- Medical students are renowned for their antics, but stuffing the remains of a walrus into a coffin would seem extreme even for them. But this could be a possible explanation for the puzzling discovery of bones below St Pancras International belonging to a 4m-long Pacific walrus. 啦堯梗泭啦勳鳥梗莽 reported on 23July that scientists were stumped as to how the creature, which usually migrates between the Bering and Chukchi seas, found its way to London in the early 19th century. As the bones were discovered near human remains that showed signs of dissection, one theory is that the walrus could have been sold for medical research. But given that it was placed in a coffin, could it also have some connection to Lewis Carrolls 1871 poem TheWalrus and the Carpenter which, in turn, helped to inspire John Lennons ode to the blubbery sea beast? Goo goo gjoob.
- One of the difficulties of catching internet trolls people who set out to deliberately antagonise, wind up, threaten or insult others online is the anonymity that the web can afford. However, this was not a problem for anyone wishing to identify the origin of a tweet sent to University of Cambridge professor Mary Beard containing a string of crude insults. The tweet was sent from the personal, named account of Oliver Eric Rawlings, a University of Nottingham student, and was promptly seen by a family acquaintance who offered to give Professor Beard the address of his mother. Professor Beard granted young Oliver the chance to say sorry first. His next tweet? I sincerely apologise for my trolling. Iwas wrong and very rude. Hope this can be forgotten and forgiven xxx. Beard one, Troll nil.
- Noisy undergraduates at the British Library have made headlines again after a flurry of letters on the issue in the London Review of Books. Although the library reduced the admission age to 18 in 2004, the increased use of smartphones and tablets and the conspicuous flirting have now become unbearable for its older users: one complained that the London library is swamped with intruders. But in The Times on 26July, Ben Macintyre argued that the enlivening of the institutions reading room, used in the past by, among others, Lenin, Marx and Gandhi, was a good thing because it upheld its commitment to welcoming the curious圩rom every corner of humanity吁o, far from regretting [the] change, we should trumpet it although not, obviously, where people are trying to read.
- Are new universities unfairly cashing in on the 瞿9,000 fee regime? One vice-chancellor at a Russell Group institution thinks so, claiming in 啦堯梗泭啦勳鳥梗莽 that post-1992 universities get double funding for their disadvantaged undergraduates. In a piece on July, the unnamed leader said traditional universities were losing out because they had to spend a larger chunk of their fee income on fair access than new institutions, but received hardly any money from the 瞿3million student opportunity fund given mostly to those with high numbers of disadvantaged students: effectively, new universities were double dipping on access funds. Which universities need the money? It is the ones that do research, the head argued. Some may see the snipe as a shot across the bows of Madeleine Atkins, the next head of Englands funding council and vice-chancellor of Coventry University, which will receive 瞿4.6million in student opportunity funding this year.
- The Independents Archie Bland finally snapped after yet another Richard III story found its way into the papers news pages. A second skeleton had been found in two coffins in the same Leicester car park as the Plantagenet king, which MrBland felt was yet another nail in a very thoroughly hammered coffin of a once-exciting story. But Mr Bland noted on 29July that the Richard III industry has only just begun, with the University of Leicesters press office homepage advertising aRichard III internship, a Richard III family open day and arange of Richard III T-shirts, mugs, badges and notebooks. You cant blame the PR bods, tenacious as they are, for putting such drivel out into the world, he wrote. The embarrassment sits with those of us in the media, for eating it up with such enthusiasm.
Register to continue
Why register?
- Registration is free and only takes a moment
- Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month
- Sign up for our newsletter
Subscribe
Or subscribe for unlimited access to:
- Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews
- Digital editions
- Digital access to 啦晨楚s university and college rankings analysis
Already registered or a current subscriber?
Please or to read this article.