The rollercoaster of life, Jim love and personal tragedy Broadbent continues tells us about growing Camsay old Street profi tably A garden full of hats p31 and worms Artsp23 Fashionp18 Issue No 661 Friday October 12 2007 varsity.co.uk e Independent CambridgeStudent Newspaper since 1947 UNIVERSITY STATEMENT Rob Wallach, secretary of the senior tutors’ Dons respond to committee “There is no reason why students should fi nd themselves in such severe fi nancial diffi culty that they would have to resort to prostitution. However the University and Colleges are aware prostitution report that students can fi nd themselves in fi nancial diffi culty and give support where they can. There is a range of support mechanisms, including hard- » CUSU President calls national press coverage ‘ridiculous’ ship fund allowances and, as in all UK universities, a bursary scheme for » Former prostitute: advert in local newspaper got me started students from lower income families which has just been extended sub- stantially by the University. Katy Lee “We have no way of knowing whether News Editor various aspects of the article in Var- sity are in fact true. The claim that Varsity’s investigation last week ‘hundreds’ of students are involved is into how far Cambridge students highly unlikely and the result of pure will go to make money has provoked speculation. We are most concerned a concerned response from the Uni- by the report and College Senior Tu- versity and a storm of interest from tors would do everything they could the international press. to give support to students well be- The investigation found that fore any found themselves in such a almost one in twenty Cambridge situation. students write for Oxbridge es- “Oxbridge Essays claim that students says, 350 are members of a website pay hundreds of pounds for model an- through which students offer dates swers which they then do not submit as their own work. We think that claim, for cash, and a very small group go along with similar claims made by oth- much further, working as exotic er essay websites, is very surprising and dancers and prostitutes. would question its accuracy. The story has received coverage “Plagiarism devalues the efforts of from the BBC and national news- students who work hard to achieve papers such as the Sun, the Tele- their degrees. It also damages students graph and the Guardian, as well as who commit plagiarism, as they will not newspapers from Italy, India and benefi t from the teaching and learning Mexico. A photograph of a scantily experience which universities offer. clad “vice girl”, with nothing but “The University and Colleges strongly the Cambridge crest to preserve discourage students from writing essays her modesty appeared alongside for companies such as Oxbridge Essays.” a sensationalised account on the Sun’s website. The Cambridge Evening News has published extensive coverage Adrian Pascu- over the past two days. One of the students profi led in the investiga- Tulbure tion told Varsity that it was after Exerpts from the media furore responding to an escort agency ad- Style vert in the back of the CEN that of the Senior Tutors’ Committee. University’s counselling service, is stated that colleges “strongly she fi rst got involved in prostitu- “The claim that ‘hundreds’ of worried that the ban on term time discourage” students from work- before tion. Despite Varsity’s repeated students are involved is highly jobs and the unusual ways in which ing for such companies, and ques- sub- attempts to discover whether this unlikely and the result of pure students are dealing with debt could tioned Oxbridge Essays’ assertion claim could be true, the newspa- speculation.” have an adverse effect on students’ that the buyers of essays do not stance per has refused to comment. In a statement released on mental health. “Certainly the areas submit them as their own work. CUSU president Mark Fletcher Wednesday, Dr Wallach described of work that students are getting Oxbridge Essays’ John Foster is worried that the press have mis- the University as being “most into - exotic dancing, Oxbridge Es- responded to the criticism yester- p10 understood the services offered concerned by the report”. He says and so on, are better paid from day. “Our website makes explicit by students working for Take Me maintained that the generous fi - a fi nancial point of view, but I won- that the intended purpose of our To Dinner, formerly known as Ox- nancial help offered by the Uni- der if they leave students feeling research is to serve as a model Letters 8 bridge Escorts. “This has led to versity means students should good about themselves. Things like answer from which the client is the ridiculous suggestion that hun- not fi nd themselves in a position one’s confi dence and respect for one- inspired to improve his own work. Comment 10 dreds of Cambridge students could where they are forced to cash in self are diffi cult to put a monetary All clients are required, before be working as prostitutes. This is so on their brains or bodies. “There is value on.” receiving work, to sign a legal far from the truth it is obscene.” no reason why students should fi nd The University has also voiced agreement acknowledging that Idler 11 “We have no way of knowing themselves in such severe fi nancial concern in response to our claim they understand this to be the whether various aspects of the diffi culty that they would have to that 500 Cambridge students sell purpose of the written materials Reviews 28 article in Varsity are indeed true,” resort to prostitution,” he said. bespoke essays to companies such we supply.” said Dr Rob Wallach, Secretary Mark Phippen, head of Cambridge as Oxbridge Essays. Dr Wallach » Editorial p8 The Anorak 37 Got a news story? Friday October 12 2007 2 NEWS [email protected] varsity.co.uk/news In Brief Girton crisis averted Girton JCR have denied rumours All in the brain? that a number of committee mem- bers are planning to resign in protest over the “unprofessional” » Baron-Cohen: conduct of their president, Karo- line Klose. men genetically Since Varsity started investi- gating the issue, the JCR commit- predisposed to tee have all put their names to a statement declaring their support success in science for Klose and denying any plans to resign. Emma Inkester Klose says the matter has been Senior Reporter “fully resolved”. The ex-JCR pres- ident, Simon Burdus added that it Cambridge autism expert Simon is “complete nonsense... She is do- Baron-Cohen has courted con- ing a great job.” troversy by claiming that female Camilla Temple brains are more poorly adapted to scientifi c study than male brains. Speaking on Monday at the Naked chef to serve up Women and Science conference in Washington DC, Professor Baron- pukka pasta in Market Cohen argued that there is an Square intrinsic difference between the male and female brain. Cambridge will be one of the fi rst While the female brain is adapt- cities in the country to host Jamie ed for empathy, he said, the male Oliver’s new high street restaurant brain is better suited to under- chain “Jamie’s Italian”. standing and building systems. The “neighbourhood” restaurant This would mean men generally opens in 2009 and will be situated in perform better at science, map the Guildhall in the centre of Cam- reading and building fl at pack fur- bridge. Despite its prestigious pa- niture. They are also more likely tronage and location, the restaurant to be involved in physical fi ghts will serve affordable food, with dish- due to their poorer ability to com- es starting at just £5.00. municate their feelings, and have a A spokesperson for Oliver said, greater chance of developing pas- Simon Baron-Cohen claims there are intrinsic differences between male and female brains “Jamie wanted this to be something sions for train spotting and stamp affordable and accessible. Students collecting, pursuits that are both Waller, a postdoctoral researcher tend to respond negatively to other factors come into play includ- are quite a key thing; if you look at indicative of a systematic mind. in physics, argues that scientifi c girls considering studying physi- ing social conditioning from school the fi rst three restaurants he’s open- Baron-Cohen went on to argue talent is unrelated to gender. “The cal sciences at A-level. I know a onwards and unconscious bias”. ing they are all in University towns. that the greater suitability of male lack of female representation at number of female colleagues who Baron-Cohen’s cousin Sacha Hopefully there will be a few Cam- brains to science may be one of the the higher levels is more an issue were told by their school physics shocked audiences in his 2006 bridge students eating there and root causes for the under repre- of child care provision and glass teachers that they shouldn’t study fi lm Borat: Cultural Learnings of maybe even working there.” sentation of women in science, es- ceilings that are common to all the subject.” America for Make Benefi t Glori- Pete MacIntyre pecially at the highest levels. high time and stress businesses, Professor Athene Donald, direc- ous Nation of Kazakhstan. As Ali The Professor’s claims have an- not just science,” she said. tor of the university’s Women in Sci- G, he once asked a British femi- gered many of Cambridge’s prom- “And there’s also social pres- ence, Engineering and Technology nist: “Do you think all girls should Robinson accused of inent female scientists. Debbie sure.