Union President’s alternative ‘idea of the university’
Amid the controversy surrounding the campaign to disinvite Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Katie Lam gives her alternative idea of the university

Our ongoing podcast series on 'Alternative Ideas of the University' follows on from the lectures organized by CRASSH last term. The lecture series received criticism for the narrow range of views that were voiced, and so these podcasts aim to serve as a platform for the voicing of alternative ideas of what a university should be and do. Interviewees have included CUSU President Gerard Tully, Women’s Officer of CULC Clare Walker-Gore and King’s College Chaplain Richard Lloyd Morgan.
This week, Varsity spoke to Katie Lam, President of the Cambridge Union Society, about her alternative idea of a university. Her comments come at a time when she has been highly involved in defending the Union’s decision to invite Dominique Strauss-Kahn to speak at the Union on the 9th March.
Listen to the full interview here.
CUSU’s Women’s Campaign have condemned this invitation. In a letter addressed to the Union and currently supported by 665 signatories, they claim that offering him the platform to speak as the former head of IMF allows him to distance himself from the two allegations of rape that have been made against him.
Katie talks about why she believes that his experience with IMF “makes him an interesting person … that the membership would like to hear” and that “in the invitation process, that’s really as far as it goes.” She also talks about why she values the humanities, her views on the importance of Access and why a university should champion openness and provoke debate.
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