Oxford University has labelled government concessions over cuts to the funding of second degrees as “window-dressing” and “inadequate”.

Dr Philip Healy, Director of Public Programmes for the Department of Continuing Education, was speaking out as part of a campaign against the government’s ELQ policy. The proposals could result in Oxford students studying for second degrees paying up to £7,000 in tuition fees.

The ELQ proposal promises to transfer £100 million of funding from those taking equivalent or lower qualifications (ELQs) to those studying for first degrees.At a Commons’ Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee meeting on 17 January, the government promised a number of concessions.

These include an increase in funding allocation for part-time students from £20 to £30 million and a review of the impact of the ELQ policy on vulnerable subjects such as theology. A series of subjects, such as chemistry, foreign languages and teacher training, have been exempted from the proposal.

However Professor David Latchman, Master of Birkbeck, University of London, criticised the proposed changes. Speaking at the Select Committee meeting, he accused them of trying to “cherry pick” which students would be affected by the funding crisis. Professor Latchman also insisted that further debate was necessary.

Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education Bill Rammell defended the policy, stating, “I believe it is right that people who have never had the chance to go to university should be given priority over those who have already received tax payers’ support to get a degree.”

However he demanded “some minor but important changes” to the original proposals. He advocated “an annual review of exempted subjects to assess whether subjects need to be added or indeed removed from the list.”

Dr Philip Healy condemned the system of exempting certain subjects from the ELQ proposal.He explained, “There is a whole raft of subjects which are important either for the economy or the welfare of society. The so-called cherry picking is far too narrow.”

He also noted that the funding increase from £20 to £30 million was “a completely inadequate increase. What is happening is that the government is under pressure from all sides and its own backbenchers in particular and the government clearly feels it is necessary to do something to respond to the almost universal criticism that this ELQ proposal has created. So this £10 million, it is window-dressing.”

JCR declares opposition to battery farming Christ Church JCR has shown its support for serving free range food in Hall. Last Sunday the JCR voted on a motion, which stated, “In designing menu items, ‘Hall’ should make use of free range food, and end their use of battery farmed animals.” The proposal received substantial backing although the free range standard will not be immediately adopted. However, students voted to set up a working group to investigate the financial feasibility of the move for the JCR. Tom Ward, a Theology second year student who put forward the motion, said, “I am very satisfied with the result of the meeting… As far as confidence goes in ultimate success at Christ Church, I think the fact that the motion went unopposed is a strong indication that there is a very real wish of the entire JCR for Hall to go free range. “In my opinion, intensive farming techniques are both cruel and unnecessary in this country…I am sure many at Oxford feel the same way, and indeed endeavor to purchase free range products at home. However, when dining in Hall we find ourselves stripped of that choice, and inadvertently end up supporting the intensive farming we feel so passionately against. I do not think that there is any insurmountable barrier, cost or otherwise, to using free range products in the respective Halls of Oxford…it would serve as an example to the rest of the catering world that mass utilization of free range products is feasible.”Ward subsequently set up a Facebook group to bolster support for the motion. John Harris, Steward of Christ Church, agreed that the idea is gaining momentum. He explained, “The College is looking into it… I was at a catering managers’ meeting [on 22 January] regarding the introduction of free range products. We are very positive about it. At the moment there is not enough free range produce to meet likely demands. However there is widespread interest in it. It is not a matter of the JCR persuading reluctant caterers. Many of the caterers are very positive in it.” Laura Ellis, Christ Church JCR President, said, “The working group will consist of three members of College staff; the Hall manager, the Steward and the head chef and from the JCR the food rep, the veggie rep and Tom Ward.”
by Rob Pomfret

Vice-Chancellor John Hood has announced an educational collaboration between India and Britain, to be centred at Oxford’s Saïd Business School.The Saïd Business School is one of Europe’s  youngest business schools. It tops the rankings for UK universities in undergraduate Business Studies.The Oxford University India Business Centre  (OUIBC) will address major business issues through joint research between academics in Oxford, India and elsewhere.Alongside  research and teaching at Oxford, the centre will develop a range of educational projects to be transmitted through a new facility in Lavasa, near Pune.According to Lavasa Corporation Ltd., the facility is due to deliver education programmes in early 2010.In announcing the initiative, Dr Hood said, “The primary objective of this research centre is to learn from India’s business  success.  A clear understanding of the issues faced by India, and their innovative solutions, as India transitions from poverty to prosperity, will form a guide to future generations of countries attempting similar transitions.”India’s economy is growing by nine per cent per annum,  a rate only surpassed by China according to recent reports. Hood acknowledged, “Business developments like the Tata Steel-Corus and Vodafone Hutch are very impressive.“Tata Motors’ new car Nano is a wonderful innovation not just for India but also for the whole world.”
Recognising that some 260 Indian students are currently at Oxford, he continued,  “The spectacular economic growth and new generation’s inclination towards innovation and success are things to be analysed, recorded and taught in classrooms.”Kaushal Vidyarthee, a graduate student at Wolfson, thinks the initiative is a step in the right direction. “India is surely going to benefit from this and I am very proud of the fact that the Oxford University has been so proactive; it will surely strengthen the ties between the UK and India.” Prior to his matriculation here, Vidyarthee completed his BA in Urban Planning at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.Professor Colin Mayer, Dean of the Saïd Business School, spoke at  the conference in New Delhi. “The purpose of the centre is to address major business policy questions in India…and to engage practitioners and policymakers in formulating a research agenda that will be relevant and significant.”Also speaking at the conference, Mr Ajit Gulabchand of Lavasa Corporations Ltd.  said, “It is a matter of great pride for Lavasa to be partnered with the most respected educational institution in the world. This will open new paradigms of educational and managerial excellence for students in both countries.”The OUIBC is the latest initiative in an £825m investment in the development funding of India for the next three years.Currently in  New Delhi as part of the Prime Minister’s delegation, Hood is a firm supporter of international academic links. He recognises the historic association of India and Britain, which share “a lot of valuable manuscripts” and “collections of art and artefacts.”The first Indian students came to Oxford in 1871 and just 12 years later, the University founded the Indian Institute. Mr Gulabchand and Dr Hood will sign the official memorandum of agreement  at the World Economic Forum at Davos on 25 January.Research leader and Professor of World Literature in English, Elleke Boehmer, said: “The aspects of multiculturalism that attract such interest today – from innovative literature to fear of terrorism – were with us a century ago.”
by Omotola Akerele

Oriel’s barman has been removed by the college, provoking an outcry from the student body, writes Andrea Televantos.Chris Howells, whose contract was ended last week, said that he had a “professional conflict” with the college steward, and his dismissal had been described as an attempt to “stop fun” by students.Mr Howells was employed on the terms of what he described as a “probationary contract”, and said that the official reason for his removal was that the college “chose not to extend it”.Students have claimed that the college terminated Howell’s employment because he was seen to be too lenient towards students. “They were looking for an excuse to get rid of him,” said one student who wished to remain anonymous, “they were being unreasonable. They’re basically trying to stop fun.”According to student Nick Jones, Howells also attracted blame for the mess left behind after a college bop. “ENTZ didn’t organise it [the bop] well enough”, Jones said, “it was nothing to do with him.”Oriel students allege that the source of friction was the college steward, Jean Medd, who is responsible for the bar staff. She is said to have argued with Howell over him not taking sufficient measures to control student behaviour in the college bar. Mr Howells commented that there was a “certain professional conflict” between him and Medd and in addition a “mutual dislike”.Medd’s policies regarding the student bar have aroused student anger before when she banned staff and students from drinking together in 2004, breaking, in the words of one porter, “a long tradition of porters drinking with students.” According to the porter, she gave “no reason” for doing so, despite pressure from the JCR and staff.

Longest ever queue for exclusive student housesMichael Osborne from Perth, Australia stood on Walton Street at 8.45 in the morning looking slightly bemused. “What’s wrong with this country? You people are obsessed with queuing,” he said as he continued to queue politely. Along with 300 other students, he was waiting to sign the contract on accommodation in Jericho for next year. If you want to get a house in Jericho you need grit, determination, and a sleeping bag. Six very keen LMH students queued from 4.30pm on Tuesday afternoon to get the house they wanted on Kingston Road. It was the earliest anyone has started waiting according to Robin Swailes, manager of North Oxford Property Services (NOPS). NOPS do not let students view the houses before they release them when they open on Wednesday , so they are forced to dash around Jericho in the early morning and make a snap judgment. They have to be quick – by 10.30am all of the houses will be gone. The six prospective housemates, Johanna Thoma, Tim De Faramond, Philip Maughn, Rachel Greener, Richard Strauss and Jon Monk, took shifts waiting on the freezing Walton Street pavement before the estate agent opened at nine on Wednesday morning. “We’ve set a new precedent,” said De Faramond. Once one group set up camp, a snowball effect was created as others rushed to get a place in the queue fearing that the house they wanted would be snatched from them. NOPS have a near-monopoly on student houses in Jericho and by 8.30am on Wednesday morning prospective tenants were queuing round the corner having arrived throughout the night in the hope of getting one of the few available houses. Those at the front of the queue who were prepared to wait the longest emerged from the estate agents offices happy to have secured the house they want but many of those further back were disappointed. One group of three from St Anne’s quickly scanned the list of remaining houses before two of them sprinted off to look at their choices, leaving one person in the queue to seal the deal as soon as they got a call giving the thumbs up. Students living in the houses this year have to spend their morning giving tours. As one group leaves a house another will often be waiting outside the door, eager to have a look around. “These are the third people round and I want to go to the library. I did it last year myself. It’s a stupid way of doing things, it benefits people who know the people in the houses,” said Victoria Moss from Brasenose who lives on Cardigan Street. A lot of people in the queue agreed. “They delight in making students wait in the cold. They just do it for the publicity for their company,” said one student. “They came at 6.30 and drank coffee in front of us and laughed at us. They had their coffee in the window while people huddled outside in the cold,” added her friend. Swailes was keen to smooth over any tensions. “It’s successful for everybody. First come first served – that’s the fairest we can make it,” he said. On the morning he ran a slick public relations exercise, handing out vouchers for free sandwiches and coffee at Meltz. He even used to run a barbeque out on the pavement. By Wednesday evening a video of the students in the queue had been uploaded onto the North Oxford Property Services website. Despite the complaints, students are still prepared to endure a night in the cold to get a house in what Swailes describes as Oxford’s “most exclusive area”. They also pay up to £500 a year more than if they lived in Cowley. A room in a four-bedroom house in OX4 costs £4560 a year. A room in a threebedroom house in OX2 is £5040 for a year. Even Tim De Faramond, one of the first groups to get a house admitted, “We’re not that happy, they’ve robbed us.” There are a very limited number of student houses available in Jericho. Few suitable properties come onto the market and the terraced houses that characterise the area sell for anything between £400,000 and £1,000,000. “To have a couple of students in them is not that profitable. Most of our houses have been student houses for years,” said Swailes. Swailes wants to try and organise a deal with college bursars, especially at colleges in north Oxford like Lady Margaret Hall and Somerville, which forces nearly all of its students to live out in their second year. Jake Richards and Karim Kassam said that Somerville offered them no help in finding a house. “They said ‘Don’t worry about it,” said Kassam. “Then we ended up sleeping out all night,” added Richards.
by Ian Duncan

This coming weekend sees the fourth round of the FA Cup, and the same old names will be battling it out for this year’s trophy. On Saturday six-times winners Newcastle United travel to ten-times winners Arsenal, while Tottenham, who have won the cup eight times, face Manchester United (the most successful team in FA Cup history, with eleven wins) on Sunday. It seems impossible to look outside the ‘Big Four’ of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea when considering who might triumph in this year’s final at Wembley in May. Indeed, many in the game have questioned whether the world’s oldest cup competition has lost its ability to shock. 

However, things were never thus, and a quick glance at the records shows that the early years of the trophy were dominated by clubs which would be unknown to the modern fan. The first two finals, held at the Kennington Oval in 1872 and 1873 were won by Battersea-based amateur outfit The Wanderers, while subsequent editions were dominated by clubs such as the now defunct Clapham Rovers, who triumphed in 1880. Early editions of the trophy were limited to amateur teams only, and were initially dominated by public-school teams such as the Old Etonians and the Old Carthusians. This was to be expected, as it was in the English public schools that the rules and conventions of modern football had recently been developed. Another nineteenth century institution which was dominated by these public schools was, of course, Oxford University. This created a situation that would appear perverse to any modern observer of football, namely that many of the country’s most talented footballers could be found within the ancient walls of this university.

This, incredibly, made Oxford University one of the most feared footballing outfits in the country. The team was packed with internationals, and indeed no less than twenty-nine alumni of this university have gone on to receive full England caps. The team first entered the FA Cup in 1872-3, and defeated Crystal Palace 3-2 in their very first game. They went on to reach the final that year, before losing 2-0 to The Wanderers. The following year they went one better, seeing off the Royal Engineers 2-0 with goals from Charles Mackarness and Frederick Patton. Interestingly, this is the only cup final to date when two brothers have lined up on opposing teams, as Oxford’s William Rawson faced his brother Herbert. Perhaps this record is something for Phil and Gary Neville of Everton and Manchester United respectively to aim for. In the next few years, the University continued its remarkable cup success, reaching three more finals but unfortunately failing to lift the famous trophy again.

As the advent of professionalism dawned, Oxford naturally declined as a footballing force. Blackburn Olympic’s 1883 victory over the Old Etonians is often seen as a turning point as football ceased to be the domain of the universities and public schools. The University last entered the cup in 1879/80 but the statistics speak for themselves. Oxford have won the FA Cup, unlike established Premiership clubs such as Middlesbrough, Wigan Athletic and Reading. Furthermore, they were losing finalists in no less than four more finals, the same number as the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Wolves. Perhaps most impressive is Oxford University’s all-time FA Cup record which reads 30 wins from 45 matches. This is an extraordinary win rate of sixty-six percent and a rate better than virtually every modern team in the land. Who cares if these records were set in an age when crossbars were yet to be invented and when games were played wearing caps and trousers! When watching this year’s competition develop therefore, it might be interesting to look back to a day when Oxford University could boast an all- conquering team of the sort Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger could only dream. by Matt Miskimmin References from- ouafc.com, thefa.com, fa-cupfinals.co.uk

The new Chair of Queen’s College JCR has introduced a bouncer and a lie-detector to common room meetings in an attempt to increase attendance among students.Dipender Gill, a third-year medic, brought along a St. Hugh’s student as a bouncer to the first meeting of term and also introduced a ‘lie detector’, which involved checking a speaker’s heart rate with a stethoscope.Gill said that the measures were introduced not just to increase security but also as “a crowd-pleaser, something to raise a smile.”The second-year ‘bouncer’ was responsible for checking students’ Bodleian cards as they entered the meeting, crossing their names off a list all Queen’s JCR members.  Gill claimed that as well as adding an element of excitement to the event the system ensured that motions were voted on only by Queen’s students. However, the method proved too time-consuming and students were eventually let in without requiring identification.The ‘lie detector’ consisted of a student in a lab coat with a stethoscope who checked the heart rate of those selected to speak by the Chair, to see if it quickened when they were asked questions.  Gill stressed that the test was included to make meetings more enjoyable but also said that the detection technique would ensure increased transparency within the JCR committee, claiming that transparency was “the theme of the term”.However, both Gill and JCR President Johnny Medland said they doubted the bouncer and lie detector would return, saying that while the JCR had found the initiatives fun, they had not been taken entirely seriously. “The rest of the JCR executive refused to take it seriously, so it made it difficult to enforce any kind of authority. The crowd seemed to enjoy it though,” Gill said.  Medland said that it would be “disappointing” to see them go, despite being put under more scrutiny by the lie detector than other JCR members.Gill promised that he had more ideas to make JCR meetings more entertaining in future weeks, including projecting each speaker at the meeting onto a television screen at the back of the room. “Something new every week would certainly keep everyone entertained. I think the important thing is to get the job done. If this is possible with the odd smile and joke, then all the better,” he said.by Nadya Thorman

The sounds of protest are familiar to Oxford students; blessed indeed are those who have never woken to the sounds of animal-rights activists making their clamorously anarchic way through town. Yet few of us take the chance to kick up a fuss ourselves. To pick one recent example, the so-called ‘Siege in Bonn Square’ was notable for inspiring almost nobody – for more than a week, Oxford failed to mobilise its forces in support of the trees. The spirit of ’68 barely limps on in 2008.I would argue that this is no bad thing. To attach oneself noisily to every cause in town is simply to devalue the currency of protest. As all political scientists know, direct action is usually indicative more of a lack of political clout than of an abundance of passion or support. Why it should also be an exercise in asceticism is beyond me.A relief then, that just as much could be accomplished through eating a hamburger or, dare I say it, drinking a rum and Coke. Bizarrely, those who wish to be politically effective often choose to do so in the isolation offered by an unfamiliar crowd – it’s easy to pour scorn on discussion groups, but, for Oxford students, it seems counter-intuitive to enter the fray without a really good idea why one is doing so.None of this means that there aren’t worthy campaigns out there, nor indeed that taking direct action is always a fruitless task. The seemingly innocuous ‘Oxford Interview Office’ recently opened, in interestingly close proximity to the McDonald’s on Botley Road. The establishment of such interrogation centres, intended to vet people before issuing their first passport or – more insidiously – placing them on the National Identity Register, is certainly something to worry any liberty-loving British subject. Although Oxford students will quickly apprehend both the danger and the indignity involved in being required to go through an interview process in order initially to leave the country, and later simply for existing, it seems unlikely that the clandestine encroachment of Big Brother will motivate many to march through the streets. Far better to attend the amusingly monikered ‘BBQ for the Grilling Centre’ arranged by Oxford No2ID this Sunday. Students needn’t feel guilty if they prefer their activism to involve discussion, fun, or free food. If liberty can’t taste sweet, what on earth is the point?  Ronald Collinson is Treasurer of Oxford Students for Liberty, whose Rum and Rights events run at 8pm on Mondays of even-numbered weeks this term. A group for the BBQ will meet outside the Saïd Business School at 12.15p.m. Contact 07753463973.

Oriel has launched an investigation following news that the JCR Treasurer revealed the name of a student receiving money through the College Hardship fund.The details, including the name of the person and the amount received, were outlined in a JCR email about accounts sent by Treasurer James Pickering last weekend. The hardship fund is funded by all members of the JCR, which then allocates grants to students who are thought to deserve financial assistance.Pickering said, “What happened was we had a changeover of JCR Treasurer at the end of last term. I was going to distribute the accounts through an email, but before sending the email, I forgot to remove the name of the recipient of the hardship fund. When I released the accounts, the surname of the individual who received money last term was in the accounts. It was the previous Treasurer’s accounts but I mistakenly left the name in.”He added, “Naturally the day that this was released I was alerted to this fact and made an apology to the individual affected. The JCR obviously knows about this, I made an apology about it then and an email will be distributed to the JCR making an apology for this occurrence.”Oriel JCR president, Tom Callard, confirmed that the Dean and Bursar were investigating.Pickering responded, “I haven’t been alerted of this, all that we know is that a previous JCR Treasurer, Cameron Penny, threatened to tell the Dean. The President of the JCR was informed that the Dean would be told but I haven’t been contacted by either him, Mr Penny or the Dean about this. I had a meeting with the Bursar and the Accountant recently and this matter came up. Naturally, I was told to be more careful in future.”One Oriel student, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “The JCR President seemed to think it was a small error, but if I were one of the people named, I would feel exposed and humiliated. I think they deserve at least an apology, if not to ask for the Treasurer’s resignation.” The Bursar was unavailable for comment.by Katherine Hall
PHOTO: Tom Wild

An Oxford pharmacologist has attacked the government’s plans to upgrade cannabis to a class B drug, ignoring directions not to speak to journalists.Professor Les Iversen (above), a leading expert on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), said that the government should not ignore the advice of the group, which is expected to conclude that reclassification is not justified.“I was not pleased to read what appears to be a deliberate leak about the government’s alleged intention to reclassify, regardless of advise received,” Iversen said.His outburst follows claims that the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jaqui Smith are determined to reverse the decision to downgrade the drug to class C once the ACMD has completed their report in the next few months.He claimed that if the government went ahead with reclassification regardless of the ACMD’s report, its authority would be undermined.“If [we] were to recommend no change and this were to happen, I believe it would be the first time that any Home Secretary acted against the recommendations offered and it would call into question the whole function and future of this group,” he continued.The general recommendations of the ACMD report are not yet known, but ministers are already making clear that Jaqui Smith is prepared to overrule the expert group.According to the Reverend Martin Blakeborough, a former member of ACMD, Les Iversen and his collegues will be opposed to the Government’s stance. “There is no significantly new evidence to suggest that cannabis is any more harmful than in the last review we did eighteen months ago,” he explained. “There is no way that the ACMD would support any reclassification of cannabis unless there were some political shenanigans going on.”by Omotola Akerele