29th October 2023
Dear Lord Simon McDonald,
It has been brought to the attention of the signatories of this letter that the Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA) has booked their ‘Chairman’s Dinner’ in Christ’s College on 25th November. Within Christ’s, the 25th of November marks ‘Bridgemas’, a Cambridge tradition that always takes place on this date, celebrated with a series of JCR-organised formal dinners for our students. Since 30th September, the JCR has discussed CUCA’s booking repeatedly with the Senior Tutor, hoping that their dinner could be reconsidered to prioritise our internal event. Since then, the matter has been taken up by other members of the college’s leadership but not reconsidered.
Bookings of Formal Hall by external societies must receive approval from the Senior Tutor, who has confirmed that he did not give approval to CUCA’s event and that it was likely approved internally via the Catering Department. Not only have our interests as members of the college been subjugated to the interests of an external society, but the external event in question has not even been organised legitimately. Yet, still the college leadership seems reluctant to reconsider it.
We fail to see how the Catering Department and the Senior Tutor did not spot the inevitable clash of this booking. We are unsure if CUCA aimed to deliberately bypass the regular vetting processes of the college and there has been little clarity as to whether the college could not or would not rearrange their dinner. If the former, there is little justification for prioritising CUCA’s booking given that the formal approval process was not followed. If the latter, the college has overlooked the interests of its students. Regardless, the signatories of this letter wish to express their discontent at the college’s lack of effort to resolve this and request further information from the college about how this error occurred.
Our students have raised concerns about feeling unsafe within their own college due to CUCA’s polarising reputation within the University. This reputation speaks for itself, as it did in January 2022, when Varsity wrote an article describing a CUCA event where speakers openly criticised same-sex marriage and spouted misogyny. To be clear, we as signatories do not have a grievance in this instance with CUCA’s political beliefs; we object to their disrespectful and insensitive behaviour and would not hesitate to treat any other society, politically oriented or not, with similar disapproval.
CUCA’s reputation has already factored in discussions between the JCR and the Senior Tutor. Initially, the JCR objected to CUCA’s excessive distribution of promotional material within Christ’s, resulting in a change in the JCR’s promotional policy to all external societies. The JCR has also voiced its serious concerns about CUCA’s insensitive approach to discussion at its ‘Port and Policy’ debates as on 14th October, when CUCA debated the motion, ‘This House would pre-emptively strike Iran’. It goes without saying how inconsiderate and thoughtless this incitement of violence is to Iranian members of our college community.
The college needs to balance its commitment to freedom of speech with its commitment to making our students feel safe, valued and respected. We, as students, are unwilling to give a platform to such distasteful and inflammatory debates that only spread harm, especially during such a traumatic time for our students with links to the Middle East. The college’s inflexibility in reconsidering this event could suggest they feel otherwise.
CUCA’s events have a reputation for being destructive affairs and the Senior Tutor has already helpfully recommended ways to minimise any damage. However, if these are realistic worries, it begs the question as to why we are hosting this society in the first place. The college is underestimating the reputational risk currently dangling before it by proceeding with an event that could drag our community into whatever controversy finds CUCA next. Our students are aware of this risk and fear that the college’s leadership is not taking it seriously enough.
On 28th October, the JCR hosted an Open Meeting which was attended by a record 56 undergraduates (an increase of 211 per cent from our last Open Meeting). Not once throughout this meeting did a student speak in favour of preserving the current booking agreement. Attendees called upon the college to reconsider this booking and ensure that it upheld conventional approval procedures for future events. They voted to express their discontent through the writing and signing of this open letter.
To summarise our concerns, we regret that the college has continually prioritised this external (and illegitimately organised) event hosted by a distasteful, provocative society over an internal tradition that is valued by our community. We are calling upon the college to fulfil its commitment to valuing its own students’ traditions and their safety more than an external society’s alcohol-fuelled event. We are calling upon the college to listen to the voice of its students and address their concerns. We request that the college’s leadership annul the booking for CUCA’s ‘Chairman’s Dinner’ on 25th November and approaches its booking processes for external societies more considerately in future.
Yours sincerely,
Ossie Visick
Christ’s JCR President
On behalf of 217 signatories.