Author Archive

Relative funding cuts for Russell Group universities

March 13, 2009
By Duncan Robinson

The RAE has not been kind to Russell Group universities. Every single member of the group has experienced a reduction in the amount of research funding per researcher for their 2009-10 allocation. This amounts to £6,000 per researcher. Ouch. Read more here.
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Posted in News | 363 Comments »

Is Hermione Granger off to Yale?

March 4, 2009
By Duncan Robinson

Facts are intensely annoying. They always seem to get in the way of a good story. For instance, take the 'news' that Hermione Granger herself (well, Emma Watson), has got into Yale University in the USA.
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Posted in News | 684 Comments »

Credit Crunch: Apocalypse, later…

March 1, 2009
By Duncan Robinson

As I’ve said before, the credit crunch really isn’t that bad for students. If you’re graduating in July, you will have some trouble finding a job. But, hey, use the gap to do something fun. Go teach scuba diving in Thailand. Go volunteer. Do an MA. Don’t sit there and sob because some God-awful...
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Posted in Comment | 662 Comments »

Student paper’s editors resign over offensive magazine

February 28, 2009
By Duncan Robinson

The editors of Oxford’s student paper – Cherwell – have had to resign, following the fallout from a satirical magazine released by Cherwell staff. You’d think that following the ‘Bring A Fit Jew’ debacle students with a high profile at Oxford would be a bit more careful. This might seem a bit unfair, but...
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Posted in News | 627 Comments »

A need for moderation

February 2, 2009
By Duncan Robinson

The room was jammed. People were even standing at the back to get a glimpse of the speaker. Black and white scarves dominated the room, each wearer showing his or her solidarity with the Palestinian movement. There was a palpable sense of excitement among the crowd, an energy stemming from the feeling that history...
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Posted in Comment, Politics | 694 Comments »

Universally challenged: Exeter University in major general knowledge fail*

January 27, 2009
By Duncan Robinson

I love University Challenge. It gives students a chance to be on telly, Jeremy Paxman a chance to be rude to people other than politicians and my Dad a chance to show off every Monday evening. But the best thing about it is this: it’s bloody hard. If you come away with half a...
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Posted in News | 614 Comments »

Entrapment: How Labour is ruining Britain’s universities

January 26, 2009
By Duncan Robinson

Entrapment is a horrible thing. Whether it’s US snipers using ‘bait’ to give themselves an excuse to shoot Iraqis, or just a really bad movie, it should be avoided in all forms. But, according to The Times, this is exactly what the government is doing to the UK’s universities: “Universities will now have their...
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Posted in Comment | 524 Comments »