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Jesus College tells students to remove all flags
Transphobic stickers in Cambridge replaced with messages in support of LGBTQ+ community
No in-person congregations until at least the summer amidst continued ‘uncertainty’ for Easter term
Subsequent pictures showed a police car and a bomb disposal lorry where the grenade was discovered
The open letter called Professor David Miller’s comments ‘the latest manifestation of a long and ignoble tradition of conspiracy theories concerning Jewish individuals and institutions’
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The number of Eton pupils receiving Oxbridge offers has halved since 2014
Cambridge-based THIS Institute has produced an ethical framework for student asymptomatic testing programmes
Varsity reports live as the SU and sabbatical officers for the 2021-22 academic year are announced
May Balls are ‘unlikely to be possible’ this year due to ongoing restrictions
The student-led efforts have been tackling offensive stickers in several public areas around Cambridge
Cambridge Stand Up to Racism organised the event, using #TaketheKnee
Varsity gives you an insight into the manifestos for University Councillor, Women’s Officer, BME Officer, and postgraduate Access, Education, & Participation Officer
This year’s report shows that, out of eleven targets, the University has achieved one, is making good progress on six and could improve on the remaining four
Returning to the nest
Being an Australian in the UK 
Abstinence and shame: Sex education in a church school
b&together: Making the Invisible, Visible
Columnist Alexander Yao reflects on how living in the UK has made him appreciative of his home country
The vaccine programme is turning the tide against the virus, but the mental health pandemic won’t end anytime soon. Katey Parker explains b&together’s efforts to combat this with their 73-73 challenge
An adventure in Costa Rica helps Inès Magré find her own definition of success
After the passing of her father, Lauren DeBruin explores why returning to Cambridge for Lent Term was the right decision
Nora Redmond shares her experiences of sex education in a Christian girls’ school in Ireland
Kirsty Stark explores the process of grieving in the midst of lockdown
Ilja Caikovskis relates the experience of living through political protests in Russia… while doing his Cambridge degree
It has been fundamental human connection that has helped us all navigate lockdown. The Varsity team show gratitude to their lockdown heroes, in a series of little love letters
Pink Week Co-President Evie Vennix explores the empowerment of pink
Francesca Southwood reflects on the highs and lows of a Covid-19 quarantine
Having had her Year Abroad disrupted, Madeleine McLure reflects on this experience and the loss of opportunity
Commercial Feature
Commercial Feature
The UK must radically change how it views housing
Putting a price on pride: the dilemma of rainbow capitalism
Forget free speech – free learning is what’s really at stake at our universities
Hands up! Who wants to go into teaching? Here’s why you should choose the state sector
Louis van-Boxel-Woolf
Louis van-Boxel-Woolf argues that a focus on freedom of speech overlooks the real issue at the heart of no-platforming: freedom to learn
Talal Hangari
Talal Hangari says the actions of Boris Johnson’s government during the pandemic must be scrutinised by a public inquiry.
Louis Young
Louis Young argues that the pandemic offers an important opportunity on par with 1945 and 1979 to rethink our economic system.
Benny Soran
Benny Soran argues that, as Pride month comes to an end, we must reconsider how brands ally themselves with the cause beyond simply adopting a rainbow aesthetic.
Sharleen Opia
Sharleen Opia argues that the UK needs to re-evaluate its housing policy.
Francesca Smith
Francesca Smith argues that the government’s plans for helping students ‘catch up’ do not address what teachers, parents and pupils really need – and suggests politics has been placed above wellbeing
George Herbert
George Herbert argues that environmentally friendly travel would go a long way to ensuring the sustainability of one of Cambridge’s best-loved traditions.
Linus Uhlig
Linus Uhlig explores the parallels between the “Roaring Twenties” of the 20th Century and the prospective post-Covid decade
Imran Mulla
Imran Mulla, Jesus College Student Union’s Ethnic and Religious Minorities Officer explains their decision to boycott the counter-terrorism programme, Prevent.
Dom Bridge
Dom Bridge analyses the ex-UKIP leader’s recent video on the so-called ‘EU Human Rights Act’, and argues his inaccuracies and rhetoric mask a rejection of fundamental human rights.
“Best three years of my life”: Ibz Mo on Cambridge
Lord Hannan: “Life is better if we listen to people who we don’t like”
“Pleasure is not a dirty topic”: Hannah Witton on sex toys, oversharing, and love in lockdown
I am a young person growing up in Yemen’s civil war. This is my story.
Interview
European Parliament veteran Daniel Hannan talks crackdowns on vaccine trade and free speech with George Vines.
In the second instalment of our series spotlighting life in humanitarian crises, Victor Jack speaks with Yasser Ahmed, a 20-year old Yemeni student who describes the traumas, poverty and declining hope facing young people after six years of civil war
YouTuber Ibz Mo discusses the student experience.
Yan-Yi Lee talks to MML students Liv Bonsall and Hannah Sherry about the interesting origins of the Cambridge Language Collective.
Interview
Turkmenistan ranks as having the second-worst press freedom in the world, just above North Korea. Josef Skrdlik interviews Ruslan Myatiev, founder of Turkmen.news, an independent investigative news portal, about his work and the wider media situation in the country.
Curtis Trynka walks us through student Vervain Cyril’s unusual date.
Martha French and Lucie Richardson talk online content, what it means to feel sexy, and Valentine’s Day plans with Youtube sensation and sex educator Hannah Witton.
Phoebe Page discusses four years of Trump with Professor Tom Nichols.
Chloe Gong gives Varsity an insight into her journey as a writer, and how it inspired her masterpiece ‘These Violent Delights.
Is peer review the way forward?
The lingering heritage of imperialism in engineering
Why your birth assigned sex may not match your genetics
Chloe Li explains the importance of peer review in science, discusses its shortcomings and considers what alternative routes we can take
‘Is there an intrinsic dichotomy between engineering and indigenous rights?’ Tungsten Tang explores the consequences of extractivism on engineering
Natasha Reid discusses intersex conditions, considering how they can arise and why intersex individuals are often let down by society
Laura Ryan explains how these “blobs of neural tissue” have revolutionised neuroscience research, and the critical ethical challenges that they face
Emily Sissons explains how ‘banks are actively and knowingly exacerbating the biodiversity crisis’
Nick Scott explains the various mathematical concepts used in discussions of Covid-19
Laura Ryan delves into the neuroscience behind psychedelics and considers their potential applications in healthcare
Erin Tan explains how dogs and humans came to live side by side, and how they’re able to understand us so well
In this Valentine’s Day edition of Varsity Explains, Fatima Eshani explains the molecular processes behind what we experience as ‘love’, and discusses what actually drives behaviours of lust and affection.
Sarah Swift discusses why women may be worse off when it comes to diagnosing and treating cardiovascular pathologies and emphasises the importance of changing perspectives
The importance of taking breaks
Now that the weather is finally getting better, Scarlet Rowe thinks that it’s about time we talk about why we talk about it so much
Advice
AskVulture tackles the tricky question of managing friendships, new and old, during the pandemic and the always-stressful time of the dreaded housing ballot
Lifestyle columnist Agnes Ganet knows first-hand that it is all too easy to feel guilty for taking a break, but is there a way to stop feeling like this?
Anna Stirk talks about the wonders of looking up, and why the sky is a worthy rival to staring at a screen all day
Lifestyle columnist Agnes Ganet talks about how giving cooking a go has changed her life for the better
Alexandra Jarvis asks if anything can be truly innovative at a time like this, with so few obvious chances for change. They wonder at the ability of a lockdown to encourage more introspection, and to make even their degree seem interesting.
Scarlet Rowe never thought she could be an innovator. However, upon a quick google definition check, she has now changed her mind completely
“I only drink coffee, wine and water,” Charlotte Holah used to claim. Now, though, she takes a more nuanced look at the space a good cup of coffee (or ten) and a glass (bottle) of wine takes up in her locked-down life
Even though Scarlet Rowe has not fallen in love with her degree yet, she wouldn’t swap it for anything else either. Why is this the case?
Scarlet Rowe talks about how this term is proving to be particularly challenging, and questions why this is the case
In Conversation with artist Federica Marinaro 
Jessica Raja-Brown talks to Federica Marinaro, a Cambridge-based scientist who enjoys telling stories through her remarkable sketches and paintings. Federica’s paintings are currently exhibited in Hot Numbers on Gwydir St.
Charlotte Alt talks to Martin Bond, a photographer behind ‘A Cambridge Diary’, who has taken a picture of Cambridge and published it every day for eleven long years.
Izzie Glover speaks to the directors of the JHAF about maintaining the spirit of such a communal, celebrated festival across a digital format
Architecture
Finally getting the recognition it deserves, Lindsay Taylor tells us about Coventry and its newly acquired title as the UK City of Culture 2021.
CRoB’s Head of Editorial Rachel Imrie details the exciting and delightfully peculiar process of preparing for the zine’s spring issue.
Lily Maguire describes what the Romantics can teach us about hope for the future and longing for beauty.
Martha French, as part of Varsity Art’s Valentine’s musings, looks into the queer art power couple of Maggie Nelson and Harry Dodge
Review
Isabella Todini reviews ‘My Brilliant Friend’ by Elena Ferrante, the first in a quartet of novels that trace the lifetime of a friendship between two women.
In time for Valentine’s Day, Varsity Editor Georgina Buckle hand-picks five texts which muse on love, in all its multitudinous expressions
Phil Tarrant muses on the work of Gertrude Stein in the context of lockdown.
Dress Up In You: The Joys of an Inherited Wardrobe
In a new series looking at the oldest items in our wardrobes, Sorrel Fenelon reflects on the way hand-me-down clothes have led her to celebrate her relationships with three important women in her life.
Olivia Rhodes warns that ASOS’ purchase of Arcadia could be the beginning of the end for in-person clothes shopping
Lily Maguire takes a look back at Europe’s past to understand the ongoing power of fashion to construct identity.
Anna Trowby gives a rundown of what she’s learnt over the years about how to best accentuate a larger bust.
In a new series looking at the oldest items in our wardrobes, Anna Piper-Thompson celebrates two of the most special garments she owns, first worn by her mum in the ’90s
Creative Contributor Muhammad Syed explores the role of gowns at university and stash outside of Cambridge.
Hatty Willmoth showcases seven of her favourite outfits from lockdown three
As part of a new series on fictional fashion icons, Zarah Ali recounts finding a role model in the star of the noughties sitcom
Rowena Field states her case for comfortable clothing as we adjust to ‘stay-at-home’ fashion once again
Sophia Till maps her changing perception of herself – through both clothing and the camera lens – across three national lockdowns
I May Destroy You and the Golden Globes
Life at First Sight: The World To Come
Greta Gerwig and White Feminism in Film
On Sentimentality and Defending Wonder Woman 1984
Mojola Akinyemi discusses the most shocking and disappointing snub of this years’ Golden Globes.
Ashley Roohizadegan considers sentimentality in cinema as a symptom of the human condition, refusing to condemn such emotionality as simple “women’s weepies”.
Review Take 2
In this Review Take 2, Emilia Isaacs and Isabella Addo take on the genre of the Young Adult movie. Can newer adaptations ever compare to the original classics?
Review
Tilda Butterworth reflects on the lesbian period drama The World To Come and its portrayal of a deeply intimate relationship.
Anika Kaul explores Greta Gerwig’s ‘feminist’ films and questions their supposed progressiveness through an intersectional perspective.
While we all may be familiar with the concept of a late-night talk show in the USA, Rachael Kennedy considers their significance for a generation using comedy to engage politically.
Vulture Editor Isabel Sebode muses on the unsettling beauty of the experimental documentary Koyaanisqatsi
Priyanka Patel interrogates the naming of Indian characters in Western cinema, considering authenticity and diversity.
Review
Madeleine McLure reviews Netfix’s French-language hit inspired by the iconic character Arsène Lupin.
Elliot Aitken explores Wandavision’s handling of grief.
Review: Spare Ribs
Female Rappers: Feminist Icons or Misogyny Profiteers?
The Grammys Suck. Stop Caring About Them
Theo Tompkins reveals why we should listen, and really listen, to Sleaford Mods.
Imogen Scott explores the advantages of theme tunes and why they are due a welcome return
Columnist Rishi Sharma investigates the ugly interior of the music awards ceremony
Matthew Cavallini and columnist Maddy Fisher reflect on their memories of the experimental pop musician
Amy Moorhouse asks whether the international contest can survive in a virtual format
Deputy Vulture Editor Esmee Wright examines how the new visa arrangements leave musicians high and dry
Columnist Maddy Fisher looks at the new album by the band Black Country, New Road.
Inés Cropper de Andres offers nine alternative tracks for this Valentine’s day
Music Editor James Mitchell examines how the von Trapps’ plight has strong resonances with today’s pandemic-scarred world
Bethan Holloway-Strong examines how the album is unexpectedly relevant today
Got a problem? Knickers and Gnome Are On the Case! 
A Feast for Fools: Custard pies and why they matter
Queer Theatre: Self-Expression and so much more. 
Columnist Stanley Lawson gives an overview of the development queer theatre and insights into how it may continue to develop in the current climate.
Preview
Writer-director Ella Palmer gives us a preview of her spoof podcast, Knickers and Gnome Are On the Case, premiering on Spotify and Apple Podcasts on Friday 5th March.
Columnist Gregory Miller writes in defence of pantomime.
Review
Joshua Robey reviews Lolita Chakrabarti’s touching new play, Hymn, as it premiers as a live-streamed, socially distanced production from the Almeida Theatre.
Rosie McLeish explores why Twisted – StarKid’s innovative, satirical take on Disney’s Aladdin – contains the perfect ingredients for a genuinely fresh ‘reimagining’ of a Disney classic.
Theatre Editor Emily Moss explores the worrying lack of representation for LGBT+ women in theatre, questioning where to go from here.
Review
Natacha Maurin reviews the latest performance from one of Cambridge’s favourite drag kings, Grant Favours.
Review
Joshua Robey reviews Samuel Bailey’s quietly emotional, thought-provoking new play, Shook.
Review
Elliot Aitken reviews BBC1′s Staged, a TV series made by actors, about actors.
Recent graduate and ex-Marlowe Showcase performer Sara Hazemi explores the reaction towards this year’s all-white Marlowe Showcase cast, and how the controversial casting choice reflects on the wider experience of BAME students in theatre.
The Jordan 1 and Nike’s Marketing Revolution
The beauty of winter swimming in the Cam
Test your Cambridge sporting knowledge with Varsity’s Blues Quiz.
Edward Cator argues against the use of running watches, reminding us of the beauty and freedom of exercising without one.
Khalid Guma’a retraces the revolutionary steps taken by Nike and Michael Jordan.
Editor Gaby Vides speaks to former Scotland international player Joe Ansbro about his time at Cambridge, playing for his country and coming to terms with a career-ending injury.
Ben Phillips speaks to Hannah Samuel about the development of women’s rugby at Cambridge, the benefits of playing and the impact of COVID-19 on the club.
Cold water swimming enthusiast Bella Biddle describes how, despite the dangers, a winter dip can do wonders for your health.
Lucy Patchett provides a bucket-list of ten films to give you your sports kick this lockdown.
Taking a step back from the game, Khalid Guma’a assesses the bigger picture and imagines the developments we may witness in the beautiful game.
Taking a critical look at the slow rate of change in rugby union, Anna Stirk explains the positive impacts of Nigel Owens’ coming out on the LGBT+ community within the sport.
Damola Odeyemi discusses the mental health implications for professional sportspeople over the past year.
Varsity spoke to Cambridge students Alex, Lotte and Polly to find out how they’re coping under a third national lockdown. Sharing a day in the life, these are their Lockdown Diaries.
Hosts Amber and Eliza talk to guests about the importance of physical and mental fitness during a remote Lent term, while also speaking to RAG and Pink Week to discuss their plans for the term.
Hosts Amber and Eliza chat to Vice-Chancellor Stephen Toope on everything from safety net provision to the new Foundation Year to how Cambridge is preparing for another online term.
Podcast
Hosts Amber and Eliza open the season with a discussion of colleges’ response to the new lockdown, recent controversies at Homerton, and the Cambridge Rent Strike.
For the final episode of term, Switchboard talks to some of Cambridge’s many creators; zine editors, choristers, gallery curators and more…
This week: breaking down the procedures for dealing with sexual assault/harassment claims, speaking to students, journalists and a member of the University’s Complaints and Appeals group.
This week; speaking to representatives of Zero Carbon, XR and Jesus College Climate Justice about the University’s move towards divestment.
This week: week five blues, loneliness in isolation and a look into what it means to suffer from mental health issues at the university.
This week: getting to the bottom of Cambridge’s homelessness crisis, speaking to local council staff, student volunteers, and those currently affected.
In the latest edition of ‘Varsity Meets’, Tommie Trelawny-Vernon speaks to Big Issue franchise owner Lee.
