- So farewell to the 鈥淪lappers 鈥檔鈥 Rappers鈥 and 鈥淧imps 鈥檔鈥 Hoes鈥 club nights that were once a staple of some freshers鈥 weeks. Far fewer gangsta rap-themed parties will be happening on campus this year as feminist students confront the misogynistic lad culture that has dominated universities in recent years, The Guardian reported on 19 September. Other instances of women being viewed as sexual prey for male students have also been reported thick and fast via the Twitter tag, the paper added. The singer Robin Thicke, whose song Blurred Lines contains lyrics widely viewed as degrading to women, was the focal point for much debate over everyday sexism, with the chart-topping hit banned at several student unions. Yet the article also recalled that Ucas had incurred students鈥 ire by circulating an article earlier this year from insurer Endsleigh that divided housemates into 13 types, including the 鈥渕um figure鈥 who ensures the 鈥渉ouse will never run out of things like cling film鈥, while the 鈥渄ad figure鈥 would 鈥渢ake control鈥 and 鈥渟ort out the bills鈥.
- A Canadian billionaire has given 拢75 million to the University of Oxford to secure the future of the Rhodes scholarship programme, the Financial Times reported on 20 September. John McCall MacBain, who sold his classified advertising empire for more than $2 billion (拢1.25 billion) in 2006, said his time as a Rhodes scholar in Oxford was one of the 鈥渉ighlights鈥 of his life and he wanted other students to enjoy the scheme, the paper said. His generous donation will bolster the original endowment made by mining magnate Cecil John Rhodes, which has sustained losses during the financial crisis, with investment returns currently at 鈥渉istoric lows鈥, Mr McCall MacBain said. It matches last year鈥檚 record-breaking donation from technology mogul Michael Moritz, but Oxford鈥檚 efforts are a long way behind the world鈥檚 richest university, Harvard, which launched its own funding drive on 21 September. Kicking off with a question-and-answer session with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, the university announced its intention to raise $6.5 billion, with $2.8 billion in pledges and donations already in the bag.
- The 拢2 million cost of a study of man鈥檚 8,000-year relationship with the chicken has been branded an 鈥渁bsurd amount of money鈥, The Times reported on 20 September. In the three-year study, led by Bournemouth University, academics will explore the ancient and cultural significance of the birds and examine bones to look at the development of specific breeds, the paper said. Students will also fly to Ethiopia and Cuba to understand how people interact with their chooks 鈥 prompting the TaxPayers鈥 Alliance to note that the sums involved were 鈥渘ot chicken feed鈥. The Arts and Humanities Research Council, which awarded the sum, was unabashed. 鈥淭oday there are well over 20 billion chickens worldwide, yet we still know very little about their social and cultural history,鈥 said a spokesman.
- A.鈥塁. Grayling drew much criticism from academia when he ushered in US-style private liberal arts colleges to the UK. Now, the master of the 拢18,000-a-year New College of the Humanities is set to preside over another US influx by chairing next year鈥檚 Man Booker prize judging panel, where US authors will be allowed to enter for the first time, The Sunday Times reported on 22聽September. But helping to hand the literary prize to an American is unlikely to win the philosopher back many friends among the left-wing intelligentsia still suspicious of his elite educational establishment in London鈥檚 Bloomsbury.
- Shadow higher education minister Shabana Mahmood鈥檚 Labour Party conference was cut short after she fell down some stairs. Ms Mahmood was taken to Brighton Hospital after the accident on 23 September and later tweeted that she was to return the next day for an operation on her leg under general anaesthetic. But the MP for Birmingham Ladywood appeared to be in fine fettle despite her fall, telling her Twitter followers she had already part-written an article on the excellent NHS care she had received.
Register to continue
Why register?
- Registration is free and only takes a moment
- Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month
- Sign up for our newsletter
Subscribe
Or subscribe for unlimited access to:
- Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews
- Digital editions
- Digital access to 罢贬贰鈥檚 university and college rankings analysis
Already registered or a current subscriber?
Please or to read this article.