Yesterday afternoon Vice-chancellor Stephen Toope held a meeting with student leaders in Cambridge, including senior JCR figures and CUSU liberation campaign representatives, as well as CUSU and Graduate Union elected representatives.

Toope began the meeting with a speech that “emphasised the values of openness and joining up,” although the commitment to transparency seemed to fall flat as the meeting was closed to members of the student press and students who do not hold roles within their JCRs or CUSU.

One student who attended labelled the meeting “an attempt to save face, unfortunately.” The same student said “he didn’t really address the questions in a particularly satisfactory manner.” Questions ranged from how the University will protect students and academics of colour facing media attacks, in reference to attacks on Dr Priyamvada Gopal and CUSU Women’s Officer Lola Olufemi, to how it will aid survivors of sexual assault.

Toope stressed that he alone cannot decide whether Cambridge divests from fossil fuels, saying he does not hold “a line management role,” and lacks authority over people in the University who do not report directly to him. He claimed to play a “servant leadership” role, through carrying out leadership duties without setting specific policies himself. He pointed to the University Council as the key decision-maker, with Regent House being able to challenge Council decisions.

Increasing pressure fell on Toope to hold a meeting for students in the wake of student divestment efforts in Cambridge. The University’s divestment working group report was debated during a University Council meeting on Monday, as divestment activists rallied outside. This followed an occupation of the University finance offices last week by 15 members of Cambridge’s Zero Carbon society.

According to CUSU, those attending were allowed to ask Toope questions and give suggestions for areas of improvement they would like to see at the University. Discussion points included decolonisation, with students speaking about “the impact of the narrow and white curriculum on access, the experience of minority students at the University, and indeed the future of the University itself.”

The relationship between students and senior management staff has been strained after last term saw 14 days of industrial strike action, with questions still remaining over how student exam performance will be affected by missed teaching hours.

Toope held an open meeting at the end of last term in Great St Mary’s Church, with around 550 students and staff in attendance, following a five day occupation of the Old Schools building by student activist groups. At the last meeting, students raised topics from divestment to Prevent, and Toope emphasised his inability to direct all University policy – saying “you may have sensed a theme, which is that vice-chancellors don’t have control over the university.”