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Iran Denounces Scholarship For Iranian Students
All Souls Day
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rd2uk
11/11/09

In reply to Iran Denounces Scholarship For Iranian Students
While i completely disagree with the claim that Nedas death was orchestrated by the opposition, and do not intend to discount her death in any way, I have to agree that naming a scholarship after her does, in fact, undermine Oxford credibility. I think, as an academic institution, Oxford should not be naming internal endowments after political figures (which, unfortunately, the circumstances of Neda's death have made her). It would be a different story if the fund was provided by external donors etc, but as this is an internal institutional scholarship, it should not betray such obvious political leanings. If for no other reason, then because it will make it that much harder for students from Iran to attend/return after attending this very prestigious university.

Of course, this is just my opinion, but I say this as an academic as the other 'big university' in England. I think most academics here agree that our goal is to welcome and educate students from throughout the ethnic/racial/economic/political etc spectrum..and taking a atrong political stance as an institution makes that difficult to do.
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Edited by rd2uk at 11/11/09 9:41 AM rd2uk was starred rd2uk was unstarred

DexterHaven
11/11/09

@rd2uk: I see your point, but I think it's also hard to overlook the ideological history of much of Oxbridge's financing/endowments etc. Look at the Rhodes scholarship for a good example. Or the Said business school. And according to the story the donations were from external donors for this purpose. #iran
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greatsheelephant
11/11/09

@rd2uk: I agree with you and the comments on the Times piece show why. While I very much support the opposition in Iran, the fact that I would feel outraged if a similar scholarship was set up to commemorate something I didn't support but others do makes me think that this type of politicisation is wrong.It might be different if Neda Soltan was a Oxford alumnus but I don't see any connection there. I'm also a little worried whether the recipient of the award will suffer if she returns to Iran. By the way, the article suggests that the fund is provided by external donors.
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rd2uk promoted this comment Edited by greatsheelephant at 11/11/09 10:14 AM greatsheelephant was starred greatsheelephant was unstarred

Alohamaid
11/11/09

@rd2uk: I'm an Oxie and I totally support the creation of the scholarship. Here's why I don't think Neda is a political figure that's problematic: IMO she's not partisan. She has become a symbol of oppression not necessarily any political group, like the infamous tank man. My only critique of the scholarship is that its a bit soon. #iran
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rd2uk
11/11/09

@DexterHaven: agree with you that we at oxbridge have a history of attaching ourselves to ideaologies that we 'like' but in the recent past (past 2 decades, really) theres been a concerted effort to remove the Uni itself from any political stance - which is why I think this is problematic. With reference to the donations being external, you are absolutely that the money comes from external sources, but it is awarded by the university and not by an external body, therefore aligning it to the Uni directly. It just seems like an unnecessary political statement that is just really divisive - which is the Uni (IMO) has no business being. #iran
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DexterHaven
11/11/09

@rd2uk: I suppose my view is that if the university had rejected this endowment that in itself would have constituted a political statement, given that it has been quite willing to take money from eg Said (pretty recently too, in 2001). #iran
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rd2uk
11/11/09

@DexterHaven: thats true, but I gott say, we get hundreds of proposals for small endowments (4000pounds over 2 yrs is a small amount for grad work for an intl student as tuition itself is about 10,000 a yr), that we dont agree to take on as internal grants but direct our students to as external grants. I mean, Im glad the someone gets extra help while in school, but dont like academia getting ties to politics so blatantly, its murky waters. #iran
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Valois
11/11/09

@rd2uk: This may be a small point to make, but this is not University funding. As far as I understand it, it's a scholarship through Queens College, with money put up by 2 anonymous donors (most likely, former students of the College). You also have to be a member of the College to qualify for the award - it's not available to the full spectrum of philosophy students across the Uni. Of course there are political overtones to this (and please don't think that I purposefully understate them) - but as far as Oxford credibility goes...well, from firsthand experience I can say that it is nigh on impossible for an international student to afford a graduate degree at Oxford. You pay your £11,000+ in fees alone - and that doesn't cover how you will make rent, feed yourself, cover research expenses, or get home to see your family. Oxford talks alot about 'access' - but the truth of the matter is that you'd better be rich if you're foreign (and especially if you're over the age of 25). As the Provost mentioned, Oxford is losing out on the best graduate candidates, in part, because the cost of attending is simply too much for most people. This certainly relates to the University's 'credibility', doesn't it? It also relates to being able to take in the students who deserve to be there. #iran
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Glitterbug (likes life shaken, not stirred)
11/11/09

@Valois: Oxbridge may be expensive for foreign students, but there are a lot of countries where it's a damn sight worse. I really wanted to study Palaentology originally, but it isn't offered at most UK unis, and the cost of American ones, especially Ivy Leage, negated that as an option for me.

Also, I don't know about Oxford, but at Cambridge there is a policy that once someone has been offered a place at the university, they should not have to drop out for financial reasons. Especially at the larger colleges, the numbers of grants etc available are staggering. #iran
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Valois
11/11/09

@Glitterbug (likes life shaken, not stirred): I knew I should have gone to Cambridge! :) I don't want to get too off-topic, but I will say that I don't think Oxford will kick you out if you can't pay. But they WILL charge you penal interest. And they WILL let you starve in the meantime - especially now that hardship is centralised. #iran
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lafleur
10/10/09

In reply to All Souls Day
I used to drink with the Imperial kids at their terribly awkward disco/pub. Holla!
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kimkimi
10/09/09

In reply to All Souls Day
hmm. seems like there is a jezebelle population in oxford. maybe we should do a meet up... ? :)
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viklane
10/09/09

In reply to All Souls Day
I got some gorgeous pictures beyond those gates. *Sigh* I miss Oxford.
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L'Adelina
10/09/09

@viklane: I thoroughly believe that anyone who spends any good amount of time there misses Oxford.
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Cookie Dough Monster
10/09/09

@L'Adelina: I couldn't agree more. I was there for just 4 weeks (summer program) about 7 years ago and still miss it SO much.
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