Cambridge University ‘discriminates' against white job seekers
The University of Cambridge has been accused of discriminating against white job seekers.
Guidance issued at the world-leading university advises departments to 'try to ensure' that at least one candidate from 'underrepresented groups' is invited for every interview.
The 'diverse recruitment framework' further encourages recruiters to readvertise positions if the longlist of candidates 'is not diverse', is all white or male.
The guidance, currently in use at the university, also says interview panels should be 'diverse both in gender and race' and composed of individuals who have taken training courses in equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and unconscious bias.
Edward Skidelsky, the lecturer in philosophy at the University of Exeter and director of the Committee for Academic Freedom, said the policies were 'tantamount to discrimination against white applicants'.
'This is one of the worst cases we have come across of EDI interference in what should be a purely academic process,' he said.
'Favouritism towards women and non-whites demeans them, and encourages the very prejudices it is intended to overcome.'
Documents seen by The Telegraph show the guidance, first issued in 2019, is copied word for word in 'hiring instructions' sent to academics involved in recruitment processes at the university.
The framework advises academics that recruitment panels should not be made up entirely of 'white males' or 'people with a particular career track record'.
It reads: 'Conduct the shortlisting with more than one person on the panel, ideally forming the panel that is diverse both in gender and race if possible.
'Research shows that when the final applicant pool has only one minority candidate, they are unlikely to be offered the position: try to ensure that more than one candidate from under-represented groups is invited to [the] interview stage.
'If the longlist is not diverse, you do not have to appoint someone immediately, consider readvertising the position to encourage a more diverse shortlist.'
Elsewhere, it says all members of recruitment panels 'must have completed the online University modules on E&D [equality and diversity] and Understanding Unconscious Bias'.
Those involved in hiring decisions are also told to 'reflect' on the university's EDI commitments, 'their own biases' and the potential for 'implicit bias' before interviews and after selecting a favoured candidate.
A source familiar with the workings of Cambridge's EDI committee said members were told 'don't worry about it' when they raised questions about the policies' legality.
The source said: 'I joined the committee, wanting to see what was actually going on and maybe prevent things from going off the rails.
'When I got there, I discovered it was already off the rails.'
The source added: 'If you criticise it, you're just seen as a bad person.'
They went on to claim they had witnessed colleagues from non-underrepresented backgrounds – such as white people and men – being actively discouraged from applying to positions because of their race or sex.
A spokesman for Cambridge denied that applicants were told this, saying it was 'not a view held by the university, relevant committees or senior management and is directly prohibited in law and our own policies'.
Prof David Abulafia, the professor emeritus of Mediterranean history at the University of Cambridge, said the guidance was 'arrant nonsense'.
He said: 'The sheer fanaticism of the bureaucracy at Cambridge and the craven submission of academics to their arrant nonsense spells the end of a once great university.'
Prof John Marenbon, the philosopher and fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, added: 'Academic appointments should be made solely on the basis of academic merit. Academics who do otherwise betray their calling.'
The university's EDI 'plan for action' includes a target to increase ethnic minority applications to 'academic and research posts to 8 per cent or higher' and 'for professional services roles to 30 per cent'.
A spokesman for the University of Cambridge said: 'Every candidate is recruited based on merit. We have no quotas for staff recruitment and strongly refute claims of discriminating against white and male job applicants
'Our 'diverse recruitment framework' is a guidance document aimed at ensuring that all suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for roles at Cambridge – not to dictate the outcome of recruitment.
'Use of this guidance, including training recommendations, is not mandated in our recruitment policy.'
Recruitment at Cambridge is devolved to its departments and governed by a university-wide recruitment policy.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Magazine
3 days ago
- Time Magazine
‘If Middle East Is Unstable, World Will Not Be at Peace': How China Views the Israel-Iran War
Iran's friends don't like the war decimating Tehran, but they're not ready to join the fight against Israel and potentially the U.S. Instead, Russia and now China have urged deescalation, emphasizing the dangerous consequences the escalating conflict could have on the whole world. 'If the Middle East is unstable, the world will not be at peace,' Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday. 'If the conflict escalates further, not only will the conflicting parties suffer greater losses, but regional countries will also suffer greatly.' 'The warring parties, especially Israel, should cease fire as soon as possible to prevent a cycle of escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war,' Xi added. Xi's comments came in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which both leaders called for a ceasefire, according to a readout by China's foreign ministry. Earlier this week, Russia warned that Israel's attacks have brought the world 'millimeters' from nuclear calamity, and Putin urged Trump against attacking Iran, as the President is mulling direct U.S. military engagement in the war that has already killed hundreds in Iran and dozens in Israel. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Putin and Xi 'strongly condemn Israel's actions, which violate the U.N. Charter and other norms of international law.' Ushakov added that Xi expressed support for Putin's suggestion to mediate the conflict, an offer Trump said he has rejected. China, like Russia, has also positioned itself as a potential peacebroker, though experts say it's unlikely Israel would accept Beijing as a neutral conciliator, given its past criticisms of Israel and ties with Iran. Here's what to know about how China has responded so far to the conflict and what it may see is at stake. Rhetorical but not material support 'Iran doesn't need communiqués or declarations, but concrete help, like anti-aircraft systems or fighter jets,' Andrea Ghiselli, a Chinese foreign policy expert at the University of Exeter, told France 24. But communiqués and declarations are all China is likely to offer, experts tell TIME. William Figueroa, an assistant professor of international relations at the University of Groningen, tells TIME that China's lack of military support should not come as a surprise. China has historically followed a policy of non-interference, focusing more on domestic issues while aiming to avoid entanglement in protracted foreign conflicts. Earlier this year, China similarly called on both India and Pakistan, the latter being an ' ironclad friend ' of China, to show restraint. And while it has been accused of providing ' very substantial ' support to Russia in its war against Ukraine, China has maintained that it doesn't provide weapons or troops to its neighbor. (Reports suggest, however, that its material support has included lethal systems.) White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the White House doesn't see 'any signs' of China providing military support to Iran 'at this moment in time.' Instead, China has offered words. Beijing has been 'harshly critical' of Israel, says Figueroa. In separate calls with his Iranian and Israeli counterparts over the past weekend, after Israel launched an attack on Friday against Iran, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that China 'explicitly condemns Israel's violation of Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.' It has also publicly advised the U.S. against greater involvement in the conflict. 'The heating up of the Middle East region serves no one's interests,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday. 'To fan up the flames, use threats and exert pressure does not help deescalate the situation and will only aggravate tensions and enlarge the conflict.' 'The international community, especially influential major countries, should uphold a fair position and a responsible attitude to create the necessary conditions for promoting a ceasefire and returning to dialogue and negotiation so as to prevent the regional situation from sliding into the abyss and triggering a greater disaster,' a Chinese state-media editorial declared on Thursday. China's diplomatic response reflects its priority to 'lower the temperature,' says Figueroa, particularly in tensions with the U.S. Diplomatic limitations China has sought to deepen its investments and influence in the Middle East over the years, which has raised the expectations of its regional diplomacy to 'sky high' levels, says Figueroa. But while Beijing touted brokering a historic truce between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, the task before it now is much taller. Wang, the Chinese foreign minister, said China is 'ready to play a constructive role' in resolving the conflict, according to foreign ministry readouts of his calls with both Iran and Israel, but unlike with Saudi Arabia and Iran, Figueroa says, Israel has expressed no interest in negotiating a resolution. And even if Israel was interested in coming to the table, China is unlikely to be seen as a neutral arbiter given its ties with Iran, criticisms of Israel including over Gaza, and ongoing global power competition with the U.S., Israel's biggest ally. China has developed strong economic ties with Iran over the years, becoming Iran's largest trading partner and export market, especially for oil—a critical lifeline for Iran as the U.S. has placed severe economic sanctions on the country. Iran joined BRICS, the intergovernmental group China has viewed as an alternative collective of emerging powers to the Western-oriented G7, in 2024; joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a Beijing-backed security group, in 2023; and the two countries signed a 25-year cooperative agreement in 2021. While China has also maintained an economic relationship with Israel—China is Israel's second-biggest trading partner and the two countries have had an 'innovative comprehensive partnership' since 2017—Figueroa says it's 'not close enough to have a serious influence over Israel's actions.' When asked about the possibility of China acting as a mediator, Israel's Ambassador to Beijing Eli Belotserkovsky told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, 'at this stage, we are concentrating on the military campaign. This is our main concern at the moment, and we need to see how things will develop.' Still, he added that Israel would 'continue talking to China as [part of] an ongoing process.' Failure to help bring peace to the Middle East could seriously dampen China's recent efforts to portray itself as an effective global peacebroker, especially after Ukraine already rejected a peace plan Beijing had proposed in 2023. And if Iran's regime falls, Marc Lanteigne, an associate professor of political science at the Arctic University of Norway, told France 24, the China-mediated truce with Saudi Arabia would also risk 'going up in smoke.' 'It is hard to predict how the conflict itself might impact [China's diplomatic] efforts,' Figueroa says. 'A wider conflict would undoubtedly complicate Chinese diplomatic efforts, which largely rest on their ability to provide economic development.' Economic concerns While the Iran-China trade balance is largely skewed in China's favor— around a third of Iranian trade is with China, but less than 1% of Chinese trade is with Iran —China is heavily dependent on the Middle East's oil. 'China is by far the largest importer of Iranian oil,' according to a statement in March by the U.S. State Department, which added: 'The Iranian regime uses the revenue it generates from these sales to finance attacks on U.S. allies, support terrorism around the world, and pursue other destabilizing actions.' Sara Haghdoosti, executive director of public education and advocacy coalition Win Without War, tells TIME that China 'has a vested interest in seeing the conflict end before Israel strikes more of Iran's oil infrastructure.' But China is less dependent on Iran itself than on access to the region's reserves. 'The Islamic Republic is a replaceable energy partner,' according to a Bloomberg analysis. For global oil markets too, changes to Iran's supply alone are unlikely to cause significant price disruptions. 'Even in the unlikely event that all Iranian exports are lost, they could be replaced by spare capacity from OPEC+ producers,' assessed credit agency Fitch Ratings earlier this week. Around 20% of the world's oil trade, however, passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has threatened to close in retaliation if the U.S. joins the war. 'If the United States officially and operationally enters the war in support of the Zionists, it is the legitimate right of Iran in view of pressuring the U.S. and Western countries to disrupt their oil trade's ease of transit,' said Iranian lawmaker Ali Yazdikhah on Thursday, according to state-sponsored Iranian news agency Mehr News. Doing so would also impact China, for which more than 40% of crude oil imports come from the Middle East. The conflict's 'greatest impact on China could be on energy imports and supply chain security,' Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the South China Morning Post. 'While Beijing will continue to condemn the conflict, it will also seek to balance ties with Israel and the Gulf states and promote stable energy flows,' according to Bloomberg's analysts, especially as surging commodity prices would exacerbate domestic economic growth challenges already hampered by the trade war with the U.S. and an ongoing real estate crisis. In response to a question about the potential interruption of Iranian oil supplies to China, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun reiterated on Tuesday the need to 'ease tensions as soon as possible' in order to 'prevent the region from spiraling into greater turmoil.' A contained conflict could be good for China 'If a wider conflict breaks out,' Figueroa says, 'the impact on China's economic projects and investments in the region would be significant.' Foreign policy analyst Wesley Alexander Hill noted in a Forbes op-ed that an escalated conflict could force China into a bind between taking 'decisive action' to defend Iran, which might alienate Saudi Arabia, or doing nothing militarily and letting Israeli and potentially U.S. attacks 'continue to degrade Iranian export capacity,' which would leave other regional partners with a 'dim view [of] what Chinese commitment under pressure looks like.' Still, some analysts have suggested that China—as well as Russia—may be content for now to sit back and let things play out, with their higher priorities clearly elsewhere. According to Bloomberg Economics analyst Alex Kokcharov, a contained conflict in the Middle East could 'distract Washington from strategic competition with China.' Added Bloomberg's bureau chief in China, Allen Wan, in a newsletter Friday: 'Should the U.S. once again get tangled up in a war in the Middle East, that'd probably suit China just fine. Beijing and the [People's Liberation Army] would appreciate the chance to squeeze Taiwan tighter.' 'At very least, both powers [Russia and China] are content to watch the U.S. further squander goodwill with gulf Arab partners by backing another destabilizing conflict in the region,' Haghdoosti, the Win Without War executive director, tells TIME. And they, she adds, are likely 'shedding no tears that the U.S. military is currently burning through stocks of difficult-to-replenish missile defense interceptors to shield Israel.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
China sends mystery transport planes into Iran
A day after Israel attacked Iran on Friday, a cargo plane took off from China. The next day, a second plane departed from a coastal city. Then on Monday, yet another departed, this time from Shanghai – three flights in three days. Data showed that on each flight, the plane flew westward along northern China, crossing into Kazakhstan, then south into Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – and then falling off the radar as it neared Iran. To add to the mystery, flight plans indicated a final destination of Luxembourg, but the aircraft appeared to have never flown near European skies. Concern has erupted in response over what might have been sent from China in the direction of Iran as Tehran's war with Israel rages on. The worry is real – aviation experts have noted that the type of plane used, Boeing 747 freighters, are commonly used for transporting military equipment and weapons, and hired to fly government contract orders. Credit: Flightradar24 'These cargos cannot but generate a lot of interest because of the expectation that China might do something to help Iran,' said Andrea Ghiselli, a lecturer at the University of Exeter who specialises in China's relations with the Middle East and North Africa. China and Iran are strategic partners, aligned primarily in their opposition to the US-led world order, and in favour of a new 'multi-polar' phase in global diplomacy. Iran, too, is one of China's key energy suppliers, sending as many as two million barrels of oil a day – so it's no surprise that Beijing might be looking for ways to support and stabilise the Islamic Republic. 'The collapse of the current regime would be a significant blow and would generate a lot of instability in the Middle East, ultimately undermining Chinese economic and energy interests,' said Mr Ghiselli. 'Moreover, in Iran there are probably many that are expecting some kind of help from China.' China has a history of supplying Iran despite international criticism – for example sending thousands of tons of ballistic missile materials that could be used in Iran's development of nuclear weapons. Still, in this key moment, experts say Beijing is likely approaching with caution. Getting involved directly in the Iran-Israel conflict could torpedo any change China has to stabilise its relations with the US, Israel's strongest ally. Beijing is still reeling from a high-stakes trade war with Washington. 'The presence of Chinese military hardware would make that impossible, especially as there are already some that are pushing for the US to join the war also to contain China by attacking Iran,' said Mr Ghiselli. While 'the likelihood remains low' of China overtly sending defence materials to Tehran, the possibility 'should not be dismissed and must be closely monitored', said Tuvia Gering, a China and Middle East specialist at Israel's Institute of National Security Studies. Unless independent inspections are carried out, it is not possible to know exactly what the cargo planes were carrying. In later flights, some of the aircraft appear to take off from around the same area along the Turkmenistan-Iran border, and go toward Luxembourg, according to publicly available flight data. Cargolux, the Luxembourg-based company that operated the planes, said its flights did not utilise Iranian airspace, but the firm did not respond to questions about what they were carrying. Cargo manifests are not considered a matter of public record, and though any dangerous goods or special loads have to be declared to the operator and handling agents, information provided could be inaccurate or misleading. China has tried before to send weapons disguised as commercial goods, labelling drone components as wind turbine parts, according to shipments intercepted by European authorities. A Telegraph investigation last year found that China tried to send $1 billion (£738 million) of drones to Libya, hidden behind a web of shell firms in the UK, Tunisia and Egypt, in exchange for crude oil. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Cambridge University ‘discriminates' against white job seekers
The University of Cambridge has been accused of discriminating against white job seekers. Guidance issued at the world-leading university advises departments to 'try to ensure' that at least one candidate from 'underrepresented groups' is invited for every interview. The 'diverse recruitment framework' further encourages recruiters to readvertise positions if the longlist of candidates 'is not diverse', is all white or male. The guidance, currently in use at the university, also says interview panels should be 'diverse both in gender and race' and composed of individuals who have taken training courses in equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and unconscious bias. Edward Skidelsky, the lecturer in philosophy at the University of Exeter and director of the Committee for Academic Freedom, said the policies were 'tantamount to discrimination against white applicants'. 'This is one of the worst cases we have come across of EDI interference in what should be a purely academic process,' he said. 'Favouritism towards women and non-whites demeans them, and encourages the very prejudices it is intended to overcome.' Documents seen by The Telegraph show the guidance, first issued in 2019, is copied word for word in 'hiring instructions' sent to academics involved in recruitment processes at the university. The framework advises academics that recruitment panels should not be made up entirely of 'white males' or 'people with a particular career track record'. It reads: 'Conduct the shortlisting with more than one person on the panel, ideally forming the panel that is diverse both in gender and race if possible. 'Research shows that when the final applicant pool has only one minority candidate, they are unlikely to be offered the position: try to ensure that more than one candidate from under-represented groups is invited to [the] interview stage. 'If the longlist is not diverse, you do not have to appoint someone immediately, consider readvertising the position to encourage a more diverse shortlist.' Elsewhere, it says all members of recruitment panels 'must have completed the online University modules on E&D [equality and diversity] and Understanding Unconscious Bias'. Those involved in hiring decisions are also told to 'reflect' on the university's EDI commitments, 'their own biases' and the potential for 'implicit bias' before interviews and after selecting a favoured candidate. A source familiar with the workings of Cambridge's EDI committee said members were told 'don't worry about it' when they raised questions about the policies' legality. The source said: 'I joined the committee, wanting to see what was actually going on and maybe prevent things from going off the rails. 'When I got there, I discovered it was already off the rails.' The source added: 'If you criticise it, you're just seen as a bad person.' They went on to claim they had witnessed colleagues from non-underrepresented backgrounds – such as white people and men – being actively discouraged from applying to positions because of their race or sex. A spokesman for Cambridge denied that applicants were told this, saying it was 'not a view held by the university, relevant committees or senior management and is directly prohibited in law and our own policies'. Prof David Abulafia, the professor emeritus of Mediterranean history at the University of Cambridge, said the guidance was 'arrant nonsense'. He said: 'The sheer fanaticism of the bureaucracy at Cambridge and the craven submission of academics to their arrant nonsense spells the end of a once great university.' Prof John Marenbon, the philosopher and fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, added: 'Academic appointments should be made solely on the basis of academic merit. Academics who do otherwise betray their calling.' The university's EDI 'plan for action' includes a target to increase ethnic minority applications to 'academic and research posts to 8 per cent or higher' and 'for professional services roles to 30 per cent'. A spokesman for the University of Cambridge said: 'Every candidate is recruited based on merit. We have no quotas for staff recruitment and strongly refute claims of discriminating against white and male job applicants 'Our 'diverse recruitment framework' is a guidance document aimed at ensuring that all suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for roles at Cambridge – not to dictate the outcome of recruitment. 'Use of this guidance, including training recommendations, is not mandated in our recruitment policy.' Recruitment at Cambridge is devolved to its departments and governed by a university-wide recruitment policy. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
