This Person Has No Sense Of Humour
Dear Oxford Student,
Poor young Laura Spence. Double-whammied in last week's Oxford Student in the editorial and as a suggested cutout dartboard. Not particularly my choice of 2 for 1 cheap shots.
The whole "Laura Spence Affair' was surely manufactured by the (usually sound) Gordon Brown and Spence's Blairite headmaster as a clumsy political swipe at Oxford. The University fought back well in the press and may even have fared better from this. A variety of academics had a chance to talk about the work they did with schools and to explain the need for an interview process.
Spence herself claimed to feel no ill-will towards Oxford and to be understanding of Magdalen's decision. It could not have been easy seeing her name in the press each day -- seasoned politicians struggle - and I feel she is deserving of a more sympathetic view from Oxford and contemporary students generally.
Richard Earl, Worcester College.
If Laura Spence doesn't find it easy seeing her name in the press each day, maybe she should stop writing a column for a national newspaper and organising photoshoots to flout her A-Level results. Of course she feels no ill-will towards Oxford, because if it hadn't been for Oxford and her cheap-shot sour grapes arrogant self-righteous 'divine right to get in' attitude, no one would have heard of her. She used us and dragged the name of our university through the mud all summer, so let's all stop feeling sorry for her. Nor do we have any sympathy for the 'she's so young' argument. She's 18. So are most first years. When do we make the cut-off point? 19? 20? 25? 60? If she's old enough to be the willing focus of an anti-Oxford campaign then she's old enough to suffer the consequences of that campaign. Instead of feeling sorry for her and attacking the admissions procedure, why don't people actually work constructively on improving access, via the Access Scheme (detailed in 'Features' page 8) or OUSU's Target Schools?
The only thing that has fared well out of the whole Laura Spence saga is Laura Spence's bank account. Oxford is frequently the target of 'Toffs' University' taunts in national newspapers and Laura Spence must take some PERSONAL responsibility for the damage she has done to our University.
12th Oct 2000