Oxford University students have become the latest to involve themselves in the burgeoning internet meme craze.

University-specific meme pages, which set a particular brand of incisive student humour to amusing stock images, have grown massively over the last few days.

The Facebook group ‘Oxford Uni Memes’ has gained over 2,850 members since its creation early on Wednesday morning.

The term ‘meme’ was coined by Richard Dawkins, Oxford’s former Professor for Public Understanding of Science. In his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, Dawkins defines a meme as an idea or behaviour that spreads through a culture by imitation. Internet memes follow this principle, humorous images are copied and re-captioned, concisely describing or satirising the activity of an individual or group.

The Oxford group’s most well-received submissions have exploited the same general themes popular on many university humour sites, including college rivalries and the perceived failings of university infrastructure. The Oxford site particularly satirises the rivalry between Oxford University and Brookes.

PPE student Nicholas Howley explained the phenomenon, telling Cherwell, “Ideas like this always tend to spread fast when they’re universally popular. I think it’s great to have a place to pool Oxford jokes, even if it does show just how much Brookes actually gets slated!”

However the collection of memes has received criticism from some quarters. One Lincoln student suggested that derogatory remarks made about Durham and Brookes were “downright awkward.” He questioned the notion that memes were just “harmless fun.”

One online commenter stated, “You don’t understand memes and more importantly it seems your sense of humour is awful.”

The Oxford Green Party has come out in opposition to proposed plans by Oxford City Council to spend £330 million redeveloping the Westgate shopping centre area.

Chair of the local Green Party, Sushila Dhall, told Cherwell, “The plans to build lots of chain stores and a multi-story car park are a really bad idea. Oxford does not need it and the site could easily be a car-free zone instead.

“There is a desperate shortage of affordable housing in Oxford. This is a publicly-owned, central site which should be used for low-cost, quality housing, public spaces and amenities, and small business units.”

Dhall further clarified a “misunderstanding” with the Oxford Mail, who reported comments made by her on Wednesday. She said, “It’s not the Westgate centre itself that’s the issue. We do want to see that revamped, and to a high environmental standard of energy efficiency. Rather, it is the area behind the Westgate centre that we’re concerned with.”

The Council’s plans include a John Lewis department store and a small amount of housing, with the building to begin in 2014 at the latest, and potentially opening in 2017.

David Williams, leader of the Green group on the City Council, commented, “The days of grand malls are over. In the last few years more and more people are buying online. People’s shopping habits are changing.”

President of Oxfordshire Chamber of Commerce, Nigel Wild, called the Greens’ idea “ill thought out”, adding, “It is vital it is a shopping site. There is space round the city for houses. This is a prime shopping location. It will draw people to Oxford and creates jobs in Oxford.”

Dhall responded to this by arguing that, “There isn’t space round the city for houses, or they would be building them. Nigel Wild doesn’t seem to realise that thousands of people do live in the city centre, just a stone’s throw away from the area. I don’t think he knows the city very well at all. It is a very suitable site.”

Robin McGhee, a third year undergraduate city council candidate, said, ‘It’s ironic of the Green Party to pretend that they care about affordable housing when they support policies that aim to limit student housing in the city centre.’

He added, ‘I agree that the Westgate centre should be improved since at the moment it is pretty bad.’

Alex Harvey, a third year who is standing for the Labour Party nomination for city councillor, commented, “Redeveloping Westgate will apparently create 2,000 jobs, with the building work itself providing a further 2,000. With unemployment as high as it is, I think the priority should be job creation.”

National forecasts have shown that the average graduate starter salary is set to increase by 4%, rising to £26,000 this year.

This would be the largest rise in graduate starting salaries since 2007, should the forecast made by the Association of Gradute Recruiters be proved right. This has fuelled rumours that the nature of the labour market is changing, with lower interest in pure profit and a greater weight placed on the development sectors.

Although statistics show that around 5-10% of graduates fail to find work in their first year after university, an Oxford University spokesperson told Cherwell, ‘Oxford is in a particularly strong position when it comes to student employment, because recruiters in all professions value the skills that the tutorial system and the rigours of an Oxford education provide.’

They added, ‘This translates into very high employment rates and well above average salaries as well.’

Oxford graduate statistics show that in 2010, job vacancies posted on Oxford’s careers website rose by 71% from the previous year, whilst 75% of employers report that Oxford students are more likely to have better initiative and problem-solving skills than students from other universities.

60% also report that Oxford students are more likely to have all eight of the CBI’s employment skills. This translates into the graduate salary as well. Those students who go on to full time employment have a median salary 20% higher than the UK national average six months after graduating. Of those students, 20% earn more than £30,000 pounds a year, in comparison to 10% of the UK average.

One recent Oxford history graduate, now at law school and employed by a top London law firm, told Cherwell, ‘I am extremely happy with my starting salary and I definitely think being an Oxford graduate gave me a big head start in getting a very competitively paid job.’

However she added, ‘I have lots of friends who are also Oxford graduates and working very hard in demanding jobs whilst being paid half as much as I will be. The level of salary goes with the career path you choose, the Oxford degree is a great help in getting the job you want but won’t raise your salary compared to graduates from other universities.’

According to 2012 statistics released this year, the highest graduate starter salary is still investment banking, at £45,000, whilst those entering the retail industry earn £24,000. Those in the public sector earn the lowest, with a starting salary of £23,000.

This year’s Cowley Road Carnival has been cancelled by organisers so the community can focus on events to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee and Olympics.

John Hole, chair of Trustees for the charity Cowley Road Works which runs the carnival, said, “To make the Carnival the best it can be, we can use the 18 month lead time to attract help and participation from all parts of the community and to secure crucial funding and sponsorship”.

Third year Cowley resident Charlotte McCann said, “The carnival was fantastic last year. As a student, it’s easy to feel separate from the community, so it’s a shame it won’t be happening this year.  I can understand the decision though as I’ve heard of lots of other events planned for the summer.”

The event has run since 2001. It was attended by 20,000 people last year.

St Hugh’s students have this week lodged complaints against a decanal system whose  procedures they have described as “active deaning.”

St Hugh’s students have this week lodged complaints against a decanal system whose  procedures they have described as “active deaning.”

Many have complained that the team of Junior Deans are trying to catch students out rather than help them, as one third year stated, “Their role is to protect the welfare of students, not to target them.”

One second year told Cherwell that he had been falsely accused of physically threatening a junior dean. He received an email stating that he had “engaged in an altercation which concluded with [his] purposefully shoving a member of the decanal team” but claimed that he had merely left a gathering in a student’s room without a fuss.

A biologist at St Hugh’s added, “Many people find the junior deans rude, sour and abrasive; I think that most students resent their presence around here. They treat us like children and they aren’t even welfare trained.”

Anger has also been expressed over high fines. Mathematician Sam Johnston was fined £100 when junior deans had to return to his room to tell him to keep the volume down on a bop night.

English student Tom Adams commented, “The fining system is thoroughly absurd, serving only to damage students’ (often already precarious) financial situations, without demonstrating any evidence of preventing further ‘offences’.” Adams has been fined almost £1,000 over his time as an undergraduate.

He reflected, “Given that I’ve done nothing criminal nor anything to the ongoing detriment of the College or its members, this figure is absolutely shocking.” Adams added, “The problem as I see it is that the ‘Law’ is de facto on the College’s side, and the process by which decanal issues are handled flies in the face of anything that could conceivably be called ‘democratic’. The Dean is, so to speak, judge, jury and executioner, and he need only appeal to his own authority to dole out whatever rulings and punishments he sees fit. The Disciplinary Code which putatively underpins all this is purposefully obscure.”

St Hugh’s Dean, Professor Peter Mitchell, responded, “I do not comment on anything that may or may not appear in the student press regarding the internal procedures of this college.”

Oxford will be the host of the World Literacy Summit at the beginning of April of this year, as part of a new initiative to target the widespread problem of illiteracy.

The main objective of the Summit is to stimulate greater levels of co-operation and partnerships in the global literacy sector. The organisers want to support the 796 million people who cannot read or write. World Literacy Foundation CEO Andrew Kay stated, “If a person does not have the solid base of literacy and numeracy skills that so many of us take for granted, their opportunities in life are far more limited.”

One in five adults lack basic literacy skills and 67 million primary school aged children don’t attend school. The organisers believe that millions more are receiving education of such poor quality that it will do little to enhance their life chances.

300 leaders from government, education and international development will converge on Oxford for the four days of the Summit. According to the organisers, this will include Heads of State, Ministers for Education, and literacy practitioners and experts.

A recent report by the World Literacy Foundation highlighted that the economic and social costs of illiteracy are estimated at 2-2.5% of a country’s Gross Domestic Product. It also stated that the direct and indirect costs of low literacy rates to an economy include unemployment, poverty, and health and welfare costs. 

Kay also claimed that illiterate people are prone to making poor decisions on their health and personal welfare, which can trap people in a vicious cycle of poverty and disadvantage.“

This is the first time that a global think tank of literacy experts has been dedicated to collectively addressing the problem of world literacy and its link to poverty,” he said.

“Leaders and experts from the literacy community from around the world will attend this Summit in Oxford to build a collective plan of action to make inroads into addressing the illiteracy issue.

”The event will be based in many of the university’s buildings, including the Sheldonian Theatre, Bodleian Library, Balliol, Trinity and Wadham College.

Oxford students have complained of excessive promotion by members of the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, as part of ‘Mission Week’.

A student at Exeter College described a “constant stream” of religious literature posted to students, and told Cherwell that he suspected his atheism and involvement with the LGBT may have had a role to play in his targeting. “I had a seventh copy of the gospels of St. John forced upon me today,” he explained, and added, “The misdirected resources of Mission Week have had no impact on me.”

Robbie Strachan, President of the OICCU, stressed the inclusivity of the society, encouraging students of any denomination or faith to attend lunch-time talks and events running throughout fourth week at the town hall. He told Cherwell “’This is Jesus’ is a week of events for every single student in the university to engage with the real Jesus. That means that meetings are open for all students to attend, irrespective of their personal convictions.”

He added, “We’d encourage people to come and see what all the fuss is about.”

In response to OICCU’s campaign tactics some students have produced rival posters and fliers with varying degrees of gravity. One particularly contentious poster listed several different gods with the “This is…” tag and featured quotes from prominent atheists claiming that organised religion is synonymous with “misogyny, genocide and homophobia.”  

The more light-hearted responses to the CU campaign include a list of cheeses entitled “This is cheesus” which was distributed in all University College toilets, and a series of labels found around St Hugh’s with declarations such as “this is kitchen” and “this is lamp.”

Regent’s Park College, a PPH affiliated with the Christian Baptist Ministry, reportedly had a ‘This is Jesus’ poster graffitied to read, ‘This is SPARTA’ in their JCR. Other parodies featured on Facebook show that students have gone so far as to create ‘This is Penis’ parodies of the poster complete with a silhouetted phallus. 

Second year PPEist Ben Deaner, creator of the ‘This is Penis’ meme told Cherwell of his motives, claiming, ‘As an atheist I have not yet ‘found God’ and as such you can imagine my excitement upon finding a poster labeled ‘This is Jesus’. After some enthusiastic shouting about how I had at last encountered my Lord and Savior I was politely informed that the object was in fact a poster and that the message was some kind of metaphor. In my disappointment and anger I created the ‘This is Penis’ poster.’

Not all are offended by the efforts of OICCU however with one anonymous student claiming, ‘I like that they’re making the effort to reach out to us, even if it can be a little over-enthusiastic at times. They mean well and I find the appeal of free lunches and toasties on demand pretty convincing in return for a half hour of pleasant talk.’

A first year student at New College commented, “Although I understand that the Christian Union is well meaning, the indiscriminate dissemination of ‘This is Jesus’ books seems to be nothing other than an explicit attempt to convert non-believers. I – and almost all others to whom I have spoken – have reacted against this, as it seems inappropriate in a diverse society in which we should all be entitled to our own views and beliefs.

“As someone who is Jewish and is open about this, I find really quite offensive the insinuation in the quotation attached to the book that “the truth will set you free,” implying that as a non-Christian I am somehow in chains, not emancipated, and destined for hell. Once again, I realise that there is no malicious intent behind the actions of the CU, and in general most people appreciate the philanthropic works of the Union, but I felt this was somewhat misguided.”

Second year Alexander Lynchehaun remarked, “Christians are annoying at the best of times, but this week has been something else.”

Oxford City Council has announced that it will scrap “prohibited streets” for street traders, prompting mixed reactions from Oxford residents.

Currently, traders such as kebab vans can only do business on designated streets, but some have argued that the changes will open up all of Oxford to licensed vendors. This potential for an increase in the number of kebab vans has caused resentment among their owners. One claimed that “more vans are a really bad idea, whoever came up with that idea is bloody stupid.”

He pointed to alleged antagonism between Hussain’s and the now absent Organic Burger Van on St. Giles as evidence of the risks of too many vans. Hassan and Hussain were in agreement that they are struggling already due to a combination of the nearby Tesco and Sainsbury’s, and later opening hours for outlets such as McDonalds and KFC. Hassan stated,  ‘I don’t want four weeks holiday, but I have to take it, as we’re just here for students. No students – no work.”

Among students, reactions were far more positive. One first year commented, “Before I came to Oxford I’d had one or two kebabs, now they’re practically all I eat, bring on the bonanza!”

Henry Blauth, a third year Classicist, said, “I fully endorse the celebrated marriage of my two favourite things – kebabs and free market capitalism. I think that this is an opportunity for the crap kebab vans to fall by the wayside – how Hussain’s withstood the full frontal Brazilian assault of the incredible Organic Burger Van I’ll never know, although it’s probably because they didn’t sell chips for ages. They misjudged the market. 

‘Hopefully the abolition of this frankly medieval by-law will unleash the doors to more portable eating establishments like the sorely missed Organic Burger Van. Who wouldn’t want to choose between Fred Wurst sausages on one side and Pork Sword hog roast on the other? Sounds like seventh heaven.”

Samuel Rabinowitz, a third year at Balliol, took a more philosophical approach. He said, “Imagine if Moses and the Israelites had kebab vans when they were wandering around the desert. It would have been much more hygienic than that food from the sky, some of which probably fell on the floor, which was presumably sandy. I applaud Oxford City Council for looking after their Chosen People so well.”

Christ Church and Pembroke Colleges, St Aldate’s Church and Commonwealth House have all opposed the move by Oxford City Council. A spokesperson for St. Aldate’s Church explained that they “weren’t happy with the way trading was going on”, especially as the location of one van is “very close to a number of working buildings.” He pointed out that people worship in the church most weekday evenings and that there are often people blocking the exit owing to  the “great big generator in the way.”

However, Councillor Colin Cook denied that the changes would lead to the feted ‘bonanza’. He commented, “We are not proposing to increase the number of street trading pitches currently available and therefore I am not expecting any increase in the number of vans.” Instead, he explained that the changes targeted “problems related to residents not being able to park outside their own homes because a few individuals were effectively using the main road in East Oxford as a garage forecourt running a business selling second hand cars.”

Though he noted that there was an “ongoing issue” for Pembroke and Christ Church over the location of a particular van, he said this was being dealt with, as Council Officers are searching for other possible sites.

Changes to the referral system for the University Counselling Service have caused concern amongst students this week. It has emerged that the number of sessions offered by the service will be dramatically cut this term.

Previously, students who were referred, either by staff members or themselves, would be assigned a counsellor, with whom they would meet and decide on the best course of action. If it was established that they would benefit from weekly sessions, then these would take place without any further assessment.

However, owing to the strain placed on resources at this time of year, the service has changed its policy. Instead of initially offering ongoing counselling, students will be given just two sessions, before having to “re-refer” themselves and then wait to be allocated support again.

Alan Percy, Head of the Counselling Service, explained that the measure is necessary to give everyone the best chance of access to the service. He commented, “The beginning of Hilary term is always the busiest time of year for the counselling service in every university. As a temporary measure, we have introduced a system guaranteeing an initial session with a follow-up session for those students who can be helped with a brief intervention, as we want to see as many students as possible before the end of term. This measure has been introduced in previous Hilary terms and has proved to be successful in bringing down waiting times.”

He added, “The service will continue to see students for on-going support. Where this is needed and appropriate, students will also be offered support through the service’s group work provision and self-help resources.”The Counselling Service is one of a number of support systems that are in place for students at Oxford. The services offered include one-to-one counselling, group counselling, self-help guidance and workshops. Where appropriate, there is also liaison with GPs and other professionals.

The recent change has elicited a mixed response from the student population. The main concern is that those students who are most vulnerable are going to be left without the help that they need, simply due to a lack of resources. One such student, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “I’m really disappointed about this development in the counselling service. Last term I was having weekly sessions and felt like they were really helping, but when I started a new set of sessions with a different counsellor this term, I was told I could only have one more after. I feel really let down by this, and I just can’t afford to pay for counselling privately. I don’t think people understand how important this is, I’m genuinely really worried about not having access to the help that I need.”

However, Kirstie Mok, Women’s Welfare rep at St Catz, focused more on the strain that can be placed on these services, commenting, “I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, especially if they feel they wouldn’t be able to cope with the number of referrals otherwise. There will always be the danger of someone slipping through the net and not getting follow-up counselling after the two appointments, but given the experience and training of the people who work at the Counselling Service, I don’t think this is likely to happen. It sounds like they are just going to make better use of all the other support networks and resources available.”

One second year student commented, “If this is a question of resources, then the University surely needs to look at what it can do financially to help. Leaving students without adequate support in the ‘pressure cooker’ that is Oxford is a dangerous thing to do. If they want students to excel academically, then they have to support them.”

The international reputation of British universities is under fire, according to figures released this week by UCAS.

The year 2011, according to these statistics, saw a drop of 11% in applications for British universities from within the European Union.

Though the number of international applicants to British universities is still on the rise, the decline in EU-based applicants could have disastrous consequences: Consultancy firm London Economics estimates that £5.66bn could be lost in revenue from fees in the next decade. Failure to recruit international students could also lead indirectly to a loss of £2.3bn in the British economy.

Several factors have contributed to the declining popularity of British universities amongst students in the EU. For the first time this year, applicants from the European Union are facing the new tuition fees of £9,000 a year, with the result that many European students are choosing to study in their countries of residence. In addition, it would seem that immigration crackdowns and negative publicity are discouraging potential foreign applicants.

At the University of Oxford, foreign students constitute a greater proportion of the undergraduate body than the national average: At Oxford, 15% of undergraduates are international students; the national average is 12%. Oxford, it seems, retains its appeal for foreign students, who comprise over a third of the university’s student body, some 7,500 students.

Jakub Warmuz, a first year computer scientist from Poland, spoke to Cherwell about his reasons for applying to Oxford, emphasising the university’s enduring reputation as an internationally-acclaimed hub of intellectual activity, “I’ve chosen Oxford because I’ve always dreamed of studying here, since my first visit to the UK, when I was about 11. Actually, I was so determined to study here that I didn’t even apply for any university in Poland.

“I applied because of Oxford’s worldwide reputation and everyday opportunities to meet world specialists in any field” he said. “I also wanted to meet people from different parts of the globe, to exchange opinions, to build up my knowledge of different cultures, and possibly arrange some international business after graduating. It’s not that it’s not possible in Polish universities, but the percentage of international students in Polish universities is incomparable to that in Oxford”.

Though Warmuz was enthusiastic on the possibilities with which Oxford provided him, he also commented on the obstacles international students might face, “Some students don’t want to leave their friends and family in their native country. Also, a lot of people don’t believe in English skills, and don’t even consider studying abroad because of an assumption that they’ll fail linguistically”.