Latest news with #Mapstone
The Courier
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Courier
EXCLUSIVE: St Andrews University principal claims less than 1% of staff backed rector's ceasefire message
University of St Andrews principal Dame Sally Mapstone told a £2 million donor that less than one per cent of staff backed the rector's controversial Gaza ceasefire message. The institution was plunged into crisis on November 21, 2023, when Stella Maris emailed thousands of students accusing Israeli forces of weeks of 'genocidal attacks'. Ms Maris also condemned Hamas for the October 7 massacre of more than 1,000 Israelis and called for an end to the conflict. Her message triggered an outcry from Jewish students, who said they felt 'unsafe' and 'fearful.' It also left a seven-figure donation from an Israeli-linked charity hanging in the balance, with claims its senior figures were 'very concerned' by the fallout. We can reveal that, in a bid to salvage funds for a green energy project, Ms Mapstone sent a five-page 2,000-word letter to the Wolfson Foundation's chief executive just over a week later. The correspondence was released by the university after a request by The Courier. On November 30, she wrote: 'Our intelligence indicates that despite a week of headlines and argument on social media, support for the rector's ceasefire message amounts to less than 10% of the student body and less than 1% of St Andrews staff. 'This is fundamentally a peace-loving, tolerant and inclusive community which places considerable store by those values, and it is, I think, deeply unimpressed and concerned that this issue was handled by the rector in such a damaging and thoughtless way. 'We are also a determined community, however, and I am confident that the vast majority of our students and staff will individually and collectively strive to assert their loyalty to those values, and what this means for the way we should all behave. 'I hope this detail puts what you have heard or had reported to you into a more reassuring context. 'I would be happy to discuss any aspect of this report with you.' Ms Mapstone later said she spoke 'extensively' to the chief executive of The Wolfson Foundation and insisted the £2m grant was secured 'by a whisker'. The charity has denied these claims, saying the funding was never at risk. A spokesperson for The Wolfson Foundation told us: 'That funding was not in jeopardy because of comments made by the university's rector.' An independent investigation into the controversy surrounding Ms Maris was launched in January 2024. It was headed by Morag Ross KC, now known as Lady Ross, and shaped by the university's governance chief Alastair Merrill. Her report found Ms Maris had 'exercised poor judgement' and was 'in breach' of her responsibilities as rector and as a charity trustee. She was stripped of her senior powers and removed as head of the university court for refusing to accept the investigation's findings. Her appeal against the decision was successful and she has since resumed her role as head of the university court. A St Andrews University spokesperson said: 'At no point was any influence in respect of the rector brought to bear upon the university either by Wolfson, its trustees, or the UK Government. 'This is made explicitly clear in the publicly available minutes of the Special Court Meeting of December 15. 'Wolfson was one of several groups and individuals to raise concerns about reports of antisemitic incidents at St Andrews, and the effect of the rector's statement on the fear experienced by Jewish students in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Israel. 'Those concerns were fully addressed and dealt with prior to the Court Meeting in December 2023. 'Six months later, in July 2024, the rector was discharged from her duties for her actions and activities after she issued her statement, and because she repeatedly refused to accept that as a member of court, she was by law bound by the same responsibilities and rules as all trustees. 'The rector has been re-instated as a member and President of Court, and fellow members look forward to working with her for the good of all St Andrews students and staff.'
The National
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
UK government intervened in Gaza genocide row at St Andrews University
Stella Maris, the rector of the St Andrews University, was criticised after making a statement condemning Israel in November 2023 and ultimately removed from her role on the university court – the institution's top decision-making body. The National has obtained the minutes of a December 2023 special meeting, called by the university court of St Andrews in direct response to Maris's statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, denouncing Hamas war crimes, and calling Israeli attacks in Gaza 'genocidal'. According to the minutes, the principal of St Andrews, Dame Sally Mapstone, said that the 'level of external scrutiny' of the university due to Maris's public criticism of Israel was 'unprecedented'. READ MORE: Israel-linked donor 'threatened to pull St Andrews grant' in Gaza row The National can reveal that the UK government, its independent 'antisemitism tsar', the media, and 'concerned' funders – particularly the Wolfson Foundation, a major donor with links to Israel – all became involved with Maris's case. Mapstone told the university court that Robert Halfon, a former Tory MP who at the time was the UK skills minister, had 'pronounced concern in relation to the rector's conduct and a strong interest into how it [was] being handled by the University'. Mapstone said that she had met with Halfon in her capacity as president of the industry body Universities UK. However, she added: 'But he [Halfon] insisted on using 10 minutes of it to discuss the situation in St Andrews in relation to the rector and our Jewish community.' Former Tory minister Robert Halfon's official parliamentary portrait (Image: Parliament) Mapstone told the 2023 meeting she could supply 'more examples' of external scrutiny – before adding that she 'had to' meet with John Mann, a Labour peer who was and is serving as the UK Government's advisor on antisemitism, often called a 'tsar' or 'champion'. Mapstone also said that the St Andrews University chancellor, LibDem peer Menzies Campbell, had been kept informed throughout. The university principal went on to describe the extent of pressure from the Wolfson Foundation, saying she had written a '12-page letter' to reassure them 'extensively and personally' after members of the Wolfson family questioned whether a £2 million grant 'could be supported'. St Andrews University was later told by the charity that the grant had been successful, 'but 'by a whisker'', Mapstone said. Sally Mapstone is the principal of St Andrews UniversityWhen the university publicly announced the successful grant in January 2024, they said: 'The Wolfson Foundation's support is a seal of approval of the quality of the pioneering research which takes place in St Andrews.' However, when Mapstone had addressed the university court the previous month, she made clear that the grant was successful 'not because of the quality of our application, which got some of the best peer reviews, but because of the concerns in the Trustee body about the situation at St Andrews'. 'It was felt that the reassurance provided by me as principal was important and sufficient to take the bid through,' she added. A St Andrews University spokesperson said: 'At no point was any influence brought to bear upon the university either by Wolfson, its trustees, or the UK Government. READ MORE: Keir Starmer 'wants Hamas to remain in power', Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu claims 'This is made explicitly clear in the publicly available minutes of the special court meeting of 15 December. 'Wolfson was one of several groups and individuals to raise concerns about reports of antisemitic incidents at St Andrews, and the effect of the rector's statement on the fear experienced by Jewish students in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Israel. 'Those concerns were fully addressed and dealt with prior to the court meeting in December 2023. Maris told the National that the university 'were engaging more with outside voices than considering the impact within the student community'. Stella Maris is the rector of St Andrews University (Image: University of St Andrews) Bill Shackman, a representative of the St Andrews Jewish Staff Network and the university's interfaith chaplain, said that any influence from the UK government 'is very concerning'. 'I think that the rector's statement may have hurt some Jewish students' feelings, but it did not cause them any harm,' he said. 'Jewish students who support this war were offended. Jewish students who oppose the war welcomed her statement. 'Regardless of one's political views, no one should be silenced for expressing their opinions, especially an elected representative. I hope the rector will continue to use her voice to speak out for peace and against all racism, sexism and inequality." St Andrews Palestinian Solidarity Society said news of government intervention was 'not surprising'. 'It has become clear that [the university's] concern has never truly been with student safety, but with safeguarding the university's reputation,' the group said. 'Rector Stella Maris stood against genocide, and for the basic principles of justice and compassion which obligate us to oppose it. 'The fact that this has been made into a conversation about anything else is a sign of the moral cowardice of the administrators, the principal, the ministers, the funders – all those who put their personal standing over the duty to oppose injustice. They should be ashamed.' The St Andrews Jewish Society said in response: 'Considering the university receives funding from the government and is a public university, conversations regarding serious issues, such as student safety, can be addressed by government representatives. 'With raised concerns about Jewish student life on campus it makes sense that government officials would be involved. Jewish students continue to feel saddened and frustrated by the lack of ability demonstrated to understand these complexities around this issue.' READ MORE: Yanis Varoufakis calls on 'censored' St Andrews rector to be reinstated Following the December 2023 special meeting, the university court decided to launch an independent investigation into whether Maris' statement and her actions surrounding it breached the rector's role as president of court and charity trustee. In July 2024, the investigator, Lady Morag Ross KC, concluded that it was not 'sufficiently clear [...] to show that there is a breach of the relevant obligations' and did not advise dismissal. Nonetheless, the University dismissed Maris from her role as president of the court, saying it was 'for her actions and activities after she issued her statement, and because she repeatedly refused to accept that as a member of court, she was by law bound by the same responsibilities and rules as all trustees'. Maris appealed this decision to the Chancellor of the University, Lord Campbell, who ruled in her favour. She has recently been reinstated to her full role as president of court and charity trustee.
