ISSUE NO.19 MAY 2013 Floreat Domus BALLIOL COLLEGE NEWS THE ANNIVERSARY YEAR Contents Welcome to the 2013 edition of Floreat Domus. News PAGE 1 College news PAGE 32 Educate, inform, entertain Student news PAGE 13 Phoebe Braithwaite speaks to two Page 7 Page 1 alumni in the world of television Features and sheds light on the realities of the industry COLLEGE FEATURES: Page 17 A lasting legacy This Week at the PAGE 34 PAGE 19 in cosmochemistry Cinema Alice Lighton shows how Grenville Tim Adamo’s winning entry in Turner has contributed to our Balliol’s satire writing competition understanding of the solar system PAGE 20 Science and progress: and the universe growing synthetic graphene PAGE 36 Olympic reflections Jamie Warner explains how growing Richard Wheadon remembers the a synthetic version has allowed Melbourne Olympic Games and an Oxford team to study the other rowing triumphs fundamental atomic structure of a material PAGE 38 Sustainability at the Olympic Park OTHER FEATURES: Featuring sustainability expert Dorte PAGE 22 Domus Scolarium de Rich Jørgensen, who helped make Balliolo 1263–2013 the London 2012 Olympic and As we celebrate the College’s 750th Paralympics Games the greenest anniversary, John Jones reflects on Games ever changes since 1263 PAGE 41 Facing the 2020s: Pages 36–37 Pages 22–25 PAGE 26 Global Balliol: Sydney adventures in resilience Two Old Members tell us why Alan Heeks describes a project Sydney is a great place to live aimed at achieving systemic change and work by developing ‘community resilience’ PAGE 28 The ethics of narrative PAGE 42 Bookshelf non-fiction A round-up of recently published Jonny Steinberg talks about what books by Old Members readers expect from an author when the subject of the book is a real, Development news living person PAGE 44 Ghosts, gorillas and PAGE 30 Memories of a Gaudies, as the Development Romanian childhood Office takes to Twitter Alexandru Popescu talks to Carmen Bugan about her relationship with PAGE 46 Benefactors to Balliol her native country involved. The final pages bring news from the Publication details Editorial Development Office and record the generous support of those who have donated to Balliol’s Acting editor: Anne Askwith, Publications The 2013 issue of Floreat Domus has the & Web Offi cer (maternity cover) distinction of being published in Balliol’s 750th 750th anniversary campaign. Editorial advisory board: Nicola Trott, anniversary year. With celebrations just beginning We are hugely grateful to all the Balliolites Seamus Perry, Adam Swift as it goes to press, some of the articles relate to past and present who kindly wrote the articles or Design: RBDA Studio that historic occasion – in particular John Jones’s agreed to be interviewed. Most of the editorial Print: Hunts feature on page 22 – while next year’s edition and work for this issue was done by Sophie Petrou Contact details the 2013 Annual Record will give further coverage before she went on maternity leave. It also owes of the year’s events. much to the suggestions of staff and Fellows, Balliol College In other articles we welcome new faces to and the advice of Senior Tutor Nicola Trott Broad Street the College, celebrate successes, and gather and the other members of the advisory panel, Oxford OX1 3BJ Balliol-related news from within the College Vice-Master Seamus Perry and former Tutor in Telephone: +44(0)1865 277768 walls and without. Features reflect, as always, Politics Adam Swift. Email: [email protected] the multitudinous interests and achievements We are always pleased to receive ideas for Website: www.balliol.ox.ac.uk of some (out of many thousands of) talented articles and to hear from potential writers. And Front cover: Balliol archives and Ian Taylor, except those credited elsewhere in the magazine and the engraving alumni. We hope you will enjoy the glimpses do get in touch with any thoughts or comments by Henry Taunt (top row, centre: copyright Oxfordshire these pages offer of a few of the diverse activities you have on the magazine. County Council Photographic Archives) Back cover: Piers Nye in which Old and Current Members are Anne Askwith, acting editor Pages 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 (below left): Ian Taylor FLOREAT DOMUS BALLIOL COLLEGE NEWS COLLEGE NEWS festival at Holywell Manor run by the unlikely to have been, or be, the From the Master MCR, and at the September weekend same. And yet in some less tangible a scratch choir and a reading of a sense, the Balliol spirit can probably Graham Greene play, The Great be talked about as having existed BY DRUMMOND BONE Jowett. And there will be events for nearly two hundred years, since of a more local nature not on the the beginning of the reforms in the The oldest academic institution in the Anglophone Calendar, in the City of London, in early 19th century led by Parsons world still on its original site, and almost certainly the north-east, and in Scotland, and and memorably by Jowett. It is the oldest co-founded by a woman anywhere, is yet more events still being nursed characterised by academic excellence into existence. mixed with social responsibility – 750 years old. I hope by now you have all received Balliol in its anniversary year both there in Jowett’s competitive the Programme and Calendar of Events which will has between 700 and 800 students, reforms and in his desire to found an celebrate the anniversary year and, in doing that, lay and is about 50:50 in undergraduate annexe for poorer students alongside down some directions for the coming years as well. and postgraduate numbers, with 80 King’s Mound. per cent of the latter coming from But things do change, and, by We wanted the year to do what overseas. For better or for worse, way of example, Balliol (eventually) Balliol does: generate ideas and the university world has changed admitted women, early in the case educate people who will change dramatically since the 1960s when of Fellows and rather late in the case the world for the better. So we have I was an undergraduate, and in the of students, finally honouring, as it two main strands for the year: first, last 25 years the pace of change were, not only our co-founder but our Master’s Seminars, delivered (as in most other walks of life) has Elizabeth Periam’s establishment of a globally but also available to alumni been increasingly rapid. We should Fellowship and two scholarships in the online, and second, the weekend always weigh the reasons for change, 17th century, Hannah Brackenbury’s in September, when there will be but equally weigh the reasons why buildings and scholarships, and Annie meetings with current Fellows to talk we might be predisposed to reject Bradbury, who as Domestic Bursar about the latest developments, and it. When we are wholly exposed to was the first woman officer anywhere international panels to discuss the an environment only for a short in Oxford – and many others no big issues and exciting ideas of the period of time – three years, say, as doubt who were Balliol’s hidden next 75 years (750 years seemed too Drummond Bone an undergraduate – we imagine the female line. Our student profile also addresses the audience at much for one weekend). Interweaving the lieder recital at Balliol institution as having always been shifted dramatically in the early with these more intellectual activities which launched the 750th as it was when we were there, and 2000s, a small drop in undergraduate will be some fun – a Commem Ball, anniversary celebrations remaining so after we have left. Both numbers being compensated for by an open day during Eights Week, a in January 2013. past and future are in fact highly a large increase in postgraduates, in ISSUE NO.19 MAY 2013 1 COLLEGE NEWS this case prophesying correctly the change in the University, which, with the cap on numbers agreed with the City Council, is still struggling to increase graduate numbers and struggling to find the correct balance between those here for only one year and those here to pursue longer-term doctoral studies. And fundraising has turned into Development, and become a major part of our normal activity. This is in many ways connected to the two previous changes I have just noted. Their history goes back to the early 1990s, to the abolition of the polytechnics, the financial cuts to the universities, and the rapid expansion of numbers at greatly reduced cost per head. Much of that expansion has been driven by a growth in the numbers of women (there are now more women receiving offers from universities than men applying; not so, however, at Balliol, and we are trying to address this shortfall), and has driven a consequent expansion at graduate level. Alongside this, at least until this year’s increase in fees, the money Lieder recital at Balliol by about £4k per head per year, and So pardon us if this year in accompanying each undergraduate by Anne Schwanewilms the living costs of those who live and particular we urge all of you who student has been under continuing and Malcolm Martineau. eat with us by about a further £1k. feel you have benefited from being a downward pressure. Where other Although the fee situation has eased member of the College to support us long-established institutions have things a little, Oxford has chosen to for the good of the next 750 years. gradually been forced to abandon give a very large proportion of that We have more than 7,500 of you tutorial teaching, Oxford has been income (again, rightly, we might well whom we know about, some 22 per able to maintain this traditional level think) to those less well-off students, cent of you support us regularly, and of support, but only at the cost of to enable them to study here – more our small team in College do their using endowment income.