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“It makes sense” – Jon Snow Independent Cambridge’s Student Newspaper since 1947 No. No. 830 830 Friday Friday 29th 29th September September 2017 2017 varsity.co.uk varsity.co.uk
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Revealed: More colleges hosted controversial Christian group ● Christian Concern conference hosted by Sidney Sussex in September ● Group has also been hosted by Clare, Magdalene and St John’s ● CUSU accuses group of “promoting homophobia” Nick Chevis and Lucia Keijer-Palau Investigations Editors A Varsity investigation has revealed that Magdalene College hosted the week-long Wilberforce Academy in 2014, followed by Clare College in 2015. Varsity has also found that St John’s College hosted the Wilberforce Academy Dinner in 2015. It was reported earlier this month that Sidney Sussex College hosted the Academy in 2016 and 2017. his news prompted much controversy, with a petition to “Deny Tacit Endorsement to ‘Christian Concern’ at Sidney Sussex College” launched by Sidney Sussex College Student Union (SSCSU) LGBTQ+, women’s, welfare and BME oicers. he Wilberforce Academy is an initiative of Christian Concern, a fundamentalist Christian group that have been criticised for the promotion of homophobic views. he Academy claim “delegates will be prepared for servant-hearted, Christ-centred leadership in public life, having been equipped with a robust biblical framework that guides their thinking, prayers and activity in addressing the issues facing our society.” Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) criticised the group for threatening “the safety of Cambridge’s LGBT+ community, promoting homophobia and
the idea that homosexuality is a ‘disease’ that can be cured”. Between 2010 and 2013 the Wilberforce Academy took place at Oxford University colleges. Since 2014 the Wilberforce Academy has been consistently hosted at Cambridge colleges. A spokesperson for Magdalene College said: “he college did host this organisation in 2014.” Magdalene College is shown in a highlights video of the 2014 Wilberforce Academy on the Christian Concern YouTube channel. UKIP member and 2017 candidate for Witney Alan Craig tweeted in 2014: “Back from @CConcern’s visionary Wilberforce Academy
@ Magdalene College Cambridge http:// bit.ly/1m67pMh Bright young Christians #heFuture”. In a post on his personal blog, Alan Craig has referred to a “Gaystapo” of “gay-rights stormtroopers” with “Nazi expansionist ambitions”. he spokesperson for Magdalene College also said: “his was, as you will appreciate, a private booking and as with all bookings it doesn’t translate that the views and opinions of the organisations relect those of our College or indeed the wide variety of views held by its staf and students. he College maintains a positive and proactive approach to equality by supporting and encouraging all un-
der-represented groups, and promoting an inclusive culture that values diversity across the College.” In 2015, Clare College hosted the Wilberforce Academy. A spokesperson at Clare College said: “We appreciate the concerns this private event booking has created. Clare is a diverse and inclusive community and we greatly value the LGBT+ initiatives taken in the College.” A delegate posted on Instagram on the 31st August 2015 that “the #WilberforceAcademy begins tomorrow
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Toope takes the reins Todd Gillespie and Caitlin Smith Senior News Correspondent and Senior News Editor On Sunday, Professor Stephen Toope will oicially begin his tenure as the 346th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He takes over from Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, who has been in the role since 2010. After graduating from Harvard with a degree in history and literature in 1979, he completed a PhD at Trinity College Cambridge. He has previously served as president and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia. Over the course of his tenure, Borysiewicz has made moves to strengthen the university’s established research reputation: the Oice for Post-Doctoral Afairs, established in 2013, now supports the 4,000 university post-doctoral researchers who comprise 35% of staf. As Vice-Chancellor, he has championed international initiatives. However, the outcome of the EU referendum in 2016 has proven to be something of a stumbling block for the Vice-Chancellor. A long-standing and outspoken opponent of Brexit, Borysiewicz has called the Leave vision “a fantasy” and has criticised the government’s restrictive approach to migration, emphasising Cambridge’s need to remain attractive to EU applicants and for it to champion the rights of its current staf and students from overseas. Perhaps inevitably, the new Vice-Chancellor has inherited his predecessor’s globalist outlook. In an interview with CBC News earlier this year, he stressed the need for the University to continue acting as a “beacon of inclusion and openness” in the wake of the “Brexit phenomenon”. In the interview, Toope, who holds several law degrees, discussed the diiculties of leading an institution with such an established reputation as the University: “It’s always a balance between retaining tradition, retaining our fundamental commitments to teaching, learning and ground-breaking research, and understanding that we have to rethink the way the delivery mechanisms operate.”