A statement from the Master

From Professor Sir Mark Welland, Master of St Catharine’s: 

“Following an incident on 17 February 2020 at the entrance to St Catharine’s, and a preliminary investigation, the College wishes to make a sincere and public apology to Mr Collin Edouard, a student at Wolfson College. While we were taking reasonable measures to secure the premises during a protest nearby, Mr Edouard was initially physically prevented from accessing the College by an employee. This was entirely unacceptable in the context of a student attending a supervision. Our processes did not ensure that Mr Edouard was treated with the highest level of respect and courtesy that we aspire to. We are aware that, despite our best intentions, he felt singled out based on race and we are truly sorry for the distress this has caused him. We are investigating the matter in line with the appropriate processes and will remain in contact with the student in question to review how we all ensure that visitors are welcomed consistently going forwards.  

“As a College we are committed to recognising and preventing discriminatory behaviour, conscious or unconscious. I, along with the Senior Tutor and other colleagues at St Catharine’s, will also be openly sharing any learnings with the rest of the collegiate university.”