The Principal at the University of St Andrews has written to Alastair Jarvis, the CEO of Universities UK, saying that she has come round to the UCU view that the USS valuation needs to be readdressed, and independently assessed. This is good news. Professor Mapstone says nothing in her letter about her stance on equality and diversity. However, given that Professor Mapstone suggests she now recognizes that a Defined Benefits pension may still be possible, and that the decision to switch to a Defined Contribution system was possibly based on a faulty valuation, it perhaps follows that the equality and diversity initiatives, which she flagged up as potentially unaffordable in the event of a UCU win, are not now in direct jeopardy. This is not yet an unequivocal retraction of the statement about equality and diversity measures being contingent on future outcomes. However, it is a step towards supporting good working conditions and securing financial futures.