By students, for students
The inside take on life and learning at Oxford Brookes.
Welcome to the Spring edit!
Coming up in the first week of April…
Watch the OBU Get Published! online student conference on 08 April 2022!
Find out about the GetPublished! 2022 conference and join online to learn new things, be inspired, and support Brookes students.
Voices Made Visible: An exhibition of living and learning during lockdown
Add your personal contribution to this Photovoice exhibition of experiences of the pandemic as part of the annual OBU Think Human Festival, 04-08 April 2022.
Come to a student conference on cross-cultural experiences
Learn about cutting edge cross-cultural research at an in-person flash conference on Wednesday 06 April 2022.
Inspiring campaigns…
Concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine? Support a fantastic student fundraising campaign.
Read about the 22 students who are running 2685km to raise money for those in need.
Let’s talk about consent
Saskia Clubb, Vice President: Activities and Employability for Oxford Brookes Student Union, writes about developments in Sexual Consent Education at Oxford Brookes.
What’s been happening…
Read about Brookes’ Law student success in the National Client Interviewing Competition
Find out about the recent national-level adventures of Kate Licudi and Isabel Jess, Graduate Diploma in Law students.
Presenting the first annual Poetry Showcase
Find out about the Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre’s newest platform for student poetry.
Find out about Murmuration – origami in flight, in solidarity with displaced peoples around the world
Student artist Maria Won writes about ‘Murmuration’, by HipHat Collective – part of the annual Oxford Human
Oxford Brookes Occupational Therapy Society finds new ways to engage with students.
Shir Grunebaum, MSc Occupational Therapy student, outlines how the Occupational Therapy Society has been supporting students.
Thanks for stopping by! Follow BXtra on Instagram at @bxtra.brookes
Catch up on the autumn edit!
What’s been happening…
Catch up on Black History Month
Catch up on some of the events and recordings from the Oxford Brookes University Black History Month series.
Facemasks and facial recognition
Ben Gooddy talks about his project on facemasks and facial recognition, which he presented at the British Psychological Society Cognitive Section Annual Conference.
Student poetry publication success!
Read about a new poetry collection published by MA Creative Writing student Wendy Allen.
A Movember to Remember
Read about mos and more – innovative fundraising by Brookes sports teams for a Movember to remember – written by Dulcie Layton.
Introducing….
Pole Fitness – it’s not what you think!
Daniel Harris, VP of OBU Pole Fitness Society, busts some myths about the sport and shares thoughts on the importance of diversity and inclusivity.
Meet the OBU Poetry Centre Interns!
Find out about the Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre internships 2021-22.
The sustainability section!
The biggest COP-out of 2021? A look into the COP26 climate conference
Kloe Watts, International Relations and Media student and Bxtra Student Editorial Assistant, reviews the successes and failures of COP26.
Sustainability recommendations – media to move you
Find out what to watch, read and listen to for some sustainability inspiration.
Looking forwards…
Find out about the Mind the Gap campaign
Jardel Williams, Student Union Campaigns Assistant, explains the Mind the Gap campaign and survey soliciting the experiences of Black students on campus.
What’s coming up next semester
Get a sneak preview of our next edit.
Want to be featured on BXtra?
Find out how to use BXtra to showcase your achievements and boost your CV!
View the BXtra archive below!
Welcome to the May edit of BXtra!
Get involved in creating a Hedgehog Friendly Campus
Caitlin Green, BSc Animal Biology and Conservation Student and Student Hedgehog Ambassador, writes about the Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign.
NHS Pandemic Diaries – an Oxford Human Rights Festival follow up
Maria Rozalska, BA Film student, captures stories told anonymously by the NHS staff working on the front line during the pandemic.
What can I do with an arts degree? A Creative Industries Festival 2021 event
Paige Giles (BA Film student) discusses student perceptions of what makes an Arts graduate employable in the creative industries.
What’s been happening?
The OBU GetPublished! 2021 student conference
Find out about the GetPublished! 2021 student conference.
Students share their research at a postgrad symposium
Amy Pollard, Master of Arts by Research student, recaps the Spring Symposium for postgraduate Humanities students.
The History of Paki-Bashing: Educating on British BAME Experiences
Saarah Bhalwani shares her contribution to the ‘Conversations on Race, Racism and Anti-Racism’ series.
Get a glimpse of some top class student research
An introduction to the Rivonia Trial
PhD student Sarah Slator shares some of her research on the Rivonia Trial.
Ever wondered how we process sentences?
Find out what BSc Psychology student Eleanor Budenburg has discovered about sentence processing, predictions and reaction times.
The reality of refuge: How can we adopt a more humane response to a humanitarian crisis?
Get the insights of Ava Pevsner, BA Architecture student, on humane architectural responses to refugee camp design.
To what extent are safe distancing guidelines for viewing orangutans adhered to by tourists in Bukit Lawang, Indonesia?
Amy Woolloff, MSc Primate Conservation student, investigated how careful tourists are being in protecting orangutans by staying a safe distance away in Bukit Lawang, Indonesia.
How can comics be used to support young people’s meaning-making with museum collections?
Irina Richards, MA Education (Artist Teacher Practice), outlines her project investigating use of comics to engage young people with meaning-making in museums.
Communication and leadership practices in Enterprise Risk Management
Thomas Wolter, MBA student, enhances understanding of Enterprise Risk Management effectiveness.
More student insights on critical issues
Bras Glorious Bras!
Monika Zilionyte, Environmental Impact Assessment and Management student, reports on sustainable and ethical underwear.
The importance of conversations about racism
Ben Spanton-Walker, BA Geography student, shares his contribution to the ‘Conversations on Race, Racism and Anti-Racism’ series.
Welcome to the February edit of BXtra!
Top picks to entertain and inspire
Take 97 – A Film Podcast reviews the films of 2020
Brookes’ resident film buff David Ingram reviews the highs and lows of the films of 2020 in another edition of his podcast.
Living with JIA
Listen to Grace Manning, Public Health Masters student and OBU Swimming Club President, talk to Brookes Sport about living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
Speaking out about diversity
The disproportionate economic impact of COVID on BAME people in Britain
Muhammed Zia Ud Din, an English Literature student, reports on how COVID has exacerbated racial disparities in UK business ownership, employment and income.
‘Tackling Racism: “Merry Christmas!… But why no Eid, Diwali or Vaisakhi?”
Read student Saarah Bhalwani’s report from a debate on ‘Tackling Racism: Merry Christmas!… But why no Eid, Diwali or Vaisakhi?’
The end of an era, and the reignition of hope
Starra Clarke, an English Literature student and regular BXtra contributor, reflects on the diversity of President Biden’s inauguration and its broader cultural significance.
Fed up of lockdown? Try some travel for the mind
Exploring Los Angeles through its literature
English Literature and Drama student Emily Morgan explores Los Angeles through the novels Play as it Lays by Joan Didion, Ask the Dust by John Fante, and through Charles Bukowski’s poems ‘Waiting’ and ‘Betting on now’.
A literary tour of Oxford
Take a virtual literary tour of Oxford, created by English Literature and Creative Writing student Katharine Hart.
Ways to make a difference and create change
Why we can’t afford to waste food
Monika Zilionyte, Environmental Impact Assessment and Management student, reports on the global causes and impact of food waste, and on how to make a difference.
Founding a fashion business
Hear from Tafadzwa Gumbo, International Business Management student, about how she has founded her own fashion business while studying at Brookes!
OBU Amateur Boxing Club raise COVID-19 relief funds for Project Komba
Read about how the OBU Amateur Boxing Club have been raising funds for Project Komba.
An invitation and some insights
A PhD on children and YouTube
Find out about Junior Oliveira’s PhD, investigating children’s online engagement with other children through the YouTube content they produce. He is looking for more families to be involved!
Organising your workload
Law student Katherine Rodrigues and podcast co-producer Ben Butler provide top tips to help balance your studies and your social life.