10 November 2022

Dear Members of Council,

As members of staff and students of Goldsmiths, University of London we formally request that Council, as the governing body of Goldsmiths, holds Professor Frances Corner, as Warden of Goldsmiths, accountable for breach of College Policies, Statutes and Regulations through the wrongful suspension of Professor Des Freedman and Dr Gholam Khiabany for 115 days.

On Friday 28 October, the outcome of an independent investigation undertaken by a leading barrister concluded that “there is no case to answer”. 

The wrongful decision to investigate and suspend Des Freedman and Gholam Khiabany based on the inappropriate and unjustified interpretation of ‘gross misconduct’ in the disciplinary proceedings, and the public communication of this suspension to students, cannot be defended on grounds of academic freedom, freedom of speech or whistle blowing, and has caused serious reputational damage to the College. This is clearly evidenced by the open letter expressing “shock and outrage” at this action and signed by 5,008 people from around the world.  It is further evidenced by 49 public letters from the national and international academic community, many noting how Goldsmiths’ reputation has been impacted. As well as statements from four national and international subject associations drawing attention to their entire membership of the mismanagement at Goldsmiths in this case.

The wrongful decision to suspend has led to a serious breach of trust and confidence between us as employees and the College as employer wherein disciplinary procedures can be enacted with long lasting personal and institutional damage, when there is “no case to answer”.

The wrongful suspension is evidence of a failure to consider a duty of care to students in communication: Des Freedman and Gholam Khiabany were fully vindicated in communicating to students where the College had failed to do so.    

In sum, the outcome of the independent investigation is evidence of the Warden acting negligently in the performance of her duties and, we believe, constitutes gross misconduct under the terms of Goldsmiths Disciplinary Policy and Statute.

We call on Council to exercise their responsibilities and duties resting with the College under Goldsmiths’ Statutes, Ordinances and General Regulations and to investigate the case for gross misconduct on the terms outlined above and to make a public report back to the College community. We request also a public response to this letter outlining the action that will be taken.

Yours sincerely,

1. Milly Williamson MCCS staff 

2. Dan Strutt, MCCS, Staff

3. Tassia Kobylinska, MCCS, Staff

4. Ruth Garland, MCCS, Staff

5. Philip Palmer, MCCS, Staff

6. Marsha Rosengarten, Sociology, Staff

7. Jennifer Fleetwood, Sociology, Staff. 

8. Martin Savransky, Sociology, Staff.

9. Marina Vishmidt, MCCS, Staff

10. James Burton, MCCS, Staff

11. Emma Jackson, Sociology, Staff

12. Natalie Fenton, MCCS, Staff

13. Anita Biressi MMCS Staff (Associate)

14. June Melody, MCCS, staff (AL)

15. Michael Klontzas, MCCS, staff (AL)

16. James Curran, MCCS, staff

17. Irit Rogoff VC Staff

18. Jenny Doussan, VC, Staff

19. Rob Freeman, MCCS, staff

20. Susan Kelly, Art Dept staff

21. Susan Schuppli, VC/CRA, staff

22. Hung Nguyen, MCCS, staff

23. Damian Owen-Board, MCCS, staff 

24. Nicole Wolf, VC, staff

25. Martyn Wemyss, Anthropology 

26. Jacob Mukherjee, MCCS, staff

27. Ceiren Bell, MCCS, Staff

28. Ifor Duncan, VC, Staff

29. Kiran Grewal, Sociology, staff

30. Mariam Motamedi-Fraser, Sociology, staff

31. Becky Gardiner, MCCS, staff

32. Ellie Levenson, MCSS, staff

33. Yari Lanci, Sociology, staff

34. Aleena Chia, MCCS, staff

35. Kathryn Blundell, MCCS, staff

36. Alison Winch, MCCS, staff

37. Malene Skaerved MCCS, staff

38. Tessel Janse, MCCS, staff (AL)

39. Liam Mullally, MCCS, staff (AL)

40. Feyzi Ismail, MCCS, staff

41. Paige Isaacson, MCCS, staff (AL) 

42. Laurel Rogers, MCCS, student

43. Alice Dunseath, MCCS, staff

44. Jaeyoon Jeong, MCCS, staff (AL) 

45. Marcos Ortiz, MCCS, staff (AL)

46. Daniel Rourke, MCCS, staff

47. Dash Macdonald, Design, staff 

48. Sarah Cefai, MCCS, staff

49. Omega Douglas, MCCS, staff

50. Edd Bagenal, Design, staff

51. Anna Delinois, MCCS, staff (AL)

52. Adrian Hillman, staff (AL)

53. Jamie Matthews, Sociology, staff

54. Fanny Wendt Höjer, MCCS, staff (AL)

55. Kate Nash, Sociology, staff

56. Tuur Van Balen, Design, staff

57. Nirmal Puwar, Sociology, staff

58. Matthew Fuller, MCCS, staff

59. Barbie Zelizer, University of Pennsylvania, professor

60. Marianella Lopez, Anthropology, Student

61. Henna Zamurd-Butt, student

62. Sofya Vasilyeva, MCCS, student 

63. Elena Stoian, MCCS

64. Xiang Fan, MCCS, staff (AL)

65. Richard MacDonald, MCCS, staff

66. Michael Guggenheim, Sociology, staff

67. Vana Goblot, MCCS, staff

68. Wendy Jordan, MCCS, staff

69. Clea Bourne, MCCS, staff

70. Tom Greenwood, MCCS, staff (AL) & student

71. Nick Mortimer, Design, staff

72. Andy Freeman, Computing, staff & student

73. Gerry McCulloch, MCCS, staff

74. Jenny Dunseath Reader Fine Art, Bath Spa University 

75. Richard Shannon Head of Radio, MCCS

76. Svenja Bromberg, Sociology

77. Laura Cuch, MCCS & Sociology, staff

78. Deirdre Osborne, ECW, staff

79. Sophie Day, Anthropology, staff

80. Sanjay Seth, Politics and International Relations, staff

81. Rajyashree Pandey, Politics and International Relations, staff

82. Adam Morby, Politics and International Relations, staff

83 Michael Dutton PIR, staff. 

84. Nick Taylor, Politics & IR, staff

85. David Heinemann, MCCS, student

86. Lisa Hack MCCS, Staff

87. Delia Balauca, MCCS, student

88. Kirsten Campbell, Sociology, staff

89. Lenka Vráblíková, VC, staff

90. Derek Wall, Politics and International Relations, staff.

91 Marian Carty, Educational Studies, staff

92. Andrew Wilkins, Education, staff

93. Amanda Kipling, Education, staff

94. Vicky Macleroy, Educational Studies, staff

95. Ekaterina Rozanova, PIR, staff

96. John Clay, Educational Studies, staff

97. Sipho Morrison, Education, staff

98. Faris Sanhaji, Educational Studies, staff

99. Sheryl Clark, Education, staff

100. Vik Loveday, Sociology, staff

101. Carla Ibled, Politics and International Relations, staff

102. Yomn Al-Kaisi, Politics and International Relations, student

103. Anna Grant, Educational Studies, staff

104. Kirstin Lewis, Educational Studies, staff

105. Sam Nightingale, MCCS, staff (AL)

106. Dejan Djokić, History, staff

107. Hannah Elias, History, staff 

108. Rehana Zaman, Art, staff 

110. Roberto Mozzachiodi, MCCS, staff

111. Deborah Grayson, MCCS, staff

112. Justin Bengry, History, staff

113. Maggie Pitfield, Visiting Research Fellow (Education)

114. Rachel Moore, MCCS, staff

115. Sarah Pearce, Educational Studies, staff

116. Siobhán McGuirk, Anthropology, staff

117 Bruce Ingman MCCS, staff

118 Henrike Donner, Anthropology

119 Aleksandar Brkic, ICCE, staff

120 Richard Hull, ICCE, Staff

121 Oonagh Murphy, ICCE, Staff

122 Nicola Guy, ICCE, staff

123 Ashley Evenson, ICCE, Staff

124 Atau Tanaka, Computing, Staff

125 Simon Katan, Computing, Staff

126 Evan Raskob, Computing, Staff

127 Eleonora Oreggia, Computing, Staff

128 Jiadong Qiang, Computing, PhD candidate

129 Luke Cooke-Yarborough, Computing, Staff

130 Jamie Forth, Computing, staff

131 Yassmin Foster, MCCS, Student

132 Gerolamo Gnecchi, Computing, Student

133. Joe Newman, Music, Staff

134. Terence Broad, Computing, PhD Candidate

135. Robert Gordon, TaP, staff

136. Dan McQuillan, Computing, Staff

137. Andrea Mura, Politics & IR, staff

138. Clarice Hilton, Computing PhD candidate, MCCS staff 

139. Oliver Bramhill, MCCS, Student

140. Clare Finburgh Delijani, TaP, staff

141. Frederic Fol Leymarie, Computing, staff

142. Ridhima Chatterjee, MCCS, Student 

143. Yuchan Du, MCCS, Student 

144. Udhav Arora, MCCS, Student

145. Linh Nguyen, MCCS, Student

146. Thanh Doan, MECS, Student

147.Yuqi Mei,MCCS,Student

148. Rachael Champion, TaP staff

149. Alexa Reid, TaP staff

150. Adam Alston, TaP staff

151. Simonetta Alessandri, Tap staff

152. Clio Unger, TAP, associate staff

153. Danny Braverman, TAP staff

154. Patrick Furness, TAP staff

155. Rachael Newberry, TaP staff

156. Yaiza Hernández Velázquez, Visual Cultures staff

157. Peter Rees, Politics and International Relations staff

158 Vicki Ryf, Education Studies. Staff 

159 David Martin, Politics Staff

160 Osita Okagbue TaP Staff

161 Anneke Kampman Music, staff

162 Ray Campbell, TaP staff

163 Carlie Pendleton, History, PhD Candidate

164 David Mabb, Art. Staff

165 Lisa Blackman, MCCS, Staff

166 Aadita Chaudhury, MCCS, Staff

166 Saul Newman, Politics and IR Staff.

167 Andreas Kramer, ECW, staff

168 Anthony Faramelli, Visual Cultures, staff 

169 Lily Ash Sakula, MCCS, staff

170 Ali Eisa, Art, staff

180 Florence Platford, ECW, student 

181. Lucia Boldrini, ECW, staff

182. Fiona Graham, TaP staff

183 Ian Gardiner, Music, staff

184. Egle Trezzi , MCCS staff 

185. Giovanna Iozzi, ECW, student and AL

186. Jamie Williams, MFA student

187. Tiziana Morosetti, TaP, staff

189. David Ferrando Giraut, Art, Staff

190. Rosalyn George Ed Studies Staff 

191. Jessa Mockridge, Library, staff

192. Annie Whiles art dept

193. Joseph Noonan-Ganley, Art dept staff

194. Leo Watkins, MCCS, staff (AL)

195. Pamela Karantonis, TaP, staff

196. Richard Brett, Design, staff

197. Thomas Zacharias, Education staff

198. Andy Harper. MFA Fine Art, staff. 

199. Sarah Nankivell, Forensic Architecture, VC, staff

200. Louise Chambers, MCCS, staff

201. Nigel Bristow, MCCS, Staff

202. Vikki Bell, Sociology, staff

203. Luciana Velloso, IMS, staff

204. Angus Sinclair, Subject Librarian for MCCS, staff

205. Christopher Wright, Anthropology, Staff

206. Ben Levitas, TaP, staff

207. Anastasia Stouraiti, History, staff

208. Gillian Murtagh, MCCS, Student

209. Lynne Brown, Stacs, Staff 

210. Susan Westman, STaCS, staff

211. Roger Green, Visiting Research Fellow

212. Alberto Toscano, Sociology, Staff

213. Marleen Boschen, Art, staff 

214. Edgar Schmitz, Art, staff

215. Catherine Nugent, Anthropology, student

216. Suhail Malik, Art, Staff

217. Benedict Seymour, Art, Staff

218. Sadie Murdoch, Art, Staff

219. Xin Fan,MCCS,Student

220. Ruizhe Xia,MCCS, Student 

221. Tomas Percival, VC Staff

222. Carole Maddern, ECW, Staff

223. Regan Bowering, Music/ MCCS student & staff (AL)

224. Andrew Kingham, MCCS, Staff

225. Deirdre Daly, CALL Staff

226. Sara Ewing, CALL Staff

227. Richard Smith, MCCS, Staff

228. Audrey Samson, Art, Staff

229. Rachel McCarthy, Music, Staff

230. Helena Reckitt, Art, Staff

231. Louise Ashcroft, Art, Staff

232. Marion Coutts, Art, Staff

233. Mattia Paganelli, Computing, Staff

234. Malin Nilsson, MCCS, Student 

235. Susmita Mukherjee, MCCS, Student

236. Rong Guo, MCCS, Student

237. Xintong Li, MCCS, Student

238. Reyhan Thomas Sen, MCCS, Student 

239. Xinyi Song, MCCS, Student

240. Prof Julian Henriques, staff

241. KyungEun Jung, MCCS, Student

242. Jigyasha Sharma, MCCS, Student 

243. Kirsty Ogg, Art, Staff 

244. Andrea Tuijten, TaP, Staff (AL)

245. Katherine Robinson, Sociology, Staff

246. Meenal Jangir, MCCS, Student

247. Kulsoom Syed, MCCS, Student

248. Ruiting Yang, MCCS, Student

249. Rose Merriman, MA Culture Industry, Student

250. Pete Furniss, Music, Staff

251. Marjana Aktar, MCCS, Student

252. Paloma Ruiz, MA, Student

253. Julia Jarzabek, MA, Student