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No. 871 Friday 25th October 2019 varsity.co.uk
Theatre Cambridge’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1947
Trinity Hall admits ‘error’ in inviting fellow accused of sexual harassment to student lecture Rosie Bradbury Deputy Editor Chloe Bayliss Senior News Editor Content Note: This article contains detailed discussion of sexual harrassment Trinity Hall admitted that they had “erroneously” invited Peter Hutchinson to a lecture open to undergraduates in 2017 following complaints in 2015 by ten students of verbal sexual harassment, a statement released yesterday has said. In their timeline of events, the college said that in late 2017, “an invitation was, in error, extended to Dr Hutchinson by the College to attend its annual Milestones Lecture, a public event open to students”, in breach of an agreement between the complainants, Hutchinson
and the College that he would not attend any social events with students present. After his attendance at the lecture, the College Master said that Hutchinson would withdraw permanently from Trinity Hall. However, Hutchinson was able to contest the college’s decision for him to withdraw permanently – “as he had been invited (albeit erroneously) by the College”. Because of the mistaken invitation, the College underwent a full independent review. Following the ‘erroneous’ invitation and subsequent internal review, the College received legal advice and then struck an agreement with Hutchinson. This agreement was recently voted News page 8 ▶
▲ The BBC reported that a Trinity Hall fellow was ‘readmitted’ despite sexually harrassing 10 students (ANDREW HYNES)
Interview Sonita Alleyne, a historic college master Zak Coleman When Sonita Alleyne was announced as the new master of Jesus College earlier this summer, the story made national headlines. The first Black person to occupy such a role, Alleyne’s appointment has been celebrated as a signal that the university is serious about efforts to diversify. The hugely successful media
executive’s background is undeniably a far-cry from what we have come to expect of those individuals usually selected to lead Oxbridge colleges. Born in Barbados, Alleyne’s family settled in the diverse, working-class area of Leytonstone in East London when she was three years old. There, she attended the local comprehensive school, and was one of three students in her year to go on to study at Cambridge.
This is where we begin our conversation, early on a chilly Friday morning (“I’ve got fresher’s flu!”, she jokes) at the end of her second week officially as the head of Jesus College. As it turns out, Sonita Alleyne’s first experience of Cambridge was not when she arrived at Fitzwilliam as an undergraduate, but at Jesus. She visited the college she now leads as part of a trip to visit a girl studying there who had
been two years above her in school. “It’s great when you see someone who’s like you who’s there, so that was a real inspiration in terms of me applying”, she tells me. I can’t help but think that, returning as the college’s master more than 30 years later, Sonita Alleyne will be performing this same function on a much larger scale; a signal to people of colour and those from working class backgrounds that Cambridge is a place
for them. Beginning her undergraduate course in Philosophy in 1985, Alleyne immediately dived into an eclectic mix of extracurricular ventures. In her first year, she was on the Fitz Spring Ball Committee, sang in a band, and was in the Mystical Sciences Club (Tragically, it seems this group no longer exists). She also joined Full Story pages 2-3 ▶
Inside ● Grappling with the post-Cambridge blues Pg.12 ● Meeting my first patient, a human cadaver Pg.19