Letters
Saturation point
Dear Sir,
I know it must be difficult in the heat of manipulating the Oxford entertainment ‘industry’ to consider problems of brand saturation, but it seems matters have gone too far. Last week, readers of The Oxford Student were forced to negotiate a total of around seven complete pages of OUSU/OSSL/Zoo advertisements when seeking out the genuine, ‘OUSU-free’ content the student union is obliged by its own constitution to provide.
Last week the newspaper was four pages shorter meaning that adverts as a proportion of editorial content had increased considerably. As if this weren’t enough, one could then turn to the centre pages for a pullout explaining our beneficent leaders’ latest project • Oxide Radio • in the first of what I am reliably informed is set to become a regular feature. (This may be justified.
I, for one, can’t wait to find out how the schedule will change next week in the name of editorial independence.) And for what? To promote business ventures whose success matters only to an institution entirely owned by students as it is. An analogy would be with a government that replaces hospital beds with display stands condemning taxevasion: what OUSU is doing constitutes nothing other than the abuse of an obligation to its members.
If the Student Union has reason to believe the student body would benefit from its subscription fees being spent on advertisements printed above and beyond present publications commitments, by all means let money be spent. Yet to advertise at the expense of potential editorial content in a newspaper is nothing short of a dereliction of duty.
CHARLES BRENDON
EXETER COLLEGE
★OUCA Leniency
Dear Sir,
We were sickened to hear of an anti-Semitic joke being made at an OUCA event, but we are also uneasy at the way it has been dealt with by OUCA. Regardless of the fact that the society considers the comments ‘unnecessary’ they are still offensive. We are not suggesting that the views of the OUCA member reflect those of OUCA, but the rather lenient reaction leaves us with the impression that this remark has been taken lightly.
We are aware that OUCA issued a statement condemning the remarks but this does not go far enough. We would argue that this lenient reaction allows for a dangerous precedent to be set. The way the Conservative Association has addressed the situation prompts us, and others, to wonder if this incident is less extraordinary to the Association than it would be elsewhere.
We leave it up to those who have read this story to decide whether or not this matter has been dealt with seriously and whether expulsion would be appropriate. We are unsure about that but one thing we are sure about: until OUCA deal with this matter in the way that we think it ought to be dealt with, unfortunately OULC and OULD will refuse to have any joint events with them in the immediate future.
ALEX BRODKIN,
LMH CHAIR,
OU LABOUR CLUB
FREDERIK HERZBERG,
MERTON PRESIDENT,
OU LIBDEMS.
26th May 2005