Graces

Graces submitted to the Regent House on 13 November 2024

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 These Graces, unless they are withdrawn or a ballot is requested in accordance with the regulations for Graces of the Regent House ( Statutes and Ordinances, p. 112), will be deemed to have been approved at 4 p.m. on Friday, 22 November 2024. Further information on requests for a ballot or the amendment of Graces is available to members of the Regent House on the Regent House Petitions site.§

1. The Regent House, as the governing body of the University, requests1

(a)that the University disclose in aggregate form the direct and indirect exposure of its investments within and outside the Endowment Fund in companies whose business is concerned with the arms industry, as defined below;^[1] and that the University commits to divest from the arms industry within the time period specified below; and

(b)that the Council publish a Report to the University within six months of issuance of this Grace setting out how the University will divest from the arms industry. This Report should:

(i)provide costed details of how the University will divest from the arms industry; and

(ii)consider the effects of divestment on the university’s mission and function; and

(iii)set out a timetable for divestment which is to be completed no later than the beginning of Michaelmas Term 2025 – with the understanding that divestment from private equity funds may require further time.

(c)that the Council put in place measures to ascertain that divestment has been completed, and to prevent future investments of this kind. Information on this category of investments should be included in the annual report of the Cambridge University Endowment Fund henceforth.

^[1]  Utilising the Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group’s recommendations, companies are classified as belonging to the arms industry if:

(i)they are involved in the production or supply of indiscriminate weaponry (defined as nuclear weapons, anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, chemical weapons or biological weapons), with no turnover threshold to be applied; or

(ii)they are involved in the production, processing, supply or storage of weapons-grade nuclear fissile materials, with no turnover threshold to be applied; or

(iii)they are involved in the provision of strategic parts or services for anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, chemical weapons or biological weapons, with no turnover threshold to be applied; or

(iv)they derive more than 10% of their turnover from strategic military sales including conventional military platforms, whole military systems, weaponry or strategic military parts or services; or

(v)further to this definition, this Grace adds: they are technological surveillance companies that derive more than 10% of their revenue from their technologies being used by states for military purposes; or they are companies associated with violations of international humanitarian conventions, laws and regulations.

2. That, on the recommendation of the General Board, a Dawson Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health be established in perpetuity from 1 October 2025, placed in the Schedule to Special Ordinance C (vii) 1, and assigned to the Department of Psychology.2

3. That a Dawson Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health Fund be established in the University, to be governed by the following regulations:2

Dawson Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health Fund

1. The funds received from Cambridge in America following a donation from Peter and Christina Dawson, together with such other sums as may be received or applied for the same purpose, shall form an endowment fund called the Dawson Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health Fund to advance research in the field of young people’s mental health by supporting a Dawson Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health.

2. The Managers shall be responsible for the administration of the Fund and the application of its income and shall comprise the Head of the Department of Psychology, the Head of the School of the Biological Sciences and a member nominated by the Faculty Board of Biology, one of whom shall be appointed Chair by the Faculty Board.

3. Subject to Regulation 4, the income of the Fund shall be applied towards the payment of the stipend, national insurance, pension contributions, and associated indirect costs of the Professorship payable by the University.

4. Any unexpended income in any financial year, including income accrued during a vacancy in the Professorship, may at the discretion of the Managers:

(a)be applied to support the work of the Professor;

(b)with the approval of the Council of the School of the Biological Sciences, be applied to support research in the field of young people’s mental health in the University in such manner as may be recommended by the Managers; and/or

(c)be carried forward for use as income in accordance with Regulation 3 in any one or more subsequent financial years.

E. M. C. RAMPTON, Registrary

END OF THE OFFICIAL PART OF THE ‘REPORTER’