about a man who sells his soul to the devil.

Along with several other musical theatre devotees, we were accepted onto the workshop (with the snappier title of Doctor Faustus).

The only problem was that I wasn’t actually going to be in Oxford when the workshops were taking place. As a third-year studying French, this was my year abroad; I was going to be across the Channel in Montpellier, while John was studying for his Finals.

Clearly, Skype was going to be key in the development of this musical. Sending snippets of song back and forth, recording vocals on a laptop microphone of questionable quality, even “meeting” Mr Schönberg for the first time via a video call after rushing back in from work – the whole process has been an exercise in effective cross-country communication. Yet somehow we came up with some songs and a plot that seemed half-plausible.

The story concerns Dr Emma Faustus, a researcher in a medical laboratory who is desperately seeking the cure to a disease that claimed the love of her life. Mephistopheles and Lucifer can provide Faustus with a cure, but only for a price. Over the last six months, we’ve polished, honed and generally hacked at the idea, moving from a world of souls and demons to one of corporate greed, science and ambition. The narrative is now far removed from Marlowe’s original, but the question remains the same: how far would you go to get what you want? The beauty of the Faustian legend lies in its perennial relevance – the details may change, but the core themes remain the same.

We had always known that we wanted to take the show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer. This soon expanded to encompass more locations, with a confirmed run in London and plans for Oxford and Lancashire. Our Edinburgh venue, Paradise @ St Augustine’s, is huge, central and imposing, a converted church in the heart of the city. Experiencing all these different venues is a real advantage, as the aim is to transform our Fringe-length show into a full, West-End-ready musical by next summer. We arranged a singthrough at the beginning of March, where we met actors and Mr Schönberg to go through the script, song by song, hearing it sung by people other than me for the first time. It’s a lot easier to imagine it on stage now that I’m not trying to sing three parts at once.

There’s a lot of planning ahead. We are choosing the cast in May and starting rehearsals in June, before the tour begins later this summer. Transporting a set, costumes, and an entire cast and crew up to Edinburgh and across the country is no mean feat, never mind finding somewhere for them all to stay! Thankfully, we’ve got a stellar crew helping us pull this off, with enough experience between them to launch a Broadway show. As we finalise arrangements, secure the funding to make it possible, and continue to refine (read: finish) the script, I feel the same childish excitement I had when I listened to Les Misérables on repeat as an eight-year-old.

Visit tigerhousetheatre.co.uk for more information or to support the production.

10 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

The Jonathan Close-Brooks This year, there was an extra twist to Torpids with the launch of a new M1 Empacher for Oriel. The Development Office was approached by the Boat Club in May last year with the idea of raising funds from the winning 1966 crew in honour of their legendary Captain, Jonathan Close-Brooks. As this coincided with the anniversary of 50 years of dominance on the river for Oriel, we tested the waters by approaching individuals from all eras and received some very welcome donations. The original target was £35,000 – over £54,000 was raised in the end from 50 individuals over seven months.

With the funding for the new M1 achieved, the delivery of the new boat presented its own set of challenges, as Stevan Boljevic (PPE, 2014) recounts: Following record high orders after Rio, the usual Empacher delivery schedule had slipped from four to six months, which left us receiving the new boat two days before the start of Torpids. Willing to go to any lengths in pursuit of the Headship, we set about organising an elaborate plan to borrow a trailer, drive to Germany, and collect the boat ourselves – something no British Club had ever done – giving us an extra seven sessions in the boat. So with two weeks to go until Torpids, my father and I set off to make the 1,250 mile round trip to Eberbach, Germany.

In a sign of what was to come, the brakes on the first Wallingford trailer had rusted on, so we were forced to take a second, smaller

trailer. A botched attempt to replace an indicator bulb led to shortcircuiting the car electronics before we had even left Oxford. A dubious jump-start and a trip to the mechanics the next morning had us ready to hit the road, and by 5pm we had made good progress through France. Once night fell, however, it soon became apparent that we now had no rear lights on the car or trailer. The AA had refused to provide breakdown cover for the trailer, so we were forced to drive 100 miles through Germany, sandwiched between container lorries, using the fog light and hazards to make ourselves visible. Thankfully the police seemed to be taking the evening off and we made camp for the night in Germany.

There was no respite from 5am starts as our limited progress on Wednesday forced an early start to make up time. We reached the factory and were greeted by Mr Empacher himself: “Oriel College?”

The Empacher team were incredibly friendly and helpful, even if their tea doesn’t match up to their boats. The return trip was thankfully drama-free (the Germans fixed the trailer problems), and as midnight came around the Jonathan Close-Brooks in all her beauty sat in the Boathouse ready to go.

The launch was brief but poignant, with Henry Shalders inviting Jonathan’s widow, Rosemary Close-Brooks, to officially launch the Jonathan Close-Brooks in front of family, friends and Tortoises on Saturday 4th March just before M1 raced. The boat will enable the next generation of rowers to excel and continue the tradition of Tortoise triumphs!

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 11

Oriel on University Challenge 2016–17 PPE undergraduate; next, bearded Alec Siantonas and our worthy captain, Nathan Helms, both DPhil Philosophy students; finally, me, studying for a DPhil in Physics. Roxy Taylor, our reliable reserve, was willing us on from the wings.

The lights went up, the well-known tune began, and the familiar voice of Roger Tilling announced the start of another episode of University Challenge. After an absence of 13 years, and exactly 50 years since she last took the title, Oriel College was back – albeit perhaps owing her reappearance partly to the College’s recent appearance in the media on a rather different theme. Our opponents? 2013 Champions, the University of Manchester. It would prove a memorable match.

It was a grey February day when the five of us arrived at the windswept wilderness that is Salford’s Media City on a Saturday, when hardly a soul hangs about the slick and swanky buildings erected on the ruins of a once-busy dock. Our first challenge, locating the studio, proved almost too difficult, lost as we were amidst a sea of signs proclaiming “ITV”. Some of us narrowly having avoided ending up as extras on Coronation Street, we eventually arrived, still on time, to be readied for a recording just after lunch. Once we had been ushered into a small studio, where an audience already awaited us, the experience, so long imagined, suddenly became all too real. We were even honoured with the early appearance of Mr Paxman, who deigns to host the “warm up” for the first teams of the day.

Once it began, the whole half-hour episode passed in what felt like ten minutes, under the searing spotlights and the gaping eyes of the cameras. Forget any stories of question-cutting and fakery: the entire programme is essentially recorded in a single take, from opening theme to closing credits. First, the introductions – Tilling had verified our names with us beforehand so he knew how to pronounce them. To begin, Eoin Monaghan, a 2nd year

Each of us found at least one question to answer in our areas of expertise. The buzzer-happy fingers of Manchester cut both ways, winning their three physicists the easy physics picture-round questions before I’d been quick enough to buzz, but also throwing away to us several questions that their hasty attempts to answer had lost them. But we’ll never live down the infamous Music Round, which saw Jeremy Paxman reeling at our answers regarding tunes that were evidently more fitting to his time and taste than to our own. You may not believe me when I say that, though it’s true that some of us would prefer to answer questions on classical music, our pop music knowledge isn’t as bad as it looked; it’s just that The Cure and George Michael aren’t quite our cup of tea. Despite our embarrassment, we managed to edge our way to victory, eventually beating Manchester with 150 points to their 75.

So it was that, about a month later, we trundled back to Salford to do it all over again. This time, however, we perhaps weren’t so fortunate in our opponents. Bristol were just as quick on the buzzer as Manchester, but, unlike our previously vanquished foes, tended to get the answer right when they shot in. Early answers to questions that had us flummoxed saw them soaring ahead, and it was all we could do to grapple to the pathetic foothills of 70 points while they looked down from the high mountain summit of 265. A trouncing indeed, to eclipse our much gentler besting of Manchester. I kicked myself for failing to beat Bristol’s chemist to the buzzer when he gave a science answer I also knew, especially when it transpired that this handed Bristol a bonus round surely destined for us, on the subject of Eoin’s native Northern Ireland!

So, we made our long journey back to Oriel in defeat. But at least we could stand before the great statues of Edward and Charles knowing that our venture hadn’t been entirely in vain, and that we hadn’t brought the Oriel lion back from banishment only for it to whimper and bow out without a fight. But for now, Oriel remains, we hope, in her ascendency. One day, surely, she will regain her title as University Challenge Champion – and perhaps even her reputation for knowledge of ‘80s pop.

Tobias Thornes (2014, Environmental Research)

Tortoise Club Sponsors Oriel Rowing In 2015 OCBC turned to the Tortoises to help secure its financial future: the Tortoise Club made “the financial support of the OCBC” its second purpose, set up the Blades scheme to provide this support and became the OCBC’s principal sponsor. Tortoises are asked to become Blades, entitled to special regalia, and other benefits, by pledging £100 or more per year to ensure the OCBC has a reliable source of income for years to come.

The scheme initially targets £20,000 for 2016/17 to cover OCBC coaching costs and more in the future to help fund equipment purchases and other items. To date we’ve made great progress with 70 and counting of the Club’s 395 men and 155 women

members already Blades and £15,200 per year pledged. We ask other Tortoises to help the OCBC by becoming Blades: please email me (tortoise-president@orielrowing.org) or Hattie Partington (hattie.partington@oriel.ox.ac.uk).

We’ve made it to Longbridges but still have to push to reach the finish. In our time, we all played our part on the water: now is the time to do our bit off the water.

Stevan Boljevic (PPE, 2014), Tortoise Club President

12 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

The Future of Cars?

As European cities threaten to ban diesel cars, and Sadiq Kahn promises that it will cost £20+ to enter London, don’t you wish you weren’t driving a diesel car?

Riversimple was set up by Hugo Spowers (1978, Engineering Science) to “pursue, systematically, the elimination of the environmental impact of personal transport”. The challenges we now face – CO2 emissions, energy security and local air pollution – are not susceptible to incremental solutions: we need a step change, not just in technology but also in business model. If you sell cars, energy efficiency doesn’t pay and, as we have seen recently, regulation is a blunt instrument, so Riversimple’s core driver has been to make efficiency profitable.

Riversimple is the only car company that hopes never to sell a car. “Usership”, rather than ownership, will be offered under a service contract, typically for one to three years, covering all costs, including fuel; at the end of the contract, Riversimple takes the car back and offers it to a second or third user, and so on. A revenuegenerating asset on the balance sheet promotes longevity rather than obsolescence, rewarding resource conservation rather than resource consumption; and, by internalising all operating costs, the cost savings of a more efficient car land with Riversimple, making efficiency profitable.

Riversimple’s first project was the Morgan LIFECar, a research programme with Oxford University’s Engineering Department and the Morgan Motor Co, among other partners. Last year they completed the prototype of their first car designed for type approval, the Rasa. Designed from scratch to run on hydrogen, the environmental performance of this car is way ahead of every other vehicle on the road – energy consumption equivalent to 250mpg and carbon emissions of 40g CO2 /km on a well-to-wheel basis when using hydrogen made from natural gas.

The H. Basil Robinson Prize The H.Basil Robinson Prize was established in 2014 by the Robinson family in memory of their father. The prize is awarded to a student at Oriel College who excels both at academic work and sports, and understands the importance of good sportsmanship, teamwork and public service.

H. Basil Robinson was a Rhodes Scholar from British Columbia (Canada) and a student at Oriel, where he read PPE from 1946 to 1948. He was the first Canadian to earn a cricket Blue and captained the Canadian cricket team in the 1950s. He was also a well-known rugby and football player, being the youngest member of the Canadian Dominion champion football team, North Shore United, in 1937–38.

H. Basil Robinson He had a distinguished career as a Canadian civil servant and diplomat, and served as Under Secretary of State for External Affairs in the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Order of Canada and was an Honorary Fellow of Oriel College.

The prize’s most recent recipient, Jessica Forsyth (2014, Biomedical Sciences), writes:

The Rasa prototype has been running for over a year now; the only journalist to drive it so far, Chris Evans, waxed lyrical about it. Top Gear talked of slipping through the air “like an otter through water”.

In November, Riversimple was awarded the prestigious Simms Medal by the RAC, “For an Outstanding Contribution to Motoring Innovation”, and in April they exceeded their target in their first crowdfunding round.

Riversimple are no longer alone in believing in hydrogen cars. In KPMG’s 2017 survey of automotive industry executives, 78% of them agree that fuel cell vehicles will be the real breakthrough for electric mobility. China is also embracing the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology in cars, with substantial subsidies offered for their production. Riversimple is discussing strategic collaboration in China as well as the significant development of new models for production in China using Riversimple’s innovative hydrogen powertrain technology and business model.

“I was honoured to receive the H. Basil Robinson Prize at the end of my first year reading Biomedical Sciences, following a year in the Oxford Volleyball Club and in recognition of establishing the first Oriel Volleyball team. In funding my visa application, the H. Basil Robinson Prize facilitated a summer research internship at the Queensland Brain Institute in Australia, allowing me to pursue a personal research interest Jessica Forsyth in the neurobiology of age, memory and dementia. I am incredibly grateful for the privilege of this experience and the future opportunities that arose as a result of this generosity. It is very special to be connected to a distinguished Orielensis such as H. Basil Robinson in this way, and powerful that his legacy continues to benefit students today.”

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 13

Industry Focus: Charity and Third-Sector Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel?

Being able to say the College Latin grace twice a week in a pronounced Wigan accent. More seriously it was starting to understand that people come with their different strengths and vulnerabilities and that this is a positive thing. It was also inspiring to be able to take the ever-present opportunities to stretch myself and pursue new activities (sometimes even competently!): in my case studying Greek, doing JCR work and taking up new sports. I like to think I have kept this up in the 30 years since I left Oriel.

What has been your greatest personal/professional triumph?

Sustaining a complex operation of 600 projects in 40 to 60 countries at a time, with over 500 employees and a £75 million budget funded from many sources; knowing that very many people in those countries (and this!) either deeply value or fiercely oppose the changes that we strive for. So it feels like a triumph to keep the whole thing going from one year to the next. I can pick out two specific episodes: leading a team that once changed UK aid strategy on India in favour of the most excluded people; and seeing through the operation to spend the Indian Ocean Tsunami appeal funds – a 50% scale-up from a standing start. I’ve not been bored for 25 years. Everything else, but never bored.

Robin Greenwood 1983, Literae Humaniores Role in Charity and Third-Sector: Head of Operations at Christian Aid, one of this country’s biggest humanitarian/international development charities.

Where has life taken you since you left Oriel?

I first spent six years in sales, marketing and general management in the manufacturing industry in the UK, Europe and South America.

Then came three years helping returning refugees to put their lives back together in Mozambique. I returned to the UK and led a small health NGO for four years, joining Christian Aid in 2002. In terms of the more durable features of my life, I am married to another Orielensis (1985, Literae Humaniores) and we have two grownup children (one of them yet another Orielensis – 2012, Modern Languages). I live in Cambridge.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Complexity, variety and our ambition to play a part in fighting poverty, injustice and need.

What is one of the greatest challenges in your job?

My reflex response is to repeat “Complexity, variety and our ambition…” Never having quite the complete picture is a big challenge too. Even when I was chased across the desert by the Taliban, it took me six months to find this out from my Afghan colleagues.

How did you get into the sector?

In 1993 I decided that I could do more positive things in my working life than make business cases for closing factories. So I wrote to dozens of humanitarian and development charities seeking an opening. All of them except one demanded direct experience of the sector. That one small organisation backed its judgement that my experience of starting a textile sales company in Paraguay qualified me to set up an aid programme in Mozambique.

Do you have any unusual hobbies?

While they are not unusual hobbies in themselves, my singing early music and love of cooking would surprise many who knew me in 1983.

Do you do any voluntary work or work in the community?

I am an active participant in the life of two churches in the part of Cambridge where I live.

What is the one piece of “life” advice you would give to a current student?

If your career will play a large part in your life, then make sure that you do work that you believe in, that fits your basic values.

Mine were my faith and a commitment to social justice and internationalism.

Robert Barrington 1984, Modern History Role in Charity and Third-Sector: Executive Director, Transparency International UK Formerly Chief Executive (Europe) Earthwatch Institute Where has life taken you since you left Oriel?

After a short period in a Mayfair art gallery, I received funding to do a PhD in Italy, on Anglo-Venetian relations in the 1530s. I spent the time between Venice, Florence and Oxford, and having submitted my thesis, applied for several jobs of varying ambition in Oxford.

There is nothing more miserable than being turned down for lowpaid jobs that you know you could do very well. I was unemployed, and started to volunteer as a fundraiser at Earthwatch on the Woodstock Road, as well as doing a bit of undergraduate teaching.

After a few years, I became the CEO, and once it had grown considerably I wanted to look for a new challenge, so I went to work in the City. Part of me had always wondered whether my Oxford peers who went into the City after the Big Bang in the late eighties

14 | O R I E L N E W S | S u m m e r 2 0 1 7

Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel?

Robert Beddard and Jeremy Catto. Great history tutors: erudite, enthusiastic, iconoclastic, with high expectations of students but always prepared to put themselves out. Robert Beddard, in particular, had an extraordinary way of bringing culture – art, architecture, literature – into political analysis.

What has been your greatest personal/professional triumph?

When I was at university in Italy, I put together a chamber choir, and when we sounded good, we sounded very good – it was hugely satisfying. Professionally, I played a role in the campaign to update Britain’s anti-corruption laws, and the resulting Bribery Act was passed in 2010.

Do you have any unusual hobbies?

Obviously, none that I could admit to publicly. But I do like going to bed with a fat Trollope.

Do you do any voluntary work or work in the community?

I’ve done a fair amount of volunteering, but now I have young children I’ve decided to scale this back for a few years while they grow up, though I help out in our village community when I can and sit on a couple of non-profit boards.

were cleverer than me, and I wanted to measure myself by those standards. I also felt that I was there undercover, understanding how capitalism worked from the inside so I could take that knowledge back to the voluntary sector. Six years in the City helped me buy a house, and I approached Transparency International and asked them for a job, which they agreed to create if I could help raise the money for it.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

The people. It is an amazing thing to be able to work with a group of exceptionally talented people, all committed to a common cause and helping each other get the best out of themselves. My colleagues in Transparency International around the world are very talented and very courageous, often attacked in the press, sometimes at personal risk, and occasionally and very tragically killed for our cause.

What is one of the greatest challenges in your job?

Being a CEO is not like any other job, and in the voluntary sector you do it without the support mechanisms of the private sector, but at the same time people generally want you to succeed. One of the most challenging moments was the first time a solicitor’s letter arrived with a threat to sue from a corrupt oligarch who could afford top London lawyers. But you get used to that after a while.

In all my jobs, the things that have always kept me awake at night have been HR issues: how to deal with a situation when someone is underperforming, how to motivate people, how to treat everyone fairly and yet get the best out of the most talented people.

How did you get into the sector?

After my PhD I was sure I did not want to be an academic, but wanted to do some good in the world. I started work as a volunteer at Earthwatch, where the CEO was an inspirational man who had spent a long time as the head of Oxfam – he taught me a huge amount. I discovered that lots of the skills from doing a PhD translated well into fundraising (research, not being knocked back by blind alleys, writing persuasive arguments), and that set me on my way. Once I had raised some money, I was put on the payroll, and six years later I was in the right place at the right time to become CEO.

What is the one piece of “life” advice you would give to a current student?

Being at Oxford lets you have your cake and eat it, and that’s both a privilege and a responsibility. Make money, do good in the world, don’t be bound by artificial divisions over subject areas or different sectors in terms of your career, find a way to bring the best out of yourself.

Darren Saywell 1987, Geography Role in Charity and Third-Sector: I currently work for a billion dollar a year non-profit organisation, Plan International USA, supporting the neediest communities worldwide, leading their international practice in water supply, waste management and health. We work in 71 countries worldwide, mostly in lower income economies in Africa, Asia and Latin America, reaching 70 million people per year. More broadly, my role in this sector is to diagnose needs, mobilise resources, be a creative disruptor and an advocate for change.

Where has life taken you since you left Oriel?

Far and wide. I’ve worked short term in more than 50 countries worldwide, and lived happily outside of the UK in mainland Europe (Switzerland, The Netherlands) for nearly 10 years. Since 2011, I’ve been working in Washington, DC, in my current position.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

The opportunity for influence. My current role involves shaping programmes and helping set service delivery standards that have the potential to impact millions of people.

What is one of the greatest challenges in your job?

Assimilating newer skills and competencies over time that helped in any given role. I trained to become a technical specialist; I now need workplace attributes which are more broadly based: negotiating, facilitation, mediation and advocacy, among others…

How did you get into the sector?

In a circuitous fashion – through the public sector social housing

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 15

movement in the UK, via a UK university, the United Nations system, and an industry association! This has given me a very privileged perspective of the sector from different institutional viewpoints – and I think this is a real asset to the work I do now.

Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel?

The opportunity (and time) to think at Oriel was something that today feels like a real luxury. With the benefit of hindsight, I would have applied myself more if I could have done (or I would apply myself more if I could do) the whole thing over again. Many good friendships were formed during those three years – I am thrilled to have met such a diverse group of people, who are now leaders in the diplomatic corps, journalism, neuroscience, public relations and the arts.

What has been your greatest personal/professional triumph?

I was lucky to be working within the United Nations system at a time when my agency was spearheading the call for including a new Millennium Development Goal (as was, in 2002). The subsequent advocacy action and inclusion of that goal has focused worldwide attention – and government and multilateral resources – on that sector.

Do you have any unusual hobbies?

I dare say that my unstinting, irrepressible love for West Ham United could probably count.

What is the one piece of “life” advice you would give to a current student?

I’ll try to avoid many platitudes that I’ve heard during my career. One of the more useful was given to me by a colleague at the World Bank Institute, who taught me that staying too long in any one organisation was never a good thing – spread your wings!

Rebekah (Becky) Keen (née Theobald) 1989, Physiological Sciences Role in Charity and Third-Sector: I work for two Christian charities in Somerset. As a professional therapist, I helped set up Counselling 4 Yeovil – a charity that provides affordable, professional counselling for all. I am also the Partnerships Co-ordinator for a development charity called Hope for Kids International, which partners with a big American charity called Kids Alive International. Together we work in ten countries worldwide, rescuing children in desperate need and poverty and providing homes, education, medical and spiritual care and, most of all, hope. Check out www.counselling4yeovil.org.uk and www.hopeforkids.co.uk.

Where has life taken you since you left Oriel?

My journey since Oriel has been very varied, from youth work in Shepton Mallet to missionary training in Scotland, Portugal and Canada; then theology and teaching in Nottingham and Somerset and, more recently, counselling training in Bristol. I have also been very busy raising two wonderful children and assisting my vicar husband (Rev. David Keen, also from Oriel!) in the running of several parishes over the last 18 years.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Both my jobs have the great appeal of being very meaningful and they give me a great sense of purpose and fulfilment.

Counselling broken people and seeing them move through their emotional pain and into a place of freedom is both challenging and rewarding. With Hope for Kids, seeing traumatised children given a loving home and a future and moving through into becoming mature and spiritually nourished adults is a real delight!

What is one of the greatest challenges in your job?

In my Hope for Kids job, my greatest challenge is not to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of suffering children that are out there – e.g. in South Sudan at the moment the famine situation is shocking but we are able to get money directly to where it is needed, with no “middleman”. We cannot save every child but we do what we can and for each child we help, the

16 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

transformation in their lives can be hugely significant. In counselling, one of my biggest challenges is looking after myself enough to be able to help others. It can be an incredibly draining job at times, and making sure I have enough time off and some relaxation is a constant battle. My lurcher dog, Scrumpy, helps a lot here!

How did you get into the sector?

My degree at Oxford ignited my interest in Neuroscience and Psychology, which together with my Christian faith created my interest in counselling (especially OCD) and I wanted to help make it accessible to all. The cost of counselling is prohibitive to some and with NHS waiting lists so long, too many suffer alone. Our charity in Yeovil takes clients on a sliding scale of payment according to their ability to pay and some are even free. Our fantastic counselling team all work at greatly reduced rates to enable this to happen. We are all motivated by our strong Christian faith to help others in need.

Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel?

I was inspired by the Christian Union at Oriel and, across the university as a whole, by OICCU, who introduced me to God through Jesus Christ. This has definitely set the course of my whole life since then. I am so very grateful to St Aldate’s and St Ebbe’s churches, who were also key – I still remember several inspiring sermons and people there.

What has been your greatest personal/professional triumph?

On a personal level, together with my husband, building a loving home for my children, who are now starting to develop their own faiths and a desire to help others less fortunate than themselves.

Professionally, getting well qualified in counselling (much harder than my degree at Oxford!) and helping to set up the Counselling 4 Yeovil charity/agency have probably been my biggest achievements so far.

Do you have any unusual hobbies?

As a family we have two degus, which are a cross between a hamster and a rat, called Dobby and Dumbledore! They really belong to my daughter who has type 1 diabetes, which is quite interesting as degus are used in diabetic research, being naturally unable to process sugar themselves. One day they may help to find a cure!

Do you do any voluntary work or work in the community?

I do/have done lots of voluntary work within our local church context, e.g. running toddler groups, Sunday School, pastoral care work, etc.

I am also a senior governor at our local church primary school.

What is the one piece of “life” advice you would give to a current student?

Challenge yourself to truly explore the Christian faith and find out who you really are and what your life is for! The truth will set you free!

Daniela Lloyd-Williams (née Lohlein) 1994, Geography Role in Charity and Third-Sector: Manager of the J.A. Clark Charitable Trust.

Where has life taken you since you left Oriel?

To a career in international development. An MSc in Agricultural Economics at Wye/Imperial College was followed by three years in Bonn, Germany doing a doctorate in Agricultural Economics. My first “proper” job was working for the International Fund for Agricultural Development, a specialised agency of the United Nations based in Rome. I then took up a role at Oxfam, based in Oxford, with a regional focus on the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. This was followed by a stint of freelancing and a post at ADD International, an international NGO that focuses on disability and development.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Everything: I run a grant-making trust that focuses on women’s empowerment in Africa and Asia – what’s not to like? Telling fantastic organisations that we have approved their application is great, but I also get a big buzz from supporting partner organisations to find solutions to their problems. The absolute highlight of my job, though, is seeing the work we fund, and meeting the inspirational women who, against the odds, are changing the lives of women in their communities for the better.

What is one of the greatest challenges in your job?

The JAC Trust is a family trust that until recently was run entirely by the family themselves. I am the only non-family member involved. In working across three generations of an extended family with diverse interests, passions and experiences, a big challenge is ensuring that each family member has the information they want and need without overburdening our partners.

How did you get into the sector?

I have been interested in social issues and international relations

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 17

Naomi Zainuddin 2010, PPE Role in Charity and Third-Sector: Data Analyst at Shelter, now a Database Manager for Anthony Nolan Where has life taken you since you left Oriel?

My first job after graduating was at a small start-up that had recently been bought by Lloyds Pharmacy as a Data/Product Analyst. It was a great job because, although technically it was owned by a larger multinational firm, the particular area I worked in still operated like a start-up, so I was able to gain experience of lots of different types of roles. After a year and a half, I realised that I really enjoyed the data side of things, but that I needed something more fulfilling, so I accepted a role at Shelter as a data analyst. Most big charities have one central data team that then deals with requests from different departments, so it was an excellent opportunity to learn about the different sections within Fundraising and Campaigning departments. After about a year and a half, I moved into a more senior role at Anthony Nolan.

since my late teens. Within months of starting my MSc, I knew for certain that I wanted to work in international development – the complexity of rural poverty reduction and diversity of approaches attracted me to the sector. I aimed for a career at the UN and while I loved my work at IFAD in Rome, I felt quite removed from the work on the ground. So I moved across to the NGO sector, to Oxfam.

My job there involved a great deal of travel and I could see how my personal efforts were adding value and making a difference to people’s lives. Taking the job at Oxfam involved a 50% pay cut, but I have never regretted it.

Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel?

My tutor Professor Michael Williams for showing me how (almost) everything comes back to geography.

What has been your greatest personal/professional triumph?

Finding an interesting leadership position that is a part-time role, and persuading my employers to retain me when I moved to Germany last summer.

Do you have any unusual hobbies?

No, not really. According to my children, my hobbies are chatting, travelling and good wine.

Do you do any voluntary work or work in the community?

Until our move to Germany nine months ago, I was a foundation governor at my daughters’ primary school, heading the Finance, Premises and Staffing Committee. It was a great deal more time-consuming than expected, but very rewarding. Here in Germany I help out at my local Café International – part of the Willkommenskultur (making refugees feel welcome). This is a weekly early evening drop-in for refugees, and provides an opportunity to meet and get to know the local community, practice German and seek informal advice on life in Germany.

What is the one piece of “life” advice you would give to a current student?

Throw yourself into life at Oriel and Oxford and take advantage of as many of the opportunities on offer as you can.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Working for a charity means I can always be proud of what my organisation is working towards. In my role I feel really useful, although I might not see a tangible result from the work that I do, like when I worked in product development. I get to learn about how different parts of the organisation work and get a good all-round picture of what’s going on, which means I can give important insight into how projects will impact each other.

What is one of the greatest challenges in your job?

You’d be surprised how many people don’t know which is the X-axis and which is the Y-axis. It can also be pretty tricky to determine how legislation written with the private sector in mind affects the organisation.

How did you get into the sector?

I was getting demotivated by my job in the private sector, so I applied directly for a couple of vacancies in the charity sector.

Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel?

Professor Mark Philp and his office. One day I hope to have read and to own that many books.

What has been your greatest personal/professional triumph?

Teaching myself to use SQL on the job and making a career of it.

Do you have any unusual hobbies?

All the ones I picked up at Oxford – pole dancing and parkour among them.

Do you do any voluntary work or work in the community?

Not really – sometimes I’ll be asked to help out at an event such as cheering at a race. I’m politically active – does that count?

What is the one piece of “life” advice you would give to a current student?

Don’t be afraid of failing or of asking a “stupid” question. Ask for help more often.

18 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

Being in Monitoring and Evaluation means we need to demonstrate our impact on agriculture through data collected from the field. The task becomes difficult when one is dealing with beneficiaries with little education practising subsistence farming, who therefore don’t keep records of crop production! The challenge has a positive spin – it pushes us to search for and devise new ways of gathering the requisite data. This is critical in the journey to achieving our longterm goal of influencing agricultural policy.

Rhea Cordeiro 2011, MSc Environmental Change and Management Role in Charity and Third-Sector: I’m a Programme Manager at Under The Mango Tree, a rural development non-profit with operations in three states in India, based in Mumbai. We train farmers in indigenous beekeeping to enhance agro-horticultural yields in a sustainable way. We’re a small team, so I pretty much have a foot in most functions – mainly Monitoring and Evaluation along with Fundraising, Donor Engagement and Communications.

Where has life taken you since you left Oriel?

I worked in environment consulting for some time, which was a natural progression after the Masters and my prior consulting experience. There, I worked on mainly Sustainable Consumption and Production projects. I then jumped into the non-profit world, where I’ve been for three years now.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Knowing that every aspect of my work every day is feeding into the larger good of poverty alleviation and sustainability. It helps tide over the sometimes mundane days that are part and parcel of any job.

I particularly enjoy my field assignments in rural India. It teaches me the challenges of operating in ambiguous, informal settings where “getting the job done” is not as clear-cut as it is in a city setting. New developments arise very often in the field which can derail carefully thought out implementation plans. I’ve learned to think on my feet and adapt to unforeseen changes to ensure the outcomes we set out to achieve are on track.

On the whole, being part of a young, rapidly expanding social enterprise gives me a chance to be part of changing systems and processes, and to contribute suggestions. I see first-hand the dynamic shifts taking place as an organisation equips itself to make big leaps. A small team also means we are like one big family and everyone is quite open with each other, so my suggestions are actually valued and incorporated.

What is one of the greatest challenges in your job?

Specifically related to the cause we promote, i.e. beekeeping for agriculture, it would be convincing a variety of stakeholders – from small farmers to government and corporates – to believe in the impact the programme creates. Beekeeping is very nascent in India and the concept of bees for agriculture is virtually unheard of. Many are not aware of bees’ critical pollination role in the food system. The usefulness of bees is still largely equated with honey. Their effectiveness in improving food production in farming communities that really need it is something we are trying to drive home within the larger institutional “ecosystem”.

How did you get into the sector?

Quite accidentally, actually! While I was in environmental consulting, it struck me that I’d never done any professional fieldwork. Without that, I personally felt it ironic to call myself an environmentalist.

While mulling over the “how”, I learned of a vacancy in UTMT that had elements of fieldwork, and promptly switched!

Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel?

Undoubtedly, the diversity of people and activities was amazing. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before, and I’ll always remember the fun conversations and cooking experiments with people who are now lifelong friends. It took me far beyond the little cocoon I’d lived in till then. It’s with great reluctance that I returned to the real world, where we don’t get such enriching experiences very often.

What has been your greatest personal/professional triumph?

I recently sang Christmas carols in my mother tongue, Konkani, with a small choir on All India Radio! Although I’ve sung in my church choir for over a decade and done occasional local stage events, it has always been in English. So, singing in a language I ought to be familiar with (but sadly, I’m not) was a huge learning experience.

I had to fast-track vocab, pronunciation and accent self-learning within a few short weeks.

Professionally, no one particular achievement. I’m just grateful for where my path has taken me, and all the brilliant people I’ve bonded with along the way.

Do you have any unusual hobbies?

I love collecting recipes and following food bloggers online, although I rarely venture into the kitchen myself. I keep saying it’ll come handy the day I’m forced to literally feed myself! I also harbour a lifelong dream of learning to ride a horse someday.

Do you do any voluntary work or work in the community?

A couple of church and Christian community development activities.

What is the one piece of “life” advice you would give to a current student?

I recently read a snippet that nicely summarised what I’ve come to realise over the past few years, although I feel this really depends on the kind of person you are: in the dilemma between following your head versus heart, follow your heart. But use your head (mind) to practically evaluate the risks, how much you can really stomach, the timeframes involved and risk mitigation options. Don’t be shy to seek advice, but not so much advice that you drown in it.

Another one I try to practise daily: pick your battles wisely…

Sometimes, peace is better than being right.

The Next Industry Focus – Entrepreneurship The next industry focus will be Entrepreneurship. If you would like to be considered for inclusion, please contact development.office@oriel.ox.ac.uk

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 19

New Data Protection Regulation In the spring of 2018, a new EU data protection regulation will be introduced – the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – replacing the current Data Protection Act (DPA) in the UK. The GPDR is intended to strengthen and unify data protection for individuals within the European Union and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business. At its heart lies a desire to allow individuals to have control of their personal data and how it is used.

“Organisations need to do more to explain to consumers what they’re doing with their information and why” Jo Pedder, Information Commissioner’s Office Head of Policy Delivery

At the time of writing, we are still awaiting clarification as to the future of the regulatory landscape and guidance from the central University. We hope to work with the University to ensure that if we do need to approach Orielenses for regulatory reasons, we do so in the best possible way.

© momius, Fotolia.com

How, you may ask, does this affect you? Like much of the Collegiate University, Oriel has previously collected personal data from alumni and supporters during the course of their relationship with the College or University at large. Our clearly

displayed Data Protection Statement and Privacy Policy outline how personal data is currently held and used. In preparation for the introduction of the GDPR on the 25 May 2018, it is likely that these statements and policies will be reviewed and updated, so you may notice some changes in the coming months. We will also review all activities involving the use of personal data – communications, event-planning, fundraising etc. with a view to GDPR requirements. It may be that we will then provide you with a greater choice of communications preferences, or perhaps even require explicit consent for some activities.

Your Chance to Shape Our Alumni Programme We are very fortunate at Oriel to have a well-established tradition of alumni involvement in the life of the College. The Oriel College Development Trust, a charitable trust set up in the 1970s, and forerunner of the current Development Office, was an alumni initiative to raise funds in support of the College – one of the first of its kind at Oxford – and the Oriel Society, via its committee, has for years organised many of the College’s alumni events. Now, as Phase Two of the 2026 Campaign comes to a close, Oriel is once again calling on Orielenses for their input to aid the strategic development of our alumni relations programme.

In the summer, Oriel will, for the first time, be embarking on a comprehensive research project to establish how Orielenses view our current alumni programme, and to explore ways of improving it.

The research is being undertaken by WeSurvey on our behalf and is being generously supported by the Oriel Society.

This will be your opportunity to provide us with feedback on the things we do – events we host, publications we circulate, communications more generally and other benefits we offer. The research will take

the form of an online survey. (There will be a paper version for those for whom we hold no email address.) The questionnaire will cover a number of important topics and will be your chance to influence how we develop alumni relations strategy for the future. Your participation is important and we will read every questionnaire submitted.

Research findings will be reported back to us in the autumn. We plan to share key learnings with Orielenses in the next issue of Oriel News.

Do look out for the survey over the summer – we look forward to receiving your responses.

20 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

Alumni News

The 2016 Varsity Match

Beauty as an Ideal

The 136th Varsity Match at Twickenham saw new initiatives from College joining up with the routine from recent years.

Canada-based Orielensis Harry Underwood (1974, PPE) has recently had his book The Experience of Beauty published by McGillQueen’s University Press.

As spectators, we were happy to have another stimulating and enjoyable day out meeting up with other Orielenses. The Varsity Match is always a great spectacle – an exciting, open match with everything resting on one game, and two sets of partisan supporters.

The Oxford Men failed to extend their record six-match winning sequence – losing 23-18 – but this did not diminish the excitement of the match, and indeed it could have gone either way with the scores tied ten minutes from time.

However, the women avenged their 52-0 loss of 2016, winning the match by a slender 3-0 margin. What the team lacked in try-scoring abilities on the day, they more than made up for with defensive grit, the winning side putting their bodies on the line and racking up a massive 236 tackles to end Cambridge’s hopes of retaining the Varsity trophy.

Thanks to Rachel and Bobby for adding fresh impetus and numbers (and looking after the flag!) and Thursday 7 December 2017 will be even better organised, with improved hospitality. Put the date in your diary now!

John Slade (1976, Modern History)

“My book is about beauty considered as an ideal and, since an ideal is an idea that can govern a life, as an inspiration to life. It consists of essays as well as a dialogue between two defunct thinkers, and takes as its illustrations the works of various philosophers and artists. But it also meditates upon ordinary life.

“Though the book is not autobiographical, or at least not more so than any book is, it reflects the desire I felt, after a lifetime of looking, striving, and pondering, to draw together the threads represented by these preoccupations.”

The book is available to purchase via the McGill-Queen’s University Press website (http://www.mqup.ca) and other retailers.

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 21

Recent Graduate Publishes Thesis

Exploring Artificial Intelligence

Recent graduate Rowan Milligan (History, 2012) has had her undergraduate thesis published in Anarchist Studies, an academic journal published by Lawrence & Wishart.

“Calum Chace is an acknowledged expert on the likely impact of artificial intelligence on society. In his new book, he investigates the possibility that machine intelligence will, over the coming few decades, make it impossible for most people to find paid work. He arrives at some surprising and radical conclusions, which merit careful consideration.”

Hugh Pym, former chief economics correspondent, BBC News

The title of Rowan’s article is “The Politics of the Crowbar: Squatting in London, 1968– 1977”. It is currently freely available to read online.

In her article, Rowan argues that the London squatting movement of 1968–77 was a key radical social movement which redefined the ownership of space and politicised housing. Rowan also argues that all squatting is political and that it forces confrontation with the State.

Rowan graduated from Oriel in 2015 and is currently working towards completing a two-year Masters course in Urban Studies called 4CITIES, which sees her spending a semester in each of four European capital cities: Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen and Madrid.

Lessons in Opera Michael Steen (Philosophy, 1965), author of the acclaimed The Lives and Times of the Great Composers, has written well over one hundred “Short Guides to Great Operas”. These are concise, informative and entertaining books about opera, in which Michael has combined his expert knowledge with a light touch that makes each guide accessible and easy to read.

This unique collection contains indispensable reference guides which are packed with useful information and informed opinion for both seasoned opera-goers and those enjoying opera for the first time.

They are the perfect accompaniment to a night with an opera – whether that’s at home, in a cinema or at the opera house. More information can be found at www.greatoperas.net, and the eguides are available to purchase through Amazon.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is overtaking our human ability to absorb and process information. Robots are becoming increasingly dextrous, flexible and safe to be around (except the military ones). It is our most powerful technology, and you need to understand it.

This new book from best-selling AI writer Calum Chace (1978, PPE) argues that within a few decades, most humans will not be able to work for money. Self-driving cars will probably be the canary in the coal mine, providing a wake-up call for everyone who isn’t yet paying attention. All jobs will be affected, from fast food McJobs to lawyers and journalists.

This is the single most important development facing humanity in the first half of the 21st century.

The fashionable belief that the Universal Basic Income is the solution is only partly correct. We are probably going to need an entirely new economic system, and we’d better start planning soon – for the Economic Singularity!

Chace argues that the outcome could be very good – a world in which machines do all the boring jobs and humans do pretty much what they please. But he warns there are major risks, which we can avoid only by being alert to the possible futures and planning how to avoid the negative ones.

Oxford Alumni Golf A team of Oriel alumni took part in this year’s inter-collegiate golf competition, which was held on 21 April at Frilford Heath Golf Club just south-west of Oxford. Sixteen colleges entered, and Hertford won for a second successive year, followed by St Peter’s and Pembroke. Oriel placed eighth, level with Balliol and ahead of several other larger colleges, including Christ Church.

It was very pleasing that Oriel could attract ten players to represent the college. There were excellent performances from Richard Gordon, Simon Jackson (making his first appearance) and Patrick Hole, ably supported by Mike Howard, Richard

Seddon and Simon Combe, who narrowly edged John Scott out of the scoring six on countback.

Once again, the committee organising the event ensured everything ran smoothly. Hertford hosted a dinner afterwards for competitors, guests and college organisers. We look forward to a similarly enjoyable event in 2018, and hope to do even better on the course.

Steven Wood (1969, PPE)

22 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017

News from the SCR New Vice-Provost Professor David Hodgson has been appointed Vice-Provost of Oriel. Professor Hodgson has been a Chemistry Tutor at Oriel since 1995, and took up his new role as Vice-Provost on 1 January 2017.

As Vice-Provost, David is Chairman of the Governing Body Committee set up to oversee the election of a new Provost to succeed Moira Wallace.

Professor Richard Scholar and Asefay Aberaha

Fellow of the Royal Society

Storming Utopia

Jackson Senior Research Fellow in Biodiversity and Conservation, Professor Yadvinder Malhi, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Oriel’s SCR Butler Asefay Aberaha stars alongside Professor Richard Scholar in a new theatrical show called Storming Utopia, which has been, and will continue to be, performed in locations in Oxford and Venice this year.

Professor Malhi has been a Research Fellow at Oriel since 2005, and leads the Ecosystems Programme of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. The programme is composed of an Ecosystems Lab focused on the natural science of tropical forests and global change, and a Forest Governance Group focused on social science and policy issues around the protection of tropical forests.

Professor Malhi spends a good deal of time out in the field with his team, often in remote rainforest locations in Asia, Africa and the Amazon and Andes region, collecting data and linking it to models and satellite data to address global issues surrounding tropical forests. His team also has an active programme of research at Oxford University-owned Wytham Woods, where they have established a forest ecology and climate change monitoring station.

The Fellowship of the Royal Society is made up of the most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from the UK and the Commonwealth. Fellows are elected for life through a peer review process on the basis of excellence in science.

Upon announcing the list of new Fellows elected to join the academy in 2017, Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, said: “Science is a great triumph of human achievement and has contributed hugely to the prosperity and health of our world. In the coming decades it will play an increasingly crucial role in tackling the great challenges of our time, including food, energy, health and the environment. The new Fellows of the Royal Society have already contributed much to science and it gives me great pleasure to welcome them into our ranks.”

The performance reflects the work of a group of around 15 East Oxford residents, aged between 15 and 60+, who were brought together to develop a creative contemporary response to Thomas More’s Utopia and Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and to reimagine both texts in relation to Oxford as it is today.

In Storming Utopia, Professor Scholar plays the part of Sir Thomas More, and Asefay plays the part of Prospero. In addition to his role as Prospero, Asefay also plays himself, as he and the rest of the cast tell the story of how he came as a child refugee to the UK from civil war in Ethiopia and, in time, to settle in Oxford.

A Performance of Storming Utopia will be given at the Oxford Festival of the Arts, having already been performed in the Pegasus Theatre in Cowley and the Fondazione Cini in Venice.

This performance is part of a Knowledge Exchange and Public Engagement with Research project run by Professor Scholar and Professor Wes Williams (Faculty of Modern Languages and St Edmund Hall) between TORCH (The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities), the Pegasus Theatre in East Oxford, and the Fondazione Cini in Venice. The project has been engaging a range of people in discussions about ideal communities. The questions at the heart of the project are: who owns, runs or governs the city we live in? How do you get in, and how do you leave? Do the various parts of Oxford – schools, mosques, churches, rivers, playgrounds, shopping centres, colleges … and theatres – make our city a Utopia, or just a collection of islands?

ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2017 | 23

Wolfson History Prize

Mere Civility

Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet, the latest book

by Lyndal Roper, Fellow and Regius Professor of History, was shortlisted for the prestigious Wolfson History Prize 2017.

Dr Teresa Bejan’s new book, Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration, published with Harvard University Press, has been making waves in the USA, where it has proved to be very topical in the current political climate.

Professor Roper’s historical biography of Martin Luther was published in June 2016 to wide acclaim, and was listed as a Book of the Year by the Guardian, Sunday Times, New Statesman, Spectator and History Today.

The Wolfson History Prize judges said of the book: “Powerfully written with superb control of material, Roper’s book is highly skilled in opening up the vivid social context of Luther’s Germany.”

The Wolfson History Prize was first established in 1972, and for the first time in its history it issued this year a shortlist of six publications.

Each shortlisted author received £4,000, and the overall winner, announced on 15 May as Christopher de Hamel for his Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts, received a prize of £40,000.

Following the publication of her book in January, Dr Bejan, Associate Professor in Political Theory and Tutorial Fellow in Politics, wrote an editorial for the Washington Post’s Outlook section in which she links the concept of “mere civility” discussed in her book to current political discourse in the US. The editorial – entitled: “You don’t have to be nice to political opponents. But you do have to talk to them” – discusses the shift away from a traditional concept of civility in American politics under the new administration.

The judging panel for this year’s prize were: Sir David Cannadine (Chairman), Sir Richard Evans, Professor Julia Smith and Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch.

Although it is tempting for political opponents to fight fire with fire (or incivility with incivility), Dr Bejan argues that prosecuting incivility can lead to the silencing of all “uncivil” speech and the shutting down of debate, thus increasing the alienation and sense of injustice felt by the “perpetrators” of such speech. Dr Bejan does not call for the abandonment of civility altogether, but rather suggests that a certain type of civility – mere civility – is required to “keep the disagreement going, no matter how disagreeable, to continue the battle of words without resorting to swords”.

Speaking as the shortlist was announced, Lyndal said: “I’m astonished and delighted. This is a superb short list. The Wolfson Prize is important because it aims to recognise historical writing that can reach a wider public, and all these books do this.”

This “mere civility” is “the minimal, often grudging conformity to social norms of respectful behaviour needed to keep a conversation going”, and it is this concept that Dr Bejan discusses at greater length in her new book.

Previous winners of the award include Antony Beevor, Ian Kershaw, Antonia Fraser, Simon Schama, Ruth Harris and Mary Beard.

Montaigne and the Art of Free-Thinking Oriel Fellow and Professor of French and Comparative Literature Richard Scholar recently published a revised paperback edition of his book Montaigne and the Art of Free-Thinking with Peter Lang, Oxford.

The book explores from a fresh perspective 16th-century French writer and philosopher Michel de Montaigne’s famous Essais. Professor Scholar argues that Montaigne inherited and improvised upon the language of free-thinking to create a mode of thinking and writing – the essay – whose adventure is for its reader to continue. Education, religion, scepticism, politics, friendship, sex and style – Montaigne’s major themes are revealed here in the making of a text that practises freedom of thought by putting it to the test.

Professor Scholar has revised and updated the text of 2010 for the new paperback edition. As he explains, the new edition

did not require the major repositioning that some academic books receive when their publishers take the initiative of issuing them in paperback: “This book was in fact commissioned for simultaneous publication in hardback and paperback. No sooner was it finished, however, than it ran up against a major event in financial history – the credit crunch of 2008 – which caused the publishers of Montaigne and the Art of Free-Thinking to scale down their ambitions and bring the book out in hardback alone.

I could not help feeling that the book had not had the chance to run its full course. So I was pleased as well as surprised to learn that the publishers are now able and willing, seven years on, to provide the book with the chance to reach a new readership.”

Professor Scholar has been a Fellow and Tutor in French at Oriel since 2005 and teaches French literature and thought.

Diary for 2017/2018

Forthcoming Events 2017/2018

TERMS

JULY ‘17

Michaelmas Term 2017 Sunday, 8 October – Saturday, 2 December Hilary Term 2018 Sunday, 14 January – Saturday, 10 March Trinity Term 2018 Sunday, 22 April – Saturday, 16 June

22

The Provost’s Lunch (for those who matriculated in the years up to and including 1952)

SEPTEMBER ‘17 15-17 16

Oriel Alumni Weekend 1999-01 Gaudy

OCTOBER ‘17

GAUDIES

11 27

Matriculation Years 1987 – 1989 Saturday, 24 June 2017

DECEMBER ‘17

Matriculation Years 1999 – 2001 Saturday, 16 September 2017

07

1326 Guest Night Champagne Concert

The Varsity Match

JANUARY ‘18

Matriculation Years 1969 – 1971 Friday, 16 March 2018

17

Matriculation Years 2002 – 2004 Saturday, 15 September 2018

10

Invitations will be sent to those eligible to attend. There may be limited spaces available to join an upcoming Gaudy for those who have missed out on their last Gaudy (with priority given to adjacent years).

03 16 16-18 17

1326 Guest Night

FEBRUARY ‘18 Returners’ Dinner

MARCH ‘18 Torpids Dinner 1969-71 Gaudy European Alumni Weekend in Rome Adam De Brome Lunch

APRIL ‘18 Cover photo: Oriel Women's First VIII Torpids

6-7 25

Development Office, Oriel College Oxford, OX1 4EW Tel: 01865 286541 Email: development.office@oriel.ox.ac.uk Website: http://alumni.oriel.ox.ac.uk/ Registered Charity Number: 1141976

North American Alumni Weekend in San Francisco 1326 Guest Night

MAY ‘18 11 26 26

Champagne Concert College Garden Party Raleigh Society Garden Party

www.facebook.com/orielenses https://twitter.com/OrielAlumni For further information regarding any of the above events, please visit http://alumni.oriel.ox.ac.uk/events/ or contact Bobby Higson, Alumni Relations and Communications Officer.

Tel: 01865 276 585; email: events@oriel.ox.ac.uk