Election purdah may have muted discussions during last week's Higher Education Funding Council for England conference, but Oxford University still upset most university heads present. Despite assurances, the new building meant to house the meeting at St Anne's College was not ready, forcing delegates to stay in student rooms nearby. There were also no welcoming remarks from an Oxford official - indeed there was no Oxford representative at all. "They may think they do not need friends now, but they may regret it in the future," growled one delegate.