NEW: How 18 Bursars from Cambridge and Oxford got together at OXCAM on 20th September 2017, and helped "steer" the @UniversitiesUK consultation on #USS pension risk. THREAD 👇
Here is a summary of what was discussed on 20th Sep at OXCAM re: the USS scheme. Read on for context & comment ... 
Recap: UniversitiesUK claimed in October that "42%" of "HE institutions" had REJECTED the level of risk proposed by the #USS trustees, precipitating a crisis in the Defined-Benefit pension scheme and, indirectly, to this ongoing strike.
The key 42% figure informed the 31st Oct meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee, as well as "Universities UK response to the USS Technical Provisions consultation" document.
We know now that "one third" of the 42% was made up of Oxbridge institutions. That is ~16 colleges. @MikeOtsuka is keeping a list here: facebook.com/mike.otsuka.9/…
On that list are 9 Cambridge colleges that rejected risk: Corpus Christi, Fitzwilliam, Gonville & Caius, Jesus, King's, Lucy Cavendish, Pembroke, St Catharine's, Sidney Sussex.
By contrast, only one Oxford college, Hertford, appears on the list so far: hertford.ox.ac.uk/news/uukuss
So, who from Cambridge attended OXCAM on the 20th Sep?
Bursars from:
King's*, Jesus*, Corpus Christi*, Fitzwilliam*, Wolfson, Newnham, Darwin, Trinity Hall, Clare, Murray Edwards.
The first 4 (marked with *) we know responded to the survey to reject risk.
Bursars from:
King's*, Jesus*, Corpus Christi*, Fitzwilliam*, Wolfson, Newnham, Darwin, Trinity Hall, Clare, Murray Edwards.
The first 4 (marked with *) we know responded to the survey to reject risk.
The Head of the Office of Intercollegiate Services also attended. Interestingly, the OIS is also a #USS employer in its own right, so it could have responded independently to the September survey.
You might hope that the OIS would not be counted as a separate "HE institution". You might hope that responses were weighted by the number of USS employees. But we are still waiting for UUK to respond to Prof Athene Donald on this:
Who attended from Oxford? Bursars from Brasenose, St Antony's, Merton, Somerville, Madalen, St Hilda's, St Peter's and St Anne's.
It seems that, on USS issues, it was Cambridge that was attempting to influence Oxford. Cambridge was pushing for "sectionalisation": the subdivision of assets & liabilities among the individual post-92 Universities.
"Sectionalisation" is a concept that also comes up in Cambridge University's response to the UUK survey:
The insidious idea that "competitor Universities" are gaining an advantage using Cambridge & Oxford's balance sheet is also in evidence there:
It is clear that Cambridge was also pushing Oxford to move towards a Defined-Contribution (DC) scheme ...
#OXCAM saw that moving to DC would "kill two birds with one stone", as it would effectively "sectionalise" the pension scheme, protecting Oxbridge from liabilities under the "last man standing" rule:
Conveniently, OXCAM was on 20th September, just nine days before the deadline for the UUK survey on 29th September. And conveniently, the online survey went out on or around the 20th. Bursars could even have submitted their response from OXCAM!
But ...
<sarcasm>
There is no evidence of any collusion here. NO COLLUSION!
</sarcasm>.
<sarcasm>
There is no evidence of any collusion here. NO COLLUSION!
</sarcasm>.
The OXCAM document is currently freely available on the Oxford weblearn website, for those with a log-in. (Thank you to people who noticed this and have downloaded copies).
ENDS.
ENDS.
Addendum: An email sent by the Registrar in Oxford on 22nd Feb had a paragraph that doesn't seem to stand up to scrutiny (as noted before by @MikeOtsuka). Perhaps the Registrar may wish to revise the statement in light of new information?
