https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.telegraph.co.uk_education_2017_02_06_oxford-2Duniversity-2Dembroiled-2Drace-2Drow-2Dstudents-2Dtold-2Dvigilant_&d=CwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HUp8-bkYMlNgd3ZJBxWBKsBsFAFGHrEZg21p9gxugJA&m=Q-bOT_PuQieq9AbAVZT5FpQPNg_q2UqI7zd6w-XcA3w&s=P494UtAGw8Bt8QVh2DggBBMdsWEYGFmUbjbTYM6Zsrk&e= Oxford University embroiled in race row as students told to be 'vigilant' after black man seen in grounds An email was sent out to all undergraduates at the college with a CCTV image Oxford University has become embroiled in a race row after students received an email from staff telling them to be “vigilant” because a black man was seen walking through college grounds. Harris Manchester College (HMC) has been accused of “despicable” double standards for urging undergraduates to “alert a member of staff” if the man is seen again - while white students and graduates frequently “wander around college” without triggering safety alerts. Femi Nylander, a 22-year-old prominent Rhodes Must Fall activist, had worked in a friend’s office overnight after accidentally becoming locked in HMC’s grounds on Thursday evening. <img src="/content/dam/education/2017/02/06/femi-portraitJS119858729-small_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq_GO3ERunmEg2UTF5U96Kc_ctAPMNiKvlkcZf6zNr5hc.jpg" alt="Femi Nylander is a 22-year-old prominent Rhodes Must Fall activist" width="319" height="318" class="responsive-image--fallback"/> Femi Nylander is a 22-year-old prominent Rhodes Must Fall activist On Friday morning he was approached by college staff, and said they had a pleasant conversation about whether he planned to have breakfast. However, later that day an email was sent out to all undergraduates at the college with a CCTV image of Mr Nylander attached, and a cautionary message reminding students to “maintain vigilance”. Mr Nylander, who graduated from Oxford last summer after reading philosophy, politics and economics (PPE), said the email was an example of the university’s “institutional racism” and he called on the College to apologise. <img src="/content/dam/education/2017/02/06/graduating-femi-JS119858581-small_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqHowMPu14EJHRSSRIRLXf3YzAHHKGzSiWQtThNrdbKXk.jpg" alt="Femi Nylander (left) graduated from Oxford University last summer, where he read PPE" width="182" height="182" class="responsive-image--fallback"/> Femi Nylander (left) graduated from Oxford University last summer, where he read PPE “The colleges have hundreds of students – if a white person comes by they don’t say anything,” Mr Nylander said. “I have lots of white friends who are never stopped.” He said he has been stopped and asked for identity documents by porters at Brasenose College and Magdalene College on his way to tutorials, and at St Hilda’s College where he had a play rehearsal. Aliya Yule, an organiser of the university’s Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality, said there was a similar issue recently where black students were repeatedly stopped and asked to provide identity documents when entering Christ Church College. “This shows that there is still a problem with black students being seen as other, as security threats, as a danger,” Ms Yule, who is in her final year studying PPE at Wadham College. “Black students are seen as outsiders, not the kind of person you see here or would want to see here. They are treated with hostility.” <img src="/content/dam/education/2017/02/06/all-souls-protest-JS119881199-small_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqrkoV1yYzwUi_U9sfyF5nZV28A-gkIo8OHL4NbqJ56a0.jpg" alt="Femi Nylander stood outside All Souls College last year in protest against the Codrington Library's founder, Christopher Codrington due to his colonial links" width="320" height="199" class="responsive-image--fallback"/> Femi Nylander stood outside All Souls College last year in protest against the Codrington Library's founder, Christopher Codrington due to his colonial links Mr Nylander, who is currently editing a book about the Rhodes Must Fall movement, was a leading activist in the student campaign to have a statue of Cecil Rhodes removed due to his links to Britain's colonial past. Last year he stood shirtless outside All Souls College with a chain around his neck and ‘All Slaves College’ painted on his chest in red paint to protest against the Codrington Library's founder, Christopher Codrington, a plantation owner who amassed a fortune through the slave trade. The email, sent to all HMC undergraduates by a college official, was posted on the Facebook group Race Matters, and prompted hundreds of responses from outraged students. <img src="/content/dam/education/2017/02/06/email-JS119858583-small_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqUlxh0Yl1UGKywkIhEnqKJcplO1iu3IC7_VBYWChRXqg.jpg" alt="Students were sent an email urging them to "maintain vigilance"" width="291" height="181" class="responsive-image--fallback"/> Students were sent an email urging them to "maintain vigilance" The email said: “This is a serious reminder that this wonderful and safe environment in which we live and work can be taken advantage of. “We must all do our bit to maintain vigilance against unauthorised persons in College. Attached is an image taken from our CCTV of a person discovered in College this morning. “Seen previously, it had been thought his person was associated with All Souls College. This is not the case. If you see the person in the attached image, then please alert a member of College Staff.” We must all do our bit to maintain vigilance against unauthorised persons in CollegeEmail sent to Harris Manchester College students The message went on: “We are unaware of the intentions of this individual. Previous interactions with them have been amendable, so the College does not currently feel there is any level of danger, to either persons or property.” A spokesperson for Harris Manchester College said they sent the email after being informed of an “unidentified person” on the grounds on Thursday night. “CCTV footage showed that the same person, who was unknown to us, had entered Harris Manchester the following morning,” the spokesperson said. “The email made clear that the individual in the photograph was not thought to present any danger, but we felt students should be aware of the matter. “We have occasionally issued similar emails in the past when other unidentified people have entered the College." Femi Nylander wrote a song named Dreaming Spires about his experiences as a black student at Oxford. He describes the "subtle racism where porters prevent me from entering a college where I have a tute [tutorial]" natcphd How PHILOSOPHY Was Whitewashed Why Is My CURRICULUM White? (We Inherited Galton) Why Is The UNIVERSITY Still White?—What Is Blackstudies? ############################ To unsubscribe from the FEAST-L list: write to: mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the following link: http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FEAST-L&A=1