4 Winter 2020 The Cheese Grater
a controversial benefactor. At the very least, to avoid a reputational risk, UCL should follow the example of organisations such as the National Portrait Gallery and the Tate, and strongly evaluate
News & Investigations
its previous and current involvement with The Sackler Trust and other Sackler organisations. As such, a next step could entail a pledge from UCL not to accept any future donations from
the Sacklers based on the currently available information. Additional Reporting by: Min Jing and Stephanie Frank.
Decolonising the divided: how anti-racist is UCL? Riddhi Kanetkar In January 2018, it was discovered that the (now) ex-Honorary UCL Professor, James Thompson, was holding the controversial London Conference of Intelligence (the LCI) on UCL campus. The LCI has been a provocative event due to its alleged affiliations to eugenics and scientific racism, as well as suspected ties to neo-Nazi links. The event was hosted without the knowledge of senior university professionals, and the university later cut all ties with Thompson. In November 2018, UCL’s Provost, Professor Michael Arthur, commissioned an inquiry to examine UCL’s historical role and current position in teaching the study of eugenics, as well as any financial instruments linked to the study of eugenics which the university may benefit from. This inquiry was led by Professor Iyiola Solanke from the University of Leeds, followed by a report of recommendations, published in February 2020, which sought to implement measures to redress the pervading legacy of racism at UCL. Despite the report being a progressive first step in rectifying UCL’s ties to eugenics, the question still remains: how committed is the university in its wider approaches towards upholding anti-racist values? What were the inquiry recommendations? The report of recommendations aimed to act as ‘the first step in a process to create a framework of action at UCL to acknowledge and address its history of eugenics.’ It was categorised
into three themes: teaching the history of eugenics; the dissemination of eugenics; and research into eugenics. A key recommendation, which had long been a contentious topic, was the denaming of UCL buildings that were previously named after prominent eugenicists, such as Galton and Pearson. The report also established an initiative to construct a framework for ‘conversation on institutionalised racism, classism, and ableism at UCL’. A primary goal was to implement strategic, practical, targeted and measurable action in fostering a ‘culture of caring’ for Black and Minority Ethnic and disabled students at UCL. However, despite a resolution to rectify UCL’s problematic history, it is notable that 10 out of 16 committee members did not initially sign the recommendations, because they felt that they ‘did not go far enough’. Professor Joe Cain, a Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology at UCL, also served on the committee, but was critical of the final recommendations.
conducting a formal investigation into the LCI. Although the Provost later released a redacted version of the report on the London Conference of Intelligence, Professor Solanke’s decision to avoid investigating the LCI was, according to Professor Cain, “a lost opportunity to investigate if there was a larger body of activity, or supporting mindset at the university”. While the report had a clear focus on the historical legacy of eugenics at UCL, the ultimate lack of consensus on the final recommendations suggests that further action could have been taken to ensure a ‘long-term commitment’ in rectifying UCL’s institutional short-comings. Attitudes towards the recommendations. The inquiry report conducted research into the attitudes of both members of UCL and the public towards their proposed suggestions, to gauge the inflection of public opinions on the matter.
“[The chair’s report] seemed to me to be focusing only on one issue in eugenics, one affected community, and one set of problems. […] Where’s the survey of teaching and study at UCL? Where is the analysis of the community polling that was undertaken? Where is the investigation of the London Conference on Intelligence (LCI)?”
In order to understand how current UCL students feel about the implemented changes and proposed initiatives, The Cheese Grater conducted a smaller internal survey, in which 73 students participated. Our survey utilised three statements from the original inquiry survey, as well as two additional statements on diversity within the curriculum and student body at UCL.
His critique underlines what he considered to be significant gaps in the methodology and aims of the inquiry, especially due to a lack of initiative in
The denaming of the buildings propelled a prickly debate from both sides, which is reflected in the split in public opinion towards the matter. One stu-
