This week in Cambridge saw staff vote for strike action, a Varsity investigation revealing that intermitting students can  fall between the cracks in government support, and a 'crisis' for Trinity Hall June Event.

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800 staff set to strike over pensions feud
Next month may see hundreds of staff walk out and academics refuse to teach after talks have stalled amid a battle with the government over pension contributions. In an interview with Varsity, one Cambridge academic called it “a genuinely painful moral situation”. The strike was also backed by CUSU Council on Monday.

Varsity exposes government policy abandoning students
An investigation published on our front page on Friday revealed how a neglected inconsistency in government policy leaves some students in “penury” – unable to claim student finance and benefits if they take time out, often for serious mental health issues. The University’s decentralised pastoral system, meanwhile, hasn’t always helped with support. We are waiting to receive responses from senior politicians and the University.

Trinity Hall June Event courts controversy
One college June Event found itself in hot water twice this week, after accusations by one student of misusing the pagan religion by choosing ‘Solstice’ as its theme were followed by the news that it needs to sell 390 tickets in the next ten days. If not, the organising committee has announced, Trinity Hall will “pull the plug” on the night of revelry.

Women break Cambridge offers glass ceiling
Cambridge offered places to more women than men in 2017, for the first time ever in its more than 800-year history, according to UCAS stats released this week (which only cover UK applications). However, more men (1,315) than women (1,275) took up their offers. Cambridge’s offer rate also fell to its lowest since 2011.

Two years on – and still no justice for Giulio Regeni
Disappeared, tortured and murdered. A vigil to mark the second anniversary of Giulio Regeni’s disappearance was held outside Great St Mary’s Church on Thursday. Accusations over the handling of the brutal death of the Cambridge PhD student have flown back and forth among the Italian press, the Egyptian government, and the University of Cambridge. But still, two years later, no one has been arrested.

CUCA hits out over TCS – then backtracks
In an outburst on Facebook on Tuesday, the Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA) labelled CUSU-funded newspaper The Cambridge Student (TCS) as “political biased subsidised by student money”, later deleting the post. At Council on Monday, president Daisy Eyre refused to release the “sensitive” figures on the paper, partly because Varsity, a “competitor” (who knew?), had asked the question about them.

Another NUS president in crisis
Nation Union of Students (NUS) president, Shakira Martin, has been accused of bullying and comparing perceived criticism of her to domestic abuse. The NUS women’s officer is due to file a formal complaint, while former CUSU women’s officer, Amelia Horgan, now NUS NEC member, also criticised Martin. Martin succeeded Malia Bouattia who was infamously hit by accusations of anti-semitism.

To complete the NSS, or not to complete the NSS?
The National Student Survey (NSS) boycott has been renewed for another year by CUSU and Cambridge Defend Education (CDE), writing in Varsity to accuse it of potentially facilitating tuition fee increases. Meanwhile, University pro-vice-chancellor Graham Virgo argued that the NSS “provides students with a voice which we at Cambridge really want to hear”.

Getting prickly over Prince Edward
Jesus College students were notified that alumnus Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, would be visiting last week. The master’s note, sent via the senior tutor’s secretary Louise Hind, said that students “will all be pleased to know” of the news.

But Gwynfor Dafydd, a second year modern languages student, was not so impressed. He replied curtly: “Dear Louise, I fail to see why this should please me. All the best, Gwynn”. His words were acknowledged politely, and it was noted that they would be mentioned to the master, professor Ian White.

Fairy-tale of Newn walk
When third-year Newnhamite Hannah Jones took a photo of her friend Katy Grobicki in the snow, she didn’t know it would soon end up on the front page of Reddit. Grobicki’s red coat perfectly contrasted with the white flakes falling, and attracted so much attention that the website of the clothing outlet, Hell Bunny, crashed, and the stock was cleaned out swiftly.

Got a story that could be covered here or reported elsewhere by Varsity? Let us know: news@varsity.co.uk