Prof Jo Phoenix vs The OU - Employment Tribunal Thread 5

[ickky]

Started on 2nd October at Watford Employment Tribunal (Radius House, 51 Clarendon Rd, Watford WD17 1HP 01923 281750)

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Header should read

URGENT CURRENT CASE - Public Access Request - J Phoenix - The Open University - 3322700/2021

Ask for access link and pin and please give your name and address in the email as they check when you connect to the tribunal.

The clerk will ask you (in a private remote room) to put your camera on to verify, this involves looking at you, but no ID is needed. You may turn off your camera after this pointless and unnecessary process.

Abbreviations

JP - Jo Phoenix, Claimant (C)
OU - The Open University, Respondent (R)
J - Regional Employment Judge Young
P - Panel or panel member
BC - Ben Cooper KC, Counsel for C
JM - Jane Mulcahy KC, Counsel for R

OU Departments & Networks:

HWSRA - Health & Wellbeing Strategic Research Area
FASS - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
SPC - Dept of Social Policy & Criminology
KMi - Knowledge Media Institute
GCRN - Gender Critical Research Network

OU witnesses

PB - Dr Paraskevi Boukli, Former Senior Lecturer Criminology, Deputy Head SPC 2021-22
IF - Prof Ian Fribbance Dean of FASS
MW - Prof Marcia Wilson, Dean EDI, 2020-23
CM - Caragh Molloy, Group People Director 2019-23
LD - Dr Leigh Downes, Senior Lecturer in Criminology (in SPC), Academic Lead for EDI FASS 2019-21
PK - Peter Keogh, Professor Health & Society, Member RSSH
DD - Dr Deborah Drake, Senior Lecturer Criminology, Head of SPC 2018-21
CT - Catherine Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
LW - Louise Westmarland, Prof of Criminology, Co-Deputy Head SPC, 2018-21, Current Head SPC
JD - John Domingue, Prof of Computing Science, Director KMi, 2015-22
CW - Dr Christopher Williams, Senior Lecturer History
SD - Shaun Daley, Head OU’s Resourcing Hub. Head Strategic Resources, Co-Chair OU’s LGBT+ Staff Network
HBC - Helen Bowes-Catton, Lecturer Social Research Methods
NS - Nicola Snarey, Assoc Lecturer Eng Language
NatS - Natalie Starkey, Outreach & Public Engagement Officer Sch Physical Sciences, 2019-22
CT - Cath Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
SJ - Samantha Jacobson, Employee Relations Case Manager
RH - Richard Holliman, Prof Engaged Research, Head School Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, 2019-22. Member of Investigation Panel investigating the C’s grievance

Witness for JP:

SE - Sarah Earle, Professor Modern History Uni of Oxford, Founding member GCRN

Tribunal Tweets - https://twitter.com/tribunaltweets

TT coverage so far - tribunaltweets.substack.com/p/professor-jo-phoenix-v-the-open-university

Prof Jo Phoenix Witness Statement (scroll to bottom of page and download)

https://jophoenix.substack.com/p/phoenix-v-open-university?sd=pf

Thread 1 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4905118-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-2nd-october-whispers-ben-cooper?page=1

Thread 2 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4913946-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-2?page=1

Thread 3 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4917480-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-3

Thread 4 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4918479-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-4

Thank you very much those are all my questions translates as I've shown you are lying liar from liar town and there's no point going on

Take a shot bingo @RoyalCorgi ? Can you imagine the news headlines? Health service crippled by spike in A&E admissions for alcohol ravaged women.

NS currently holding the record for the fastest out of blocks/onto spikes sports event

No questions from judge or panel.

Indeed.

Are we filing this one under custard?

What questions could the panel ask at that point? Dear NS your pants seem to be on fire are you ok?

Oh we will be getting to hear from the man who wanted to stop hosting the GCRN even though he'd been told that wasn't ok

It's really disturbing, it's like a real life display of how bullying happens and people are just pitchfork wielding sheep all just joining in without knowing why .

I wish BC would say 'so, you didn't think the pile on you were promoting publicly asking for the OU to drop association with 6 individuals was causing harm, but the aims of the GC network, which you've just said are fine, were apparently causing untold harm to trans students. Can you not see the double standard here?'

I think

HBC - Helen Bowes-Catton, Lecturer Social Research Methods

is up next then

JD - John Domingue, Prof of Computing Science, Director KMi, 2015-22

Break now until 2.55pm

BC is great at making them show the panel they are lying, economical with the truth or obfuscating on the stand. This calls into question how much the panel can rely on the accuracy of their witness statements where they contradict Jo’s.

I wonder should we rename Ben Vlad the Impaler?

Animal of the day, Impala?

Is it time to collate a Ben Cooper dictionary? Commonly used phrases and their meaning for the uninitiated...

Clerk has kicked everyone so log back in.

KS kept saying the people hosting the networks were computer coders so weren't familiar with the topics - so why were they hosting any networks on topics outside their disciplines? And one of them is a professor so the characterisation of them as a group who didn't really know the right thing to do seems unlikely

TT commentary

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1713898774639042620.html

Also THE REALITY OF SEXED BODIES MATTERS TO TRANS HEALTHCARE.

Sorry I'm getting very fed up of this. These people are setting the vulnerable trans youth they claim to care about up for years of illness if there's no bloody research into the side effects of trans medicine. You need to know about sexed bodies for trans healthcare. SO STUPID. Presumably they will be nowhere to seen years down the line when the side effects really kick in. It'll be real pain then, not hurt feelings.

I may be getting a little irate at the doublethink.

You'd have alcohol poisoning by now, never mind be sozzled.

I may have had too many drugs, I read Helen Bowes-Catton as Helena Bonham Carter.

Who is lovely and so polite.

Are we filing this one under custard?

I think so.

I'm wondering whether we need a new category for today's witness 1 who wasn't quite custard or windbag - weasel or Umbridge perhaps? The Pro VC as second chocolate teapot.

(Incidentally, does the existence of a pro VC imply there is also an amateur one?)

The witnesses are moving fast but this is NS in action. I think she wants a media career. https://www5.open.ac.uk/science/research/rosetta/uk-contribution/academia/open-university/natalie-starkey

Given everyone's going to be abbreviating her to HBC, I fear that confusion is going to continue throughout her evidence. Perhaps someone who's got her on screen can confirm whether it'd be appropriate fan-casting?

Hope you're feeling better today @RocketPanda

I might be changing my mind about an OU education. If my own research can be bullshit from twitter I reckon I could be a doctor of something by next week. Dr Cake has quite the appeal.

Then I can just host the next tribunal drinks for my actual learning experience

The term "pro" in "Pro Vice-Chancellor" stands for "pro tempore," that translates to "for the time being" or "temporarily" in English. In academic institutions, a Pro Vice-Chancellor is a senior administrative position often responsible for specific academic or administrative functions within the university. They may serve as acting or temporary Vice-Chancellors when the Vice-Chancellor is absent or when the institution requires an additional level of leadership for a particular purpose or function. The use of "pro" in this context indicates that the individual is fulfilling the role temporarily or on an interim basis.

Obliged to Chat-GPT for the above.

Not sure if Helena Bonham Carter favours a nose ring. But she's a professional and I'm sure would throw herself into the part.

Can you overdose on tea? Asking for a friend...