Skip to main contentCambridge University Reporter

No 6578

Wednesday 19 February 2020

Vol cl No 20

pp. 346–353

Notices

Calendar

21 February, Friday. Congregation of the Regent House at 2 p.m. (see below and p. 352).

23 February, Sunday. Preacher before the University at 11.15 a.m., Professor Rae Langton, N, Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy (Hulsean Preacher).

  3 March, Tuesday. Discussion at 2 p.m. in the Senate-House (see below).

  4 March, Wednesday. End of third quarter of Lent Term.

Discussions (Tuesdays at 2 p.m.)

Congregations (Saturdays unless otherwise stated)

  3 March

21 February, Friday at 2 p.m.

17 March

21 March, at 11 a.m.

28 March, at 11 a.m.

Discussion on Tuesday, 3 March 2020

The Vice-Chancellor invites those qualified under the regulations for Discussions (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 105) to attend a Discussion in the Senate-House on Tuesday, 3 March 2020 at 2 p.m., for the discussion of:

1. Topic of Concern to the University: Enabling accessible, safe cycling and sustainable transport (Reporter, 6575, 2019–20, p. 306).

2. Report of the Council, dated 19 February 2020, on the partial demolition of the Atlas Building, West Cambridge, and the erection of modular storage and staff welfare facilities for the University Safety Office (p. 350).

3. Report of the General Board, dated 18 February 2020, on the establishment of a Professorship (p. 351).

In addition to those entitled to attend under the regulations, the discussion of item 1 will be open to all students and employees of the University Group and the Colleges.

Further information on Discussions, including details on format and attendance, is provided at https://www.governance.cam.ac.uk/governance/decision-making/discussions/.

Congregation of the Regent House on 21 February 2020

17 February 2020

The Vice-Chancellor gives notice under the provisions of Special Ordinance A (i) 2 that the Congregation called for Saturday, 22 February 2020 at 2 p.m. will instead commence at 2 p.m. on Friday, 21 February, for the submission of Graces and the Supplicat for degrees. It is expected that the Congregation will then be adjourned. Access to the Congregation for members of the Regent House who wish to be present will be via Trinity Lane and the Old Schools, as the Yard is currently closed. The Supplicat List will be posted beforehand outside the Old Schools as well as in the Old Schools Arcade as usual. Members of the Regent House should be prepared to show their University Card or other form of photographic ID in order to gain entry and are asked to be present by 1.50 p.m.

Joint Report of the Council and the General Board on the introduction of a final degree classification: Notice in response to Discussion remarks

The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 4 February 2020 (Reporter, 6577, 2019–20, p. 343) concerning the above Report (Reporter, 6574, 2019–20, p. 300). The Council has consulted with the General Board in preparing this response.

Professor Evans is right to suggest that the University should be asking itself questions about its practices in light of the Office for Students (OfS) conditions of registration, and it continues to do so and to propose changes where necessary. Indeed, it is these questions, self-reflections and considerations that give rise to the risk identified in the Report in relation to the OfS condition B3 and reinforce the case for a cumulative degree classification.

The OfS Regulatory Framework elaborates on its B3 requirement that ‘providers must deliver successful outcomes for all students, which are recognised and valued by employers and/or enable further study’, specifying that there are a range of ‘student outcomes indicators’, including ‘degree and other outcomes’. This reinforces the idea that the University must signal a clear outcome for the whole degree, and move beyond the current year‑by‑year outcome given.

There is no question of Final Examiners exercising academic judgement on the student’s performance in a subject outside of their expertise. In the case of the Management Studies Tripos, students taking the Tripos in their third year will be classed using the 0:30:70 weighting scheme. The marks and class from the second year will already have been decided by the relevant Tripos Examiners and will not be subject to change. Students that change Tripos will be classed using the relevant Part II scheme, and if their new Tripos uses the 0:30:70 scheme (or a similar variation), their second year marks and class will not be amended by the Final Examiners.

Professor Evans suggests that the ‘piling up of performances’ by cumulative classification could come close to introducing modular degrees. This proposal is not an attempt to introduce modular degrees. As Dr Holmes notes, the aim is to make Cambridge degree results clear to all. The Careers Service supports the changes because there is evidence from employers that the University’s degree results are not understood.

Professor Evans should be reassured that any Department or Faculty wishing to formalise Part II as the defining degree classification will be able to do so. The consultation showed that, whilst some favoured the 0:0:100 scheme, many Departments believed a 0:30:70 scheme would be more suited to their disciplines and others had particular needs that did not fit either the 0:0:100 or the 0:30:70 schemes. As Dr Holmes notes, the General Board has listened to those comments and offered two main models and the option to apply to the General Board’s Education Committee for the use of a different scheme.

The Council is submitting a Grace (Grace 2, p. 352) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report.

Statute approved (age limit on membership of the Regent House and other related matters)

17 February 2020

The Registrary has received notice from the Clerk of the Privy Council that Her Majesty the Queen, at a Council held on 12 February 2020, was pleased to approve amendments to Statute A III 11, which were submitted under the Common Seal of the University in accordance with Grace 1 of 20 March 2019.

These changes remove the age limit on Regent House membership and transfer provisions concerning the membership to Special Ordinance. The Council has agreed that these changes will come into effect from the promulgation of the Roll on 6 November 2020.

Accounts of the Colleges

The Registrary has receive the accounts of the Colleges for the year ended 30 June 2019. The accounts are available to view on the individual College websites as follows:

Christ’s College

https://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/college-accounts

Churchill College

https://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/about/official-documents/accounts/

Clare College

http://www.clare.cam.ac.uk/Strategic-Information/

Clare Hall

https://www.clarehall.cam.ac.uk/publications-statutes-and-documents-0

Corpus Christi College

https://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/about-corpus/college-documents

Darwin College

http://www.darwin.cam.ac.uk/annual-trustees-report-and-accounts

Downing College

http://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/about/documents-and-policies/downing-college-annual-reports-and-accounts

Emmanuel College

https://www.emma.cam.ac.uk/about/documents/

Fitzwilliam College

http://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/about/official-information

Girton College

https://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/girton-community/college-accounts/

Gonville and Caius College

https://www.cai.cam.ac.uk/discover/strategy-and-policies/finance-and-annual-reports

Homerton College

http://www.homerton.cam.ac.uk/PublicDocuments

Hughes Hall

https://www.hughes.cam.ac.uk/about-us/official-documents/

Jesus College

https://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/college/about-us/freedom-information-and-publication-scheme/financial-matters

King’s College

http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/about/accounts.html

Lucy Cavendish College

https://www.lucy.cam.ac.uk/reports-accounts

Magdalene College

https://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/administration/accounts

Murray Edwards College

https://www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/legal-operational-policies-and-publication-scheme/college-operations

Newnham College

https://www.newn.cam.ac.uk/about/freedom-of-information/foi-pub-schemes-further-info/foi-docs/

Pembroke College

https://www.pem.cam.ac.uk/college/about-pembroke/legal-information/accounts

Peterhouse

https://www.pet.cam.ac.uk/accounts

Queens’ College

https://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/life-at-queens/documents-policy/financial-statements

Robinson College

https://www.robinson.cam.ac.uk/about-robinson/foia-publications

St Catharine’s College

https://www.caths.cam.ac.uk/about-us/college-documents

St Edmund’s College

http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/college-accounts

St John’s College

https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/RCCA 2018-19 Signed.pdf

Selwyn College

http://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/selwyn-college/finances-and-governance/

Sidney Sussex College

https://www.sid.cam.ac.uk/aboutus/publications/accounts/

Trinity College

https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/College-Accounts-2019.pdf

Trinity Hall

https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/about/college-governance/financial-information/

Wolfson College

https://www.wolfson.cam.ac.uk/about-wolfson/governance/accounts