Author
Robert Abrahart
Robert Abrahart is a retired university lecturer
10 pieces
Newest first, since October 2022
· Comment
A Washington fraternity ruling exposes the gap in England’s duty of care law
With Washington’s Supreme Court finding a university owed a duty over a fraternity hazing death, Bob Abrahart argues England’s duty of care debate has skipped the prior question of what the university-student relationship actually is
· Comment
There is a student-staff divide in health and safety law. Why?
Bob Abrahart examines how health and safety law assigns staff and students to different legal categories – and finds students left with the thinner end of the statutory bargain
· Comment
Universities need standards, not role models
As MPs debate the potential merits of a statutory duty of care for universities, Bob Abrahart challenges the confusion clouding the concept, arguing for an articulation of responsibility grounded in professional standard
· Comment
Duty of care isn’t about mental health, it’s about preventing harm
A decade after a brutal attack reshaped US campus law, Bob Abrahart examines what the debate over duties still gets wrong about universities’ legal responsibilities
· Comment
Everyone cares until someone asks for a statute
With student suicides prompting renewed calls for accountability, Bob Abrahart uses a soil science model to map the legal, political and moral landscape of duty of care in higher education
· Comment
Comparing students with the general population is misleading when it comes to suicide
While new ONS figures show a lower suicide rate among students than their peers, Bob Abrahart warns this framing masks deeper inequalities and systemic failures within universities
· Comment
There’s nothing certain about the circumstances when a duty of care applies to students
The government has quietly revised its definition of a duty of care in universities. Bob Abrahart argues it needs more clarity
· Comment
How to learn from cases of student death by suicide
Bob Abrahart critiques the government’s response to calls for a duty of care in higher education, calling for the use of scenario analysis to avoid future tragedies.
· Comment
Rejection of legal duty of care marks a bad day for students’ rights
Campaigner Robert Abrahart expresses his disappointment in the government’s decision not to pursue a statutory duty of care for universities
· Comment
Everyone assumes universities have a duty of care towards students – our campaign would establish one
The parents of a student who died by suicide set out their case for consistency and clarity over avoiding future tragedies in higher education
With Margaret Abrahart