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No. 849 Friday 28th September 2018 varsity.co.uk
Arts 26-27
Cambridge’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1947
College transfers slow and complex
‘I didn’t want to do this loudly’ Lapses found in college disciplinary procedures: Two students speak out
(ROSIE BRADBURY)
Noella Chye Editor Over the past year in Cambridge, existing procedures for handling cases of sexual misconduct have come under a process of questioning. In October, Breaking the Silence – a centralised campaign by the University to tackle sexual harassment – was launched. Last term, CUSU Women’s
Campaign campaigned for a change in the University’s disciplinary procedure standard of proof from proof ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ to a ‘balance of probabilities’. Amid the attention the University and campaigners have placed on the issue of sexual misconduct, two students spoke out on the bureaucratic push back they faced when they complained to college administration about experiences related to the issue.
As part of one student’s course last year she was placed into contact with someone she later found out was a convicted pedophile. The professor was found in 2008 to possess images of child pornography. He was arrested that year and given a twelve-month suspended sentence for rehabilitation, during which he was given full pay by the University, and told he could return to work the following April.
A University spokesperson commented: the Breaking the Silence campaign is “part of our continued drive to ensure members of the University community can make disclosures without fear of reprisal, so we all can thrive as part of a safe, welcoming, inclusive and diverse community that nurtures a culture of mutual respect and consideration.” He returned to Cambridge under reContinued on page 9 ▶
Stephanie Stacey Senior News Editor The University’s college transfer guidance may seem decisive, but anecdotal evidence from students suggests that the reality of the process is not so clearcut. Unlike course change or intermission, college transfers are markedly rare. In the past ten academic years, just 37 students formally changed college, an average of less than four students per year. Last year, four students successfully changed college, three of whom left Homerton. Speaking to Varsity, several students highlighted their struggle with a lengthy, drawn-out transfer process, which sometimes intensified the stresses and discomfort that had made the college transfer necessary. The University’s official guidance states that transferring colleges “is not
‘We won’t cave in’ Residents fight home demolition News page 2 ▶
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