A Brief Comment on Oxford Elitism

I just sent the following letter to the Editor of Oxford Today in response to the editorial that appears on page 1 of this issue (page 3 of the .pdf file to which I link):


Hi,

I would like to comment on Editor Lofthouse's editorial in the TT2011 issue
of Oxford Today. He writes that "It [Oxford] cannot be expected to mend
inequalities that are deeply rooted in society." Really? I always thought
that one of the most important purposes of education---especially at
institutions like Oxford that think of themselves as elite---was to help do
exactly that. And in contrast to what Lofthouse suggests in his editorial,
I think that that *can* be done without compromising merit-based admissions. I find the attitude expressed in his editorial to be rather shameful, and I earnestly hope that most of my Oxford colleagues don't share it.

Sincerely,

Mason A. Porter
University Lecturer, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford