Police are investigating the possibility that an Oxford student is being stalked after a series of incidents at a house in the Cowley area.

A house of five female students from University College has experienced two instances of highly alarming and potentially illegal behaviour over the past few weeks, with the same man appearing twice at their house and behaving in a highly threatening manner.

His attempts to break-in seem particularly focused on one of the women in the house, leading police to believe that he is a potential stalker.

The first such instance came on Wednesday 9th October, when, as the student returned from a night out, the man managed to gain access to the house by unknown means.

After spending some time in the house he was discovered by the woman when she woke, and found him attempting to kiss her as she lay in bed. He had entered her room and been using her laptop for some time as she slept unawares, also accessing her Facebook account and looking through her profile.

Police have been attempting to track him using the fingerprints and DNA left in the house. A man was mistakenly taken into custody but later released.

The same intruder returned last Thursday, and banged on the door in the early hours of the morning. One of the students opened the door to him after being unable to see who it was through the security lens in the door. She screamed upon recognising the man, waking the house, at which point he fled. She reported having also potentially heard somebody knocking on the window earlier in the evening.

Both incidents followed a visit to the same nightclub earlier in the evening, lending credibility to a pattern of stalking. Police are using CCTV footage of the man walking up and down Cowley Road, taken from a number of shops and businesses, but so far have been unable to identify the individual.

On Sunday the first annual Apple Day was held on Hogacre Common. The day was a joint venture between Abundance Oxford, the Hog Roast Café and Hogacre Eco Park, enterprises which seek to encourage sustainable and environmentally friendly living.

The apple harvest this year has been unusually high prompting this year’s Apple Day. Abundance Oxford is an initiative that harvests unwanted food and puts it to use.

There were 400 kilos to be enjoyed in apple soups, apple chutneys and ketchups and of course apple juice. The apples were macerated on site in a marquee then pressed before being served to the public. The proceeds from the day will be put towards supporting Abundance Oxford’s work and the other projects on Hogacre Eco Park.

The Eco Park is on Hogacre Common which is owned by Corpus Christi College is leased from the college for the annual price of a jar of honey. The Park is home to OxGrow and the Hog Roast Café. The café is entirely eco-friendly and was set up in June as a self sufficient and accessible place for the public to enjoy and as an extension of the other projects in the Park.

Data collected from Britain and Sweden has shown that clever children from more privileged social backgrounds had double the chance of completing A-levels than children of similar intelligence but more disadvantaged backgrounds.

5,000 people, from the 1940s to the 1970s, were included in a study designed to establish the links between social background and educational attainment.

The waste of human resources was the key concern of the study. The organisers also highlighted the fact that, despite the headway made into social mobility, family resources were still the deciding factor for academic success.

A collaboration between Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention and the Swedish Institute for Social Research were responsible for the findings. They defined social background as made up of the following factors: social status, social class and the educational attainment of the parents.

The educational attainment of our parents plays the most important part in determining how well we will do in school, the study shows. It is a more important variable than natural ability, which was examined through cognitive testing on children aged between 10 and 13.

These assessments demonstrated the clear link between being bright and doing well academically later on. However, for the most able fifth of British children born in the 1970s, the most advantaged had an 80% chance of passing A-levels, while the prospects of the most disadvantaged stood only a 40% chance.

The findings rang true for children from Sweden as well as Britain, despite the oft-envied Swedish education system.

Lead researcher Dr. Erzsébet Bukodi, said, “We see that in both the British and Swedish educational systems, even the very brightest children are hampered if they come from a disadvantaged background.”

However, Oxford Professor John Goldthorpe pointed out some differences between the British and Swedish data. He explained, “In Britain, if the child was both bright and from an advantaged background, they did particularly well academically. While, in Sweden, we find children of low ability but from advantaged backgrounds do better than they would have done in Britain.”

St Anne’s medic George Gillett questions the study’s assertion that social background is the main problem, pointing towards the differing provision of education. He said, “The report ignores the fact that children from different social backgrounds will be more likely to go to different types of schools. Children from more privileged social backgrounds are more likely to go to higher achieving schools, which contributes to the disparity in attainment.”

Some, like linguist Evelyn Snow, find too narrow a definition of ‘success’ in the report. Snow commented, “People such as Alan Sugar have no ‘qualifications’ in terms of academics really but he is one of the most successful men of the previous generation. It is far more difficult now that so many more people are able to attend university as soon everyone will have a degree in something, even if something not previously seen as ‘academically viable’ which makes the already straining professional job market even more competitive.”

Somerville classicist Claudia Swan went on to suggest that the report’s measure of attainment, being A-level results, could have been flawed, saying, “The exams are so formulaic that without being instructed in what examiners are looking for intelligence is no guarantee of success.”

Rising prices at Wahoo have prompted a unique motion in the Hertford JCR to reimburse some of the cost of Hertford students’ drinks after nights out at the club.

Hertford student Omer Sheikh Mohamed proposed on Sunday that the Hertford JCR “reimburse students 50p for every double vodka Red Bull bought in Wahoo upon presenting a receipt to the JCR Treasurer”.

The beverage in question has recently increased in price from £2 to £2.50 at Wahoo, while entry costs have risen to £4. Sheikh Mohamed’s motion claimed that, “Wahoo is Hertford’s favourite night out”, and added that the price increases might discourage freshers from frequenting the club and harm the “access work and inclusivity” on which the college prides itself.

After an amendment to the motion, which compelled the JCR President to write to the manager of Wahoo “in opposition to the price increases”, subsidy-seekers’ hopes were dashed when the motion fell 16-22 in a vote at the Hertford JCR meeting. Those against the motion included JCR President Hugh Baker and JCR Treasurer Bhavin Patel, who allegedly dismissed it as “obviously a joke” during the course of the meeting.

English student Siobhan Dunlop was also against the motion. She said, “I am a finalist, so the closest I get to Wahoo is hearing freshers talk about it in the Tesco queue. When I read about the motion in the JCR e-mail, I had to do a double take. Seriously, I am staggered that anyone would believe in their ‘hert’ it is a useful way to spend JCR money.”

Yet Hertford students may not have to worry about affording their Friday nights in any case. Toby Beers-Baker, CEO of Shuffle Nights, clarified that the 50p rise in the price of a double vodka Red Bull only applies after 11pm. He told Cherwell, “Given the extremely high prices of rent and overheads in Oxford, we feel we do give extremely reasonable deals to students.”

He went on to note that on non-student nights, a double vodka Red Bull costs £6. He said, “We are providing student prices on a Friday – something competing venues do not do. There is also a fantastic atmosphere at Wahoo on a Friday due to the popularity and clientele of the night.”

When asked to justify the rise in prices, Beers-Baker cited expensive improvements to Wahoo, which include a new sound system, lighting rig, and dance podium.

The work of Pembroke’s Academic Director, Dr Mark Fricker, has been used in the making of the documentary film ‘Super Fungi: Can mushrooms help save the world?’

Dr Fircker’s research informs us that, “The whole organism is one single giant cell, albeit containing many nuclei, that can grow to be many centimetres in size.” James Rhodes, a first year student at New College, was astounded by this, saying, “These moulds seem more developed than I am – I wish I could grow a couple more centimetres whenever I wanted.”

Dr Fricker went on to say, “Although it has no brain or nervous system, its exploratory behaviour and the network itself is highly responsive and continuously adapts to whatever is happening around it.”

This results in these moulds’ extraordinary ability to solve certain abstract problems, such as the shortest path through a maze, and raises their possible use in communication. One third year student took well to this, “I want to communicate via mushroom – no one uses the inter-college landlines anyway.”

The film ‘Super Fungi’, partially based upon Fricker’s work, has already received much critical acclaim, winning two awards at the 2013 Pariscience International Film Festival. The documentary is about the possibilities that fungi open up for development, and to overcoming challenges which so far have not been solved by the synthetic creations of humans.

In the film’s description, examples of a variety of different fungi and their uses are given, from Laccaria Bicolor – which allows trees to grow in deserts – to Fomitopsis officinalis, which can be a last chance drug for sufferers of incurable diseases. Indeed, they are promising so many applications that American mycologist Paul Stamets asserts, “Mushrooms will help save the world”.

The short trailer to the documentary reveals little-known facts about fungi, explaining, “The fungi kingdom is one of the largest in nature … comprised of giants larger than a white whale, to Lilliputians the size of a speck of dust.”

Arieh Frosh, a second year fine art student, was somewhat confused by this news, saying, “I can’t believe there are mushrooms bigger than white whales, I struggle to eat the little ones. Who’s hiding these massive mushrooms?”

The Oxford branch of the International Criminal Court Student Network (ICCSN) hosted two major speakers in the world of International Justice this week.

Benjamin Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor to have presided over the Nuremburg Trials, and current Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court James Stuart both spoke to large audiences of students.

Ferencz, a 93-year-old who recently declared himself “too busy to die”, has been nominated for the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. He spoke on Tuesday to an unexpectedly large audience of 200 students, and discussed lessons learned during his career. He also made forecasts on the challenges that will be faced by international justice in the coming decades.

On Saturday, students amazed event organisers with their decision to forgo the delights of ‘Matriculash’ to hear James Stewart speak. Stewart is currently prosecuting both the President and Deputy President of Kenya (Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, respectively), in a landmark case, the first instance of the International Criminal Court taking action against an incumbent head-of-state.

He was quick to reassure anxious parties that, despite his wife being Kenyan, this had not so far resulted in too many awkward silences at the breakfast table.

Reflecting on the two events, Oxford’s ICCSN president, Sophie Scholl, a second year studying Law at Exeter College, said, “The two events attracted a much higher turnout than anticipated. In the case of Benjamin Ferencz, we had to change venues at the last minute to accommodate everyone who turned up, and many were crammed at the back of the lecture theatre.

“It was a real honour to have such an incredible historical figure in international criminal justice come to Oxford to speak to us, and whilst his speech was very witty, Ben impressed upon us that he needs us, the future generation, to carry on his work. It goes without saying that we couldn’t be happier with the success of these events, which shows a high level of interest in international criminal law amongst students.”

Brian Chang, a student at Queen’s and the brains behind the coup to secure James Stewart as a speaker, was ebullient after his visit. He told Cherwell, “James Stewart is the most senior prosecution personnel we’ve had visit us in the last five years, and his presence was a great honour for all three student-led groups involved – Oxford Lawyers without borders, Oxford ICCSN, and Oxford Transitional Justice Research Group.”

The talks marked the designation of Oxford as a key player in the UK’s ICCSN proper. The organisation liaises closely with the UN Security Council, and has seen a markedly increased workload in recent years, as global economic depression and the Arab Spring wreak havoc on international diplomatic processes.

Oxford ICCSN have been working on raising support for the ratification of the definition of ‘Crimes of Aggression’. This would empower the international community to take more stringent measures against heads-of-state who actively and knowingly violate the UN charter. By means of an internet petition, they are trying to get the 100,000 UK signatures which would be enough to force a debate in the House of Commons. Once 30 countries have accepted the definition, it can be signed into International law.

The Oxford Chapter of the ICCSN was also declared a ‘Point of Light’ on Saturday; a title which is given to higher education institutions worldwide who contribute to the research undertaken on International Criminal Law. Oxford ICCSN was re-founded last year under its present committee and, as a new society with an old and inherited mandate, faces the same challenges as the ICCSN proper and its affiliated organisations – it must strike the balance between traditional methods of campaigning for peace through justice and finding new ways to tackle new outrages against international human rights.

Boris Johnson visited China last week in a campaign to promote London and entice over a few more Chinese students. With his customary extemporaneous, Boris tempted Chinese audiences with Harry Potter and London’s ‘Communist’ bike scheme. Never one to go under-the-top, he pitched London as an “incredibly diverse, cosmopolitan, multi-cultural, polychromatic, polymorphous city”.

Johnson also joked about the times he and George Osborne has sung songs after banquets, in an apparent reference to their days as members of the infamous Oxford University Bullingdon Club. The Chancellor is also visiting China this week as part of a trade mission with other Government ministers.

At the mayor’s headquarters, Johnson asked Wang, “Obviously I’m delighted to hear that you were at Oxford. Did you enjoy your time at Oxford?”

To which Wang replied, “It was a very pleasant time for me and I learned a lot. Every night we would have a banquet session and at the end we would all sing songs. It was a very happy time.”

Johnson then told Wang, “We used to do that. The Chancellor and I used to do that too.”

A second year PPEist was unimpressed by Johnson’s reference to his time in Oxford, telling Cherwell, “If that’s something he decided to bring up with the Mayor of Beijing I’m not too impressed. Why couldn’t he have just talked about the Olympics, without yet again referencing his alma mater?

The London Mayor did not just discuss Oxford, however. At Peking University, students were treated to a Harry Potter pitch, when Johnson said, “Who was Harry Potter’s first girlfriend? Who is the first person he kisses? That’s right, Cho Chang, who is a Chinese overseas student at Hogwarts school. Ladies and gents I rest my case.”

Maxim Stolyarov, an OUCA member from Hertford, said, “Mr Johnson is one of the most popular leaders in the Conservative Party. He is doing great job in cheerleading for London.”

Yet Megan Eldridge, a Geography student, was altogether less fulsome in her praise. “He’s not a genuine person. He uses his whole persona to make him seem less threatening, when in actual fact he is very manipulative.”

Josh Butler, a Classics student at Regent’s Park, plumped for another Boris trademark, saying, “Boris Johnson? He has great hair. I’m really jealous of his hair.”

Working with publishers at Oxford University Press, editor former MP Gyles Brandreth had the responsibility to select 5,000 of the funniest lines ever uttered, scribbled or typed.

Brandreth explained how he went about this mammoth task. “What makes them eligible for the Dictionary is that what they say raises a smile or a laugh and is memorable – and they manage to do it again and again. These are the most quotable and, in our book, the most quoted.”

However, the Guardian has commented that Brandreth’s editorship is “notably ‘establishment’ in flavour.” The Tories certainly make themselves heard, with Boris Johnson quotes abounding yet there is nothing from Cameron or Osborne.

If the Dictionary is any indication of political success, Boris Johnson has a lot to look forward to: his thirteen quotations beat Margaret Thatcher’s eleven, supposedly making him the third wittiest politician of all time. He loses out to fellow Conservatives Winston Churchhill (with thirty-two) and Benjamin Disraeli (twenty-eight) in this regard.

But it’s not just the establishment who get a look in. More modern quotations get a fair representation, with Stephen Fry quoted as saying, “The email of the species is deadlier than the male.” Other twentieth century newcomers include female comedians Jo Brand and Miranda Hart.

For the most quoted figure of all time, one has to look to the nineteenth century. Oscar Wilde, the playwright and celebrated wit, has a total of ninety-two entries. Brandreth explained, “Wilde is leagues ahead of the rest of the pack. He is without doubt the most quoted and quotable of them all.”

If this is anything to go by, Wilde seems to have lived by his own maxim, once saying, “There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about.” The release date of the dictionary coincided with Wilde’s birthday.

Some at Oxford are not entirely happy with the selection, however. One student, studying a history at Kellogg College, questions the inclusion of a particular Boris Johnson quote , saying, “It seems slightly strange that Gyles Brandreth’s “top one-liner of the twentieth century” goes to Johnson’s quote “my policy on cake is still pro having it and pro eating it.” We might be lacking context but surely this can’t be the funniest thing so far uttered in the twenty first century?”

A new free academy for bright students from low-income families has been set up by the Harris Federation in tandem with Westminster School. The Federation’s CEO, Sir Dan Moynihan, hopes that half the students will go on to Oxford or Cambridge.

The academy, called the Harris Westminster Sixth Form, is likely to rank as one of the most selective schools in Britain. Set up under the Government’s free schools programme, it is set to take on 125 students in September 2014, with that number increasing to 250 in future years. These admissions will be open to children from all across London, but priority will be given to those entitled to free school meals.

The Harris Federation, which has around 1600 to 1700 students in academies, is a non-profit educational charity.

James Handscombe, the new academy’s Principal, said: “Getting into Oxford is never easy but it is a sight harder if your school has no history of sending students there, no experience of navigating the admissions system and no peer group of similarly bright and ambitious pupils to support and encourage each other.”

He added, “Harris Westminster is the Harris Federation’s solution to this problem.”

The new sixth form will be sited close to Westminster School itself, which sends 90 pupils to Oxford and Cambridge each year. The aim of a partnership with Westminster is that it can provide high quality educational standards to the new academy through joint departmental meetings and shared staff training. Sir Moynihan remarked in the Times: “We want to get more A* and A grades at A-level and Westminster has that expertise.”

Handscombe said the sixth form will be “adopting many aspects of Westminster’s education model, including the development of cultural capital in the pupils.”

“In order to take advantage of an Oxford education, and therefore in order to be offered a place, pupils need not just academic potential but also academic achievement: they need to have read about their subject, to be enthralled by it and to have pushed themselves to achieve in exams. Most people will do these things more successfully with support from their school than without it.”

An Oxford University spokesperson said: “We would like to see an increase in the proportion of UK students from the lowest income bracket of below £16,190. Every year we hold over 2,400 outreach events, spending over £5m on this work and speaking to schools in every local authority in the UK.”

St Anne’s Access Rep Will Carter said, “The school looks like a fantastic opportunity for some, but we shouldn’t let high publicity developments like this distract us from making Oxford and the university in general as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.”