The Bold and the Beautiful
Five men stripped in the chamber during a debate at the Union last week to protest about fees, revealing themselves to be painted gold - the colour associated with the anti-fees campaign.
News: Cult Fiction?
A new Religious movement operating in Oxford is suspected of being a dangerous cult. The International Church of Christ (ICoC) is the world's fastest growing religious movement. There is concern that the group, which holds meetings in a number of the city's community centres, is now actively recruiting Oxford students. James Rowlands, OUSU Welfare Officer, claims that "at least one individual has been approached by a member of the ICoC in a forceful and persistent manner."...
News: A radio station for Oxford
Almost a year and a half after the demise of Oxygen FM, Oxford may finally get its own official university radio station.
News: Bops under threat?
EXTRA SECURITY AND first aid was drafted in for the St Edmund Hall bop last Saturday as the college was put 'on probation' and threatened with an end to all bops.
News: Lecturers lured by lucrative offers
OXFORD'S REPUTATION FOR academic excellence is under threat due to top-grade lecturers accepting more lucrative offers from universities abroad, it was alleged this week.
News: Nuclear Scare
The two year legacy of a potential nuclear accident in a village outside Oxford was brought to a close last week when Oxford Crown Court fined the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and AEA Technology a combined total of £8,000. The incident occurred in September 1999 when an experiment went badly wrong and almost led to an explosion at Harwell International Business Centre - the home of numerous nuclear technology companies. The accident occurred following a blunder by scientists at AEA Technology during a pilot procedure to recover silver from a chemical solution. Rather than be left for the required 77 hours, the solution was mistakenly left for 17 days. ...
News: Institutional racism in UK universities?
Universities have become the latest institutions to be accused of harbouring racism. A professor at Manchester University has lashed out with claims of racial discrimination. Dr Aneez Esmail, a leading medical academic said, "I do think that as an organisation Manchester University, like so many British universities, is institutionally racist."...
News: Pavement Messengers Remain a Mystery
A spate of pavement writing in Oxford remains an unsolved mystery this week, as police attempt to decipher who has been voicing their opinions on the city's streets and why. The inscriptions, which range from the political "Jesus wouldn't vote Tory" to the strange "Ted Heath is still playing with his organ" and the downright bizarre "Mo Mowlam wasn't an Oxford reject, she went to Durham" are all written, and have been re-sprayed periodically, in black paint. It is not clear whether the instances are connected or completely independent - what is obvious, though, is that there are several different sentiments being expressed, leading to speculation that some of the new messages have been written as comic responses to the more serious writings, which appeared around two weeks ago. The Thames Valley Police say that they are "still looking" for the culprits, but admitted that they have no major leads in the investigation as yet. Speculation and rumour has centered around a number of possible sources for the graffiti, including student protesters and religious groups, however it seems unlikely that anyone is likely to come forward and claim responsibility....
News: Are A-Levels too easy?
A-LEVELS ARE BECOMING too easy, a new report has said. An international panel of experts has found the number of students achieving A grades at A-Level has risen from 12% to 19% over the last ten years. Dr Barry McGraw, who was invited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in September 2000 to be take part in the review, believes that the rise in grades may, in part, be due to examiners' tendencies to increasingly err on the side of generosity when marking the papers of borderline candidates. However, he also insists that improvement in performance over time is also partly the result of increased resources being devoted to school standards....
News: Irving invited to Nottingham
Controversial holocaust denier and revisionist historian David Irving has been invited to address Nottingham University's debating society. The Forum is said to be in discussions with Irving, and the Head of Public Relations, Phillip Dalling, has today confirmed that society also "have the backing of the Student Union."...
News: Armed Robbery on High Street
POLICE ARE HUNTING a bank robber who escaped last week with a four-figure sum from NatWest's Cornmarket branch in Oxford.
News: News in Brief
Ex-convict and convert Jonathan Aitken will be speaking at the Theology Society this Thursday at 8.30 in the Roy Griffiths Room, Keble.
News: Where Now For Entz In Oxford?
Only weeks after the Oxford Union decided to withdraw its termly ball, it has come to light, as reported this week on page three, that even college bops may soon be under threat, with some college parties put 'on probation' because of rowdiness and disruption.