Message from the Master about the Conflict in the Middle East

Message from the Master to students and staff

It is now several months since I last wrote to you on behalf of the College to address the conflict in the Middle East.  Since that time, the violence in the region has continued and escalated with deeply worrying consequences. The reporting of examples of unimaginable tragedies together with difficult discussions within the UK, within universities globally, and within Oxford itself have become a feature of our lives.  Some of these conversations have been deeply painful for many.  While we must all be hopeful that there will be a rapid end to the violence, there is no end presently in sight. Many members of our own community have been directly affected by this and our thoughts are with you at this difficult time. 

If anyone in College needs support or help you must feel able to ask for it and we will do our best to provide it confidentially and quickly. The welfare and pastoral teams have been providing help for students and staff since the beginning of the conflict  and there may well be others among our community who would benefit from that support. Please do not hesitate to ask our welfare lead, Adam Griffiths, or the Academic Director, Nicholas Cole, your tutors or your own common room welfare representatives for help.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank the JCR and MCR committees for the responsible way in which they have tried to manage difficult conversations, and for the collaborative way in which individual members of the student community have engaged with College Officers to make powerful points about the College’s response.  This helps us all to be part of a diverse community where freedom of expression is encouraged but everyone can feel listened to. Support is available to every student and member of staff and everyone is equally protected by our policies on free speech and harassment.

Considerable concern among the student community (following concern expressed across Oxford and in other universities globally) has focused on the nature of institutional investment policies.  We have agreed to disclose formally to the JCR and MCR all the information that we have about the College’s investments, and we have agreed to set up an urgent working group to review our ethical investment policy.  This working group will include student representatives and experts from Investments Committee and Finance and Planning Committee. The working group will seek to obtain the greatest possible disclosure about our investments, suggest improvements to our ethical investments policy to make our intentions as clear as possible and then discuss next steps if disinvestment and re-investment are recommended. For a long time we have been clear that we do not invest in companies which manufacture arms that are illegal and the working group will be asked to look at how effective our policies are.  We intend the work to be very collaborative and to follow the successful way in which we approached the existing ethical investment policy when issues relating to the environment and sustainability were raised.

Our purpose as an institution is an ancient one and perhaps even more important in uncertain times: we exist to expand the sphere of human knowledge.  To that end, we know we need to be as diverse a community as possible, with all of the talents and viewpoints that this diversity brings, and to be a safe place for rigorous debate.  We also have a duty to support all members of our community as individuals.

I would like to take this opportunity, as we near the end of the academic year to thank all of you who have helped to manage the most difficult but very necessary conversations that the College community has needed to have.  Many students have (often quietly) worked hard to maintain the cohesion of our community, and should be very proud of what they have achieved.

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Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder
Master