This week in Cambridge saw St John’s win University Challenge for the first time in their history, a Varsity investigation revealed the true extent of disparities in regional access, and Pembroke students were horrified by their college’s latest culinary offering.

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Access disparities laid bare
An investigation by Varsity has revealed over a third of undergraduates admitted to Cambridge between 2006 and 2016 came from just 100 schools. The findings also show glaring regional disparities in access efforts aimed at students in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland compared to England. London is divided into 33 access areas targeted by 17 colleges while Wales, despite having a third of London’s population, is only targeted by two.

We’d rather be at John’s
St John’s defeated Merton College, Oxford 145-100 in the final of University Challenge to ensure Cambridge’s continued dominance of the series. In a tweet, the college congratulated the four contestants saying, “You were brilliant from start to finish, and we’re all very proud of you”. The John’s win means that teams from Cambridge have won the competition four times in the past five years, with meme machine Eric Monkman’s Wolfson the only Cantab team to have made the final round and not won.

Thank EU very much
The University received £59,220,000 in research funding from the EU Commission, covering 640 grants, as well as £10,683,000 for further costs. Physical Sciences was the largest recipient, with £19.5 million while the School of Arts and Humanities received £3.1 million. The EU is the University’s third largest source of funding, after UK charities (30.59%) and research councils (31.5%).

Mo money mo problems
The University is seeking to raise £600 million of external finance to fund “income-generating projects”. A majority of the sum will be used on the next phase of the North West Cambridge development with the rest to be spent on redevelopment of University buildings. The first phase of development came under fire for budget overruns, leading to opposition from two University councillors.  

Suffragist statue
A statue commemorating Newnham co-founder, Millicent Fawcett was unveiled in Parliament Square on Tuesday. Fawcett, a prominent women’s rights campaigner was the founder and president of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. Prime Minister Theresa May, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and former deputy leader of the Labour party, Harriet Harman, were among the attendees at the formal unveiling of the statue.

Dodgy dining decisions
Students at Pembroke have been left outraged by the college’s decision to dramatically alter brunch. In an attempt to curb the influx of tourists, the college have decided to increase the prices as well as introduce a new menu including steaks, tortillas, and breaded brie much to the horror of Valencians. The decision to cancel Sunday brunch has also proved unpopular, with a prominent Pembroke meme page expressing their disappointment. Safe to say Pembroke have made a hash of things.

Mysterious guest
Fans of 90s pop and wet-look hair gel will be delighted by the announcement that tabloid and Cindies favourite, Peter Andre will grace the Cambridge Union this term. Andre, best known for a string of hits including ‘Mysterious Girl’ and ‘Insania’ and his marriage to glamour model, Katie Price,  is set the follow in the footsteps of Muammar al-Gaddafi, Judi Dench, and the Dalai Lama by speaking in the Union’s hallowed chamber.