University College’s halfway hall was shut down early last week after student behaviour became disorderly.

Second year students, who were celebrating the halfway point of their degrees last Thursday, saw their fun cut short after a porter at the college ended the meal before its natural close, despite the fact that students had already paid for the occasion.

Students had been warned against their rowdy behaviour, which included much ‘sconcing’ earlier in the night. After the faculty and guests on the high table had left, students’ propriety was deemed too bad to allow the celebratory dinner to continue.

Early on during the evening, the second years had been ‘sconcing’ one another, but were requested by members of the catering service to stop until the fellows and guests present had left dinner.

Although there were a few more sconces towards the end of the meal, no more cautions were issued. However, once the senior members present had left the hall, the behaviour of the students was judged to have become less decorous.

As the diners became more raucous, one of the porters entered the hall and requested that they quiet down. One Univ student suggested that when a diner muttered that he was sorry, the porter misconstrued the apology and told everyone to leave.

One second year remarked that many students were angry at having their night curtailed, just as the evening had begun to get going.

The student, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “I don’t believe we had overstepped the mark, and we were disappointed at having our evening terminated so early, at only 9 o’clock.”

She suggested that the college had been mean-spirited in their treatment of the second years, on an evening that was felt to be special by many of them. She added that the college had provided a reasonable amount of free wine for the students, which may have contributed to their concern over students’ behaviour.

Another student told Cherwell that the whole affair had been blown out of proportion, noting that the students’ antics were in good feeling, with the sconcing, as at any crewdate, involving mostly in-jokes and general good humour.

When asked whether the second years had offered any formal apology, he replied that they had not, and that “the whole incident had blown over.”

University College’s Principal was contacted but was unavailable to comment.

Islamic scholar Dr Zakir Naik, who is banned from entering the UK, addressed the Oxford Union last Friday through a video-link. He was met with both applause and pointed questions from students as he spoke from the set of his Islamic television station, Peace TV, based in Mumbai.

Naik, President and founder of the Islamic Research Foundation, is currently denied entry to Britain by Home Secretary Theresa May. Last year she described several of his public statements as evidence of “unacceptable behaviour” that justified an exclusion order by the Home Office.

Among the remarks that resulted in the Home Secretary’s order were Naik’s public statements regarding jihad and terrorism, posted on the Internet in 2007.

In one of these videos Naik remarked of Osama bin Laden, “If you ask my view, if he is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him.” He has also said, “Every Muslim should be a terrorist for the antisocial elements of society.”

The Union sought to provide an arena for the discussion of Naik’s opinions as well as the current status of his legal challenge of the exclusion order.

The talk soon moved from theology to politics and he accused the Western media of spreading a false image of Islam and of Muslims.

“The media picks out the black sheep and portrays them as though they are exemplary Muslims,” Naik said.

 Naik addressed several of his past remarks that prompted his exclusion order.

He told the audience that he publicly condemned such terrorist aggression as the 9/11 attacks, the 7/7 bombing and the Mumbai bombing in 2006. He stressed that “Islam condemns terrorism” more plainly than any other faith.

He also said that his advice for husbands to use caution when beating their wives, another tape widely circulated on the internet, has been distorted. Naik insisted that any beating should not leave a mark and is to be done “with something like a toothbrush.”

Naik was asked by Union Secretary Izzy Westbury whether or not it is “patronising and degrading” to deny women the a choice in wearing the hijab, or traditional Muslim head covering. Naik said that different cultures have different ideas of modesty, though he also stated “Islam cannot force anyone to adopt the hijab.”

Speaking of his efforts to challenge the Home Office’s exclusion order, Naik said, “I have faith in the judicial system, and I hope that in the future I will have the chance to meet Theresa May and explain to her the peaceful message of Islam.”

A Cherwell investigation has found that huge procedural discrepancies exist between colleges for students wishing to change subjects during the course of their degree.

The varying treatment received by students from college to college can lead to the difference between students being permitted to change course and remain at Oxford, or alternatively, dropping out of Oxford altogether, as a result of not being able to change subjects.

Results obtained by Cherwell through a Freedom of Information request reveal some interesting trends. Over the past five years, the vast majority of subject changes have occurred within the humanities, while far fewer course changes have taken place within undergraduate science courses. Students are far less likely to change from a science to an art, and only a handful of students across the University request to change from a humanity to a science based subject.

According to the University’s own statistics, Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) is one of the most competitive courses to get on to, attracting the most applicants out of all other undergraduate subjects over the past five years, and having a consistently low success rate, relative to other subjects.

Cherwell’s investigation can reveal that PPE is also among the most popular course to which to switch upon arrival, with students often changing from similar, yet less competitive courses such as Maths and Philosophy or Physics and Philosophy.

Cherwell’s findings have led to concerns that some students may be applying for less competitive courses in order to secure a place at Oxford, then changing on to more competitive courses upon arrival.

OUSU VP for Access and Academic Affairs Alex Bulfin said, “It is impossible to say to what extent this is a widespread phenomenon; most colleges are very careful in their handling of requests to switch course and as such I think a lot of ‘tactical switching’ would be filtered out if it is being attempted.”

Bulfin continued, “It is another good reason for leaving the final decision on switching courses with the colleges rather than handling it centrally.”

There is no centralised University system for course change requests, meaning that each college adheres to its own procedural guidelines.

St Anne’s is one of many colleges to stress an “exceptional circumstances” rule for changing subjects.

The college rules state that “In exceptional circumstances, a student may be permitted to change subject; in this case permission must be obtained from Tutorial Fellows in both the releasing and accepting School, and funding for the new course confirmed.”

Isabella Anderson, from St Anne’s, successfully changed from Maths to PPE. She said, “Everyone at St Anne’s was really supportive throughout the whole process – and the focus was very much on what would be best for me.

“The process of trying to switch subject formally started after I sat my prelims so the only requirement was that there would be a space on the course after the A level results were released. I had to go through an application process as if I were applying from outside – submitting a personal statement and being interviewed.”

Michael Haggar, a current second year from Wadham, successfully changed to PPE from Physics and Philosophy. He told Cherwell, “Wadham seems to be quite lenient about everything. My senior tutor was really nice about it, she said I should wait till the end of first year to change. I already knew the Philosophy tutor at Wadham from my course, and over the summer just after first year, I contacted the Wadham Politics and Economics tutors directly, to ask them about the change.
“They like to see anyone passionate about their subject, and I was luckily in that the Politics tutor and I had a good rapport. The whole process was fine, I did not even have to repeat the first year, but picked up the PPE course from second year which I was really happy about. I didn’t have to go to any meetings at all. But I think it depends on the college, and also on the tutors involved.”

However, not all students have such an easy ride. One second year at St Hugh’s claimed that his application to change subject was so stressful that it caused him to have panic attacks.

Originally accepted at Oxford to study French and Arabic, he said, “I was one of the few students in my year group who arrived at Oxford with no prior knowledge of Arabic, so felt very highly pressured once I got here.

“Changing course took a really long time; the college wanted to make sure that I wasn’t trying to get onto an easier course. They said I should keep going with Arabic as that was what I had been accepted to the college to study.

“I was told I would need to keep going with Arabic until prelims and that even then, changing courses would still depend on my results. It felt like the institution was against me.”

He said the process caused him a lot of stress, and he claimed that this precipitated a series of panic attacks. He continued, “Eventually, I was told I would be given an interview for French and Philosophy during the normal interview period.

“Early in Hilary Term, I was told I would be accepted onto that course, and after that the college were really helpful. I took the rest of the year out, and returned to Oxford as a fresher the following October.”

Bulfin, OUSU VP, told Cherwell that procedural differences between colleges regarding subject change are a “significant challenge facing the University.”

A spokesperson from the University Press Office confirmed that there was no centralised University policy on changing subjects. He said, “Obviously changes of course are handled on a case-by-case basis by colleges, and different students will have different circumstances, as different colleges may have different procedures. However, each college deals with each case separately, so from a central perspective there’s not really anything we can say.”

Bulfin defended the college based approach, saying, “I’m not sure that a centralised procedure for this would be appropriate. Ultimately colleges and college tutors are the admitting body for undergraduates and it is only fair that they have a say in whether or not a student switches courses. So much of the undergraduate experience of teaching is college-based and I think it would be difficult for a department or faculty to make these decisions.

“They won’t know, for instance, how well resourced a certain subject is within a certain college, and this could cause further problems for the student and the college.

“I think a better question to ask is can separate college procedures be brought more closely in line with a common framework or model of best practice, or better still have one set of procedures adopted by all the colleges, so that all students go through similar processes but colleges are still able to make decisions on a case-by-case basis.”

Police vans were present on Turl Street last Friday as the annual ‘Turl Street Dash’ took place once again.

The Dash is an annual bike race around the streets of Oxford that has ended in the past in excessive drinking and  violent confrontation between members of long-standing rival colleges, Exeter and Jesus.

The event had previously been banned by both colleges following the Dash of two years ago.

The 2009  Dash made national news, ending with students breaking into and urinating on rival colleges, throwing bikes and a fight that forced Exeter’s porter, junior dean and bar manager to step in and break it up.

However, while police vans did turn up at this year’s banned event, the confrontation did not reach the same levels of aggression that have been seen in previous years.

After 70 students from each college had assembled on the street, the race, complete with the customary drinking of ten pints followed by one for every year spent at college, got under way.

While there were shouts of abuse between  the rival colleges and water was thrown, the atmosphere was distinctly less aggressive than in previous years.  Some attributed this to the presence of the police van.

A first year student at Exeter claimed, “We didn’t even know if it was still going to happen”, while a member of Jesus college said, “It was all just a bit of a laugh. Nothing serious”.

The decreasing aggression between the two colleges will come as a relief for the organisers of the ‘Turl Street Arts Festival’ occurring this week, organised by students at Exeter, Jesus and Lincoln colleges.

Despite claims that the top level of fees would only be charged in “exceptional circumstances”, Aaron Porter, President of the National Union of Students, has warned that virtually all London universities will charge the highest rate of fees because they do not fear losing students.

Speaking to the London Evening Standard, Porter said, “Prices are set on things like perceived prestige and the desirability of location, so the demand for London universities will hold up well despite the increase in fees.”

He also stressed fears that higher fees might mean students at more costly universities will be more “middle class, privately educated”, while poorer students will be “driven out”.

Porter’s comments come in the wake of London’s Imperial College becoming the first university in England to formally announce that it wants to charge the maximum level of tuition fees.

Imperial plans to charge £9,000 for all of its subjects from 2012 onwards. The decision has been made to “maintain the excellence of the education we provide to students.”

Cambridge University is yet to complete its decision-making process but has already proposed fees of the full £9, 000, with the recommendation backed by its Council.

Cambridge’s independent review warned that charging less than the top rate would raise questions about the university’s commitment to quality.

Imperial College’s Rector, Keith O’Nions, commented, “Our message to the outside world is that for those who can manage Imperial’s courses, the college will work to ensure they can manage its costs.”

Porter said, “It wouldn’t surprise me if universities like London South Bank and the University of East London chose to put themselves in the same price category as Imperial College by virtue of where they are, even though they don’t have the same reputation or history.”

He added, “It’s right to say the reasons the market will not be a reflection of quality is because in London demand outstrips supply.”

David Barclay, OUSU President, said, “OUSU is fighting against the proposal to go straight to £9,000 because we think this University has the resources to make a stand against an unprecedented change in the system which has not, and will not, be explained to prospective applicants.

“At the same time we’re working to secure the most generous student support package in the country, which would include substantial fee waivers for students from the poorest backgrounds and a central bursary system which would allow all students to be able to live comfortably in Oxford without having to find a job during term.”

Oxford has yet to decide its policy on tuition fee increases, but many anticipate the same decision as Imperial College.

“There have been suggestions that if universities such as Cambridge and Imperial opt for the higher level of fees, it will make it harder for other leading universities, such as Oxford, to charge less.

One student at Ruskin College, and member of the Oxford University Labour Club, commented, “What’s happening is an overt marketisation of education. This is a suicidal move.”

Kevin Feeney, a student at Trinity College, was also against the proposals, arguing that “this reckless proposal would mortgage away students’ futures and I strongly condemn it.”

However Peter Hamilton, a current student at Imperial, commented that a place at the London college is still “100% worth it. Even with the new fees the degree is worth every penny.”

The diners present at the banqueting hall at St Catz ball bore witness to an especially momentous occasion in the lives of a young couple on Saturday, as Mark Curtis, a second year DPhil student at St Catz, proposed to his girlfriend of ten months, Nadia Smith.

Curtis climbed onto the table holding a wedding ring as a drum roll erupted across the room on the final note of Elton John’s “Your Song” performed by acappella group, the Oxford Alternotives.

Nathan Jones, St Catz Ball Committee President, said, “Mark and Nadia’s engagement was an amazing moment. This heartwarming and poignant gesture was the icing on the cake of a stunning banquet, and we send our very best wishes to the happy couple – and wish them all the best for a very special wedding day”.

Curtis, who had been planning to propose for three months, arranged the proposal beforehand with the Entz team at St Catz, and attended rehearsals with the Oxford Alternotives.

“He asked her to marry him loud enough so that most could hear and Nadia looked so happy. Nadia said yes and the whole hall was filled with rapturous applause whilst the couple shared a kiss,” commented Olivia Cooley, a member of the band.

Curtis said, “She was a little taken aback and remained completely fixated on me – not really noticing all the singers and drum rolls! But she didn’t hesitate in saying yes.”

A whirlwind romance began between the couple after an international Maths conference in Oxford, as Smith, a PhD student at the University of Madrid, was delayed in the UK as a result of the Icelandic volcano eruption in April last year. 

Smith said, “Although the volcano was so disruptive to so many people, I was secretly glad to be stuck in Oxford with Mark!

“Even if there wasn’t a volcano I would have probably found some other excuse.”

“It feels awesome and totally the right thing to do. I knew a few months into our relationship that he was definitely the one, so it was either wait three years and get engaged later in life or just do it now; I’m really impatient so did it now.

Cooley expressed her best wishes for the newly engaged couple. “It was amazing! It was so lovely to witness.

“His gratitude [to the group] was so nice because if you ask me he had the most nerve-wracking role to play! Mark and Nadia make a lovely couple.”

The wedding is scheduled to take place in Spain later this year.

Students at Lincoln College have expressed their anger at the extension of the Turl Bar’s lease. Second year students, many of whom live above the bar, have made a number of complaints about the “unreasonable” levels of noise and disruption at antisocial times.

This includes loud music and crashing bottles late in the evening. Particular concern has been raised for those who are working towards their second year finals at the end of Trinity.

“I have had a significant number of complaints from students,” said Kevin Smith, Lincoln JCR President. “These disturbances impact quality of life as well as academic performance.”

Many of the rooms in the college-owned ‘Mitre’ block of accommodation are situated nearby or even directly above the bar on Turl Street and above The Mitre pub.

The Turl Bar was expected to close on 1st February, when its lease was set to expire. However, the lease has been extended for another three months to allow essential redevelopment of the neighbouring restaurant, The Mitre, which is owned by the same company.

Students have commented that the loud music that reverberates into their rooms and the crowds outside the pubs late in the evening make working in the evening difficult.

Residents are also often kept awake by the sound of bar staff disposing of bottles in the glass bins below their rooms as late as 1am and then further sound of glass breaking at 6am.

“Sometimes, when I’m trying to sleep, they tip the bottles into the bin beneath my window, giving me five seconds of what sounds like a pneumatic drill in a china shop,” said Steven Legg, a second year Lincoln Physicist who lives in the Mitre accommodation.

Smith added, “Our problem isn’t the Turl Bar, but rather, that the Turl Bar makes noise at unreasonable hours.

“Their practices have not met the stipulations communicated by the Bursar to students.”

The Bursar of Lincoln College wrote Mitre residents a letter saying that he would remind the pubs that no bottles were to be emptied between 11pm and 7am. Despite this, the antisocial noise is alleged to have continued.

Andy Cowan, Turl Bar Manager, denies that the bar should be held responsible for disturbance to students. “There’s been nothing excessive,” he insisted. “It’s a matter for the College if students are unhappy.”

A more recent JCR motion noted that, “There has been an ongoing campaign to reduce the noise produced by the Turl Bar… a petition to the JCR President was signed by a majority of Mitre residents.” 

Students have demanded that pressure is put on the bar to comply by the rules set out by the College.

The Turl Bar rents its building from Lincoln College. The College announced this autumn that it plans to begin converting the space into a new quad when the bar’s lease expires.

When contacted, Lincoln’s bursar, said, “I have nothing to add, please leave me alone”.

The practice of awarding complimentary MA degrees to Oxbridge BA students two or three years after they graduate has been criticised by MPs, who called it “unfair” and “outdated”.

Traditionally Oxford students can claim a Master of Arts (MA) title seven years after matriculating for a bachelor’s degree in exchange for a small administration fee.

Students at Cambridge can similarly convert their BA six years after their first term of study.

However, politicians have now proposed banning the practice amid claims it could give Oxbridge graduates an unfair advantage in the jobs market.

On Tuesday Labour MP Chris Leslie headed a cross-party group lobbying Parliament to consider scrapping the complimentary MA. Leslie told MPs, “There is no logical or justifiable defence for this historical anachronism. It grew out of ancient circumstances that have long become irrelevant.

“It’s time to discontinue the ability of Oxbridge colleges to award un-earned qualifications that can cause such easy confusion. This practice of awarding MA degrees without the need for further study or exams has previously been described as ‘one of the best-kept secrets in academia’.”

Approximately 3,000 Oxbridge graduates a year convert their BA degrees to MAs, a title which is only awarded elsewhere to students who have completed a year of further studies.

In 2000, a study conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) found that nearly two thirds of employers were unaware that the Oxbridge MA was an honorary title and not an academic qualification.

Speaking at last year’s Cambridge University’s Senate, Dr Neil Dodgson, a tutor in computing, said, “Many find it offensive that we should award a degree for doing nothing more than being able to breathe for three years.

“Perhaps it is time for us to acknowledge that the rest of the world has moved on, and to align ourselves, reluctantly, with a world that believes that a degree should only be awarded for academic achievement.”

Writing for the Telegraph, Chris Leslie added, “It is highly unfair to perpetuate this fast-track award merely on the assumption that a BA (Hons) from these two institutions justifies a complimentary equivalent award.

“While this tradition may well appear harmless, there are many employers across the country who w

on’t know the difference between MA (Oxon) and MA (Nottingham).

“Creating a level playing field of minimum academic standards for Master’s degrees would enhance the integrity of all universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.”

When asked about the validity of the Oxbridge MA, Callum Dunbar, a second year historian at Christ Church, said, “I agree with Leslie; while many of the traditional aspects of life at Oxbridge add something special to the university experience, being qualified at Masters level without the work required to gain such a degree in other universities seems highly unfair on those who have worked and paid to extend studies.”

Alex Baines, a second year English student, said, “Perhaps the claim that this token degree affects employment opportunities in any significant way is also misguided.

“Ultimately the decision will come down to a greater number of factors than merely the academic merits of an MA over a BA, and so if the awarding of such degrees is to be scrapped, then maybe there should be further justification.”

A spokesperson for the Oxford University Press Office said that the issue had only been raised by a specific MP and it was therefore difficult to gauge public opinion on whether the system should be changed. The spokesperson added that the QAA research Leslie had used as grounds for change was relatively outdated.

Sam Folkard, a third year student Medicine student, was more optimistic. He said, “It is clear to employers that the MA isn’t awarded on merit. It may be an antiquated tradition, but so are sub fusc, gowns and other central aspects of Oxford life.”

It is not the first time the tradition has come under pressure. In 2000, 58 MPs signed an Early Day Motion calling on Oxford and Cambridge to phase out honorary MA degrees.