Tuee officials at Oxford Linacre College assure that a bunch of of due diligence means everything is ok for is a proudly sustainable institution to rename itself, in exchange for £155 million in honor of Vietnamese airline billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, who was educated in Russia. Branch for Education is just as good now.
But still you can’t help interesting: did anyone Google “bikini airline” as this donor Vietjet is widely known and somehow miss the contribution of girlish calendars and mid-air parody of his fate? “We do not mind people airline association with bikini image,” Tao said. “If it makes people happy means we are happy.”
Suppose the college was also happy with bikini money did his investigations extend to human rights violations in Vietnam, where Tao leads a company that MP Julian Lewis called “extremely close” to government – and find it information compatible with Linacre’s transformation into Tao College, academic version of her personal license plate?
If so, then it’s magical. news for anyone with spare £155m who ever dreamed of becoming an Oxford college but came to the conclusion that some supposed association with heinous sexism, political repression or contribution to the climate emergency could attract investment in Johnson’s Peerage more simple. Oxford Colleges How Linacre Defends points out were sometimes renamed – although perhaps not in honor of philanthropists. who use humiliating images of young women to increase your profit. As can be seen from the sale of Linacre, it would be a shame if the recent controversy around people and objects with colonial associations made a mistake, donors with enough money to appease the cultural victim, for unwavering adherence to tradition. Chancellor of Oxford, Lord Patten, who recently condemned the removal of some students of royal portrait as “offensive and obscenely ignorant”, apparently has not yet condemned the removal of Renaissance scholar Thomas Linacre – contemporary of in original Faust – whose latitude of college education is still advertised as its model.
Neglect gone down worse in Wigan, where Linacre was rector for four years from 1520. And the disrespect for the man from Wigan doesn’t end there. “The College will accept proposals from the Benefactor in development new comb and find the right one new College Colors. says part of Tao agreement called “Promotion of gift.” This adds: “The benefactor can use college name and coat of arms for for advertising purposes by agreement in promote.”
So even though it’s too late for Hugh Hefner, there could hardly be a better time for say Hooters, who has met some resistance in UK to consider renaming proposal for if not Balliol or Magdalene, then certainly one of junior colleges this year more open-minded university. Already radical Oxford exercises in philanthropic recognition – thanks to which its centers of training could be named after, say, Trump.supporting private stock plutocrat or well-known chemical company for its pollution – must have given many unloved asset- stripper ideas about reputation update. But, as Linacre completes its reimagining as, in essence, Faust College, yet more implausible deals could never look so achievable.
Subject to approval by a privy council led by Johnson supporter Mark Spencer, Tao’s agreement will soon entitle her to deeper involvement. in student life: “A philanthropist may, subject to approval of College, suggest “Tao” or other relatives [sic] name for buildings, structures, scholarships or scholarships funded directly Donation or income received from the Donation. In turn, Vietjet parent Sovico promises to be net zero by 2050. The agreement states: “Responsibility for creating and implementation net zero plan remains exclusively with Benefactor”.
Participation of Soviko, a company dealing with in fossil fuel extraction was, next to Vietjet bikini and cleaning of Linacre, the most notable objection after the deal was announced in Cop26 in presence of Vietnamese prime minister, Pham Min Chin. Director of Linacre, Nick Leimu-Brown, responded that the beneficial effects on Soviko strategy “will be far greater than any influence we can exert through our own net zero progress”. They can fact-Check this in 27 years.
On the Vietnamese side, there was some surprise that Tao should I prefer to perpetuate myself inside one of in the world’s richest universities, not to invest in her own country. And it’s not clear why, since Tao studied and made her first luck in in former USSR, she did not try to rename her alma mater to Plekhanov Moscow Russian University. of Economy. After Cop26, Julian Lewis, Chairman of The Intelligence and Security Committee has repeatedly raised parliamentary questions about the advisability of of deal given the appalling human rights record in Vietnam without getting an adequate response.
To pay tribute to Linacre’s diligence, the deal was signed before Vietnam’s imprisonment. of Ngui Thi Khan, globally recognized environmental leader who would, in fact will make an excellent figurehead for any climate organization that is tired of its old name. Three comrades in the campaign also was imprisoned in what appears to be organized persecution of activists whose goals Linacre is still supposedly shares.
Neither, of Surely Linacre could have foreseen invasion of Ukraine, and crime it might seem casual for college current ambition, if not for “great relationship” Soviko with Vietnamese government who refrained from judging invasion. Perhaps when Tao College representative, chairman of a new expert council (“to report to the Benefactor on influence of donation”), you can see around the place there will be chance for Tao students confirm that their Benefactor accepts more fundamental view.
Alternatively, there is still time for Linacre to revise or scale down the deal that is now out Only for so comprehensive wrong. This is the promised wealth and new postgraduate center worth an eternity like College Bikini Airlines? Even Dr. Faust Marlowe has reconsidered his views – although, as many students of Linacre will realize, too late.
Katherine Bennett, Observer columnist
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