Oxford Think Week, a joint venture by Atheist, Secularist and Humanist societies, entered its third year running this week.

Its aim is to promote reasoned, scientific, rational discourse about the ‘big issues’ that face the modern world. All the events are free to attend and it has become established on the Oxford annual calendar, attracting some big names such as Anthony Grayling and the sponsorship of the Richard Dawkins Foundation For Reason and Science.

The week featured a broad agenda, with 20 distinguished thinkers from diverse backgrounds taking part in talks and debates. Dawkins discussed contemporary topics, physicists questioned the basis for their understanding of the universe, while economists and philosophers are considering the morality of wealth and the value of institutionalised religion. On Tuesday a debate was held by panel of experts on ‘Life, the Universe and Everything’ in order to encourage progressive critical thinking through interdisciplinary dialogue. To finish the week off there was a more personal ‘ask an atheist’ drop in forum.

Ben Krishna, one of the organisers of the week, said that they were partly inspired to start think week in response to the annual Christian mission week, but that they ‘wanted to get people talking and asking questions about interesting questions instead of trying to convert people.’

Annie Webster, an organiser from Oxford Brookes, said, ‘Oxford is full of people who think a lot, and Think Week extends this invitation to people outside of academic circles. It’s a great way bring people together for a discussion on important issues and to broaden their perspectives.’

Krishna said they would like Oxford Think week to become a nationally recognised event, and added that ‘It would be really great to have new young enthusiastic people getting involved.’

Last year more than 1200 people attended events, and this year is set to be more popular, with local schools taking part. ‘We’d really like to see it become as popular as some of the major Literary festivals,’ said Humanist organiser Joseph Trakalo.

Anna Comboni, a second year Christian PPEist said, ‘I’m glad this week is happening. Insistent and perspicacious questioning of anti-Christian friends of mine has greatly helped me sharpen up areas of sloppy thinking.

‘I also really hope these talks help convince people of the seriousness and importance of questions of eternity, God and meaning – virulent opposition to Christianity is more understandable and plausible to me than apathy.’

Robbie Strachan, president of the OICCU said, ‘The Christian union likes thinking, and it also likes weeks.’

A religious first year engineer said, ‘Well you can promote reason and rational discourse all you want, but at the end of the day all you atheists are all going to burn in hell,’ to which Alex Hawkins-Hooker replied, ‘Maybe this is hell, and we are all burning.’

Professor Richard Dawkins and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams discussed ‘the nature of human beings and the question of their ultimate origin’ in front of a packed Sheldonian theatre on Thursday.

Professor Richard Dawkins and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams discussed ‘the nature of human beings and the question of their ultimate origin’ in front of a packed Sheldonian theatre on Thursday.

Hosted by Sophia Europa, the discussion was chaired by philosopher Sir Anthony Kenny and livestreamed online and in two Oxford lecture theatres. The discussion began with the three figures agreeing mutual belief in truth, logic and science. Kenny then directed the speakers from the origin of humanity to the beginnings of the universe, pushing both sides towards clarity despite claiming to laughs at the beginning that he had been invited as ‘the representative of ignorance.’

Although the event had been expected as a clash of two strongly opinionated and opposing figures, in reality they showed far more agreement than difference.Dawkins conceded that self-reflexive consciousness which seems only to be present in humanity was ‘deeply mysterious’, whilst the Archbishop accepted that there had been a gradual evolution of human beings, rather than a sudden incident when the new species was created.

Indeed it was left to Dawkins to suggest points where a sudden leap of ‘conscience’ could have been, such as the introduction of language (although both figures did question who the first linguists would have spoken to.)

Williams conceded that he was unclear as to the nature of the soul after Dawkins had questioned its existence, stating, ‘A soul is something that does not cease with death, but what it is I have no idea.’ 

The scientist also questioned the Archbishop on his understanding of the world, asking, ‘Why don’t you see the extraordinary beauty of the idea that we can explain the world from nothing? Why do you want to clutter up your world view with something so messy as a god?’

However Williams responded, ‘When I want to solve problems of 21st century science I use the methods of 21st century science. When I want to understand my place in the universe, I reserve the right to go back to Genesis.’ He suggested that the creation narratives were not literal accounts but rather what God had wanted men to know three centuries ago. 

Meanwhile Dawkins told the audience that he was not an atheist but an agnostic who was dealing with God on the basis of probability.

Lincoln student Patrick Reid, who attended the debate, told Cherwell, ‘I think both sides did well but I felt that Dawkins argued his corner more. Williams was a bit more conciliatory, which I found surprising.’

Reid added, ‘The topics discussed certainly went over interesting ground, such as the nature of consciousness and the true origin of life. I thought this made it a much more interesting discussion than a simple debate of the existence of God, as some people may have been expecting.’

However another student commented, ‘It was interesting that the Archbishop was prepared to give up so much ground, especially suggesting that Genesis was not factually correct. I’m disappointed that Dawkins didn’t push him more on this issue and ask where in the bible was historically reliable.’

Theology D.Phil student James Patrick stated, ‘I think Dawkins appealed to ‘science of the gaps’ far too often, that the archbishop ought to have had a better response to suffering, and that Sir Anthony outshone his interlocutors as an honest agnostic in search of evidence.’

Dawkins had previously caused controversy the Monday before at an Oxford Think Week event. He described the burqa as a ‘binbag’ and stated that no creationists should be allowed to study at the university, arguing, ‘With such a warped view of the world they are not qualified to be accepted to Oxford at all.’ 

These comments were challenged by members of the audience, leading to Dawkins retracting his ‘binbag’ joke and emphasising that he did not consider himself as a spokesperson for atheism, as many people considered him to be.

A large number of phones have been stolen from the nightclub Camera in the last month. Since the 20th of January, the police have received reports of the theft of twenty-four mobiles from the club, with eleven thefts reported on 11th and 12th of January alone. 

Sgt Matthew Sulley, of the Oxford City Centre neighbourhood team, suggested that such high figures reflect the change in use of mobile phones in modern society. 

Sulley stated, “Phones have increased dramatically in functionality and value, making them very desirable for both a genuine end user, and a thief. People now use their devices far more than they did just a few years ago, whether it’s taking high resolution photographs, movie clips, chatting online or using social network sites.” 

The Sergeant also pointed out that people were particularly susceptible to thefts in bars and nightclubs and that thieves would target these occasions. He commented that such venues “are often busy, with people having let their guard down and enjoying themselves,” as well as pointing out that light levels were often low.

He advised those going out to pinlock their screens and note their phones IMEI number, as well as taking obvious steps such as reporting strange behaviour, keeping one’s phone on one’s person, and putting it out of sight when not in use. 

Sulley emphasised, “Mobile phone theft in the night-time economy is being actively targeted by Thames Valley Police in Oxford. We have made a number of significant arrests over the last few weeks and there are more to come. Our action has been helped greatly by Licensees and Door Supervisors taking a positive stance towards tackling this crime. The Oxford Pub and Club Watch is also supporting efforts to reduce the crime and catch the offenders.”

Both the management of Camera and Varsity Events, who run two club nights at Camera, declined to comment on the issue of mobile phone theft at the venue.

However one St Anne’s student told Cherwell that she had reported her phone stolen after a night out at Camera, saying, “It was really annoying as I’d only had my mobile for two weeks before this happened. I called Camera the next day but they hadn’t found it.”

She added, “I was lucky to just have  my phone stolen, since it was with my money and ID. This does seem to indicate that thieves are particularly targeting mobiles. Now I never take a bag when I go out, just in case.”

Esme Hicks, a second year at Univ, explained how difficult it is to find  your phone in a nightclub, after losing hers at Lola Lo. She commented, “It’s hard to know whether it’s been stolen or just lost but either way once it’s gone, it’s gone. The problem with clubs is that they’re so dark and crowded, plus there is often crap signal so you can’t even ring it.”

Sulley emphasising that students shouldn’t make excuses in these events. He said, “Due to phones being used so much, they are lost a lot more as well. If you have lost your phone, do not report it as stolen as this is fraud, and the police and insurance companies are taking action against fraudulent claims.”

Oxford University dons are reported to be working with the OCR exam board as part of an overhaul of A-Level examinations. 

Education Secretary Michael Gove has put forward reforms aiming to transform a system that critics say has become “discredited.” One of his main proposals is greater involvement of university academics in the A-level system. No information is yet available as to specific dons who might be involved.

The Oxford University Press Office told Cherwell, “If an exam board were to approach an individual academic from Oxford University about the design of syllabuses and assessments, it would be up to that individual to decide whether or not they got involved. We do not know which academics at Oxford might be considered, or indeed whether any have been approached as yet, by the exam board.” 

The spokesperson added that it was too early to say what effect this program might have on A-Level results or on university admissions. 

Alan Bowman, Senior Tutor at Brasenose, said that he was not aware of the details of the proposals but that if asked he would decline to be involved.

Simon Lebus, the chief executive of Cambridge Assessment, which owns OCR, said, “If university academics set the content of A-levels, the state could greatly reduce its role in setting exam standards. This would return A-levels to their original role as the key filter for university entrance, guaranteeing that school-leavers arrive at university with the academic knowledge they will need to succeed in university courses.”

One Classics and English student said she thought the proposals could be beneficial, commenting, “I think there’s quite a big disparity between what universities expect three As to represent, and what they actually do. I think lots of people I know who got three As would struggle at the top universities.”

Oxford University has announced that it is offering discounted carbon monoxide alarms to all its members in memory of a Press Officer who died from gas poisoning two years ago.

Oxford University has announced that it is offering discounted carbon monoxide alarms to all its members in memory of a Press Officer who died from gas poisoning two years ago.

Katie Haines, 31, died suddenly from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a faulty boiler.

A spokesperson for the University of Oxford said that the scheme was implemented because, “We wanted to find a way to help Oxford University students and staff protect themselves against carbon monoxide, an invisible, odourless, and potentially lethal gas that can be given off by any fuel burning appliance that isn’t operating properly, such as a faulty boiler.“

Our offer means for £15 students can buy an audible carbon monoxide detector that will sound the alarm in the event of a carbon monoxide leak.”

The spokesperson said that, two years ago, Haines “left work at 6pm, got home at 7pm and was dead by 8pm, because of a faulty boiler. She was just 31. 

“We lost a much-loved friend and colleague who we still miss to this day. Working with Katie’s parents, Gordon and Avril, we arranged this offer in an effort to make sure that this sort of tragedy doesn’t happen in the future.”

He concluded that Katie Haines’ death was “entirely preventable, if only she’d had an audible carbon monoxide detector.”

Alarms are available to staff and students alike for £15 including delivery, and the University has encouraged all to “take this opportunity to protect yourself and your family. You could also get a detector delivered to a family member or friend elsewhere.”

Haines’ parents and her husband Richard have set up The Katie Haines Memorial Trust to promote awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide to “vulnerable groups” in society, including students living in low cost accommodation, the elderly, and holidaymakers who cannot be sure of safety checks on accommodation.

The Trust suggests using Carbon Monoxide detectors to warn of leaks that could prove fatal.The gas, usually given off by faulty appliances such as boilers, is odourless and colourless, and killed 25 people in the UK in the year 2010/2011.

An Oxford landlord was recently ordered to pay almost £5000 after a faulty boiler could have put his student tenants at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered that the boiler had been faulty for two years.

Dr Tariq Mahmood, a GP from Glasgow, appeared in Oxford Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty to breaching gas safety regulations at his property in East Oxford.

Professor Les Ebdon has been formally announced as head of the uni­versity fair access body, despite op­position from MPs on the selection committee.

Business Secretary Vince Cable has rejected attempts to block Professor Ebdon as the head of OFFA (the Of­fice for Fair Access), which aims to “safeguard and promote fair access to higher education.”

Professor Ebdon caused contro­versy after referring to national uni­versity rankings as “a snobs’ table” which guarantees that “institutions like Cambridge and Oxford are al­ways at the front, while newer places bring up the rear.”

He also deplored the UK’s “Ox­bridge obsession,” referred to the “well-off and well-heeled” Russell Group as “these people,” and claimed that for privately educated students, the rise in tuition fees “might not seem an awful lot of money.”

Russell Group Director General Dr Wendy Piatt told Cherwell, “We sincerely hope that the new director of OFFA will come to recognise the tough challenges we face in trying to widen access.”

However she expressed concern that, “The access agreements risk focusing too much on regulation rather than resolving the real prob­lems. The emphasis on targets and powers for OFFA could distract at­tention, effort and resources from the many successful access schemes run by Russell Group universities or even disincentivise universities from continuing with some activities in deprived areas which target the stu­dents who are the hardest to reach.”

Nadia Odunayo, a second year stu­dent at University College, agreed, commenting, “Les Ebdon clearly wants to make big changes, but it is important that he does not lose sight of where the real problems lie. A big factor in the whole access issue is to do with problems that begin at school level and the underlying weakness in many applicants is not solved by merely putting pressure on universities to accept a more diverse range of students.”

Corpus Christi student Samuel Ne­whouse noted, “Any blame attribut­ed to universities carries the absurd assertion that a significant number of tutors, who are some of the most intelligent people in the country, carry backward, ignorant prejudices. Ebdon and a worrying number of MPs spout clichés without having truly considered the problem.”

However, some have emerged in support of Professor Ebdon’s ap­pointment. Robin McGhee, Liberal Democrat candidate for Oxford City Council and St Anne’s undergradu­ate, commented, “I’m delighted Les Ebdon has been appointed OFFA director. Like me, he is a solid oppo­nent of tuition fee increases. Unfor­tunately the Lib Dems had to have some trade-offs with the Tories to get him appointed. But I like to think of Coalition trade-offs as like Pokemon cards. You have to part tearfully with the shiny Blastoise but, by God, you get an Articuno in exchange.”

A spokesperson for Oxford Univer­sity said, “The director of OFFA is an important role for the sector. We will continue to work constructively with the new director and look forward to welcome him in Oxford in due course.”

The government’s decision to raise the cap on tuition fees to £9,000 per year looks set to stand after a judge ruled against two teenagers seeking to challenge the changes in court.

Callum Hurley and Katy Moore, from Peterborough and London respectively, argued that the pro­posed rise in fees contravened their human rights, citing Article 14 of the European Convention on Civil Rights.

They claimed that the reforms were in breach of the EU legislation, which concerns discrimination against people of “poor social ori­gin and ethnic minority groups.”

Despite reaching the High Court, the case was dismissed by Mr Jus­tice King and Lord Justice Elias, who concluded, “The particular decision to fix the fees at the level reflected in the regulations was the subject of an appropriate analysis.

“Moreover, all the parties affected by these decisions – government, universities and students – have been making plans on the assump­tion that the fees would be charged. It would cause administrative chaos, and would inevitably have significant economic implications, if the regulations were now to be quashed.”

However he also gave recognition to the two teenagers’ argument that fee increases would widen the gap between rich and poor and discour­age many people from applying to university.
Oxford is one of several leading universities which has indicated it will charge the full £9,000 per year for tuition fees. The new rate is set to affect all undergraduate students entering Oxford from Michaelmas 2012 onwards.

Miles Coates, President of the Oxford University Conservative As­sociation, commented, “The idea that tuition fees are a breach of a substantive human right was ri­diculous from the outset, as the litigants must have know. It is quite right that the court threw out this pointless publicity stunt.”

Law expert Olivia Davies stated, “They didn’t have a hope in hell. You can only stretch the Human Rights Act so far and a rise in fees doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination constitute depriving someone of their basic right to education.”

However, Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, said he would continue to fight the government’s “disastrous higher education policies.”

The University declined to com­ment on the outcome of the case. Both Hurley and Moore have said they still hope to enter higher edu­cation.

On Tuesday, the Duchess of Cambridge visited two schools in Oxford in her role as patron of charity The Art Room.

She was greeted by hundreds of people, who had lined the streets in anticipation of her arrival.

The Duchess, who read History of Art as an undergraduate, first visited Rose Hill Primary School, where more than half of the children have special needs. She assisted pupils and staff in an art therapy session in The Art Room before visiting the Oxford Spires Academy, where the entire school filed outside to greet her with flags and banners.

Lisa Hancock, The Art Room manager at Rose Hill, commented, ‘It was a really delightful lesson. Miss Catherine, as we called her in the lesson, was delightful.’

Sue Mortimer, Head Teacher at the Spires Academy, said, “When people think of Oxford they think of the dreaming spires, but every city has its disadvantaged areas and this is one of them.’

The Art Room is an Oxford-based charity aimed at 5-16 year olds who have emotional or behavioural difficulties. The charity offers art therapy to boost self-esteem and confidence.

University College undergraduate and Kate Middleton-enthusiast David Todd commented, “I was extremely excited to hear that Kate was in the vicinity. I thought her woolen shirt-dress was very chic – no wonder it sold out online just minutes after Kate appeared in it.’

St. Catz student Alex Rawlings has been named the UK’s most multi-lingual student in a competition run by the publishers Collins.

The German and Russian student from London can currently speak 11 languages: English, Greek, German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Afrikaans, French, Hebrew, Catalan and Italian.
In a video for the BBC News website he demonstrates his skills by switching between all eleven languages. He also explains the motivation behind his language learning.

Rawlings told Cherwell that winning the competition was a “bit of a shock.” He explained, “I saw the competition advertised and heard something about a free iPad, and here we are. I would never have imagined that it’d generate this amount of media attention.”

Stephen Fry tweeted at 9.42 am on 21 February, “What an absolutely brilliant young man!” along with a link to the BBC video.

As a child, Rawlings’ mother, who is half Greek, would speak to him in English, Greek, and French, and he often visited his family in Greece.

He stated that he has always had an interest in languages. “My dad worked in Japan for four years and I was always frustrated that I couldn’t speak to the kids in those countries because of the language barrier.” After visiting Holland at the age of 14 he decided to learn Dutch with CDs and books. “When I went back I could talk to people. It was great.”

He taught himself many of the languages with the Teach Yourself books, but also by watching films, listening to music, and travelling to the relevant countries.

Of all the languages he speaks, Rawlings says that Russian, which he has been learning for a year and a half, is the hardest. He said, “There seem to be more exceptions than rules!”
He added, “I especially like Greek because I think it’s really beautiful, and I have a strong personal link to Greece and to the language.”

When asked how he hoped to use his skills in later life, Rawlings told Cherwell, “I hope to carry on meeting lots of different people around the world and being able to speak to them in their own languages. If I can find a job that incorporates languages, then that would be ideal.

“Everyone should learn languages, especially if they travel abroad. If you make the effort to learn even the most basic of phrases wherever you go, it instantly shows the person you’re speaking to that you respect their culture. Going around speaking loud English and getting frustrated at people is often perceived at best as tactless, and at worst as rude.’

The next language Rawlings hopes to learn is Arabic, but “only once I’ve finished my degree and got some more time on my hands. For now I need to concentrate on my German and Russian so I can get preparing for finals.”

The Oxford RAG annual ‘Oxford’s Got Talent’ event took place in the Union chamber last Sunday.
15 acts from different colleges took to the stage to display their skills to the judges. Musicians, tap dancers and stand-up comedians got involved, along with ‘Tetris man’ Paul Edunast who completed a game on the big screen in just 93 seconds.

Improvisational comedians The Oxford Imps, Oxford Breakdancing Society and a cappella group The Oxford Gargoyles all made guest performances.

The eventual winners were “Jack and The Beanstalks” from St Hilda’s, who performed a cover of the Rolling Stones’ hit ‘Brown Sugar.’

Edmund Mottershead, a member of the winning band, commented, “I thoroughly enjoyed the night, there was tons of good stuff on offer. It’s nice to go out on a high.”

The second prize went to Alex O’Bryan Tear, a student at Worcester College, who entertained the audience with his own version of ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’, which he had adapted and turned into a rant against the music at Park End, the popular Oxford nightclub.

O’Bryan Tear told Cherwell, “I disqualified myself from entering the talent show on the basis that I had no talent beyond swearing into a microphone while molesting a piano. But due to a bureaucratic error, I was nominated to represent Worcester anyway.”

RAG Vice President Ameer Kotecha described the whole night as “a great success in terms of the quality of the talent show, the enjoyment of the crowd and the money raised.” Around £700 was made on the night for RAG, to be split between their four chosen charities.

Kotecha added, “A great deal of money was raised for fantastic causes but as much as the money RAG’s events are all about providing entertainment and fun for students.”