The learned art of cancelling donors’ names but keeping their cash

sir – Is it not hypocrisy to change the names of buildings or departments while at the same time keeping the money given by those named?

If donors’ beliefs and actions are deemed abhorrent, how can keeping the money be justified?

Ashley J Watson Bilton-in-ainsty, North Yorkshire

sir – You will recall that 150 Oxford dons signed a letter refusing to teach at Oriel because of Cecil Rhodes’s statue there. This petty group is deafening in its silence over the Mosley millions. James Walton

Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire

sir – I am not surprised by Oxford accepting Mosley money. Antisemitism is often acceptable to, if not encouraged in, the woke mindset. David Guest

Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire

sir – I am an alumnus of St Peter’s College, Oxford, and a much-loved part of my family is Jewish, so I understand

Professor Lawrence Goldman’s angst over a donation from a fascist’s family.

But as Rhodes Scholars from all over the world would aver, if good is to be derived from charitable donations, there must, at some point, be a disconnect between the historic conduct of the originators and the benefit to the current recipients.

I had to move out of college after one year into the only lodgings I could afford, with a lavatory in the back yard. I would have benefited from living in college and would not have lost much sleep over the source of funding.

Tony Jones

London SW7

sir – The hypocrisy of Oxford in taking money from the Mosley family while pursuing a woke agenda is beyond belief. I would be ashamed if I had any connections with the place.

Mick Ferrie

Mawnan Smith, Cornwall

sir – Given the current rage for cancel culture, universities are tying themselves in knots to justify taking donations without upsetting woke students. Statues have been removed, buildings have been renamed, former pillars of the community have been erased from history.

Now, in the case of Max Mosley and Oxford, we have a current, rather than historical, moral conundrum.

I can foresee that charitable trusts will write into donation contracts that any proposed change in the status of the donor will invalidate the contract, and initiate repayment of the donation.

Universities should have the moral strength to defend those who have demonstrated their generosity. If not, they will pay the price, literally. George Kelly

Buckingham

sir – The idea that in renaming colleges we should honour present riches instead of past virtue might provide us with the aptest motto for our times: Pecunia vera nobilitas. Richard Rex

Ampleforth, North Yorkshire