Letters@oxfordstudent.com
Dear Sir and Madam
Your focus on the issue of green electricity is encouraging (News and Comment, 20th January), as is your call for the University to reveal the true cost of switching to green, rather than displaying its usual unwillingness to tell its students the facts.
The need for such a disclosure is displayed in your own editorial, however, where you radically overestimate the cost of staying green.
The figure of £4 million quoted by the University takes into account the massive rise of cost in 'brown' electricity over the last two years.
The vast majority of the price increase will occur whatever contract we chose - only the green 'premium' of two to three per cent will be incurred should be chose to stick with renewables.
It is impossible to say exactly what this figure will be without access to the University's contract statements, but from extrapolation it looks closer to £80,000 than £4m!
If the University had £4 million to invest in renewables, I would be pushing them to build their own wind turbines!
As it is, £80,000 seems a reasonable price to pay for climate stability and environmental sustainability.
Cllr Matt Sellwood
Holywell Ward and New College
Oxford City Council
Dear Sir and Madam
I write with reference to your article on the "University torture experiment" (News, 20th January).
Why is it that the idea of putting people's faith to the test is always leapt upon with such glee?
Because they want to catch us out, that's why.
They hope that we will fall short, that out faith will not save us.
Being a Christian does not give me special powers, indeed quite the reverse.
Christianity believes in a supreme higher being who possesses ultimate power, its followers however, do not.
I certainly do not believe for one minute that I would be any better at withstanding pain than the next person, if that were the case wouldn't a few more people have jumped on board by now?
Also, I find it appalling that punters can make entertainment out of such a serious issue, especially so close to Holocaust Memorial Day.
Indeed on page two of last week's issue you report plans for the Memorial Day and quote the chair as stating: "the events would concentrate on ethnic conflict throughout the world".
We may laugh but worldwide people of all faiths and denominations are suffering such pain and worse, every single day for believing what they do.
Isn't this whole idea in slightly bad taste?
Lucy Rhodes
Wadham
Dear Sir and Madam
Your article "Pollution study questioned" (News, 20th January), contains inaccuracies, some of which are seriously alarmist and misleading.
You write "Officials who helped draw up a report claiming Oxford was suffering from severe pollution problems have admitted some of their findings were 'misleading".
In fact it was councillors, not officers, who had to admit their report was misleading. This was the Joint Scrutiny Review Group report, produced by councillors from both the City and the County Council.
You then write "Last year a Calor survey revealed spending a day breathing air in Oxford's city centre was the equivalent of smoking 61 cigarettes".
It should be abundantly obvious that this is untrue, and this is an alarmist and irresponsible rumour to repeat, especially to an audience of young people many of whom may be at the stage of smoking the odd cigarette.
There is a risk that after reading your article some may temporarily take leave of their senses and think that if breathing the air is as bad as 60 a day, then 20 is no problem at all, and become addicted. Half of those who do develop the habit will die from it. Calor have admitted that breathing the air in any city cannot be compared to smoking cigarettes.
Oxford's air quality is good, and meets the standards in most places especially those where people live.
Celia Jones
Transport Planner, Oxfordshire County Council
27th Jan 2005