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Cambridge SU launch campaign to move all ‘non-essential’ teaching online
University-wide screening program detects 34 asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 in its second week
223 students in Homerton West House accommodation told to isolate following 18 positive cases
The second week of testing saw total case numbers increase from 34 to 154
The 25 Drive seeks to set 8 broad sustainability policy goals to be achieved by the Summer of 2025
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The Student Union launched the petition following revelations that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ online teaching advice was ignored
The report’s key findings include that students felt ‘powerless’ to report experiences of racism, with over half of incidents taking place in Colleges
All students living in West House accommodation were told to self-isolate for 14 days after 18 students across 11 households tested positive for Covid-19
The scholarship will award one student £10,000 each year for the duration of their undergraduate geography degree
Senior Tutors across the University were asked to advise students that police patrols would be increasing
1.5 million UK users log into the NRICH website following COVID-19 school closures.
Students spoke to Varsity about their experiences of the University’s asymptomatic screening, revealing wide discrepancies between colleges’ approaches and handling of the program
Varsity spoke to the Cambridge academics refocusing their work on the pandemic.
Wrestling an Angel
Decisions, decisions…
Fleeing a death threat: the untold story of radical Greek Orthodoxy
Why I quit Instagram (and then got it back again)
‘Though the app isn’t perfect, it’s not all bad.’ Scarlet Rowe describes her turbulent relationship with Instagram and her recent resolution to be more authentic online.
Ursula Moncrieff writes on the arbitrariness and imperfection of most decisions, arguing that we should come to terms with indecision.
Eleanor Bruce has always felt like she should be busy, but now she is learning that not every mountain has to be climbed by her.
Nick Bartlett reflects on relationships after a dinner table conversation with his family.
Swathi Manivannan writes a moving eulogy for famed South Indian singer, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam as she recalls the role his music has played in her life.
Scarlet Rowe reflects on her experience in the male-dominated space of the orchestral brass section.
Vulture Editor Georgina Buckle writes on the sacrifices that are and aren’t worth making as a Cambridge fresher
‘This freshers week: you are in charge.’ Scarlet Rowe offers some words of reassurance as she remembers her unconventional first week at Cambridge
“Approach Cambridge with an open mind, and just be you” Elizabeth Haigh advises in her Letter to Freshers
“What happens if I can’t go home?’ An anonymous student discusses the precarious situation of having no home to return to during the pandemic.
Incoming fresher Safa Al-Azami discusses how she plans to combine her studies with her compulsion to fight for causes she cares about after starting at Cambridge.
Commercial Feature
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Commercial Feature
Cambridge college workers need a union
Western corporations are complicit in the Uighur crisis
Why we can’t ignore Biden’s sexual assault allegations
The benefits of remote working 
James Williams
James Williams on the Uighur crisis
Maya Gavin
Maya Gavin, who grew up in Lebanon, reflects on the country’s tough history as a colonial project, and calls for greater understanding of how a neoliberal agenda is harming the people on the ground.
Bob Arrowsmith
Bob Arrowsmith and Evan Wroe write on job losses and the need for a union presence
Charlotte Devine
Charlotte Devine considers the ways in which we may all be a bit inclined to flirt with our own conspiracies.
Antonia Harrison
Antonia Harrison on US politics and sexual assault.
Jona Metcalf
While it may be an adjustment, working from home could help equalize the job market, argues Jona Metcalf.
Lara Brown
Lara Brown warns that Britain risks losing trust and friends by backtracking on the Internal Market Bill, adding to the chaos of an already uncertain future.
Opinion
Emily Fox argues that we should learn from the wartime generation by keeping calm and carrying on throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
Alfie Eltis
Alfie Etis writes on Trump and gaslighting.
Riannon Chaplin
Riannon Chaplin argues that neither a simple ban on the lyrics to Rule, Britannia! nor their usual patriotic celebrations address the need for introspection.
I am an Uighur who faced China’s concentration camps. This is my story.
Exclusive Interview with the Vice Chancellor 
A less than ideal start to University: how are freshers feeling? 
Lockdown Innovations
In the first installment of our new series shedding light on current humanitarian crises, Victor Jack sits with Ӧmir Bekali, a Uighur Muslim who recounts his imprisonment, torture and indoctrination at the hands of the Chinese state
In an interview with our Editor-in-Chief, Rich Bartlett, Stephen Toope talks newfound (Camfess) fame, Freshers’ Week escapades and why Oxford was never an option
In the first installment of the series ‘Our New World’, Eleanor Taylor and Juliette Guéron-Gabrielle speak to two undergraduates about their lockdown initiatives.
Tiffany Tsoi collects freshers’ thoughts, fears and first impressions amid uncertainty surrounding their first academic year at Cambridge
Nadya Miryanova sits down with the TV industry veteran and Cambridge alum Julian Dismore to talk career advice, his most dangerous filming experience, and the importance of persistence.
Meet the Ghanaian student who deserves PhD funding: an interview with Gerald Arhin
Olivia Emily talks to corporate manager Gill-Whitty Collins about structural gender inequality and her new book, Why Men Win at Work.
The English professor, who recently drew controversy for her tweets, talks race, student activism, and fighting online trolls with Interviews Editor Juliette Guéron-Gabrielle
Niall Campbell, a Project Officer with the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan, talks to Edward Parker-Humphreys about the prevalence of student loneliness at Cambridge
Caterina Bragoli talks to French fashion influencer Camille Yolaine about all things la Parisienne, la Nouvelle Vague and maintaining a sense of self on social media
Coronavirus is mutating – should we be worried?
Cambridge Spotlight: OLEDs and Polymer Electroluminescence
The mysterious case of mass sociogenic illness
Cambridge Spotlight Series
Raghav Chandra introduces the Cavendish Laboratory’s research on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and also discusses the future of OLEDs.
Elena Everatt shares insight into the latest developments from the globally renowned Gurdon Institute in the treatment of kidney problems associated with Lowe syndrome, and reiterates the importance of curiosity and creativity within the field of research.
Science editor Sambhavi Kumar delves into the possible evolutionary history of caffeine, and considers why caffeine consumption is so prevalent.
Tele Agusto explores whether, in our quest to become the dominant species, we have unwittingly undergone the same physiological changes as those which we have tamed.
From everlasting colours to self-cleaning leaves, Rachel Tan explores a variety of amazing plant superpowers and their potential applications.
Discussing the science behind the shape of clouds, Eloise Matthews describes a debated theory of whether clouds may help predict earthquakes.
Nathanael Smalley reflects on the life and writing of Primo Levi, and his own experiences as a Natural Sciences student.
Science editors Yan-Yi Lee and Grace Blackshaw explore some of the latest scientific research from the University of Cambridge.
Rachel Ibbott discusses the negative and surprisingly positive impacts of coronavirus mutations, and considers the impact these could have on the race to find a vaccine.
Rory Cockshaw reflects on the nature of language, and what gorillas and Neanderthals can tell us about its origins.
Nice girls don’t have body hair
Restaurant Review: Vegan Vice
Ask Vulture: How can I feel better about my appearance?
In defence of student cooking
Columnist Lottie Reeder describes the “best plant based eating experience” she’s ever had, in this mouthwatering review sure to appeal to vegans and meat-eaters alike.
Callum Wainstein recommends the “local champion” of Nashville-style fried chicken, Dot’s Hot Chicken.
Hebe Johnson writes in support of cooking at university as a way to connect, socialise, and destress.
Would you make it to the GBBO final? Put your baking skills to the test with Amelia Shaw’s homemade shortbread recipe.
Reflecting on the ultimate legacy and passing of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Georgia Goble shares how ageing female role models remind us that you are never too old to do what you love.
Ask Vulture columnist Zadie Loft talks beauty, confidence, and self esteem.
Even though a Cambridge term is crowded by deadlines, coffee trips, and ominous academic emails, Film and TV Editor Alexandra Jarvis writes that reading for pleasure is a necessity
Columnist Lottie Reeder introduces a taste of the Middle East with Little Petra on Mill Road.
As Ryan Yeap embarks on yet another period of quarantine, he takes us on a rollercoaster of introspection: from inner zen to interior design.
Approaching the start of the new academic year, Ellie Austin recounts how she has processed the realities since lock-down in March.
Cantaloupes, pubic hair and the rising threat of surveillance: when does art go ‘too far’?
Back to school: five of the best campus novels
Inspired by the scandal over Jeff Mermelstein’s latest project, Sofia Johanson debates what privacy means in the modern art world
Louis Fisher continues our series on ‘escapism reads’, with his discovery of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando
Caterina Bragoli talks to Visual Artist Adriana Santiago about her upcoming project La Correa, drawing inspiration from her hometown of Puerto Rico and the importance of an honest representation of mental health in art
The Varsity Arts Editors give us a rundown of Cambridge’s cultural landscape
Beatrice Taggart explore femininity in France through the label Parisienne
Fashion Editor Martha French introduces some of the best novels to get back into the mood for academia
Varsity Arts give a rundown of some of Cambridge’s zines and how to get the creative juices flowing
Arts Editor Rachel McHale reflects on the city where she spent the first half of her year abroad
Orsolya Petocz looks at the ways that Reni Eddo-Lodge’s blog and book leads people to examine their privileges and not just be not-racist, but to actively be anti-racist
Maisie Pedder reads her way around the globe, and explores how literature can be a gateway to more from the safety of your own room
Who is to blame for fast fashion? 
Depop Drama: What it takes to make it on everyone’s favourite app
Hannah Daniells Conroy describes the unexpected joys of thrift shopping as an alternative to fast fashion.
Ending the era of fast fashion should not be solely the responsibility of the consumer, argues Cordelia Sigurdsson
Fashion Editors Lara Zand and Martha French talk to some of the biggest sellers on second hand clothes app, Depop
In celebration of the start of a new academic year, the Varsity team share the pieces they’re most excited to wear around Cambridge this Michaelmas
Sofia Johanson takes us through her experiences of wearing uniform to find out if a dress-code ultimately succeeds as a uniting force.
Fashion Editor Lara Zand explores the decadent world of the renowned director through his films’ wardrobes, examines how the costumes participate in the narrative and considers the style legacy they’ve left today.
“Where did they come from and why can’t I stop buying them?”, asks Fashion Editor Martha French
In the first piece in Varsity’s two-part series exploring the the links between uniform, identity and community, Marina McCready speaks about her experiences dressing at school and at university
Style Icons
Pilar Fernandez celebrates the wardrobe of Mad Men’s most iconic woman
Fashion Editor Lara Zand traces the origins of this hallowed convention and questions its contemporary relevance
I’m Thinking of Ending Things review – Kaufman’s latest is as surreal as it is bewildering
Oxbridge on Film: The Man Who Knew Infinity
Mrs. America review – Paulson and Blanchett stun as anti-feminists floundering under the second-wave
Des review – David Tennant astounds in unnerving serial killer drama
Review
Alfie Eltis reviews Last Chance U and its extensive, gripping portrayal of football players at an American community college, and their hopes of a free education and competing in the NFL.
Matilda Head questions whether ITV’s latest true crime drama is able to circumvent the reverence of serial killers so endemic to the genre.
Put on your rose coloured glasses and hit play on Lana Del Rey – Maria Cleasby dives head first into the sequin-studded spectacle that is director Baz Luhrmann.
Hazmat suits, the fear of others, the world crashing down around our ears and humanity changed for good … Cian Jones explores the similarities of our reality with the zombie trope, and explains that all is not yet lost.
FX’s latest drama mini-series serves as an uncomfortable reminder of the work still to be done in the fight for women’s liberation, writes Emily Symington.
Aneesah Bari describes the feeling of finally experiencing the Cambridge seen in The Man Who Knew Infinity, and compares its depiction with today’s reality.
Ryan Yeap takes a dumpster dive into Rotten Tomatoes sub-50% section to unearth the (very) poor man’s Tommy Wiseau: director, actor, producer, and all-around auteur, Neil Breen.
K.C. Onuorah wades pre-2000s mire of revenge-comedy chick flicks, starting with the cult classic, John Tucker Must Die (2006)
Netflix’s latest foray into arthouse cinema explores the mind-altering substance of fiction — and we’re hooked, writes Maria Kaminska.
Brianna Mitchell takes on the weighty legacy of Doctor Who – and the women in it.
Ulysses Wells: Can’t Take It Much Longer
Darkness in Retrospect
Peace in introspection: Taylor Swift’s folklore
Interview
Music Editor Nadya Miryanova interviews songwriter and musician Ulysses Wells about performing, lockdown, and his debut EP
Review
Tom Williamson discusses the influence of Darkness and explains why it is retrospectively his favourite album
Toby Stinson pays tribute to the trailblazer and reggae pioneer
Review
The singer-songwriter’s latest effort offers a warm, wistful escape from global uncertainty, writes May Hawkings
Review
Neve Atkinson evaluates the original sounds of Troye Sivan’s new EP
Long Read
Maria Telnikoff explains why the American singer-songwriter of the 1980s deserves to be heard today
Harry Taunton reminisces on how learning the Classical guitar transformed his musical outlook
Review
Tom Williamson looks behind the scenes of Springsteen’s life and examines the significance of his studio album, Darkness
Review
Marina McCready explores the emotionally and musically complex nature of Taylor Swift’s new album, while evaluating why it has attracted such high critical acclaim
Interview
Music Editor Nathaniel Warren interviews an upcoming international rock band: The Foolks – Featuring Cambridge artist, Jamie Wiltshire
Isabel Sebode defends children’s adaptations of the classics
Preview
Sinners’ Assistant Director, Maria Pointer, gives a preview of a new, Covid-safe comedy coming to the ADC tonight
Interview
An interview with members of the Marlowe Society
The CUADC Committee explore what the Cambridge theatre scene has to offer in the term ahead
Helen Turner-Smyth has nothing but praise for this ‘poetic tribute’ to Scottish theatre past and present
Interview
As the theatre world grapples with social distancing rules, Nell Burnham speaks to guitarist Matthew Burgass about what this ‘new normal’ might mean for pit orchestras and bands
‘If we can stage Shakespeare, why not Kathakali?’ Vidya Divakaran explores a different side to Cambridge theatre
Feature
Sheamol Obeda describes her experience discovering theatre at Cambridge and how being part of the BME community changed that journey
‘The power of hearing someone speak just like you, be it on television or on stage, should not be underestimated. It feels like home.’
Rogue Sport of the Week: Gliding 
Why play sports at Cambridge?
Investigation
In this investigative piece, Jack Wadding interviews fellow students and staff of the university, piecing together quantitive studies conducted by numerous sports and athletics boards to evaluate just how beneficial playing sports at the University of Cambridge can be to students’ lives.
Sports
Harvey Logan and Charlie Brooker re-live their first experiences with the oddly sensational sport of gliding.
Thom Harris looks back at an unforgettable weekend of Premier League action.
Investigation
With the 2020 NBA Playoffs in full-swing, David Quan, Dan Se and Nicholas Testa take a look at the current climate in the USA and globally, on and off the court.
Sports
Edward Cator reminisces on the highs, the lows, and the downright plunges of the niche sporting trend of Ultramarathons.
Thom Harris casts an eye over the weekend’s Premier League action
Sport
Blues Women’s Rugby player Coreen Grant reflects on the highs and lows of training during lockdown.
Jack Wadding looks at the importance of the Champions League in comparing both European clubs and leagues alike.
As part of Varsity’s series to mark when the Olympics would have been, Ben Phillips looks at how GB Boxing is managing the resumption of ‘normal’ training.
Switchboard: Behind the Headlines – The Decolonise Cambridge Movement (S2, Ep.5)
This week: a closer look at the various Decolonise campaigns within the University, with interviews from staff and students involved.
This week; Fresher’s week, and starting the new year amidst the Covid-19 crisis.
Live every Friday at 6pm. This week; a closer look at the ‘refugee crisis’, the Europe Must Act movement, SolidariTee, and an interview with Cambridge Labour MP, Daniel Zeichner.
Live every Friday at 6pm. This week; Covid-19 and its effects on student life.
Switchboard
Varsity’s Switchboard is back, spotlighting the issues directly affecting Cambridge students and bringing their voices to the forefront.
Varsity goes behind the scenes, giving you a sneak peek of the planning, organisation and acts for the unprecedented virtual May Week Mega Event
This week: Life and death in the NHS, CUSU Class Act, and reclaiming Lesbian Visibility Week
This week Switchboard discusses: (Mis)calculated grades, the myth of “following the science”, and a quarantine haircut
This week: Cambridge colleges for COVID, compulsory clapping, and Virtual Ramadan.
Switchboard is back to keep you connected to the Cambridge community at a time when students and staff are scattered across the globe.
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