Cambridge University's most important figures are unrecognisable to most students, according to a Varsity survey.
Over 200 undergraduates were shown pictures of six ‘Cambridge Celebrities' and asked to put a name or a role to the faces. But more than three-quarters of respondents were unable to identify the Vice-Chancellor, Alison Richard, and less than half could name the CUSU President, Mark Fletcher. Still fewer could identify Lu Wei, the newly elected President of the Union, who had an identification rate of only 12%.

Also included in the six were Footlights President Sam Sword, MP for Cambridge Mr David Howarth and one particularly famous Cambridge alumnus, Jimmy Carr. Despite no official affiliation to the University itself, these individuals were much better known among students; while the people who really influence students' lives in Cambridge were largely unidentified, 95% of the students were able to recognise the popular comedian Jimmy Carr.

Alison Richard, who became the first female Vice-Chancellor in 2003, acts as the principal academic and administrative officer of the University, yet only 23% of students could correctly identify her.

Of the 77% who were unable to identify the Vice Chancellor, several came up with some interesting alternatives. Guesses ranged from Head Bedder, Librarian or a Dinner Lady, to Hyacinth Bucket and Ann Widdecombe. One student chose to remain on the fence about the Vice-Chancellor's identity. "She just looks really nice" he said. But is the Vice-Chancellor concerned that such a high proportion of students have no idea who she is?

"In general undergraduates nationwide do not tend to come into regular contact with their universities' vice-chancellors and particularly so at Cambridge where the collegiate system's genius of scale means a student's immediate needs and pastoral care are provided at that level", explained a spokesperson for Alison Richard. "Professor Alison Richard provides Cambridge with outstanding leadership and inspiration and is a highly effective ambassador for the University to the outside world at very senior levels", he added.
CUSU president Mark Fletcher was significantly better known, with his photo recognised by 42% of the students asked. However, several students are obviously still unaware of the work that Fletcher does at the Students' Union: one suggested he was "a wannabe Tory MP", while another thought he was a model for Specsavers.

Fletcher was amused by the results. "I am slightly surprised that that many people recognised me, and I'm considering a brief stint in rehab to further raise my profile", he said. On a more serious note, he added, "CUSU is constantly trying to promote the work that we do and advertising how we can help students. I think most students are aware on some level of CUSU as an entity. While people aren't necessarily able to pick out the President, they do associate us with important issues like welfare support, our green campaign and the access work we do".

The recently elected President of the Cambridge Union Society was the least known face of the six included in the survey, with only 24 of the 200 students asked able to recognise him. Of the 88% of students who negatively identified him, one thought he was a Cambridge chess champion and another, clearly up on the latest University news if not the recent Union election result, suggested he might be the person pretending to be a student at Trinity College. One student, who works as a barwoman at the Union, was particularly embarrassed by her failure to recognise the Cambridge Union President.
When his identity was revealed, she responded with shock: "Lu Wei? No way!"

In response to the findings of the survey, Wei said "I look forward to having a higher profile once this article is out."
Surprisingly, the Footlights President Sam Sword was considerably better known than the three leading University figures. Although one student thought he was the man who sells the Big Issue outside Sainsbury's, a significant 56% of the students asked knew who he was.
In response to his newly confirmed celebrity status, Sword said "I should get an award. The others are probably more modest; I just get my big goggly eyes everywhere because I'm always on stage."

David Howarth, Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, while not quite beating the CUSU president in the celebrity stakes, was also well known, with 36% of students able to name him. Despite not being identified by the majority, Howarth's face was familiar to most of the students asked, "I'm sure I've seen him cycling about, or in a big BMW somewhere," said one student.

The striking disparity between these results calls in to question whether leading members of the University make sufficient efforts to promote themselves within the student population. But it also suggests widespread student ignorance as to the people who represent them at a higher level, or at least a lack of awareness about the organizations they head. It remains questionable whether responsibility for improving relations between senior and junior members of the University lies with the authorities or the students themselves.