One of Britain’s leading universities has been accused of a “witch hunt” by academics after staff were censored for a report of “school harassment”.
University College London apologized to students and staff at its architecture school last month after an investigation found a “culture of unacceptable behavior” for decades.
The internal investigation followed complaints of sexism and racism on campus and has led to some staff members being removed from administrative and student-directed tasks.
But two dozen architects and academics have revolted against a “witch hunt” at the Bartlett School of Architecture, ranked in the top 10 in the UK, who said it had created a “wave of complaints” .
The open letter from 24 experts states that the Russell Group institution initiated an “Kafkaesque” investigation in which “the defendants do not know what they are being accused of or who has made the allegations.”
Its signatories, from UCL and other universities, include Vicky Richardson, head of architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts and curator Drue Heinz, and architect Piers Gough.
The letter stated that “student ‘activists’ are now demanding that more than 83 staff members be fired for tacit crimes,” and a series of anonymous student posts on Instagram “has led to something akin to a hunt for witches “.
The UCL report described a “toxic culture” led by a circle of staff who had allegedly created a “boys’ club” and the fear of speaking “woven into the fabric of the BSA for a long period of time.”
“Inherent Power Imbalance”
The 120-page report followed an investigation launched in October last year by intelligence firm Howlett Brown and included nearly 50 interviews, focus groups and a survey of 300 people.
He found that the serious allegations “spanning the last three decades” involved a number of staff who allegedly made sexist comments and verbally attacked students, in addition to allegedly misogynistic, discriminatory and anti-Semitic behavior.
The report also said there was an “inherent power imbalance,” the report said the university’s personal relations policy, which generally prohibits relationships with children under the age of 18, does not protect students from sexual harassment. and inappropriate behavior.
In interviews with the report’s authors, a current staff member alleged that “it was common knowledge that two [junior members of staff] he had stayed out with the students and slept with one of the students ”.
Among the “immediate actions” that UCL took after the report was a review of the “critical” process, where students show their designs in front of tutors and advocate for them, as this was an important source. of discomfort and fear for students “. said the university.
But in response, the open letter said the report “was inconsistent with the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty'” and that it was a “public spectacle that is being disguised as a disciplinary process.” reported the Building Design website.
And scholars insisted that the “critical” review process was “important in preparing students for the practice of architecture” in the real world.
‘Cultivate fear’
“We write to express our solidarity with the majority of decent and talented teachers who have been nominated on the blacklists of social media inspired by the report,” the open letter adds.
“The Howlett Brown report is based on anonymous and confidential reports, and combines serious allegations of sexism, racism and school bullying with trivial claims about informal socialization between staff and students and study reviews.
“Cultivating fear and recriminations will not solve the problems at UCL.”
A UCL spokesman said: “We know that the vast majority of BSA staff are highly esteemed, respected and valued by their students and peers, and we recognize the deep distress caused by some anonymous posts on social media.
“We want to be clear that we cannot investigate claims on social media and that these will not be considered part of our disciplinary processes.
“As part of our duty of care that we have with all staff and students, we have provided a dedicated helpline to provide advice, guidance and access to 24-hour wellness and support services.”