Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image description: a photograph of Christ Church, taken from the meadows I realised how alone I was in my application to Oxford when I was mistakenly taken away from a lesson one morning to sit the TSA. For admissions to Geography in 2018, no admissions test was required. Through no fault of their own – […]
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Image description: an aerial view of London, and the river Thames flowing down the centre of the photo. “To attract and admit students from all backgrounds with outstanding academic potential and the ability to benefit from an Oxford education.” This is the first commitment of the university’s 2018-2023 Strategic Plan. While Oxford is far from […]
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Image description: a student holding an open book against her face. Error upon error has marked this year’s exam season. Prioritising avoiding grade inflation rather than fairness led to A Level chaos, and then a sudden change to BTec results caused widespread confusion: it seems that every consideration was made other than for the welfare […]
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Image description: blurred picture from inside the London tube with young male waiting at the stop in focus. Cuts, debts, loans and fees – the economic impact of coronavirus on the nation’s stability has meant this financial jargon is at the forefront of government discussions and news debates. One area inextricable from such discourses? Transport. […]
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Image description: woman receives face massage with a towel around her head as her skin is moisturised In amongst the controversies of the past few weeks, there has been growing fury over the re-opening of beauty salons and clinics. The guidance for the beauty industry in the pandemic has not been received well by those […]
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Image Description: Dramatic depiction of the Eiffel Tower and the Seine in an overcast day. In 2017, France defied the populist wave by choosing centrist banker Emmanuel Macron instead of the far-Right’s Marine Le Pen by a significant margin. Pundits in the English-speaking world lauded the French for their prudence. After Brexit and Trump, the […]
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Image description: an older man looking sadly into the distance When Number 10 first floated the idea of an over-50s lockdown, the reaction from those who would be asked to isolate was best described as indignant. Rarely has the phrase “ok boomer” seemed quite so apt. Many were furious, calling the policy ageist and unfair. […]
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Image description: K.K. Shailaja, Kerala’s health minister, smiling Kerala is a small state on India’s Malabar Coast – home to 35 million people and renowned for its peaceful backwaters and the tea-covered mountains of the Western Ghats. Despite being over 5,000 miles away from the UK, Kerala’s careful yet unrelenting response to the COVID-19 pandemic […]
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Image description: A white cassette tape on its side. Hip hop is the genre of the downtrodden, disadvantaged and voiceless. It also isn’t one to shy away from social issues: since the days of N.W.A and Public Enemy, rappers and MCs have been speaking out against police brutality and the American criminal justice system’s dire need […]
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Image description: a women and boy walking along a dirt road Shamima Begum – the girl who left the UK to join ISIS aged 15 – was told this month that she can return to the UK in order to fight for her citizenship. The reasoning behind the ruling is that she was denied a […]
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Image description: A close-up shot of Saint Basil’s Cathedral. In the latest installment of this year’s biblical succession of bad news, July began with an ‘all Russia vote’ (lacking the legal status of a referendum) on a bleak new package of constitutional amendments: a mishmash of national populism, cultural conservatism and centralist authoritarianism. Those who […]
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Two cabinet ministers walk into a Pret. One is wearing a mask, and the other is not. If it seems farcical that this was on the front of a major newspaper, then that’s probably because it is. Masks in shops, but not in pubs and restaurants? Fines, or no fines? The government has kept us […]
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Image Description: A photo of the Swan and Castle pub and a photo of the Four Candles pub side by side The British cultural institution and high street staple that is the pub chain Wetherspoons has always been rather divisive, not just because of the questionable food and lack of quirky charm which the best […]
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Image Description: A black and white graphic of a collection of fists raised in protest. They are mostly black, but with white hands interspersed. There are several signs which read ‘no+racism’ showing that this is representing a march or protest. CW: Discussion of racism and the murder of Trayvon Martin. If you want to know […]
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Image description: The famous Gandhara Buddha: a beautiful and moving fusion of Greek, Indian and Persian artistic motifs (Pakistan, 2nd century CE) Note: The author would like to clarify that the professor mentioned in this article is not an employee of Oxford University, nor is the summer school described one affiliated with the University. “Fancy […]
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Image description: men shaking hands through a window TW: death, racism For many people, it is impossible to ignore when travelling into the capital. The high-rise apartment block which dots the city’s skyline, an uncomfortable reminder of the stark inequality which exists amongst the wealth and opulence of central London. The first few times I […]
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I’m not a member of the Oxford Union. And I’m proud of that. As a naïve freshling, I certainly toyed with the idea of joining the Union. The illustrious halls, inspiring speakers, and the reputation which seems to precede this institution almost inspired me. But, in the end, I decided that I had better things […]
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Multiple JCRs are preparing to table motions condemning the handling of accusations of racism during a Christ Church JCR hust, after a candidate for Christ Church’s JCR ‘cake rep’ made a joke comparing the murder of George Floyd to flour shortages. The Oxford Student understands a statement calling on such motions to be tabled has […]
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Image description: protestor speaking into megaphone “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” (Howard Beale, Network, 1975) Do not underestimate the power of events. What might look like a mere swell, may suddenly turn into a crashing wave. The protests in the United States are worse than any seen since […]
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