Blog
Have You Ever Betrayed Anyone?
(Video clip from Googlebox, hat-tip to Plashing Vole on BlueSky) “Have you ever betrayed anyone?” “Well, I work in HR” “So, yeah” This video clip is for anyone working in UK universities.
Blog
Board of Scrutiny’s 30th Report
The 21 Group has long argued that the University of Cambridge needs an independent Ombudsman to address serious abuses. At present, the University does not have an Ombudsman. Instead, it relies on a Board of Scrutiny (BoS). Although the BoS does not possess the same Read more…
Blog
I Loved My Life Until …
Following last week’s diary entries on the impact of bullying on a young academic, this week another victim from Cambridge University steps forward to speak out. In this instance, the mistreatment of the early career researcher has been reported to Read more…
Blog
Sex, Lies and Senior Faculty
Nothing surprises us about university HR departments any more. Last week, The Times and Personnel Today reported an extraordinary story. A famous UK university, which is currently implicated in a case involving allegations that a senior professor sexually harassed a Read more…
Blog
“… this is the Real Cambridge”
Too often, the voices of those who have suffered bullying in Universities go unheard. Their pain is hidden behind a culture of fear and silence. Their experiences are dismissed by the very systems and people who are meant to protect Read more…
Blog
Statistics of the 21 Group Blog
A brief post to show that the blog is hitting new heights. The blue line is the chart of visitors to the 21 Group blog site (sessions per month versus date). Each of these sessions has on average 3-5 page views. The red Read more…
Blog
Silenced?
The modern university is a place where exposing misconduct is a disciplinary offence, and protecting senior professors is a core value. The victimisation is usually performed by the institution itself –- either by the HR and Legal Departments, or the Read more…
Blog
The Alternative Vice Chancellor’s Annual Address
The Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University’s Annual address was given on 1 October 2025. A written version is here. This is the Alternative Vice Chancellor’s Annual Address. “I came from 3000 miles away. When I arrived, I knew little about Read more…
Blog
The Despatching of a President
The President of Murray Edwards College, Dorothy Byrne, has been “stepped down”. Dorothy Byrne’s Wikipedia entry records that she served as President of Murray Edwards College from 17 September 2021 and “stepped down” on 31 August 2025. Murray Edwards later announced Dr Read more…
Blog
Voices of the Victims
Let’s take five while we await the outcome of a (Professor at a) prominent University’s Carter-Rucking the UK media (or in Private Eye parlance, Carter-Fucking) On an earlier thread, the poster called ‘TheResearcher’ made an intriguing suggestion: “I would be Read more…