THE head of Oriel College is facing calls for her resignation following the Cecil Rhodes statue debacle.
Provost Moira Wallace has been criticised by individuals who think she has mishandled recent events regarding the campaign to remove the statue and plaque of imperialist, Cecil Rhodes.
In a letter to The Times, Professor Sir Bryan Thwaites, ex-principal of Westfield College in London, suggested that recent events would leave a hole in Oriel’s finances and that Ms Wallace should step down.
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He wrote: “It is going to take many years of resolute leadership to fill [the financial hole] in again and thus put the college’s reputation and standing once more on secure foundations. Moira Wallace is clearly not the person to provide that leadership.
“She should resign forthwith.”
On January 29, the college released a statement saying it would withdraw its earlier decision of conducting a six-month listening exercise to determine the fate of the statue.
During a press conference last Monday students from the Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford campaign said the college had “sold out”. Second year student, Andre Dallas, said: “It sold out when Cecil Rhodes first poured his blood money into the college. And it sold out again when it decided that the voices of wealthy alumni were more important than the voices of the students committed to their direction, protection and care.
“Oriel has proven that historical context can be bought and sold, rather than discussed, debated and changed.”
Oriel declined to comment.
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