The Warden of Rhodes House at Oxford University, Charles Conn, has finally weighed in on the controversy over the statue of Cecil John Rhodes at Oriel College. This follows Oriel College’s announcement in mid-December last year that it would be applying for planning permission to remove a plaque to Rhodes on one of its buildings, and would be embarking on a sixth month listening exercise about removing a statue of Rhodes from another. Rhodes was former student of Oriel College and donated a large sum of money to the College on his death.
As the Warden of Rhodes House, Conn is the global CEO of the Rhodes Trust and the Rhodes Scholarships, which were established through a massive endowment from the late British mining magnate and empire builder in terms of his 1902 will and testament.
In a letter to current and former Rhodes Scholars, dated 20 January 2016, Conn responded to queries as to why the Rhodes Trust had not commented more publicly on the controversy. The full text follows below:
Rhodes in the News: Beyond Statues
Dear Rhodes Scholar,
With all the noise in the press, a number of you have asked me why the Rhodes Trust has not commented more publicly on the debate about the statue of Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College. Let me take some time to address this issue with all of you.