The week in higher education – 29 August 2024

Britain’s right-wing tabloids had a field day when they learned that a new inclusion guide shared with researchers at Newcastle University is advising lecturers to avoid using the greeting “pet”. While the Geordie slang is generally used as a term of endearment, the university’s diversity team suggests avoiding such “gendered terms”, along with “girls” or “ladies”. Taking its usual reasonable approach, The Sun described the “fury” aimed at “woke Newcastle bosses”, while the Daily Mail took to the streets of Newcastle to ask Geordies what they thought of the guidance. Responding to such reports, the university clarified that the term had not been banned. “Our researchers asked for advice on using inclusive language in a professional capacity and the guide was created to help them,” a spokesperson said. Instead of taking aim at universities, perhaps the outraged tabloids should simply “man up” – another phrase to be avoided at Newcastle.

After 800 years of male domination, could a woman finally secure the coveted role of chancellor of the University of Oxford? Dame Elish Angiolini, former lord advocate of Scotland and now principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford, is in the running, up against Labour peer Lord Mandelson, former Conservative leader Lord Hague, and cricket star and former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan. If the last is successful, he could be leading the historic institution from the jail cell he currently calls home, taking the idea of remote working to the extreme. Whoever wins in October, you’re almost guaranteed to hear about it, given how closely British and international media are following the race. You couldn’t be blamed for thinking this is the most important election taking place this autumn.

In his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury famously envisaged a future in which books are burned by a team of dedicated “firemen”. Although eerily prophetic, the author failed to predict that such contraband material might be destroyed in a less ceremonial fashion and simply dumped in a landfill instead. As authorities continue to enforce book bans across the US and Florida governor Ron DeSantis’ frenzied culture wars rage on, one college in the state reportedly filled a skip destined for the tip with material from its now defunct Gender and Diversity Center. A New College of Florida spokesman told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that this was part of a routine “weeding” and some of the books may have been damaged by a tropical storm. If that’s true, we recommend safely storing away books on topics such as African American studies for fear they could be targeted by the next extreme weather event. 

Internal divisions have emerged at the Royal Society over the election of its new president. According to The Guardian, Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse has been put forward as the preferred candidate by the society’s council. Not only has the leading scientific organisation never had a female leader, prompting some to argue it is becoming a “boys’ club”, Sir Paul already headed up the institution between 2010 and 2015. “I think it’s just bad for UK science for one person to be at the forefront, or in such a position of power, over such a long time,” one anonymous fellow said. Others believed Sir Paul had done a good job previously and would be happy to see him re-elected. If he is successful, the geneticist could join the ranks of the few eminent scientists who have led the institution for lengthy periods, including Sir Isaac Newton, who held the position for 24 years. Perhaps that knowledge will keep Sir Paul grounded.

Research has found that living with female flatmates can make male students less competitive. Researchers from the University of Essex and the University of Technology Sydney came to this conclusion after following students living in halls of residence at British universities – an unenviable task given many freshers’ penchants for being consistently drunk and general refusal to learn to use a vacuum. Nevertheless, the study revealed that when living in mixed gender accommodation, men’s competitiveness is likely to go down over time. In contrast, in all-male houses, it’s more likely to go up, while women remained unaffected either way. Angus Holford, co-author of the research paper, told The Observer that this showed “competitiveness is not a fixed trait”. For male students starting university this September, perhaps there’s something to be learned here: if your drinking games are getting a bit heated, it might be time to widen your social circle.