External events & speakers policy

Last updated: June 2024

This policy has been developed to enable St Catharine’s College to fulfil specific legal duties concerning the management of events and speakers as set out in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, the Prevent duty guidance issued by government and the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

1. Glossary of key terms

In this policy, the following terms will have the meaning set out below:

1.1 The College

St Catharine’s College

1.2 Visiting Speaker

As defined by the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, “a person who was, or was at any time invited to be, a visiting speaker”. As such, this includes Visiting Scholars, alumni and non-members of the College who have at any time been invited to visit St Catharine’s to speak.

This applies to invitations to speak during, for example, academic activities such as lectures, symposia, panel discussions and oral presentations, as well as sermons, welcome addresses and after-dinner remarks at social events.

This definition is considered, for the purposes of this policy, to exclude the College’s current students, members of staff and all categories of Fellows who are ordinarily covered by the College’s existing procedures. Also excluded are invited musical or theatrical performers who are expected to speak briefly only to introduce and conclude their performance.

1.3 Collegiate Cambridge

The 31 Colleges and the University of Cambridge

1.4 External Event

• Any scheduled or advertised meeting or activity held in person at the College’s premises that includes a visiting speaker and/or significant numbers of attendees from outside Collegiate Cambridge
  OR
• Any scheduled or advertised meeting or activity held online using the College’s IT systems and/or in the College’s name that includes a visiting speaker and/or significant numbers of participants from outside Collegiate Cambridge.
• These definitions encompass, for example, College-affiliated student society events with a visiting speaker held in College, elsewhere or online, and to external bookings made with the College (e.g. University-led seminars, conferences entirely unaffiliated with the College, and alumni-led events).

1.5 External Event Organiser

A specific person, acting on their own behalf or on behalf of a group or an organisation responsible for the External Event. Regardless of whether a member of the St Catharine’s community or not, the External Event Organiser is responsible for assisting the College in its statutory duties by: 

• Informing the College of any Visiting Speakers or External Events that are planned;
• Providing details in a timely manner as required;
• Implementing any actions that may be required by the College in order to ensure the event runs safely and lawfully. 

2. Principles

2.1 The College is strongly committed to the principle of freedom of speech and expression and has a published Code of Practice to that effect, which will be brought to the attention of the College community and anyone seeking to book College rooms for an External Event.

2.2 The purpose of this policy is to set out arrangements for the management of External Events and Visiting Speakers that do not form part of the College’s delivery of education or its governance (e.g. Committee meetings), so that the College can fulfil its legal obligations while maintaining its commitment to freedom of speech.

2.3 The College has also developed a new code of practice setting out:

1. The College’s values relating to freedom of speech and an explanation of how those values uphold freedom of speech,
2. The procedures to be followed by students, staff and Fellows of the College in connection with meetings and other activities held on the College’s premises,
3. The conduct required of such persons in connection with any such meeting or activity, and the criteria to be used in making decisions about whether to allow the use of premises and on what terms,
4. The complaints mechanisms for individuals who feel their freedom of speech rights have been infringed to the extent where they have suffered adverse effects.

2.4 This document serves in the meantime to outline key procedures specifically for the approval and management of Visiting Speakers and External Events.

3. The approval and management of Visiting Speakers

3.1 Approval process

3.1.1 Any student of St Catharine’s serving as the External Event Organiser on behalf of a College-affiliated society or club will to submit the name, affiliation and topic for a Visiting Speaker in writing to the Senior Tutor and wait for approval before extending an invitation. Presidents and captains are asked to ensure requests are submitted with their annual budget requests in Michaelmas Term, and that any other requests are submitted in writing to the Senior Tutor normally at least 21 days before the event.

3.1.2 Any student member of the College serving as an External Event Organiser for an event that does not involve a College-affiliated club or society will submit a request for a Visiting Speaker to the Dean of Discipline and wait for approval before extending an invitation. This request will be in writing, normally at least 21 days before the event and include the name, affiliation and topic for the Visiting Speaker.

3.1.3 Any member of staff at the College serving as an External Event Organiser will submit a request for a Visiting Speaker to the Operations Director and wait for approval before extending an invitation. This request will be in writing, normally at least 21 days before the event and include the name, affiliation and topic for the Visiting Speaker.

3.1.4 The Chaplain will submit Visiting Speaker proposals for individuals preaching in Chapel – including the name, affiliation and topic for the Visiting Speaker – to the College’s Chapel & Music Committee for agreement (either at its next meeting or by circulation) before extending an invitation. 

3.1.5 Any other Official/Professorial/Research/Honorary/Emeritus Fellow or Fellow Commoner of the College serving as an External Event Organiser will submit a request for a Visiting Speaker to the President wait for approval before extending an invitation. This request will be in writing, normally at least 21 days before the event and include the name, affiliation and topic for the Visiting Speaker.

3.1.6 Any External Event Organiser for whom the processes outlined in sections 3.1.1–5 are not applicable will submit equivalent information to the College as part of their request for an initial room booking (see section 4.5).

3.1.7 External Event Organisers are expected to be familiar with or to have researched Visiting Speakers before submitting requests for approval, to ensure that it is appropriate to ask them to speak on the proposed topic. 

3.1.8 If a Visiting Speaker declines the invitation (or accepts but later is unable to speak), the External Event Organiser must submit a new request for an alternative Visiting Speaker using the relevant process. 

1. Where a delay before the next meeting of the Chapel & Music Committee might leave a gap in Chapel sermons, the Chaplain will submit a new request for a Visiting Speaker to the Committee by circulation for approval by email.

3.1.9 The deliberate provision of false or incomplete information by the External Event Organiser may be addressed under the disciplinary procedures of the College, if appropriate, or otherwise invalidate the request.

3.2 Escalation and refusal

3.2.1    The College’s Prevent & Freedom of Speech Committee has responsibility for supporting the Dean of Discipline, the Senior Tutor, the Operations Director, the President and the Chapel & Music Committee with consideration of Visiting Speakers deemed to be high risk in relation to the College’s relevant legal obligations.

3.2.2    A Visiting Speaker request will be refused only as a last resort, following careful consideration of the College’s legal duties, relevant risks and the feasibility of any steps to mitigate such risks, and the Home Office’s proscribed list of terrorist groups or organisations. 

3.2.3    Any refusal will be reported to the Prevent & Freedom of Speech Committee at its next meeting.

3.3    Appeals process

3.3.1 Where the College has refused approval for a Visiting Speaker request, the External Event Organiser may make an appeal in writing against that decision to the Master (master@caths.cam.ac.uk). 

3.3.2 Any appeal and its outcome will be reported to the Prevent & Freedom of Speech Committee at its next meeting.

3.4    Inviting Visiting Speakers

3.4.1 A suggested form of words has been developed to support the invitation of speakers (see Appendix 1). This wording is encouraged but not obligatory. External Event Organisers are asked to carefully read the accompanying guidance notes and adapt the wording according to their needs.

3.4.2 An invitation should not be issued until a Visiting Speaker request has been approved.

3.5 Hosting Visiting Speakers

3.5.1 A short questionnaire has been developed to capture any security, accessibility or other needs that might affect the College’s ability to secure a Visiting Speaker’s freedom of speech (see Appendix 2).

3.5.2 The External Event Organiser will send this questionnaire to a Visiting Speaker as soon as an invitation to speak has been accepted and with at least 14 days’ notice to ensure any needs can be considered and addressed before the Visiting Speaker’s arrival.

3.5.3 Security needs will be forwarded by the External Event Organiser to the Head Porter and Operations Director as a matter of urgency (at least 7 days’ notice).

3.5.4 Accessibility needs will be forwarded by the External Event Organiser to the Conference Team as a matter of urgency.

3.5.5 If an External Event Organiser or Visiting Speaker has any other concerns ahead of an event, the External Event Organiser should inform the approver (the Dean of Discipline, the Senior Tutor, the Operations Director, the President or the Chapel & Music Committee as specified under 3.1) as a matter of urgency.

3.6 Reimbursing Visiting Speakers

3.6.1 The College does not accept any liability for the expenses incurred by Visiting Speakers invited by third parties who have booked spaces or facilities at the College for an event. It is expected that these third parties will set out reimbursement arrangements with their Visiting Speakers. 

3.6.2 A Visiting Speaker may request reimbursement from the College if both of the following conditions apply:

1. They have been invited to speak at an External Event by a Fellow, member of staff, or student representative acting on behalf of the College or its Junior Combination Room Committee, Middle Combination Room Committee or a College-affiliated society or club; and
2. Reimbursement has been agreed in advance with the External Event Organiser. 

3.6.3 These Visiting Speaker expenses can be claimed and reimbursed in line with the College’s Visiting Speaker Expenses Policy, and it is the responsibility of External Event Organisers to communicate clearly with Visiting Speakers prior to their engagement regarding: 

1. The expense policy, with emphasis on the key principles 
2. What is or is not claimable 
3. Rates and spending limits 
4. Required proof of expenditure, e.g., receipts, ticket 
5. Procedure for claiming 

3.6.4 Visiting Speakers who meet criterion 3.6.2.1 will not ordinarily be offered a fee or honorarium for their time, unless they are providing the College with professional consultancy or training services, in which case such an honorarium will be authorised by a Senior College Officer before it is offered and will not exceed £200.

3.6.5 This policy does not prevent External Event Organisers from making small gifts to unpaid Visiting Speakers as a token of thanks.   

3.7 Promoting Visiting Speakers

3.7.1 A Visiting Speaker should not be publicised before approval has been granted and the invitation accepted.

3.7.2 External Event Organisers are strongly encouraged to request a précis or short summary from Visiting Speakers to inform publicity about their visit and support preparations by anyone assigned to chair or facilitate the event.

3.7.3 External Event Organisers are strongly encouraged to agree the scope and content of any publicity material with Visiting Speakers for their approval, at the least to ensure this accurately reflects them and their planned remarks. This material should align with the approved Visiting Speaker request. 

3.7.4 The External Event Organiser agrees to notify the approver (the Dean of Discipline, the Senior Tutor, the Operations Director, the President or the Chapel & Music Committee as specified under 3.1) as a matter of urgency if the submitted topic changes or the précis provided by the Visiting Speaker does not align with the original invitation. 

3.7.5 The College reserves the right to review its decision on allowing a Visiting Speaker if any of the information provided changes.

4. The approval and management of External Events

4.1 All rooms and meeting places of the College fall under the responsibility of Governing Body, who will normally delegate day-to-day management (see table below) to designated owners, who have authority to ensure that rooms and meeting places are used appropriately. They may specify in writing particular terms and conditions relating to the use of that room or meeting place, which may include terms and conditions relating to any particular meeting or activity, if appropriate.

4.2 No External Event can take place in a room or meeting place without prior agreement by the designated owner listed above. Such decisions are made in the light of information provided by an External Event Organiser.

4.3 Requests for events must be provided in writing by the External Event Organiser, as early as possible and normally at least 14 days in advance of the event. The External Event Organiser will need to take into account any lead time they may wish to have to publicise the event. An event should not be publicised before the space has been granted.

4.4 Conditions apply to all room bookings for External Events, including:

1. The College reserves the right to seek additional information before confirming a booking. 
2. The External Event Organiser (i.e. the named person making a booking) agrees as a condition of submitting the room booking request to notify the College if any of the details submitted change. 
3. The College reserves the right to review its decision on allowing an External Event to proceed if any of the information provided changes. 
4. The deliberate provision of false or incomplete information by the External Event Organiser may be addressed under the disciplinary procedures of the College, if appropriate, or otherwise invalidate the booking.

4.5 An initial room request should be made through the published processes and using the following online forms:

• Bookings by St Catharine’s students: caths.cam.ac.uk/students/college-operations/requests-and-bookings/room-bookings/st-catharines-booking-form-student
• Bookings by Catharine’s staff: caths.cam.ac.uk/staff/staff-room-booking-form 
• Bookings by Catharine’s Fellows: caths.cam.ac.uk/fellows/fellows-room-bookings 
• Bookings by other parties: caths.cam.ac.uk/conferences/contact-us/conference-events-acccommodation-booking-form

4.5.1 A request will not be considered complete until the approval process for visiting speakers (as outlined in section 3.1) has been completed and  unless the following information has been provided, as a minimum:
•    name and contact details of the external event organiser;
•    title of the proposed external event;
•    names and contact details of formal presenters or speakers at the external event, if any;
•    details of any external organisation represented or publicised at the external event;
•    brief description of proposed talks and/or activities;
•    the organisers’ assumptions about associated risks and steps to mitigate;
•    dates and times of the proposed external event;
•    projected number of attendees, including:
o    student members of the College;
o    other members of the College;
o    other members of the University;
o    people external to the College and the University.

4.6 The designated owners will share a summary of upcoming requests and confirmed bookings for External Events on a monthly basis with the President, Operations Director, Dean of Discipline, Senior Tutor, Head Porter and Health & Safety Advisor, who will use this information to assess the likelihood of a range of risks.

1. This assessment will include risks specifically relating to the protection of freedom of speech and the College’s responsibility in preventing crime (including the promotion of illegal discrimination or terrorism) and protecting the health and safety of participants and onlookers.
2. In the event that a risk is identified and mitigations cannot be implemented to the College’s satisfaction, the College reserves the right to cancel a booking in line with the Terms and Conditions published at caths.cam.ac.uk/conferences/contact-us/terms-conditions.

4.7 The College’s Prevent & Freedom of Speech Committee has responsibility for supporting those named under 4.6 with consideration of External Events deemed to be high risk in relation to the College’s relevant statutory duties.

4.8 A request will be refused only as a last resort, following careful consideration of the College’s duties, relevant risks and the feasibility of any steps to mitigate such risks. The College reserves the right to refuse outright any requests for the use of a room or meeting place if such a request is made within 2 working days of the proposed event.

4.9  Where the College has refused approval for an External Event request, the External Event Organiser may make an appeal in writing against that decision to the Operations Director, Dean of Discipline, President and Master for consideration.

5. External objections

5.1 Notwithstanding this policy, the College may receive external objections to Visiting Speakers and/or External Events.

5.2 If the objections are made in advance about a Visiting Speaker, the appropriate approver (mentioned under 3.1) will confirm to the objector/s that the policy was implemented and confirm that any information provided by the objector/s will be considered by the Master.

5.3 If the objections are made in advance about an External Event, the designated owner for the room/meeting place (listed under 4.1) will confirm to the objector/s that the policy was implemented and confirm that any information provided by the objector/s will be considered by the Master.

5.4 If objections are made subsequent to the event, the College, when it is considered to be appropriate and proportionate, will investigate objections and use these findings to inform future events.

Appendix 1: Suggested wording for speaker invitations

The following wording has been developed to support the invitation of speakers to events at St Catharine’s College. The use of this wording is encouraged but not obligatory. Users are asked to carefully read the accompanying guidance notes alongside the College’s External Events & Speakers Policy before adapting the wording according to their needs and sending an invitation to speak.

Guidance notes

Speakers contribute their expertise and time preparing for and speaking at events at St Catharine’s, which enrich the academic and development opportunities available to our community. The moment of invitation is crucial in fostering our relationships with these speakers and securing freedom of speech within the law. Accordingly, it is reasonable to expect that invitations to speak at St Catharine’s will be:

• Courteous and respectful;
• Sufficiently detailed so a speaker can confirm whether they are available to speak and able to fulfil the intended educational/training objectives;
• Transparent about logistical arrangements, including expected attendees and reimbursement;
• A useful single point of reference when the speaker makes travel arrangements and prepares their remarks.

Furthermore, the St Catharine’s community also contributes significant time and resources (e.g. meeting space) to speaker events throughout the year. This suggested wording has also been developed to make the invitation process more efficient and help organisers to implement the College’s External Events & Speakers Policy.

This suggested wording includes prompts in bold and square brackets where input from users is required. Once the wording has been adapted, these prompts should be deleted by users before sending.

Suggested wording (left blank for adaptation)

Dear [insert the speaker’s name – Title Surname unless there is a prior relationship],

I am delighted to invite you to speak on [insert broad topic area] at St Catharine’s College this [insert term/year] on behalf of [insert the name of the group extending the invitation, e.g. a club/society/committee/group/operational team].

Given your considerable expertise, we hoped it would be feasible for you to cover some/all of the following points in [duration] minutes, with a further [duration] minutes allocated for questions from attendees:

• [insert one or more focused educational objectives/topic areas, ideally with reference to a previous presentation, publication, opinion piece or other relevant content by the speaker]
•  
•     

Please note that the above guidance does not preclude you from sharing other research findings or lawful opinions.

The [insert event type, e.g. lecture, panel discussion] will be open to students, staff, Fellows, alumni and guests of St Catharine’s [delete as appropriate], our counterparts from the wider University of Cambridge and the general public in Cambridge [delete all or part as appropriate].

Our intention is to hold the [insert event type, e.g. lecture, panel discussion] at [insert proposed timing] in person/online [delete as appropriate] on [insert proposed date or days of the week]. However, we appreciate you are likely to have a busy schedule and we would be keen to discuss when you are available to speak before finalising arrangements.

[Reimbursement arrangements]

If you are willing and able to speak at our event, perhaps you could give me an indication of your availability by [insert date]?

Best wishes,

[Insert sender’s name]
[Insert short email signature making clear the sender’s role at St Catharine’s]

Example (illustrating how the suggested wording may be adapted)

Dear Professor Ramsden,

I am delighted to invite you to speak on widening participation in higher education at St Catharine’s College next term on behalf of the St Catharine’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Working Group.

Given your considerable expertise, we hoped it would be feasible for you to cover some/all of the following points in 45 minutes, with a further 10–15 minutes allocated for questions from attendees:

• The case for widening participation in UK higher education
• The extent to which participation in UK higher education has widened since 1945
• The interventions that have had the most significant impact on participation in UK higher education
• Your recommendations for institutions like St Catharine’s, particularly those outlined in your October 2023 paper published by the Journal of Higher Education Research

Please note that the above guidance does not preclude you from sharing other research findings or lawful opinions.

The lecture will be open to students, staff, Fellows, alumni and guests of St Catharine’s, and our counterparts from the wider University of Cambridge.

Our intention is to hold the lecture at 5.30–6.30pm in person on a weekday evening in February. However, we appreciate you are likely to have a busy schedule and we would be keen to discuss when you are available to speak before finalising arrangements.

We understand that you are likely to be in Cambridge in February due to a visiting scholarship at another college. As a result, we would be happy to offer to reimburse any local travel expenses that you might incur, in line with our Visiting Speaker expenses policy (attached). For budgetary reasons, please could you let us know if you are no longer due to be in Cambridge in February as we may want to discuss moving the date to a time when you are already in the city.

If you are willing and able to speak at our event, perhaps you could give me an indication of your availability by 15 November?

Best wishes,

Roberta Woodlark
JCR representative on the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Working Group at St Catharine’s College

Appendix 2: Speaker questionnaire

The following questionnaire has been developed to support the invitation of Visiting Speakers at St Catharine’s College. As set out in the College’s External Events & Speakers Policy, External Event Organisers must provide this questionnaire to any Visiting Speaker who is due to speak at St Catharine’s.

Guidance notes

St Catharine’s College recognises the importance of securing the freedom of speech within the law for Visiting Speakers. This short questionnaire is designed to capture any security, accessibility or other needs that might affect the College’s ability to secure a Visiting Speaker’s freedom of speech.

The relevant External Event Organiser will send this questionnaire to a Visiting Speaker as soon as an invitation to speak has been accepted to ensure any needs can be considered and addressed before the visiting speaker’s arrival.

Affirmative responses to question 1 will be forwarded by the External Event Organiser to the Head Porter and Operations Director as a matter of urgency.

Affirmative responses to question 2 will be forwarded by the External Event Organiser to the Disabilities Tutor, Operations Director and Conference Team as a matter of urgency.

This questionnaire includes prompts in bold and square brackets where input from organisers is required. These prompts should be deleted by External Event Organisers before sending Visiting Speakers.

Speaker questionnaire

St Catharine’s College has a duty to secure freedom of speech within the law for visiting speakers. In line with our External Events & Speakers Policy, visiting speakers are asked to complete this short form to inform us of any security, accessibility or other needs that might affect our ability to secure freedom of speech.

Please complete and return this form to [insert the name and email address for the main point of contact at St Catharine’s who issued the invitation to speak] no later than [insert a date before the relevant event].

Thank you in advance for taking the time to consider the points below.

1. Has the police or another relevant public body ever recommended security measures to you that would protect freedom of speech during our event, for you as a visiting speaker and/or our audience? If yes, please provide as much detail as possible.

2. Do you consider yourself to be disabled or have a health condition or allergy that it would be helpful for the College to know about to enable you to access the event and speak? If yes, please refer to our Accessibility Guide and provide as much detail as possible about your needs.

3. Are there any other issues, aside from security and accessibility, that it would be helpful for the College to know about in order to secure your freedom of speech?

Appendix 3: Speaker request decision tree

The following diagram has been developed to explain that visiting speaker requests will be refused by the College only as a last resort, following careful consideration of the College’s legal duties, relevant risks and the feasibility of any steps to mitigate such risks, and the Home Office’s proscribed list of terrorist groups or organisations. External Event Organisers are encouraged to refer to this before submitting a request.