THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1947 ISSUE NO. th 767 FRIDAY 8 MARCH 2013 EV1122, DAVIDSIMMONS, TULANE PUBLIC RELATIONS TULANE PUBLIC EV1122, DAVIDSIMMONS, ZABETHEASTCOBBER, TYTUP, LENSCAPBOB, TRINITY.CAM.AC.UK, INKL TRINITY.CAM.AC.UK, LENSCAPBOB, TYTUP, ZABETHEASTCOBBER, MindO CREDITS, CLOCKWISE FROM ind the supervisionsuper gap PHOTO CREDITS, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: 303STAINLESSSTEEL, ELI 303STAINLESSSTEEL, LEFT: TOP CREDITS, CLOCKWISE FROM PHOTO • Varsity investigations reveal major disparities in college provisions for undergraduates • There are significant differences between colleges in the number of contact hours, experience of supervisors, course resources and funding for extracurricular societies peers studying elsewhere - despite inequalities in supervision provision. rst years with 53, 55 and 59 hours of supervision time, while their Trin- paying the same tuition fees. e dif- For rst year economics students the respectively. ity counterparts received 43. ose at ferences are particularly pronounced supervision gap can be as much as One King’s College history student Homerton had 38 and at Roinson only for rst year students beginning their 71 hours, with the average Newnham told Varsity that they knew “other col- 33. Cambridge educations. College student receiving 115 hours leges have more classes organised e supervision gap for second year e data covers supervisions, col- over the year, but only 43 hours if they internally by directors of studies”, mathematicians was up to 33 hours, lege classes and college seminars from attended Sidney Sussex last year. First giving one explanation for the wide with Lucy Cavendish College o ering byPHELIM BRADY the last academic year. years at Gonville & Caius and Trin- variation. 62 hours of college contact time com- Deputy News Editor The figures, released under the ity College saw supervisors for 89 and e gap between the college pro- pared with just 28 hours at Homerton Freedom of Information Act, also 66 hours respectively, while those at viding the most and the least hours of and 30 at Magdalene. igures released after a two show that some colleges rely more King’s had only 66. supervision for English students stud- For engineers the supervision system month investigation into the on graduate student supervisors than As part of the investigation, a Var- ying for Part I is 39 hours; the average is also a lottery: rst years received FCambridge supervision system experienced academics to supervise sity survey of Cambridge students undergraduate received 108 hours an average of 67 hours at Homerton, have revealed major disparities their undergraduates. revealed conflicting views on the with academics last year at Magdalene but only 37 hours at Robinson, while in supervision provision across the uni- Small group supervisions are the strength of graduate student supervi- and 104 at Trinity, but only 69 at Peter- second years could receive 71 hours versity. While anecdotes about some de ning feature of an undergraduate sors compared with that given by more house or Robinson. at Homerton, but 47 if they attended colleges working their students harder education at Cambridge and Oxford, experienced academics, showing that For computer scientists, the supervi- Lucy Cavendish. than others have long been circulated, and while the University of Cambridge the supervision gap is being felt by stu- sion gap can be as much as 51.5 hours. One English second year at this investigation uncovers the detail prospectus tells applicants and stu- dents across the university. First year students at Magdalene were Emmanuel College said they “receive behind the rumours. dents that “it’s not the case that some Historians also face wide varia- in supervisions for an average of 111 very little supervision” for certain e news calls into question a fun- [colleges] are better for particular tion in college contact time. History hours last year, while those at Girton papers, even though they know that damental feature of the collegiate courses”, these new gures suggest that prelim students at Girton, Selwyn and received 60, 61.75 at Newnham and 68 students at “some colleges receive system: across a number of courses, the college you choose can have a seri- Homerton received around 25 hours hours at Selwyn and Caius on average. weekly supervisions and essays”. the average student at some colleges ous impact on the supervisions you of supervision on average last year, less Archeology & anthropology students can receive over 100 per cent more time receive. than half the college contact time had taking Part I of their degrees at Sidney Continued on page 5... >> in supervisions and classes than their Economists face one of the starkest by King’s, Peterhouse and Newnham Sussex received an average of 57 hours 04 News: Flick Osborn, new 15 Comment: The charitable 18 Features: The growing 23 Culture: A conversation 32 Sport: The Blues poised for CUSU President side of pharamaceuticals interest in comics with Terry Eagleton victory next Sunday NEWS / COMMENT / FEATURES / LISTINGS / ARTS / CULTURE /FASHION / SPORT 2 [email protected] VARSITY Editorial FRIDAY 8TH MARCH 2013 A PEEK ONLINE The Cambridge student some of us, £9 000 - gets us dramati- LETTERS about ‘History’: experience is characterised cally di erent amounts of teaching, is by its prioritisation of what a problem that can only be addressed BRITISH COMMON LAW AND THE 1. ‘History’ is not ‘the Past’ is local. For most of us, par- at a university-wide level. CONSTITUTION A few days ago Varsity wrote an ticularly undergraduates, ere is no doubt that one of Cam- intelligent critique of the history the bulk of the friendships bridge’s most distinctive features It is proposed by Government reforms. Richard Evans’ counter to the we make during our time (aside from retaining its AAA credit to change nine parts of our long government’s proposals was acute, but here will with people in our rating at a time when the Chancel- standing Common Law and English it’s worth noting that few historians colleges. For those whose lor of the Exchequer has failed to for Constitution. since the 80s have shared his hardline lives stray outside the juris- the country) is its collegiate structure. is is a reminder to all politicians empiricist approach. It doesn’t take diction of their porter’s Some of the di erences between col- who as temporary occupants of much to work out that subjectivity lodges, there is still a ten- leges (architectural di erences, for Parliament, wish to alter any part is a fundamental part of historical dency to stick within little example) are worth cherishing. But of our long standing Common knowledge. ‘bubbles’ centred around inter-collegiate inconsistency with Law Constitution allegedly for the extra-curricular activities regards to contact hours leave large Succession to the Crown Bill whose 2. ‘History’ is not ‘national memory’ and the making of lecture sections of the student body short- purpose is, in reality, purely to comply On the other hand, Evans is right: In light of the horse meat scandal, EDITORIAL buddies. If we are lucky, we changed. e only way to do anything with the EU Equality Act. ‘History’ isn’t just a series of shared Isabel Rimmer and Katharine will have sampled formal about this is by using the voice of e Treason Acts protect ALL parts stories that will teach us our ‘national Howell think about the unhelpful hall at a few colleges other our student union. Varsity hopes of our Common Law Constitution and identity’. Many 19th and early 20th stereotype of the pilates-going, than our own. But come that CUSU’s newly-elected sabbati- they CANNOT BE REPEALED. AT ALL. Century histories were concerned with goji-berry munching, child-killing Week Five or Easter term, it cal o cers take this upon themselves EVER. ey are for ALL TIME. ‘our’ story (whoever ‘we‘ might be). But middle-class hypocrite. With a is our own college welfare teams who as they assume their roles over the Our Common Law is beyond the contemporary historians work to avoid proliferation of a ordable fairtrade provide us with free tea and co ee. summer and once and for all demon- reach of Parliament. ough it is the pitfalls of an exclusively national brands, being an ethical consumer In such an environment, a federal strate their relevance to the student believed that some parts were allegedly framework. Be wary of TV historians is no longer a question of privilege, students’ union seems frivolous at body. repealed under previous Governments, that do not. they say. best and at worst, the domain of an they continue to remain in full force. out-of-touch self-interested bunch It is High Treason to try in any way 3. Which leads neatly on to Starkey, who cater to fringe interests. whatsoever, to subvert, alter or destroy Ferguson et. al... But while CUSU cannot claim to our hundreds of years old Common Who are hardly ‘eminent historians’. be glamorous, it is necessary. Look- Law Constitution. If anything was ever ideologically ing back at the issues raised about ey are there to protect our ancient motivated, factually selective and mental health in Cambridge earlier laws and they are why Britain went to theoretically laughable, Ferguson’s this term, or at this week’s ndings WAR twice to protect them. Civilisation series was. is isn’t just on undergraduate contact hours and All of the people in this country - TV-snobbery: take it from me, only a resource discrepancies between col- including ALL those we pay to serve in handful of the historians who signed leges, it becomes obvious that there our present Parliament - are there to that letter have published anything any are some matters that simply cannot protect our Constitution at all times. history undergraduate cared about in be dealt with by well-meaning JCR the last decade.