London Metropolitan University governors boss in email blunder

Published: 27th May, 2011
by TOM FOOT

THE new chairman of London Metropolitan University’s board of governors accidentally sent an email to a students’ union officer in which he advises the vice-chancellor to “kill her with information and kindness”.

Clive Jones, who took up his post in March, copied Claire Locke, president-elect of London Met students’ union, into his email by mistake on Wednesday morning.

It was intended for the university’s vice-chancellor Malcolm Gillies, who had sought advice about how to handle Ms Locke’s complaint about being named in legal documents as one of five student activists to occupy university buildings during a protest over cuts earlier this month. 

Ms Locke said she was not at the protest and wants her name ­taken off the court injunction.

Mr Jones’s email advice to Professor Gillies read: “Malcolm – Logical, but tricky. Kill her with information and kindness. C.”

Ms Locke said the email had left her in “complete shock” and feeling “victimised”.

She said: “I had complained because my name is on the court injunction as one of the students who occupied the building. They know I wasn’t there because I have childcare responsibilities. But my name appears about five times.”

The 27-year-old added: “I would never expect somebody of that level to behave like that. I’ve met Clive before and he seemed all right – but maybe he was just killing me with kindness then.”

The gaffe comes as relations between London Met senior management and its students and staff plumbed new depths.

LMU Unison chiefs have begun a ballot of members for strike action after management announced 86 “back room” staff would lose their jobs. 

Bosses say the redundancies are unavoidable but the union says they have held many meetings suggesting alternative efficiencies. 

Professor Gillies has announced a plan to end almost 400 courses including history, philosophy, performing arts and modern languages.

Two of LMU’s five student libraries will also close.

Professor Gillies told the Tribune the drastic measures are needed to pay £35million back to the government that it wrongly claimed in funding for students that did not finish their course. 

The governing body quit en masse after the financial scandal and a new board has been put in place over the past six months.

After receiving the email message, Ms Locke emailed Professor Gillies and Mr Jones. 

“It appears that I am the recipient of an email that is not addressed to me,” she wrote. “The content of this email has left me feeling intimid­ated and victimised and for this reason I have copied in the recipients of the original email.

“Can you please explain what it is that is ‘Logical, but tricky’ and why it is that you want to ‘Kill her (me) with information and kindness?’”

Ms Locke said she had since received an apol­ogy Mr Jones.

An LMU spokeswoman said yesterday (Thursday): “I can confirm that Clive Jones has replied to Claire Locke and apologised to her. Malcolm Gillies is intending to reply to Claire this afternoon.”