Last week (27/01) it was decided that CCTV cameras will be placed within Sidney Sussex college bar after disputes between the student body and college administration.

The move came in the wake of an inspection by the police and the City Council in which the bar’s management was informed that without the presence of cameras the bar could not comply with the terms of its licence.

Last term saw a dispute  between the student body and college administration over plans to have CCTV put in the bar. The initial proposal was that the cameras would be paid for from the bar’s own budget.

An open letter, which gained 329 signatures, criticised the college administration and expressed “deep concern with the College’s lack of integrity and transparency regarding Sidney Sussex College Bar.”

Following this, the college appeared to signal a backtrack, when plans for the installing the CCTV in November did not go ahead. In a statement released to Varsity, the College conceded that “they didn’t get it right the first time” but were committed to finding a “constructive” way forward that ensured the college bar remained a “welcoming space”.

Earlier disagreements between the student body and the college administration were acknowledged in the announcement. The bar’s manager, Jake Hewison, thanked those who signed the open letter and reassured students that the decision was not an “antithesis” to the sentiments expressed within the letter, which was said to be as much about the way installation of CCTV was approached as it was the “physical installation of cameras”.

The college have stressed that footage from the CCTV “would not be live streamed anywhere” or “watched to monitor” the actions of students in the bar. Access to the footage will only be available in the “case of an incident” to “a select few members of staff”.

A bouncer for the bar has also been hired for busy nights to monitor capacity and prevent an influx of outside students. In the same email, students within the college were thanked for their compliance with the new rules which were intended to make the bar space more “enjoyable” and to keep it as a place for “the Sidney Student”.

Sidney Sussex’s bar is not the only student-run establishment facing changes. Clare College has put out an advertisement for an external bar manager, raising concerns amongst students over the bar’s autonomy.