The Government has been sent a letter requesting that it addresses the issue of ‘social policing’ in higher education following the suicide of an Oxford student who was ‘cancelled’ by his peers.

Alexander Rogers, 20, a student at Corpus Christi College, took his own life in January this year after unevidenced allegations made against him within the student body, which led him to being ostracized.

Area coroner Mr Nicholas Graham heard the case over two days in Oxford Coroner’s Court earlier this month and agreed to a request from Mr Rogers’ family that he send a prevention of future death report to the Department for Education.

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This report is a letter requesting an organisation’s intervention in an ongoing issue which may result in deaths of a similar nature in the future – in this case, the issue of ‘cancel culture’ in UK universities.

Mr Graham said that in the days before his death, Mr Rogers “had been ostracised, which included what was described as ‘name calling’, ‘targeted behaviour’ and exclusion and rejection following allegations made against him about his conduct.”

He added: “I did not find on the balance of probabilities that this culture specifically caused or contributed to Alexander’s death, but it did give rise to a concern that circumstances creating a risk of future deaths could occur.” 

The coroner listed five specific matters of concern raised in a serious incident review commissioned by the college which found “a concerning practice of social ostracism among students”, or a “cancel culture”.

It said the evidence showed “this behaviour, where individuals are isolated and excluded from social groups based on allegations or perceptions of wrongdoing, poses a significant risk to student mental health and well-being.”

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One of the key issues was the prevalence of social ostracism, as evidence suggests it is a recognized practice within student communities and may be an issue more broadly for students in the UK.

Another was that social ostracism is used as ‘self-policing’ within the student body, often in response to allegations of serious misconduct in the absence of formal processes, without proper investigation or evidence and compounded by a lack of trust in formal processes.

It also said there is a normalization of this exclusionary behaviour, with some viewing it as an “expected and accepted response”, one which has “severe and lasting negative impacts on mental health”.

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The report recommended that action should be taken by the Department for Education, which has 56 days to respond and detail what it proposes to do.

Since the inquest on November 6, tributes have poured in for Mr Rogers and several of his friends have raised money for PAPYRUS, a youth suicide prevention charity.

One friend said: “To this day, I cannot fathom this loss. Alex spread joy and had the brightest smile in the room.

“The laughter he spread will never leave us, but at 20 years old, he was taken from us far beyond his time.”

If you’re affected by the issues in this article, contact Samaritans by calling 116 123, emailing jo@samaritans.org or visiting samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year.

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