The Oxford Student - Week 3 Trinity 2024

O XFORD S TUDENT

The University of Oxford’s Student Newspaper, est. 1991

Oxford pro-Palestinian encampments call for Israel divestment

OxStu News Team

University of Oxford students have set up encampments outside the Pitt Rivers Museum in solidarity with Palestine.

Demonstrators, under the name of Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P), occupied the lawns of the Pitt Rivers Museum. They began their occupation at around 4am on 6 May.

The group released a statement on Instagram calling on members of the University to join the encampment, and for Oxford to “sever its institutional relationships that facilitate the genocide and occupation of the Palestinian people.”

The group urges the University to divest from Israel, including disclosing all finances, divesting from “Israeli–genocide apartheid and

occupation”, overhauling its investment policy, and stopping banking with Barclays. It also demands the University to “boycott Israeli genocide apartheid and occupation” and “support Palestinian-led rebuilding of education in Gaza.”

“ The atrocities in Gaza in recent months cannot be viewed in

A number of faculty members issued a statement of support of the encampment, including historian Avi Shlaim, philosopher Amia Srinivasan, and Middle Eastern studies professor Walter Armbrust.

SU appoints director for transformation plan

Emilie Tapping, the former CEO at Oxford Brookes Union, will serve as Change Director as the Oxford University Students’ Union as it undergoes a transformation over the next 12 months.

Tapping has previously worked in senior capacities with student unions across different universities. She was the CEO at Oxford Brookes Union. Before Brookes, she worked in the University of the Arts London SU and London School of Economics SU.

Professor Martin Williams,

Features

One signatory, Dr Katherine Lebow (Associate Professor of Modern History), commented to The Oxford Student: “This is such a complex issue that it’s hard to provide a quick soundbite. In some ways I see the horrifying war on Gaza as the final battle of World War II – one in which, tragically, Palestinians are paying the price for Europe’s long history of genocidal antisemitism. But this issue is also very personal for me, since Israel’s actions profoundly conflict with my own sense of Jewish identity and ethics.”

This encampment follows a nationwide movement in the US of pro-Palestine protests and sit-ins in colleges that have seen thousands of college students arrested for holding out in encampments. Such protests have inspired similar movements in...

Continued on page 4

Oxford’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), Dr Jane Hoverd, Academic Registrar Dr Saira Shaikh, SU President Danial Hussain, Oluweseun Sowunmi, and External Trustees Ben Ward and Fay Shorter will serve on the Transformation Committee.

The past year, the SU has been hit by numerous scandals, including President Danial Hussain’s porn scandal, the chair of Student Council resigning in protest because of what he called the SU’s “disregard for democratic principles” and the SU blocking a motion of no...

Continued on page 3

Why the local elections matter

Heading to the polls last Thursday, I bumped into colleagues who, when I asked if they would be voting, dismissed the idea completely. Confused about their indifference, I questioned their apathy, to which they responded that they will vote in the important elections, but certainly not now. Their disregard for local elections made me realise that young people are com-

Illustration by Rhea Brar

pletely disillusioned with politics. With this being the first opportunity that many have had to vote (myself included), it seems sensible to explain why these elections were, in fact, important, and what their impact may potentially be.

Last week, voters across England and Wales cast ballots for mayors, councillors, and police and crime commissioners. Though these elections are highly localised and tend to...

Continued on page 15

The encampment at the Pitt Rivers Museum. Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys

Amelia Gibbins

Valida Pau

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Science

Last week, student journalists from the Columbia Spectator made the front page of New York magazine, shining light on the work that they had been doing in the past weeks reporting on the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University, and the police violence that ensued when most professional journalists had lost access to the campus. Similarly, the New York Times spotlighted WKCR, the Columbia student radio, who were threatened with arrest and denied entry to their studio.

Of course the situation in the UK isn’t as extreme, but the encampment in Oxford does raise some questions about the role of student journalism. While reporting should and must be ob-

jective, the editorial decision to report or not report on an event carries a certain inclination and partiality. Just like the context and perspectives given in the article will reveal a certain degree of bias, the choice of coverage is also biased, although less noticeably so.

This is seen in a lot of the coverage of the encampment by national and international media, which widely differs despite reporting on the same event. As student journalists, sometimes also working for national papers in parallel to student reporting, coverage bias is certainly something that we must keep in mind.

Overall, coverage of the encampment by student papers is a crucial aspect of university activism. And while reporting takes a lot of time and is usually done at the expense of our degree work, seeing your tutors at the protest certainly makes a good excuse for a late essay.

Gaspard Rouffin St Anne’s College

I’m quickly realising that writing editorials is a tricky business. In previous terms, I made fun of editors who left writing editorials until the last minute. I would jokingly offer to ‘ghostwrite’ an editorial for them, trying to glean elements of their writing style and flair, only to be rebuffed and told to actually give them something to write an editorial about (sorry, Ayomi.)

But when you’re faced with 28 pages of people’s hard work, it’s not entirely clear what you should say. Content this week covers the encampments set up outside of the Pitt Rivers Museum following months of pro-Palestine activism at the University to

writing on self-medication as a response to the pressures of Oxford. I couldn’t be prouder of the shift that all of our team has pulled. It’s so rewarding to see people get creative with the content they commission and the designs they create.

The highlight of my last two weeks was covering Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Oxford. From getting to engage with Pelosi directly at a drinks reception about electoral politics and Ukraine aid, and then covering her protest outside the Oxford Union, it was incredibly rewarding to be able to report on someone who I’ve spent tens of hours watching and listening to over the years, and who inspires such passion that she was met by hundreds of protesting students. And to those who know, it was even more crazy to finally knowthat I can predict with 55% accuracy what Nancy Pelosi will say at speaker events.

Martin Alfonsin Larsen St Catherine’s College

Hijab and sustainability

27

Culture

Ihope that this print edition find you well, wherever you may be reading it.

A review of Luca Guadagnino’s hit Challengers

21

I’m Sami, a second-year Music student at Catz, and this is my fourth term as a member of the OxStu. I still can’t quite

Editorial Team

Editorial Board

Gaspard Rouffin and Martin Alfonsin Larsen (Editors-inChief)

Sami Jalil and Keng Yu Lai (Associate Editors)

Daisy Outram and Tara Earley (Directors of Strategy)

Strategy

Charlie Bowden (Welfare)

Sharon Chau, Amelia Gibbins, Elsie Haldane, Matt Holland

News

Valida Pau

Anandita Abraham, Tim Carroll, Audrey Davidson-Houston, Olly

believe that it’s been over a year since I joined, but I’m certainly glad that I did.

As you may have heard, I’m currently in charge of invading your inbox every Monday with the weekly newsletter, alongside my general Associate Editor duties of overseeing sections and helping ease the endless battle with InDesign. I spent a susbstantial amount of my Easter vacation redesigning the newsletter to make it more interesting to read, so I hope you’re finding it at least somewhat engaging if you’re

DeHerrera, Ruby Hurst, Gabriella Kchozyan, Linda Liu, Rebecca Whalley

Investigations

Daisy Outram and Ruby Hurst (Senior and Junior Heads)

Anandita Abraham, Yunzhang Liang

Comment

Johannes Riese

Lindsay Berat, Amelia Bryan, Yusuf Kungdol, Yunzhang Liang

Zaid Magdub (columnist)

Profile

Tallulah Hawley

Audrey Davidson-Houston, Purav Menon, Lucy Pollock

subscribed. If you’re not enjoying it or don’t want to subscribe, then feel free to tell me why so I can improve it!

I’ve just about been staying afloat taking into consideration the many other things I have to do alongside the OxStu (namely my degree!). As always though, it is an honour to be able to maintain a space where people can write about what they love and feel heard. Thank you to the dedicated team who work so hard to make these prints happen!

I hope the many of you with

Features

Amelia Gibbins

Caitlin Clarke, Linda Liu, Ananya Navale, Lucy Pollock, Angela Yu

Enrique Normand Velarde, Eva Price (columnists)

Culture

Georgie Allan

Sophie Harrison, Isra Khan, Yunzhang Liang, Anton March, Nikhil Singh, Rebecca Whalley, Angela Yu

Elliot Francolla, Johannah Mathew

Identity

Elsie Haldane

Caitlin Clarke, Georgia Ferris, Sameeha Qureshi

Georgie Allan, Sharon Chau (columnists)

exams coming up are able to enjoy the lovely weather before you dive head-first into work mode. Make sure you take care of yourself during this stressful season! If you are so inclined, maybe you’ll want to write about it for us.

Thank you to Gaspard and Martin for so diligently leading the paper so far this term, and thank you to Keng Yu for your wonderful support as a fellow Associate.

Sami Jalil St Catherine’s College

Science

Sabine Zednik-Hammonds

Amelia Bryan, Ava Chan, Krishh Chaturvedi, Gabriella Kchozyan, Sameeha Qureshi

OxYou

Olly DeHerrera

Ella Goodwin, Florence Purcell

Sport

Haochen Wang

Purav Menon, Johannes Riese

Creative

Rhea Brar, Elliot Francolla, Caroline Kuba, Olivia White, Cameron Samuel Keys, Ananya Navale, Elyse Airey, Yashas Ramakrishnan

news@oxfordstudent.com | Head of News: Valida Pau

Section Editors: Anandita Abraham, Tim Carroll, Audrey Davidson-Houston, Olly DeHerrera, Ruby Hurst, Gabriella Kchozyan, Linda Liu, Rebecca Whalley

SU taps Oxford Brookes Union CEO to lead 12-month transformation

Continued from page 1 ...confidence in the SU President.

In March, SU trustees announced that the situation was “unsustainable” and announced that they were implementing a “transformation plan” that would see “operations cut back to all but the most essential activities.”

The SU has since released updated information on their website about the Transformation plan.

The Freshers Fair will take

place in 2024 and welfare products, at cost, will still be available to colleges.

RepComs will be repurposed to support the student consultation around transformation. No further details have been released yet, and the SU will be in touch directly with JCR and MCR representatives.

The SU will also hold an all-student meeting in place of Student Council in week 7 of TT24 to consult on the transformation plan and emerging proposals.

The Oxford Student previously reported that the SU will scrap three Vice-President Sabbatical roles, half of the elected team. The SU has now stated that while the SU focuses on transformation and essential services, “it would not be fair to bring 6 sabbatical officers into an environment where they cannot be properly supported.”

The SU President commented: “Emilie is brilliant and will play a crucial role in transforming the SU.”

Oxford skips Stonewall Workplace

Equality Index for two years in a row

Olly DeHerrera

Oxford’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) report for 20222023 has revealed that the University has not submitted an application to Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index for the second year in a row but suggested it intends to in the future.

Stonewall is a charity organization which describes itself as “a leading organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) people in the UK.”

A particular focus of the charity is conducting reviews into the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the workplace through their Workplace Equality Index (WEI) reviews. The last time Oxford applied for a WEI review was in the year 20202021.

According to Stonewall’s research, over a third of LGBTQ+ in the UK feel the need to hide their identity at work.

One of the 6 main equality objectives of the Equality and Diversity Unit of Oxford is to “consolidate our position in the Stonewall Workplace

Equality Index”. This objective was approved by the Council on 15 July 2019.

In 2019, the University’s application to Stonewall WEI scored 125.5 and was ranked 76th as one of the Top 100 Employers. However, by 2021 this has significantly dropped to a score of 55, ranking 231st.

“ Over a third of LGBTQ+ in the UK felt the need to hide their identity at work.

The release of the 2021 ranking coincided with a larger national debate about Stonewall’s WEI, with several UK universities distancing themselves from the charity over fears that the WEI recommendations may contradict new free speech laws.

In the same year, Michael Biggs, a sociology professor at St Cross College, wrote an open letter to the Vice Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality and Diversity,

calling on them to withdraw from Stonewall’s WEI scheme. He stated: “The University should not submit to an unelected organisation which campaigns for a particular political agenda”.

The choice by universities to distance themselves from the scheme has been criticised by equality advocates. Dr Gina Gwenffrewi from the University of Edinburgh called the campaign against Stonewall “a form of collateral delegitimization of trans rights.”

2021 saw fierce and ongoing debates between transgender right’s activists and freespeech advocates at campuses across the UK. In that year, Oxford’s Student Union officially severed ties with the Oxford Union over its choice to host controversial academic, Dr Kathleen Stock, who had resigned from her teaching position at the University of Sussex following student protests over her comments on the status of Transgender individuals.

In a statement at the time, Oxford’s LGBTQ society accused the Union of “disregarding the welfare of its LGBTQ+

members under the guise of free speech”.

The EDI’s report states that the University is “reviewing the Stonewall feedback with a view to the University making a submission to a future round of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, and advising how LGBTQ+ inclusion can be strengthened and incorporated into a collegiate University EDI plan”.

The report highlighted the university’s achievements in LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion, including the Annual LGBT+ History month

lecture, organized by the LGBT+ Advisory Group.

The report also states the committee’s intention to “increase the levels of satisfaction and inclusion amongst transgender and non-binary staff and students” as part of the Athena SWAN Action Plan for 2024-2025.

“Oxford has convened a task and finish group to help prepare for a submission to a future round of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, subject to Stonewall’s submission timelines,” said a spokesperson from the University.

Radcliffe Camera. Credit: Ananya Navale

Student Union building. Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys

News Recap

ANPR cameras installed but not yet activated at Oxford LTNs

– Rebecca Whalley

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in six low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in Oxford have been installed, but not yet activated.

ANPR cameras are said to be only triggered by vehicles passing through restricted areas and record the license plate details of those vehicles.

Protesters marched on International Workers’ Day against Gaza war

– Cameron Samuel Keys

Protestors marched through central Oxford opposing the war in Gaza, on May 1st, International Workers’ Day. Representatives from the National Education Union, the University and College Union, the Oxford Ramallah Friendship Association, and the Oxford Palestine Solidarity Campaign were present.

OLC, OUCA, Greens and OULD hold cross-party debate

– Anandita Abraham

In a cross-party debate, students debated key domestic issues including the NHS, taxation, and welfare spending ahead of the May 2nd local by-elections, where Oxford students voted in their local constituencies. The debate was in PMQs style.

An audience member commented on the discussions, saying: “It became increasingly clear that people in student politics don’t know much facts or reality. playing into the stereotype...”

Oxford pro-Palestinian encampments call for Israel divestment

Continued from page 1

...the United Kingdom.

On April 17, a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University for the university to divest from Israel. The next day, Columbia President Minouche Shafiq authorised the New York Police Department to arrest 113 protesters and said that all students participating in the encampment had been suspended.

Speaking to The Oxford Student, Kendall Gardner said that they “learned a lot from protests in the US” and that they had been in contact with students from Columbia University. She added that it was “amazing to see how all that information” was being used to build a “movement” worldwide.

This marks the latest action by a UK university following protests and occupations at University College London, Goldsmiths University, University of Leeds, and University of Bristol.

Students at the University of Cambridge also set up an encampment outside King’s College today, which is also calling for Cambridge to disclose and divest its holdings in Israel.

Protests in Oxford

The encampments follow several pro-Palestine protests at the University. These included the protest against Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the Oxford Union and other demonstrations across a number of locations in Oxford.

At the encampments, protesters have used chants including: “Free Palestine”, “One, we are the people, two, we won’t be silenced, three, stop the bombing now”, “Ceasefire Now”, as well as

gathered aiming to hand their demands to Oxford University’s leaders.

Jewish students

Arabic chants.

These chants included: “Huriya huriya”, translating to freedom freedom; “Falasteen Arabiya”, translating to Palestine is Arab; “Israel Haramiyya” , translating to Israel is a thief; and “Intifada shabiya”, to popular uprising.

Signs with written statements such as “Israel has destroyed every university in Gaza” and “Oxford Action for Palestine” have also been used.

“ A continuation and escalation of settler colonialism with historic and current ties to the University of Oxford.

A spokesperson for the encampments said: “The atrocities in Gaza in recent months cannot be viewed in isolation, but rather as a continuation and escalation of settler colonialism with historic and current ties to the University of Oxford.”

“As students, faculty, and members of the community that participate in and uphold this institution, we have a unique and specific responsibility to hold them to account; and demand they, at a bare minimum, end their active complicity in the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

On the third day of the encampment, a group of around 150 protesters organized by OA4P rallied outside the Sheldonian Theatre during Vice-Chancellor’s awards on 8th May. They

Speaking to The Oxford Student about occupying the space as a Jewish person, Gardner added: “I feel really proud to uphold a legacy of Jewish resistance to oppression, wherever it may be. And I am proud that my ancestors were fighting against these exact same types of policies.”

“I obviously feel […]like a troubling sense […] in my heart about the way that the Jewish community has aligned itself with Israel, I find it to be against all the values that I was taught as a Jewish person.”

When asked about the protests potentially being labelled as anti-Semitic, Gardner said that those accusations “[detract] attention from the very intense and brutal discrimination that Jewish people face across the world.”

She added: “When you call something like this anti-Semitic, this like beautiful space where I feel so safe […] that detracts attention away from the real anti-Semitism that I do face in the world as a Jewish person.”

She also encouraged people to “rock up”, and that this may “really change your mind about things”.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a Jewish student added that they thought it was “yet to be seen what happens” regarding the encampments. They acknowledged that “the Jewish student population in Oxford has always been diverse in opinions on this”, and said that they had “no issue [with]

the protests as long as we don’t see the type of antisemitism that was present in some of the U.S. encampments.”

They also added that “these protests need to be student-led on both sides”, stating that external organisations “tend to escalate the situation and lead to violence. But largely, as long they remain peaceful and conscious of any allegations that may appear, as a Jewish student, I don’t take issue.”

“ The Jewish student population in Oxford has always been diverse in opinions.

The University’s response

A University spokesperson said: “We are aware of the ongoing demonstration by members of our University community. We respect our students and staff members right to freedom of expression in the form of peaceful protests. We ask everyone who is taking part to do so with respect, courtesy and empathy.

“Oxford University’s primary focus is the health and safety of the University community, and to ensure any impact on work, research and learning, including student exams, is minimised. As we have stressed in our student and staff communications there is no place for intolerance at the University of Oxford.”

“The Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum remain open.”

Protest at the Sheldonian Theatre. Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys

Protester’s camps. Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys

Labour lose seats, Independents and Greens gain in local elections

The Labour Party have lost two seats in the Oxford City Council while the Greens and the Independent Oxford Alliance have made significant gains in the Oxford local elections.

Last October, Labour lost its majority in Oxford City Council after nine councillors resigned over Labour’s refusal to condemn Israel’s actions in the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Six of these councillors moved to form the Oxford Socialists Independents Group, and the remaining three formed a separate Independent group. This comes as the Conservatives are predicted to lose around 500 seats and mayoral positions across the country.

The Oxford Socialist Independents Group lost five seats, and the Independent Oxford Alliance gained four. The Greens won two seats, and an Independent candi-

date won another.

25 councillor seats in the City Council were up for election, with one in each Oxfordshire ward, other than in Blackbird Leys, where 2 seats were up for election.

Half of the seats on Oxford City Council were up for election, alongside a third of those on West Oxfordshire and Cherwell district councils. The Conservatives lost five seats, and have lost five of the seven wards in West Oxfordshire.

In West Oxfordshire, the Liberal Democrats made gains, and remained as the constituency’s biggest party at 21 seats, winning three extra wards. However, West Oxfordshire District Council remains under no overall control. The Green Party and Labour each gained one seat.

Liberal Democrats leader, Andy Graham, said, “the results are good news for our residents – they’ve voted with their feet and said ‘carry on

with your partnership work, be positive’, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

Cherwell District Council remains under no overall control. The Conservatives had previously held the majority of the seats of the council since 2000.

The council will now be made up of the following seats:

Labour Group (20), Liberal Democrats (9), Green Group (8), Oxford Independent Alliance (4), Independent Group (3), Independent (nongrouped) (3), Oxford Socialist Independents Group (1).

Conservative Matthew Barber has been re-elected as the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). Barber, the incumbent, won a narrow margin of 2,300 votes over Labour’s Tim Starkey, who finished second with 141,749.

Barber promised to put more police officers on the streets

and to prioritise tackling domestic abuse, rape and sexual offences, the night economy, serious violence and abuse and exploitation.

The runner up Labour candidate Starkey said: “The PCC role has always been won by the Conservatives in Thames

Valley, so we had a mountain to climb. We got almost all the way to the summit but not quite there.”

He believes Barber would face a ‘challenge to rebuild trust in police’, which has been ‘shaken by scandals to with police misconduct.”

All politics is local in Oxford elections

Johannes Riese is the Deputy Comment Editor at The Oxford Student.

The saying goes that “all politics is local” in the US. The same might be said for Oxford after the local elections.

The Oxford City Council consists of 48 councillors, with each election ward being represented by two councillors elected every two years for a four-year term.

The clear winner of last week’s elections was the newly formed Independent Oxford Alliance (IOA) party, which secured four of the twenty-five seats up for grabs in the City Council. As hinted by the name, the party presents itself as a loose alliance of independents united by a limited set of core values, primarily an anti-Low Traffic Neighbourhood platform.

LTNs are various mea -

sures introduced by the government aimed at reducing traffic, cutting emissions and enhancing liveability in certainareas by encouraging people to walk or cycle more. Anti-LTN parties like IOA would instead claim that those policies hurt local businesses and infringe upon individual freedom. Yet, far from all Oxford residents are sympathetic to the IOA’s anti-LTN antics. Many desire to see more robust measures to tackle climate change, which may explain why the second-biggest winner was the Green Party. Green gained two councillors for a total of eight after winning four elections. Oxford has long been one of the country’s leading green cities. For instance, the City Council was the first Council to divest from fossil fuel

companies in 2014, and last year it voted to only serve plant-based vegan food at council events.

If we proclaim the Green Party and IOA as the biggest winners, then the Labour Party was in apparent loss.

The party lost two councillorships, failing to regain their majority and now holds only twenty seats.

This continues an unfortunate streak as Labour lost its majority last year after nine councillors resigned over Labour’s refusal to condemn Israel’s action in Gaza. Six of those councillors moved to the Oxford Socialist Independents Group, which lost five councillors now.

Perhaps the adage should be modified to that “all politics is local when it comes to local elections”.

Nothing seems to prove

this more than the standstill fortunes of the Liberal Democrats and the misfortunes of the Conservatives.

While the Liberal Democrats remain irrelevant nationally, but at least in Oxford, they held steady of their five councillorships that were up for re-election. They are the second-largest party with nine councillors.

The Conservatives, on the other hand, kept up their record of not having had a councillor in the Oxford City Council this millennium. Their losses were far greater across the country. But then again, you cannot really lose if you have nothing to lose. They will hope that “all politics is local” stays a local election phenomenon, but that remains to be seen for the general election.

Oxford City Council building. Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys

Rebecca Whalley

Pelosi met with protest at Union

On April 30th, Speaker Emerita of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was met with a fiery response by at least 200 student activists, both inside and outside the Oxford Union. Two members of the Youth Demand, a new youth resistance campaign calling for an end to genocide, entered the Union’s chamber. They silently protested in front of Pelosi, displaying Palestinian flags and were later removed by the police.

The outside protest with more than 200 students assembled outside of the main gate of the Union. The chants from outside of the chamber, including “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “London to Gaza, long live the intifada” were loud enough that Pelosi’s voice was drown out during her address.

Nancy Pelosi speaks at Keble College

On the 25th of April, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi addressed an audience of students at the O’Reilly Theatre at Keble College, organised by OxfordSpeaks.

The event was hosted by OxfordSpeaks with the Oxford Diplomatic Society and the Oxford International Relations Society.

January 6 US Capitol Attack

During her time as Speaker, Pelosi was a vocal critic of former US President Donald Trump and his supporters within the Republican party.

In February 2020, she made headlines when she publicly tore up a copy of the then-President’s speech during a State of the Union Address, calling it a “manifesto of mistruths”.

She continued to express this sentiment in Oxford when she argued that opposing Trump’s potential re-election was a matter of “absolute total ur-

gency” and a “life and death risk to civilisation”.

When asked if the Capitol insurgence of January 6th was a predictable reaction to the 2020 Republican defeat, Pelosi stated: “Nobody could ever foresee [the] violence incited by the US President”. However, she described the actions by the sect of Republican supporters as “not uncharacteristic of their assault on the values of our country”.

“ He’s [Trump’s] not going to be President. It’s not going to happen!

She argued Trump was “not unlike other autocrats in Europe’s history”, referencing his campaigns of “fake news” in attempts to undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 elections.

Regarding Trump’s re-election, Pelosi insisted that “he’s not going to be President. It’s not going to happen!”.

Israel-Gaza war

The topic of the US’s diplomatic relationship with Israel underpinned much of Pelosi’s visit to Oxford.

One student asked about crackdowns on university protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, as well as continued US support for Israel. Pelosi noted she did not object to student demonstrations on campuses but did object to the antisemitism she alleged was present in some of them.

“It has to stop. It has to end,” she said, referring to the continued violence.

Pelosi is a proponent of a two-state solution and openly criticised Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. She does not see the path to peace as an option under his leadership, she added.

Following the World Central Kitchen (WCK) drone strikes in April 2024, Pelosi, among other Congressional Democrats, signed an open letter urging a halt of military aid to Israel until the incident was fully investigated.

“The manner in which it has been done, with tens of thousands of people killed, and on top of that, hunger, malnutrition, dehydration, but also getting up to the fifth level of all of this — famine. Famine is sinful,” she said.

“ [She] did not object to student demonstrations on campuses but did object to [...] antisemitism

She called the 7 October attacks “barbaric” and stated her belief that Israel has a right to defend itself but criticised Netanyahu’s military response as “the worst possible”.

Future of Democracy

When asked to discuss the future of democracy, Pelosi expressed her firm belief that American politics should be built upon “consensus” and

“respect for others opinions”. She discussed many of the Democratic Party’s achievements during her 16-year tenure as Speaker of the House but insisted she could only accept praise “on behalf of her House of Democrat members”. She praised their “courage” in electing her as the first female Speaker of the House.

Pelosi reaffirmed her support for US President Joe Biden, noting his presidency was “comparable to Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson for working families”.

To make democracies more solid, she stated a need to increase voter confidence, in addition to other factors such as maintaining a free and fair press to report on politicians and uphold accountability. With UK local elections around the corner, Pelosi praised Sir Keir Starmer’s “impressive background” and said he “looks like a person ready for success”.

Pelosi concluded the talk by stating she was “honoured to hear [Oxford’s] views”.

Gabriella Kchozyan and Olly DeHerrera

Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys

Oxford Union believes populism is a a threat to democracy

On Thursday night, the Oxford Union voted for the motion, “This House believes populism is a threat to democracy.”

The debate was closely watched as it hosted Nancy Pelosi, former speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

Rachel Haddad, the Secretary of the Union, opened the case for the proposition, claiming populist political leaders like Donald Trump and Farage branded themselves as “saviours of democracy”, but actually pose a threat to it. Haddad argued that populist leaders are not “new generations of geniuses” that can develop simple solutions to generational complex problems.

Opening the case for the opposition, Sultan Khokhar, Chair of the Consultative Committee at the Union, advocated that populism is democracy in its purest form as

both concern “the people.”

Populism, he argues, reveals the deep-seated dissatisfaction the people have with the system and the elites and is the ultimate wake-up call for real social change.

The second speaker for the proposition was Oli Dugmore, the head of News and Politics at JOE Media. Dugmore called out former US president Donald Trump as the “product of the establishment, of capital… and he is the swamp”, while his populist supporters consider him an “actor for the people.” He argued the “the right thing for the right reason is defeating populism.”

Oscar Whittle, Director of Research at the Union, spoke next for the proposition and argued Populism is fundamentally about giving the people a voice in their government. He cautioned against pitting groups against each other, whether the Republicans versus the Democrats, or the educated against the uneducated.

Nancy Pelosi closed the debate for the proposition. Pelosi disagreed with the opposition on its emphasis that populism is for the people. She defined populism in its current form as an “ethno-nationalist populism, generated by an ethnic negativity to immigrants, people who are different from them and the rest.”

She believes it is sad that “the populists take advantage of people who have legitimate economic concerns, and who want to thrive and survive economically.”

Winston Marshall, host of the ‘Marshall Matters” podcast for the Spectator, closed the debate for the opposition. and argued that we are living in the populist age due to events like the trillion-dollar Wall Street bailouts, which he argued exemplified the fall of the elite. Marshall contended that the left should be anti-establishment, but the “Global Left” has become the establishment, ignoring genuine concerns of the people.

The motion passed, with 177 members voting in favour and 68 members voting against.

Art Café rebuts allegations of pests

Art Café denied experiencing hygiene issues, in response to an article revealing that rodent activity and unsanitary conditions were discovered at the café in a November inspection.

Art Café, located in Oxford’s city centre, is one of the most frequented eateries in the city. The Oxford Mail obtained an inspection

report and claimed that the November inspection found mouse droppings and flies in the kitchen and servery, in addition to issues related to inappropriate food storage temperature.

“Appropriate treatment methods must be used to eliminate these pets,” the article quoted the report. It is unclear whether the word “pets,” referring to the mice and flies, was misspelled.

Art Café rebutted cleanli -

ness allegations in a comment under a Facebook post by the Oxford Mail. The comment accused Oxford Mail of using “outdated information to gain readers’ attention without consulting us [Arts Café] first.”

“We have taken all actions towards this problem and have been 100% pest free since December of 2023,” the café wrote. “We have been in contact with the city council and have sent all proof of improvement, we are just waiting on a second visit.”

The café also pointed out that the inspection took place at a time when “the city centre as a whole was experiencing problems.”

Last November, Art Café received from the Food Standards Agency a food hygiene rating of two out of five, along with Peloton Espresso on Cowley Road. Chutneys Indian Brasserie at 36 St Mi -

All Souls plans to revitalise part of Oxford High Street

All Souls College has submitted a planning application to Oxford City Council to redevelop and revitalise part of Oxford’s High Street.

The graduate college acquired 10-15 High Street in 2020 and 8 High Street in December 2021 as part of their “commercial investment portfolio”.

All Souls is one of Oxford’s wealthiest colleges, despite its small number of members. In 2018, The Guardian reported that the college had consolidated net assets of £429.8m.

The planning application with Wright and Wright notes that “the number of fellows has grown by around 20 in recent years, leading to pressures in allocating studies” and the architects will create new accessible seminar rooms, study spaces, and staff areas.”

chael’s Street was rated zero last October. A score of two means that improvement is necessary, whereas a score of zero demands “urgent improvement,” according to the Oxford City Council.

Several Facebook users voiced continued support for Art Café. More than 180 upvoted the café’s comment.

“Your loyal customers know that you guys are amazing!” one user wrote. “[W]hen there are problems, there are always solutions.”

However, some customers remain sceptical about Art Café’s conditions.

“The art cafe has been my favourite restaurant in Oxford since I arrived in the city,” said Olly DeHerrera, a Museum Anthropology Masters student at Wolfson College. “Hopefully they have sorted out the hygiene issues; it definitely has put me off visiting.”

The project will also include improving access to the Covered Market, “contingent on agreement with Oxford City Council” (which owns the Covered Market), by creating “step-free access to the shop units”.

All Souls’ plans come amidst Oxford City Council’s own remodel of Oxford High Street. They are currently “working on a £6.87m redevelopment of Oxford’s historic Covered Market”, which includes new and improved seating areas, entrances, and bathroom facilities.

Significant progress has been made recently on the part-pedestrianisation of Market Street, intended as a “trial” to help “inform a larger and/or more long-lasting pedestrianisation at a later date.”

All Souls now awaits planning permission.

Art Cafe exterior. Credit: Valida Pau

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The Oxford Union chamber. Credit: NATO

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comment@oxfordstudent.com | Deputy Editor: Johannes Riese

Section Editors: Lindsay Berat, Amelia Bryan, Tim Carroll, Yusuf Kungdol, Yunzhang Liang

is a third year Classics student at Queen’s College

What is Classics? Perhaps it is just the study of a world of temples with marble pillars, of athletes wearing laurel leaves, of merchants in togas and tunics; a world of Greeks and Romans, of speakers of Greek and Latin, of the participants of two southern European cultures flourishing around the Mediterranean.

“ The Isis does not flow into the Agean and Christ Church is not the Colosseum

But that is not what Classics really is, at least at Oxford. Indologists study India, Sinologists study China, and Hebraists study Hebrew, but Classics is more than just the study of an-

name hint at something bigger. My view is that Classics is the phantom of an intellectual perspective which is obsolete in today’s world and in any case, it was always a misleading one.

At Oxford, Classics refers to the degree formally known as Literae Humaniores, the term used for one of the three elements of the Bachelor of Arts degree as stipulated in 1800 (Walsh 2000). Alongside Literae Humaniores were theology and an element consisting of maths and physics. If the mathematical element had its eyes on ‘things’ and theology its eyes on God, Literae Humaniores was about ‘Man’.

It required proficiency in Latin and Greek, in the “Rhetoric and Moral Philosophy” of Greek and Roman writers, and in Logic. Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament, was allocated to the MA examination, which was formally abandoned in 1807. In 1830, Greek and Roman History was added to Literae Humaniores, and Oxford Classics was thus complete. But the Isis does not flow into the Aegean, and Christ Churchversity of Oxford emerged andons, and Normans in a society

The problems with Classics

“Change its religion and all would be well.” The same standard does not seem to have been applied to the Jewish people. Augustine of Hippo, a major theologian of antiquity, wrote that the Romans, who “rested on earthly glory, and sought to obtain it by virtues […] conquered those who, in their great depravity, slew and rejected the giver of true glory.”

whose religion emerged from Second Temple Judaism. Old Oxford may not have particularly needed Confucius or the Hindu epics to understand the world around it. Notwithstanding, its perspective on the very past that shaped its world was deeply flawed.

“ Tradition does not justy the continued existence of a Eurocentric spectre

Unsurprisingly, the cultural identity of Western scholarship was more attracted to Greece and Rome than to the pagan societies which came to be Christianised. However, my attention has been drawn to the contrast between the reception of the Greco-Roman past and the gulf that existed between the Jews and the educated elite of Western Christendom. Although we cannot consider Medieval Christian antisemitism the seamless continuation of a phenomenon in Greek and Roman society, the European scholarship inherited from a particular strand of Christian thought in antiquity a certain dangerous doublethink regarding Jews and ‘Classical’ civilisation.

The academic Henry Chadwick (1986) wrote that Christians in the Roman Empire took issue with its paganism:

The Roman state had persecute d Christians with brutality until only a few decades before Augustine’s birth, but it was in the Jews that he and his peers saw, to use the words of Garroway (2022), “a stubborn, carnal, accursed people who rejected and murdered the son of God.” Augus tine’s condemnation went beyond just the enemies of the Jew ish preacher known as Jesus of Nazareth and found fault with an entire people. Au gustine’s doublethink can be identified through the centuries.

For example, the 15th century saw both the expulsion of the Jews from Catholic Spain and the reemergence of the originally pa gan term Pontifex Maximus as a regular title for popes. Ox ford’s exam statutes of 1800 certainly do not represent the vi olent antisemitism of medieval Christen dom, but they reflect the endurance of an age-old warped perspective. The universities of Eu rope preferred to see their origins in Rome and Athens, not in Jerusalem. Although the

Enlightenment shook up the normative thinking of Western scholarship, it did not go far enough. Post-Enlightenment intellect, books, and scholarly effort did not stop the emergence of scientific racism, for example, and it was only in 1920 that women were granted full membership at the University. Today, undergraduates can study a variety of languages and cultures from modern Japan to ancient Babylon. However, the faculty of Philosophy only emerged from the Classics faculty in 2001, and modern philosophy is still available to undergraduate Classicists but not to Sanskritists and Arabists. Oxford is no longer situated within a European bubble, and if the university wishes to be a global centre of learning and thinking, it needs to move on from a humanities with Greece and Rome at its historic centre. The categories separating Asian and Middle Eastern languages, modern European languages, and Ancient Greek and Latin need to be removed entirely, and the courses standardised where applicable. Tradition can be a pleasant thing, and we can keep Latin graces at meals, but tradition does not justify the continued existence of a Eurocentric spectre. Perspective and not only reason are important in thinking and thought is not an indulgence but a necessity.

Christ Church Tom Quad. Credit: Ananya Navale

Adam Ali-Hassan

2000. While the First Intifada was largely peaceful during Palestinian attempts to break free from their Israeli shackles, the Second Intifada grew increasingly violent, characterised by suicide bombings and rocket attacks targetting Israel. Authorities such as the White House have declared the word as “hate speech”. It must be noted, however, that the 2011 Arab Spring uprising in Tunisia has also been dubbed an intifada, despite being widely acknowledged as completely peaceful. As a result, the meaning has become conflated and a source of contention.

Should students stick to studying?

Yusuf Kundgol is a first year Comment section editor at The Oxford Student.

OAmidst the wave of student activism sweeping across university campuses, we must remember one simple truth – students are (almost) always adults, capable of making their own decisions and being accountable in the eyes of the law, and they should be treated as such. We must also remember that for most of them, the war that they are protesting is taking place in a land they’ve never set foot in, where those killed – 35,000 and counting – are known to them only through what they have read or seen online. seem to their for ac While the protesting students’ suf fering pales in com parison to the plight of the Palestinian people, many of them are still risking their po sition at an elite ed ucational institution.

Authority figures have been quick to

question the legitimacy of the protests, based mainly on two key features: who is protesting and how they are doing it. However, it appears to be a lose-lose situation for the protestors, with the story being spun regardless of the truth.

“ Authorities have taken this chance to weaponise their power

If it is students who are taking action, they are considered naive and ignorant, whereas non-students are agitators and trespassers. Wherever the action is non-disruptive then it is being labelled as performative and lacking conviction, but as soon as it becomes disruptive there are incessant accusations that it is violent and illegal. We should of course be hesitant to condone illegal protest, but I believe that Martin Luther King Jr. describes the principle behind protests perfectly: “When one

breaks the law that conscience tells him is unjust, he must do it openly, he must do it cheerfully, he must do it lovingly, he must do it civilly — not uncivilly – and he must do it with a willingness to accept the penalty.” The vast majority of what has taken place in the past few days falls into this category, with the action being civil and students accepting their punishment. It is unacceptable, however, that police forces and the authorities have taken this as a chance to weaponise their power and use excessive force on unarmed protestors, as has been reported and even shown online. Alongside the questions of who and how they are protesting, precisely what is being advocated for is closely scrutinised. While the majority of protests, particularly on US college campuses, have been pushing their institutions to divest from Israel as their primary aim, much focus has been on the use of rhetoric including the use of the word “intifada”.

Originally an Arabic word meaning “shake off” – in the same way that a dog might shake off water from its back – it has since evolved to mean “uprising” and has become synonymous with the two Palestinian intifadas of 1987 and

campus culture wars dominate the headlines, university leaders must decide how to move forward or risk repeating the chaos and calamity that is visible at the moment.

“ Students seem to find themselves on the right side of history

If there is an unsavoury minority that is using the word to intimidate Jewish students then they should be sanctioned appropriately for their unacceptable actions. However, contrary to claims that it has antisemitic origins or violent predispositions, we must be clear that a call for an “intifada” could simply out line a desire for the Palestinian people to shake off their brutal and unjust Israeli occupa tion. Regardless, the contention surrounding the word’s use highlights the underlying prob lem that faces student pro tests, since their message is often subject to high levels of scepticism, and at times, does not stand up to severe scruti ny.

“ Antisemitism, calls for violence [...] must obviously face consequences

As a wider concern, it has also sparked debate over the role of universities and the extent to which free speech can be protected in modern society. Universities have long been considered the premier breeding ground for new ideas and providing opposition to unpopular and unjust policies. However, as they become increasingly politicised and

Standing up and speaking out for what you believe in is rightfully protected by law in most countries and universities, but as ever when the issue at hand becomes divisive the line begins to blur. Without advocating for inconsistency, when the subject is as sensitive as Israel-Palestine is and emotions are strong on both sides of the debate, it is of utmost importance that clear boundaries are defined and respected, and inflammatory remarks are kept to a minimum. Antisemitism, calls for violence and other inappropriate demands must obviously face consequences. However, the current protests are by and large none of these things and are instead clearly focused on the horrors place in Gaza. Students are well within their rights to bring up this issue and should continue to display courage and conviction in supporting the Palestinian cause that they are currently doing. It is often quipped that history might not repeat itself, but it rhymes. Students seem to find themselves on the right side of history every time: the Vietnam War in 1968, South African apartheid in 1985, or a whole host of other international social justice causes. We would do well to take notice of the issues that have captured the imagination of students at such a scale. This may ironically sound hypocritical, but as media coverage continues to centre on university protests it is obscuring our view of the real issue at hand – the genocide that is currently occurring in Gaza.

The Gaza encampment protests in Oxford. Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys

Scoffs and poffs: Oxford’s defecating social capital

In this edition of his column, Zaid Magdub reflects on a bizarre conversation he overheard and what it says about class in Oxford.

Ilike to think that I’ve had a fashionable set of odd experiences as the slow march to summer vac begins. On the few occasions where one has been given time to reflect, an especially vivid memory was when I was sitting at some awful function, with some awful music and less awful company. Somewhat less awful at least. Lounged on some JCR sofa as the most rinsed of Coldplay’s discography blared, I watched two students introduce themselves to one another. Obviously this was not special; I have practised that horrid ritual of the Oxbridge introduction (Name, College, Course) too many times. What I, tipsy from a dangerous mix of elderflower and Coca-Co-

la, found really quite strange here was the trajectory of the conversation. Within maybe two sentences of poor small talk, one asked the other whether they were “Private school or state school?”

“ One asked the other whether they were “Private school or state school?”

It was not the topic of conversation. It was the boldness by which the topic was addressed.

Cl[ah]se. Cl[ass]. Always. Not without good reason though. Oxford is a place that advertises itself as incestuous, as self-masturbatory - that’s often the appeal. So and so came here, toffs, gowns, sub-fusc, college puffers - you are to feel that you are nestled within something tightknit, a place that revels in being described as the ‘breeding ground’ for the English political class. It is as jarring as it is at tractive. Being at an institution that defecates social capital creates an environment where many feel the need to linguisti cally distance themselves from its (true) stereotypes and cus toms. Similarly, it should not be surprising that others lap it up or for middle-class types to play themselves up or down depending on who they’re try ing to impress.

“ Oxford is a place that advertises itself as incestu ous, as self-mas terbatory - that is often the appeal

Usually, people find roundabout ways of discerning the other’s social capital – thinly veiled facades framed with questions of “Where are you from?” or find ing out how many formals with old friends from school one has booked. There’s often a reason why a quarter of your sixth form had interviews in December. But it is never put quite as bluntly between two strangers. That felt odd. Usually, etiquette stipulates you might want to discuss a lit tle more than just the weather before jumping into discussing whether it’s tax avoidance or tax evasion. The question was undoubtedly about class. Because everyone is always talking about class here.

“ The class alienation is so woven into our conversation that it is not just off-putting, it’s vapid

And so schools just become another part of the performance you’re meant to engage in, so when someone angers you, you can rightfully put it on their upbringing here or there. It is not secondary to the experience, or an unfortunate but avoidable aspect of the experience. It is a package and parcel of the experience. On some level, I’ve come to think you’re almost meant to. You’re meant to carry out just a little bit of that pompery and snobbery. You’re meant to accept those totalising statements and let a stranger know where you stand with

by your dreadful years as a teenager. Without those clear lines drawn between, Oxford would not be Ox-

It did cross my mind in that abysmal function that not only was this not normal, it was not right either. One cannot help but become a slightly insufferable pseudo-thinker while Pompeii plays for the seventh time in a night. The class alienation that is so woven into the fabric of our conversation and culture is not just off-putting; it’s vapid, useless, and outright disgusting. But as much as this place is a bubble, it does not exist in a vacuum. Wherever these conversations happen, whether it be a tired JCR or the gloom of a club smoking area, they are conversations rooted in our Great British social context. For Oxford to change, so must Britain.

The function did not get any better. The music remained awful, but I’m glad, and equally distressed, that I now know where two other people went to school.

Oxford students at matriculation. Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys

Profiles

of the week “ “

The students on the frontlines of the pro-Palestine encampments

Tallulah Hawley speaks with student activists at University of Texas at Austin and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.

From sunny West Coast colleges to the revered Ivy League institutions of the East Coast to small midwestern liberal arts conservatories, university students across the United States have been engaging in pro-Palestinian protests on their college campuses. Tear gas, rubber bullets, and tasers are not new methods of silence used on protestors by policing groups or counter-protesters. Since the events of 7th October 2023, the grassy quads at educational centres, have been engulfed in multicoloured tents, flooded with Palestine flags lodged into the earth, and are being

occupied by students of all backgrounds clad in keffiyehs and face masks.

I spoke with three students at American universities who are aiding the protest. At these universities, where most students are paying substantial

tuition fees to attend, those participating in peaceful protests are met with brutal police activity, resulting in arrests, academic suspension, and public doxxing. Names have been changed.

Tabitha, third year at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt Tallulah Hawley: When did you arrive at the protests, and what was going on?

Tabitha: “The first few days of the protest were intense. I arrived the night that the police had violently attacked a protester, about an hour afterwards. I will say that the

crowd continued to grow in relation to the police presence — around 200 people at the height.

“ No one wants to see their community being oppressed by the police.

The police started pushing up onto the protesters, who, for their own safety, had barricaded themselves into a building. One officer grabbed a stu-

dent, and to prevent their own arrest, the student smacked the officer, fully dressed in riot gear, with an empty five-gallon jug for water. As a result, the officer used their baton to crack the student upside the head. There was no intent for violence on the part of protest organisers, there was a focus on the creation of community. An attempt to maintain student solidarity, despite the university’s continued efforts to break that.

The entire purpose of this protest was to be peaceful, but when the campus chooses to escalate by bringing in riot teams, closing campus

and

Editor: Tallulah Hawley

Section Editors: Audrey Davidson-Houston, Lucy Pollock, Purav Menon

Students clash with state troopers and police at UT Austin, while police on horseback attempt to keep the crowds in control. Credit: Jay Janner for USA Today

blaming the students for said closure, people are upset. No one wants to see their community being oppressed by the police.

On the second day, there were around 100 people in the quad, with tents set up and people playing music and blowing bubbles.

The chalk mes sages had qua drupled, with one section of the quad filled with names of Palestinians who lost their lives.”

campus. I find it incredibly frustrating, it affects the feeling of community on campus. I feel on edge.

TH: How have you assisted in the protests yourself?

T: “I attended protests and provided food and chalk. My main role was to act as another set of eyes with the hope being that with more people, there’s less of a chance of police brutality.”

TH: Have any of your friends been suspended?

T: “One of my friends [is in my same] major and was sus-

Without even entering campus, the three police cars posted up at the entrance turned on their lights. It’s a fear tactic. The local police aren’t even willing to carry out these acts of violence and terror on their own community, instead, they call in reinforcements from Redding and other counties to come in and support them. They also have continuously attempted to engage in conversations with me, telling me that they think that “the only way to effectively protest is to do it on a military base”, attempting to break solidarity amongst students.”

TH: Could you describe the atmosphere at Humboldt today?

T: “Tired and exhausted. I’m

consistent and deliberate in its use of language. There’s still a police presence. There’s uncertainty in the air — what will the future of Cal Poly Humboldt look like? Because it has been made clear that the students and faculty have no say in it.”

Rue, third year at University of Texas at Austin

TH: I feel like with October 7th and all that the world saw unfold, I saw a lot of people who had no idea that a cycle of colonialism has been occurring in Palestine for years, not even including this isolated incident.

Rue: “In Middle Eastern Studies classes, there are people who, even now, have a really poor understanding of the issue to be real.”

“ It’s really hard to find a common ground and create good dialogue when you’re kind of butting heads on what the issue even is.

ing heads on what the issue even is.”

TH: How do you feel about the current dialogue, when people seem to pay attention to just that solitary moment?

R: “The discourse and the conversation are just very narrow right now. I think we want to talk about actually making the world a better place. We need to expand that conversation and talk about why things like that happen and why these conversations are even necessary in the first place, and how we can prevent this from happening again and again, in other places as well.

I think [counter-protesters] fail to understand that we’re trying to have a conversation about how we prevent things like this from happening. How do we prevent this conflict from continuing to bubble over like this? How do we find peace? Right here? Not, I’m not here because I like love violence. It’s an anti-war protest.”

TH: The first few days of the protests, what did it look like on campus?

R: “Well, UT is a unique scenario, because we’ve never had tents up for more than like 15 minutes. Mass arrests started before the protests had even really started. So it immediately bubbled over. What happened is that PSC, our Palestine Solidarity Committee, put out a [social media] post the day before, on April 23rd, saying that we’re going to occupy the lawn from 1 to 7 pm. They had posted a schedule with teachings and art workshops, but they used the language ‘occupy the lawn’, even though it said 1 to 7 pm, there was no intention

to bring tents, no intention to stay overnight, no intention to establish a permanent encampment. But they made the post. Before anyone had even sat on the lawn, before any teaching had happened, before any flag had been put up or any sign, there were about 60 arrests.

“ Mass arrests started before the protests had even really started.

So the first day was insane, because nobody was expecting that. It was a walkout from class, then we were just going to go sit on the lawn until the evening. So I was carrying my backpack, I had a Yerba Mate in my hand, right? The line of state troopers marched in with batons, and horses, and motorcycles, and guns and all that. It was like a switch flipped really, really fast. Where it went from literally an Instagram post. So the first day was a conflict, there wasn’t even a protest before the conflict. It was kind of just a conflict. And then things settled a little bit from there. So after that first day, before we even sat on the lawn, they arrested people, but we pushed [the police] off the lawn, and then people ended up sitting on the lawn. Since then, it’s just been teachings every day, no tents or anything, but people have been sitting on the lawn for as long as many hours as possible.”

CSPUH students protest outside Siemens Hall. Credit: Tabitha

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Local elections Why do they matter?

Continued from page 1 ...not be quite as party-charged as a general election would be, the results are still extremely important looking at the year ahead. From voter apathy to independent gains, here is ev erything you need to know about the local elections. The council elections saw major losses for the Con servatives, losing over 450 councillors as voters appear to have lost faith in Sunak’s party. However, things are looking up for the Liberal Democrats, who have gained 104 councillors. In fact, ac cording to party analysis, the Liberal Democrats have gained more council seats than any other UK party in the past five years, gain ing 768 council seats while the Conservatives have lost 1,783. Labour saw signifi cant gains of 186 council lors in the elections and maintained strength on the mayoral front, with prominent figures such as Andy Burnham, Steve Rotheram and Sadiq Khan hanging on to their regions. Conservative Andy Street, in cumbent of sev

en years, narrowly lost to Labour’s Richard Parker. Speaking to the BBC, Street attributed his loss to his personal campaign rather than a loss of faith in the Conservative Party. However, former home secretary Suella Braverman urged the Prime

the spectrum, those on the Labour Party view the election results as a marvellous show of Starmer’s potential.

The chief of campaigns, Pat McFadden, feted Labour’s “tremendous” performance. But Labour’s performance among Muslim voters is

- voters are arguably offered greater electoral choice as Labour and the Tories are no longer the only viable

the hearts of many young people, the support for Galloway may have implications in shaping Labour’s policies to connect

“ The support for Galloway may have implications in shaping Labour’s policies to connect more with the youth

eral election looming, the local elections are not only a stark reminder to Sunak that voters want to see change, election,

pointing towards huge Tory losses. Though the success of the Liberal Democrats and small parties may seem significant, these parties tend to outperform in local elections as the general election largely turns into a two-party race. However, it is more than possible that they may influence

Editor: Amelia Gibbins

Section Editors: Ananya Navale, Angela Yu, Caitlin Clarke, Linda Yuanlin Liu, Lucy Pollock

Illustration of a man voting at a polling station. Credit: Rhea Brar

Amelia Gibbins

Library hopping: The best (and worst) study spots in Trinity

Nicole Gibbons discusses go-to libraries for exams, revealing hidden gems and those she would avoid.

The word library in Trinity feels synonymous with stress. Most of us know we should be in one, however firstly, they are packed and secondly, it is so sunny outside! To make spending a day in the library as enjoyable as it can be, I have compiled the following list of my go-to Trinity library choices.

St Cross Building

As an English student, I am all too familiar with this brutalist-sandwich building, but I am always surprised that more students from other subjects do not work here. Coffee and banana bread from Missing Bean is the highlight of my morning, and sometimes I just enjoy studying in the sun. When I actually feel like venturing into the library, I usually opt for top

floor English Library or for one of the cubbies in the Law Library. I always feel the need to escape this building by midday once lectures are over, so it is very much a morning space for me. Therefore, it gets an 8/10, mostly for the snack accessibility.

The Gladstone Link

Hear me out – in Michaelmas, you would never find me here. But the ‘Glink’, as it is affectionately nicknamed, hits differently in Trinity. Something about the cool metal grate flooring and being surrounded by books that have not seen sunlight for years is so refreshing on a hot

summer’s day. It is good for when you need to frantically run through Quizlets for hours on end. The lack of signal on the second level sometimes feels like my only escape from scrolling through Instagram Reels, so it gets a solid 6/10.

“ I can also usually find a seat here at midday, which is rare.

Bodleian Old Library – Upper and Lower Reading Rooms

Post-lunch, the Old Bod is my go-to. I spent most of my first year being too intimidated to walk in, but I have since realised that it is the only library where I can spend an entire afternoon without falling asleep. I always do my reading faster here – I like to think the motivation comes from the dark academia aura.

I can also usually find a seat here at midday, which is rare for a library in Trinity – it deserves a 9/10 for this alone, and for the pretty views!

Duke Humfrey’s Library

Aesthetically, the studying experience in this library is gorgeous. However, it is unideal in summer for hydration purposes. If I do end up popping back in this term, it will be for an hour max. A 3/10 for its beautiful impracticality.

Vere Harmsworth Library

I didn’t know this library existed until the end of last year, but it was such a good find. I’m not the biggest fan of a modern library, but the Vere has lots of natural light and is a nice break from the ornate decor of the central libraries. I prefer to go in the evening, but I recently found out that it closes at 7pm instead of 10pm. For this tragic discovery, the Vere Harmsworth gets a 4/10.

The beating of the bounds

Eva Price is a second year History and English student at Wadham College. In this column, she is exploring Oxford in single objects.

On Thursday, many of us were reminded of the importance of local community and the administrative ‘boundaries’ that define it. The pageantry of election day, however, can hardly be compared to the peculiarity of a ritual expected to take place this coming week.

On 9th May at 10am, the Rev. Buckley of St Michael at the North Gate will lead a procession to the first of the 29 ‘boundary stones’ that mark the city’s historic parochial border. Wielding willow-sticks ready to ‘beat’, the group will pass through Brasenose College, Cornmarket Street, and M&S. Each stone will be

prayed over and marked with chalk, before being beaten as attendees chant “mark, mark, mark!”.

This medieval tradition is derived from Anglo-Saxon tradition and has been practised by the parish of St Michael at the North Gate since 1428. Scheduled to occur each year on Ascension Day, it is observed on the Thursday 40 days after Easter, and prefaced by a service to commemorate the Ascension. The beating of the bounds is a rare relic of the Church’s once-crucial civic role in the community. During the heyday of parochial governance, the parish borders were the markings of commu-

nal, religious, and political jurisdiction; to trace them was, for many, to walk the border of the world as they knew it.

To ‘beat the bounds’ was a ritual of community, schooling and governance, and political resistance. To mark local borders was to challenge the Acts of Enclosure, disrupting formerly communal ‘open-field systems’ whereby all members of the parish might farm livestock, or cultivate the land.

To walk the boundaries, was to tread a thin legislative line. Today, the issue of zoning and enclosure remains a contentious issue. The Independent Oxford Alliance Party (IOA), who campaigned on

Mansfield College Library

In an effort to put Mansfield on the map, I thought I’d give my college library a shout-out. Open 24/7, the wood-panelled Main Library has been the site of many of my latenight essay crises, so it would be a disingenuous library crawl for this to go unmen tioned. Switching up location by alternating between the three smaller reading rooms also helps me study for longer, despite the fact this some times devolves into conver sation. I am perhaps a tad biased, but this li brary gets a 10/10.

And with that, I will draw the library crawl to a close by watching the sunrise over the Gormely statue… and repeat the next day.

an anti-LTN (low traffic neighbourhoods) platform, gained four seats on the Oxford City Council this week. The complaints levelled against the introduction of LTNs echo Clare’s anti-enclosure sentiments, fearing that local economies, democracy and community are being jeopardised. Whilst the procession on Thursday will only last two hours, ending at Lincoln at noon (significantly shorter than the thirteen-hour hike of 1892), the ritual’s observation will provide historic parallels and community links untouched by time.

Read the full column at www.oxfordstudent.com

Popping pills and pushing through Georgie

Allan explores how stress in university may promote self-medication.

Istart every day with a mug of tea, or three. I might supplement it with some caffeine pills. I then take my daily vitamin supplements, and medications – some for pain, some for my stomach – and get on with the rest of my day. Around mid afternoon the fresher’s flu I’ve had for the past 6 months starts acting up, so I swallow some Sudafed, with a side of throat lozenges. I spend most of the day sat studying and my bag is rammed with textbooks, so by dinner my back is killing take some painto shut it up. When I decide that I’ve had enough, I take a sedative to knock

In a world where everything instantaneous, it’s possible to spend more time trying to keep up than waiting around, so your body has to keep up too. For the eight weeks of the Oxford term, a constant cycle of deadlines, club nights, and trying to have a social life encourages this behaviour by whatever means necessary. Too tired? Caffeine. Can’t sleep? Nytol. Not having fun? Take your pick, the options are endless. The routine I described at the start is thankfully a work of fiction, but it is based on accounts from students all over Oxford, for some of whom this is reality. Everything that I described is available over the counter for as little as 50p a pack, largely unrestricted and for good reason: as far as medications go, they are not very strong and it would arguably be a waste of time to make you go to a doctor to get them prescribed.

These drugs go from helpful to harmful when com-

bined with our expectations of immediate solutions in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. A work ethic which glori- fies pushing through, and a

tightterm timetable which harshly penalises even short breaks, does not allow for rest and recovery. None of the substances I described at the beginning fix problems – they mask them, and the root cause goes untreated as a result, the consequences could be dire. Long term abuse of any substance places stress on the

“ Sometimes masking the problem is all you can do.

body, which is exacerbated by the stress of doing an Oxford degree. Long term liver or kidney damage, gastritis, and even dependence are only a few of the risks of this behaviour, which, for the majority of students, isn’t an instinct, but a response to an intense environment. Desperate people do desperate things, and without a healthy way to cope, they will likely seek unhealthy options.

This goes from ill advised to dangerous when the lines are blurred between over the counter medications and much stronger stuff, obtained through prescriptions or illicit means. The prevalence of recreational drug use in Oxford has been extensively reported

Son, though these have focussed exclusively on substances which carry legal ramifications rather than the quieter, more widespread phenomenon of standard medicine abuse. I want to be clear that this isn’t a criticism of any individual, and it is hypocritical. I may not have lived the day I described, but I have taken each of those substances individually. Sometimes masking the problem is all you can do, and that’s ok. Most of the time it is all you need to do – a lot of problems resolve on their own.

Equally, it should be more widely accepted that health cannot be perfect all of the time, and rather than soldiering on, it may be a better idea to take a break. The apocalyptic scenes at the library come flu season should not be necessary because students should feel able to take a break and go to bed if they cannot get through a single breath without hacking up their lungs.

Accessibility and allowances for poor health saw some strides during the pandemic – the switch to digitally submitted work at Oxford, the recording of some lectures –but it is far from enough. If we are really the global centre of research and innovation we claim to be, surely we can create a better way of living, and not just the drugs to cope with it.

Enrique Normand Velarde is a second year History student at Magdalen College. In this column, he discusses Resurrection Sunday in Lima.

tood amongst the crowds inside the cathedral, listening to the archbishop pontificate about our ‘Peruvian Galilee’ and the pressing need to abstain from spending on ‘frivolities’, my faith that something of interest might be salvaged from the Holy Week goings-on was severely wavering.

This Sunday, I had come down to see the procession in the city’s main square, vainly hoping to bump into Jesus on his day off. Local news had been trumpeting the return of Mario Valencia, a Passion-reenactor turned unlikely celebrity who boasts of 46 crucifixions and no intentions of retiring at the unlikelier age of 66. His acting troupe, reportedly 200 strong, play histrionic Romans and weeping Mary Magdalene’s for the calvary of thousands up to a makeshift Golgotha overlooking the city. All that happened on Friday, and I came down for the Sunday service. Maybe he’d think of joining Easter mass in the cathedral. No such luck, Lima’s Christ needed another day of rest.

Good Friday had not been so for our Madame President. The front door of her unassuming residence easily gave way to the battering ram of the men searching for signs of golden watches, jewellery, and other plunder. She wasn’t there that Friday night prosecutors and police piled in through the door and upturned her furniture for Rolex receipts, incriminating evidence. And what had she even done wrong? She says she’s an honest woman. She likes to show her clean open palms on TV. She has the immunity of her high office. Eventually, the procession burst out from the church in a heady cloud of incense smoke and was greeted with a perimeter of railing po-

liced by disinterested men perched on their polycarbonate shields around a sparse crowd of onlookers. As the midday sun beat down on the square, people took refuge under dry umbrellas. Enrobed men carrying the images on their backs slowly approached the wrought iron gates of the Presidential Palace, perspiring profusely. Wailing drums and trumpets played for them all the way through.

“ Vainly hoping to bump into Jesus on his day off

They had to work in shifts, every few metres or so, another group of the enrobed had to readjust their knotted belts and take the place of their exhausted companions under the tonnage of flower arrangements and varnished wood. I went up to some of them as they were wiping their brows and catching some breath, and I asked, “how have you found this year’s celebrations?” to which they replied, “it’s been good, we have had people come to take part despite the situation.”

It was not difficult to understand what this meant. Just days before, our President’s home was raided by authorities after she had flashed one too many expensive accessories on her various state appearances. Yet another turn in an interminable spiral of scandal and public outrage which threatened to slip, once again, into a violent cycle of protest and repression.

One of the enrobed men pointed to the palace looming behind us: “Maybe she’s been watching from in there.” Maybe she’d been praying too.

Culture

The Fall Guy: A laugh-a-minute

Georgie Allan is Deputy Editor for Culture at The Oxford Student.

The Fall Guy, director David Leitch’s latest film, is an action comedy I have been looking forward to for a long time. Featuring Hollywood veterans Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt - fresh from their Barbenheimer success - we were promised big laughs, huge explosions, and a love story for the ages, set to a smashing soundtrack.

To cut a long story short, it delivered. This laugh-a-minute movie is a nostalgia trip through the action stars and films that defined the genre. References from Rocky to the Rock saturate both the screen and dialogue, are sure to please Gen X parents everywhere. Guns of all kinds (real, prop, Chekhov’s, and most importantly, Ryan Gosling’s biceps) feature heavily, along-

side pretty much every stunt sequence in the history of cinema, packed into just 126 minutes.

Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, the stuntman to Aaron-Taylor Johnson’s Tom Ryder, a parody of the Hollywood egomaniac, dominating the screen either in person, or in the form of Ryder’s eau de parfum advert.

“ An action comedy which rests less on plot than sheer hilarity

Seaver’s successful career, and relationship with Blunt’s Jody Moreno, is cut short by a stunt accident which leaves him injured, depressed, and working as a car valet.

18 months later, Seavers is called to Sydney by producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) to star as Ryder’s

To be honest, I thought I’d watched a lot more than I really had in the past two weeks but it might be because I’ve started, then given up on a bunch of TV shows since the beginning of term. Anyway, here’s three sentences and a rating, where I recount all the media I’ve consumed in… three sentences and a rating out of five.

Big Boys Season 2 (TV show, 2024)

I watched season one shortly before starting university and it felt like a big hug for how anxious I was getting. I would be lying if I said I could separate season one from season two, but I remember liking this season a lot. The ending made me cry, I’m really going to miss these characters. Four stars.

The Watermelon Woman (Film, 1996)

If Shakespeare was a 90s Black

double once again, and save Moreno’s directorial debut. Once there, he discovers the real reason Meyer summoned him: Ryder is missing, and Seavers must track him down, a challenge which will see him use his stunt training to perform daring acts in real life, all in the name of love.

All in all, the film’s success is found in acknowledging what it is; an action comedy which rests less on plot than sheer hilarity. The Fall Guy spotlights stunt teams, the unsung heroes of the film industry. As the film emphatically states, there are no Oscars for the stunt guys.

Will I be recommending this movie to my parents? Absolutely. Will I watch it again? Of course, I loved it. But flashy effects and record breaking stunts can’t quite distract from the issue which seems to be plaguing Hollywood of late: they’ve simply run out of ideas.

lesbian. I don’t know how else to put this; it had the same flow as a Shakespeare play, but was more fun and easier to follow. Also, seeing a random actress onscreen and tracking down her family, partner, friends, etc. is the queerest, most neuro-divergent thing I’ve ever seen. Four stars.

How to Date Billy Walsh (Film, 2024)

This is why AI shouldn’t write films because I refuse to believe a real person sat down and wrote this. How on earth were we supposed to root for Archie? The actors did the best they could, but that boy was written like an evil supervillain. Two stars.

Heartbreak High Season 2 (TV show, 2024)

I loved season one of this 2020s remake and was super excited for this season. The show has grown to be really inclusive in

As enjoyable as it was, I can’t call The Fall Guy original. Many recent productions have tried to go behind the scenes of the movie-making industry, demonstrating self-awareness and trying to do something new. But the longer this goes on, the less it looks like innovation and more like a drought of original ideas.

Credit where credit is due, this was a standalone film (albeit based on an 80s TV series of the same name). But, the cast didn’t introduce any new names to the screen, pointing to the film industry’s need for

believable ways, which is super lovely, fun, and chaotic to watch. But this season was insane, they chose the most unhinged plot points and managed to fit all of them into eight episodes. Three and a half stars.

Easy A (Film, 2010)

I gotta pocket, gotta pocket full of sunshine, I gotta love and I know that it’s all mine (this song won’t leave my head). I finally watched it, and it was really fun and a great ‘turn your brain off’ sort of film. Emma Stone is literally incredible in everything she’s in, it’s insane. Three and a half stars.

When Harry Met Sally… (Film, 1989)

star power to sell seats, and the pace and density of comedy and action plays to the shortened attention spans of a social media generation. Regardless of the wider issues in entertainment, The Fall Guy is a great film, well deserving of the praise heaped upon it by audiences and critics so far. If you’re looking for a break from the library which will make you laugh out loud, without the need to excessively engage your brain, this is a film I strongly recommend.

Read the full article on

10 Things I Hate About You (Film, 1999)

Absolute classic and one of my comfort films. You literally have Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, AND Joseph Gordon-Levit in one 90s film. I still can’t deal with the sonnet scene, but everything else is practically perfect, and Patrick and Kat are just too cute. Five stars.

Riddle of Fire (Film, 2023)

Keep a look out for my full review on this. This film was so lovely, and I definitely think it’ll be a cult classic one day. The kids were absolutely phenomenal, their performances were better than even some of the adults at times. Four stars.

Sally is literally an angel and Harry is kind of a creep. I was waiting for the right time to watch this film and was a little underwhelmed. Their friendship, and later relationship, is cute in parts, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how awful Harry was at the beginning. Two and a half stars.

Read the full column on oxfordstudent.com

Georgie Allan

Section Editors: Sophie Harrison, Isra Khan, Yunzhang Liang, Anton March, Nikhil Singh, Rebecca Whalley, Angela Yu

Johannah Mathew is a second year Music student at Worcester College.

The Fall Guy. Credit: Universal Studios

Mozart’s opera: A Don Giovanni review

Anton March reviews the Oxford Student Opera Society’s performance of Don Giovanni at the Sheldonian Theatre.

- quite literally - chilling.

The sheer volume produced by the orchestra was supplemented by Kyle Siwek’s enthusiastic timpani playing, which added a sense of depth and drive to the already complicated textures, matched by the powerful but controlled voice of Madeleine Ley (Il Commendatore).

The star of the show was undeniably Ben Gilchrist as Don Giovanni. There was an amazing level of control within his voice and the different colours that he produced were incredible. The vocal shifts between dramatic, explosive, intimate, and seductive were only matched by his power and impeccable control of vibrato – something that can easily become overwhelming and

Fever Dream: Alice in Wonderland

“Wonderland doesn’t have to make sense.”

Sophie Harrison reviews Wadham Drama Society’s latest effort. “ Humorous in the most absurd way, the performers were certainly enthusiastic

So Ella Turner, producer of Wadham Drama Society’s Alice in Wonderland, tells me in an interview during the final stages of rehearsal. Walking out of the opening night show, it’s true that I could make very little sense of what I had just watched – and I’m sure that’s the point. The story obeys only dream logic, the watching experience like a fever dream in itself.

Produced by and starring students, Alice in Wonderland assembles a cast predominantly from Wadham. The adaptation draws on Henry Savile Clarke’s musical version,

though it aims to modernise and renew the piece, with a focus on physical theatre and dance. Rebecca Harper, directing alongside Abbie Mochrie, stressed its “fun, camp vibe”, notably including a bardcore rendition of Hit Me Baby One More Time.

Intertwined with Oxford culture given author Lewis Car-

obsessive. By far, the best actor of the lot, he captured the witty but evil nature of Don Giovanni perfectly.

Fabian Helmrich as Leporello (the servant of Don Giovanni) contrasted Gilchrist, providing comedic moments throughout the opera, many of which had the audience

bursting out in laughter. Overall, this production of Don Giovanni was successful and a joy to watch. I eagerly await the next production from the Oxford Student Opera Society.

Read the full article on oxfordstudent.com

roll’s time here, Alice is a fitting choice for adaptation. It promises to stir audience interest due to its classic status and associated place in popular culture. As Ella puts it, the story is nostalgic yet holds lots of creative potential.

The wacky and wonderful aspects of Carroll’s story are translated into bold-colour costumes, garish makeup – including UV face paint for the Cheshire Cat – riddles and twisted logic, and choreography. These choreographed sequences are some of the play’s more successful; an opening scene in which the ensemble circles Alice while collectively hissing her name sets the tone. A few technical glitches saw

the music cut out, although by this point the show was so intentionally chaotic that I won dered if it might all be part of the act. Humorous in the most absurd way, the performances were certainly enthusiastic.

The Mad Hatter’s attire, a ste ampunk look with fluorescent under-eye paint, stands out among the more sophisticated costumes. The retro-futuristic style links to Carroll’s blend of Victorian literature with fan tastical elements drawn from a time apart.

Seated on the front row in an intimate crowd, I certainly felt immersed in the action.

The actors were within touching distance and, at one point, even seated beside me. The

quasi-theatre-in-the-round setup enhanced this impression, with some of the most effective scenes seeing the cast run laps around the audience, voices echoing around the garden. Lewis Carroll may have started writing these stories during his time at the university, but current students remain invested in rereading and rethinking them, unable to ex-

If you’re expecting a coherent and polished performance, well – probably don’t. But if you’re willing to go in with an open mind, this might be the thing for you.

Don Giovanni in performance. Credit: Charlie Rand

Alice in Wonderland in performance. Credit: Rhea Brar

What’s On?

Orlando: from Magdalen players comes this dramatic performance, set in Magdalen President’s Garden.

Magdalen President’s Garden, Tuesday 14 MaySunday 18 May

Summer Dreams: a collection of compositions which speak to the golden weather and beautiful scenery of Oxford in the summer from Oxford University String Ensemble, conducted by Erin Townsend, assisted by Louis Benneyworth.

Holywell Music Room, 19:30, Thursday 22 May

Hippolytus: watch Korai Productions take on this Athenian classic, following a new translation by Anna Coopey.

Burton Taylor Studio, Tuesday 14 May - Sunday 18 May

Into the Woods: Eglesfield music society reproduce this musical twist on the classic fairytale.

Queens College, Wednesday 15 May - Sunday 18 May

An Evening of Orchestral Jazz: Oxford University Orchestra, in collaboration with the Oxford University Jazz Orchestra, perform tested and true classics from Gershwin, namely his An American in Paris, Frank Sinatra and Irving Berlin. Conducted by Ed Liebrecht.

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30, Saturday 17 May

Food for thought: An insight into nutritional psychology

Rebecca Whalley is a first year Masters student at St Edward’s Hall.

There’s often a temptation when we’re battling exams, essays and dissertations to spend a week living off of instant noodles. Even day to day, we often end up eating the same meal several times a week. I, for one, am guilty of having the same thing for lunch every day; don’t get me wrong, a cheese sandwich is nice, but I’m not exactly providing my body with any nutritional variety. We are getting more and more to grips with the fact that our physical and mental health are inextricably linked, from the amount of exercise we do to the foods we ingest every day. The concept of looking after your ‘gut microbiome’ has also become rapidly more popular. The University of Harvard’s Medical School, in particular, has

conducted studies assessing to what extent our diets can impact our brain health.

As students, most of us eat a lot of highly processed or refined foods, usually because we’re on a budget. Perversely, it’s much cheaper to buy a frozen pizza than to buy the ingredients for a decent salad. However, highly processed foods contain significant amounts of refined sugars, which are actually harmful to the brain, promoting inflammation and oxidative stress, which can cause tissue damage.

Some studies have even found correlations between

high refined sugar intake and the worsening symptoms of depression; about 95% of our serotonin is actually produced in our gastrointestinal tract, something I was very surprised to discover. This tract is lined with a hundred million neurons, which can be hugely affected by an imbalanced gut microbiome. The ‘good’ bacteria we have in our systems helps us limit inflammation, and it affects how well we absorb nutrients from our food.

Interestingly, studies have shown that a more Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet are much better for the brain than typically ‘Western’ ones; in some cases, the risk of depression was 2535% lower. Much of these diets constitute a wealth of unprocessed fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood, and a lot of fermented foods, which act as natural probiotics. Experts also encourage us to eat more protein as it contains amino

acids, which our brain needs to produce neurotransmitters that, in turn, help us regulate our thoughts and emotions. A lot of us students suffer from the opposite problem, which is not eating enough. When you’re stressed about an upcoming exam and you’ve got your head in your books, sometimes the last thing you want to do is eat. However, if we don’t eat regularly, our blood sugar levels can become unsteady. Experts recommend we eat foods that release energy slowly, including nuts and seeds, brown rice and pasta, and wholegrain bread and cereal. Eating foods that are high in sugar can cause our blood sugar levels to spike and fall, causing a sudden drop in energy and motivation. Making sure we eat regularly is key to maintaining focus.

Read the full article on oxfordstudent.com

Overcooked for excess stress

Georgie Allan is Deputy Editor for Culture at The Oxford Student.

The word overcooked may reignite memories of food left unattended in a student oven. The stress of setting off the smoke alarm, the despair of wondering what the hell you could eat instead. When it all gets too much, there is a game which offers you an escape: Overcooked. First launched in 2016, players take on the role of chefs, sent back in time to train for the ultimate challenge, cooking fast enough to feed a ravenous giant meatball. Sound insane? You don’t know the half of it.

The kitchens in which the game is set look like they were designed by a madman. Locat-

ed in the middle of roads, on ships, icebergs and trucks, and often shifting configuration throughout each round, these kitchens are death traps, prone to fires, delays, and collisions. The goal is to complete the greatest number of orders in the allotted time in each round, preparing simple dishes - usually soups, burgers, pizzas, or fish and chips. Working collaboratively with up to four play ers sees chaos take over, but unlike a student kitchen there are no smells, and you can restart the level any time.

Playing this game with

my flatmates has been a great stress reliever these past few weeks. A catalyst for social interaction without the need for conversation, allows us all to

As far as games go this is a simple one, but incredibly addictive. Repetitive actions and simple instructions have been shown to have a calming effect on mental health, as well as stimulating alternative neural pathways through the emphasis on hand eye coordination. I highly recommend Overcooked for winding down in an evening. The chaos of Oxford is nothing compared to the chaos of the kitchen, though the latter is predictable, controlled, and most importantly, fun. If deadlines have you feeling overcooked, try making fish and chips on an iceberg. You’ll forget your problem sheet woes in a second.

Read the full article on oxfordstudent.com

Don’t take your eyes off the ball

Georgie Allan shares her thoughts on the new sports romance, Challengers.

“Are we still talking about tennis?” Yes, we’re always talking about tennis in the latest movie from Luca Guadagnino. I thought the cliche sports metaphor in cinema was grossly overplayed, but Guadagnino’s fresh serve gives me hope that there might be some life left there yet.

If the director’s name sounds familiar to you, it is likely from the hit 2017 film Call Me By Your Name, an exploration of male relationships set in Italy. Stylistically, Challengers could not be more different. A pop, EDM soundtrack, experimental camera techniques and playful chronology set it apart from its contemporaries in either the romantic or sports genre.

The theme however is arguably similar. The trailer made clear that the relationships between it’s main characters Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) are somewhat less than conventional. Within the first few minutes of the film however, it is apparent that the dynam-

“ A pop, EDM soundtrack, experimental camera techniques and playful chronology set it apart

ic between the two men is the one that is being explored. Their characterisation is distinctly more human, their relationship more compelling, and their fate the one left undetermined until the very end. Guadagnino’s signature suggestive use of food is once

again present in this sexual screenplay, providing homoerotic imagery which has already been satirised by Saturday Night Live, in a recent sketch starring Dua Lipa. Cylindrical snacks such as bananas and churros played a strong supporting role as the lead men explored their relationship and feelings for one another in relation to the

“ Bananas and churros played a strong supporting role as the lead men explored their relationship

game of tennis and Tashi, the principle object of their affections.

As sports films go, Guadagnino’s approach is especially enticing, with a keen appreciation for the singular focus and dedication required to be the best. The performances of O’Connor and Faist were a delight to watch, their relation ship unbelievable only in the prospect that such chemistry could be manufactured ar tificailly.

I have never been one to particularly care for ten nis, but the storytelling combined with phenomenal performances, and an inno vative soundtrack from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, had me at the edge of my seat. The careful contrast of driven, energetic elecgtronic music, with gentler, pondering piano pieces - more reminiscent of the northern Italian countryside in which Call Me By Your Name was set - clearly distinguished the pace of different scenes. The fierce energy of

the characters younger selves against the fatugue of their older incarnations was arguably one of the highlights of each actors portrayal. Fantastic script and innovative screenplay aside, the prospect of watching three attractive young actors sweat and strain had some of the Oxford Student team watching and rewatching this masterpiece again, and again, and again. Gratuitous shirtlessness, short tennis skirt, and even shorter shorts make up only a fraction of the athletic fashion featured on the screen. This was expanded on the press tour which saw Zendaya’s pull off another smash hit look book of tennis inspired outfits. The true beauty of this film is the layers of plot and metaphor that run throughout. Watched carefully, the film tells you exactly what it is right from the start. It is a perfect film to rewatch, revealing new interpretations and characterisations with each fresh viewing. I’d advise any curious cinema goers to enter with an open mind, and prepare to devote their full attention to a film in which not a minute of screentime is wasted.

Elliot Francolla is a first year History and Politics Student at St John’s.

My third week offerings are slim: if I were better I would teach you to cook a nice risotto, maybe, or a crispy piece of fish. I will attempt to explain why I cannot. The past two weeks were a series of what I’d call culinary calamities if my delusions of grandeur were any greater. As it was I suffered nothing more interesting than my own clumsiness and poor decision-making skills.

I got off to a brilliant start by setting off two staircases worth of fire alarms trying to cook salmon. That poor fish looked like some of the houses after the 2020 California wildfires. Somehow, the one time I flambéed pears in Exeter College kitchen last term turned out more successfully. Either way, something like half of my year group saw me, mortified, explaining to the porters that yes, theoretically I understand that one is not meant to cremate their dinner. Later I tried to comfort myself with a rewatch of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, but seeing as I could not make like Tony and drown my self-loathing in negronis on the Italian coast, it only exacerbated my keen sense of loss. I stewed in shame in my room instead, wary of showing my face outside of the staircase.

Tennis is a simple game (ex cept the scoring, don’t get me started on the scoring); two rackets, one ball. This is a simple film, two men, one woman, and a game you can’t assume anyone has won, until it’s over.

Read the full article on oxfordstudent.com

I got over myself a few days later, though, and decided to make a salad. The hob would not even be involved - what could go wrong? Fool I was. I cursed my hubris from the first aid room of the Porters’ Lodge, nursing my bloodsoaked fingers. To add insult to injury, the same porter that had enjoyed the spectacle of my incinerated fish was present when I showed up, all regret and apology after slicing my thumb on a can, holding out my hand like a four-yearold with a boo-boo in search of gauze and tape. Self-pity and laziness made me loath to step foot in the kitchen again after that. Besides the time I spent frying homemade Colombian arepas, I mainly subsisted on olives, fruit, and cheeses. When I became sick with exhaustion after May Day and my opera, I treated myself to M&S soup. So I can offer little advice on cooking for yourself this week, besides a prayer for tolerant porters and a hope that you may avoid the predilection towards minor injuries I seem to have developed. If these weeks have taught me anything, it is that my advice is the epitome of the blind leading the blind. This week I will offer honest recommendations for when cooking is quite simply not an option.

Read the full column on oxfordstudent.com

A kitchen fire. Credit: Anna Tarazevich

Help shape the development of the University’s Student Welfare and Suppor t Services students. Oxford t suppor best to

The Student Forum is a safe space to share your views so the University can listen and respond to help inform our services.

All students are welcome, whether you have . not or services our contacted Wednesday 15 May 4:30–6pm 3 Worcester Street

For fur ther information and to register your interest contact: director.swss@admin.ox.ac.uk ox.ac.uk/students/welfare

Navigating dietary requirements as an Oxford student

Lucy Pollock discusses navigating college life in Passover and her experiences of dietary restrictions at Oxford.

Passover is a Jewish holiday which lasts for eight days, and over those eight days Jews do not eat wheat, barley, oats, spelt, or rye. So for eight days, I basically become gluten-free (with extra steps).

Passover only occurs during term-time once a decade, so it is not a major issue for Jewish students, but as I spent over a week with very little other than crackers and avocado, I started thinking about the general experience of students with dietary requirements, and just how bad it can get.

I keep kosher, which is not so awful for me, because I will eat vegetarian non-kosher food. Yet not only does my college cafeteria not serve

kosher food, it is actually banned. When you are a part of a minority group, you have to learn that your needs are not always going to be met.

“ You would reasonably expect college to be more careful to prevent crosscontamination

Realistically, I am not so foolish to think that my college should change their entire cafeteria for the sake of maybe three students at my college, yet very few accommodations

are made for students with dietary requirements.

I am lucky enough to live with people who are generally respectful of other people’s kitchen utensils, but I have heard many, many horror stories about people walking into the kitchen and finding someone cooking bacon in their frying pan, or leaving containers of meat open in the fridge/freezer next to their food. As I prepare to share a kitchen with forty-five people next year, my fears have steadily been increasing. Of course, this is something that I can deal with - before I learnt that I could trust the people I live with, I made sure to always wash and dry my utensils im

identity@oxfordstudent.com | Deputy Editor: Elsie Haldane

Section Editors: Caitlin Clarke, Georgia Ferris, Sameeha Qureshi

mediately and keep them in my room to make sure people didn’t borrow them, and I live with few enough people that I get my own shelf in the fridge and cupboard. It is unfeasible for me to get a kitchen to myself - no one in my college has that - and so I try not to complain, but being on edge about various meats being prepared in the kitchen is another stress that Oxford students really do not need.

Passover in particular was bad - the worst part was being unable to use my kitchen. Trying to find recipes that would actually be filling without requiring cooking was a challenge, to say the least. Of course, I don’t expect university to stop just because of a Jewish holiday, so I was going to classes and tutorials having eaten very little (looking back on Week 1, I was eating a concerningly little amount), and to say it didn’t affect my work would be lying to myself.

Fasting has also had a major impact on me throughout the year. Judaism has maybe ten fast days, which I’m aware is nowhere near the same level as other religions, and as someone who does not fast well, it has been a particular struggle attending tutorials during fast days. Your strength is dilapidated, your mind becomes unfocused, and all you want to do is sleep. And of course, the university provides very little support (at least in my experience).

Vegetarianism is another not-so-wonderful dietary requirement to have at university. My college likes to pretend that they prioritise vegetarian meals, calling them “Menu 1”, yet realistically it is glaringly obvious that far more thought goes into the meat options, both every day and at formals.

I am not suggesting that Oxford become all-vegan (a belief I know others hold): I do not think that you can force

a college with a significantly large population of vegetarians, one has to question why the JCR meeting pizza still tends to be non-vege tarian friendly? I am sure there are those who feel that hav ing meat on pizza should be a constitutional right, but would anyone suffer if the free pizza that college occasionally provides was vegetarian?

Speaking of pizza (I should not be writing this article at lunchtime), the gluten-free options at college tend to be genuinely terrible. I am lucky enough to be able to eat gluten (with the exception of Pass-

“ The issue with dietary requirements is that so few people are affected that the majority must win every time

over), but it seems as though my friend who has celiac disease accidentally ingests gluten in supposedly gluten-free cafeteria food on an almost weekly basis. With an allergy so serious, you would reasonably expect college to be more careful to prevent cross-contamination, yet there seems to be a total lack of regard for the dietary requirements of those with allergies. The issue with dietary requirements is that so few people are affected that the majority must win every time. Colleges get away with making relatively few provisions for students because there are not enough students to object to this treatment. Not everyone can have their dietary requirements satisfied. And so this remains an eternal, unsolvable issue, at least for my college.

Christ Church dining hall. Credit: Christ Church

Column

WGeorgie Allan is a Second year Philosophy, Politics, and Economics student at University College.

hen I pitched this column to Martin and Gaspard, I had only recently emerged from my last bout of insomnia, and expected to spend this term writing about past experiences. As it turns out, my body had other ideas, so this installment will talk a lot about the last week.

Insomnia more than anything is lonely. I do need time alone to rest and recharge, but most of the time I’m a social person. No one else is at 3am in the morning, they’re either asleep from natural causes, or passed out drunk. The whole world shuts down and it becomes a very solitary place.

“ No

one else is out at 3am in the

morning, they’re either asleep from natural causes or passed out drunk

In Oxford this means that all the libraries close, and all the shops. The last entry to the botanic garden (one of my favourite summer haunts) is 4pm, not exactly conducive to a more nocturnal schedule. Shops close, bars close, even clubs close eventually, and the kebab vans head home soon after.

So if you get hungry in the early hours, and don’t have anything in, you have to starve. If you’re bored there is very little to do. You remember that study that showed individuals would rather voluntarily inflict pain than experience continual boredom? I regretfully discovered this for myself recently - why wouldn’t I wax my legs at 3am. Unfortunately I ran out of waxing strips and nowhere

was open at 3am, so I currently resemble something of half-shorn yeti.

Most frustratingly of all, the laundry at my current housing shuts off at 10pm. This may sound like a minor issue (and certainly a first world problem, I am well aware) but last year when the laundry room ran through the night it was probably the easiest way to feel like those hours hadn’t gone to waste. The machines were always free, there was no risk of my washing being dumped on the floor, and the energy required to do laundry is so small, even an extremely sleep deprived insomniac can do it - and look slightly less disheveled in the daytime.

What about the internet, I hear you ask? Well first of all, as any doctor, internet wellness guru, or well-meaning stranger will tell you, looking at a screen before (or during) bedtime is terrible sleep hygiene. Even if you aren’t exactly asleep, it’s good to rest your eyes. Second, we all know doom scrolling is bad for your mental health, but have you ever tried it for 8 hours in the dead of night?

Not that this is something I’ve ever done - as I tell both my mother and my doctor, I work very hard to maintain good habits - but I’d imagine it is draining, and depressing to the point of nausea.

My way of handling this loneliness: podcasts. Preferably a comedy panel show, or couples therapy on air a la Therapy Crouch. If I’m feeling really awake, maybe a lecture recording (if it works in the day…), but anything conversational that makes you feel like you’re not alone, but that you don’t feel obliged to listen to. Heaven forbid my tutors ever discover that I get most of my news from Andy Zaltzman’s The Bugle podcast, but when you are as tired as I am, anything will do.

Assorted poems

by Benji Chowdhury

Silhouette

I am a shadow

Inconceivable, a slave to Light I wonder why I exist

I plead to be freed from beneath Light’s foot

But Light ensures my screams are drowned in the sound of people

Who wander and turn their heads at my cry for help

Too afraid to comprehend me

I am small and irrelevant

Pushed to the side as the crowd floods in People I thought were my friends

My mind cycles through thoughts

Have they given up on me?

What did I do wrong?

Do they still care?

Why do they blame me for this feeling inside?

This feeling of feeling...

empty

Farewell

He doesn’t speak

Instead, he stands very still: his eyes

Just shy of meeting mine, his body

Just shy of touching mine, and our souls

Just shy of being entwined.

He steps forward

Subtly, he shifts the space around us

Until his arms encapsulate me in a warm embrace

Crossing into my world with an intimacy

That speaks for itself

I reach up

Clinging for dear life and mumbling into his neck

The muffled sounds of longing and anguish and hope

The sweet tears and the lasting ache of a “Farewell, for now.”

Tunneler

Big, black, bloodthirsty beast

It had no name but it brought me shame

We played its game and I went insane

Crying “Tell me your name. Tell me your name!”

“Tell me your name before I truly go insane!”

But the sound of my voice was lost in empty space

Drowned in the sound of the world’s fast pace

Footsteps echoing and voices belting

My own voice crying “God, please end this.”

My feet moving out of my control

One step, two steps, three and four

So much so that I can’t count anymore

Did I say four? Where goes five?

In my mind, these numbers thrive

The tears flow and they refuse to stop

One drip, two drips, a drip and a drop

Like ink

Dispersing through water

Leaving its stain no matter what it says

No matter how it pleads or how it begs

Engulfing each particle with its bitter taste

An impurity I have no choice but to face

An impurity that will crush my little fort of eroding

stone

Even if I lock the doors and barricade the windows

It will always find a way in

Seeping through the cracks it worked so hard to create

Hellbent on being the reason I truly break

Dragging me back into the darkness

And aiming my eyes at the light ahead

Basking in the fact that I don’t fight back

Giving me hope

Just to remind me that a light only lasts so long

Until it runs out of fuel and returns to being a hungry darkness

It ensures that I’m broken down to something so small it can take over completely

Wrapping its murky shadow around the flickering light I have left

The light I clutch to desperately

In this tunnel of life.

Artwork by Rhea Brar

“Selling

out future generations”

The end of the Bute House agreement and social equality in Scotland.

Elsie Haldane is a first-year PhD student at Hertford researching human rights.

On the 25th of May, the former First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, formally announced the end of the power-sharing agreement between the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Scottish Greens in the Scottish Parliament. The agreement meant that 2 Green Party MSPs were given ministerial posts for the first time in Scottish and UK history. Now leading the Scottish Government as a minority party, the decision has caused major political upheaval and distress in the Scottish gov ernment. Co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Pat rick Harvie, has spoken out against the

“end of a progres pro-in

majority government”, adding that “broken trust” between the two parties will negative ly impact future relations be tween them. This decision has the potential for a huge impact

on the Scottish and UK-wide political landscape. For one, the impact of this decision on social equality legislation and human rights could be bleak.

While the SNP are often regarded as socially progressive and align themselves politically to the left, the Green party contributed to and supported many of the Scottish government’s most progressive social policies to date. The Scottish Greens are openly and officially pro-LGBTQIA+ rights in their stance, and self-identification for trans people was a key element of the Bute House Agreement. The Greens also had plans to push for the full and comprehensive ban on conversion therapy in Scotland. Co-leader of the Greens, Patrick Harvie, has been publicly open about his own bisexual identity. These include the Gender Reform Bill, a bill that allowed trans people to self-identify instead of receiving a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, reduced the amount of time that trans people have to live as their ‘acquired gender’ from 2 years to 6 months,

Ten years since launching its trailblazing ‘women make the first move’ feature, Bumble is opening the door to men starting conversations on its app. This comes as many users are feeling burnt out from online dating and ditching their phones in favour of IRL ‘meet-cutes’. With dating apps working desperately to maintain their relevance, Bumble’s relaunch, initiated by new CEO Lidiane Jones, has been met with significant interest. The app is rolling out a new feature called ‘Opening Moves’ which lets women select a question to which their matches respond. For non-binary users or those seeking same-gender matches, either person can set and

and lowered the age that people can obtain a gender recognition certificate from 18 to 16.

“ Time will tell if Swinney will continue to encourage socially progressive

The scrapping of the coalition came as a result of a U-turn on the SNP’s climate targets, which were designed to make Scotland a “world leader” on tackling the climate crisis. However, it has also been suggested that the move has been an appeal to those on the right of the SNP, with Patrick Harvie accusing Yousaf of appealing to “the most reactionary and backwards-looking forces within the First Minister’s Party”. Politically, this move could signal a move towards the right. The end of the coalition means that incoming First Minister John Swinney may have to turn to support

respond to these prompts. Examples include ‘What is your dream dinner guest?’, ‘What are your green and red flags?’, and ‘What’s the last thing that made you smile?’. Bumble’s relaunch also comes with ‘Dating Intentions’ badges for users to indicate what they’re looking for, such as ‘intimacy, without commitment’, ‘ethical non-monogamy’, all the way to a ‘life partner’. Common interests would be highlighted for potential matches, including character traits such as sarcasm, causes they support such as Black Lives Matter, and shared favourite musical artists. In response to common requests, the app is further requiring users to include more photos in their profiles.

from parties across the political spectrum, including those aligned further-right than the SNP or the Greens (Scottish Labour, Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Alba party).

It also marks the end of Humza Yousaf’s premiership as First Minister. Yousaf was open about the challenges he faced as a Scottish-Pakistani Muslim, the first Muslim leader of a Western country. In his resignation speech, Yousaf described how much he had

enjoyed his time in the role, stating that as a child, ‘people who looked like me were not in positions of political influence, let alone leading governments’. Yousaf has also been open about the racism and Islamophobia he experienced throughout his life and political career. Earlier this year, he faced public attacks from MSPs, MPs, and celebrity Elon Musk...

Read the full version on oxfordstudent.com

Prior to this rebranding, a 24hour countdown began when users matched on Bumble. If the woman did not message her match within the time frame, the match would no longer be available to either party. Initially aimed to defy the norm and expectation of men always initiating conversations and to allow women to feel more in control of their dating app experience, it soon became a source of frustration: for women who didn’t want to come up with an initial message, and for men who got ‘unmatched’ if the women failed to text. In an interview, Jones noted that ‘women messaging first’ has always been Bumble’s signature move, but it ‘feels like a burden for a subset of our customers today’.

She emphasised that women are still primarily in control of their dating experience after this relaunch, as pre-written messages merely make it easier and less daunting to text first. Jones emphasised Bumble’s new features designed to continue improving safety for women and build on the app’s original aim of upsetting traditional gender roles. Such industry-first features include Private Detector to identify unsolicited lewd images, AI and machine learning to identify scams and spam, and comprehensive community guidelines. However, the relaunch has been met with some disappointment.

Read the full version on oxfordstudent.com

Sharon Chau is a first year Gender Studies Master’s student at The Queen’s College.

An image of the government. Credit: Scottish government.

Section

Editors:

science@oxfordstudent.com | Deputy Editor: Sabine Zednik- Hammonds

Amelia Bryan, Ava Chan, Krishh Chaturvedi, Gabriella Kchozyan, Sameeha Qureshi

Why plastics are here to stay, and what is being done about it

Krishh Chaturvedi discusses the future of plastic.

Since Bakelite was revealed in 1907 as the first synthetic plastic, this lightweight, strong and mouldable class of materials has helped to make the modern world. Heralded as a ‘miracle material’ with many uses across all aspects of our daily lives, our relationship with plastics is a complicated one.

“ Plastic... appears essential in the creation of a more sustainable society

While it has uses in everyday items, it also appears essential in the creation of a more sustainable society in the long term. It will play a key role in the phasing out of fossil fuels, being used to manufacture essential components of electric vehicles, wind turbines and other sustainable energy sectors. Additionally, future technology sectors such as robotics, electronics, personalised healthcare, and diagnostics each rely on the development of better plastic materials. This is, howev er, at a very high environmental cost.

Pollution linked to the plastic in dustry, either during the pro duction process or through their disposal after us age, is a problem with disastrous ramifications for ecosystems glob ally. Due to its

virtual indestructibility, an estimated 12 billion tonnes of plastic waste will be sitting in landfills or polluting the natural environment by 2050. For comparison, this number stood at around 4.9 billion tonnes in 2015.

At the last United Nations Environmental Program meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2019, negotiations to pass a resolution calling for phasing out single-use plastic by 2025 and to draft a legally binding treaty on plastic debris ended in a stalemate. Following a resolution adopted unanimously at the 5th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in 2022, countries have started negotiating a legally binding international treaty on plastic pollution, addressing the full life cycle of plastics, with the ambition of completing negotiations by the end of 2024.

Studies over the years lay the blame on the rate of plastic production growth being too high compared to the rate at which the world can collect and repurpose

ford looking at technical, economic and policy changes to deal with this crisis, calls for a “bold system change” and upheaval. It lays out a roadmap for 2050 to achieve a 50% reduction in future plastic demand, the complete phase-out of fossil-derived plastics, 95% recycling rates of retrievable plastics and the use of renewable energy- all of which would be necessary to meet current emission targets and UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“ The rate of plastic production growth being too high compared to the rate at which the world can collect and repurpose plastic

These ambitious goals would require hard work and persistence in pushing policy changes, and a departure from ‘business-as-usual’. Significant challenges remain, including improving the fiscal benefits of implementing these changes. It remains much cheaper to produce virgin plastic—new resin created from natural gas or oil— as compared to collecting, sorting and processing plastic waste. Moreover, the infrastructure to process this waste doesn’t exist at a

large enough scale, with only about 14% of all plastics having been recycled, and significant barriers to the develop ment of this infrastructure in developing countries—some of the largest growing mar kets for plastic products. Plastic production is only expected to grow as de mand continues to increase— going up to 756 million tons anticipated in 2050 from 308 million tons produced in 2018, ac cording to a report pub lished by the Ameri can Chemistry Council in 2019.

Furthermore, plastic manufacturing compa nies have been reluctant to scale down manufacturing. Industry leaders agree that slowing the production of virgin, or unused, plastics is “highly counterproductive and impractical,” and that it will further “aggravate the carbon and climate problem as alternative materials have higher emissions.”

ity of plastics.

It seems plastics aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. However, more stringent regulations on managing plastic waste during the whole life cycle of products generated by industry is needed, and government intervention at anal scale is necessary to drive change. This is why the current agreement on plastic pollutionscribed as the equivalent of the Paris climate agreement for plastics pollution, needs to succeed.

“ While policy interventions are essential to drive change, the crux of the problem is chemical

While this isn’t always the case, commonly used alternative materials such as glass or aluminium lack the desirable qualities and adaptabil-

While policy interventions are essential to drive change, the crux of the problem is chemical: achieving the degradation of plastic waste and the reduction of emissions associated with produciwng them. Chemistry gave us plastics in the first place, and now chemists in both academia and industry are keen to find innovative solutions to alleviate the problems associated with plastic pollution. Watch this space in coming weeks to learn more about the chemistry battling the plastic crisis, with a special emphasis on the research being conducted in Oxford itself!

Oxford badger culls

The debate on bovine TB control

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a bacterial disease present in cows, which often causes massive economic losses to farmers and costs taxpayers through government testing. Badgers are thought to play a role in the spread of the disease. To prevent it the government mandates badger culls— a practice frequently surrounded by controversy.

This is no different for a cull proposed to take place in Oxfordshire. The proposed cull has come under fire from recent campaign groups, such as the Oxfordshire Badger Group, arguing that the cull of badgers does not stop the spread of bovine TB. There remains debate as to whether these culls are actually effective.

the disease, government reports have found that not all farmers take the appropriate measures to manage testing of their herds. For example, a third of farmers do not find out a source farm’s risk before purchasing. Campaigners for the badgers think that the culls shift emphasis away from mitigation by farmers, by instead placing blame on badgers whose populations suffer as a result.

Not only this but, many studies have found that badger culls are effective only when they reduce the badger population to below a certain threshold. This decrease is suggested to be approximately 70% or more. However, this threshold is often not reached, possibly contributing to the spread of bTB. In that case it would be better to leave the population undisturbed.

The Eco Corner

Before arriving in Oxford, I do not think I owned a single dress, at least not any suited to formal dinners and commemorative balls. Finding modest dresses that adhere to the rules of the hijab within my religion has been a struggle I was not anticipating and even now, in my second year, find it difficult to navigate.

Unfortunately, this struggle is not mine alone to face, and the need for modest formal wear seems to have found a controversial solution in exploitative businesses and fast fashion industries. However, in my experience, this is a lived reality at odds with Islam. The concept of modesty involves conscious awareness of our environmental and social impact.

Hijab and sustainability: Do not have to be at odds, if we rebuke fast fashion.

tradictory to the use of sweatshops and exploitation, that a new awareness needs to be emphasised for sustainability.

“ ...modesty involves awareness of our environmental impact “ The proposed cull has come under fire from recent campaign groups

Organisations like the Badger Trust argue that the culls are not supported by scientific evidence and that the real cause of bovine TB is cattle-to-cattle transmission. Although cattle testing is one of the defence methods used to prevent the spread of

The UK government’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) acknowledges that if the cull is not done properly, it can make the situation worse. Despite this , they still believe that the evidence offers broad support for this practice and reduces bTB enough for it to be the best option.

The question remains as to whether or not badger culls reduce the spread of bTB, making the debate incredibly hard to settle. Especially since the government had announced plans to phase out the badger cull in 2021, which were then reversed in 2024. The only certainty in this debate is that it will remain contentious.

Seeing group chats inundated with Shein listings for “modest satin dresses’’ and stolen designs from small businesses, I realised just how pertinent the issue is. Websites like Shein and Temu, promoting cheap, full-length dresses provide shocking insights into how desensitised many are, to the horrors of the fast fashion industry, how exploitative the companies are, and how materialism is often precedented above basic morals. As a Muslim myself, some of the core values within Islam are those of kindness, justice, and empathy. These are so con-

Themes like “Israf”, the disapproval of waste and extravagance within Islam, reflect why over-consumption and materialism are important things to detach from. We should seek to embody these values, in our day-to-day. Even the concept of modesty itself seems a null point when the garments we source stem from suffering and abuse. That is why we, especially Muslims, need to do better at representing Islam and in being more deliberate about our environmental impact. Here at Oxford, attempts

have been made to make modesty much more accessible. During her time as the Oxford Islamic Society’s Welfare Officer, Nafisa Sharder, a second-year biology student at Jesus College, set up a Facebook group titled the “OUIsoc Dress Swap”. Since its creation, I have seen multiple posts offering to lend and share clothing suited to all kinds of events. In doing so, it offers a space not only for sustainability but also for sisterhood, fostering community, and solidarity. These are the ways we can be impactful whilst remaining authentic to our identities.

So, the next time you have an event and are eyeing up the cutest “must-have” gown in pastel blue, that costs less than your standard college subsidised lunch, think about how widely your actions impact others, and what else you can turn to. Turn to your friends, to your family members, to charity shops and so much more.

Amelia Bryan

Woman wearing hijab. Credit: Habib Dadkhah

Sameeha Qureshi

Stay up to date with the Oxford SU transformation by following us on social media, find all the links below!

Read Rordon Gamsay’s reactions on Twitter @OxYou and the Sunday Roast on the OxStu Instagram

The OxYou

oxyou@oxfordstudent.com | Deputy Editor: Olly DeHerrera | Section Editors: Ella Goodwin, Florence Purcell

Rordon presents: Balls.

With Oxford’s Ball Season underway, we all get to marvel at the wonderous spectacle of themes such as: that one event in Glasgow that is remembered specifically for being a disaster. Rordon can’t seem to understand why having two Balls in one weekend is hardly impressive when he walks around with 2 everyday; but nonetheless he is committed to providing you with a list of his great theme suggestions for upcoming committees to consider.

- UK GENERAL ELECTION 2024 -

Rordon can’t help but feel that efforts to communicate complex political visions are turning off a lot of the electorate, and what better way to engage young voters than with a ball! It will be a night of entertainment where guests can play fun and educational games, including Spinning the Wheel of Democracy. Potential prizes include HARD BREXIT, HIGHER TAX RATES, and DECLARE WAR ON SPAIN.

Guests are encouraged to dress in the signature colour of their party, whilst the open bars will facilitate civil and productive debate between revellers (although at £400 a ticket, we anticipate it being a thoroughly blue spectacle).

To save the organisers money, anyone wearing green can be tasked with picking up the litter afterwards.

- GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH -

A good ball should be topical, but not too topical, to truly capture the Zeitgeist of the era. Let ustake you instead to the beautiful North Pacific Subtropical Gyre where you’ll find the Great Pacific Garbage Patch- an everyday celebration of mankind’s disregard for nature. Guests can enjoy vaporous ruins of synthetic polymer particles and see exotic marine life like sea turtles and fish...well, what’s left of them anyway after decades of ingesting our discards. Guests should bring their laziest recycling habits and come help us continue making long-lasting memories against a background of Earth’s newest

man-made wilderness. All food served is carefully laced with tasty microplastics.

- BOISE, IDAHO -

New Orleans is a well loved (if not a tad overused) Oxbridge ball theme. However, Rordon can’t help but feel this takes the limelight away from other US cities of great culture. For too long, Idaho has been pigeonholed as nothing more than a place to come gaze at oblong starch tubers and grizzled farmers cursing the day they let women vote. However, one must not overlook how the ever-iconic Idaho has served as the scenic filming location for many Hollywood favourites, such as “American Trout Fishers” and “American Trout Fishers Return”. As a Ball theme, Boise Idaho offers an exotic cultural background to Oxford students’ socialising, as well as the delicious taste of exclusively potato-based cuisine. Other options for similar future Ball themes include Augusta Maine, Salt Lake City Utah, or Lansing Michigan.

- OPPENHEIMER -

With this theme, Rordon hopes to bring back the magic of Univ’s 2016 Interstellar Ball. He considered Dune, Dune 2, maybe even Barbie, (probably not Zone of Interest); but the choice feels obvious: Oppenheimer. The Oppenheimer Ball promises to provide a Ball which goes on for far longer than it feels necessary. “Tonight was a movie” guests will say as they witness the quintessential blinding fireball, supersonic shockwaves, and a grotesque mushroom cloud consumes everything within a 1-mile radius.

Rordon Gamsay replies to your ethical dilemas in the OxStu newsletter, sign up on our website

Best of the Roast

- MAY DAY -

Rordon prepares for battle. His May Day commenced with five Jager bombs and some extra strong snus, a combination that came highly recommended by the local college BNOC who had used it to get through Union election week without sleeping. It was only the next day that Rordan found out some of his peers had gone to bed early to wake up at five, a move that was dubbed ‘sacrilegious’ by the 2:2 students of the college. On his way to Atik, Rordan noted the pills being taken by his fellow queuers, and wished that he too had brought some ibuprofen, which would surely sort out the raging head rush he currently had from the snus he had taken. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming urge to chun, Rordan found himself in the Berghain-esque club toilets for the next several hours.

- SEVEN CIRCLES OF HACK -

Rordon can reveal that a new Hacking technique, more dastardly than any before, has been unleashed in Oxford. It starts when that one person adds you to their, personal, non-Hack, Instagram account…. But alas! This non-Hack account is really a ruse to convince you that

you’ve surpassed Hackee status. What you have in fact been added by is merely a well-crafted secondary Hack account, one of 7 in fact.

This new tactic is understood to be an advanced form of Hacking which Rordon is calling ‘The 7 circles of Hack’. Only once you’ve surpassed all 6 circles can you really, potentially know the true man behind the Instagram (and what their Spotify top 5 really are).

- FAREWELL ATIK -

Ring the bells! Ring the Bells! ATIK has finally fallen… Rordon reports that at the end of June, Oxford’s crustiest nightclub is set to close its doors for good. To get a better understanding of the city’s grief, Rordon has decided to conduct interviews around the Cornmarket street area. Here is a summary of the results: Overall, most people are upset by the fact that they will no longer have a space in which they can go absolutely (and unnecessarily) ballistic. As another young Oxonian stated: ‘Really, I think its catastrophic that ATIK is closing down- I mean, I only really went clubbing once a term, and I was molested on the cheesefloor, and yes, I did hate every second of itbut realistically, I am going to miss ATIK so incredibly much. Where are me and my friends going to pretend to have fun now?’

v

✵ Brasenose College. Credit: Ananya Navale

Rordon Gamsay

Rordon Gamsay

✵ Rordon Gamsay in Oxford. Credit: Caro Kuba

sport@oxfordstudent.com | Deputy Editor: Haochen Wang

Section Editors: Purav Menon, Johannes Riese

116th Boxing Varsity: A valiant fight

The 116th Boxing Varsity, the latest installment of the longest-running inter-club amateur boxing fixture in the world, did not fail to disappoint, as an electrifying night determined which club took home the prized Truelove Bowl.

On a four-year winning streak, Cambridge looked to retain the trophy, whilst an invigorated Oxford team aimed to bring the trophy back into the hands of the country’s oldest student-run boxing club.

The Women’s Varsity kicked off the night as OUABC boxer Lara Mallin took on CUABC’s Esther Labarraque. Labarraque sought to utilise her jab, whilst an aggressive Mallin came out throwing ‘everything but the kitchen sink’. Throughout the bout, punches from both sides flew with intensity, though it was Mallin’s diverse combinations that separated her from her Light Blue rival, ultimately winning by split decision. Although not counting to the overall score, the result marked victory in the Women’s Varsity, putting

Oxford off to a solid start.

Up for the first Men’s Varsity event was Ati Maheshwari vs Yaw Ansong Snr at featherweight. Making his amateur debut, Maheshwari displayed incredible composure, using his long sharp jab to keep the Cambridge boxer at a distance. Ansong Snr fought hard in an effort to rally back but Maheshwari proved to be his superior, earning a well-deserved split decision victory.

“ Although not counting to the overall score, the result marked victory in the Women’s Varsity, putting Oxford off to a solid start.

Next was the lightweight bout, where Felix Rolt faced off against Cambridge’s David Shah. In a war of attrition, both boxers looked to wear their opponent down with blistering and unre -

bout due to an experience disparity. The bout was awarded in Oxford’s favour to Roberto Lacourt.

The next bout was the

“ The 7-2 Cambridge victory did not necessarily reflect the competitiveness of the overall night

lenting punches. The second round saw huge right hands land on the chin of the Light Blue, who somehow kept standing and made it to the end of the round. The other rounds were close and going to the judges’ scorecards both sides felt they had done enough to earn a victory. In a tense and hard-fought bout, Shah was awarded a unanimous decision victory.

Paddy Ryce next faced CUABC Captain Alby Biju in the light welterweight contest. Ryce came out utilising his strength and power to knock Biju down in the first round. Beating the count, the Light Blue conceded another count from a strong right hand. The ref kept the fight going as the Light Blue almost suffered the same fate in his previous varsity match where he was stopped after conceding two standing counts in the first. The more experienced Biju battled back strong, showing great heart to give Ryce two standing counts in the second round leading to a ref’s stoppage. Following this, the welterweight bout went uncontested with England Boxing refusing to sanction the

faced Cambridge’s Joel Camara. Utilising feints and footwork, both boxers displayed impressive composure in perhaps the most measured bout of the night; it was the Cambridge boxer who was to prove himself to be the more measured pugilist in an overall tentative bout that sealed another Light Blue victory.

By this point, Cambridge was ahead 5-2, an Oxford victory now being out of reach. Despite this, the next four boxers would show no less heart, determination or courage than any preceding.

light-middleweight contest between David Seiferth and Alan Mathew. A closely contested fight where not much separated the two in

Henry Gasztowtt faced Cambridge’s Franz Pechmann in the light-heavyweight contest. Gasztowtt showed incredible grit in only his second amateur bridge nine-bout veteran. In a contest that ebbed and flowed, it was ultimately the experience of Pechmann that proved the difference as he gained a unanimous

decision was not without controversy, drawing surprise from plenty of audience members.

Next up were the middleweights. Like the welterweight contest (or no-contest), the first middleweight bout was deemed a Cambridge victory due to an experience disparity. In the second and only contested middleweight bout of the night, Patrick Ashmore

ford’s Henry Field faced Cambridge’s Tom Evans. A solid first round by Field was followed by two good rounds by the Light Blue who showed his composure to earn the judge’s decision to seal off the night.

The 7-2 Cambridge victory did not necessarily reflect the competitiveness of the overall night; yet, it proved that Varsity Boxing continues to be an enthralling event fought within the socalled “squared circle”.

The Oxford team that competed in the 116th Varsity. Credit: OUABC

Patrick Ryce

As Nadal looks to Paris

Johannes Riese discusses the role that the Madrid

Open

has on Nadal’s return to Roland Garros

This year’s Madrid Open has been relatively quiet on the men’s side in terms of the tennis itself.

The three top seeds left the tournament hampered by in juries and the final was con tested by Felix-Auger Alias sime and Andrey Rublev, two relatively unknown players to those who do not regularly follow the sport.

Yet the storyline on every one’s lips was the return of Rafael Nadal, the “King of clay”, who was set to grace the red dirt one last time in the Spanish capital. His status as Spain’s foremost sportsman in history was evident by sporting legends like former Real Madrid striker Raúl and King Felipe himself being in attendance.

For Nadal, Madrid was the building block towards com peting one last time at Ro land Garros in Paris, a tour-

nament he has won a record

Crystal PalaceMan Utd: 4:0

reversed. Despite Nadal’s lacklustre serves and weak-

ened movement, his heavy, to-back.

His run in Madrid was end-

The Time Capsule

Iassure you that Liz Truss will not be the sole subject of this series of deep dives into the history of the OxStu, but I hope that this piece from the paper’s archive will remind you that today’s hacks are tomorrow’s Prime Ministers. Not only was Truss a Liberal Democrat at university, she was also an elected officer of the Oxford SU.

The SU of Hilary 1994 was organised slightly differently to its modern-day iteration. Sabbatical officers were still elected every year, but there was also a group of elected executive officers who were unpaid. It was common for ambitious students to cut their teeth in the Student Union as a member of the Executive before running for a sabbatical position. Executive roles might therefore be likened to the various roles in the modern SU that afford holders voting rights in Student Council.

As you might imagine, membership of the SU Executive did not come with a substantial amount of influence in Oxford politics. That is, unless you were brave - or brazenenough to carve out your own reputation by making contro versial statements to the stu dent press. Truss didn’t waste any time, only getting to 4th week of Hilary before she be gan making rather than writing them her self.

Those seeking to make their name in politics often have to muscle in on issues that have nothing to do with them, and Merton student Truss did ex actly that in a Balliol JCR de bate. In doing so she made her first appearance on the front page of in the edition dated 3 Febru ary 1994. A motion to abolish the position of Women’s Offi cer on the JCR committee led to “over an hour and a half of

ed in the next round by Czech player Jiri Lehecka who hit and served Nadal off the court. Yet Madrid gave Nadal everything he wanted on the court: his body held up; he raised his game when he most needed it; and he got the necessary match practice without suffering any inju-

Most importantly, being the fearless competitor that he has always been, he gave his countrymen a proper goodbye. As his final backhand sailed long, the 12,000 people in the Caja Magica stadium stood in unison to celebrate their national icon.

Rome is up next while Roland Garros looms in the distance. If anyone can defy the odds, it is Nadal who has done it again and again. And in his own words, he will be willing to “give everything and die” on court in Paris.

Labelled as “one of the most poorly coached teams in the Premier League” by Jamie Carragher, Manchester United recently suffered a 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace

Miami Grand Prix: Norris emerges

A theme of F1 recently has been Verstappen’s dominance. However, at the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren’s emerged victorious more than seven seconds ahead of Verstappen in second place

by Charlie Bowden

heated debate”. The motion was eventually defeated by a margin of 3:1. It’s not uncommon for colleges to make headlines in the

and sexist”, putting forth a case for “less women in women’s groups and more in the main political arena”.

It is significant that she was

ments. Mark Fisher and Sam Carter reported that the VP (Women) had proposed an emergency Council motion calling for a “reaffirmation of support for Women’s Officers”. Though the motion passed “by an overwhelming majority”, Truss and other Executive members were involved in “intense and sometimes hostile debate” on the issue. The rest of the article focuses on the censorship issue, with various sabbatical officers coming to the conclusion that Truss had the right to state her views on the matter but should have made clear she was speaking in a personal capacity rather than as a representative of the student body. The VP (Finance) commented that “the Executive is elected to provide a plurality of opinion within the Council. It is not their role to mouth off to the press”.

Credit: Office of the Prime Minister

70 years on: The Roger Bannister Mile

Haochen Wang reports on the 70th-year anniversary of the Bannister Mile and the legacy that Bannister has.

Exactly 70 years ago today, with a time of 3:59.4, Sir Roger Bannister became the first man in documented history to run a mile (1600m) in under four minutes. Now, while the mile record has long been taken to 3:43:13 by Hicham El Guerrouj, the Bannister Mile still re mains a shining light in the discipline, for ever inspiring aspira tional runners.

Now, 70 years on, hun dreds of runners have gathered in Oxford on a crisp Monday morning to run the “Communi ty Mile” – a mile-stretch beginning outside Christ

Church and Pembroke and going along the High Street all the way to the Iffley Track, where Bannister achieved his feat in 1954. With 12 waves of close to 100 people per wave running at five-minute intervals between 9am and 11am, the crowds took full advantage of the closed High Street, tracking enthusiastically towards the Iffley Centre, while runners awaiting their start gathered in the Christ Church Meadows. Arriving at 9am, one would be quickly struck by the palpable excitement that hummed in the air.

Indeed, speaking to two

members of the Midlands Masters AC, both already armed with extensive experience participating in the Bannister Miles, they seemed just as inspired as ever to participate this year.

“It’s almost a religious pilgrimage, isn’t it? It’s a landmark event that’s up there with going to the moon. We were saying on the way down that there’s less people [that have] run a four minute mile than have scaled Everest.”

While many might scoff at the prospect of a mile being more significant than scaling Everest, the presence of world record holders such as Hicham El Guerrouj, Steven Cram, and Filbert Bayi today

speaks to the gravity of the Bannister Mile.

Of course the Ban nister Miles is not just a par ticipatory event. While defi nitely encouraging a fun and communi ty-wide participation, with a designated Kids Athletics Wave, the Bannister Mile is also an elite athletics event. With its “Track Miles” op tion playing host to elite, invitational races and, in collaboration with the British Milers Club (BMC), equi-distant steeplechase, junior, and para races.

Although the Community Mile races would have finished before midday, the 70th-year commemorations of Bannister’s historic achievement are far from over. With the elite races beginning from 13:40 and lasting all the way to 18:00, exactly 70 years on from Bannister’s run, yet another generation of leading athletes will step into the spotlight, inspired by the achievements of Bannister, Cram, El Gurreouj, and other legends.

ACROSS

1. Notification of Efron film broadcast: it’s a boy? (5,3,4)

7. Go back on United Nations act (4)

8. Deranged business student in south america shows dance (5)

9. Mouth flipped marsh (3)

11. String musician is oddly

shifty at raid site (8)

12. Energy around norse god is wearing him down (7)

13. Headless dog drawing? (6)

14. Hit one blind? (3)

15. Help rearrange idea (4)

19. Football club has a bit of a bum start, it might be their line-up (7)

22. Food bird with no female

is a real hooter (3)

23. Exotic bat race show (7)

24. Tailless chicken is pretty dapper (4)

25. Poem in restraining orderthis ain’t my first (5)

28. Fellow renegade is hiding a bird (4)

29. Animal university? That’s cerebral (10)

30. Blue dye on fish is lethal poison (8)

31. Stalk father’s brother on performance enhancing drugs (8)

DOWN

1. Affirm rat dye intoxicated in the recent past (9)

2. One French editor around the heath floated out to sea (8)

3. Inspect former organic nitrogen compounds (7)

4. A bullet to the teacup leads to capture of criminal (6)

5. Light in double measure illuminates (9)

6. Welly going out on a limb for illegal copy (7)

9. Man in charge is like a great dane, e.g. (3,3)

10. Doddery shut beak singer (4,4)

16. Initially European zone repaid account for Pound (4)

17. Barrage of simultaneous shots leaves ovals battered (5)

18. Husband in messy lace bed is made lighter (8)

20. Permission holder mixed up silence with echo (8)

21. Jawless fish broadcast light beam (7)

25. One done in the gym as per from the south (3)

26. Gambled and got cut up (5)

27. Maybe soon, who knows? (4)

Inoculate; 6. -Dark room; 7. Favour; 8. Odd; 9. Plethora; 10. Elongate; 11. Casting; 12. Crow; 13. Seasalt; 14. Genre; 15. Tectonics; 16. Taste. DOWN: 1. Probing; 2. Eric Clapton; 3. Ibiza; 4. Torso; 5. Atoned; 6. Cardio; 7. Ajar, 8. Leo; 9. Pie; 10. Anglicised; 11. Acetonic; 12. Cult; 13. Castanet, 14. -Cog

itate; 15. pirates ; 16. Ltr; 17. Aragon; 18. Wait.