The Oxford Student - Volume 75 Issue 3

Profile

Louise Richardson gives her first interview to the student press Page 12

Comment

Should Donald Trump be banned from UK entry?

Screen

Music

Page 19

Page 20

Does Leonardo DiCaprio deserve an Oscar?

Page 15

2015: A great year for Nicki Minaj

29.01.2016 Volume 75, Issue 3 oxfordstudent.com

First female portraits to go up at Peter’s hall James Broun

Deputy News Editor

Libby Lane had the honour of being the first woman bishop when she was consecrated on 26 January 2015.

A year on, her old college, St Peter’s, have commissioned a portrait of her to mark the anniversary. This too is a first, for there are no men represented on the walls of their hall, where the painting will hang.

The Oxford-based artist, Tom Croft, specialises in portraits. He was approached by the governing body at St Peter’s after the Master, Mark

Protestors came out in force in an attempt to convince the council not to pass more cuts.

Continued on page 3

Image: Matt Burwood

More major cuts passed despite protest

• The Council passed additional cuts of 65 per cent on Tuesday Matt Burwood News Editor

A large number of protesters gathered outside the Oxfordshire County Hall this Tuesday to make their voices heard, as the cabinet voted in favour of a new wave of cuts to services throughout the county.

These latest savings come on top of an existing shrinkage of the council’s budget by £292m between 2010 and 2020.

“Enough is Enough!” was shouted in unison by around a hundred protesters, hoping to dissuade the councillors from their eventual course of action a further £69 million shaved off of their budget over the next four years. Bearing banners, placards and signs with a range of antiausterity slogans, the crowd consisted of political activists,

people particularly affected by the proposals, religious leaders, and students.

During the protest, representatives from “Save Oxfordshire’s Children’s Centres” were running a campaign to gather signatures for the pledge: “I pledge not to vote for any councillor in 2017 who voted for the closure of Oxfordshire’s Children’s Centres”.

This effort was accompanied by a social media campaign, whereby photos of people contributing their signatures were uploaded to Twitter under the hashtag #pledge4children.

Many of the students at the protest were part of “On Your Doorstep”, OUSU’s campaign against homelessness. Jacob Vivian made a statement on behalf of the group: “OYD strongly opposes the cuts to homeless services. We believe that this will incur greater costs down the line and exacerbate

an already big problem in this city.

Central government cuts might mean the County Council has to make savings, but should the need for ‘savings’ justify society’s most vulnerable people, the homeless, having their only source of support taken away?”

“

Some activists joined the cabinet to offer evidence and testimonies After nearly an hour of protesting in inclement weather, the crowd chanted “Let us in!”, and were duly granted access to the County Hall, where some activists joined the cabinet to offer evidence and testimonies, with others filing into an adjacent room to watch the proceedings through a television link, or standing in the corridors outside the meeting to

continue their protest.

Those presenting evidence to the cabinet were given three minutes each, and topics ranged from the removal of support for victims of domestic violence, to the discontinuation of subsidised bus services, to the closure of all 44 of Oxford’s children’s centres. After each testimony, loud applause rang through the building, as members of the public demonstrated their support and concordance.

In reference to council leaders previously describing the proposed budget cuts as “devastating”, one activist told the cabinet: “You do have a choice. If you genuinely believe these cuts will be devastating for Oxfordshire, you can choose to resign.”

There was repeated usage of the phrase “false economy”, with many speakers suggesting that the

Continued on page 3

Shoot: Office Wear

See pages 26 and 27

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Editorial

2

Editorial

Editors: Ariane Laurent-Smith and Naomi Southwell

Hilary, 2nd week

Friday 29th January 2016

“If ignorance if bliss, I don’t know why you’re looking so miserable.”

Tutor comment Oxford weather As we move into 3rd week, the weather is settling down. We are buffeted by the icy winds of self-doubt and tribulation. Tossed to one side by the wind as we toss off the legacy of Cecil Rhodes, we drift into a never-ending typhoon.

Put your rain coat on and your umbrellas up. The forecast remains unpredictable.

Conspiracy theories of the week Christ Church actually has the highest percentage of stateschool students .

Hello

And the home of many other poeple who rely on such vital services.

Council cuts

The Union’s debate about positive discrimination has sparked our own internal debate in the office. We both agree that positive discrimination as a temporary measure is the necessary action to address the ineqaulity that pervades many of UK institutions and businesses.

No one is thinking about the vac any more and if so it’s with the sort of nostalgia with which one remembers a perfect event in the long-distance past, it feels a bit like it never happened.

This week, we were both shocked and horrified at the council’s plans carry out cuts that would effectively lead to the closure of all children’s centres in Oxford. Going down to the protest myself and hearing testimonies from the many people whose lives have immeasurably benefitted from accessing these vital services. The fact that the council went ahead with thee cuts despite fierce opposition from residents and students saddened me, but only affirmed the need to continue to make our voices heard as students.

It’s easy to feel that Oxford is where we reside for eight weeks, comfortably in our colleges handing in our essays.

But it’s more than that, it is our home.

What’s on Baroness Helena Kennedy gives Q and A session

Page 31

Quota debate

Going out

We both had bops recently. One of us made it to our bop after a whole evening of laying but left after half an hour as the cheesy music had well and truly stopped. After the other notable bop, my legs are still aching having tried to compete with Somervilles resident dancing king. An enjoyable but slightly painful lesson learned.

Port and Policy

It was Ariane’s first time at Port and Policy and apparently had to control her laughter, even at one of the tamer meetings of the term. She is currently having the dilemma of whether to sacrifice her pride or her money if she returns to the Union Jack draped hall.

I am yet to attend Port and Policy, thankfully.

Finally

A massive thank you to our new team for staying awake and mostly sane through the long nights in the office.

The one redeeming feature is that our music taste appears to approved compared to some of last term’s bangers.

Here’s to a good week!

Fashion Oxford’s best dressed in this weeks street style Page 29

Profile

OxStuff

Page 11

Page 33

Deborah Meaden talks Strictly, image and female quotas

Dan Haynes rants about noisy libraries

Write for us! editor@oxfordstudent.com

Magdalen deer are drug mules.

Alumnus of the week

Robert Peel Christ Church

odds-ford bets.

OUSU to make an impact on people’s lives Jacob Williams to be caught trying to bum Cecil Rhodes statue

∞/1 12/1

University to pass ‘St Annes Must Fall’ motion

5/1

The radical left to collapse in self-contradiction

2/1

The OxStu team Ariane Laurent-Smith and Naomi Southwell Jake Wiseman Scott Harker, Daniel Haynes, Flora Holmes, James Sewry, and Sam Sykes.

Matt Burwood, Megan Izzo and Jan-David Franke News Editors Laura Whetherly Investigations Editor Imogen Gosling and Ben Oldfield Comment Editors Chloe St George and Clio Takas Stage Editors SherryTan and Alice Townson Fashion Editors James Charter and Beth Kirkbride Music Editors Jasmine Cameron-Chileshie DavidtoParton Features Editors Oxford Unionand election be Art and Lit Editors Rosie Collier and Tristan Wilson conducted in harmonious and Screen Editors Daunish Negargar and James Riding Adam Hilsenrath and Ned Walker Sports Editor Toby Clyde and James Broun Deputy News Editors Deputy Comment Editor Louis Trupia Editors in Chief Online Editor Deputy Editors

Deputy Features Editors Deputy Arts and Lit Editor Deputy Music Editor Deputy Screen Editor Deputy Stage Editors Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Fashion Editors Profile Editor Chief Sub Editor Sub Editors

Robert Pepper and Jamie Russell Hetty Mosforth Katie Collins Robert Selth Georgia Crump Josh Stickland Xuemei Chan, Claire Leibovich and Alexandra Luo Nayra Zaghloul Elizabeth La Trobe Lizzie Evens, Joshua Dernie, Jei-Jei Tan, Jane Yu and Amelia Wrigley

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

News 3

Portrait of Libby Lane to be displayed in St Peter’s Continued from front page Damazer, pointed out the lack of women commemorated in their hall. The fellows voted unanimously for the portrait, which will be accompanied by one of the college’s first female fellow, Professor Christine Greenhalgh. Commenting in The Telegraph, Damazer said: “It ’s important for positive images of women in leadership roles to be seen on the walls of buildings and institutions”.

Speaking exclusively to The Oxford Student, Damazer said that a unanimous decision was made to display more portraits of women, and a picture of Libby seemed appropriate. Damazer said that Lane was ‘very pleased’ with the portraint. In a recent inter view for ITV ’s Lorraine programme, Lane was asked what prompted her decision to sit for the portrait; she replied: “it matters that women are visible in places where previously there have only been men ... that women’s contributions are recognised and acknowledged”. Lane also

said that she was pleased with the progress made in creating a “new normal”, whereby half of the bishops appointed in 2015 were female.

The Bishop spoke about how she had received hundreds of letters supporting her, from women in the church, “of other faiths, of no faith”. Reflecting on the year, she looked back at how she has been able to “build bridges” between people of differing opinions within the church, and between different faith groups and communities outside of the church, a process she hopes will continue.

throughout the 2000s, she was consecrated Suffragan Bishop of Stockport in Cheshire.

Along with an honorary doctorate from the University of Wales Trinity St David, Lane has been elected an honorary fellow of St Peter’s and a second portrait, by Jane Allison, has recently been hung in Chester Cathedral.

The Master of St Peter’s commented that the Governing Body were already intent on having oil paintings of women in their hall before Libby Lane’s ordination and that this was a lovely coincidence. Both decisions were unanimous.

They are also considering commissioning and displaying a photograph of contemporary

St Peter’s women in the hall, though this is still to be confirmed. They discovered two oil paintings, one of the mother of the founder Miriam Sarah, which are being restored at the moment. There will be an event in Trinity term to celebrate women at St Peter’s where the portraits will be unveiled.

“

She was pleased with the progress made in creating a “new normal”

Lane, 49, was educated at Manchester High School for Girls before she attended St Peter’s College, graduating in 1989. She was ordained a deacon in 1993 and a priest the following year. After holding vicarages in Cheshire

Libby Lane, the first female bishop in the Anglican Church, became an honorary fellow of St Peter’s in June 2015.

Image: St Peter’s College

Additional 65 percent cuts by Council Continued from front page closure of all the children’s centres “will lead to a greater cost in future”. A doctoral student from Oxford University spoke of studies which show that children’s centres help to protect against “generational cycles of suffering” worsened by “adverse childhood experiences”.

“

Oxford continues to feature too highly on the national indices of deprivation The Rt Hon Andrew Smith MP who represents Oxford East, the constituency in which much of the impact of the cuts will be felt, told The Oxford Student: “These are appalling cuts, which will hit some of the most vulnerable of our fellow citizens hard, with wider damaging effects on the whole community.” He added that the cuts “will have a very serious impact on many services, including, homeless support, elderly day services, and support for carers, and the 44 children’s centres across the city, as well as hitting mobile libraries and bus subsidies.”

Putting the issue in the context of the national political landscape, he went on to say: “The County Council has been placed in an impossible position by a Tory central government which is disproportionately attacking the budgets of local councils. I will continue to campaign against the impact of these cuts and the policies which underpin them, and to

support our Labour County Councillors in standing up for local people and the services they need.”

The Chairman of Oxford East Conservative Association, Mark Bhagwandin, also spoke out against the proposals, saying that OECA is “formally opposed” to the closing of children’s centres, and that this has been their position since 2013. He added: “Oxford continues to feature too highly on the national indices of deprivation, and it is incumbent on us all to work hard to target poverty and deprivation”.

Mr Bhagwandin told the cabinet: “to close such valuable and vital services would be to defeat you own stated policy of prioritising support for vulnerable people”, and that he considers the cutting of these key services “a false economy, resulting in a higher cost rather than a saving to taxpayers [...] because many of the services

Protestors were able to watch the testimonies in the council chamber.

“

Children’s centres help to protect against generational cycles of suffereing they provide will have to be picked up by other services in a much more costly and inefficient manner”.

Despite the efforts of the protesters and those who contributed their evidence and experience to the cabinet, the vote went in favour of the additional cuts. The final budget is yet to be approved by the full council, which will happen next month.

Images: Matt Burwood

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

News 4

Oxford Dictionary accused of perpetuating sexist stereotypes Alys Key

News Reporter

An Oxford University academic and OUSU’s Women’s Campaign have criticised the Oxford English Dictionary after a row on Twitter uncovered instances of “sexism” in the Dictionary.

The committee of WomCam told The Oxford Student it was “disappointing” to see that several of the Dictionary’s example sentences associate a particular gender with certain words. The example for the term “rabid”, for instance, is currently “a rabid feminist”. Other instances include the use of female pronouns in the example sentences for “nagging” and “nurse”, while male pronouns are associated with “Doctor” and “research”.

WomCam Committee said: “The writers of the OED must be aware

that language is used in influencing society as well as reflecting it. The “real-world use” they cite as the reasoning behind their choices needs to be examined – we don’t live in a world where there are no women doctors or researchers, or no men in nursing or housework – if their world view is this narrow surely questions are raised about their suitability to the job. Erasing the lives, professions and feelings of women from a prominent platform is an active choice and is yet another example of the everyday structural oppression women face.”

“

We don’t live in a world where there are no women doctors or researchers Professor

Deborah

Cameron,

Image: Rama

a Professor of Language and Communication and Fellow of Worcester College, also criticised what she termed “a pattern of sexist stereotyping in the dictionary’s illustrative examples” on her blog (debuk.wordpress. com). In an additional exclusive comment made to The Oxford Student, however, she suggested that some of the examples had more justification than others.

“I think it’s reasonable for the entry for ‘nurse’ to use an example with ‘she’, as most examples in the source material being used probably have ‘she’, reflecting the fact that most nurses are women.

But using ‘a rabid feminist’ as the primary example of metaphorical usage in an entry for ‘rabid’ is not reflecting the commonest use of the word.”

Oxford voices have weighed in on the matter after it gained widespread attention on Twitter.

The discussion began after Canadian anthropologist Michael Oman-Reagan (@OmanReagan) asked: “Why does the Oxford Dictionary of English portray women as “rabid feminists” with mysterious “psyches” speaking in “shrill voices” who can’t do research or hold a PhD but can do “all the housework”?”

The initial response by the official Oxford Dictionaries (@ oxforddictionaries) Twitter account was to share a link to OmanReagan’s Medium post with the caption “If only there were a word to describe how strongly you felt about feminism…” An apology was later posted on the same account, and in a press statement released to The Oxford Student, Oxford University Press admitted the initial tweet “ill-judged”.

The statement also noted that “[t]he example sentences we use are taken from a huge variety of different sources and do not represent the views or opinions of Oxford University Press. That said, we are now reviewing the example sentence for ‘rabid’ to ensure that it reflects current usage.”

University apologises after“humiliating” and“inappropriate”email blunder Luke Mintz

News Reporter

Oxford University’s Chemistry Department has been forced to apologise after circulating a list of students who failed their first-year examinations, in a blunder described as “unacceptable” and “humiliating” by students.

Earlier this month, the Department emailed all-second year Chemists, listing the 14 students who had failed at least one of their preliminary examinations. The email, sent on January 12th, also listed students who had withdrawn from study for the year.

The Chemistry Department made a similar mistake in October of last year, leading to accusations of incompetence and insensitivity.

A University spokesperson this

week told The Oxford Student: “This was an unfortunate mistake and we have apologised to all those affected.”

He went on: “The Department of Chemistry have already taken steps to improve their processes so that similar mistakes are avoided in future.”

The blunder prompted anger among several Chemistry students. Secondyear Chemistry undergraduate Edmund Little described the email as “really disappointing”.

He said: “I’m sure this was just an administrative error, but it is still really disappointing, and suggests serious incompetence.

“An Oxford Chemistry degree can be really tough, and it would be very humiliating and upsetting for somebody to go through the stress of revising for an exam, only to have the fact that they have failed broadcast across the whole student body.

“I’m glad the Department has now

apologised, and hope that this never happens again.”

OUSU, Oxford’s student union, also confirmed that they have received a complaint about the blunder.

Another Chemistry student, who wished not to be named, described the mistake as a “totally inappropriate breach of privacy”.

He went on to say: “The fact that they’ve made the same mistake twice shows how little they cared about it, since they clearly took no measures to prevent it from happening again. This is a painful reminder of how useless the Department really is.”

In January 2015, University College was forced to apologise to its students after sending an email to the whole college listing students who had performed poorly in collections. The College’s Academic Administrator at the time had to quickly ask students to delete the offending email.

Image: Andrew Gray

Celebrating life outside of lectures, labs and libraries

27th February 2016 Exam Schools, High Street, Oxford This day long festival includes: 11.00 - 5.00pm

Clubs and Societies Showcase International Festival

7.00 - 9.30pm W online Nominate NO If you know of an individual or group that deserves recognition, nominate them for a Student Award now:

ousu.org/surveys/nominate2016studentawards/ You’ll need your Single Sign On details handy, to log in

Check it out, visit: ousu.org/get-involved/oxford-students-festival

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

News 6

St Anne’s JCR vote against Rhodes Must Not Fall Amaka Opara News Reporter

The St Anne’s Junior Common Room has voted against a motion that called for the JCR to make a public announcement in support of keeping the Cecil Rhodes statue in Oriel College.

Proposed by Matthew Kirtley and Henry Williams, the motion was spurred on by the topical Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) campaign which seeks to “decolonise the space, the curriculum, and the institutional memory at, and to fight intersectional oppression within, Oxford.” One of the ways RMF aims to do so is by advocating the removal of the statue commemorating Rhodes, a prominent colonial figure of the 19th century, from Oriel College.

The emergency debate that took place on Tuesday 26th January was a continuation of the main JCR meeting held the previous Sunday, in which debates surrounding the opposition of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign began. However, at that particular time, it was decided that the motion needed to be further revised before the JCR could proceed with voting.

“

We hope that this will initiate a broader debate in the interests of free speech The motion eventually called for the college to publicly “announce its opposition to the removal of the statue of Rhodes from Oriel College, and any form of politically motivated

iconoclasm in the university and its constituent colleges/PPHs”, as well as to urge “Oriel College to keep the statue of Rhodes and its associated plaques in their current position.”

Following the announcement of Tuesday’s results, Kirtley, a second year student at St Anne’s, stated: “While we expected defeat, we are obviously disappointed that the margin was not narrower.”

Based on the 138 members who cast a vote, 97 students voted against the motion whilst 34 voted in proposition.

movement.

In addition, the St Anne’s MCR passed a motion on Tuesday to express solidarity with the Rhodes Must Fall Movement. The group of graduates highlighted that the MCR “recognises that distinctive issues are faced by BME students at the University of Oxford and

believes that more should be done on a university and college level to: increase the representation and voice of BME and other minority members of our community; and take action to address the concerns raised.”

The JCR, despite voting against the proposed motion, has made it

clear that the results of the vote do not signify an official statement of support for the Rhodes Must Fall campaign. Ben Hartridge, JCR President, emphasised that the debate “encompassed a wide range of views” and that its outcome serves to express a formal statement of public neutrality.

“

I am elated at the JCR’s decision to overturn the motion

Kirtley went on to say: “We are, however, encouraged by the opposition to Rhodes Must Fall, and hope that this will initiate a broader debate in the interests of free speech.”

On the other hand,Sneha Alexander - the JCR’s Black and Minority Ethnic representative - expressed her delight at the results. “I am elated at the JCR’s decision to overturn the motion that ‘the statue of Rhodes not fall’. The landslide victory for the opposition has demonstrated that St Anne’s JCR were united in rebutting such a provocative motion and that the student body prides itself upon maintaining an open and tolerant environment for all its students.”

St Anne’s JCR joins the undergraduate bodies of other colleges such as St Catherine’s and St Hilda’s who have also debated the Rhodes Must Fall campaign and subsequently chosen to support the

St Anne’s was another outpost in the ongoing Rhodes Must Fall debate.

Image: User-Stannered

Don’t worry about your essay, go to the pub

• Oxford University study finds regulars at a local pub are ‘significantly’ happier Toby Clyde

Deputy News Editor

Life as an Oxford student is notoriously stressful but there is a least one thing you can count on when you live amidst the dreaming spires: a good pub.

So you’ll be pleased to hear that a new Oxford University study has found that regulars at a local pub are ‘significantly’ happier with more friends, better life satisfaction and are less likely to drink to excess.

social skills improved after a drink.

Professor Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary psychology at Oxford, stressed the importance of this kind of community saying: “Friendship and community are probably the two most important factors influencing our health and wellbeing.” He explained: “Making and maintaining friendships [...] is something that has to be done face-to-face. The digital world is simply no substitute. Given the

“

The report highlighted the importance of face-to-face interaction

The study was carried out for the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) a pubs, drinkers and real ale advocacy group and was conducted on pubs in Oxfordshire. The report highlighted the importance of face-to-face interaction and in particular the more social environment of small local pubs.

The study even stated that people’s

Oxford boasts a huge variety of pubs, one of which opened in 1242.

Image: Kamal Hamid

increasing tendency for our social life to be online rather than face to face, having relaxed accessible venues where people can meet old friends and make new ones becomes ever more necessary.”

This is unlikely to come as a shock to Oxford and student residents with over 40 pubs in the centre of Oxford alone. As Tim Page the executive of Camra said: “I hardly expect the findings will be a great surprise to Camra members”. As he went on to say:

““The role of community pubs in ensuring that wellbeing cannot be overstated. For that reason, we all need to do what we can to ensure that everyone has a ‘local’ near to where they live or work.”

Pubs numbers have continued to decline over the last few decades with an average closure rate of 29 a week. From “73,421” England and Wales pubs in 1951 numbers have declined to “51,900” in 2014 Tim Page stated. This comes as the Department of Health has released

new alcohol guidelines this month recommending no more than 14 units of alcohol a week.

61%

Affordability Contrary to popular belief, the price of alcohol is 61% cheaper than it was in 1980

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The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

News 8

Economist Sergei Guriev speaks at The Guild

Scott Harker Deputy Editor

Russia’s leading liberal economist, Sergei Guriev, stated his belief that Russia will one day be a prosperous and democratic country, in giving a mixed picture of the future of the Russian economy at an event hosted by the Oxford Guild at Trinity College.

Mr Guriev, who has recently been appointed chief economist to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD), fled Russia in 2013 after co-authoring a report criticising the conviction and imprisonment of the oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Prior to this, he had been acting as an advisor to the government of former President Dmitry Medvedev.

In his talk and a subsequent question and answer session, Mr Guriev also touched upon the impact of corruption on the Russian economy and the possible worst-case scenario that could face the country over the next 3 years, as structural problems, low oil prices and western sanctions all continue to bite.

The worst-case scenario would see the Russian Federal Reserve exhausted by 2016 even if the government continued with its austerity programme and oil prices dropped as low as $30 per barrel. Even at $40 per barrel the reserve would be dry by 2017. The western sanctions imposed upon Russia following its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The Russian economy is expected to contract again this year.

In addition to the current problems, Mr Guriev also pointed to long-term structural problems, such as a poor investment climate and a loss of human capital, which were also serving to hold back growth in Russia. Despite this, his talk also touched upon the fact that the Russian economy still has s lot of potential for growth in the future, many Western banks wish to invest in Russia and are only

prevented from doing so by the current sanctions.

In replying to questions, he touched upon the psychological problems that had hurt productivity in the Russian economy since the collapse of the USSR, which he said were driven by a lack of competition. He was not able to answer questions as to why the Russian economy had not been diversified in its boom years up until 2009 due to his role with the EBRD and links to the cabinet of the previous President.

“

The worst-case scenario would see the Russian Federal Reserve exhausted by 2016 Nikita Gladilin, Vice President Sponsorship at the Oxford Guild and organiser of the event said “Ultimately, the most important personal goal for me is to help students learn more about Russia, which I think is extremely under represented at this university.”

The ERBD was set up in 1991 to aid with the transition of postSoviet countries to free market, capitalist economies. Prior to taking up this role officially in the Summer, Mr Guriev is a professor at Sciences Po in Paris and is currently on the advisory board at Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.

Sergei Guriev was recently appointed chief economist to the European Bank for Reconstruction. and Development.

Image: www.kremlin.ru

Christ Church College Beloved Teddy stolen from TSK JCR Votes Against Abolishing ERM rep James Broun

Deputy News Editor

A motion to abolish the Ethnic and Religious Minorities representative on Christ Church’s JCR was rejected at a meeting held on Sunday. The minutes have not been published, so exact details of the debate are unavailable. According to sources close to the JCR, proponents argued that the office prevented equality.

The motion called for ‘The position of ERM Rep be abolished indefinitely’ and ‘The Constitution and Standing Orders be amended to

Christ Church College JCR created the role of ERM rep in 2015.

Image: OliBac

reflect this change.’

The Committee for Hilary Term 2016 includes a Gender Equality rep, a Disabled Students Officer who is yet to be appointed, an LGBTQ Welfare Officer and two general Welfare Reps. But there are also a range of more unorthodox offices, including Cake and Bar Reps, a “Space-Time Officer” and two “Tortoise Reps”. It is not immediately clear what these latter roles entail.

The JCR President, Luke Cave, was invited to comment but has so far not replied to our request.

A teddy bear of huge sentimental value was stolen from Turl Street Kitchen Friday last week. The bear was in the bag of its owner Jessie Saville at the time who launched a heart felt search for the teddy soon after it was taken. She posted on Facebook: “it would mean the world to me to get this little guy back, he’s the most valuable thing I have ever owned and ever will own”. TSK made clear its zero tolerance policy for the theft stating: “We take security very seriously and have informed the police”. They later gave this comment to one of our reporters, “At Turl Street Kitchen, we are all sad about last week’s burglary, the items taken clearly have huge sentimental value to the owner, and we have done as much as we can to help.

We have been in contact with the owner, and the matter has been reported to the police. We have very few incidents of crime at Turl Street Kitchen, and as our profits support Oxford Hub, when it does happen we are thoroughly disappointed and follow up appropriately.” Miss Saville is currently offering a £200 reward and urging anyone with an idea of its whereabouts, do get in touch with this number: 07770926106.

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

News 9

Reviewing the successes of Oxford Pink Week Neha Shah Staff Writer

Running for the first time in Oxford this year, Pink Week is a week of themed events aimed at raising breast cancer awareness and funds for cancer charities.

Inspired by the activism of the late Guardian columnist Dina Rabinovitch, Pink Week was established by her daughter Nina Rauch at Haberdashers’ Aske’s school in 2011. Since then, Pink Week has gone from strength to strength, growing into a nation-wide movement that enables students to raise funds and awareness to help fight breast cancer, and launching at universities around the country, including Bristol, Birmingham and Cambridge. Pink Week is running from January 24th-30th 2016, with the aim of ‘painting Oxford pink’.

“

Pink Week brings us that much closer to ending breast cancer

Pink Week has so far been a storming success, having already raised over £1000 by Sunday evening just from online ticket sales. Proceeds will be split amongst three organisations.

First is Coppa Feel, a charity

that works to prevent the late detection of breast cancer through their team of Boobettes, young volunteers with a personal connection to the disease, who give talks and raise awareness in schools and campuses. The campaign is also supporting Hello Beautiful, a charity which runs exhibits and produces novel artwork in the hope of helping to remove the social stigma sometimes attached to a cancer diagnosis. The third charity that will benefit from proceeds is Breast Cancer Care, a charity that provides support and advice to patients diagnosed with breast cancer.

The organisers of Pink Week have promised a week of “inclusive, personal and creative events for students and the wider community”, from a black-tie party at Freuds to a limitededition G&D’s ice cream flavour launch. For those who prefer to stay in, they’ve even partnered with Deliveroo, who will donate £1 from every delivery made from January 24th - 30th to the Pink Week charities. They have also hosted speakers from the charities being supported, as well as talks from oncologists in the field.

The week kicked off with a charity Zumba session at St John’s on Sunday, followed by speaker events at Christchurch on both Monday and Tuesday.

The week’s main event, Pink

Night at Freuds, took place on Monday evening and went down a storm, hosting popular student acts such as Jack and Joel and Keep it Trill. Wednesday (#onwednesday swe wear pink) saw a donations collective outside the RadCam, whilst Thursday offered an Emergency Debate at the Union, followed

by Pink Week Bridge. On Friday, Oxford’s own In The Pink will

be performing a special set at G&D’s, followed by a breastchecking talk at Mansfield on Saturday to end the week on a serious note. Individual colleges will be participating, with bars offering proceeds from special Pink Week cocktails towards charity, and some college formals will also make donations towards the cause.

Breast cancer is the most

common type of cancer in the UK. Around 50,000 women and around 350 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, yet more people are surviving diagnosis than ever before.

Through spreading awareness of this disease and encouraging early detection, campaigns such as Pink Week bring us that much closer to ending breast cancer forever.

Image: Oxford Pink Week/ Dan Grimwood

News In Brief “Right to rent” policy introduced

Image: Tejvan Pettinger

Oxford given red ranking In Spiked magazine’s Free Speech University Rankings, Oxford was given an overall red ranking for the second year in a row. The magazine stated that the Oxford Union and individual colleges formed a “hostile environment for free speech,” through restrictive policies and actions like advertising bans. According to Spiked, a “red” university is one that “has banned and actively censored ideas on campus.” 55 percent of the 115 institutions surveyed received this ranking.

The Home Office recently issued a new “Right to Rent” policy as a part of a wider immigration reform initiative.

Beginning on Feb 1, landlords will ask to see a prospective tenant’s “Right to Rent” documents, such as a UK passport or Residency card, before entering into a tenancy agreement. Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said, “the scheme is about deterring those without the right to live, work or study in the UK from staying here indefinitely.”

Image: SBA73

Oxford colleges on street view

Wherever you are in the world, you can now explore Oxford on Google Street View, thanks to a collaboration between the University and Google in 2015.

The move will be useful for prospective applicants wh o cannot attend open days, and also potentially attract yet more tourists to the area. Google Street View allows users to actually go inside and virtually look round many colleges, which has provoked some to ask whether this is an invasion of privacy.

Image: Mikey

The Student Advice Service live chat facility is now available on the OUSU website during term time Tuesday 3:00pm-5:00pm Thursday 11:00am-1:00pm

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Profile

Profile: Deborah “You don’t get these lines Dan without a lot of laughter” Meaden Louis Trupia

Deputy Comment Editor

She practically skips down the isle of the Goodman Library, finishes it with a slight jump, so eager to begin her speech. She begins by apologising for her casual attire but she’s spent the day with the dogs and so is covered in their fluff. She races through her life story as if it was just a bog standard story to tell.

You might find it hard to believe that this woman has an estimated net worth of £40 million.

What struck me about Deborah Meaden was how ordinary she is not in a dull way, but in a way that you’d never expect from meeting her for the first time knowing who she was, or that she was worth this staggering amount of money. And from the sounds of it, neither can she. “After selling Weststar holidays I looked in the bank account and realised I was rich. I was a millionaire”.

She doesn’t come with the Lord Sugar story that she sold electronics out of the back of the van and then suddenly made the jump to owner of a million pound company. “I never thought I’d be a millionaire” she says, pointing out that she just worked like a normal person and then got into the right industries and made shrewd sales and it accumulated until one day she noticed what she had achieved. “People ask me what’s my recipe to success, and I have to be honest with them and say I don’t know”, she laughs. Meaden clearly never thought she’d be where she was today.

I’ve invested over £3 million of my own money, I’m not going to be messed around Meaden is a lot less intimidating away from the cameras, out of the suit, and not surrounded by piles of money. She’s bubbly, friendly, and giggly. Maybe it’s because she’s been on TV since 2006 but it doesn’t feel like you’re talking to an absolute stranger. Her openness and friendliness make her a joy to talk to. She feels more like a family friend that you haven’t seen in a long time, one who walks the dogs and goes out for a Sunday roast, not the multi-million pound high-powered business woman she actually is.

I ask her about her image on the show that made her famous; Dragons Den. On the show she can be seen as steely and calculating, and even in interviews in the past she has said “I don’t have a soft side”. I find this hard to believe looking at this bubbly individual who has given up her day to go to a dogs home in Milton Keynes and who flies round the world to support incredible charities. With regards to Dragons Den she says the person on TV is her, the show is completely real and as close to real business as you can

get on TV, but that the show only portrays a part of who she is.

“I’ve invested over £3 million of my own money, I’m not going to be messed with or have my time wasted”. She says that her hand gestures, one of her defining idiosyncrasies, are either a sign of intimidation or that she has a feel for the business. In the den she is undoubtedly just being herself, shrewd as always. But I refuse to believe she doesn’t have a soft side.

She laughs about twice a minute and exclaims “you don’t get these lines without a lot of laughter”.

She dismisses the Sugar model that you have to be Machiavellian or Lord Sugar-like to get ahead in business, claiming Machiavellian is old fashioned and that you should just be happy and be nice to those you work with because then they’ll want to work. She has reprimanded employees in the past if they are rude to colleagues. Deborah does not throw out the image of a hardheaded business person, but this is clearly only a part of her. The rest of her is an ordinary person, living as normal a life as possible, separate from the money that has transformed her life.

She can sense that a question is coming up about Strictly Come Dancing and she jumps in straight away to talk about it. When I ask whether or not the decision to go on the show was a business decision to promote her brands and businesses, she replies “of course not! But I spoke it over with family and friends and I thought why not? When else am I going to get the chance to learn to dance. Life’s too short not to have a bit of fun”.

When I ask her if any of her TV endeavours have been to promote her businesses she still says no.

She even had to be asked several times to do Dragons Den, fearing that the show might even have an adverse effect on her businesses if she got negative responses from the audience.

Discussing the difficulties of finding a job in the extremely competitive market, she gives nothing but genuine advice. “If you’re sending out the same CV to hundreds of companies and you’re not getting a response, change your CV. If you’re not getting replies from a certain industry, try a different one”. Her pragmatic approach and dabbling in a range of industries is clearly what has been part of her success. She calls herself a “short term expert”, gaining knowledge in a range offields when necessary and dropping them as soon as they become irrelevant.

Finally I ask her about an issue that has been plaguing the BBC: gender quotas. She has in the past said that she is not a feminist and she is totally against positive discrimination for anyone. “Quotas can’t be a long term solution so why implement them in the first place”. Meaden suggests positive discrimination would breed resentment. When asked how she felt about being the “female dragon” before the introduction of Sarah

Willingham (who she can’t stop praising), she says “I was never the female dragon, I’m just a dragon.

I’m not a woman in business, I’m just in business.Emphasising that I’m a woman just seems to lessen my achievements in a strange way”, feeling that the emphasising differences will only prolong them.

I never thought I’d be a millionaire Overall, I am struck by how well I feel I know this woman who I have only been speaking to for a few minutes. Deborah is clearly a normal woman who worked hard and made some good decisions. She doesn’t feel she worked particularly hard at school, on the few occasions when she was employed by someone else she would clock out as soon as possible. No Cinderella story accompanies her, she didn’t sell electronics out the back of a van. She is just a normal woman, spending the day with the dogs, and spending all her spare time with her husband enjoying every moment of life together. She tells her husband kindly not to butt into her answers just in case he gives the real picture of what she’s like!

She doesn’t hog the limelight; only doing three public speaking events a year. She is happy to give out advice to people and answers all questions put to her. Meaden is clearly an astute businessperson, and despite it coming so naturally to her, it is not what defines her. Deborah Meaden is clearly so much more than just the most formidable dragon in the den.

Career History 1975

Brighton Technical College Meaden started studying here at 16, and upon graduating at 19, moved to Italy to set up her own glass and ceramics export agency

1988

Joined her family’s business to run its amusement arcade operations

1992

Joined Weststar holidays where Meaden made her millions

2009

Acquired Fox Brothers textile mill

2011

Meadon launced The Merchant FoxAn online store Meaden launched in 2011 selling British-made luxury goods with provenance

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The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Profile

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Profile

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

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university and school teachers across the country. I make a comment that at my school, a state school in the North West of England, some of my teachers didn’t know that Oxford had colleges and she responds, after initially looking slightly taken aback: “[Speaking with the admissions team] I think the programmes that bring people here in the summer, they get a huge amount of information and that is a very successful programme. But we can’t bring every applicant here in the summer. We have to be reaching out to teachers.” She admits that access to Oxford is a wider problem that requires a wider solution: “We need to ensure that students have the ambition to attend a top rate university.

By the time it comes to applying for university it is often too late.”

Vice-Chancellor talks free speech, fees and furthering community at Oxford Naomi Southwell Editor in Chief

Oxford’s ability to dominate the headlines has truly been tested these past few months.

Whether the spotlight has shined on #RhodesMustFall, the university’s access efforts, or Louise Richardson herself, the fate of Britain’s oldest educational institution has been hotly debated. As the newly appointed and first female vice-chancellor, although she herself wishes this wasn’t in itself a newsworthy item, she has done her fair share of interviews, offering her opinion on Oxford’s future. Her comments to the national press have been forthcoming and having accepting an interview with her, I wondered to what extent this would change with a student audience, made up of myself, representing The Oxford Student, and Tom Hall from Cherwell.

“

I do not think safe spaces are compatible with university life

I began on the topic of free speech and in particular, Prevent, the government’s initiative to tackle extremism in the UK. I asked whether Prevent is at odds with her vision of a

INTERVIEW WITH THE “ VICE CHANCELLOR

University where “radical ideas are expressed and challenged.”

Her opinion on the matter is clear: “I am not a fan of Prevent” she said, “I really worry about the threat to free speech”. But with this reservation comes a reluctant admission: “I think it is an unfortunate piece of legislation but we will of course, have to comply with it”.

We need to ensure that students have the ambition to attend a top rate university.

“

I think it’s a shame that students have decided not to engage on this...

When asked how the university would respond to legislation it finds unpalatable, Richardson’s response reflects her commitment to what she feels is the stalwart of a university education, open debate and discussion: “First of all voice, we can express our opposition, we can try to influence the legislation… I think that is a very healthy way for a university to respond: to engage and debate.” She criticised OUSU for, in her opinion, their failure to engage in the wider debate surrounding Prevent: “I think it’s a shame that students have decided not to engage on this…

I’d like us to work together.”

Richardson’s commitment to debate and intellectual discussion appears to not simply be an abstract vision for university life, but a deep, personal and intellectual commitment. “It’s

Professor Louise Richardson’s first interview with the student press

spaces at Oxford University she reiterated: “I would say I do not think safe spaces are compatible with university life.”

The discussion of safe spaces prompted her to talk about her fears for our increasing encasement in an ideological echo chamber: “I worry that with new technologies now we are increasingly cutting off contrary views… As the world becomes more diverse, travel becomes easier, communication becomes easier we are ironically creating these ways to separate ourselves off.”

As Vice-Chancellor at St Andrews, Richardson was praised for her access efforts Image: Remi Mathis

Richardson describes the gender attainment gap at Oxford a unique and puzzling phenomenon.

Image: Mike Knell

often uncomfortable to hear ideas that we find objectionable, to hear about things our country may have done in our name in the past or our government are doing in our name today.” “I’ve had students say they didn’t want to appoint a particular professor because this man had particular views they found objectionable…My response was university isn’t about

being comfortable. It is about confronting those points of view.”

When asked on her opinion of safe spaces, she replied matterof-factly: “a space in which people do not have to confront ideas they find disturbing…

I think is inconsistent with university life.” When probed further into the validity of the existence of any safe

“

Every single person I have met here has been passionate about access The interview moves from free speech to access, another of Oxford’s most hotly contested issues. Richardson was keen to praise the University’s internal commitment to improving

access: “Every single person I have met here has been passionate, really committed to ensuring fair access.” However, she added that there is still work to be done, stating there was a need to “do better on this.”

When I asked whether the scrapping of maintenance grants and, more fundamentally, the existence of tuition fees dissuaded students from disadvantaged backgrounds from applying to university, she replied: “I find it very, very interesting if you look at the data, the introduction of The university’s decision not to fully divest from fossil fuels was a ‘reasonable conclusion’ says Richardson.

Image: Kamyar Adl

£9,000 fees did not in fact lead to a reduction in students from deprived backgrounds going to university.” “What we are actually talking about, instead of a fee, is an income contingent loan, and I would argue that students from deprived backgrounds are smart and realise this is actually a really good investment.” When asked about the fundamental question of who should pay for tuition fees, Richardson put forward a utilitarian approach: “The benefits of education are shared both by society and by the individual. It is reasonable to me that the cost should be shared.”

Within the debate surrounding the cost of a university education, the pay of senior figures within the university hierarchy has come under severe scrutiny.

Richardson’s predecessor, Andrew Hamilton, was criticised for his pay packet of £424,000, a figure that seemed jarring when considering the struggle many colleges faced trying to implement a basic living wage

for their staff.

“

Perhaps salaries should reflect societal values... nothing is more valuable than education

However, Richardson defended these pay figures, arguing: “we operate in a global marketplace…The salaries of British vice-chancellors are significantly lower than many competitive countries. If we want to attract people we have to pay salaries that are not completely out of place.” She also offered her thoughts on the morality of such salaries: “Perhaps salaries should reflect societal values, and I would argue that there is nothing more valuable than education.”

On providing access information to students, Richardson also believes in dual responsibility, between the

I turn my focus to the specific topic of encouraging female applicants. It is a sad fact that Oxford admits fewer women than men. In 2012, 46 percent of undergraduates were women compared to 54 percent that were men and much has been made of the gender attainment gap between the number of women who attain first class degrees compared to their male counterparts. Richardson acknowledges this problem: “I find it completely fascinating that there are fewer women than men in the undergraduate population and there appears to be an attainment gap. That you don’t see elsewhere.” She views this as the consequence of a wider societal problem: “Every profession you look at, sadly, is shaped like a pyramid; the higher up you go, the fewer women there are. This is changing, but the pace of change is slower than I would like.” I go on to describe my own experiences of the gender attainment gap and the advice I have heard dished out to fellow female students, such as ‘write more assertively’ or ‘make less feminine arguments’. I ask for

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her views on such disparaging but not uncommon comments.

Her response is animated and incredulous: “I would respond vehemently to that I must say.

I’ve never had anybody suggest anything like that to me and I would object if they did.”

In her previous position as vice-chancellor at St Andrews University, Richardson abolished the formal ties between the university and the Kate Kennedy Club. The club claimed to be the protector of the university’s traditions whilst continually refusing to admit female members. She explained her reasoning as: “I thought this was very inappropriate for a meritocratic institution [to be associated with the club].”

This commitment to tackling injustice goes back to her own student days, as Richardson reveals that as a student she was heavily involved with the antiapartheid movement. However, Richardson is more cautious with regards to climate justice.

When asked about the decision taken by the university last year to not commit to full divestment from fossil fuels, she agrees with the decision, arguing: “it seems to me that the university came to a very reasonable conclusion.”

Yet, in what is perhaps a contradictory statement, she acknowledges the threat posed by climate change: “I worry that future generations will look back on us and find it morally culpable the way we wasted resources when the information about climate change was so readily available.”

“

We are one institution made up of many vibrant parts

When asked what she feels may be the biggest challenge she faces at Oxford, she commented on the struggle to develop a sense of community across the university, hoping to emphasise “the notion that we are one institution made up of many vibrant parts.” She aims to achieve this by engaging with students and our interview seems part of a genuine attempt on her part to fulfil this more active and more demanding role she envisages for Oxford’s vicechancellor.

Richardson defended previous ViceChancellor Hamilton’s pay, arguing for competitive salaries in a global market.

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Comment

Clayton Stone Staff Writer

Recently, I had the chance to sit down with the brother of Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Larry Sanders has lived in Oxford for decades and has been described by Senator Sanders as one of his greatest political influences. Over the space of less than an hour we managed to cover topics ranging from Bernie and Larry’s childhood to economic inequality to Donald Trump.

There’s a strand in American life that wants something quite radical On the question of how the Democratic presidential contender first formulated his political ideology, long dominated by economic policies focusing on bettering the plight of America’s middle class, Sanders mentioned the fact that his family grew up, “not poor, but what was significant was the financial insecurity. Whenever my parents argued, money was at the root of the argument.” Sanders also mentioned his family’s support for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s progressive New Deal policies, designed to alleviate the effects of the Great Depression through the creation of large-scale economic and social programs such as Social Security. Sanders discussed how President Roosevelt was looked to “as a kind of demigod” in his household and was

someone Bernie idolised during his youth. According to Sanders, “I think Bernard is the prominent American politician who has been most influenced by and most resembles Roosevelt,” – high praise, considering the admiration with which Roosevelt is viewed in America.

Bernie Sanders is tapping into an underlying current in American life While discussing Bernie’s remarkable success so far in the Democratic primary, Sanders suggested that people should not seem so surprised. To the question of how a self-proclaimed democratic socialist could be doing so well in a country like the US, Sanders remarked that: “Americans are a conservative people with a radical strand. America was not started by people who wanted the status quo. There is a strand in American life, from the beginning, that wants something else that is quite radical and is determined to [create] a better life for all.”

Sanders believes that his brother is tapping into an underlying current in American life that shares his ideas on a deep, fundamental level.

He also discussed Bernie’s appeal on the economic front, focusing on how the average American worker’s income, after inflation, has not increased for 40 years, an issue on which Senator Sanders has extensively focused during his campaign. “Bernard sees that the way the American economy

Larry Sanders is the Green Party candidate for the parliamentary constituency of Oxford West and Abingdon in 2015.

Image: Kaihsu Tai

Comment 14

Meeting Bernie’s brother: an interview with Larry Sanders has developed has not helped the average American move closer towards the American dream.

Instead, the majority of the wealth went to a very small number of very wealthy people.” Finally, Sanders cited Bernie’s authenticity and his willingness to take on the establishment as reasons why the Senator is performing so well.

According to Sanders, “Bernie is a very unusual popular politician. To get ahead in any set of institutions, normally you have to ‘go along to get along.’ People who rock the boat are not always popular.

Most politicians shift to a point where they are not terribly open to criticism, a move to the middle in a sense… but Bernard bypassed that… he comes to the public now as a person with 35 years in public life, with a consistent record, and I think people recognise that.”

There is something that has left a large chunk of people feeling rudderless I then asked Sanders about what he thought of Donald Trump and the rise of the far right in the US. Comparing the Republican frontrunner with Nigel Farage’s Ukip and Marine Le Pen’s National Front, Sanders recognised a recurrent political theme: “The rise of demagogues, people who blame the ills of the country on immigrants and minorities; we’ve been through that. These things don’t get better; they are very dangerous.” Sanders talked of the alienation many

conservative Americans feel, as they find themselves unable to find stable, well-paying jobs while simultaneously watching their country fundamentally change before their eyes. “There is something in the right-wing developments of recent decades that has left a large chunk of people feeling quite rudderless. They are willing and ready therefore to say that everything is rubbish, except for this guy [Trump] who is rich, has a good looking wife, and is just marvellous.”

As for whether a President Sanders would be able fully to enact his wide-reaching proposals if the Republicans were to maintain control of the House of Representatives or the Senate, Sanders remarked that it would take a “political revolution,” as his brother calls it, to defeat the “oligopoly” that has come to rule over the American political system.

According to Sanders, “if a large number of American people say we are going to elect you as president and we are going to continue on campaigning and we are going to create and intensify a real movement, I believe we can do it.”

On the other hand, Sanders seemed optimistic that his brother would be a successful president even with the current levels of political gridlock in Washington, calling his brother “a different kind of politician: he’s not looking towards the next election but is focusing on the longer term.” Sanders also cited his brother’s proven record of generating compromise on difficult issues and his willingness to work “across the aisle” in conjunction with politicians from across the political spectrum, to move his

US Politics

agenda forward.

The economy hasn’t helped the average American towards the American dream Finally, I suggested to Sanders that, were his brother elected president, his life would drastically change. Is Larry Sanders ready to leave his life in Oxford behind in order to help his brother move America forward? According to him: yes. “Bernard will make the decisions, obviously, but I would like to be involved in some way,” Sanders remarked. “I have been a politician for many years, although not at the level or success of Bernard, so I am ready to play a role, but I’m sure that it would not be a major role.”

Americans living in Oxford and wishing to vote for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary will be able to do so by visiting either the Rothermere American Institute at 1a South Parks Road, OX1 3UB from noon to 7 pm on 1st March or by visiting the Turl Street Kitchen at 16-17 Turl Street, OX1 3DH from 10 am to 2 pm. American citizens who are registered to vote may cast their presidential primary ballot at either of these two polling locations or may post, fax, or scan-and-email their ballot by joining Democrats Abroad.

Please consult the Democrats Abroad website for details on how to join and how to submit your ballot. Please note that you must join Democrats Abroad by 31st January if you wish to vote by post, fax, or scan-and-email.

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Should Donald Trump be banned from UK entry?

YES: Claire Sims Staff Writer

With his erratic mannerisms and boisterous rallies, it’s all too easy to dismiss Donald Trump as the obligatory eccentric of the presidential race, and yet with the latest polls putting him 20 points ahead of his closest rival, Tea Party advocate Ted Cruz, it seems like Trump is having the last laugh. His polemics against Muslims and the least privileged in American society are no longer simply retweeted with rage or scrolled through absent-mindedly on timelines whilst the media’s appetite whetted for his ‘straight-talking’ delivery, Trump is on our television screens and storming silently towards office. Every word spoken is another opportunity to further his already dominant media presence; allowing him the same opportunity beyond the USA’s borders would be a capitulation to his whim before he has even opened his mouth.

His claims, while bewildering and practically impossible, have roused the Republican nomination competition into an exhilarating

NO: Alex Lupsaiu Staff Writer

The proposed ban on Donald Trump entering the UK is an effort to protest the infamous Republican presidential candidate’s recent call to prevent Muslims from entering the US, which has drawn the ire of both the British government and public.

However, while such xenophobic proposals should be rejected, along with numerous other policies that he champions, banning Trump from Britain would be a mistake.

The first charge against Mr Trump is that he is a demagogue - a political opportunist who has managed to whip up a populist movement by taking advantage of public discontent. Mr Trump has made some outrageous comments along the way, some of which have been offensive, others merely crude, and some downright silly. He has bullied, shocked, and entertained his way to the top of the Republican polls, yet despite expectation he stands a chance of becoming the party’s nominee. Given all of this, what use would it be to ban Mr Trump from entering Britain?

Banning Trump risks the mistake of completely marginalising his supporters Besides, such a punishment would not be consistent with Britain’s treatment of many other foreign political figures that are guilty of far greater crimes than Trump. If the British parliament wants to punish individuals that do not live up to their moral standards, why stop at Donald

race rather than the lethargic battle it would otherwise have been. With so many names in the Republican hat, it can surely be attributed to media presence alone that Trump has stormed ahead, and Britain will only contribute to this if he is allowed to speak here.

The ban would not be so radical a move as it has been suggested in the media Britain is a tolerant country which should be proud of its human rights record; it is because of this, and not in spite of it as some have claimed, that we must consider carefully Trump’s position. Recent terrorist attacks and conflict with the EU have risked setting alight the growing sparks of xenophobia – a better solution to this would surely be conciliation within the communities where racial violence is all too common, not the populist preaching of a man whose only qualifications for president are money and influence.

The alarming truth is that Donald Trump will almost certainly be the Trump? At least, unlike certain figures with whom the UK maintains amicable, or at least tolerant, relations, Mr Trump has not yet done anything harmful to any individual or group.

There is disagreement about which policies are responsble for America’s decline Aside from being inconsistent, banning Mr Trump risks committing the greater mistake of completely marginalizing his supporters. A ban on Mr Trump risks effectively dismissing his entire campaign, and the populist movement he has managed to instigate. It is vitally important to separate the man from the movement. Mr Trump’s campaign has taken advantage of public frustration, and it is crucial to realise that this public frustration is legitimate. His supporters have genuine grievances against the American political system. Over the past several decades the US has seen stagnant wages, mass exportation of labour, soaring national debt, and a continued military struggle in the Middle East that is looking increasingly grim. Moreover, these problems have been largely created by bad policy.

For instance, one debate that Mr Trump’s campaign has sparked is the mass importation of lowskilled labour, mainly from Latin America.

Mass immigration over the past several decades has burdened American taxpayer-funded public assistance, and increased the competition for low-skilled jobs. While Mr Trump’s proposals concerning immigration range from the nativist to the implausible, there is a genuine feeling that he is the only

Comment 15 Republican candidate for president – and while Hillary Clinton is firm favourite for the Democrat nomination, her heavyweight reputation may not be as powerful a force against Trump’s rabid populism as one could hope. With this in mind, we are forced to consider not simply the next ten months of campaigning on both sides, but the four years that will ensue; showering Trump with tolerance might satisfy our concerns for free speech in the present, but they will weaken our position considerably in the event of negotiating with the White House on the tough issues to come.

Truly, those who argue that Trump should be allowed to speak in the UK on the basis of tolerance ought to listen more closely to the content of his speeches: as though their racist foundations were not obvious enough, they contain sinister undercurrents of budding oppression which promise anything but tolerance in the potential Trump presidency.

Donald Trump would in fact be the latest name on a long list of banned white extremists; for all the media hyperbole about the liberty with which Islamic radicals enter and leave the UK, the Home Office has seemingly made a concentrated effort under Cameron to crack down on all kinds of hate speech. Former KKK members and founders of the Westboro Baptist Church, along with dozens of infamous extremists with similar credentials, are all barred – while a ban would perhaps be

unprecedented for a man of Trump’s media stature, it is not so radical a move as it has been suggested in the media.

Trump’s speeches contain sinister undercurrents of budding oppression Refusing a politician the right to speak in a proudly democratic country is a controversial measure – and indeed, given the practical difficulties of implementing such a ban, the MPs who spoke in Parliament to propose it were surely speaking in hypothetical terms only – but Donald Trump is an extraordinary figure. It is arguable that protecting our long legacy of liberty would entail giving everyone a platform to put forward their case, regardless of their views; from this perspective, Trump should be allowed his moment to do so, and

then promptly proven wrong by the British public and sent back to the USA. However, this is a dangerous ideal which perhaps underestimates his crowd-pleasing capacity, and it is not enough to substantiate the claim that Trump deserves a British pedestal from which to spill his vitriol.

Freedom of speech is fundamental to the British way of life – so too is the right of every individual to live an unimpeded existence, no matter where they came from or what they believe in. To ban a speaker is certainly an extreme measure, but it is perhaps not so unorthodox as to warrant the onslaught of criticism it has received from those who argue that freedom of speech is the greatest ideal to which we can aspire.

If anyone has taken advantage of the mass clamour for freedom of speech over the past months, it has been Donald Trump, and it is time for both the British government and its citizens to seriously consider if such freedom is worth the consequences.

one willing to engage with the policy at all. That is, there is disagreement about exactly which policies are responsible for America’s palpable decline, but there is an increasing consensus among ordinary Americans that neither established Republicans nor Democrats are equipped to fix them. Moreover, there is a feeling that established politicians are not willing to solve these problems, out of some combination of ideology and financial self-interest. Banning Mr Trump risks further alienating a large segment of the population that already feels marginalised. If nothing else, it would likely serve only to stoke the “us versus them” sentiment which Mr Trump is abusing, and thus possibly increase his support.

Trump’s campain has taken advantage of legitimate public frustration To ban is effectively to disengage. It rids us of the opportunity to explain why his proposals are wrong. I am not suggesting that one ought to try to convince Mr Trump himself that he is wrong - this is surely an exercise in futility. Rather, an explanation is owed to those who support him, to those who feel that their concerns are not being addressed. The impulse to ban is in a certain way both authoritarian and intellectually arrogant. It dismisses the legitimate concerns that Mr Trump’s supporters have. One should challenge mistaken beliefs through argument, not disregard them through a ban. Mr Trump’s proposals ought to be engaged not out of respect for him, but out of respect for the private citizens who deserve to have their grievances addressed.

Latest polls put Donald Trump 20 points ahead of his closest rival, Ted Cruz.

Image: Gage Skidmore

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The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Comment

Face it. Tuition fees are a necessary evil Louis Trupia Staff Writer

Tuition fees - a topic that has become more dangerous for politicians than their own pay.

The Liberal Democrats will vouch that this is no longer a subject to be taken lightly.

At last years’ general election students showed that if a party tries hard to win their backing and then goes back on their word, they will be punished.

This is a large part of the reason why the Lib Dems are now down to just eight seats. In Oxford East, for instance, where in 2010 they were the second party, they are now stuck firmly behind the Conservatives and are even behind the Greens. Their share of the vote in Oxford East fell by 22 percent. It is only natural that the student population should want to punish the Lib Dems for sacrificing one of their key policies when going into coalition.

Yet despite much of the attack and it feeling like common sense to be opposed to a policy where

I will pay more, I actually believe that an increase in tuitions fees was a rational, and even a moral, thing to do.

“

Universities have been able to offer more bursaries and access I, like many other young people, was livid about university fees soaring from £3,000 to £9,000. It meant I was going to have to pay more. But over time I realised it meant I was going to have to pay more towards my own education.

What is wrong with that? If it was the purchase of anything else then this would not seem like an outrageous proposition.

If I told someone I’d never met before to buy my clothes or my dinner for me then that would seem like an unreasonable prospect, regardless of my financial situation. So why does this logic not apply to tuition fees? Not every young adult goes to university, it is not compulsory, why should anyone

Students protest over the government’s increase in tuition fees from £3,000 to £9.000.

Image: Bob Bob

else be subsidising what I choose to do?

They shouldn’t. If I want to go and study history and politics at a world class university, and I can afford it, why shouldn’t I pay more? But even if one can’t afford it, the system is there so that you can still go. That is why our system has worked so well.

With the increase in tuition fees we have seen more people from disadvantaged backgrounds going to the top universities because the universities have been able to offer more bursaries and work on their access schemes. In Scotland where a university education is free, there has been little achievement in bridging the gap between rich and poor going to university despite no one having to pay a penny. Furthermore, the increase in fees doesn’t seem to have put English students off applying; the number of applications is higher than ever.

And then think about what the alternative would be? If Labour had won the last election they would have reduced fees to £6,000 and made up for the rest through taxation. But isn’t that essentially the system we currently have? Few people will ever pay back their £27,000 of debt, and you don’t even have to start paying until you earn over a certain threshold. Then once you do start earning, they tax your earnings. There isn’t much difference between the two systems. Either way, most students will get a great education for relatively little.

The shortfall will be made up for from the government’s tax receipts.

The same applies with maintenance grants. These

should almost certainly be replaced with loans. I can’t see how it makes sense that someone who is doing medicine and will ultimately go on to earn huge amounts, certainly enough to pay back any money a grant would have given them, should have a grant as opposed to a loan.

Grants treat all subjects equally even though some people are likely to go and earn more as a result of their subject choice.

Grants ignore that people from poor families might go on to be very rich, whilst people from once wealthy families might go on to be relatively poor and still have loans. So whilst some people are angry about the end of maintenance grants, I think it’s right to bring about the end of this free money for people who may one day be very well off. If you don’t think the end of maintenance grants is a good thing then you may even be accepting a more regressive system in the long run where the poorest may have ended up paying the most.

“

It would be political suicide for a party that holds student seats to increase fees So why are politicians scared to be speak the truth and say that raising fees hasn’t had any negative repercussions, and neither would replacing grants with loans? It’s because a lot of students nowadays sit in key marginals. Any party that holds student seats is not going to want to increase fees because it would be political suicide for

their MPs. Meanwhile, on the whole, students are becoming increasingly engaged in politics and taking their right to vote seriously. Offering a reduction in fees might just persuade them to vote for your party instead of another.

But students need to realise an increase in fees isn’t that much of a bad thing. If you can afford to pay your loans in the future, you will, which is fair enough really. If you can’t, don’t sweat it, you won’t pay a dime.

Sensible enough really. Yes there are problems with the Student Loans Company, such as the fact it works on household income and not parental income, and that it automatically assumes wealthy parents will subsidise their children. However, the fees themselves are not a problem. What students should be complaining about is the desperate need for a rise in the maintenance loan. For many students, whose parents cannot afford to subsidise their living costs, it just isn’t enough. Some students skip meals because they can’t even afford lunch! The Labour party pledge to cut fees down to £6,000 would have done little to improve this situation. It was a token gesture that would have made very little difference.

By turning maintenance grants into loans, we could offer more in terms of maintenance to all students, thereby avoiding the problem of under-funded students.

So politicians need to be braver when discussing this issue. Be honest and say that increasing the fees has been a good thing.

Eventually, people will come around. Tuition fees should no longer be a toxic issue.

Comment 17

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Cameron’s mixed messages Politics

Jack Evans Staff Writer

Cameron’s call for more Muslim women to be taught English is symptomatic of his mixed record on women’s issues; it is, however, more nuanced than some of his critics allege. The initiative to release £20 million of funds to improve the English of Muslim women, 22 percent of whom, the government claims, speak little or none of it, is a noble one. It begs the question why feminists themselves have not raised this issue more stridently.

Moving onto the negatives.

Previous cuts to almost the very same budget seem hypocritical in light of this policy. To cut a budget that has the potential to get more people in work paying tax and thereby recoup expenditure seems counterproductive. Furthermore, it was clumsy to link, albeit indirectly, a woman’s poor command of

English with a higher risk of radicalisation. The fact that British Muslim men and women known to have joined ISIS speak fluent English appears to have escaped Cameron. What is more, the legal and moral grounds for deporting those who don’t pass English tests have been strongly disputed.

Also, why just target the estimated 190,000 Muslim women who speak English poorly? In the 2011 census around 800,000 people in the UK admitted that they speak little or no English; half of these people are unemployed. There is an unpleasant whiff of politicising about this government policy. It seems calculated to underline that the Tories are ‘cracking down on extremism’.

In coalition and as a majority government, the Conservatives have sent the rate of unemployment tumbling. They could reduce it even further by improving the English skills of these 400,000

Image: UK Home Office

Corbyn’s Labour can learn from Podemos Politics Juan Blick Staff Writer

Straight-talking, anti-establishment, fiercely anti-austerity, and aiming towards the establishment of a new politics, Jeremy Corbyn and Pablo Iglesias,the leader of the Spanish radical left wing party, Podemos, represent a pan-European phenomenon giving expression to discontent and feelings of abandonment. Podemos, founded in 2014, has just won around 21 percent in the Spanish General election. Spanish politics has changed completely, but what does this all mean for British politics? What does this mean for the anti-austerity movement in Britain? Should Jeremy Corbyn look to Podemos for ideas on how to mould his party?

Podemos is an example of a European party with hard left policies winning votes, and we need to appreciate just how radical Podemos actually is. While Corbyn’s right hand man, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, was recently ridiculed for quoting Chairman Mao’s Red Book in the Commons, Pablo Iglesias, former member of the Communist Youth, is regularly caught quoting Hugo Chavez, and many in his party are actually former advisors to Chavez in Venezuela and Morales in Bolivia. The

party is openly allied to international Marxist and socialist governments – and it makes no secret of it. Nor does Podemos makes a secret of its foundation upon public anger. As the party manifesto states, it aims to ‘turn outrage into political change’. Quite a contrast with the way Corbyn’s Labour is often attacked as being a ‘party of protest’.

Podemos makes clear and loud use of the language of class warfare. ‘The caste’ – their term to describe the Spanish political, economic, and social elite – ‘is driving us into the abyss for their own selfish benefit. It is only from the citizens that the solution can come’, reads the opening section of the party’s manifesto. The use of this type of language in British politics is almost inconceivable. However, Podemos very successfully combines this language with the modern socially progressive language of identity, with strong environmental policy and an international and innovative outlook.

Their manifesto calls for ‘freedom of sexual orientation and identity against every form of discrimination’.

The party emphasises the importance of science and innovation, calling for the creation of a State Pact for Science and Innovation to promote innovation in the private sector, and to increase public investment in science. The party calls for a new plan for the introduction of “emotional intelligence” classes in schools, for the learning of foreign languages in schools, as well as the elaboration of a new ‘Plan Africa’, which sets out to support African countries in their struggle for democracy, human

people. Philip Davis, Conservative MP, questions why the UK government should pay for people to learn English in the first place.

He rightly points out that, as EU citizens, British citizens would not be entitled nor obliged to learn Spanish in Spain. I would counter though that us Brits do not have the moral high ground when it comes to learning the national language of the countries we settle in; it seems a tad rich to force people to do the same here.

“

There is more agreement that Cameron is a chauvinistic pig.

Nonetheless, there is a strong economic case for providing English lessons for those who could get a job as a result. The pass rate at the end of ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) courses is high: 110,000 out of 130,000 passed in 2014/5. Having passed and started earning, the individual would repay the cost of the lessons to the government many times over in tax.

An aspect of Cameron’s argument that bears scrutiny is that English lessons could play an emancipating role in Muslim communities where patriarchy and misogyny effectively imprison women in their homes and close social circle because they cannot communicate with the outside world. The resultant lack of freedom could be alleviated if these women are liberated by learning English. The Conservatives have missed a trick here by allowing the reference to radicalisation to overshadow

rights, gender equality, and sustainable development. Podemos is clearly promoting a distinctly contemporary style of left-wing politics, but without abandoning old Marxist language. The Marxist language represents the party’s populist element. Is this a model for the British left to follow?

Corbyn is often accused of wanting to take Britain back to the 1970s, a criticism never levelled against Pablo Iglesias, perhaps unsurprisingly, as Spain was under Franco’s rule until 1975. In this way, British leftwing politics faces the challenge of being accused of wanting to turn back the clock, while Spanish leftwing politics does not. All this is made even worse by the fact that Corbyn has been a social activist since the 70s – to many it looks like he’s still fighting the same battles with the same ideas. Part of the solution is to adopt more progressive and forward-looking language and symbolism, which is very difficult for Corbyn given his age and past.

Corbyn’s election to the party leadership and the success of parties like Podemos in Spain and Syriza in Greece, demonstrate the appeal of a strong anti-austerity message.

The Green Party – in Britain and elsewhere, including Spain – has been an anti-austerity party since the financial crash and has not changed its position since – but their anti-austerity message was not central. Green Party policies are extremely similar to the ideas of Iglesias and Corbyn, the main difference is that the Green Party has very little emotional appeal.

The Greens do not take advantage of sentiment. There are votes to be won

this policy capable of tackling an immense social injustice. Likewise, Cameron’s good work on women’s issues and rights often goes under the radar.

This latest move is a neat encapsulation of the Prime Minister’s mixed message politics.

The shape shifting Cameron is hard to pin a label on.

Will he be remembered as a daring reformer of the public sector and modernising Conservative who legalised homosexual marriage, or as the man who needlessly subjected his country to two electoral terms of austerity?

The jury is still out.

There is more agreement that Cameron is a chauvinistic pig.

Alongside his background, which many believe must have instilled him with sexism, two notable incidents count against him.

Firstly, the infamous ‘Calm down dear’ comment directed at Maria Eagle in 2011. It was a tasteless, sexist remark that suggested arrogance and entitlement.

Nonetheless, one comment does not make a man nor woman, despite how in our social media age words often speak louder than actions. If we judge Cameron by his actions, our impression of him becomes more nuanced.

Another supposed stain on Cameron’s record on women is how he refused to pose in the Fawcett Society’s ‘This is what a feminist looks like’ t-shirt. After Miliband and Clegg wore the shirt, the subtext of the t-shirt’s slogan was: “This is what an opportunist looks like.” It was a brazen, hypocritical publicity stunt from men who have questionable records on women’s rights. Despite not declaring himself a feminist, Cameron’s on a central anti-austerity stance.

This is a time of great change for British politics – if the Labour Party falls apart before the next election, and Corbyn is deposed, there is potential for the creation of a new party based around the policy of ending austerity. With the approaching EU referendum, UKIP will necessarily disappear – whatever the result – and another party may take its place. This will be a party that takes advantage of popular sentiment and the sense of political abandonment, whether left or right wing, or with elements of both.

“

For the time being Jeremy Corbyn should look to Podemos with caution

So for the time being Jeremy Corbyn should look to Podemos with caution – it is a party which has risen to prominence in a very different social, political, and historical environment to that in Britain. Any attempt to emulate their Marxist language – as well as splitting up the Labour party – would undoubtedly be ridiculed in Britain, whereas such associations are more acceptable in Spanish politics. Nevertheless, it may be useful for Corbyn to heed the more contemporary and progressive elements of Podemos. Labour should look to Podemos as a party which has united a fierce anti-austerity message with other extremely modern and

record compares favourably, but is by no means exemplary.

Seven of 22 cabinet ministers are women, while the nervous rumours emerging from Tory HQ that Theresa May might campaign to leave the EU encapsulate the influence she has. An important distinction to make is that the female Conservatives are in government, thus they wield real power and, being more in the public eye, have the ability to inspire young girls to follow them into politics.

“

The positive impact Torie’s business and fiscal policies have had on employemnt Whether the effects of Tory austerity measures have hit women disproportionately is hard to quantify. What is certain is the positive impact the Tories’ business and fiscal policies have had on female employment. In 2014, the number of working women reached a record high of 14m and the gender pay gap narrowed. The BBC reported in March 2015 that the percentage of women on FTSE 100 boards had increased from 12.5 percent in 2011 to 23.5 percent at the time. Although these figures are still indicative of severe gender imbalance in the workforce, they nonetheless show improvements, which can be partially attributed to Cameron and the Conservatives.

Cameron may not go down in history as a champion of women’s issues, but he won’t be remembered as a sexist dinosaur either.

forward-looking policies. Podemos, minus the Marxist language and with its most radical policies toned down for a centre-left Labour Party, may actually be a useful model for Labour.

Looking to Podemos could certainly help Labour from accusations of wanting to turn back the clock – it’s a party based on old Marxist ideas that has created a modern image for itself. Perhaps most importantly of all, Podemos is completely unambiguous – crucial if a party is to win votes on the left. Two key elements to the party’s success – the way they’ve successfully created an image of themselves as a distinctly modern party, and their complete lack of ambiguity – are elements from which Labour can most definitely learn.

Hard left Podemos have created a modernising image.

Image: theirry ehrmann

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Screen

Screen

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NetflOx and Chill We watch it so you don’t have to!

Feature

James Riding Screen Editor

Gone Too Far!, the featurelength debut of Destiny Ekaragha, was shown at the festival.

Image: FilmOne

The gal-dem film festival: a celebration of colour Daunish Negargar Screen Editor

“I can’t help but ask the question, is it time people of colour recognise how much power and influence we have amassed, that we no longer need to ask to be invited anywhere?”

These words, recently spoken by Jada Pinkett-Smith, seem to resonate with many in the face of another overwhelmingly white batch of Oscar nominations. Despite the critical and commercial success enjoyed by films starring actors of colour this year, not a single BME actor was nominated in the category of Best Actor/ Actress in a Starring Role. Michael B. Jordan was snubbed for his role in critically acclaimed Rocky spinoff Creed, while his white co-star Sylvester Stallone was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Directors of colour were also few and far between, with the notable exception proving Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, the man behind The Revenant. Straight Outta Compton’s actors of colour and director F Gary Gray were both snubbed, with the film receiving a singular nomination for Best Original Screenplay; a screenplay written by two white men. In short, Pinkett-Smith’s assertion, that people of colour were forced to “beg for acknowledgment” during the 2016 awards season seems depressingly accurate, with #OscarsSoWhite

trending on Twitter after the nominations were released. Of course, the Oscars are no stranger to accusations of racism. In the history of the awards show, only four male African American actors have won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Halle Berry remains the only female African American actress to win the prestigious accolade.

Given the omission of popular films starring actors of colour this year, as well as the significance of David Oyelowo being snubbed for his performance as Dr Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma last year, it’s difficult not to ask whether the academy is intentionally refusing to recognise the work of actors and directors of colour.

“

Not a single BME actor was nominated in the category of Best Actor/Actress in a Starring Role It was with these thoughts weighing heavily on my mind that I attended the gal-dem winter film festival last weekend. Organised by gal-dem magazine, its aim was simple: “to showcase the talent of female filmmakers of colour and the diversity of themes and subjects they choose to approach”. Held on a rainy Sunday, at a small café in Brixton, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the relatively low-key event, despite my

high hopes. I’m delighted to report that I wasn’t disappointed. The programme contained both feature length films, and a number of short films and documentaries promising a glimpse into the lives of women from other cultures. Particularly poignant was Meghna Gupta’s Off The Grid, highlighting the trials and tribulations faced by women living in Sandwip, a Bangladeshi village in which no state electricity exists. Ashna Sarkar’s OMFG: When Were White People Invented was similarly fascinating, and provided an opportunity to discuss historical notions of ‘whiteness’, and the way in which white identity was constructed, as it slowly became an absolute, against which any other identities were posited. However, it was the feature length films which really stole the show. Chika Anadu’s harrowing drama film B For Boy illustrated a reality faced by so many women in Nigeria, as it explored the desperate lengths to which Amaka (Uche Nwadili) was forced to go to in order to conceive a male child. At the other end of the spectrum was Destiny Ekaragha’s Gone Too Far!, a comedy set on a London estate. At the time of the film’s release in 2014, an article in Sight and Sound claimed that Ekaragha was only the third black female director in Britain to make a feature length film - a thoroughly sobering statistic, although one which did nothing to dampen the comedic

Feature

value of this film. Exploring the story of two brothers, one of whom was raised in Peckham, and one of whom was raised in Nigeria, it provided a fresh and humorous look at life on a London estate - one rarely depicted in mainstream cinema.

Attending the gal-dem film festival was then, undeniably, a joy. For one of the first times in my life, I was watching films where people of colour weren’t relegated to supporting roles, destined to play second fiddle to their white costars. These films represented authenticity in their depiction of other cultures and narratives, starring actors of colour, directed by directors of colour. It is imperative that we support more ventures like this, and the ‘gal-dem’ team are to be applauded. And yet, my experience of these films was tinged with a slight sadness. I shouldn’t have to get on the Oxford Tube and travel two hours to a café in Brixton to see these films. They should be everywhere, and everyone should see them. People of colour have stories to tell, and it is vital, now more than ever, in the face of the whitest Oscars to date, that we listen to them. One can only hope that one day the world of mainstream Hollywood becomes diverse enough that the work of people of colour doesn’t have to be relegated to an independent film festival, but instead gets the accolades and the recognition it truly deserves.

For every great film that makes it to a multiplex or student society near you, roughly 500 woefully conceived, poorly executed or just plain bad ones are released into the vast wilderness of the internet. Thanks to the power of Netflix, we can now witness these debacles like never before: after all, as much as it’s worth thinking about what makes a good film good, it’s also worth considering what makes a bad film bad. And I’m not talking any old bad films: these are the worst of the worst, dredged from the darkest corners of the internet and dissected for your delight.

“Just hanging out, hanging out, hanging out with my family, having ourselves a party…”

This week we’re delving into a true classic of bad filmmaking: the now-legendary Birdemic: Shock and Terror ( James Nguyen, 2008).

Sadly, the only shock and terror you should expect from this hilariously inept mishmash of weird romance, atrocious ‘action’ and preachy ecoparable is that it was ever made in the first place. Admittedly there is something commendable in our hero, played by Alan Bagh, and his complete refusal to act, sound or walk like a real human being, as well as the neglect of sound mixing of any kind and the awful, knuckle-biting dialogue (including such gems as: “We need to be less like cowboys and more like astronauts, looking after our spaceship.”). When the birds do show up, nearly half way into the movie, they truly are something to behold, dive-bombing to plane sound effects and seemingly imposed onto the flailing actors with a Digital Blue camera (I can’t be the only one who remembers them, surely?).

Despite the genuinely despicable editing, it is the presence of these incredible CG monstrosities that render the film something of a guiltily enjoyable joke. Why couldn’t Nguyen have just filmed real birds? We may never know although it might have something to do with global warming…

Birdemic: This is hawkward...

Image: Severin Films

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Does Leonardo DiCaprio deserve an Oscar?

William Ferris

Screen Debate

Staff Writer

Leonardo deserves an Oscar

Leonardo doesn’t deserve an Oscar

Oh Leo. You wowed us in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, stole our hearts in Romeo and Juliet, captured our hearts in Titanic (who wouldn’t want to be one of your French girls…?) and then stole our hearts, again, in Catch Me If You Can. No-one has a filmography quite like Mr Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio. Beyond the masterpieces already mentioned, we adored him in Gangs of New York, wondered at his rather interesting accent in Blood Diamond, and even literally entered his mind in Inception. And I haven’t even got round to mentioning The Aviator, The Wolf of Wall Street, Shutter Island, The Departed, and even Django Unchained, for which, let’s be honest here, he should have at least been nominated! This is a man who has won 40 awards and has been nominated for a further 114, having only appeared in 30 films. Surely then, Leo deserves an Oscar for having one of the greatest film careers of the modern era.

Beyond the case of his varied and brilliant screen history, his performance in The Revenant displays all the characteristics and features of a worthy Oscar-winning performance: he plays a man struggling against the brutal yet beautiful forces of nature and gives lots of intense and brooding looks. He underwent the inhospitable filming regime of a maverick genius director and displayed an inhuman commitment to the role; spending five hours in makeup every day! For God’s sake, someone give that man an Oscar already!

Not only does Leo deserve an Oscar, I certainly wouldn’t want to be the person to refuse him one. I’ve seen the fanaticism of Leo’s fans at close quarters and I know their commitment to his Academy Award success is sincere and slightly scary. Even if you are not truly convinced of Leo’s merit, just ask yourself this one question; if he doesn’t win, and the hordes of hormone filled teens come calling, do you really want to find yourself on the wrong side?

The Revenant is the story of one man’s treacherous and seemingly endless struggle on the path to Oscar glory. You might think that not winning an Oscar is a sign that one is not a particularly good actor. I, for example, am a case in point, having not won an Oscar in years.

However, the mournfulness that seems to haunt DiCaprio’s most recent work in fact often comes across as a result of the award that continues to elude him.

Let’s get to the formalities, namely, whether the film is good and DiCaprio good in it. Well, the film is vaguely tolerable featuring a very streamlined plot, which focuses principally on DiCaprio’s systematic torture by the environment, and Iñárritu executes some immersive cinematographic feats.

DiCaprio, in turn, exploits his full range, (from ‘disgruntled’ to ‘distinctly angry’). He is certainly competent, but the film seems to continually interject the landscape as the real protagonist: sweeping, almost prehistoric, and as resolutely white as an Oscar’s acting category. The result is a film that fails to access the emotional pitch its story seems to promise. In the closing shot of the film DiCaprio’s vacant baby-blue eyes stare longingly into the camera, his journey of biblical proportions over, and, if you listen carefully enough, you can almost hear his broken voice, barely audible over the soundtrack… ‘I’d like to thank my agent…’

If that dusty space on DiCaprio’s mantelpiece is still bare come 28th February, it won’t be because of his ability. Rather, The Revenant fails to qualify DiCaprio sufficiently to meet the Oscar’s complex rubric for awards allocation. He didn’t lose dangerous amounts of weight, or portray a figure of totemic cultural importance. This accounts, by my reckoning, for all awards handed out in living memory. If DiCaprio wants that little gold man he’s playing a dangerous hand – this three hour cinematic exercise in mortification of the flesh may not be enough to prove himself worthy.

Could The Revenant spell Oscars glory for Leonardo Dicaprio?

Image: 20th Century Fox

The Revenant: Style and Substance Clio Takas Staff Writer

When watching The Revenant, you don’t feel like you’re just watching a film – it’s an experience. This tale of revenge, inspired by the life of Hugh Glass, an explorer of the American frontier during the 1820s, is one of the most intense and gripping films to hit the big screen in a long time. But for me at least, it was not, as in so many other films, the actors and their performances that stood out.

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DiCaprio expresses himself physically in a way he never has before Despite everyone being pretty certain of the fact DiCaprio will be getting the Oscar this year for his performance in The Revenant, this was certainly not his

Coming Up At: Magdalen Film Society What’s On

John Maier

Staff Writer

19

most complex or even most interesting role. But it was most his most demanding. And he seriously delivered: DiCaprio expresses himself physically in a way he never has before. Having hardly any dialogue, The Revenant requires this of its actors, but the lack of dialogue does unfortunately mean that the characters do feel very two-dimensional in places. For example, Tom Hardy’s character, John Fitzgerald, was simply badly written. From the beginning he was unnecessarily repellent, attacking Glass without reason, being racist and aggressive to the point that it became painfully obvious he was being branded as the bad guy and bound to end up in a fight to the death with Glass by the end of the film. Controversially, I don’t understand how Hardy’s performance as Fitzgerald won him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor when Hardy not only executed what was a very easy role so poorly but was also almost completely incomprehensible for most of the film (and not

just according to me).

I could fault the director, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who wrote the screenplay together with Mark L. Smith for this, as even no dialogue is better in the place of bad dialogue and might have been more interesting conceptually than giving into certain Hollywood clichés. But Iñárritu’s directorial talent shines through in so many other ways that it would be unfair to fixate on the film’s negatives. After all, the fight to the death in the snow, though predictable plot-wise was incredible in terms of its choreography. The ambush by the Native Americans near the start of the film too was a work of art.

“

This film was a visual minefield in which the camera was alive Whilst I was disappointed by Hardy, I was very impressed with William

Review

Poulter, in the role of young, passionate Jim Bridger – having last seen him play in We’re the Millers, I didn’t expect his performance to be the most powerful after DiCaprio’s. But what allows this film to blow everyone away is Emmanuel Lubezki’s unbelievable cinematography. This film was a visual minefield in which the camera was alive.

Iñárritu and Lubezki both agreed they would only film during natural daylight, so every snapshot of the exquisite scenery of the film’s setting we’re offered is 100 percent natural. There was not a single angle left uncovered by the camera; it moved everywhere and constantly, and yet it was not dizzying or chaotic, but simply breath-taking.

If you want to spend half a film with your hand over your mouth as I did– shocked – moved –flinching – freezing – exhausted – terrified - out of breath and on the edge of your seat, this is the film for you. Its visceral and brutal aesthetic will grab you from the start and shake you till the end.

James Riding Screen Editor

Magdalen Film Society continues its run of exciting and provocative films from around the world with our theme for 3rd week, ‘Poetry in Motion’. On Sunday at 8:30pm we explore The Private Life of a Cat through the eyes of the inimitable Alexander Hammid and Maya Deren, followed by the German classic People on Sunday at 9:10. On Monday discover The Secret of Kells, a gorgeous Irish animation directed by Tomm Moore, at 7pm, then take a plunge into the world of cinéma pur with the mesmeric Upstream Color at 8:30 pm.

3rd Week Screening: The Secret of Kells.

Image: StudioCanal

In 4th week we will be escaping the winter gloom to il Bel Paese, where a host of Italian gems await. On Sunday, enter the world of 1930s political intrigue with Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist at 7pm, then watch a rambunctious sugar-daddy rediscover Rome in The Great Beauty at 8:55pm. Finally, on Monday at 7pm, witness the fall of a mighty aristocratic family in 1860s Sicily in Luchino Visconti’s sweeping epic The Leopard. All of our screenings are just £3, so why not come along to the Magdalen auditorium and witness a huge variety of films on the big screen, or check us out on facebook.com.

MagdalenFilmSociety ?

4th Week: Bertolucci’s The Conformist.

Image: Paramount

Music

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Music Nicki, what’s good?

A reflection on what a great year 2015 was for Nicki Minaj Katie Collins

Deputy Music Editor

As the only female artist on Forbes’ list of The World’s Highest Paid Hip-Hop Acts 2015, and the most charted female rapper in the history of the Billboard 100, it cannot be denied that Nicki Minaj is a fighter. This time last year she was celebrating the recent release of her third studio album, The Pinkprint.

Who could have known that the coming year would see her rarely out of the media, following highprofile feuds with major celebrities and a hugely successful world tour. In 2015 she established herself as an artist to be taken seriously, and what’s more, she has used her platform to tackle complex issues in the music industry and the wider community.

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The Pinkprint represents a shift away from the dancepop material

Minaj’s newest album The Pinkprint represents a shift away from the dance-pop material which originally gained her recognition in popular culture, allowing her to be more influenced by her hip-hop roots. The album resembles more her early mixtapes and guest-verses (see her iconic verse on Kanye’s Monster) than more recent singles such as “Stupid Hoe” or “Starships”: she seems now to have lost the syrupy quality to her voice, swapping frothy lyrics and fluorescent pink wigs for a gravity that is harder to find in her first two albums. Even in comparison with her much earlier material, it is clear that this territory is new for her. She goes deeper than she ever has before, creating tracks that connect with her fans on an incredibly personal level. “All Things Go” is raw emotion, with discussion of a teenage abortion, the tragic murder of her cousin and the effect fame has on her relationships with family all packed into five minutes.

Elsewhere on the album, Minaj raps about the pain of heartbreak and her struggle with addiction,

Interview: Dreaming Squires Promotions Bethany Kirkbride Music Editor

The OxStu: What is Dreaming Squires promotions?

Dreaming Squires was formed in a field in Winchester by two pretty drunk blokes who like music that doesn’t visit Oxford.

It seemed like a good idea in the morning, so we went ahead with it. It’s a labour of dirty, sweaty love aimed at fostering a scene for the music that we love by bringing in the best acts and pairing them up with local talent.

The OxStu: You mentioned in a recent article for The Oxford Student that you’re not doing it for the money. So what are you doing it for?

We love the scene. Nothing more, nothing less, Bar the slight ego trip we get from seeing a room of people go a wee bit mental because of us.

The OxStu: Is there much help out there for independent promoters starting up or have you had to figure it out as you go along?

We made it up as we went along.

There may have been help, but

we didn’t see any. Promoting independent music within the University isn’t what you’d call an easy job, especially given our music isn’t exactly vogue…

The OxStu: What tips would you give to anyone who wanted to establish themselves as a reputable promoter?

Put your morals in a small box and lock it. But also, spread through your friends and most importantly put on a good show from which to build your fanbase.

Other than that, social media is a big plus but can’t be the whole thing. We like walking around with flyers in the cold, honest.

“

We like walking around with flyers in the cold, honest

The OxStu: Do you think promoting needs to be a more personalised, tailored art than simply inviting everyone on your Facebook friends list to an event? How

and she later called Pinkprint “the hardest album I have ever had to do, write, be a part of ”.

The music video for the first single off the album, “Anaconda”, missed out on a nomination for Best Video at the VMAs, despite being viewed 19.6 million times on the first day of its release, breaking the 24-hour Vevo record. Minaj called out the snub on Twitter, writing that “if I were a different “kind” of artist, Anaconda would be nominated”. This sparked a chain of events that

included Taylor Swift accusing Minaj of “pitting women against each other” and culminated in the infamous “Miley, what’s good?” acceptance speech following some disparaging comments from Miley Cyrus. The media were quick to choose sides and sensationalise a fight between such high-profile artists, but the message behind Minaj’s words extends beyond a petty feud.

That message was that “black women influence pop culture so much but are rarely rewarded for it”, a comment on the hypocrisy of an industry which has profited so much from African-American culture but still celebrates white “women with slim bodies” – and Minaj had decided that she was not going to sit back and take it.

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Black women influence pop culture so much but are rarely rewarded for it

Image: Prisa Radio

Her refusal to accept double standards is nothing new – when asked by an NY Times reporter if she ‘thrived on the drama’ of a feud between label-mate and old friend Drake and boyfriend Meek Mill a furious Minaj ended the interview. “That’s disrespectful”, she said. “Why would a grown woman thrive off drama?”. The message was clear: the feud was not Minaj’s concern. She prizes independence and determination, telling her “Barbz” to “go to school, graduate and get your own”, by being

20

Image: GabboT

ambitious and “getting things done”. The talent and sheer hard work it has taken for Minaj to be where she is now – a female rapper who can compete (and win) in a man’s world – is a testament to her resolve and ambition.

Minaj was recently called out

by Teen Mom’s Farrah Abraham for being a poor role model, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There aren’t many female artists in hip hop but Minaj is killing it and she has proved time and time again that she will put the effort in to succeed in this business. 2015 was a year of scrutiny and controversy for Minaj, but as always she came out on top. As we enter 2016, I for one am excited to just sit back and watch the queen conquer.

do you effectively engage with your audience?

Absolutely. This is why we still do flyering and other methods of buying tickets past seeing who clicks ‘going’ or ‘interested’. Because we’re also seven years old, we create a lot of really really stupid memes that make us giggle, and hopefully make some other folk giggle too.

The OxStu: What’s been your biggest accomplishment to date?

Joe can tame birds using only a small kazoo. Adam the geographer was once commissioned to touch up the Sistine Chapel ceiling entirely in Crayola. But also, putting on our maiden gig with the Popes of Chillitown headlining. We lost money, but we also had a hell of a show.

The OxStu: You work a lot with independent venues – what’s your favourite venue in Oxford and why?

Our work so far has almost exclusively been with The Cellar: Tim (the owner) loves ska music and has been very accommodating of the promoting equivalent of baby giraffes trying to stand up when we were starting to do stuff.

The OxStu: Working closely with artists is often frustrating, as a music journalist with no musical ability of my own. Are either of you two musical?

Joe doubles as a handy support act, but Adam is about as musically talented as a tone-deaf macaroni. It’s not easy playing

Image: Dreaming Squires Promotions

the music we love within Oxford University for a number of reasons, but for both of us it’s a chance to give something to the music scene far beyond what we could produce on our own.

The OxStu: In what ways can people find out about the events you’re putting on?

Facebook, and articles in student magazines made in the hope for publicity.

As well as that, Nightshift Magazine is an independent music magazine that’s been running in Oxford for years, worth checking that out.

Also, if you know who we are, we are a lot happier than you are to talk about our music.

The OxStu: How long does an event usually take to plan and or-

ganise?

Depends how many of our emails get replied to. We need to bethinking about a gig months before the date, what with booking bands and venue, finding supports etc. Factor this in with the fact that we also do our degrees every now and then, and we have to be at least relatively on the ball.

The OxStu: Have you got anything in the pipeline at the moment which you can tell us about?

Tasty little number coming up on the 30th, with some ska and poppunk to celebrate Independent Venue Week in Ghouls and Fighting Evil is Cool!. Alongside that, we’ve got an intimate little thing coming up at Hertford bar in late February, as well as ska-punk stalwarts Faintest Idea visiting the Cellar on the 24th. We’d humbly recommend all these things.

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Music 21

Keep Hush: Walk.Thru Preview with Fred Conybeare-Cross

James Chater Music Editor

After another success at The Bullingdon in November last year, creative community Keep Hush are returning to Oxford on 4th February for another of their immersive Walk. Thru nights.

Keep Hush founder Fred Conybeare-Cross describes how the concept came about, and what makes it unique within Oxford’s nightlife: “I studied fine art at university and spent most of my time making works that alter space using light, sound and installations together. Naturally the audience becomes immersed in these works when walking through the environments created. The name Walk. Thru was born. As you tell by our website – I am also greatly interested in electronic music. Creating a fun take on immersion with electronic music seemed a great idea. There wasn’t a whole lot going on in Oxford in terms of nights that combined visual production and good music”.

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The club is an ideal place to have an immersive experience

Although growing in popularity, immersive events are still an alien concept to many; perhaps still wrongly perceived as the preserve of an elitist avantgarde. When asked to describe Keep Hush’s take on an ‘immersive experience’, and how that differs from a standard club night he replied, “the club is an ideal place to have an immersive experience – there are lights beaming everywhere and music blaring in your ears. Combined with lots of visual décor and set around a theme, you can really feel miles away from your average club night. So for us this is more about creating a unique and fun clubbing experience where we can get creative and transform the club to a theme”.

Given the recent issues of queue-

ing and overcrowding in Cellar, any night that promises a degree of escapism is refreshing. He continues, “our team of creative and student artists will make installations and projections in the weeks leading up to the event and then install them on the day. We put everything in to making sure the venue is completely altered.

The music is equally as important to us – we don’t stick to one genre in these events so expect everything from dub to techno”.

There is, however, still something new for those returning to the Keep Hush event: “This time we are going to be focusing on making installations that relate to the Carnival theme. We have some really exciting ideas in the pipeline – for example we have The Oxford Experimental Theatre Club involved, bringing actors on the night. The music will also be different this time – think dub, ragga jungle and reggae”.

I asked if he could elaborate on the musicians that will feature on the night and how they will fit into the Carnival theme: “Benny Page is someone that we’ve admired for a long time – he burst onto the scene more than 10 years ago and was an innovator of ragga drum and bass music. Just listen to ‘Turn Down the Lights’, he really put a twist on classic Carnival music. He’s been doing his thing for years, working with the massive Digital Soundboy, repping the sound system culture that we love so much at Keep Hush. Needless to say, he’s a perfect fit for a Carnival night. Dub Smugglers and Kuntri Ranks are a much more classic reggae/dub outfit, their style is very much at the roots of the Carnival sound.

It’s all about the good vibes, Carnival style for this one”.

One of the main criticisms facing immersive projects is that they are often found to be unconvincing. For example, projects involving actors rely on their steadfast, unfaltering performance. When asked how Keep Hush respond to these difficulties, Conybeare-Cross said, “this isn’t the kind of immersive experience you’d expect from a contemporary art gallery or

something. It’s a combination of an immersive environment, with good, well mixed music. Partying with like-minded people is immersive, having a 16 year old spill a Jägerbomb down your tshirt isn’t. Hearing great music mixed well is immersive, going to the smoking area because the DJ is playing House Every Weekend for the second time isn’t. Overall we don’t want to take this part too seriously… It’s about being at a proper party, where a lot of effort has gone into the surroundings and making sure everyone has a good time.”

Image: Keep Hush

“

Having a 16 year old spill a Jägerbomb down your

t-shirt isn’t immersive

Walk. Thru’s venue remains shrouded in mystery until the day of the event. As recent student club nights in Oxford have demonstrated, venues – and their suitability particularly in terms of size – are an inescapable problem. On this matter ConybeareCross said, “we are always trying to find new spaces in Oxford that would work well for visual production. There isn’t a huge amount of choice but we’re really happy with the space we have for this one…it’s going to be loads of fun to transform”. Reluctant to reveal anymore, he concluded, “it’s the perfect size for what we want to do as well…that’s all you’re going to get I’m afraid!”

Keep Hush have even more exciting projects coming to Oxford: “We have our LEAN event on 5 th March at The Bullingdon – our event promoting sound system culture. This will be a very special night as we’re hosting an Innamind Recordings tour, which are an Americanbased label, but pushing a very underground UK dubstep sound.

Quest, Karma and Las are all really involved with System, which people that know their dubstep will know all about.

With Gorgon Sound as well, it’s gonna be a really special night”.

Image: Keep Hush

Image: Keep Hush

A Walk.Thru the Keep Hush line up Benny Page

Image: Benny Page

Dub Smugglers

Image: Dub Smugglers

Agrippa

Image: Keep Hush

Nuvaman

Image: Keep Hush

Kuntri Ranks

Image: Jody Hartley

Art & Lit

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Art and Lit

22

Books to read before you’re 20 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Franni Ball

LOUIS DE BERNIÈRES

Staff Writer

The sheer scope of this book is There is a song, written by Baz incredible; it moves across the Luhrmann, which has become a twentieth century without breaking kind of gospel for millennials (and a sweat. The characterisation is so which you definitely need to listen detailed that you feel you know to before you turn 20). ‘Everybody’s them, you recognise something in Free to Wear Sunscreen’ is a song them from every person you’ve ever from their generation to yours, known. His writing cuts perfectly a song that dispenses timeless from the driest humour to some of wisdom from the lofty heights the most beautiful descriptions of of those who have seen life in its being in love, easily encompassing wildly varied forms, who have multiple characters’ lives. It also known its madnesses and its joys. makes you really want to go to I’m a 20 year old from the Home Greece. Read it, it’s one of the best Counties. My life experience is books I’ve ever encountered. arguably limited; I may be the “mum” of my fresher year group Americanah but present me with anything CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE more trying than the length of the queue for Bridge and I’ll probably Narrowly the best of this genius be very little help. What I do a lot writer’s work, she has a frank take of, however, is reading. If a book on issues that are in a way both can really transport you across time modern and timeless; migration, and space and leave you squarely racism, success, youth, love. Sounds in someone else’s imagination, broad, but Adichie stops just drinking in their version of the before writing a cultural polemic world you know or one you never by making it both hilarious and dreamt of, then perhaps it is a way incredibly moving. All the books of experiencing more life than you of hers that I’ve read have been as have yet had. That’s what I tell fabulous as she is. myself, anyway. I’m an English student. Bear with me though; as This Boy Luhrmann says, this advice has “no ALAN JOHNSON basis more reliable than my own, meandering experience”, but you When you’re writing the story never know how it might affect of your own youth, it must be you. These books are not UIysses, unbelievably hard not to write with they’re not War and Peace and hindsight clouding your vision. (I they’re not even the Harry Potter imagine; I doubt the story of my series, but that’s mostly because my childhood in Harpenden would be word count won’t cover my love for much of a bestseller). Whatever them. What the books in my list do your politics are, they’re irrelevanthave in common is phenomenally Johnson never puts a rosy glow good writing, so I hope that it will or any kind of falsity on his past, give you some ideas and might, and he doesn’t dwell on his later possibly, maybe, change your life in success. It’s laid bare but it’s a tiny little way.

The face of poetry is changing with the growth of slam poetry

Image: Kamil Porembiński

written so well you’ll cry; it’s also very sobering to be shown what Notting Hill was before Gwyneth Paltrow consciously uncoupled it from its poverty-ridden past.

How to be a Woman CAITLIN MORAN

This isn’t actually an instruction manual, so it doesn’t matter what you identify as- read it because it’s hilarious, poignant and you’ll wonder why you haven’t seen what she says written down before.

She’s like the foul mouthed big sister you wish you had. If you find ‘feminism’ a tricky word, and your natural response to this is to want to be educated, this is a very good start.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist MOHSIN HAMID

This one has a very interesting and engaging narrator-reader relationship: you as the reader are addressed directly by the narrator, who reacts to and interacts with an unseen American listening as well.

It makes the whole experience of reading it unusually intense. It’s also genuinely gripping from cover to cover, and makes you think -

which is all I’ll say as to the plot.

Why I Write

GEORGE ORWELL

It’s not technically fiction, but it’s the way that he writes so uncompromisingly, which is so brilliant I thought it should be on the list. The actual essay called ‘Why I Write’ is in a collection of the same name that also has three other essays, published in the Penguin Great Ideas series, and it’s so worth a read to get a sense of how timeless some of what he writes is. For the same reason, I also think that Virginia Woolf ’s A Room of One’s Own should be compulsory for absolutely everybody.

Citizen

CLAUDIA RANKINE

This is last on the list but, given that I’m only halfway through it, has made a strong enough impression already to be included.

What she writes about and the way she writes it punches you in the gut and shakes up the way you perceive yourself as sort of generally nice and liberal. Simon Armitage mentioned her in his

inaugural lecture as Professor of Poetry, which gives you an idea of how lyrical her writing is (and how much I like name dropping that lecture). Definitely a must read, partly because it will probably come to define part of our generation.

So that’s my list. It’s not gospel and my tutor probably wouldn’t give my literary analysis much credit because apparently they don’t think it’s enough to like an author “because she’s fab”. Still, those books have made some kind of lasting impression on me. Turning 20 is as good a reason as any to read some brilliant writing, so I just hope you enjoy these as much as I did - and if you don’t, then listen to Baz Luhrmann’s song. It’s some pretty good life advice.

Also Recommended: The Miniaturist: Jessie Burton Dubliners: James Joyce The Picture of Dorian Gray: Oscar Wilde The Wasp Factory: Iain Banks, The Cherry Orchard: Anton Chekhov The History Boys: Alan Bennett Mrs Dalloway: Virginia Woolf All One Breath: John Burnside

Best Books You Read At School

The Great Gatsby

Image: skitterphoto

Partly cause of the sheer elegance and beauty of the prose and partly because of the way it was taught, The Great Gatsby will always be a favourite. I studied this for GCSE, and so was distant from the experiences of Of Mice and Men that every other sixteen year old up and down the country had thrown upon them. For such a different and exciting approach to GCSE English I will forever be grateful.

ROSIE COLLIER

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Image: Thierry Ehrmann

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a luxuriant plunge into the depths of Victorian London, where a veneer of respectability hid a salacious underbelly where noble men consorted with common girls, and morality seemed scarcely a concern. A story centred on the relationship between art and life, and in particular the aesthetic value of evil, leads you on an elevated romp through backstreets and bedspreads alike.

TRISTAN WILSON

Wuthering Heights

Image: Bill Boaden

Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I absolutely loved Wuthering Heights at A-Level. Yet it is a testament to the beauty of this novel that despite horrendous teaching the majority of the class still loved it even though we went through it line by line at the pace of a snail. Full of passion and intrigue with fantastic imagery set in the mysterious Yorkshire moors, it’s definitely not something just to read for school.

ARIANE LAURENT-SMITH

American Psycho

Image: skeeze

American Psycho is the classic exposition of capitalism and the excess to which it leads. Opening with a line reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno, Brett Easton Ellis’ novel is staggeringly violent almost to the point of absurdity, but the point it makes is a strong one: capitalism, superficiality and casual disregard for human life arise from the same node of human nature.

FREDDIE HINDS

Les Aurores Montreales

Image: Anna Kucsma

Published in English under the title “Aurora Montrealis”, this collection of short stories is a portrait of a city in the grips of an identity crisis, seen through the eyes of strangers, or of those who find themselves lost in a familiar place. The prose is dry and uncluttered and the stories are sad, funny and savage, but always haunting.

JESS OCKENDEN

Art & Lit

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

For your leisure...

Being the old trees did tremble and sing by my window.

I feel so old sometimes, and then sad, because I know I am no longer a child, and that age is gone for me.

The Rebirth of Fantasy

Opinion

Tristan Wilson

Art & Lit Editor We all love science here in Oxford; even if it does drag us out of bed at an ungodly hour every weekday and into a hot, mostly male room to listen to bespectacled brainboxes (yes that is the arts student’s stereotype of the sciencey lifestyle), it underpins the vast majority of our basic assumptions and understanding of the world. My alarm clock, which doesn’t get an awful lot of use, wouldn’t even exist without the handiwork of engineers, passed down and improved on throughout the centuries. The iPhone on which I groggily read my emails would be a far-off dream were it not for an ever-expanding development of information technology. In a country where religious belief is at an all-time low, science and secularity rule the roost; and the science fiction of yesteryear is being realised in the heavily funded laboratories across the country.

there was a time when I liked to imagine running through a forest somewhere, maybe in America, perhaps in spring and it would be wonderful some feeling that can’t quite be captured but it’s that sense Humans still retain this of being young and having so much to sense of fantasy which science cannot satiate. find, but maybe Yet, humans still retain this I’ve lost that now sense of fantasy, which science, or perhaps it is only judging by the vast corpus of fantasy literature since the something Second World War, doesn’t seem found in films or read in able to satiate. Whereas people used to invent elaborate fantasies books to explain natural phenomena an idea that can’t and connect them to human experience - and, judging by be brought to life the nether pages of the Metro, that I can resurrect still do, in the form of astrology and horoscopic prediction – only in my dreams, today’s batch of hairless primates fantasise in an almost regressive and only not quite.

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there was a time when I liked to imagine running through the woods somewhere, anywhereand I was glad.

fashion. What if I didn’t know what I do about the formation and collapse of stars, or the

Copernican principle, or atoms, or the Big Bang? What would I suppose to be the explanation behind all this stuff that goes on far into the firmament? How can I make the world different to what it is now? All these questions are asked because science is true, and truth can sometimes be boring; of course, the debates on the fringe of science are fascinating,

which society was going; many of the modernists were stronger in their criticisms and speculations.

Even science-fiction writers have played with ideas relevant to the present, but extrapolated onto the future, in order to make some point or other. Is it then, only fantasy writers who seek to truly escape the society and milieu in which they live?

Tolkien, of course, is the archetype of a high fantasy writer; whereas the fairytale and the story of the occult tended to be separate and episodic in the Romantic and Gothic periods, building on folk tales set, broadly speaking, within the real world, Tolkien’s

Staff Writer

Vagina: A New Biography by Naomi Wolf was a bestseller all the way back in 2012 so this is a rather Annie Hayter late review. Yet, Vagina is probably even more relevant today with the increasingly fevoured debates concerning women and their bodies The Oxford Student is looking for and who should be able to control talented poets to submit original and regulate them. content for the Art & Lit section; Wolf explores the new scientific research into the workings of whether you are a prolific poet the female gentalia, particularly or an occasional scrawler, get in the ANS (system of nerves). touch with us at oxstu.culture@ She theorises that good sexual intercourse has a very positive gmail.com! effect on women’s creativity and mood, not only directly afterwards but for months. Naomi Wolf uses

paved the way for fantasy writing to become more fanciful, more elaborate and more otherworldly than ever before; Middle Earth brought readers back to a quasimedieval but somehow more primeval prescientific state.

This is of course one side of the fantasy coin, and it was perhaps partly in reaction to the encroachment of science upon the human sense of wonder; the role-playing games which it inspired notably Dungeons & Dragons, stereotypically attract geeky physicists and computer nerds. Whatever truth there may be in this unfair and pejorative stereotype, the interest that young, secular people often take in these games could well be traced back to a wish to escape and be free from the constraints of scientific precedent, at least for a few hours at a time.

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Is it only fantasy writers who truly seek to escape the society and milieu in which they live?

Image: David Revoy / Blender Foundation

but sometimes beyond the ability or the inclination of the layman.

Scientists have become the new clergymen of our secularised society, the arbiters of truth; anyone can read the parallel Bible which science has set out for us, but perhaps it’s best left to the professionals. Instead, humans play make-believe, and reading fantasy is a sort of play, a teenage phase which people shouldn’t have to grow out of.

It is no accident, I think, that fantasy has emerged as one of the key genres of popular literature in the post-war period.

The realists and naturalists of the late 1800s often sought to subtly critique the direction in

‘legendarium’ – he coined the term – was one of the first fantasy worlds to adopt a scale on a cosmic or even metaphysical level, yet still retaining the attention to detail which made his mythology so enthralling and enduring. His work was built on a vast body of scholarship and included innovations such as hobbits, and of course that genredefining artefact, the One Ring.

The noble, elevated, and highly polarised nature of his work – an almost Biblical battle between a clear good and evil included – set the standards for future escapist fantasy writing. As science took over following the success of the Manhattan project, Tolkien

Vagina: A New Biography Felicity Ardent

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the evidence of many literary and artistic women who recorded their sexual liaisons and their improvement in mood in letter, diaries and novels.

Wolf also looks at the history of the vagina in popular thought, which is extremely fascinating. In the 16th and 17th centuries, they thought that women needed to orgasm to be able to conceive and thus erotica and manuals have been found describing certain techniques. Indeed, the erotica from this period focuses intensely on foreplay and pleasing women. Wolf contrasts with the pornography available today which spends little time on foreplay, cutting straight to penetrative sex. She also notes the often violent language used in the modern day for the female genitalia,

Review

such as ‘gash’, which are damaging to the perception of the vagina.

One of her suggested approaches to improve relations with the vagina is tantric sex, which prioritises slow long sessions focusing on various senses with a variety of intricate techniques.

The book is problematic, however, in its implications that to be a woman you have to have a vagina.

Wolf comments on this abstractly saying that she does not wish to be exculsionary and indeed she tries to include non-heterosexual sexual activity, but this does not address all the issues.

On the whole, the book is an interesting and thought-provoking exploration of the female genitalia, scientifically, historically and emotionally.

It is this which makes the overwhelming success of Game of Thrones such an interesting case; though set in a fantasy world, it is relentlessly gritty, with notorious depictions of violence, betrayal and injustice which seem to offer little room for escapism; if anything it offers a kind of political intrigue just as cutthroat as that found in shows like House of Cards. Instead of shunning ‘real-world’ issues, it plays on them; the scene at the end of Season 2, where ‘wildfire’ envelops and consumes Stannis Baratheon’s fleet, reveals a look in Tyrion Lannister’s eye that is almost Oppenheimer-esque in its fear and awe. The contrast between high fantasy and the most recent vogue of relatively unmagical worlds (dragons notwithstanding) reminds us that fantasy is exactly what it says on the tin; there are so many ways to imagine that you can choose to plunge into the pastoral paradise of Shire one day, and the bleak political quagmire of Westeros the next; and there’s plenty in between, too.

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Stage

no match for the already immoral society of Jacobean London.

Celebrating 400 Years of Theatre at the Globe Opinion

Clio Takas Staff Writer

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the deaths of Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Francis Beaumont.

The Globe is celebrating the lives and works of these three excellent playwrights, whose works have provided audiences with entertainment for hundreds of years, and whose legacies are bound to live on for another 400 years.

The Glove is pulling out all the stoops: staged readings, lectures and talks, productions, courses, family events, conferences, exhibitions, and more. Events have been planned for the entirety of 2016, starting now in January and spread out all the way till mid-December.

Full details of this year of dramatic festivities are available on the Globe’s website, but in case you wanted a taste of what’s coming your way, here are our editors’ picks...

Read Not Dead The Globe is continuing its extremely successful series Read Not Dead, where forgotten plays are given a new lease of life. Professional staged readings by Globe actors revive plays which have gone unseen for years, decades or even centuries. Having studied a number of these plays during my English degree, I cannot

Stage 24

urge you enough to attend these.

There is absolutely no correlation between how good these plays are and how often they are put on - in fact, the plays which we seem to have forgotten are undeinably the most bonkers. They’re guaranteed to make you laugh, appal you, or both, as the cultural period that produced them is as notorious for smutty city comedies as its gruesome Jacobean revenge tragedies.

Reviewing last year’s Read Not Dead, Dr. Peter Kirwan of the University of Nottingham could only priase “a beautiful and literate reclamation of masterpieces of the early modern stage, more complex and more involved than the vast majority of fully realised productions I’ve seen lately, and hysterically funny to boot.” And it’s not surprising these events are so energetic and well received by audiences, as they are also spontaneous: actors get the script in the morning and perform it for you that very same afternoon. And if that wasn’t enough to convince you, student tickets are only £8!

RND Coming Soon...

On the 7th February, Pandosto – The Triumph of Time by Robert Greene will be performed. It is one of Shakespeare’s sources for The Winter’s Tale On the 17th April, catch The Devil is an Ass by Ben Jonson.

Watch how Pug, a young demon, realises his debauchery and sin is

RND Original Performance On the 22nd May, Christopher Marlowe’s most infamous play, Dr. Faustus, will be performed in its original pronunciation. Tickets are certainly going to sell out for this one, so get them quick!

Sam Wanamaker Fellowship Lecture On the 9th June, Professor Gordon McCullan will be giving a lecture on what exactly it means to ‘remember’ Shakespeare in 2016, whilst also addressing what we may have forgotten about the legendary playwright’s life, aspects of his work, and his contemporary milieu. From 3rd of May till the 12th of October, lectures on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, and Cymberline will also be running at the Globe. Additional speaker events include Q&As on the plays, with Globe actors and academics in attendance.

Courses for Actors and Directors Get booking for your chance to train with the best of the best! The Globe will be offering a Directing Studio masterclass on the weekend of Saturday 14th-Sunday 15th of May. There are twelve places available for those yearning to know more about how to approach and direct Shakespeare. Actors can email the Globe, at higher.education@shakespearesglobe.com to find out more about their Voice, Movement, Text and Acting Studios.

Image: shakespeareglobe

Preview: Constellations Ben Ray

Staff Writer

Stepping into the intimate rehearsal space of the Pilch Theatre, I was excited to see the preview of Constellations.

The Experimental Theatre Club (ETC), whose previous successes include gems like Breathing Corpses was putting it on, so I was curious to see how they would approach this fascinating play.

Constellations is a simple story with a big twist. It tracks one couple’s journey, from their first meeting through the following years, examining their everyday battles and triumphs. The twist is that this is done using the multiverse theory that we are living multiple lives on multiple planes. The play explores the hundreds of different routes the characters take together, leading to a complex web of decisions and outcomes. When Marianne

is diagnosed with cancer, in one world she is easily treated and the couple quickly move on; in another universe, she has been given only a week to live.

Decisions are twisted, words take on whole new meanings, lives are changed.

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Our rehearsals aren’t rigid... we want this to be as natural as possible

This play is perfect for the ETC, who dive head first into this mess of interpretations. The intensity of the piece, focused on a cast of only two characters, only gives more scope for exploration and experimentation. The director, Sammy, describes how it gives them much more flexibility and freedom to interpret the play.

“Our rehearsals aren’t straight or rigid - we want this to be as

easy and natural as possible. If the line fits, it fits.” And it certainly pays off: after an initial period of improvisation, Calam Lynch (playing Roland) and Shanon Hayes (playing Marianne) seem to naturally fall into their characters, accentuating and playing with each line until each of the plays realities is individual and expressive. It’s a truly impressive feat, not just to make a character come to life so vividly, but to make them exist believably in different worlds.

As well as breathing life into such a complex situation, the ETC’s trademark fun and playful streak shines through this production, giving it a sharp edge that keeps the watcher interested and alert.

The switches between universes are denoted by different sounds - a clap, a footfall, a recorded noise - meaning you’re always on the edge of your seat waiting for the next change. The play is also set in the round, projecting the acting out at all angles: “it’s

Image: Tom Blunt

like an arena, or a dance,” says Sammy. “It’s also a fantastic challenge: we’re all learning, all the time. We just want to see if it works.”

Well, they can take it from me it’s a complete success.

With the ETC’s wonderful perfectionist attention to detail Constellations is turned into something akin to a work of art: it brings out those tiny inconsequential moments in relationships, like a sneaking

glance or a nervous laugh instantly regretted, and pushes them to the fore until you begin to see something of yourself in the characters on stage.

Verdict

Being part of this journey and getting swept along its magic is something which I recommend everyone to do.

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

OXSTU’S MEMORABLE LINES

The Hows and Whys of Directing Theatre at Oxford

Clio Takas Stage Editor

Henry Lukakis

William Shakespeare, ‘Othello’, Act III, Sc. IV

They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; They eat us hungerly, and when they are full They belch us.

-Emilia Image: William Mulready

Matt Ward

Oscar Wilde, ‘The Importance Of Being Ernest’

I never travel without my diary.

One should always have something sensational to read in the train.

-Gwendolen Image: Public Domain

Annie Hayter

Dylan Thomas, ‘Under Milk Wood’

And before you let the sun in, Mind he wipes his shoes -Mrs OgmorePritchard Image: Gianpiero Atcis

Clio Takas

Tennessee Williams,

I didn’t go to the moon, I went much further for time is the longest distance between two places -Tom Image: Orlando Fernandez

Feature

The role of director is generally seen as a difficult role to take on.

It’s true that putting on a play and coming up with a vision is definitely a big deal. But the good thing about Oxford is that here, directing is not this unattainable position which requires years of pre-university experience. Here, putting on a play is something anyone passionate enough is given the chance to do.

“

Putting on a play is something which anyone passionate enough is given the chance to do.

When I first came to Oxford, I was very keen to act. But the endless auditions and callbacks in which you’re beat out by the already-established BNOCs that seem to be in all the plays can be very draining, time consuming and disheartening.

Freshers, I know how you feel right now, but more often than not, you’ll get your break even if you’re not among the lucky few who’ve already bagged Playhouse roles. But honestly, come Trinity when I got my first leading role in first year, I found I didn’t enjoy it half as much as actually taking the reins for the first time ever and directing, like I had done in Hilary term.

By directing you’re so free in

whatever you do – instead of wishing a certain playwright would be put on more frequently or instead of wishing someone would pick you to be in their production, you put on that play you love, you make the decisions, you get to choose to work with amazing people and allow your creativity to run wild.

And I’m not the only one that seems to see the perks in directing over acting – James Watt, director of Hamlet and A Doll’s House at the O’Reilly spoke to me about how he used to act in school but since having come to Oxford, took to direction instead: “Acting was incredibly fun at school, but I think I was always more fascinated by the view you get from the director’s chair: the conversations and breakthroughs in the rehearsal room; the way music, light, or design can interact with the performance of a play; and the wider perspective you get to observe the relationship between scenes and moments across a whole work. It’s so rewarding to then watch the final production, seeing how the collaborative work so many people comes together and affects an audience.”

Thanks to his time directing at Oxford and taking his shows up to the Fringe, James feels ready to apply for professional Assistant Director positions after his finals – something he could have never imagined doing having never directed before his degree.

Obviously, I’m

“

not

saying

Actors shouldn’t think that acting is necessarily all that they can do everyone should abandon acting and start directing of course – but actors, don’t think that acting is necessarily all you can do.

And for those with no practical experience of theatre– never fear. Oliver Dunlop, assistant director to professional director Iqbal Khan in The Changing of the Guard, and director and writer of Pussyfooting, describes direction as “one huge puzzle of creative people that the director needs to work out and piece together”. Most people, including him, tend to “fall into it by accident” and yet, now do it frequently with a passion.

The thing that both these student directors, with plenty of great projects under their belts wanted to stress more than anything in their interviews however, was that they are still learning. No one starts off with all the answers – you don’t have to be an uber confident knowit-all in order to get ahead in directing. As James explains, taking on a role requiring as much authority as that of the director, is one of the hardest things about student direction: “It’s sometimes difficult to reconcile the role that the director plays in the rehearsal

Stage

25

room with the fact that all student directors are working things out and learning as we go. I feel acutely aware of the expectations placed upon a director: it’s hard to be an authoritative or confident voice when you’re still trying to untangle and establish how you work as a director.”

Oliver Dunlop’s Director’s tips: People don’t seem to know that you can, no matter what year you are in, walk up to your college Arts rep and propose you put on a play. You don’t even have to necessarily bid for a theatre like the O’Reilly if you’re intimidated by that process, want to try something new (or have missed the deadline); I put on David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago down my college bar because most of the play takes place in a bar anyway.

You can do anything – just find a play you love and take the initiative.

1. “Work with people – having at least one or two people you really trust and from day one is key”.

Indeed, co-directing for your first play is a great idea, and always have an assistant director- it’s so important to have a second opinion, a partner who shares your enthusiasm (but also the hours of rehearsals) 2. “Don’t just cast parts, cast an ensemble – you need people who are open, have a sense of humour and above all, people who can work well together – people who will make the experience fun.” No divas, please.

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Fashion 26

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Officewear Photographer: Valentina Pegolo Models: Tom Wood & Melody Hoay Concept: Xuemei Zhang Styling: Alice Townson

Fashion 27

Fashion 28

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Fashion

What is the intern dress code?

Formal dressing Alice Townson Fashion Editor

This week we decided to take a look at formal dressing, both in the workplace and for balls.

When you’re a student and so used to turning up to lectures in the fail-safe ensemble of jeans and a jumper, it can be a little daunting to start thinking about dressing for internship interviews. We have tried to offer some easy options that can refresh the black trousers and white shirt combination.

Sherry Chen takes a look at why intern dress codes in the workplace might be old news and recent controversies in Missouri. Controversy spilt over into Alexandra Murray Luo’s article about Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic tuxedo Le Smoking and its outrageous

impact in the 60s and 70s that continues today. Finally, Ameila Chan and Lisa Haseldine tackle the nagging worry induced by ball ticket sales by giving us their edit on their favourite ball ideas.

In the shoot this week we put our beautiful model Melody in a traditional Austin Reed suit and then contrasted this with some floral culottes and metallic heels to show that formal doesn’t always mean boring.

We also took some inspiration from Vivienne Westwood’s Men Autumn/Winter 2013 collection but toned it down by putting our model Tom in a checked Topman suit and added some edge with some chunky Dr Martens loafers.

Hopefully we’ve given you a bit of inspiration and shown that formal dressing doesn’t have to be difficult or boring.

Internwear hacks Alice Townson Fashion Editor

Is the prospect of cobbling together a rehash of subfusc for your internship interviews getting you down?

Check out these officewear hacks that help you avoid looking like you’re wearing your old school trousers from the back of the wardrobe..

1

The trouser suit is having a renaissance - Long gone are the days when the pantsuit was the penchant of headteachers and receptionists, but you’ve got to know how to play it right.

Full-length navy or black can be a little sombre. Some people find it difficult to stray away from these colours when trying to dress “smartly”, but going for a patterned ensemble in dark, muted colours can break you in gently. Alternatively, for the more daring, you can still look super smart in a nicely cut suit with a great big splash of colour. Try Zara for some William Morris-inspired printed goodness or Topshop for some houndstooth and marl grey.

2

Brogues look good with everything – they’ll put the finishing touch to the powerful vibe you’ve created with your killer trouser suit, they’ll add a bit of an edge to a smart skirt and blouse ensemble. Brogues can also be worn with jeans when you’re back in the comfort of lecture halls and the library.

Both Marks & Spencer and Clarks stock well-made brogues.

Your feet will also thank you for blessing them with flats.

3

All you need is a jumpsuit – Magazines always claim that

dresses are one-stop outfit creators; the same applies to jumpsuits. Obviously, it is probably to best to steer clear from boiler suits and disco diva unitards, but a good jumpsuit can achieve an effect very similar to that of a suit – practical and fuss-free. Snap up a great black one with a d-ring belt cheaply in the Topshop sale.

4

Make up can make a real difference – Travelling in th city during the summer months does not facilitate the maintenance of a hairstyle; frizz, flyaways, a light sweat. A solution is, what Vogue terms the ‘new topknot’ , where hair is tied loosely in a bun at the top of your head. Accessories such as a statement haircut or intricate earrings, or incorporating clips or hairtwists, using gel to create a slicked back look could make a statement through a quick and simple hairstyle. Also the perils of the summer heat only serve to enhance this look, with frizz and a sheen of sweat adding to the topknot aesthetic.

If you want more inspiration check out elleuk.com to see the What Elle Wears feature - the editors and interns are streetstyled each week in their best officewear.

Sherry Chen Fashion Editor

It is the time of the year when you start getting emails like, “a huge range of exciting internship opportunities will be made available for application”, “as an intern you will gain fascinating insights into this field”, or “you will have the chance of working with the company directors and getting first-hand workplace experience”. But to get offered an internship you need to firstly submit an impressive CV, write up an eloquent cover letter, and provide a few glowing letters of reference. After sending out 100 emails, acing 50 interviews, and receiving 49 rejections over two months, you finally get an offer.

And then here comes the tricky part; what should you wear in the workplace? What is considered appropriate workwear as an intern?

It is a matter of fact that many students do find summer internships hard to dress for. There are numerous articles about the dos and don’ts of the ‘intern wardrobe’ on the Internet, which warn you to steer clear of super-casual stuff, carefully mix and match, or always overdress if in doubt.

But should I really spend so much money and time figuring out the mysterious ‘intern dress code’ when I am poorly paid, if at all? Some say it matters a great deal and potentially influences your future career path, since your workwear can sometimes speak for your working attitude, which in turn might be reflected in a reference letter at the end of your internship. However others add this ‘intern dress code’ to the long list of evidence of the exploitative na-

the purpose of ‘removing distraction’ and avoiding further misbehaviors, but the idea was criticized and eventually rejected for inferring that the problem lay with the interns, particularly women.

What, then, defines the “appropriateness” of intern workwear? And who has the power to make such a decision? I began this discussion thinking that dressing appropriately as an intern was for purely professional purposes, but as it turns out, the more difficult question is not what to wear, but why.

The word “intern” first emerged at the turning of the 20th century, and its social expectations and regulations have undergone great changes during the past century.

Is there a dress code for interns?

Yes, although most of the time, it really depends on the field or the company’s workplace culture (and your own understanding thereof ). Should there be a dress code for interns? Perhaps not, but even Facebook and Google’s ultra-modern approach to office wear is a dress code in itself.

Image: Samuel Mann

Street style: 2nd week’s best dressed

Name Nafsika

Image: Maegan Tintari

ture of internships in general; it is unfair, unethical, un-everything.

We often see stories featuring big businesses with incredibly casual offices, most famously Google and Facebook, who were some of the first companies to adopt the ‘laid-back corporate culture’ emphasizing creativity and individual achievements that add to the team’s overall success. In the face of the long tradition of an office dress code, they turned the table and redefined individuality in the workplace. In their pursuit of looking cool and geeky, professional has become the new boring.

But there are also workplaces that approach the idea of “intern dress code” from a completely different perspective. In August 2015, a piece of news about “Missouri lawmakers propose an intern dress code to stop colleagues from harassing students” hit the headlines of various media platforms in the US. After two lawmakers resigned over allegations of sexually inappropriate conduct toward interns, the Missouri legislature appealed to a ‘conservative’ dress code with

We spotted Nafsika in her awesome cape walking up High Street but had to chase into Radcliffe Square. She told us that she sourced it in a vintage shop in York and given it a bit of TLC. She found her boots in TK Maxx and said that she hadn’t been streetstyled since she was in New York.

Name Olivia We were so jealous when we saw Olivia on Cornmarket Street wearing this amazing faux fur coat. She said that everyone in her family had clubbed together to buy her it from London brand Shrimps for Christmas. Her jeans are from Topshop and the shoes are Converse.

Name Daisy Daisy’s bright yellow bag caught our eye as she was walking down Ship Street. We love the way she has paired a summer colour with a fur coat. She bought both her bag and her coat secondhand from Portobello Market (her “favourite place”) and her black leather-look trousers are from ASOS.

Fashion 29

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Always Smoking: YSL and the first tuxedo for women Alexandra Murray Luo Deputy Fashion Editor

“He strains too hard to convince the world he is hand-and-hand and eye-to-eye with the very young” wrote Gloria Emerson of the New York Times in a biting critique of Yves Saint Laurent’s “Pop Art” collection of 1966. The pop art Warhol dresses, called “lumpy” at the time, are now fully recognised as an iconic fusion of art and fashion. However the most significant piece of the collection, more social statement than fashion statement, had to be Le Smoking the first tuxedo for women. It consisted of a classic dinner jacket worn with straight leg trousers and a ruffled white shirt, black bow tie and a wide satin cummerbund.

Inspired by a gentleman’s smoking jacket, with a deliciously androgynous sexuality smouldering beneath the clean angular cut, it wasn’t long until the louche silhouette of Le Smoking was elevated to epochal status through the genius photography of Helmut Newton. Shot in a hazy Paris alleyway, an angular model with slicked back hair in a masculine

stance is entwined with a model wearing nothing but a pair of simple black stilettos. Newton always had the power to imbue his subjects with potent sexuality yet stark simplicity and this was no different.

The rise of Le Smoking occurred during the secondwave feminism of the 1960’s, encouraged by developments like the availability of the contraceptive pill. However, even in these times of a supposed advancement of women’s rights, women wearing trousers in public was considered completely crass and scandalous.

Even into the 1970s, most upmarket restaurants or hotels did not give entrance to women wearing trousers. Nan Kempner, socialite and long time patron of YSL, was famously denied entry to Le Côte Basque in New York whilst wearing her YSL tuxedo suit, following the guidelines set by Le Côte’s manager declaring “Pants…do not belong in a restaurant any more than swimming suits”. Nan’s legendary response of taking off the trousers and waltzing into the restaurant wearing the jacket as a mini dress instead was a prime

example of this new generation of feminine style and sexuality standing defiant in the face of archaic protocols. Le Smoking presented feminine sexuality in a revolutionary way, not relying on exposed skin or corseted waists, instead expressing virility through the dashing cut of a suit.

It wasn’t long until members of Saint Laurent’s posse of it girls and film stars, such as Catherine Deneuve, Liza Minnelli, Lauren Bacall and Bianca Jagger, took to this daring new silhouette, acting as ambassadors for this new expression of gender fluid femininity. A white YSL trouser suit became the signature style for Jagger, who famously wore an YSL cream tuxedo jacket with nothing underneath for her wedding to Mick Jagger in 1971.

She recalled in 2008, following Saint Laurent’s passing, “this was a radical change for professional women, who could wear a practical suit which also looked elegant”. Catherine Deneuve similarly said in 2005 in homage to Le Smoking, “it really does make you feel different as a woman, it changes the gestures”.

By borrowing style from the boys, Saint Laurent had blurred the

lines between genders, allowing women, at least in terms of appearance, to imbue themselves with macho power in both professional and social circles.

A 2005 retrospect exhibition of Le Smoking summarised in a press release “a man’s article of clothing thus became the symbol of female emancipation”.

Ironically, Saint Laurent achieved the exact effects Gloria Emerson had blasted him for in 1966. He was indeed “eye to eye with the very young”, creating styles that flouted the rulebook, designing for a future generation of strong vibrant women who didn’t need to define themselves by gender stereotypes. Le Smoking has had an enduring appeal and has been constantly reinvented because it represents an attitude rather than a fashion trend. To end on the words of Yves Saint Laurent himself on his seminal creation; “for a woman, Le Smoking is an indispensable garment with which she finds herself continually in fashion, because it is about style, not fashion. Fashions come and go, but style is forever.”

Image: Wesley Vieira Fonseca

Ball fashion: getting ready for Teddy Hall’s Camelot Amelia Chan & Lisa Haseldine Staff Writers

It is second week of Hilary, ball ticket sales are underway, and the quest for the perfect ball outfit has begun. Yet how does one best rock a medieval theme? With all the options out there, cracking the dress code can be an even bigger challenge than choosing which ball to go to, so where does one begin?

First things first, it is important to be prepared for all eventualities.

Ball committees can be frustratingly tight-lipped when it comes to revealing information about the events. Not knowing if your outfit will need to withstand a cèilidh or even a roller disco (if Teddy Hall asks, you didn’t hear it from us…) may leave you feeling like you’re dressing in the dark. When in doubt, it’s best to prepare for the worst: make sure you’re outfit allows you to cut shapes on the dance floor, and keep a jacket or umbrella close to hand – Oxford summer weather likes to keep us on our toes. Not to spoil your Queen Guinevere moment, but on the subject of the Great British Summer, the likely event of muddy ground does not bode well for a floorlength number with a train.

As for footwear, although they seem pretty now, you’ll probably regret those skyscraper heels five hours in, and grassy college quads and cobblestones can be lethal to teetering stilettos.

To avoid a torturous night – or even a sprained ankle – bring a spare pair of flats. Word to the wise: factor in a bag; trust us

when we say that your friend will not be happy when you ask to squeeze your phone/lipstick/ take-away snack from the food stand into her tiny clutch.

So now the practicalities are out of the way, the real tough choices can begin. Giving in to temptation and splurging on multiple ball tickets may require scrimping on the dress front, but it can be tricky to rework a dress to ball themes that range from Surrealism and New Orleans to Panopticon and Interstellar.

The secret, dear readers, lies in the accessories. Take Teddy Hall’s Camelot: for those of us not brave enough to go full-out Lady of the Lake, hair garlands or crowns, which are all over the high street right now, can effectively (and inexpensively) nod at the Arthurian look.

For those prepared to spill into their overdraft, brands such as Needle and Thread or Free People offer occasion dresses that put a modern spin on the ethereal, medieval look.

Alternatively, to avoid the risk of bumping into your ASOS doppelganger and a ‘who wore it better?’ nightmare, vintage might be a savvy solution. Check out Ballroom Emporium’s gorgeous selection of gowns or hunt for a bargain at Oxford’s Affordable Vintage Fair (12th March).

With all this said, choosing what you wear is just one part of ball experience. The most important thing is to enjoy yourself, so make sure your fashion choices aren’t at the expense of comfort. However, keep our tips in mind and you’re bound to be Queen of the ball.

Image: ASOS

Image: ASOS

Image: ASOS

Image: ASOS

Image: ASOS

Image: ASOS

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

What’s on 31

Pick of the Week

Pick of the Week Constellations

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC

2nd-3rd week 29th - 5th Jan/Feb

29 Sat 30 Sun 31 Mon 1 Tue 2 Wed 3 Thu 4 F ri 5 th

Fri th

Christ Church College 4th February, 5:30pm

Keble O’Reilly 3rd-6th January, 7.30pm, £8

A talk followed by a question and answer session with the Barrister and Labour Peer hosted by the Oxford Human Rights Society.

Drinks reception afterwards.

‘Constellations’ by Nick Payne. ‘One relationship. Infinite possibilities.’ It’s the first ever student production of this fantastic play!

theatre RENT Set in New York, early 1990s. Be prepared for laughter and crying The Oxford Playhouse, 7.30pm

Oxford Forum Cocktails Unlimited supply of cocktails for £6 from one of the newest political discussion groups. ChristChurch JCR, 8.30pm.

RENT Afterparty Following RENT, afterparty at Plush, themed 80s and 90s.

Jon Ronson ‘So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed’ In association with The Oxford Union, at Blackwell’s bookshop, 5-6pm, £2.

nd

rd

th

th

going out

music

misc.

LIVEFRIDAY: HEROES AND VILLAINS Special late night at the Ashmolean with Oxford Comic Con (OxCon).710.30pm, £5/£7

Simple pres. DENSE & PIKA Electronic production/ artist/DJ duo. 11pm, The Bullingdon

PANEL DISCUSSION ISIS and the Syrian War Saturday 30th January, 5.15pm, Blue Boar Lecture Theatre, Christ Church.

st

st

speakers

Belinda E. S. ‘Hope for a tree’ Concert A concert of original songs that talk about moments in life. The Sheldonian Theatre, 7pm

TIMON: Shakespeare in Song.

Vocal settings of Shakespeare at Pembroke Chapel, 8pm

Dreaming Squires Saturday 30th January, Lineup includes Fighting Evil is Cool! and London’s Ghouls. The Cellar, 6:30pm Tickets £7/£9

Oxford Revue Spring Show 2016: Heavy Petting BT Studio 2nd-6th February, 9.30pm Disco Ma Non Troppo vol. 1 Wednesday 3rd February, The Cellar10pm. Tickets £3/£5

Constellations

by Nick Payne. One relationship. Infinite possibilities. 3-6th Feb, Keble O’Reilly, 7.30pm

THARK Classic 1920s farce by Ben Travers. 3-6th Feb, 7.30pm. Michael Pilch Studio.

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC Speaking and answering questions on 4th February, Christ Church, 5.30pm

FABRICATION Swapshop and upcycle workshop. Bring clothes, take clothes. Oxford Hub, 6-8pm.

Disco Stu’s Family Affair The Plush Lounge, 10pm Tickets £5/£6

This House Would Sacrifice Trade with China in Protest of Human Rights Abuses Featuring Lobsang Sangay, The Union, 8pm.

HSH HSHPrince PrinceHansHansAdam AdamIIII Reigning Prince of The reigning Prince Liechtenstein withhas a a of Liechtenstein personal fortune fortune of $7.6bn.ofThe $7.6bn.

Oxford OxfordThe Union, 8pm.

Union, 8pm

JazzSoc: Alex Bone Quartet JazzSoc hosts the Alex Bone Quartet at their regular haunt, The Mad Hatter, 8.30pm

Andy Warhol, Works from the Hall Art Collection.

Ashmoleon Museum, students free.

Organised fun with Max Graef & Damiano von Erckert 10.30pm, The Bullingdon, £8-£12

The Oxford Student | Friday 15th January 2016

OxStuff

OxStuff

Screaming Spires

VIOLENCE IN THE LIBRARY...

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Oxford first lured me in with its beautiful, ancient buildings.

Its libraries oozed serenity, preserving timeless beauty and majesty like a living museum. Little did I know how different the reality would be...

PARADISE LOST

Dan Haynes wants to endure his essay crisis in comforting peace...

It’s actually more like bloody pandemonium.

Maybe your college library is different, but mine is JCR 2.0. Freshers shout across tables like its Bridge and they can’t hear each other.

Second-years strut about and find someone to boast to about how they’re “way behind on work mate lol”.

Welcome to the Jungle.

A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING OXFORD And don’t even mention the Bodleian. The RadCam is the go-to haunt for two types of people. First, it’s the workaholics who dress to impress. It’s not real academia unless you’re

reading the Tudor History in a three-piece suit, right?

Then there’s the people who need somewhere to congregate during Cellar’s closing hours. You know, the ones shining their Doc Martens in the sun on their every-ten-minutes rolliesbreak. In the words of the immortal Christopher Hill: the sort of people busy writing Marxist criticism without ever taking the effort to read the Manifesto.

FOR WHOM T H E B E LL T O LL S The main Bodleian Library is the pinnacle of ancient tradition. It houses the wartime Royalist House of Lords, the beautiful Duke Humphreys library, and a hundred crusty Classics students. But the illusion of tranquility is broken by the F UCKING CLOSING BELLS AT 5PM. It’s one of those rare traditions that actually needs to go. Please, it’s bad enough moving libraries to conclude the essay crisis without a sonic reminder of how much closer I’m getting to death.

An Introduction to Anal Sex Anal sex has grown in popularity over the last few decades, in part due to increase of anal scenes in mainstream pornography. However, it can still be considered taboo, especially for girls, as Charlotte from Sex and the City says ‘I don’t want to be the up-the-butt girl.’ Yet, there is something to be said for anal and I’m going to say it with a short beginners’ guide to the essentials.

First of all, it is vital to feel comfortable and trust your partner. Talk about having anal sex, especially if you have any worries, voice everything even if you think it is something small or obvious. This goes for anything sexual but do not do anal because you feel any kind of pressure, it’s your body.

Also, if you want to have anal sex that does not reflect on your character or personality, it does not make you a slut or any other stupid word that

judgemental p e o p l e might use.

I cannot stress this next point e n o u g h , LUBE IS ESSENTIAL. By lube I do not mean Vaseline or baby oil, these may work for some people but I would personally strongly advise against them, not only are the bad lubes but they can also mess things up. Anal lube can be expensive but it is well worth it. Also, read the reviews, they are absolutely hilarious, some great innuendos involving ‘back doors’ etcera. Whilst you’re having a look at reviews, also check out the male hair removal cream reviews, they are both painful and funny. The Pjur brand is very good, very silky and is very long-lasting.

It may be tempting to go for

something wrong, do not continue through pain.

Foreplay is also crucial, especially if you’re slightly nervous, an orgasm always loosens you up! Although, again if you are really nervous or feel pressure, stop and talk about it and only continue if you feel safe. Prep your arse with foreplay as well, fingers or mouth, circling around the entrance applying light pressure is a good place to start.

Try to relax your sphincter. As with everything involving anal, go slow at first and only take more of your partner when you feel comfortable. Apply lube liberally at every stage.

OXSTU LOOKALIKES

OLD HABITS DIE HARD Sometimes Oxford brings out the worst of people’s habits. Maybe it’s the person who sniffs every two minutes. Or maybe it’s the nose-picker who thinks he’s being sneaky. But it’s probably the one who, every so often, lets out an exasperated sigh to remind us all how tough things are.

MUSICAL CHAIRS But by far, the worst offenders are the ones whose music is annoyingly present. No matter where you sit, there’s guaranteed to be some obnoxiously loud techno within earshot.

If we wanted to hear it, we’d have brought our own speakers, you dick. Enjoy your future deafness.

JACOB REES-MOGG

We in Oxford are currently blessed by the presence of a very eminent alumnus.

The illustrious Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, last seen roaming the streets of Oxford in the early 1990s, has resurfaced amid the dreaming spires, Daily Telegraph and hip-flask of port in hand.

Given his recent inauguration as their Honorary President, the membership of OUCA must feel like children reunited with their long-lost father.

TOO RARE GROW NOW MY VISITS HERE I’m resolved to work at home from now on. The library makes me want to die-brary.

Cliterary Theory something numbing but if anal sex is hurting t h e n there is

32

LOUIE BROCKBANK

Position wise, I suggest spoons, it is very intimate and you can be close to your partner and communicate a lot more easily than in doggystyle for example, especially if you’re having sex in a college room and don’t want the entire floor to hear about what you’re thinking. Though, feel free to tell everyone if that floats your boat!

Go slowly and gradually, half an inch by half an inch if necessary. No rapid-fire movements. Also, most of the nerves are around the entrance so shallower movements are more pleasurable. Additional stimulation, e.g. nipple. clitoris, is also a good idea for both pleasure and relaxation.

Hygiene tip- make sure you keep track of what fingers/ general bodily parts have been where. Putting fingers in an arse and then a vagina will almost certainly lead to a very painful UTI (urinary tract infection)!

Finally, have fun, anal sex can be incredibly pleasurable, you just need to find what works for you!!

Mr Rees-Mogg is not to be confused with his undergraduate doppelgänger, Louie Brockbank, though they share more than their luscious Alistair Darling-esque eyebrows and salacious smiles - Louie is staking his claim as the ‘sound’-est (pron. ‘siynd’) member of Mr Rees-Mogg’s beloved OUCA. Louie’s matched JRM’s style, no doubt - but the big question is, can he equal his political chops?

GOT A LOOKALIKE?

email us at: oxstu.editor@gmail.com

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

OxStuff

Flashback Friday

Excrement accident stinks out St Hugh’s A substantial amount of excrement was found on the floor of St Hugh’s laundry room on Monday morning.

The excrement had also been smeared over the inside of a tumble-drier, where it had dried and stuck to the drum.

The excrement had also been smeared over the inside of a tumble-drier John Wordsworth, a second year Medic at St Hugh’s, found the mess on Monday, two days after it was made.

Wordsworth said: “I had the inauspicious honour of finding the poo. I just went in on a Monday morning to do my laundry and thought the room smelled a bit off. I

found excrement in front of the drier and also smeared on the inside.”

Wordsworth added that the smell was quite potent.

“I’ve worked in a hospital before and know that it was undoubtedly human faeces so I took my laundry and legged it as quickly as I could.”

It is thought that the incident was the outcome of a drunken accident that took place on Saturday night, after the college bop.

The mess was cleaned out on Monday morning by a scout, who was then given the rest of the day off.

The accomodation and Facilities manager at St Hugh’s College, Charles White said: “Unfortunately a member of staff was obliged to clean up after the incident, but was thereby given the day off. The incident was presumably caused by an

17th May 2007

individual who was either ill or extremely immature.”

Laura Hutchinson, a second year studying History, said: “I think it’s disgusting, I don’t think it is funny at all. I could have dried my clothes in there. It is very irresponsible and immature. I hope they catch the person who did it.”

It is beleived that the students have a general suspicion as to who the offender is but refuse to act on these suspicions. Several students have, however, confirmed that the offender is male.

Ajay Ahluwalia, a first year lawyer who lives above the laundry room said: “If the College authorities were to find out, they would probably suspend him.”

JJ Powell, a French and Spanish first year, said: “I think it’s hysterical but I feel sorry for the girl who put

her whitewash in afterwards.

But at least all of her clothes match now. You see a bit of everything in Oxford, but when it comes to poo in a washing machine I am shocked.”

The College, however, is not as amused and has started an investigation to find out if sutdents really do know who the offender is. They had no further comment on the issue.

The JCR Vice President Andrew Hearn, a second year PPEist said: “The College was very disgusted, as were all the students. I can’t imagine the consequences if it were to happen again but I do hope it’s a one-off thing. I don’t think there will be any penalties as long as it doesn’t happen again.”

If Corbyn were your boyfriend... were your If JEZZA boyfriend, you’d have picked him mostly for the

banter (sik) and the beard (phwoar).

But he’d surprise you with his hidden depths. He’d teach you how to be the sassiest muthafucka in Westminster, as long as you had the eyebrows for it. were your boyfriend, he’d be everyone else’s boyfriend as well, because it wouldn’t be fair for you to have a monopoly on our glorious leader’s sexual and romantic prowess. But the system would ensure that you’d get your fair share. were your boyfriend, you’d come home after a long, hard day at the office to find him reclining seductively on your bed with flowers woven into his beard and a copy of The Communist Manifesto between his teeth. ‘Paint me like one of your alienated petit-bourgeois females’, he’d say, fluttering his eyelashes and purring like a lion. were your boyfriend, you’d ride a tandem to work together, and then The Daily Telegraph would call you out for riding a ‘Pol Pot-style tandem bicycle’. But you wouldn’t care, because you’d know you looked on fleek. were your boyfriend, you’d come to love the colour beige.

Every year he’d knit you a woolly jumper in a subtly different shade of it, and you’d nuzzle up by the fire in it, resting your head on his silky beard. were your boyfriend, you’d keep your diet proletarian most of the time. But every once in a while you’d let it all hang out and have a cheese orgy. Jez would use his contacts at the Parliamentary Group for

If JEZZA

Sam Sykes “imagines” what it would be like if Jeremy Corbyn were his boyfriend

If JEZZA

If JEZZA

If JEZZA If JEZZA

Cheese to get you a smorgasbord of dairy delights, including the dankest Gruyere money can buy. It would be luxurious, and exploitative – but he’d find the guilt almost as delicious as the cheese itself. were your boyfriend, you’d get a pet robot, to avoid exploiting animals. But then you’d start to have qualms about the robot’s feelings, and his freedom, and you’d set him free into the wild, like a protective mother bear letting go of her kids. were your boyfriend, you’d check your privilege. Damn straight. You’d get a watch with a privilege hand tattooed on your wrist for ease of access. were your boyfriend, you’d learn to love the taste of dry baked potato and watery vegetable soup. After all, it’s better than the taste of CAPITALISM. were your boyfriend, you’d get jealous of his beard, and eventually you’d shave it off out of spite. And while it grew back his powers would be gone, and you’d feel terrible. were your boyfriend, you’d start spying on him to see if he was in fact a wizard. You’d never find out if he was, but the suspicion would always lurk at the back of your mind. were your boyfriend, he’d be really sweet when you started going out – he’d look you in the eye, he’d whisper sweet nothings, he’d listen attentively to what you had to say.

Then he’d give all the senior cabinet positions to men, and you’d break up, consigning him to a cascade of angry rebound sex with his mate John.

If JEZZA If JEZZA If JEZZA If JEZZA If JEZZA If JEZZA

Overheard in Oxford “Brainwashing is not

pleasant.”

“No one is getting killed for this debate. I don’t want that on my CV.”

“Shit is fucked for some people and that’s how it is.”

A: “They will find you and kill you.”

B: “That’s not too bad.”

“We’ve tweeted the Saudi Embassy without capitalizing Saudi or Arabia.”

A: “He’s got a good life.”

B: “You don’t know me.”

A: “Peter’s has a sort of composite charm.”

B: “Hmmmm, shit charm.”

Yak of the week “CHAT SHIT and get surprisingly good essay results.”

33

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Features 35

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Travel

My Face to Face Encounter with American Gun Violence Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe Features Editor

Shrouded in the bleak darkness of winter, on January 1st 2015, an armed gunmen snuck into premise of the UNC Wellness Gym Centre in the affluent suburban haven of Cary, North Carolina. Like many others that evening, I was simply squeezing in an intense workout, in an attempt to burn off my New Years Eve indulgences and was blissfully unaware of the dangers skulking beneath our noses.

After all, we had no reason to be apprehensive. 1st January marked the close of a season of exuberant festivities, mouth watering food and warm crackling fires.

Meanwhile, Cary’s relatively low crime rate has resulted in the town being dubbed ‘The Safest Town in America’, a title which the region proudly and perhaps naively clings onto.

“

America’s addiction to guns is potentially one that has no cure Yet, 30 minutes into my workout, we were suddenly being ushered into the ladies changing rooms by a wide eyed and slightly shaken team leader with no further explanation then her singular statement of ‘There is a gunman in the building’.

Around 50 of us were sat crosslegged, sweaty and fidgety in the cramped room. Some nervously made jokes, a small boy, no older than 9 or 10 seemed almost excited, maybe for him it seemed like something out of an action or suspense film, others like my mother and younger sister were silent. My mother, father and younger siblings had only moved to America 5 months ago and yet here we were face to face with the sheer indiscriminate brutality of American gun crime. After three agonising hours, the police and the SWAT Team managed to infiltrate the building and find the perpetrator, who was armed with a AR-15 rifle, and subdue him with a taser gun.

Eventually, myself and the 100 or so members of the public and staff were evacuated to safety at a nearby nursery and were comforted with drinks and cookies by the understanding and extremely efficient staff.

When retelling the series of

events to my British friends, my story makes for a shocking, and dare I say, gripping antidote, yet for many Americans such an encounter is common. The events of 1st January 2015, featured on a short news segment on the local TV station but barely caught the attention of the broader state TV and news outlets and didn’t even stand a chance on the national stage. The fact of the matter is that my ‘encounter’ was actually a near miss and therefore un-newsworthy. A surplus of questions encircled my mind after the affair: ‘what would motivate someone to walk into a gym with a loaded weapon?’, ‘what if he wasn’t spotted by an observant and shrewd member of staff ?’

But the overwhelming question that lingered in my mind was the following: ‘How many near misses, close calls and individual localised shooting incidents such as mine occur every day within America, that don’t make it to the international or even national media stage?’ Ultimately, when the British public, politicians and media pour scorn, criticism and condemnation upon the American Second Amendment, NRA (National Rifle Association) and mass shootings, the truth is we don’t really know the half it.

The Second Amendment, established in December 1791 as one of the 10 Amendments of The Bill of Rights, outlines the right of the American public to keep, bear and most significantly use arms. Individual state and local laws vary massively. In Texas, for example, open carry (in a non threatening manner) is legal, whereas the state of New York constructed it’s own restrictive and controversial NY Safe Act in response to the Connecticut Sandy Hook Shooting in 2012.

Guns pulse through the heart of America and with a population of 318.9 million and estimated gun ownership at 310 million, it appears that there are almost as many guns as there are people. The cryptic and mystical power of NRA alongside the theatrical he-said she-said of American politics will never fail to simultaneously disgust and amuse me. But sliding this aside, for a moment, having now been an expat in the US for a year and a half, and encountered many a brash, proud and armed Southerner, I am beginning to gain a glimmer of understanding as to why America’s addiction to guns, is one that potentially has

Image: Tomy Webster

no cure.

“

There are many in America who feel as though they are under attack

From the broad, red faced man who slowly explained to me (as though I was a child unable to grasp a very simple concept) that possessing a gun ‘is simply what happens in the South’, to the seemingly sweet middle class woman whose gun I saw sneakily tucked away in her glossy Michael Kors handbag, talking to and engaging with ordinary people, it has become clear to me that, for many, possessing a weapon, with the ability to kill dozens en masse is simply a God given, legal and absolute right.

In the predominately white, educated and prosperous town of Cary, where the medium income is $110,609, it seems its middle class church -going citizens feel as though they have something valuable worth protecting and the only effective form of protection is a gun. However, it becomes a vicious circle as those who don’t possess a gun, do so at the risk of feeling vulnerable and exposed in the knowledge that many acquaintances and criminals alike are heavily armed. Subsequently, taking advantage of flimsy gun regulations, they buy a gun, feel instantly reassured and safe and thus the cycle continues. From my short time in America, it appears that the risk of guns falling into the wrong hands is a small price to pay for individual protection. Whilst many in Cary, would argue that mass shootings and gun crimes simply ‘don’t happen here’, there is an unsaid notion that even if guns do get into the wrong hands, there will be at least one law abiding armed citizen ready to protect himself and those around him as in the words of the NRA ‘the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun’. Indeed, after the incident in January, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my fellow gym goers went and hastily purchased a gun themselves.

In the words of Obama, America has simply become ‘numb’ to its own self destructive habit. But this is easily done.

During my brief five and a half weeks in America during the christmas vac, although I listened to the news, the horrific shootings and attacks around the country on a daily basis, even I found myself being less affected.

Suddenly individuals, became names, names were distorted into the generic title of ‘the victim’ and victims became numbers which were swallowed into the statistical and shameful black hole that is American gun crime.

Interestingly, the perpetrator on 1st January, had no connection to the gym, its members or staff and even to this day the motivations for his actions are cloaked in mystery. He was eventually charged with discharging a weapon onto occupied property and going armed to the terror of people. My experience was in one insignificant town in a relatively unknown state, and therefore I am hesitant to simplify a complex issue or to throw around mass generalisations and sweeping stereotypes of a people, a state and of a nation. Yet in my opinion, his actions and the minimal coverage it received, is reflective of a political elite

Image: St Louis Circuit Attorneys Office

unable to regulate gun ownership and a public desensitised and disengaged from the true horror of gun crime.

“

In the US there are almost as many guns as there are people

Now in the year 2016, the world we live in has become a more unstable and formidable place and certainly there are many Americans who feel as though they and their family are under attack, from political correctness, from ISIS and from liberals who wish to usurp their religion and their ‘rights’. This pervasive protectionism has led to the increasingly popular belief that the best defence to such an intrusive and immediate threat is, unfortunately, a gun. As long as this mentality persists, America’s gun laws will always remain lax whilst the number of guns in circulation, the number of needless deaths and the number of bloodthirsty mass murders will continue to increase in a uncontrollable manner that will haunt the nation for decades and generations to come.

Features

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Lifestyle

In defence of living out Jamie Russell

Deputy Features Editor

As the Hilary house hunting havoc gets underway, it’s hard to avoid the horror stories surrounding living out. Cold, damp rooms; insect infestations; and exploitative landlords are just a few things which you will be told about by cackling finalist who have returned to college.

While these pitfalls are out there, living out doesn’t have to be a miserable experience.

One of the most important factors determining how enjoyable living out will be is who you chose to live with.

Your closest friends may seem the obvious choice. This often isn’t the case though and you’re unlikely to remain the best of friends if you spend a whole year arguing. Think with your head rather than your heart; seek out people who share your attitudes regarding things like tidiness and the frequency of nights out; and be honest if you don’t want to live with someone (it’s less awkward

than them finding out later).

It’s best to arrange practicalities such as the payments of bills, a room ballot (if necessary), and household chores well in advance so that no one pleads ignorance

later on. Online tools such as Splitpay can make this far easier.

“

While landlords are widely demonised, most aren’t that bad

Once you know who you want to live with the next question is: where? There are places other than Cowley Road and its offshoots.

Really, there are. It is well worth looking out towards Iffley and Abingdon Road for better value, especially when looking for a large group (eight or nine people).

It may seem a trek to venture out this far but a five or ten minutes cycle to the city centre really is

Comment

Staff Writer

It’s unlikely in the current climate of viral online content that you’ve missed the arrival of the Lad Bible on your computer screens and Facebook feeds. Its success, since its launch in 2012 by entrepreneurs Arian Kalantari and Alex Solomou, has sky-rocketed, accumulating huge figures of traffic every day, and ranking as the 12th most popular website in the UK, placing above more reputable and established sites such as LinkedIn, PayPal and the Guardian (Alexa.com). The content provided on the site comes from the community, and additionally the site seeks to find those videos and articles just before they become viral. But the connotations attached to its name, the perpetuation of the “lad culture” already rife on our campuses, and sexism poorly veiled as “banter”, have supplied its critics with ample ammunition and have cast a lengthy shadow over its massive success. But on close inspection nowadays, three years after its founding, one finds the Lad Bible is now somewhat of a misnomer, with content drifting away from the dangerous and offensive territory on which it its foundations were first laid, and establishing itself as a credible

nothing, especially compared to the commute faced by those at some other universities.

Be sure to view houses in person, meet your landlord, and (where possible) find out what both are like from past tenants. Don’t be rushed into a decision, though; Oxford will not “run out” of good housing as quickly as letting agencies would have you believe, or at all for that matter. While landlords are widely demonised in the world of student letting, most aren’t so bad and want you to recommend them at the end of your tenancy as much as you want your deposit back. With this in mind it’s important to build a good relationship with them by keeping mess and breakages to

a minimum and paying the rent on time. With your obligations fulfilled don’t be afraid to politely remind your landlord of theirs either, such as carrying out necessary maintenance or letting you know in advance if anyone will be coming into the house.

Living out may be a bit of a minefield but it can be a lot of fun too and opens up a wealth of opportunities not available in college. While this will bring parties and BBQs to mind for many it can also mean cooking in a proper kitchen, feeling like a “real” adult for a few months, and (for me at least) a study/home divide which made the second year of my degree far more manageable than the first.

marketing director. Since her arrival, the content on the site had taken a sharp turn away from undermining women. In an interview with BBC Radio 5, she emphasised that the content of the site had to be current, smart and relevant. A look at the site now will show no traces of any of its questionable past endeavours, with their homepage listing the most popular posts from the day, none of which appear offensive.

As I browse the homepage I see, between the viral content of the day, an article praising Stephen Hawking’s lecture on depression nestled between adverts for the new PlayStation and Oxfam. Not only have they upped the quality and the intellectual ante of their content, but they are clearly gaining the gravitas necessary to attract big name brands in their advertising.

The Lad Bible, it seems, wants to be taken seriously as a site beyond its former limited marketing base as an outlet for young men, and has even binned its ‘Girls’ section to make way for broader content as part of its changed focus. The strategy has been effective - so effective that their rivals, click-bait factory Buzzfeed have taken note, remarking in a recent article that the Lad Bible has made £100,000 from viral advertising. All in all, this demonstrates a total change in ethos and in strategy. Perhaps, just perhaps, there’s a chance for the Lad Bible’s shift in direction to be reflected by other sites, such as UNILAD, and in lad culture in general. This, I fear, might be a change too far and the blight of lad culture will remain part of our university communities.

Image: Peter Riou

The Lad Bible – misogyny or a misnomer?

Leila Parsa

36

and reliable outlet for relevant and non-offensive online content for the young men who are, but not exclusively, its target demographic.

I see an article praising Stephen Hawking’s lecture on depression An NUS poll last year found that “75 percent of students are aware of online communities such as Unilad and the Lad Bible, with almost two thirds of female students agreeing that these contribute to an unfair representation of women.’ Indeed, with blatantly sexist initiatives such as “#CleavageThursday”and a section of the website simply entitled “Girls”, it’s hardly surprising that this has been the case. The name in itself raises immediate warning flags, with the suggestion that the content is tailored specifically towards men - more specifically, those who selfidentify as ‘lads’. It’s a cringeworthy and immature label that would be bad enough if lad culture didn’t have such a damaging effect on the social cohesion of our universities here in the UK. The comments section on most of these articles used to be an online text version

of Hieronymus Bosch” “Garden of Earthly Delights” - endless hellish cycles of “banter”, objectification and slut-shaming – a recurring theme which apparently remains funny no matter how many times the same “jokes” are recycled. The same offensive message of female inferiority is churned out ad nauseam. Despite the fact that the bulk of recurring sexism, kitchen jokes, and stereotyping of women in domestic roles was found in the comments, it was the site itself that had to clean up its act.

Enter Mimi Turner, the group’s

Image: Justin Henry

Features

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Food & Drink Spiralizing: swapping carbs with vegetables Anna Klaptocz Staff Writer

Broccoli Couscous, Courgetti, Carrot Pasta, Cauliflower Rice… are these new, indie bands playing at Cellar? Code names for rugby? No, these terms define the new fad for replacing heavy carb staples such as pasta and couscous… with vegetables.

Advanced notice: I also apologise for the overload of spiralizing puns in this article, terrible really.

How does one spiralize?

Spiralizing involves using a Spiralizer (surprise surprise) to divide vegetables up into spaghetti-like swirls.

The technique has been around for a while, being a common method used in raw food, vegan, gluten free and paleo diets (which involves eating raw, unrefined foods like our cavemen ancestors did). But suddenly, all the big names of cookery such as blogger Ella Woodward (Deliciously Ella) and chef Jamie Oliver are

latching on and telling us to chuck out that penne and move on to the greater good of carrots and cauliflower.

“

This is a health food that is actually accessible

Should I a-spiral to this?

It’s January, the post-Christmas time of diet books and gym memberships. As far as I’m concerned, the best New-Year’s Resolutions always come in a hidden form. So, by buying vegetables dressed up as spaghetti or rice, it’s possible to be healthy without realizing it. The more disguised that gym workout can be (i.e., taking the stairs instead of the lift), or the more effortlessly you can become more cultured (watching the BBC adaptation of War and Peace rather than reading the 1,225 page book) the less torturous the process is. Even

if you’re not planning a New Year’s detox, spiralizing gives you an excuse to eat some vegetables.

Let’s be honest, unless forced to in hall, it is easy to forget to eat that elusive five-a-day. No, the chilli in the sauce at Hassan’s really doesn’t count.

No doubt about it, spiralize vegetables could be your superfood in shining armour. A bowl of Courgetti contains a tiny 30 calories per portion, compared to standard pasta with 580 calories, plus packs in far more vitamins and minerals along the way. Also, it actually tastes good, with a comparable texture to pasta… you basically won’t realize you’re eating your childhood vegetable arch nemesis.

Is there a chance of a downwards spiral?

As with most food fads, there are some downsides. Perhaps most importantly, spiralized vegetables (in my opinion) lack the satisfaction of normal pasta.

Yes, Courgetti is only 30 calories a bowl, but the lack of carbs can simply lead to unhealthy eating habits. Maybe that was just my problem, but 30 minutes after my health craze of carrot spaghetti and tomato sauce, the magic was broken with four custard creams and Yazoo… in future, I’ll just keep some kale on hand to while away the hunger pangs…

I’ve been in-spiraled; how do I get involved?

Surprisingly, this is a health food that is actually accessible to the pitiful student budget, unlike those financially unreachable quinoa-granola-walnut-

37

Image: University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment

pomegranate salads that would deny you a mid-week night out in Park End. Tesco has it online.

M & S does it, too, for those who are feeling confident about the abilities of their student loan.

If you wish to DIY, vegetable Spiralizers are available via Amazon or Argos, although it is quite a large piece of kit to lug up every eight weeks. So really a

potato peeler will do. You’ll even get in a nice arm workout from it, too.

A useful list of recepies: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ melissaharrison/vegetablenoodle-recipes#.iuYNvLkr8q. For more information check: http:// inspiralized.com/2013/08/07/ zucchini-pasta.

Living-Out Kitchen Essentials Ox’s fast-food top 5 David Parton

Features Editor Whilst not strictly “food”, there does exist an incredible bond between the food we eat, how we prepare it and where we prepare it.

So whilst this may seem obvious, sometimes, when establishing a base to prepare food – more commonly known as a “kitchen”, or in less frivolous colleges “kitchenettes” or even worse: a “pantry” (whatever that is) – it can be easy to overlook the barebones of culinary equipment you will need to get you through. So I’ve provided a list for you. You can thank me later:

Can/Tin Opener

This is an essential. If you, like many students, rely on canned substances, such as tinned soup or baked beans, owning a device to open such tins can really make or break your meal.

Bread/Chopping Board

Okay, so when I came to university I had only ever referred to such device as a bread board, but to my amazement such terminology was not used by the entirety of the student populace. But despite such discrepancy of language usage, it’s quite obvious why you’d need it. I can’t emphasise enough its utility. Don’t take it for granted.

Basic Cutlery

Again, this is easy to overlook, and isn’t as obvious as you might think. Not only do you need a knife, fork and spoon; but more

than (probably) three (to be safe) of each. Moreover, similar amounts of teaspoons and also, a variety of sharper knives, from bread to chopping, are recommended. If you’re lucky enough to be blessed with a hob, utensils such as a spatula, cooking tongs, and wooden spoons are solid decisions. Maybe a masher and ladle too for good measure.

“

Everyone’s favourite bourgeois accessory

A Cafetiere

Everyone’s favourite bourgeois kitchen accessory. Whilst this won’t help you if you’re hungry, its provision of caffeine may provide you with alternative stimulation.

Needless to say: wash regularly.

This can be complimented superbly with a flask, to ensure the benefits of such an invention are spread throughout the day.

eat frozen food, like me and a large portion of the country, this is David Parton vital. Suitable for everything, from Features Editor frozen chips to burgers, pizzas to If fast-food wasn’t fast enough, pies. Easy to clean, store and use. we’ve made it even faster, by Mugs and Glasses reducing the number of outlets you You can never have enough. need to consider when deciding Someone will be using one of yours where to grab your quick culinary when you go to use one, so stock up. fix. You can thank me later.

Plates (of varying size) 1) Pret A Manger: For snacks to dinner, be prepared Whilst technically not “fast-food”, for every meal eventuality. You can’t it’s easy, convenient food in the eat it in the frying pan, and as above, centre of Oxford (two on the same bring plenty. You will need them! street!) with and without seating.

Colander Providing an array of lunchables Easy to forget, but forget it at your from sandwiches to soups, coffees peril. Who else is going to save to cakes, it’s food in a hurry your rice from their boiling bath? without necessarily feeling like it is.

Whilst I have most definitely 2) McDonald’s: missed something (we Features Everyone’s favourite... Need I Editors are human too), packing reason it’s place on the list? Grab this stuff will see you pretty far, as and go. And go and go. Enjoy. bare cooking utensils go. I can save 3) Itsu: appliances for another day (the joy!). I’d never been to Itsu before I came to Oxford, but I was pleas-

Wok/Saucepan/Frying Pan

Sometimes a wok and a frying pan can double up, but if you’re going “all-out” you might as well get one of each. Saucepans WITH LIDS and of varying sizes can be game-changers but at a bare minimum you should have at least one saucepan. If not, how else will you cook your pasta?

Baking/Cooking Trays

So this probably includes a special circular tray for pizzas, but if you

Image: mo1229

Image: Jason Brackins

antly surprised when I did.

Whilst not the cheapest... it’s often healthy (I hope) and provides tasty vegetarian options, which are often sidelined.

4) Mission Burrito: A real gem. Both outlets are snug, well-designed and efficient.

Whilst a decent-sized vegetable burrito could set you back £4 (at least), it’s high-quality food, and combined with the offer of free nachos for every niversity student customer, make it a destination you cannot miss.

5) Pieminister: Like most of these choices, whilst technically not “fast-food”, it’s quick and efficient, and not “too” expensive. Pieminister, tucked away in the centre of the covered market, provides both tasty food, with good vegetarian options and a nice, central location to sit down and tuck in. Check it out.

Sport

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

Oxford Sport

In brief...

Looking ahead to Snooker Cuppers The 2016 Snooker Cuppers is about to kick off, with the last 32 games having to be played

by Saturday of 3rd week. The top seeds enjoy first round byes to see them through to the last 16. Top seed Adam Smith, representing Wadham, awaits either Robert Strachan of Jesus or Callum Hopkins of LMH, both of whom would hope to cause an upset and make the quarter finals in the last week of term. James Palmer (2nd seed), Xiaochun Meng (3rd) and Alex Pappas (4th) are the other serious challengers hoping for relatively untroubled routes to the later rounds.

Oxford mountain bikers impress

At the Brass Monkey Winter mountain biking series (17th of January), Oxford University Cycling Club member Davenne Tamara came 5th out of 7 in the 2Hr female event, whilst Will Wheeler came an incredibly respectable 15th out of 52 in the men’s event.

Hammerings in JCR premier football Keble

4-1

Wadham

New

0-6

Worcester

Regent’s Park

1-3

SEH 2nds (reserve league)

Oxford Blues secure squash league title Oxford men travelled to Birmingham University, knowing that beating the Birmingham 2nds team (their closest league rivals) would secure them the title in only the 1st week of Hilary term.

A straightforward 17-4 victory followed, confirming the Blues as champions. Meanwhile, the women’s Blues won an equally clear victory over Birmingham 3rds, whilst back home in Oxford the Squirrels began 2016 with a resounding 5-0 win over the De Montfort University 1sts team, to cap a successful week for the university squash team.

Sport news to share?

Contact us at: sport@oxfordstudent.com

University sport mid-season roundup Adam Wills Staff Writer

As the university sport season passes its halfway mark, a roundup of Oxford’s prospects reveal occasionally mixed results but a great deal to be hopeful for.

Men’s Rugby Blues

League Position: N/A Record: P:14 W:7 D:0 L:7 Cup: N/A A review of the rugby team’s season so far can begin in only one place: The Varsity Match. In an extremely tight match at Twickenham, with 25,000 watching eagerly, Oxford deservedly edged out Cambridge 12-6, with four penalties from George Cullen securing Oxford their sixth straight Varsity win.

Other notable victories this season include a 41-5 victory over Croatia in Zagreb along with 50-0 and 53-0 wins over Major Stanley’s XV and London Scottish respectively.

Women’s Rugby Blues

League Position: 4th out of 6 Record: P:9 W:5 D:0 L:4 Cup: N/A This season has seen the first Women’s Varsity Match played at the hallowed turf of Twickenham, in which Cambridge were unfortunately triumphant in a 52-0 rout.

The Women’s Rugby Blues will be determined to get revenge next season. They currently sit 4th in the League on 14 points, in what has been a mixed league season. There have been some impressive victories, including a 45-5 win over the University of South Wales and a 17-0 victory over local rivals Oxford Brookes, but there have also been some heavy losses - a 117-0 defeat to Cardiff Metropolitan being particularly painful.

Record: P:7 W:3 D:0 L:4 Cup: Due to play Canterbury Christ Church in the Last 16 The Women’s Blues have also had a mixed season so far and currently sit mid-table in the Midlands Division with nine points. Notable victories include two resounding wins against Derby, with the Blues winning 6-0 and 5-0. A bye in the last 32 of the BUCS Trophy means they progressed to the last 16 and now have a difficult tie against Canterbury Christ Church, who are currently second in the South Eastern Division, having lost only one league game this season.

Captain’s Comment: “With a very new Blues team this year, we were headed for a steep learning curve this season. Having had our ups and downs, OUWAFC Blues finished Michaelmas with a resounding home win over Derby and now look set to attack Hilary in good form, with showcase matches including, Brookes Varsity, our annual Old Blues match and the allimportant Varsity, yet to come.”

Men’s Hockey Blues

League Position: 6th out of 6, 9th out of 12 Record: P:22 W:4 D:2 L:16 Cup: Not yet played The Men’s Hockey Blues have struggled so far this season and currently sit at the foot of the BUCS Premier South Division with just one league win – a 4-2 victory over Bristol. Things are going slightly better in the South League Premier Division 1, where the Blues are currently 9th, with three league victories to their name. Many of the losses have been close-run affairs, often with only one or two goals separating the two sides, so they will be hoping they can turn

things around in the second half of the season.

Women’s Hockey Blues

League Position: 5th out of 6, 8th out of 10 Record: P:19 W:4 D:4 L:11 Cup: Not yet played The Women’s Hockey Blues, much like the men, have had a difficult season so far, struggling in both the BUCS Premier South Division, where they sit one above bottom, and in the South Clubs Division 1, where they lie 8th out of 10. There have, nonetheless, been positives, the most obvious being a decisive 4-1 victory against Oxford Brookes. More such results will have to be waiting in the latter half of the season.

Men’s Badminton Blues

League Position: 4th out of 6 Record: P:8 W:3 D:1 L:4 Cup: Not yet played Currently sitting comfortably midtable in the BUCS Premier South Division, the Men’s Badminton Blues have had a mixed season.

There have been heavy 8-0 defeats to Bath, Southampton and Hertfordshire, and will be looking for a little more stability going forward.

Yet they have also had two convincing victories over Imperial College London, which they will be hoping to build on in this second half of the season.

Women’s Badminton Blues

League Position: 4th out of 6 Record: P:6 W:2 D:2 L:2 Cup: Due to play Surrey in the Last 32 The Women’s Badminton Blues have had a consistent season so far and, like their male counterparts, currently sit comfortably mid-table.

The highlight of the season so far

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Varsity

has been the two 8-0 whitewashes of Birmingham 2nds, whilst their other games have all been extremely tight affairs, including 4-4 draws with rivals Cambridge and with Loughborough 2nds. They will play Surrey in the last 32 of the cup – a difficult, but winnable fixture, which can hopefully be the start of a successful cup run.

Women’s Netball Blues

League Position: 6th out of 6 Record: P:8 W:2 D:0 L:6 Cup: Due to play Southampton in the Last 16 The Women’s Netball Blues have had a difficult time in the BUCS Midlands 1A Division, with just one league victory so far – a tightly contested 32-30 win against Loughborough 2nds. There is, however, better news in the cup.

The Blues convincingly beat Cardiff 2nds 38-17 to set up a tantalising, yet challenging, last 16 clash against Southampton, who are yet to lose a game this season in the BUCS Western 1A Division.

Men’s Rugby League Blues

League Position: 2nd out of 6 Record: P:8 W:4 D:1 L:3 Cup: Due to play York St John in the Last 32 The Men’s Rugby League Blues are enjoying a good season. They sit 2nd in the BUCS Midlands 1A Division and, whilst Nottingham look untouchable at the top, if the Blues continue their good form for the rest of the season they could well put some pressure on the league leaders. They will also be hoping for a lengthy cup run and are set to begin their campaign on the 10th of February, against a York St John side who have won three and lost six this season.

Men’s Football Blues

League Position: 4th out of 6 Record: P:14 W:4 D:4 L:6 Cup: Knocked out by Kent in the Last 32 It has been a difficult season so far for the Men’s Football Blues.

They currently sit mid-table in the league, level on points with Cambridge, but have suffered penalty heartbreak twice this season. Firstly, in a scintillating game against Kent in the BUCS Cup, which finished 4-4 after extra time, the Blues lost 5-4 on penalties. Secondly, in what was perhaps not such a thrilling match, the Blues lost 5-3 on penalties to Brookes, after the Brookes Varsity Match ended 0-0 after extra time. The Blues have, however, begun the second half of the season with a comfortable 5-2 victory over Hayes Youth and will be hoping that more success is to come.

Women’s Football Blues

League Position: 4th out of 6

Pitches like these are in the past for the women’s Varsity rugby match, as they now face the annual prospect of joining the men at Twickenham Image: Tom Garnett

Ben Stokes: potential England superstar Continued from back page

strike bowlers to remain fresher and more dangerous to opposition batsmen for longer. The value of this is evident through the lack of an out and out all-rounder in the South African side at the moment, restricting their attack to four bowlers and raising the risk of bowlers being overworked; the

promising talent of 20-year-old Rabada is arguably being called upon too often by South African captain AB de Villiers in the ongoing Test, potentially problematic given he is by no means fully developed. Stokes, then, brings a balance to the current England side that is sought after by international teams across the globe.

His prodigious talent with the bat,

as well as increasingly with the ball, have seen many in the cricketing world label him as the successor to the legendary England all-rounders Botham and Flintoff. His aggressive, ‘in-your-face’ style of play typifies the new energy the appointment of Trevor Bayliss as head coach has brought to the team, a refreshing development as Test cricket comes

increasingly under fire in this era of the scintillating Indian Premier League and other such competitions.

If Stokes, as well as his colleagues in the England dressing room, continues to make the sort of impacts he has on Test matches of late, England could well go on to be the No. 1 ranked Test side in the world in the near future.

Sport

The Oxford Student | Friday 29th January 2016

OxStu picks & predictions from the Australian Open Sam Sykes

Deputy Editor

Novak Djokovic continues to dominate – but could the Djoker fall?

2015 was a blockbuster year for the current Goliath of men’s professional tennis, Novak Djokovic. His dominance beggared belief, with a haul of titles and a win-loss record eclipsing even his legendary 2011 season. It was a season with a mere 6 losses, 1 to Ivo Karlovic (in Doha), 3 to Federer (Cincinnati F, Dubai F, WTF RR) 1 to Murray (Montreal F), and 1 to Wawrinka (French Open F).

That last loss was one of the most painful of his career: after a threeset obliteration of Nadal, the man who had held him off for three years straight, and seemed to be the only obstacle at Roland Garros, Djokovic was yet again denied the opportunity to stake his claim definitively among the all-time greats. But Djokovic rebounded from that disappointment and blazed a fiery trail through his possible challengers for the rest of the year. The only thorn in his side was Federer, and even then only in 3-set matches – Federer no longer has the physical resilience to outlast Djokovic, as the Wimbledon and US Open finals showed.

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Federer no longer has the physical resilience to outlast Djokovic

Djokovic is still tried and tested every once in a while, by a phenomenal performance, e.g. the sizzling fivesetters against Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon and Gilles Simon in the 4R at this tournament. But he consistently comes up trumps even when he’s tested – his psychological strength and determination conquer

all so reliably that it’s starting to feel almost predictable.

Verdict: of course, everything that come up must come down – Djokovic’s predominance cannot last forever. But it will last for this Australian Open – Djokovic will secure his sixth, equalling Roy Emerson’s tally. It won’t be until 2017 that we see a convincing challenger to finally end the epoch of Nole.

Rafael Nadal has failed to reassert himself Rafael Nadal’s 2015 was a mirror image of Djokovic’s. Where Djokovic climbed higher and higher, Nadal kept stumbling and falling. He failed to win either a Grand Slam (his closest being at the QFs of the Aussie and the French Opens) or a Masters 1000 (his closest being the Madrid

similar blockbuster five-set battle of the 2009 SFs, where Nadal prevailed.

It’s only the second time Nadal has ever gone out in the first round of a Grand Slam – but then again, he was up against an inspired veteran, who has challenged him in his prime, and he did take it to a spirited five sets.

I’m loath to follow the naysayers and preach that the era of Nadal is definitively over, and that he is now clinging on to his former glory, but the fact is that Nadal himself seems baffled and frustrated by what is happening now, as he did last year.

Previously, there have always been excuses – knee injuries or tendonitis for the most part, as for his loss to Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon 2012.

But now Nadal is openly avowing that he isn’t injured – he’s really happy with what is happening in training,

Djokovic might be playing under the lights of Rod Laver Arena in Sunday’s Image: Steve Collis

final, which he lost to Andy Murray, itself cause for concern…); he lost to Roger Federer for the first time since 2012. So it was not a huge surprise when he was toppled in the first round this year by fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, avenging the

and with how he’s playing, but the opposition are just proving too strong for him.

Verdict: by 2017, Nadal will be even more of a shadow of his former self, possibly even dropping out or the top 10.

Roger Federer remains a player to watch Roger Federer has become so dizzyingly iconic in the world of tennis that it has become almost unfashionably predictable to be fond of the man. Many people you talk to now will say he’s smug, or slimy, or whatever. Indeed, sometimes I’ve been taken in by it – there’s a smoothness, a preternatural self-control and poise about the man that may make us feel a little ill at ease sometimes.

But the fact is that Federer is a unique sort of athletic genius. David Foster Wallace wrote a piece back in 2006 for The New York Times, called ‘Roger Federer as Religious Experience’, hymning the unique qualities of the man as an athlete, calling him the champion of “power and aggression made vulnerable to beauty.” It now looks almost prophetic, as while Federer’s physical capabilities are slowly waning, his skill is unabated, as he dares the most breathtaking shot combinations and strategies, as with his SABR (‘sneak attack by Roger’) tactic last year.

His longevity is a testament to the harmonious perfection of his game, the streamlined precision which allows him to play without forcing his body to undergo the strenuous physicality the other players rely on.

Verdict: Federer will never regain the world no. 1; he will probably never win another Slam. But that doesn’t matter. I could see him staying in the top 10 until he’s 40…

Aussie stalwart Lleyton Hewitt hangs up his racquet Before Federer and Nadal exploded into the professional tennis world, Hewitt, together with Andy Roddick, was the one to watch.He was ferocious, precocious, and unbelievably quick; with his Wimbledon win in 2002, he became the youngest ever world no.1, aged 20. Now, at the grand old age of 34, he’s retiring from the sport.

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Although his dominance was already petering out by ~ 2006, Hewitt sustained his career in a different way to Federer, remaining a tooth-andnails fighter to the very end, achieving many an upset from his veteran ferocity. He was a hero of the game, and he will be missed.

Aussie young gun Nick Kyrgios needs to keep his temper in check Nick Kyrgios burst onto the scene in 2014, with a spectacular 4thround demolition of Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, after which he lost out to Milos Raonic in the Quarterfinals.

It was a dazzling performance from a virtuoso 19-year-old – he let loose a barrage of whip-crack serves and cannonball forehands, totally dismantling Nadal’s defences.

Since then, Kyrgios has churned out some very strong performances, and never ceases to remind us of his talent, but his failure to conquer the psychological side of the game has led to some disappointing results, and also some disappointing behaviour.

Indeed, scandal has become Kyrgios’ middle name, whether from the accusations of tanking against Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon last year, or from his jeering remarks towards Wawrinka – “Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend, mate”. The story was no different at this year’s Aussie Open, with Kyrgios smashing his racquet and shouting at the umpire in a topsy-turvy loss to Czech Tomas Berdych. It was strange, because he was alternately playing to the crowd and alienating them – it was eerily reminiscent of Bernard Tomic…

Having said all this, he’s still only 20 years old, and there is definitely time to change – after all, even the nowgraceful and composed Federer was known to act up in his youth. We can only hope that Kyrgios doesn’t squander his prodigious talent and follow the Tomic template.

Cipriani’s omission signals England’s continued flaws Ned Walker Sport Editor

In 2008, one would have thought that the future of English rugby was secured through Danny Cipriani alone: a talent of the like not seen since the man he was anointed to replace, Sir Johnny himself. Fast forward almost eight years, and the prevailing narrative of the mercurial fly-half is one of wasted talent, underachievement and frustration. Indeed, it could be said that the trajectory of Cipriani’s career is emblematic of the national team as a whole: flashes of brilliance, before disappearing under a weight of incompetency, bad luck and hubris.

Moreover, Cipriani’s persistent failure to get a look-in for the England side (even new coach Eddie Jones omitted him from his squad for the Six Nations) begs the question: is the issue the player, or the team structure that exists around him?

We should take this analysis with a pinch of salt, though - it must be acknowledged that Cipriani has often unequivocally been the agent of his own destruction. In isolation, the incidents would be funny, if not

for the talent of the man committing them: the collision with a bus on a night out in Leeds, the fight with Josh Lewsey, the spontaneous combustion of his relationship with Kelly Brook, the case of the disappearing bottle of vodka in the Melbourne bar. But these incidents, often assembled for a damning indictment of Cipriani’s character, come in the professional epoch where debauchery is the easiest route to squad omission. What may have constituted harmless revelry in the amateur era is now thought to be indicative of a player lacking focus. Admittedly, at least at the moment, this unfortunate perception of Cipriani is perhaps at odds with his behaviour, but regardless, in the variety of explanations offered for Cipriani’s unfulfilled potential, alcohol is surely the crucial problem.

With this being said, much of Cipriani’s failure can arguably be traced to sheer bad luck. The horrific injury he suffered during the Premiership semi-final in 2008 (sadly, probably the zenith of his career) stalled his progress. Then, after less than a month back, another injury effectively meant two lost years at a time where he should have been cementing his place

in the national side. But for advocates of the Cipriani cause, this failure is itself wrapped up in a much bigger one, that of the national team - not just a failure of results, but a systemic failure in how the RFU’s top brass perceives the game.

There is a depressing trend of unfulfilled potential across British sport.

The Lancaster period was characterised by its conservatism, the preference for persisting with the tried and tested rather than attempting to change tack and take a more radical approach. That stance was perhaps epitomised by the continued inclusion of Brad Barritt in Lancaster sides, despite him displaying an almost geriatric mobility, and offering precious little going forward. It was an era where a team would seek to avoid defeat at all costs rather than actively try to win; when this timidity was matched against the sheer ruthlessness

of Australia and New Zealand, the result was almost a foregone conclusion. Perhaps this conservatism reflects the national sporting psyche, but it is a damaging trait nonetheless: youth players are either thrown in at the deep end in despair, or overlooked entirely in favour of veteran stalwarts, creating a depressing trend of unfulfilled potential across British sport. But the fact that even Eddie

Cipriani might have finally lost all hope of resurrecting his England career Image: Charlie (Fearless Fred)

Jones, not a risk-averse coach himself, saw fit to leave Cipriani out of his squad is maybe hinting at a broader issue with the player. Perhaps despite his undeniable talent, displayed weekin-week-out, Cipriani is simply too much of a temperamental figure to play on the world stage. This seems unlikely, however: it is English rugby, rather than one player, that is the real issue.

Australian Open Analysis Sam Sykes, Page 39 Image: Christian Mesiano

Danny Cipriani: a wasted career?

Ned Walker, Page 39 Image: Chris Brown

Sport oxstu.sport@gmail.com

Ben Stokes - the next Flintoff or a flash in the plan?

Josh Stickland Deputy Sports Editor

Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey sustained a horrific double leg break in 2010 Image: Ronnie McDonald

Injuries are no excuse in the Premier League Adam Hilsenrath Sport Editor There has been a lot of talk about injuries lately, from suspicions that Liverpool’s elongated injury list might be down to Klopp’s new style of play, to Ashley Young’s long-term injury, to the regular characters – Sergio Aguero, Luke Shaw this season, or Arsenal in any given year.

For the average football fan, injuries are often the go-to excuse for the failure of their club to meet its season-long expectations.

However, a quick examination of this season’s injuries and corresponding performances would appear to blow such a defence out of the water. Riding their luck this season, Watford have had the fewest injuries (10), fewest individual players injured (9) and fewest total days missed because of injury (182). They have significantly over-performed this season, supporting the notion that luck with injuries plays a key part in a club’s success. So, too, have the team who are second-luckiest in 2015/16: Leicester.

However, at this point the correlation becomes somewhat erratic. West Brom and Swansea

appear lucky on paper but underperform in reality. Sunderland and Aston Villa, who nobly prop up the league, sit mid-table on the injury list. The Manchester clubs have had the most players injured this season, yet both clubs are doing relatively well. Arsenal, the veterans of the injury-blaming community, have had some significant injuries, which robbed them of Carzola and Sanchez, but have only had a paltry 14 players injured compared with Manchester City’s 20 and Manchester United’s 21.

Indeed, only six clubs have had fewer injured players than the league leaders this season - namely, Watford, Leicester, Swansea, Norwich, Southampton and Everton. Moreover, in spite of their calamitous season, only six teams have had fewer missed days this season due to injury than Chelsea (428), and none of these were in last season’s top six (only Leicester are currently in the top nine).

Despite all this, those hard-line supporters of the go-to excuse of injuries would highlight the value of the players injured rather than the number of players - the injuries of five Nicklas Bendtners would surely be outweighed by a whole season missed by Sergio Aguero.

This is, to a large extent, perfectly true. Arsenal, for example, have four significant absentees from their main squad: Wilshere and Welbeck have been missing all season, whilst Sanchez and Carzola have been absent since November 29th (whilst Sanchez and Welbeck should be back soon, their other two teammates will most likely be out of action for over a month

each). If Arsenal don’t win the Premier League, might people turn back to these crucial absentees and ask those ever-important ‘what if ’ questions?

What people often omit when performing post-mortems on their side’s seasons (as will, naturally, happen in four months’ time), is the ill fortune experienced by their rivals as well as their own team. As much as Arsenal might be missing Sanchez et al., Manchester City’s own losses of Aguero and Kompany this season have been crucial. Captain Vincent Kompany’s absence has been particularly missed, with the eight games before the Boxing Day dismantling of Sunderland (Kompany’s only appearance – for a handful of minutes – since before this run) yielding a dire 11 points.

Fans could argue that, if all other teams remained the same, but one of their key players wasn’t injured, then it could have made the difference to their season; it would, in truth, be just the same as a big January transfer window signing.

However, this clearly doesn’t justify any label of gross misfortune.

Now, clubs with large squads are far more likely to top the injury charts, purely statistically - hence Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham form four of the six ‘unluckiest’ teams this season. But it is equally true that in any team, regardless of squad size, the key players are often likely to pick up an injury or so between them over the course of the season. If any player were to play week in and week out, then if their body shows the strain, it can hardly be attributed to bad luck on

every occasion. Rather, it indicates a dearth of truly top quality players in the club.

All the top sides have missed key men this season: as I’ve mentioned, Manchester City are missing Aguero and Kompany, while Arsenal lack Sanchez and Carzola; Liverpool miss Sturridge, Skrtel, Lovren and Coutinho; Manchester United’s trio of Jones, Schweinsteiger and Young are out, while Tottenham have faced similar issues with Bentaleb. However, the age-old footballing cliché of injuries making all the difference is only ever true in isolation. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, and the sides that win the league are often those with strength in depth, not purely avoiding any missed game time by pure chance.

The injured players themselves, of course, are woefully unlucky, especially those who face long term injuries through no fault of their own, such as Luke Shaw’s seasonending leg break in the Champions League (which may also cost him a place at the European Championships this summer).

Yet for a team to blame their season on injuries is to ignore the plight of the rivals around them, or to dodge the issue of the weakness they have in terms of squad depth.

Fortune, of course, ebbs and flows, and there may occasionally be a team that survives a season relatively unscathed and consequently reap the rewards - Leicester are a prime example of this. Ultimately, though, injuries are par for the course and preventable, and as such the flimsiest of footballing excuses.

‘See ball hit ball’. Simple, but brutally effective. This was Ben Stokes’ analysis of the method that took him to a record-breaking 258 off a mere 198 balls in the 2nd test against South Africa, breaking the world record for the fastest ever 250 in Test Cricket.

This record goes alongside his then record for the fastest ever Test hundred by an Englishmen, an 85 ball whirlwind against New Zealand at Lord’s last year. Sir Ian Botham described it as Stokes’own Headingley ’81, “an innings that will change his life”.

England didn’t go on to win the test, but Stokes was at it again in the third test, cracking a quick fire 58 in a brilliant counter-attacking partnership with Joe Root that took the game away from South Africa and set up a Stuart Broad-inspired England bowling attack to clinch the Test and the series for England.

At the time of writing, the Durham all-rounder has yet to stride out into the middle of the final Test at the SuperSport Park at Centurion, but another contribution could well see him take the Man of the Series award.

Stokes’ batting has dominated the headlines of this Test series, but more understated is his growing proficiency with the ball in hand. Though still sometimes lacking the control and consistency to match that of the likes of Broad and Anderson, he often generates considerable swing through the air and possesses that skiddy quality that can cause batsmen considerable difficulties. He more often that not chips in with a few wickets, and not just of tail enders; so far in this series he has claimed the scalps of South African openers Dean Elgar and van Syl amongst others.

Nor is he incapable of producing Broad-esque spells that can change the outcome of a match; his all time best was the memorable 6-36 in the 4th Test against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015.

Perhaps even more importantly, he provides Alastair Cook with a competent fifth bowling option alongside the likes of Ali, Broad, Anderson and Finn.This means Cook is able to share the workload of the bowlers around, particularly valuable in the hot conditions of countries like South Africa and Australia, allowing England’s key strike bowlers to remain fresher and more dangerous to opposition batsmen for longer

Continued on page 38