Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
The recent suicide of a young man, Alexander Rogers, following social ostracism by his peers at the University of Oxford has prompted a coroner to issue a warning to the UK Government about the practice of “self-policing” among some students. Mr Rogers, who was 20 at the time of his death, was in his third year of study at the University’s Corpus Christi College when he took his own life. Oxfordshire coroner Nicholas Graham has urged the Department for Education to take action to prevent future deaths resulting from harmful effects of social ostracism at universities.
Mr Rogers had reported to the university his exposure to “name-calling, targeted behavior and exclusion and rejection” after allegations were made against him about his conduct. This prompted Corpus Christi College to commission an independent serious incident review. The review discovered evidence of a disturbing practice among students at the college, often referred to as “cancel culture,” whereby individuals are isolated and excluded from social groups based on allegations or perceptions of wrongdoing. The prevalence of such behavior poses a significant risk to the mental health and wellbeing of students.
Mr Graham warned that students employ social ostracism as a means of ‘self-policing’ without formal processes and without proper investigation or evidence. While he did not attribute the culture to Mr Roger’s suicide, he suggested that it could give rise to a risk of future deaths. The Rogers family has since been raising money for suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS.
The suicide of Alexander Rogers has brought to light a crucial issue that must be addressed. The “cancel culture” phenomenon, as it is commonly known, is slowly plaguing social media platforms and universities, and Mr. Graham’s concerns, though prompted by Rogers’ death, represent the feelings of many in the community. It is essential to provide support and advice to those affected by these traumatizing experiences, and the Department of Education must take action to ensure that these incidents do not recur in the future. The academic community must work towards providing a safe environment for all students, regardless of the allegations or perceptions made against them
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.