The following statement, sent to Varsity on 10th March, is from concerned senior members of the university regarding the Vice-Chancellor's decision to reject amendments to Grace on tuition fees:

"As academic and academic-related staff at the University of Cambridge, we condemn the decision by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz to reject two amendments to the University Council's Grace on tuition fees on the unreasonable grounds that they are 'incompatible with the main purpose' of the original Grace.  Neither amendment contradicts the main purpose of the Grace, which is to raise tuition fees to the highest level
possible.

The amendment drafted by members of the Cambridge Academic Campaign for Higher Education and others called for a detailed and transparent financial rationale for any fee imposed and for the final figure to be ratified by the Regent House, as well as for a commitment to preserve bursaries.  This did not in any way preclude the making of an access agreement prior to that final figure being ratified.

The amendment sponsored by the Cambridge University Students' Union called for financial clarity and for bursaries to be guaranteed in order to protect and foster access, a goal to which the University itself will be bound by law should it charge fees above the basic amount.

Given that neither amendment challenged the University's declared intention to raise tuition fees substantially, the Vice-Chancellor's decision to reject them--and to put neither to vote--is both suprising and dismaying.  We are particularly concerned that the Vice-Chancellor should have rejected these amendments outright rather than referring them to Council for consideration as separate Graces, as was within his power.

We therefore call on the Vice-Chancellor to reverse his decision, which violates the spirit of self-governance on which this University was founded, and to put both amendments to a democratic vote.

In the absence of these amendments, or any other safeguards which provide for transparency, accountability and access, we must call on members of Regent House to vote 'non placet' to Council's unamended Grace."

Signed by:

Dr Tara Alberts
Dr Anne Alexander
Dr Houshang Ardavan
Alexis Artaud de La Ferriere
Dr Mete Atature
Dr Hugo Azérad
Professor Zygmunt G. Baranski
Dr Tarak Barkawi
Bruce Beckles
Dr Duncan Bell
Dr Deborah Bowman
Dr Elizabeth Boyle
Dr Catherine Burke
Dr Tim Button
Dr Christopher Burlinson
Dr Jenny Chamarette
Dr David Clifford
Dr Joanna Craigwood
T. J. Cribb
Dr Carly L. Crouch
Professor Richard Drayton
Dr Ben Etherington
Dr Georgina Evans
Dr Alastair Fraser
Charles French
Dr Bernhard Fulda
Christophe Gagne
Dr Sinéad Garrigan-Mattar
Professor Vic Gatrell
Heather Glen
Mr Martin Golding
Dr Priyamvada Gopal
Dr Robert Gordon
Dr Mia Gray
Dr Boris (Berry) Groisman
Dr Maximilian Gwiazda
Professor Raymond Geuss
Dr Bart Hallmark
Dr Vanessa Heggie
Dr Anita Herle
Dr David Hillman
Dr Catherine Hills
Dr Edward Holberton
Dr Sarah Houghton-Walker
Dr Jana Howlett
Dr Michael Hrebeniak
Dr Ian James
Dr Liliana Janik
Professor Simon Jarvis
Mr Aylmer Johnson
Dr Charles Jones
Dr Alexandre Kabla
Dr Johannes Kaminski
Dr Geoffrey Kantaris
Anny King
Julian King
Dr Lawrence King
Professor Peter Kornicki
Annemarie Künzl-Snodgrass
Dr Mary Laven
Professor Manucha Lisboa
Martin Lucas-Smith
Dr Marta Magalhães
Professor Jean Michel Massing
Dr Laura McMahon
Dr Justin Meggitt
Dr Rod Mengham
Silke Mentchen
Dr Subha Mukherji
Dr Isabel Noronha-DiVanna
Dr Rory O'Bryen
Dr Jonathan Oppenheim
Dr William O'Reilly
David Orton
Dr Ian Patterson
Professor Chrsitopher Prendergast
Mr J. H. Prynne
Dr Sadiah Qureshi
Dr Sophie Read
Dr Nicky Reeves
Dr Michael Rice
Professor Ian Roberts
Dr Pernille Røge
Dr Lucia Ruprecht
Dr W. Owen Saxton
Professor Simon Schaffer
Professor Wolfram Schultz
Dr Jason Scott-Warren
Dr Marie Louise Sørensen
Dr Adam Stewart-Wallace
Professor Simon Szreter
Dr Trudi Tate
Dr Andrew Truman
Mrs Isobel Urquhart
Dr Bert Vaux
Dr Vincenzo Vergiani
Dr Chris Warnes
Dr Ruth Watson
Dr Peggy Watson
Dr Sheila Watts
Dr Alex Webb
Dr Stuart Wimbush
Dr Betty Wood
Dr Andrew Zurcher