Students sign open letter criticising History Faculty’s conduct over recent Tit Hall scandal

The History Faculty told students to refrain from speaking out


CN: Mention of sexual assault and harassment.

Following the History Faculty’s email telling students to refrain from speaking out about the recent Trinity Hall scandal, Owen Dowling, the Student History Faculty Board Rep, has circulated an ‘Open Letter to the History Faculty’, which he calls “a student response to the email”.

Dowling states in the email that students are able to sign "if they wish", and declined to comment on this story.

It is addressed to Professor Alexandra Walsham, Professor of Modern History and Chair of the Faculty of History, who sent the original email.

At the time of writing, 102 students and alumni have signed the letter, which says “We, the undersigned students at the Faculty of History, are writing to express our disappointment, shock, and anger”.

The letter comes days after it was revealed in an investigation by Tortoise that the Master of Trinity Hall, Revd Canon Dr Jeremy Morris, allowed the acting Senior Tutor at the college, Dr William O’Reilly, to conduct an investigation into a sexual assault case at the college, while he himself was under investigation for sexual assault. Dr. O’ Reilly currently teaches undergraduate and graduate students as a Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History.

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An excerpt of the letter

The letter states “O’Reilly has not been formally investigated by either his College or University” and critiques the History Faculty: “You chose to dismiss the concerns of students and staff without any consideration for the distress this has caused, especially to those who are survivors of sexual assault.”

It also says: “the Faculty is actively contributing to a broader culture of silence and fear, where both students and staff alike are discouraged from speaking out about abuse and misconduct.”

After outlining the recent scandal, the letter continues to ask for action to be taken: “We, the signatories of this open letter, ask that you take immediate steps to restore the trust of students who no longer feel safe and cared for in their own department”. The letter asks for The History Faculty to act on the following two demands:

1. “Issuing an apology for and retracting this email, recognising the distress which it has caused amongst students and that it contributes to a wider culture of silencing victims of sexual assault”

2. “Suspending Dr. O’ Reilly from faculty teaching pending further investigation of the allegations against him, in the interests of the safety of students and staff, particularly those who he has close contact with and direct position of authority over”

The group of students who authored the letter told the Cambridge Tab:

"The decision to write an open letter was taken due to the widespread distress that the history faculty chair’s email caused amongst the student population. We felt it was unacceptable that the faculty seems more concerned with preserving its own image and closing ranks around ‘one of its own’, rather than taking the experiences of survivors of sexual assault seriously. The email sent actively contributes to the culture of fear and intimidation which forces survivors into silence and reinforces the normalisation of harassment."

The Cambridge Tab spoke to a history student who has signed they petition. They said:

"The email from the history faculty asks the history students to be complicit with failings of student welfare, and quite starkly and jarringly shows the way in which the faculty will offer its support to a member accused of sexual assault and who still continues to teach both undergraduates and postgraduates – a level of support many survivors of sexual assault in Cambridge do not receive."

A University spokesperson told The Cambridge Tab:

"The Faculty of History, along with the University, takes its safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. It is also fully aware that the experiences of students involved in any incident of alleged sexual misconduct can be extremely traumatic.

"The University regards the welfare of its students as its highest priority. In this instance it believes it has taken the necessary steps to protect this. If this changes, then further action will be taken at the appropriate point.

"The Faculty of History is not trying to silence students. The email from the Chair of Faculty was a request to exercise restraint in public comment regarding an individual who has not been charged with a crime and who vigorously asserts his innocence. It is the same advice that the University offers when students find themselves in difficult situations."

Earlier this week, it was revealed that disgraced Trinity Hall academic, Dr Peter Hutchinson wrote erotic fiction about students under a pseudonym. Following these events, the Master of Trinity Hall has deleted his Twitter account, and CUSU has called for resignations.

The university service Breaking the Silence includes advice on support and reporting for victims of sexual harassment, and this is the direct link for its anonymous reporting.

The Chair of the History Faculty has been contacted for comment.