Letters
The Editor reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. The views expressed in the letters do not necessarily reflect the views of The Oxford Student. Email letters [@] oxfordstudent [.] com
Unfair Dismissal
Dear Sir,
I am writing in response to the letter from Oliver Morrison (Letters, February 24th). I would like to express my shock and disgust at the response to this letter shown by OSSL. The letter accused drama coeditor Tom Littler of having a conflict of interest that resulted in biased reporting of his own productions.
Tom’s subsequent dismissal as a result of this unfounded letter of complaint, his name’s complete omission from the paper that week (despite his having done considerable work on it), and the nature of the event in general has completely destroyed my faith in the claim that The Oxford Student can maintain satisfactory editorial independence. Firstly, I would like to express my support for The Oxford Student editors for their policy and procedures on editing.
I know the paper upheld rigorous procedures to ensure there was no bias in the reviews of student drama events last term, including several levels of editing above the page-setters and writers and a separation of the role of page-setting from that of editing the drama page.
Both last term’s drama editors were, of course, involved in Oxford drama themselves (how could they be otherwise and know enough about the scene to be effective editors?), and there will be occasions when their own work is being reviewed in some form. However, I praise what I know of The Oxford Student’s checks and balances, which prevent these potential conflicts from affecting their reporting.
Secondly, I am disgusted that the result of this mere letter of accusation was acted upon with such haste by the publisher, despite all of the aforementioned procedures. The drama editor in question has, in my mind been the victim of an unfair dismissal, which appears to me to be the result of a letter of false accusation.
Why is it that OSSL is more prepared to sack a committed member of its team without hesitation than to defend them in the face of highly unfair allegations? This demonstrated a complete lack of loyalty to the volunteers that work on its publications? Thirdly, the omission of Tom’s name from an issue on which he worked was cowardly, rash and nonsensical, and demonstrated more clearly the appalling standards of fairness and practice at OSSL than it did caution or image-protection – which were, I believe, the reasons for Tom’s sacking.
LISA MAULE JESUS COLLEGE
City Violence
Dear Sir,
I am writing to you in regard of the main headlines published during Hilary term. After living in Oxford for almost a couple of years now, I’ve been following the student news published in both student newspapers since that time. Undoubtedly, Oxford is a very safe place to live, although having lately alarmingly increased rates of violence and disorder.
It was common to read news from stolen laptops, burglars or minor robberies, but since last year, violence has become part of the main headlines. Nonetheless, what is most striking is that just after Michaelmas, most of these unfortunate events were strictly related to Oxford students’ misbehaviour and in most of the cases, irrational conduct.
From the infamous Bullingdon Club to students being involved in brawls, drunken yobs and arrested undergraduates arrested are common features of the student newspapers, appearing sometimes like sensationalist tabloids. To be a world leading institution, involves not only the qualities that led Oxford to be one, if not, the best university in the world.
But, it also involves the quality of its students, which are part of the university today and tomorrow, meaning not only academic quality, but also human and personal quality. Therefore, we will be proud to compete with the other famous universities in the world, and to have Oxford as a world-class institution with the best students from “our own and other countries regardless of their means”, as Lord Patten eloquently affirmed.
BERNARDO PEREDO GREEN COLLEGE
21st Apr 2005