University of Sussex fined £585,000 by Office for Students

[OhBuggerandArse]

The inquiry in the wake of Kathleen Stock's experience has finally been completed:

'An English university is set to be fined a record £585,000 over allegations it failed to uphold free speech and academic freedom, in a landmark ruling in the debate over student rights on campus. England’s higher education regulator found “significant and serious breaches” of free speech and governance issues at the University of Sussex, according to a draft press release seen by the Financial Times. The Office for Students press release, to be published on Wednesday, said policies intended to prevent abuse or harassment of certain groups on campus had created “a chilling effect” that might cause staff and students to “self-censor”.'

Sussex 'has reacted furiously...'

https://www.ft.com/content/d39f0db7-877a-4cf3-8c12-dd5581eecd0b?fbclid=IwY2xjawJP_1RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVWF1ZXM3cKbxGAvtKfecgeMyAXNae5933M9a3dru0zohKTe7Vk24foIeA_aem_HpdtsUQc6ipMGY9J5AGFWQ

RedToothBrush
It's brushed away as being cruel to let people not have the decision..
demonstrating emotional blackmail tactics..
tone deafness..

Again I have to ask for respect to be shown to people like me who are as sincere and genuine in our belief in favour of assisted dying as you are in your opposition to it.

Using phrases like 'brushing away' 'blackmail',' tone deafness' to characterise other people's deeply held convictions, and insinuating that there is a parallel between deeply held convictions and trans rights activism is disrespectful.
The fact that 'the other side are doing it too' is no justification.

I am deeply committed to the right to assisted dying, and I have been for decades, even before it became an issue with personal resonance for myself. I am just as deeply opposed to gender ideology, and I refuse to be force-teamed with trans activism.

People are 100% entitled to disagree with supporters of assisted dying, but there's no need to cast aspersions on the sincerity of their views. My views.

All of this 100% and yes looking at what has happened in Canada is also cautionary - where people who society doesn't want to have to support and who are mostly depressed / struggling due to lack of support and a crappy environment seem to be offered assisted dying with very few safeguards in place.

I have a family member with dementia and I've already had some frankly disturbing conversations about the level of medical care they're entitled to. Their condition is terminal but right now they are happy. They are not who they were but they are in a good care home and are happy and have a reasonable quality of life. There are definitely those in the pubic sector I've spoken to who basically without that much pretense think my relation - whose family would like to stay alive - should just be allowed to die. And that's WITHOUT assisted dying.

Care homes not being able to opt out is truly dystopian.

Edited to add: I previously posted in favour of assisted dying, but seeing how a good care home has improved my relative's quality of life has totally changed my opinion on this, for what it's worth, plus a deeper analysis of the issues. Given we can't even adhere to statutory guidance on safeguarding of children in schools my confidence our society can in practice safeguard against abuse of this law is flat zero.

This isn't the thread for it, but you are dismissive of my core point about dealing with concerns rather than the hand waving of 'im commited and it will be all fine'.

Marie, I very much do respect your views and as I said up thread, am not against the concept of medically assisted suicide in the right circumstances. However, there are activists - even if you are not one of them - who are shouting down the mildest of questions, and for me that is where the parallels with some trans activists come in.

It’s too important for no debate and I would be interested in a separate thread to discuss the feminist issues to avoid further derailment. It’s incredibly important that women’s voices are heard. Whether it is women’s pain and symptoms not taken as seriously as men’s, women’s not being believed to know their own minds or women becoming default carers, there are barriers to good palliative care and good death that would be good to discuss in a woman centred way.

Good news

There is a separate thread. Started here in FWR by @ArabellaScott.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5262744-assisted-dying-and-coercion?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

So [some] universities seem to be hiding reviewing their policies.

Universities review trans policies after Sussex’s record fine

https://www.thetimes.com/article/5474da65-4cf3-4c53-afea-7fb5c36dba28?shareToken=163d45f4f5e0cca24dbf336d5bb6f355

I think the appeal against the fine is currently being heard. All I've seen though is a headline in the TES, which is behind a paywall that i've not been able to finagle.

Someone has helpfully uploaded the webpage to Archive

https://archive.ph/jlaL0

I listened to an interesting podcast a while ago with Arif Ahmed, the free speech tsar, and he said he couldn't say much about the Uni of Sussex case because of ongoing legal action.

I really hope they lose their appeal. So much of the intolerance and hostility of GC views and concerns is being fostered in universities. They really need a clear message to that this is unacceptable and that they have a legal duty to protect all lawful free speech.

If the Uni won the Government have to revisit the legislation re the powers and what is needed to regulate the industry (eg the 2023 free speech act)

The Uni staff's conduct is outside the Uni Regulators remit while staff conduct and T policy created an undue bias within the organisation.

High level oversight is never a benefit to the public when staff can freely go rogue. The argument that staff can write policy and the OfS cant hold the Uni accountable is interesting as how is governance upheld if a Uni allowed that to happen.

The public funding of student loan finance will be a key driver to force 3rd levels into tighter regulation.