No 6253
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Vol cxlii No 18
pp. 422–441
The Council submits the following Graces to the Regent House. These Graces, unless they are withdrawn or a ballot is requested in accordance with the regulations for Graces of the Regent House (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 107), will be deemed to have been approved at 4 p.m. on Friday, 10 February 2012.
1. That the recommendations in paragraph 4 of the Report of the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine, dated 28 November 2011, on the M.D. Degree (Reporter, 2011–12, p. 314) be approved.
2. That a Scott Polar Scholarship Fund be established in the University to be governed by the following regulations:1
1. The Scott Polar Scholarship Fund was established at the centenary of the year in which Captain R. F. Scott and his four companions reached the South Pole and perished on their return journey, to mark their achievements and the scientific legacy of Scott’s Discovery and Terra Nova expeditions to Antarctica.
2. The income from the Fund shall be used to contribute to the fees, maintenance, and field research of postgraduate students at the Scott Polar Research Institute, to enable them to undertake scientific and other related research on polar topics. Scholarships supporting such research, in whole or in part, shall be advertised from time to time by the Managers of the Fund.
3. The Managers of the Fund shall be the Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute and two persons, who would normally be based in the Scott Polar Research Institute, appointed by the Faculty Board of Earth Sciences and Geography to serve for periods of four years at a time.
3. That, on the recommendation of the Board of Graduate Studies, Regulation 12 of the General Regulations for admission as a Graduate Student and Regulation 16 of the General Regulations for the M.St. Degree, be amended in each case by deleting the words ‘by the Secretary to the candidate’ in the first paragraph and by inserting the following text at the end of each of those regulations.2
A student, or her or his Tutor with the student’s consent, may seek review of a decision in relation to that student made by the Board of Graduate Studies. A request for review shall be made in writing, stating the grounds of review, normally within one month of written notification of the Board’s decision (unless, in exceptional circumstances, the Registrary or a deputy permits a longer period). If the request includes, in the opinion of the Chair of the Board, relevant additional information not previously available, the Board will reconsider its decision at its next meeting following receipt of the request. If no such additional information is included or if, on reconsideration, the decision is reaffirmed by the Board, the procedure described in the following paragraphs shall apply.
The Registrary or a deputy shall appoint a reviewer. Exceptionally, a panel of three reviewers may be appointed. If so, references below to ‘the reviewer’ shall be construed accordingly.
The reviewer will consider the request, the documentation available to the Board (less any confidential medical information), the Ordinances which apply to the Board’s decision, and the Board’s Notes of Guidance. He or she will obtain an opinion from the Board, seek such other information as he or she may require and, at her or his discretion, may hold a hearing (but there is no obligation to hold a hearing). The reviewer will issue an adjudication in writing as soon as possible, stating findings of fact, conclusions, and, if any, recommendations, for consideration by the Board. The reviewer shall be concerned with determining whether there is evidence of: inadequate consideration of the matter by the Board; the Board having made a decision, to the detriment of the student, which is inconsistent with the relevant Ordinances or its own Notes of Guidance; or material circumstances of which the Board was unaware and which were of such a nature as, had the Board been so aware, to have been likely to cause the Board to have reached a different decision.
The Board shall normally accept the recommendation of the reviewer. If, exceptionally, the reviewer’s recommendation is not accepted a written explanation shall be provided to the reviewer, the student, and her or his Tutor. The Board may decide not to accept a recommendation in any instance in which: (i) the reviewer has sought to make a decision replacing that of the Board; (ii) the reviewer’s recommendation is inconsistent with the Ordinances governing Allowances; or (iii) the reviewer’s recommendation is such that, were it to be accepted, it would set a precedent which would not be in the interests of the proper conduct of the Board’s business or in the wider interests of the University.
The conclusion of the consideration by the Board of Graduate Studies of any recommendation by a review shall be the normal final point of decision within the University. A reviewer may summarily dismiss an application which seems to her or him to be vexatious or frivolous.
4. That Regulations 1, 3, and 4 for the Prince Philip Scholarships Fund be amended so as to read:3
1. The sums provided for scholarships by the Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong shall form a fund called the Prince Philip Scholarships Fund. The income of the Fund shall be applied to provide scholarships for students who are Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card holders at the time of application and have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 7 years, in order that they may become matriculated members of the University following courses leading to a degree or other qualification of the University.
3. The first charge on the Fund shall be the provision of scholarships, called Prince Philip Scholarships, for Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card holders at the time of application who have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 7 years and who are intending to study for the B.A. Degree. Not fewer than three Prince Philip Scholarships shall be awarded in each year, provided that candidates of sufficient merit present themselves.
4. Subject to the provisions of Regulations 1 and 3, any unexpended income of the Fund may be used by the Managers to provide scholarships, called Prince Philip Graduate Scholarships, for Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card holders at the time of application who have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 7 years and who are intending to undertake postgraduate study leading to a degree or other qualification of the University.
1 See the Vice-Chancellor's Notice on p. 423.
2Statutes and Ordinances, pp. 415 and 519. By Grace 2 of 21 July 2010, approval of Master’s level qualifications was devolved from the Board of Graduate Studies to the relevant Degree Committees. The reference to the Secretary of the Board is therefore no longer appropriate. The proposed amendment to the regulations further sets out a procedure for review of a decision by the Board in respect of allowing a candidate a degree or other qualification or allowing examination or re-examination.
3Statutes and Ordinances, p. 870. The Managers of the Fund, with the concurrence of the Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong, have proposed that Prince Philip Graduate Scholarships should in future be restricted to candidates from Hong Kong, as was the original purpose of the Fund, rather than being open also to students from the People’s Republic of China and from Taiwan.