EDI – Jesus College

On Thursday 29^th May, students and staff gathered in Hall for the College’s first Shavuot Formal. The dinner began with an introduction from Principal Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, in which he recognised the historic nature of the celebration for Jesus College. This was followed by an address from special guest, Rabbi Sybil Sheridan. Sybil explained the significance of Shavuot, and led a blessing of kosher wine and challah bread, provided specially for the event.

Guests then enjoyed a vegetarian meal of Roasted Jackfruit with Cous Cous Salad, Asparagus, Mushroom and Pepper Jalousie, and Blood Orange Cheesecake with Raspberry Sorbet and fresh berries. Before dessert, Sybil explained why it is traditional to serve cheesecake during the festival, and following the dinner led the group in some Torah study of the Ten Sayings (known as the Ten Commandments to Christians). She then led the final blessings.

Student Audrey Royall said: “I had a fantastic time marking Shavuot at Jesus College’s Shavuot formal. It was wonderful to gather with friends in the hall, hear the Rabbi’s address, and celebrate together. The educational aspect of the dinner—helping to teach the College community about Shavuot—was very meaningful. I am incredibly grateful to the staff at Jesus for all the work that made this event possible.”

On Friday 30^th May, the College continued the dairy theme with free ice creams in Third Quad, courtesy of the YumYum! Ice Creams truck, and on Sunday 1^st June, a special Shavuot Evensong was held in Chapel, with a talk by Professor Sue Doran.

New photographic exhibition celebrates women of Jesus College

A new photographic exhibition, featuring just some of the remarkable women who make up the Jesus College community, has been launched today to mark International Women’s Day 2025, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of coeducation at Jesus.

In Michaelmas Term 1974, Jesus College became one of the first five all-male Oxford colleges to admit female undergraduate students. To mark the 50th anniversary of coeducation at Jesus, and International Women’s Day 2025, the exhibition celebrates a watershed moment in the College’s history, and recognises the continuing transformation of its community over the past fifty years. The women depicted in the exhibition – current students, members of staff, academic fellows, and alumni – were chosen by College members for their distinctive contribution to the life of our institution, both within and beyond its walls.

The photographs have been created by Oxford artist Philippa James, known for her collaborative projects with women. Philippa’s work has been exhibited nationally, including at The National Portrait Gallery, and she is the author of the photobook 100 Women of Oxford.

The exhibition – Celebrating 50 Years of Women at Jesus College 1974-2024 – was commissioned by the College’s Arts Committee, and supported by the Development Office. Dr Alexandra Gajda, John Walsh Fellow in History at Jesus and Associate Professor of History at the University of Oxford, is Chair of the Arts Committee. She says, “We are delighted to launch this new exhibition on International Women’s Day to showcase the exceptional female staff, students and alumni of Jesus. Each woman was selected from a long-list of entries submitted by College members for their contribution to making Jesus the thriving community it is today”.

She adds, “We are proud to have been one of the first five pioneering Colleges to become coeducational, and this exhibition is dedicated to all the Jesus women who were admitted to Jesus in 1974, and all those who have followed in their footsteps since”.

The exhibition is now on permanent display in the Cheng Cafe at the College. To view the digital exhibition, click here.

LGBTQ+ History Month 2025 Events

In support of LGBTQ+ History Month in February, the Jesus College EDI Committee is delighted to announce three upcoming events that each explores a different aspect of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Dr Raymond Trau, a former Visiting Fellow at Jesus College, talks about his research into workplace inclusion.

In her extraordinary new book Trans Figured, renowned philosopher Sophie-Grace Chappell combines personal memoir, philosophical reflection, open letters, science fiction writing, and poetry to help us all figure out transgender. What is it really like to be transgender? How can we as a society do better to accept the reality of trans lives and to welcome and include trans adults, trans children, and trans families? How can trans people thrive in a cisgendered world?

For too long now, clouds of myth, misinformation, alarmism, and wrong-headed ideology have masked the reality of trans people’s lives. By answering questions like these, Sophie’s book blows away the clouds and gives us the truth instead. Join Sophie-Grace for a discussion on themes of the book. Refreshments from 4.30pm. All welcome.

DPhil student Samuel Woodward talks about his research on Ancient Greek approaches towards homosexuality.

About LGBTQ+ History Month

LGBTQ+ History Month was launched by the charity Schools Out, following the repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act (1988). Section 28 had made it illegal for schools to “promote” homosexuality as a “pretended family relationship” and all but silenced any positive teaching about LGBTQ+ people in schools. LGBT+ History Month seeks to celebrate this hidden history, and has become a powerful opportunity to recognise LGBTQ+ voices and challenge cisheteronormative assumptions and narratives.

DPhil student receives outstanding ED&I Champion award

Jesus DPhil student Lessah Mandoloma has won the Outstanding ED&I Champion – Student category at the 2024 MPLS Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) Awards.

The awards honour staff and students within the Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division who have made outstanding contributions to advancing ED&I, and celebrate individuals and teams whose efforts are creating more inclusive and supportive environments. The ED&I Awards provide a valuable opportunity to highlight the exceptional work being done across MPLS—work that might otherwise go unrecognised.

Lessah Mandoloma, a DPhil student at Jesus College Oxford

Lessah has been the driving force behind an impressive range of innovative activities to enhance inclusion in the Department of Biology and beyond. Notably, she helped organise an online event for graduate students in the department to talk about current global events, and their impact on student wellbeing. She has also helped create opportunities for African students to feel included at Oxford, including a freshers’ orientation for new students from across different departments. In addition, Lessah has also engaged with divisional ED&I work through the ED&I Steering Group and Fellows.

In a recent interview for the Biology website, she explained why she was keen to get involved with ED&I at Oxford;

“My previous education has been in Africa (Malawi and Kenya), with different yet familiar cultures. Coming to Oxford felt very different and I didn’t realise how much of a challenge it was until much later. What I thought was going to be the most significant achievement of my life started to not feel like it should. I was fortunate to be surrounded by a very strong support system (my family, ICCS lab members and supervisors) but I realised that I was lucky and that may not be the case for every student. They may have similar experiences to mine but without that same support system and that would take a toll on one’s wellbeing. This realisation made me get involved in activities aimed at supporting each other and led to creating a space where people could share knowledge and experiences for informed planning and decision-making. I must say that these experiences also helped me in my role as the African universities ambassador when I joined the department, where my main role was to foster relationships between African universities and the biology department. Through this role, I realised there was much to contribute to MPLS’s EDI aspirations.”

To read Lessah’s full interview, click here.

ABOUT LESSAH MANDOLOMA

Lessah’s research interests lie in the field of Biodiversity Conservation and Agriculture, particularly to understand the linkages and trade-offs for conservation and agriculture in the context of developing countries. In her DPhil/PhD research she is using interdisciplinary approaches to address the the question of how food systems and production can be changed to meet the needs of the growing human population, and how biodiversity goals can be achieved without compromising peoples’ food security.

She is a 2014 AWARD Fellow for African women in science, funded by the Malawi government, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the University of Oxford’s Zoology Department.

Former student launches new Oxford LGBTQ+ alumni network

A Jesus College alumnus has launched a new initiative designed to connect, empower, and celebrate an estimated 35,000 LGBTQ+ Oxford graduates living and working around the world.

Christer Holloman (2014, MBA) founded the Oxford Pride Alumni Network (OxPAN) to bring together and support LGBTQ+ alumni after they graduate. Christer explains, “Through a variety of engaging events, both online and in-person, the network will provide valuable resources to support alumni in their career development and personal growth. We aim to create a welcoming and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ alumni to connect, share experiences, and build meaningful professional relationships”.

OxPAN hosted its first event – an interactive online discussion about the state of LGBTQ+ rights and legal protections around the world – in June. David Isaac CBE, Provost of Worcester College, who took part in the discussion, said “The LGBTQ+ community has a rich history at Oxford – but hasn’t always been entirely visible or openly celebrated. The Oxford Pride Alumni Network is a very positive step forward to recognise the contribution of LGBTQ+ alumni to the life of the University, to allow our graduates to be part of a supportive global network, and to help shape the future of Oxford”.

Upcoming events include an informal drinks reception at The Royal Oak on Saturday 21^st September, as part of the Oxford Meeting Minds weekend, and an Oxford Pride NYC – Ivy League Mixer on Thursday 26^th September.

Claire Grainger, Acting Director of Alumni Engagement at Oxford, added “Oxford is stronger because of the diversity of our students, staff and alumni. The Oxford Pride Alumni Network celebrates this strength and creates a space for LGBTQ+ alumni to connect and flourish. It ensures that LGBTQ+ voices are heard and empowers them to thrive both personally and professionally.”

Arthur Nortje & Me: A Reflection on Exile

In late February, College welcomed Athol Williams, poet, social philosopher and Lecturer at the Said Business School, to give a talk on the life of Jesus alumnus Arthur Nortje, and how he has been an inspiration in Williams’s own life and struggles.

Arthur Nortje (1965, English Literature) was a South African poet who spent his life fighting for racial equality. He grew up during apartheid, and experienced at first hand the racial segregation, and discrimination, that permeated every aspect of life for non-white South Africans at that time. After school, he studied at University College of the Western Cape, before being awarded a scholarship to Jesus College to study English.

Freed from the constraints of Apartheid, Nortje decided to remain in the UK to continue his writing and education after graduation, and died in Oxford aged just 27, while studying for a DPhil. He is buried in Wolvercote Cemetery. His poetry, published posthumously in the collections Dead Roots (London, 1973) and Lonely Against the Light (Grahamstown, 1973) is full of evocative reflections on identity and belonging.

Athol Williams is also South African, and grew up in township established under apartheid. As an Engineering student at the University of the Witwatersrand, in 1991, he published his first poem, ‘New South Africa’, which spoke to the optimism connected with the release of Nelson Mandela, and other anti-apartheid leaders, from prison in 1990. He went on to have a successful career in business, before becoming a professional writer and academic. Williams holds seven university degrees, including five masters degrees, from five top-ranked global universities, and a PhD from the University of Oxford. He has a long history of public service promoting youth literacy, and resisting corporate corruption. A core theme of his work is the possibility of ethical behaviour by individuals, corporations and broader societies.

During Williams’ talk, ‘Arthur Nortje and Me’, he spoke of what is known about Nortje’s short life and character, his time at Oxford, and his self-imposed exile in the UK. Through describing his own life, and by giving readings from both Nortje’s poetry and his own, Williams was able to draw comparisons in the poets’ creative response to their lived experiences.

The event was organised by the College’s EDI Committee and hosted by Dr Stuart White, EDI Fellow.

College hosts events to celebrate Shavuot

The Jesus College community came together last week to celebrate Shavuot, the Jewish spring festival that commemorates the giving of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. The festival is marked by the eating of dairy and Torah study.