Yes, the recent Jason Arday scandal should be a wake-up call to the left, as Jason Okundaye suggests (The takedown of Jason Arday has overjoyed the right, and must be a wake-up call for the left, 6 August), but it should also be a wake-up call to anyone who cares about university systems and protocols around appointment and promotion.
What I have seen at UK universities suggests that Arday was not simply an individual who slipped through the net, but that university systems often fail to detect or challenge exaggerated claims. If anything, those with greater institutional privilege are more likely to get away with exaggerations, embellishments and even falsehoods on their CVs and promotion applications.
I have witnessed and reported on what appeared to be falsehoods in promotion applications with no repercussions; in fact, in both cases the applicants were promoted (and both were white). In one case, an applicant claimed to have given several keynote addresses, while conference websites indicated that he had been only an ordinary conference speaker. In another, an applicant claimed to be a co-author of a book when she was listed as a “data collection contributor”.
Why, after I highlighted inaccurate claims, were these people still promoted? I cannot say. But from speaking with colleagues at other universities, this is far from unusual. Those willing to stretch the truth can rely on overworked colleagues with little time to factcheck and a system depending heavily on applicants’ honesty.
This lack of accountability is grossly unfair on the many academics who report honestly on their accomplishments and do excellent work without resorting to such tactics. Perhaps the pressure to meet increasingly demanding and sometimes unattainable standards is driving this behaviour.
The number of permanent academic jobs has not kept pace with the number of PhD graduates, and competition for academic posts has intensified. Nevertheless, we need more checks and verifiable criteria to help prevent future scandals and to restore confidence in academic integrity.
Name and address supplied
The case of Prof Jason Arday is an important insight into the academic world. Public expectation of academia and its most prestigious institutions is that these are purely meritocratic. In my experience this is not the case. One of the questions we should be asking is why an academic would be moved to fabricate a CV? Academic pressures can be intense, as evidenced by the needless suicide of Prof Stefan Grimm in 2014.
Furthermore, low-level racism is common in the university setting, in which there is a “chumocratic” culture that promotes similar or like-minded individuals. Ethnic minorities, or those who question the establishment, may be excluded from reaping the full benefits of their academic endeavours in an environment in which career-defining decisions such as promotion, publication and grant success are subjective.
At present, pending full investigation, it may be unclear if Jason Arday is perpetrator or victim, but the academic environment in which he has operated is unlikely to be completely blameless.
Salim Khakoo
Professor of hepatology, University of Southampton
Jason Arday’s story has divided opinion among my friends and associates, and Okundaye’s piece articulates why. Whether the accusations of plagiarism or lying hold up, only time will tell. But in the meantime, a man and his family are in an intolerable position.
What troubles me equally is the frame surrounding Arday before any of this surfaced: the youngest Black professor in Cambridge’s history, a story of triumph over adversity. That framing is seductive – it’s the stuff that films are made of – but it sets a trap. It suggests Black excellence is only coherent when it becomes a redemption story. But that isn’t equal opportunity; equality doesn’t require anyone to be a miracle.
I don’t know if Arday lied. I’m not signing petitions declaring the allegations “entirely false”. But I will still buy his book, because I think he has been let down by more than himself.
Memuna Forna
London
Here’s what I think Jason Arday represents: an obsession among liberal Britain with Black people’s “inspiring stories”; a man for whom making things up became a sad habit, and what happens when you become trapped in it; a reminder that, depressingly, the path to flourishing while Black is to be better than perfect, and some people will never believe you’re there by merit; and how a victim of a coordinated campaign can be taken down. All these points are true. It’s a sad story.
Colton Richards
London
I really appreciated the down-to-earth sanity of Jason Okundaye’s piece on the case of Jason Arday. So much hype, so much spiteful sniping, seldom thoughtful or without an agenda. Underneath it all, I can’t help feeling that Cambridge University did little to cover themselves in glory.
However, I suspect that few have thought about Jason Arday, the person, and what he might be going through. I feel a sense of admiration for him, without being in a position to judge any of the allegations made against him. Some compassion would go a long way.
Linda Rhead
Hampton, London
It is a deeply concerning to hear of the resignation of Prof Jason Arday, a huge loss. Your report (5 August) refers to the Guardian’s own investigation, with revelations that this professor may have inflated his running achievements and overstated threats to his personal safety. On the former, instances of much more egregious displays of ego in academia are far from rare, without any apparent damage to the standing or careers of many professors.
On the latter, one has to ask what it takes for an institution to act to protect Black staff and students. Experiences of racism are far from unusual, and the psychological toll they take is well documented. Rather than undermine those who seek help in the face of abuse, the Guardian might wonder: what does it take to make us listen and understand?
Dr Isabel Shutes
London School of Economics and Political Science
Within higher education, Jason Arday is well known for the kindness he promotes; many thousands of the students and staff he has encountered over the years will attest to this. In today’s world – particularly within the context of recent coverage surrounding Arday – the significance of this should not be underestimated.
The accusations against Arday raise many polarising and contentious issues, and debates will no doubt continue for some time. In all of this, I urge commentators and commenters to remember the principles of respect and humanity, not to mention kindness.
Name and address supplied
