Silence on bullying at universities ‘like Post Office scandal', says Cambridge chancellor hopeful
The culture of silence on bullying at universities is like the Post Office scandal, a candidate in the running to be the next Cambridge University chancellor has claimed.
Prof Wyn Evans, one of 10 hopefuls who could become Cambridge University's next figurehead, said academics were routinely made to feel as if their allegations about bullying and harassment were isolated cases.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the astrophysics professor at Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy claimed he was subject to 'prolonged retaliation' after he tried to blow the whistle over mistreatment of a colleague.
Prof Evans raised concerns with the university in July 2021 that a female member of staff in his department in the 'throes of extreme mental distress' was being bullied by a more senior employee, adding that he was worried about her welfare as a result.
Cambridge University appointed an independent barrister to investigate the claims, but also tasked them with probing separate allegations made about Prof Evans's own behaviour.
It took more than a year and a half before the investigation was completed. The barrister concluded that Prof Evans's intervention met the legal threshold for whistleblowing, but that the behaviour reported by him did not constitute bullying.
The lawyer dismissed the personal allegations made against Prof Evans and said the claimant provided no evidence to substantiate them.
Prof Evans told The Telegraph that the drawn-out process had an enormous impact on his mental health, and that at his lowest ebb during the investigation, he had thoughts of ending his own life.
'Not even a droplet of compassion'
'My problems all started when I intervened on [my colleague's] behalf. I contacted a prominent figure in the university for help in dealing with the victim… No help was offered. There was not even a droplet of compassion for the victim,' he said.
'As is very common in whistleblowing cases, there was then prolonged retaliation against me. The retaliation caused significant disruption to my work and my mental health. I went on sick leave. Sleep was an elusive luxury [and] I was plagued with recurrent nightmares.'
The astrophysics professor has promised to introduce an ombudsman at Cambridge University to investigate 'serious abuses or mismanagement' if elected chancellor.
The scientist, whose research is around the formation of the Milky Way, launched a blog about his ordeal in 2023 calling for other academics to come forward with their own experiences.
The 21 Group, named after the percentage of Cambridge University employees who reported being subjected to bullying or harassment in an internal staff survey, has seen almost 300 academics from around the world share their stories about bullying and harassment to date.
Prof Evans described their revelations as similar to the Post Office scandal, in which victims were repeatedly told they were the only ones struggling with the company's faulty Horizon software despite more than 900 of them later being wrongly prosecuted for theft.
'If you remember in the sub-postmaster scandal, the Post Office was telling each individual sub-postmaster that, you know, 'it's just you were having problems with Horizon'. And it was only when they got together and they found that it was actually very common and almost ubiquitous, and the Post Office had been telling untruths,' he said.
'So it's something similar to that, that by helping all these people come together, we're much more powerful at fighting back against the universities. The knowledge that what has happened to you has happened to many other people is powerful because you realise that it isn't an individual personal experience.'
The 21 Group has seen more than 8,000 visitors to its website in the past week alone, according to Prof Evans, with most academics active on the platform claiming to be from research-intensive universities across the UK.
Some allege they have been stripped of research funding as part of power struggles with more senior colleagues.
Free speech
'There are many young researchers who find their grants blocked because of sort of academic jealousy or of the feeling of being threatened. I think that's actually very common,' said Prof Evans.
He claimed the issue was at the heart of broader free speech problems at universities, with institutions failing to properly address bullying and harassment allegations for fear of reputational damage.
In his independent report into Prof Evans's whistleblowing claims, the external barrister appointed by Cambridge University said he regretted the length of time that the investigation took and 'the effect this will undoubtedly have had on all those involved'.
The barrister also raised concerns that several staff members pulled out of providing testimony over fears they would face retaliation.
Prof Evans, a don at the university for more than 20 years, claimed it was 'all quite unlike the Cambridge University as it really could be'.
'The magnificent role the university could play in encouraging greater empathy, diversity, kindness and inclusion as well as public interest in scholarship and learning, is undermined by its poor culture,' he said.
'Culture is set by the people at the top. This is one of things I would change as chancellor.'
Cambridge University said it strongly refuted Prof Evans's claims.
The astrophysics professor will run against rival candidates including Sandi Toksvig, the comedian and ex-presenter of the Great British Bake Off, and Gina Miller, the anti-Brexit campaigner, in the race to become the next Cambridge chancellor.
The successful candidate will replace Lord Sainsbury of Turville, who was elected to the role in 2011 and stepped down last year. He had succeeded Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, who held the position for 35 years.
Voting is set to take place both online and in-person for the first time next month, with a winner set to be announced in the week beginning July 21, 2025.
A spokesperson for Cambridge University said: 'We strongly dispute claims made in this version of events but cannot comment further on ongoing cases. The university takes allegations of bullying and harassment extremely seriously.'
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