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OXFORD
m a g a z i n e
No. 404 Second Week Hilary Term 2019
These are interesting times in higher from going to university.” Nick Hill-
education. Perhaps most eye-catch- man, director of the Higher Educa-
ing, for now, have been a series of tion Policy Institute, quoted in the
leaks from the Augar report into same article, described it as “cata-
funding. The review, headed by an strophic policy”: “It will hit entrants
author and former equities broker,
was commissioned by the Govern-
Interesting from the poorest backgrounds dis-
proportionately. You might have
Times
ment last year to explore the future of missed 3Ds [at A-level, one reported
university finances. Leaked – and as threshold to student loan access] be-
yet unconfirmed – proposals include cause you’ve been at a poor perform-
significantly lowering tuition fees for ing school,” he added.4
certain courses (and potentially rais- Many of us will have read with
ing it for some STEM subjects), and interest alternative proposals that
withholding student loans for some reduce fees and also the level of debt
subjects and students who do not meet particular A-level for those students who have studied under the current
grade thresholds at admissions. regime, as forwarded by our colleague Danny Dorling,
Writing in the Telegraph, Camilla Turner, quoted through the use of progressive general taxation and a cap
“leading Vice-Chancellors” as warning that such a “cut on student loan repayments: to “transform a set of on-
to tuition fees will send universities into a crisis which erous private debts into a social obligation borne by the
could see science courses cut and leave museums at risk government – by us all collectively.”5
of closure.” Universities would face a potential short- Also on the horizon nationally is the question of sala-
fall of £3 billion under the reform proposals. Turner re- ries. UCU is in dispute with the employers’ organisation,
ported that “University chiefs say that such a ‘drastic’ the University and Colleges Employers Association. On
slashing of fees would leave the UK’s higher education this matter, the University stated on its website,
sector reeling, and would lead to departments or even
entire universities closing.”1 Even if V-Cs are painting 'The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA)
an excessively pessimistic picture based on what are negotiates pay increases with the trade unions nationally, on be-
still only rumours, a withdrawal of funds on anywhere half of most UK universities, including Oxford. The trade un-
ions remain in dispute over the pay offer but it has been decided
close to such a scale would leave many institutions in that staff should receive the pay increase as soon as possible.
trouble.2 As Simon Jenkins put it (alongside his fulminat- The uplift is a 2% increase on salaries, save for the first ten
ing assessment of recent coalition and Conservative HE points of the University’s salary and grading structure which
policy), “Cutting fees would save the taxpayer billions in will all increase by £425, providing uplifts of up to 2.55% for
unrepaid loans, but it would devastate universities.”3 staff employed on these points.'6
On the proposals to remove funding from certain
courses and categories of student, writing in The Guard- It is worth noting that for October 2018 (the month
ian Anna Fazackerley reported that “heads of UK uni- of the increase), the ONS figure for RPI was 3.3%.7 For
versities have reacted angrily to leaked proposals they CPIH, the other recognised measure of inflation, it was
say would bar thousands of disadvantaged young people 2.2%; a year earlier (October 2017) the latter was 2.8%,
I NSIDE
• The Self-Review • The new College • Pay
Pages two, four Pages five, ten Page seven
…and much more
Oxford Magazine Second
Second
Week,
Week,
Hilary
Hilary
Term,
Term,
2019
20191when a 1% pay increase was agreed.8 These continue a
trend in recent years for real-terms pay cuts. UCU’s fig- Next Steps for Council's Self-Review?
ures point to a 21.0% cumulative pay loss since 2009,
As part of its process of self-review, Council has recently completed
compared to RPI; and a mean gender pay gap of 11.8%, a series of four workshops with the aim: “to engage with colleagues
a difference of £5,936 per year.”9 Last year, UCU bal- across the collegiate University on the matter of information flow,
loted local branches over industrial action, but did not communications and dialogue with Council.” Colleagues unable to
secure a high enough turnout in most institutions. On 8 attend the workshops wishing to provide input can do so by emailing:
council.review@admin.ox.ac.uk.
November, UCU announced that it would ballot again in In ‘Reminders’ below we republish an article written three years
the new year, remaining in dispute, and aggregating re- ago. Even then it was clear enough that Congregation was failing
sults in the spring.10 This aggregate ballot closes on Fri- and why. The article urges a number of reforming measures. In the
day 22 February 2019.11 intervening time little or nothing has changed. Will Council's current
UCU highlights inequalities elsewhere in the system: review be different: will it successfully end in real outcomes that
significantly improve our democratic governance?
soaring V-C pay; widespread casualisation; and high We understand that a report on the results of, and conclusions
workload and related stress.12 Here one might point to derived from, the workshops will now be on Council’s agenda. Given
the lot of college lecturers in Oxford, many of whom the precedent that Council has already published (Gazette, 10th May
take on considerable teaching loads, but on a much 2018) Council papers regarding its previous self-review, it follows
that Council should now publish reports and recommendations on
lower salary than their University-tenured colleagues, governance prepared for its forthcoming meeting.
and often with none or few of the perks that obtain. They In order to make it possible for members of Congregation
are not employed by the University, but there are many meaningfully to exchange views on governance reform with their
departments that would struggle to function without elected Council members ahead of discussions in Council relevant
their commitment and good will. Council documents must themselves be made available in advance.
There is another matter worthy of our attention: pen-
sions. Most immediately, the de facto cut in take-home With so much in the air nationally, it is easy to lose
pay for USS members as a result of the cost-sharing sight of local matters, of how Oxford itself is functioning
scheme, announced in a distinctly uncontrite statement as a collegiate institution. But these big issues are bound
from the pension provider, seemingly oblivious to the up with Oxford’s procedures and democratic health. It is
criticism and advice from the Joint Expert Panel con- hard to avoid the strong feeling that Congregation, the
vened at the end of last year’s strike. From April 2019 sovereign body of the University, is not working. Despite
employee pension contributions rise from 8% to 8.8%. the quality of the speeches and the occasional lively – if
USS itself estimates that someone earning 50k on a take- not riotous – meeting, it is not fulfilling the function of
home pay of approx. £2,890 from April 2019 will be informed debate and decision making that it needs to for
£23 pcm worse off. Under the final set of proposed in- Oxford to work properly.
creases – which are still on the table, despite the strong Congregation needs more and better information,
words of the Joint Expert Panel, and which USS says it rather than simply reading press releases, as was the case
does not want to apply – from April 2020 the same indi- with the proposed new college. Council’s webpages have
vidual would be over £100 pcm worse off.13 The Univer- been improved, but it is still difficult to find information;
sity – after the extraordinary Congregation meeting last minutes that are made available are often significantly
spring – has agreed to work to avoid cuts to pension pro- redacted. Surely more can be done to facilitate informa-
vision. We are yet to see how this will work in practice. tion to Congregation about discussions here – and one
Even closer to home, there has been a lively debate in hopes that Council’s self-review will make proposals in
the press about some rather surprising proposals for new this direction.
undergraduate Oxbridge colleges, floated by the former One further problem is that Congregation members
transport minister Lord Adonis. The peer has put for- lack the time and the energy – pulled as they are by so
ward plans for “a revolutionary but achievable policy”: many competing and growing demands from teaching,
“Oxford and Cambridge should establish new colleges research, and admin – to devote to University govern-
focusing exclusively on ‘access with excellence’, in the ance. And yet, events such as the V-C’s Q&As are well
tradition of Oxbridge colleges set up for women and and enthusiastically attended. One suspects this is be-
recently persecuted religious minorities in the 19th cen- cause there is a hunger both to find out what is really
tury” (The Guardian, Wed 9 January). happening in the University and to speak directly to its
Responding the same day in the same paper, Prof Mar- leadership.
tin Williams, Pro-V-C for Education, rejected the plans: We must be aware that our many privileges – rela-
tive job security, the freedom to speak out without fear
“We know that our undergraduates value the chance to mix of reprisal, a broadly horizontal structure and colle-
with and learn from fellow students of all backgrounds, includ- giate organisation – are bound up with Oxford’s status
ing our international students. [...] We don’t want to create new
divisions on any grounds. We share Lord Adonis’s aspiration to
as a democracy. Recent and current controversies – over
ensure the opportunities of an Oxford education are open to retirement age, pensions, and over support for the “ex-
all talented students but his plan does not offer the across-the- pressway” – speak to problems in the relationship be-
board change we are looking for.” tween Wellington Square, Council and Congregation.
Issues such as our position on admissions – including pro-
And yet, while rejecting proposals for additional un- posals supported by UCU for post-qualification applica-
dergraduate colleges, the University has made proposals tions14 – , fees, new colleges, USS, the TEF consultation,
for an extra graduate college; there are no doubt impor- all need to be discussed and debated by the University as
tant discussions still to be had between the University a whole – and that is the role of Congregation.
administration and both colleges and Congregation over The University needs an informed and engaged Con-
this decision. (see Cannon et al in this issue) gregation, and for that, Wellington Square and Council
2 Second Week, Hilary Term, 2019 Oxford Magazinemust be willing to share information. For this reason it 1
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2018/11/23/tuition-fee-
has been proposed in these pages to develop a parallel cut-will-send-universities-crisis-leading-vice-chancellors/
system of communication between these bodies (Ox- 2
See also Andrew Jack, “Review to back loans for further education,”
ford Magazine, No.401, 5th Week, Michaelmas Term, FT, 15 Jan.
2018) – additional to Congregation, but very much part
of its functioning. In recent months, perhaps years, Con- 3
“Cutting tuition fees will turn universities into vassals of the state,”
gregation has been either silent, or explodes in frenetic The Guardian, 10 Jan.
activity. In the latter cases, there has often been a prior
energetic sharing of information and views behind the
4
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/08/university-
chiefs-angry-elitish-student-loan-plans
scenes – via unofficial email circulation lists, for exam-
ple. Can we channel such engagement and energy in pro- 5
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/oct/30/how-to-
ductive ways? Might this be the precedent for a “parallel write-off-student-debt-my-plan-for-labour
system” as part of Congregation.
Given the organisational structure of Oxford, for 6
http://www.ox.ac.uk/staff/news-listing/2018-08-29-university-sal-
Congregation to reform, it needs to reform itself: we ary-scales-2018-revision
need to reform it. So what else can be done, by and about 7
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/time-
Congregation? Stated meetings of Congregation are series/czbh/mm23
held, if there is relevant business, at 2pm on the Tues-
day of the first, second, fourth, sixth, and eighth weeks 8
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/time-
of Full Term, and in tenth week. That is a big commit- series/l55o/mm23
ment for the average academic. But a problem shared is
a problem divided, so one suggestion is that groups of 9
https://ucu.org.uk/media/9412/Pay--equality-matters---leaflet/pdf/
colleagues pull together. Half a dozen or more members ucu_pay-equality-matters_leaflet_jun18.pdf; It is worth noting that
the University has begun work to address the gender pay gap, through
from within the same college or department could agree measures including the Returning Carers Fund and schemes to help
that each will attend a maximum of once a term – or per- mentor women seeking senior roles in the institution. See http://www.
haps for larger groups once every other term, offering to ox.ac.uk/staff/news-listing/2018-03-23-closing-pay-gap
represent their colleagues, and then reporting back. To-
gether they would discuss pressing matters on a smaller 10
https://www.ucu.org.uk/he2018
scale, and formulate and propose Congregation mo-
https://www.ucu.org.uk/he2018 26 November update, and see the
11
tions, based on information coming from Council and UCU committee's article in this issue.
the central administration, giving notice of opposition
where a debate would be useful. As well as improving 12
https://ucu.org.uk/media/9412/Pay--equality-matters---leaflet/
and diversifying attendance, it would increase engage- pdf/ucu_pay-equality-matters_leaflet_jun18.pdf
ment and investment in Congregation.
We might not even need the full paraphernalia of 13
https://www.uss.co.uk/how-uss-is-run/valuation/2017-valuation-
Congregation: Wellington Square could facilitate meet- updates/concluding-the-2017-valuation and modelling at https://
www.ussconsultation2018.co.uk/uploads/document/file/67/Poten-
ings, with a Pro-V-C in the Chair, to discuss the many tial_impact_for_England_Wales_and_Northern_Ireland_salary_
big issues in the air, with elected Council members to sacrifice.pdf
take forward items to debate. Such a system would en-
sure fewer surprises – like the pensions eruption – for the 14
Graeme Atherton, “Britain’s university offers system is unfit for pur-
central administration. And it would allow members of pose and needs replacing,” The Guardian, 15 Jan.
Congregation to speak to and hear from Council and
b.b
Wellington Square, promoting an open and collabo-
rative approach to decision making. We need to think
creatively to safeguard the unique democracy that char-
acterises this University.
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Oxford Magazine Second Week, Hilary Term, 2019 3Reminders
We reprint here an article by Neil MacFarlane (Oxford Maga- It is clear that there are at least three dimensions to the prob-
zine, No.360, Second Week, TT 2015), then an elected member lem. One is the flow of information from the central University
of Council. to members of Congregation. Web summaries of Council delib-
erations are less informative than they might be. This mode of
The dysfunctionality of internal communication in the Univer- communication falls short of enabling members of the Univer-
sity has been a problem for a long time. It was highlighted in sity to participate effectively in policy debate.
Congregation in the recent debate and decision about Castle Confidentiality rules are unnecessarily restrictive. This cre-
Mill. ates a very ambiguous situation where many Council members
Internal communication is a fundamentally important ques- don’t know what they can say, and many members of Congre-
tion for the University. Oxford is well behind many of its peers gation do not know what they can ask. The rules should be re-
and also other public institutions on transparency in decision- laxed. Materials that do not involve commercial interests or
making. Transparency is important internally, because Council specific personnel matters could be shared more widely with no
and the University administration are formally accountable to obvious risks and with a real gain. Looking at how similar uni-
Congregation. How can the members of Congregation develop versities address this issue would help.
a reasoned view when they do not know what is going on? It is But this is not only about permissive measures. It is also a
also important externally in terms of how funders and donors question of developing means for effective dissemination of the
perceive the University. business of the University to members of the University. That
This situation generates a number of risks to the University, is not technically difficult. However, much of this material is
all of which were evident in the belated and divisive debate on lengthy and obscure. Council and its committees should explore
Castle Mill. One is financial. If the vote on Castle Mill had gone the possibility of providing concise and focused summaries of
the other way, that would have produced a large amount of red issues on the table and what is proposed for addressing them.
ink on the budget over the next several years. Since the Univer- Much of the business is not controversial in the wider Univer-
sity rightly has balanced budget plus surplus targets, it would sity. Some is. It is the potentially contentious issues that need to
have produced a lot of pain in units that most of us work in. be shared with Congregation. Sequencing is important. Mem-
Another is reputational. The Castle Mill resolution of Con- bers of the University need to be informed about issues before
gregation would have mandated Council to agree to implement Council debates are held and decisions taken, rather than after
option 3 in the environmental statement, whatever it actually the fact, in order that the voices of the broad University commu-
cost and however one costs such things. If the University had de- nity can be heard and can be effective.
cided to spend up to an amount comparable to, or exceeding, the That raises a further challenge. Top-down solutions are in-
amount spent on putting the housing up in the first place, that sufficient. Members of our community often have very good
decision would have raised reasonable questions in the public ideas when they look at an issue from outside the Wellington
sector, among donors, and among student fee-payers about our Square/Council box. How do we generate a more active con-
management of the resources they contribute. Had we managed versation between Council and Congregation so that the flow is
internal communications better, we would have avoided or miti- two way? It is not difficult to organise surgeries or forum events
gated that risk, and, possibly, delivered a better building. where significant issues can be aired and where University offic-
A third is regulatory. Council has two masters. One is Con- ers and Council members could hear the views of Congregation
gregation. Our regulations indicate that Council must accept members. Summaries could be prepared and distributed. That
instructions from Congregation. The other is HEFCE, acting for might be supplemented by web-based discussion fora. As has
the Charities Commission, as a charity regulator. Under charity been suggested in this magazine before, more thought should be
law, members of Council are obliged to exercise their informed given to the role of elected members of Council as a channel be-
judgement to preserve and promote the purposes of the charity tween the central University and the membership.
(in this instance the University of Oxford). Had the resolution This is linked to the third dimension. Members of Congre-
been adopted, and had Council accepted it (which is not clear, gation need to be willing to engage. Everybody is busy. Many
since some Council members might have concluded that voting issues facing Council seem (and often are) esoteric. Many mem-
for the expenditure would have violated their understanding bers believe that their view don’t matter anyway. Policy discus-
of their duties as charitable trustees), HEFCE would have been sions have been held in Congregation in the past with very low
well within its rights to pursue the matter with the University. attendance. One example was the consultation meeting on the
One possible result would have been constraint on the Univer- five year plan. There, University officers outnumbered the other
sity’s autonomy. members of Congregation. It is not obvious what the value of
That leads to the fourth risk, which concerns governance and such exercises is when members of the University do not see any
the legitimacy of Council with respect to Congregation. Congre- point in attending.
gation needs to trust Council and the University administration, It is plausible that Council and the University administration
and vice versa. We are a long way from that. Constructing a mu- will open things up. If they don’t, then I believe it is within the
tually respectful relationship requires openness and willingness rights of Congregation to insist on a review of the relevant sec-
to engage. In the absence of such a relationship, the central Uni- tions of Council’s standing orders. But increased transparency
versity descends into the bunker and members of Congregation can only have effect if more members of Congregation commit
are left wondering what is going on, and why. to engage seriously in the democratic governance of the Univer-
sity.
*** In short, the centre needs to communicate more, and also
Council held a long and constructive conversation on in- more effectively. Congregation needs to understand that this is
ternal communication at its last meeting. It is now digesting real and not just for show. Congregation needs to respond with
that discussion and is likely to produce recommendations for greater engagement in the affairs its University. If these condi-
changes to internal communications practices in Trinity Term. tions are not met, the democratic tradition of the University will
That will, no doubt, serve as a basis for a wider University con- wither on the vine.
versation on the subject.
4 Second Week, Hilary Term, 2019 Oxford MagazineA New Graduate College on the
Radcliffe Science Library Site
CATRIONA CANNON, RICHARD OVENDEN, LIONEL TARASSENKO and ANNE TREFETHEN
The case for a new graduate college was made in the cess to the expertise of science specialist library staff,
University’s 5-year Strategic Plan (2018-23), reflecting facilities for group discussion (for example to host read-
the ambition to increase postgraduate numbers substan- ing groups), technology-assisted seminar and conference
tially, while maintaining quality. Such an ambition can- rooms, as well as quiet study space and ‘social space’.
not be realised without the creation of at least one new These services and their associated spaces, which fea-
graduate college. The Strategic Plan was approved by ture in the original plans for the RSL redevelopment, will
Congregation without any opposition after a short de- now be integrated with the emerging plans for the col-
bate in the Sheldonian on 30th October 2018. lege.
The high-quality research carried out in the depart- The principle of re-configurability will be applied to
ments of the MPLS Division relies on large teams of as much of the space as possible so that both the college
graduate students and post-docs working together under and the science library may make optimal use of it at dif-
the supervision of a leading academic. Research volume ferent times of the day, on different days of the week. Part
and quality in the Division have both been rising in the of the space will be available for weekend activities such
last decade, as evidenced by the results of the REF2014 as meetings of college clubs or societies, coding classes
exercise and recent rankings in the Times Higher Educa- and interdisciplinary workshops. As the plans for the
tion league tables. To maintain Oxford’s pre-eminence in new college develop, further space requirements are
scientific research, the Division’s departments need to at- being considered. There is a need for student accommo-
tract growing numbers of high-quality graduate students dation – although a lack of space means that it will not be
and post-docs to join world-leading research groups. located in the Science Area – and the western wing of the
There are also a number of new postgraduate taught Inorganic Chemistry Lab (aka the ‘Old Chemistry Teach-
courses in both the MPLS and Social Sciences Divisions. ing Lab’) could be turned into a modern college dining
The creation of a new graduate college will enable hall.
growth in the number of postgraduate students, without The vision for the new college, which will be known as
upsetting the balance between undergraduate and post- Parks College for the time being in reference to its loca-
graduate student numbers in mixed colleges or imposing tion on Parks Road, draws on the oldest Oxford tradi-
unrealistic targets for growth in the existing graduate tion of a place where teachers and their students share
colleges. The initial proposals for the new college were together in college life. The teachers (Official Fellows
the subject of an article in Blueprint Bulletin, the Univer- of the college) will be Research Professors (RSIVs) and
sity’s monthly e-newsletter, in December, and those pro- Senior Research Fellows (some with the title of Associ-
posals are now being worked through. ate Professors) who do not have a College Fellowship,
It is intended that the college will occupy the historic and the students will be a mixture of PGR and PGT stu-
Radcliffe Scientific Library (RSL) site. A project was al- dents. Early-career researchers at the post-doctoral level
ready underway to refurbish and revitalise the Science will be Research Fellows of the college. Together with the
Library to better meet the needs of 21st century science, GLAM staff working in the library, in the museum or on
provide much-needed space for the preservation of the public engagement activities, they will play a key role in
museum collections, support research and teaching with college life.
them, and enable public engagement with research. Much of 21st-century scientific research is interdis-
Integrating the RSL redevelopment plans with the ciplinary, and often intersects with societal questions
proposals for the new graduate college will ensure that of interest to social scientists. Some of the most excit-
these objectives are all met. The plan to create a high- ing research today takes place at the boundary between
quality museum object store for the University’s col- two or more disciplines. In most cases, this occurs as a
lections in the basement will go ahead as originally result of experts from each discipline coming together
envisaged. It is also proposed that the college will out- and working collaboratively on topics of joint interest.
source its library provision to the Bodleian. The redevel- Interdisciplinary research in the University is from time
oped RSL will provide dedicated space for both informal to time catalysed by serendipitous interaction in its col-
and formal study, services and resources, open to all reg- leges. Like other colleges, Parks College will provide the
istered Bodleian readers and run by Bodleian Libraries ideal environment and resources to foster such interac-
staff. tion, and the college will function as a Science Area hub
In the nineteenth century, when the RSL was set up, for interdisciplinary exchanges, mainly at lunchtime and
and well into the latter part of the twentieth century, the in the late afternoon or early evening.
role of a science library was to provide access to print The intention is to build a collaborative research and
books and journals. A 21st-century library for students social community whose members will embrace the op-
and researchers in the sciences provides a much greater portunity to interact with fellow researchers beyond
range of services, including high-bandwidth wi-fi, elec- the boundaries of their own disciplines. To promote the
tronic access to journals and research monographs, ac- ethos and practice of interdisciplinary exchange, it is
Oxford Magazine Second Week, Hilary Term, 2019 5proposed to focus initially on two major themes within A number of Q&A sessions are planned later this
the college: (a) Artificial Intelligence and Machine term, the dates of which will be announced shortly. We
Learning; (b) Environmental Change. Inter-disciplinary hope that these sessions will provide a useful forum to
exchanges on these themes will be catalysed by regular discuss the proposals in more detail, and we would
college events – workshops, seminars, reading groups strongly encourage interested members of Congregation
and weekly invited lectures. The subject focus will un- to attend if they can.
doubtedly widen in due course. There will also be an em- The plans described in this article should enable the
phasis on entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation, University to deliver on its aspiration for a new gradu-
fostered by appointing entrepreneurs and innovators in ate college, to be located in the heart of the Science Area
residence. Public engagement with research and external in an existing historic listed building. Parks College
impact will be part of the college’s mission. will create an attractive and stimulating working envi-
The plans for the new college (which will be a Univer- ronment for the active promotion of interdisciplinary
sity society like St Cross College or Kellogg College) and exchange, where researchers drawn from different disci-
the allocation of space are to be put for approval before plines will together explore some of the major scientific
Council and then Congregation, this term and next term. questions of our times.
If the plans are approved, it is intended to start recruit-
ing the Official Fellows of Parks College from existing
RSIVs and Senior Research Fellows, from June 2019 on-
wards.
UCU balloting for Strike Action
OXFORD UCU COMMITTEE
The University and College Union is balloting members familiar from the everyday experience of working at this
across the UK, including at Oxford, for strike action over university: staff working far beyond their contracted
pay and conditions. The ballot opened on Tuesday 15 hours, many suffering from exorbitant housing and living
January and closes on Friday 22 February. Why is UCU costs, high levels of stress and worsening mental health.
nationally and its branch committee in Oxford – of which These burdens weigh more heavily on some than on
we are members – urging staff to give them a mandate for others; but an issue like unrealistic workloads is found
strike action? at almost all levels of university structure. Indeed, UCU
UCU points to four major grievances: spiralling work- found that among the groups who reported the highest
loads, an ongoing real-terms pay cut, a substantial gender average weekly hours were both professors (56.1 hours)
pay gap, and casualisation of the workforce. All of these and teaching assistants (54.9). The pressure to do more
fall within the everyday experience of academics and aca- for less is being felt at all levels of the sector and across
demic-related staff at Oxford, as across the UK. all UK universities. Academic labour is being increasingly
The gender pay gap at Oxford is 13.7%. For example, undervalued by university managements, as ever more
in 2016, male academic staff at Oxford earned an aver- hours of work are extracted out of staff for decreasing
age of £7,626 more than women (compared to a national amounts of pay. In this overall respect, Oxford, for all its
average of £5,983). This is partly because, although the peculiarities, does not escape the national trend: it is part
University employs more women than men, women make of a UK (as well as an international) market for academic
up a much higher proportion of the lowest paid workers. work, and Oxford staff frequently move to and from
Many Oxford University workers also face the effects other UK institutions.
of casualization, with 76.9% of academic staff on fixed- UCU is addressing all these issues at the national level,
term or atypical contracts (compared to a nation-wide with a single aggregated ballot for strike action. The
figure of 50.9%). Despite ostensible promotion of equal- union nationally and locally is asking members to pro-
ity and the accumulating of a variety of charter marks, vide a strong mandate, as they return to national pay ne-
universities continue to engage in employment practices gotiations, to call strike action if necessary.
that promote inequity and insecurity. This mandate would support demands to address real
Yet these problems do not stand in isolation: they are term decreases in pay, gender pay equality, casualization
both indicative of, and exacerbated by, wider trends in and rising workloads, based on agreements made among
higher education. They are connected to the other two the five higher education trade unions. These include in-
grievances raised by UCU that affect university staff gen- creases across the national pay scale of 7.5% or £1,500
erally, in Oxford and nationally. Pay has dropped in real (whichever is greater) to both ‘catch up’ and ‘keep up’
terms by 21% over the past decade, while already high with inflation, as well as a £10 per hour minimum wage
workloads continue to rise: nationally, UCU estimates and the introduction of the foundation living wage across
that university staff work over two days per week more higher education. In addition, UCU is demanding partial
than their contracted, paid hours; and over 80% of UCU compensation for the significant amounts of unremuner-
members report a rise in workload over the last two years. ated work caused by rising workloads beyond contracted
In plain terms, we are being paid less to do more. From hours, whilst also seeking a commitment from universi-
these two figures, taken together, flows the grim picture ties to remedy the spread of long-hours culture within
6 Second Week, Hilary Term, 2019 Oxford Magazinehigher education. The union is also seeking a commit- Is UCU capable of achieving any of these aims? The
ment to institutional action across universities to increase pensions strike in February and March of last year
job security, including the abolition of zero hours con- showed the effect that determined industrial action can
tracts and the provision of employee contracts in place of have – and this will doubtless be present in the minds of
worker arrangements and hourly pay, to be overseen by a the university managements sitting on the other side of
joint monitoring group. Finally, UCU is calling on univer- the negotiating table. The pensions strike led to a rapid
sities to hasten the slow reduction in the gender pay gap shift in the positions of university managements across
and commit to its elimination by 2020 (which at the cur- the country – perhaps most dramatically in Oxford, with
rent rate would take another 40 years). While a minority a memorable exercise in academic democracy by Congre-
of universities have had significant success in this regard, gation. The conversation on USS pensions is not yet re-
a nationally-agreed framework is required to ensure sec- solved, but it is now in a dramatically different place to
tor-wide progress. where it was just before the strike, a year ago.
These demands amount to a vision of more equitable If UCU members show that they are prepared to take
and sustainable working conditions across the higher similarly robust action once again, they will be in a strong
education sector. Fair pay, secure employment, sustain- position to win much-needed concessions on workload,
able workloads and equality are mutually reinforcing pay, the gender pay gap, and casualisation. The ballot,
goals that will ensure better working and learning en- open over the coming weeks until 22 February, is de-
vironments for all, as well as the ongoing success of the signed to make the option of strike action available if nec-
UK’s university system. UCU’s campaign, in the national essary. We at UCU, in Oxford and nationally, urge all our
union’s words, ‘aims to ensure that everyone is valued and members to vote in favour of strike action for a better and
that the hard work of all is recognised and rewarded’. fairer University.
Conversations about Pay
BEN BOLLIG
What is the University’s approach to pay? The Vice- exercises will be held regularly as resources allow, and
Chancellor, in her most recent Oration, stated that staff will continue to be cash-limited; and all merit payments
enjoyed “above inflation” pay rises, and overall the to academics will be equitably available across the divi-
wage bill was rising. Now was not the time to loosen sions” (79).
the purse strings. In subsequent comments and “Q&A” The “Distinction” titles mechanism was introduced,
events, Professor Richardson elaborated on her remarks, then, alongside the use of the title Associate Professor
stressing the benefits of pay-scale progression, and the (as opposed to the more traditional British “Lecturer”),
possibility of further advancement through the “recog- as a way of boosting salaries, but in a constrained fash-
nition of distinction” (RoD) exercise and professorial ion. One could hazard another reason: an attempt to
“merit pay” (PMP).1 From the University administra- deal with the extent to which some academics were forc-
tion’s standpoint, there is a system in place that rewards ing the University to pay them more by getting lucrative
achievement in a manner that is fair and, within reason, job offers from especially the US: the “recruitment and
transparent; through “benchmarking”, and gathered- retention” problem. At the time the mood was that Ox-
field exercises, pay in Oxford is now more competitive ford staff were worth more; university finances had also
and more defensible. been bolstered by changes to the fees regime. The titles
The current system dates back to 2013. The Gazette were also felt to be more comprehensible to the rest of
Supplement (2) for 16 October 2013 sets out the pro- the world, including recruits from the US; and spoke to
posal from Council to Congregation (subsequently a feeling that Oxford academics were of higher stand-
passed without notice of opposition). The introduction ing than those with the lecturer title elsewhere in the UK
of the new title, “Associate Professor”, alongside the academy.
RoD and PMP “would improve the University’s arrange- Few dispute that the new system is an improvement
ments for recruitment and retention [...]; would make an on what came before it, which also included a number of
important contribution to the [...] recognition and re- ad hominem readerships and chairs. Then only Statutory
ward of its key academics as their careers progress [and] Professors had access to additional payments beyond the
would make the University’s arrangements for academic top of the lecturer scale, while “retention” deals prolifer-
salaries more equitable” (p. 77). The new system “would ated. And yet, any conversation about pay around town
also provide a mechanism to rebalance the anomalies inevitably hits on problems: disparities between colleges;
that have resulted from individual decisions to pay su- variations between college and non-college roles; the
per-scale salaries [i.e. beyond the top of the nationally opacity of “retention” payments both existing and newly
agreed lecturer grades] in acute recruitment and reten- struck; and disgruntlement over the operation at depart-
tion cases”, opening up the “super-scale on grounds of mental and divisional level of both the award of Profes-
merit as well as ‘market’” (78). While there would be a sorial titles and the allocation of “merit” payments.2
total budgetary limit, “Financial constraints will not af- Furthermore, despite being the number one university in
fect individual decisions on the conferment of the title of the world, Oxford’s academics are far from the top earn-
professor; the expanded professorial distinction award ers – even nationally.
Oxford Magazine Second Week, Hilary Term, 2019 7While Oxford salaries, in particular with certain more not receive annual increments – only the nationally ne- generous college emoluments thrown in, compare fa- gotiated and usually sub-inflationary cost-of-living vourably to many other UK institutions, they generally increase. Overall, about half of staff do not receive an au- do not, for example, to US rivals,3 and they lag behind tomatic annual increment (because they are either at the the more “market-sensitive” UK HE employers – some top of the AP scale or are on the P scale). For many rea- near neighbours in London, in particular Imperial and sons, some of our colleagues do not enter these exercises. LSE, also boosted by a London weighting. And others are suspicious about both the fairness of the Looking, for example, at the Times Higher Education proceedings and their impact on what once was called Supplement's annual salary survey, it appears that both equality of esteem – or the simple sense that all academics Imperial College London and the LSE significantly out- here are doing a similar job to the best of our abilities. gun Oxford on both professorial (including Statutory What is furthermore implicit in the current system is and RoD title) and average academic salaries.4 In 2017, that increase in experience is no longer grounds for in- Professors at Cambridge averaged over £85k, whereas at creased pay – higher scale points are simply inflation Oxford the average was just short of £76k. The average adjustment. The tacit justification seems to be that it is for “all academics” favoured Oxford, though (£47,901 perfectly fine for Professor X to be paid exactly the same, vs £45,846). The current salary scales for Cambridge after inflation, ten years after s/he joined. Indeed within lecturer/senior lecturer are £40,792-£51,630 and the professorial range, unless one is willing to apply for £54,765-£58,089 respectively; a reader post is currently regular Merit Payments or negotiate a “retention” deal advertised at £61,618. At Cambridge, college associa- (i.e. get offered a post elsewhere), the norm is pay ero- tions are not as prevalent as in Oxford, and payment for sion. To avoid one’s pay falling year on year, one needs college teaching is in addition to these published salaries. both to engage with the system, and have the time and Note too another difference: Cambridge publishes annu- the energy to apply for regular increments. ally in The Reporter a “Count of all staff in receipt of a There is only so much that the central University can bonus payment” – a level of transparency beyond that in control, for another feature of academic life at Oxford operation here. is the great variation in conditions between colleges. It A number of London institutions pay more on aver- is worth noting that for most academic jobs, college af- age than Oxford at Professorial and other levels; and filiation is decided by something like a lottery – from the both Professorial salaries and the overall average at War- applicant's point of view it is simply a matter of chance wick (averaging £92,400 and £54,399) are superior to as to which posts are associated with which college. For the published figures for Oxford. While these figures can those unfamiliar with the system, these differences may be deceptive, and may depend on local classification and seem strange, even off-putting, and I have heard that it structuring of staff, they suggest that an Oxford appoint- can be an obstacle to academic recruitment from over- ment is far from being the most lucrative on the UK aca- seas. demic job market. The variations can be marked, according to informa- What is more, by any credible measure, the wage tion available on the University’s vacancies page. For a for the same University role, at the same level, has been post of Associate Professor/Professor Ancient Philoso- steadily eroded in recent years by a series of sub-infla- phy at Christ Church, “The total university and college tionary cost-of-living increases. If you are starting out stipend is on the scale £47,263 - £63,463 p.a., plus al- in the profession, you are earning considerably less, in lowances (including housing allowance of £15,000). real terms, than your colleague did when they took on Additional salary of £2,754 p.a. will apply if awarded the equivalent role ten years ago: 21% less, to use UCU’s the title of Professor.” In contrast, the appointee to the figure (see Editorial and the UCU committee's article in Associate Professorship of Archaeological Science in this issue). the School of Archaeology in association with St Cross At the moment, academic salaries for postholders are College, Oxford enjoys “no additional stipend.” That divided essentially into two categories. Associate Profes- is to say, the recognition of distinction award is wiped sors rise up the pay scales in yearly increments, until they out – and some – by difference in college allowances. reach the top of the scale or achieve promotion via the There are further nuances: for an AP/non-tutorial RoD to “full” Professor. That title comes with an addi- fellowship at Saïd Business School/Kellogg College in tional payment of over £2,754 pa,5 and the opportunity Finance, “The successful candidate will be appointed to apply for PMP. These exercises are competitive, an- starting from the scale for Associate Professors; compen- nual, and there is a limited total budget. So if one finds sation is internationally competitive and commensurate oneself in a “strong” cohort, then one’s chances are re- with qualifications.” Do other departments venture the duced (and vice-versa). This introduces a significant level claim that their salaries are “internationally competi- of chance into proceedings. In the last round of PMPs, tive”? This would seem to be at odds with the Univer- I have been told, between 70-80% of applicants were sity’s national benchmarking against the Russell Group. successful. What one cannot know is how many peo- There exists, then, something of a paradox in Oxford. ple who might have won an award did not apply. I have The University recognises the UCU, and takes part in also heard anecdotally of people being discouraged, for national collective bargaining and pay deals. And yet, example by Heads of Department, from applying for some 25% of academic staff (including clinical academ- the title of Professor or for additional increments, on ics) are off the national scale;6 a significant minority have grounds that are nowhere stated in the published crite- negotiated their own individual pay deals; and there are ria. OM readers can probably guess how these individu- additional college emoluments – included in published als felt about this. terms and conditions, and so potentially a factor in re- Around three quarters of those with the Associate cruitment – that have nothing to do with any national Professor title are at the top of the AP scale, and so do 8 Second Week, Hilary Term, 2019 Oxford Magazine
agreements and are awarded by what often amounts to ever more skewed by London wages, with Oxford firmly
a lottery. within commuting range for city lawyers, bankers – and
Three years ago, an anonymous “Oxbridge” academic academics. One college has already set out plans to pay
wrote the following in the The Guardian: a London-weighted living wage. So a further suggestion
is that the University pay – following London institu-
‘The Oxbridge name does open many doors but other op- tions – an Oxford weighting.
portunities, like home ownership and quality family time, are Working at Oxford undoubtedly brings many ad-
closed to me as long as I am here. In years gone by, a young vantages. But here is the question for the University: are
academic with a permanent contract at one of these institutions
could look forward to a financially comfortable life and a ful-
these gains worth it for the many staff here who see their
filling Oxbridge career. wages eroded year on year in a city that becomes ever
But this is no longer the case, as both cities have become more unaffordable?
expensive to the point of being unliveable and salaries have 1
In the light of an article on pensions published in the Magazine last term,
not kept pace. Junior academics [...] are now looking abroad a number of colleagues wrote with questions and suggestions on the subject
for employment opportunities – where academic salaries are of pay. I am grateful to them for sharing their ideas with me.
higher and living costs more manageable.
My advice to talented young academics and scientists is to
2
The University’s Financial Statements contain information on numbers of
staff in the higher pay bands, divided into Clinical and Non-Clinical. See
look elsewhere at this early stage of your career. Oxbridge is an https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/field/field_document/Univer-
attractive brand, but how much can you afford to pay for it?’7 sity%20Financial%20Statements%202016-2017.pdf. In 2016-17, four
non-clinical staff were paid more than £350,000; ten non-clinical more than
I was reminded of a remark made to me by one of my £250,000. A total of 321 non-clinical and 164 clinical staff received more
than £100,000 in the same year.
referees who, on hearing that I’d been offered the post at
Oxford (to move from Leeds), said, “Congratulations. I 3
See e.g. Colleen Flaherty, “Faculty Salaries Up 3%”, Inside Higher Ed 11
do hope you can afford to accept.” The comment speaks April 2018, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/04/11/aaups-
to a further issue: the socio-economic diversity of the annual-report-faculty-compensation-takes-salary-compression-and-
more
University’s employees, and the suspicion in the wider
world that Oxford posts better suit those of independent 4
See https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/times-higher-edu-
means. cation-pay-survey-2017. These figures do not take into account any college
allowances.
What is to be done then? As much as we might sup-
port the UCU’s claim, many of us enjoy conditions be- 5
This year’s figure. The amount increases annually in line with the cost of
yond what our colleagues elsewhere can hope for. But living increase.
despite our status as the best university in the world, 6
It is worth noting that the nationally negotiated pay deals are also applied
salaries here lag behind international competitors, and to all non-clinical staff at Oxford including those who are off the national
even national rivals. For those of us who support collec- scale.
tive bargaining, and feel solidarity with colleagues across 7
https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/nov/20/
the profession, an overt break from the nationally nego- only-the-rich-can-afford-to-work-at-oxford-and-cambridge
tiated salary scales would be at least troubling.
One proposal that I have heard is for all salaries to be 8
See e.g. https://open.buffer.com/salary-formula/ or https://www.green-
lightpharmacy.com/index.php/pages/about_us
made public. Many US public universities publish sala-
ries – in particular of their highest earners. The policy is 9
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uks-biggest-firms-will-have-to-
also used in some progressive and/or cooperative or em- justify-pay-gap-between-bosses-and-their-workers
ployee-owned businesses.8 Might such transparency be 10
http://highpaycentre.org/about/
good for a democratic and collegiate institution like Ox-
ford? The publication of V-Cs’ remuneration packages
has led to some welcome scrutiny both locally and in the
Get a Grip
national press. Above all, pay must be defensible – and
for that it must be known, which is why many think it
should be publicly disclosed. With no secret deals, with
full transparency, it would be much harder to justify in-
creased pay stratification and perhaps lead to a general
improvement. You have to admire a man with grasp. He
A further proposal I have heard is to peg the top ad- Handles things and knows them, like
ministrative/managerial salaries, including the V-C’s, to A seasoned carpenter weighting wood.
a fixed multiple of the joint average. There are propos-
als from government that move tentatively in this direc- Days destined for the album should be
tion – with “listed companies [...] legally be[ing] required Firmly grasped: that shows them, like
to annually publish and justify pay difference between They should be, present, real, good.
chief executives and their staff”.9 Going a step further,
one might adopt some of the proposals of the High Pay And yet they elude you, such days, strangely
Centre, aimed at addressing inequality between manage- Slip. Well, yes, you chose them, like
ment and workers in the UK.10 This would incentivise the One knowing what he’s up to would,
University to give priority to regular pay uplifts across
the board. But that doesn’t sound like you much. See:
In its struggle to be number one, Oxford competes As soon as done you lose them, like
with London institutions for talent, especially in the Something you’d remember if you could.
most “market-sensitive” disciplines. House prices are seamus perry
Oxford Magazine Second Week, Hilary Term, 2019 9When is a College not a College
and does it matter?
G.R. EVANS
The proposal to create a new Oxford ‘College’, released to ‘The quality of the undergraduate – and graduate – experience
the press before Christmas,1 ought to prompt some hard at the Permanent Private Halls, given their overall size, the size
thinking about what a college is and its relationship to the of particular subject cohorts, and the relative financial weak-
University. Oxford has two ‘colleges’, St. Cross and Kellogg, ness of the Halls.’4
which are ‘Societies’, that is, simply Departments of the
University (Statute V,3-6). The proposed new ‘College’ to be The Gazette of 8 December 2011 contained a legislative
housed in the Radcliffe Science Library building, would be proposal for change to Statute V and new Regulations, in
a third. Will this one fall as an additional financial burden the light of the report of a Supervisory Committee which
on the University budget or is a benefactor, perhaps anx- had now conducted discussions with each PPH, seeking ‘to
ious to have it named after him or her, going to be ‘buying’ a establish a new framework for their association with the
piece of the University without realising that he is not going University’.5 That ‘framework’ may now be read in Statute
to be helping to create a real College at all? V and in Regulations.6 The relationship of the PPHs with
Is a real College a ‘constituent part’ of, or strictly an inde- the University remains an ‘association’ and they are under
pendent entity in ‘association’ with, the University? The real its direct supervision.
College is a legally independent entity, normally with its Both Oxford and Cambridge have a variety of atypical
own founder, Visitor and wealth. Some bodies called ‘col- bodies which are not part of the University and not Col-
leges’ fit that description, though only partially, and some leges, but may admit and matriculate students. Like Ox-
which came into existence in a variety of ways were sub- ford’s Permanent Private Halls these may benefit from the
sequently recognised as true Colleges by their University. A University’s watching eye to ensure that their students are
variety of other bodies are able to admit students and pres- not disadvantaged by the non-collegiate status of the body
ent them for matriculation even though they do not appear which has admitted them.
on the list of ‘foundations in Oxford for academic study’ In the case of employment of academics, Oxford and
which are ‘recognised as colleges of the University’ (Statute Cambridge have dealt quite differently with the organisa-
V)? tional difficulties the anomalous non-collegiate entities
‘College’, unlike ‘university’,2 is not a protected term in present. In Oxford a good proportion of academic staff
law. I could start one in my kitchen. Indeed the permission hold conjoint appointments, making them employees of
to do more or less that was granted in the University of Ox- both the University and a College. In Cambridge the Uni-
ford Act 1854 and the University of Cambridge Act 1856, versity Teaching Office is quite separate from any College
in both of which the same wording is used. Any Member Office held and many UTOs choose not to hold College
of the University could seek a licence from the Vice-Chan- posts. Where the entity admitting students is not one of the
cellor to open his ‘residence’ if within a mile and a half of true Colleges, the employment position of its academic staff
Carfax (Oxford) or Great St. Mary’s church (Cambridge), may vary. In Oxford the academic staff of St. Cross and
for the Reception of Students, who ‘shall be matriculated Kellogg Colleges are solely employees of the University. In
and admitted to all the privileges of the University, without Cambridge an atypical entity is free to employ academic
being of necessity entered as Members of any College’.3 But staff independently as it may choose.
regulations about this would have to be in operation first. In the case of their students the tie between college and
They soon were. The Oxford University Statute of 1855 De University is strong in both Universities. Undergraduates
aulis privatis provided what was needed, specifying a Mas- are normally admitted by colleges, societies, halls, or other
ter of Arts or member of Convocation as authorised to open designated institutions (Oxford),7 and by colleges or a vari-
a Hall. These ‘private halls’ were primarily ‘halls of resi- ety of ‘authorities’ (Cambridge),8 which then present them
dence’ but they were clearly more than that, in that those to the University to be matriculated and become members
admitted to them were also to be admitted to membership of the University. An applicant filling in a UCAS form is of-
of the University. fered the option of stating a preferred college. Cambridge’s
Statute G,IV sets out in detail the obligation on colleges not
to allow ‘any person admitted for the purpose of study or
Atypical entities with a ‘matriculation’ relationship with research to remain a resident member of the College’ for
the University more than a few weeks without presenting him or her to the
University for matriculation.9
‘Private Halls’ survive in Oxford in the form of the small Graduate students are admitted in both Oxford and
number of Permanent Private Halls (the ‘permanent’ status Cambridge through Departments and Faculties, with al-
dating from 1918 when the licence was granted to the Hall location to a college following. In Oxford the numbers of
not the Master of Arts). They have given rise to some con- graduate students have ballooned, chiefly as a result of the
cerns from time to time. For example, a small ‘Hall’ might expansion and multiplication of Master’s courses, short, at-
lack the staff to provide for the care and support of students tractive to international students, and cheaper to ‘deliver’
and facilities for a community life which would be usual in than the undergraduate courses with their heavy burden of
a College. A Review Panel to examine the Permanent Pri- tutorial teaching. The Financial Statements give undergrad-
vate Halls chaired by Sir Colin Lucas, set up in 2006 and uate numbers in recent years at a steady 11,700 or so while
reporting in 2007, had clearly in mind: in three years postgraduate numbers have swollen from
10,499 to 11,747, so that now there are more postgradu-
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