News

‘Torpids” is an annual rowing competition held in Oxford and this year was a big one for Brasenose, celebrating ‘200 years of oar-some’ - as our crew t-shirts will tell you!

I’ve been working in the Brasenose archives since 2011, firstly as the archives assistant and more recently as the archivist. However, it never fails to amaze me that the college’s archives have been kept in the same place since at least 1516.

Theatre has always been an important part of my life. Coming to Oxford I thought that I had left the drama world behind for the dreaming spires. Little did I know it would creep back up on me like a rogue spotlight, Oxford drama is one the richest communities to immerse yourself in here, whether you tread the boards for the first time in Cuppers or end up producing a show at the Oxford Playhouse.

Despite coming from Yorkshire I had never really played rugby league before coming to Oxford. However after converting from Union to League I found this to be the case for most of the players who ended up playing in the team. I also only began playing rugby league in my second year at Oxford, after being asked to train by the strong contingent of Brasenose players already at the club.

Before the redevelopment work on Brasenose’s old cloisters fully began the college had the fantastic opportunity to learn more about its history with the help of Oxford Archaeology South.

The Drama Cuppers is an annual, university-wide competition held for freshers interested in drama, where teams of 8 put on a 30 minute production at the Burton Taylor Studio. I have been involved in minor productions back at home, usually as an ensemble member and decided that this would be a good opportunity to give directing a go.

I graduated from Brasenose in 2014 having studied Economics and Management at undergraduate level. I absolutely loved my time at college; I got involved with lots of activities, from Welfare, to sport, to setting up my own film club with a friend, and the close-knit environment really suited me.

On Shrove Tuesday, the 17^th of February, Brasenose yet again played host to Ale Verses, a tradition that dates back to the good old days when the College brewed its own ale.

Food at Brasenose is always something to look forward to. During term time, students are treated to a full service of breakfast, lunch and dinner (brunch and dinner at weekends) in the College’s oak-panelled 16^th Century Dining Hall.

With a dedicated team of over a dozen staff, spearheaded by Head Chef Lorraine Watkins and Sous Chef James Goodwin, the kitchens run a highly professional service, using state of the art equipment. Their aim is to provide a varied, seasonal, fresh and affordable menu for students and staff alike.

One of Brasenose’s greatest strengths is our ability to use all of the diverse interests and talents of this wonderful community to play a positive role in the community around us, as well as in the wider world.

Dr Ferdinand Rauch opened the first Graduate Blurbs of Term by challenging head-on Economics’ reputation as a ‘dismal science’.  Modern economics, he countered, was vibrant field that addressed major problems in novel and productive ways, exerting a big impact on people’s lives, while being at the same time intellectually rewarding.

One of the long term ambitions of the Brasenose College archives team is to open up the collections we care for to a wider audience. The National Archives, as part of their annual Explore Your Archive campaign, are spearheading such initiatives and ensuring that records kept in archives around the country are collected, made safe and accessible for the future.

Brasenose College welcomes David Edgar as the Humanitas Visiting Professor in Drama for 2015. Humanitas is a series of Visiting Professorships at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, aimed at bringing leading practitioners and scholars to both universities to tackle major themes in the arts, social sciences and humanities.

The seventh annual John Ackrill Memorial Lecture in Ancient Philosophy will take place at 5pm in Lecture Room XI at Brasenose College on Thursday 12th March (8^th week). The lecture will be followed by drinks.

Professor Russell Foster, Fellow of Brasenose College, and Professor of Circadian Neurosciences, Head of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Director of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute has been appointed CBE for services to science.

My first term at Brasenose. Where do I begin? The main reason I chose Brasenose was because of the friendly atmosphere and the welcoming students I met on Open Day. Having finished my first term I can confidently say this friendliness has proven to be a consistent quality of Brasenose.

By Melissa Thorne (English and French Third Year)

Paris holds so many romantic connotations, with famous monuments such as the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur and Notre Dame, to name but a few, that have a singular prestige in popular culture.

By Lena Garrett - 3rd Year German and Russian student

It’s hard to believe it’s Christmas already. The first half of my Year Abroad, which has been spent studying at Bonn University on an Erasmus exchange, is flying by.