How hard can it be for the government to stop its Brexit dithering for a moment and remove the planning blight surrounding EU research funding (‘We haven’t got a plan B’: Academics race to safeguard research amid Brexit fears, 16 October)? Archaeology may deal in timescales of many thousands of years but the crisis looming in two years’ time threatens to sweep away our status as a world leader in deep history. More...
The myth of meritocracy: who really gets what they deserve?
Michael Young was an inconvenient child. His father, an Australian, was a musician and music critic, and his mother, who grew up in Ireland, was a painter of a bohemian bent. They were hard-up, distractible and frequently on the outs with each other. Michael, born in 1915 in Manchester, soon found that neither had much time for him. Once when his parents had seemingly forgotten his birthday, he imagined that he was in for a big end-of-day surprise. But no, they really had forgotten his birthday, which was no surprise at all. He overheard his parents talk about putting him up for adoption and, by his own account, never fully shed his fear of abandonment. More...
‘Essay mills’ may be morally dubious, but it was good to work for one
OK, so helping students plagiarise work was unethical – but it was also intellectually challenging and stimulating. More...
Cambridge University plans scheme to open door to poorer students
Cambridge University has launched a £500m fundraising campaign to pay for a new “transition programme” to encourage and support applications from talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds who might otherwise not get a place. More...
Letters: banning student homes is short-sighted and callous
Large student populations can cause problems for local people. The answer is negotiation, not nimbyism. More...
Yale students condemn Kavanaugh case as 'symptom of a larger problem'
Students at university with long ties to US power unsurprised by allegations in culture that ‘normalises’ sexual misconduct. More...
Row over sex workers' support group prompts university investigation
The University of Brighton is launching an investigation after a sex workers’ support group ran a stall offering help for students at its freshers’ fairs. More...
If I’m doing his appraisal, the universities minister gets no pay rise this year
Being the minister responsible for higher education in the UK should be a breeze. Oxford and Cambridge brush the top of any international ranking, with another three or four of our universities on their heels. True, the US does better, but not for its size, and no other country comes close. The UK hasn’t done so well in anything since Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick and the Beatles and the Stones. Not even cycling or dressage can compete. More...
Picking up a leaflet at a freshers’ fair won’t turn you into a sex worker
Controversy erupted over the weekend as Brighton University was accused in the Sunday Times of “grooming” students into prostitution. More...
Manchester students' union swaps applause for 'jazz hands'
Manchester University’s students’ union has become the latest student body to vote to replace applause with “jazz hands” in an attempt to make events more accessible for people with disabilities. More...