It was quite secretive – I was told not to tell anyone about it so I didn’t. I got an email from the White House just asking whether I’d be interested in meeting the First Lady and when the White House comes aknockin’ you don’t say no! It was very West Wing.

There’s so much in the press about the type of background university applicants do or don’t come from, but when I was speaking to them it was great to hear that they thought their grades were the issue, rather than where they were from. That wasn’t even a factor. They were so curious about Oxford.

We visited some renowned female professors and there was a real focus on female leadership. I think Mrs Obama translated that into her speech when she talked about solodarity amongst women.

I couldn’t get over the symbolism of the day: Mrs Obama behind a podium with all these portraits of dead white men hanging up behind her and such a strong female gathering in front of her.When I spoke to Mrs Obama,  she was gracious and loving and told me how amazing and interesting she thought I was.

I just thought ‘No, I’m the one who’s amazed!’ What I really took away from the day was what she said about deconstructing labels.

There’s so much stress on how it doesn’t matter what background you’re from and that’s true – obviously, people like her and her husband are testimony to that – but she was so interested in what people think about themselves as opposed to what other people say about them.

That message of solidarity, being confident and believing in yourself was the most important. thing. Once you know who you are you can do anything. 

St Catz JCR elections for treasurer had be be recast because of electoral malpractice.

An NUS Report on the experiences of ethnic minority students, entitled the ‘Race for Equality’, has prompted some Oxford students to question whether the university cares about diversity.

Oxford is considering a proposal to reform the university’s Theology course to give students scope to study a wider range of religions.

The suggestion comes as a result of a 40 page review from the Faculty of Theology last year. The report recommends that the Faculty should “strongly consider” changing its name to Religious Studies in order to reflect the research interests of its academics and students.

It said that “the requirement for all students to study Old Testament, New Testament, ancient doctrine and modern doctrine is old-fashioned, and whilst Oxford has traditional strengths in these areas, the argument that it offers a distinctive programme is no longer  adequate.” Oxford has led the world in the study of the divine for more than 800 years.

Whilst some are supportive of the changes and believe them necessary to keep up with modern times, others have described them as a “suicide note”, believing that a Religious Studies faculty would quickly end up subsumed by History or Cultural Studies. It has been suggested by some academics that the university should offer an alternative course for those with an interest in the study of other religions.

The changes have caused some controversy among current Theology students. Tim Bateman at Regent’s Park said, “I think the Theology degree does accommodate for the needs of those who want to study other religions.

“If the course was changed, it would provide a wider spectrum of study. It would open up more options for a religiously diverse Britain. However… You might increase the breadth of study for undergraduates, but may compromise the depth of study for its specialised area, namely, Christian Theology.’

However, second year Evie Deavall said, “The change from Theology to Religious Studies is, of course, a better reflection of the religious state of the world at the moment. It is a testament to the way in which Oxford is willing to change according to what is relevant.”

In a public statement, Dr Paul Joyce, chair of the Theology Faculty, said, “Over the last 20 years, the curriculum has expanded to include the study of other faiths in addition to, and often comparatively with, Christianity. No decision to change the Faculty’s name to reflect that more diverse programme has yet been taken. Although the question is being discussed, it will not be resolved before the end of this academic year.

“An alternative might be to change the name of the Final Honour School of Theology rather than that of the Faculty itself, but at this stage this remains only one possibility. Oxford Theology continues to affirm its strong commitment to teaching and research in the areas core to its discipline: Biblical Studies, Doctrine, and Church History.’

No final decision is expected until October.

A recent survey published by studentbeans.com has found that Oxford University is officially more promiscuous than Cambridge.

The survey, which was carried out online between 20th April and 3rd May this year, asked 2,818 students at UK universities to fill in an online questionnaire which asked about their sex lives, sexual health and relationships.

The result that ranked Oxford 32nd and Cambridge 56th was a tally of how many sexual partners each student had ever taken to bed, with Oxford averaging 5.6 in comparison to Cambridge’s 3.7.

It would appear that the frisky Welsh air has an influence on how indulgent students are in their sexual habits, with the University of Glamorgan topping the tables at an astronomical average of 10.9 sexual partners per student.

The student beans website read, “The over-representation of universities in the West of Britain at the top of the league is extremely interesting – we can see applications to Welsh universities shooting up next autumn because of this.”

City University London took the lowest bunk, ranking 61st with an average of 3.1 sexual partners per student.

These results come after a 2008 study that revealed Britain to be the most promiscuous nation in the industrialised west.

One student from St. Hugh’s College commented, “The figures are surprisingly high considering the geeky stereotype, but I’ve found that people at Oxford tend to be more discreet about their personal ‘score’ than at other Universities”.

They added, “Personally, though, I find these figures very dubious – the sort of person who answers these surveys has got to be someone who spends more time on the internet than having sex.”

However, the saucy habits of Oxford students also extend into the realm of technology, with one student being asked to “stop some of their internet activity”.

Another student from LMH was disciplined for downloading “unreasonable quantities of porn” on the university network.

A Cambridge student who believes in a sexy image of his university responded to the survey, remarking “I think it’s all about quality rather than quantity – someone at Cambridge would definitely give a better shag.”

They added, “A Cambridge male is more of a diamond in the rough, like a Christmas present that will still be useful in 5 years time, rather than a brief amusement that’s cast aside on Boxing Day”.

However, he did admit to being acquainted with a higher number of virgins than he would expect to be normal, commenting of one contemporary who recently found his first girlfriend, “It’ll probably be years before he breaks the barrier. She get’s uncomfortable if he so much as looks at her breasts.”

Many students believe that an increasingly popular binge-drinking culture has a lot to do with the rise of promiscuity within the UK, with people finding it a lot more acceptable to ‘hook up’ with someone on a night out when drunk.

Some were surprised that Oxford didn’t rank higher in the tables, given the number of taboo locations within the University that often incentivise students to break the rules for the thrill of a challenge.

There have been a number of recent reports of illicit sex from different colleges, with people running the risk of tarnishing their disciplinary records to fornicate in locations as diverse as New College Mound, Trinity College porters lodge, and the tower in Teddy Hall.

Sometimes the upkeep of a rapacious sex life can be academically distracting, as students spurn their studies for more licentious past-times.

One Oxford student admitted, “I did once tell a boy that if he didn’t go to lectures then I would have sex with him.” Another lamented, “writing essays on a girl’s back has had a detrimental effect on my studies.”

Unfortunately, the implications of the survey may also be negative for students from a health perspective, as an increase in unprotected sex increases the risk of the communication of sexually transmitted infections.

The NHS website reads, “There are many ways to have an active and fulfilling sex life, but a number of these activities put you at risk of getting an STI.”

In July 2009, the Health Protection Agency released figures on STIs in the UK for 2008. They showed that 12% of the population is 16 to 24 years old, yet this age group accounts for more than half of all newly diagnosed STIs in the UK.

The student beans survey also revealed that 54% of female students have taken the morning after pill.

One member of the Oxford University Christian Union said, “I think it’s a real shame that the value of chastity is not as high as it once was and in a traditional university like this it’s disappointing to hear that Oxford is moving away from old established values.

“Some people these days are less concerned about their value as a human being, and even the worth of their sex, than the value of their reputation.”

Students expressed concern this week about the council’s proposed clampdown on student housing. The Council announced that they “propose a maximum of 20% of houses in any 100 metre stretch of residential street permitted”. 

A report by the Head of City Development in Oxford stated that all new Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) for student tenants would be resisted above this threshold. However, the Council said, “we do not have the power to reduce the existing percentage in a street if this is already over 20%.”

Disha Gulati, a St Peter’s second year living out in Cowley, commented, “I don’t think the Council should be taking this attitude towards students, because being a student is a really valuable thing.”

Arvind Singhal, a 4th year Medic, also expressed concerns about the proposals. He said “As a medic, living between the centre, where lots of my friends still live in college, and the Hospital, where I work, is pretty essential. Moving closer to either one would probably involve a trade off between work and friends which would be a bit unfair.”

A Lib Dem councillor claimed that the plans, which are currently under public consultation, would adversely affect students’ quality of life by “forcing them to locate elsewhere”.

Mark Mills, Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the council, said, “I am alarmed by these proposals which seem to be ill thought through and will create a lose-lose situation for Town and Gown alike.”

However, Colin Cook, the Labour councillor who led the report, said that in the context of Oxford’s severe housing shortage the proposals simply aimed “to strike a balance between the housing needs of everyone in the community,” and noted that the current proposals will not of themselves reduce the number of HMOs available to students.

The proposals come after a concerted campaign by residents’ associations to prevent the creation of ‘student ghettos’ forming within the city. According to figures released by the Council, between 11 – 22% of houses are occupied by students in some areas.

But Ivon Asquith, of the Divinity Road Area Residents Association, claims that the figure on certain roads, including the “lower half” of Divinity Road and Marston Road, can be as high as 75%.’

He added, “something between 10 – 20% would be ideal.”

“It’s a lack of neighbourliness which can be a problem….anti-social behaviour is a big issue…noise at night can be pretty grim”, he continued. 

However, one student claimed that he had experienced several problems with neighbours, including “a crazy old woman who keeps coming on to my friends.”

Disha Gulati said, “I don’t think the lack of neighbourliness or anti social behaviour is due to students…it is the people from poor backgrounds who live in cowley who are distrusting of their neighbours, and cowley houses are a destination for squatters, which is one of the key reasons that there is a lack of community feeling.”

A protest was held on Saturday continuing the fight against animal research procedures such as vivisection at Oxford. 

The owner of Hi Lo, a well known bar and restaurant on Cowley Road, appeared at Oxford Crown Court this week, charged with attacking a customer.

The security operation for Michelle Obama’s visit had Oxford enveloped in stringent security measures.

The First Lady’s security entourage included a number of black-suited bodyguards and a cordon of six black four-by-fours as she rolled out of Christ Church college at approximately 4 pm.

Background checks were administered by the White House of any one that the First Lady may potentially encounter. Security agents were sighted patrolling Christ Church and the city weeks in advance. Members of the college were sent an email from the Dean stating, “visitors will not be allowed access [to the college] even if accompanied by a member of the White House”.

Bag searches and security arches were also stationed at college entrances whilst gates and quads were closed off completely at various times.

A spokesperson from the Thames Valley Police said that the visit was a unique and highly important operation for them. “All operations for us are of the utmost importance, although the scale of cooperation involved with the visit of Mrs Obama is certainly unique”.

He added that Thames Valley Police were “working in close tandem with Mrs Obama’s security from the White House and everybody at the university from the top down”.

A university spokesperson stated that Oxford had “cooperated closely with the White House and Thames Valley Police on security [but] for obvious reasons [it could not] go into any details.”