Manifesting into the dictionary

The Cambridge Dictionary has named “manifest” as its word of the year, after its recent popularity on the internet. To “manifest”, the dictionary states, is “to imagine achieving something you want, in the belief that doing so will make it more likely to happen.” In 2024, the word was searched almost 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website. Rumour has it that some students are planning on buying dictionaries in bulk, in a last-ditch attempt to manifest an academic comeback before it’s too late.

Knock, knock: Eddi-body home?

Cambridge University is considering doubling the number of houses in Eddington from 3,000 to 6,000. In 2013, the University received approval to construct up to 3,000 residences, of which 50% would be marketed as market housing and 50% would be made available to University employees and students. The University will have to prepare for a new planning application, as the 2013 permission period to continue building homes has passed. According to a University spokesperson, the goal is to maximise the number of houses on the land released from the green belt in a “sensible” manner.

Earth, ether and the environment

English lecturer Dr Mark Wormald has launched a five-year poetry initiative to foster environmental awareness. Participants will be able to partake in a variety of free poetry workshops across Cambridge and have their work published in the five anthologies, which will be dedicated to each of the five worldly elements: water, fire, air, earth, and ether. At least 30% of each anthology’s profits will be donated to a relevant environmental charity.

Senior boats Cam-celled over rowdy rowers

A mystery college boat club was hit with a five-day training ban for “repeated warnings for violations” of noise restrictions. The regulations restrict “unnecessary” noise before 7:30am, with locals complaining that coxes had been making too much noise on the river. Rowers have taken to confessions page Rowbridge Reborn to speculate which raucous rowing crew had been in violation of noise violations, with the absence of different colleges’ boats fuelling speculation. Coxes have also been warned against excessive shouting in order to avoid an escalation from locals, which can include projectiles being fired towards boats.