Camped out in the Old Schools for nearly a week, the students currently occupying the Cambridge University building are still awaiting a response from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, on their demands.

Called by the 200-plus Cambridge academics who support the student protestors 'an opportunity which should be seized upon by the University authorities to engage in an open dialogue with students and staff on the current predicament of UK higher education', the occupation has sought to communicate openly with the University for a number of days, to no avail.

Some say that the situation has reached a stale-mate, with both sides playing a waiting-game that the approaching end of term will inevitably conclude.

Faced with these newly-pressurised circumstances, the Cambridge Occupation decided on Wednesday to raise their game. On Wednesday afternoon, the Occupation staged a 'sound protest': half an hour of continuous racket from three points around the University administration buildings. This was considered a display of force from an occupation which has earned its credibility from its peaceful creativity and organisation, inspiring commentators worldwide to claim 'a new kind of protest'.

Whether the series of lectures, poetry readings, concerts, dances, cooking sessions, skill-swapping, yoga, direct action workshops, gender workshops, 'How the university works' workshops...will persuade the University to take the protesters' appeals seriously remains to be seen. But this occupation has undisputedly transformed the face of protest in Cambridge, and inspired others around the country and around the world.

Follow Varsity's live blog from the Occupation for the latest information.