News Column: Week Three

It may be the end of May, but the temperature has had other plans and decided to pretend that it is winter all over again. Not to worry. The Tab is here to cheer you up with the weekly round-up of news. From admissions data for the 2020 undergraduate intake being released to the revival of St Catherine’s allotment, the week during which COVID restrictions eased across the country has meant there has been a lot going in Cambridge. Happy reading!

New record on BAME admissions to Cambridge. The University accepted a record number of British students from BAME backgrounds in 2020. 29.3 per cent of those admitted to Cambridge in 2020 were from BAME backgrounds, up from 27.8 per cent in 2019. That equates to 904 students, compared to 738 last year. Graham Virgo, the senior pro-vice-chancellor, told the BBC, “What these statistics show is that we are meeting, or even exceeding, our benchmark targets. It’s encouraging to see the number of BAME students rising again. We have a commitment to seeing more students from underrepresented backgrounds here at Cambridge and this work will continue.” A more detailed breakdown of the University’s undergraduate admissions statistics can be found here.

Protesters gather in Cambridge in support of Palestine. Demonstrators in support of Palestine took to the streets of Cambridge last Saturday (15/05) following the latest renewal of armed conflict between Israel and Hamas. One of many similar protests across the country over the past few weeks, the rally organised by the Cambridge Palestine Forum and the Stop the War Coalition was attended by students at the University and activist groups. Protesters held placards reading “Gaza can’t breathe” and “Stop the massacre”. The Cambridge University Palestine Society said, “Mobilisation around Palestine is now more important than ever. It has been excellent to see so many people out on the streets protesting and standing in solidarity with Palestinians across the West Bank, Israel and Jerusalem.”

A rally in support of Palestine took place in Cambridge last Saturday (15/05) (Image: Hazel Wood)

Removal of “Women and Music” paper provokes student backlash. The Music Faculty has faced backlash following the decision to remove the “Women and Music” paper from the 2021-22 paper options for Part 1B of the Music Tripos. An open letter calling on the Faculty to reinstate the paper gained over 200 signatures. The open letter said that the paper dealt with issues of gender and sexuality which were “otherwise inadequately represented”. In a statement, the Faculty said, “Student feedback in the latter half of the 2020 prioritised a wish for decolonial agendas to be fully integrated across the teaching programme. Irrespective of its quality, the ‘Women and Music’ paper was cited by students as emblematic of an ‘add-in’ approach that hindered such integration.”

Cambridge to offer online courses to professionals worldwide. Cambridge is to start offering online courses aimed at professionals across the world. Run by Cambridge Advance Online, Cambridge University Press, and Cambridge Assessment, the project aims to develop of portfolio of 50 short, cross-disciplinary courses over the next five years. The University’s website says that the courses will allow learners to “develop their skills” and “specialise in emerging areas that address global challenges”. The first four courses open for enrolment this July are Product Technology Roadmapping, Bioanotechnology from Theory to Practice, Business from Bioscience, and Research Commercialisation and Technology Transfer. Stephen Toope, the vice-chancellor, said, “Although in-person teaching remains at the heart of a Cambridge education, the experience of the past year has further highlighted opportunities to enhance teaching with digital technology, and has only accelerated work already under way to expand our education offer through online learning.”

The women’s cricket Varsity match is set to played at Lord’s from 2022 onwards (Image: Ben Marsh (Creative Commons Licence))

Women’s cricket Varsity match to played at Lord’s. The women’s cricket Varsity match next year is set to be played at Lord’s. The prestigious cricket ground in St John’s Wood in London has until now only served as the venue for the men’s Varsity Match. The women’s matches have meanwhile taken place at Wormsley in Buckinghamshire. From 2022 onwards, the men’s and the women’s teams likely to play Twenty20s at Lord’s on the same day. Vanessa Picker and Róisín McCallion, the co-founders of the group Stamp Out Sexism which campaigned for the change said in a statement, “By committing to involving both men and women equally at Lord’s next year, a strong signal has now been sent to other clubs and organisations regarding the importance of gender equality.” The decision awaits its final confirmation, a process which may take sometime. Nonetheless, senior treasurer of Cambridge University Cricket Club Ken Siddle said, “The principle has been established.”

St Catherine’s revives its College allotment. St Catherine’s has revived its College allotment following the three national lockdowns using a grant from their Master’s Fund. Students at St Catherine’s are encouraged to get involved with the allotment, which is located near the College’s sports pitches. Peter Bolgar, a PhD student at St Catherine’s, reflected, “Gardening is an important way to switch off from my PhD research – it gives me a reason to take a break and walk over to check on the plants. It also encourages me to be more patient because it can take weeks or months before I see the results of my labours.”

Cover image: Bilyana Tomova and Jacob Gaskell