The Oxford Student - Volume 75 Issue 4

Profile

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Page 11

Page 17

Art and Lit

Assessing Steven Moffat’s legacy at Doctor Who

Katja Grace examines the future of Artifical Intelligence

‘So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed’ review Page 21

Stage

Which esteemed playwright are you?

Page 22

05.02.2016 Volume 75, Issue 4 oxfordstudent.com

Oxford bottom fifth for social mobility James Broun

Deputy News Editor

Oxford falls within the bottom 20 per cent of Local Authorities in terms of social mobility, a study released by the Government shows. The Social Mobility and Child Poverty commission have completed what it calls the first analysis of social mobility across England at local level.

The report has highlighted some trends which run counter to conventional wisdom. The North of England tends to fair relatively well, better than many parts of

Oriel College intends to leave the Rhodes statue and plaque in place without further discussion.

Continued on page 3

Image: Alf melmac

OUSU condemns Oriel over Rhodes Statue

• OUSU council disagrees with the stance of the college Megan Izzo News Editor

On the evening of Wednesday, 3 February, the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU) Council—Oxford’s highest decision-making body—voted to hold Oriel College accountable for its failure to follow through on its ‘listening campaign’ to Oxford students regarding the status of the Rhodes statue.

The emergency motion, entitled ‘Holding Oriel College Accountable’, was proposed in light of Oriel College’s statement released 28th January, which stated that the College had received ‘overwhelming support’ in favour of leaving the Rhodes statue in place above High Street, and that it intended to do so. The motion was proposed

by Eden Bailey of Magdalen College and seconded by Hilal

Yazan of St. Hugh’s College, who noted that given the brevity of Oxford’s eight-week terms, it was appropriate to bring forward the issue as soon as possible.

On 17th December 2015, Oriel College leadership had stated that “the continuing display” of Rhodes’ private plaque “is inconsistent with [the College’s] principles” and represented a “political tribute” to Rhodes. The statement confirmed that Oriel was in the early processes of obtaining local Council consent for the statue’s removal, and established that the College would begin a sixmonth “listening exercise” during which it would seek the “views and ideas” of Oxford University students, staff, alumni, and the wider Oxfordshire community and members of the public.

With the release of Oriel’s follow-up statement on 28th January, it became clear that

only one month after its original statement, the College had announced its intention to leave both the Rhodes statue and plaque in place without further dialogue or consultation. As the OUSU motion notes, “the listening exercise therefore never started.

“

It is unacceptable for any College not to follow through on a commitment Students and others who expected to be given an opportunity to speak over the coming six months were not given the promised opportunity to have their voices heard”.

The OUSU Council believes that “it is unacceptable for any College not to follow through on a commitment made to its students, and Colleges should

be held accountable for doing so”. The motion called Oriel College’s failure to uphold its commitment “both unfair and dishonest”. Notably, Oriel had previously stated that the College had “a commitment to seek views in as inclusive a way as possible on how controversial associations and bequests, including that of Rhodes to Oriel, and the record of them in the built environment, can be dealt with appropriately.”

The College’s later decision, allegedly made following communications with large donors to the College, has been perceived by many students as a retraction of Oriel’s commitment to listening to the opinions of the Oxford community.

Ultimately, the OUSU Council’s decision condemned Oriel College’s “failure to follow

Continued on page 3

Shoot: On a budget See pages 25-27

The Oxford Student | Friday 12th February 2016

News 10

Cambridge University to President of Oxford University introduce entrance tests Lib Dems resigns Caitlin Troutman News Reporter

The University of Cambridge has announced that it is instituting entrance exams for incoming undergraduates. Each test will be tailored specifically to a certain subject and will be administered either pre-interview or at-interview, depending on the course. The purpose of these tests are to provide admissions tutors with more evidence of an hopeful students’ abilities and potential to succeed.

Cambridge officials emphasize that these tests are a holistic part of the application process; they will be evaluated in addition to writing samples, applications, transcripts, a-level exams and interviews. While exams for each subject differ, they will commonly include a language aptitude and thinking-skills assessment and have both a multiple choice and essay component.

The university states that no specific preparation is needed for the exams.

This new testing policy is in response to grade inflation around the UK, particularly with A-level exams. According to the university, teacher and student feedback has indicated

a need to develop new ways to measure students’ qualifications during the admissions process.

Cambridge professor of experimental psychiatry, Barbara Sahakian, told the Sunday Times, “What people are concerned about is whether the A-level exam results still mean quite the same thing as they used to mean. There are a lot of students getting very high grades but not all of them would have got those grades in the past, so it is hard to discriminate between candidates.”

“

Tests will include a language aptitude and thinking skills assessment

This new evaluation system does raise some concerns. Some argue that wealthier students would be put at an advantage, as they would have the money to pay for preparation courses. Additionally, some subjects are very difficult to test without background knowledge. Subjects like classics, which emphasizes knowledge in Greek and Latin,

are not taught in public institutions. Therefore, less privileged applicants would have less preparation or background knowledge of a subject than their privately-educated peers.

An Oxford tutorial fellow of English stated that she does not think that Cambridge’s new policy will impact the University of Oxford or its application process. Oxford currently administers pre-interview admissions assessments for most of its subjects. These assessments are aptitude based, as opposed to knowledge based. The professor also stated that these assessments may actually offer an advantage to applicants in less advantageous situations. Other elements of the application process, like writing samples and transcripts, may be influenced greatly by teachers or the institutions. Aptitude tests, alternatively, offer students a chance to showcase their natural abilities with no direct help. While preparation and unfairness may still occur, the results of the test are more likely to highlight a student’s potential. If Cambridge’s testing system is similar, then this additional step in the process may potentially be positive for some applicants.

Toby Clyde

Deputy News Editor

Gareth Wilkes has resigned as Senior Co-Chair and President of the Oxford University Liberal Democrats. He announced his decision during the society’s weekly debate last Wednesday, 3rd February.

Speaking to The Oxford Student about his resignation, Wilkes said: “As a second year DPhil student my workload became too high for me to give OULD the time it deserves”. Gareth took over from Matt Sumption as Senior Co-Chair at the end of last term, having been President-Elect in Michaelmas and Spirits Officer in Trinity.

According to his successor, Lucinda Chamberlain, members of the General Executive had been aware that he was considering resigning for some time.

Chamberlain, who was elected Junior Co-Chair for Hilary, will now be Senior Co-Chair for the remainder of the term. The office of President-Elect and Junior CoChair are synonymous and the constitution mandates that the President-Elect should assume the President’s office if he or she resigns. This left the society without

a Junior Co-Chair until Wednesday evening, when the Social Secretary, Jack Ford of St Hilda’s, was coopted into the role at the OULD committee meeting.

A student at Brasenose, Chamberlain has been active in OULD for several terms. She was Secretary and Spirits Secretary in Michaelmas and served on the General Executive last Trinity.

Having volunteered in the Liberal Democrats for several years, she unsuccessfully contested the Ardwick seat on Manchester City Council at the 2015 local elections.

She is also a Deputy Returning Officer at the Union and the VicePresident of Oxford Students for Liberty, a liberal discussion group.

Asked about her plans for OULD, the new Senior Co-Chair replied: “This is an exciting time for the Lib Dems, given the upcoming local elections and EU referenda. My focus in the next few weeks will be to get our members knocking on doors and gathering support for our fantastic candidates in the local area. Past May, I will look towards the EU, focusing on speakers and events in conjunction with the campaign, and hopefully work alongside Oxford Students for Europe.”

News In Brief New Sainsbury’s to open

Image: Ibsan 73

Endeavour to return Popular detective drama series Endeavour has been renewed for another run by ITV. Endeavour is set in the 1960s and tells the story of young Constable Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans), solving murders in the city of Oxford together with his partner, Inspector Fred Thursday (Roger Allam). After a very successful third season averaged over 6 million viewers at the beginning of the year, “it was an easy decision to recommission” the two TV detectives, Steve November, Director of Drama at ITV, said. casebook of Detective Constable Endeavour. The fourth season of Endeavour, the Inspector Morse prequel, will begin in late Spring of this year.

It has emerged that the supermarket giant Sainsbury’s will be opening a new store in Oxford. The chain had quietly lodged an application for a premises at 117-119 St Aldates. This store will be in addition to the nearby Magdalen Street branch, and is part of a wider scheme to flatten 4 and 5 Queen Street and the block behind it. This will make way for the ground floor store and 133 new student flats in the storeys above it. Sainsbury’s have said that the new store has the potential to create up to 25 new jobs. No opening date has been announced yet.

Image: Andrew Abbott

Image: Jon Bunting

National biscuit shortage The UK is facing a nationwide biscuit shortage following damage to the United Biscuits factory in Carlisle. The factory, which is one of the most high-tech biscuit facilities in the world, was affected by floods as a result of Storm Desmond in December and was forced to close. The factory is responsible for the production of McVitie’s, Jacob’s, Carr’s and Crawford’s brands, which means a shortage of ginger nuts, custard creams, and water crackers, to name but a few. Production of some lines has now restarted, but United Biscuits have said that it could take ‘several months’ until things get back to normal.

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Editorial

2

Editorial

Editors: Ariane Laurent-Smith and Naomi Southwell

Hello

Hilary, 3rd week

Friday 5th February 2016

“Reading your essay was like climbing Mount Everest. I nearly died getting to the end of the journey, and when I got there, it was a let-down.”

Tutor comment

Oxford weather February. The feverish month. Storm clouds loom on the horizon as journalistic titans OxStu and VERSA prepare to cross swords on their termly crewdate.

Elsewhere, Oriel College continues to be battered by the winds of scandal, with no respite in sight.

Conspiracy theories of the week The Brasenose College doorknocker is a portal to another universe.

This week has welcomed some nice weather and we’re enjoying the lighter evenings, especially considering we’re in the office until midnight on Wednesday and it makes us feel slightly less doom and gloom!

Halfway

This is our fourth issue and therefore officially marks the halfway point for ‘The Oxford Student’ this term. Naomi and I also both have halfway hall coming up- a very scary prospect!!

winger after all (sarcasm). Yet, this article deliberately misrepresent statistics to try and smear David Cameron and demonstrate some sort of hypocrisy following his statements last week about improving access at Oxbridge. See our article on page 4 of News!

Special Dinners

So I went to a very special ‘Arts and Societies’ dinner at Brasenose

where I somehow ended up on high table, score! Also the menu was one of the most delicious I’ve had in Oxford, aided by the freeflowing wine and port! Our special guest was Mark Williams, aka Arthur Weasley, an entertaining if inebriated speaker. This was slightly mediated by the fact I then had to return to OxStu headquarters to continue editing.

Port and Policy

Second time at P&P and I sold my soul by becoming a member of OUCA, which I rationalised as a good economic decision.

It apparently means I will be contributing much less to the Tories, but what would I know, I’m a historian after all! (Sarcasm.)

Finally

A massive thank you to our new team for staying awake and mostly sane through the long night and Thursday in the office.

Here’s to a less exhausting week, we’re nearly halfway!

“David Cameron’s old college admits fewest state school applicants” Admittedly it is rare for me to hate a Guardian article as I’m a true left-

What’s on Marina and the Diamonds to give talk at The Union Page 31

Fashion Oxford’s best dressed in this weeks street style Page 29

Music

Why The Beatles are still relevant to todays music charts Page 19

OxStuff Dan looks for love among Wadham’s Student Union

Page 33

Write for us! editor@oxfordstudent.com

Oriel College was set up as a performance art piece.

Alumna of the week

Vera Brittain Somerville College

odds-ford bets.

Hacks to learn the error of their ways

∞/1

Cecil Rhodes to return from the dead and support RMF

10/1

Oxford University report reveals access issues at the Sutton Trust

5/1

Oriel JCR to take responsibility 2/1 for college funding

The OxStu team Ariane Laurent-Smith and Naomi Southwell Jake Wiseman Scott Harker, Daniel Haynes, Flora Holmes, James Sewry, and Sam Sykes Matt Burwood, Megan Izzo and Jan-David Franke News Editors Laura Whetherly Investigations Editor Imogen Gosling and Ben Oldfield Comment Editors Chloe St George and Clio Takas Stage Editors SherryTan and Alice Townson Fashion Editors James Charter and Beth Kirkbride Music Editors Jasmine Cameron-Chileshie DavidtoParton Features Editors Oxford Unionand election be Art and Lit Editors Rosie Collier and Tristan Wilson conducted in harmonious and Screen Editors Daunish Negargar and James Riding Adam Hilsenrath and Ned Walker Sports Editor Toby Clyde and James Broun Deputy News Editors Deputy Comment Editor Louis Trupia Editors in Chief Online Editor Deputy Editors

Deputy Features Editors Deputy Arts and Lit Editor Deputy Music Editor Deputy Screen Editor Deputy Stage Editors Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Fashion Editors Profile Editor Chief Sub Editor Sub Editors

Robert Pepper and Jamie Russell Hetty Mosforth Katie Collins Robert Selth Georgia Crump Josh Stickland Xuemei Chan, Claire Leibovich and Alexandra Luo Nayra Zaghloul Elizabeth La Trobe Lizzie Evens, Joshua Dernie, Jei-Jei Tan, Jane Yu and Amelia Wrigley

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

News 3

OUSU votes to condemn Oriel college Continued from front page through on commitments made to students which primarily affect those in already marginalised and oppressed groups”. The Council’s vote, passing by 81 to 5 with 11 abstentions, is the most significant indication thus far of the Oxford student body’s discontent with Oriel’s decision.

Other official student bodies, however, have voted similarly.

“

OUSU’s decision does not directly implicate the Rhodes Must Fall movement

Early on 4th February, Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) Oxford stated publicly that despite Oriel’s announcement, the movement is “growing stronger every day”.

It noted, “[The OUSU Council’s vote] continues the wave of official student bodies that have voted in favour of RMF, against Oriel, or to overturn motions antagonistic to RMF”. These

motions are proof, according to RMF, that “Oriel’s laughable suggestion that there was ‘overwhelming support’ for its decision to retain the Rhodes statue wears thinner by the hour.”

“

St Peter’s college voted to condemn Oriel’s lack of adequate consultation

Regarding the JCR’s decision, an anonymous student from St Peter’s College stated, “I was pleased with the outcome of the motion. The debate was comprehensive and wellreceived; lots of questions were asked and debated with the JCR voting decisively in the end to back Rhodes Must Fall’s campaign, which a number of

students at St Peter’s have taken part in”.

The OUSU Council’s decision, like those of the Oriel and St Peter’s JCRs, does not directly implicate the Rhodes Must Fall movement itself. Rather, the motion sought to bring to light important concerns about the manner in which Oriel has interacted with university

On 1 February, the Balliol College Middle Common Room (MCR) voted in support of Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) and endorsed all of the seven demands that RMF had released following Oriel’s statement of 28th January. On 2 February, the Oriel College Junior Common Room ( JCR) condemned its own governing body for failure to undertake its previously announced “listening exercise” with students prior to making its decision. On the same evening, the St Peter’s College JCR held a similar motion, voting unanimously to “condemn Oriel’s lack of adequate consultation”.

students and taken their sentiments and opinions into account during the development of its decision pertaining to the Rhodes statue.

“Oriel College has a duty to support the education and wellbeing of its current students first and foremost, before honouring the wishes of alumni”, the OUSU Council stated.

Oxford bottom fifth for social mobility Continued from front page Analysis of the south outside of London and the so-called commuter belt. In a study of the dataset, the BBC found that Oxford and Cambridge both scored lowly. Oxford, for instance, about 14% of school-leavers go to university and 4% go to selective ones; this compares to 39% and 10% for pupils from Tower Hamlets, the Local Authority with the highest rate of child poverty in England.

“

Some of the most affluent areas of the country score badly on social mobility Although affluence is still linked to social mobility, the results show that some of the most affluent areas in the country score badly on that front, while some of the areas with high levels of child poverty rank well for social mobility. Before naming Oxford as a “coldspot”, the report summarises: “many rich areas of the country don’t do well for their poor children.

Some of the worst performing areas … are rural, not urban, in character or are in what have often been regarded as relatively affluent parts of the East of England and the Midlands.”

“

Many rich areas of the country don’t do well for their poor children

Go to university 14% (Oxford)

Go to university (Tower 39% O xford Hamlets) falls into 4% the Go to a selective what university (Oxford)

Go to a selective 10% university (Tower Hamlets)

researchers called Performance Zone 3 with “good performance on adulthood measures but weaknesses in education for disadvantaged children”. This implies that poor results at school affect children’s upward mobility, but a strong workforce or low house prices may allow adults to be better off. The county tended to fall into the middle ground, but amongst the worst performers in the ‘Early Years Social Mobility’ category was South Oxfordshire, ranked 14th from the bottom, although this is contrasted to it being the 28th best for ‘School Social Mobility’. The city of Oxford, however, ranked 28th worst in the schools measurements.

Abingdon School performed well, but education in Oxford mostly does not do enough for social mobility.

Image: Kryzstof Redzko

“

The city of Oxford ranked 28th worst in the schools measurements Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council were approached for comment.

Oxfordshire County Council has been approached for comment.

Image: Matt Burwood

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

News 4

Guardian article attacks “Cameron’s College”Brasenose • Sutton Trust report suggests it has the worst state school acceptance rate

Matt Burwood News Editor

A Guardian article published this Thursday ran under the headline: “David Cameron’s Oxford college admits fewest state school applicants”, in a move described by a former Brasenose JCR President and others as a “hatchet job”, “the politics of despair”, and “the worst use of statistics ever”.

The article began by drawing readers’ attention to the 11% admission rate at the college for state school students, a statistic obtained as part of a report by the Sutton Trust, a think tank founded “to improve social mobility through education”.

The Trust works “to combat educational inequality and prevent the subsequent waste of talent” through research and by funding social mobility programmes.

This emphasis on the low rate of state school admissions has been labelled “misleading” since it provides no point of comparison to the admissions rate for private school students, which is comparably low. Brasenose College is the most competitive college in Oxbridge, a fact which Ex-JCR President Siddarth Shrikanth said is “reflective of the strength of our access”.

Siddarth went on to point out that the statistics presented by The Guardian demonstrated little more than Oxford being generally more competitive than Cambridge, with far more applications per place from both privately and state educated students.

“

The article published by the Guardian today uses misleading data...all in the name of a cheap political dig Brasenose JCR President, Beth Jenkinson, wrote from personal experience to highlight the misleading nature of the piece: “I came to Brasenose from a state school that was deemed unsatisfactory by Ofsted. Not only that, but I and members of my Sixth Form were encouraged and supported by members of Brasenose Access and Admissions team throughout the application process. I stayed over at the College for free over the Open Days, and students from Brasenose came to give application advice at my Sixth Form – Brasenose encouraged me every step of the way. And the same could be said of Brasenose by so many state school students.

“The article published by the Guardian today uses misleading data to come to conclusions designed deliberately to confuse and to misrepresent, all in the name of a cheap political dig. To be clear, around 1 in 5 applicants from state schools who applied

to Brasenose last year were successful in gaining a place at the university, and college choice absolutely does not affect students’ chances of receiving an offer – that is the only relevant data. Brasenose cannot be blamed

“

Prospective students from state schools need to know that they will be supported and encouraged

for its own oversubscription, which results in many students, of all backgrounds, being pooled to other colleges, and David Cameron is certainly not responsible for this.

“This isn’t just annoying and misleading, it’s damaging.

Prospective students from state schools need to know that they will be supported and encouraged in this institution: both in the application process and in further study. I cannot emphasise just how true this is of Brasenose, and the Guardian has done these students a disservice in publishing this article.”

As part of a wider regional outreach project to ensure that every school in the country has a point of contact for Oxford admissions, Brasenose is linked with East Berkshire and North Yorkshire. Dr Joe Organ, the college’s Schools and Publications Officer, runs “access road trips” to these areas, attempting to demystify the process of applying to Oxford for disadvantaged students, helping to fulfil the college’s objective to admit “the brightest and best students regardless of background”. Ex-President Siddarth described the work of the Schools Officer over his tenure as “unbelievable”.

Attempting to “set the record straight”, Brasenose Access and Admissions staff posted a short response to the Guardian piece on The Student Room discussion board: “We read this morning’s Guardian newspaper’s coverage of the Sutton Trust’s report on Oxford admissions. The Sutton Trust’s criterion for widening access is unusual. The report would, for example, praise a college receiving just one state school application and admitting that person on the grounds that 100% of applicants were admitted.

Another college receiving 100 applicants, admitting 25 of them and seeing the other 75 accepted by other colleges would be criticised for only having a success rate of 25%.

Worst of all would be a college with 1000 applicants, admitting 50 of them and seeing another 950 accepted by other colleges their admission rate would just be 5% according to the Trust.”

Sam Galbraith Slater, an officer in the Oxford University Conservative Association

(OUCA), told The Oxford Student: “Oxford’s colleges work tirelessly to improve access, but unfortunately it seems the problem is coming from application rates themselves; whilst only 14% of sixth-form age students in the UK are privately educated, they make up 37% of Oxford applications.

More state school students, like myself, need to be encouraged to apply, and articles like this actively work against that.”

David Cameron attended Brasenose College between the years of 1985 and 1988 to read Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

Other notable alumni of the college include comedian Michael Palin, novelist Sir William Golding, and journalist Toby Young.

% Acceptance Rates Brasenose College 11% 13%

State Independent

Image: Kenneth Yarham

Christ Church College 19% 31%

State Independent

Corpus Christi College 23% 32%

State Independent

Lincoln College 21% State 22% Independent St Anne’s College 27% 31%

State Independent

Student volunteers and Brasenose and Caius Cambridge Schools Officers on an Access

St Hugh’s College 27% 39%

State Independent

Trinity College 20% 20%

State Independent

Worcester College 15% State 14% Independent Statistics taken over a three year UCAS cycle (2012-2014) Source: https://public.tableau.com/ profile/sdma#!/vizhome/ UoO_UG_Admissons2/AcceptanceRate

Helpers for 2015 Open Days at Brasenose College Images:@bncjcr

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As a member of Oxford University Student Union you can buy the Master Lock Gold Sold Secure D-Lock and/or Lights at a discounted rate.

Go to www.ousu.org/shopping for purchase details.

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

News 6

Magdalen JCR supports Meat-Free Mondays James Broun

Deputy News Editor

The Magdalen College JCR passed a motion supporting Meat-Free Mondays at its general meeting on Sunday.

Proposed by Jack Evans and seconded by Matthew Steggles, the motion mandates the JCR’s Environment and Ethics Representative “to speak to the college on behalf of the JCR in favour of instating meat-free Mondays”.

Cutting back on meat consumption for at least one day in the week is not a new idea, but it has grown in popularity in recent years and has attracted support from Sir Paul McCartney, amongst other celebrities. Jesus, Brasenose, Wadham and New College JCRs passed motions

in full or partial support of the scheme in 2010. Others have followed suit. Regent’s Park backed the scheme last Hilary and, in Michaelmas, Brasenose also voted to support meatless Mondays in full. Lincoln College have a system where vegetarian cuisine is the “default” option for dinner on Mondays, effectively making meat opt-in for one day of the week.

“

Not all colleges have been able to implement meat-free days quite so smoothly Some proponents argue supporting the scheme provide a greater choice quality of vegetarian food, promote healthy living.

that will and and But

Magdalen E&E representative to speak to the college in favour of instating meat-free Mondays Image: Ed Webster

many of the debates have focused on environmental factors: as the Magdalen motion notes, “the production of meat is responsible for a significant proportion of our carbon footprint”. According to recent research, livestock rearing accounts for 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. With meat consumption set to rise by 75% by 2050, this paints a worrying picture: the think tank Chatham House concluded in 2014 that “Dietary change is essential if global warming is not to exceed 2°C”.

“

Many of the debates have focused on environmental factors

Not all colleges have been able to implement meat-free days in hall quite so smoothly.

Trinity are still negotiating with their Governing Body over the matter. They have reached a compromise with and are hoping to implement vegetarian formal dinners once a week in the near future. According to the JCR President Cate Moore: “Trinity will hopefully be introducing a meat-free formal for JCR and MCR members once a week in the near future. This still requires a little more discussion but, as ever, there are vegetarian and vegan options at every meal and hopefully the ‘meatfree’ campaign at Trinity will have made these options more popular throughout the week giving everyone the opportunity to choose their meat-free days”.

The Meat Free Mondays campaign was popularised

by Paul McCartney Image: Sonia T360

Somerville has also struggled to implement the idea. The matter was debated in the JCR back in 2012–13 and passed, although opposition from part of the undergraduate population forced another vote. Despite gaining a mandate for a second time, the MCR failed to support the motion and it was abandoned.

In Michaelmas 2014, the JCR voted for fully meat-free Mondays and Thursdays, but the proposals were voted down in a referendum. Since the debate, meals on Monday have included an additional vegetarian option, but no other changes have occurred.

Speaking exclusively to The Oxford Student, the current Environment and Ethics rep, Fairlie Kirkpatrick Baird, said that she is working with members of the MCR and JCR

“to push for completely meatfree Mondays, or failing that to reach a consensus about what type of meat reduction would be acceptable to all common rooms”.

“

My ultimate goal is to reduce meat consumption in college due to its harmful effects Although she is in favour of going fully vegetarian on Mondays, she is open to compromise: “my ultimate goal is to reduce meat consumption in college due to the extremely harmful effects of meat on the environment, and therefore I would prefer a compromise of some sort that complete lack of action.”

Rainbow flag torn down at the beginning of LGTBQ history week Matt Burwood News Editor

A group of drunken young people have been sighted and reported to the police following an attempt to tear down a rainbow flag hung from a first floor room at Jesus college, before opening a ground floor window in an effort to steal a student’s laptop.

Ship street, where the alleged incident took place Image: Peter Trimming

Huw Jones, owner of the flag in question, described the act of vandalism and attempted theft as “the most pathetic hate crime ever”, going on to say how the event acted as a “reminder of the discrimination and hate that queer people face across the world”. He has been flying the rainbow flag for around five months until most of the fabric was ripped away by vandals

wielding bottles of alcohol and shouting abuse.

“

Numerous colleges fly the flag which is a symbol of LGTBQ pride

Another student claims to have witnessed the incident and has given a report to the police.

Speaking to the The Oxford Student she described the incident, “he at last managed to get hold of the rainbow flag.

It took a surprising amount of effort before it finally ripped...

At this point I had passed them and kept walking, but could still hear their horrible comments about the flag and the people it represents” Unfortunately, it is not the first time such activities have taken place in central Oxford.

Nearly a year ago, The Oxford Student reported rainbow flags being torn down at Corpus Christi by members of an allmale drinking society, the Abbotts. In this previous case, flags were stolen from the JCR

The rainbow flag is an international symbol of LGBTQ pride and the wider social movement Image: Benson Kua

and placed into a fridge, in a move described as “unpleasant” by the then JCR president.

Oxford has a high density of rainbow flags during February since this month has been designated “LGBTQ History Month”. Numerous colleges fly the flag which is a symbol of LGBTQ pride and the wider social movement, and several JCRs source and encourage students to buy their own flags to hang out of windows or in

their rooms.

Some students have had to fight to get the flag flown in college.

In 2014 students at Brasenose College staged a protest by flying the LGBTQ flag in their windows after their JCR voted by an overwhelming majority to raise the flag above college for LGBTQ History Month but the college subsequently refused to do so. Brasenose now flies the flag on the Monday of the week.

Celebrating life outside of lectures, labs and libraries

27th February 2016 Exam Schools, High Street, Oxford

11.00 - 5.00pm Clubs and Societies showcase including:

Oxford University Ceilidh Band, OU Salsa Society, Oxford Imps, OU Fencing, OU Poetry Society, International Festival, Food stalls and much more!

7.00 - 9.30pm W online Nominate NO If you know of an individual or group that deserves recognition, nominate them for a Student Award now:

ousu.org/surveys/nominate2016studentawards/ You’ll need your Single Sign On details handy, to log in

Check it out, visit: ousu.org/get-involved/oxford-students-festival

The Oxford Student | Friday 12th February 2016

LGBTQIA+ flag affixed with Bible verse James Broun

Deputy News Editor

This week at Christ Church a person or group of people attached a note to a flag pole where an LGBTQIA+ rainbow flag had been flying. The note quoted a bible passage, Corinthians 6:910 which states: “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not

inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolators nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” The fragment concerning “nor effeminate, nor abusers of

themselves with mankind” is translated from Greek and is translated as “men who have sex with men” in the New International version of the bible.

Some students at Christ Church found the note and reported it to the porter’s lodge. The flag is flying at Christ Church, and at many Oxford colleges, for LGBTQIA+ History Month.

This act follows several similar instances of vandalism targeted at rainbow flags at Oxford.

“

More colleges than ever have voted to fly the LGBTQ+ flag

Additionally, 2016 has been a significant year for LGBTQIA+ history month, as more colleges than ever have voted to fly the flag and show support in other ways. This is significant, as history month was observed at Oxford only as recently as five years ago.

While many people openly support the LGBTQIA+ community at Oxford, there have been a number of incidents in recent weeks.

At Ship Street last week, a group of drunken young people attempted to steal and damage a rainbow flag from a students’ window. In the past few years, there have been numerous reports of students attempting to steal and vandalize flags. The flags are

Image: Tejvan Pettinger

a symbol of LGBTQIA+ pride as well as the social movement as a whole.

Former OULGBTQ+ Society President Ashley FrancisRoy once told the Cherwell, “Flying the flag does not make a statement about any particular issues but more generally show a commitment to diversity and acceptance. We all have a responsibility to ensure that our college is an accepting place for all and to contribute to an environment that enables people to fully express themselves.

Such an environment can only be beneficial for the college’s desire to achieve true academic

News 7

excellence.”

Most colleges at Oxford have JCR positions for Sexuality and Gender Equality officers in an effort to support the LGBTQIA+ community and promote equality

“

The note quoted a bible passage about sodomy

for students. There is a great deal of emphasis placed on the resources available to students, both during the application process and during freshers’ week.

Image: Ludovic Bertron

Private school hosted at “access event” Matt Burwood News Editor

Members of University College’s JCR have passed an emergency motion calling the decision to host pupils from the fee-paying Radley College at an access event “indefensible”.

Earlier this week, The Telegraph reported that the Schools, Liaison and Access Officer from Univ’s JCR, Nelli Chamings, had sent an email to students asking for a pair of ambassadors to show the students around. It is also alleged that they were given a talk by a member of the access office’s staff.

Radley College is an independent all-boys boarding school which has been based near Abingdon in Oxfordshire since its foundation in 1847 by the English divine and Oxford graduate William Sewell.

The termly fee for 2015-16 is £11,475. Parents are encouraged to register their children early to help them obtain a place when they turn 13, and some sign them up at birth.

The school’s website boasts an average of “15 to 20” pupils attaining Oxbridge places each year for the last decade, with 37 matriculating at Oxford between 2010 and 2014. The vast majority of those who do not go to Oxbridge attend Russell Group universities, with Bristol, Durham and Edinburgh being the most

popular destinations for sixth formers with a combined intake of 231 Old Radleians over 2010-14.

The motion criticising Univ’s use of access funds was proposed

by Michael Slade. According to The Telegraph, he said it seems “silly College should spend money helping to perpetuate their privilege”.

This comes just months after Oxford was criticised by a government commission on social mobility. In December, the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission reported that, although he proportion of state school entrants at Oxford has increased by 6% since the 2003/4 academic year, this is mirrored by a decrease of over 5% in the proportion of entrants from less advantaged social backgrounds.

The report also highlighted how Oxford has failed to meet the Russell Group’s benchmark for the admission of students from less advantaged social backgrounds by 5 percentage points. Oxford, where just over 10% of entrants fall into this group, ranked joint lowest (with Cambridge) out of the Russell Group in this measure.

The admissions office at University College, the JCR President (Agatha-Christie Onwuzuruike) and the JCR Schools, Liaison and Access Officer (Nelli Chamings) were invited to comment.

Radley College Chapel in its grounds. The fees per term is £11,475.

Image: Bridget Mermikides

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

News 8

Stats reveal Oxford tops list for animal testing Toby Clyde

Deputy News Editor

New figures now show that Oxford conducts more animal tests in laboratories than any other UK university.

226,739 animals were used for experiments in 2014, over 25,000 more than the next largest user of animal testing, Edinburgh. This is an increase on 2012 when a Freedom of Information request carried out by C+ reported Oxford to have used 201,378 animals that year.

The list was released by Cruelty Free International, an antivivisection organization. It put Oxford at the top of the 48 UK universities that responded to the organization’s Freedom of Information requests with a further 17 giving partial responses and 5 not providing any information at all. Universities account for approximately half of all animal experimentation in the UK.

“

Five of the UK’s leading univerisites test on one million animals

Dr Katy Taylor, Director of Science at Cruelty Free International, said: “The public will be shocked to learn that five

of the UK’s leading universities are responsible for testing on almost one million animals, despite an increasing number of universities recognising this isn’t the way to do research. We urge them to leave this archaic practice behind and move towards developing innovative and humane research methods for the 21st century.”

“

procedure using animals should be undertaken lightly and staff will challenge any behavior that risks falling below the high standards we set ourselves.”

“Research using animals continues to provide important insights, whether into the effects of heart disease or the development of vaccines for major global diseases like malaria.”

Cambridge University also said

that animal research played an “essential role” in understanding disease and developing medicines.

Animals experimented on in Oxford included mice, rats, fish, non –human primates, birds, frogs, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits and sheep with mice making up the vast majority at 209,686 tested. Primates consist of 0.5% of all animals housed in the Biomedical Sciences Building,

completed in 2008 to relocate animals used for testing by the University.

Oxford has faced a number of protests over the last few years over it’s use of animal testing.

Construction of the Biomedical Sciences Building had to be stopped in 2004 after threats and an intimidation campaign against the contractor in charge of the project.

They are seeking to reduce the number of animals used

However University spokesperson Matt Pickles emphasised how they are seeking to reduce the number of animals used: “We are committed to replacing and reducing the use of animals wherever possible and to refining procedures to reduce the pain caused. We are not yet at a stage where animal research can be replaced altogether.”

“

Research using animals continues to provide important insights

He went on to say that research was carried out to the highest standards: “We are clear that no

Animals experimented on in Oxford included mice, rats, fish, birds, frogs, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits and sheep.

Image: Understanding Animal Research

News In Brief Unrest and arrests at Oxford match

Image: Chrisloader

Waterstones raise a million for Syria Waterstones, one of Oxford’s largest bookstores, has announced that its ‘Buy Books for Syria’ campaign has reached its target to raise one million pounds for Oxfam’s Syria crisis appeal. Amongst those supporting the campaign are Oxford based authors Philip Pullman and Mark Haddon. The campaign has been running since October, and it has seen a selection of books donated by best selling authors and their publishers, with the full retail price of each being donated to Oxfam. Amongst the authors taking part in the campaign are Philip Pullman, David Walliams, Victoria Hislop, Caitlyn Moran and Salman Rushdie.

Eight men have been arrested following unrest at Tuesday night’s football match between Oxford United and Millwall. The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy southern area final saw violence both before and after the match.

Bottles and stones were thrown at Thames Valley Police horses that were in attendance for the game at the Kassam Stadium. Area Commander for the Thames Valley Police, Christian Bunt, confirmed that there would be further arrests in the coming weeks once an investigation into events in and around the stadium concluded.

Image: Nigel Cox

Tinder for jobs A new app has been released that claims to operate like Tinder for jobs. The app released by BahGum allows the user to search different careers on their mobile device and select the best ones for them.

It will also feature a direct messaging system between the user and employers and has a search feature in order to allow users to find their ideal job, much like the well-known dating app. BahGum was founded in York in 2015 and currently has 500,000 users. The new app is currently out for iOS devices and will soon be released on Android.

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The Oxford Student | Friday 12th February 2016

News 9

President of Oxford University Lib Dems resigns James Broun

Deputy News Editor

Gareth Wilkes has resigned as Senior Co-Chair and President of the Oxford University Liberal Democrats. He announced his decision during the society’s weekly debate last Wednesday, 3rd February.

Speaking to The Oxford Student about his resignation, Wilkes said: “As a second year DPhil student my workload became too high for me to give OULD the time it deserves”. Gareth took over from Matt Sumption as Senior Co-Chair at the end of last term, having been President-Elect in Michaelmas and Spirits Officer in Trinity.

According to his successor, Lucinda Chamberlain, members of the General Executive had been aware that he was considering resigning for some time.

Chamberlain, who was elected Junior Co-Chair for Hilary, will now be Senior Co-Chair for the remainder of the term. The office of President-Elect and Junior CoChair are synonymous and the constitution mandates that the President-Elect should assume the President’s office if he or she resigns. This left the society without

a Junior Co-Chair until Wednesday evening, when the Social Secretary, Jack Ford of St Hilda’s, was coopted into the role at the OULD committee meeting.

A student at Brasenose, Chamberlain has been active in OULD for several terms. She was Secretary and Spirits Secretary in Michaelmas and served on the General Executive last Trinity.

Having volunteered in the Liberal Democrats for several years, she unsuccessfully contested the Ardwick seat on Manchester City Council at the 2015 local elections.

She is also a Deputy Returning Officer at the Union and the VicePresident of Oxford Students for Liberty, a liberal discussion group.

Asked about her plans for OULD, the new Senior Co-Chair replied: “This is an exciting time for the Lib Dems, given the upcoming local elections and EU referenda. My focus in the next few weeks will be to get our members knocking on doors and gathering support for our fantastic candidates in the local area.

Past May, I will look towards the EU, focusing on speakers and events in conjunction with the campaign, and hopefully work alongside Oxford Students for Europe.”

News In Brief New Sainsbury’s to open

Image: Ibsan 73

Endeavour to return Popular detective drama series Endeavour has been renewed for another run by ITV. Endeavour is set in the 1960s and tells the story of young Constable Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans), solving murders in the city of Oxford together with his partner, Inspector Fred Thursday (Roger Allam).

After a very successful third season averaged over 6 million viewers at the beginning of the year, “it was an easy decision to recommission” the two TV detectives, Steve November, Director of Drama at ITV, said. casebook of Detective Constable Endeavour.

The fourth season of Endeavour, the Inspector Morse prequel, will begin in late Spring of this year.

It has emerged that the supermarket giant Sainsbury’s will be opening a new store in Oxford. The chain had quietly lodged an application for a premises at 117-119 St Aldates. This store will be in addition to the nearby Magdalen Street branch, and is part of a wider scheme to flatten 4 and 5 Queen Street and the block behind it.

This will make way for the ground floor store and 133 new student flats in the storeys above it. Sainsbury’s have said that the new store has the potential to create up to 25 new jobs. The store on Magdalen Street will not close. No opening date has been announced yet.

Image: Andrew Abbott

Image: Jon Bunting

National biscuit shortage The UK is facing a nationwide biscuit shortage following damage to the United Biscuits factory in Carlisle. The factory, which is one of the most hightech biscuit facilities in the world, was affected by floods as a result of Storm Desmond in December and was forced to close. The factory is responsible for the production of McVitie’s, Jacob’s, Carr’s and Crawford’s brands, which means a shortage of ginger nuts, custard creams, and water crackers, to name but a few. Production of some lines has now restarted, but United Biscuits have commented that it could take ‘several months’ until things get back to normal.

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The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Profile: Katja Grace “You have something very different from what humans want” • Katja Grace examines the

future of Artifical Intelligence

Ben A. Pace Staff Writer

In January of 2015, Elon Musk put $10 million into research surrounding Artificial Intelligence.

This money did not, surprisingly, go into extending state-of-the-art techniques in machine-learning, or anything at all near a production line. Instead, the money was given to a group at MIT called the “Future of Life Institute”, founded by inventor of Skype Jann Tallin and physicist Max Tegmark; their task was to fund researchers whose work would make AI systems “robust and beneficial” in the long term.

The president of AAAI, one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious AI conferences, described the goals around AI like this: “We know that these computers with Artificial Intelligence can be Intelligence Amplifiers, but they can also be mistake amplifiers, and we have to make sure we have ways that these systems can detect that they’re making a mistake, or we can prevent them from making mistakes, so that they do what we want them to.”

Nick Bostrom, director of the Future of Humanity Institute (part of the Oxford Martin School) was one of the beneficiaries of . He received $1.5 million to build a larger research institute spanning both Oxford and Cambridge. It is no surprise that he received such a large portion after publishing his book entitled ‘Superintelligence’, a text so dense with new ideas it achieved a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list and also a description in the The Telegraph as “a damn hard read”.

Another individual to receive funding was the California-based researcher Katja Grace, who is at present visiting the Future of Humanity Institute to continue her research. I first met Katja at a party in San Francisco in the summer, where we spoke only briefly. Nevertheless, when talking to Katja I was immediately struck by her ability to talk about complex concepts in simple language. I expressed interest in her research, and we exchanged emails to talk some more.

In the Vaults and Garden cafe, on the last Thursday of January, Katja and I shared some tea and scones while I asked her about what she’s been funded to do.

Her current research is collated on a website called AI Impacts, where she attempts to predict the long-term future of the field of Artificial Intelligence. Katja first

contrasted her work from standard practices: “Often in academia you have a good method, and you ask a question that’s somewhere close to a question you want to know the answer to, and then you answer it really well.” However, Katja’s approach was to find less clean methods to get data on questions that she really cared about. “AI Impacts aims to learn more about what’s going to happen, with an eye to rough, cheap projects, which will get a relatively large amount of information. There are imperfect ways to get rough estimates, and we gather whatever we can find which will help with that.”

I expect the world will change a lot in a short period Katja seemed to be interested in getting all the information she could on how the field of AI will develop. I first wanted to know how one went about predicting the future. So I asked the question: “How does one go about predicting the future?” Katja replied: “One good way is to look at the past, see if there are any patterns

Katja Grace carries out her current research into AI at the Future of Humanity Institute Image: Adam Ford

Profile in it, and expect those to go on in the future. […] People say that you just can’t predict things, but they’re often comparing to simple extrapolation. They mean: ‘people can’t predict things better than simple extrapolation’, but simple extrapolation is often pretty good.

So some of what we do is just gather together the evidence you need to do the extrapolation.” Her answer seemed straightforward enough, and I was surprised that some of the analysis Katja had released hadn’t been examined elsewhere in the same way – for example, her paper “Algorithmic Progress in Six Domains”, which analysed a variety of important, complex, computational problems.

Anything where the world changes a lot, there is a substanial risk From this point onwards in the conversation, I had to get out my notepad and pen to keep all of the ideas in my head. One idea that we discussed was discontinuous progress in the field of AI, wherein research goes along steadily until a sharp turn creates vastly more powerful machines than before.

Many experts believe that we are currently ill equipped to deal with the capabilities of vastly improved intelligent systems, and that discontinuous progress may be sufficiently sharp that we will not be able to react in time.

Katja has been searching for technology in any field that has grown discontinuously, to hopefully theorise about which important variables predict discontinuity.

However, she’s obtained very little data.

“So far, we’ve only found two things which have seen more than around 10 years of progress in a single year.

The two that we have are nuclear weapons... If you look at how much explosion you can get for a gram

of material, it increases by a factor of four over thousands of years, and then suddenly increases by a factor of 2000. The other one is high-temperature superconductors.

The highest temperature at which you could do superconducting gradually crept up over 70 years, and then it suddenly jumped much higher. That was on the order of one hundred years of progress in one go […] Both of those feel like finding a new thing in nature. They’re not like an intellectual insight at all.

The superconducting more so, because they had found a new kind of substance.”

“So in general tech looks more gradual?”

“We haven’t come across any examples that are not so gradual.

We have bounties up on these at the moment. If anyone knows of an example, they can write to us and we’ll send them money.” “...Is it a large amount of money?”

“Five hundred bucks is the highest amount you can get. We pay them depending on how good the example is.”

I made a note of this and moved on, in case I ever notice any patterns of discontinuous growth in my studies and am in need of 342 pounds and 14 pence.

I asked what Katja thought of brains, as an example of “discontinuous progress”. My thinking being, that the rate of technological improvement jumped quite a bit after brains developed through evolution. But brains didn’t seem quite like the subjects Katja was talking about, which were things like Bitcoin and chess algorithms.

She replied: “I’m not sure what the two reference classes are, being used here. It seems like, if there are several reference classes being used, you basically want to use all of them.

There’s a question of how much you weight them… I don’t have a good theory of how to do that.”

Similarly, the Google-owned company Deep Mind recently managed to create a computer that beat the (human) European Champion in a game of Go, a shocking success. However, Katja

11

didn’t find it as surprising. “Deep Mind claimed it was ten years early, and it was probably less than that.

We’ve been moving towards it pretty steadily for years.”

The totality of this evidence seemed to weigh against discontinuous progress happening in the field of AI, although as Katja referred to this is not the only class of things one could extrapolate from. I had not expected someone who was funded to do research on the basis that there were risks, to come up with disconfirming evidence; it is difficult to overcome one’s initial biases and expectations. But this spoke to Katja’s humility, for changing her mind on something she had many incentives not to.

Evidence for sharp discontinuous progress is less good than people think On top of all of the evidence Katja has added to the discussion, I asked her what her personal thoughts were about the safety aspect of Artificial Intelligence, and whether there in fact were risks that needed to be solved in advance.

“I think that the evidence for a sharp, discontinuous progress in AI is substantially less good than some people around think. It still seems like a serious risk, compared to other risks, by at least a few percent.

I expect that the world will change a lot in a relatively short period, and I think in anything where the world changes a lot in a short period, there’s substantial risk of it going badly.”

If not because of discontinuous progress, why did Katja still think AI Safety required this funding from Musk?

“I think there are other sorts of risks from AI, but mostly for social reasons we focus on one or two particular risks. There are other scenarios where it causes a small group of people to have a lot of power and behave badly. We could have automated corporations which don’t care about human values and humans lose control, but it doesn’t happen that fast. In the long run, you [can] have something very different from what humans want.”

I wanted to find out more about what I could work on to mitigate these risks, but the interview was drawing to a close. So, instead, after updating on these considerations, I asked Katja how I should think about my career plans. Her answer was again straightforward, and characteristically suggested many of my assumptions might be false.

“To me, the difference it makes to my career is this: It seems like there’s this big important thing happening. Not many people are paying attention to it, so there might be opportunity for me to influence it, on the one hand. And on the other hand, many things I might find important, improving educational institutions say, seem less important, because a lot of things are going to change. Changes you might make now, in the hope they might stand for hundreds of years and make things better for humans in the long run, are less important.”

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Comment

The egos of alumni should not come before student welfare

Oxford

Max Clements Staff Writer

Just when we thought the debate surrounding the statue of Cecil Rhodes couldn’t get any more controversial, it just did. On Thursday night, Oriel College announced that the infamous statue of its benefactor Cecil Rhodes was to remain in place, following an extraordinary display of narcissistic egotism from its wealthy donors.

These threats show outright contempt towards the current students of this university A report written by Oriel’s development director Sean Power, leaked to the Telegraph,

hints that the college’s decision to cut short its six month process of ‘listening’ was motivated by threats to withdraw bequests to the College worth over £100 million. The report stresses the damaging impact of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign on Oriel’s fundraising projects and a desire to put an end to the media attention surrounding the college’s decision to consider removing a plaque devoted to the colonialist as well as a potential application to remove the statute itself. In a particularly damning verdict the report states that “If the College continues on the path it has chosen to go down (…) this will be a serious issue for future fundraising at Oriel.’”Despite assuring its current students that the decision to keep the Rhodes statute based was based on ‘principled reasons’ and that the story run by the Telegraph was ‘speculative’ and ‘misleading’, in an email circulated to Oriel

Leaked documents have suggested that Oriel’s decision not to remove Rhodes’ statue may have been influenced by threats to withdraw donations.

Image: Godot13

Comment 12 students, it is clear that financial pressure from alumni has played a major role in assuring that Rhodes remains on the front of Oriel college in all his glory.

I am both appalled and alarmed at this display of egotism from the alumni of Oriel college. The fact a few wealthy individuals have been able to financially coerce the college into submitting to their personal opinions on an issue as sensitive as the legacy of colonialism, in a supposedly inclusive academic environment, is unacceptable.

These threats to disinherit Oriel serve to disrespect not only the staff and Governing body of the college, who up until this point have shown a genuine desire to discuss removing the statue and listen to a range of opinions over this issue, but also show outright contempt towards the current students of this university and their opinions on the commemoration of Rhodes.

We are witnessing nothing short of the politicisation of charitable bequests to an academic institution with the intention of derailing a prominent and intellectually stimulating movement that has helped to reframe how we should remember historical figures and the impacts of their legacy.

This is about more than just a statue. The Rhodes Must Fall Movement is committed to improving BME access, racial diversity and equality within the university and looking at increasing the awareness of Oxford’s deep rooted relationship with our imperialist past. Opponents of Rhodes Must Fall frequently levy accusations that the removal

of the statue constitutes the ‘erasing of history’. However, it is vitally important to remember that statues and memorials are not how we remember history: they are how we commemorate individuals. By having a statue of Rhodes facing out onto the high street, Oriel is commemorating Rhodes and his legacy. The money that he so generously bequeathed to the college, the reason why he is etched in stone, was the fruit of the exploitation of African nations and their natural resources, and this is why accusations of hypocrisy aimed at Rhodes scholars who support the removal of the statue are misguided and myopic.

The responses of Oriel alumni illustrates a fatal misunderstanding of the values of the campaign Regardless of whether you believe Rhodes must fall or not, the responses of Oriel Alumni and their influence in an issue which affects current Oxford students today is shocking and illustrates a fatal misunderstanding of the values at the heart of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign. The leaked report stresses a clear ‘sense of shame and embarrassment’ on behalf of the alumni in response to the College’s decision to consider removing the statue.

If mere discussion of the fate of the Rhodes statue by Oriel’s governing body, in response to petitions, protests and widespread debate throughout the media, embarrasses the

patrons and former students of this College then I, a current student at Oriel College, am embarrassed to be associated with them. The sheer arrogance of these individuals who actively dismiss the democratic process of debate surrounding the commemoration of a man whose legacy runs counter to the values and the commitment of both the College and the University is, to me at least, unfathomable.

Rhodes’ money was the fruit of the exploitation of African nations and their resources Whether or not the decision to keep the statue of Cecil Rhodes was the direct result of the loss of alumni donations or of other more principled factors, we cannot know for sure at this stage. But the very fact that wealthy donors possess the unaccountable power to even so much as influence the decisions made by the governing body of an educational institution over an issue as central as equality and the commemoration of colonialism is alarming to say the very least.

Perhaps the most telling issue raised by these leaked documents is encapsulated in the question: “is this how we treat our donors?”

If the donors of our university colleges openly compare themselves and their legacies with that of Cecil Rhodes, and are more concerned with their own eternal veneration than the opinions and the well being of the University’s students, then I am ashamed to identify with them.

The Oxford Student | Friday 19th February 2016

Profile: Andrew Marr

“The question in my mind is always: where is this person most vulnerable? ” • Andrew Marr talks interview

technique, Chomsky, and the BBC Madeleine Herbert Staff Writer

“If I was you I would have looked at my career and what I’ve been saying recently and I would be trying to look for things that would make me uneasy, or that would cause a rumpus if I were to reply one particular way.” This is the advice of Andrew Marr, when asked how to interview Andrew Marr. It is of course this technique of Marr’s which has earned him a reputation as a sharp and incisive political journalist, although it has admittedly brought him moments of controversy over the years.

With his own advice in mind, I began by asking Marr about his comment at the Cheltenham Literary Festival in 2011, where he labelled bloggers as “inadequate, pimpled and single”. I wanted to know whether he stands by this statement, in a world where people increasingly get their news from the internet, and social media platforms are offering more and more opportunities to get people’s voices heard. The hashtag #oscarssowhite, for example, which was created to protest the complete lack of actors of colour in the four main acting categories for the Academy Award nominations this year, has prompted a review in the selection process. He tells me that his infamous speech was during “early days” of blogging, and that he “was really talking about people that you would now call trolls”. He goes on to assure me that he knows that “there are huge numbers of bloggers who are absolutely essential to social conversation and discourse” and that he himself uses “a huge number of bloggers as part of [his] primary source” and as “an essential part of [his] weekly media input”.

So could these new, public, nonprofessional soap boxes change mainstream media in a global way? Marr conducted a famous interview with Noam Chomsky in 1996 where Chomsky decried the mainstream media as a consumer product in a capitalist society, and therefore inherently propagandistic. I ask Marr if he thinks that the new platforms, of social media, blogging and the internet in general, can be posed as a solution to the monopolization of the media as Chomsky saw it. Very quickly, Marr asserts

that his own reservations about Chomsky’s view, which he indeed made clear during the interview twenty years ago, still remain.

“I still disagree with Chomsky in the sense that he thinks that there is a completely, hermetically sealed, establishment bubble, and everyone who’s part of it is exactly the same. So for Chomsky, the Guardian is exactly the same as the Financial Times, is exactly the same as the Daily Express. I see differences and gradations - I think he’s simply wrong. Having said that,” he concedes, “anything that breaks up media hierarchies and monopolies is a good thing.”

Getting politicians to say things that will make headlines is his job In any case, the relationship between journalists and the public has changed drastically thanks to social media, in a very short space of time. What are the implications of this for the journalists themselves? How must journalists adapt to account for increased engagement directly from their public? Marr tells me that the main change is having to deal with criticism which is much more accessible and unavoidable. He tells me he gets “huge slews of abuse on Twitter after almost every interview” which “gets you down a bit”. Of course, this criticism has always been thrown around, but, he says: “in the old days, you would know that there would be a saloon bar, somewhere, with a bunch of guys of one kind of tattoo or another, having a real go at people like me. And you probably wouldn’t walk into the saloon bar to seek them out.” But now, he says, “they’re in your face”. The task is to work out which criticism is “abusive and cheap”, and which is “made by serious [presumably untattooed?] people that you then have to think about and take on board.” He tells me “it’s very hard to know which is which unless you wade through it.”

John Prescott, for example, took to twitter recently to criticise an interview between Marr and Jeremy Corbyn, the new Labour leader. Prescott called Marr’s interview “a disgrace” and went on: “Here’s someone who is leading

Profile the debate by putting housing, social justice and equality right at the heart of our politics [...] And how did Marr respond? By asking questions to get answers he hopes will be in tomorrow’s Daily Mail.” When I bring this up, first of all, Marr tells me: “John and I have long history and I rather like John, so I’m not going to hit back at him. I’m not going to retaliate.” Nevertheless, he goes on to defend the interview with Corbyn, saying that “all [he] did was asked him the questions that [he] thought people needed him to answer.” He says that he still feels his question to Corbyn about Conservative anti-union legislation which banned ‘flying pickets’ (a technique where groups of striking workers move from one workplace to another to provide support) was “a very important question; a really essential question. And very interesting: he does want to bring it back!”

Beyond Marr’s interaction with Corbyn, the BBC has been criticised in general for its apparently biased coverage of the new Labour leader, in particular the insistent use of the modifier “left wing” when referring to him.

Some have wondered if the BBC is compensating for its own leftleaning tendencies in its reporting on Corbyn. Marr disputes the idea, telling me roundly, “that’s not true.

And I think – if you were being really Machiavellian about it, and you were the Tory party, wanting to put pressure on the BBC, you’d want the BBC to boost Corbyn, because you would think as the Tory party does, that he can’t possibly win an election. Keep Corbyn there for as long as possible! Would be the mantra. Be as nice to Corbyn as possible!” Fundamentally, he assures me that he does not feel political pressure on him, in his interviews with Corbyn or anyone else. “I am under no pressure to go soft on Tories, or be nasty to Labour, or whatever. My main responsibility is to the audience. Am I asking the questions that are going to illuminate things that are important for them, and am I not taking the person I’m interviewing completely at face value; am I probing as much as is reasonable? But I don’t think it’s my job either, to make them look ridiculous, or humiliate them, or get one over on them.”

It’s going to be a rough ride for the BBC for the next few years So it seems that Prescott did hit the nail on the head, when he accused Marr of trying to make headlines. Marr himself tells me: “the question in my mind is always: where is this person most vulnerable? How can I get the most interesting interview out of them? And how can I get them to say something that’s going to make headlines the next day, and is going to illuminate the political process?” As far as Marr is concerned, getting politicians to say things that will make headlines is his job. What makes headlines

is what is controversial, and what makes them controversial is the fact that people care about them.

What more can you ask of a journalist than to cause their interviewees to elucidate their opinions on things that the public care about? And if there was ever any doubt about Marr’s personal agenda in his journalistic career, his viewers can rest assured that he is recognisant of the fact that the Andrew Marr show, despite the name, is no more about Andrew Marr “than Heinz beans are about the Heinz family; it’s about the content of the show, it’s about the interviewees: it’s about the beans! And the tomato sauce!”

Anything that breaks up media hierrarchies and monopolies is a good thing There is an analogy to be made here, between the problems faced by journalists when approaching their interviews with politicians, and the role of the BBC in general. In both cases, journalists and the BBC respectively are expected to discern what is entertainment and what is important.

In the latter case particularly, how much entertainment is necessary?

And to what extent is the BBC responsible for providing it? It’s a question which the BBC must address, as demands on the service evolve and the organisation is forced to tighten its purse-strings.

What does Marr think the BBC

must do? When I ask him this, he does not really provide any solutions to the problems that the BBC faces, but does spell them out. He insists: “the thing is, we have to cover the waterfront. We have to do big popular entertainment shows, and soaps, and we have to do high end stuff that nobody else would do. You can’t give up either of them. Sometimes, the audience is tired, has had a couple of drinks, and wants a good time: let’s give them a good time. Sometimes, the audience is angry and querulous and wants to be made to think and get their questions answered, and you have to help them there too.” What he does say is “really dangerous” is that “you must never patronise the audience.”

While not a new solution, there is something that Marr insists the BBC must continue to do through difficult times, and it goes back yet again to unbiased coverage of politics. According to Marr, the BBC’s most precious and important asset remains its scrupulous and all-encompassing impartiality, and whatever happens over the coming years, the BBC must cling on to it with bloody fingers. “It’s going to be a rough ride for the BBC for the next few years, but the main thing is we just have to hold our nerve, and not start to try and second guess either the government, or any bunch of critics. That would be lethal. Once we start to say, ‘Ok, the SNP are cross with the BBC, let’s be very Scottish Nationalist, ok, Corbynites are very cross with the BBC, let’s go very left wing’... we’re finished.”

Manchester United England - 1997-2013 2002-2014 During his 16 year career, Ferdinand gained 81 caps, receiving his first at the age of 19 years and 8 days. He scored 3 goals for England, and replaced John Terry as captain in 2010. He retired from football Andrew international Marr visited St in 2013, saying wanted Peter’s college last he week to focus on his club.

Image: Kremlin.ru

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The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

The lack of diversity in Hollywood is a slap in the face of creativity Asta Diabaté Staff Writer

Jada Pinkett Smith, Charlotte Rampling, Matt Damon, Lupita Nyong’o - these are just some of the people who have weighed in on the 2016 Oscars controversy.

For the second year the Oscars have shown how little diversity matters to them, with not one single non-white person being nominated for any acting category. Some will argue that actors of colour were not good enough. Charlotte Rampling, who bagged a nomination for best actress for her role in 45

Years, has gone as far to saying that the whole controversy is racist to white people, clearly ignoring what racism actually means.

Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee are just a few that are boycotting the Oscars as a result of this lack of acknowledgment of BME talent. Even Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the academy’s president, who also happens to be a black woman, expressed her disappointment at the Oscars being so white.

The Oscars are of course a problem. Something like 90 per cent of its members happen to

Comment 13 be white men. And the lack of diversity amongst the members is of course to blame for failing to acknowledge the talent of filmmakers and actors who are portraying stories that don’t relate to their narrow cultural perspective.

For the second year, the Oscars have shown how little diversity matters to them But the Oscars being so white is also symptomatic of an industry that really is that white.

The executives at the top movie studios from which most Oscars contenders come are most of the time white, old men, more concerned about keeping it safe by producing films that are seen

Not one single non-white person was nominated for an Oscar in any acting category.

Image: Prayitno

The real problem with refugees, red doors and wristbands Politics Rachel Dunne Staff Writer

There was public outcry last week when it came to light that residents at a privately run but government-funded refugee home in Cardiff had to wear wristbands. The purpose of these wristbands was to entitle them to their three free meals a day.

However, some compared them to the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany.

There was a similar reaction to the fact that the doors of refugee housing in Middlesbrough were painted red so that employees of the housing company could identify them.

Neither the wristbands nor the painted doors were intended to stigmatise refugees These policies were clearly misguided, but the highly emotive reaction that they received seems extreme. Neither the wristbands nor the painted doors were intended to stigmatise refugees.

In both cases the intention was

to facilitate a scheme which helps refugees to settle in Britain. In the Judenstern such policies were expressly designed to stigmatise and demean the Third Reich’s Jewish population.

The underlying issue here is not with the wristbands and doors themselves, but with a continued hostile attitude towards refugees from some members of society.

We should really be criticising those who, upon seeing these signals that someone is a refugee, abuse them or their property.

Disturbing examples include people shouting degrading comments and throwing eggs, stones, and even excrement at refugees’ properties.

People have been shouting degrading comments and throwing eggs, stones, and even excrement Ultimately, it was probably the right decision for both the wristband and red door schemes to be rescinded. We should, however, consider it a blight upon our society that this was the case.

There should be no need to hide the fact that someone is a refugee

as safe, films that portray ethnic minorities in stereotypes, and women as mono-dimensional.

Not too long ago Buzzfeed gave evidence of this by reading some casting calls in Hollywood, which clearly reduced ethnic minorities to nothing but caricatures.

Screen writers, directors, casting directors and producers are all predominantly white, and until diversity is improved there, I find it unlikely that the Oscars will become less white and that the wealth of stories produced by the film industry will be true to the positive influence of diversity.

Of course the Academy has made the first step by acknowledging that it has a problem and have promised to become more diverse by 2020.

That is clearly not going to be enough. Even Matt Damon, the actor who came under fire a while ago for suggesting that diversity is only needed in front of the camera, has acknowledged that there’s much to be done to redress the race and gender balance in Hollywood. And he’s right, this time. Hollywood as a whole needs to do more when it comes to diversity, and it cannot claim to be representative of America until it reflects the fact that America is such a diverse place.

The British film industry is not much better when it comes to diversity, either. Idris Elba, actor in Luther and Beasts of No Nation, attested to this fact in his address to MPs in Parliament.

The TV and film world is a window into our world and it has the power to shape our views of it, our perceptions. When film does

not reflect the real world, talent is ignored and trashed. “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t.” Creative decision makers, in Britain and the US alike, have the power to determine which stories are told. So far they have been using their power to bring about the same old stories where white characters, men, straight, able bodied people are multidimensional, and where everybody else is nothing more than their skin colour, their gender, their sexual orientation or their disability.

When imagination does not see beyond its experiences, it ceases to be imaginative We can’t be what we can’t see. When imagination is too narrow-minded, constrained in a box that does not see beyond its experiences and limitations, imagination ceases to be imaginative. Talent is unable to reach opportunity and performances worthy of recognition are too often brushed aside.

The Oscars are now aware of their diversity problem and are doing something about it. However, until Hollywood follows in the footsteps of the Academy by actively doing something to promote diversity, the world will stay the same: a world where mainly white performances are praised and anything else is put in the trash.

in order to allow them to feel a sense of safety and belonging in their new community.Whatever one’s personal feelings about how many refugees we should accept in Britain, these desperate people have arrived here, and the government has accepted them.

There is no scenario in which it is acceptable for anyone to take out their anger on the refugees themselves There is no scenario in which it is acceptable for anyone to take out their anger at this on the refugees themselves. Like us, these people have basic needs and desires. We take the fulfilment of these for granted, but they have travelled miles in pursuit of it. Along with food, water, and shelter, this includes security and a feeling of inclusion in society.

In their laudable attempts to provide the former three, government policy has allowed some members of society to deny refugees the latter two. It is sad that this is the case, and perhaps the Government ought to have foreseen such problems, but the fault does not lie with them.

Rather, it lies with those who choose to react in thoughtless, antagonistic and inhumane ways to the knowledge that someone was a refugee.

It was found that housing companies in Middlesborough were painting the doors of refugees’ homes red.

Image: Leo Reynolds

Comment 14

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Comment

We are living in an age of progressive Jack Evans Staff Writer

Let’s return to Tsarist Russia during the 1860s. The emancipation of the serfs in 1861 gave rise to a period of intermittent civil unrest. During this time, radical progressive thinkers, dissatisfied with the Tsar’s reforms, faced state censure and intimidation.

However, the liberal opposition came full circle to resemble the regime as editors of literary journals censored the work of those whom did not toe their ‘party line’. The outlook of these so-called Liberals became less liberal. Although history is not repeating itself, parallels can be drawn between this epoch in Russia and the UK today.

Today there remains social injustice to be combatted. I believe the vast majority of the UK population supports the campaigns against injustices like sexism, racism and poverty. We are united against the same issues; but the unity ends here. There are innumerable

The so-called ‘Wadsquad’ have been accused of intimidating moderately minded students.

Image: generalising

Politics

social and political groups all with different ways of tackling injustice.

You could say there are different denominations of the same faith.

Some groups think their ideology is the best and purest of all; they form part of a progressive orthodoxy.

“

We are united against the same issues, but the unity ends there.

Certain activist groups are so sure in their conviction that they are right that they do not tolerate any views or opinions differing from theirs. Their ideology has morphed into a narrow-minded dogma. Their rigid mind-set is at odds with the world’s vagaries and exceptions. I’m thinking in particular of what has been called the feminist sisterhood, and those who campaign on LGBT issues are often as blinkered. Close

to home, I am told the ‘Wadsquad’, a loud minority of radical students at Wadham, embody the worst of this intolerant attitude. They monopolise debate and harbour an atmosphere of intellectual intimidation to such an extent that moderate-minded students are reluctant to speak up in JCR meetings. This situation at Wadham is a microcosm of our society.

“

Moderate-minded students are reluctant to speak up in JCR meetings.

There are many examples of the progressive orthodoxy trying to outcast people who are, in the grand scheme of things, singing from the same hymn sheet as them. Take Chrissie Hynde, who was pilloried for saying getting raped at 21 was her fault. Germaine Greer was equally vociferously criticised for her comments on transwomen.

These two women should be treated as allies, instead of heretics only fit for denunciation. Their offence is to have blasphemed against the doctrine of political correctness.

Hynde contested the absolute principle that a woman cannot be in the slightest bit responsible for getting sexually assaulted; Greer broke the taboo of questioning whether a man’s sex change is enough to make him a woman.

Her comments may have caused offence, but arguably they align with Simone de Beauvoir’s judgement that a woman is what you become.

Following de Beauvoir’s train of thought, a sex change cannot undo

years of experiencing the world as a man; I doubt though that Greer’s critics perceived this through their fog of outrage.

The rights and wrongs of these issues are complex and contentious.

Or at least they should be contentious because, where the law does not legislate, little is black and white. Some of today’s progressive thinkers need to nuance their views to make them compatible with our nuanced world.

Some LGBT activists are also at fault for thinking in black and white, which the reaction to Jeremy Clarkson’s recent article on transgender people proved. His language was at times incendiary, especially the phrase “lop his todger off ”. But what do you expect from Clarkson? No one is forcing you to read him. (Though to suggest that inmates would demand a sex change to get swapped to a different prison is undoubtedly distasteful and unsubstantiated.)

“

Some of today’s progressive thinkers need to nuance their views.

His statements to the effect that parents indulge their children’s whims by letting them switch gender do deserve closer consideration.

Nonetheless, there is a fine line between analysing this issue and trivialising someone’s gender confusion, which he was at pains to avoid in his closing paragraph in which he expressed sympathy for genuine struggling with identity

issues.

Clarkson is right to say that you wouldn’t indulge all of a child’s whims: many are pure fantasy.

While it is possible to switch gender once, it must be extremely hard to switch back. Therefore, it is justified to question whether parents should allow their children to make an irrevocable decision about their gender at an age when the law does not consider them responsible.

And yet, the reactions I have read to the article centre less on the arguments he made than his right to make them. Ignoring reams of literary and historical writers who have convincingly tackled topics they have not directly experienced, it was claimed that Clarkson shouldn’t write on trans issues because he is cisgender. If anything, his distance from the issue permits more objective analysis. I read a tweet along the lines of “Clarkson’s a dinosaur. Thankfully they’ll die out soon”, which depicts his views as archaic. It will never be archaic to dispute widely held assumptions.

I may personally feel Clarkson here and elsewhere oversteps a line of decency, but millions of his fans and his employers must think the opposite. Thus it is misguided of Clarkson’s critics to assume that such provocative challenges to their doctrine will peter out.

Their beliefs are not sacred, despite how convinced they are of them. As long as we have freedom of speech in this country, people will be able to openly disagree. Instead of calling those whom disagree with us bigots, we should not be too dogmatic to explain why our views are superior.

I reckon reasoning will be more convincing than name-calling.

Comment 15

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

The truth about the refugee crisis

Politics

A response to Paul Adams Joseph Cordery Staff Writer

When I first read Paul Adams’ piece I was confused: was I reading a news article about the tragedy that is the refugee crisis, or was I reading a romantic novel, or even a travel brochure?

There’s some lovely prose about the sea spray and the sun’s rays, but upon finishing reading I could not recall a single piece of meaningful information. The

crux of the problem is that amongst his poetic narration, Adams essentially ignores the implications of what he is describing on human life.

“

Adams essentially ignores the implications on human life.

Adams fails to mention the effects of the bitter cold winter will bring across Europe.

Astonishingly, it’s actually treated as a saviour. Certainly, for some of the residents of Lesbos, it does offer a well-earned respite (however, also absent in the article is the barely disguised resentment towards the refugees from some of the residents of these Greek islands). But what about the refugees themselves, what does the winter mean for them?

No mention is made of the extra suffering that these people will have to endure as they cross the sea - other than through an anecdote about the rough

The Rhodes campaign has reinforced democracy in Oxford Staff Writer

Democracy is one of the things the Western World is most proud of.

When our countries come under attack we nod, smile politely and point out that, whatever the numerous faults of our systems, we are a democracy and therefore how wrong can we really be?

Despite this deep-rooted admiration of our political system it is true that JCR meetings, our own miniature form of democracy (and one that offers free pizza) are often barely attended – I say this in the knowledge that in my time so far I have been at one.

This was, however, resolutely not the case on Sunday in St Anne’s JCR, when a motion was put forward demanding that we as a JCR come out against the Rhodes Must Fall campaign. The issue of Rhodes and his statue is one that has inflamed a debate greater than even its campaigns greatest advocates can ever have predicted.

Nevertheless, whatever side of the argument you fall on, there seemed to me a number of reasons why this proposal couldn’t

“

The reader is encouraged to view the whole situation as a spectacle.

Image: Freedom House

Helen Megone

The reader is encouraged to view the whole situation as a spectacle. Look at that proud English man help the eager, but incompetent, Greeks! Observe the “extraordinary events” unfold in front of you! Don’t worry about doing anything, just enjoy the juxtaposition of the unmoving flamingos and the bustling refugees! Adams has written something romantic, cinematic, and entirely inappropriate for such a serious issue. But the problem doesn’t just lie in the writing style. It’s the fact that the article not only patronises everyone who reads it, but, in doing so, totally obscures what is actually going on.

go through. The proponents of the motion believed that, given that other colleges had come out in support of the movement, that balance must be restored by our college being against. This seems to me to be silly at best; there is no need for childish oneupmanship in regards to such a sensitive issue. If even just 3% of St Anne’s JCR were in favor of the pulling down of the statue then the motion would not be providing a ‘balanced’ view of its own college’s opinion, so how could we possibly state that that is what we as a JCR believed? The idea that college JCRs need to involve themselves anyway makes me a little uncomfortable; the JCR is in charge of student welfare, not representing the views of its members in what has become a highly politicized matter.

“

There is no need for childish one-upmanship in such a sensitive issue.

At any rate the motion did not

pass (and we now know that the statue hasn’t fallen either) so perhaps it doesn’t matter what I think at all, but I do believe that both the campaign, and to a certain degree the St Anne’s debate, have succeeded in drawing awareness to something that does truly matter. I can’t imagine that there is anyone at Oxford who would condone the lack of ethnic diversity in our university, whatever side of the debate they stand on. The statue may have become a symbol for a wider

Just 3% of St Anne’s JCR were in favour of Rhodes falling Image: Stannered

conditions forcing a professional back to shore (how an amateur smuggler with an overfilled inflatable boat will manage is left out). Nothing is said about their journey up through Greece and beyond. Moreover, that the border is closed to anyone who can’t prove Syrian, Iraqi, or Afghan citizenship goes unmentioned. Anyone wishing to cross the border who doesn’t fall within this category will have to sneak across at night, in the freezing cold, and often evading armed and not particularly nice policemen.

The highest temperature at the border is currently around 1°C, and it is only going to go down from there. Once they cross the border, the refugees will have to walk through Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria and beyond during winter. These aren’t countries known for their tepid climate. Many will die. Young children and men travelling alone with barely any clothes will be most vulnerable.

Winter is not looking like so much fun after all.

Speaking of fun, didn’t the scene on the shore sound exciting?

With people relieved to still be dry, and children being given sweets and those pesky Roma trying to get some of the “handouts”. Firstly, “handouts” are not given to the refugees.

They are not being selfish or being given too much, as the word implies. On the island of Kos, at least, local charities replace wet clothes with dry ones and give everyone food and water. Dry, warm clothes and a bite to eat are the difference between a person who will survive the night and problem, and though I can’t fully see that taking it down would solve that problem, I don’t see that the failure to take it down means the campaign itself has failed.

“

The failure to take down the statue does not mean the campaign has failed.

Given recent attacks from national media over students

one who won’t.

And the act of handing out sweets to children perhaps hides the most of all. The children are not given sweets because that is their equivalent of a handout.

They are given sweets, and toys too, because it is disconcerting to look into the eyes of a five-year old child and realise that those sunken, distant, traumatised eyes know more about life and death than you ever will. The sweets are to try and bring them back, make them smile – rescue them.

“

Adams fails to mention the effects the bitter cold winter will bring.

We don’t need to relax or stop our efforts because winter is coming. The response from the rest of Europe cannot be to “take stock” or decrease – it has to increase in order to prevent suffering and save lives. Europe and its citizens need, if anything, to do more to help what could quickly turn into a major humanitarian crisis. People will die from this cold, and we can stop it. People should donate shoes, coats, scarves, hats and any old winter gear laying around to any of a number of charities in Greece so that at least they can have more of a fighting chance when the real cold does hit. But they won’t if articles like Adams’ continue to appear; at best they are apathetic, and at worst they romanticise real, powerful, and heart-breaking human suffering.

The original article can be found on the BBC News website.

desires for ‘safe spaces’ and our generation’s supposed lack of ability to debate different opinions, it is refreshing to be able to say that people are willing to debate such a controversial matter in public at all. The campaign’s leaders have brought our, and the university’s attention, to an issue that does need to be solved and they have reminded us that we are a democracy within which discussion is alive and well, and that surely counts for something.

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Screen

Screen

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NetflOx and Chill We watch it so you don’t have to!

Feature

James Riding Screen Editor

Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe has ushered in a new era of studio-driven filmmaking Image: Walt Disney Studios

Disney, nostalgia and the rise of the ‘Cinematic Universe’ Feature Luke Walpole Staff Writer

Over Christmas the Force may have awoken, but was it ever really asleep? A string of broken box office records and a swell of musthave gifts and merchandise indicate that this was the boiling-over of a simmering pot of fanfare, with a following so large and vehement that it transcends the label of ‘cult’.

But we’ve seen it all before, haven’t we? Turn back time to 1999 and The Telegraph described a certain prequel as “one of the most deliriously inventive films to have appeared in recent years”, something which was “daring and beautiful, terrifying and pompous”. The subject of course is The Phantom Menace, a film now consigned to cinematic ignominy.

Here is perhaps a pressing example of the danger of hype: it may well be that, after the dust settles, the post-The Force Awakens euphoria will dissipate. Yet JJ Abrams’ glorious shot in the arm of the Star Wars franchise has achieved acclaim partly due to the fact it bore an unmistakable resemblance to the era of Harrison Ford et al.

The comparisons between The Force Awakens and A New Hope are manifold; the ‘monomyth’ structure, the overarching danger facing the protagonists and the look, aims, and weaponry of the enemy. Even the palpable desire to capture the original trilogy’s texture and tone

have led some to question the integrity of Disney’s first foray into the galaxy far, far away. The question thus arises as to whether this is an example of unoriginal, populist film-making, or a pragmatic and thoroughly enjoyable recapturing of the aura which made the original trilogy a cultural touchstone.

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Disney is keen to create two cinematic dynasties There is no concrete answer here, but in order to be appreciated further, The Force Awakens needs to be contextualised in an increasingly nostalgic film-scape. Awakens may be a very self-referential production within the Star Wars canon, but that’s equally true of Jurassic World and Spectre. Both contained tropes which were heavily worn in, but did so with more technological bells and whistles. In Jurassic World we saw the pervasive sense of wonder which we all felt watching Jurassic Park, but etched on the face of every visitor in the new, sparkling amusement park.

Meanwhile, Spectre was a collection of Bond’s greatest hits laid out for all to see.

Franchise film-making naturally relies on nostalgia. In order to make a new film in any specific canon it is a necessity to repeat motifs and even catch-phrases in order

to situate a new film in a broader “cinematic universe”.

Indeed, interconnectivity has become a buzzword in the industry, a factor which arguably came to fruition with the advent of Marvel and their cinematic universe (MCU).

The MCU provides an overarching narrative to all of its films. Whilst Ant-Man was tonally different to Avengers: Age of Ultron, there was still a feeling that it was tangentially fulfilling a role in the broader MCU narrative. Even something like the majestic Guardians of the Galaxy will dovetail nicely into the double-headed Infinity War. Recent news suggests that Star Wars will adopt a similar structure and go on interminably. So both the MCU and Star Wars are aiming to create a broad, interconnected set of films which rely heavily on what came before.

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Studios spending in excess of $200 million on new properties is indicative of an unsustainable market The common denominator for both of these sagas is, of course, Disney.

It is, perhaps, unsurprising that a conglomerate as large and pervasive as Disney is keen to create two cinematic dynasties. The benefits of this move are numerous: a secure fan base who will return time and time again, the opportunity to create broad

marketing campaigns, and also the chance to capitalise on public interest with increasingly niche pieces of merchandising (Millennium Falconshaped toastie maker, anyone?).

The more left-leaning amongst us will deride this as a purely capitalist exercise; an attempt to squeeze beloved franchises purely for financial gain. This is undoubtedly one side of the argument, but it also one borne out of necessity.

As films become more expensive, and online streaming services become more popular, the idea of studios spending in excess of $200 million on new properties is both risky and indicative of an unsustainable market. Regardless of critical acclaim, footfall is the main barometer by which studios judge the success of their pictures.

If well-known and established franchises secure this backing, why would they disrupt the formula?

There is, however, some hope. The Force Awakens features enough new character dynamics and potential to make it distinct in its own right as a trilogy, whilst Marvel’s increasing roster, featuring titles such as Doctor Strange and Black Panther, promises a greater directorial and artistic diversity within the MCU. Equally, there will always be bolt-from-theblue original films which offer a breath of fresh air. The fact remains that in some franchises the force is particularly strong, and it appears that it is only going to grow stronger.

For every great film that makes it to a multiplex or student society near you, roughly 500 woefully conceived, poorly-executed or just plain bad ones are released into the vast wilderness of the internet. Thanks to the power of Netflix, we can now witness these debacles like never before: after all, as much as it’s worth thinking about what makes a good film good, it’s also worth considering what makes a bad film bad. And I’m not talking any old bad films: these are the worst of the worst, dredged from the darkest corners of the internet and dissected for your delight.

Although the Christmas vacation is now long-gone, one festive turd remains seared into my subconscious: Bone Alone ( Joseph J. Lawson, 2013), a film I picked up for £2.99 in Primark because of the hysterical title alone (it’s a dog-centric parody of Home Alone, of course! Of course. How could it mean anything else…?). Hilariously, it seems the film is genuinely trying to go for the family-friendly market, with a pair of abysmally lip-synched dogs taking on a gang of bungling burglars to protect their house while the family visit relatives for (a distinctly summery) Christmas. Yet, in true Home Alone fashion, the canine revenge of Bone and his friend is meted out with surprisingly violent glee, with one of the robbers falling face-first onto a barbecue and another almost drowning in the shower. What may be most interesting about Bone Alone, however, is its high-budget badness. The studio behind this particular atrocity is The Asylum, infamous for creating previous travesties such as Atlantic Rim and Sharknado. With the release of Bone Alone, it’s clear they’ve carved out a particular niche for bad films and are attempting to run with it, yet for all the awful CGI car crashes and lack of backgrounds in the driving scenes the film carries a weirdly professional sheen that prevents it from joining the crop of truly horrendous low-budget offerings. Does this mean you should watch it? No.

Bone Alone: A-paw-ling Image: Platform Entertainment

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Steven Moffat’s ‘Doctor Who’: a good run?

Daniel Mahoney

Screen Debate

Gabriel Naughton

Staff Writer

Coming Up At: Another Gaze What’s On

Staff Writer

Moffat will be missed

Moffat will not be missed

Steven Moffat had a tricky job to pull off as showrunner of Doctor Who, taking over from the man who spearheaded its revival and set the tone for the hugely successful modern incarnation of the show. But whilst it may have been easy to simply sit in Davies’ shadow and keep the show meandering along in the same fashion, Moffat’s tenure saw bold strides towards increasingly ambitious serialisation and thrillingly bombastic storylines. Whilst Davies tended to work on a “monster of the week” basis, with only a weak narrative throughline leading up to the series finale, Moffat has given us year-long mysteries and far more intricate storytelling. He even had the creative audacity to turn much of the new series’ continuity on its head in the 50th anniversary special with the introduction of John Hurt’s ‘War Doctor’. I’ve heard some criticise the increased continuity of Moffat’s show as overcomplicated, but I’d argue it’s allowed for greater emotional investment and storytelling potential.

Speaking of actors, Moffat has also been hugely successful in his casting, with Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi both playing wonderful yet totally different Doctors and Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill and Jenna Coleman all shining in supporting roles. In bringing Alex Kingston’s River Song back in an expanded role, Moffat managed to coax out both the fun and the tragic pathos of her relationship with the Doctor, as demonstrated so well in this year’s christmas special.

Perhaps the best example of the strength of Moffat’s run came with the penultimate episode of the last series, ‘Heaven Sent’, perhaps the best episode of DoctorWho thus far. In it we got powerfully dark writing from Moffat, a powerhouse performance from Capaldi and a genuinely clever and emotionally affecting setup that effortlessly managed to tie into the larger continuity of the series and allowed past and future events to gain greater significance. Moffat has left behind a show that managed to be ludicrous, joyful, scary, clever, touching and totally unpredictable. Chris Chibnall has some big shoes to fill.

It could have been worse. When earlier this week Stephen Moffat, writer and showrunner since 2010, announced his decision to leave Doctor Who after the end of next series in Spring 2017 it marked the biggest change in personnel at the BBC since Clarkson-gate last year. What’s more, Moffat has managed to make his exit without decking a single producer or working even one racial slur into a nursery rhyme. Kudos to him for that. But, in many ways, the 54 year old writer had come to occupy a similarly untouchable position within the BBC. Exalted by those at the top and pandered to by editors, he has in recent times produced some of his most convoluted and self-indulgent efforts.

That’s not to say that these have been terrible episodes. Even the flabbiest have been enlivened by the dry wit of Peter Capaldi, whose chemistry with Alex Kingston (River Song) was again on full display in the most recent Christmas special. Moffat deserves credit for introducing both actors to the program and lovingly curating their story arc.

Yet, nobody could claim that these compare to Moffat’s earliest ventures.

The lifelong fan introduced himself with a string of perfect episodes. With ‘The Empty Child’, he successfully sent both parents and children scurrying behind the sofa. His lonely schoolboy in long socks was more frightening than any incarnation of Dalek or Cyberman could ever be. His finest hour came in 2007 with the standalone episode ‘Blink’, giving Carey Mulligan an early role and introducing another terrifying antagonist in the Weeping Angels.

But, more recently, the three-time Hugo Award winner appears to have completed his transformation into fulltime fanboy. The cleverness remains, although the plots have evaporated.

Where previously each episode of Doctor Who worked as an independent story, they now seem targeted only towards a small following of initiates who can be relied on to chortle at every encoded self-reference. The same phenomenon is plain to see in his latest series of Sherlock. Much like watching bad jazz, it’s a worrying sign when the performers seem to be enjoying themselves more than the audience.

Was Steven Moffat’s six year stint as Doctor Who showrunner a success?

Image: Gage Skidmore

Daunish Negargar Screen Editor

Les Enfants Terribles: our 4th week screening.

Image: Janus Films

Another Gaze is a feminist and LGBTQ+ focused film club which holds weekly screenings on Wednesdays at 8pm in the Somerville College chapel.

Mainstream cinema far too often neglects female, LGBTQIA+ and non-eurocentric narratives, and that’s something we’re aiming to change through the films we choose to screen.

Our fourth week screening will be Jean-Pierre Melville’s Les Enfants Terribles. Released in 1950, and based on the Jean Cocteau novel of the same name, it details the intense and disturbing relationship between Paul, and his overprotective and jealous older sister Elisabeth.

Soon, more and more characters are drawn into their frightening mind games as Elisabeth attempts to destroy her brother’s budding relationship with the mysterious Agathe in order to satisfy her own incestuous desires for him. All are welcome to attend, learn and enjoy.

‘Making A Murderer’ Review: Netflix & Kill John Maier Staff Writer

Good grief, you do not want to stand trial in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, any time soon. For Steven Avery, unfortunately, this is becoming something of a bad habit. His murder trial is the subject of Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos’s 10-hour Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer.

If you pride yourself on keeping relatively abreast of the ‘popular’ side of culture, or live within shouting distance of my living room, it will have been hard to escape hearing about Making a Murderer. The Avery family appear to be an introverted, self-sufficient clan, existing in contented isolation on the periphery of Manitowoc County. As a result of staggering official misconduct and subterfuge, Steven serves 18 years for a gruesome assault he didn’t commit. Freed on the back of exculpatory DNA evi-

17

dence, he intends to sue the sheriff ’s department for $36 million, when the charred remains of a missing photographer are discovered on his lawn.

That’s episode one of ten, and what turns out to a gentle introduction to the misfortunes of Steven Avery.

“

Each episode offers a fresh feast of injustices

The illegitimacy of Avery’s first conviction pales in comparison to the pantomime villainy offered up by the prosecution in his ensuing murder trial. Each episode offers a fresh feast of injustices. As the closing titles roll, one sits so immobile with incredulity that there is really little choice but to allow the next episode to automatically play and the banquet of aspersion and lies to continue. In the midst of tragedy, Avery is left a

strangely voiceless figure. At once gormless and strikingly stoical, he appears to be a Kafkaesque victim of his own life story, disorientated and terrified, caught in the impersonal grip of a faceless and monolithic authority that he is powerless to resist or fully comprehend.

The series exercises the same power of suggestion, the same unflamboyant persuasiveness, as the best defense attorney. Never far from view, however, is a human drama much richer than that of the theatre of court. The series’ beauty is borne of its complexity and its interweaving of numerous human voices. Much of this derives from the filmmakers’ painstaking compilation of recorded prison phone calls, official police interviews and testimony.

In presenting us Avery’s calls to his family down a crackling prison phone line, we effortlessly acquire that most elusive of documentary’s treasures: uninhibited and unperformed human interaction.

Review

The documentary’s cast has all the richness of a Victorian novel, a pool of characters whose all-too-human prejudice and hubris could not be more convincingly rendered in the most artful fictive drama. Combatting the state’s vast illogical strength are Avery’s sisyphean, battle-wearied attorneys, who in a remarkable turn restore to the enterprise of legal defense a kind of embattled nobility reminiscent of Atticus Finch.

“

Never far from view is a human drama much richer than the threatre of court It is the isolation in this vision of small-town America, its disconnectedness from the outside and the understated emotion of its characters, as well as its parochial nature, that allows it to play host to the grand sweep of human tragedy.

Making A Murderer: the new documentary on 4th Week: Bertolucci’s everyone’s lips.

The Conformist.

Image: Netflix

Music

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Music

Interview: Hugh Brunt, OUO’s guest conductor James Chater Music Editor

On 13th February Oxford University Orchestra (OUO) performs their termly concert in the Sheldonian Theatre.

Continuing on from last term’s massive undertaking of Mahler’s 7th Symphony, OUO will perform Debussy’s Ronde de Printemps from Images, Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest, culminating in Stravinsky’s earth-shattering Rite of Spring.

Hugh Brunt, chief conductor of London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO) and alumnus of New College, returns to conduct the orchestra having performed Brahms’s 4th Symphony and Strauss’s Don Juan in Michaelmas 2014.

Speaking on returning to Oxford once more, Hugh reminisced: “Actually, the rehearsal we had in Merton Chapel reminded me of ten years ago to the very term when I was conducting the Oxford New Orchestra – it was basically New College orchestra supplemented by really good players from other colleges – and we performed Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto with Oliver Coates, Arvo Part’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, and then Beethoven 7 in the second half. It was just so freezing! I really felt for the poor woodwind and brass players. But I love the spirit of student-music making in Oxford. It’s very ambitious.”

Relative to Oxford, OUO’s rehearsal window is very short.

Rehearsals begin in 1st week

Image: Bruce Atherton

with the concert always falling before the end of 4th. Talking about the challenges that this type of intensity brings, Hugh said, “Actually it’s a little bit more thorough than working with professional groups. The lead time running up to the concert is that bit longer. Usually for this type of programme, a pro band would do it in a two or three-day period. So its nice to work on things in that much more detail. As a young conductor, it’s a beautiful process. The challenges? Well with working on something like the Rite of Spring, it’s a workout for everyone. Yeah, it’s a workout for 100 soloists really. So the greatest challenge when working with any university orchestra is having the players there at all the rehearsals! There’s nowhere to hide in the Stravinsky and you need everything; it’s so detailed, it’s so layered – you just can’t do without the bass clarinet.

Saying that, I remember what it was like in my day. When conducting the Philharmonia, I remember busting a gut to get all the players to the rehearsals.

Students are so busy with not just their academic commitments but all the stuff outside of that.”

“

There’s nowhere to hide in the Stravinsky and you need everything The programme OUO will

perform – works by French and Russian composers – couldn’t be further from the Germanic one of Hugh’s last concert with OUO. When I asked how he envisaged the works in this concert complementing each other he replied: “Well it’s essentially built around the Rite of Spring the two composers that had a great influence on Stravinsky, Debussy and Tchaikovsky – and a relatively early work by Tchaikovsky, The Tempest, a symphonic fantasia.

It doesn’t get performed that much. It’s normally an opener but we’re doing it second after Debussy’s Ronde de Printemps, the third piece from Images. I suppose the programme provides an interesting snapshot of what was happening in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century.

He [Stravinsky] admired Tchaikovsky so much; you can still hear a bit of that Tchaikovsky nuanced orchestration in The Rite of Spring – as well as Rimsky-Korsakov – but it’s exploded and stretched. And of course the diaphanous Debussian textures that are also apparent [in The Rite of Spring].”

“

Although the Rite of Spring is 100 years old now it still feels so fresh

The concert will, of course, present two very different characterizations of Spring in the form of Debussy and Stravinsky.

Commenting on the prospect of this juxtaposition, Hugh said, “I guess initially in terms of titles I was drawn to the Debussy. It ties in so well with the corresponding piece by Stravinsky and we’re in the Spring term as well!”

Hugh’s work with LCO is primarily with music of the later20th century, particularly that of more experimental composers. I asked whether he thought there was anything from the skill set required to approach and conduct this sort of music that can be translated into work with more canonical repertoire, to

18

Image: Jake Hatt

which he responded: Although The Rite of Spring is a hundred years old now it still feels so fresh despite being so complex and demanding. I enjoy exploring it almost as a piece of new music and try to analyse it in that way to get clarity from it. It’s a very different experience working on this in comparison to the Brahms/Strauss programme because of that different level of detail; that diamond-hard clarity that we’ll try to attain.”

Although never having conducted The Rite of Spring in concert before, Hugh mentioned that he studied the work whilst at Oxford. Hugh continued, “It’s a great piece as a young conductor to have the opportunity to do; especially working with this level of orchestra. There is an opportunity to really get it under my belt for when I hopefully do it again.”

The Rite of Spring is notorious for its hugely complex notation; a brief glance through the score is an intimidating thing to do! Similarly, it is a work that everyone knows, and also one on which everyone has a strong opinion. When I asked how, as a young conductor, he approaches well-known works like The Rite of Spring, Hugh responded: “I just try to get as much of the back story as possible through studying and analysing it.

Listening to recordings can be

useful as long as you’re not guided by one particular one; just to get a take on various interpretations.

Because the piece throws up so many questions. So it’s great to go to Stravinsky’s recording to see, or get a little closer, what he had in mind. But ultimately it’s treating it as a new piece of music.”

“

A brief glance through the score is an intimidating thing to do

On the more practical side of preparing for a work like the Rite of Spring, Hugh continued: “A lot of personal baton technique preparation. Standing in front of the mirror looking like an idiot. It’s a good point though, there’s only so much you can do without the hundred-headed monster that is the orchestra for The Rite of Spring. You can get your part sorted out at home and know the score well but you can’t put this into practice until you have musicians in front of you!” OUO’s concert, under the control of Hugh, is sure to be an excellent event.

OUO perform with Hugh Brunt at 8pm, Saturday 13th February in the Sheldonian Theatre.

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Music 19

Can’t buy me love?

Why The Beatles are still relevant

Freddie Hinds Staff Writer

On 24th December last year, The Beatles released their back catalogue onto several major streaming platforms; they now sit in the 50 most listened-to artists on Spotify. Although they’re by no means threatening to challenge Justin Bieber’s hegemony over the charts, that’s an impressive figure for a band dating back over 50 years. Few would disagree that they were immensely successful and influential, but I also know that several of my peers don’t really take an interest in their music. If anything, I think The Beatles have been too successful for us to be able to listen to them, without prejudices, as just a band.

I can understand why people dismiss The Beatles. Just look at them.

The identikit suits, the nauseatingly wholesome image, the haircuts. Let’s be honest, they could well be your granny’s favourite band – although if that’s what you’re after, I salute you (and your granny). Think too of Paul McCartney being wheeled out at any public occasion that’ll take him, like the unwanted straggler in a box of After Eights. Most irritatingly, there’s the massive hype originating from aged loyalists, which may offer a chilling insight into the future of One Direction fans.

Here’s another problem: if you

were asked to name a few of their most famous songs, chances are ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Hey Jude’ would feature.

A band who just wrote songs like that would be a schmaltzy novelty act who played exclusively at birthday parties for sentimental 50-yearolds and their unfortunate offspring.

I don’t think those two songs are ‘bad’, but an album’s worth of that kind of four-square mid-tempo balladeering could get tiresome.

The thing is, that novelty act is nothing like what The Beatles were, and they have a lot more to offer than late-McCartney cheese or even confoundingly cheery 60s pop. I’ll try to explain why I think this perhaps overrated band are still worth listening to.

“

Let’s be honest, they could well be your granny’s favourite band

Most importantly, The Beatles were innovators, who used their popularity to explore new ideas to incredible effect. There were early signs on A Hard Day’s Night (1964), notably in the radical, gorgeous harmonies of ‘If I Fell’ and the peculiar opening chord of the title track, which inspired dozens of guesses as to its

Preview: Common People festival James Chater Music Editor

This May Bank Holiday weekend (28th and 29th May), Common People – a new festival organised

by Rob da Bank and the team behind Bestival – comes to South Park, Oxford for the first time.

Speaking at the festival’s launch on 27th January at the Oxford Town Hall, the organisers seemed delighted to be expanding to a second city following a highly suc-

cessful debut year in Southampton.

“

The festival is modelled on Bestival Organisers used the launch to announce their two big Saturday acts: Katy B, and headliners Duran Duran. Even before this announcement, an eclectic line-up was

identity. Rubber Soul (1965) saw the ground-breaking introduction of the sitar, along with a departure from the ‘I love you, yeah yeah yeah’ lyrics they’d built their success on.

Then Revolver (1966) really ushered in the weirdness, for example in the chamber music setting of ‘Eleanor Rigby’, the Motown paean to drug use ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’, and the psychedelic drone and seagull noises of ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. Not to mention the psychological odyssey ‘Yellow Submarine’.

Fuelled by John Lennon’s spiritual and political interests, Paul McCartney’s knack for melody, George Harrison’s fascination with Indian music, and maybe even Ringo Starr as well, The Beatles ended up as a band who could work in just about any style they wanted, and invent a few while they were at it: ‘Helter Skelter’ from The Beatles (1968) has often been cited as a forebear of heavy metal, and modern psych-pop acts such as Tame Impala owe a lot to songs like ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’.

All this means that the Beatles have probably written at least one song you like, and indeed at least one song you don’t like. The Beatles, usually referred to as ‘the White Album’, summarises this overflow of ideas and arguably the group’s whole career. It’s a mighty sprawl of thirty songs, comprising amongst others the universally derided ‘Ob-La-Di, already promised. Singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson features also features on Saturday, whilst Sunday’s line-up boasts The Sugarhill Gang, Public Enemy, Ghostpoet, and headliners Primal Scream.

A festival modelled on the community and environmentally driven Bestival, organisers demonstrated their keenness to develop a strong working relationship with the local council. The Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Rae Humberstone attended. Speaking to The Oxford Student about the arrival of Common People, he said: ‘It’s fantastic. Oxford’s a city that lends itself naturally to this sort of event.

I think it will be great for the city.’

After the presentation at the Town Hall, the launch continued with a procession down Corn-

Image: Roger

Ob-La-Da’, Lennon’s moving tribute to his dead mother ‘Julia’, the complex and brilliant ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun’, and a lengthy soundscape entitled ‘Revolution 9’. There’s also a brief number called ‘Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?’, just to assuage any fears they might be a safe option for all the family.

Throughout all these changes, the main constant was their gift for songwriting. Their music was good because of what was written into it, not so much because of how they performed it – which goes some way to explaining the number of Beatles covers out there – although at least three of them were very good instrumentalists too, and they could all express a lot through their singing. The Beatles’s best tunes are instantly memorable and seem somehow inseparable from the lyrics.

Those lyrics, too, could be anything from tender to boisterous to utterly

nonsensical, but always have a sense of confidence; they know what they want to say (if anything) and how to say it. ‘In My Life’ must be one of the finest examples of this coordination between words and sound; with a beautifully simple melody, Lennon weighs someone against his most treasured memories and places, concluding “In my life, I love you more”.

The Beatles have plenty going for them, then, but it can be hard to see past the surrounding culture of pedestalisation. So think of this as a sales pitch. The Beatles don’t have to be the best to be good; being overrated doesn’t mean they’re not worth your time. If you try listening to a couple of their albums without judging them on the criterion of being The Greatest Albums Ever, I hope you’ll find that, when it comes down to it, the Beatles were just a band that made some really good music. And you can’t ask for much more than that.

Image: Becka Saville

market Street to Cellar, led by street band, Horns of Plenty.

Inside, Oxford-based band The Mimes – also performing at the festival itself – played a short but great set, showing that Common

People has much more to offer than just their big name acts.

More information about the festival can be found at oxford.commonpeople.net

Spotify: Best of the Beatles All You Need Is Love

I Want You (She’s So Heavy)

Eleanor Rigby

A Day in the Life

Revolution

Art & Lit

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Art and Lit

20

Interview: Christina Bothwell Hetty Mosforth

Deputy Art & Lit Editor Christina Bothwell is an artist from rural Pennsylvania, who creates eldritch sculptures by combining glass and raku clay to form figures. These figures are mostly humanoid - they have clay faces and translucent glass bodies, which half-conceal flowers or smaller figures inside them.

Christina also makes angels, hybrid human-sea-creatures and animals. Looking at the sculptures, you get the sense you are glimpsing something internal and vulnerable. Christina describes the pieces “as souls, each being pregnant with their own potential, giving birth to new, improved versions of themselves.”

Christina learnt to sculpt through a mixture of self-teaching and formal education. She studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, but it took her years to develop her style. After taking a glassmaking workshop at the Corning Museum, Christina was able to introduce a new element to her pre-existing work with ceramics and paint. The combination of materials meant she could be thoroughly distinctive and thoroughly express herself.

Christina’s pieces seem entirely separate from the long process it takes to create them. They are foreign objects, looking as if they have formed naturally rather than been the work of a human creator.

Christina explains, “Glass takes a long time to cure (anneal) in the kiln, sometimes weeks and weeks.

So from the beginning idea to the finished piece can take sometimes up to a year. I usually have a few projects going on at once.”

“

I often feel relieved when I finish a series of pieces The process of clay-sculpting is a little quicker. Christina starts with the faces of her sculptures and goes from there. “It is very difficult for me to capture a natural expression in my faces, people often accuse me of making my faces too disturbing. I have to work on them for a long time to make them symmetrical and not deformed looking. After the heads are cast, then I begin to sculpt the bodies. I use warmed beeswax which has the consistency of clay.

I cast the wax using the lost wax process [which leaves behind a mold]. When I have an empty mold, I fill it with glass, and heat the whole thing in the kiln. Then I glue the ceramic parts, the found objects etc, to the glass. After that I paint with oil paints on the surface of the glass.

“I often feel relieved when I finish a series of pieces. Often the pieces are already designated for an exhibition, and because I work so slowly, there is often a looming deadline hanging over me. I am proudest when my pieces conjure up a feeling (within me) of dreaminess, or peacefulness. Most of the time when this happens, it is a complete accident,

Image: Christina Bothwell

and surprise to me! I try to make all my pieces have this quality, but most of the time I don’t quite capture it.”

“

Her sculptures...often feature youthful figures and elements of the wilderness The inspiration for her work comes to her naturally. Christina is currently lives in rural Pennsylvania with her children around her. Her sculptures reflect this, often featuring youthful figures and elements of the wilderness. “I see things constantly which make me want to make pieces...deer with big antlers, incredible wild birds, foxes, bears...

“My children also inspire me a great deal. The experience of having children was amazing- it is

the only time a woman has more than one heart beating in her body! It took me years to process the experience, and I made many pieces around the topic of having life grow within my body. Now that my children are actual separate beings, they often say wise and profound things that give me ideas for pieces.”

“Usually I get an idea for a piece, and it is similar to recalling a dream when you wake up. Unless I draw the idea right away, it dissipates, and then later all I can recall is the feeling I had when I got the idea. If I get the idea from an actual dream, the piece usually takes form almost effortlessly.”

Although Christina’s work has been exhibited across the United States (collections of it are held by the Cincinatti Museum of Art and Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Glass Art among others) she is the first to admit that it is not for everybody. “I work in such an isolated setting that other than my family, nobody

sees the work until it gets to the gallery. When I have the opportunity to be in public, for instance, at one of my openings, or if I am speaking about the work, I am often surprised by the response to the work... [it] runs the full gamut...I have heard people mutter in disgust, “oh, I hate this artist’s work!

“Other people have had the opposite reaction...About once a year, someone who has lost a child or someone they love, contacts me via email to tell me that my work gave them hope to continue. I love those interactions, they give me chills... I feel that my work really must have a larger purpose other than just the great feeling I get to have from making the pieces.”w Christina is currently working on private commissions but hopes soon to return to sculpting for herself. She plans on creating larger pieces and eventually incorporating moving parts into her sculptures.

The Book of Strange New Things: Review The face of poetry is changing largely cooperate, trading food with for medicine. The aliens are quick to Staff Writer become attached to the promise of eternal life offered by Christianity, Michel Faber’s The Book of Strange and demand a new preacher when New Things was a promising their old one goes rouge. amalgamation of my two favourite The new planet is beautifully things: sci-fi and love stories, detailed in delightful prose, with the added bonus of some lyrical and sincere, emotionallymissionaries thrown into the compelling. The voice of the wife mix. I am always fascinated by who is left behind on a rapidly some people’s ability to hold onto disintegrating planet Earth, faith even in the most horrific Bea, is particularly touching circumstances. Religion often in its emotional complexity. complicates a narrative, provoking Faber’s talent in this novel lies questions about faith, reason, and in description rather than plot, how we function as members of particularly in his rendering of a community. But the thing I was Peter and Bea’s relationship, who really excited about was the aliens. start the novel as devoted lovers Aliens are fun. cruelly separated by Peter’s decision.

A novel constructed around the Yet as the novel progresses, their premise of spreading Christianity relationship trickles slowly towards to another planet was intriguing, disintegration. This is painfully and particularly with the thematic subtly done, constructed not in potential of difficult questions crass moments of great realizations about colonisation. Yet this but in small gestures. potential was largely untapped. The The novel may resound alien race and the human settlers particularly with students, dealing

Sophie Taylor

the slamthe poetry as growth it does of with conflict of our idealised futures and the bizarre realities that come instead.

There is the sense of two entirely different worlds which can only fleetingly and shallowly connect through what are effectively e-mails sent from the new planet Oasis to Earth. Although Peter and Bea desperately attempt to connect to each other through the words they write, there is the growing sense of the ineptitude of this communication between two people whose priorities have become entirely different. Peter is unable to process the myriad of natural disasters that multiply exponentially throughout the novel. The characters begin believing their relationships are fixed by some amiable cosmic force, call it God or fate, but then slowly face the realisation that the vast majority of human bonds are based on circumstance and convenience, entirely tangential.

Throughout the course of the

novel, I was perpetually expectant of something else. The novel was pleasing to read, in its bouncy prose, its occasional moments of comedy, the yearning of two lovers to be nearer to each other and the gradual awareness of the fragility of human connection. Yet I was eternally waiting for some kind of revelation, some kind of conspiracy that never came. The corporate organisation USIC which funded Peter’s mission seemed sketchy, more than capable of some horrendous secret plot. But apparently not. When a revelation did come near the end of novel, I was supremely unimpressed, as it had been blatantly obvious from about half way through the novel.

Faber’s novel is a delicate, thoughtful, thematicallyimpressive book. It just needed a few more things to happen, and less sitting around in the cafeteria with characters commenting on their food and flicking through magazines.

Art & Lit

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

For your leisure...

Sleep is a shellfish Sleep is a shellfish, strong-meated and queasy; the sounding world, alarming and choircrying, the grain of sand so itchy to the soul it must be isolated, sublimated. but the nacred noise, glistening, grows burnished, till sleep’s flesh gnaws itself gone and all that’s left within the shell is jewel, an iridescent dreamlike waking gem.

How long before we start to carve ourselves tiny oyster-shields from single stones an emerald fishy clasp for someone’s scarf?

So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed: A Review

Toby Clyde

Deputy News Editor So you’ve been publically shamed.

It’s the title, sure. The topic of this book in fact. But phrased in the right way it is also a question. A deceptively casual kind of question that in the masterful hands of journalist, author and documentary writer Jon Ronson will take you to some very strange places. It will call on the Nazi-inflected sex orgies of Max Mosley and scrutinize the fake Bob Dylan quote that ruined Jonah Lehrer. It will dig up a throw-away tweet that, in the space of one international flight, completely devastated the reputation of Justine Sacco. Across these stories and more, the flashing full moons of Ronson’s iconic spectacles pursue with a gripping enthusiasm what it means to be subject of public and vicious condemnation in the 21st century.

to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!”. By the time she landed thousands of trolls, commentators and users lined up to abuse her and she was quickly fired from her job.

But in pursuit of the evasive nature of shame Ronson does not simply string together stories in a grim mirror maze of distorted social justice. Thorough the keyhole of the lives he uncovers, bit-by-bit he looks at the many faces of this all consuming emotion. At times it is the shame that underlies the psychotic disturbances of prison inmates and at others it is the public ridicule brazened out by Max Mosley when his sex life was revealed in 2008. Mosley, rather than retreating from the public gaze, refused to be shamed, took on

“

The flashing full moons of Ronson’s iconic spectacles pursue with gripping enthusiasm

If this perhaps sounds slightly overblown then all the better, for that is exactly the point. Ronson takes as his starting point the unsavory but largely innocuous misdeeds of recent history, which, despite their inconsequentiality, birthed a public shaming of brutal proportions. Figures like Justine Sacco, previously a communications director of InterActive Corp, who was internationally savaged for an offhand tweet she posted shortly before getting on her flight: “Going

Missing the point, we think the shell’s the thing but grind it faceted. One cannot craft an oyster out of Flora Holmes Deputy Editor pearls. For shame.

Must-See Exhibitions Andy Warhol: Works from the Hall Collection

Martin Newman

The Oxford Student is looking for talented poets to submit original content for the Art & Lit section; whether you are a prolific poet or an occasional scrawler, get in touch with us at oxstu.culture@gmail.com!

4th February – 15th May 2016 Ashmolean Museum.

For the first time an important private collection of works by Andy Warhol is being showcased to the public at our very own Ashmoleon museum. If you were sad to see the Titian/Jenny Saville exhibition go then console yourself with an exploration of Warhol’s work.

The exhibition features over one hundred works plus artist films from the pioneer of pop-art.

The museum advises booking in advance, but as Oxford University students can enter exhibitions for free, it might be worth wondering in for a look if you have a spare hour. If the exhibition is booked up, there is plenty to see in the rest of the museum.

KALEIDOSCOPE: Celebrating 50 Inspirational Years.

6th February – 31st December 2016.

Modern Art Oxford is celebrating its 50th Anniversary and KALEIDOSCOPE is a celebration of that, showcasing different artists and interlinking exhibitons, performances and events. Artists include Marina Abramović, Kevin Beasley, Yoko Ono, and many others. The yearlong event will bring iconic works from the past back t the gallery from across the globe.

For a full list of events, check out modernartoxford.org.uk

Vogue 100: A century of Style.

11th February – 22nd May 2016.

National Portrait Gallery, London.

Celebrating the centenary of British Vogue, this exhibition showcases the range of photography commissioned by

the News of the World for the tabloid sting. Not for claiming he hosted sex orgies, a lifestyle he is still open about. Instead he sued for the headline claim he was a Nazi. He won. It is a feature shamelessness that also seems to accompany the baffling buoyancy of Donald Trump, although in a much more insidious way. Indeed it is a constant feature of Ronson’s work that despite the occasionally haphazard focus of his reporting his observations continue to resonate. They ask questions that probe the modern world in all sorts of uncomfortable places.

“

They ask questions that probe the modern world in all sorts of uncomfortable places

For all his outward focus on other people Ronson is deeply and personally involved in these stories. Led by a deft interviewing technique that slips under the pretense of his subjects he nevertheless keeps one eye carefully trained on himself. Describing the uncovering of fabricated Bob Dylan quotes used by the famous science writer Jonah Lehrer he is led to wonder at his own vulnerability. “I felt like a door had briefly opened before me, revealing some infinite horror-land filled with millions of scared-stiff Jonahs”.

This brings us to a more serious vein that underlies So You’ve Been Publically Shamed. It’s not just a public question, but a private one. It is directed at the many unfortunate people Ronson encounters but it also confronts the reader with the sneaking fear that you too could be at the other end of a reporter’s microphone. In the eyes of Jennifer Jacquet, the author of Is Shame Necessary? this need not be an abyss for individuals but a tool for social change. “Shaming should be directed where possible benefits are greatest,” she writes, and when it comes to the monolithic obstinacy of large institutions the magazine since its birth. The exhibition which will hold over 280 prints is recommended for fans of photography and fashion alike. Keen Vogue readers can look back at iconic moments in the magazine’s history whilst photography enthusiasts will be able to admire the work of some of the greatest fashion photographers working in the past century all featured in one place.

Yes, it’s in London, but an excuse to break yourself out of that ‘Oxford bubble’ for the day and enter the real world. Plus, with the Oxford Tube running all night at relatively affordable off-peak prices, there is really no excuse.

Concessions start from £15.50.

Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse

Now – 20th April 2016.

Royal Academy of Arts, London.

Fans of expressionism and those that feel scared by the term ‘modern art’ will find comfort in this warming exhibition.

Interspersed between the likes of Monet, Renoir and Matisse are others awaiting your discovery.

Even the term ‘garden’ makes me

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there are clearly benefits to be had.

Where the exploratory tendrils of Ronson’s narrative only implies, Jacquet concludes with a wide systematic eye to the possibilities of public condemnation to challenge power structures. When Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation pulled funding from Planned Parenthood (because it is a abortion provider many have argued) 150,000 critical Twitter messages followed and the foundation did a U-turn.

Yet Ronson ends quite differently and with a phrase that is sadly too precious to be squandered in a review. But in short, he highlights how the feedback loop of shame is not necessary a tool for change but of conformity. This is by no means always a bad thing and at the very least it can indicate the shift of important societal norms.

The Nobel laureate Tim Hunt’s career as a senior scientific advisor was effectively torpedoed by off the cuff comments at a conference about “girls” in labs last year. The seriousness of the reaction does not just hold up Hunt for scrutiny but our very changed perceptions of women in society. But the effect on Hunt and his family was devastating; a means of defining what is commonly perceived as acceptable by violently condemning those who do not conform.

As Ronson duly acknowledges, we have been shaming for centuries; anthropologists argue that it evolved as a means of enforcing social cooperation. So as this fantastically engaging book charts the very modern peril of impersonal, crowdsourced condemnation perhaps it is best to look back whilst also gazing forward. In the words of the Hangman from Quentin Tarantino’s latest offering, The Hateful Eight: “justice delivered without dispassion is always in danger of not being justice”.

So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed is available in Kindle edition on Amazon for £3.66.

Image: Yoko Ono

feel warm and summery inside and this showcase of paintings of them is no different. There are park benches to sit on, walls are painted with earthy greens and blues, and the exhibition can serve as a lesson in art history at the same time. Learn about how the newly developed middle classes cultivated their gardens, learn about avant-garde painting techniques of the time, and take in the very first photographs of modern gardens.

Concessions around £17.60.

The Oxford Student can arrange review tickets for writers who want to write about the above, and other art exhibitions. Contact us as oxstu. culture@gmail.com if you want to write for us!

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Stage

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when they cross-dress, though. It inevitably leads to shenanigans.

4. Thoughts on canniQuiz: Which balism as a plot device? playwright are you? a) Cannibalism is hardJessica Ockenden Staff Writer

keeps the audience on their toes.

Complete this sen- c) I like free verse. I’m too dark for rhymes, tence: “The world though. is...” d) Basically never. a) Too, too absurd.

1.

b) Full of mysteries: particularly concerning art, science and human nature c)Pretty grim.

d) Full of social injustice.

e) Full of coincidences, especially involving twins and shipwrecks.

2.

How often do your characters speak in verse? a) Only when I’m being serious and aesthetic.

When I’m being lightly comic… b) I like to throw in the odd scene composed entirely of limericks. It

e) Hella.

3. How do you feel about women?

ly my preferred vice, although I concede that it has a certain decadence.

c) One of my faves.

d) Um…probably not.

Staff Writer

One might think that Rent, a musical primarily about AIDS victims and starving artists in ‘90s New York City, is a world away from the dreaming spries. Yet after witnessing this world recreated on Wednesday night at the Oxford Playhouse, audience members streamed out, excitedly discussing its passion and energy.

I had high expectations: Rent has the type of soundtrack to which you can’t just sit still and listen.

You have to get up and dance and sing and lip-sync around your room every time it comes on – at least, I do!

The trouble is these songs require great technical skill and range, frequently demanding the infamous musical theatre ‘belt’, before suddenly collapsing into soft, deeply moving numbers – but this particular cast mostly had this down to a tee.

Ed Addison’s gender-blind choreography makes clear nobody is a ‘token’ character.

5.

“

This production only gets better as it continues.

Isaac Calvin was completely believable as conflicted musician Roger – and what a beautiful voice.

I’d never really paid attention to ‘One Song Glory’ before, but he sang this solo with such poignancy – a highlight of the first half.

Eleanor Shaw delivered some equally touching solos throughout,

Image: Napoleon Sarony

Mostly Bs

Tom Stoppard Image: Кондрашкин

e) Fine, as long as it’s indirect – cook them first

a) They’re pretty gross, but everyone needs What’s a good endto get married at the ing? end, so you need a few around. Plus I like mak- a) An epigram ing caustic observations about the battle of the b) A dance. Or darkness sexes. c) A disconcerting mob) I like them, especially ment of tenderness or when they’re naked normality and enthralled by witty d) A moment of qualiphilosophical men. fied triumph, the recogc) People are mostly nition that human life is bastards, regardless of both joyful and tragic gender. e) Weddings! Or bodies. d) FUCK YES. Either way, lots of them. e) They’re OK, but not as good as men. It’s fun

Kitty Murdoch and Annabel Reed as the tempestuous pairing of Maureen and Joanne were particularly spectacular; vocal acrobatics and incredible stage presence combined, to produce an electrifying performance of ‘Take Me or Leave Me’. Reed was again excellent in the comedic ‘Tango Maureen’, together with Conor Diamond as Mark. From this song onwards I was thoroughly convinced of his fly on the wall character, after a rather selfconscious performance in the first five minutes.

Oscar Wilde

b) Intriguing – perhaps in the context of a thought experiment?

Review: Rent at the Playhouse Alice Robinson

Mostly As

with many lovely vocal moments.

I absolutely loved Christian Bevan as Collins; he led ‘Santa Fe’ superbly, and his desperate yet controlled rendition of ‘I’ll Cover You (Reprise)’ had me close to tears.

Angel, an incredibly difficult part, was brought to life with soulful energy by Alexander Wickens.

It was a real shame that the microphones cut out his last solo moment. In fact, the constant problem with the mics, in the first half especially, was the only thing that let this production down.

The ensemble were brilliant, and you could hear some beautiful solo moments – but although I was sitting at the front of the stalls, I could only just hear some lovely singing from Daniel Virga. Even when the mics were working, the band (who nonetheless did a great job) were turned up way too high.

These issues caused some crucial lyrics to be lost in ‘Take Me Out Tonight’, and some of the energy of ‘La Vie Boheme’ to fall short.

That said, I’m sure that director Georgia Figgis is fully aware of

Mostly Cs Sarah Kane

Image: Jane Bown

Mostly Ds

Caryl Churchill Image: Books18

Mostly Es Shakespeare

Image: Public Doman

these problems, and hopefully they’ll be resolved for the rest of the run. Figgis should really be proud of the spectacular achievement she has pulled off, particularly with the emphasis on the tricky subject of AIDS, which I know was a key element of the show for her. ‘Will I’, the ensemble number centred around the effects of this disease, was truly beautiful.

She has coached the most out of the actors as well, making the most of every part; Gwenno Jones as Mark’s mother was a particular comic hit for the audience.

Image: Nathan Stazicker

Overall, this production only gets better as it continues. For some reason the actors seemed more comfortable with the tricky emotional parts than the more light-hearted introductory bits; the first half is good, but the second half is excellent, backed with emotion and some beautiful singing from everyone. If the sound problems are sorted, this will be a revelatory night out for anyone who hasn’t seen Rent, and an absorbing, entertaining one for anyone who has.

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

OXSTU’S

STAGE BLUNDERS

Artsy or Fartsy: What does YOUR College do for drama?

Clio Takas Stage Editor

Max Reynolds St Hugh’s

“

I was acting in a production of Fiddler on the Roof and had to wear a fake beard.

Noone told me it was a good idea to shave before putting it on, or that you had to use a special solution to hlp get it off. I ended up ripping half my face off!

Gregory Coates Brasenose

“

In Noises Off, my character falls down some stairs and knocks himself out, so we hired a stunt guy to teach me how to do it safely.

Then during one of the performances I actually fell down the stairs at a completely different part of the play, and very nearly knocked myself out. Meta or what.

Chloe St George

“

Queen’s

In a very serious scene in Julius Caesar everything just went wrong. Someone stepped forward to say their line so enthusiastically that they fell over, and the person who had the next line started laughing halfway through the line.

I was in a café with my fellow section editor, Chloe, last week, telling her how I’d become a part of the Arts Committee at my college. To which, Chloe replied, “What’s that?”

I was aware not all colleges have Arts Committees and went on to explain that the Committee is there as an extension of the Arts rep. A committee consisted of more specialised roles such as a Drama Rep, a Dance Rep, a Music Rep etc., who help the Arts Rep put into place the numerous and various types of projects they want to promote.

Chloe stared at me blankly and informed me that up until recently, (they’re introducing one this year) Queen’s College hasn’t had an Arts Rep.

“

The process of applying for money and how it works needs to be publicised in a clearer way...

I was taken aback, and having done some investigative work, I now realise that my being at Brasenose has rather spoiled me; my surprise at Queen’s College’s lack of an Arts Rep was rather like that of a rich kid first realising that not everyone has a butler. I asked a bunch of people from different colleges (who are all very involved in the arts) to share their experiences of college-level drama, and asked them how their colleges encourage student involvement in theatrical productions. ( Just as a side-note, I am not downplaying the importance of the other arts, it’s just this is the “stage” section of the paper so I’ve got to keep a narrow focus.)

Thankfully, most people had JCR-elected Arts Reps, but the role seemed to vary in its function from college to college.

At Exeter and St Peter’s, I was told that the Arts Rep is a role that seems to revolve around weekly emails, informing people of opportunities outside college, and making sure people support their fellow students by going to see their plays (i.e. setting up a ‘[College] goes to…

[Play]’ group on Facebook). All the people I interviewed said their college did have a fund or grant that enables people to put on plays, and that the Arts Rep is usually in charge of promoting awareness of this. But each person stressed how the process for applying for money and how it works exactly needs to be publicised in a clearer away, and generally be publicised more.

“The Arts Rep is responsible for organising all college arts events, but they tend to not be

heavily involved in [the] theatre side of things.” (Said a student at St Peters).

At Catz too, the Arts Reps “don’t organize any drama. Their main role is sorting out Arts Week in Trinity, as well as some open-mic nights, arts funding etc.” Christian Amos, my Catz interviewee, was not the only one to tell me he relied only on university-wide plays, organized

by Oxford University Drama Society in order to be involved in the arts. Christian did say this didn’t bother him in the least, as it allowed him to meet more people outside of college, and I agree that this is certainly a positive aspect of universitywide projects. But the fact that he claims that “at Cambridge there’s a really strong sense of college drama societies and productions, whereas here it’s almost all done on a universitywide basis” makes me think: Why? As university is a place in which people should try new things and get involved as much as possible, why should colleges not thrive on converting more and more people to the arts?

University-wide productions are almost impenetrable for most freshers to break into, and we constantly see the same people cast in everything.

Some people have the time, confidence, resilience and patience to go through a neverending process of auditions and call-backs, but there should be an outlet for all those who don’t, or just want to have a bit of fun and try new things. St Hilda’s for example, has an annual play of which the cast is exclusively from St Hilda’s – it’s a great way to bring together people

The audience of A Midsummer Night’s Dream -Brasenose Arts Week 2014.

Image: Chloe Wall

Stage Feature

who usually never run in the same circles, and strengthen the college community.

I wondered what the organization of drama was like in colleges that have their own theatre, like LMH and Keble. When speaking to my uncle today, an LMH alumni, who like all college alumni, is constantly pestered for money to help improve college spaces in one way or another, I couldn’t help but wonder… Why should alumni help build stages within colleges if colleges don’t play an active part in getting people on them?

“

Why should alumni help build stages within colleges if colleges aren’t active in getting people on them?

Arts Weeks are also rarer than expected: Catz have one, Peter’s has one, Brasenose have one, and Exeter, despite not having one, is actively involved in TSAF, (Turl Street Arts Festival) but so many people I spoke to didn’t have one. (Another note: I couldn’t ask all 38 colleges in the space of a week, but if your college has one please email us and we’ll advertise it it!). According to Brasenose’s Arts Rep, Chloe Wall, Arts Week is a week that almost forces “everyone in college to get involved in something - be it jazz, journalism workshops, pottery classes, or plays with huge casts performed on the quad”. (It’s in 3rd week of next term get hyped). When

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interviewing Chloe, I asked her a few questions about her role and why she does it. She was on the Arts Committee last year and realised she wanted to be Arts Rep through seeing “how exciting it is that we can literally organise whatever Arts event we want, whenever we want”. And she’s right – it’s empowering.

When asking her why she chose to expand the Arts Committee to more than double last year’s numbers, she said: “I think a committee is vitally important - one person can’t organise all the arts for a college.

A huge committee (some have even said I have my own small army) means that everyone who wants can get involved and work together to hopefully create one of the most exciting years of arts in Brasenose. Each person genuinely had something totally unique and valuable to offer and proved to me they wanted to be involved in a major way.

So I spent hours in front of a spreadsheet, working out new roles and a way for everyone to fit in according to their talents.”

I struggle to believe that Chloe’s enthusiasm and the numbers of enthusiastic artsy people in and outside of the committee at Brasenose are just a freak statistic within the university. The very fact that there are so many incredible university-wide projects is a testament to the talent and dedication of Oxford’s students interested in drama (and in the arts more generally). But it’s a limited showcase. We need more. It’s time for individual colleges to truly reflect their students’ enthusiasm for the arts.

Many thanks to Alexandra Ackland-Snow, Christian Amos, Robbie Belok, Exir Kamalabadi, Chloe St. George, Chloe Wall and James Watt.

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

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Photographer: Valentina Pegolo Model: Mary Higgins Concept & Styling: Alice Townson Make-up: Alexandra Wong

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The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Shirt £10 Cancer Research, Dulwich Trousers £15 Pringle (Depop)

Rollneck £15 Asos Sale Skirt £10 What the Butler Wore, Lower Marsh London

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

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Cardigan £7 Depop Blouse £5 Depop Skirt £8 American Apparel (eBay)

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th Febraury 2016

Fashion

Students in Fashion

Image: Francisco Hugenin Uhlfelder

When the only front row seat you have is in the Bod Nathalie Koh Staff Writer

It’s the fifth consecutive day in your sixth form jumper and sweatpants: Cicero has preceded Céline, Bentham reigns above Balenciaga, Voltaire sits smoother on the tongue than Jean Paul Gaultier. It’s assumed that haute couture has no place in the depths of your college library, and saying the word ‘atelier’ during JCR tea would probably result in being served suspiciously burnt cheeseon-toast (not the nice type either) That doesn’t necessarily mean we have to live in a fashion-less world.

High fashion doesn’t have to be pretentious or inapplicable— there is no need for (much) French, or for an indepth knowledge of the strange trends that befall each Fashion Week season (cf. The Chanel ‘Croissant’, Paris couture shows of January 2016.) Instead, everyday fashion can be chic, aesthetic and most importantly, make you feel great. Take these trends, drawn from the pages of British Vogue and couture week, and upgrade that ‘jumper and sweatpants’ combination.

1

Instead of sweatpants wear original fit jeans. Denim always looks great, but sometimes the thought of squeezing into skinny jeans just makes you weak in the knees. The upswing of original fit jeans in their modern form is to be welcomed.

What is the original fit jean?

Why do we need so many types of denim? Is denim on denim ever acceptable? Hold tight.

The original fit jean is, essentially, the looser and more rigid version of the predictable skinny jean. It’s androgynous, nonchalant, and, most importantly, there’s actual breathing space between leg and denim. You can wear yours with silk for a timeless textured contrast, pair it with a belt and leather jacket to go full on Cindy Crawford circa the 90s, or channel boudoir with an open shirt and neckpiece. Either way, the original fit is something you’ll slip into, not squeeze into, and on lab days, that makes all the difference.

2

Welcome the rise of the cullotte.

Culottes are everywhere (there’s a new section dedicated to it on Asos and that’s how you know a trend has hit hard), and they are comfortable and aesthetic; a rare combination in a worl where trends have included leather pants and fishnets.

Similar to the original fit jean, culottes (singular: culottes or culotte? The debate rages on) are painfully androgynous and ergo, very elegant on the female form.

They’ll take you from brunch to Bod without looking out of place.

They’re made in almost every material known to man, and in almost every colour too; from leather to corduroy and linen, making them incredibly flexible as a wardrobe staple.

Pair them with a shirt and heels when you want to look especially intelligent reclining amongst books, or with sneakers and a tank top for sports lux.

3

Instead of a jumper wear neutrals. Keep wearing knits, just in neutrals. Beige has been having a heyday for a while now, and it doesn’t look to stop soon. Peeks at couture week in Paris show designers like Aouadi and Ellie Saab featuring washed out nudes and barelythere pinks and mauves. We say: Neutrals for spring? Truly ground breaking. The best part is that they look devastatingly great with denim and a heeled Chelsea boot as well.

4

Invest in a bomber jacket.

Bomber jackets need no introduction. Created in America for military pilots. the bombardier jackets, or bomber jackets, are now seen in off-duty celebrity looks—a much more glamourous turn of events for the humble jacket. They’re warm, androgynous (brownie points if you spot the trend in this article), and look sleek compared to the usual fur-lined parkas oft-seen on High Street. Wear them in earthy colours such as khaki and rust, or stick with the classic black bomber. Introduce colours and textures with a suede brown legging (as seen on Miranda Kerr) or rusty brown jumper for a classic earthy look.

Fashion

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Dreams of splendour Alice Demurtas Staff Writer

The fashion world is a fickle world, one where ambition, talent, and hard work have been considered for decades the passepartout to success.

Figures like Giorgio Armani are still a great inspiration to young girls and boys who live surrounded by stashes of Vogue and dream of conquering Paris. More than fifty years ago Mr Armani worked his way up from being a window dresser at a famous store in Milan to becoming the emblem of tailored garments made in Italy.

Similarly, Ralph Lauren started his career by selling ties. Even nowadays, the myth of ambition is perpetuated by successful bloggers who encourage self-starters to network online in order to achieve their dreams of stardom.

However, the days of hard work and good luck are long gone, and while an Instagram account and being handy with a selfie stick might work in the blogosphere, determination is no longer the only key to success when it comes to finding a job in fashion. Not only is the industry more competitive than ever but it also fails to offer more permanent positions as interest in fashion increases exponentially. Thus, from journalist and advertisers to aspiring designers, young dreamers are seeking another means of entry into the fashion world, which involves a formal education.

De facto universities, fashion and art schools are often different from traditional institutions as they give focus to both theoretical and practical knowledge of the business thus, studying fashion design might involve learning about the history of costume as well as sketch and cut. Anne Marr, course leader of the BA in textile design at Central Saint Martins, one of the leading fashion schools in the United Kingdom, points out that the students’ curriculum gains much more than simple theoretical knowledge from a fashion education at university level. “Formal education supports the individual interest and learning journey of the student,” she explains. “It can nurture excellent creative skills – and push out of comfort zone. Most

importantly it expands existing networks and learning from other students.” The time spent at university is therefore the perfect playground for experimentation – a place where the student is given the opportunity to find their own voice and to learn the best way to translate their ideas visually and tangibly. Schools like Central Saint Martins and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp are famous for taking an artistic approach to fashion, as they identify originality and the ability to experiment with forms and materials as the key elements of a successful career in the business.

“

Young dreamers are seeking another means of entry into the fashion world.

Although a penchant for innovation and a certain sense of aesthetics are crucial to designers it’s also impossible to learn how to be the new Alexander McQueen or J. W. Anderson by simply following a design course. What happens then to young students who graduate and are thrown in a business that requires them to deal with numbers, profit charts and a network of companies that depend from each other? What is often forgotten in fashion schools is that the industry is first and foremost a business: while it has the extravagant flare of art and can be inherently conceptual, it still needs to sell. It isn’t surprising then that according to a global survey carried out by The Business of Fashion “only 10% of students at London’s Central Saint Martins said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the business education they received at BA level. Parsons The New School of Fashion, the New York institution whose alumni include Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford, scored only 17 percent student satisfaction.”

A lot of the dissatisfaction has to do with the fact that while the number of students who graduate from fashion colleges has increased, the business remains static and offers limited

possibilities. Furthermore, a great part of students who plan to be fashion designers don’t realise that there are a variety of jobs within the business (or even within an Atelier) that have to do with the creation and management of a fashion collection, beside the position of creative designer. While ambition is admirable, one needs to be realistic also. In such a competitive business, without the right financial resources, good entrepreneurial skills and a solid vision for your company it is hard to break in.

That’s why colleges like Polimoda in Florence offer a good balance of theoretical, practical and entrepreneurial knowledge to all of their students, also thanks to a body of teachers who are leaders in the industry. Thus, aspiring journalists learn about the use of social platform for self-promotion as well as how to write under pressure and how to recognize fashion photographers only from their style. Those who study design learn about customer behaviour, as well as sustainability and marketing. The inputs are endless and the student is given enough independence to learn from their own mistakes and seek assistance when needed. Internships and collaborations are also integral parts of the programmes so that student can test their abilities and have a glimpse of the business while still within the protective academic environment.

It is by no means easy and the fashion world looks for nothing short of excellence. However, when that is found it is indeed supported. In the UK in particular, the British Fashion Council does an incredible job at sponsoring, financing and educating young fashion entrepreneurs who leave their mind free to wonder for inspiration while keeping track of their financial assets. It is also thanks to the Council that the like of Mary Katrantzou, Erdem Moralioglu and Christopher Kane are now some of the most celebrated designers in the world. While fashion schools still have a long way to go in reforming their programmes to better suit the demands of both students and the industry, they are also the best chance for those who are not afraid to work hard to achieve their dreams of fashion splendour.

Image: Monki

Image: Weekday

Image: Topshop Boutique

Image: Weekday

Fashion

The Oxford Student | Friday 19th Febraury 2016

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Fashion

The evolution of red lipstick

The Art of Makeup

Ariane Laurent-Smith

Image: Helen Thomas Photography

Editor in Chief

Sexy. Bold. Iconic. The red lip is a statement and as such both divides and conquers. Yet, it holds an eternal appeal which is not simply tied to the famous faces which have created the aura that surrounds this iconic colour.

It makes up an essential part of the image of many celebrities, such as Taylor Swift, but its history stretches back much further than contemporary artists.

The red lipstick is not just to wear on a night out. Just look at Solange Knowles, who looked stunning with a red lip which off-set the pure white beauty of her caped wedding gown.

My history tutor wears red lipstick as part of her daily look.

In fact, red is my favourite colour.

Bold lip colours can automatically give confidence. Unfortunately if amusingly, they can be a bit of hazard as well as unless you get a magical lipstick which somehow doesn’t come off on

anything. Glasses, cups, mugs, cutlery, other people’s face, in short anything that comes into contact with your lips is liable to be marked. If you’re not aware of this and don’t take the necessary precautions, i.e. cleaning the face of your beloved after a make-out session then you can end with an interesting situation. By which I mean coming back from a night out with your beau when you decide to go to Hassan’s and there you find your

friends. This is a lovely coincidence until one of them points out that said beau is currently also wearing lipstick around his mouth and on his cheek.

In summary, don’t be afraid to make bold lipstick choices, some people may judge you but people who judge you on your lipstick are probably not the kind of people with whom you want to be hanging out. It’s all a bit The Devil Wears Prada.

Image: Steve Snodgrass

The glitter game The no make-up make-up Alexandra Murray Luo Fashion Deputy Editor

There was a dark era in my adolescence (ages ten to fifteen I’m looking at you) where there was no glitter to brighten up my life.

In an effort to escape anything juvenile or overly conspicuous that might hinder my attempts to blend in with the crowd, glitter was left firmly behind in my childhood as I happily sold my sartorial soul to Jack Wills.

Even after I had made it through this wasteland of cable knit jumpers, glitter makeup only really made an annual obligatory appearance at festivals. It wasn’t until the last two years that it has crossed into real life to become an enduring make-up look for parties and nights out. Gone are the days of primary school sloppy glitter pen application resulting in a rainbow freckles; suddenly, it seems, me and the rest of the world is sporting elegant glitter crescents on their cheeks and temples. That ever present cheekbone highlight of blue or gold sparkles is now as much of a trademark look as the good ol’ winged eyeliner.

If anything, glitter really does rightfully deserve a spot in every make-up arsenal. Over the years, it’s forays in and out of style have made huge cultural impacts in the world of beauty and fashion. Let us be reminded of the classic 70s glam rock trend (also called glitter rock), ushered in by the appearances of bands such as T. Rex on “Top of the Pops,” where their faces were plastered with glitter and of course Bowie’s trademark glitter bolt across his face on the cover of Aladdin Sane in 1973. Glitter. In the late 70s, the floor of Studio 54 was fa-

mously covered with four tons of glitter for one famous New Year’s Eve party. The appeal of glitter lies in its ability to blur the worlds of fantasy and reality.

Yes sure, you may just be pretending you can actually shuffle after your third jaegerbomb in the darkest corner of Cellar never touched by sunshine and social awareness, but with your gilded face, like Dorothy’s glittering shoes in The Wizard of Oz, you can basically pretend you’re in Studio 54 or Coachella.

Without further ado here are some ideasto up your glitter game: Under Eye Glitter: This has the great advantage of covering up Oxford-induced dark circles as well as making you look so magical you cry tears of glitter.

Plus, this look is ideal for messy people. The more fallout, the better. To prep, line the top and bottom of your eyes with smudgy kohl eyeliner, focusing on swiping extra amounts under the eye.

Then tap glitter, ideally a mixture of two colours, on top. Focus on pressing the glitter in will for a more precise placement.

Inner corner glitter: This is great for those of you just jumping on the glitter bandwagon and can be used as a slightly more wearable look for daytime events. Anybody who worships at the shrine of contour and highlighting, like myself, will know that highlighting the inner corner of the eyes can help make the eyes look bigger and more open. So you can amplify that effect with glitter by applying some eyelash glue or other adhesive to the inner corners of the eyes then use a brush to push the glitter into the inner corners. Spread the glitter out to the lower lashline, and then diffuse it up toward the brow rather than focusing it all in the corner.

Claire Leibovich

Fashion Deputy Editor

There seems to be an obsession with wearing make-up and looking naturally beautiful at the same time, and this might be because it seems to be the hardest thing in the world and human beings strive for the impossible. It has become a stereotype that the highest and hardest stage in art is to look natural and effortless, and looking pretty without appearing to have made an effort is unfairly expected every day from girls in our society.

Men escape the objectification women are subjected to Who hasn’t heard this comment: “Oh yeah, she’s pretty, but it’s because she wears SO much makeup!”? I just want to say: so what? Is beauty less valuable when it is unnatural? Make-up is considered in a pejorative way, as if it were forgery, a fraud to deceive people, as if women who use it were selling something that they do not have. In his “Praise of Cosmetics” written in 1863, the French poet Charles Baudelaire was already going against the persistent idea that nature is good and artifice is bad. This moral foundation to the concept of beauty still lingers in our minds today, and it concerns not only “artistic art” but also more prosaic artifice like make-up and cosmetic surgery for instance. One of the arguments against cosmetic surgery is that God or nature “gave us the body we have” and that “we should accept ourselves as we are”.

My point is not to criticise this moral rejection of make-up. Rather, my intention is to highlight the moral association from which these

little phrases, which pass through our head or that we casually say every day, might come from. It is up to you to decide what you think of make-up. However, I do have one criticism: there is an enormous social pressure to look not only ‘fit’, but also for that beauty to look natural and effortless. As a literature student, I very often come across misogynistic authors who satirize feminine vanity. Despite mocking an excess of artifice in women, they expect women to be beautiful naturally (for their own enjoyment) and debase them when they are old or “ugly” (I am thinking in particular of some of Quevedo’s poems). Sure, vanity may be an important part of women putting on make-up, but the problem is that they often do not have the choice of showing themselves without anything on their face, at job interviews or parties for instance. Men, on the other side, seem to be completely exempt from this pressure. It is not only that they save an incalculable amount of time, they also escape the objectification women are subjected to. Baudelaire, who is also considered a misogynistic writer, states in his “Praise of Cosmetics” that it is almost a woman’s “duty” to wear make-up in order to be closer to perfection. She must

Image: Fabrizio Calicchia

be divine, supernatural, an ‘idol’.

Not only does nude make-up take part in the objectification of women, it is also in my opinion a swindle that attracts us like a magic spell. In the “fraud” of make-up it is the most subtle kind of deceit, one that is supposed to achieve the supreme stage of beauty, natural and effortlessness all together. But really, the no make-up make-up actually comes down to two things: Less make-up, literally. There might be an “art” of making-up without appearing to have done so, but if you want to save yourself the ridiculous amount of youtube “no make-up make-up” tutorials, you can never go wrong with just reducing the amount of make-up products you use. As simple as that.

Two keywords: clean and neat.

Everything seems to revolve around achieving a clear and healthylooking skin, neatly plucked eyebrows and open, bright eyes. Oh, and clean hair does help. This is where social inequality strikes, because no, rich people are not all naturally gorgeous. A healthy life style that includes a balanced diet and exercising and products for the skin and the hair are a lot more accessible to a social category who can afford it or to people who chose to invest money in it.

Fashion

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

29

OxStu Interview: Students of Design SODS Sherry Chen Fashion Editor

This week, our Fashion Editor Sherry Chen gets in touch with Students of Design (SODS), a newly-established, multi-distribution and marketing platform generating opportunities for talented students and young designers. The founders of SODS, Anoesjcka, Lindy, and Michelle, come from very different backgrounds, but are brought together because of a shared passion for fashion and design.

SC: Tell us a bit about the founders of Students of Design (SODS)!

Anoesjcka: I studied fashion design and pattern making in Milan and did various short course in London, focusing on fashion business. I refined my skills on Savile Row and Sackvile street, after which I returned to Milan where I had a chance meeting with the master of design himself, Mr Giorgio Armani, in one of his restaurants and asked him for help and advice. With his recommendation, I was put in touch with one of the most renowned factories in Italy where I started producing collections and learnt the craft of quality from some of the finest artisans in Italy. I had grown an impressive contact base before moving back to England. Soon after I counted many celebrity clients amongst my catalogue of clients and launched a handbag brand on the back of that. Today I have 2 fashion brands under my belt and want to use my experience to help emerging designers leap years ahead with SODS. Lindy: Prior to starting SODS

I worked mainly in marketing, brand management and events.

I have hosted city based events and managed venues all over the Square Mile. In 2012 I returned to university as a mature student.

I enjoyed my job but wanted to work in event design. I have a BA interior design but completed an FdA graphic and spatial design leading up to my BA.

While at university I met and interacted with so many talented students. I realised how difficult it was for students to get working experience and earn money.

Not everyone has the ‘right’ connections, the confidence or ability to market themselves.

All too often talented painters, sculptures and fashion designers end up doing any old job while the incredible work they have created gathers dust.

Michelle: My background is in marketing, communications and business development. I studied Communications at Brunel University; I worked many sectors throughout, funding my education, and now consult for various clients and have launched a couple of my own businesses. It seems that the common trend that has always prevailed in my work and experience is my passion for the art of communication. Whether it is through words, music, design, media, art or personal grooming choices, we can see, read and hear so much from the way people convey their information, and SODs excites me for this very reason. Many new talents all communicating their messages through their designs. My inspiration comes from seeing undiscovered talents... The new talents behind SODs are those who understand good quality products and then combine it with visually appeasing creations, this is why we are passionate about what we do!

the time formed the present business module. Lindy was at uni and had first-hand experience of how her peers struggled to make ends meet while creating fashion and art; Anoesjcka was launching a second fashion brand selling to buyers online and could sympathise with the struggle of these designers; and Michelle was consulting across the EU and all too quick to point out the opportunity. We registered the company in October 2013, but unfortunately Anoesjcka had to leave for Los Angeles and Michelle for Paris. We kept in touch and started putting a business plan together. Putting her degree on the line, Lindy used the initial SODS idea as her final major project. Presenting the work to a large group of students served as our first market research a barometer if you like, to test the idea. The feedback and support from the students was just what we needed to give us the final push. The quality and talent was evident in these items and a breath of fresh air in a market full of mass-produced items. As soon as we received comments from our friends asking where we bought what we were wearing, we knew we had a market. April 2015 saw us all living in London with a marketplace website as the answer to connecting these designers to the world. We are launching it first to British designers with the aim of adding our international designers in the near future.

with an idea you love. The international market recognises Britain’s edgy creativeness and there is a huge market for it.

With luxury and high-street brands dominating the market, it is almost impossible for a young designer to establish a brand without financial support and a marketing machine. Eventually these creative geniuses get worked into these dominants and the industry has lost remarkable talent and products. It is evident in the profit margins that the industry is changing with luxury and high street brands losing appeal. With our marketing machine and strong brand identity we want to offer exciting new talent and products to a conscienscious buying market who now wants individual quality.

When and how was the idea of SODS born?

SODS: At the beginning of 2013 we discussed and refined the idea for SODS. The idea evolved over time; we experimented with ideas ranging from exhibiting designers work to raising funds for designers. As fashion conscious shoppers the appeal of owning something not readily available to the public was a huge draw . We were all strong women who were prepared to swim against the current and had such fun coming up with the name. We loved the strong brand identity. Our circumstances at

SODS: We can’t pretend to know the plight of every designer, some have financial backing from families, or have no trouble attracting investment or support from the BFC or ACME, whereas others simply don’t know where or how to start. It is easy to load your work onto a free site and try.

It isn’t easy taking on Industry

SC: How exactly does SODS create “an income revenue stream” to help young designers fund their studies and practice their skills? And how does SODS itself make profit?

SODS will be a way for fledgling brands to work creatively without taking financial risk. Designer can sell their university collection, or a small factory production. This way they can earn money and exercise their craft. Designers are able to add a single item and gauge the public’s reaction, learn what it takes to be successful without racking up debt and if they sell work, they will earn money. They are in control of their own stock, they are aware of how fast and at what prices products are selling and can adapt their offer accordingly. Some designers have a second job until they can draw a salary from their business; this is the ideal way for them to run a business until they can afford to go it alone. We want to motivate designers to be entrepreneurial and we want to help them achieve independence.

Nothing would make us happier than students working creatively to pay their bills using the SODS portal. We charge 15% commission on items sold and have a 20p listing fee renewable every 3rd month, ensuring we push the designer to produce creations for a buying market and also that we do not collect dead

Anonymous

Anonymous

Name: Janet

SC:

SC: “SODS aims to champion, empower and nurture young designers in Britain”. What difficulties do you think young designers in Britain are facing?

Are these the same for local British designers and overseasborn designers who are based in UK?

stock on our site. In comparison to the industry standard costs, this is a very inviting proposal.

SC: As a multi-distribution and marketing platform, how does SODS differ from many other “fast fashion” online platforms, e.g. ASOS, Boohoo, or eBay?

SODS: We are a marketplace website unlike Boohoo and ASOS. We do not sell fast fashion and we don’t hold stock. We won’t offer or sell second hand clothing, unless it’s reinvented and you won’t find bric a brac. We also provide the services one finds on any good retail, e-commerce websites. We are able to offer our designers the chance to market themselves directly to the wholesale market and we offer buyers a way to safely make purchases. All too often buyers are reluctant to place orders from young designers as the risk of late deliveries and payments are high. SODS acts as the facilitator, holding the monies in escrow which offers security to both designer and buyer making the transactions more appealing to both.

SC: SODS has a vision for fashion designers to “collaborate and be introduced to professionals working in exhibition, event management, surface design and other creative industries”. What kind of plans do you have in mind to make this happen? How do you think these can benefit students of design?

SODS: We have a private log-in for all our designers who can view articles and online interviews from various industry experts, some of whom have helped us along the way, others are industry heavy weights. This is a case of “I wish I knew then what I know now” where we aid the designer’s to successfully reach his goals by interviewing experts. We are currently in talks with a prestigious venue to exhibit our top selling designers to buyers and industry professionals creating an added incentive to our designers to work hard to grow their business.

Street style: 3rd week’s best dressed

Name: Andelka

Name: Tilda

Fashion

The Oxford Student | Friday 12th February 2016

29

Ethical Fashion Initiative: Not Charity, Just Work Sherry Chen Fashion Editor

Earlier this week, I spoke to Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), a flagship programme of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation. EFI links the world’s top fashion talents to marginalised artisans - the majority of them women - in East and West Africa, Haiti and the West Bank. The organisation has been connecting artisans to the global fashion supply chain since 2009. EFI also works with the rising generation of fashion talent from Africa, encouraging the forging of fulfilling creative collaborations with artisans on the continent. Under its slogan, “NOT CHARITY, JUST WORK” the EFI advocates a fairer global fashion industry.

SC: When was EFI founded? What

were the motivations of establishing such an organisation?

EFI: The Ethical Fashion Initiative

was founded in 2009 as a programme of the International Trade Centre (a joint agency of the United Nations and World Trade Organisation). The first country we worked in was Kenya.

The hub we set up there was recently bought by private investors which we were very pleased about.

I was inspired to start the EFI after working in Kenya where I met a lay missionary called Gino Filippini.

Gino live in the Korogocho slum of Nairobi and worked with microproducers, helping them set up cooperatives. His work inspired me as I saw real potential in working with micro-producers, helping them to organise and learn new skills so that they can positively improve their lives through work.

SC:

What were the goals of EFI when it was first established? Have they changed over the past few years?

EFI: The goal has always been to create jobs in the value chain of fashion for micro-producers in Africa.

These have not changed but they have evolved because we have grown in size and stabilised our work by

Image: Ethical Fashion Initiative

creating ethical fashion production hubs to manage these jobs. Ultimately we have sought out private investors to invest in these hubs and the people working in them. We have also added new goals such as the mentoring of African creatives by supporting emerging African designers and brands.

SC: What is considered “ethical” by EFI?

EFI: Dignified working conditions with the full application of the Fair Labour agenda and a clear framework to track all processes and all people involved in production processes, so as to have a very transparent supply chain that is fully traceable. This information should be disclosed to consumers and partners so that everyone can verify them. A clear environmental agenda adapted to each supply chain is also necessary. For example, in leather the environmental agenda that we have is to eliminate heavy metals and chrome, for cotton it is eliminating chemical dyes, using organic and/or recycled materials whenever possible.

We believe that setting and following standards and being ethical is a form of sustainability. It must be noted that there is not a defined blueprint; there is no such thing as a clear and simple recipe. Being ethical and sustainable means undertaking a journey towards sustainability, which is a matter of trial, error and continuous improvement.

Complete sustainability is a final aim, but there are many intermediate stages that can be equally important.

The path towards sustainability has

to be clearly communicated. It has to be clearly and properly tracked with a work plan and landmarks, so that everyone can mark their progression and no one lags behind.

SC: How do you select your partners?

change perceptions and stereotypes that society often has of migrants and asylum-seekers from Africa. It was a very successful partnership with Laimomo and we are currently working to expand our work with them to set up a fashion-focused training facility for asylum-seekers.

by brands and sometimes we approach brands directly. It really works both ways and, of course, we are constantly meeting and being introduced to new brands through our network.

Finally, could you please comment on the recent trend of eco fashion and ethical fashion? Do you think the industry provides sustainable environment for the development of ethical fashion?

EFI: Sometimes we are approached SC:

SC: Tell us a bit about your recent EFI: The ethical fashion movement event Generation Africa.

EFI:

Generation Africa was a fashion show which we organised at Pitti Uomo in Florence. We selected four African designers to participate and showcase their Autumn-Winter 2016 collections. There were two Nigerian brands, Ikiré Jones and U.Mi-1, and two South African brands, AKJP and Lukhanyo Mdingi x Nicholas Coutts. It was an excellent show. This event was part of our African designer programme whereby we support designers to access fashion platforms to gain access to the fashion market and raise awareness about their brand. For this show we partnered with an Italian association called Lai-momo which runs several welcome centres for asylum-seekers in Italy. With Lai-momo we cast three asylum-seekers as models for the Generation Africa show. This was an opportunity to use fashion to discuss a social issue and of course

is about people and labour. Yes, the industry is more conducive to the ethical fashion movement than it was eight years ago. Then, it was a matter for innovators and confined to very small spaces, both within the fashion market and in the public eye. Today, ethical fashion is part of the agenda of all the groups that work in this industry; Kering has a Chief Sustainability officer, Marie Claire Daveu, who is very active on this. But all the groups have some resources allocated to sustainability.

It is a more conducive environment because consumers have woken up and are more demanding. Social media allows people, even those in marginalised conditions, to be vocal, to have agency and to be heard. People are more mobilised as consumers, and use their buying power. The drive for change does not come from within the industry, as it would remain in the old paradigm if there was no push from the consumers. Sociologists

have named “individualisation” as the main trend of our time. There is a big debate in sociology about whether individualisation gives more or less agency to people. It may not allow for big political goals, but it surely gives more agency to people as consumers, because they are more informed and have immediate purchasing power.

We also live in an age of postmaterialist issues. This means that consumers are not only looking for a gorgeous product but also to satisfy deep inner motivations. This is evident in the political spectrum of the societies in which we live. People are changing their partisan affiliation model. Once upon a time, the affiliation model was only on the basis of census; generally the working class leaned to the left and then the middle or higher classes leaned to the centre or the right.

Today it is different because there are these post-materialist and aspirational issues, as well as identity politics. It is very likely that an affluent person has a political platform from the left-wing and vice versa. The same is true of consumerism. Consumers are not only concerned about the beauty and price of products, but they are evaluating the non-physical features of the product. Their choices are now linked to sustainability in terms of people and planet. This is the real movement behind the ethical fashion movement and the real reason why the industry is becoming more responsive. If we didn’t see these changes, the industry wouldn’t change at all.

Street style: 4th week’s best dressed

Name: Sandrine

Name: Qais

Name: Nicole

Name: Charlotte

Name: Elise

Fashion

The Oxford Student | Friday 19th February 2016

29

250 years of make-up: from Lady Archer to Tilda Swinton Rosanna Hildyard Staff Writer

Picture a famous woman. She is around forty-five years old, red-haired, with impressive cheekbones, has a taste for androgynous tailoring and for driving fast – for which she is vilified by the press. She is a friend of Keira Knightley, mixing with an aristocratic set of celebrities – usually at casinos in Cannes or private clubs in London. Yet whereas every interview with Tilda Swinton mentions her lack of makeup, Lady Sarah Archer was famed for wearing it. Tilda Swinton is a twenty-first century arthouse actor; Lady Sarah Archer was an eighteenth-century “Faro Lady”, a gambler who was a byword for the excesses of Regency aristocracy in contemporary cultural commentary.

It is a facile comparison – two red-haired ladies. Yet a comparison of how Swinton and Archer are described by the press is of interest with regards to how

both are pigeonholed by their use of make-up.

Lady Archer’s age saw the first shop signs, window displays and adverts. Print satires and caricatures were available at bookshops and groceries, like modern magazines. Gossipy newspapers were illustrated with fashion plates and miniatures of their subjects. It was the first time any ordinary person might know the faces of members of the Royal Family.

Lady Archer was one of these celebrities that was suddenly recognisable. She was also one of the most scandalous; known as one of the “Faro Ladies”, a group of aristocratic women who ran illegal private gambling dens, and as a widow and mother of four teenaged daughters whose efforts to marry them off were roundly criticised. Yet the real criticism of Lady Archer in the press was regarding her makeup. Once you know what you are looking, she crops up often in the satirical prints of Rowlandson, Gillray and Cruikshank: a skinny redhead with a hooked nose,

usually dressed in scarlet. She appears in “The Finishing Touch” as a ridiculous crone painting her face with a paintbrush; in “Six Stages of Mending a Face” her make-up kit includes a glass eye, false teeth and wig; in “Driving to the Perfume Warehouse without a Beau” she heads to a shop selling “Ivory teeth” and “Mouse Eye Brows”. Why were these men so offended by a woman’s use of cosmetics? Their caricatures insist that make-up is not only deceptive but also disgusting in itself. They tell their readers that cosmetics are something used only by the ugly, by women past their best; and that they are deceiving themselves if they think their underlying insecurity isn’t devastatingly obvious. Make-up is laughable, and these journalists and artists are putting themselves in a position of intellectual superiority, above the men and women who wear it.

In almost every article and interview, Tilda Swinton’s bare face is praised. “ skull” “impassive”, says The Guardian.

“Pale and androgynous” says

the BBC. “Proudly parading her natural beauty” with a “lowmaintenance style”, says The Daily Mail. Swinton’s face is naked, yet the media presents this as a way for her to resist being defined by society – her face “inscrutable”, her style neither male nor female.

Her lack of cosmetic enhancement is usually appreciated as a token of sophistication and poise; in contrast, those who wear make-up must invite stereotyping. When Swinton does wear fake tan and eyeliner for a film role, The Daily Mail comments with a sneer that: “most women would love to look like her character”. Make-up is popular, low-brow.

Looking at Tilda Swinton and Lady Sarah Archer, it would appear we have not moved far in 250 years. Make-up is still spoken of as something artificial, revolting, a “orange tan” or eyebrows made from mice. It is something that both reveals insecurity and conceals natural beauty. Yet, is that really all there is going on when someone puts on make-up? Perhaps it is time for a more positive review.

Image: PAN Photos

Street style: best dressed at the Union Ball

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

What’s on 31

Pick of the Week

Pick of the Week

Len McCluskey

3rd-4th week 5th - 12th Feb

5 S6 at S7 un Mon 8 Tue 9 Wed 10 Thu 11 Fri 12 th

Fri

Amadeus

The Oxford Union.

9th February, 8.00pm.

BT Studio.

9th-13th February, 7.30pm.

General Secretary of Unite 2011, and arguably the most prominent trade unionist in the country. He will talk on the subject of ideology, unity and progression within the political left.

Relive the life of Mozart through the envious eyes of his greatest rival, Antonio Salieri.

Amadeus is the Oscar and Tony awardwinning story of Mozart’s turbulent life.

Written by Peter Shaffer.

theatre NOOSE A couple out in the Hinterland muse on life as one of them prepares to end theirs.

Also on Saturday,Burton Taylor Studio,7.30pm,£5/8

speakers HSH Prince HansAdam II The reigning Prince of Liechtenstein has a fortune of $7.6bn. The Oxford Union, 8pm.

going out

misc.

Death in colour Why is Jesus’ crucifixion such a big deal?

Sheldonian Theatre, 8pm.

Salzenger made me hardcore. 11pm - 3am .

The Cellar. Helping raise money for the Ruskin degree show. £5 fancy art, £6 OTD entry all night.

Panel Discussion on Britain and the EU Hosted by The Oxford Forum and OUCA. Blue Boar Lecture Theatre, Christ Church, 5.15pm, free

th

music

SMASH DISCO : NO FORM + FICKLE TWIN + DRORE + GRUB. Fusion Arts, 44B Princes Street, 7pm, £5/£4, concessions.

Philosophy in the bookshop Nigel Warbuton talks to Stephen Law. Blackwell’s, 11am-12pm (admission free).

JazzSoc: Dot’s Funk Odyssey The Mad Hatter, Iffley Road, 8.30pm-midnight.

RAG recruitment drinks Have a drink and chat to current committee members to find out how RAG works. The Varsity Club, 8pm.

Marina and the Diamonds Indie pop singer whose first album dealt brilliantly with female stereotypes.

The Oxford Union, 8pm

Oxford Human Rights Festival.

Until 13th.Oxford Brookes. Theme is “adversity”(esp.women and environmental).

th

th

th

th

th

th

Amadeus Until 13th. Relive the life of Mozart through the envious eyes of his rival, Antonio Salieri. BT Studio, £5/£6.

Len McCluskey “Jeremy Corbyn: Blast from the past or leader of tomorrow?” General Sec of Unite since 2011.

The Oxford Union, 8pm.

Rosencrantz and Guildenster are Dead.

Until 13th. Keble O’Reilly, 7.30pm. (Saturday matinee, 2.30pm). £10/£8, concessions.

Open Oxford presents Peter Hitchens “The Strange Victory of the big dope lobby”, followed by Q&A. Exeter College, £2.50 .

Countdown - The Return Night spans the decades.

Wahoo, 10pm, £5.

Nuclear Weapons debate This House believes nuclear weapons have no place in 21st-century Britain. The Oxford Union, 8.30pm.

Patchwork #7 with PLOY The Cellar, 11pm-3pm. £4 pre-sale before 11.30pm, £5 after 11.30pm.

HSH Prince HansAdam II Reigning Prince of Liechtenstein with a personal fortune of $7.6bn. The Oxford Union, 8pm

Anti-Valentines Ceilidh East Oxford Community Centre, £6 tickets in advance, £7 OTD entry.

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

OxStuff

OxStuff

Screaming Spires

Snakes in the Union, coming soon...

“I’m hacked off with the Union!”

Snakes in the Union - first on the plane now they’re coming for you on the ground

THE HACKING BEGINS 7th week, Michaelmas Term.

Winter blues, black clouds, a pervasive sense of malaise and all-consuming existential doubt. But nothing can deter a determined few figures poised at the plodge, laptop, clipboard, and manifesto cards in hand – the fruit of weeks of their labour (some names are really surprisingly hard to rhyme).

‘Hey mate,’ [am I their mate?

I wonder absent-mindedly], ‘have you gone to vote yet?’ the innocent-sounding voices chime in in eerie unison.

‘Would really appreciate it.’ It’s inescapable. You just couldn’t say no to that soggy, sad, ruthlessly ambitious face. It would be like saying no to a puppy.

THEY GET ELECTED Results. Success. Celebration.

They’ve been elected. They’re the boss. They’ve made it – for now. Next time I see them in the plodge, there’s a spring in their step, a shine in their shoes, a twinkle in their eye. I’m happy for them, happy for their triumph. It’s all still fun and games at this stage.

YOU GO TO AN EVENT Then a moment comes when

reality strikes. Ripe to hear one of the world’s great minds pour forth, you wander into the hallowed Union edifice, you’re swallowed up in a hubbub of activity, and you remember what it’s like. ‘Uhhh, Bertie, can you pass that on to your team?’

‘Coffee him ASAP. Otherwise we’re fucked.’ ‘Yah, yah, I’ll have someone action that for you.’

For some of these people to be any more self-important, they’d have to get a tattoo of an oilpainting of themselves on their face; for them to be any more in love with corporate-speak, they’d have to write a symphony about synergy; for them to be any slimier, they’d have to be lubedup slugs. In short, SOMEONE NEEDS TO TELL THESE PEOPLE THAT THEY DON’T WORK IN A BANK. THEY ARE S-T-U-D-E-NT-S. They got elected by about four people, but to hear them speak, you’d think they were the centre of the Oxford universe…

QUEUING FOR EVENTS Once I extricate myself from this, the queue awaits. As we stand and wait patiently, a string of interlopers slinks past us, hanging on the wrists of their Union friends. There are no

Porn: not just for single boys and socks The typical figure that comes to mind when the topic of watching porn is raised is the lone, early teenage male and his ubiquitous sock. But shock horror, women watch porn too.

Some even enjoy watching it.

I’m not talking about the lazy and frankly quite dreadful porn that’s all too common, ‘Busty blonde XXX’ or ‘teen gets fucked by big cock’ type of porn (we don’t have time to go into how problematic that is…) I’m taking about good porn, great porn in fact. And it is out there.

Think of directors such as Erika Lust and actresses such as Stoya.

For those with reservations about the nature of the material itself, pornography stripped

depiction of real sex, it isn’t meant to be. Also some fantasies are just that, fantasies.

We wouldn’t want to enact them in real life. But it’s interesting and also inevitably quite sexy to think about what turns your partner on.

After watching a video focused on BDSM and female domination, my partner revealed that they had always wanted to try having sex whilst being lightly choked. My inner dominatrix was delighted at this revelation and after some experimenting this became a regular feature in our sex life, roughing up our foreplay delightfully. I wouldn’t have found this out if we hadn’t happen to have been browsing through suggested videos (on porn sites I mandate them to change this to ‘suggestive’ videos…) and finding

OXSTU LOOKALIKES

words right now….

THE DARK UNDERBELLY But this is just where the epiphany starts. It goes deeper, like a mise en abyme, windows within windows, a Russian doll, a fractal equation. Soon you realise that something is profoundly rotten at the very heart of the Union. You thought that the Jamieson hacking scandal and Zuleykagate were just anomalies – this year’s different; you know the people involved; they’re different.

BUT THEY’RE NOT. IT’S ALWAYS THE SAME. Here comes the scandal, here come the smear campaigns, here come the broken dreams.

THEY GET OUT INTO THE REAL WORLD But in the end, after all the drama, they escape – and you’re happy for them. You welcome them back into the fold of normal society, where people can be trusted, relationships are real, and not everyone is out to get them. But then they graduate, and after all they’ve done, they’re the ones with the best futures, the best jobs, the best careers. Fuck.

Cliterary Theory naked, pun intended, is just people having sex. Watching other, often quite attractive, people have sex is unsurprisingly quite a turn on.

O n c e you’ve found the better porn of the bunch, its time to watch it with your partner. Already, the benefits of watching porn together are clear. You’ve selected something based on the fact that it turns you on and watching it together it becomes clear what each of you likes.

For that reason, porn is a great way to start a conversation about each of your fantasies.

I brought one of my partners round to the idea of spanking me after showing them some pretty saucy spanking scenes.

Turns out they found it equally sexy and off they rushed to spank me silly.

A quick disclaimer: obviously porn is often not an accurate

32

ELLEN DEGENERES

This fantastic comedian has her own daytime daily show. She has interviewed the likes of Barack Obama and Caitlyn Jenner. She is also an activist for gay rights, being one of the first television personalities to be openly gay, having come out live on the Oprah Winfrey show. Unfortunately, this hurt her career for a while in the early noughties but she came back stronger than ever and now on ITV2!

JACK REMMINGTON

something kinky that we both fancied.

Often, the nature of watching two (or more…) stereotypically attractive people banging means you’ll be ready to start your own private screening before the on screen time sexy time is done.

But by agreeing to wait until the video finishes, you both agree to get agonizingly turned on before you shout ‘Action!’ resulting in some pretty steamy scenes of your own.

The wealth of material online means that there is literally something for everyone’s desires and more beside. Into leather, feet or even armpits?

There are probably countless videos devoted to the subject that you can pursue at your pleasure.

Even if, despite all my encouragement, the idea of watching porn with your partner fills you with awkwardness. Yes, sometimes the ‘acting’ can be that bad, or the lines so cheesy that fits of giggles cannot be helped. But laughing is okay!

This is meant to fun. Besides, you start to think if we made a porno it’d be half decent, but that’s a whole other article…

Part of Out of the Blue and was featured in the infamous Shakira video which got a shout out by the singer herself. He was most recently seen in the double act Jack and Joel at the Keble O’Reilly last term. Now he’s a finalist and President of Out of the Blue. He studies Geography and started here in 2013 and according to the Out of the Blue website has a pet rat called Buck!

GOT A LOOKALIKE?

email us at: oxstu.editor@gmail.com

The Oxford Student | Friday 12th February 2016

OxStuff

OxStuff

Screaming Spires

Cycling in Oxford: a recipe for death...

THE TRAUMA BEGINS AT HOME

A recentlymaimed cyclist gives his advice Other motorists, pedestrians, tourists, and drunkards all have to be contended with on Oxford’s roads

Cycling in Oxford is a pain.

But the trouble beings before one even begins to turn one’s pedals. More often that not, there’s something wrong with the bike, which often means one arrives at their commitment late and dishevelled. Not a good way to start the day. If only bikes were simple mechanical machines...

OTHER CYCLISTS However, the real problems commence once one ventures onto Oxford’s streets.

One of the principal hazards to be negotiated is other cyclists. Now, depending on what sort of cyclist you are, the threat level that other cyclists pose varies.

If you’re a fast cyclist, one prone to doging in and out of slow traffic, other cyclists are just plain annoying they get in your way as you speed towards your essay on kingship during the time of the Hundred Years’ War. Perhaps a horse would be a

better means of transport...

However, as a slow cyclist, one has to contend more with the phenonmeon of the arrogant pedestrian.

But cycling on the Turl is always a recipe for disaster.

Just because you want to see your mate from Jesus, doesn’t mean that you have licence to dash across the path - it’s still a fucking road! But above all, the ‘shit cyclist’ prize must go to him who overtakes you on a roundabout. Not only is it stupid, but we both know that I’m going to overtake you once we hit the Iffley Road, so seriously mate, there is really no point.

TOURISTS As a cyclist in Oxford, one will be well accquainted with tourists. In fact, it is often said that it’s the best way to meet-and-greet them given the high chances of them walking out in front of you when you’re trying to bomb down the High on the way to sports training. To be frank, I don’t care that you want to go and take photos of the Radcliffe Camera, so long as you don’t attempt to

Why wait for Valentine’s Day? For some time now, we have been made all too aware that Valentine’s Day is approaching; the Christmas decorations had barely gone cold in their clearance bin grave before the next commercial extravaganza was shoveled upon us. For the past month I have barely been able to walk down Cornmarket Street without the stark reminder that the dreaded day is fast approaching, and I should find someone to love, ASAP. Now, I’m no bitter singleton having a moan because I secretly just really want someone to spend Valentine’s with.

The fact that I do have someone is beside the point. My

gotten Netflix episode; you should be lighting candles or experimenting with new positions at the very least.

Don’t get me wrong, this does sound great.

But what if you’re just not feeling it? Perhaps you’ve eaten so much at your romantic dinner with your chosen one that it’s all you can do not to unbutton your trousers right there, not out of burning sexual desire, but to unleash the giant food baby bursting beneath your waistband? My plan to go out for dinner on Valentine’s Day may well end with a similar scenario, except this time I’ll feel bad about it. Why? Because I have to have sex on Valentine’s Day. So maybe, even though I may well be feeling like a baby porpoise, I’ll have sex. It will

OXSTU LOOKALIKES

take back a physical imprint of Oxford by walking out in front of me!

PEDESTRIANS One might excuse tourists, who, unsued to British roads , and particularly the complexities of Oxford’s various one-way systems, can on occasion, be forgiven for their blunders. Yet there can be no such forgiveness for inadequate knowledge of the Highway Code on behalf of other students. But whether one is happily cycling along Broad Street, or crossing the perilous Broad/Catte/ Holywell/South Parks junction, pedestrians are almost guaranteed to step out in front of you, their head no doubt in some intellectually virtuous work. In some cases it’s almost safer to walk. And when, after numerous near misses, a couple of derailed chains, and an exchange of expletives with other Oxford-dwellers, one comes to lock up their bike. At which point, one discovers that there aren’t any free bike spaces left. Perhaps it was a better idea to walk after all!

Cliterary Theory objection to the day is the sheer amount of pressure it places on people.

If you’re not with someone, you need to be, or risk s p e n d ing the day graciously accepting your smugly coupled friends’ sympathetic words through gritted teeth and drowning your commercially-manufactured sorrows with a monster tub of Ben & Jerries, because you hear that’s what single people should do on Valentine’s Day. If you are with someone, aside from you anniversary, Valentine’s is probably the one day of the year when you definitely should be having sex.

Not only that, you should be having great sex. Forget the usual pre-bed quickie enjoyed to the soundtrack of your for-

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DOM APPLEWHITE

Best known for his work with Monty Python alongside John Cleese, Applewhite is a lifelong comedian, as well as a television and radio actor. His impressive resume has made him a househould name in British comedy, but few people know that he is credited with writing ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’. Just look at that smile! Keep up the good work, Applewhite!

ERIC IDLE

be average because I won’t be 100 per cent into it, so both of us will be left feeling dissatisfied and slightly miserable.

To this, I say no. It’s 2016; I don’t need a day to tell me that I should have sex, or to make me feel bad if I don’t.

Ideally, your sex life shouldn’t need the push of Valentine’s Day to keep the cogs whirring or to try out new things. Why restrict your sexual adventure to one measly day of the year?

Be comfortable and honest enough with yourself so that you don’t have to hide behind or cower to the image of Valentine’s Day. If I’m in the mood for sex then I’m not going to wait for a specific date or time to have it, and equally, if I’m not in the mood for sex, I’m not going to just do it for the sake of it. Admittedly, Valentine’s Day can be a romantic occasion or a reason to make time for your significant other who can all too easily be neglected during the term time rush. Make of the day what you will, but don’t make of it what you don’t want to.

Often confused for prominent British comedian Dominic Applewhite, Idle was the child star of The King’s Speech, and is now a big name in university theatre, with several Playhouse shows under his belt. He’s always admired Monty Python - a confidential source tells us that he spent his childood years perfecting a silly walk. Sadly, he’s taken a break from acting to pursue his dream of studying for a degree in Music at New College.

GOT A LOOKALIKE?

email us at: oxstu.editor@gmail.com

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

OxStuff

Flashback Friday

Students resigned over debt

Problems of student debt have reached new heights, according to a new survey carried out by NUS services and Barclays Bank.

The survey revealed that more than 60 per cent of students ended the last academic year in debt.

Levels of debt hace risen by 22 per cent since 1992.

Students graduating this year now owe an average of £1,900 each, an increase of almost two hundred pounds on last year’s figures.

The report suggests that students beginning their courses underestimate the amount they will have to borrow during the course of their studies. They are also found to be overly optimistic about the length of time it will take to pay

back their loans. Whilst almost two-thirds of students will pay off their debt within three years of graduating, a quarter require at least five years.

Students graduating now owe an average of £1,900 each The problem is exacerbated when students leave university and lose the benefits of a student bank account. They can then expect to pay interest of 7 per cent or more on overdrafts which were previously interest-free.

The increase in student

6th October 1993

debt has been accompanied by growing apathy towards the problem. As debt amongst undergraduates becomes more and more common, the number of students resigned to it has increased.

Student loans now account for 46 per cent of all student debt, since the freezing of government grants in 1989 forced more and more students to take out loans.

Furthermore, Access Funds, standing at only £325,000 for the whole University, have failed to replace the estimated £1.6 million that Oxford students used to claim in benefits every year.

The new figures come at a time when Vice-

Chancellors are proposing that students instead of local authorities should pay for their tuition fees as well as living expenses.

Lorna Futzsimons, NUS President, responded that “many students are already crippled with debts, loans and overdrafts and face the prospect of 14 per cent graduate unemployment.

You cannot ask them to take on further debts.

Realistically, it would be impossible to expect students to pay - they simply cannot afford to pay any more.”

Alan Beattie, OUSU Vice-President (Finance) blames the government for the problem who, he says, are “trying to expand higher education on the cheap”.

If Wadham were your partner...

If WADHAM were If your WADHAM partner, they’d drag you

were your partner, they’d have amazing fashion sense and transform your wardrobe. But no red, blue or white – the British flag has those colours, and you wouldn’t want to offend anyone when you’re out in public!

to every NUS meeting, where you’d passionately condemn all forms of radicalization. It’s good to feel part of a relationship, but it’s better to feel like part of an influential political organisation.

If WADHAM If WADHAM were your partner, you’d already be

Dan Haynes aims for the lowest-hanging ethically-sourced fruit...

were your partner, they’d be constantly changing their hair colour to something more unique, and you might feel a bit left out without neon highlights.

It’d be like dating Ramona Flowers, if Ramona Flowers didn’t have seven evil exes, because ‘evil’ is a pejorative catch-all for the misunderstood and you shouldn’t judge people so easily.

Except Tories. Fuck Tories.

If WADHAM

were your partner, every time there’s a controversial speaker at the Union you’d be there together to protest a system that encourages institutional inequality while marginalizing the unfortunate. Then, it’s a rush back to college to make it in time for formal hall!

making plans for the future, where you’d be living together in an anticapitalist eco-commune. There, every day is Wadstock, and there’s nobody bugging you to “wash that tie-die you smell like a junkie’s armpit, for God’s sake”. They’d surprise you with handwoven, oversized hemp shirts, for when you’ve just gotta get the right outfit for a sik nite out.

If WADHAM

were your partner, you’d spend romantic evenings together in the front of the TV, watching old recordings of Corbyn speeches and drinking the glutenfree beer that they picked up in bottles from the KA.

If WADHAM If WADHAM were your partner, they’d never let you

were your partner, they’d be super clever but they’d be pretty laid back about it. It’s the sort of relationship where they’re the clever one, but they’ll never let you feel left out. Norrington Schmorrington.

win an argument. But they’d never let you lose either - there’s no such thing as objective morality in this relationship! Do you even Kierkegaard?

were your partner, they’d encourage a radical, healthy and planet-conscious lifestyle. Everything would have to be bought organic, local, charity or vintage. No more participating in the oppressive capitalist regime! Except when there’s a pair of reeeeallly sick Doc Martens on sale. Or when you want a pint. Or when you need literally anything at all.

for life. Marriage is an institution, of course - but that doesn’t mean you can’t live together (except for the tax cuts, but its ok, you won’t need the money when you’re both the world’s most liberal management consultants).

Just you, your partner, and the shrine to Marx in the corner. And maybe a child or two. If you’d be that selfish.

If WADHAM were IfyourWADHAM partner, they’d be with you

Overheard in Oxford “Lets not talk about me pole dancing in Plush” A:“What’s that massive kiwi doing in the fridge?”

B: “That’s not a kiwi, that’s a mango.”

“I have no dreams, my biggest dream was to get into Oxford.”

“I’m frankly sick of couples, they seem to be everywhere.”

“One time , a guy sprained his penis during a match.”

“Book of Revelation is the best part of the Bible, it’s really funny”

“Metal is hard”

Yak of the week “There’s more chance of shitting in the Queen’s handbag than eduroam being able to play a video without buffering.”

33

Features 35

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Lifestyle It’s not me that’s inadequate: it’s Oxford University David Parton Features Editor Oxford University is an exceptional place. It is world renowned and notoriously difficult to get in to.

It is recognised as being one of the best universities in the world and for taking in only “the best” students. But what happens when “the best” are all put together and you’re no longer a big fish in a small pond?

This is a problem I’ve encountered and know others have too. How does one respond, when all around are exceptionally talented people, seemingly excelling at all they do?

How does one come to terms with oneself in such a shadow? How does one learn not to view oneself in the context of others?

I guess the simple answer is that there is no simple answer. For me personally, coming from a poorly performing “special measures” comprehensive, grappling with my own sense of personal, academic, professional, and yes even cultural inadequacy has been almost a daily occurrence. Sometimes this is really noticeable and sometimes it is more insidious.

The most striking examples are perhaps the most easiest to address. In relation to my own experience, it’s things like applying to vacation schemes and facing a barrage of rejections, whilst seemingly others are suitably organised and readied, with such provisions already sorted. More broadly it’s the idea that others have already prepared themselves for their careers and post-university life, whilst I haven’t. And it’s not for a lack of trying.

In an academic sense, it’s the idea that no matter how desperately hard the duck paddles its feet under the water, progress seems only to travel at one speed. In other words no matter how hard one works, either one doesn’t seem to make the academic breakthrough they were hoping for, or that someone else will seemingly and with apparent minimal effort, seamlessly outperform them.

This can be difficult to come to terms with.

In a personal sense it can be even more striking. Not being as goodlooking, as popular, as confident, as funny as others can be crushing.

How does one compete? Does one

even bother to try and keep up? Is there any point?

However, for me personally, the most upsetting of all my feelings of inadequacy in this university of exceptional people, is perhaps my feelings of cultural inadequacy.

The idea that somehow my way of life, my background and my life experiences are incompatible with Oxford. For me, it seeps in and out of my time in Oxford and lingers in my mind whenever it appears.

It is deeply rooted in my sense of personal inadequacy and can often be forced out, often unintentionally, even in the most simple a casual of encounters. For me personally, the disparity in cultural capital between myself and some of my peers can be upsetting and destabilising. But should it be?

Should this disparity be ignored when it obviously exists? How can it be ignored when so many people at Oxford are from such a similar background? Sometimes I feel like it is not rational to get upset by the fact I cannot play a musical instrument, speak another language, or exchange any kind of knowledge about the classical

works of Athens or Rome.

Sometimes, I feel embarrassed by not indulging in some cool, indie and alternative gentrified music genre, instead preferring throw-away Kylie pop music, that I don’t approach with any sense of academic curiosity, but purely because I like it.

Somehow my way of life is incompatible with Oxford So when these notions of cultural, personal, academic and professional inadequacy amalgamate, you’re left with one individual who feels largely inferior to their cohorts.

And it would be all too easy to say, ‘oh well you shouldn’t’ even in spite of the fact that logically I, or anyone else in a similar position, shouldn’t, because realistically someone else’s idea of what is succesfull or valuable should not bare influence on the decisions of an individual who lives for

Oxford can initially provide an overwhelming cultural experience.

Image: Bill Tyne

themselves and not for the respect or approval of others.

But it will always be there. This sense of inadequacy will always exist so long as Oxford remains an institution for the middle-middle and upper-middle classes. Whilst their ideas and values form a cultural, academic and professional hegemony in the university, anything that does not adhere or comply with these norms and values will be inadequate.

And this goes further than just a class-culture divide. I am sure a similar sense of inadequacy will exist for all groups that exist outside the framework of who this university was built for: white, upper-class, straight men.

In my mind, I seek to conclude that these marginalised cultures or sub-cultures or life experiences or norms and values are no less valuable or important than the current hegemony. So how do we tackle this sense of inadequacy, because we can’t be left to feel that we are inferior?

To me, there seem to be two possible solutions: ignore it; or not only challenge one’s own sense of inadequacy, but vocalise such thoughts. In this sense the only viable path is that we countenance not only internally, but argue to all inside this university, that just because we do not have a desirable amount of cultural capital, share similar examples of privilege, or value or priorities the same hallmarks of cultural, personal, academic or professional success, does not make us inadequate. It makes us reflective of the real world that exists beyond the boundaries of the phony dreaming spires. And no more should we feel guilty of not adhering to this standard of success that we had no role in shaping.

Ghosting on Tinder: reasons and ramifications Vincent Chabany Staff Writer Every time I see the poster for The Phantom of The Opera, I think of ghosts. But this one wears no mask, or if he does, it is made of glass. If he haunts, it is not some Parisian theater, but my phone.

I never needed Tinder before Oxford. I lived in Paris, and was fine with being single most of the time, and met the guys I went out with at parties,or in the case of my most recent boyfriend, while getting enrolled in Dutch history of the arts. (What’s up Nathan? Sorry for breaking up with you after a crap Klimt exhibit!)

I am weary of dating in small communities. We all know this person who had to drop out of two societies and four social events because of romantic drama, and we’ve all thought we know better than that. We don’t. That, and given the very small number of gay guys at my college led me to try Tinder.

There, I experienced a trend. A match, a nice chat, and the setting up of a date. But then comes the dreaded message: “Definitely! I just have to check with (insert authority) but it should be alright :))” If you receive this on Tinder, you’re dead in the water. After a time of mutism, you send him a message on the day of the date, and he will

answer six hours later, saying oh no, sorry, I’m (insert excuse related to aforementioned authority) :( Notice that men who do this will often use a plethora of smileys at that point to make you believe that they are emoting. They are not. They then will never answer you messages again, and disappear from your life.

This is known as ghosting, the act of disappearing from a dating paradigm. Being ghosted on Tinder is fairly low-key, if not bruising, although it did result in me getting stood up in second week.

The thing about ghosting is that people think it’s harmless. I imagine these men who’ve stopped talking to me probably thought I too had other plans, and did not really want to go on these dates. But the thing is I really enjoy getting to know people -anybody, romantic or platonicover a drink. And it felt personal.

After one ghost too many, I tried to settle how I felt, and the only word that came to mind was disposable.

For an amount of time, I felt like I was what these men told me I was: some generic Franco-American guy who wasn’t worth the time or energy to go on a date with.

Which I had never seen myself as before, and now did.

What changed this was an interaction at a party with a very sweet, very smart boy who sighed

that the more he talked on Tinder, the less likely it became for girls to go on a date with him.

The realization was threefold. First, I felt less alone. So it wasn’t just me!

The second part was total baffling.

This guy was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, and I could not imagine his conversational skills as a turnoff for anyone. And then came fear, that this person would one day walk up to a girl he really liked, and hear these creeping thoughts, that when he talked, people left.

I felt like he was the last person who deserved such a thing. Which in turn made me realise that I did not deserve it either. That this haunting was not personal, but global. After thatnight, I tried to communicate with the ghosts like some kind of medium.

They say ghosts are spirits animated by deep pain, fear, or anger, think Hamlet’s father, or the Phantom of the Opera. In an environment as high-pressure as Oxford, I believe ghosting constitutes for many people a way to claim what they’ve lost.

After having been stellar students, they find themselves in environments where they are average, and attempt to recapture the validation they felt through their work and now feel through a collection of matches and conversations. But of course that feeling is entirely shallow, and does not allow for them to

even entertain the idea of dates.

The ritual is accomplished, they have absorbed the attention and affection you have showed, and they will now move on to the next host.

Although this may seem harsh, I also believe that this manipulation, amounts to a flexing of intellectual muscles, and a way to underpin a confidence in one’s abilities.

What one loses at Oxford is also a feeling of control, which lies in your tutors, your exams, your supervisors; in short, the power structures.

Ghosting is once more a way to regain this control, you are in charge of whether you will go on a date or not, and of course if you did, you would risk rejection, not only destroying the previous sense of validation, but also losing your sense of control.

I think of ghosting as a deliberate act of manipulation, hand in hand with a lack of accountability. It is the entertainment of two fantasies: of yours, that you can trust what that person says at face value; and of theirs, that they are not bad people, you see, they tried, but were too shy, or too busy, or some other excuse.

And then, it is a cycle of possession, when ghosts keep latching onto you, absorbing your sense of self and your trust in others, which eventually turns you in to one of them. It is a disease of cynicism one can so easily catch.

My advice to people who get

Sex & Relationships

ghosted is that they should not banalise this violence, and they should understand that you find yourself paying the price for those people. But when you get ghosted, it means nothing to your character, but it does to theirs. Fundamentally, the way ghosters deal with anxieties is to exorcise them onto other people: kill the object they can, not the one they want to.

What one loses at Oxford is control The visual I used to have when I was ghosted was myself, reduced to the size of a phone screen, pinned under glass. And these men, immense like deities, withholding their powers. But now, it is quite different. Now, I see them, trapped in the fog of a ghastly body, unable to see through its vapor, to see people as people beyond their own interests. Unable to connect, enclosed in a pale veil of smoke.

Being ghosted is damaging to your self-esteem, and to the general belief that many of us secretly share and harbor, that things will work out. But remember that even if having flesh and blood sometimes hurts, being real is its own reward.

Features

The Oxford Student | Friday 12th February 2016

Travel Prejudice in Shanghai China

Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe Features Editor Bursting with restlessness, naivety and overexcitement, a mere two weeks after finishing my A Levels, I ventured to Shanghai in pursuit of an adventure.

Whilst my peers dashed off to the drug and alcohol soaked beaches of Ayia Napa and Ibiza, I had always been fascinated by the surreal complexity of Chinese culture, from its archaic traditions that flow through the hearts of the people to the hitech modernism that radiates from its infrastructure. In 2013, I embarked upon a seven week journalism internship programme and was the acting English Editor for an artsy bilingual magazine in China.

Strolling down the stifling streets of Shanghai, I was taken aback by the ferocity of the crowds, the oppressive polluted air that weighed down upon me and the staggering beauty of the bold red temples alongside the cool metallic skyscrapers. Yet it appeared that many Chinese people were simply taken aback by my very presence.

“

I was accosted with heckles and laughter Whilst I have never really

regarded myself as extraordinary looking, as a fivefoot-nine slim black girl with dark eyes, full lips and wavy brown hair, I certainly stood out in China. Despite being the most densely populated country in the world, China has little ethnic diversity as 91.51 percent of the 1.355 billion inhabitants belong to the Han Chinese racial group. During my time in China, wherever I walked I was accosted with heckles, laughter and pointing, as people were certainly not shy about publicly condemning my features, skin and general otherness. Worse still on public transport, with no verbal explanation granted, people would reach out and stroke any exposed part of my skin; meanwhile, I struggled to hail a taxi due to the prejudice maintained by many taxi drivers, that foreigners and particularly those of African- Caribbean descent were only out to cause trouble. Whilst I was part of a larger internship organisation, I worked individually for my designated company and commuted alone, and I found the attention I received on a daily basis distressing and isolating.

Even when socialising and dining with my European housemates, I noticed the stark contrast in treatment between myself and my white peers. It appeared that my white female friends were revered for and complimented on their eyes, blonde hair and

Life abroad in the Middle Ages History

Isabelle Reuser Staff Writer

Today, Oxford is one of the most international universities in the world. Around a third of students are from abroad and they come from over 125 different countries.

The University runs events for prospective applicants all over the world and once admitted, there are numerous societies that welcome and support international students.

“

Wars, epidemics and crusades all left their scars on medieval life

How different the situation must have been for Emo of Friesland, widely believed to be the first international student to study at Oxford. This year, we remember his

arrival here 825 years ago from the northern part of the Netherlands.

This occasion is being celebrated in Oxford throughout the year by the Oxford Dutch Society, and the celebrations started with a formal dinner at Exeter College at the end of January.

Emo’s decision to travel all the way to England in order to continue his studies showed that he was both adventurous and headstrong, two qualities he needed even more later in life. After finishing his studies in Oxford he returned to Friesland, the area of his home country where he was born and raised, first working as a teacher and then becoming a parish priest. Later he founded the Bloemhof (Floridus Hortus) Monastery in the small town of Wierum, in Friesland, and became its first abbot. He spent the remaining years of his life leading and expanding the monastery.

Despite several setbacks, he turned it into a thriving religious community.

their smooth pale skin whereas I was looked down upon with mocking stares. One singular moment stands out vividly in my mind. I was on a small boat, crossing the Huangpu river that slices through the expansive architecture of Shanghai and I noticed a small child stand directly in front of me with her hands on her hips. The girl faced away from me. It appeared that she was posing in front of me, as she and many others were boldly taking a photo of my sweating perplexed face as though I were an exotic animal in a zoo.

“

Racism against those of African and Caribbean descent is prolific

Arguably, China has “imported” negative racial stereotypes from western cultures. Certainly, the country is awash with predominately white media and advertising campaigns whilst the beauty industry actively promotes skin altering treatments such as lightening creams, all of which give the impression that China is a country where, white is undeniably “right”. With such rigid standards of beauty, black people in particular are often seen as unattractive and undesirable.

Meanwhile, historically, those with darker skin have been regarded as lower class and presumed to have little status within society. Black people are categorised into the limiting roles of criminals, namely drug dealers, or sports players. With little representation within media and politics, the voices, concerns and opinions of black people are often silenced, encouraging a reliance upon lazy and damaging racial stereotypes.

Large African populations began to grow in China from the 1960s onwards when Chairman Mao introduced a policy of “third Emo’s superior knowledge of canon law played a crucial role in the founding of Bloemhof. After the inhabitants of Wierum donated their village church to the abbey Emo had joined, the Bishop of Münster challenged the legality of the gift.

Emo was livid and could not accept the situation. In November 1211, he travelled all the way to Rome, in order to lodge an appeal with Pope Innocent III against the Bishop’s decision. Not many people would have started a journey like that, especially not in November because, on top of the normal dangers, it meant crossing the snowy Alps during the coldest time of year. Against all odds, Emo achieved what many must have thought was impossible: he arrived in Rome in the middle of January of the following year. He stayed in Rome for several weeks to await the Pope’s decision. Only after Innocentius had ruled in favour of Emo by deciding that his order was allowed to keep the church, the victorious Emo returned home. Even though compensation had to be paid, it meant he could incorporate the church and relocate to Wierum to set up Bloemhof. The name of the town itself was later changed into “Wittewierum”after the

35

View of The Bund from Huangpu River.

Image: Eugene Lim

world solidarity” in an attempt to establish close ties with developing nations. Thousands of African students were granted large educational scholarships, which caused much resentment and eventually culminated in the 1988 Nanjing Protests whereby protesters accused the African students of taking advantage of Chinese women as well as Chinese resources.

As the number of foreigners in China has increased, so has the number of reported racial tensions within communities.

Figures have estimated that there are up to 200,000 black people residing in China. Yet, in cities such as Guangzhou, with a high black popultion, there have been complaints of segregation between black and Chinese people, Today, the large assumption held is that anyone who is black in China has originated from Africa.

Certainly, when I was asked about my nationality, I received many confused and shocked expressions when I explained that I am British, as the notion of being black and British is still a concept that is not quite understood.

Overall, my experience in Shanghai was a positive one and enabled me to develop confidence, assertiveness and a greater understanding of a culture completely alien to my own. Indeed, after a week or so, I became accustomed to

the stares and began to fully embrace all that the country had to offer. The official party line in China is that racism doesn’t exist, and indeed in a country with little racial diversity it is easy to understand why such a view could be maintained.

However, racism against those of African and Caribbean descent is prolific throughout the world and China is no exception. What is exceptional about China is the overt shamelessness of the racism. On some occasions, the stares and pointing had a brutal and unfriendly undertone, but on other occasions, I felt like genuine curiosity was the driving force. Although being subject to endless questions and feeling as though I was suddenly a representative for my entire race was draining, for me, it indicated a real interest, in me as an individual and as a black woman living in Britain. Arguably, such open racism could make it easier to confront racial misconceptions and spark discussion, all of which will ultimately alter perceptions for the better. Relatively speaking, perhaps this is easier than confronting the embedded historical and institutionalised racism of Western countries that often shrouds the unavoidable truth by falsely promoting themselves as exemplars of liberal, equal and accepting societies.

white (“witte”) habit of the monks.

Detailed information about this perilous journey has survived because a fascinating account of this expedition is included in the Cronica Floridi Horti, a chronicle that Emo wrote about Bloemhof. Reading about the conflict, one cannot help but be impressed by his courage to fight for what he believed was right.

harvests, conflicts and crusades all left their scars on the battle of medieval life. According to the chronicle, daily life was often hard and the struggle against nature, such as the big flood of 1219 that devastated substantial parts of Friesland, was never-ending.

It also touches on the wider political situation in Europe and contains invaluable information about the participation of the Frisians in the 1217 crusade. However, probably the most interesting parts of the cronica are those in which Emo gives an insight into his own actions and motives. By reflecting regularly on topics like religion, virtue and guilt, he creates an intimate picture of this interesting era of the Middle Ages, of which we know too little today.

Emo’s journey to Oxford paved the way for other international students in years to follow and this year there are more than 7,000 students from abroad in Oxford. Just like Emo, they come here not only to study but to learn about new perspectives and ideas and to submerge themselves into a new culture. For many, the road to Oxford hasn’t been an easy one, and many yet go on to achieve exceptional things. Maybe not that much has changed at all.

“

Emo’s journey to Oxford paved the way for future international students The chronicle was continued

by Menko, the next Abbot, who regarded his predecessor as a brilliant scholar and viewed him as one of the most learned men of Friesland. Emo’s time in Oxford, where he was able to mingle with the best and brightest of his contemporaries, undoubtedly contributed to his reputation as a homo universalis. A handwritten copy of the chronicle, in Medieval Latin, has survived centuries of wars, floods and fires and can still be found in Groningen’s University library.

Wars, epidemics, storms, failed

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Food

The cocoa trade’s bitter secret Investigation

Harriette Drew Staff Writer

Chocolate has played a big part in my life so far at Oxford.

Whether it’s eating Twirls at JCR Tea for a pre-tute energy boost or getting pidged chocolate by my friends when I’ve had a bad week, chocolate is my standard pick-me-up. When I participated in ‘Live Below the Line’ last year (living on less than £1 a day for all food and drink to raise money for charity), the highlight of my miserable tinned-soup-filled week was when my friends and I clubbed together to buy a mini-packet of Maltesers and had two each. For me, chocolate is associated with happiness and comfort. Then,

last week, I went to a workshop run by Just Love about the life of a chocolate bar which was far from comfortable. I went because I was intrigued to find out more about my favourite food and – the clincher – they were offering free chocolate.

By the end, I felt sick – and it wasn’t just because I’d eaten too much chocolate, although that did play a part. I felt sick from what I’d heard about the two million child slaves in Ghana and the Ivory Coast who are forced to work on cocoa plantations.

The average age of these children is seven. Whilst I’m in Oxford doing my degree and putting off working in ‘the real world’, children who are almost a third of my age are working

Enrooting out the problem Rob Pepper

Deputy Features Editor When, in November 2014, disgruntled French farmers dumped manure and sprayed slurry in towns and cities throughout the nation, they appeared to have catastrophically misinterpreted the revolutionary slogan “make the streets run red with blood”. As a new brown, white and blue flag was raised above the excrement covered boulevards, the confused onlookers probably stood around asking questions like “quoi?” and “what’s with all the faeces?” I wonder if they’ll be able to use the story to make a hit musical and award winning Hollywood movie.

Admittedly, as a demonstration against the field of problems which now affect agriculture across swathes of Europe, the protest may have been rather effective.

Sorry for all the bull(and sheep and horse and pig and goat)shit.

Increasingly, small-scale farmers find it difficult to break even, let alone turn a profit, due to a series of problems: falling milk prices, cuts in government and EU subsidies and the Tesco-isation of the green and pleasant land. Fortunately, the National Farmers Union in Britain haven’t shown the same proclivity for poo in their remonstrations as their colleagues across the Channel. They are more concerned with lobbying governmental institutions and attempting to raise

awareness with the general public.

These and a range of foodbased anecdotes were on the menu during an intersation/ converview™ (get in touch if you’re interested in purchasing the trademark) with Charlie Buchanan-Smith, the press officer of the Enroot Collective.

Enroot describes itself on its website, as “a nomadic, grassroots venture”, which aspires to counter the “ever-increasing disconnect between the food people eat and the farmers who produce it”, in a bid to save the “generations of knowledge embodied in any one farm or farmer” This is done, according to Charlie, by “raising awareness of how good local food can be”. As the old proverb goes, the way to a man’s sense of connection with local agriculture

Small-scale farmers find it difficult to break even, let alone turn a profit is through his stomach. Right?

To do this, Enroot travelled around the UK during the summer, holding dinner events at various farms. With a livestock trailer full of culinary equipment and an enormous marquee dating from the Second World War, the collective aimed to host events for thirty people at a time, showcasing

14 hour days, harvesting pods, carrying sacks of beans almost twice their size and spraying the cocoa plants with toxic fertilisers without any protective clothing.

To harvest the cocoa beans, the children hold a pod in one hand and strike at it with a machete.

The majority of the children on these plantations bear scars from misjudged machetes strikes or from the plantation owners who beat them when they are too slow.

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In reality, many companies turn a blind eye

Many farmers in the Ivory Coast earn less than $2 per day and are reluctant to spend money on employing adult workers, so they often resort to the use of child labour to keep their prices competitive. This shouldn’t even be possible; in 2001 the world’s major chocolate manufacturers, including Mars and Nestle, signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol which stated that child labour and trafficking would be prohibited in the cocoa industry after 2008. In reality, many companies turn a blind eye – and the complexity of the cocoa supply chain makes this easy to do. Cocoa passes from small scale farmers through intermediaries, the best of local produce. After setting up their pop-up kitchen in the farmyard, the small team had a week to make contact with producers in the surrounding area, source enough food for the meal and design a menu.

The project was not without its difficulties. “Apart from the power from a couple of generators,” Charlie explained, “we didn’t have electricity”. That meant that all the cooking had been done over an open fire. This was no barbecue either: rather than a few chipolatas, the team were roasting half a lamb (which took six hours on its own), or salted trout, which was wrapped in foil and buried underneath the fire. In the Cotswolds, the dining marquee was blown over in a storm and ripped down the middle, while, in their last dinner, a temperamental generator stopped working, leaving the dessert barely set in the fridge.

In spite of challenges, the events were overwhelmingly successful.

As the guests tasted the quality of food that could be prepared using only local sources, they realised, in Charlie’s words, “this is damn cool”. The collective was encouraged to launch more events.

A butchery course organised in early January by Charlie and his brother, a co-founder of Enroot, was a first step. The pair want to show consumers the origins of their meat; Charlie pointed out that “unless meat has a cellophane wrapper, you don’t think you can eat it.” As someone whose love of meat is matched only by an infatuation with cellophane, I can only agree. After a demonstration by a butcher, the students were encouraged to prepare cuts of the pork themselves and to take home the results (up to half a pig,

grinding factories, exporting companies, African government authorities, European traders and cocoa processors before being sold to UK chocolate manufacturers. It’s a vast web of exchange which can very easily be used to mystify the origins of the cocoa and many chocolate manufacturers don’t even know their cocoa comes from.

The documentary The Darker Side of Chocolate features one camera shot of the slogan “happiness is in your hands”, used by an American chocolate company. Happiness is always what chocolate used to represent to me, but since watching the documentary and going to this workshop, the slogan has taken on a darker undertone: it’s not so much my momentary happiness at buying and eating chocolate that is at stake, but the happiness – and lives – of the young children on these cocoa farms. The cheerful advertising and shiny packaging hides a sinister backstory. When Drissa, a recently freed slave who had never even tasted chocolate, was asked what he would say to people who eat chocolate, he replied ‘They are enjoying something I suffered to make.

When people eat chocolate, they are eating my flesh.’ Thinking of chocolate in these terms, I’m certainly not going to be buying any more Twirls in a hurry. depending on which cuts they had selected). Quite some party bag, eh. Maybe more like a party sack. By understanding the process by which meat is produced, Charlie and his brother hope that students will learn to value meat more. This is so important, according to Charlie, because of the environmental impact of intense meat farming: “We eat far too much meat now,” he said.

A story which Charlie told about a dairy farmer whom he met encapsulates, I think, what Enroot is trying to stop. Starting work

Enroot: A collective aiming to remove the barriers between people and food producers.

Image: Enroot Collective

“

Features

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The cheerful advertising and shiny packaging hides a sinister backstory

There are a few simple things you can do to establish your chocolate is ethically sourced.

Firstly, try and establish where your cocoa is made. If a wrapper tells you where the beans come from, it means the manufacturer can – and has bothered to – trace their cocoa back to the farms where it was produced and that they know about the working conditions there.

Secondly, find out what sort of certification it has. Fairtrade certificated products mean the workers are paid at least $1.72 an hour (instead of the average of $0.80) and that no slave labour is used. Watch out for companies like Nestle which produce their own stamp of approval and apply it to their own chocolate according their own criteria – it doesn’t mean anything!

Divine chocolate, sold in Oxfam, fits both these criteria.

Produced by a cooperative of North African farmers, it is one of the most ethical brands on the market – and it is also delicious (try their toffee and sea salt bar). when he was sixteen, the farmer, over fifty years later, has had only one full week of holiday – for his honeymoon. Apparently, he even felt guilty about taking that week off. A sharp fall in the price of milk, however, now makes dairy farming in the UK incredibly unprofitable; it costs approximately 30 pence to produce a litre of milk, for which farmers are paid about 23 pence. If this kind of practice is not reversed, then small-scale farmers will be driven out of business and we’ll see the cows come home for the very last time.

Features

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Travel Trekking: getting away from it all Jamie Russell

Deputy Features Editor When the end of term comes around it’s nice to get away from it all for a few days. Of course, what this means depends on ones definition of “it all”. For me, being surrounded by people in a bustling town or city is part of “it all” and is something that I feel the need to escape from after eight weeks in Oxford.

I’ve always been an “outdoors-y” person, so at the end of Trinity last year an old school friend and I thought that we would escape from real life for a while and go wild camping on Dartmoor.

For those who don’t know, wild camping entails pitching a camp outside of the confines of a designated campsite. This isn’t legal in most of the UK, though it is permitted in the Dartmoor National Park and much of the Scottish Highland so long as campers adhere to certain guidelines.

After hopping on and off trains from Kent for five hours we (and our unwieldy backpacks) arrived

in Ivybridge, a small town at the southernmost tip of the national park. Within minutes we were scaling a steep, grassy hill with the town disappearing behind us. It was the middle of the afternoon by this point and most walkers were heading back down from the moors, a few nodded solemnly to us as we vanished into the hills. Four hours and 12 miles later we reached where we had planned to stay the night and pitched our tents in the shelter of a hillock, surrounded by marshes.

As we prepared our boil-in-thebag dinners, the fog began to roll in. We had been warned that this was a nightly occurrence but that didn’t prepare us for the sight of the white wall that rolled down the valley towards us. It was both beautiful and unnerving and stayed with us well into the next morning when we set off on the first of many barely-existent paths.

Over the next few days we experienced extremes of temperature that one wouldn’t think possible in England in July; we would begin the day in multiple jumpers and woolly

Around the world in eight conversations Rob Pepper

Deputy Features Editor Whenever I hear anyone laughingly remark, “It’s such a small world, isn’t it?” I always put aside my Crunchy Nut cornflakes, a copy of The Beano, or an absorbing Radio 4 Podcast to interrupt and say, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, so shut up.” After the look of shock and revulsion has passed from the person’s face, they normally ask for some kind of elucidation. I respond with a simple question. “Have you ever heard of Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso?” Invariably, they haven’t (unless, admittedly, they have spent a prodigious amount of time playing the diverting ‘Capitals of Africa’ quiz on Sporcle or have watched St. Trinians). “Yeah, well 1,626,950 people live there, according to a 2012 census, and if you haven’t heard of it, then the world is evidently far bigger than your feeble mind can comprehend,” I retort, adding “so

shut up” once more for good measure.

Now, however, I have a more potent weapon than an accurate knowledge of population statistics to add to my cliché-busting arsenal. With the ‘Wakie’ app, available from iTunes, you, average Joe (or Josephine), have the opportunity to converse with José or Josef or Yusuf or Giuseppe or anyone who might not fit inside our Western-centric perspective.

No longer will we have to submit to those hackneyed and staid comments about the world being small.

I downloaded the app and decided to undertake a rigorous experiment, by having a conversation with eight people. I actually had more than eight conversations, but I like saying I had eight because that lets me have a funny title to this article and sound all literary and that.

A menu offers a formidable array of conversation prompts: from the useful, ‘I want to practice my English’, to the disturbing, ‘I want someone to wish me good night before I go to bed’. The designers were clearly

hats and lament having to wear full-length trousers before lunch time. These conditions only enhanced the sense of adventure though. We waded through marshes, threw ourselves over the river Avon at its source, and had a Hound of the Baskervilles moment stood atop a tor (read “big pile of stones”). Having missed the train that we had planned to catch home, we sat and waited for four hours for another and (battered and bruised as we were) began to plan when we would do it all again.

While the UK presents some opportunities to vanish into the wilderness for a few days, many more options open up by looking further afield. I spoke to Adit Kale who spent the Christmas vac trekking around Chile and Argentina, with his cousins. The weather on Dartmoor is extreme by the standards of the UK but it is nothing compared to what South America has to offer.

While on Mount Fitzroy in Argentina the group encountered horizontal rain as, while the skies overhead were clear, 75 mph winds carried the deluge from a storm elsewhere to completely drench them. The sudden change of conditions made descending from the glacier far more challenging though ultimately worth it as they found themselves looking down on a rainbow in the valley below: a stunning sight from a unique perspective.

“

It was both beautiful and unnerving

Even greater dangers were faced in Chile, where the group were climbing in the Torres Del Paine intent on promoting a diversity of conversations, including ‘I want someone to talk to someone about my love life’, for those who might have a fetish for foreign affairs. With bated breath, I selected one of the prompts and waited. And waited. And waited a bit more. The connection’s not very good. Oh it’s working now.

1. From the UK “Hello?”“Hello?”

“How are you?” “I don’t English.”

“What?” “Arabic” “Oh, right. London?” “No.” “United Kingdom?” “Yes.” The connection breaks.

2. From the UK It’s the same guy again. We establish that, during the interlude, neither have learnt a new language, and my thumb slips to the ‘hang up’ button.

Whoops.

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Conversation flows like a thick berry smoothie

3. From Armenia My conversation partner is an Armenian, called Gokosh, though I can’t quite hear because of some heavy laughter in the background.

It sounds Georgian, or maybe Armenian. After he tells me that he likes ice-cream, I take up the political topic of football. We establish that he supports Barcelona and that I know

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Views from Adit Kale’s trip to Chile and Argentina Image: Adit Kale

when they heard an almighty crash and turned around just in time to see an avalanche further along the valley. With jaguars prowling in the foot hills, too, such an expedition isn’t for the faint-hearted, but I’m assured that the spectacular views, riveting stories, and camaraderie amongst all of the walkers on the trail made the experience truly rewarding and strangely cathartic.

To anyone considering trying trekking or wild camping, I would advise that they are already very fond of walking and of whomever they decide to go

with. Clothes for all conditions are a must as are good boots and more food than you thought you would need. In spite of all of these necessities it’s wise to travel light; this can often be achieved by taking a small bag for day hikes from a central camp (so long as your remember exactly where that is). What you take with you is important, but not nearly as important as what you bring back; this will probably be a few scars and a lot of stories, and the former fade far more quickly than the latter.

the name of one Armenian football player. I ask if he speaks Russian. It’s a mistake. He now thinks I speak Russian. I try to pull myself from the linguistic quagmire and, finally understanding, Gokosh asks if I know Steven Gerrard. I say that we’re close friends. The connection breaks.

4. From the UK There seems to be a theme developing of people calling from the UK without being able to speak English. I discover, however, that this Saudi-Arabian/British person speaks German. “Ich woh-” I begin, desperate to say that I live in semi-detached house and that my favourite food is chicken. The connection breaks.

5. From Malaysia I show off the one Malay word that I know: “Salam”. “Pardon?” comes the reply, so I say “Hi” instead. “Oh, Hi.” I’m chatting with Sara, a twenty-fouryear old English teacher from Kuala Lumpur. I’ve actually been to Kuala Lumpur because I’m well cultured and stuff, so I talk about it while Sara pretends to be interested. The conversation’s going quite well, but then we reach the five minute mark, it ends and she’s gone forever.

6. From Palestinian Territories I’m speaking with Ahmed, who’s twenty one and lives in Bethlehem.

When he asks me if I know where Palestine is, he suggests “some people call it Israel”. I comment upon the perils of such generalisations, while Ahmed laughs in agreement, before saying “What?” I ask what he does,

and he tells me that he’s unemployed as it’s difficult to find work. The conversation draws to a close, but not before Ahmed has asked for my Facebook, Skype and phone number.

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No longer will we have to submit to...comments about the world being small

7. From Australia Keen to break national stereotypes, the Aussies scream in my ear for a couple of minutes, while shouting things such as “I like cigarette in my bottom.”

8. From Romania I gather that Aziz is a Saudi, who would prefer to be speaking in Arabic.

He’s reluctant to explain why he’s in Romania. Conversation flows like a thick berry smoothie, so I try talking about football again. Aziz doesn’t like football. We’re rapidly running out of subjects, but that doesn’t stop Aziz asking for my phone number.

“Why?” “I need your number because Whatsapp,” comes the indomitable reply. When I won’t give him my phone number, Aziz prevails over the adversity by giving me his.

I’m quickly running out of the words and willpower with which to construct a probing analysis of these conversations, so it’s up to you.

Sport

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

Oxford Sport

In brief...

Football Cuppers heats up Oxford’s premier football competition reached its business end as the knockout rounds progressed over the course of the last week. Arguably the bookies favourite, Wadham disposed of fellow JCR Premier League members New College 2-0, whilst St Edmund Hall required extra time to do the same to Pembroke. Extra time was also needed for Brasenose, who beat Exeter by four goals to three, and rounding off the fixtures, Worcester bested St John’s 3-2.

Rugby Cuppers begins As the football cuppers begins to move towards climax, the rugby iteration of the tournament is only just beginning. Round 1 matches will be played over the course of the next few weeks with most of the big beasts of college rugby (last year’s finalists Keble and St Edmund Hall) receiving byes to the second round.

Mixed bag for tennis teams The women’s firsts bested Cambridge firsts by 8-4, but suffered a crushing 12-0 defeat As thehands football begins to at the of cuppers Bristol. Similarly, move towards climax, the the men’s firsts defeated rugby their iteration of the tournament is Cambridge rivals 10-2, but only just beginning.

Round 1 suffered a similar loss at the matches be played overfirsts, the hands of will Imperial College course 8-4. of the next few weeks with most of the big beasts of college rugby (last years finalists Keble and St Edmund Hall) receiving byes to the second round.

Hockey Blues leave difficult December behind After four losses on the trot, stretching all the way back to November (despite a victory over Oxford Brookes University before then), the men’s hockey team started 2016 in a markedly better fashion. A 2-2 draw with Old Cranleighans was followed by a crushing 5-2 victory over Cardiff Metropolitan University on Wednesday.

Hackstravaganza football showdown Last Saturday the finest sporting talent the OxStu has to offer took on a crack squad from the Oxford Union. The hack elite prevailed, with the dispiritng scoreline of 17-5 even with the sizzling flair of exeditor David Barker on our side.

Still, we won the moral victory.

Sport news to share?

Contact us at:

sport@oxfordstudent.com

Berahino an example of modern football’s ills Adam Hilsenrath Sport Editor

The eternally debated balance between club power and player power results in the equally hot topic of how to handle a footballer that doesn’t want to play for his club.

The saga surrounding the potential transfer of Saido Berahino has continued from the last window back in August; even if there is some kind of resolution, and Tottenham are able to negotiate some kind of deal for the England player, which is by no means likely, his plight suggests that there are better ways for either the player, the club, or indeed both, to react to these tense situations.

Tony Pulis has recently come out and stated his opinion quite firmly that his player has “wasted three or four months” of his career, which follows on from Berahino’s own statement back in August that he could “officially say that I will never play” again for Jeremy Pearce, the club chairman, after two deadline day offers from Tottenham had been rejected (the third and fourth bids that the club had received from Spurs over the transfer window).

It was hardly a threat that any player could reasonably stick to; four months voluntarily out of action not only paints the picture of a player that does not put the club first, but it leaves such a player four months out of practice, four months worse off in their ability and with no evidence that they have maintained the kind of form that won them bids from bigger clubs in the first place.

Berahino, sadly, has accomplished the worst of both worlds. He has, of course, played for the club, but his distinctly obvious lack of interest has showed on the pitch. This season, the baggies striker has managed only three goals from eight league starts and ten substitute appearances. It is a far cry from the 14 goals he managed last season, when he appeared in every game and only started on the bench in six matches all season.

Tottenham must surely be questioning whether or not it is still worth buying such a player.

Often one season of quality is enough to earn a big move, as Berahino’s was last season – it was only Pearce’s view that there was no deal worth taking that prevented it. However, when no deal initially emerges, and a

player’s form dwindles, hopes of a transfer may fade away too.

All this points back to the fact that Berahino’s strop and lack of desire to play for West Brom has simply been a proverbial shot to his own foot. Not only that, but if no deal from Spurs or any other bigger club comes along, the Baggies and Jeremy Pearce will have lost themselves the windfall from any sale, without maintaining the kind of striker, form and goals, that Berahino brought to the field last season.

In other words, everyone loses.

It is generally seen as good footballing sense that if a player doesn’t want to play for you, he has to be let go for the sake of dressing room unity and the fear of loss of form. Yet, since chairmen who stand strong in the face of financial incentive from bigger clubs attempting to buy out their talent are given huge credit, there is some conflict on this line of thought.

When Liverpool were offered £50 million for the in-form Fernando Torres, and Torres himself handed in a transfer request, the reds had virtually no choice; keep a player who doesn’t want to play for you or try and replace him with some new talent that does (in that case the questionable Andy Carrol and the rather inspirational

purchase of one Luis Suarez).

The entire existence of transfer requests would be inconsequential, since clubs could simply ignore them until a contract expires, if it were not for the notion that uninspired players are a waste of wages, squad place and can do damage to the dressing room.

Jeremy Pearce may have got respect form certain quarters for his strong stance in protecting the players he has, and he is far from the only chairman to get similar plaudits. However, at the point that a player doesn’t want to play for a club, a good chairman surely has no option but to cut his losses and

His career has taken a setback, along with his form and reputation reinvest. It would be one thing if a player would love a transfer to a big, Champions League club or similar, but would still be perfectly happy to keep playing.

Had Ricky Lambert not moved to Liverpool, there is little question that he would not have kept playing his heart out for Southampton.

Yet this was not the case

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Opinion

with Berahino. As a result of the young striker’s antics, his career has taken a setback, along with his form and reputation; in addition, his value has decreased, and though his status as an England player most likely inflates that, any sale now would still face losses compared with that which could have been agreed in August. Furthermore, West Brom have played the last four months a good striker less than what they could have had if they’d sold Berahino and reinvested.

When faced with big money clubs circling for the nurtured and talented players of smaller and poorer clubs, credit should absolutely be given to any chairman, manager or owner that protects their squad and their player. However, there is a point at which the principle of not being bought out is secondary to the need for maintaining a squad that performs for the club, that is worth the investments into the players and that will fray the atmosphere in the dressing room as little as possible. Saido Berahino is the epitome of the damage that can be wrought through the mismanagement of players that have no desire to play for the club.

Berahino’s transfer debacle has cost both him and his club.

Image: Warwick Gastinger

Town vs Gown 2016: A Preview

3rd February sees Oxford host one of its biggest annual sporting events, as the university’s boxers reprise the age old conflict that has run between students and locals in the ring for the “Town vs Gown” fixture. The team, comprising OUABC elite Matt McFahn (captain), Tom Eliasz, Tom Scott, Theo Cox, Daniel Kibbey

and Noah Viner, will attempt to overcome a side composed of the best talent from in and around Oxford. In preparation for this fixture, the OUABC fighters undertook an intensive training camp in Tenerife over Christmas speaking about the camp, Corpus Christi fresher and OUABC team member Alec Murphy said: “It

was an intensive camp and there were a lot of people fighting for spots in the team - this level of competition is clearly reflected in the potential of the side.” Those wishing to watch the fixture live will find ticket prices as low as £12, rising to £20 and £30 for the second and third releases respectively. However, the Town vs

Gown fixture is merely a precursor to the main event of the OUABC calendar, which is of course the Varsity Match, also taking place in Oxford on 5th March. The series is extraordinarily balanced over time (52 wins for each university respectively), and Oxford will be looking to avenge last year’s 6-3 defeat.

Sport

The Oxford Student | Friday 5th February 2016

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Australia’s Big Bash shows the way for English cricket

Nicholas Elias Staff Writer

On 24th January, 47,000 expectant fans piled into the MCG, the Mecca of cricket supporters the world over, to watch the culmination of five weeks of cricket’s latest global T20 phenomenon: the Big Bash.

The sports-mad locals from Melbourne left disappointed as their Stars fell to the flashing blade of Sydney Thunder’s Usman Khawaja, possibly the most in-form batsmen amongst Australia’s embarrassingly rich array of talent about to head to the T20 World Cup in India.

When the action kicks off in March, fans of the game’s short form across the globe will be rubbing their hands with glee.

The Big Bash has not been without controversy. So-called cricketing ‘purists’ lament the media and player focus on cricket’s shortest format, at the expense of the five-day Test match. The ‘T20 globe-trotter’ is not a novel phenomenon anymore: Kevin Pietersen, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons and Shaun Tait are just a few of the breed of player now prioritising

high profile T20 tournaments the world over, rather than that traditional breeding ground of cricketing talent: the domestic first class championship.

And yet the Big Bash has been a phenomenon. A record-breaking, expectation-shattering crowd in excess of 80,000 people crammed into the MCG for the ‘Melbourne Derby’ this season. The tantalising prospect of witnessing Aaron Finch and Chris Gayle square off against the aptly named ‘Melbourne Stars’, who count Pietersen, James Faulkner and the ‘Big Show’ Glenn Maxwell among their cohort, as well as all the connotations that come with an intra-city rivalry, saw the spectators come flooding in. Meanwhile in Adelaide, the hometown ‘Strikers’ (featuring England’s very own Adil Rashid) saw an average home capacity of over 37,000 people. Remarkable figures indeed, which have propelled the Big Bash into the top ten for average crowd capacity for global sport competitions.

Perhaps even more encouraging has been the success of this year’s inaugural Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). Their very own equivalent ‘Melbourne Derby’ attracted over 13,000

supporters, with a peak TV audience of 400,000 people.

English domestic cricket can only salivate over the prospect of such figures here. The WBBL is closely modelled on its male counterpart, and features a well-tried combination of highprofile international players and pyrotechnics.

What can explain such figures for both competitions? Well for starters, adult tickets costing $20 (£10), and the vast majority of games from both the BBL and the WBBL shown live on freeto-air television.

Even more encouraging has been the success of this year’s inaugural Women’s Big Bash League.

All this makes the stance of the test-match purists all the more unfathomable. Cricket thrives on the rare occasion it truly grips the public attention in this country. The 2005 Ashes series inspired a generation of people to go along and pick up a bat. Yes, the test match is still,

at least for those of us who play the great game, cricket’s preeminent format. Nothing can quite compare to the complex, tumultuous nature of test match cricket, where fortunes see-saw on a whim and can turn in an instant. Who can forget Stuart Broad’s devastating new ball spell at Trent Bridge, leaving the Aussies dazed and reeling with barely believable figures of 8-15, or Ben Stokes’ remarkable display of power hitting en route to the fastest double hundred, by an Englishman, of all time. Test match cricket is an epic saga to the comic short that is T20. But those of us who already play the game need not be convinced as to the joys of the sport. Cricket in the UK will not grow and progress by appealing only to its base supporters. If T20 is anything then it is a ‘gateway’ - a threehour entertainment bonanza easily accessible to those without the time or commitment for a whole day out at the test match.

By attracting people to the joys of cricket, whatever the format, by making it accessible and cheap, you are not undermining the test match, but helping it reach new levels of popularity and support.

Test match cricket thrives off the

support it has from those who play and follow the game. It is not, let’s be honest, one for the cricket-shy neutral.

English domestic cricket needs to reflect this trend, and embrace a shortened, concentrated domestic T20 based system centred around city based franchises. The current T20 Blast is a confusing and muddled hybrid attempt spread out over four months.

Whilst live domestic crowds have been good, its exposure to the wider public has been limited. Too many matches, spread out over too many weeks, with too many teams, and only available on Sky have limited its societal impact. The packed English international calendar, and the failure to concentrate the competition into a month-long ‘festival’ format robs the Blast of some of its best talent. English cricket should, and must, learn from its Australian and Indian counterparts.

Of course, the best way to entice people into the sport would be, as in Australia, by screening these games live on free-to-air television. I pray that the powers that be in English cricket have such foresight. I’m not holding out much hope, however.

The SCG hosted an attendance of 38,456 in the final round before the knockout stages of this year’s Big Bash.

Image: Matthew F

Predicting the future narrative of heavyweight boxing Continued from back page he was hit and clearly struggled over the next two rounds, constantly finding himself second to the jab. Yet Joshua’s recovery in the last three rounds was hugely impressive. Towards the end of the fight he mixed things up and threw some combinations that a baffled Whyte was unable to handle.

Joshua proved that he was able to recover from being hit, and showed himself to be a boxer as well as a power-puncher. The last two rounds were a reminder of Joshua’s apprenticeship in the ABAs, as he toned down the freneticism of the earlier rounds and picked Whyte off through the systematic selection and execution of his shots. For all the criticism of what was ultimately an impressive performance, future opponents will have learnt little about how to beat him from

Joshua has all the tools to become the great champion inside and outside the ring. this showing.

Nothing, in short, that Joshua has done so far suggests that he cannot become a heavyweight champion of the world, although it is only through fighting tougher opponents than Whyte that we will discover if he has the stature of a Lewis or a Holyfield.

The problem for the Joshua camp now is whom he fights next, and it is in this respect that Joshua’s career is at an awkward stage.

Eddie Hearn will probably want him to have at least another ten fights, and in the spirt of Lennox Lewis add a European title to his British and Commonwealth

belts. There is, however, a fairly limited field of talent from which to pick, with mooted fights against Whyte, Chisora and even David Price all uninspiring.

Yet though we may have to wait longer than we would like, Joshua looks set to become a key part of what is a bright future for Heavyweight Boxing. The division has always relied on narratives to sustain itself, yet in recent years has been so bereft of personality as to make the whole affair tedious. In Joshua, we have a talent that can define the sport, and in Fury a villain that can act as the perfect foil. Golden Boy vs Maverick, the distinction between the two is reflected even in their boxing styles. It will be engrossing to see how Joshua’s power game can match up against Fury, who has graduated from being a horribly average boxer to a horribly awkward one to fight. If he can beat Fury at

least once, Joshua will get his chance to crack America, and turn himself into a global star. In a recent interview with Wladimir Klitschko, the old veteran said, “Anthony Joshua has all the tools to become the great champion inside and outside the ring.” It

Klitschko’s era of dominance has finally come to an end.

Image: Berlin Beyond

is this “outside the ring” factor that will propel Joshua to great heights during the good times and sustain his career through the bad – win, lose or draw, there will never be a day when we won’t want to see the man fight.

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The future of heavyweight boxing and Anthony Joshua Ranulf Outhwaite Staff Writer

The Rod Laver Arena has now seen Djokovic lift the Australian Open title six times Image: Richard Fisher

Dominant Djokovic keeping himself ahead of the pack Josh Stickland Deputy Sport Editor It would come as little surprise if the Rod Laver Arena was soon re-named the ‘Djokovic Exhibition Court’, such is the dominance the world number one has achieved on the Australian Open’s premium court. Five titles in the past six years, and just one defeat on the hallowed blue turf. The latest was concluded on Sunday, when the Serb beat world number two Andy Murray in straight sets (6-1 7-5 7-6), a breath-taking demolition that draws him level with Rod Laver himself, as well as Bjorn Borg, on 11 Grand Slam titles. The man is superhuman, and with Nadal on the decline, Federer nearing retirement, and Murray consistently falling short at the last hurdle, the 28 year-old, looks

certain to blow Federer’s record of 18 Grand Slam titles out of the water.

The accuracy and brutal fitness required by the hard surface at the Australian Open, where lengthy rallies between top players are a common feature, makes his achievement all the more remarkable. His performance in the first set in particular was astonishing. Picking up where he left on in his flawless dismantling of Federer in the semi-final, his clean, deep hitting battered an admittedly below-par Murray into submission, racing to a 5-0 lead and he tied up the set soon after. To his credit, Murray fought back in an 80 minute, but at 5-5 with the Scot serving at 40-0 up, the world number one unleashed some of his best tennis, claiming the next five straight points, the highlight one stunning 36-stroke rally. Despite two successive double faults in the subsequent game, Djokovic showed great composure under pressure to serve the set out.

Despite being two sets down, Murray looked in the better physical condition of the two in the third, coming close towards the end of the set to breaking the Djokovic serve. However, it ultimately came down to a tiebreak which saw two Murray double faults effectively gift Djokovic the title after two hours and 53 minutes. Perhaps

a disappointing final, given it was more a procession towards Djokovic having his name etched on the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup once again.

Though Murray was certainly not at his best throughout, as a tally of 65 unforced errors in comparison to Djokovic’s 41 throughout the course of the match attests to, it does seem nigh on impossible that anyone could match the Serb in his current vein of form, particularly on his second home, the Rod Laver Arena.

Murray certainly has the variety and power in his game to win points off the Serb, but it seems that at crucial moments in big matches, Djokovic’s mental fortitude is simply unparalleled in today’s game. Perhaps this is the influence of Boris Becker, sixtime Grand Slam champion, who was brought into the Djokovic camp in December 2013 and has now overseen Djokovic’s rise to one of the greats of the game.

The bond between the two is clearly a strong one, with the big German breaking down in tears minutes after Djokovic clinched the title on Sunday in Melbourne.

Djokovic will next set his sights on the French Open, the one Grand Slam title he has yet to get his hands on after the brilliant Stan Wawrinka denied him on the clay of Roland Garros last year. It would seem ridiculous to bet against him wrapping up the

career Grand Slam in June.

Spare a thought for poor old Andy Murray. Fresh from his and fellow Brits’ heroics in the Davis Cup at the end of 2015, there was much optimism about his challenge for the Australian title in 2016. He passed essentially without hiccup through the preliminary rounds, and showed both supreme skill and immense determination to defeat Miles Raonic in five sets in the semifinals, despite being behind on the scoreboard twice in the match. Yet, once again, Djokovic’s sheer brilliance dashed any hopes of adding to his US Open and Wimbledon titles. Murray has now lost all five Australian Open finals he has played, despite it arguably being the surface most suited to the strengths of his game, and four of those against Djokovic. Indeed, this was his 11th loss in 12 matches were against Djokovic.

The Scot does ultimately move on to bigger and better things, however, as he jumps on the next flight to London to return to his wife Kim, who is expecting to give birth to their first child in the next two weeks. Jamie Murray, fresh from his triumph in the mens’ doubles with partner Bruno Soares, may well be on the same flight; perhaps it is not such a bad time for the Murray family after all.

Heavyweight boxing is no dull drag anymore. After a decade of watching Wladimir Klitschko beat up some pretty mediocre fighters, Tyson Fury unexpectedly made good on his promise to Klitschko to “rid boxing of a boring person like you.” Fury’s unexpected victory in November has regenerated the sport, replacing Klitschko’s measured consistency with an irrepressible egoism that harks back to the Eubank era. Fury’s antics are not just good for Fury, but also provide the platform that will allow heavyweight boxing to develop the rivalries between fighters that fans want. The division now has a rich seam of plotlines to mine. In addition to the all-singing, all dancing, and foul-mouthed Fury, there is the comeback story of oldman Haye, as well as the threat across the Atlantic of Deontay Wilder, the hardest hitter in boxing. Yet the man who might benefit most from Fury’s rise is Anthony Joshua.

Joshua,above all British fighters,has the most potential to transcend the sport and become a global star. He looks the part, sounds the part, and always makes a point of being nice about his mum on TV. He’s an Olympic gold medal winner with an FCUK clothing contract and a British heavyweight belt.

He’s even mates with Stormzy. Joshua has proved his ability to generate a large and diverse fan base, 15,000 of whom packed into the O2 Arena last September to see him knock out a part-time joiner from Inverness. Yet the crucial question remains – just how good is Anthony Joshua. There are claims that he is too stiff,too plodding – overly-muscular and dependent upon punching power. In his most recent fight against Dillian Whyte, question marks were raised over the strength of his chin after he was tagged badly in the second round. Above all, Joshua’s critics say his progress up till now has been too easy, and that his promoter Eddie Hearn has been cashing in on barely justifiable pay-per-view fights, whilst refusing to let Joshua fight anyone who’s any good.

Such criticism seems, more than anything else,to be a reaction to Joshua’s irritatingly enthusiastic fan base rather than to his actual performances in the ring.It is true that Joshua lacked rhythm against Whyte.In the first round Joshua was looking for a knock-out blow with every shot, and as a result failed to find the fluency needed when up against the better fighters. In the second round

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