Oxford’s tutors and other academic staff will have to justify why they want to keep their jobs past the age of 67.

The introduction of this ‘Employer Justified Retirement Age’ (EJRA) comes after the government’s decision in October to do away with the mandatory retirement age, unless the employer has justification. Oxford’s new policy will run for 10 years. 

The decision followed a consultation exercise which, according to university representatives, received “broad support”. 

However, students appear undecided about the issue. Rebecca Newman of Trinity said, “While the University should stress new blood coming in to allow students a wide range of views on their subject, older tutors are likely to have accumulated more knowledge, simply because they are older.”

The new policy does not aim to force out all those who want to carry on working. A representative from the Admissions and Educational Policy Office told Cherwell that academic staff who want to continue their employment past the age of 67 “can request to continue working if they have specific reasons for doing so.”

When asked why the University had chosen to keep a retirement age, the representative said that it would be a of “promoting inter-generational fairness (i.e. making sure there are jobs available for young people, for example early career academics), promoting diversity, and facilitating better academic and personnel planning”.

While the University’s justification seems to be ‘pro-youth’ rather than ‘anti-age’, Anna from Somerville told Cherwell that she wants the University to clarify why exactly older tutors would be considered worse or less competent than younger ones. However, she sympathised with the University’s aim for making new positions available in the current job market, commenting, “I imagine it’s really difficult to get an academic position. The system can stagnate very easily.” 

The University’s Personnel Committee and Council have been discussing the potential impact of the government’s decision from as early as Michaelmas 2010. Once proposals for an EJRA received positive feedback, a second consultation took place in Trinity to iron out details for considering requests from members of staff who want to keep their position once they have been deemed too old.

Brasenose student Louise Meredith defended older tutors and thinks that the idea of a specific cut-off age of 67 is “unfair”. “There should be some kind of performance-based assessment. It is not as if someone at the age of 67 is somehow less capable than they were the previous year. Older tutors have a lot more experience.” 

Katie Coleman of St Hugh’s is of a similar opinion. “The fact that the scheme is confined to academic staff only is unfair to them. Provided that tutors are not under-performing, they should be able to keep their jobs. Someone older can perform just as well as their younger colleague; they have the advantage of having accumulated more knowledge.”

It appears that Oxford may have started a trend. Cambridge is also considering implementing an EJRA of 67 for its academic staff. Sue Jenkins, the head of the employment and pensions groups at DAC Beachcroft, said that, in light of this, she wouldn’t be surprised if “we see retirement ages coming back”.

Proposals for the ‘Varsity Line’ are gaining ground as MPs mount pressure to reinstate the railway line that connects Oxford to ‘The Other Place’.

Half a century ago, students could catch the ‘brain line’, a railway line which connected Oxford and Cambridge. However, this service was axed in 1967. Since then, rising rail passenger numbers, traffic congestion and economic growth in the region have led to increasing calls for better links between East and West and the reopening of the line.

At the moment, many rail passengers have to go into London and then out again to reach Cambridge and East Anglia, while coach passengers complain of an uncomfortable journey of over three hours, and motorists face heavy traffic.

The East West Rail project, which includes Oxford City Council, has been campaigning for the reopening of the Varsity line. Ian Stewart, MP for Milton Keynes, told Parliament at an adjournment debate on Tuesday that the line would be “good for business and economic growth, good for the environment and good for the nation’s wider strategic transport aspirations.’

He added, ‘At a time when everyone is shouting for more growth in the economy, this project would provide a rail link to an economic corridor in the country which is at the cutting edge of the UK’s economy.” Andrew Smith, MP for Oxford East, also attended the debate in support of the project.

Almost as soon as it was shut, there has been a campaign to reopen the line, but Tuesday’s debate showed that the campaign was closer to realisation than ever, with the Secretary of State for Transport Teresa Villiers stating that the project was under “serious consideration.” It now remains to be seen whether the project is included in the government’s plans for the industry, which will be set out in the High Level Output Specification in the summer.

Reopening the western extension of the line and connecting Oxford all the way to Bedford is considered by many to be feasible, as the line still exists, and parts of it are still used for freight. Stewart told Parliament that “it is a ‘no-brainer’ and, with a fair wind, trains could be running by 2017.”

However, Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridge, told Cherwell, “progress is slow. The first step will be to link to Milton Keynes and it could take a number of years before the line between Cambridge and Bedford is open.”

East of Bedford the track has been removed and a reservoir and two housing developments block the old route. Alternative routes could solve the problem but it may be many years before the issues are resolved and Oxford students are able to jump on a train to Cambridge.

Despite this, Tom Fleming, an undergraduate at Hertford College, welcomed the opportunities this presented, saying, “I think High Speed Rail 2 has shown us just how many hilarious old women end up on the news when you propose running new railway lines through people’s gardens, so I’m wholly in favour.”

Striking a more sober note, Nick Seaford, a student at St John’s college, told Cherwell, “in times ofgovernment financial austerity, with unemployment far worse in the regions, I think that spending billions on another rail link in the South-East would be an obscene waste of resources, unless it could be totally privately financed.”

However, the East West Rail Consortium puts the estimated capital cost is £250m (with a potential for private sector involvement), and a report from Oxford Economics in July put the return on investment at 6:1, with 12,000 jobs potentially being created across the region. The aim is to strengthen and connect areas which are already economic centres, and the hope is that the line would pay for itself within 6 years.

Reactions from Oxbridge students have been mixed. Cambridge student Tamsin Lim was able to see the upside, commenting, “if I’m going to go to the Other Place, I want to do it as quickly and humanly as possible” and praised the advantages for “those friends willing to cross the great Cambridge-Oxford divide.”

However, Jane Cahill of Queens College, whose twin studies at Cambridge, commented, “I find it hard enough to keep my sister away from me as it is”, while Somerville student Becca Schofield worried, “we might get a transfer of the Tab Lurgy.”

Hertford College JCR has been vandalised for a second time last Friday night. The perpetrators have not been identified.

The walls of the common room were written on and a hand drying unit was removed from the wall of a ground floor bathroom. It is believed this is connected to an earlier incident earlier in the term when a coffee machine was broken.

Jonny Ward, Hertford’s Food and Housing Officer, emailed the JCR the day after the incident took place. The email said, “as some of you may be aware, various incidents occurred last night, resulting in damage to College (and, by extension, OUR property).

“Some people have already came forward to testify to certain events, and we have a reasonably good idea of who caused some of the damage, but more information would be very welcome in order to help us resolve the issue and prevent these things happening again in the future.”

The email also alleges that an “indecent picture” was left on a fresher’s window.

Ward has urged students who may know details to come forward and tell either him or James Weinberg, the JCR President at Hertford.

He said in a later email, “the JCR was left a state on Friday night, which required a clean-up. As you all know, we’re searching for as much info as possible as to who did what that night, and we appreciate whatever you could tell us.”

The damage occurred after initiations to several major college societies that evening. It is unclear whether the damage done to the JCR is linked to these events.

This is not the first incident of its kind this term in Oxford. Cherwell reported two weeks ago that furniture was stolen from Christ Church JCR during recent refurbishments. A copy of FIFA ’12 was also stolen from New College JCR last week.

However, the Hertford JCR ransacking seems to be the most egregious of the recent JCR criminal acts.

Jessie Ravenscroft, a second year engineering student at the college, commented “I think it shows shocking disrespect for our college and JCR.

“Whoever did it should have taken responsibility for the damage they caused and cleaned it up, instead of leaving it to kindly members of the JCR.”

Ward’s second contact with the JCR, in Hertford’s weekly JCR bulletin, detailed issues with the clean-up operation.

He said, “If people are gonna be nice enough to clean it up, you can’t just take advantage and swan in there and dump everything all over the tables and kitchen immediately.

“It looked like a bomb had dropped last night, and if college were to come in, after the other night, they’d have no qualms locking it. They’ve locked it for up to 2 weeks in the past.”

Although President James Weinberg declined to give a comment, he did confirm that he was the individual dealing with college on the matter and that there will be no stricter rules imposed upon students such as closing the JCR at night time.

Although the identity of the vandals has not been formally confirmed, Ward admitted in his email “we have a reasonably good idea of who caused some of the damage, but more information would be very welcome in order to help us resolve the issue and prevent these things happening again in the future.”

The pavement outside the main entrance to Balliol was once again the site for a protest by controversial philosopher Julius Tomin. 

The 72 year old Czech national pushed for an academic debate around his essay ‘Plato’s Phaedrus in Prague and in Oxford’, in which he claims that the Phaedrus was the first dialogue Plato wrote.

Tomin staged a similar protest outside Balliol College last term, which involved him spending the night outside the college.

The philosopher, who is a former fellow of Prague’s Charles University, says his links with Balliol go back to the 1970s, when academics from that college played a key role in organising Oxford visits to his seminars in Prague.

He now argues that academics at Oxford are refusing to acknowledge his controversial theories on Plato.

Tomin hopes to engage with students, telling Cherwell he would like to see them “approach their teachers of classics and philosophy with a simple demand: ‘Let Tomin present his arguments at Oxford. Let’s have a discussion. Subject his arguments to criticism if you still think he is wrong. If he is right, let us begin to rethink Plato, for in that case nothing less will do.’ I am quite sure students would enjoy it and benefit from it.”

The theory that the Phaedrus, which is widely labelled by scholars as a ‘late’ dialogue, was Plato’s first work was debated by Tomin, alongside other academics, at the Faculty of Philosophy in 1982.

He said, “I demonstrated that the arguments on the basis of which the dialogue was ‘proved’ to be late were false. The Lecture room was packed. Professor Ackrill chaired the discussion. My colleagues could not refute my refutations of their alleged proofs, and Professor Ackrill quickly ended the discussion,” he said, his aim being to rekindle the debate.

However, a source at the Faculty of Philosophy disagreed with Tomin’s contention that the University is stifling academic freedom, telling Cherwell, “It’s not that Oxford academics aren’t willing to listen to Dr Tomin – it’s that they’ve heard it already.”

Conversations may be recorded both on the Oxford Tube bus service and in all Oxford taxis. Oxford City Council has ordered every licensed cab in Oxford to be equipped with CCTV equipment by April 2015. All conversations will be recorded once the key is turned in the ignition and will remain recording 30 minutes after the engine is turned off. The audio files will be kept for 28 days following the conversation.

CCTV equipment will not only be found in taxis: both Stagecoach’s Oxford Tube bus and the Oxford Bus Company buses use audio recording.

Big Brother Watch, a campaign group aiming to protect individual privacy and defend civil liberties, called the council’s decision “a staggering invasion of privacy, being done with no evidence, no consultation and a total disregard for civil liberties.”

Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, commented, “It is a clear breach of the guidance issued by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), for the CCTV code of practice says that CCTV should not be used to record audio because it is highly intrusive.

‘However, they do believe that it should be allowed in certain circumstances, when there is a serious issue to warrant this intrusion of privacy. We do not think there is enough evidence to justify this and therefore believe that the council has made the wrong decision.”

Pickles also stressed the fact that many people are unaware of the proposals, saying, “There has been no public consultation; nobody knows what is going on. Buses have been using audio recording for a while now and nobody knew.”

He noted that there are no signs on the buses saying that audio recording is being used, and that the Oxford Bus Company does not mention it under the conditions on their website.

He also mentioned loss of data as a potential risk, saying, “Time and time again we have seen that confidential information has been lost, accessed by the wrong people or used in the wrong circumstances.”

Oxford City Council claimed that the decision is purely to do with safety, both on the part of drivers, as there have allegedly been incidents when taxi and bus drivers were assaulted by passengers, and on the part of customers, primarily concerning disputes over fares. Louisa Dean, a spokesman for the Oxford City Council, stated, “Risk of intrusion is acceptable compared to the public safety benefits.”

Many Oxford students are completely unaware of the use of audio recording on the Oxford Tube buses. Michael Connolly, a first year Chemist at St Anne’s, commented, “That’s shocking. I’ve used the Oxford Tube several times – I had no idea.”

Jasmine Krishnamurthy-Spencer, another first year at St Anne’s, said, “I understand why one would want surveillance in a taxi, when there are sometimes only two people present and seeing as there have been incidents. My main issue is that no one knows about this. Every bus using it should have a sign saying something alone the lines of: ‘For safety and security reasons we are recording you. We store this information securely. For more information contact us.”

‘I want to know what they are doing with all the recordings, they need to tell us that. It won’t stop me from using the Oxford Tube, might make me watch my mouth though.’

Big Brother Watch has complained to the ICO about the policy and has written to two Oxford MPs asking them to join them in opposing the scheme. A letter has also been sent to the Prime Minister’s office. Pickles hopes that if enough people are made aware of the situation the council will be forced to rethink their decision.

The Oxford Tube bus service declined to comment on the issue.

Excessive noise at the Oxford IV debating competition on Saturday has led to complaints from Brasenose students living nearby. Students rang the Oxford City Council helpline as the noise escalated during the evening’s final until the results were announced around midnight.

There was a surprise nomination for the Corpus Christi JCR Presidential election this week as ‘Jeremy the Plant’ was added to the ballot.

Having been found on Cornmarket Street by current President Jack Evans, the plant has been attending JCR meetings and raising his profile in college until last week he secured a proposer and seconder which enabled him to stand in the election.

Jan Willem Scholten, who describes himself as Jeremy’s ‘Chief Strategist’, commented, “Jeremy the Plant has instantly made a profound impression on the JCR at Corpus. His steely resolve and stubborn yet solemn silences during JCR meetings have greatly improved the quality of the debate.” He told Cherwell that there has never been a greener candidate and that all should look out for his proposed autobiography “From Fertile Soil” in future years.

Ivan Dimov chose to second Jeremy’s application despite running for president himself. He told Cherwell, “I believe there is room for sportsmanship in the cut-throat, vindictive and backstabbing world of student politics, and I felt it was only right to support Jeremy in his ambition, despite being my competitor for the love of the Corpus people.” He indicated that he identified with Jeremy on many issues – both detest salad – so it seemed almost natural for the candidates to support each other.

Dimov also explained Jeremy’s reluctance to release a statement to Cherwell directly, “Jeremy is a candidate committed to the humane treatment of plants. As such, he has so far avoided all paper media.”

The other candidates are also taking Jeremy’s nomination very seriously, with Eddie Lundy commenting, “That he has risen so high from such lowly beginnings is a testament both to himself and the college.” He suggested that it was good for JCR candidates to challenge the accepted norms, for example that JCR committees are for humans only. He further implied that Jeremy was perhaps his biggest competitor, although he did note that “the fact that he is dying may suggest he can be beaten.”

Kezia Lock, also standing, took the nomination as a positive for the college saying it shows, “Corpus is an inclusive college [that doesn’t] discriminate against anyone or anything that fulfils the MRS GREN criteria.” Whilst indicating that Jeremy having a successful campaign would suggest “that Corpuscles have lost all faith in humanity”, she still admitted that she felt threatened by Jeremy’s campaign. Lock argued, “Little Shop of Horrors teaches us that when plants make bids for power loads of murder will be committed.”

The final candidate, Samuel Robberts, told Cherwell, “I feel I am a better communicator of ideas, and a leader of people. But Jeremy has got me in terms of reaching for the skies and blue sky thinking.” He did admit that, “There is a threat from Jeremy, he may well split my vote and cause some unexpected results.”

However, Robberts added, “Jeremy cannot win the election, he hasn’t paid his JCR levy and thus his candidature is strictly unconstitutional.”

Current Corpus President Jack Evans commented, “I think he has what it takes to be JCR President. He not only has the leadership skills necessary, he also has the vision to match it,” continuing, “I can see Jeremy taking a pretty vocal role in Prescom and OUSU council, and he’s already told me that he has his eye on the OUSU presidency in 2012 and other presidents better ‘watch their backs’.”

The other candidates did point out that the nomination of Jeremy the Plant could have a very positive effect for JCR politics at Corpus. Lock stated, “If he gets people to talk seriously about the merits of the other candidates, he’s done a good thing.”

Robberts concurred, “The fact nominations for this year are up on the last two years combined suggests that this JCR has found a balance between the serious and the light-hearted which is beneficial for the JCR.”