May 13th 2022
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Vol. 295 No. 3
Fashion: Oxford Fashion Gala 2022 review
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INVESTIGATION REVEALS “UNACCEPTABLE” LEVELS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ACROSS UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD Maurício Alencar reports.
A special mention must be attributed to Cherwell’s co-Editor in Chief Estelle Atkinson and Deputy Editor Leah Mitchell in the making of this article. CW: Sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape, victim-blaming, rape culture
Cherwell
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Comment:
News
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What’s inside?
5. 32 Oxford colleges pay workers below Oxford living wage
trauma-informed and effective at safeguarding An Oxford University spokesperson informed Violence Support Service is seeing an increas-
12. Bad language: The value of non -standard English
students seeking support from the University -
8. Access fatigue at Oxfordletting ‘them’ in and letting ‘them’ down
The University stated that they are currently “refreshing our consent training” and “providing more welfare support for students” through the provision of more resources. A group of University of Oxford students under the name ‘Not Here. Not Anymore’ has recently
14. “A final catastrophic event”: A review of The Pacifist
10. Dr. Luke Evans MP on eating disorders
treatment of victims of sexual harassment and
victims of sexual assualt and harassment across the university. We are demanding that the Uniand protecting sexual assaulters over the victims themselves. The protest is also a way to make
22. The things we’ve scene: A column satirising the best/ worst things about Oxford Continued from page 1 distrust of the college due to knowledge of previously mishandled cases.” As the practice of universities using ‘gagging clauses’ in cases of sexual harassment has rewithheld all data on sexual harassment in their
wide policy states that “any close personal or intimate relationship with a student for whom
the University. some cases involved students from another University Proctors intervened. Various colleges chose not to disclose information on investigations or discipline.
One of the eight colleges to have withheld accused of having “silenced and mistreated a The Times. St Benet’s Hall did not provide any information FoI requests such as these”.
oversee the investigation. studies to continue. The University states that
that they appointed a “specialist investigator for disciplinary sexual misconduct cases”. The University spokesperson added that each case is year. A spokesperson said that the University of Oxford was “working hard in recent years on
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safe and where sexual violence and harassment The University spokesperson stated: “We would like to reassure students that anyone
what action colleges took and what welfare sup-
formal expulsion or termination of contract.
ment differed greatly across the University.
from college premises for a period of time. In oth-
mences”. Several colleges do not have any student-staff
gaging in romantic or sexual relationships with students for whom they hold any such responsialways inappropriate irrespective of whether the
total of eight complaints of staff-on-staff sexual only recorded two. All colleges for undergraduates have harassment policies and codes of conduct which contain information on sexual harassment. section on forms of sexual harassment. Welfare resources are also listed. referred to the University Sexual Harassment
while the central University administration
as some data was not disclosed.
including how to make a complaint alongside practical support. person who reported an incident of sexual harassment was “responded to in their context– there is no single route of support”. University
plaint of staff-on-student sexual harassment in against the alleged perpetrator as they “died several decades ago”. rently reviewing the University’s staff-student outright across the University. The University-
and impact of sexual assault at Oxford University can say that we have seen survivors who found support immediately and survivors who have have reported to the police and survivors who
and students. Some colleges take strong actions against
that it did not collect data solely on ‘sexual har-
urge any student who has experienced sexual harassment and violence to contact the Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service.”
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moment this university delays the conversation sault or sexual harassment.” It Happens Here concluded: “These statistics
It Happens Here commented that their Oxford SU campaign “sees that the level and quality of to “critically examine the systems they have
startling: people who experience sexual violence
the patterns we create and tolerate at university then reproduce and are tolerated in the homes and workplaces that we leave to. This is why it is important to make a stand now.” An Oxford University spokesperson provided safe and where sexual violence and harassment the University’s policy on staff-student relationstudents.” “The University takes any allegation of sexual of sexual harassment and violence are underreported at Oxford. We would like to reassure has experienced sexual harassment and violence to contact the Support Service.” • • • • • •
https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/ supportservice https://www.osarcc.org.uk/ https://www.ithappenshere.co.uk/ The Samaritans (open 24/7) ; jo@samaritans.org 116123 counselling@admin.ox.ac.uk 01865 270300 https://www.ox.ac.uk/againstsexualviolence
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News University releases annual admissions report Annie Lu reports on undergraduate admissions data from the 2021 cycle. The University of Oxford published its fifth annual admissions report in May 2022, providing a summary of undergraduate admissions data ranging from overall numbers and domicile to nationality, disadvantage, school type, gender, ethnicity and disability. The University admitted 3,298 undergraduates in 2021, returning to a smaller cohort after exceptional arrangements for awarding qualifications in response to the pandemic led to a much larger class (3,695 students) being admitted in 2020. These 3,298 admitted students were whittled down from a pool of 24,338 total applications in 2021, of which 3,555 received offers from the University for an offer rate of 14.6%. The report took care to highlight the changing profile of Oxford’s undergraduate student body. Over the past five years, the proportion of students admitted from state schools rose from 58.0% in 2017 to 68.2% in 2021 — although the proportion was 68.6% in 2020. Students from the most socio-economically disadvantaged areas increased from 11% of 2017 admits to 17% in 2021 (compared to 15.9% in 2020). The percentage of students identifying as Black and Minority Ethnic increased from 18% five years ago to 23.6% in 2020 and 25% in 2021. Students declaring a disability increased from 8% in 2017 to 12% in 2021. And the proportion of women rose from
50% in 2017 to 55% in 2021. Overall application numbers have increased every year and by a total of 22% since 2017. In her foreword, Vice-Chancellor Professor Louise Richardson attributed these changes in part to the expansion of Oxford’s flagship UNIQ access programme for state school students, as well as the bridging program Opportunity Oxford. In 2022, the University will also launch the Astrophoria Foundation Year, for “those with high potential whose education has been severely disrupted,” according to the report. However, Richardson also noted concern about the steep decline in students admitted from the European Union (EU), even though the University expected a decline due to the changing fee regime brought about by Brexit. (Oliver Hall reports in more detail below.) Computer Science was the course with the highest number of applicants per place for the period 2019-2021, at 18.6, with Economics & Management close behind at 18.1 applicants p e r place. Mathematics & Computer Science, Medicine, and Biomedical Sciences followed not far behind at 12.5, 11.8, and 10.9 respectively. Using the ACORN and POLAR demographic systems to assess UK population by level of socio-economic advantage, the report found that History & Politics and Law were the courses to
admit the highest proportion of students from the two most disadvantaged areas (26.8% and 25.0% respectively). Materials Science and Theology & Religion were the two courses with the lowest proportion of admits from the most disadvantaged areas (9.1% and 10.0% respectively). These data were aggregated from 2019-2021. The same measure revealed that Mansfield College (23.2%) and Worcester College (22.0%) had the highest proportions of UK students admitted from the two most socio-economically disadvantaged areas, and Lincoln College (7.2%) and Merton College (11.1%) had the lowest among 29 of the undergraduate-admitting colleges at Oxford that were included in the assessment. In terms of the proportion of UK state school students admitted, Mathematics & Computer Science had the highest (83.6%) and Classics the lowest (40.9%). The report notes that some courses attract more applications per available place than others, and UK state students apply disproportionately for the most oversubscribed subjects. On average, 38.2% of state applications from 2019-2021 were for five of the most oversubscribed subjects at Oxford (Economics & Management, Medicine, PPE, Law, and Mathematics), compared to 31.4% of independent applications. Only 12.3% of state applications went towards five of the
University sees ‘stark’ decline in EU students post-Brexit Oliver Hall reports on the finding from the admissions report. exchange between registered universities and institutions, but the UK withdrew from the scheme following Brexit. Vice-Chancellor of the University Louise Richardson said that the decline in EU admits “was expected as a result of the changing fee regime occasioned by Brexit, but it is stark.” The decreasing trend was also noted by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) who stated that students from the EU had submitted far fewer applications in the UK higher education system after the Brexit The number of pupils admitted to Oxford University from EU countries has halved in the past admissions report, which also indicated that the decline was expected as a result of Brexit. Elsewhere, the data showed continued growth in the number of state school pupils and applicants from China. The admissions report revealed that the average number of EU admissions has fallen from an average of 260 over the last four years to 128 this year. Whereas students from the EU made up 8% of undergraduates admitted 4%. Brexit negotiations raised questions over changing fee structures for foreign pupils with the government, and the bloc failed to agree on a replacement for the previously popular Erasmus programme. Erasmus is an EU programme that provides free movement and education
31,670 EU students applied in the 2020-2021 period — 50% less than before Brexit. These falling numbers have been made up by a combination of more ‘homegrown’ British students and increased applications from Asian countries, especially China. In 2021, UK students comprised 59.2% of total applicants and 81.6% of total students admitted — a of UK students admitted across Russell Group Universities. (The Russell Group comprises 24 research-intensive universities in the UK.) EU students were only 8.8% of total applicants and 3.9% of students admitted, while non-EU (and non-UK) students were 32.1% of total applicants and 14.5% of students admitted. The People’s Republic of China continues to be the country most represented in overseas applications and admitted students. The statistics on state school admissions paint an increasingly positive picture, however:
the number of successful applicants from the sector has increased by 10% to 68%. To further its progress in this area as well as increase ap- plication numbers from the state sector, the University is launching a foundation year programme named Astrophoria. The project is entirely funded by a private, anony- mous donor and will fund 50 students for one foundation year, starting in 2023. As well as course fees, the fund will cover living expenses and accommodation in full. According to the announcement, the fund academic potential, but who have experienced severe personal disadvantage or a disrupted education which has damaged their ability to apply for an Oxford undergraduate place.” “We are delighted to announce the launch of the Astrophoria Foundation Year, which will have a transformative impact on the lives of the smartest students who have experienced grave disadvantage,” Richardson said. “The programme will enable us to accelerate the progress we have made, as demonstrated in our annual admissions report, in broadening the socio-economic backgrounds of our undergraduate students. I am deeply grateful to the generous donor who shares our belief in the power of education and our commitment to identifying and nurturing talent.” Image Credit: Marcus Spiske / Unsplash License via Unsplash
least oversubscribed subjects (Classics, Music, Modern Languages, Chemistry, and English). Likewise, individual colleges receive differing proportions of applicants from state versus independent schools. The proportion of UK state school students admitted was highest at Mansfield College (94.8%) and lowest at St. Peter’s College (55.6%) from 2019-2021. Image Credit: Estelle Atkinson
News Shorts Former Christ Church dean and senior cleric to leave Church of England Martyn Percy left his position last month after reaching a settlement involving a substantial payoff.
Prof Irene Tracey to become University’s next vice-chancellor Tracey has been the warden of Oxford’s Merton College since 2019 and will succeed current Vice-Chancellor Louise Richardson in 2023.
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News
Thousands demand Union no-platforms Afghan politician Charlie Hancock reports on the Afghan Society’s protest against the appearance of Humdullah Mohib at the Oxford Union. A petition demanding that the Oxford Union cancels a speaker event featuring a prominent Afghan politician who fled the country after the Taliban gained power has received over 10,000 signatures. Hamdullah Mohib served as the Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States from 2014-18, and was a close ally of former President Hasraf Ghani, under whom he served as National Security Advisor. The Afghan Society held a protest outside the Union on May 11th, when he was due to speak. They say that hosting Mohib “diverts attention away from the ongoing and preeminently significant violation of the rights of the people of Afghanistan, especially of women and marginalised groups” and doesn’t adequately recognise his role in the humanitarian crisis gripping the country. A petition circulated by the Society calls Mohib a “national traitor” for fleeing the country as the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021. It says that students from Afghanistan or are of Afghan heritage “do not feel safe” with Mohib being present in the city. The Society demands that the Union cancel Mohib’s appearance because they believe he is unfit to represent Afghanistan on their platform, and say that by doing so the Union would be “honouring the wishes of a nation and people in suffering”. They
told Cherwell their goal is to get the Union to invite Afghans from marginalised groups and women’s rights activists instead. Mohib told Cherwell: “Since the sudden and traumatic collapse of the Afghan Republic in August 2021, I have been reflecting candidly and earnestly on the multiple factors that led to such a devastating outcome for my country, to which I dedicated a decade of my life in public service. My engagements and cooperation with the media, investigatory bodies, civil society, in public forums, and with my fellow Afghans inside and outside of Afghanistan over these past several months have all been part of this reflection process, as is my acceptance of the Oxford Union’s invitation to speak.” Mohib now lives in exile in the United States after fleeing Afghanistan. He told CBS that had he and other officials not fled, Kabul would have been destroyed by intense fighting. Along with President Ghani, Mohib was reported to Interpol by the Afghan Embassy in Tajikistan for allegedly stealing from the Afghan treasury. Mohib has rejected these accusations, and Interpol says that no ‘red notices’ for the arrest of any Afghan government officials have been issued. In interviews, Mohib has said that he accepts some of the blame for the resurgence of the Taliban, but that the blame should also be shared with the Afghan government and the international community. In a statement to Cherwell, Mohib said: “I fully understand the anger and emotion that Afghans feel toward Afghan and international leaders and those who were in positions of accountability, an accountability to which I still feel responsible, and this is one reason I continue to engage publicly about the crisis.
I too, as an Afghan, am dealing with these feelings. I hope that Afghans can engage in this reflection process together, and learn from it moving forward to continue to work toward our vision of a peaceful, inclusive, democratic and sovereign Afghanistan. I hope this process does not become tainted by the same divisive politics that has hurt our nation in the past.” This is not the first instance of backlash against a speaker at the Oxford Union. Previous speakers including Katie Hopkins, Marine Le Pen, and Julian Assange were all met with protests from students and University societies. Last year, the Union made headlines for disinviting Irish comedy writer Gra-
ham Linehan, who has campaigned against aspects of the trans rights movement, such as men having the ability to ‘self-identify’ as women, and has been banned from Twitter. The Oxford Union told Cherwell: “All of our members are invited to listen to Mr Mohib’s perspective and challenge him during his time here speaking in the chamber, as they are able to do with any of the speakers we invite to the Oxford Union.” Image: Isaroumilla/CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Catherine the college dog has puppies
Annual Town and Gown 10k takes place in Oxford
Meg Lintern reports on the new additions to St Catherine’s College.
Annie Lu reports on the race that took place this weekend to raise money for Muscular Distrophy UK.
St Catherine’s college dog, who is aptly named Catherine, has just given birth to four puppies. Catherine, a cocker spaniel, “really hit it off” with Tommy, a dog of the same breed. Together, they have had three female pups and one male. At the moment, the names of the puppies are undecided, but Kersti Börjars, the Master of St Catherine’s college and owner of Catherine the dog, will seek suggestions from students. However, since the puppies will need to be registered with Kennel Club, they will also need Kennel Club names. Kersti says that these names “have to be quite fancy”: Catherine’s Kennel Club name is Eldrid Beautiful Fire, and her mother is Swanmarch Who’s that Lady. Kersti will be keeping one of the girls, and two of the other puppies have already found homes (one will be staying within the Catz family). Kersti said of the puppy rearing process: “I have never been involved in a dog giving birth before, we have just had kittens, but a cat really looks after it all themselves. In preparation for the birth, I read a book that had been recommended to me. It is called The Book of the Bitch, so not something you
leave out on the coffee table. It did a good job of preparing me, but there was quite a lot about ‘what to do if things go wrong’, which made me a little nervous. In the end, it all went well, seeing the first puppy come out safely was really quite exciting.” Catherine herself is reported to have bounced back from the birth and has been sighted galloping around the college grounds in high spirits. Kersti said: “She is now feeding [the puppies] and cleaning them exactly as she should. She will leave them for short periods, but then she will dash back.” Currently, Catherine is on maternity leave from her wellbeing dog duties. However, the students of St Catz will be thrilled to hear that there will be visiting hours to see the puppies when they are a little older. Image Credit: catherinethecollegedog via Instagram
About 5,000 runners took part in the 40th annual Town and Gown 10k run through the streets of Oxford on the morning of Sunday, 8 May. The Oxford Town and Gown is the oldest run in a series of races hosted by Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK), a charity dedicated to curing and finding treatments for muscular dystrophy and other musclewasting conditions. The Oxford Town and Gown race dates back to 1982, when local runner Mike Cleaver, whose son had congenital muscular dystrophy, began the event as a way to raise funds and awareness for MDUK. It was later expanded into a series, with the Cambridge Town and Gown inaugurated in 2011 and Leicester Town and Gown in 2017. To date, the Town and Gown 10k series has raised over £2 million, according to the MDUK website. wThis year’s 10k saw a significant increase in turnout compared to 2021, when just over 2,000 runners participated. In addition to the 10k race, the organization also hosted a 3k race for juniors at the same time. The 10k runners began on South Parks Rd, looping around a number of historic and scenic locations in Oxford, including the
Bridge of Sighs and a stretch along the River Cherwell, before concluding their journey at University Parks. The Town and Gown route is the only closed-road City Centre 10k in Oxford, according to the MDUK website. In 2019, Running Awards deemed the run “Best 10k in South East England.” Participants in this year’s 10k included students from the University of Oxford — including 72 runners from St. Hugh’s College alone, comprising the largest college team — as well as former Team GB Olympic rower Victoria Thornley and Lord Mayor of Oxford Mark Lygo. “St Hugh’s are delighted to be able to support the event, not just because of the funds it raises for charity, but because it is an inclusive event, which brings together people of all abilities and promotes both physical and mental wellbeing,” St. Hugh’s communications manager Tessa Wood told the Oxford Mail. Robin Ward, this year’s race starter, discussed the importance of funding the search for treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy in an interview with the Oxford Mail. She said, “By starting the Town and Gown Race, my goal is to fundraise for all manifesting carriers of DMD and find effective treatments and a cure for the condition.” The next run in MDUK’s series will take place on Sunday, 16 October 2022 in Cambridge.
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32 Oxford colleges pay workers below Oxford living wage Isacc Ettinghausen reports on Oxford Worker Justice’s most recent report. At least 32 colleges employ staff at a rate below the Oxford Living Wage, and 26 have staff on ‘insecure contracts’, according to a new report by Oxford Worker Justice. The Oxford Living Wage is £10.50, calculated pay rate required to live in Oxford and taking into account the city’s high cost of living. Only The report named ten colleges as ‘terrible’; these include Queen’s, Corpus Christi, and Oriel, all of which pay their lowest-paid employees 2020-21. Christ Church (whose highest earner is paid over £110,000) was singled out for paying apprentices only £5.25 an hour. Ciaran Walsh, Chairperson of the East Oxford Community Association, a charity which supports low-paid workers, said: “The University dominates the local economy in Oxford, it is such a powerful institution ecoUniversity and local economy depend on an insecure, often migrant, workforce to exploit “The result is that over the last two years cluding those who work for the University have been dependent on emergency food supplies, from Oxford Mutual Aid, Oxford Community Action, Oxford Food Hub and other grassroots, voluntary community organisations, to survive. This is a disgrace in such a wealthy city.” The report comes in the midst of a cost of to rise to about 10% by the end of the year. Imogen Thomas, the Labour city counsellor for
Holywell Ward, said: “My ward is home to 17 Oxford colleges. While Merton has committed to paying the Oxford Living wage, the majority have disappointingly fallen short. The cost of living in Oxford is sky-high and still rising. Colleges can’t continue to ignore the fact that the staff that keep them running are increasingly being priced out of the city. “After going above and beyond during the pandemic, they deserve better. Job security and a decent wage aren’t a lot to ask for. If the City Council can afford to pay their staff the Oxford Living Wage, then so can rich Oxford colleges. Frankly, it’s high time bursars recognised their staff with more than empty words.” It appears that practices within colleges may indeed be changing. A spokesperson for Queen’s told Cherwell: “At a Governing Body meeting on 4 May 2022, the College voted to move all staff currently on the Living Wage (set by the national Living Wage Foundation) to the ‘Oxford Living Wage’ (£10.50/hour) with effect from 1 May 2022.” A spokesperson for Corpus said: “We are aware of the disparity and will be addressing the issue of the most lowly paid in the College in the upcoming pay round in response to experienced.” The report is available in full on Oxford Worker Justice’s website. Christ Church was approached for comment. Image credit: Oxford Worker Justice via facebook
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University launches graduate scholarship scheme for Ukrainian students Elena Rotzokou reports. Oxford University is planning on offering a fully-funded scholarship scheme to refugees from Ukraine in the 2022-2023 academic year. The Graduate Scholarship Scheme for Ukraine Refugees seeks to provide academic training for qualified Ukrainian graduates whose lives have been affected by the ongoing war so as to allow them to contribute toward reconstructing their country. The scheme will award up to 20 scholarships to graduates for admission to a range of full-time,one-year postgraduate taught courses. The University and participating colleges will co-fund the scholarships, which will waive both course fees and the graduate application fee. Additionally, each Ukrainian scholar will receive free accommodation and meals in their college, as well as a grant of £7,500 to support their living and study costs. To recruit scholars, the University is planning on running a campaign during May of 2022, which will involve extensive advertising among Ukrainian universities, as well as through social media and such informal networks as the University of Oxford Ukrainian Society. Scholars may also be recruited via the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, the family reunification route, or other routes. Additionally, the Oxford Refugee Studies Centre will serve as a hub providing scholars with access to seminars, events, and mentorship. Professor Louise Richardson, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, has stressed the institution’s solidarity with Ukrainians: “Like others, we have been horrified by the suffering and destruction caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” she said. “Our community is united in our desire to do something to help. These scholarships represent our effort to provide an opportunity to students and academics whose scholarship has been disrupted by the war. We look forward to welcoming colleagues from Ukraine into the University of Oxford.” Baroness Jan Royall, Principal of
Somerville College and Chair of Oxford University’s Conference of Colleges, said of the new scheme: “The war in Ukraine continues to cause immense suffering and long-term repercussions for those affected. It has been inspiring to see the speed and unanimity with which the colleges have rallied to support this important new programme. In time, there will be more for us to do in order to lessen the impact of this terrible war – but this scheme will give Ukrainian students a chance to rebuild their lives now, which is invaluable.” The opportunity was devised by Professor Lionel Tarassenko, President of Reuben College, whose paternal grandfather came from Eastern Ukraine as a refugee. He spoke extensively of the scholarship scheme: “Like everyone else, I was horrified when the conflict started in late February, and immediately began to think about how best to help the people of Ukraine,” Tarassenko said. “Having been an academic in the University for the past 34 years, I had no doubt that Oxford could play its part in supporting students fleeing from the conflict. The University offers a fantastic range of high-quality Masters courses. As the former Head of a large University Department and now the President of Oxford’s newest college, I was able, with the support of senior colleagues in the University and its colleges, to devise a graduate scholarship scheme for Ukraine refugees. I am thrilled that this scheme should now enable Oxford to welcome 20 refugee scholars starting one-year Masters courses at the beginning of next academic year.” Beyond the particular scheme, the University is building on its commitment to supporting refugees by working on designing welfare support for current undergraduates who have been impacted by the war, as well as financial support for those who need it. Those impacted by the conflict who are due to begin their course in Oxford in October of 2022 will also have the opportunity to benefit from the University’s support plans.
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Editorial
freely and honestly with professional facilitators and friends. We have open conversations that directly address sensitive topics, such as mental health, discrimination, masculinity, and harassment. It is not often that I have difficult or serious conversations with my mates. This ‘safe-space’ lets us get things off our chest.
Masthead EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Maurício Alencar, Estelle Atkinson SENIOR EDITORIAL TEAM Pieter Garicano, Leah Mitchell, Clementine Scott, Shiraz Vapiwala, David Tritsch, Wang Sum Luk NEWS Meg Lintern, Humza Jilani, Isaac Ettinghausen, Charlotte Keys, Annie Lu, Izzie Alexandrou COMMENT Georgie Cutmore, Isobel Lewis, Hope Philpott, Sonya Ribner PROFILES Aarthee Parimelalaghan, Sam Zia, William Foxton INNOVATION Matthew Clark CULTURE Meg Goundry-Napthine, Caitlin Wilson, Elena Buccisano, Charlotte Kutz FILM Flynn Hallman, Mayu Uno MUSIC Marlon Austin, Flynn Hallman STAGE Neily Raymond, Anna Stephen, Anya Biletsky BOOKS Fariha Uddin, Paula Odenheimer, Madeleine Hopper FASHION Madeleine Hopper, Yuri Hwang, Anna Roberts THE SOURCE Jessica DeMarco-Jacobsen, Aaron Low LIFE Aiktarini Lygaki, Bruno Armitage, Michaela Esau, Adam Collins pigeons FEATURES Jimmy Brewer, Imaan Haidar, Daisy Clague, Sara Hashmi COLUMNS Matilda Piovella, Anneka Pink SPORT Oliver Hall PUZZLES Ifan Rogers CREATIVE Ben Beechener, Eve Gueterbock, Charlotte Rich-Jones, Aleksandra Pluta, Rachel Jung PHOTOJOURNALISM Ceci Catmur, Cyril Malík, Jessye Phillips, Meghana Geetha, Michelle Marques, Niamh McBratney, Teagan Riches, Jana Nedelkoska, Daniel Stick, Amy Van Wingerden VIDEO Kaly de Oliveira Cerqueira, Taylor Bi, Yushi Zhao, Zack Thomas MARKETING Jacobus Petersen
Maurício Alencar (he/him), Editor-in-Chief This week’s front page was not an easy writeup. The findings are a stark reminder of what still needs to be done to stop sexual violence across the University and the rest of society. When only 4% of young women report incidents of harassment, then you realise how serious the problem is. We need to hold ourselves accountable for calling out normalised rape culture. The University must give us the tools to be able to do that in the first place. Most freshers will attend a “compulsory” consent workshop in the first week of Michaelmas, which are organised by students. Then that’s it for the rest of your degree. The only other “workshop” or training I have attended in my time at university was run independently by Beyond Equality, which is otherwise known as a ‘Good Lad’ workshop. It was organised by the JCR Men’s Officers at my college. Sport teams, mainly the college football and rugby teams, are strongly encouraged to attend. I could not vouch for this 2-hour-long session more. In these sessions, young men like myself are given the opportunity to speak
solutions, we all came out each time with a much better understanding of topics such as sexual harassment and rape culture. But that was it. 364 days until the next workshop. By that time, memories of our discussions will have faded away. These workshops are often self-selecting. Only 20 people turned up to the ‘Good Lad’ workshop this year. The University must intervene. Workshops for young men, as well as for all students and staff, must happen more often. Small-group conversations like the ‘Good Lad workshop’ should be happening every term. attention on how comfortable students feel confiding in welfare representatives? Why do the central University figures look so different to the total number of reports added together from each college? Colleges need to seriously reexamine not just their procedures on handling reports of sexual harassent, which can seem incredibly daunting, but also the culture that they are perpetuating, and that cultural element is something much harder to improve. It should not be some far-off ideal for anyone who has been made to feel uncomfortable by someone in their college community feels as though that same community will be there for them. Rather, it’s a need and a right that every student possesses.
Estelle Atkinson (she/her), Editor-in-Chief When discussing the contents of this week’s front page, someone asked us, “what’s your hypothesis?” What do these numbers mean? Truthfully, I don’t know what they mean, and I have no hypothesis. I understand that someone may read this article and think that Magdalen, with its 14 reports, may be experiencing sexual harassment at greater rates. This is not the conclusion that I feel should necessarily be drawn. What I do know is that the figure of 96 total reports is a shocking underrepresentation of the true state of sexual harassment at this University. Bearing in mind the statistic that only 4% of women choose to report incidents of sexual harassment, the true figure likely reaches something upwards of 2,000. What the article is, and what I encourage all readers to take it as, is a conversation starter. We need to be asking why the levels colleges experiencing differing rates of harassment, or are low figures due to a culture where students do not feel they want to reof the story, or should we be refocusing our
Leader: Right now, I’m ashamed to be an American citizen
Leah Mitchell (she/her), Deputy Editor CW: abortion, death country. This was driven home to me, as it was for many others, by the recent leaking of the potential Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark legal case protecting the right to abortion in the United States. paper with the many sound arguments for legal and safe abortion access: studies have shown that the rate of abortion is similar whether or not they are legal, so criminalisation only prevents safe abortions; a small group of religious fundamentalists should not have the right to impose their beliefs on others, especially in a country which enshrines separation of church and state in its constitution; criminalising abortion is patently
about control of bodies with uteruses rather than about protecting life, since otherwise “pro-lifers” (really pro-birthers) would also be interested in promoting policies such as free and high-quality healthcare, given that the US has a remarkably high mortality rate of birthing parents for a highincome country. But to rehearse all these arguments at length would be a waste of time, since at the end of the day it comes down to this: we either believe in bodily autonomy or we don’t. Ultimately, no one is entitled to use your body for their own survival against your will. This is an accepted principle in ethics and in law. Regardless of whether we think that a fetus is a human being, regardless of whether we think that life begins at conception, regardless of whether the fetus would one day grow up to cure cancer: if we can accept that no one can force you to donate an organ to save someone who will otherwise die (which legally, they cannot), and we can accept that no one is allowed to take your organs from you even after death without your explicit prior permission (which again, legally they cannot), we must also accept that no one can force you to use your body to support the development of a fetus without your consent. Otherwise, we admit that people with uteruses are to us less deserving of bodily autonomy than the dead. Infuriatingly and devastatingly, this seems to be precisely what the Supreme Court thinks. I’m sure it barely needs pointing out that there is also a strong intersectional dimension to the voiced, it is not rich, white, cisgender women who will be prevented from undergoing abortions - many of them will be able to travel elsewhere and pay to have the procedure carried out by a discreet professional. Banning abortion serves
primarily to trap the structurally disadvantaged into a poverty cycle, fuelling the already enormous socioeconomic divide in the United States which, it should now be abundantly clear, is a product of political design. The recriminalisation of abortion, which under Roe v. Wade hinges on the right to privacy, is also likely to affect other hard-won legal protections, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community. Furthermore, it has been interesting (and disappointing) in recent months to see how it takes the threat to the legality of abortion - something which affects people of all classes and backgrounds, much as certain parties might like to pretend otherwise - to bring many white middleagainst criminalisation of the most vulnerable. The struggle against abortion criminalisation is inextricably connected to the wider struggle for radical reform of the criminal justice system; the prison-iundustrial complex and its stark inequalities and injustices in the United States is a vast and wide-reaching problem, and yet many people seem only to start to care when they feel personally threatened. Let this dark moment in for all, wherever we are, the necessity of standing up for each other and for what is right - for what kind of people and what kind of country we want to be - from the very beginning. The famous assertion in the United States Declaration of Independence of the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, now rings so hollow it feels like a cruel joke. Because whose life? Whose liberty? Whose happiness?
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Bulletin
Week 3: Yours faithfully, Sirs Letter to the Editors:
What’s On Oxford Review of Books Poetry Night Wednesday, May 18 at 19:30
Featuring poets David Constantine, Donna Stonecipher, and Jennifer Wong, with Susie Campbell, Thembe Mvula, Yvette Siegert, and Nicholas Smart. Tickets are £3.50 on the door in support of the ORB. Bring cash to purchase books by the poets. Our Poetry Editor will distribute free sets of Poetry Playcards to those attending. There will be tote bags and copies of our MT21 and HT22 issues for sale, so be sure to join us for an exciting evening of wine and poetry! Image credit: Daniel Stick
Oxford Zine Fair - A TSAF event Sunday May 29 at 19:00 An opportunity to meet the teams of some of Oxford’s favourite zines,
will be held with prizes ranging from prints, to handmade xmas ornaments, stickers, new+old-issue zines and more! From 8pm, there will be a range of performances from our fav student artists and bands! All proceeds go to the charity ‘Colombo Lunch Drives’.
Write for Cherwell
Facebook Groups - Join our writers’ groups on Facebook Email – Send your pitch to cherwelleditor@gmail.com Messenger – Contact one of our section editors with any questions!
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8
Access fatigue at Oxford: Letting ‘them’ in and letting ‘them’ down
Sophie Lord discusses the tensions between outreach work and the inaccessible reality of Oxford.
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ike many other state school students at Oxford, I genuinely attribute my university place to outreach initiatives. For me it was UNIQ, a summer residential, that finally convinced me that I wanted to go here. Meeting student ambassadors who were helpful and kind, but most importantly, normal, hugely demystified the mediafuelled stereotypes I previously associated with Oxford. Knowing that I would have never applied without the confidence that UNIQ instilled in me made me realise that I wanted to be involved with access and outreach when I was finally at Oxford. To be that same person for a quiet but bright prospective student was, to me, a way that I could demystify Oxford for someone else. As both a Student Ambassador and the Access and Outreach Representative for my college, St Peter’s, I have helped to run countless school tours, Q&As, interview support sessions, open days, and most recently the Aspire Liverpool residential for students considering applying here. Outreach work is pivotal. It gives prospective students, from all backgrounds, the opportunity to immerse themselves in Oxford life – to look at shelves upon shelves of books about a subject they love, to ask questions that they simply haven’t
“My own feelings towards outreach are a lot more complex than they were when I first started.” had the chance to ask before. Most of the time, it’s a matter of boosting confidence and making sure they can make an informed choice when filling out UCAS. Something I have realised recently, though, is that my own feelings towards outreach are a lot more complex than they were when I first started. Beneath the awareness that I am doing something both important and rewarding lie hints of guilt and fatigue. This is because while I can speak honestly about some of the amazing things about Oxford to these prospective students – the tutorial system, the opportunities, the people you meet, the academic rigour – I am also aware that there is a less positive side. Many students from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds occasionally
come up against uncomfortable situations at Oxford, solely because of their identity. These moments tend to occur on a small scale, in conversations with friends or acquaintances. One of the most prominent examples of this is the relentless namedropping of private and public schools. I completely understand being proud of where you went to school and having it be part of your identity. But at the same time, it feels exhausting when people constantly remind you that they went to one of the top fee-paying schools in the country, often whilst pointing out people in the street who also happened to go there. It just functions as a reminder that I didn’t go to one. Anna Fairweather’s recent article ‘What’s in a Name’ explores the ramifications of this even more deeply, and how it exacerbates social divides. I’ve been explicitly told I only got my place to fulfil a ‘state school quota’ by one of my peers. I have also felt intense imposter syndrome for several terms, with lack of support from the university. These experiences are not unique. They are mere by-products of Oxford’s wider culture, inherited from its past as an institution which was characterised by snobbery, admitting only the elite. Even though there has been undeniable progress from when the university was founded, these examples alone demonstrate that there is so much further to go. They also show that the purpose of outreach shouldn’t end when we get here. Getting disadvantaged students into Oxford should involve looking after them too. My own experience with outreach work makes me feel guilty. I recognise that this seems both backwards and contradictory but let me explain. I feel like I’m empower-
ing these students, only to let them down eventually. When speaking to prospective students, even though I can tell them about Oxford’s good side, I know what their experience is likely to be if they do end up getting a place. They will find themselves
“The purpose of outreach shouldn’t end when we get here. Getting disadvantaged students into Oxford should involve looking after them too.” trapped in similar conversations about money and background, ultimately finding it harder to assimilate than some of their peers. This is a cyclical problem, as these conversations would be so much less common if Oxford was truly accessible. A problem that is solved through outreach schemes themselves. Aside from guilt, I have felt intense responsibility. Another issue that is complex due to its inherent circularity is that it is mainly state school individuals who volunteer to help with access and outreach work. This is in large part because we feel indebted to outreach efforts ourselves,
having hugely benefited from it, or because we identify with the obstacles faced by the students applying. However, the opposite often happens for privately educated students – perhaps they feel that their own experience means that they would not be qualified for outreach work, or just that they are ‘too privileged’. I can completely understand this. It’s true that we need to be careful, especially when our ultimate goal is to undercut Oxford stereotypes. But on the flip side, should this solely be the responsibility of certain people, who are predominantly from a particular background? This is undoubtedly a fine line to tread, but I think speaking to privately educated students at outreach events could have been helpful for me when I was applying. Student ambassadors being helpful and kind, regardless of background, makes the path to Oxford a lot easier. In recent years, Oxford has come far in improving its diversity, but this work is nowhere near done. It can only be considered complete when the university represents the potential and drive of students from all backgrounds. I can only hope that in fifty years’ time, someone like me will be able to experience Oxford – in all its strange traditions, challenging workload, and beautiful architecture – without having to wonder when they will next walk away from a conversation having felt like an outsider, or have their ability challenged solely because of the school they went to. Artwork by Ben Beechener
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Oxford isn’t designed to change Timea Iliffe considers the structural and cultural forces preventing progress in activism at Oxford.
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here are hundreds, if not thousands, of students across this university who have committed months and years of their degree to effecting change, and dozens of organisations and committees established to advocate for marginalised groups. And yet Oxford remains an institution gilded in privilege, clinging to its own traditions, and each year grinding out a fresh supply of new scandals and statistics for Guardian columnists to write op-eds about. Every university has problems; racism, classism and misogyny are obviously not unique to Oxford (although, as in so many other things, our global reputation precedes us). But Oxford is perhaps unique in how successfully it has managed to coopt, sideline, and subdue the movements that could force the institution into any genuine change. The constant cycling of students through the university structure combined with the perpetual, barely manageable workload means students simply do not have the energy or the capacity to fight for reform. Across colleges and outside them, Oxford relies on the rapid turnover and continual exhaustion of potential student activists to insulate itself from the possibility of actually having to improve. JCR presidents and representatives do not serve longer than a year, which is rarely enough time to make significant
“Oxford relies on the rapid turnover and continual exhaustion of potential student activists to insulate itself from the possibility of actually having to improve.” changes to an institution almost a millennium old – but more than enough time for them to burn out. Societies set up to advocate for causes from decolonisation to fighting sexual assault similarly face rapid turnover of members and the fleeting attention of the stu- dent body. And students are, foremost, just that - students, who can only engage in activism as an unpaid, passion-driven commitment alongside a full-time degree. They have to balance hammering against institutional inertia with writing essays and applying for internships and making it to morning practice. And going to Plush. The Student Union, with its stated mission of advocating for Oxford’s students and a sizeable budget with which to do so,
might be another source of genuine efforts for change. In Oxford’s case, however, it wavers between benignly irrelevant and near- invisible to actively harmful, staffed by bureaucratic professionals with almost no understanding of how the university actually operates. The sabbatical officers, who in many cases are genuinely passionate about changing the university, end up being absorbed into institutional structure, paid by the university to attend dozens of meaningless committee meetings and perhaps organise a coffee and cake social, or give away free condoms. It’s not as if the demands are unreasonable. Consider putting an actual person of colour on your syllabus. Stop hiring rapists. Take down literally one statue. But for the old, almost invariably white, and often phenomenally wealthy heads of houses
“Oxford is and always has been less about promoting education than reproducing the privilege that sustains it.” and university leaders calling the shots, these asks are often too much to contemplate. All they have to do is say no and keep going. The earnest, enthusiastic students emailing them petitions and passing JCR
motions are going to be at this university likely for three or four years at most. The Dean who thinks Rhodes Must Fall is a fascist organisation run by quivering bluehaired teenagers or that Andy Orchard is
“Oxford is perhaps unique in how successfully it has managed to co-opt, sideline, and subdue the movements that could force the institution into any genuine change.” the victim of a terrible witch-hunt is going to be here for decades. As someone who has been in Oxford’s activist spaces for the better part of my degree, it is difficult not to be pessimistic. And at times it is difficult to rationalise caring so much about Oxford beyond the fact that it is the community we have the (mis)fortune to be a part of. Advocating for change implies some vision of a changed future to strive for, a diversified, decolonised Oxford, equal-access and equal-opportunity. But there is no broken system to be fixed. Oxford is doing what it is designed to do: reconstruct and renew
Britain’s elite first, act as an educational institution second. This is not to prescribe hopelessness. I can say without irony that activism, done genuinely, has been the source of some of the richest, most valuable and most deeply fulfilling experiences I’ve had, and I have found and connected with people I would never otherwise have had the privilege to meet. But if there is a piece of unsolicited advice I can give as someone leaving Oxford next month to the more earnest first-years who are getting involved with OULC or FemSoc, or trying to diversify their curricula or, God forbid, trying to make positive change at the Union, it is to understand where your goals should lie. Do not define your victories by your capacity to fundamentally alter a place older than the Aztec Empire. Have meaningful conversations with your peers, foster spaces of genuine solidarity and care, engage with the community outside the University. Understand that an increase in energy is not always going to translate into an increase in results. Most importantly, do not exhaust yourself with the fantasy that there is some egalitarian, diverse, liberal Oxford hiding behind the university’s walls, if only we could work together to tear them down. Oxford is and always has been less about promoting education than reproducing the privilege that sustains it. Conservatism is not a symptom of some healable sickness within the body of Oxford. It is in its bones. Image Credit: Zachary Elliott
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Profiles
In Conversation with Dr. Luke Evans MP Sam Zia interviews Dr. Luke Evans MP about his campaigns on the issue of body image. CW: eating disorders, body image issues, dysmorphia
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interviewed Dr Luke Evans, the Member of Parliament for Bosworth, on a cold London morning via Zoom. As a pro-Brexit MP from the 2019 intake, he has consistently voted with the party whip on issues ranging from immigration to the Owen Paterson affair. However, he stands out in one particular respect: in his short time as an MP, he has championed campaigns surrounding body image, anorexia, and self-esteem,
“You’ve got corporates spending millions of pounds on retouching these images; how can individuals be protected or informed in such an environment?”
particularly among young people. As a result, he has as a private member of the commons introduced the Digitally Altered Images Bill, which if passed into law would require advertisers, broadcasters, and publishers to display a disclaimer in cases where an image of a human body or body part has been digitally altered in its proportions for commercial purposes. I was curious to know more about what caused him to pursue this noble, if somewhat under-discussed, cause. As his title suggests, Evans’ background is in the medical industry; he worked as a doctor for over a decade before becoming
an MP, and discusses how in his practice he saw the extent of young people’s discomfort with their physical appearance. He cites a 2017 study, which showed that just 16% of girls between 11-16 felt ‘very happy’ with their appearance. Among young men, 35% aged between 13 and 19 reported “often” or “always” being worried about their physical appearance, and at least 1 in 3 teenagers felt “shame” about their body. While some insecurity about physical appearance can be a natural part of growing up, Evans tells me that he attributes the steep rise in body dysmorphia, particularly among teens, to the omnipresence of social media, and particularly the rise of digitally altered images. As a result, during his time as a GP, Evans witnessed a growing number of young people who sought consultations on plastic surgery or other cosmetic procedures to change their appearance to conform better with conv ent ion a l standards of attractiveness. Evans’ bill, if passed, would not ban the alteration of such images. Rather, it w o u l d mandate in law that such images display a disclaimer that states that they have been changed. Evans cites that in the same 2017 study, 88% of girls aged between 11-21 supported his proposal. I ask if mandating such a disclaimer conflicts with t r ad it ion a l free-market and antireg ulation
conservative principles. Evans responds by saying that while he supports the principle of limited regulation, consumers must be informed about the content of what they see online. “You’ve got corporates spending millions of pounds on retouching these images; how can individuals be protected or informed in such an environment?” he says. He also notes that a similar proposal has already been successfully enacted into law in Norway, and in 2017 France passed a similar measure pertaining to images that were altered to make their subjects look thinner. As Evans is not a member of the government, his proposal takes the form of a Private M e m b e r ’s Bill, a type of bill which is typically slow to pass the three Commons readings and then move to the Lords. While it p a s s e d first reading in September of 2020, it has not since then p r o g r e s s e d further. I ask him whether he is concerned that it may stall during the remainder of this parliament, which is unlikely to last much longer than another two years. Evans tells me that the
government has been highly supportive of his initiative, and is looking to include it as part of the Online Harms Bill. This bill has already been introduced to the House as part of government business, and is therefore much more likely to be passed expeditiously. Evans has found support across political parties for the initiative; it was seconded by the Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party John Cryer and the Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse. I can’t help but think that in an age of hugely increased polarisation and partisan rancour, this is an impressive achievement. Just before the world shut down in March 2020, Evans stated in the House of
“We are creating a digitally warped reality, striving for bodies that can never be achieved.” Commons that “we are creating a digitally warped reality, striving for bodies that can never be achieved”. His words continue to ring true today, and it was a pleasure to discuss his initiative with him. Read the full article at cherwell.org. Image credit: Jessica Taylor / CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons; David Woolfall/CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – image background removed Beat provides information and support for anyone affected by an eating disorder. You can call their student helpline at 0808 801 0811, or visit them at beateatingdisorders.org.uk.
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Innovation What’s new?
AI Ethics: A New Beginning Anna Mayer reflects on the Institute for Ethics in AI’s colloquium in partnershiprtnership with TORCH.
S Researchers in the Classics Faculty of the University of Oxford have started collaborating with Google’s DeepMind AI to transform the study ancient Greek texts.
ince the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke in 2018, it has become apparent that we have reached a tipping point in our relationship with the tech industry – a point where the interests of tech giants and the customers they are meant to serve are no longer aligned. In fact, they are radically misaligned. The utopian vision for a future in which technology would inevitably make the world better, safer, and more prosperous has given way to a distinctive brand of nihilism, wherein our future is at the whim of the technologists who designed it, the venture capitalists who fund it, and the politicians who allow it to continue unchecked. We have, almost all
ethical crises raised left, right and centre, by notions of consumer privacy and surveillance; bias, discrimination and injustice in algorithmic decisioning; and existential threats posed more tangible problems, such as job displacement resulting from machine-learning and robotics, and even computing’s increasingly ruinous effect on our habitable environment. Predictive policing and facial recognition vehicles encroach upon us, alongside more insidious threats to human well-being such as the treatment of human attention as a scarce commodity, the pervasiveness of ‘always-on’ culture, and the ever-growing pressures to compete in constant information provision and consumption. Big tech companies have only very recently begun to reckon with these moral implications of their products – or rather, attempt to project the appearance that this kind of reckoning is taking place. It would not be unfair to say much of the work of tech ethicists is not measurable, actionable or even useful within the context
(They wouldn’t be entirely mistaken – take, for example, the comical levels of complete cluelessness demonstrated by US lawmakers during Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional hearings in 2018.) Engineers are trusted to discern the ethical stakes of their own products, and thus digital technologies are granted exemption from the scrutiny of democratic processes. Technological solutionism recasts or as straightforward and self-evident processes that can be easily optimised. The work of the industry consistently and constantly falls short of the reality of its ethical crisis. The technology-market link has fuelled a growth trajectory the industry is attempting to ruthlessly ride to ever-rising levels of progrowing revenues, shareholder returns and stock prices pushes tech companies to accelerate innovation without properly considering its consequences. And while the notion that good in every instance is a misconception, it is indeed the case that the organisational resources necessary for morality to win out In this respect, it is undeniable that the market sets the terms of the debate. The process of avoiding measurable downside risks and technologies is certainly onerous, and market fundamentalism always comes out on top. Moral victories can often look like failures and ethically questionable products generally earn big bonuses. As such, technological not, driven by greed – and thus the move to prioritise ethical action within technological innovation is a moral imperative. All at once, it is becoming apparent to us that big tech
New excess mortality estimates by the WHO suggest that 15 million years of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 3 times what has been reported by some individual countries.
beef consumption with a meat substitute within the next 30 years could halve deforestation and the carbon emissions associated with it. Whether this recent study has caused the heated “Meat-Free Mondays” debates across several JCRs this week is unknown.
at once, become aware that what hides within these shiny interfaces is the erosion of privacy, the rise of populism, the degradation of our well-being, and the dissolution of the very fabric of our democracy. We now stand in the middle of a full-blown tech-lash. The Institute for Ethics in AI, part of the Philosophy Faculty here at the University, brings together world-leading philosophers, -
of the tech industry’s existing practices and priorities. Ethical principles are very rarely translated into the practical and tangible language of business. They fundamentally lack any institutional framework. In this sense, it is far too easy for the tech industry to avoid taking responsibility for creating, applying and regulating their products ethically. Tech’s enthusiasm for ethics paraphernalia is often merely ‘ethics washing’ – an elaborate stra-
intelligence in the arenas of academia, business and government, in order to navigate this cultural moment. They aim to enhance the quality of public deliberation concerning the ethical implications of these digital technologies with such profoundly world-changing
For example, Google formed a nominal AI ethics board in 2019 with no actual veto power at all. And so, for all the lip service paid to these problems, the ethics guidelines of many organisations remain vague, indistinct, and incredibly hard to implement. Organisational practices are ignored; checklists, procedures and evaluative metrics are abandoned in favour of platitudes and truisms contained in buzzwords, slogans and hollow sentiments. The phrase ‘don’t be evil’ is, quite ironically, one of the cornerstones of Google’s corporate code of conduct. Indeed, those within the microcosm of the tech industry remain generally reluctant to pass the baton to ethics and philosophy as a specialised domain. Optimisation culture is a key motif of System Error, and, indeed, ethics are often viewed with an eye toward smarter, better, faster, optimised approaches. Many within the tech industry position themselves as those best suited to tackle ethical challenges in the most optimised way, rather than less technologically-inclined stakeholders,
events in Hilary term – a collaboration between the Institute and the Philosophy, Law and Politics Programme, the livestream was a book discussion of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How to Reboot, the manifesto of three Stanford professors: Rob Reich, Mehran Sahami and Jeremy M. Weinstein. The book exposes our current predicament like Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon who reveal the way in which big tech worships the ability to grow fast and scale endlessly with no sense of either social responsibility or ethical rigour. As a result, we see current and potential
Reich, Weinstein and Sahami are standing right at the centre of this collective cultural moment of realisation. Understanding the nuances of the transforming effects – for better or worse – of the tech industry at the social and political level is, as the Institute for Ethics in AI understands it, truly ‘urgent and important work’. There is still hope, though, that we can cultivate an ethic of responsibility and accountability within the industry. System Error isn’t a diatribe against technology. Rather, it’s a truly hopeful call for the vindication of tech from this cesspit of ethical ignorance, offered in the optimistic spirit of anticipated liberation. It certainly does not deny the often ruthless monopolistic dominance exercised by the tech industry and its sense of profound social irresponsibility. The positive message of the book, though, is the possibility of the democratisation of the technological choices that will invariably affect our future. The digital economy can be brought under democratic control! This democratisation begins with us making these valuable connections between the seemingly self-contained universe of the tech industry and the wider world. Each of us can be, as Reich, Sahami and Weinstein put it, ‘enablers and shapers of technological change in society’. In their view, a democratically controlled and socially owned digital economy is not a pipe dream, but rather a very achievable goal for tomorrow’s technologists and users alike. We may live to see the day where digital infrastructure becomes something which prio-
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Culture CONTENTS CULTURE
12 | P.S I still love writing letters
FASHION
13 | REVIEW: Oxford Fashion Gala 2022
MUSIC
14 | Music for the end of the world: A Plastic Beach retrospective
FILM
14 | “A final catastrophic event”: A review of The Pacifist
BOOKS
15 | Maxim Biller and Ukraine: The resignation of an author?
STAGE
15 | Girls and Dolls: In conversa tion with A² productions
THE SOURCE
16 | Mirror Dancing Perpetual loss 17 | Lord Reginald Moreton of Ox fordshire
P.S. I still love writing letters Martha Wells explains the continued value of letter-writing in the digital age.
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part from the formulaic thank-you letters following primary school
of my experiences of COVID with those of my friends. Lockdown also stretched over
of my life were not particularly devoted to letter writing. My initiation to this world was not especially out of choice. It was in writing letters home to my family to be posted across the Channel in the summer of
adulthood, left school, and started making decisions about what to do next with my life. Of course, something must also be said for the aesthetic value of writing itself. The freshness of the paper and the comfort of writing with a lovely pen are unquestionably part of the attraction. Although naturally the materials you use don’t really matter, and the value of the letters you write aren’t impacted by whether you’re using posh writing paper or the back of an old worksheet. In a time when almost the entirety of school or university work is online, the physicality of letter writing can’t be overlooked. Having a material piece of evidence for productivity is something I’ve missed since work shifted into the virtual realm. With the rise of so-called ‘casual Insta-
rather formal mode of correspondence. After letter writing stopped being a necessity, my writing pads and envelopes were discarded in the bottom drawer of a dresser for a few years. However, in searching for an activity to keep away the boredom, or rather an excuse to hide from my siblings, it was during lockdown that my love for letter writing was reignited. Being older, the contents of my letters had evolved to become ever so slightly more sophisticated. Of course this was also related to the context of lockdown. When you haven’t done anything of interest all week, you have to ever, with the backdrop of a global pandemic and nothing much else to distract you. My letters at that time weren’t just comparisons
gram’ social media seems to be concerned with the idea that coolness should be effortless. But what I love perhaps the most about letter writing is the amount of effort that the process requires. Hear me out, I promise I’m not saying that I usually have the time to write pages upon pages every day! It’s just that there’s something rewarding and refreshing about unabashedly
“There’s something rewarding about unabashedly putting a time into something
amount of time and energy into something for someone else. Who knows how long we’ll be around for, why not be unapologetic about your affections?
time, why not try penning a few messages - I promise it’s worth it. Besides, on top of all these many positives, the greatest bit about writing letters is that sometimes, people write them back!
else.”
Read the full article at cherwell.org.
Bad language: The value of non-standard English Lily Berrell makes a case for why slang shouldn’t be looked down on.
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or over 100 years, there have been many attempts to ban forms of slang in the classroom, a recent example being a London secondary school’s decision to ban words such as ‘bare’, and The idea behind this is that pupils should always use and speak Standard English, as would be expected in formal situations such as interviews. Concerns about slang appearing in pupils’ work, however, cannot be solved by a ban on ‘bad’ English - arguably, a person’s decision to only use Standard English must be a conscious choice. ‘Codeswitching’ is the ability to alternate between language varieties and could be positively encouraged in schools. Michael Rosen, the author and professor of children’s literature, believes that teachers should study the use of everyday language with pupils whenever possible, and questions why different words are used in different situations. He gives the example of discussing Shakespeare’s use of the slang word ‘cuz’ in Romeo and Juliet to initiate an interesting discussion about how dramatists use language. Rosen also states that we are all capable of being
‘bidialectal’, i.e., speaking more than one kind of language, and there is no evidence that speaking one dialect prevents you from speaking another. It is therefore far-fetched to assume that young people are incapable of communicating differently in different situations. As with our behaviour, we adapt our language according to the situation and the way a person speaks outside of formal settings is not substandard simply because it is nonstandard. Teaching slang as part of standard language teaching is controversial. Whilst some consider it to be an inferior use of language, others argue that it is an essential part of everyday communication and therefore necessary to learn. As a modern languages student studying German, I would appreciate a greater emphasis on the importance and usage of everyday language. Of course, language-learning requires standardisation and regulation, but grammar and vocabulary learnt in a classroom are often very different to the way people communicate on the streets (someone once told me I sounded like their grandmother because the language I had learnt was stilted and
outdated). In the same way that it can be useful to learn the slang of other languages, use of slang in the classroom and to discuss how language evolves and can be used appropriately, instead of dismissing it as a form of bad communication. Slang is one of the ways through which languages develop new vocabularies and important world events. In Germany, a Word and ‘Un-word’ of the Year (Unwort des Jahres) are selected annually by linguists, taking words suggested by the public to an analysis of it reveals how people think, interact with each other, and how words – rary history. Modern Standard English, or the Queen’s English, is also considered to be a prestige dialect and is therefore associated with power and class. The Queen’s English Society claims that English is becoming increas-
periencing a linguistic decline, suggesting that knowledge of a language and its grammar is associated with reason and or intelligence. But is a ‘linguistic decline’ possible? Such a vast number of different dialects did not exist until recently, given the rise of social media, and the fact that people often write online in the same way that they speak. But concerns about a crisis of language seems far-fetched given the lack of evidence that we will one day, according to John Humphrys, ‘communicate with a series of grunts’. English is constantly evolving, perhaps more so in recent years, and older generations can see these changes taking place, but slang does not reduce a person’s expressive capacity. Indeed, English has become an international language, used both online and in politics, which suggests the opposite of a decline. In many ways, the UK a ban on dialects seem inappropriate and rash. Read the full article at cherwell.org. Artwork by Wang Sum Luk
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Fashion
REVIEW: Oxford Fashion Gala 2022 Anna Roberts gives us backstage access to the inagural FADSOC x Industry show.
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style.
velour sweater and rehabilitate the skinny jeans I had kept from my teens
the corset top was a far more successful
am unfortunately unable to commence a review of the Oxford Fashion Gala without
fell down the stairs on the runway. But it was worth it for the shoes.
as when I sew I just measure the
believe I pulled it off (please don’t tell with some of the most fashionable denizens of Oxford. The attendees did not disappoint clothes-wise – the call to ‘dress like Anna
the end of the catwalk they received a welldeserved round of raucous applause. level of professionalism that most of the catwalk. It was an absolute joy to see all of the hand-crafted looks on display – from
Disappointing and passionless: Met Gala 2022 Nina Holguin gives a stinging review of this year’s Met Gala offerings.
A
year I am unfortunately disappointed by the Met Gala’s red carpet. Ever
feel like the Met Gala and out-of-touch are pretty much synonymous. I don’t expect Anna Wintour or many of the celebrities to have much consideration for the real world when they host an event that has
“More than half of the looks have not delivered. outfits could have been worn for any War and its prosperity when it other red carpet much as there was economic especially as there was so or film premiere that year.” divided by civil war was paid for by the theme. From crinoline
Image credits: Anna Roberts and Madi Hopper
that year. The Met Gala is supposed to be bold
exhibition and the themed fashion is part of the whole theatrics of the event. As
I am confused by the fact that her bodice and
Wintour didn’t bother to follow the theme.
and Billie Eilish’s Gucci dress is exactly what about. I will defend Bad Bunny until I die
sleeves; I even had in mind a skeleton dress historian and historical references are my
here are still too many people to mention unfortunate that these few have been tainted of the period and the necessity to respond to themes. and luxury in a time of economic and political instability and uncertainty. I think this is
people do not owe a political statement every
for some reason the vast majority of people just
I would have appreciated a more complex presentation of a time which showed that not workers who were the foundation of the Gilded
I hope others will follow suit.
Music Cherwell Recommends GENRE BLENDERS songs combine elements of different genres in unexpectedly brilliant ways.
DON’T HURT YOURSELF Beyoncé
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Music for the end of the world: A Plastic Beach retrospective Ben Holden explains his love for this Gorillaz album.
I
t’s summer. Exams are done, there are no deadlines to worry about. You have all the time in the world. You jet off to a secluded tropical island, and life is good. Between the afternoon cocktails and the dodgysounding nightclub you’re visiting tonight, sand is warm, the water cool—and suddenly UK grime artists Bashy and Kano appear and start rapping about environmentalism. Welcome to the world of Plastic Beach. Plastic Beach is brought to us by Gorillaz, a UK virtual band created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and artist Beach is one I really missed the boat on (I didn’t listen to anything particularly good when I was 9, other than Number 1 by I’m going to put off revision for my rapidly
COUSINS Vampire Weekend Image credit: Kristopher Harris/ CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons Photograph by Marlon Austin
album. Now that sounds like a great plan. If someone told me they were going to write a song that starts and ends with the Bashy and Kano shouting at each other over instrumentals that occasionally resemble a chain-smoking duck, I’d assume I had awoken in Alice’s Wonderland. And yet, the track White Flag does just that and somehow manages to sound really good. And then there’s the
wacky , a hip-hop bop spliced with samples from what seems like a breakfast pastry commercial? When I close my eyes, I can see the worried looks Albarn almost certainly received from his collaborators when he came up with that one, and yet it just works in the most bizarre way possible. and is musically innovative,but what makes it so pertinent to this day is its environmental message. Plastic Beach discusses issues of pollution and climate change, but isn’t quite so preachy as some other recent albums have been (Solar Power by the introductory Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach, the album quickly gives way to synth-pop and distorted, occasionally glitchy, vocals on tracks like Stylo and the addictive Some Kind of Nature - another personal favourite. All this tells the story of a world
called Clean Beach, but at the moment it’s still Plastic Beach hasn’t come yet, and as a result, the album’s
“A final catastrophic event”: A review of The Pacifist
message is, unfortunately, still very relevant. Plastic Beach serves as a poetic, wonderfully produced and musically brilliant reminder that the world is slowly seems to be doing very much about it at all. But at least we have a sequel album to look forward to. Every cloud has a silver lining, right? Read the full article at cherwell.org. Image credit: Drew de F Fawkes / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Film Must See: Short Films
Flynn Hallman reviews The Pacifist, a short film put together by University College graduates. CW: murder, gun violence, mental illness section in the news columns of the Liverpool Echo
a nineteen year old undergraduate of University College, students
from
on attaining a legal exemption from joining Hardy’s careful interweaving of such scenes deterioration in the days before the date of which surface appearances consistently hint at the murkier inconsistencies which plot-line. Yet ’s principal often comprise them. effect lies in the multiple perspectives in
referred to the events of a few days prior, in
fellow
by Levi Mattey, preparing for a trial of an of consciousness vocal overlays twee shots altogether different kind to that described of him walking the grounds of his college.
his
Quad. In the process he killed one and injured two others. detailing the days leading up to the event metres away from where, almost exactly eighty-two years prior, the event took place. was put together by a team of recently graduated University College wrote the screenplay and collaborated on
Bao animated short explores the complex anxieties of motherhood
He is at once an avowed socialist and a high-security psychiatric hospital, following a diagnosis of ‘split mind’ victim of incontrovertible circumstance, at others overly self-pitying and narcissistic. atmosphere hinges on a fulcrum which of quotes from Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and judgment
regarding
the
presents us with a unique kind of ‘conscientious objector’, whose purported authenticity ideology is made starkly ironic against the
The Silent Child
brilliantly set against the self-consciously performative nature of its manifestation characterisation, captures the effectiveness of this remove in its anticipation of the captures the subtleties of such a character, while his two friends (played by Jerry event.
A subtle and poignant story about a Deaf child’s friendship with a social worker
provide well-executed foils from which Read the full article at cherwell.org. to compare his increasingly disassociated Image credit: Andrew Shiva / CC BY-SA 4.0 via
Image credit: inguaribile_viaggiatore / Pixabay License via Pixabay, Majaranda / Pixabay License via Pixabay
Wikimedia Commons
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Books
Maxim Biller and Ukraine: The resignation of an author? Paula Odenheimer discusses the German-Jewish author’s take on writing in a time of renewed war.
O
ver the vac, I found myself in the Maxim Biller that I had not read for my module in German-Jewish literature.
statements, I realised that he was serious this time.
tions, this time one a little too close to home...
Russia had simultaneously started a war
Esra,
Die
Zeit
that I have read most of his novels and short
the existential question on whether and how of war. There seem to be two quite radical
Bernsteintage
Recommended Reads
Maybe the difference between Jewish and non-Jewish writers becomes quite evident in such a delicate question as the one Biller raises
Posh Boys: How English Public Schools Ruin Britain By Robert Verkakik -
sure, what can be said is that art has always
article by Biller. The title (in translation) was has led him to his decision. Biller has always stressed his German-
-
controversial, is quite a substantial one. The German-Jewish literature has always been
over the last 30 years.
merely a coincidence that he was born in
nature itself. Artwork credit: Ben Beechener
the illusion that meritocracy is still achievable. - Madi Hopper, Books Editor
Stage
Girls and Dolls: In conversation with A² Productions Neily Raymond speaks to A² Productions about their play Girls and Dolls, written by Derry Girls’ Lisa McGee.
F
ans of the hit comedy series Derry Girls Girls
and Dolls Girls
and
Dolls
Can you give me a spoiler-free summary of Girls and Dolls? Alex Foster, producer: It’s set in about two friends [Emma Derry Girls, with lots of colourful characters and comedy, with
the
unhealthy
is not a name that you’d normally see in
introduction
obsession
Your creative team is bursting with people who are new to Oxford drama. Was this an intentional choice? Alex:
Emma Haran, ‘Emma’:
Derry Girls funny,
drama before, at home, so Sylvie ‘Clare’:
I
Leggatt, saw the
on last term [The Dumb Waiter, HT22] which
The other half of it is that history
time. A year later, he sorted Derry
for actors that haven’t Oxford drama – it can interested instantly, because it sounded
season of Derry Girls
Girls
Favourite line from the show: Kaveri Parekh, co–director:
Why should we come and see Girls and Dolls? Kaveri: Derry Girls [demonstrates] that shows
“The first half is typical Derry Girls, but then it gets darker.”
How have you dealt with the political context of the play? Bella Simpson, co–director: As with
Why did you decide to stage this show? Alex: Derry Girls
go.
balance of witty humour and colourful characters, family dynamics and Bella: It educates, but
Alex: Girls and Dolls the future of what Oxford drama can be. Girls and Dolls continues tonight and tomorrow night at the Burton Taylor Studio.
I have Irish family history, so I was able to
Image credit: A² Productions.
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S E O H URCE T Mirror Dancing
Jonathan Honnor
Together we double the other in tandem, both of us one as we dance on a beat. Merging our footsteps we feel like another, nothing but following where our feet meet. The music mystically sweeps us in motion, silently swaying we swing and mingle.
our toes electrically tickle and tingle. Pulled closer and closer to the clear pane, repulsed and attracted in painful pleasure:
Perpetual Loss
that has weakened its connection with me, further takes away my heart as a whole.
we misstep to fault and sound out the other, Tonight we will double the distance between us,
to take from me, that what was between us could become still — less.
we are stranger; drifting by sea, until we see you less; reduced from me, until what was whole — less — is gone, seen
again.
yet darkly, how far
Image Credit: Amina via Pexels
17
Jessica DeMarcoJacobson Lord Reginald Moreton of Oxfordshire, With his white, well-wigg’d tow’ring coiffure,
Charles cared not; sail’d they to England
T Return’d they to their homeland, to OxfordThat bygone era of our Youth profane, shire, Sorely missing that European tour, Ne’er fearing God’s wrath or a downfall, But onward did continue their studies— Submitting to forces of desire, Really, Rochester drank with his buddies; M Each to their whims; a friendship forsook, Lord Reginald Moreton was a bright boy Pity, soon forgot; degrees they now held, Who took upon his studies with most joy; Through the next decade of life they proHe matriculated into Oxford pelled. At just sixteen summers; there he explor’d Pleasure, drink: dominated Wilmot, Literally went out with a bang, that clot! The world knew not a better hedonist, Enjoy’d he the company of all sorts, Among they: Christopher Wren and John Wilmot— Mist’d all eyes his death did; he was missed, Wadham call’d ‘em Libertine Argonauts; B Embracing in those mausoleum halls; Creating some numerous anecdotes: But from that sorrow arose merriment, Pageboys and maidenheads so licentious, F Priests, pastors—all clergy—desirous M Frustrated they the don with all their woes, Golden, sunlit bond, none so close-knit. But they knew not yet a single sorrow; Moreton with honours Charles did bestow: Expanded greatly their bonds fraternal, Land in Summertown, Oxford; a chateau, Reginald soon known all ‘cross Oxfordshire, With his white, well-wigg’d towering coiffure. shar’d; A declar’d, And lastly: a certain three-headed bathtub; An old Moreton’d soak, after supper club; Rochester and Moreton yet did remain, T At the funeral said the mourners’ cheers: “Woe! That sinecure gone so premature, An epicure ‘mpassion’d with such rigour; Soon, they knew also a new ecstasy, May ‘is mem’ry be bless’d, we shall assure: But quickly approach’d graduation day; There they enjoy’d beaches and promenades, Making each other toast with marmalade, ‘Till news came His Majesty would report, To enjoy that Ocean aquamarine; The two couples met on those French shores;
Off she went to some hospital hidden, Charles purchas’d a bathtub with three ends, Such joys from those white bubbles did descend; When exhaust’d, they’d all cuddle in bed; Though those languid days were limited so, Labouring in repose, reading Rousseau,
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Life
A love letter to Marseille
Siân Lawrence explores the history, culture and public image of her Year Abroad home. Greeks from Phocaea in what is now Turkey in 600 BC. There is, however, strong evidence of
4
50 miles south of Paris and the same distance across the Mediterranean from Algiers, a mere afternoon’s drive to the Spanish and Italian borders, at the beginning of the Côte d’Azur, trapped between the mountains and the sea, lies France’s second largest city. Marseille, my home for the last nine months. Marseille is a theatrical city, a city that has never failed to conjure strong opinions from our neighbours across the channel. One of my favourites is that of 18th century revolutionary Louis-Marie Stanislas Fréron who proclaimed it to be “beyond cure, save for a massive deportation of all its inhabitants and a transfusion of men from the north.” Another favourite is a more loving description from Marseillais playwright, poet and novelist Jean-Claude Izzo, who writes of “its eternity, a utopia. The only utopia in the world. A place where anyone, of whatever colour, could get off a boat or a train, his case in his hand, without any money in his pocket, and melt into the wave of other people. A city where as soon as he put his foot on the ground, this man could say ‘Here it is: I’m home’.” Marseille is also home to some of the most idyllic places to live in the country, being located on the sea and boasting the top spot as the sunniest place in France. So why has this beautiful and chaotic city and fascinating people for centuries? France’s oldest city, often donned the Phocaean city, was colonised as Massalia by
days, it has been impossible to pinpoint who makes up Marseille. Over the next 2600 years the city would see various waves of immigrants from rural France, Catalonia and Spain, Italy, the south and eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, West Africa. Rough statistics (in France it is illegal to collect data about ethnicity) tell us that around 200,000 of Marseille’s almost 900,000 inhabitants have Maghbrebian heritage. In many respects, it is a Mediterranean city before it is a French one. It is also not uncommon to feel as though allegiance is to city rather than to country, with many of its inhabitants feeling ‘Marseillais› rather than ‘French›. People in bars are quick to tell you that their grandmother is Spanish or Moroccan or Napolese, that they love Marseille and that they have nothing to do with Paris. I have found it to be an exceptionally welcoming place, something I don’t think can be said for a lot of France, typically speaking at least. Some Parisiens might still mutter or snigger disdain about Marseille. But let there be no mistake – the laughter is louder on the other side. The anti-Paris, antiMacron, anti-establishment feeling is palpable. Marseille is halfway between Paris and Algiers, literally and in spirit. Generally, the immigrant communities are remarkably harmonious, compared to some of its other European rivals, but the situation must not be over-romanticised. Heralded as the ‹gateway to the empire› by the enormously from imperial trade. Yet it was also often seen from the north as just as exotic as the African and Asian colonies the boats departed to from its famous port. The huge, grand steps of St Charles train station are still adorned with sculptures depicting the exotic riches of French colonies. Today, poorer areas of the city are disproportionately populated by immigrant communities and unemployment rates are high. France is plagued by right-wing press and politicians who talk about Marseille losing its European identity. These kinds of articles, in magazines such as Le Causeur, often make the error of insinuating that immigration and
Horoscopes... TAURUS SCORPIO A gentle reminder to bring your keys and bod card with you today. Signpost this page for future reference.
You are such a golden potato inside and out. Shine bright baby girl.
Having iced drinks all the time should not be a personality trait.
VIRGO
LIBRA Getting drunk at 5pm is sad and concerning. Please tell me if you need an intervention.
My dear readers, they say a week in politics is a long time. 2 weeks at the Union feels like an eternity. other than his job, The Uplift campaign manager poured his time into his quaint canva graphics to help lobby standing committee. He seemed to forget that (very sadly) bers. Despite his artistic wonders, his plan to rid the Union of junior hacklings failed. The bin operation to add the reform to the long list of discontinued Union ideas was run by The New College Warden. He has but several larger battles await… harder to vibe as the socials pile up and the slating dries up. It must have been harder still to kick out a supposed ally at extremely short Garden Party. The Procrastinating Finalist therefore say he spends his days wandering the corridors dithering about paper speeches and worrying about the hacks of years gone by.
Manifesting some baking from you: make your deserts vegan for all to enjoy.
dysfunction, #APPOINT have swept in to pick up the pieces. CoCC and CoS has left a mark much deeper than any tattoo ever could. The term is now run by people who have been elected by anybody. Sounds like the absolute dream Union for the Uplift Campaign Manager! Whilst Trinity rumbles on, the Coventry Doctor has spent his time throwing all his toys out the pram. He has set his sights on ridding the Union of slates, despite their necessity to keep the Library roof functioning. John Evelyn must admit his surprise that the Michaelmas President seems so keen to pass presidential candidate that is struggling to form a team… In RO world, storm clouds have gathered. A disruption to the anointed order has rocked the foundations of the rule 33 cult. One wishes that people with time on their hands would be slightly more useful with there time instead of pursuing such needless drama. God knows were we shall be in a few weeks time. Lots of Love Johnny E x
AQUARIUS
destiny.
All your wishes will come true this week so get to manifesting. The universe is looking out for you.
certainly not going to in just a year. But I feel very lucky to have been granted the time to explore it and become somewhat enamoured of it in the process. For the full article, go to Cherwell.org. Images credit: Siân Lawrence.
An inside look at the Oxford Union
You are such a water sign and that means one thing: it’s wild
GEMINI
Marseille has a unique energy and a buzz; maybe the negative image doesn’t matter because ‘at least it will be free of tourists and Parisiens’, a local, jokingly ironic dream. People have spent their lives writing books or, more characteristically, deep in discussion on terasses in the sunshine, pastis and a cigarette
John Evelyn
PISCES
You are never happy with advice, so open yourself to others’ criticisms. You will girlboss.
CAPRICORN SAGITTARIUS
cultural diversity is arecent phenomenon for the city… There isd o c u m e n t a t i o n about trade betweenMarseille and North Africa long before theinvasion of Algeria in 1830. There are records of language courses in Arabic attended by French merchants since 1670. This kind of negative press also suggests division in the city. However, in Marseille there are no outlying segregated banlieues circling the city as in many French metropoles, but different communities are found dotted all across the city, mingling. In the city’s 16 arrondissements there is an astounding diversity of atmosphere. A mere 30-minute walk from one neighbourhood to another might entirely transport you.
early and seize the day from now on. Wishing you the best.
CANCER The humidity has truly gotten to your head: it is care shower.
ARIES You will be perceived this week so don’t forget to dress the part.
LEO
Join a book club this week. What’s the worst that can happen. Artwork by Ben Beechener
19
Cherpse!
Joseph and Grace
The world according to Rusty... This mildly comedic column has been written by a drag queen agony aunt. It is not for the faint hearted and contains sensitive topics which may cause distress to some readers. Be prepared for themes of carefully orchestrated murder, porn addiction, and pimping out twinks for a bit of spare cash. Are you waking up in the middle of the night, dripping in sweat from night terrors about your father? Are you having repeated visions of him on all fours, with the limbs of a horse and the cock of a marginally smaller horse? Are you longing for the sweet release of toptier Australian ketamine to forget about these nightmares? If so, get some help – I’m not a clinical psychologist and you sound like you might be a bit fucked up.
Joseph First impressions? Good sense of humour and extremely outgoing. But also incredibly kind and thoughtful.
shows all across the city (even if she doesn’t remember them the next day). She’s taken time out of her busy schedule being the country’s leading expert on intrusive prostate examination in men over 70 and wanking over the bullying scenes in Heartstopper to write this column. Seriously, she’s running out of ideas for this. Remember to submit your questions through linktr.ee/rustykatedrag – there you can also buy mugs with her face on. It’s the closest you’ll ever get to having your lips around her.
Did it meet your expectations? So much better than expected! They were absolutely charming and really put me at ease, as I was quite nervous. What was the highlight? Getting to know this person whilst enjoying tours of our respective colleges. What was the most embarrassing moment? Probably my own outstanding ability to loose [sic] my train of thought. Describe the date in three words: Entertaining, enlightening and lovely. Is there a second date on the cards? Hopefully…
“We chatted about Studio Ghibli films and Oxduck.”
My boyfriend snores and it makes it really hard to sleep at night. It frustrates me to no end, but he says he can’t help it – what can I do to sort it out? This will require some carefully considered actions which benefit the both of you.Smother him. Not with the affection your mother never provided (which is why you’re with him in the first place), but with the cold, sweet release of asphyxiation. Yes, funerals are always hard, but start dropping hints to his close friends and family that he has a bit of a drinking problem. Play the part of the remarkably well-adjusted mourning widow – it’s your only choice. The sweet melodies of your traumatised sub-conscious, will be much easier to cope with once the snoring has finally ceased.
I think my partner is addicted to porn. They watch it on a daily basis, and they struggle to climax when we’re getting intimate – how do I address this without making them feel even worse? You don’t. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and my OnlyFans can’t take the hit right now. It’s the only thing standing between me and the bailiffs. Don’t make me start filming the videos myself – it’s much more convenient to drug twinks in G-A-Y Late, pump them with speed and make them shag until dawn than it is to try and film yourself topping.It’s remarkably expensive to start a GHBbased twink drugging scheme, especially post-Brexit (my imports are down 30%). Support queer business, and use discount code LUSTY KATE to receive 5 videos for the price of 6.
Living an exam-free Trinity Hannah Lund shares her ideas for thriving while her friends are stuck revising.
Grace First impressions? He had a cool jacket! And cool ear piercings. I vibes with his choice of beverage (hot chocolate) too. Did it meet your expectations? I thought it’d be an awkward “what college/ course/year” oriented conversation but we found shared interests pretty quickly . What was the highlight? Oxduck.
What was the most embarrassing moment? Accused him of being a part of a certain university political soc who like to crash our college bops :/ Describe the date in three words: Sweet, surprising, fun. Is there a second date on the cards? Yes! Drinks or a movie.
Looking for love? Email lifestylecherwell@gmail.com or message one of our editors
T
a free bird without many fellow free
with other people who you may not see very often or to meet new people all together.
am still catching up on hugely needed and well-
thought of chatting to new people, I have found Jericho Coffee Traders (loved by all) to be one of the friendliest places in Oxford, and
so many of my friends are locked in the dungeon that is Pembroke library. For everyone else in my situation, here are a few ways I’ve realised
person to chat to there. Also, if your friends have replaced you with exam revision (the audacity!), then why not replace them with a cheeky link and a date or two? Oxford is massive
thrive in my exam-free Trinity. Enjoy! An obvious way to survive an exam-free Trinity is helping out your exam-riddled friends who are undoubtedly stressed and need some serious TLC. Bake brownies, cook them dinner, or make some kind of pidge-love, and and you will feel like the kindest, loveliest, best friend ever. reluctant to do anything that takes up a lot of time or requires getting over a hangover, but even they will be likely to spare an hour or so for coffee. A coffee break is a great way to break free from the Rad Cam and talk about something other than your subject, and you still get to see and check in on your friends. Everyone is a winner! However, if your existing friends are library-locked, this does not mean you have to be stranded. Shockingly, there are many more people in Oxford that are not in your Now is a great time to invest into friendships
feminism) but going on a run around the city centre during rush hour is a big fat no from me. Setting yourself new goals doesn’t have to be completely random or drastic. I think there is too much of a focus on always having to be doing super interesting things with groups of people to be perceived as having fun and enjoying Oxford. You very much deserve to indulge in your own company and there is no shame in spending
with your favourite foods (which obviously (potentially sexy) people, so stop wasting time you don’t have to share with friends because waiting for your friends they are in the library to leave the library wishing they were you), and go meet people. “Oxford is massive... stop go get yourself a coffee, When so many people spend time writing a wasting time waiting are investing massively new article (like me), or in exams, it can easily for your friends to leave go exercise. There are the library and go meet so many opportunities feel like you are wasting your Oxford time and for self-love and people.” falling behind on self-invest ment. some imaginary time The aim is not only to scale because of how much other people are survive an exam-free Trinity but to thrive! working. While you have no massive deadlines Reframe the idea. This is not «oh no, all my to work towards, it is a great opportunity to friends are stuck in gross Pembroke library set yourself smaller, personal goals to work and I have nothing to do». This is “wow, I have towards throughout term. My main goal this so much time to do whatever I want with, so I term is to do as many things to get myself out of my comfort zone as possible, and to recognise invest in myself, and love myself, and live my how I feel in this situation and learn more best life!” Go enjoy Oxford in your own examabout what I enjoy and dislike. For example, free way, and if anyone needs a coffee friend then heeeyyyyyy. I ask a man out on a date (we love active
20
Features ‘Doomer politics’: The death spiral of Russian civil society
Chris Conway examines how fatalist attitudes towards the political status quo impact Russian perspectives on the war against Ukraine.
propaganda – further submerges the Russian people into catatonic political passivity.
CW: war, state violence
B
oris Johnson was wrong when he said Vladimir Putin was in a “total panic” about revolution at home. Olaf Scholz was also wrong in saying that the war was about ‘individuals,’ that the war was ‘Putin’s war’, and his alone. These are fantasies, encouraged by the complacency of democracy and a stubborn misunderstanding of the Russian state. Their words imply that the war in Ukraine has been launched against the true wishes of the Russian people who were, hitherto, cowed by state repression into backing the war. This robs them of the only agency that remains to them in Putin’s wartime Russia – the choice of what to think. In Russia, we are now seeing
at least passive support for the “special military operation”. Nowhere is it called a war, and any such reference incurs the wrath of the state. Russian police in February even arrested one woman from Nizhnii Novgorod for standing with a blank placard. The effect
the population deciding to align with state propaganda. The mass of the population is standing with Putin and becoming more success of Putinism in this regard relies on Russians’ lost faith in democracy and capita lism dating from three decades ago. Putin’s kleptocracy becomes the best of two bad options. Failure to recognise this when the same mistakes it made thirty years ago when the USSR fell, which have led us to where we are today. The Threshold of Responsibility All available polling in Russia suggests
tive” or “negative” categories depending on conducted last month by the Levada Centre blamed the US and NATO for any escalation. Another poll by Savanta ComRes, a British thought it right to intervene militarily in the
“Western capitalism is remembered by the average Russian as a system of corruption, poverty and humiliation.” ordinary Russians, as high as 80%. Of course these organisations are set up to produce re sults in support of government policy. Histo rically, they have done this by asking loaded by including “neutral” respondents in “posi
empt the threat from NATO. Some commentators have turned on Rus sians as categorically complicit in the war. “Russian communities around the world are as dangerous as ISIS”, writes Ukraine’s former Deputy Minister of Culture. “Good
21
this claim. Furthermore, limited access to social media in Russia means it has become easier to consolidate the line that there is no general “invasion” of Ukraine, but a war in defence of Russians in the East against a proclaimed Nazi enemy. It is harder to decry an entire people as complicit in a criminal war of aggression if they do not believe they know as well as any people the lies that are where news coverage remained euphemis tically doctrinaire eight years into the war. between government narratives and the war’s reality, contributing to the demise of the Communist Party’s credibility in the po to defend it. Despite tepid support for the wars in Chechnya, the government was able rather than a brutal resolution to a civil the government. Moscow has cravenly lied to the Russian people in every war it has waged. The Russian people – not just Petersburg and Muscovite intelligentsia, but the mothers of killed rural conscripts – know this. At some point, every person makes the choice to swal low the newest war propaganda whole. At its most tragic, this has led Russians to ignore their cognitive dissonance and reject the suffering in Ukraine. Marina Ovsyannikova has described the Russian populace as “zom
The outcome of this state of affairs is both farce and genocide. As has been successfully argued elsewhere, silent assent allows the continued butchering of civilians in Ukraine. This is Doomer Politics. Doomer Politics The “doomer” subculture was born as adopted on some Russian social media, where it took on an even more nihilistic character. aesthetics and punk, as predominantly young men frequented online threads to cope with lives they felt were stymied by failure or lack of opportunity. Doomers lament lack of choice in their own lives, and a reality which is otherwise unbearable. Most Russians are not familiar with “doo mer culture”. Nevertheless, it serves as an epitome for their current state. Key to reluc tant support for Putin, apathy in opposition as a population, and decision to believe state propaganda is a persistent narrative that authoritarian”, writes Professor Mark Ga destructive, such that apathy is better than both.” Surely, once the benighted Russian public is freed from the propaganda, they will come round to our way of viewing things? In short, no. The current system brings repression and economic stagnation, but the alternative – average Russian as one of corruption, poverty
2003, the Russian suicide rate doubled. By nessmen and journalists killed in their homes
mobsters afforded lavish public funerals in full view of ordinary people eking out meagre livelihoods. Russians witnessed the true glory of liberal democracy in the murky
Russian youth arrest this process? This survey by the Sociological Institute of the
“For those who stay, the suffering of war will leave ample chance for Doomer Politics to capture the youth as well.” Communist Party – many contest to this day. Even by the early 2000s, this era was labelled the ‘Dark Past’. The absence of hope for change breeds sians surveyed in February declared they were not really following events in Ukraine. The tragic vacuum of hope for credible al of Betrayal” speech epitomises this kind of thinking. Belarussian author and dissident Svetlana era, Secondhand Time rience of Doomer Politics. The account of one woman, Marina Tikhonova Isaichik, the suicide, epitomises the sentiment so well it is worth repeating in full. “On the radio, they’d said that after the war was over, we would all be happy, and Khrushchev, I remember, promised… he said that communism would soon be upon us. Gorbachev swore it, too, and he spoke so beautifully… Now Yeltsin’s making the same promises… I waited and waited for the good it… and then when I got a little older… Now I’m old. To make a long story short, everyone see, wait and suffer… Our Sashka... He waited and waited and then he couldn’t take it any longer… People have started believing in God are we now?... I watch TV, I never miss the news… we’re the electorate now. Our job is to go and vote for the right candidate and then call it a day. I was sick one time and didn’t make it to the polling station, so they drove
human rights is almost twice as high as the share of supporters of the priority of state tio was the reverse. However, those surveyed were predominantly educated urbanites Volkov, Navalny’s campaign manager, is not so optimistic. Volkov concedes that his boss’s campaign had to compete with the fact that
towns and villages far away from Moscow or St Petersburg, the usage of television – and thus reach of state propaganda – is demonst rably higher than in the larger cities. Those are now mainly imprisoned, emigrating, or It may already be too late. For those who stay, the suffering of war will leave ample chance for Doomer Politics to capture the youth as well. The apathy that empowers Putin and resentment that governs Russian in Ukraine take root in a generation which trend. The new generation morphs into its predecessors. The Russian public is closing ranks with the government and hunkering down for Already, in view of food shortages, people are fatalistically discussing a return to Soviet conditions. Comprehensive trade and disadvantaged who constitute Putin’s most reliable constituencies, pushing the mass arrests, and crackdown on independent media are foreboding signs of an impending spiral of violence in Russia if the war conti nues as badly as it currently is. Russian civil
“The end of doomer politics will require the ideal scenario of regime change, and then that the West actually demonstrate to Russians that there is a workable alternative to the way their country is run. ” the one day they actually remember us… Sashka made the decision to stop living… Returned his ticket back to God himself.” population surveyed declared they were against democracy. So, few will risk death or imprisonment trying to replace the current system for something they could not guaran tee would be any better. The Death Spiral Doomer politics has ensured that the
into a death spiral. Potentially, there is a breaking point where the populace rejects the government line in view of rising casualties and an imploding
public opposition, and the Tsar was ousted recent Russian history reveals a different
pattern. The true narratives about the Soviet were eventually allowed to by the govern ment. Equally, as historians acknowledge, the fall of the Soviet empire and demise of the Communist Party was not forced by internal opposition, but by the decisions of Mikhail Gorbachev and his aides to abandon
regime will do anything similar. Moreover, apogee when desirable political alternatives presented themselves. Doomer Politics may preclude this happening now. The End The end of doomer politics will require the ideal scenario of regime change, and Russians that there is a workable alternative to the way their country is run. Democracy is eliminating institutionalised corruption, the only issue which truly unites ordinary Russians in political opposition. Only by eli minating corruption can any government in turn show that liberal democracy can accom modate political pluralism, and crucially, that will have to be persuaded that their nation unconditional nationalism they currently espouse; and that economic change will not force ordinary citizens to choose again between the zombifying repression of the of the newly wealthy. It is hard to see how Russian civil society will achieve this itself, foreign involvement in bringing this about, readily denounced as a foreign plot. The Biden Administration shows fore Strategy in the years ahead. Yet eliminating corruption is a task incomplete even in our
would require decades of work – at minimum – to eradicate. It is hard to imagine the Ukrainians will have the forgiveness for any such scheme. Meanwhile, the EU is already straining politically under the internal pres
a rising China and possibly even a resurgent Trump in 2024. These would probably be higher priorities. Even if Russia lost the war completely, Putin fell from power and was replaced by a more benign leadership, and the Ukrainians acquiesced to a conciliatory patience or consistency to see such a project to its conclusion. I, and the Russians whom I know, hope that there will be some turn in the Russian p o pulation against the war and the genocidal aggression they are led to support by the state. Sadly, they do not represent the general sentiment back home. Putin’s the death spiral as the hopeless acquiescence of a nation of Marina Isaichiks. To Johnson and Scholz, I say that it is better to see things as they are rather than how we would want them to be. Meanwhile, Russian civil society continues on its death spiral. Image credit: artwork by Ben Beechener
22
Columns The things we’ve scene
Nia Large and Anna Davidson satirise a select Oxford social scene during a classic May CW: Swearing, Drug References Disclaimer: The following piece offers a purely satirical commentary
H
ello and welcome to Nia and Anna’s bid for next year’s top 40 BNOC list. This week was tough. We agonised over what to name this, our weekly round of nonsense (tragically rejecting ‘Two Girls, One Column’). We sent networking emails to people who would spit at us in the street. We launched ourselves into gonzo journalism, a genre we are well suited to as we are ourselves cunts. Having worked ourselves to the point of minor bother, we are now happy to present our intensive investigations into various Oxford scenes. Our week started off as all good weeks included being accused of stealing people’s silent disco headphones (yes, you caught me, I was jealous of how cool you looked singing Maroon 5’s Payphone to no music) and being stared at in utter dismayed disgust at having the audacity to check someone’s ticket. A short shift and a couple of failed collections later, we were
Names preserved in blue and white: Sarah Cooper
Thomas Britton dives into the history behind Oxford’s best marmalade-maker.
M
y parents are great fans of marmalade. Most weekends, when I come downstairs in the morning, I will
not the biggest fan myself, but their favourite
ready to spend our weekend socialising - or at least, hiding in the corner with our feet turned inwards and our fringes over our eyes We started our research on Oxford’s political scene at the great, iconic bastion of Oxford debate; one often criticised for its saturation with the nation’s elites, the OULC (Oxford University Labour Club). The room was decked out in Ed Balls decor; a man who, given the time he spent at Oxford setting up his own elite dining society, was a natural choice for the Labour club’s favourite man of the people. Upon entry, the speakers in the welcome drinks were blasting ‘Common People’ - a song which is meaningful to many members, who could relate to it because they too study sculpture. As we ourselves spend our time studying the linguistic turn and Plato’s Republic, we can always respect anything without direct practical use. After having a bit of fun the Labour club way - dancing and drinking Stella with the label facing outwards - we make the oft-travelled journey from Labour Club to the Union (and quickly realise that the Labour club wasn’t so bad). To be fair to the Labour club, at least they have a basic respect for human rights and dignity - tune in next week for our encounter at the Conservative Association’s weekly Port and Policy, if we aren’t too scared of lawyer fathers. Upon entering the Union, we realise that we missed the message in the group chat telling everyone to come in beige chinos. Still, the night isn’t lost - they reassure us with the message that drinks only cost £2.50, which is a relief for an audience who just barely scraped together £300 to attend this great institution. We are told about this term’s lineup; you can alternate your celebrations of Indian and Pakistani independence with an appearance by Capital FM’s Roman Kemp. We are also told that the monarchy will be debated, exciting news for royal correspondents, who might actually
tending private school on a bursary sound like a burden. The Union’s debate of the week was ‘This house believes Stormzy is more relevant than Boris’. For now, let’s set aside the worries we had
stairs between him and her. The debate was
and ‘houses don’t believe they’re inanimate
commenced; instead of hiding that we hadn’t taken coke or had anal sex, we tried to hide our poor knowledge of art history. With a Union term card in hand and a weakened sense of
aside from the important business of discussing whether Kate inherited her tights from Diana. They also tell us about their upcoming ‘how to get involved in the Union’ event, which we are sure will include helpful advice on how to be born wealthy and make at-
success. A boy stands up hand raised, ready to launch into a stream of prissy piss. The speaker turns: ‘You’re not Kanye West, sit down’. He blushingly lowers himself, like he’d received a stern talking to from his nanny after misjudging what should have been one of his safer
brand is Frank Cooper’s ‘Oxford’ marmalade. It is available almost everywhere, with its distinctive, endearing and old-style design of simple bold text upon a white background and the Royal Warrant. My own mum would describe it as ‘a cut above the rest’ with a ‘delicious tang’ and a taste ‘less sweet’ than other brands. What is clear is that this is some quite good marmalade. You may already be wondering how this could be relevant, but trust me here. Believe it or not, there is actually a blue plaque for this confection, or rather its originator, situated on the High Street. Next to the historic Grand Café, on a pastel pink house just before the exams schools, a blue plaque reads “Sarah Cooper 1848-1932 First made Oxford Marmalade here in 1874”. Though the brand may be known as Frank Cooper’s, it was Sarah in the family kitchen. She was born Sarah Jane Gill, in the village of Beoly in Worcestershire, and had Oxford connections through her father John, who came from a family of ironmongers, printers and coal merchants. In 1872, while she stayed in Clifton, she married Frank Cooper. He had inherited his father’s grocery business on the High Street in 1867, and expanded it next door into No. 83, where the plaque is today. The premises was operated both as the shop and the family’s home. Originally, the Cooper’s had moved to 31 Kingston Road, just beyond Jericho, but they soon moved into the rooms above the shop. In this building, at the age of 24, Sarah made
“They reassure us with the message that drinks only cost £2.50, which is a relief for an audience who just barely scraped together £300 to attend this great institution.” uncle they see every other Christmas, gifting them a shotgun and the fruitless promise to take them out on a hunting trip, much like the experience of his own children. The speeches were largely thoughtful, thought-provoking, and thought-based. There were, however, a few that Stormzy was relevant to more people than Johnson, stating eloquently that Stormzy had appeal in marginalised communities. She went on to claim that her mum writes fan mail to Dave. Her mum put her head in her hands, hiding her grin. She had successfully convinced her 20 year old daughter that the Dave that keeps popping up on her phone is ‘Dave’, not just a Dave. Things took a turn for the worse when she tried to end her case that Stormzy was managing to tackle elitism in politics on a triumphant note - by using a Winston Churchill quote, whom we can’t imagine is Stormzy’s idea of a voice for the disenfranchised. Another speaker outlines the sheer ex-
time. The Seville oranges she used were from Frank’s shop and due to be thrown away. After following her mother’s recipe, the marmalade was distinctive for its chunky and coarse-cut peel. The custom for lighter breakfasts, including marmalade, had just become fashionable in Oxford, where college breakfasts were previously far more indulgent with items such It quickly went on sale in Frank’s shop, in white earthenware jars, and was an immediate success. Soon the notoriety had travelled further than Oxford, and there was demand from people all around. The marmalade gained a Royal Patronage, and in 1903 the Coopers opened a new factory at the end of Park End Street. It was at this point that Sarah apparently retired, but she maintained an interest in the company and was a much respected Cooper’s were also producing jams, sauces and soups, the latter being popular during the First World War with sugar rationing. The Coopers moved to Woodstock Road in 1907, and at the creation of a new company, Frank Cooper Ltd, in 1913, their sons took a more active role. The High Street shop remained until 1919, and Frank continued to attend board meetings until he died at the age of 83 in 1927. Sarah 1932 aged 84. The idea of writing a column about a breakfast condiment may seem fanciful, but this particular marmalade does have a genuine
out. A claim is thrown into the room that ‘we can all name works by Rembrandt- can’t
Still to come was Wadstock, which was like its namesake but with less drugs, less sex and less rock n’ roll. If you remember it, you probably were there, but you also probably had a nice time. People took strategic wee breaks as the bands alternated between originals and covers. As midnight approached we were reminded this was not supposed to be fun, but instead a Bear Grylls-esque challenge, only instead of drinking your own piss you’re expected to consume caffeine, coke, or both dissolved in the sweat that drops into your mouth from the Plush ceiling. This was the pres for the great Oxford tradition when every 1st of May the whole of Oxford reduces themselves to the thirteen year old at a sleepover who asks into the darkness every ten minutes if anyone else is asleep yet. For those who don’t know, May Day consists of being awake for longer than usual. It’s as good as it sounds. If you’re wondering why we celebrate May Day, for the Romans it was to honChristians it was the Virgin Mary, and for modern Oxford students, if Cherwell had their way, it’s to crowd outside Magdalen hoping for a glimpse of University sweetheart Daniel Dipper. We so that was our next destination while we waited for 6am. We left Plush with blistered feet and soggy hair and made our way to the bridge. Struck by delirium we listened to the voice of god echoing from Magdalen tower. Thus ends our tales. See you next week readers, we hope you both have a good one.
place in British culture. Ian Fleming includes Cooper’s as part of James Bond’s breakfast in From Russia, With Love, and Captain Scott took some with him on the 1912 Terra Nova Expedition. It has become a ubiquitous part of rah produced many years ago. When it went on sale, Frank had his name put on the jars, and this mistaken attribution persists today. It is unfair that he should be credited for his wife’s marmalade, but her blue plaque at least does something to recognise her achievement. We may not associate Oxford with culinary innovation, but next time you’re walking through the intimidating Exam Schools, remember that the country’s best loved marmalade was born just a few steps away.
23
Sport
Why 22,000 watching fourth-tier Newcastle at St. James Park is a landmark for the women’s game Oli Hall explores the exciting future for women’s football in England.
T
he 1st of May saw the largest attendance for a women’s league football match this season. It wasn’t though under the lights at one of the WSL
Division One North, the fourth tier of the women’s game. On Sunday, 22,134 fans turned out to see Newcastle United, on their St. James Park debut, beat Alnwick Park 4-0 in a showpiece event on Tyneside. Having never been able to attract more than 2,700 fans in the past, the club not only shattered their own attendance record but also set the mark for the largest crowd at a women’s league game this season. The number itself though is unimportant, clubs are often criticised for offering cut-price one-off events. It does though shine a spotlight on what is happening at Newcastle under the new ownership of Amanda Staveley’s consortium and the seismic shift taking place in women’s football. Instead of being a nice optional extra for a few of the biggest sides, it is now seen as a vital asset at all levels of the pyramid. The takeover at Newcastle United has been heavily criticised for countless reasons that are more than valid, but that certainly doesn’t
mean that we should discount the good that Stavely and co. are achieving in other areas. group as a key area for growth, both on the pitch and off it, and aspirations of becoming backed-up by investment and attention. This has not simply been a case of the careless cash-splurging for the sake of vanity that her plans for the women’s game. Instead, she has united the whole club around the goal of driving the team forward, spent wisely but sparingly, and set up new structures to ensure long-term sustainability. Nothing highlighted this more than the attendance of Eddie Howe and co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi last week. that takes them through the next few years,” and perhaps the most encouraging endorsement so far has come from within the team itself and head coach Becky Langley. Despite missing out on the only promotion place available in their league this season, the board haven’t retracted their backing. Stavely even spoke to the players after the game to reassure them of this and Langley said, “I think the biggest thing for me at full-time was how reassuring Amanda and Mehrdad were. They came down massively inspired and excited by the whole experience – especially Amanda,
she loves women’s sport and really wants to showcase that in the best light. They were both saying to me: ‘Keep your head up, I know you’ll be disappointed with coming second but to do so well with such limited resources without their support, with their support we’re going to be in as a female coach is going to be so important.” That long-term focus is representative of a move across the game in England at all levels which means things look more promising than ever for the sport in this country. Manchester United’s longawaited arrival on the scene in 2018 was heralded by many as the biggest endorsement yet and that has been followed by yet more extraordinary levels of investment from rivals Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal. Look down the pyramid and there are countless other examples of sleeping giants investing hugely and gunning earned promotion from the Championship this season and the likes of Wolves, Southampton and Crystal Palace will be looking to join them in a couple of years’ time. This is what is setting England apart. Since its formation, the WSL has been seen as the most competitive league in the world, but even here outrageously high score lines and variation in quality have made many fans and, crucially, broadcasters sceptical of its value. An increase in the number of clubs investing good money
Audi and Porsche to join F1 – VW Boss Alex Tennant-Holder looks at VW group’s long-awaited move into F1.
T
he potential entry of premium German auto manufacturers Audi and Porsche into Formula 1 has been one of the worst-kept secrets in the sport for the last couple of years. Finally, fans have Volkswagen’s plans to push forward with the addition of two new teams to the F1 grid. In an interview with Reuters on the 2nd May, Volkswagen Group chief executive Herbert Diess revealed that its two premium brands had “run out of arguments” against joining the sport, after the company’s Board of Directors had come to a consensus that Formula 1 would provide the business with more money in the long-term than it would cost to maintain the teams’ operations. Speaking on the timing of the decision, Diess added: “You can’t enter Formula 1 unless a technology window opens up which means, in order to get there, a rule change.” The rule change in reference is part of the latest alterations to constructors’ rules announced by the FIA last December, which set out the organisation’s drive to reduce the sport’s environmental impact as one of the worst offenders in carbon emissions through further
these environmental considerations will be changes to fuel types (starting from 2026), and updates to power unit construction that Formula 1 hope will prove “attractive to new power unit manufacturers”. Now, it seems, Audi and Porsche have answered this call and decided to capitalise on this opportunity to create their own power units in the next three to four years.
It is not known for sure whether the two manufacturers will attempt to form partnerships with existing grid teams, or create their own from the ground up; but Diess explained: “At Porsche [plans are] already relatively concrete, at Audi not so much.” Elaborating, the executive said that while both teams would be entering separately and without the VW name, the Group is currently placing greater emphasis on Porsche’s development due to the brand’s higher price premium and its focus on becoming what Diess describes as the “sportiest car brand in the world”. It is therefore likely that Audi will enter the sport through a partnership with an existing team, whereas Porsche will form an entirely new team which employs its own powertrains and direction. The move represents Porsche’s re-entry into Formula foray into the highest level of motorsport. Both teams have spent the last several years
investing heavily in GT racing, rallying, and electric motorsports; with Porsche already having had a strong presence in Formula E and both brands having had pioneering roles in the development of LMH hybrid vehicles (successors to the LMP-class cars) for use in the world-famous Le Mans 24h race. The German manufacturers’ focus on hybrid and sustainable racing in recent years has partly been an effect of the Volkswagen Group’s attempts to revive its public image in the wake of the 2015 ‘Dieselgate’ scandal, when the corporation was found by the USA’s Environmental Protection Agency to have installed software in up to 11 million cars worldwide that had enabled them to cheat emissions tests. Given the FIA’s move towards using more sustainable fuel types and reducing the carbon footprint of Formula 1’s huge logistics operations, the Board has concluded that the time now seems appropriate for Volkswagen to involve itself in the sport. With several issues continuing to plague the defending constructors’ champions Mercedes this season and an exciting battle underway in another interesting injection of fuel to the Forthe grid, the clash between the two titan German groups of auto manufacturing, Daimler and Volkswagen, should certainly be one to watch.
wisely is the only way to change that. Although the Women’s Champions League is still dominated by European giants Barcelona, PSG, Lyon, and Wolfsburg, those divisions have been one-sided beyond belief for far too long. The Primera División in Spain has only ever been won by three teams since its formation in 2010, seven of those titles belong to Barcelona. In France, Lyon have claimed the title in 13 of the past 14 seasons, with PSG only able to break that stranglehold last season. In Germany, Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich have shared the top two spots every year since 2014. Barcelona might have set the world record for attendance at a staggering 91,553 earlier this year but look below the surface and what is being achieved in England is far more impressive and important. The European Championships this summer are also set to demonstrate just how much has been achieved with record ticket sales only continuing to rise. Here too, the FA has been sensible – assigning all games top-level stadiums and calling on the glamour of Wembley and Old Trafford for some. No doubt more records will be broken by that tournament in July and into the domestic season beyond but they aren’t what excites me the most about the growth of women’s football in England. Much more important is the investment across the pyramid from clubs of all sizes and the thousands who are starting to turn out week in and week out to watch.
Sport in Oxford: Netball Cuppers to commence this week, continuing into Week 4 Free Ultimate Frisbee training sessions will continue to take place every Saturday from 9am to 11am in University Parks Oxford to face Cambridge in the American Football Varsity Matches on Saturday, May 14th
24 Medium Sudoku
Killer Sudoku
Pencil Puzzle - Nurikabe Squares should be shaded in according to these rules: 1. Shaded in cells act as borders to regions of white cells 2. Squares with numbers cannot be shaded in 3. Numbers indicate the number of white cells (including the cells with numbers) in a region, connected either horizontally or vertically nected to each other horizontally or vertically
Killer Sudoku: Numbers in the dotted cages should add up to the small number in the top left Two-Speed Crossword Cryptic Clues Across:
6. I’ve surrounded myself with head reporters (e.g. Cherwell) (5) 8. Eye piece worn by fashionably cool men (7) 9. I erase misprint - makes things simpler (6) 11. Card game, the Spanish one (3) 13. Frenzied bandits - they’ll make you blush! (6) 15. £1.05 for a type of pig (6) 18. Extract uranium from new genuine mechanism (6)
Concise Clues Across: 6. Stream (5) 8. Eyeglass (7) 9. Not as hard (6) 11. Italian number (3) 13. Blushers (6) 15. Old coin (6) 17. Smoker’s gunk (3) 18. Locomotive (6) 19. Associated (7) 21. Serbian-American inventor (5) 22. Hide (5)
leaves (7) 21. Car company given fresh slate (5) 22. St. Anne’s quiet about college puffers (5) Down: 1. “I am at Eurovision!” from an enthusiast (7) 2. What artists go back to when stuck? (7, 6) 7. Four in Spanish cheer about Mediterranean fruit (5)
16. Have rage from being mediocre (7) 29. Trendy tuxedo out in Oxford - a piece by both
Down: 1. Non-professional (7) 2. Large tables where artists work (7,6) 5. A small meteor in the atmosphere 7. Shade of green (5)
16. Mean (7)
Send your solutions to puzzlescherwell@gmail.com
Oxford Union and Student Union to merge into Union Union
Like this has not already happened right before everyone’s eyes, it was announced today that the Oxford Union, known for its hacks and chums, will merge with the Student Union, known for its jazz hands and vegan sausages. The stellar deal is worth £506 million. The merger organisation will be called the Super Union. The new Union Union is sure to think they are way more important than they actually are. New political systems will be in place with lutely no one will read. The new “Secretary” of the Union Union will be in charge of making sure as many scandals happen as often as possible. Anonymous tipsters will be encouraged to approach newspapers all over the country. The new Union Union president is keen to hack double the amount of people that they already do. Lichme Bumcheek shamelessly told Cherwell: “Hello! I hope you are well! Are you a member? Basically, I know we have never met before, lol, but basically I’m running in the Super Union election basically. I am going to be
on seccies team for #innovate and would super massively enormously absolutely love for you to pre-register for the vote in 2 months. It would mean a lot :)))) I hope you like all the things that difference to be supported by a stranger like you. Anyway, let’s go for a coffee sometime? I’d love to meet you! Follow me on Twitter as well! @LichmeBumBum. Cool, see you in the Bridge smoking area, lolol.” Lots of cancellable speakers will be invited to the Union Union chambers, including activists for the repressed art of hate crime and corrupt billionaires. While white tie will be mandatory for debates, speakers will be prohibited from making noise of any kind to keep up with the core culture of the former Student Union. The use of alcohol and drugs will be actively encouraged. There will be no toilets in the headquarters, as the Union Union believes that this is a necessary change for the sake of environmentalism, in order to offset the damage caused by the amount of hot air the Union produces regularly.
The Goldman Sachs executive who mediated the merger deal was the Oxford Union Chief of Staff’s daddy. He told Oh Well!: “I am wonderfully delighted that my esteemed privilege still serves me well today. It’s marvellous to see our young generations build such valiant characters during their time who won’t get offended by everything! Out with sodding woke bigots!” Little did he know that he would Union Union.