© Colin SmithUniversity of Surrey
The University of Surrey's mandatory online module for staff, titled "introduction to race equity", includes several examples of so-called microaggressions, or subtle remarks or actions that some find offensive.
Academics are told that they should not critique the Communist Party's zero-Covid draconian lockdown measures, which have seen millions locked in their homes, as Chinese students may feel they are simply "caring more about others".
Students are encouraged to anonymously report such perceived slights on a "Report + Support" webpage and scholars are urged "to seek advice from human resources regarding next steps" if they are reported.
The China example quotes a Chinese student saying to their flatmates "don't understand" "how the government [is handling Covid] - our community's [way of] doing this, is really different from other countries - a very, very strict lockdown".
The example goes on: "But you're pretty focused on keeping yourself safe and also keeping other people safe - care more about others [by] staying at home for at least two weeks. If you look at the most serious cases, like Wuhan and the nearby areas, they controlled [the] virus pretty quickly. But we talked [about] this to our flatmates. They don't understand this."
The video for staff includes no suggestion that the reported conversation was foisted unwillingly or repeatedly on the speaker.
The Telegraph can reveal that bosses at the university, based in Guildford, are facing a revolt from more than a dozen of their own academics who accuse them of "policing conformity with controversial moral and/or political beliefs" of what they say, and even the readings they assign to students.
© University of SurreyProfessor Tim Dunne, Provost of the University of Surrey
Thirteen academics are trying to defeat the new marking criteria at a vote of the university's senate on Thursday night, claiming it "would create significant new legal and institutional risks for the university".
In a letter to the senate, the rebels cite how they may be "deemed non-inclusive" for committing the "prohibited microaggression [of] criticism of the Chinese government's Covid policies".
The academics warn:
"An academic who believes any of these things, or who criticises Chinese government policies, will soon be able to complain to regulators under the new Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill on grounds that the university is failing to meet its positive legal duty to 'take steps to secure freedom of speech'."No consensus on 'fair outcomes'
"Worse, this video gives academics a reason to fear that such criticism could result in their being subjected to disciplinary action under the university's new 'zero tolerance' approach to microaggressions."
They also fear they could be punished for not making student marks "more equal", due to there being no consensus on what constitutes "fair outcomes", and may be marked down for not endorsing the university's guidance on decolonising curricula to ensure it does not "reflect a western-dominated view".
The row comes after the University of Oxford abandoned plans last month to give a "woke score" to job applicants following a backlash from dons, while Cambridge academics quashed a proposed rule in 2020 to require academics to be "respectful of the diverse identities of others".
Multiple universities have drawn up microaggression lists in recent years, with Cambridge's reporting website saying in 2021 that "raising an eyebrow" is another example.
A University of Surrey spokesman said it was "absolutely committed to protecting the academic freedom of its staff and this is a fundamental principle embedded in our university statutes", adding: "We are reforming our appraisal process for academics to better support them in their careers.
"We do not recognise this characterisation of our new academic appraisal process which explicitly embeds protection of academic freedom in its guidelines, and places at its heart support for the professional development of our academics."
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