Wellington Square Watch:
„für gemäßigten Fortschritt in den Schranken der Gesetze und Universitätsatzungen bzw. -ordnungen.“
Wellington Square Watch is a bureaucratic watchdog in the University of Oxford. It seeks to promote, through lawful means in the fullest conformity with the statutes and regulations of the university—
- academic freedom;
- the democratic usages of the university, including the powers of Congregation;
- administrative accountability; and
- sound governance.
Updates and statements.
23 January 2025 · Following a vote in Congregation, a working group was charged with the redrafting of the proposals. WSW will submit evidence (draft) to the working group. In our view, the working group has made commendable changes: it is now seriously engaging with the text of the proposals, and has improved some of them. But much remains to be done. The current text could—
- prohibit singing in a college-organised concert if it would disrupt a nearby tutorial,
- prohibit a gay student from claiming to be straight to avoid outing themselves in a college bar,
- allow Council to improperly interfere in disciplinary bodies’ proceedings in individual cases or to imoproperly seek to procure a certain outcome by the inducing of their members by changing the rules of procedure, and
- allow seemingly arbitrary withdrawals of access to IT facilities even before disciplinary cases are properly heard.
In light of these difficulties, the draft evidence makes a number of recommendations.
11 June 2024 · Council concedes temporary defeat but is still in denial.
10 June 2024 · Oriel’s Junior Common Room denounces proctors’ charter of disciplinary amendments, backs Wellington Square Watch.
9 June 2024 · Wellington Square Watch announces findings of analysis of proposed disciplinary amendments.