Commentp16 Robert Should private Redford talks education be Hollywood, abolished? politics, and Lions for Lambs For ladies who live the leisurely life Interview p26 Fashionp20 Issue No 665 Friday November 9 2007 varsity.co.uk e Independent Cambridge Student Newspaper since 1947 University Peterhouse crushes Nursery fails Ofsted report Emma Inkester Senior Reporter student ball protests The University Nursery at West Cambridge has failed its recent Ofsted inspection, according to a » Condemnation of college as students threatened with fi nes damning report released this week. The nursery, which provides childcare for approximately 100 Camilla Temple removed the posters from students’ student parents at Cambridge Chief News Editor rooms without consent. Although University, was judged to be inad- two students claimed to have left equate in all fi ve areas in which it Peterhouse College have attempted their bins outside their rooms, the was examined on October 19. This to suppress student protests over the bedders reportedly came later in the resulted in a complete failure of the cancellation of this year’s May ball. day and removed the posters. inspection and a notice stating that The protests were sparked by The protestor responsible for the nursery does not meet the Na- frustration at both the fellows’ and the posters told Varsity, “If the fel- tional Standards for Under Eights the JCR’s handling of the situation lows were willing to talk to us we Day Care and Childminding. and were spurred on by national wouldn’t need to do this. It’s a way The report detailed how only media attention. Protests took the of making ourselves heard.” 15 out of the 26 staff hold ap- form of a large banner suspended The University’s Proctorial no- propriate qualifi cations in Early from the chapel, extracts from na- tice on discipline reads: “No mem- Years Practice. It claimed that tional newspapers covering the ber of the university shall intention- they “fail to consistently follow cancellation scattered throughout ally or recklessly impede freedom suitable hygiene procedures”, so the college and campaign stickers of speech within the precincts of that “young babies are being put placed in pigeonholes. the university.” Unfortunately the at a high risk of cross-infection”. One student said she thought Proctors were not available to con- Children are also “not always “the protests were good as they fi rm whether the alleged activities provided with food which is suit- showed that the students weren’t of Peterhouse authorities are in able for their needs”, and are ex- going to take things lying down. breach of this law. pected to eat long lengths of spa- It was defi nitely embarrassing for One student told Varsity that ghetti with a teaspoon so that “as the college because it was done at a friend of his had been called to they are unable to chew the food the weekend when there are lots of see his Director of Studies, Dr CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 visitors around.” Raffenden, who is also the Senior On Saturday night, students Tutor, about the possible legal im- who are not affi liated with the JCR plications concerning a Facebook Interview hung a sign from the college’s chap- message he had posted on the wall el which read “Save our May ball”. of the campaign group “Save Peter- Adrien Brody This was removed immediately. house May Ball 2008”. The student The JCR President Ben Fisher posted on the site: “It seems to me and Jason later forwarded to the college an the college is behaving in an in- email addressed to him from the creasingly high-handed way with- Schwartzman College Bursar, which said: “I got out ever taking real responsibility wind of yet another scheme, this for the poor performance recently. time to plaster your beautiful Bar When will individual Directors of with copies of Varsity. Your con- Studies up their game instead of p24 stituents should be very, very clear passing the buck?” He was report- that any action, however entertain- edly told by Dr Raffenden that ing, which causes damage or ex- what he had said was considered pense, including banners, stickers, “defamation” and could be consid- whatever it may be, will lead to the ered a legal issue. Despite repeat- full cost of repair, cleaning etc being ed attempts by Varsity to contact charged to your [the JCR’s] already All of the protesting posters have now been removed NORMAN BRADLEY Dr Raffenden about these allega- pressured funds.” tions, he has not commented. In the forwarded email, Fisher charge us money for daring to be plained that this equates to interfer- One student who wished to re- Letters 8 commented to students, “I do not offended.” ing with their personal mail and that main anonymous because of con- believe the Bursar is joking on this Stickers which read “Save the it is “unacceptable”. cerns about the college’s disciplinary Comment 10 point. I would therefore ask you to Ball” were also distributed in stu- Students put up posters in their approach said, “If your two points of carefully consider any such action dents’ pigeon holes during the early rooms in Old Court where they contact in college, your Director of Idler 11 before carrying it out.” hours of Saturday morning. Uncon- knew fellows would be walking Studies and Tutor, are against you, One Peterhouse undergraduate fi rmed reports suggest that mem- past on their way to the Governing who are you supposed to air your commented, “They’re still refus- bers of the college authorities went Body meeting on Monday to discuss concerns to? Maybe you are not sup- Reviews 30 ing to talk to the undergraduates, through pigeon holes in order to the ball. The colege has refused to posed to air your concerns?” and yet seem to think its okay to remove them. Students have com- comment on claims that bedders CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 The Anorak 37 Chief News Editors: Katherine Faulkner, Katy Lee and Camilla Temple Friday November 9 2007 2 NEWS [email protected] varsity.co.uk/news In Brief Fight outside nightclub leaves student in hospital An altercation which took place outside Club 22 on Sunday night left one student in need of hospi- tal treatment. A rowing team ap- proached the club but were report- edly refused entry by a bouncer on the grounds that they were drunk. Allegedly, a rower then spat in the face of a bouncer, who retaliated by punching him, causing a con- cussion. Witnesses say that when a friend of the rower’s tried to in- tervene, he also received a blow to the head. Although one student is believed to have needed several stitches and an overnight stay in a local hospital, police said that they were not required to intervene as CCTV revealed that the incident lasted “two minutes”. One student, however, said he found this diffi - cult to believe, telling Varsity: “he was completely beaten up.” Alex Glasner Halloween assault on schoolgirl An assault took place in Cambridge on a schoolgirl aged just 16 last Wednesday. The girl was attacked on Halloween as she walked home Professor Neil Turok addresses Cambridge University’s Scientifi c Society TIM JOHNS along Almoner’s Lane in Cam- bridge at half past fi ve in the evening. A man is said to have en- gaged her in conversation briefl y before following and attacking her. Police say they “would like to speak with anyone who was in the Almoner’s Avenue area at this time on Wednesday.” They added, “The assault occurred during the early LIZZIE ROBINSON evening when the area would have Bonfi re Night fi reworks on Midsummer Common been busy with people returning home.” The girl’s attacker is said Thousands fl ocked to Misummer Common on a bracing evening to watch the spectactular annual display put on by Cambridge City Council too have been white, about 5ft 10in, aged between 40 and 50 years old and of a heavier than average build. Any- one with information is encouraged to contact Detective Constable Day Peterhouse protesters Babies at risk of infection at Parkside Police Station on 0845 456 4564 Kate Adams supressed by college at University Nursery Jewellery smash and grab on Market Square CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Following these protests and the JCR committee.” Another said, some children end up regurgitat- in which there is limited scope for A jeweller’s on Market Square national media interest, the JCR “he’s in a tricky position, trying to ing it”. Furthermore, the report children to form close relation- was burgled on Tuesday in broad Committee of Peterhouse has now please both students and fellows.” highlighted ineffi cient storage of ships with staff. daylight. Cambridge Police have changed its policy and are campaign- Fisher refused to comment fur- milk, which as a result became un- The university subcontracts not yet caught the three men who ing to have the ball reinstated. ther on this issue. safe for consumption before being nursery provision to a company carried out the burglary on Map- Fisher told the student body: The position of the Sexcentenary distributed to children. called Bright Horizons Family So- pin and Webb. The men, who are “It has become obvious that I Club, Peterhouse’s JCR Commit- Ofsted inspector Heidi Falconer lutions, which has been blamed for described as black and in their late have spectacularly misjudged my tee, is further weakened by the fact stated that “children’s safety is the oversights brought to light by teens, apparently smashed a win- handling of this situation, and I that they failed to ratify their con- signifi cantly compromised”, de- the report.