Cherwell Vol.273 No.2

Friday 17th October 2014

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Inside: C+ investigates JCR spending

YouGov CEO Peter Kellner on politics and polling

Naomi Klein on Big Oil and capitalism

Cherwell Independent since 1920

Confusion at OUSU over Free Education vote

1st Week Vol. 273, No.2

Activist conference evicted and relocates Lucy Valsamidis News Reporter

OUSU Council commits £200 to subsidise transportation to London Free Education demonstration Robert Walmsley Deputy Editor OUSU COUNCIL has voted to provide £200 of funding for transportation to a Free Education protest scheduled for Wednesday 19th November in central London. The vote took place on Wednesday night amongst much confusion with both the debate and the voting mired in procedural issues.

The original motion, proposed

by OUSU Disabled Students Officer James Elliott and seconded by OUSU Access and Admissions Officer Annie Teriba, called for OUSU “to support free education as a policy and the NUS campaign against fees and debt”, as well as to provide financial and organisational support.

However, OUSU Council only agreed to provide the financial and organisational resources requested, voting to delay debating Free Education as OUSU policy until a vote in 3rd week. The decision followed complaints from several JCR Presidents

that they had not been given enough notice about the motion to consult students on the issue.

The version of the motion passed at OUSU Council requires OUSU to organise subsidised transport from Oxford to the demonstration and to sell tickets for it. The planned protest was first called by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC), and has since gained support from the National Executive Council of the NUS, the Student Assembly Against Austerity, the Young Greens, as well as a number of uniOUSU Disability Officer James Elliott described the vote as a clear demonstration that “OUSU is standing up for students in the fight for free education”.

versities including Manchester, Sussex, Brighton, Royal Holloway, Sheffield and Aberdeen. However, other student groups, such as Labour Students, have said that they will not be

supporting the protest.

Speaking about the motion, James Elliott, who is also a member of the National Executive Council of the NUS, told Cherwell, “I’m delighted the vote passed, and that OUSU is standing up for students in the fight for free education. While some argued we should have sat on our hands and done nothing, I encourage those who think education is about more than profit to join us on the demonstration.”

OUSU VP for Academic Affairs James Blythe, referring to the division of the motion over various meetings, commented, “I’m glad Council decided to spend its money to allow students who are passionate about their cause to demonstrate and be part of a significant, nationwide student movement. That is totally separate from the setting of OUSU policy on education funding, which we’ll be debating in 3rd week.

I look forward to that discussion in Council. All those involved are committed to having a constructive, open and respectful debate.”

The motion, which follows the postponement of cuts to the Disabled Student Allowance and the student loan book sell-off, referenced the total abolition of tuition fees in Germany earlier this month. The debate over free education at OUSU Council also comes after comments

by Oxford University Vice-Chancellor Andrew Hamilton in October 2013, which suggested tuition fees should be raised to up to £16,000 per year.

However, the passing of the Free Education motion was marred by disorder when, following an initial debate, voting on whether to adopt Free Education policy was moved to 3rd week, after a procedural motion.

This delaying motion was initially declared to have passed after a majority voted in favour, with a large group of primarily pro-voters leaving the meeting shortly afterwards.

However, after many of the voters had left, the chair realised that the procedural motion vote had been wrongly conducted. continued, p.3

AN ACTIVISTS’ CONFERENCE designed to tackle the housing crisis in Oxford continued over the weekend following eviction from a Universityowned building in Osney. It eventually had to move to Cowley Road Methodist Church.

The three day conference, termed ‘House of the Commons’, described itself as an forum for “examining the current context and drivers of the crisis with the aim to explore creative solutions to these problems”.

Campaigners, who initially occupied The Old Power Station, were evicted on Wednesday. The University said, “The Old Power Station is not a disused building, but it is used for storage for the University’s museums and has hosted art exhibitions in recent years. The people occupying left the building left peacefully and we consider the matter closed.”

However, reactions to the eviction were mixed from students and the wider community, with some students criticising the move. continued, p. 5

Owen Jones and The Establishment Oliver Hurcum reviews Owen Jones’ new book The Establlishment and asks if he has a point

Comment, page 8 The Oxford HUB and social action Tutku Bektas talks about the new projects being run by OxHUB, promoting charity and ethics

Lifestyle, page 13 The Director of the Ashmolean retires Luke Barratt talks to Christopher Brown as his 16 year tenure comes to an end

Culture, page 26

Cherwell | 17.10.14

2 | News

Exeter appeals for return of boycott cartoon

EXETER COLLEGE JCR is appealing for the return of a cartoon stolen from the JCR earlier this term.

The cartoon, which was replaced in its frame with a newspaper page around 26th September, depicted the College’s Bursar and Rector barricaded in college kitchens during Hilary term’s student hall boycott. Following

the boycott, the College Rector bought the cartoon on behalf of the JCR for £250. At the time, Exeter students were protesting against the £840 yearly catering levy.

Following discussions between College and JCR, an amnesty has been offered for the return of the sentimenal piece. JCR Secretary Tutku Betkas explained, “our situation is cur-

rently nerve-breaking, especially considering the sentimental value of the cartoon. It was drawn in the middle of our hall boycott, when we desperately needed some motivation and when there were disparities about whether to continue the boycott or not.”

JCR President Richard Collett-White told Cherwell, “The JCR is saddened by the myste-

Oxford tour guide hopping mad at City Council

Mad Hatter claims that Oxford City Council is corrupt and biased against independent tour guides Michael Protheroe News Reporter

AN OXFORD TOUR GUIDE is protesting on Broad Street against Oxford City Council and Visit Oxfordshire over what he claims to be a monopoly funded by taxpayer money.

Alasdair de Voil, known locally and to tourists as the “Mad Hatter”, claims that Visit Oxfordshire do not offer unbiased or impartial information on walking tours in Oxford and that council tax is being used to prop up a monopoly and undermine local tour guide operators.

He believes that Visit Oxfordshire gives preferential treatment to the tour run by the Guild of Guides, which he says does not pay the fee of £360 plus VAT a year for the partnership scheme to which tour guides in the city can join for standard membership.

This membership includes benefits such as having leaflets on display in the Tourist Information Centre on Broad Street.

Mr de Voil says that this is a private company and yet is funded by £250,000 per annum in council tax funds.

He claims that 98% of the adverts on their website are for their own “official” tours, despite not paying the partnership fee. Due to this, he believes that Oxford City Council and Visit Oxfordshire are unfriendly, inept and corrupt.

He said, “The visitor information centre does not operate for or on behalf of either the interests of independent tour operators or the general public.

“If the visitor centre were run fairly and professionally without their own blatantly gross conflict of interest to do not much else than market their own selected ‘Official Oxford walking tour’, then the marketplace would be much more accessible to us.

“Like nearly all other enterprising local individuals who have paid Visit Oxfordshire a partnership fee, we are extremely unhappy with how Visit Oxfordshire delivers

the visitor information service- which is supposedly a public function tendered to them by the local council.

“Tour operators like myself have paid them partnership fees and seen almost no return on investment at all. We have also sent random people inside to check out what their staff are telling the public. They usually won’t tell you about any other tours unless you ask them to do so and because the centre’s signage and windows and reception counters only offer you one choice, most people never realise to ask otherwise.

“In any business, one has competition and as guided tours is an unregulated industry, there’s also unfortunately lots of false advertising dominating our marketplace opportunity today too.

“Oxford’s small businesses are struggling enough without having to compete with a publicly funded public service, whose remit,

almost anyone would have assumed, is to support

and benefit businesses like ours. Instead, we have to compete with them. This is not fair and it’s corrupt use of public money to be propping up a monopoly interest.”

Giles Ingram, chief executive of Visit Oxfordshire, said in response to the allegations, “We are not in any way corrupt and we are very open in the way our policies and procedures work, which have been examined and all been found to be above board. We have been totally above board in all our dealings.

“Our website reflects our policies and the way in which we work, which again has been scrutinised thoroughly by exterior bodies.

“All of these issues have been set out in our policies.”

He said in regards to the Guild of Guides not paying the partnership fee “They do subscribe.”

A quality charter has been introduced on the recommendation of the Local Government Ombudsman to which all tour operators have been asked to sign up and all other recommendations

have been met in full.

He reiterated that Visit Oxfordshire had been unable to come to an agreement with Mr de Voil and he has been offered a refund of his membership.

rious disappearance of the Cut The Catering Charge (CTCC) cartoon, drawn last year by the fair hand of Exonian Max Mulvany. I find it incomprehensible why anyone would want to rob the JCR of such a precious artefact, and we appeal to anyone with information to come forward.”

Alex Stronell

This week News in Brief A NATIONAL CYCLING TOUR, “Cycle for Freedom”, leaves Oxford today for London on the final leg of its journey to raise money to combat human trafficking. Before departing for London, the team will be sent on their way by a flash mob of campaigners on Broad Street at 12.15pm, before MEP Catherine Bearder and trafficking expert Hazel Thompson will participate in a student panel discussion. A host of Oxford charities are working with, and benefiting from the tour.

THE OXFORD UNION have announced that world-renwowned American actor Morgan Freeman will speak to its members later this term. The event is scheduled to take place on 11th of November and was organised in cooperation with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the US based union representing actors. More information and speaker announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL released an ambitious plan to revolutionize transport across the city, including a proposed bus tunnel under the High Street and a congestion charge. However the cost is estimated at over £100 million, while Oxford’s medieval buildings would complicate tunneling.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS have released a new list of example questions asked at interview ahead of the UCAS deadline, along with suggested answers. The idea is that questions including “Why do Welsh speakers struggle with phone numbers?” and “If you could invent a new musical instrument, what kind of sound would it make?” are less intimidating once the context is explained.

CORRECTION ON LAST WEEK. The New Bodleian is in fact open to students. Everyone go! Just not for the public until March 2015.

News | 3

17.10.14 | Cherwell

Oriel Head Porter swaps pidge for parliament (potentially) Dicky Bird resigns in order to run as an MP for UKIP in next year’s General Election Daniel Ward News Reporter THE HEAD PORTER AT ORIEL, Kenrick “Dickie” Bird, resigned last Friday in order to stand as a UKIP candidate for the North Oxfordshire seat of Banbury at the next General Election.

Mr Bird, who worked at Oriel for over three years, said he left the College to devote his time to politics. In May, Mr Bird ran as UKIP candidate for a position as councillor for Blackbird Leys Ward in the Oxford City Council elections. He finished second with 20% of the vote, 47 points behind the Labour candidate.

Stuart O’Reilly, third year historian at Pembroke and Secretary of UKIP’s Oxford and Abingdon branch, was upbeat about Mr Bird’s campaign for a Commons seat, commenting, “Dickie is a top quality candidate who connects with and understands people and their concerns in the way the other parties can only dream of. He’d make an excellent MP for Banbury.”

The candidate himself was also buoyant.

He pointed to polling suggesting UKIP could win a quarter of the national vote. He also highlighted the Heywood and Middleton byelection, in which Labour held off the UKIP candidate by just 617 votes. “It shows there is no safe seat in the UK,” he remarked.

But Banbury is no easy target. It sits next to Prime Minister David Cameron’s seat of Witney and is historically Conservative. Sir Tony Baldwin has represented the constituency since 1983 although he has recently announced that he will stand aside at the next General Election. He declined to comment on UKIP’s prospects there at the coming election.

At the 2010 General Election, UKIP’s Banbury candidate secured just five per cent of the vote. However UKIP’s support has risen recently, with the party gaining its first MP earlier this month.

Rupert Cunningham, fourth year classicist and President of the Oxford University Conservative Association, was confident that the

Conservatives will see off any threat from Mr Bird and UKIP. He commented, “It’s easy to get overly concerned about UKIP, particularly following the Clacton by-election. Banbury is a safe seat, however. Safer than Newark, which the Conservatives held even in a by-election against prominent UKIPer, Roger Helmer. The Conservatives will hold Banbury in 2015, though I imagine Mr. Bird will make some gains.”

UKIP, with its anti-immigration and anti-EU platform, is unpopular with large swathes of the Oxford student population.

Editor of Spiked Online, Brendan O’Neill, told Cherwell, “Sadly, it doesn’t surprise me

“

British students have become very intolerant lately of any viewpoint that doesn’t chime with their own that Oxford students are shunning those who express support for UKIP. British students, including those at Oxbridge universities, have become very intolerant lately of any viewpoint that doesn’t chime with their own.”

According to O’Neill, who will later this term attend the Oxford Union to argue in favour of the proposition that “popular support is enough to justify a platform”, there is an irony in some of the more vehement condemnations of UKIP on campus. He said, “In the name of tackling bigotry, these intolerant student activists expose their own bigotry.”

Second year St John’s PPEist Jake Hurfurt said, “Mr Bird is fully entitled to stand as a

UKIP candidate for Parliament in Banbury, as he has a right to free expression and to partake in politics. Nevertheless, I do hope the constituents in Banbury see UKIP for what they are: a party of thinly veiled xenophobia with no cohesive policy platform and wholeheartedly reject them in May 2015.”

Aidan Hocking, a Global and Imperial History M.St student at Hertford, told Cherwell, “given how many international students there are at Oxford, I think it’s a bit worrying if an ex-porter is running for UKIP, which has made a name for itself for its anti-immigration policies.”

In a public Facebook post picked up by The Tab, former OUSU President Tom Rutland accused UKIP of “racism, sexism, homophobia and ableism.”

When questioned about accusations of xenophobia, Mr Bird pointed to his family, remarking, “I’ve been called a racist, but I find it difficult to be a racist when I have black family.” Asked what part of his family is black, Mr Bird said “it’s not important”.

Responding to criticism of his party’s stance on homosexuality, Mr Bird again invoked his family, saying, “I’ve been called homophobic, but I find it difficult to be homophobic when my sister is homosexual, and I love her dearly.”

Mr Bird was equally bemused at having been labelled “ableist”. “I had to look it up,” he chuckled. “I find it difficult to be ‘ableist’ when my sister is disabled and my daughter is mentally disabled.”

Recalling adverse coverage he received in the Oxford student press at the time of his previous tilt at public office, Mr Bird described such criticism as “water off a duck’s back.”

“UKIP,” insisted Mr Bird, “is not the twoheaded beast people claim it to be.” Referring to allegations of racism, sexism and homophobia, Mr Bird maintained that “there are no phobias or ‘-isms’ in UKIP.” James Eaton, a first year organic chemistry D.Phil at Magdalen, commented, “I don’t think it is any more significant for a former

Head Porter of Oriel College to run as a UKIP candidate than a former baker from Scunthorpe.”

In Mr Eaton’s opinion, media coverage of UKIP is excessive when compared with treatment of the other minor parties. He argued that this focus “shows the overall media bias toward UKIP, which I feel is related to sensationalist news reporting.”

“What I must condemn,” said Mr Eaton, “is the fact that this former Oriel porter is being publicised because he is running for UKIP, which is a political party that is not considered one of the big three in British politics.”

However the Oriel Porters’ Lodge alumnus and Royal Green Jackets veteran wants to change all that. “Recent polling puts us way ahead of the Lib Dems,” he said.

Standing for UKIP, said Mr Bird, is “incredibly exciting”.

See page 8 for a debate about tolerance for UKIP

Support for Free Education demo OUSU Council follow Balliol in commitment to support London protest

continued from front page A revote thus occurred, with some college representatives missing. A period of confusion then followed and the motion was eventually voted on in parts, with the decision of OUSU to fund and organise the protest transport passing 32 to 15, with 7 absentions.

Former Chair of OUSU Council Jack Matthews commented, “Wednesday’s Council was a complete farce. Putting aside the failures leading up to Council, which restricted Reps’ ability to consult Common Rooms on this most important of issues, the meeting itself descended into chaos. Members were left confused and frustrated — at one point several people left having been incorrectly led to believe the meeting had finished. There was a complete lack of leadership and guidance from the Chair.

“The first Council of the year is always full of first time attendees — I fear their experience on Wednesday will not inspire them to return and participate. Council has to be accessible and understandable, and instil confidence that the system works. I question whether the current Chair has the ability to deliver this.”

Hertford JCR President Josh Platt added, “Myself and some other JCR presidents were very concerned that we had not been allowed any time to consult our Common Rooms on such an important issue as free education. The agenda for the meeting was not sent round JCR presidents until late Wednesday morning, so there was no way we could have effectively represented the student opinion in our colleges.

Now that the debate on the substantive part of the motion has been pushed back to 3rd Week, I’m looking forward to hearing the views of our student body on how education in this country should be funded.”

In response to concerns about how the meeting was run, Chair of OUSU Council Anna Bazley told Cherwell, “We take student feedback very seriously at OUSU Council and will take

everything into account following the meeting last night.

“The complete agendas for all future councils will be sent out on the Friday before council to ensure that Presidents and Representa-

“

There was a complete lack of leadership and guidance from the Chair tives are able to consult their Common Rooms beforehand. We will also ensure that all future councils have a projector to re-affirm our commitment to paperless Council and to enable any changes to motions or the agenda to be visible to all members of Council.

“Regarding the procedural motion, I apologise for the fact that due to a miscommunication, proper procedure wasn’t followed.

Council processes are in place for a reason and I would like to apologise to anyone who was unable to vote or voice their opinion due to this mistake, and to anyone who felt alienated or confused by the lack of order that followed.

I would invite anyone to attend third week council where the majority of the motion will be debated in full.”

The pledging of £200 of OUSU funding from the campaigns budget follows Balliol JCR on Sunday unanimously passing a similar motion to support the demonstration, which was amended to provide £100 in funding — double the original £50 requested by the motion.

Cherwell | 17.10.14

4 | News

Oxford entry requirements stay put as AS-Levels head to scrapheap

Three mathematics courses demand A*A*A, as the government plans to “de-couple” AS qualifications from final A-Level grades Jonathan Yeung News Reporter OXFORD ENTRY REQUIREMENTS have remained the same for the third year in a row, with only three subjects demanding A*A*A. This is despite the government’s planned changes to the A level course structure.

17 courses currently require one A*, with the remaining 28 asking for three A grades.

Only courses in Mathematics, Mathematics and Statistics, and Mathematics and Philosophy ask for A*A*A. Cambridge, on the other hand, has upped its entry grades, with almost half of its courses demanding two A* grades.

An Oxford University spoksperson told Cherwell, “There has been no change this year in the entry requirements at Oxford, unlike at Cambridge.

“Any decision to change conditional offer requirements is up to individual subjects. Oxford University also uses subjectspecific aptitude tests as a fair way o f benchmarking the subject aptitude of all candidates, whether they take A-Levels or not.”

In justifying the A*A*A requirement for t h r e e m at h s courses, the Maths Departm e n t ’ s s p ok e s p e rson, Rebecca C o t t o n Barratt told Cherwell,

“For reference, 28 per cent of Further Maths A level entries were awarded an A* in 2013, and 17 per cent of Maths A level entries were awarded an A* in 2013.”

The news about A-Level requirements comes as the government announces a plan to effectively scrap AS-Levels, de-coupling the qualification from the A-Level by 2017 so that they no longer count towards the main A-Level grade.

An Oxford University spokesperson explained, “Oxford University does not use ASLevels in a mechanistic way as part of its selection process, but believes AS-Levels serve a useful purpose, particularly for candidates from backgrounds with little progression into higher education.

“AS-Level results can be an important chance to build students’ confidence in their academic ability and potential, which is particularly important for students from widening participation backgrounds.”

Dan Lande, a second-year mathematician at Oriel, told Cherwell that the high offers “shouldn’t present much of an issue for those students who have the offers. Of course, it may deter some people from applying but in my opinion it isn’t really any higher a barrier to entry, because most people who take science subjects are probably quite likely to get the A*s anyway.

“I don’t think I would be deserving of a place if I didn’t get the two A*s required.”

Samuel Rutishauser-Mills Comment Entry Requirements should factor in household income

I

f Oxford chooses to follow Cambridge next year and raise its entry requirements, it would benefit those schools which can meritocratically select their intake — the schools which can focus on high achievement, where all resources can be concentrated on turning As into A*s rather than getting half of the class to the C grade boundary.

It would benefit schools who sit on pupils until they can regurgitate the contents of a CGP textbook. It will benefit those schools that have the best teachers in the country; where small classrooms mean they can spend more one-on-one time with their students.

In short, higher grade requirements would only benefit private schools and, to an extent, grammar schools, meaning this can only be detrimental from an access perspective.

In fact, there are now even greater reasons that should make us wish to reject higher grade requirements for Oxbridge; specifically, uniformly higher grade requirements for all applicants. Last year, a group of researchers at the University of Warwick published a very interesting paper. They showed that an individual’s IQ — usually considered to be static and unchanging — is actually a function of that individual’s financial hardship at the time of performing the IQ test.

They showed that Indian farmers had higher IQs post-harvest (in times of relative prosperity) than they did pre-harvest (in times of relative poverty), by up to 10 points. The researchers suggested that the kind of considerations a person makes about finance actually impede cognitive performance,

and furthermore, the less well-off a person is, the more impeding these considerations are.

Therefore, we would expect to find at ALevels (which are undoubtedly more difficult for less well-off pupils due to stress attendant on poverty) an equal depression in

“

With publicity, the media invite her to continue writing performance for such pupils compared to their wealthier peers. However, at Oxford, backed by a system of grants and loans, these stresses should hopefully be alleviated, allowing less well-off pupils to flourish better here — on the same plane as those who had it easier at secondary school.

Imagine if less well-off pupils at secondary school had to simultaneously complete a Sudoku puzzle during their A-Level exams, whereas private school pupils did not; obviously such a practice would be unfair, but this is the kind of cognitive disadvantage that some pupils face, albeit in a much more subtle manner.

If Oxford chooses to raise their entry requirements in the future, they should make such requirements based on factors such as household income. Only then can they really claim to truly be selecting the most deserving.

17.10.14 | Cherwell

News | 5

Old members out of order at Keble bop ‘No make-up selfie’ attacker denies assault Keble officials react to complaints about sexist behaviour at Entz event Stanislas Lalanne News Editor AN INVESTIGATION is underway at Keble after a group of former members of the Keble rugby team attended a college bop and behaved in an inappropriate and sexist manner. Some of the offenders have since been banned from any similar occasions in future.

The bop took place after the annual match between old and new members of the Keble rugby team, and all the inappropriate behaviour is thought to have been caused by the old members.

Shortly after the bop, the JCR’s Welfare Officers circulated an email stating, “We are writing to you about the events of the bop on Saturday night. It has come to our attention that some of the ex-members (“Ghosts”) who were present behaved inappropriately. This behaviour is unacceptable and an anomaly at Keble.”

The email continued, “If you were made to feel uncomfortable in any way at the bop, please contact a member of the Welfare Team... the college is fully supportive and wants to create a safe environment for its students.”

Meanwhile, JCR President Rosie Petersen commented, “Up until this year there have not been any incidents which have resulted in these kinds of complaints. The complaints that have been made about the behaviour of the alumni at the bop are highly unset-

The week in figures

£300

Amount given by OUSU and Balliol JCR for Free Education protest

21

Days since Exeter’s #CTCC cartoon was last seen

£1.80 Price of a pint at Keble bop

tling, and action is being taken.

“We are putting in place welfare provisions with the co-operation of the welfare team, the decanal team, and the peer supporters to make sure that anyone who was affected by the incident gets the support that they need.”

Referring to actions which Keble JCR would take in future to prevent a repeat of these events, she added, “We are also looking into solutions for the future, with the options of either changing the timings of the bop or the rugby match, or just ensuring that the alumni are out of the bar before the bop gets underway.

“The alumni whom we have already been able to identify have been banned from future similar events, and we are working to ensure that all of the offenders are identified. We also strongly encourage people to report serious incidents to the police.”

A Keble student who wished to remain anonymous told Cherwell, “I was at the bop and I remember seeing some older guys around that I didn’t recognise. I thought they looked a bit dodgy, but I didn’t speak or interact w it h them.”

Man pleads not guilty to Plush Nightclub assault in March Suzie Marshall News Reporter

A MAN ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING an Oxford student at Plush Nightclub in March has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Abdulrahman Abdelsalam, a 19 year old from Watling Avenue in Edgware, Greater London, has been charged with sexual assault and assault occasioning bodily harm. Abdelsalam denied these charges at Oxford Magistrates’ Court earlier this week.

Following the alleged assault in March, the 29 year old victim Jeanne Marie Ryan posted a ‘no make-up selfie’ of herself on Facebook with the caption, “For telling a guy in a club who groped me that it is completely inappropriate to touch a woman without her consent, I was beaten.”

Plush have said that they are “devastated” by the “revolting attack” that took place, and have offered assistance in helping the police to track down the accused. Manager Stuart Hayles told Cherwell, “We commend her positive action in showing her injuries and using what was a revolting and unprovoked attack to try and help others.”

Shortly after the assault, Ryan explained, “They were calculated blows, so I think he’s probably a really dangerous person, because he aimed directly for my nose, which is broken, and for my cheekbones.”

Her attacker is accused of punching her seven times, and Ms Ryan spent the Saturday night of the assault in hospital.

Her Facebook post included a link to the Oxford Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Centre (OSARCC) and after 10,194 shares, the linked page has raised £19,458.75 for the charity to date.

With this money, the charity aims to provide confidential advice, support, and counselling for female victims of sexual abuse, rape, domestic abuse and harassment.

Natalie Brook, former service manager at

OSARCC, told Cherwell, “Unfortunately, it’s not an isolated case. We see things like this in Oxford regularly; we know that it happens across the UK - 400,000 women will experience some form of sexual violence every year.”

Second year Natasha Gillies commented, “By focusing on (anonymously) publicising issues pertaining to sexual violence and abuse, it becomes easier for victims to speak out about their own experiences; it’s especially important that organisations are there for people who have experienced sexual violence and are able to help them.”

An OSARCC spokesperson told Cherwell, “Jeanne Marie’s ‘no make-up selfie’ highlights that sexual violence is an issue in Oxford, as it is in all other parts of the UK. One in five women have experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 16, and only 15 per cent of these chose to report to the police.

“Her campaign has helped highlight services like OSARCC which are on offer to survivors, and the money she has raised will ensure the continuation of our services for those who might wish to access support for any experience of sexual violence.”

Activists’ conference deemed success despite eviction

“House of the Commons” conference continues after activists forced to leave Old Power Station continued from page 1 Xavier Cohen, a member of the Oxford Activist Network, said, “Whilst the eviction is within the law, we need to question what the law is doing here. It’s facilitating the prioritisation of private property rights over allocating housing and space to those who actually need it and will make use of it.”

The Oxford Green Party also added its voice to the controversy. Ruthi Brandt, Councillor for Carfax Ward, remarked, “We feel that the University has really let down the wider community and has squandered an opportunity to join the housing debate.”

She continued, “The Old Power Station, a beautiful big building in such a central location, has no business being practically empty and out of bounds to the public. I hope that the recent squat by the House of the Commons will remind the heads of the University that the place has stood empty long enough, and it is time to consider how it can benefit the community.”

However, a University spokesperson told Cherwell that it “intends that all its buildings will be used and we are constantly reviewing the status of our properties. A major priority of the University is to provide accommodation for as many of our students as possible in order to ease the burden on Oxford’s rental market.”

Despite the eviction, events went on as planned as the activists relocated to Cowley Road Methodist Church.

The programme of events included talks and workshops on homelessness, fuel poverty and alternative housing models. One participant termed the conference a “wonderful success”, telling Cherwell that “so many people — from very different backgrounds and with different experiences — participated, learning about the root causes of the housing crisis, debating radical solutions, and making new connections which are the seeds

for implementing these solutions.”

University members were among those who praised the conference. Sophie Terrett, a thirdyear undergraduate and member of the Oxford Tenants’ Union, told Cherwell that the protest was relevant to students, saying, “In a recent NUS survey, 50 per cent of Oxford students said that they had experienced delays by their landlord when in need of house repairs and 20 per cent have experienced an animal infestation in their accom modat ion.

This is clearly unacceptable and reflects a wider problem with student housing in Oxford and beyond.”

Danny Dorling, Oxford Professor of Human Geography, also took part in the conference, leading a presentation on inequality and the housing crisis. He told Cherwell, “In most of the country, many housing problems can be solved, given the housing stock that currently exists, by using it more efficiently, as we used to use it. However in Oxford, and especially nearby in London, there simply is not enough housing for the population any more.”

Highlighting the structural problems that this causes in the community, he added that the “lack of housing makes it hard to run universities, hospitals and local businesses”.

The protest comes as part of an ongoing debate over housing in Oxford, with a recent study showing that this is the most expensive place to buy a house in the UK, with property costing on average eleven times the salary of the average Oxford worker.

On average, homes in British cities now cost 5.8 times the typical local salary, while the price of an average property in Oxford has risen to £340,864, according to a recent study by Lloyds Bank.

News | 6

17.10.14 | Cherwell

Ice Hockey teams brace for winter blues Pupils to start at 10am thanks to Oxford research University team hit with funding accusations as they face former Blues

Tom Calver News Editor ACCUSATIONS HAVE BEEN made about the newly renamed Oxford University Ice Hockey team, who changed their name from ‘Oxford University Vikings’ two weeks ago.

The accusations, made from an anonymous source through a series of Freedom of Information Acts, ask questions including why a team of “mainly Oxford Brookes students playing under the Oxford University name received more funding from Oxford University than the entire clubs of 73 other Oxford University sports in 2012-13.”

Oxford’s Ice Hockey scene has been tainted with controversy since the entire Men’s Blues team resigned from the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club (OUIHC) in November 2012 to form a breakaway team, the Oxford Blues.

At the time, they claimed it was a protest against “a year-long campaign of unethical treatment against our team by OUSF [Oxford University Sports Federation].”

The team wrote shortly after the resignation of their wish to continue to play under the name “Oxford University Ice Hockey Club, the name that has represented our team, the second oldest ice hockey team in the world, for 127 years”, but this request was denied due to there being no official ties left between the team and University.

The resignation of the Men’s Blues left only the Women’s team and the Oxford University Vikings, the Men’s second team, representing the University. The Vikings were promoted at the end of last season, and having changed their name to “Oxford University Blues”, are now in the same division as the Oxford Blues team that resigned in 2012.

The two Oxford teams play each other on 15th November.

For several years, Oxford Brookes students have been allowed to play for OUIHC, as long as they constitute less than twenty per cent of the squad and

do not participate in varsity matches. After the resignation of the Men’s Blues — all of them students at the University — the proportion of Brookes students in 2012/13 was greater than the twenty per cent permitted.

As a result of this high proportion of Brookes students, the University Blues have been accused of “false representation.” One of the accusations made by the whistleblower asked, “Why did this team change its name from ‘Oxford University Vikings’ to ‘Oxford University Blues’ in October 2014, just one week before the University was due to answer FOI questions on this team’s funding?”

However, an OUSF spokesperson told Cherwell that in 2013/14 the club “met all the requirements for non-University member”, and that as the University’s official team, the Vikings were free to choose their name.

The accusation that this team “received more funding from Oxford University than the entire clubs of 73 other Oxford University sports in 2012-13” relates to the University capitation levy funding given to the Vikings team for 2012/13. While £1,856 and a further £1,000 were added to the team’s Capitation fee account, the first sum relates to money ‘returned’ into the Capitation account by the resigned Blues team and designated ‘Vikings money’. The second sum refers to a transfer from a donation deposit account, according to the results of the FOI Act. Reiterating the fact that the money given was made up of donations and money returned by the resigned Blues squad, an OUSF spokesperson declared that the Vikings received “no funding in 2012/13 that was directly derived from Capitation fees, nor in fact from Oxford University funds.”

The Oxford Blues’ ‘Blues’ status was in fact removed in May 2013 as they were then voted off the committee. The club told Cherwell that, “Since then, the team has created its own Blues Award, the Campbell Blue, just as the Boat Clubs of Oxford and Cambridge originally did back in the 19th Century.”

Cherwell

EDITORS Ella Richards (Exeter), Samuele Volpe (Exeter) editor@cherwell.org DEPUTY EDITORS Robert Walmsley, Luke Barratt, Charlie Atkins, Helen Thomas, Alex Stronell editorial@cherwell.org NEWS Tom Calver, Stan Lalanne, Georgia Latham, Ellen Brewster (Broadcasting) news@cherwell.org NEWS REPORTERS Ellen O'Neill, Thea Slotover, Yunfei Yang, Rebecca Grant, Maria Wilczek, Lucy Valsamidis, Emilia Carslaw,

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Study will investigate whether a late start impacts pupils’ exam results Shannon Britton News Reporter A NEW STUDY conducted by Oxford University will see tens of thousands of secondary school students start school later in order to investigate whether it will have a positive impact on exam results.

In recent years neuroscience studies have proved that the typical teenager’s body clock differs from that of an adult’s, as teens are predisposed to fall asleep around midnight, and are not fully engaged with their studies until around 9 to 10am; around two hours after most adults.

The study, involving over 30,000 pupil participants across a hundred schools, and running over a four-year period, hopes to find whether timetabling school around the typical teenager’s circadian rhythms — the pattern of sleep — will improve their GCSE grades. Some pupils will have the opportunity to start at 10am, and will also be given education on the importance of getting sufficient sleep in personal, social and health education lessons.

Neuroscientists say that the ‘out of sync’ teenage body clock can affect some individuals up to the age of 19 in females and 21 in males, meaning that it may also affect many University students. Speaking to Cherwell, Angela Stephen, a biochemistry student at Oxford University said, “if there was the option to start an hour later, it would enable me to work later into the night. I think that my brain is more active as the day goes on – I work better then, and so a later start would actually be more productive for me.”

Biological factors are not the only ones to blame for the ‘out of sync’ clock. Professor Russell Foster, Director of the Oxford University Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, said “this biology, along with the impact of social media and other sociocultural influences, delays bed and wake times and greatly shorten sleep.”

The study is led by Oxford’s Professor Colin Espie, who commented, “our grandparents always told us that sleep is very important, but it’s only recently that we have started looking at the neuroscience of sleep. We know that

something funny happens when you’re a teenager, in that you seem to be out of sync with the world. Your parents think it’s because you’re lazy and opinionated and everything would be okay if you could get to sleep earlier. But science is telling us that teenagers need to sleep more in the mornings.”

He added, “society’s provision for learning is school, but the brain’s is sleep. So we’re exploring the possibility that if you delay the schools start time until 10am, that will improve learning performance.”

The effect of beginning students’ studies later in the day has been previously investigated. In 2009, Monkseaton School in North Tyneside took part in a pilot study that found that starting school just one hour later improved grades by up to 19% in core subjects. However, the school returned to starting at 8.50am after head teacher Paul Kelley’s departure, suggesting that it may take time before the results are widely accepted. Paul Kelley is now an associate at Oxford University’s Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute.

The study is part of several that are looking at ways of improving student’s academic performance. Another study being conducted by both Oxford and Oxford Brookes Universities is investigating the impact of physical education on Year Eight pupils’ classroom work, as in many cases students are not active during 50% of their Physical Education lessons.

The results of the sleep study will be published in 2018.

PROFILE

“

Kellner actually cites the Scottish referendum as a YouGov success story tion of potential abuses of polling. It is, after all, fairly easy to skew greatly the results of a poll through the phrasing of the questions or the order in which they are asked and so I wondered what safeguards YouGov had in place to ensure that their polls were as objective and neutrally conducted as possible. The answer to this was simple: “Transparency”. All the majoring polling companies are members of the British Polling Council, which requires them to publish their findings in full, including the exact details of any questions asked. Even a cursory look over the full findings would reveal if a “push poll” (i.e. a politically loaded one) had occurred and, as Kellner points out, “No one wants to be shown up to be asking loaded questions.”

Another hot ethical issue is the question of whether polls, in fact, have too much influence, causing politicians too often to change direction and not stay the course. Indeed, it could be suggested that it would be better for our politi-

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narrative arc in British politics, namely the trajectory of UKIP and, in particular, the Conservative MPs who have defected to it. Indeed, the next by-election, the one to be held in Rochester and Strood on the 6th of November, is by far the more interesting one.

For w h i l s t Carswell h a s an immensely strong personal following and thus Clacton can be seen as an outlier, Mark Reckless does not, thereby making the race much closer and a potential UKIP victory there all the more significant. Hearteningly for UKIP, Kellner is predicting a UKIP win, albeit a closer one, “As for Rochester, I would expect Reckless to hold it, but it is quite interesting that the Tories seem to have their gander up on Rochester and are going to make more of a fist of it.” But that is not the end of the story. For Kellner also predicts that whilst Reckless might win Rochester in the by-election, the battle there in May 2015 could be “very close indeed”.

It seemed natural, after so much talk of UKIP, to broach the topic of the potential European referendum in 2017. On this, Kellner proved to be intriguing. For him, David Cameron seemed to be the key, as such a referendum would only happen in a world where the Conservatives won the next election and thus Cameron remained as Prime Minister.

In such a world, the result would depend on the outcomes of Cameron’s attempts at renegotiation: “As long as Cameron comes back and says ‘I have protected vital interests and I recommend a vote to stay in,’ the UK will stay in.

If Cameron comes back and says, ‘I failed to get a suitable deal and we will leave,’ then I think it is going to be very tight.” According to Kellner, the polling evidences the importance he places on David Cameron. The key demographic in determining the election is a particular type of Tory voter who, although sceptical about Europe, would “toe the line if their leader said so.” And indeed, his overall prediction is that it will be a vote to stay in the EU, on the back of Cameron returning from his negotiations with a good deal he can sell to the electorate.

I came away from my conversation with Kellner conscious of a man who saw his profession more as a vocation. For him, the provision of accurate representations of public opinion, for the information of politicians and normal people alike, is an essential element and one that he is determined to provide. In that sense, he is a man on a mission us

cal system if we only had one poll, namely that held on election day itself. Kellner pours cold water over this idea, arguing that, “Polls are merely a mechanism for transmitting the public voice” and therefore only serve to “deepen and improve … the dialogue in a democracy.” Indeed, in his eyes, the problem, if problem there be, lies not with an overabundance of polling data but with the weakness of politicians, “If you have got a politician who is so feeble that they have got no principles or views of their own and simply want to do what the polls tell them, then they are a pretty terrible politician.”

Yet, Kellner also says “in my experience, that is not what happens.” Rather, polls and pollsters help to inform politicians on “how to present the argument, not on what the policy should be,” a perfectly legitimate role. By showing politicians what ordinary people are thinking, they equip those politicians with the means of selling their message most effectively. According to Kellner, “when you look at politics, it is incredibly hard to change voters’ minds through an advertising campaign or a slogan or a speech. The effective way of doing things is to take what people already think and go with that.” This is where the pollsters come in, as they can provide them with that vital information. A good example of this is the Conservatives’ infamous 1979 advertisement, adorned with a picture of a long dole queue and the caption, ‘Labour isn’t working’. According to Kellner, that poster was so effective because it “underpinned what voters already thought, that the economy was in a mess under Labour, and expressed it succinctly and vividly.”

This issue of whether polls have too much influence over politicians has most recently been keenly felt over the issue of Scottish independence. The Daily Mail slated YouGov, in particular, for its polling on the issue, arguing that the final result suggests that inaccurate polling panicked party leaders into making an unnecessary, dangerous pledge on devolution.

Faced with this charge, Kellner is unrepentant, arguing that the poll was a true representation of the state of affairs as it was ten days to two weeks before referendum day. The proof, he argues, lies in the fact that after the initial YouGov polling showing a lead for yes, “Each of the four companies in the next week produced polls which were 50-50 +/- 1.” The discrepancy between these polls and the actual result, he would contend, was not caused by faulty polling but by a genuine change in people’s attitudes between when the polls were conducted and Referendum Day. Moreover, if you look at the YouGov poll conducted on the day of the election, it was only 1% off the actual result and Kellner actually cites the Scottish referendum as a YouGov success story, saying it shows a “very good record of accuracy.”

On this subject of accuracy, the big debate in polling circles recently has been on whether polls are more accurate when conducted via telephone or online. YouGov have placed themselves squarely in the latter camp, conducting their polls online, where they have a panel of 400,000 British people to choose from. Whilst Kellner accepts that online polling is not the

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he influence of opinion polls in our society is hard to overstate. From arguments between friends to changes in governmental policy, they are constantly invoked.

Perhaps the most notable recent instance of the power of polling is the Scottish referendum: the shock YouGov poll of the 7th September 2014, putting Yes in the lead, caused serious panic amongst Westminster politicians. Indeed, it was ultimately responsible for the infamous pledge from the three Westminster party leaders, guaranteeing further devolution and a continuation of the Barnett formula. It is fair to say, therefore, that pollsters marshal a very potent force and so it was with much anticipation that I looked forward to interviewing Peter Kellner, President of YouGov and one of the foremost in their ranks.

As one might expect from a pollster, Kellner studied Economics and Statistics at Cambridge.

But for the first 30 years of his career, he worked as a political journalist, both in print and on the BBC before joining YouGov when it was founded in 2000. Interestingly, “90% or more of YouGov’s work is market research, not the polling we are known for”, according to Kellner, and when it was set up, polling was only one of many activities it was meant to undertake. Yet, it is their polling that they are known for and it is their polling which Kellner continues to write on in the commentaries he produces. He goes so far as to describe himself as a “recovering journalist”. Yet, he now writes “just on what the numbers say” and tries to maintain a neutral standpoint in his journalism.

This issue of neutrality led onto the ques-

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Peter Kellner talks polling, ethics, Europe, and elections with Tom Carter

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method for every poll, he sees it as preferable in most cases since “in commercial terms, online is a faster and cheaper thing to do. Then the question is, “Can you get as good a sample?” to which the answer is yes. More than 80% of people now have access to the Internet and to become part of the panel, they complete a detailed questionnaire about themselves. Therefore, when we select people to take part in a survey, we are able to do it in a much more sophisticated and fine-grained way to represent the population as a whole.” He also points out that response rates to telephone polls have been dismal in recent years, reaching into the single digits in the USA. Whilst the Scottish referendum is behind us, one of the most interesting things about interviewing one the UK’s top pollsters is finding out what he thinks lies ahead. He has already published widely on his thoughts on the 2015 General Election, arguing that the uncertainty surrounding UKIP and the Liberal Democrats make the election impossible to predict, but

“

His prediction is that Britain will vote to stay in the EU that a dead heat between Labour and the Conservatives in a hung parliament is likely.

However, I picked his brain on some of the less well-covered upcoming elections.

Luckily for him, he hit the first prediction I asked for on the nail, namely the results of the fiercely anticipated Clacton by-election. He said that he “would be astonished if Douglas Carswell did not win Clacton quite comfortably,” a view proven by Carswell’s whooping great victory there, gaining 59.7% of the vote. Yet, the byelection is but the beginning of an intriguing

COMMENT

Owen Jones, The Establishment and why he might have a point

Oliver Hurcum Contributor

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ince the publication of Chavs in 2011, Owen Jones, now a columnist for The Guardian and an internationally bestselling author, has been on the rise. Placed 7th in The Daily Telegraph’s ‘Top 100 most influential left-wingers’ list last year, the paper suggested, “He gets more media than the whole Labour front bench put together” — having witnessed Jones in action, it’s not difficult to see why. He “may have the face of a baby and the voice of George Formby,” in the words of comediancum-activist Russell Brand, but he is intensely charismatic — energetic, sharp and good humoured, it’s no wonder the cameras love him.

So yes, I might have a small crush on Jones — did the sycophantic introduction give it away?

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This elite acts to undermine democracy in a bid to further their private interests But readers will have to trust that my reverence doesn’t stretch to the extent that my assessment of his second book, The Establishment: And how they get away with it, is unduly biased in his favour.

The core message of The Establishment is simple: an unaccountable, unchallenged wealthy elite, united in a shared neoliberal ideology, lies

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at the heart of British democracy. Members of this elite include media moguls, Westminster politicians, City financiers and senior members the police. This elite acts to undermine or ‘manage’ democracy in a bid to further their own private interests at public expense. What we need, Jones concludes, is a “democratic revolution” to shift the ‘Overton Window’ — the boundaries of acceptable political debate — to a place where demands for a society run in the interest of the majority are in the mainstream.

The reaction to Jones in the press has been unsurprising, given that many journalists themselves were branded in the book as cardcarrying members of this “shadowy and labyrinthine” network. Paul Staines at The Spectator was unimpressed with his “partisan history”, Phillip Hensher from The Independent claims that the “author has little innate understanding of human nature”, while freelance journalist Christopher Snowdon, writing for the IEA’s blog, insists that Jones’ “definition of the Establishment is so broad as to be meaningless.” All in all, pretty damning stuff.

However, what is lacking in these public responses is any real engagement with the core issues Jones raises. Hensher, for instance, doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about, “People know each other! They hang out with each other!” is how he describes the system of social networks that connect the various strands of the Establishment, arguing that there “is no more a sinister Establishment among politicians and money men than there is among DJs on the club scene”. Except that it is so much more sinister.

Sure, MPs can have friends, but it’s fair to raise an eyebrow when the Prime Minister is having Christmas dinner with the man who owns an international media empire. The Press exist to hold the government to account; when the media and the government are in cahoots it is quite clear that there is little hope of that accountability.

Yes Samuel Rutishauser-Mills Deputy Comment Editor

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ho are the people who vote for UKIP? Are they “Fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists” as was suggested by David Cameron? Perhaps they are simply fascists, as countless Unite Against Fascism demonstrations would appear to imply. Maybe they’re a bit of everything: “racists, sexists, homophobes and bigots” as claimed by the Public and Commercial Services Union.

But maybe, just maybe, to the irritation of those who like colourcoded ring binders, the world isn’t as simple as the liberal elite like to make out. Instead, such moral absolutism in condemning UKIP supporters might not only be misguided but also actively damaging to the values we on the left try to uphold.

The problem has its roots in the tacit assumption that everyone else is ‘like us’. That is, we tend to erroneously hold people who espouse the anti-immigration, Islamphobic narrative that is rife within UKIP doctrine, to the standards of the university-educated middle classes. We are too ready to suggest that everyone is as culpable for their political views as the next person.

The reality is that not all UKIP vot-

Snowdon, too, is wide of the mark with his criticism of Jones’ chapter on the police. Believing that Jones has attempted to link “the Hills-

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The Press exist to hold the government to account borough cover up”, “the first Stephen Lawrence prosecution” and “the death of Ian Tomlinson” all to a devotion to “Hayekian economics” in politics, Snowdon misses the clearly stated and more simple argument, that the police “enforce a form of law that cracks down on the misdemeanors of the poor but which, as a general rule, defends the powerful”. The use of Public Order Acts and undercover officers to crack down on anti-establishment protestors (anyone remember ‘‘Occupy’?) are a testament to this fact.

The cases of Hillsborough, Lawrence and Tomlinson are reflections of an attitude of contempt toward those at the bottom of the social ladder — attitudes demonstrative of the Establishment.

Though clearly not an exhaustive defense of Jones, the cases above do demonstrate how liable Jones is to misinterpreta-

tion. The reason for being commonly misunderstood, I think, is simple — too few people take Jones seriously; commentators are lazy about critiquing his work. They see a fiery left-wing polemicist and so hear fiery left-wing polemics regardless of what is really being said – that Hensher claims Jones’ views are “absolutely predictable” is especially telling, indicative of prejudicial treatment.

Oxford, springboard for the establishment, especially needs to avoid this pitfall if it is to produce a generation less fixated on personal gain and more with public interest. Those with political, financial or journalistic ambitions (PPEists take note) should not write off Jones as some left-wing loon, and the Establishment as some illusory nightmare he’s concocted to sell his books.

They must engage with his assessment of this nebulous network if they are to avoid becoming part of it. Jones was himself an Oxford undergraduate once upon a time — so who knows, maybe there is hope for us all

Should the liberal elite be

Samuel Rutishauser-Mills and Jamie Jackson de

ers are the spawn of Slytherin. Class is a privilege that must be checked along with race, gender and sexuality.

What is true is that many people in Britain have experienced a discontent and disaffection few of us can begin to imagine; racist parents and peer groups, the necessity of seeking full-time employment at a young age, all-white council estates void of any ‘other’. These factors and more can become the parameters of a person’s existence. In many cases these people are victims – victims of social inequalities which manifest as a misguided ideology. Instead of demonizing and ignoring these victims, we should tackle the root of the problem: the social ills which created them.

Nevertheless, under a veneer of moralism, the liberal elite are unrelenting in their anti-UKIP dogma.

More elaborate and creative ways are used to disparage their supporters as crazed bigots in a outburst of self-righteous moral exhalation. The narrative reaches its peak at the most sacrilegious of accusations: the racist. Once deemed as such, the liberal elite is allowed to abdicate responsibility from correcting whatever it is that has made them this way.

The inevitable consequence of this ostracization of the UKIP voting demographic is a strengthening of UKIP’s appeal as a party for real working people, creating a cycle of denigration and reaffirmation. Ideas and

ideals, allowed to pass unchecked by the estranged left, are able to fester into something much uglier. There is no intellectual counter-voice for such disenfranchised people — just one which presupposes lunacy and bigotry on their part.

Sunday supplements packed with resorts, agar reviews, and hummus recipes are perhaps testament to the hijacking of the left wing press by the middle and upper classes. The disaffected UKIP voting working class are simply ignored, except that is, when they’re being ridiculed.

However, the values lefties fight for can only come with complete inclusion — we cannot neglect sections of the population by condemning them to society’s fringes. Thus, we cannot be so quick to demonise the UKIP as a troupe of racist bigots. Pretending this is the case serves to relieve guilt about the fact that our society is failing some people, but we must realise that it gets us nowhere near eradicating the injustice which produces political parties like Farage’s.

Instead, we need to try and understand precisely why this nationalist party has become popular. To do this we need to connect to the humans experiencing discontent, and furthermore, we must challenge the discontent itself. The left will work this out eventually, but whether or not they will through a premeditated change in strategy or brutal market forces, remains to be seen

Comment | 9

17.10.14 | Cherwell

Cherwell

Letters to the editors

editor@cherwell.org 7, St Aldates OX1 3BS @Cherwell_Online

Since 1920

Drunken fools?

With Freshers’ Week over, this editor has contracted Freshers’ Flu, despite meeting approximately four first years so far.

Thus she found herself hacking (with a cough) her way through OUSU Council, there to vote on the capital expenditure motion, colloquially known as Free Education.

Editing this week’s front page has proven hard; how do you sum up over two hours culminating in such classically bureaucratic phrases as “I move to vote on the move to vote”?

After experiencing the workings of OUSU first hand, it is easy to understand why many students feel so disconnected from their representative body. A meeting that began with Trup giving his summer report in the singer-songwriter style that made his name at hustings ended with voters leaving in confusion and nearcomplete frustration, the crucial point delayed by two weeks.

This editor could not help but be reminded of a similarly long meeting last term, in a very different chamber. The Union’s infamous ‘no-con’ ended with ROs’ flailing arms and rule books around the floor, and a much greater sense of frustration and anger than OUSU could ever muster.

With a surprisingly rich term card and new rules being brought in this week, the Union may be redeeming itself from some of last term’s bad press, opening the Society up to a new year with better prospects and higher involvement. It might be worth another President trying to do the same

People get drunk at bops; that’s what they’re for. They are great college occasions, according to this editor at least. However, some of the stories that have been bandied around the University’s community this week — in the wake of most colleges’ first bop of term, have been discomfiting at best, and disturbing at worst.

Keble’s event saw reports of drunken old members harassing new Freshers, but this is by no means the only college to have seen an unpleasant night.

In addition to this, there have been stories of several traumatic-sounding injuries being incurred — surely any concept which can result in more than one serious head injury over a weekend ought to be refined in some way?

This editor has no desire to be a killjoy, but it seems important that there be a recognition that letting what is essentially a private party get ‘out of hand’ so often is wrong.

It’s time that as a student body there was a collective taking of responsibility.

Vandalism and violation are far from funny topics and, to be fair to Keble JCR, their proactive response to a sordid affair speaks volumes.

Let’s keep getting drunk, let’s keep having fun, let’s keeping irritating our colleges by being loud and dancing to bad DJ sets, but this editor would love to see an end to the idea that bops are occasions where human decency goes out of the window

RE: “Banter”

Small Condoms

Can you PLEASE email The OxStu to ask if they can spell my name correctly on their website?

They keep ignoring me...

Sir/Madam, The point should be made that the size of condom handed out by Tab writers during OUSU’s Freshers’ Fair (that is, minuscule) suggests that a) The Tab have low expectations as to the size of Tab readers’ penises, or b) Tab writers themselves have micropenises and as such think their Tab branded condoms were of an average size. Your readers will be relieved to hear that Cherwell writers have far more impressive appendages (I’m assured).

Nick Mutch Squaddie, The Oxford Student The Selling of the Soul Guys, I’m slightly worried that I’m selling my soul to consultancy firms and corporate finance? My integrity is really suffering; I used to pity the poor jaded character who wrote love letters to big business, and now my conscience is conflicted guys.

Rowan Borchers OSPL Bang!

Hi Cherwell. Hi Cherwell. Hi Cherwell. Just wanted to ask why our column wasn’t in the paper last week? Why wasn’t our column in the paper last week? Why wasn’t our column in the paper las....

Oh never mind, it’s selfie time!

Jamie Jackson Contributor

C

oncerns about the impact of immigration, the effect of the EU, and the disconnect between politicians and ‘real people’ are legitimate; they are important debates that need to happen within the realm of popular politics. That some people support UKIP on account of those concerns is undoubtedly the case. Nevertheless, to allow UKIP to get away with claiming that they represent the ‘ordinary working man’ is both an insult to the vast majority of Britons and a dangerous narrative that assumes only UKIP can provide the solutions to such problems.

The crucial question is whether you sneer at UKIP, or those who support them. It is perfectly possible to laugh at the dinosaurs that inhabit such a party, without necessarily laughing at those who share certain viewpoints with them. Yet, I cannot help but think that UKIP is a fringe party with fringe solutions. A broadly libertarian economic policy — a national flat tax — is combined with protectionist rhetorical flourishes — “Nationalise the Railways!” — to produce an utterly incoherent message.

Does UKIP support a smaller or larger state? Does UKIP want us to trade with the outside world or retreat into

protectionism? Googling the ‘UKIP position’ on these questions didn’t help.

Admittedly, other mainstream political parties do not have entirely coherent answers to these questions either. Nevertheless, the Lib Dems, a party that seems to have undergone a five year identity crisis, at least have some common ideological ground.

A vote for the Lib Dems means a vote for a centrist party, which is somewhat economically interventionist, anti-war and strongly believes in civil libertarianism. I could not sum up UKIP’s position as a political entity in this way. It is so broad a church that its members seem to worship different political gods.

A common stance on one referendum question, the EU, does not make up for this. There is no shared vision for a post-EU Britain, except for the continued assertion that it would be better. In fact, Farage repeatedly avoids answering difficult questions on various political issues by claiming that they are less important than EU membership, or somehow tangentially linked to it. Blithely ignoring the fact that the European Court of Human Rights is a separate institution to the EU, he dodges answering queries about UKIP’s position on, for example, media regulation, by broadly blaming ‘Europe’ for any and every problem.

This lack of coherency is exacerbated by the fact that the councillors

We’ve just noticed that we are the last media outlet in the English-speaking world to cover the consent workshops at Oxford University. If we offer a reward can you find a writer for us?

Olivia Goldhill The Daily Telegraph Desperate?

Jack is sad that it’s our last day at OUSU Freshers Fair But there’s still lots of time to come meet Jack in Jack’s lonely Jack-filled corner.

Marco Narajos Editor, Bang! Science magazine

e more tolerant of UKIP?

ebate how we should respond to the rise of UKIP

A concerned observer Keble

Consent Coverage

Jack Myers Recent usurper

Tweet of the Week

Expanding bureaucracy

No

and MEPs of UKIP often show themselves to have views that deserve to be ridiculed. Without any ideological basis, it becomes impossible to claim that these ideas are ‘not part of UKIP’.

In fact, these idiosyncrasies and the avoidance of ‘politically correct’ viewpoints in part define Farage’s popularity. He laughs off the hateful statements made by his party representatives as if they are just part of its fabric. In reality, they seem to be the defining feature of his party.

At this point, I’ll confess to being a member of the privately educated liberal elite that is so often accused of sneering at UKIP. I sneered at them when they attempted to pretend that one councillor warning of ‘gay floods’ was not representative of entrenched homophobia in their party, and I sneered at them when Farage tried to claim that being scared of Romanians was not xenophobic. Angling my nose when any party member appears on TV is one of my favourite hobbies.

So, any time you see UKIP campaigners, don’t try and find out what they stand for, there’s no point. You’ll just end up getting the same evasive answers to the same boring questions. No matter how intelligent the party representative is, they can’t claim that UKIP has a policy on anything but unfounded post-Europe optimism. Laughing at their party is much more fun, and about as productive

Have your say If you would like to respond to any of the features in this week's edition, contact the Comment section at comment@ cherwell.org

10 | Comment

THE

OXSTEW

Freshers’ Week finally fucking over, everyone reports

S

ometime in the early hours of last Monday morning, initial reports suggest, Freshers’ Week finally fucking ended.

So far, the expiration of the seven-day period billed as the very pinnacle of youthful abandon has resulted in universal relief.

A brief survey of literally everyone in Oxford showed that, although anticipation had been running high for the annual ritual — usually characterized by fire safety talks, personality reinventions, and walking back to College cold and alone after yet another miserable clubnight — by the time it was halfway through, freshers, other years, tutors, administrative staff, and other Oxford residents couldn’t fucking wait for it to end.

“Jesus Christ, thank fuck starting university is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion”, one firstyear from Brasenose told The OxStew. “There’s no way in hell I’m doing that shit again.” The student, who wished to remain anonymous because he wanted his friends from home to think he had had “the most fucking massive week ever”, explained that he had been taken in by the promotional hype surrounding Freshers’ Week, only realising the grim truth when he found himself playing “ring of fire” for the third consecutive night. “It’s alright, though”, he said brightly, “I can’t wait for all the value I’ll get out of my Oxford Union membership!”

The week’s organisers were quick to agree. St. Hilda’s JCR Vice-President and Freshers’ Week supremo Fiona Maldini, in an email to her Common Room, wrote, “Thanks so much to the whole Committee and all of you lovely freshers for making it such an awesome Freshers’ Week!

But fucking hell, if I have to answer one more of your moronic questions about the laundry room I swear I will murder you in your sleep.”

One JCR President had to be admitted to hospital suffering from exhaustion after attempting to explain General Meeting procedure to first years in a single sitting.

The news comes amid suggestions that Freshers’ Week ought to be re-branded in order to ease the strain on impressionable first years and everyone else in the whole fucking city.

Dr Rowan McCafferty, chair of the University’s Tinker With Things Unnecessarily Committee,

“

If I have to answer one more of your moronic questions about the laundry room, I swear I will murder you in your sleep stated, “As the so-called ‘Freshers’ Week’ is in fact technically the first week at university for most students, the University is considering plans to re-name it ‘First Week’. And as nobody seems to enjoy the stress, strain, insecurities, and faint desperation of the week, the University is also considering plans to begin teaching during this ‘First Week’.”

Sources note that the official end of fucking Freshers’ Week, which mercifully is only once a bastard year, came when the remaining few impressionable idiots trying to “finish it all with a bang” arrived at the doors of the Purple Turtle at 1AM on Sunday night only to find them closed.

They are reported to have been inwardly relieved, and instead to have bought a kebab ‘for banter, because it’s Freshers’ Week’. As we go to print, it is thought that the kebab remains uneaten.

Alex in Pantry

Cherwell | 17.10.14

Naomi Klein on the struggle against fossil fuels, the free market, and Big Oil Niamh McIntyre Comment Editor

“O

nly mass social movements can save us now. Because we know where the current system, left unchecked, is headed. Our economic system and our planetary system are at war.”

Naomi Klein’s latest work, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate, is a scathing polemic against free market capitalism. Over the course of our interview, although she is warm, anecdotal and funny, underlying her every word is this irrepressible urgency. It feels fitting that my own meeting with her is incredibly rushed, with her schedule only allowing me ten minutes of her time. Naomi and I are both conscious that our time is running out.

When I initially ask her about the process of coming to write the book, it seems less a conscious choice than a compulsion; this is a book she had to write. “I wrote the book because I

“

We will stay locked in on this high emissions pathway until we have the ideological battle think that this has been the elephant in the room of climate debate. And we’re out of time.”

Klein’s elephant in the room is, of course, capitalism; capitalism in the broadest possible sense of the term, as an ideology and a material reality, a philosophy and an economic system.

Capitalism, according to Klein, tells us that “we just need to come up with cleverest technologies and then the problem will be solved.

“The truth is that technologies are fast evolving, and we’re still going in the wrong direction.” Faith in the free market explains the reason why, despite our collective awareness of climate change, we are still hurtling rapidly towards extinction. She tells me, “Oil companies are among the most profitable corporations in history. The Big Five oil companies have made $900 billion in profits from fossil fuels from 2001 to 2010. Free trade agreements, governments, lobbying power all collude in their favour to protect an elite minority.”

However, Klein goes on to reject the idea that she is politicizing climate change; climate change has always been political. “I don’t believe I’m inserting ideology into the climate debate — although some people claim that I am — I think that ideology has shaped our climate debate since the start. It has been highly ideological to assume that we should respond to this crisis with consumer choice or by creating markets. It’s just that we don’t see it as ideological, because capitalism is the dominant ideology.”

Klein, therefore, attempts to reveal the struggle between opposing political currents, and the ways in which these have dictated our response to climate change. “All I’m trying to do is reveal the way in which ideology has shaped our response, and how that has been such a central factor to the failure of that response.” That being said, this revelation is not an end in itself: Klein again employs the language of the crusade in asserting that ‘We will stay locked in on this high-emissions pathway until we have the ideo-

logical battle we have been avoiding.”

This Changes Everything is undoubtedly wa call-to-arms. It poignantly describes moments where there was a real possibility of environmental change: Kyoto, Copenhagen, the many broken promises of Obama’s presidency. I ask where she thinks we are now, whether we are at another critical historical moment. “Yes, I think that we are at another one of those peak moments. And the story of our climate engagement is a story of these peaks and valleys.”

“There were recently 400,000 people on streets of New York. It was the largest climate demonstration in history, and that very much felt like a turning point, because that march was a manifestation of the new spirit of climate activism which I document in the book. This is the flipside of the carbon boom.”

Energy corporations have, with consistent governmental support, responded to the impending disappearance of fossil fuel reserves with ever more aggressive and intense methods of extraction. And the ‘flipside’ is an intensification of the war on both sides. “In North America and Europe, fossil fuel companies are going down this extreme energy road and creating new carbon frontiers.

These [methods of extraction] are different from previous technologies just in terms of the sheer amount of land that is impacted. The amount of people who are in the crosshairs right now have built a movement.”

As fossil fuel companies desperately and aggressively try to seek out and exploit these new frontiers, they affect greater and greater numbers of people. Localism is a theme to which Klein repeatedly returns in her book, as a social doctrine which has broadened and diversified climate activism, forming new and unlikely coalitions. “It’s not a professionalized movement of NGOs, it’s a grassroots community movement built on love of place, that is much more passionate and feels a sense of urgency in a way that I

would say the last incarnation of the climate movement did not. Even in Texas, right, there’s a huge movement against the Keystone XL pipeline and it has to do with a sort of ‘don’t mess with Texas’ attitude. So it crosses ideological lines.”

But how do the local and the global interact?

How can small, grassroots campaigns hope to overthrow a transnational capitalism? For Klein, climate activism is only just beginning to assert itself as a global movement with unified aims and principles.

She says, “Something shifted a couple of years ago when climate became a layer uniting all of these different anti-extraction movements, and it started to be articulated as a movement against extreme energy.”

She goes on to talk to me about her own group, 350, who are opposed to the Keystone XL

“

Something shifted a couple of years ago when climate became a layer uniting all of these movements pipeline. “There’s been a lot of coalition building between these different movements across America.”

Despite her book’s devastating exposition of the power of multinational corporations, its poignant tales of the destruction of communities and broken promises, Klein’s is fundamentally a message of hope and possibility.

Every grim prediction of a carbon-heavy future is qualified with an if. She holds a belief that is increasingly common on the left: that the climate emergency, due to its urgency and its literally universal impact, could be a catalyst for sweeping social reforms.

“The central agenda which Klein’s latest work aims to alter is the fatalist acceptance of the inevitability of climate change. “The environmental crisis neither trumps nor distracts from our most pressing political and economic causes: it supercharges each one of them with existential energy.”

My own conversation with her ends on a similarly hopeful note. “Climate has always ranked low and traditionally been seen on the Left as this luxury issue — if you don’t have anything real to care about, you can care about climate change. But not any more.

People are making connections and we are building a movement”

PUZZLES

DEFINE: ‘carolitic’

TRIVIUM

In January 1912, an orphanage in Paris held a raffle in which the prizes were babies.

CONNECTIONS

Which of these is the correct definition of this word?

What links:

1. Suffering from muscle tissue atrophy 2. Engine powered by external combustion 3. Adorned with sculpted leaves or branches

1. Spiro T. Agnew 2. Edgar Allan Poe 3. Frank Zappa

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD Across 1. Alarmist makes hurrying geomancers take right (11) 6. At great cost to the start of a wedding sermon (6) 7. Attractive person wears stifling neckwear (6) 8. Orchestral piece depicts uncontrollable infestation (11) 11. Biscuit on the stove? No, boy! (6) 12. In baby lion I see demons (6) 13. Rankin and Godot disentangle a problem? (7,4) Down 1. Touring display needs looking after (5-6) 2. Sounds of Texas city evoked by English writer (6) 3. Oriental servant said: “This label is commonly found on consumer goods in the West” (4,2,5) 4. Ace and nun fool around with subtlety (6) 5. In hall, Bob eats, yes, headless Islamic meat! (5,6) 9. Fertile Europe drowning in money (6) 10. Leaning towards and supported by tissue (6)

Email Aneesh Naik at puzzles@cherwell.org for clues or solutions

SUDOKU

Difficulty: Medium

LIFESTYLE

Freshers’ Week is the time for grotty clubs, cheap alcohol and most importantly, new friends; this photo has all three. With no holds barred on the PDA, these guys might regret such public displays of affection should their love not continue past 0th week.

A special mention should go to the gentleman second from the right, who has fully embraced the mantra of ‘tongue = affection’ in clubs. Though his aim is mighty off.

John Evelyn

John Evelyn Got gossip? Email gossipevelyn@gmail.com with the juicy details!

Creaming Spires

Blind Date

G

reetings new readers, old time acquaintances, aspiring diarists-to-be and self-obsessed socialites, for I’m glad to say that I come bearing gifts borne from the same tree as was found in Eden. Last week’s focus on scandalous deeds, rather than salacious ones, was apparently met with a small degree of shock: I’m pleased to be able to satisfy your somewhat more base desires this week, by informing you of those doing exactly the same across our fair city.

I was bemused to learn of a union between students, but of a somewhat different sort to what we are likely used to. According to my sources, a certain candidate for office managed to have her (V)Presidential ambitions e-Lucy-dated, and ended up devouring someone quite far Trupp the food-chain.

Similarly, Oxford’s former Marxistin-chief, notable for his out of character interest in the Oxford Union’s books and his propensity for reclamation, has apparently been proselytising for a more amicable and altogether less antagonistic form of gender relations than are typically encountered by an administrator of our most visible on-line forum. However, Dumas knew well that two is simply not enough, and in our case the third member of the orchestra has indeed Dunne herself proud. I certainly hope that the Ake Hur(s)ting in the root of his being was thoroughly salved by the Nutting that went on that night, and that the evening wasn’t too fl-Amy for the group’s tastes, however adventurous they happened to be.

Returning to the subject of books and their keepers, the Librarian of an alleged debating society has recently declared her aspirations towards the centre-seat on Thursday nights.

Rumours abounded of her alleged links to the current holder of that office after a well-known Trinitarian found that he’d Ma-yanked the wrong chain altogether, and ended up in a shared kitchen between the St. John’s rusticee and his graduated would-be successor.

On another note, it has reached my ears that a classically-trained scholar at our most St-Anne-d up college gave his vendor a surprise when he opted for a somewhat more physical method of payment, apparently forgetting that aspirin can still be purchased with fiat currency.

Without wanting to beat a dead horse (for given the location of the ‘trade’ it is certainly possible that some were at least asleep nearby), the student eventually left his man wel-sh off for the decision, as basking in the afterglow there can be no doubt that he was more than happy that the ‘job’ offered was received with such vigour and joy.

I

Emma Davies Wadham, 2nd Year French and German

Rushabh Haria St Anne’s, 2nd Year Classics

Charming classicist seeks to be pierced by Cupid’s arrow What did you get from your facebook stalking?

That she was northern. And a Wadhamite.

First impressions?

All positive. After an enthusiastic meeting on St Aldate’s, she said she wasn’t drinking that night, so it was a refreshing break from the stereotype.

Did she dress to impress?

Couldn’t really argue with her choice of apparel.

What did you talk about?

Whether I actually applied to St Anne’s (I did). How we were both looking forward to leaving uni with arts degrees and 36 grand of crippling debt.

Bubbly northern lass seeks politically-minded lothario What did you get from your facebook stalking?

A love of edgy French films I’ve never heard of (despite me being the French student).

First impressions?

Despite turning up 5 minutes late — I’ve never been the first one to arrive at a date before — he was very friendly.

Did he dress to impress?

Jeans and a jumper from what I can remember, but that’s forgivable as he’d had two collections that day.

What did you talk about?

A lot of politics chat, including an awkward moment when he admitted to being a non-active member of OUCA. Thankfully he redeemed himself by promising to #votegreen2015

Were there any awkward moments?

She threatened to leave after I said I was a UKIP supporter (I was joking).

Were there any awkward moments?

Apart from said clash of politics, not really!

How many times did her leg brush against yours?

I lost count (It was a small table).

How many times did his leg brush against yours?

It was a very busy pub, so I guess once or twice?

Describe Emma in three words Bubbly, pleasant, pretty

Describe Rushabh in three words Friendly, charming, easy-going

Was there a goodbye kiss?

Nope. Just a friendly hug.

Was there a goodbye kiss?

A quick goodbye hug.

7

Marks out of 10?

And will there be a date number two?

I’m sure our paths shall cross again.

7

Marks out of 10?

And will there be a date number two?

Hopefully as friends!

Sick of Tinder? Looking to be swept off your feet?

Volunteer for a Blind Date at lifestylecherwell@gmail.org

magine a typical night at Bridge, just at that right time when everyone is too drunk to feel any restraint, but sober enough to resist the urge of curling up on the dance floor in a foetal position. Imagine that you’ve had your fair share of vodka cranberries, and the wave of sweaty bodies around you makes the old familiar itch return. You want sex, and you want it bad. But then you look around and no one catches your eye. They are all in a big boring LAD LAD LAD group, or trying to suck someone else’s face off, or they’re wearing too much Jack Wills. In short, the room is full of dicks, and not in a good way. Still, the smell of Lynx and Fosters is overpowering, and you know that one of these creatures will get way luckier than he deserves. Slowly, you even stop caring which one. Just at that moment a hand brushes your shoulder. You turn, and there he is: a red-trousered lad with traces of some unlucky girl’s lipgloss still around his mouth. He smirks, looks at you with piercing hatred and disdain, and walks away.

And you follow, because the night just got interesting.

My friends, good right-thinking women, try to stop me. He is the resident asshole, and ain’t no girl got time for a guy who’s going to treat her like shit. But they don’t need to worry; I am not suddenly brain dead. He’s just my passive-aggressive warfare lover.

No, you don’t need to point out how weird that sounds. We hate each other, and the sex is a complicated military strategy, aiming to break down enemy defences. His ego wants him to be the best guy I’ve ever had and trust me, I don’t mind that kind of selfishness. Sarcasm and sex are the only languages we ever communicate in, and the liberty of it is the best kind of high. Oh, he doesn’t like the bra I’m wearing? Couldn’t care less.

And I can abuse his stupid stripey boxers all I like. If I don’t like his moves, there’s no gentle suggestion or guidance. Touch me how I want it, or leave. For a while I can forget that I am generally a nice person, and all my meanest instincts come out to play. My inner bitch is here tonight, so love it or leave it. I am selfish, drunk, and free, and I could do that forever.

Until he starts insulting my book collection, that is. Then he’s kicked out of my college into the cold night, goodbye, see you never. The passion of hate sex aside, literature is a line one does not cross.

Ava Gina

Lifestyle | 13

17.10.14 | Cherwell

Oxford HUB: Student-powered social action at the TSK

Tutku Bektas talks about the new projects run by the Oxford Hub, promoting student charity and ethics

A

midst the rest of your Freshers’ Week excitement, you will all have visited the Freshers’ Fair last week. You had to listen to the offerings of tons of student societies and clubs (if you were not lucky enough to run away from their stalls straight away). Maybe you signed your email — or someone else’s — up for a few of the many different activities crowded under the roof of Exam Schools. With everything going on in Oxford, how have you decided to spend your precious free time?

While many societies have a clear message about what they do, like a film society or a bell-ringing group, this is not always the case for charities. Objectives such as making a difference, volunteering and social change can seem too vague and hard to achieve. Yet at the Oxford Hub, we want to change this view. We connect you with student groups that share your ‘causes’ and interests, empowering you

to have a positive social impact during your time at Oxford, enabling you to explore, and challenge, the social and environmental issues that are most important to you.

What is most special about Oxford Hub is that there is no common ‘hub type’. You don’t have to dream about working for a charity, or spending 20 years of your life in South America saving rain forests (though that would be great).

There is only one quality shared by those involved with the Hub, and that is being sensitive to, and aware of, what is happening around us.

Just take a look around. Is it homelessness that makes you wish you could make a difference?

Or educational inequality? Climate change?

Don’t think that you have no power to have a positive social impact simply because you’re a student.

Our ‘Ethical Network’ consists of more

The science of sleep deprivation

vigilance is still a subject of intense scientific scrutiny today (Collier E., 1985). But what does this gene do?

Scientists aren’t sure, except that it helps to regulate circadian rhythms, processes that are cyclical in nature, usually attuned to the light/dark cycles of day and night. These aren’t just occurring in the brain to help regulate your alertness, but they also act on the rest of the body. Blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol vary throughout the day in response to the light/dark cycle, peaking early in the morning as you wake up, and reaches its lowest level just after midnight; at least, this is what happens to your average student free from any impending essay crisis.

In the sleep-deprived medic, however, cortisol levels are kept high, especially after an all-nighter. The effects of cortisol? An increase in blood pressure and sugar levels, and a weakened immune system. Is it possible that the chronically sleep deprived are placing themselves at higher risks of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes by simply going on Facebook for a little too long after midnight?

Acutely, after two weeks of sleeping six hours a night, a person’s reaction times are equivalent to people whose blood alcohol is 0.1% (the legal driving limit is 0.08%). Moral of the story? Get your sleep. Tuesday nights at Camera are really not worth the crash, either for your car or for your degree — take your pick.

A final word of advice, to you, dear Fresher.

When choosing two from sleep, studies, and a social life, please remember that sleep and studies are, in fact, mutually exclusive, which I learnt the hard way .

For more spectacular science, please visit www.bangscience.org.

Marco Narajos

D

ear Fresher, as an old, wise, and knowledgeable second year medical student, I have the duty to let you know about the importance of sleep. You may have heard that you can only choose two out of sleep, studies, and a social life. This is true. I would like to illustrate the significance of sleep through Shakespearean platitudes. For those of you who do not know him, Bill Shakespeare, whose name is an anagram for ‘I am a weakish speller’, was also a big fan of sleeping.

Shakespeare beautifully wrote about sleep, “O sleep, O gentle sleep, nature’s soft nurse, how have I frighted thee?” In contrast, over 300 years later, Margaret Thatcher simply quipped, “Sleep is for wimps.” A true Oxonian.

But just how much sleep are we supposed to be getting? Everyone has heard that the average number of hours per night should be 7-8 hours, but that is an average. Some people require fewer, while others need more. Eight hours of sleep is a third of each day. For the typical student on a three-year course, you will spend a whole year of your time sleeping.

Thatcher, on the other hand, on her four-year degree and her four-hour-a-night routine, will only have spent eight months sleeping.

A challenge, you say? Probably not for her, as she was likely to have had a mutation in her DEC2 gene. Not quite to X Men level, the mutation confers the mutant Thatcher with the ability to run on much less sleep. Mice with the same mutation also sleep less, and are more vigilant of their surroundings.

Whether Thatcher exhibited this hyper-

than 40 groups working in many different fields, from environment and sustainability to human rights, international development and social entrepreneurship, providing opportunities to learn about social action at the ‘front line’ and instigate meaningful change.

Through volunteering, connecting with campaigns, providing training, and running events and conferences, we believe student-led action can and will make a difference.

Every week from today, the Hub will bring you student-thinking on a challenge we face as a society, via our blog on cherwell.org. Two of our current initiatives may have caught your attention: One Hour A Week, and The Ethical Guide To Oxford. The One Hour a Week campaign, which we’re running in collaboration with OUSU, aims to highlight that everyone has time to make a difference during their time at university.

0We have a range of volunteering opportunities that can take up as little as one hour a week of your time. If every Oxford student gave just one hour a week of their time in term, that would be a total of over half a million volunteer

“

Our ‘Ethical Network’ consists of more than 40 groups working in many different fields hours over the year! Check out onehouraweek. co.uk to see what interests you.

Secondly, on Friday of 1st week (17th October), we are launching the first Ethical Guide to Oxford. The booklet consists of tips and ideas for living a more ethical student life and suggests many cafes, shops, restaurants, green spaces, entertainment venues and more that you may want to explore. You can find a copy of the guide online (via our website), in your JCRs, or by dropping into our HQ above the Turl Street Kitchen. Many of the great places in here are ones you might not stumble across in your daily march across Oxford, and we even cover places in East Oxford and Jericho so people living out are included too.

The work of the Oxford Hub is varied, interesting, fulfilling, and most importantly, fun.

Our key message is that you don’t have to be a ‘charity person’ or tirelessly devoted to ethical causes to make a difference. From as little as one hour a week, you can have a real impact on an issue that you feel passionate about.

So, accept our challenge — take that one hour a week you spend mooching around on Facebook, putting off essay writing, or watching cat videos and use it to get involved. You may not know it before you start, but volunteering can be incredibly rewarding in terms of experience, relationships and skills

14 | Lifestyle

Cherwell | 17.10.14

Fit College

Bexistentialism It’s a ditzy start to Michaelmas

M

“

Freshers’ week for non-freshers is a thrillingly passive-aggressive experience drag a few friends into my room.

It broke, I said. They look at me with slightly curious expressions, snapchatted it, and left.

Three hours later, as the tea lights suckled the last mouthfuls of wax from their plates, I had a thought.

No, it’s not that sort of revelatory realisation — not “I DON’T NEED A PHONE!” No, I’ve not become a gapyah extraordinaire or torn all sources of technology and brand from my newly cleansed soul. Instead, I realised that I have no way of telling the time.

The following day I go to Argos. (Argos!) I buy a watch, and one of those crazy-disco-ball-rotating-things (Don’t argue with the necessity). And then I head home. And I think I’m sorted. I don’t need a phone! Look at me. I smugly accidentally turn onto Cornmarket. As I try and mask my necessary U-turn with a faux-phonecall I stumble. No phone. With King Lear-esque poignancy I cry, “Damn you iPhone!” as the rain pelts against my helpless body, beating a rhythm against my chest. All is lost.

As I raise my arm in the shower later and remember my newlybought Argos watch, currently being drenched, I realise this is going to take some getting used to. Time-less, dignity-less, lecture-less (no alarm clock). The keys-wallet-phone check as I leave the house still spikes me.

I wonder… I wonder whether I’m doomed.

Alex’s Barg a of the We in ek Twinings tea range all £1 at Tesco!

’s t n e g e R

St Benet’s

Pe mb rok e

42

%

y friend asks me “do you think I will always be like this?”

“Like what” I say, looking up from my laptop as she stands at the hob, with a spitting pan.

“Be so ditzy. Though I don’t like saying ditzy, it’s gendered” I consider this for a moment. Ditzy.

Not breaking up the pre-cooked rice before she puts it in the pan. Reporting her debit card stolen and then finding it in her room.

My reaction is not to consider her.

But of course, to consider myself.

Freshers’ Week has unveiled my own layer of ‘ditz’. Freshers’ Week for non-freshers is a thrillingly passiveaggressive experience. Suddenly, I find myself with a moody face as I enter the JCR, accentuating my heels so they tip tap tip tap, young freshlings rearing their heads to follow the face of a moody stranger in an oversized coat. My deportment is serious. And each time, I leave the room knowing that I have achieved ‘prick’. But, underneath, moody-student-whoknows-her-way-round-the-collegebetter-than-you is a certain ditz-amatazz.

Skip back a few days.

Three tea lights, a folded up notelet with ‘R.I.P’ scrawled on it, and a carefully selected fridge word magnet placed upon my phone later (‘betray’), I had my shrine. Pie Jesu (the John Brunning version of course) set to play and the lights flicked off, I

Oriel 58%

Oluwafemi Nylander and Will Yates

Pete Musson and Noush Nightingale

Regent’s raunchy rabbits or Pembroke’s piping hot power couple?

Who’s the fittest? You decide!

WORD ON THE QUAD

Think you’ve got what it takes? Email lifestyle@cherwell.org to enter the famously fierce competition

HUMANS OF OXFORD

In a student house in Jericho: “The ventilation in this conservatory is perfect for hanging game!”

“This is not just wine, this is Tesco everyday value Spanish red wine.”

Jayne, Bridge barwoman Are you having a good night?

Obviously, when would I not?

3 Seco0 nd Inter view

Fair point. How are this year’s freshers looking?

Well, watching a bunch of nervous students bond over casual hookups, cheap alcohol and trashy dancing from the comfort of the bar never gets old.

You must see some states down here — what’s the worst you’ve seen?

Last year, some utter clown ordered 18 jagerbombs to show off to all his new mates. He got through about 8 before chundering all over the bar and his mate’s shirt, before wiping his chin and downing 5 more. A clown, but a talented one.

Who Bridges better: Oxford Uni or Oxford Brookes?

Oxford Uni, of course!

0th week reading lists

om o R 1

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“You asked me once, what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world.”

O’Brien

Just when you’d thought Freshers’ Week was set to be an exclusive whirlwind of booze, UV paint, foam parties and at worst, sober icebreakers and mingling, your tutor decides mid-week to burden you with a reading list, forcing you to either brave Shark End sober and leave at the lame hour of 1am, or face the morning alarm piercing through your skull like a drill after defiantly vouching to be the last on the cheese floor. And for the refreshers, even the kindest of Oxford dons will take it upon themselves to test your capacity to juggle collections revision with a mighty reading list — all the harder after a summer spent lounging on a beach or getting wasted in a field (that is, assuming you weren’t actually doing an internship at JP Morgan and busy climbing the greasy pole of corporate success).

Illustration: Mariota Spens

Inve

“The treasure in question is but an Excel

JCRs come in all shapes and sizes, and each approaches spending in its own Tom Carter, Treasurer of Trinity JCR, talks about managing a JCR’s finances

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efore writing this piece, I processed some JCR payments for Freshers’ Week.

For that seems to be most of what a treasurer does: logging into Barclays online, setting up a payment, processing the payment through a damned card reader, reprocessing the payment when you fuck it up, logging the payment in an Excel spread sheet and, well, doing the process again. It is not, to be honest, very exciting. Sometimes, if you are very lucky, you get to set a budget for something and that’s a real petty power rush to the head.

Despite only starting the job this term, I have already worked out the pressure points: doing the accounts up and organising levies.

Being a historian, accounts aren’t really my thing — and as always, the devil is in the detail.

If the numbers don’t add up, there are only two potential reasons: a) I have been secreting away money to fund my debauched lifestyle, or b) there is some minuscule error in the middle of the spreadsheet which will take hours of pointless cross-checking to find. Fun, eh?

The Treasurer occupies a very weird position on any JCR committee. Ostensibly they are one of the most involved members of it, yet they seem to have very little to do with anyone else on the committee except to pay their bills.

Indeed, contact with ordinary members of the JCR is even more limited unless it suddenly occurs to one of them that what the JCR really needs is a pinball machine. At JCR meetings, it seems like my only function is to nod, like one of Trotter’s fellow pigs in Animal Farm, at everything the President says. Loyal lieutenant some might say, window-dressing others.

Yet, despite all this inanity, the one important thing the Treasurer does have is financial responsibility for the assets of the JCR. For, if it all goes bust on your watch, then the consequences go beyond you feeling a little guilty. Bops would stop, charities would go unfunded, and NUS demos unsponsored.

However, in many cases, such as mine, the problem is quite the reverse, and the JCR spends too little money, accumulating hoards of electronic gold. But built up capital, necessary to some extent in case of emergency, is useless in helping hard-working students in need.

So the question arises of what to do with the excess capital. The previous Treasurer and I have both had the pleasing task of attempting to ‘spend down’ the JCR’s savings (we had savings of £20,000 at one stage, and that was on top of money coming from college). We

“

It seems like my only function at JCR meetings is to nod like Trotter’s pigs from Animal Farm got rid of the punt levy and started paying for punting with JCR savings, which meant that all members of the JCR, no matter how broke, could engage in this quintessential Oxford experience.

But despite the promise of physical wealth implied by the title, being treasurer is a pretty dull job. The treasure in question is but an Excel spreadsheet and an online bank account, hardly the stuff dreams are made of. The key thing about the job is to make sure that there is enough money left for emergencies, but not so much that students are missing out because of it. But other than that, it is relatively small fry: nothing to write home about, or even to Cherwell…

Corpus Christi JCR Expenditure Breakdown Academic Clubs and Societies Domestic Newspapers Welfare Meetings Entz Male and Female Computing Arts Spectrum International Environment and Ethics

C+ would like to thank all the JCR Presidents and Treasurersfortheirhelp in compiling this investigation.

How much do different JCR Magdalen Regent’s University LMH Corpus Christi Jesus St Anne’s St Peter’s Oriel St Catherine’s Worcester Trinity Teddy Hall £

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WHEN DECIDING TO LAUNCH an investigation into how different JCRs spend their money, C+ knew that there was quite likely to be a fair amount of variation between different JCRs, due to the nature of the collegiate system. In terms of the method in which the investigation was conducted, we emailed every undergraduate JCR President, over this term and the last, asking if they would be willing to answer ten questions concerning their budget. This included how much they spend, how they spend it, how the budget is funded, how they use levies, and how much their JCR gives to charity.

What we found was that in broad terms JCRs across Oxford offer fairly similar services to their members, but spend substantially different amounts of money. Therefore, despite forums such as the JCR Presidents’ Committee (‘PresCom’) in which best practise can be shared, it turns out that the college you are at really does matter after all.

For the most part, we found JCRs perform similar functions and responsibilities. All of the JCRs that were willing to speak to us seemed to share a core set of services. Typically, JCRs seem to spend around half of their money on welfare and entertainment. We also found that many — although not all — of the JCRs we spoke to offer a number of amenities in their common room, including newspapers, coffee, a pool table, or Sky television.

However, C+ found a level of variation both

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in how much different JCRs spend per student, and how much they save per student. Most JCRs told us that they were predominantly reliant on college grants for funding, with JCR levies acting as an additional form of income.

For instance, St Peter’s JCR has a £5 levy for membership. Of the colleges who spoke to us,

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C+ found significant variation in how much JCRs spend per student the only partial exception was Balliol JCR, with most of their headline figure for how the JCR is funded being constituted from the profits of the bar and café. It was quite common for JCRs to operate a levy for punting, with Balliol, Trinity, St Peter’s and Worcester (amongst others) all telling us they did this. Other levies we encountered included charity levies, which Corpus Christi JCR uses to raise £9,000 for charity annually.

We also found that Balliol JCR had far greater savings than any other JCR. An explanation for

estigation: JCR Spending

spreadsheet and an online bank account”

n way. C+ investigates the variations in JCR spending allocation across Oxford C+ looks at how different JCRs approach charitable giving

Rs spend on their members?

Spending per student

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he varying approaches of colleges towards charitable donations are reflected strongly in their budgeting. Almost half of the JCRs that spoke to C+ told us that they operated a voluntary charity levy, normally of between £5 and £10, with students deciding where to donate the money at JCR meetings.

“The charity levy at Trinity is generated once a year to, unsurprisingly, raise money for charity. Each member of the JCR is charged £10, except for those who have opted out, a number which tends to be very low,” explained Tom Carter, treasurer of Trinity College.

He added, “All the money goes into a charities account and at the last JCR meeting of

“

Some colleges, whilst not allocating money directly, provide cash for fundraising events 80

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this may lie in the fact that Balliol JCR directly runs its own bar and café. This means Balliol JCR has a much higher turnover than most of the colleges to whom we talked — in the region of £250,000, and consequently a reserve of £100,000 — also much larger than the others.

By comparison, Corpus Christi JCR reported the fewest savings, with only £6,000. In addition to savings, Balliol and Magdalen JCRs mentioned having additional assets, mainly in art, valued at several hundred thousand pounds, which no other JCR reported.

Despite all this seemingly copious spending, in terms of the financial health of Oxford’s JCRs, all those to whom we spoke seem to be operating a small budget surplus, or were aiming for a balanced budget. For example, Balliol JCR, we were told, have had a small budget surplus for around 10 years. However, this is not to say that JCR budgets are all roughly the same size. JCRs are divisible into three rough categories: low spenders, medium spenders, and high spenders.

Low spenders include Teddy Hall and Trinity JCRs. These both share the characteristic of authorising over half of their expenditure through JCR motions, meaning that members of these colleges exercise stronger direct control over how their JCRs spend their money, potentially explaining why their overall spending appears lower.

In contrast, medium spenders, such as the

each term, people can put forward motions on which charities to support and on how much each of them should be given. The JCR then votes using an AV system on which charities to support. Simple.”

However, a small majority of JCRs told C+ that although they did not allocate a specific proportion of their budget to charity, or place a charity levy on members of the JCR, they had a Charity Rep to oversee fundraising and donations.

LMH JCR President Aadit Shankar told C+,

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JCRs of Balliol, Corpus Christi, LMH and St Peter’s appeared to spend more overall on core services, particularly welfare.

Meanwhile, what distinguished high spenders, such as Magdalen JCR, was the size of discretionary spending, with £8,700 spent on general meetings at the College in the academic year 2013/14 — although the budget allocation

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The real determinant of JCR spending is how much colleges provide in grants for 2014/15 for this item was greatly reduced, at £3,500. In addition, like the medium spenders, the high spenders also spent a greater amount overall on core services.

All that being said, it is worth noting that the real determinant of JCR spending is not, in fact, the preference of their members, but how much colleges provide in grants to students, particularly if JCRs do not run their own bars or cafés, and so have only minimal independent income

“Because LMH is a registered charity we cannot simply allocate some of our annual budget to other charities. Instead, we try to create a culture of charity and generous giving within the undergraduate body with events and campaigns throughout the year. LMH participates in the university-wide RAG events, and has a charity committee comprised of staff, students and academics which meets regularly during term time to organise events.”

Likewise, some colleges, whilst not allocating money directly to charity, provide cash for fundraising events to be held. Oriel JCR President Kit Owens explained, “The JCR’s Charities Rep organises a number of charity events each term, including bake sales, charity formals, charity auctions and casino nights. Money from the JCR budget is used to facilitate those events.”

Oriel JCR Charities Rep Zara Milne remarked, “Last year our most successful fundraisers were probably the Charity Las Vegas Night — which involved a RAG casino and a charity auction — and the college Live Below the Line campaign, which raised over £2,000 for Afrikids.”

Some JCRs, however, stressed that their charitable donations came both from their students’ fundraising efforts and through voluntary levies. Worcester JCR told C+ that the Charity Rep was allocated £100 towards fundraising per term, and over the course of the year, students had raised £6,400 independently of the £7 charity levy billed to students in two of the three terms of the year.

Conversely, University College JCR told C+ that they allocate approximately £300 per term to charities through standing orders.

These funds are neither raised through specific levies or through the fundraising efforts of the students, but come from the budget itself. Univ JCR say that this typically amounts to between £700 and £900 going to charity over the year.

Quick Facts

100% £250,000 £3 £5 Percentage of JCRs we talked to who reported having a balanced budget or surplus

Annual turnover of Balliol JCR including bar and cafe

Coffee levy paid by students at Teddy Hall

Cost of Reach Oxford bursary levy for students at colleges which charge it, per term

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+

How does Oxford compare nationally?

Oxford and Cambridge collegiate systems mean less Student Union spending per head

SPENDING PER HEAD AT OXFORD is unpredictable. The graph on the previous page shows how JCR spending varies dramatically between colleges and PPHs. On top of this, however, students also receive a sum of around £36 per year per head on average from OUSU. C+ wondered how this compared nationally.

Cambridge students, given their familiar JCR support system, find themselves in a similar situation. With Student Union spending of around £561,000 in 2011-2012 according to official CUSU accounts, those at ‘the other place’ can expect around £31 annually per person from their union. Again, variable JCR spending means the amount each student has spent on them in total will vary.

At fellow collegiate university Durham, individual students get a much larger £108 every year, with Durham Students’ Union (DSU) spending £1,771,495 in total in the academic year 2012-2013 according to officially pub-

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Non-collegiate universities seem to benefit from more student union spending lished accounts. It is worth noting, however, that DSU has a much more active presence in Durham than OUSU and CUSU do at their respective universities, with JCRs carrying much less of the financial burden.

When it comes to non-collegiate universities, students also seem, on the whole, to be benefitting from more student union spending than Oxbridge. Freedom of Information

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How much does your JCR save per student?

£210

£140

£70

£0

St. Catherine’s Balliol Trinity St Anne’s University Corpus Christi St Peter’s

requests reveal that the University of Sunderland Student Union spent around £20,000 less than the £1,500,000 raised in 2013. As a result, around £87 per head is spent on students every year, more than at many Oxford colleges — OUSU contributions included.

Lancaster University Student Union’s (LUSU) figures show officers had £8,390,000 to spend on students in the academic year between 2013

and 2014, meaning that £670 is spent per head.

It should be noted, however, that LUSU plays a significant role in providing accommodation for students, explaining the much higher spending — and income. London universities also spend more than Oxford. The body representing King’s College London students, for example, spends almost £139 per person, according to publicly available statistics 2013/2014.

Whilst the combined annual spending on an Oxford student is likely to be lower than the spending of student unions at other universities, Oxford students gain financially in other ways. More generous bursaries, accommodation that is cheaper and often guaranteed for the duration of their course, and reasonable food are all advantages which make up for lower JCR and OUSU spending

Lifestyle | 19

17.10.14 | Cherwell

“A stunning place”

Ibaad Alvi takes a punt on a meal at the picturesque Cherwell Boat House

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fter a slew of more ‘brinners’ (breakfasts for dinner) than anybody should ever eat, my second foray into the world of food — at The Cherwell Boat House — felt more than overdue.

Up there with the smartest high-end restaurants our modest city has on offer, this establishment challenges your illusions about food by pricking at your taste buds like an acupuncturist in ways that are both delightful and completely unexpected.

The restaurant is situated, as one might guess, by the gurgling river Cherwell. Enroute, one passes through trees bathed in the orange glow of streetlamps. Once past these, a sleek and modern restaurant emerges.

In the restaurant, we are seated by the window through which one can see punts, skeletons of a quickly diminishing summer, rocking in the calm evening current. To mirror this, the menu is dubbed ‘Late Summer’. It has changed now, but the pricing is the same: One course costs £16.25, two courses cost £21.50 and three courses cost £26.75 with certain speciality items in each course costing extra. My companion Zoe and I have three courses each.

For the first course, Zoe has the artichoke crème caramel (£1.50 extra charge) and I have the tuna tartare (£4.25 extra charge). Both dishes arrive as perfect cylinders with the sort of presentation that emphasizes the fact that I am slightly out of my depth here. Her dish is great and mine is incredible. It is undeniably European, but the wasabi kick and the thickness of the tuna has an obvious Japanese influence.

Next come the mains. I have the steak with foie gras (£10 extra) and Zoe has the fillet of John Dory. The steak is not the best I have ever had but it is cooked nicely and the sides are wonderful; the foie gras sits on top of the steak and the peas decorate the plate below. There is an overwhelmingly smoky taste throughout, yet the chef avoids any hint of burning. Zoe’s fish is cooked perfectly and is bathed in a sauce with hints of orange zest.

Lastly, we come to the desserts, of which

mine is the most intricate and beautifully constructed that I have ever had. It’s called

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Recipe of the

Week

Deep-Fried Butter on a Stick

Bar Review: Somerville

He believes in simple food with simple ingredients ‘Textures of Strawberry’ (£4.50 extra charge) and is strawberries presented in five different ways.

My favourite of these is the macerated strawberry, which has strong ginger notes. I’d never considered putting ginger and strawberry together: two great flavours, but both fairly dominating. However, my taste buds are pleasantly surprised by how they blend and compliment each other for a tangy sweetness that clings on to the last few evenings of summer. Zoe has the chocolate marquise with cherry compote. The chocolate is coated with pistachios. The tartness of the cherries hits you hard on the tongue at first before melting into the bitter chocolate.

I talk to the manager, Briss, at the end of the meal. He tells me about the restaurant’s history, which spans half a century. The focus is traditional English, but with a strong French influence. This makes sense given that the Boat House prides itself on its wine selection, which has won several awards over the last few years.

The new chef believes in simple food with simple ingredients — I take this statement in my stride, pretending that the complexity of what I ate tonight didn’t blow my immature mind.

The final word is this; it is a stunning place.

Yes, it is expensive but it leaves you feeling like you’ve truly learnt something about food.

Go here with your parents. Go here when you make your illustrious return to Oxford. It will probably outlast us all.

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nly in America will you find this thing of beauty. And with famously reviled US citizens like Sarah Palin and Paula Deen both being fans of this dish you can see that this artery-clogging nutritional nightmare appeals to people on a certain side of the political spectrum. The origins of this dish are murky, but it probably originated at the Texas State Fair.

Much like the Deep-Fried Twinkie bar (another American cultural staple) this is most definitely a ‘sometimes food’ — one to enjoy only rarely. Another variation on this sweet butter stick is the savoury butter stick, where instead of dipping the frozen butter in sweet batter, you dip it in hot lard and then deep-fry it. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Ingredients: ½ cube of frozen butter Ice lolly sticks 1 cup all purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 Teaspoons plain sugar 1 cup whole milk Cinnamon, to taste Oil Icing sugar Method: 1. Place ice lolly sticks in the butter 2. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar thoroughly.

3. Pour the milk into the dry mixture and mix slowly until you have a thin batter.

4. Coat the butter cubes in the batter.

5. Holding the butter cube by the ice lolly stick, place into the hot oil of a deep fryer for 3 minutes 6. Remove from the oil, rub off any excess oil with a paper towel and coat with icing sugar.

Cocktails with Cai

Things get a little raunchy this week with a Peach Schnapps based classic New term, New Year, Michaelmas is a hectic time for everyone. Freshers are still finding their bearings, second years are filling out cover letter after cover letter, and finalists are trying out one last bid for freedom before hunkering down surrounded with piles of exam papers and examiners’ reports.

So, this week, I opted for familiarity over experimentation, I bring you the time-worn boozy holiday classic — Sex on the Beach — which is great for a nice pick me up after a week of stress and forgotten deadlines.

The Sex on the Beach is to cocktails what Lana Del Rey is to music; a modern classic, smooth and appealing, yet completely manu manufactured by the industry. And much like the infamous Ms. Del Rey, this cocktail is kitsch, fond of the colour pink, and easily enjoyed by a wide variety of people.

The cocktail was borne from an adver advertising push for peach schnapps, and yet a skim down the cocktail menu of any self-respecting bar will yield this wellknown drink.

But there are, as always, ways of mixing it up a little (pun intended), one of which is turning your Sex on the Beach into a Sex on Fire.

Instead of vodka — the teenage park-bench classic — you can replace this most hangoverinducing spirit with some Fireball Cinnamon Whisky for a spicy twist to make the first week blues a little more interesting for all you jaded finalists.

That is, if Sex on the Beach isn’t quite enough of a bucket list challenge for you already (FYI: I’m not talking about the cocktail).

For the recipe as listed below I’ve used the Official Bartender version, but with thousands of variations splashed across the internet, experimentation is the name of the game.

2 measures vodka (or Fireball Cinnamon Whisky) 1 measure peach schnapps 2 measures orange juice 2 measures cranberry juice

I

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f I had a spirit animal, it would be Grumpy Cat. I am probably the grumpiest 93 year old woman living in a 20 year old’s body, ever. However, when challenged, my partner in crime could not think of a single redeeming feature of this bar either. That sounds excessively cruel, but it’s true.

Somerville bar was recently built in 2013 and is a modern add-on to the sinfully ugly Vaughan residential hall. Trying to get in without a Somerville access card would be nigh on impossible and we had to get through two sealed doors to actually get to the bar. The access card gives you no discount (as you get on hall food) and the prices are still very very high and it’s annoying trying to split cash when there’s an access card involved. The bar happens to be a café during the day and a bar at night, but they don’t serve hot food and the sandwiches in the glass presentation

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There’s not a single redeeming feature in this bar case looked pretty grim. They serve coffee, which was okay but since we were on Little Clarendon Street, I know I could have gone elsewhere.

The selection of beers, spirits and nonalcoholic drinks was impressive but my pint was quite dismal since it had no head.

The bar staff were friendly but not particularly responsive, with one of the bar staff members actually just sitting on a stool listening to his iPod at one point. Unfortunately, the bar itself takes up a significant amount of space in the main part of the room so there is no space for booths. You have to sit on a bench-style sofa which is uncomfortable and makes it difficult to talk to a large group.

The acoustics are also appalling, given the glass roof, so chat is difficult. There’s a pool table but if you are a female and wish to use the bathroom you have to risk being hit in the face with a pool cue. Behind the pool table is a widescreen TV, although because of the way the sofas are organized it would be impossible to actually watch the game with a large group of people. According to my Somerville contact, no one actually ever watches the games in there and when I visited they seemed to be playing music videos on VIVA UK that was playing obnoxious noughties re-runs. It was fairly reminiscent of a school disco.

You can’t smoke ANYWHERE in Somerville, even outside, but to be honest, the Brutalist patio is not exactly enticing, and the views of concrete admin buildings aren’t fantastic either. The interior is also fairly lacking in ambiance, and the décor matches the colours of a Travelodge, making it feel a lot like an NHS waiting room.

This bar was not well thought through; given that there are a great many good pubs in Jericho, and lots of good cafes and bars on Little Clarendon Street (which are better value), I really cannot see the point of going to a bar with absolutely nothing going for it.

PHOTO

You Are Leaving the American Sector

by Stephanie Sy-Quia The San Francisco Bay Area’s iconic views mark at once the doorstep of the American West and its federation’s limits.

Clockwise from top left: Briones Regional Park near San Pablo; Point Bonita Lighthouse at Marin; Bay Bridge West Link from the San Francisco Ferry Building; Golden Gate Bridge from Indian Rock in Berkeley.

FASHION Fashion Matters

Spring/Summer 2015 Highlights

In the wake of Karl Lagerfeld’s recent campaign, Rebecca Borthwick asks: Does fashion mix with feminism?

T

he inspiration for this week’s column came from a rather surprising source — the first essay of term, which asked me to think of the pros and cons of the media when it comes to “artistic creation” (written in French, so it’s not that easy, I promise!) Anyway, it got me thinking about the recent Chanel show in Paris — I was clearly in a desperate state of procrastination — and whether or not the whole “Féministe mais Féminine” idea was just a clever publicity stunt, or whether Karl Lagerfeld really did use his influence in the fashion world to try to make a difference.

For his Spring/Summer 2014 collection, the Chanel creative director sent feminists and media everywhere into a frenzy by staging a ‘feminist street protest’, with banners that declared, “History is Her Story” and “Ladies First”. But was Karl helping or hindering the cause? Coming not long after Emma Watson made that speech, would it be fair to say that big names are simply jumping on the feminist bandwagon in a backhanded attempt to secure headlines? Perhaps.

But, surely it is better for little girls everywhere to be growing up with their idols — Miss Hermione Granger herself — taking a stand against misogyny and trying to spread the most pertinent message of the Twenty First Century.

Going back to my French essay, I was wondering whether brands today are using their artistic standpoint simply to create a media storm, in a desperate attempt to get more and more publicity for future shows.

When did fashion get so political? And, more importantly, should it enter such a polemical realm?

Granted, fashion is all about making a statement. Millions of copies of Vogue aren’t sold because it repeats the same old trends and sends out boring pictures of beautiful women

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Fashion in itself can be, and often is, polemical ‘smizing’ at the camera. It is popular because it is different each and every month.

Therefore, fashion in itself can be — and often is — polemical. So, is it not natural that fashion and politics are growing increasingly intertwined? Of course, I’m not suggesting that Dior should suddenly start designing bags based on one referendum or another — would that even be possible? And who would actually pay £2,500 for a bag with “Conservative” or “Labour” emblazoned across the front? Dior should never be politicised in this way! But, given the pertinence of feminism within a largely female dominated industry (emphasis on the word ‘largely’), is it not acceptable that brands are sending out political messages with their designs? This is not to mention that the fashion world is full of similar debates, for example in regard to fur.

Anyway, I am a tad biased because I think that Karl is a fashion hero, but even if he was being supremely shrewd in his Paris show, is there anything wrong with sending women down a catwalk with banners empowering the gender when millions of people are going to see it, talk about it and write about feminism and fashion, just as I have?

Relaxed Outerwear

Go Bright

Seventies

Simple with a Twist

Oversize me! Miu Miu’s SS15 show in Paris hit two nails on the head — big and bright. The larger, more relaxed cut is balanced with the boldness of the colour! Bigger and bolder is better, so don’t hesitate to clash outerwear with your outfit, especially when it works this well.

I’m pretty sure we’ve all seen Anya’s supermarket collection (whoever thought Corn Flakes could be so fashionable?) Well, take a look at the SS15 show. It’s not just clothing that is going bright.

Think schoolchild meets Banksy.

Too much? Never.

It’s highly possible that American Hustle had something to do with this trend. Pucci’s Milan collection certainly summed up fashion’s sudden love of all things seventies.

Flairs, psychedelic prints, and bright colours are all absolute requirements.

Ralph Lauren’s collection, shown in NYC, puts a fresh new spin on the classic safari look. By teaming khaki with pops of colour, swapping heavy cargo for silk, and introducing a more structured cut, this trend moves brilliantly from masculine to magical.

Relaxed Outerwear

Go Bright

Seventies

Simple with a Twist

Seen in shows on both sides of the Altantic, the bomber jacket will be staying with us until the summer — and we are thankful for it. Designers kept it simple with block colours, but in New York, Billy Reid successfully experimented with this bomber, which offered a more relaxed floral print.

Contrast and colour were a big trend in Paris with many designers making use of bold statement colours. The Dior Homme show was dominated by primary colours, reminding us that often the simplest colour palettes can be the most striking. Formal wear has certainly become a lot more fun.

Topman Design hardly broke the mould with their heavy emphasis on floral for the coming spring, but the oversized motifs had a very appealing seventies vibe. Believe it or not, thanks to the complementary and often pastel shades, the collection is not as eye-watering as might imagine.

The Calvin Klein collection in Milan showed how even slight hints of colour change an outfit. By incorporating a hint of contrasting colour into an outfit dominated by similar shades, you can bring the whole outfit to life. While few of us have a full beige suit, we can apply the look to our dark suits as well.

Suit & Tie

Inspired by the Spring/Summer shows, Jack Davies offers some advice on what to buy and how to wear it.

You don’t have to be a Calvin Klein model to take advantage of these fashion tips.

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With the seventies making a big return in the coming months, this paisley print shirt (Zara, £29.99) will give you a head start. If you are worried about the boldness, don’t hesitate to wear it under some calming knitwear. Pair with dark trousers.

This Beara Beara rucksack is ideal. While slightly pricey at £125.00, the handcrafted real leather finish pairs fantastically with the rich blue suede of the main body. The bag will provide a dash of colour, while also being practical — your laptop or pile of books will fit in there easily.

Hardly revolutionary, but this red knitted scarf from Jack Wills (£29.50) is ideal for both the coming winter and spiring. As the Calvin Klein collection attests, adding a pop of colour to a monochrome outfit has real impact, but also use it to clash against other primary colours.

22 | Fashion

17.10.14 | Cherwell

The Coat Edit

Models: Daisy Clarke and Margherita De Fraja Stylist & Photographer: Rebecca Borthwick Shoot Assistant: Jack Davies

Cherwell | 17.10.14

Fashion | 23

Models: Lauren-Christina Blanchette, Cara Kealy, Leah Hendre, Tiffany Saunders, Molly Walker-Tudge, Beth Knight

s theme... ek ’

Th

is

CULTURE

we

Conflict

The contrary states of the human condition

Isaac Goodwin explores the themes of conflict and cohesion in the works of William Blake

L

ife is rarely black and white, yet humans seem to have an irrepressible urge to see it as such. Dualistic ideas seem to infiltrate all the major religions; the idea of an absolute ‘good’ and ‘bad’, in conflict with each other.

From John’s Gospel to Harry Potter, ‘bad’ is dark, ‘good’ is light, and all the rest that comes with it. In fact, we have become so used to these ideas that we’re now either oblivious to them, or actively bored by them — books or films with obvious villains are facile and deficient in character development.

Then we have the other type of dualism, of the yin-yang variety, where rather than the victory of one over the other, the two are seen as complementary and even necessary to survival — the duality of day and night, for example. The whole traditional Chinese way of thought was based upon the idea that two complementary opposites add up to make something greater than the sum of the individual parts. But isn’t this also now rather over-done; an idea which has become tedious simply through its ubiquity in society?

There is, though, a dualistic philosophy to be found which does not simply evoke childish ‘goodies and baddies’, or tasteless caricatures of oriental wisdom. William Blake saw the world in dual terms, which were at once in conflict and yet also necessary for each other. Songs of Innocence and Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul, rather makes this point by itself. The two books of poems (one written a few years after the other), go together hand in glove – almost every poem from the Songs of Innocence has a parallel in Songs of Experience, usually expressing the opposite view of humanity. And yet neither is definitive, both are merely different ways of perceiving the same thing.

If you want to see Blake expounding this explicitly, though, the answer lies in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Hint in the title? Like the Songs, Blake puts together two contraries, both of which, he says, are essential to human existence. His famous critique of Christianity rested on the idea that this faith only saw one side of life, that is, Heaven, and refused to accept

torment and insanity”. There is no sense of the two forces, good and evil, or reason and energy, in harmony with each other.

Blake was, of course, dismissed by many as a madman, and you can really see why — I’ve only recounted perhaps the most sane of his writings. He developed a vast, wide ranging world of thought, filled with strange prophecies and beasts; gods and devils. His ideas become ‘gnostic’, seeing the Christian creator god as an evil, or ignorant entity. But at the heart, his criticism comes down to an imbalance; the Christian god is only good; Heaven; reason. It ignores the other side of human nature, summed up by

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Blake was, of course, dismissed by many as a madman, and you can really see why Blake as “Hell” in conflict with Heaven, but it is also a necessary side of humanity that should not be suppressed.

I think all his writings can be read as a critique of religion. “Energy”, “evil” is human passion — although Blake was actually very happily married, he definitely approved of free love and following sensual enjoyment, to a degree.

He saw the Church as suppressing this side of things and “listening only to angels”, only to the “reason” and never to the “energy” from which, he says, springs eternal delight.

Maybe it is simply the complicated nature of his message, but I am inclined to think that Blake’s dualism holds a fascination that the worn out clichés of simplistic dualistic ideas have simply ceased to do.

The two halves are in genuine conflict, but they are both also genuine parts of human nature and thus, neither should be triumphed over completely

that there was any place for Hell.

The opening pages of the book proclaim, “Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to human existence.”

From these, Blake says, spring good and evil, equated with Heaven and Hell. Good stems from reason, evil from what Blake calls “energy”. This might sound slightly as if Blake saw the dual powers as completely complementary, indeed I think he probably did, but they are also very definitely in conflict a conflict which is necessary for both.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is visionary and beautiful. It consists of poems, proverbs, and what Blake entitles “Memorable Fancies”, visions of angels and demons, exploring the relationship between the two. In one such “Memorable Fancy” an angel visits Blake and

warns him of his imminent destruction in the fires of hell and decides to show him what awaits him if he doesn’t change his ways. What follows is a gruesome, horrifying depiction of hell, a metamorphosing pit of anguish and terror (I definitely recommend you read it).

The angel, in fear, leaves, and suddenly the scene changes — we are on a grassy moonlit river bank, a harpist singing to his harp; a complete pastoral idyll. Blake then returns to the angel, and tells him “all that we saw was owing to your metaphysics”. He takes the angel to view his eternal lot in heaven, which in Blake’s presence turns out to be just as awful as hell. The two cordially agree to stop imposing upon each other, and that further discussion is pointless. He returns to the idea again when describing another “Fancy”, walking, delighted, in the fires of Hell, “which to Angels look like

Deep Cover

The Furies

Othello

The Man Who Woke Up Dead

Friday, 10pm The Cellar

Friday-Saturday, 7.30pm Oxford Playhouse

Tue 21st - Sat 25th Oxford Playhouse

Saturday, 7.30 Old Fire Station

In celebration of his acclaimed 2014 EP Serious Business, grime pioneer and Roll Deep founding member Flowdan has personally curated this lineup of grime legends for one night only. Expect a whole new sound system installed especially for this night.

Performed by Oxford students, the Greek Play comes here every three years, spending the other two at Cambridge and Bradfield College. It’s a rare and exciting opportunity to watch Greek drama in the most original form possible — in Ancient Greek!

Frantic Assembly comes to Oxford with this electrifying take on Shakespeare’s thriller-tragedy of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder. Fusing a taut adaptation of the classic text with its trademark hard-hitting choreography, Frantic Assembly takes a scalpel to Twenty First Century Britain, exposing prejudice, danger and fear.

A taut thriller, influenced by 1950s film noir and the dystopian worlds of George Orwell, The Man Who Woke Up Dead is a dark, claustrophobic nightmare, akin to the films of Alfred Hitchcock, exploring the divide between fact and fiction. Using their unique physical and cinematic style, Square Peg Theatre create an elegant, bold and beautifully choreographed world from the empty stage.

Top Pick

Picks of the Week

17.10.14 | Cherwell

Culture | 25

Milestones Best of Cherwell picks out a key moment in cultural history. This week, Naomi Polonsky looks at the rivalry between Picasso and Matisse

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aybe it’s a result of the rampant tourist culture at Christ Church that they’ve collected together their collection of old masters in one of their many, many buildings and put a price on seeing them. That said, it does have the advantage that unlike most colleges, where the best art is often stashed away in masters’ lodgings, here it is on view to the public for the generous sum of £4 (and only £2 for students).

The collection is not to be sneezed at, either, and has been said to be one of the most impressive private collections in the country. The bulk was donated in the mid-18th Century by John Guise, and further generous bequests have allowed it to grow steadily ever since.

The gallery contains about three hundred old masters of the very best; Da Vinci, Rubens, Fra Angelico, Tintoretto, just to name a few. It also rotates an exhibition of drawings, changing every few months, from a collection of about two thousand pieces, plus additional modern works, which sometimes make for a slightly odd juxtaposition.

Located just past the college’s vast back gate on Merton Street, it’s easy to access, but as ever, make sure to take your bod-card.

onflict breeds creativity. Some of the most famous cultural achievements throughout history have been borne out of life-long rivalries. Although undoubtedly geniuses in their own right, James Hunt may never have won Formula 1 were it not for Niki Lauda; Mozart may never have composed The Magic Flute were it not for Salieri; Steve Jobs may never have come up with the iPad were it not for Bill Gates.

One such creative rivalry was that between the two painters, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Both of them lived in Paris in the early 20th century, members of a wide network of highly creative personalities, including Surrealist figures such as the poet André Breton and the painter Salvador Dalí.

Both were trying to forge the new cultural direction in the plastic arts, revolutionising artistic practices.

Matisse, eleven years Picasso’s senior, was the first painter to create ‘ugly’ art. This inspired Picasso to break completely from artistic precedent and paint works that were disjointed, challenging, and far from aesthetically pleasing. The same year that Matisse painted his Blue Nude, Picasso produced one of his most famous paintings, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, both of which were radical departures from traditional European painting in their portrayal of women as grotesque, confrontational and menacing.

Matisse in turn borrowed from Picasso, incorporating African artefacts in his paintings, for example in the portrait of his wife, Madame Amélie Matisse, in which she wears a tribal African mask.

That is not to say that Matisse and Picasso were similar as men. For one thing, Matisse

was a Frenchman and Picasso, a Spaniard. In addition, Matisse normally wore a simple tweed suit, whereas Picasso preferred a worker’s uniform; Matisse had one wife for 41 years, while Picasso had scores of mistresses; Matisse liked to launch into conceptual discussions about art that would captivate the room, whereas Picasso shied away from speaking, selfconscious about his spoken French. Matisse once said of him and his rival that they were “as different as the North Pole is from the South Pole”.

What they did have in common was the hatred they received from contemporaries.

Critics accused Matisse of painting “reptilian” figures and one said of him and his fellow Fauvists: “All they give us in the way of sunlight is trouble with the retina.” Picasso was not spared either: his friends were so dismissive of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon that he decided not to exhibit it, little knowing that it would come to define modern art. However, their rivalry gave them a means with which to take encouragement from one another and shoulder the negative public reception of their paintings: they were each other’s main critics.

Despite their turbulent relationship, Matisse had great respect for his counterpart, saying, “Only one person has the right to criticize me.

It’s Picasso.” Picasso had similar heart-warming words to say about Matisse: at the end of his life he told the world, “All things considered, there is only Matisse.” Rivalries can be frustrating and all-consuming, but they can also be the biggest spark for creativity. So maybe it’s healthy to have a Trotsky to your Stalin, a Pepsi to your Coke, a Cambridge to your Oxford

Bloody Knuckles

Don Q

To Kill a Mockingbird

Straight to Camera

Thursday, 10pm Carbon

Wednesday - Saturday, 7.30pm Old Fire Station

Sunday, 2pm Phoenix Picturehouse

Opens Thursday Modern Art, Oxford

Following the sell out success of BK1, Bloody Knuckles Oxford returns to again celebrate the life and works of the late, great Frankie Knuckles. Groove down to Carbon on the 23rd October for another night of proper old-school house music, with special guests to be announced for Room 3.

A comic re-imagining of Cervantes’ classic novel, Don Q sees Norman Quixote in his twilight years, increasingly ignored in a rushing world.

He retreats into tales of knight errantry and damsels in distress. With his sense of reality waning and threatened with “incarceration in a home for the aged”, he embarks on a quest to fulfil his destiny.

As part of the Vintage Sundays festival at the Picturehouse, there is a screening of the renowned adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set in the racially charged atmosphere of Macon County, Alabama in the 1930s. This coming-of-age tale follows a young white brother and sister whose lawyer father is defending an African-American man on a charge of rape.

If you’re looking for some cultural enrichment, pop down to Modern Art for its most recent exhibtion, Straight to Camera, a programme of artists’ films with performances made for camera.

They examine the relationship between performer, audience and film: from private performances in New York’s loft studios in the 1960’s to contemporary approaches in Twenty First Century popular culture.

Cultural Hotspots Christ Church Gallery

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Sister The time we puppeteered the kitchen floor With just a mini box of Frosted Flakes® By peeling shutters out the cardboard for Our toothpick “Joe” of melon chunks and grapes Was NOT like when you spilled my lemonade While hunting through the couch for pocket change.

PajamaJeans® on infomercials made These sacramental increments deranged: Between the fault-flings, tongue flicks, when I flung - Please know that I intentionally failed That old remote you always claim quite stung, It barely skimmed your pigtail but you wailed.

Convinced once you were apt to smother me, I now find distance drains the brotherly.

Connor Ross

Picks of the Week

17.10.14 | Cherwell

26 | Arts & Books

Building, expanding and including: Director of the Ashmolean retires Luke Barratt meets Christopher Brown as his sixteen-year tenure at the museum comes to an end

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here are two directors in the Ashmolean when I arrive: Dr. Sturgis, the new man, took over on October 1st; but it is Professor Christopher Brown, art historian, who has occupied the post for sixteen extremely successful years who I am here to see.

Brown’s interest in the history of art began at school when, in 1964, he became fascinated with Goya after an exhibition at the Royal Academy. Despite this early interest, he ended up at St. Catherine’s, Oxford, studying History. “While I was doing my History degree here,” Brown recalls, “I attended classes given by a very remarkable Belgian scholar called Delaissé, Bob Delaissé, who was at All Souls and taught a postgraduate diploma in the History of Art. I was bewitched by him, and bewitched by the subject, which was early Netherlandish painting and manuscript illumination.”

After completing Delaissé’s year-long diploma, Brown was inspired to continue his studies,

Brown’s promise paid off, as he eventually became Chief Curator in 1989. Nine years later, he moved to the Ashmolean, which he describes as “the most important museum of art and archaeology outside London in the country”.

At an interview for the job, Brown made it clear what he thought was the key issue for the

I think the great joy of a free museum is that you can drop in for relatively short periods of time. Between trains at Charing Cross, you pop over to the National Gallery and look at Pierro della Francesca’s Baptism, which is of course one of the very greatest works of art in the entire world.

registering for an MPhil at the Courtauld Institute.

However, it was at this point, at the young age of 23, that he was offered a job at the National Gallery. “So I went there, and was very fortunate to get that job, as the Curator of Dutch and Flemish paintings, because frankly at that moment I didn’t know much about Dutch and Flemish paintings, except for the year that I’d done at Oxford. But in those days, appointments were made more on promise than achievement.”

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More people now visit museums every year than go to Premiership football matches

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A desire to democratize the museum as an institution has defined Brown’s career

the importance of attracting people from all backgrounds. “We have made real efforts here to attract audiences who do not naturally go to exhibitions. We’ve gone to particular trouble to do that, with, I think, some success.”

So it seems as if the importance of the museum, especially in Britain, is growing rapidly. “I

Ashmolean “Was the University willing and keen to open up the museum, show the collections to a much broader public than had been the case, and bring the museum into the 20th, if not the 21st, Century?”

This desire to democratize the museum as an institution has defined Brown’s career. “I’ve always had a deep belief in the public importance of museums,” he enthuses. “They are great public educational institutions. I think it’s interesting to compare for example how Florentines use the Uffizi or how Parisians use the Louvre — which are both charging museums, of course — and how Londoners use the National Gallery.

“I think that the way people used museums in 1971 and the way they use them today is entirely different. People now treat museum-visiting as a very important part of life and a very ordinary part of life. Going to a museum now is in a sense a very natural activity. It’s not something that you have to get dressed up for, and put in your diary months ahead. You think of going to museums as part of everyday life.”

Indeed, statistics show that more people now visit museums every year than go to football matches, and although one might think of a football crowd as far removed from the Ashmolean’s target audience, Brown stresses

think that the key to it is that museums are essentially educational institutions. You find out about your own history, and about many different cultures. To understand other cultures by their artefacts is something which, surely, we must all, in our joined-up world, try to do.”

In sixteen years, the Ashmolean has gone from 200,000 visitors a year to a million, and Brown attributes this success primarily to the £61m worth of rebuilding that he oversaw shortly after taking the job.

“I remember when we topped out the building [in 2008], which was an extraordinary moment. It was pouring with rain, and when you top out, of course, you don’t have a roof, so it was quite a damp occasion. But it was very exciting.

The Vice Chancellor performed the ceremony, but then I spoke to the assembled throng, and there was a real sense of excitement as the building went up.”

The Ashmolean in its current form is of course an iconic sight not only to Oxford students, but to countless others, and Professor Brown’s achievement in bringing it to its current level of popularity as the most-visited museum in the country outside London is truly staggering

bother with celebrity artists?

Loading the Why Joel Nelson has a look at Sylvester Stallone’s artistic credentials Canon Cherwell calls for new additions to the literary establishment

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ou may have heard the name before.

It may register dimly as something a parent or uncle once mentioned. You may have seen the recent and wonderful BBC production My Family And Other Animals and wondered what else this Durrell fellow wrote. The idea that this man was once one of the most popular British writers may seem far-fetched, overshadowed as he is now by his more famous brother, Lawrence Durrell (of whom you may also not have heard).

Durrell’s works are not of great literary value in and of themselves. They push no boundaries of taste or propriety, but remain wryly funny and solidly British. What Durrell did, though, was push conservation into the public eye from the 1950s onwards.

Durrell, as founder of Jersey Zoo and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, went around the world col-

lecting endangered animals for preservation and later re-population. His books detailed the journeys spent locating, capturing, and looking after a vast array of animals from different areas.

My Family and Other Animals, then, as the earliest in setting of Durrell’s books, is worthy of far more respect than it currently y gets. It radiates charm, enthusiasm, and d interest in all living creatures, and drawss comparisons between the variation of ani-mals and the weirdness of Durrell’s family. ly.

Durrell’s true talent is in his ability to treatt creatures with the same level of respect and d observation as he does humans. His keen-eyed sketches of the wildlife he encounters rs imbue the world itself with character, and d the result is that a generation of readers be-gan to feel that conservation of wildlife habbpoaching, and the develitats, prevention of poachi lopment of zoos that aim to help endangered ed important issues. species survive were all im Gerald Durrell was not a sophisticated ed important one. He writer, but he was an im unceremoniously hauled the un-unceremonious fashionable natural world ld into the public eye in a post-war world which post-w h largely just wanted to its wounds. lick it Durrell’s books, in Du helping maintain he in the earth’s diverth rsity, are, without a sity shadow of a doubt, shad t, canonical. It is time canon me new generation to for a ne him. discover hi

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hy is it that, as a society, we seem to assume that talent in one artistic sphere will naturally lend itself to another? This question is most relevant when considering the recent trend of celebrities involving themselves with the art world. While it has always been common for notable public figures to acquire art collections, it is a recent phenomenon for them to seek to produce works of their own.

With highly varying commercial and critical success, celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash and Ronnie Wood have turned their hands to painting. London’s West End galleries are full of prints by such figures, none of them affordably priced. Indeed, some Ronnie Wood lithographs have price tags of over £3,000. For that price one could acquire a couple of Joan Miró prints.

When examining this trend, it is, however, important not to dismiss such painters out of hand, due to the assumption that their talent is necessarily consigned to only one artistic sphere. Bob Dylan, for example, has had his work exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery where it garnered a great deal of praise.

While there can always be found critics keen to deride such figures’ efforts, this is not a viewpoint that one should necessarily immediately adopt.

Instead, one must question why such figures are inc reasing ly drawn to the art world.

Although amateur painting has a long tradition, it is likely that the first true ‘celebrity’ painter was Sir Winston Churchill. A prolific artist throughout his life, it was only after the Second World War, and the accompanying admiration from a grateful nation, that his paintings truly gained in popularity and became highly prized. It is within this example that the reason for why celebrities are becoming artists can be found.

Art has become the newest, most highly prized collectable. In the Victorian era, hair was collected. A lock of hair from, say, the Duke of Wellington was the most desirable collectable possible. To have such an item on display in one’s home was an indication of the owner’s prestige, wealth and, by proxy, the attributes of the person from which it came.

This now applies to art. While Sylvester Stallone’s paintings may be highly appreciated by some, it is principally collected because its creator is an iconic figure. To those who, for whatever reasons, admire Stallone, such an item is a further indication of the respect they afford him while, in turn, an acquisition of prestige from ownership. It‘s certainly a strange kind of prestige

17.10.14 | Cherwell

Film & TV | 27

Gone Girl not found wanting

Tom Barrie finds David Fincher’s latest film as hard-hitting as ever

ks Landmarks of cinema Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Spielberg’s first sci-fi film remains ins the definitive alien abduction drama

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hen you think of films ab about unexpected confrontations with extra-terrestrials, it’s more than likely those cinematic tropes came from Close Encounters. Though only Spielberg’s second major motion picture and the first that he wrote himself, it was a masterclass of building anticipation as the increasingly obssessed Roy chases the aliens into the mountains. The final scene involving the alien mothership also endures as one of the most iconic images from cinema of the last century. A huge critical and financial success, Close Encounters reinvigorated the market for sci-fi films the world over, along with the other major sci-fi releases of the decade, Star Wars, Superman and Alien.

The return to Twin Peaks

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here is a scene in David Fincher’s latest movie, Gone Girl, that will make you spit out your popcorn, nachos, or whatever other high-calorie comfort food is typical of your soft, bourgeois life. Thanks to Fincher’s habit of making very long films, by the time this scene comes around you will have spent a good two hours wondering if, perhaps just this once, he has chosen subject matter that doesn’t live up to his usual gritty standard. Then a bottle of wine, an attempted rape and a pair of box cutters are thrown into the mix and you remember that this man’s mind produced the likes of Se7en and Fight Club, and wonder how you could have been lulled, once again, into such a false sense of security.

This scene is a good litmus test when it comes to the tone of the whole movie. Gone Girl, as the title suggests, begins as a movie ostensibly about an apparently normal middle-class Missouri couple played by Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, until the latter goes missing, leaving nothing but signs of a violent struggle which all point to her husband as her killer. It’s hard to say more without giving any of the numerous twists and revelations away, but as anyone who has read the original source material will know (the book is an adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel of the same name), very little is as it seems.

Fincher is lucky in that the material he’s working with is rich. In Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, he has two reliable and experienced actors who bring multifaceted characters to life with almost disturbing ease. When Affleck’s character, Nick, appears initially not to care about his wife’s disappearance, one can’t help but partially join in with the baying media who all scream “He did it!” Happily, too, the eponymous girl is hardly gone for most of the film thanks to flashbacks looking at the breakdown of her marriage and eventual vanishing. Pike gives what turns from a standard performance as a perfect trophy wife and all-American poster girl into a far less sympathetic, calculating survivor, and makes the viewer wonderfully uneasy during every one of her scenes. These performances couple perfectly with Trent Reznor’s delightfully chilling soundtrack. Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails fame, brings the same industrial, pulsing beat to the film that he did on previous Fincher collaborations like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network, with the ever-present ambience going from ponderous

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to terrifying in a matter of seconds.

The movie is too slow-paced at the beginning.

Whilst Fincher does well to set up the illusion of a happy marriage, a good twenty to thirty minutes could be cut from the beginning of Gone

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Gone Girl builds at a steady, even pace before exploding into a disturbing look at human psychology Girl with little loss of quality. The director does up to fifty takes when shooting a scene, and the obvious perfectionism means much is included that needn’t be. The dialogue also suffers from some sort of buddy-cop syndrome; every character is cynical in the extreme, and they all talk to one another like they’re starring in a police procedural.

Of course, in the case of the cop characters this makes sense (they are starring in a police procedural), but when Nick’s sister tells him early in the movie to go home and “fuck his wife’s brains out” with a totally straight face, you wish that there could be at least someone around who doesn’t speak with total snark by default.

Ultimately, the flaws in the movie are disguised by layer upon layer of intrigue. The message that no-one really knows anyone around them until placed in an extreme situation is an old one, but this is no mindless rehashing of the likes of Gaspar Noé’s Irréversible or even Fincher’s own Dragon Tattoo, even where comparisons with the sexual violence of either film are valid. Instead, Gone Girl builds at a steady, even pace before exploding into a disturbing look at human psychology and the dynamics of power and manipulation. It is David Fincher at his fucked-up best

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his week saw the culmination of 20 years of anticipation, as David Lynch and Mark Frost, creators of the cult television programme Twin Peaks, announced its return for a limited series in 2016. Originally running from 1990 to 1991, the show has recently ridden a resurgent wave of popularity, buoyed by its availability on American Netflix, coinciding with the onset of 90s nostalgia. Suddenly, the mysteries of Laura Palmer, the young woman whose body washes ashore downstream of her town, the titular American idyll, were back in the zeitgeist. But in our modern age of instant gratification, are audiences ready to return to the enigmatic town of Twin Peaks, whose woods hold more mysteries than they do answers?

Whilst Laura Palmer’s mysterious death was the hook that pulled in its initial audience, it was never the show’s raison d’être.

Twin Peaks toyed with its audience, alternately engaging and unnerving them. It was part soap, part noir, part horror movie, and wholly fascinating. Audiences were introduced to FBI Special Agent Cooper, who arrived in Twin Peaks to investigate Palmer’s death. As he crossed paths with the town’s inhabitants, from high school femme fatale Audrey Horne, to the disturbed Log Lady, a soap opera cast emerged from the mystery, albeit one filtered through its creators’ twisted lens. The beguiling mix of avant-garde imagery, challenging ideas and soapy theatrics, found in the show’s ing door cast of long cliffhangers and revolving ed irresistible. And so the lost relatives, proved ery receded into the background, central mystery just another reminder of the darkness lurking around the town’s edges.

The show was a massive hit. Unlike anyiously attempted on television, thing previously it took the vision of a great American auteur from the art houses, and placed it in ving rooms. It was like nothing America’s living the masses had seen before. Dark, twisted, and pulpy, the show, like all of est work, delved Lynch’s strongest hosexual rot beinto the psychosexual neath the facade of American domesticity. The nation was hooked. In a time anbefore the cable channt nel explosion of recent years, the show dominated conversation, regularly pulling in

On cherwell.org this week...

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n the website this week, we’ve got a review of Pride, the film that looks at the alliance of gay and lesbian activists and miners during the Thatcher administration and has taken the cinemas up and down the British Isles by storm. Find out what our reviewer had to say about it, Switching to TV, in the wake of the latest Top Gear diplomatic crisis, we looked at the economics of the Top Gear empire and why its brand of culturally insensitive ‘humour’ is so popular with Britain and

the rest of the world. The crux of the matter is that it makes the BBC far too much money for its pseudo-racist ‘banter’ to be curtailed.

On top of all this excitement, in case you missed it, we also went mad and have gone all Buzzfeed, so if you’ve ever wondered what film or TV programme your college would be, make sure to check out the Film & TV section on the website to see where we thought you were most likely to be murdered by a man wearing his dead mother’s clothes.

over 20 million viewers. Its young cast found themselves on the cover of Rolling Stone, on talk shows and red carpets. It was a phenomenon – and yet it fizzled in the blink of an eye.

The show’s grand ambition was both its greatest strength and its fatal flaw. From Blue Velvet to Mulholland Drive, Lynch’s work is marked by a fascination with mysteries, rather than their solutions. Laura Palmer’s murder was never meant to be solved. But the show’s bosses felt this inappropriate for the long-form medium of television, where viewers’ interest must be retained for weeks on end. They forced Lynch and Frost to solve the case midway though the second season, and the show never recovered. The resolution came too quickly, too clumsily, and the show floundered without a backbone. Ratings slid, and the show was cancelled after only two years. That Lynch would follow up the show with the misguided big screen adaptation Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, both a prequel and sequel to the show, further tarnished Twin Peaks’ once-sterling reputation. And so a cultural behemoth limped its way out of the spotlight.

But now the show is preparing to return, yet questions still remain about where it will fit in a television landscape so vastly different from the show’s heyday, when audiences had access to only a small handful of channels. Will Twin Peaks finally get the elusive Lynch back behind a camera? Will new fans waitin between episodes, when lose interest waiting they’re so used to watching them all in one go? Can Twin Peaks stand out against the strength to of today’s programming, wh even whilst these new shows stee are steeped in its DNA? That seri is planned to be the series a one-off event suggests a definitive end, a solution to a mystery. Isn’t that what went wrong the first time around?

Sam Joyce

Cherwell recommends...

T

he comedy that dominates television schedules tends towards blandness and conformity on a frightening scale.

To remedy this, Comedy Central’s Alternative Comedy Experience offers a brief yet welcome glimpse into the more fringe elements of the current comedy circuit. Hosted by arch-alternative Stewart Lee, and filmed at The Stand comedy club in Edinburgh, acts that have been showcased include surrealist Tony Law, character comedian Kevin Eldon, feminism-

focussed Bridget Christie and scientist (yes) Helen Arney. Although more hit and miss, itself not a criticism, than the mainstream tripe we are relentlessly force-fed, it’s incredibly refreshing to see so many different genres of comedy showcased in one place. It’s also the only comedy programme where you will see as many female as male comedians on the same bill. If you’re wanting to laugh at something other than observational shtick, this is the place to go.

28 | Music

Cherwell | 17.10.14

3 3 3 2 2

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Philip Selway, Weatherhouse

oor Philip Selway. The former Radiohead drummer’s sophomore effort has been upstaged by the surprise release of frontman Thom Yorke’s Tomorrow’s Wooden Boxes.

Nonetheless, the pair have Radiohead fans talking and the rumour mills in full swing.

The album opens, and unfortunately peaks, with lead single ‘Coming up for Air’. Selway’s melancholic vocals float over punchy synths, whilst a melodic bridge builds the tension of the moody track by forever suspending the delivery of the title.

As the album progresses, cool beats meet slick synths, whilst sonorous strings compliment the slow, moody vocals. These vocals, meanwhile, are pretty; almost too pretty. At times it feels like the delicacy and precision could be replaced with a rawer, edgy tonality.

Lyrically, Weatherhouse is weak. The stripped back vocals and minimalist lyrics allow space for the intricate textural layers, but it’s not long before Selway’s angst-filled crooning becomes repetitive. It takes only three tracks to grow weary of the heartache inspired lyrics, and only a few more to want to hand him a diary and tell him not to come out of his Weatherhouse anytime soon.

Selway’s effort is an intriguing one. It’s an interesting foray into Twenty First Century prog rock, yet it ultimately lacks the hooks and drive that make Radiohead special. It’s promising, but, if the rumours are to be believed, the real excitement is yet to come.

Kayleigh Tompkins

3 3 2 2 2

A

Dads, I’ll be the Tornado

two-piece outfit described variously as punk, emo or the ever-tempting catch all ‘indie’, the oddly-named New Jersey band, Dads, seem to have accrued an enviable following across the pond. With three albums under their belt and an impressive line-up of tour dates, I had high expectations for their soon-tobe-released album I’ll be the Tornado.

The opener ‘Grand Edge, MI’ has a sound redolent of The xx, with acoustic guitars drenched in reverb and moody vocals. It is a shame, then, that lead singer John Bradley’s voice doesn’t live up to this comparison. Nasal and wandering, the singing is often simply off-key, grating against the otherwise skilled guitar playing.

A rocky sound defines the rest of the album, almost erring on the side of metal. This is exemplified in ‘Sold Year / Transitions’ — an up-tempo, heavy track which suits Bradley’s high-powered vocal style much better than the album’s slower songs.

The band’s lyrics leave a lot to be desired.

‘Chewing Ghosts’ includes such awkward lines as “we could be drunk together / we could be punk together”. Later in the album, the track ‘But’ rhymes “necessity” with “chest cavity”.

Bizarre.

Medical terms aside, the album does have some redeeming features. The energy is kept up from beginning to end, and the vocals have real feeling, making up perhaps for the out of tune singing.

From Frank Sinatra to Whitney Houston, New Jersey has produced countless A-listers over the years. However, Dads seem unlikely to make the grade.

Stephen Bradshaw

From Oxford to Harlem

Stephen Bradshaw chats to break-out student outfit Northeast Corridor

O

xford is well known for being a birthplace of musical talent. Radiohead, Supergrass and Foals all had humble beginnings playing gigs in the city’s many bars and clubs.

Not surprisingly, many have tried to follow in their footsteps, using the lively gigging culture to try and make their mark.

One such group is Northeast Corridor. A fourpiece band made up of three music students and a chemist, they have already had much success at home and abroad. Since their debut in June they have been gigging up and down the country, have played Oxford’s O2 Academy and have even been picked up by BBC Introducing.

Perhaps the key to this success is the band’s keenness to confront issues that matter to them. When lead singer Nick Hampson found out about protests in the United States about a homophobic message posted on a church sign in Haarlem, NYC, he teamed up with a New York charity to see how he could help.

The result was the band’s debut single and music video, written in memory of Ali Forney, a transgender youth who was killed on the streets of New York in 1997. As Nick explains, “We came up with this idea of creating a music video which could raise awareness of the fight for survival that all these boys face everyday... it was an attempt to capture something completely unfathomable.”

‘Where You’re Sleeping Tonight’ is low-key, melancholic and soulful, the lead vocals floating effortlessly over the guitar accompaniment.

The video itself is visually striking, an abstract collection of images depicting life on the streets of Haarlem. The two combine to produce an experience that is mellow, soporific, but deeply moving.

Northeast Corridor consists of lead singer Nick Hampson, bass guitarist Harry Davidson, lead guitarist Tom Stafford (he occasionally plays a modular synthesiser) and drummer Nick Orr. “Every time we play we learn more about each other as people and musicians,” says Nick.

“So long as that continues I think our music should continue to develop and hopefully never stop changing.”

The band’s musical influences are certainly diverse. Harry cites jazz fusion artists such as Snarky Puppy’s Michael League among his bassplaying heroes, and Tom talks of a love of hip hop artists such as Wu Tang Clan, Odd Future, and Death Grips. The band’s live sets are full of musical surprises, ultimately lending them a Muse-like vibe. As Nick puts it, “We try and make music which goes to places you don’t always expect... our show certainly isn’t quiet!”

I ask them if there are any plans for an EP at some point in the future. Nick answers conservatively, “I think we will continue releasing individual tracks rather than doing an EP or an album in the near future. We are still in a way figuring out what we are and who we are as artists. What is most important to us is being fully in love with each thing that we release.”

The band’s classical training plays an important role for them. Nick was a cathedral chorister from a young age, Harry played the bassoon

Johnny not so Marr-vellous

W

hat can you say about an album whose entire contents blur into one? Despite numerous listens to Johnny Marr’s latest solo offering, Playland, I’m struggling to find anything meaningful to say about the album. As a member of numerous eponymous bands, he has spouted a consistent stream of brilliance. But two albums into his solo career, he is yet to produce anything of real interest or value – even if NME worship every strum of his guitar.

There is no denying that the man’s talent was brilliant, but you almost feel that you appreciate this work due to his reputation. This is the man who wrote numerous high-charting tracks with The Smiths in a few hours, and flirted with all the biggest names in the music industry, from Bryan Ferry to The Pretenders to The Cribs. He helped spawn songs that define a generation, for God’s sake. But when it comes down to his present work, has Marr finally lost his edge?

Let’s start with the positives of the album. Or

“

When it comes down to his present work, has Marr finally lost his edge? should I say, positive. The album’s highlight is by far ‘Easy Money’. Catchy riffs and a light rock sound ensure the song is both easy on the ear and on the dancing feet. But when you take a break from bobbing along, you realise that the lyrics hide a deeper message — the futility of being a slave to money — somewhat ironic considering the revenue the album has accumulated already, charting midweek at number eight.

The album cover aptly conveys its musical content. Johnny Marr’s image and style is clearly imprinted upon it. Yet the finished product lacks any standout qualities. It resembles

Johnny Marr

Playland 33222

in the National Youth Orchestra, and Tom is an enthusiastic contemporary-classical composer.

“Our backgrounds as classical musicians are a unique influence on the way we write rock songs,” explains Nick. “Some of our favourite bands, like Radiohead, for example, use the complexities and subtleties of classical music to an incredible advantage in rock music and that is definitely something that we are trying to develop in our own work.”

So is there enough dialogue between classical music and rock genres? “Perhaps that’s too big a question to answer,” evades Nick. “Good music is good music to me. I don’t really care what people call it or class it as. If it rocks, then it rocks.”

This attitude will surely stand Northeast Corridor in good stead as their career gets off the ground. With a BBC Introducing gig in Reading, appearances in London, and an Oxford Festival on the cards, we may be seeing a lot more of them over the coming weeks and months.

Northeast Corridor play at the Jericho Tavern on the 27th of November

Where are they now?

Cherwell delves into the later careers of one-hit-wonders so you don’t have to

more the naff clip art font of the album’s title and mundane backdrop than the suave style of Marr himself.

Playland is not offensive to the ear, but neither is it particularly pleasing or memorable. The best way I can describe it is background music — it’s there and it’s okay but you’re quite happy to talk over it.

As has been suggested elsewhere, Marr is obviously still ‘musically literate’. After thirty years of experience in bands, there’s no doubt he’s still capable of writing a catchy riff; even if the opening of ‘Dynamo’ sounds strangely similar to his earlier work with Electronic, ‘Getting Away With It’.

‘Candidate’ and ’25 Hours’ sound like the work of a slightly misinformed Joy Division cover band, and most lyrics on the album are not as playful as the title promises. However, the album as a whole is an improvement on his first solo attempt, 2013’s The Messenger. Hopefully, this trend will continue into his next project — then maybe he’ll produce an album with, dare I say, two really “good” songs on it?

Remember ten years ago, when it was OK to pair low-rise jeans with crop tops, watch back to back episodes of Mona The Vampire and listen to Busted without a shred of irony?

Imagine looking back on 2004 (when many of us were still waiting to hit double figures) as the peak of your meteoric and short-lived success as a pop-star. For 23-yearold Joanna Levesque, or ‘JoJo’ as we know and (sort of used to) love her, that’s precisely what it was.

Since her heyday she’s dabbled in film, starring in one about a mermaid and another called GBF about Gay Best Friends, neither of which, surprisingly, really caught on.

But it seems she’s trying her best to make a comeback, having recently signed on to Atlantic.

Fail Meanwhile, The Daily Fa dedihas an entire article dedi cated to her “considerable all cleavage” —but hey, al publicity is good… no wait, it’s not. side, On the bright side maxher Twitter offers ma “Whatever ims such as “Whateve thinking... you’re thinking Think bigger”, suggesting that, if all else fails, JoJo least could at leas forge a career as a motivational speaker.

Stage | 29

17.10.14 | Cherwell

Cantrill Aoife Cant Worcester Worces

Know Your Thesp

It’s all Greek to me

Michael Roderick reviews OUCDS’s take on Aeschylus’ The Furies

Aoife hi hit the Oxford drama scene with a bang, fitting a total of six plays into just one year. The Worcester historian ha has appeared in many a production at the Oxford Playhouse and the O’Reilly, including the critically Playhou acclaimed Caucasian Chalk Circle and Lord of the Flies. acclaime She also tried her hand (quite literally) at puppeteering adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and in an ad didn’t allow Prelims to take her off the stage in Trinity, appearing in an all-female production of As You Like It. appear another appearance coming up in Orlando it looks With an like we have a lot more to see from this young star.

WW1 Drama: Is it best we forget?

Fergus Morgan examines the plethora of First World War drama on stage

I

n case the plethora of predictably ham-fisted BBC documentaries and throwaway newspaper inserts somehow haven’t reached you, you should probably be aware that this year marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. And to mark the occasion, theatre companies nationwide have been producing shows that use the war as a central motif, either by directly placing events between 1914 and 1918, or by examining the social fallout that inevitably accompanies war.

Despite undeniably good intentions, however, the abundance of these, for want of a better word, ‘commemorative’ plays is beginning to threaten tedium. That war is a fundamentally thought-provoking topic is undeniable; one only has to think of the eternally arresting poetry of Wilfred Owen or Siegfried Sassoon.

Yet the predictable, hackneyed nature of the themes that characterise the majority of these plays is similarly patent and, as a device, they seem altogether too obvious a route to the hearts of an audience.

Earlier this year, I saw An August Bank Holiday Lark at the Oxford Playhouse. Set in the fictional village of Greenmill, Deborah McAndrew’s play focuses on the idyllic country life of the early Twentieth Century and its slow demise as a result of the First World War. All the expected characters were present: two young lovers ripped apart by conscription, an elderly father bereft of his two sons, an eager young man deemed unfit for service. I enjoyed the play; it was well-scripted, well-directed and well-acted, but I was left with an immovable anxiety that I had not been as moved as I should have been.

For this, the blame can be partially laid at the door of the media. The bombardment of documentaries, dramas and discussions has rendered me somewhat unable to appreciate the tragedy. There is a genuine danger of desensitisation, of a collective dulling of our perception of the profundity of war through sheer familiarity miliarity with it. But this familiarity is also the e fault of our theatres.

In the coming weeks, no less than four separate shows about WW1 are being performed in Oxford, including an adaptation of Pat Barker’s Regeneration, Regeneration which arrives at the OP in 6th week. For the dramatist, war presents situations in which emotion is easily contrived: the e loneliness of a young bride awaiting her husband’s and’s return, the fear of a recruit heading to the front-line for the first time, the sorrow of

A

a parent confronted with news of their fallen son. Yet, on stage, are these feelings as perennially profound as we are repeatedly told?

“Moving”, “compassionate”, “poignant” boast the posters, but isn’t the proliferation of such productions the very antithesis of such claims?

Can these productions, sharing similar themes, similar relationships, similar characters, all be emotionally stirring?

Quality does not always ensure such an outcome, as proved by An August Bank Holiday

“

It is originality that ensures a play has a strong emotional impact Lark, a commendable play, in most respects, that I enjoyed seeing but was not deeply moved by. The truth is that in such a climate of commemoration, it is originality that ensures a play has a strong emotional impact on the audience.

In June, I saw a dramatisation of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, also at the OP. Yes, it is set in the time of the Second World War but the same, or similar, rules should apply. As a play, the lack of centrality, a fundamental component of the novel, ensures that the audience is never fully immersed. As an eyeglass into the harrowing trauma of conflict, however, its fervent unpredictability rendered it surprisingly touching.

It is the revelation of a new perspective on well-worn stories that truly engages an audience. It is the inclusion of an unusual character or an alternative opinion. These are devices that break fresh ground.

They circumvent the prism of mass-media opinions, blow away the haze of familiarity and promote tangible insight into the tragedy. And they are much needed in First World War drama, lest we forget.

On cherwell.org this week...

n extended version of Miles Lawrence’s account of OUDS’s International Tour of Twelfth Night is available on the website. The tour, which took students to Japan, is one of the most exciting events of the University’s dramatic calendar and the online version features additional info.

Also: freshers take note! We present a guide to the ‘do’s and ‘don’t’s of the Cuppers drama competition. How do you participate? What does it take to win one of the coveted awards?

There is also a preview of the Oxford Playhouse’s Winter Season, which features student productions as well as professional touring shows.

G

reek Tragedy: nothing screams serious theatre like these two words. And of all the tragedians, Aeschylus is perhaps the most serious. His plays are often viewed as dense, majestic and starkly archaic. If Euripides is the decadent poet of an Athens in meltdown, Aeschylus is the stern progenitor of his mighty genre (that’s the clichéd view, anyway).

Hell, even his subject-matters scream ‘Pretty Serious’: blood-curses, polluted families, vengeance, justice, holy violence — it all sounds rather awesome. It was therefore appropriate that I felt quite astonished by the end of the Oxford University Classical Drama Society’s new production of The Furies, the final instalment of Aeschylus’ The Oresteia.

Astonished not only by the feat of putting on a play in the original ancient Greek (and Aeschylus’ Greek is no picnic) with a group of actors, many of whom are not classicists and have no knowledge of Ancient Greek, but also by the talent with which they pull the whole thing off.

There are, most certainly, moments of unnecessary tedium and miscalculation, but overall it is an excellent and worthwhile production.

The plot isn’t a barrel of laughs, to be sure.

It concerns the fate of Orestes (played by Niall Docherty) the mother-slaying progeny of the rather dysfunctional House of Atreus. If you think your family are a mess, they probably don’t have much on the House of Atreus.

Orestes’ mother, Clytemnestra (played by Hannah Marsters), had already bumped off her husband, and Orestes’ father, Agamemnon, commander of Greek forces during the Trojan War. Clytemnestra summons the eponymous Furies, abominable spirits whose purpose is the pursuit of mother-killers and father-killers.

These monsters hound Orestes until Apollo (played by a deliciously Dionysiac Jack Taylor), who’d essentially commanded our poor protagonist to kill his mother, intervenes with the help of the goddess Athena (played by Kaia Stone).

Athena claims she prefers fathers to mothers and so sides with Orestes in his plight. The play concludes with a reconciliation between the Furies and Athena, the institution of the Athenian court of the Areopagus, and a free, and mightily relieved Orestes.

Everything in Aeschylus proceeds via a series of grand set-pieces, scenes in which one character narrates entire episodes; plus of course there are the choral scenes, dances, chants and songs.

This is the primordial theatre and it is difficult to pull off today.

And yet, this production manages it with consummate skill. The movements of all characters are rhythmic, agonised, slow; there is very little action within whole scenes, but every one is devised almost like a painting, each with its own striking visual logic, paucity or deliberation of movement and, most excellently backed by a live orchestra, whose tortured, arrhythmic strings and thunderous drums all combine to

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add to the sense of archaic grandeur and severity.

The slow unravelling of the plot and the lack of action are well substituted by the addition of atmosphere through music and choreography.

Indeed, by far the best scenes in the play were those that are sometimes static but choreographed meanderingly: the scene in which the soul of Clytemnestra summons the Furies in the underworld is quite astonishing because of the well-placed screeching of the orchestra and the insidious chattering of the horrid Furies, as well as their slow, measured and monstrous movements.

Conversely, the scenes that work least are those which abandon this principal, when characters are merely standing around on stage listening to one person speak.

The final scene (in which the Furies scream interminably) is a good example of this. These minor criticisms should serve to highlight the

“

Each scene is devised like a painting with striking visual logic more general success of almost all other scenes however.

It is difficult to talk about the quality of the acting using the traditional criteria because these are not really characters, but towering collections of rhetoric; having said that, there were some excellent performances.

In particular, Niall Docherty embodied all the things that I admired about this play — the rhythmic quality, the immense energy and the force of tragedy; he characterised where he needed to and rhetorised wherever else. His Greek, too, sounded impeccable.

Jack Taylor played a more grotesque Apollo than is usual, but this, along with Lamorna Ash’s horrifying Pythia, contributed well to the bleak, cruel picture of the Greek cosmos this play presents.

And, of course, the Furies: simultaneously shrill and savage, monstrous and musical, they are all played very well indeed.

Of particular note, too, is the looming set which consists of a series of abstract shapes based on the sculptures of Henry Moore and the fleshy deformities of Francis Bacon’s paintings (I would assume the director enjoyed the recent Ashmolian exhibition).

The whole thing makes for a supremely competent spectacle: though at times tedious (this is Greek Tragedy, after all), you will have few other opportunities to see Ancient Greek theatre performed in the original with such energised aplomb and skill.

Cherwell recommends...

rantic Assembly’s modernised Othello will be at the Oxford Playhouse from 21st-25th October. Frantic Assembly have been described as “the most innovative and progressive company around”, and their take on Shakespeare’s thrilling tale of deception, vengeance and tragedy is not to be missed.

This Saturday, the Old Fire Station presents

Square Peg Theatre’s The Man Who Woke Up Dead, a tense thriller that pays homage to 1950s film noir and the dystopic universes of George Orwell.

If you fancy something lighter, Around the World in Eighty Days arrives at the Pegasus Theatre on Thursday. Theatre is kicking off for the Oxford term, don’t miss out!

30 | Sport

Cherwell | 17.10.14

Blues enjoy encouraging pre-season ahead of Japan tour

Oxford’s elite footballers were unbeaten in their preparation for the season — the future looks bright Cherwell Sport Team

T

he Oxford Men’s Blues football team enjoyed a highly successful pre-season.

They began with a convincing 7-2 win over Old Carthusians. The Blues started with five of the same players who started last year’s varsity match and with only one debutant, Sam Gomarsall. Dan Bassett returned for his 49th and final game for the Blues. Oxford started the game quickly as man of the match Matt Smith provided a ball for the Blues’ Kiwi vice-captain Brook Tozer to slot into the net for 1-0. Two more goals followed in the next

Score

7-2

The Oxford Blues dominated

their Old Carthusian opponents fifteen minutes as the Blues outclassed their opponents through Ezra Rubenstein and Matt Smith goals.

Old Carthusians then came back into the game, scoring into the bottom left of the Blues’ goal. However this did not throw the industrious team off their stride and the following thirty minutes saw a deluge of goals.

A Beck-Friis goal was followed by the hardworking Theo Oulton forcing one of the Old Carthusians’ back-line to turn into his own net. The Blues’ sixth goal was arguably the pick of the game as Ed Mole picked the ball up twenty-five yards out from goal before sumptuously curling the ball into the top-right corner of the net. Beck-Friis then bagged the seventh after a brilliant Matt Smith cross.

The final thirty minutes were a far quieter

affair, the only moments of note being an Old Carthusians’ goal - similar to their first - and an inexplicable offside decision leaving an Old Carthusian striker one-on-one (and ten yards offside), but Blues ‘keeper Szreter managed to make the save.

In their second game, the Blues battled hard to a 1-1 draw against the Amateur Football Alliance’s (AFA) senior team under floodlights at Uxbridge FC’s immaculate pitch. The AFA team is picked from all teams affiliated to the Alliance, which leaves the side a choice of 20,000 players.

AFA’s pace on the break brought dividends in the tenth minute when a well-placed cross from the left was headed in from ten yards.

Despite this early set-back the Blues settled and began passing effectively in midfield, with Alex Tsaptsinos proving a highly effective linchpin for the Blues’ diamond midfield

four.

The Blues went into half-time 1-0 down but came back with renewed energy and determination. In their attempt to take the game to AFA’s defence, the match was often stretched, forcing Szreter into action in the 70th minute as he turned a low shot from twelve yards onto the post.

The Blues continued to create opportunities and the introduction of Ed Mole and another debutant in Jake Dark provided a new attacking impetus. But a goal still eluded the Blues. In a last attacking push, Blues coach Mickey Lewis put 6’6 Rich Smith into the attack moving Tsaptsinos back to defence. This tactic soon reaped its reward as Smith flicked on a Rubenstein cross into the path of Peder Beck-Friis, who calmly lobbed the AFA goalkeeper with a header to equalize; 1-1 was how the game finished. Man of the match was

jointly awarded to Rich Smith, Szreter and Tsaptsinos.

In their third game, the Blues secured a 1-0 win over one of the top-ranked university sides in the country, UWE Hartpury, who have won the BUCS Premiership South for the last seven years in a row. The game was evenly contested but the home team stole the win through a well-hit 25-yard strike from Mike Essman. The Blues were particularly impressive in the opening stages of the game, and showed flashes of attacking play which suggest that they are beginning to grow into their new diamond formation. The intensity of the Blues’ pressing made a strong Hartpury side look very ordinary at times.

It was the defence that really shone, especially centre-backs Rich Smith and man of the match Michael Moneke, whose commanding performances were crucial in ensuring that the Blues kept a notable clean sheet. Two summer recruits made their debuts for the Blues in the game; William Smith of Jesus College and James Tunningley of LMH. In the fourth game of pre-season, the Blues edged out an Arthurian League representative team 3-2. Centre-back Rich Smith was out injured, and Mike Moneke had to come off early in the first half with an ankle problem.

Despite falling behind 1-0 early on in the first half, the Blues equalised on the stroke of halftime through an Ezra Rubenstein penalty.

The Blues struggled to play their neat passing football on the tiny Marston pitch but went 2-1 ahead through new recruit James Tunningley as he rounded the keeper and stroked home. However, the Arthurian league scored a header at the back-post to keep the tight affair going. A final push from the Blues brought a cross to the back post for Matt Smith to head home and seal the win. A late Arthurian League goal was correctly ruled offside and the Blues took a scrappy victory for their third in four games.

The Blues, then, enjoyed a promising preseason, which puts them in great stead not just for the season ahead, but also for their recently announced winter tour of Japan.

Sport | 31

17.10.14 | Cherwell

Look forward to a movable feast of sport

Changing room chat with... We take you through the sporting events of Michaelmas term so you don’t miss a thing Anna Murphy Deputy Sports Editor

A Oxford University Netball Club This week, we catch-up with second-year netball Blue Beth Nichol.

N

etball is one of Oxford’s most successful sports — and speaking to Blues star Beth Nichol, it’s not hard to see why.

While you were busy counting down the days to the beginning of term and reiterating to anyone who would listen just how little work you’ve done this summer, Beth and the rest of the team were in Oxford training hard for the season ahead. Pre-season took place every morning for two weeks, with training at the Iffley Road Sports Centre.

It’s not as bad as it sounds, though; this season the team has shifted its emphasis away from soul-destroying fitness training in favour of a more hands-on approach. In a feat of innovation, the Oxford netball team has made playing netball the central feature of its preseason training programme.

Of course, pre-season is not just about honing your shots and blocks; Beth is adamant that the team’s success last season was due to its immense sense of team spirit, and preseason has provided the perfect opportunity to reinforce that crucial team chemistry. The team spend many hours at Iffley’s café, Sub4, and it’s clear that Beth considers the joint to be the Blues’ ‘eighth man’.

When we move onto the team’s performance last season, Beth’s face lights up — this is obviously a matter of great pride. The jewel in the crown was the varsity double victory, when both the Blues and the ‘Roos’ defeated the old enemy. Admittedly, the season itself was less sparkling, with the

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Nothing is more important than Sub4 Café Blues getting demoted, though the Roos only narrowly missed out on winning their particular league.

How, I ask, does the team look for the upcoming year? Inevitably, university teams lose some of their best players each year, and the netball team is no exception. The losses have mainly been suffered on the front line, with almost all the attacking players from last year’s team moving on.

In particular, Beth points to the loss of Nat Redgrave, who has left a gaping hole in the spearhead of the Blues’ attack. Nevertheless, with trials having taken place this week, the Blues are always on the lookout for new talent. What’s more, Beth is confident that the team still has enough star quality to launch a bid for promotion. One name stands out — Ailsa Keyser, the team’s goalkeeper, who makes David De Gea look like a JCR Reserves ‘keeper (my words, not Beth’s... obviously).

Ambitions for next season, then, are sky high; and with the addition of a third netball team into the mix — the ‘Emus’ — Oxford’s netballers have the opportunity for the first time ever to win the varsity treble. Having seen the intensity with which Oxford’s elite netballers train and play, I wouldn’t bet against it.

fter a summer that seems to have lasted for an eternity, Michaelmas full term is finally here. Although not everyone will be looking forward to the colder days, longer nights and fresh essay crises that the new term will inevitably bring, there is plenty of excitement to look forward to on the sports front. From historic encounters to brand new fixtures, look no further for your guide to the biggest sporting events of Michaelmas 2014 — we’d recommend cutting this out and pinning it to your wall.

17th October The age-old rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge will kick off this year with the first ever varsity Horse Race, in which five Oxford students, who have gone through rigorous

Quick fact

6th December 2014 The date that the annual

the BUCS knockout tournament, the Women’s Blues will be hungry for a victory when they travel to Cambridge in the BUCS League. Having had a strong pre-season (including beating Oxford Brookes 12-1 in a friendly match) it looks like the team could be on course for an early season upset against their traditional rivals.

2nd November Athletics’ Freshers varsity. Wilberforce Sports Ground in Cambridge will play host to a new generation of athletes from Oxford and Cambridge as they face off in this ‘junior’ varsity match. The newcomers — both graduates and undergraduates — will be looking to make an impression to secure inclusion in the varsity match itself. Last time around, Oxford’s women were victorious, though our men’s team were narrowly defeated.

12th November OULC Women vs Cambridge. In University Parks, the site of their dominant varsity performance earlier this year, the Wo m en’s lacrosse team will once again host their greatest opponents in a BUCS league fixture. The Men’s Blues will also be playing Bath at the same time, so the afternoon should hopefully provide lots of exciting sporting action for spectators.

training and fitness testing, will take on their Cambridge counterparts at Newmarket’s historic Rowley Mile course.

26th-29th November Christ Church Regatta. 7th week traditionally sees novice rowers from all colleges take to the water for their first real taste of competitive rowing.

And if that doesn’t sound too dangerous, remember that the coxes are novices as well. Expect carnage.

29th October OUAFC Women vs Cambridge. After going down 2-0 in last year’s varsity match and 1-0 in

6th December Cross Country varsity. A long term of training builds up to a tough race on Wim-

Varsity Ski Trip begins

bledon Common at the end of 8th week for some of Oxford’s best runners, who will be looking to avenge last year’s defeat in both the Men’s and Women’s matches.

And don’t forget the ‘mob match’ the weekend before; it’s open to runners of any ability and this year will be hosted by Oxford so there is no excuse n o t to take part.

6th-13th December Ski Sports varsity. While the words ‘Varsity Trip’ may for many students be synonymous with a lot of partying and the occasional bit of skiing, for OUSSC the Varsity Trip is one of the highlights of the competition calendar. The Men’s team are defending overall champions, and with everything from racing to freestyle on offer there is plenty to watch. If you’re up for a challenge there are also the ever-popular Cuppers competitions, in which colleges can enter a team of four in an exciting relay dual-slalom format.

11th December Rugby Union varsity. OURFC have got some big fixtures this term, playing London Wasps on the 20th October and Northampton Saints on 24th November, but this is the match that everything builds towards. Oxford will be back at the fantastic Twickenham stadium hunting a record fifth consecutive win. However, Cambridge still have the overall lead by 61 wins to 57. On the day, there’ll be everything to play for.

Fantasy football — how to stack your dream team

Our office expert lets you in on some tried-and-tested tactics to take you to the top of your fantasy league

Tushar Kelkar Deputy Sports Editor

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ost people’s emotions when watching football are fairly consistently onedimensional. For instance, ask Arsenal fans to express their feelings concerning Emmanuel Adebayor and you would be lucky to hear anything but vitriol; conversely, United fans express nothing but adulation for their hero in a bygone era, Ronaldo. It’s rare that you’d find a passionate supporter burdened by conflicted feelings, but for a Fantasy fanatic, such occurrences are weekly events.

Fantasy Football has gone from strength to strength, with more and more players joining the craze every year; this year over three million players have signed up to have a go at showing off their footballing wisdom by beating their friends, colleagues, and schoolmates.

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Have trust in your players. Panicking drops you points It adds an extra element to enjoying the Premier League; you’ll find yourself cheering on your cheap defenders in the thrilling encounter that is Burnley vs QPR, and shouting in frustration when your most expensive player misses a sitter from 2 yards out. You won’t even mind that much when your team loses to a flukey, half-accidental hat-trick if you have captained the opposition player in question. Most importantly, it provides an outlet for wannabe tacticians to prove their abilities.

Here are some tips to get ahead and beat your friends:

Don’t ignore conventional wisdom. Every so often players will start playing out of their skins. Their form will lead to huge and rapid rises in their price. Moreover, certain players play so well that a high percentage of your friends will have them. If they do happen to succeed it will be such a large setback that you just won’t be able to make up for it. Jumping on player bandwagons also means you can ride the price rises, and try and cash out when you think the player is no longer going to perform and their price has stopped rising, freeing up extra funds for more expensive players. On the other hand, you need to consider having players with lower percentage ownership who you think are going to succeed. If these players manage to step up, you’ll find yourself moving up the table when your friends are all banking on players who are overachieving, and then start to flop in later Gameweeks. Diego Costa and Di Maria are classic examples of must-have players, owned by every player in the top 50 teams in the Overall League. Examples of differentials include Sakho (WHU), Cissé, Diamé, and Downing.

Make early transfers to gain from price ris-

es. Making transfers on Saturday night means you can increase your team value, which in the long run is especially useful as this will allow you to bring in the many big-hitters without having to compromise on other players. However, lots of players have mid-week fixtures with League and European cup fixtures to contend with, so the risk of one of your players getting injured mid-week and leaving you in need of a quick fix is high.

Trust in your players. Some players have bad weeks. Panicking and wasting your wildcard when you could have used it to solve an injury crisis is how you end up dropping hardearned points.

Weigh up form and ease of upcoming fixtures. This is the ultimate method of achieving success in Fantasy Football, but it doesn’t guarantee success; Manchester United headed into the first game of the season having beaten Madrid and Liverpool, with the easiest starting fixtures that Louis Van Gaal could have hoped for, however ended up flopping initially — even in this, a significantly more mathematical version of the beautiful game, anything can happen

Sport

Anna Murphy previews the big sporting events of Michaelmas

Oxford cyclists impress in Bristol

Tushar Kelkar talks fantasy football strategy

This week’s Sport in brief TICKETS for the Varsity Ski Trip went on sale this week, but if your college rep is worth his or her salt, you’ll know that already.

Snowsport and après-ski enthusiasts, if you want to enjoy a week of great skiing, it’s time to get booking. The Varsity Trip is the world’s oldest team ski event dating back to back to 1921. This year’s trip to Tignes includes the prestigious Blues races, and the ‘more light-hearted’ Cuppers event.

OURFC had a less successful week, losing away to Richmond in a close-run affair that ended 21-15 to the home team. Impressive tries from Tom Reeson-Price and George Messum, however, will have left the team confident for their next match against Nottingham at the fortress that is Iffley Road Sports Centre. The Greyhounds also lost, this time to Coventry Nighthawks. In better news, the Under-21s beat Middlesex 46-5 on Sunday.

IF YOU ventured out of bed on a rainy Sunday you may have noticed that Oxford town centre hosted its annual half-marathon last week. This being the sixtieth anniversary of Roger Bannister’s famous ‘sub-4’ mile, there were a few twists in store for the 6000 runners taking part. Sir Roger himself was the man to sound the starting horn, while runners were taken on a detour for a lap of the iconic Iffley track where history was made.

The season started well with cyclists placing as high as third in Bristol climbing event Jamie Farmer Sport Editor

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n Saturday 11th October the Oxford University Cycling Club began its 2014/2015 season at the Bristol University Hill climb held on Belmont hill just outside the city.

The twisting 1.2 kilometre time trial had an average gradient of 8%, and a final kick of 17.5%, which proved to be a challenging course for the squad. The 5am start seemed to take its toll on the men’s team, who all finished midtable. Daniel Alanine, James Lambton and Alasdair Morrison all came in within 0.7s of each other around the 3:42 mark. The fastest university cyclist of all was Mark Bleakley of

Bath who finished in 3:14.3.

On the woman’s side, Tamara Davenne finished in 3rd place with a time of 4:35.5, 8 seconds behind Kate Baker, again of Bath University.

The event was part of a busy Michaelmas calendar for the team, who are to take part in the Oxford Hill Climb on Saturday 18th.

This event is open for anybody to take part, and will include the Oxford team, who will be hoping to build on their opening performance over the new cycling season. The event will take place at Watlington Hill, around 14 miles from Oxford. The hill is just under a mile long, with an average gradient of 7% and a steepest gradient of 17.5%. Riders set off at 1 minute intervals, and whoever clocks the quickest time will be crowned champion.

Last year’s winner was Henri William in a time of 4 mins 11 seconds, just shy of the club record (4mins 0 seconds) set by David McGaw in 2007. The woman’s title was won by Tamara Davenne.

Road Captain Alasdair Morrison said about this year’s race, “The excitement is likely to be between Tom Bolton (racing well), Henri Williams (just returned from a month of touring in the alps), James Lambton (smashing rubber down on the flat over the summer) and Daniel Alanine (‘cause he is almost French). Could any newcomers throw a spanner in the plans of many?”

Competitors meet just before 10:00 am on the Saturday on Broad Street outside Trinity college and you can cycle down with the squad. The event is free for OUCC members or £2 for non-members.

IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL, the Oxford 2nd team — the Furies — thrashed rivals Oxford Brookes 12-1 in a decidedly one sided preseason friendly at Marston Road sports ground on 4th October. Oxford knew they were in for a good game as they were 5-0 in the lead after the first 30 mins. Habiba Daggash managed to score four goals. The only negative was that Brookes managed to score a late goal, denying what would have been a deserved clean sheet.

THE OXFORD-CAMBRIDGE RIVALRY took a different form this week as Oxford United played Cambridge United in League Two Football at the Abbey Stadium at the other place.

Unfortunately for Oxford’s team, whose management includes Blues coach Mickey Lewis, their side lost 5-1 after taking an early lead. Oxford are currently languishing perilously close to the bottom of the League Two table in 23rd position.

Runners criss-cross Kent countryside in training camp

Oxford University Cross Country prepared for an important Michaelmas just outside of Tonbridge

Miles Chandler Contributor

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his year’s Oxford University Cross Country Club Summer Training Camp took place at Carroty Wood adventure centre in Tonbridge, with the beautiful Kent countryside of the surrounding area as a backdrop. With varsity on the horizon, this was the ideal opportunity for the club to prepare for the new season and to integrate the new group of freshers. As well as having bumper attendance, the team were joined by new coach Eric Shirley who spent the five days running sessions, providing navigational support during steady runs, piloting the minibus and generally offering great support — a fantastic start to what will be a very fruitful relationship with the club.

In addition to laying down some good quality early season miles, the team had two interval sessions of 8 x 2mins on the Thursday and a ten minute tempo run followed by 12 x 30 secs on Saturday, which settled into a perfect mix of

teamwork and competition, a solid foundation for some great training during Michaelmas.

As well as Shirley, the team were lucky enough to have soft tissue therapist Lesley Bryant, whose massages and advice on condition-

ing and injury prevention will prove invaluable in the run up to varsity and beyond. The grimaces of some of those newer to massage provided great entertainment in the living area but the ribbing was well received — being

more than worth it for the lovely loose feeling the next day.

The camp included a tour of the varsity course from which the team were able to assess where they would be running later in the term.

This was followed by Commonwealth 5000m bronze medallist and twice silver medallist in the world cross country Tim Hutchings giving the team a talk. A hugely entertaining and inspiring character, highlights included stories of self-massage using motor oil and an antipathy for rest days.

The final day consisted of a lovely long run from which the team returned to hear of the new marathon world best, before a final ‘surprise’ (for some of the more oblivious attendees) was revealed: a trip to meet Kelly Holmes at her new local venture, ‘café 1809’. It was an inspiring way to end the week, with an Olympic champion, some tasty cakes and the possibility of working with Kelly’s charity in the future.

Ultimately a great success, the camp has left the club with hopes of a bright season ahead.