BREAKING: Cambridge fellows vote to SAVE Class Lists

Following a student referendum which decided that CUSU should campaign to save the Class Lists earlier this year, Cambridge fellows have voted to save the Class Lists. 

The vote to reject the Grace and save the Class Lists was 59%, with 41% voting for their abolition.

It was decided over the summer, after a letter signed by 25 fellows was submitted to Senate House, that the issue of Class Lists should go to a a fellows vote. Open for over a week, this ballot closed at which closed at 5pm yesterday, and the University Reporter shared the results this afternoon.

The Grace, proposing the abolition of Class Lists, has since been rejected. 1,241 votes were placed, with 737 voting against the Grace, and 514 in favour. Therefore, Class Lists will be saved.

Democracy prevails?

Just as the Class Lists debate was contentious amongst the student population, with many members of CUSU campaigning for it’s abolition, it has also caused divides throughout the academic body of the university.

Fly sheets circulated prior to the ballot were signed by the heads of six colleges, and seven senior tutors. Yet the fly sheet campaigning for the outright abolition of Class Lists failed to mention the student referendum in which the majority voted to campaign to keep Class Lists with an easier opt-out system.

Cambridge is addicted to referenda

Masters of Corpus Christi and Jesus College put their names to the campaign for the outright abolition of Class Lists, whilst the heads of Queens’, Christ’s, Caius and Trinity were named in support of the retention of Class Lists.

Gonville and Caius stands as the only college with a visibly strong stance on the Class Lists, with both the Master and the Senior Tutor putting their names to documents in support of keeping Class Lists.

It is unknown what the circumstances will be surrounding CUSU’s policy of ‘keeping class lists with an easier opt-out procedure’ since this matter was not up for debate during the vote on the Grace of Regent House.

Regardless, it is now incredibly clear that, in some form or another, Class Lists are here to stay.