Breakbeat musician A. Skillz and Radio One DJ Rob Da Bank have been announced as the headliners for this year’s Varsity Trip.

Cam FM’s Tim O’Brien will be the first to take to the stage at the Fire and Ice themed opening party and will be followed a DJ set from The Correspondents and leading act, A. Skillz.

“Twisted Circus”, the final night party will feature Varsity Trip Ents competition winner, Oxford student and producer, Day One who will be followed by a DJ set provided by the NME award winning White Lies. DJ Krafty Kuts will then precede headliner Rob Da Bank.

Other entertainment during the week includes the opening of VarCity, with award winning beat-boxer, Faith SFX and a comedy night which will be hosted by Matt Lacy of ‘Gap Yah’ fame and headlined by Sean Meo and Paul Foot.

William Sheldon, Varsity Trip 2012 Entertainments Director said, ‘The Varsity Trip Opening and Closing nights are set to be absolutely amazing. We feel privileged to be hosting such talented artists, who will be providing an incredible soundtrack to both nights. For each night the venue will be transformed, first into an extreme melting pot of Fire and Ice, and then into the wild and wicked Twisted Circus.”

He added, “With some surprises awaiting every participant these nights will be the biggest and best parties of the Oxbridge calendar.’

First year PPE-ist at Keble College, Emma Alexander said, “It seems like a great line-up, given that they won’t have had an unlimited budget, with a nice amount of variety too. The main complaint I’ve heard from people is that White Lies are appearing but only doing a DJ set. Having Matt Lacey of Gap Yah fame there for Comedy Night should be particularly amazing, and I think we were all glad that Oxford-based Day One won the ents vote to play on the Opening Night.

“Generally, I’m so excited for the trip and it’s going to be a great way to let off steam after a strenuous first term.”

Water levels in Oxford are continuing to rise after days of heavy rainfall.

Flooding has occured across several areas of the city overnight and this morning, with Christ Church Meadow, and Magdalen’s Water Meadow now under water. Wolfson’s punt harbour is similarly submerged.

Flood warnings were put in place late on Monday evening for the River Cherwell and its tributaries in Oxford. As of 1pm on Tuesday, the Environment Agency has declared 23 flood warnings and 53 flood alerts in force, including the River Cherwell for the Oxford area. 

In a press release, the Environment Agency stated, “Rainfall is now dropping off across the South East and is forecast to remain low for the next few days, however rivers are still responding to the heavy rain of the past week. 

 “Although the rain has eased off, and stopped in some parts of the South East, the risk of flooding is still real.  After several days of heavy rain the ground is saturated and flood water from small watercourses is flowing into larger rivers like the Thames. River levels will continue to rise in the foreseeable future before they start to go down.

“Levels remain high on the river Cherwell in the Oxford area and the Environment Agency is warning residents in Reading and Oxford to be prepared over the coming days. Demountable defences have been deployed to protect properties in parts of Oxford including Abingdon Road, East Street, Vicarage Lane (Grandpont) and at Osney Island. The defenses at Osney protect up to 75 properties and 30 properties at Vicarage Lane.”

Magdalen student Aileen Brennan commented, ‘The floods arent affecting us too badly – its just our grounds and sports pitches that are underwater. ‘Water meadow’ is finally living up to its name. Most of us are quite happy – we now have a deer park AND a lake. Beat that Worcester’.

The Abingdon Road has been closed from Folly Bridge, and as a result Oxfordshire County Council has suspended its ban of private traffic through Oxford’s high street in to accomodate the closure. The front page of Tuesday’s Oxford Mail claimed that 10,000 homes in Oxfordshire are now at risk of flooding, and homes in West Oxford have been evacuated this morning.

Officers from the County Council and the Fire and Rescue Services spent the night working to help residents affected by the flooding. Pumps are being used to try and remove the water, and an emergency centre has been set up in Blackbird Leyes.

The flooding follows days of increasing river levels. The forecast is for more heavy rain in Oxford on Tuesday afternoon, although with a drier day on Wednesday.  

The Council are advising people to keep checking the Environment Agency’s flood warning pages. Their website states, “It is possible that some householders will be advised to leave in the next 24 hours. If this happens, you will be advised by members of the emergency services or council staff who will visit homes door to door”.

In an email to the JCR, Hertford’s Bursar Dr Andrew Beaumont said, ‘At this time, there is no immediate cause for concern: and as the long-term weather forecast is for several days of dry weather… hopefully this will allow for the present flooding to subside’ but noted the college would ‘endeavour wherever possible to assist [students’] departure at the end of term.’

However, for students, the greatest impact has been on rowing. Boathouse Island was closed on Saturday until further notice, and Christ Church Meadow is now largely underwater.

In urgent telephone calls to captains, OURCs advised boat clubs to prepare boathouses for flooding, and to move all equipment well above ground level. They warned students not to “try and rescue boats while putting your own life in danger!”. 

The advice follows the cancellation of Christ Church regatta and the Isis Winter League. Last week, a Somerville novice crew crashed and a non-rowing boat was overturned at Osney Lock in dangerous stream conditions. 

This is the culmination of a difficult term for rowers. There have been weeks of river closures, and students have expressed concern that rowing beginners will be deterred from the sport.

Whitney Wells, a visiting Stanford student, was disappointed but determined to keep rowing: “The regatta being cancelled was definitely sad for all the novices. We’d worked hard to train together as a team leading up to the regatta, especially trying to make up for lost river time from the red flags all term. 

“I’ve been really appreciative of how our captains have stayed enthusiastic despite the stress of having to cancel outings all term. It has definitely been frustrating, but hopefully next term the river will be calm enough for outings”.

Some took an even more positive line. David Fidgett, men’s captain at Corpus Christi, commented, “I think it’s good for rowing. The river’s increased in size making it accessible to more people. At Corpus, you can practically row to and from breakfast now”. 

After Merton’s recent decision to adopt a tapir, it looked like the traditional college tortoise had had its day.

However, Wadham has reaffirmed its faith in the old favourite, voting unanimously to acquire a new tortoise.

Wadham’s constitution specifies an integral role for the tortoise: “In the event that Wadham SU owns a living tortoise any tied vote amongst the SU will be resolved by the tortoise having the casting vote. 

“The tortoise always votes for the motion due to his radical desire for change.”

However, the college’s tortoise chose to eschew its crucial legislative role several years ago when it escaped from its pen.

The motion put before the Wadham SU argued that “possession of a college tortoise would make the work of Wadham SU more efficient, and hence more effective” and that “possession of a college tortoise would create greater opportunities for community, collegiate glory and camaraderie.”

The motion also proposed that “possession of a college tortoise would be beneficial for the welfare of Wadham students, who we suggest would be able to play with the tortoise at an allocated time every week.”

Jahnavi Emmanuel, the Wadham SU president said the tortoise will “definitely be trained to race and we are looking to buy a medium-sized tortoise as these are supposedly the best racers – the other tortoises should get their game faces on for racing season.”

She was quick to dismiss rumours that Wadham’s famous party lifestyle will mean the tortoise could be too hung over to race. 

She added “the tortoise will obviously have to be present at our fortnightly meetings on Sundays, so he won’t be hitting up No.9 on a regular basis, but I would expect to see him at Junction pretty often, though I’m not sure the VIP area of Camera will be his scene…”

However, one second year studying physics denied that Wadham was a party college, saying, ‘we’re not even allowed fireworks at our ball, probably because it’ll wake the tortoise”.

Harriet Soper, a tortoise enthusiast at Corpus Christi said the college’s tortoises don’t feel threatened by the newcomer to the racing scene: “Foxe and Oldham are very much in love and blind to all others of their kind.

“Nonetheless I can imagine this new acquisition could end up being a real SROC (Small Reptile on Campus) and will tear away into the distance like the proverbial hare.”

Former Corpus tortoise keeper Alex Coupe added “I am delighted that Wadham have got the tortoise, the only thing the tortoise has ever ‘taught us’ is the Chinese proverb ‘the wise man and the tortoise travel, but never leave their home’”.

D’Urso, of New College, won 614 votes, edging out Dattani of St Anne’s College, who received 578 – a margin of only 36 votes. D’Urso will assume the presidency in Trinity 2013, and has pledged a “weekend trip to Paris” for members during his tenure.

Nominees for the three other officerships were elected unopposed. Joining D’Urso in Trinity will be Librarian-elect Polina Ivanova, of University College, and Treasurer-elect Chris Frost, of Oriel College, whose manifesto for the position was two lines long: “I have advised on the Union’s Million [sic] pound budget. Vote Frost!”

Liz Culliford of St Hilda’s College will be Secretary in Hilary 2013.

In order of votes received, the candidates successfully elected to Standing Committee were Ben Sullivan, Sachin Srivastava, Sam Perkins, Alex Trafford and Jane Chan.

A total of 1,270 votes were cast at this election.

In June the council rejected plans to extend opening hours at the Academy. The planned extension was to include opening an hour earlier each day, opening for four extra hours on Sundays before bank holidays and until 6am on May Morning. The plans to extend opening hours were rejected by councillors due to concerns about crime, community safety and noise.

The plans prompted 46 letters of objection from local residents who feared extended drinking hours would increase anti-social behaviour. Residents’ complaints contributed to the move of Fuzzy Ducks from the O2 to Wahoo at the beginning of this term.

Planning officers originally came out in support of extending opening hours. In a report presented to councillors they wrote, “The variation would not significantly alter the existing operating hours of this venue with the Cowley Road district centre and, in the absence of any significant objection from Thames Valley Police and licensing officers, it would be difficult to demonstrate that it would have a significant impact upon neighbouring residential properties in terms of increased noise, disturbance, and antisocial behaviour.” At the meeting vetoing the planned extension of hours, Thames Valley Police made no objection to the plan.

William Pimlott, a student at Wadham, commented, “As a resident of Bullingdon Road I find it outrageous that our local night life opportunities should be so limited by priggish and party-pooping residents. Already one is often forced to travel across town to inebriate oneself and enjoy loud music, and if these draconian measures are pushed any further Cowley will become a desert reminiscent of those most barren of places: Somerville and Jericho.’

“My only regret with local Nightlife pursuers is their cavalier attitude to our vulnerable wheely bins which often fall prey to ‘hilarious’ pranks and other such misdemeanorariness, but I am willing to sacrifice the poor and unsuspecting wheely bins to the greater good.”

A second year Oxford Brookes student added, “Extending the opening hours won’t make the O2 more popular with students. Everyone already goes into town for the better nights at Junction and Wahoo.”

A survey from StudentBeans.com into students and alcohol has found that out of 39 subject areas, Economics and Accounting students consume the most alcohol compared to those from other subjects. 

Oxford University has risen in the university rankings, jumping from 59th last year, with an average of 13.8 units consumed per week, to 41st in 2012. The university now drinks on average 2.3 units of alcohol per day and 18.4 units per week, placing it higher in the league than Oxford Brookes at 55th and Cambridge at 51st.

The website, which has also devised a university drinking league, surveyed 1,994 students who drink alcohol from 74 universities across the UK in September and October of this year to create a subject drinking league.

Nationwide, accounting and finance students topped the chart, claiming to consume 30.6 units of alcohol on average each week, equating to 4.4 units per day. Those studying economics rank second, drinking 27.3 units weekly, averaging at 3.9 units each day. 

Regarding these results, Oliver Brann, editor of the website stated: “It seems these turbulent financial times are stressing the accountants and economists out before they’ve even entered the working world.”

PPE students at Lady Margaret Hall disagree with this view. One student claimed “these high levels of drinking merely reflect the fact that students studying PPE have to practice drinking sociably in preparation for all the society dinners and partying that accompanies being a politician”. 

Another student argued that Economics students “know how to have fun whilst keeping up with an extremely demanding course: you can party until 3am as long as you finish that pesky Economics essay that is due in five hours after you get back to college”.

Students studying Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare claim to drink the least amount of alcohol at 12.4 units on average a week, well within the recommended allowances for both men and women. Subjects such as Art and Design, Performing Arts and Music, Journalism and English ranked in the last nine places, consuming less than 17 units. Humanities were ranked at 12th place with 21.1 units per week.

One Cambridge student said, “So, students of the most boring, banal subjects need the most help to get through the day? Big news.”

First year Oxford English student, Adam Crozier, added, “What ever will happen to our reputations as indolent and charming flâneurs? Mind you, if I were studying accountancy I’d probably do my best to drink my way to an early grave too.’

Debates about the future of library provision, centring around the Bodleian,  continued as Congregation met on Tuesday 13 November to discuss “The Libraries and their Future”.

Speeches each on a particular issue relating to library provision were made by fellows from numerous different colleges and disciplines.

A flysheet distributed with the Gazette on 8 November called for a “different approach”, and stressed the need for readers to be “extensively consulted on significant plans for the libraries and involved in deciding what should happen.”

During the Congregation meeting, Susan Cooper, Fellow of St. Catherine’s, argued that, “The issues with the libraries are symptomatic of more widespread problems we have with communication and consultation in Oxford.”

Conrad Leyser, fellow of Worcester, spoke on misunderstandings during the relocation of the History Faculty Library, commenting, “Loss, closure, rapacity: these were all words used in connection to the HFL last year, and they coloured the wider discussion in an unhelpful way.” 

He noted that many of the problems in the Bodleian are due to “the enviable problem, and the dire responsibility, of a cup running over”, but added,  “Overall everybody thought it was a good discussion. Everyone came away encouraged”.

Diarmaid MacCulloch, fellow of St. Cross, spoke in support of the Bodley’s Librarian, considering library problems faced by Oxford and Cambridge over the last century. He argued that the Bodleian Libraries have always been hampered by “buildings which were certainly beautiful, but were and are decidedly not user-friendly”, but that over the last decade, the Bodleian libraries have become “not merely one of the great world collections, but one of the most accessible and well-run.” He ended his speech by saying, “Our current Bodley’s Librarian […] deserves our support, not our carping”.

Bryan Ward-Perkins, fellow of Trinity, appealed to academics, “above all to treat our librarians as colleagues, on the same side as us, and deserving of our respect.” He also emphasised the problems caused by the need to “shave nearly ten per cent off the annual budget”.

Hugh Doherty, fellow of Jesus, praised the meeting as “very instructive”, commenting, “There were a number of excellent speeches, notably by David Norbrook, Philomen Probert, Georgy Kantor, Caroline Warman, and Richard Ovenden.”

He added, “What was striking was how many actual users of the Bodleian… were speaking against some of the recent changes, and how many representatives of the university’s governing class, three heads of house,  no less,came out in defence of them”.

Bodley’s Librarian, Sarah Thomas, who has been in the post for five years, commented, “Congregation’s discussion on the ‘libraries and their future’ was both positive and constructive. We were heartened to see so many colleagues from across the University speak in support of the Bodleian Libraries. As we go forward, we will work to enhance our communication, engage in robust consultation and ensure wide communication of our future plans.”

Education secretary Michael Gove has defended the study of the arts, including French lesbian poetry, this week as he accused the engineer and inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, Sir James Dyson, of ‘anti-intellectualism’.

Michael Gove’s comments came after Dyson, Britain’s 22nd richest man, said that we should talk about technology more so that “little Angelina wanting to go off to study French lesbian poetry will suddenly realise that things like keeping an aircraft industry, developing nuclear energy, high-speed trains, all these things are important”.

At the Independent Academies Association Conference in central London, Gove said, “I fear the anti-intellectual bias in our way of life has, at times, become a bias against knowledge and a suspicion of education as a good in itself.”

He went on to say, “I am certainly an enemy of those who would deprecate the study of French lesbian poetry. Because the casual dismissal of poetry as though it were a useless luxury and its study as selfindulgence is a display of prejudice. It is another example of the bias against knowledge.”

Dyson’s comments appear to have sparked controversy within Oxford. Dr Jennifer Yee, tutor in French at Christ Church told Cherwell, “The reference to ‘little Angelina’ seems to suggest a return to the sort of hearty unabashed sexism one associates with the 1950s rather than the 2010s, but I confess I am rather puzzled by the more specific reference to French lesbian poetry. Three possibilities spring to mind: 1) this was simply intended as a homophobic slight; 2) Dyson was making a rather erudite reference to the Franco-British poetess Renée Vivien; 3) Dyson was actually thinking of the (heterosexual) poet Charles Baudelaire.”

She continued, “If little Angelina decided one day to work alongside other British employees of Airbus near Toulouse, or Électricité de France, she could perhaps rely on French interpreters to get by. I still think she would have missed out on a  wonderful experience reading Baudelaire’s poetry at University. She would have thought less about her own language and the nature of language in general; she would have thought less about sexuality, the nature of evil, and the creation of art.’

Dr Carole Bourne-Taylor at Brasenose College was sceptical about the perceived differences between the arts and sciences, saying, “Sir James Dyson has a rather dogmatic style that I wish I had; he is a brilliant engineer and gets the headlines in a way I could only dream of in my pursuit of ‘study for the sake of knowledge’. We can be truly grateful that Sir James (and now Michael Gove) has given us a little publicity that would otherwise not have come our way! He is a philanthropist as well as a brilliant engineer: the Dyson Foundation has done much for education, for example, through the schools’ ‘education box’ that is designed to inspire young minds.“In both the humanities and sciences, a lateral and inquisitive mind is the key.

‘So when ‘little Angelina’ (or ‘little James’, perhaps?) pursues an interest in the unusual, we rejoice. That clever turn of mind that revolutionised the way we clean our carpets is surely the same beast! I suspect that Sir James Dyson and I probably share the same ground when it comes to our eagerness to not only identify and nurture that quirk of mind that is genius, but to enable it to bring forth, improved social mobility and opportunity. We are both in the same field, just at different ends.”

Second year biologist, Sarah Worsley, agreed, saying, “The world would be a very dull and uninspired place if we all studied the same thing. Understanding our culture and differences in society is just as important as inventing new and wonderful things and the two are probably interlinked more than we might think.”

Second year chemist, Gogulan Karunanithy warned, “Though it pains me to say this, on this occasion I agree with Gove. Whilst I agree that technical subjects should be encouraged, if students taking these courses are not motivated (and would rather be reading French lesbian poetry in a field somewhere) all that you’re creating is a generation of disillusioned and probably unproductive scientists and engineers.”

Magdalen biologist, Peter Gleeson sympathised a little more with Dyson’s opinion, saying, “I think it is fair to say that as a society we need medics and engineers and research scientists, and from that perspective it seems fair to say that the study of arts subjects is an optional extra, or a bit of a luxury.’

However, second year French and German student at Keble College, Brendan Fletcher, defended the study of French poetry and the arts, saying that, “Whilst it probably isn’t entirely useful for designing vacuum cleaners, it opens our eyes to other cultures, perspectives and who we are.”