Skip to main contentCambridge University Reporter

No 6446

Wednesday 30 November 2016

Vol cxlvii No 12

pp. 146–175

Notices

Calendar

2 December, Friday. Full Term ends.

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

19 December, Monday. Michaelmas Term ends.

20 December, Tuesday. Discussion at 2 p.m. in the Senate-House.

Discussion on Tuesday, 6 December 2016

The Vice-Chancellor invites those qualified under the regulations for Discussions (Statutes and Ordinances , p. 103) to attend a Discussion in the Senate-House on Tuesday, 6 December 2016, at 2 p.m. for the discussion of:

1. Joint Report of the Council and the General Board, dated 21 November and 18 November 2016, on the consideration of student complaints of harassment and sexual misconduct (Reporter, 6445, 2016–17, p. 132).

Office of Registrary

28 November 2016

Dr Jonathan Nicholls retires from the office of Registrary on 31 December 2016. Following advertisement and a search process supported by recruitment consultants, the Council has decided not to appoint substantively to the office of Registrary at this time. The Council has agreed to appoint Emma Rampton, currently Academic Secretary, as Acting Registrary under Statute C VI 5 for a period of two years with effect from 1 January 2017. This will allow the Vice-Chancellor-Elect to start a new process for the appointment of a permanent Registrary at a time of his own choosing in the first year of his tenure.

Ballots of the Regent House: Voting now open

The following ballots are currently open for voting by members of the Regent House:

Ballot on Grace 3 of 13 July 2016 regarding the public display of class-lists and related matters.

Election to the Council of two candidates in class (b): Professors and Readers.

Election to the Council of four candidates in class (c): Other members of the Regent House.

Voting information, including fly-sheets and candidate statements, is available online at http://www.governance.cam.ac.uk/ballots/voting/Pages/Ballot-MT2016.aspx [raven only]. Voting closes at 5 p.m. on Thursday, 8 December 2016.

EU Public Procurement Regulations

21 November 2016

The Council, on the advice of the Finance Committee, has declared that the University continues to remain outside the scope of the EU Public Procurement Regulations as it is less than 50% publicly funded. The calculation is carried out annually to ensure that it remains possible to make the declaration. It is the Council’s intention that the University’s procurement procedures should continue to follow the good practice set out in the regulations and in the University’s Financial Regulations (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 1004; see also http://www.finance.admin.cam.ac.uk/policy-and-procedures/financial-regulations).

IT Review: Report of the Progress Review Group

28 November 2016

In July 2013, the recommendations of a Joint Report of the Council and the General Board on IT infrastructure and support, as amended by Notice, were approved by ballot (Reporter, 2012–13; 6302, p. 418; 6308, p. 547; 6315, p. 678). The University Information Services (UIS) was constituted as an institution under the supervision of the Council, replacing the University Computing Service and the Management Information Services Division of the University Offices, under a new office of Director of Information Services, and the Information Services Committee (ISC) was established as a new committee, reporting to the Council and the General Board, to oversee the work of UIS.

The Information Services Committee, in April 2016, commissioned a progress review to ‘assess the extent to which the aims and recommendations of the Review of IT Infrastructure and Support have been realized and to report to the ISC on any changes in approach or additional actions that are needed to deliver fully the intentions set out in the Review.’ The report of the Group tasked with the review has been received by the General Board and the Council and is now available at http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/cam-only/reporter/2016-17/weekly/6446/IT-Review.pdf. The Council and the General Board note the considerable progress that has been made and the ongoing challenges, and support the findings. In particular they accept the recommendation that the role of the ISC should be refocussed so that it can drive the development of an Information Services Strategy for the University.

Discipline Committee

24 November 2016

The Discipline Committee met on 30 September 2016 to consider a charge brought by the University Advocate on a complaint by the Senior Proctor against an undergraduate member of the University in relation to a Tripos examination. The Committee consisted of: Dr L. A. Merrett, T (Chair); Ms N. Blanning, JN; Dr P. J. Barrie, EM; Dr A. Winter, CHR; and Dr S. T. C. Siklos, JE. Dr C. A. East acted as Secretary to the Committee, with Ms J. Farmer-Eynon assisting. On the application of the Charged Person, the Committee consisted of senior members only and sat in camera.

The Charged Person was charged with two offences contrary to Regulation 7 of the General Regulations for Discipline, namely that they had used unfair means in an examination as part of a Tripos examination in 2016, specifically that the Charged Person had had in their possession without authorization material relevant to the examination, namely a mobile telephone containing stored files of revision notes, and had made use of these in the examination. The Charged Person pleaded guilty. The University Advocate outlined the circumstances of the case and the Charged Person’s representative presented the Charged Person’s case and addressed the Committee in mitigation.

The Committee listened to the case in mitigation and noted that the Charged Person was hard-working and normally well behaved. Note was taken of the guilty plea made and the remorse expressed. The Committee hoped that the Charged Person would learn from the mistake made. However, the Committee needed to make clear the serious nature of the offence. The Charged Person had deliberately taken a mobile phone into an examination and deliberately used material that should not have been used. Taking all factors into account, the Committee ordered that the mark for the paper be reduced to zero and that, given the seriousness of the offence and the deliberate nature of the actions, the Vice- Chancellor would be advised to issue an amended class-list placing the Charged Person in Class III for the Part Ib examination in place of the original classification, in accordance with Statute D II 16.