August 26, 2008

...to exhaust complainants...

"It is increasingly clear that the purpose of Oxford University's current method of handling ethnic minority complaints is to exhaust complainants in order to force them, for the sake of Oxford's brand name, to withdraw their grievances."

Letter from an Oxford academic to Kofi Annan prior to Annan's acceptance of an honorary Oxford degree in July 2001

It is not just Oxford University's current method - it is the method employed by all serial bully universities. Shameful, gutless, disgraceful... It is true that the possibility of recourse to an external court exists. Regrettably, it is a deeply unpleasant, soul-destroying and expensive route which should be avoided if at all possible. However, it can only be avoided if all those who are in a position to stand up for the fundamental values of a university do indeed stand up for them.

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