Medward’s students call boycott of second year meetings with President

Students at Murray Edwards have drafted an open letter for second years to sign in boycott of going to the one on one second year meetings President Dame Barbara Stocking carries out each year.

The group, calling themselves the 'Murray Edwards Student Collective' say that their overall aim is to try and "make student politics and activism more accessible to all." Their reasons for calling a boycott on the President stem back to her conduct in relation to the Oxfam Scandal in early 2018.

In a statement they comment on Dame Barbara Stocking's use of racially charged language when discussing what had happened in Haiti as well as their colleges response. They agreed with the line that the JCR had taken when the College announced that the President had their full support. Mentioning problems caused around sexual assault and racism particularly, the JCR said at the time that "College must reaffirm its dedication to taking sexual assault seriously and its commitment to survivors and victims over abusers who occupy positions of power."

They also felt that she gave a "weak apology" and that she essentially didn't "admit any wrongdoing."

As President, she has often been accused of insensitivity – for example when she was called out for appropriating Chinese Culture at a halfway hall. However, so far by both the College and university infrastructure as a whole she seems to have been forgiven.