Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image Description: Alex’s crumpled bike after the accident CONTENT WARNING: This article contains a graphic image that some readers may find sensitive. If you are affected by any of the topics discussed in this article regarding mental health, please get in touch with: Nightline: 01865 270 270 or https://oxfordnightline.org/ (instant messaging provided) Samaritans: 116 123 […]
Continue Reading
The prospect of online tutorials initially strikes dread into many of our hearts. What if I get trapped alone in a video call with my tutor? How on earth do we break the painful silences? There is a distance that comes with speaking to someone via a camera rather than in person, and it is […]
Continue Reading
When news of the lockdown hit, a week into the vacation, I knew I was in trouble. I thrive on certainty and low-energy social interaction – two things a lockdown was guaranteed to take away. This – an indefinitely long period of isolation in a town that I was very happy to leave – was […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: several A4 pages stuck on the wall read “Tessa Marry Me?” It’s not an easy time. Every email and conversation starts with “I hope you’re safe and well”, “…in spite of these difficult circumstances”, “strange times”, or, my personal favourite, “a warm virtual welcome”. It feels almost weird not to talk about it—and it […]
Continue Reading
As Oxford term kicks in, there is no denying that us students must get back into some kind of routine. For most, the past few weeks have been anything but normal. According to the World Economic Forum 2.6 billion people worldwide were living under lockdown in early April. Where measures have been strictly implemented, the […]
Continue Reading
Ever felt overwhelmed? Or perhaps you don’t feel good enough? Perhaps you struggle for motivation, or a sense of worth? These are all common amongst the population, at universities, and, of course, at Oxford. It’s in light of this that I can highly recommend Oxford’s 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy programme. It might be interesting to […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: May Morning celebrated by revellers costumed in leaves and greenery Oxford’s May Morning is a tradition which has contributed to the unique mythology and mysticism surrounding Oxford. The ancient festival of spring has been celebrated on 1st May for at least 1000 years—and crowds have gathered beneath Magdalen’s Great Tower for at least […]
Continue Reading
I want to start by acknowledging how lucky I am. Many of my fellow LGBTQ+ people at Oxford will have been forced to lockdown without their significant other. Some are even shut away in hostile family environments, or trapped in the closet with no clear reprieve. I know how fortunate I am that that is […]
Continue Reading
As the days started to blur into one, it was rather a shock to open my emails and see a message from our JCR President, welcoming us back for Trinity term. ‘Is that really how long it’s been now?’ I thought first, wondering where all those weeks had gone. My second thought was an altogether […]
Continue Reading
Image description: a person at the window of dark room “I’m going to make sure that your wedding is nearby so I can visit you lots.” The acrid taste of my dinner after my mother said these words was not due to the food going off in those few moments. When saying this, I imagine […]
Continue Reading
An open letter calling for changes to Oxford University’s plans to have students graduate without attending an official ceremony has attracted over 2000 signatures. The open letter calls for graduation ceremonies to be postponed or conducted in smaller groups, rather than cancelled outright. Graduation ceremonies meant to be taking place on the 2nd and 9th […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: View west along part of High Street, Oxford, from the upper deck of a bus outside the Queen’s College. For the first time since The Second World War, Oxford’s students will not be returning to the University for Trinity Term. The consequences of this decision have been widespread and severe in equal measure. […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: Entrance to the Bodleian Library. Statue of the third Earl of Pembroke. Oxford, UK With a sunny Trinity unexpectedly taken away, I’ve been missing Oxford more than ever. This feeling of absence is expected given the current global pandemic, with the normal lives of students all across the UK being interrupted by the […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: The UCU stop tuition fees march. This academic year has hardly been the best. UCU Strikes disrupted Michaelmas and Hilary, and now Trinity is to be held remotely. It is not a stretch to argue that we have not got what we are paying for. This is what hundreds of thousands of students […]
Continue Reading
Sweaty selfies, videos of impressive loo roll kicking, and photos mysteriously captioned “until tomorrow”. As lockdown keeps people inside and online, social media challenges are springing up left and right. Most of these, like the toilet roll challenge, are a quick fix for isolation boredom. Others, like the “Run for Heroes” challenge, involve donations and […]
Continue Reading
Image description: a rainbow flag with the slogan ‘Queer & Proud’ The Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), the charity for homeless young LGBTQ+ people, recently advised that young people considering coming out to their families should pause their plans as the restrictions in place to combat coronavirus could make a bad coming out experience a whole […]
Continue Reading
Like many, I was in a state of denial about the scale of the pandemic. ‘Trinity might be cancelled!’ was half-heartedly thrown about as justification for another round of drinks at the college bar in eighth week and when my parents did pick me up at the end of term – a few days earlier […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: Diane Abbott at the ‘Don’t Bomb Syria’ protest Diane Abbott’s treatment in the media in recent years has been nothing short of a public persecution. Whether it is in regards to her drinking a ‘tinnie’ on the London Overground last spring or her getting the numbers wrong when discussing Labour’s plans for more […]
Continue Reading
Why we may come out of this changed people, and why that’s ok. It is not often that we appreciate people trying to drill “every cloud has a silver lining” into our minds, and the speed with which social media mavens have crafted new façades of “perfect” lives to inspire quarantine envy is borderline distasteful. […]
Continue Reading