In response to calls from anti-racism activists, a college in Cambridge is planning to remove a stained glass window commemorating Sir Ronald Fisher, a eugenicist who was the founding chairman of the University of Cambridge eugenics society. The Gonville and Caius College council made the decision following discussions this week, having recognised that the window caused broad offence. The window had been featured on an interactive map called Topple the Racists, created by Black Lives Matter supporters. A petition by students also called for its removal.
The college said that Fisher’s mathematical model – depicted in the window – had made a fundamental contribution to “fields as wide-ranging as clinical trials in medicine through to increased production in agriculture”. However, the statement also acknowledges that Fisher had been a prominent proponent of eugenics. “While Fisher was at Cambridge he became the founding chairman of the University of Cambridge eugenics society and his interest in eugenics stimulated his interest in both statistics and genetics. He was a prominent proponent of eugenics, both in his scientific work and in his public pronouncements throughout his career.”
Other initiatives being pursued by the college include reform of the disciplinary code and complaints procedures, implicit bias training for staff, fellows and students, and continuation of the work of the Legacy of Slavery committee. Pippa Rogerson, the master of Gonville and Caius College, pledged to broaden and strengthen the community for all its members, acknowledging that the college aimed to do better in respect of diversity and equality.
