Technology – inspired words such as “bloggable”, “cyberbullying” and “sexting” have recently made it into the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary.
The Oxford Dictionary Online is updated quarterly and the latest additions also included modern abbreviations such as “tbh” and “fnarr fnarr” which is defined as “British informal: used to represent sniggering, particularly at a sexual innuendo.”
Spokeswoman for the Oxford Dictionary Online, Gabbi Fletcher, told The Telegraph, “The rapid development of technology creates multiple new products, services, and functionalities, which all need new terms to describe them. We are also seeing the very fast circulation of new vocabulary on a global basis, with the expansion of social media.”

A national Fairtrade Fortnight initiative has prompted debate in colleges, and several JCRs are now working towards ‘Fairtrade status’. </p>

While Oxford Brookes became the world’s first university to attain Fairtrade status in October 2003, and Oxford itself has held Fairtrade City status for over five years, Oxford University has not yet achieved Fairtrade status. The University would need over two thirds of colleges to conform to Fairtrade Foundation rules to qualify. </p>

Alastair Marsh, OUSU Environment and Ethics Officer, said, “Oxford as a whole is a sizeable Fairtrade consumer.</p>

“OUSU has a Fairtrade policy, and we believe that using more Fairtrade products wherever possible in Common Rooms and Colleges/PPHs is a good practice.”</p>

Commenting on the use of Fairtrade products, Marsh said, “Of course, we all know the world is a very complicated place, and there are certain features about the Fairtrade system that are less than ideal.</p>

“However Fairtrade is a good place for us to start: all it requires is reading a label and making a conscious choice.”</p>

St John’s is one of several colleges considering an application for Fairtrade status. A motion proposed by  the JCR Environment & Ethics Officers, Ed Love and Shaahin Pishbin, stated, “The JCR should have a Fairtrade Policy as it raises awareness and commits future years of students to the cause of advancing the use of Fairtrade products, and contributes to the College achieving ‘Fairtrade status’.”</p>

Commenting on the motion, Love said, “With this we hope to have a platform from which to begin presenting changes and helping them being made when working with College with respect to sourcing and supplying new products.</p>

“St John’s College already sources and supplies some Fairtrade products for its food provision in hall and in the College bar. However the steps have not yet been taken to make a serious application for ‘Fairtrade Status’.”</p>

Concerns have raised about the issue of financing a move to Fairtrade as some Fairtrade products are more expensive. However,  Love points out  that, “as currently only a small proportion of food that is provided in hall, in the bar and at meetings can be replaced with Fairtrade alternatives…the increased cost or indeed decreased volume should not be significant.”</p>

 Brasenose JCR is also working towards Fairtrade status. Roberta Iley, the college’s JCR Environment & Ethics Representative, said, “Fairtrade Fortnight provides the perfect arena for these ethical issues to be brought to the forefront of peoples’ minds.</p>

 “Personally, I think it is most important to get people engaged in the issue – thinking about what you buy and where it comes from is not restricted to, but can be started with discussions on Fairtrade.”</p>

As part of the nationwide Fairtrade Fortnight, the Oxford Fairtrade Coalition plan to wrap Fairtrade bunting around Oxford’s landmarks. </p>

There will also be a Fairtrade Fair in the Town Hall on Tuesday of 8th Week, which is set to include a fashion show and cocoa farmers from Ghana speaking about their experiences.</p>

Fairtrade status has already been awarded to some colleges: Linacre became the first in 2006, followed by Wadham in 2007 and Hertford in 2008.

Oxford’s chemists, biologists and linguists are most likely to drop out of the University, a Cherwell investigation has found. 

According to information released to Cherwell by 16 different colleges, the number of dropouts within the past five years reflects a considerable tendency for those studying chemistry, biology and modern languages to withdraw.

When compared to other universities, however, Oxford has one of the lowest drop-out rates in the country. According to figures published in the spring of last year, only 1 per cent of Oxford students drop out, compared to 7.2 per cent nationally.

Considering the proportions of Oxford’s colleges, Somerville has retained the highest dropout rate, losing 30 students since 2005. It is followed closely by Christ Church, which has lost 23 students, and St Hilda’s and Wadham, each losing 22. 

At each of these colleges, females constituted over 50 per cent of the total withdrawals.

Since 2006, Chemistry has produced the most withdrawals of any subject—roughly 13 per cent of the total dropouts within the past five years.  For the past two years almost a quarter of the dropouts were Chemistry students. 

Zoe O’Shea, a second year Chemist at Lincoln, was asked why she thought Chemistry had such a high drop-out rate.  She said, “The course is a lot harder that I thought it would be before I got here.  There are things on the course that could be structured better to make it more manageable.

“Chemistry is the kind of subject that you  have to enjoy to stay motivated and I understand how the stress of Chemistry could get to some people,” she added.

Subjects such as Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology accounted for ten per cent of drop-outs.

This sets the two courses apart from the other science-based subjects. Withdrawals from Physics only constituted six per cent of the total number; Medicine was just two per cent. 

Since 2005, Merton has only seen five students leave; Jesus College only two. Exeter serves as an example of the general dynamics concerning both gender and subject.  Over the past five years, six out of its eight withdrawals were women. In 2006/7, three female students withdrew, from Chemistry, English and History. The next year, only one female Engineering student dropped out.

In 2008/9 there was another series of withdrawals from scientific subjects; Chemistry, Medicine and Physics. 2009/10 saw only one more withdrawal, a student in Physics and Philosophy.

The withdrawal data of all the colleges did show that students dropped out from a range of courses, from Psychology to Music to Classical Archaeology. But the gap in withdrawal numbers between most subjects and the top three has been consistently wide for the past five years.

As a Cherwell investigation three weeks ago found, a number of students choose to swap subjects rather than drop-out altogether.

Thames Valley Police are appealing for information after a 20-year-old man was arrested in relation to fraud.

A statement from Oxford’s Criminal Investigations Department said, “A 20-year-old male has been arrested on suspicion of committing fraud by false representation in relation to the booking of James Blake for an event at Backroom at the Bully on the 12th Feb 2011, he has been released on Police Bail while further information is obtained.

“Anyone who bought tickets for this event after seeing the posters or flyers naming James Blake and felt they did not get what they paid for then please contact [email protected] with subject ‘BM3762470/11’.”

The issue came to light after Cherwell received information to suggest that the dubstep artist was never booked for club night “Meditate”.

An Oxford Brookes student who had been reported to Thames Valley Police as missing resurfaced on Sunday evening, after it emerged that he had been writing his dissertation for the past three weeks. </p>

 The fourth year history student from Oxford Brookes, Andrew Stout, had not been seen since Thursday night, 3rd February, at the nightclub Camera, on St Ebbe’s Street. His  phone had been inactive since 8th February.</p>

As well as alerting the police, a Facebook campaign was launched to find Stout, urging the public to report  news of the missing finalist, and posters were circulated around Oxford town centre by concerned family members and friends. </p>

However, the mystery of Stout’s whereabouts was solved when he contacted the Thames Valley police directly on Sunday. According to a press report “When [the student] became aware that he had been declared missing he made contact with Thames Valley Police by telephone.” </p>

Stout  was asked to come in to the police station and confirm his identity which he did at 5pm on Sunday.</p>

The 22-year-old student said that “this has all been down to a small misunderstanding”. He has issued a statement of apology on Facebook. </p>

Family members had contacted the police last week to alert them that the student was missing. </p>

Thames Valley police issued an appeal on Friday, 25th February for information about the student’s whereabouts, saying, “[The student] is in his final year of study at Oxford Brookes and has not attended University since the start of term.”</p>

Sgt David Whittle said, “We are concerned for his welfare as this behaviour is very out of character.”</p>

  A friend of Stout commented, “We all believe that this kind of drama could have only happened to him! He is that sort of person.” </p>

Friends expressed their “relief” that Stout had been found on the Facebook group, after one friend posted that he had just received a “very out of the blue message” from the student. 

Tighter regulations for international students could cost the UK billions of pounds, with “dire consequences” for British universities, a report has found.
It has been warned that proposed changes to the student visa system aimed at cutting immigration would be “a hostile act against Britain’s universities”.
The new system would also have a knock-on effect on Oxford’s universities and numerous language colleges, costing the local economy a potential £74 million.
A spokesperson from the University warned that cutting students’ rights to stay in the UK and work after their degrees would have a “dramatic negative effect on the UK’s higher education system and research base.
Currently 40 per cent of Oxford’s University’s postgraduate students are from countries outside the EU. 
“Having students from all over the world means Oxford has the very best minds tackling UK and global challenges,” said the spokesman.
“Closing the post-study work route would deny the UK of some of the best young researchers and those with significant entrepreneurial talent that UK universities have spent several years training.
“The proposals could cause long-term damage not only to the UK’s world-class higher education sector, but to Britain’s science and research base.”
Abhishek Bhattacharyya is a senior status student studying for a BA in English at Christ Church who came to Oxford from the University of Delhi. He said, “I think the new regulations proposed are frankly terrible.
“By limiting the possibilities for foreign students working while studying, or repaying student loans with a job here after, while simultaneously cutting university funding, the system looks designed to attract only rich international students, not good ones.
“This is bound to encourage the best students to apply elsewhere, where they have to worry less about their finances, and can think about their academic work.”
Steve Hirschhorn, principal of Eckersley Oxford, an English language college in the city, said, “The damage has already been done, to a large extent. Students are going elsewhere. Why would you come here if you are going to be treated like a criminal?”

Oxford Fashion Week 2011 kicked off on Monday amidst complaints from models and the production team.

One team member, who wished to remain anonymous, described how she had suggested partnering OFW with eating disorder charity BEAT, but was told that it would be “too much effort” to ensure that none of the models had problems of this kind. 

A model in OFW 2009 told Cherwell, “I was exploited…because at the time I was quite seriously ill. I think a number of the other girls involved were. Looking back, there’s no way [the organisers] could not have realised.”

However, many models involved in OFW were positive about their experiences. Model Becky Knott said, “I’ve found it really well organised, and we’ve been treated well”.

In what has been seen as an effort to combat negative images of the fashion industry OFW is linked with Models for Diversity. One model said, “There’s no discrimination. They made an effort to include people of all different sizes.”

OFW’s Press Officer Alyx Barker commented, “After watching the lingerie show I was really pleased with the range of models used. It was great to see some normal sized models looking fantastic and healthy.”

However some dissatisfied volunteers even have gone so far as to quit OFW altogether. One described the experience as “massively stressful”, and explained that she had been spending up to seven hours a day on OFW, even though producer and founder Carl Anglim knew the time pressures already facing students. 

When contacted by Cherwell, Anglim refused to comment.

In an email to the OFW team, Anglim said, “Oxford Fashion Week demands a limitless amount of time from each of you. I promise you that those who have used this opportunity to test themselves will be reaping the long term benefits.”

Ticket prices have also been criticised. The Couture Show this year cost £30 per person and prices have been similarly high since OFW’s conception. However, the 2009 annual return for Oxford Fashion Limited, the company which runs OFW, and of which Anglim is a director, shows a net loss of £7,670.

Anglim reportedly told a member of the production team that he didn’t expect to break even this year either. One OFW team member said that scheduling it at the same time as Paris Fashion Week had led to a number of logistical problems. 

“The champagne is still in Champagne,” she added.

Another volunteer told Cherwell, “OFW has been over-sold to partners. Despite attempts to make OFW open…budget restraints mean that basic marketing activities cannot take place.”

He did add, having seen the Couture Show, that “Despite these issues the team have put together something really special. I was astounded at the level of production.”

Sponsors of OFW were also positive about their involvement. Richard Rosser, of B4 Business Magazine, said that they were proud to be a media sponsor. He said, “What they’ve delivered has been absolutely fantastic. They did what they promised and more.”

Anglim told Vogue.com in February, “Oxford is a fantastic city and it is madness that there was no major fashion festival before we created Oxford Fashion Week in 2009.”

With cuts to higher education imminent, OUSU’s ‘Target Schools,’ has enabled 200 state school students to spend a day shadowing Oxford students. Participating pupils also attended workshops held across a two-week period.
The scheme aimed to challenge enduring perceptions about Oxford stereotypes, and to debunk myths. The campaign slogan was, “It’s about where you’re going, not where you’re from”. Students involved shadowed current undergraduates, sat in on tutorials, and learnt more about the application process.
An overwhelming majority stated that as a result of the scheme, they were much more likely to apply to Oxford. One state school pupil said, “My student was great and I had a brilliant day – it was way better than Cambridge!”
Becca Tibbs from Wadham College, Shadowing Co-ordinator for the scheme, described it as a “great success”. She said, “It’s been fantastic to speak to so many students who have left feeling much more positive and informed about Oxbridge applications.
“From my own experience and from speaking to school students, spending time with a real undergraduate is the only way to truly debunk the myths surrounding Oxbridge.”
A spokesperson for the University said, “Last year the collegiate University as a whole, including OUSU, ran over 1,500 outreach events. Target Schools events are a vital part of that activity, which aims to encourage everyone with the academic potential to consider Oxford.”

Brasenose JCR passed an amended motion on Sunday changing the tradition of grace at formal hall, noting that several members of the JCR deemed the tradition of reading grace in Latin “inappropriate”.

Daniel Garrett and Ned Goodwin’s original motion proposed to “instruct college that it does not wish to participate in the reading of grace before formal and to request that grace not be read aloud before meals in hall. 

“Until such a time as college enacts this motion, members of the JCR should be welcome to remain seated during grace.”

The motion was proposed “in order to convey the dissatisfaction of some members of the JCR concerning the institutionalised denominational atmosphere instantiated by, among other things, the saying of grace before certain meals.”

The amended motion which was eventually passed allows students to “sit down during grace with the support of the JCR, with no ramifications, but grace would still be read as usual.”

Garrett commented, “While those who are religious are, of course, entitled to say grace for themselves, the imposition of religious service onto other members of the college community is not in keeping with a non-denominational atmosphere.”

Garrett reported that the original motion only received support from approximately one third of the JCR, “but the subsection was passed fairly comprehensively.”

He said, “This is not a witch hunt against the traditional aspects of the University. 

“We appreciate that Oxford is one of the world’s oldest universities and that maintaining traditions is an integral part of what makes it unique and outstanding.

“During the recent history of the University, its members have managed to distance themselves from a shady past of non-academic elitism and exclusivity and we see no reason not to carry on this tradition of tolerance.”

According to the minutes of the JCR meeting, some students  pointed out that standing up during grace was a matter of “politeness” and “respect”.

Those who spoke against the motion said, “There is something powerful about going through the same things as past members of the University have done. It is something to distinguish us by.”

Garrett emphasised “the duty of all to nurture an environment of free thinking and open criticism”, claiming, “we put forward our motion as we believe that any non-secular affiliation elevates one class of ideas above others.”

A number of colleges including Balliol, St Catherine’s, St Hilda’s and New College begin their formal halls with “Benedictus benedicat”, which loosely translates as “Let him who has been blessed, give blessing”.

The movement against the reading of grace is not entirely unprecedented. However, research undertaken by Cherwell suggested that most undergraduate colleges continued the tradition of reading grace in Latin. 

Grace is read at Regent’s Park in English because of its strong affiliation with the Baptist church, and at Kellogg College in Welsh.

Wadham is the only college at which there is no grace, owing to the fact they do not have regular formal hall, according to one student.

The Dean of Christ Church has offered support to its counterpart in New Zealand by launching an appeal for financial aid after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the city last Tuesday.
Christ Church Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand, was founded in the mid-19th Century by members of Christ Church, Oxford who named it after their old college.
The College Dean, Reverend Christopher Lewis, launched the funding campaign, with last weekend’s service collections going towards the appeal.
He said, “We are praying in the cathedral.  There is a book of condolence there which people are signing.  A collection is being made to send out to Christchurch: currently standing at about £6,000.”
He added that the link between the college and city is still very much alive and important today.
“The connection is also a contemporary one, through choir exchanges between the cathedrals, and a graduate student scholarship for someone from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch.”
The Cathedral itself was severely damaged in the quake, with much of the building collapsed in on itself and the spire toppled and lying in pieces.
However, amongst the ruins a morsel of hope was discovered. Under the fallen statue of the leader of the first settlers, John Robert Godley, were found two time-capsules containing artefacts described as “musty, but intact”.
The statue of Godley, an alumnus of Christ Church College, stood in the main square in Christchurch.
Isabella Beechey, a third year languages student at Christ Church, said, “Christ Church is very proud of its ties with the city and it is great to see the college helping to raise funds for the relief appeal.
“Hopefully it will go some way towards helping the inhabitants to rebuild their lives.”
On Tuesday the official death toll stood at 159, with police expecting this to rise further once all the bodies have been recovered from collapsed buildings and identified.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said this week that the rebuilding of Christchurch would be “a 15-year job”.