Oxford University proctors allegedly attributed the city’s high number of homeless people to their generosity, sparking backlash after an email sent to students by senior proctor Mark Edwards and junior proctor Cecile Fabre was revealed on social media. The email claimed that Oxford’s students have a strong social conscience, as evidenced by the number of homeless individuals seeking assistance.
The Problem
Oxford University’s proctors have criticized the “trashing” of students’ exams, arguing that it is insensitive to homeless people and worsens their distress. They suggest that the waste of food is worsening their situation. Alex Kumar, chair of On Your Doorstep, the Oxford student union’s homelessness campaign, believes that university management should take meaningful action to help homeless people by allowing local charities to use unused properties as shelter this winter, rather than weaponizing the crisis as an attack on students.
The Solution
Oxford University management should take action to help homeless individuals by allowing local charities to use unused properties as shelter this winter. The university spokesman stated that the Proctors’ intention was to appeal to Oxford students’ social and environmental consciences, urging them to consider the impact of trashing and the inconvenience caused by waste. The university’s management should not weaponise the homelessness crisis as an attack on students.