Oxford Radical Forum is happening this weekend, a three day event describing itself as ‘for the radical left’ and organised by Oxford students.

Topics to be discussed include LGBT liberation, North African revolution and radical culture, with all events free and open to all.The Forum is designed to bring together different leftist groups, including socialists, anarchists and communists.

Prominent figures attending include Lebanon gay rights activist Ghassan Makarem and Thierry Schaffaser, a sex worker who vocally defends sex worker’s rights. Literary theorist and critic Terry Eagleton will also attend, along with Marxist lecturer Alex Callinicos.

However one student responded, ‘All that will happen is you will get a bunch of like-minded people slapping each other on the back. As a concept, it will simply be another round of preaching to the choir.’

Emma Wilson-Black, a key organiser of the Forum, countered, ‘Although it is a radical event we welcome everyone of all political persuasions,’ adding that having ‘speakers involved in the Egyptian revolution and the various worldwide occupation movements is necessarily going to involve left-wing ideas, but [events will] welcome opposition from the right and centre.’

OULC’s Eleanor Brown commented on the plans, ‘Everyone should have the right to talk about their political ideas, but I prefer actually making a concrete change rather than standing around talking. The Oxford University Labour Club goes out trying to making positive changes to the community. Although the Forum sounds like an interesting event, concrete change comes from action.’

The government has been accused of not paying enough attention to postgraduate attention by universities nationwide. 

A report by the 1994 Group says that the Browne Review of higher education, published in 2010, did not regard postgraduate education “with any degree of rigour.”  It concluded that higher education reforms will cause “great and lasting” damage to postgraduate study. With no financial support system in place, postgraduate students will have to pay fees upfront. 

Moreover, the levels of debt incurred from their undergraduate days will have increased. The report states that, “From 2012-14, students who pay fees up to £27,000 for a degree and also pay greater interest on their loans, including maintenance loans of up to £23,000 for three-year courses, may be less inclined to take on further debt needed to fund postgraduate study.’

In relation to the rest of Europe, Britain is falling behind. There was only a marginal increase in British students those enrolling in postgraduate courses between 2002-3 and 2007-8; instead there are increasing numbers of international students coming to the country to study. 

Chairman of the 1994 Group Professor Michael Farthing feels this might be detrimental to the UK economy, “High level skills are absolutely essential to the country’s long-term economic prospects, but we’re in real danger of choking off the pipeline of future postgraduate talent. The government’s failure to address postgraduate funding has been a real error of judgement and we need to see some immediate action to avoid disaster.”

The Russell Group has similar concerns; Dr Wendy Piatt, Director of the Russell Group of Universities has said that, “We welcome the Government reaffirming its commitment to capital investment, with an extra £495M committed to a number of national initiatives since the Spending Review. However, we should remember that additional capital funding also needs to be directed to universities – world-class research and teaching infrastructure is essential to economic growth. Cuts to capital spend for universities indicated in last year’s Spending Review will still create serious difficulties for UK universities.”

Andrew Hamilton Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor has also commented on the postgraduate situation with similar sentiments. He suggests that “against this rapidly evolving and increasingly challenging international backdrop it is both noteworthy and regrettable that the recent government White Paper on higher education gave graduate studies scant attention.”

His argument is based one of international competition, “It is hard to escape the logic of the argument: if this competitive disadvantage in funding is not addressed, the UK higher education sector will increasingly lose out to its international competitors on the recruitment of the best students and the best academics. There are sadly too many examples of Oxford losing bright graduate students to overseas universities because of the funding gap. It is the single biggest reason why those to whom we make offers turn us down.”

He does however regard Oxford’s position as better than most, citing the “generosity of donors’ amongst other factors as ways in which postgraduate study is encouraged here. Increasing support for graduate scholarships is “a major priority of the Oxford Thinking fundraising campaign, which has proved such an outstanding success and which is now fast approaching the initial target of £1.25bn.”

He also spoke of a long-term aid to offer needs-blind admissions. In terms of current financial aid, Oxford just celebrated the “tenth anniversary of our flagship graduate scholarship scheme, with the one thousandth Clarendon Scholar joining us in Oxford this week. Oxford University Press now provides £7.5m each year to support Clarendon Scholars, supplemented by £1m from some two dozen colleges and £1m from external donors. Additionally, Oxford has the Rhodes and Weidenfield Scholarships, as well as a Leadership Programme.”

Students are less positive about the situation; the OUSU Graduates representative, Jim O’Connell, told Cherwell, “The recent White Paper technical consultation mentioned the word ‘postgraduate’ twice, one of which was in a footnote. For one of the UK’s leading export industries and the sector that is most important for building a competitive 21st century economy, this neglect is unwise. The Government should at least ensure Master’s courses are financially accessible by providing incentives for postgraduate loans.”

President of OUSU, Martha Mackenzie, agrees. For her “the government has been neglecting postgraduate study for far too long. The recent Higher Education White Paper barely mentions graduate students despite the fact that access to further study is an incredibly pressing issue.”

One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Cherwell about his firsthand experiences, “I have a place on a Masters course after my undergraduate course, but, if I don’t find funding, I don’t know what I will do.” 

New research has revealed that one in four degree courses have been scrapped nationwide since 2006.

Degree course figures have dropped from 70,052 to 51,116, the University and College Union has revealed. This means that 20,000 less full-time undergraduate courses are available now than six years ago. This includes a 15% reduction in the STEM courses of maths, science, technology and engineering. These courses are traditionally more expensive to offer.

England, which faces a massive increasive in tuition fees from this September, has lost over a third of degree options. Scotland, where education is free, lost only 3%. There is a concern of ‘academic deserts’ forming as some counties do not offer some ‘stand-alone’ subjects as common as French and German.

However Oxford University has not suffered such reductions. A University spokesperson commented, ‘Aside Biomedical sciences replacing Physiological Sciences and Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology, only two new courses have been introduced: Computer science and philosophy, and Philosophy, Psychology and Linguists. Oxford’s course offerings over the past 5-6 years have remained almost unchanged and we do not expect to substantially change our course offerings in the near future.’

In other university news, the University of Central Lancashire has introduced a counter-terrorism and airport security degree, the first degree offered in airport security. The degree can join other unique courses in the UK, including degrees in ‘History of Lace Knitting in Shetland’, ‘Ethical Hacking for Computer Security’ or ‘Robin Hood Studies’.

A recent surge in applications for vocational subjects has led to concerns that universities are prioritising ‘profit-subjects’ over more traditional disciplines. Sally Hunt, General Secretary at the UCU has accused ‘the government rhetoric’ as ‘all about students as consumers.’

Martha MacKenzie, president of OUSU, commented, ‘If Universities are thinking strategically about which courses to continue to support this is not automatically a negative. The UK has a strong reputation of pushing at the boundaries of research but both the variety and quality of degree programmes are vital to this.’

Oxford researchers have been involved with the invention of a machine that can keep livers alive outside the body, which could increase the number of donor livers suitable for transplants.

At the moment, donor livers are covered with ice for up to 12 hours while they are being transported, but this technique can damage the blood vessels and solidify excess fat on the organ. This means that many donated livers are rejected and thrown away.

The new machine, called METRA, will allow livers to be stored for up to 24 hours, and can allow doctors to monitor whether they are functioning well enough to be implanted. Currently, the decision to use or reject a liver is based on its visual appearance.

The machine was developed by Organox, an Oxford-based company with links to the university. Peter Friend, one its academic founders and its medical director, is Professor of Transplantation at Green Templeton college and Director of the Oxford Transplant Centre. Three other members of the Board of Directors work or have worked at Oxford University.

The Bishop of Oxford has announced that his feet were only ‘lightly toasted’ following a charity walk on hot coals.

The Rt. Rev. John Pritchard, a law alumnus of St Peter’s, completed his challenge on Saturday in front a 200 strong crowd. His efforts have raised nearly £1000 for the Churchill Hospital’s Sobell Hospice.

After the walk, the Bishop said ‘What’s a bit of fear and toasted feet for something as important as Sobell?’

The walk happened at Oxford Rugby Club, where participants had to walk over 1200 degree coals. In total, around 50 fundraisers took part in Satuday’s event, which also raised money for child bereavement charity SeeSaw.

Firewalking – a tradition that dates back to Iron Age India – involves walking over hot materials quickly enough for them not to induce a burn.

It carries several dangers, however, including misjudged pace or a poor choice of material. In 2002, 20 Australian KFC managers were treated for burns after walking too slowly over burning timber, a more efficient heat conductor than coal.

A similar incident took place four years earlier, when a group of insurance salesmen mistook red hot coals for gently glowing embers. The walk had been arranged as part of a motivational course.

One second year student at Oxford university commented, ‘I admire the Bishop’s commitment to this great cause and am glad he didn’t burn his feet.’

A security software upgrade has blocked students at Trinity College from a number of pornographic websites.

The updates, which came into effect last Tuesday, are intended to reduce the amount of viruses acquired by computers on the college network.

Estates Bursar Kevin Knott told Cherwell, “There used to be one or two cases of infections every week. We have therefore proceeded to restrict access to websites identified as likely sources of infection.”

He insisted that the college did not intend to target pornographic websites specifically, saying, “We take no moral stance at all on internet pornography.”

JCR President Beatrice Graham defended the college’s decision to tighten internet security, explaining, “The pornographic sites were not the intended target of the new security settings. We’ve had a lot of recent problems with the college system becoming virus ridden and it was not realised that the change put in place to combat that would have this effect.”

She added, “I have had it confirmed by College that it is in no way a judgement on the sites themselves or individuals who use them. They are particularly concerned because we’re seeing instances of sites with academic sexual content, Baudelaire poetry for example, being blocked. Hopefully we’ll resolve the problem soon.”

Despite efforts to loosen the restrictions, some students have continued to express frustration at the situation.

Chris Holcroft, one of the Men’s Welfare officers, told Cherwell, “The blocking of pornographic sites has gone on for 3 or so days. Students have had no notification as to why they are being blocked. I am following various routes to get to the bottom of the problem as we see it as not only a men’s welfare issue, though of course this is not solely a men’s welfare issue, but also a matter of principle.”

Economics and Management student Tom Bosley commented, “It’s the timing of it that I find most appalling. With the Classicists struggling through mods they need instant access to good quality, hardcore pornography so they can get themselves off and get on with their day.”

Two Oxford University professors have been awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for higher and further education.

Vice-Chancellor Andrew Hamilton and David MacDonald CBE, founder of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, received the prize in recognition of Oxford University’s conservation research. WildCRU attempt to achieve practical solutions to conservation issues, describing their approach as “empirical, interdisciplinary and collaborative.”

The prize was awarded on 24th February by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in a Buckingham Palace ceremony. Each recipient received a silver gilt medal and certificate signed by the Queen.

Other winners included the universities of Nottingham, St Andrews, Plymouth and Surrey. Oxford University was awarded the prize for the eighth time, more than any other university.

The Royal Anniversary Trust chairman said, “At a time when the higher and further education sectors are under so much pressure, the winners highlight the fantastic depth and breadth of research being undertaken at institutions right across the UK.

University plans to build hundreds of postgraduate student flats and bed­sits on a former rail site have been approved.

Planning permission was granted to the University last Wednesday, which allows 312 flats and bedsits over four and five storeys to be built at unused former railway land near the station.

The new buildings will be an ex­tension to student accommodation at Castle Mill in Roger Dudman Way, which provides graduate housing for couples and families, and will include 208 study rooms, 90 one-bedroom flats, 14 two-bedroom flats, 360 cycle bays and three car parking spaces. It is phase two of a scheme that will provide a total of 436 gradu­ate student units.

However, concerns over the build have been raised, particularly as Wal­ton Well Road is expected to be closed during construction, meaning ac­cess only be available through Roger Dudman. Members of the public, in a report to Oxford City’s west area planning committee, have refereed to existing access along Roger Dud­man way as “poor and dangerous” for both pedestrians and cyclists, as well as calling the project “over ambitious in scale”, and expressing worries over noise levels and working hours during construction.

The Cripley Road Allotment As­sosiation, representing holders of allotments neighbouring the site, also noted potential flooding to al­lotments.

But the report also acknowledged that the land was well-suited to the university’s graduate students be­cause of its good footpath and cy­cle links to the city centre, Walton Street and North Oxford.

As part of the development, a new footbridge will be built to Fid­dler’s Island and paths and light­ing in Roger Dudman Way will be improved. The university has also agreed to re-fence Cripley Road Al­lotments.

Tom Arnold, a Balliol DPhil stu­dent currently living in adjacent Venneit Close accommodation, said “So far, the construction hasn’t been too intrusive or disruptive. It’s a good move from the university in that it’s a good location to develop; but I do feel bad for the holders of the neighbouring allotments, as the finished building will overshadow them and construction may well af­fect them.

“The really annoying thing is the closure of the cycle path to Jericho – it was a major advantage of Castle Mill which is now significantly less ‘central’.”

OUSU Graduate Officer Jim O’Connell commented, “It’s great the University is building affordable quality accommodation for its grad­uate students. There will be some dis­ruption during the building process, but we are working to minimise this. However, it’s absolutely crucial the University shows it appreciates the pressures on graduate students right now as well by making sure it does not raise rents by more than inflation this year, especially after last year’s dramatic increases and the freezing of research stipends.”

A spokesperson for the University of Oxford said, “The University has received planning permission to con­struct 312 units of accommodation for graduate students on its existing site at Castle Mill which is located to the north-west of the railway station off the Roger Dudman way.

“This development is significant because it demonstrates the Univer­sity’s commitment to attracting the most talented graduate students to Oxford and to relieving the burden on Oxford’s rental market by provid­ing accommodation to hundreds of additional students.

“127 units were built by the Uni­versity in 2001 so this development will expand the amount of accom­modation provided on that site. The new units will be provided within 8 blocks which will be a mix of 4 and 5 storeys.”

In response to allegations that de­velopment of the site began before permission was granted, the spokes­person continued, “Building on the site did not start until planning per­mission was received – there is other non-University construction work happening in the area.”

Alistair Overy benefited from a library clear out last week, picking up a 4th edition of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.

When the Lincoln student looked up his find on the internet he was shocked to find similar editions being sold for between £2500 and £4500. 

Overy told Cherwell, “The book itself doesn’t mean a lot to me, it’s pretty cool to have but I can’t say it’s one of my most treasured possessions. I will probably keep it for a few years then sell it when I really need money. Who knows, I might even find time to read it at some point.”

He offered advice to fellow bargain-seekers, “If someone is handing out free stuff then you might as well take a look.”The clear out was advertised to students through a college email. Overy commented, “Don’t take the attitude that you’re too late to get something.”

One LMH student commented, ‘Hats off to you, sir.’