Page 6 - Mansfield 2019/20

News in brief
Happy anniversary!
In 2020 we marked the 25th anniversary of Mansfield being awarded a Royal Charter, attaining full University of Oxford College status after its previous incarnation as a Permanent Private Hall.
Mansfield’s Royal Charter was officially granted by The Queen on 11 April
1995, but by that time the College had already established its reputation as an Oxford institution that did things a little differently. It was, for instance, the only Permanent Private Hall to be included within the University’s admissions process.
The Royal Charter was presented to the College on 24 June 1995 by The Lord Bancroft of Coatham (1922-1996), during a special day of festivities to mark the occasion. Those attending the College’s Royal Charter Day celebrations were treated to a musical performance by the ‘Royal Charter Wind Ensemble’, an exhibition entitled ‘From Theological Hall to Oxford College’, and a glut of strawberries and cream.
Mansfield was the first undergraduate college at Oxford to gain a Royal Charter for over 30 years, and as a consequence of its new status, the University Council increased the number of undergraduates permitted to study at the College from 132 to 162 students.
Since gaining its Royal Charter 25 years ago, College has changed in a myriad ways, yet Mansfield remains fully committed to the principles
upon which it was founded. In 2020 we strive to reflect these progressive values: an ethos of openness; of inclusion for those traditionally excluded or marginalised; and a belief that academic excellence can be achieved at any time of life, under a variety of circumstances, and regardless of background.
New Equality and Diversity Library
At Mansfield, we strive to cultivate
an atmosphere of self-reflection, questioning, and a culture of ideas. That spirit was called upon in response to the death of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests.
As an educational institution with a long history and a great deal of cultural power, Oxford University – like many other organisations – has been part of the social power structures that have upheld race inequality. We still live with racism and inequality, but in our own times, with our own mores, we have the power to promote
equality of opportunity and good relations between different groups in society. Mansfield’s Fellows, College staff, MCR and JCR are working together to do just that. In particular, we are keen to ensure that diverse voices and perspectives are recognised, valued and responded to.
We are particularly proud that we were the first college in Oxford to start an ‘equality library’ of books and (during lockdown) online materials about race and equality. The project was supported by alumnus Jan Fischer (PPE, 1989), as part of his gift to College for varied initiatives this year. We
have shared the idea with other colleges, with a view to diversifying and enriching thinking and areas of the curriculum considered worthy of exploration.
After being contacted by Mustaqim Iqbal (Jurisprudence, 2018), the JCR’s BAME Representative, with a modest list of suggestions for books that the Library could purchase to aid education on racism and racial issues, we set about reviewing our current collection and expanding the Library’s existing range of resources. After reaching out to students, staff, the Governing Body and others, we collated
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