OXFORDmagazine No. 406 Eighth Week Hilary Term 2019 How did we get into this mess and 2018; No. 399, 0th Week, MT 2018; how are we going to get out of it? The No.401, 5th Week, MT 2018). The process of proposing a new gradu- University and the city are already ate college has indeed been a mud- bursting at the seams: we find it dif- dle, and a mess if we still believe that ficult to believe that the majority of Congregation is the place where im- our colleagues want the more than portant policy-making is made ac- Haste and one thousand increase in graduate cording to democratic principles. student numbers – plus around half A better understanding of how this that number more undergradu- came about might tell us much about uncertainty ates – being put into effect by the SP the unhealthy state of the University over the next four years. Indeed we referred to in the earlier issues of the wonder how many even realise this is Magazine this term. happening. Those now defending the The first Congregation heard Parks proposals continue to repeat about Parks College was an announcement last Decem- the falsehood that there was no opposition to the SP at ber in the form (and style) of a press release simultane- the Congregation approval meeting (see; Oxford Mag- ously made available internally and to press agencies, azine, No. 405, 5th Week, HT 2019, p. 7). Nor should a plan that was so unanticipated, even in the rumour it be forgotten that the SP itself was, in truth, initiated mill, that it must have been put together in some se- under false pretences (see; Oxford Magazine, No 401, crecy. The speed with which the proposal appeared 5th Week, MT 2018, p.7). after Congregation’s formal approval of the Strategic The intended remit of Parks raises questions of self- Plan (2018-2023) leads one to wonder: why the haste? interest. According to the December news release its The news release read in every way as if Parks was a initial academic aims as well as the specialisations of its fait accompli, such that any serious doubts were not staff and students involve only the MPLS division and to be expected and anyway would now be superflu- the narrow area of AI and Machine Learning: one other ous. But, as the Vice-Chancellor said in her 2017 Ora- area of environmental change is also mentioned but why tion: “Over 2,000 years ago Tacitus pointed out that this in particular relates to AI is far from obvious and is ‘Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay; false- left unexplained even now. In the most recent among a hood by haste and uncertainty.’ With the 24 hour constantly shifting series of iterations of the proposals news cycle and instantaneous social media coverage, “cellular life” has just been added. Apart from its futur- no time is accorded ‘inspection and delay’. It has never istic appeal in the public and political imagination and been more important for universities to represent the no-doubt limitless funding opportunties, where and to inculcate a respect for ‘inspection and delay’ ”. is the case that AI and MPLS deserve this special treat- (Gazette, Suppl. (1) to No. 5180, Vol. 148, October, ment compared to many others? They are not mentioned 2017). in the SP. “Democratic self-governance is a wonderful Parks College is the immediate outcome of a process ideal, it is designed to protect the entire community, not that started with a Strategic Plan which itself raised seri- as a mechanism for the promotion of self-interest.” (Ora- ous concerns (Oxford Magazine, No. 398, 8th Week, TT tion) INSIDE • The new college • The TEF • Access Pages three, four, five, thirty Page nine Page thirteen …and much more Oxford Magazine Eighth Eighth Week, Week, Hilary Hilary Term, Term, 2019 2019 1 The over-reachingly ambitious way in which Parks of use of the RSL – the option to discuss the possibility has been presented to us undermines principles fun- of cancelling the project in its presently proposed form. damental to how this university fondly imagines that If Council does not itself schedule a Discussion meeting it conducts its affairs. The fact that the proposals were with the widest possible remit but merely seeks Congre- not from the start, and have not yet been, brought before gation formal approval by default through a notice in the Congregation is an indictment of those in the position Gazette, it will be interesting to see if anybody puts down to manage information flow and with the power to con- an amendment in order to trigger a meeting. trol the timing of legislative procedures in the interests of news management. Equally, it is also a stark reminder * * * of the apathy that makes Congregation so ineffectual at Is this the way we want our strategic planning to be present. “One of the other rare and admirable attributes conducted? There are many lessons to be drawn from of this University is our system of democratic self-gov- this example of democratic deficit, and the Vice-Chan- ernance, but it requires engagement if it is to work, and it cellor’s sentiments quoted above point to some of them. hasn’t been working well.” (Oration) In particular, this sorry affair serves to reinforce the generally acknowledged need to improve the way Con- * * * gregation works and in particular the way Council and What sort of policy-making process has this been: the Congregation can communicate and collaborate con- drip-drip emergence of details since the original short structively and amicably in policy-making. This is the press release suggests either planning on the hoof or a stated objective of the current Council self-review. We strategy of secret policies only gradually disclosed? The suggest that the following simple requirements are the most recent iteration, an 11-page document confidential minimal necessary preconditions for a realistically effi- to college governing bodies, continues to portray Parks cient and effective collaboration: as a fait accompli. Congregation needs to be provided in a timely man- This landmark episode in the University’s history re- ner and well in advance with information about upcom- flects the growing divide between academics and admin- ing items on Council’s agenda where policies or plans of strators: as they become increasingly immersed in their legitimate interest to Congregation are involved. Only different worlds they understand each other less and less. then can Congregation be in a position to oversee policy A perhaps calculated reluctance to bring the matter be- development before it becomes irreversible. fore Congregation is suggested by the way in which the Practical steps need to be taken to make it easier for plans were first announced and in the fact that no Con- Congregation members to approach University officers gregation meetings have been called this term. Could and Council members to raise concerns and to access it be that the offer of Q&A sessions during the coming further information. vacation merely serves to defuse and delay possible Where appropriate the results of such consulta- opposition? tions need to be reported back in notices (possibly on a But the subject of the new college must presuma- dedicated “Congregation” website) to Congregation bly come to Congregation next term and if our trust in together with any recommendations for possible conse- democratic self-governance is to be restored the meeting quential Congregation meetings or other (postal) actions must surely include – beyond the formal, legally minimal, (such as opinion polls). requirement of approving a new society and the change t.j.h 2 Eighth Week, Hilary Term, 2019 Oxford Magazine Parks College – a brief update LIONEL TARASSENKO Given the importance of the Parks College project, we The issue that has probably been discussed more than have decided that it would be helpful to provide regu- any other is the span of subjects that Parks College will lar updates through a variety of channels, including the accommodate. The initial themes for its interdiscipli- Oxford Magazine. Since the start of this exciting pro- nary research clusters will be (a) Artificial Intelligence ject in Michaelmas Term 2018, I have spoken to more and Machine Learning; (b) Environmental Change; people, received more emails and visited more Univer- and (c) Cellular Life. All these themes provide exciting sity committees than I thought possible. The business opportunities for participation by researchers from all case for the project is still being developed and has been four divisions. Other themes will be introduced as the through many of those committees. The plans for the College Fellowship grows. Once there is a full comple- refurbishment are also taking shape, building on a very ment of graduate students, it is anticipated that Parks good start thanks to the work done by the Radcliffe College will have 6 to 8 inter-disciplinary clusters. Science Library redevelopment project team for the last The Programme Board (which already had strong two years. GLAM representation) is now being expanded to in- At the various committee meetings, I have been giv- clude representatives from each of the four Divisions en the opportunity to set out the latest thinking about and it will continue to guide our thinking. The latest Parks College, and I have then listened carefully to the development is the launch of the Parks College website points made by University colleagues. This term, the (www.ox.ac.uk/parkscollege), on which it is possible to Parks College proposals have been discussed with grad- register for the two 75-minute Q&A sessions for stu- uate student representatives, the staff of the Radcliffe dents (5th and 13th March) or for the two sessions for Science Library (RSL) and at meetings of the follow- staff (19th and 25th March).