Letters To The Editor
WORKSHY STUDENTS
Dear Madam,
I was not surprised by your report that many students work for a living in Oxford, but I was shocked by its naivete. Why on earth shouldn't students be working, at least in the holidays?
Not only do students need to work, but they should do if they want a budget for luxuries and leisure. It's one thing to ask the taxpayer to subsidise our education (a sensible idea), but outrageous to ask them to fund our drinking habits as well.
It's this attitude that work and studies don't mix that gives students a bad name.
If a student works 28 hours a week (a rarity, let's be honest) on their course, sleeps eight hours a night, gets four hours a day relaxation and recovery and wastes two hours a day mindlessly, that still leaves six hours per day, even in termtime, to use constructively.
Ten hours per week paid work in termtime still leaves time for a hobby and a sports team. Skint students with no job have no excuse, university rules or no university rules.
Chris Dyke
St Anne's College
EGGSAMINATION FAILURE
Dear Madam,
No one would wish to prevent students from celebrating the end of their exams, but neither can any student who participates in such post-exam celebrations as we currently see simply laugh off their activities as mere high-spirits causing no more than a minor disturbance.
For the affected residents of Merton Street, where the bulk of these celebrations are centered, and in particular for those who use the Philosophy Centre, they represent a serious long-term disruption to normal business which is no laughing matter.
Between about noon and 1.15pm and again in the afternoon from just before 5.00pm until after 6.00pm the noise level from well-wishers gathered in Merton Street, directly outside the Philosophy Centre, rises to such a level that it becomes impossible to work in the library, to hold lectures and seminars, or for academic and administrative staff to carry on with their normal work in the buildng.
In the past the level of disturbance has even necessitated the early closure of the Philosophy Library and the premature termination of scheduled classes.
Furthermore, during the period of disturbance vehicle access becomes impossible and pedestrian access difficult; to enter or leave the building one has to force a way through the crowds, running the gamut of flour, eggs, spaghetti hoops etc.
Between sessions, the pavements and streets become slippery and in hot weather they smell revolting.
At the moment neither the students nor the university make any contribution at all to the expense of clearing up this mess.
The most important point to remember is that these scenes are not rare, but repeated twice-daily thorough Trinity Term and also at other times of the University year.
Individual students may consider their examinations only last for a few days, but for the students and staff using the Philosophy Centre their extravagant and inconsiderate behavior constitutes a very real problem.
Karen Heald, administrator,
Philosophy Centre
Dan Isaacson, faculty lecturer,
Bill Mander, curator, Philosophy Centre
Hilla Wait, philosophy librarian
BE MORE ACCOMMODATING
Dear Madam,
Call me a pedantic proverbial penis but I couldn't help but notice the annoying spelling mistake on your front page last week.
Accommodation (two ms) is one word that I like to be spelt correctly, as my JCR knows well.
Anthony Curl
Lincoln College
6th May 2004