Activism
Our coverage of student activism and advocacy at UCL and London.
Palestine
Around hundred attend vigil for UCL alumni killed by Israel
Organisers say the University’s ongoing review of investments was a welcome sign but was sceptical of its outcome
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Art is political, say activists who raised £1k for Palestine
The joint initiative between six UCL arts societies also raised £1,120 for UK-based charity Medial Aid for Palestine last year
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UCL professor launches Israel-Palestine discussion project
A student-staff initiative aimed to facilitate informed discussion on the Middle East attracted a crowd of some 50 students last M...
UCL to review investments in major win for pro-Palestine activists
Activists have praised this as a “significant milestone for the unified mass movement for Palestine”
R...
An Obituary of Middle Eastern Studies
The closure of one of the world’s oldest Middle Eastern Studies departments is a worrying sign for academic integrity and diversit...
Cut ties and divest from genocide, careers fair protesters tell UCL
Pro-Palestine activists have in recent weeks carried out disruptions at UCL careers fairs to highlight the University’s ties to c...
SOAS encampment attacked by lone counter-protester
Police attended an incident at Byng Place last Thursday after reports that a lone pro-Israel counter-protester attacked the Pales...
No free speech for UCL’s outsourced workforce
Despite his repeated claims that the ‘right to protest, debate, and challenging ideas is fundamental to our role as a university’...
LGBTQ+
The Provost’s Record on LGBTQ+ Support Sinks to a New Low
Rebekah WrightN.B. The Cheese Grater has reached out to Michael Spence’s Office for comment, but is yet to hear back from the...
TERF out Transphobia: The IOE and “Academic Freedom”
This article was awarded Best Media Piece at the 2024 Students' Union UCL Arts Awards.Mads BrownStudents have finally h...
The Aftermath of UCL’s Decision to Reject Stonewall
Lily Park and Daniel HardingUCL’s refusal to continue working with Stonewall, despite being over a year ago now, still poses ...
The Story Behind UCL’s Rejection of Stonewall
Note: The Academic Board Agenda and materials discussed in the December 10th meeting were made available by UCL via a FOI request ...
Academics oppose GRA reform
'Academic Freedom' or something more?
Six UCL academics were among the signatories of an October 2018 letter published in The Gua...
Homophobia and transphobia at Glittoris
Glittoris, the Student Union’s flagship LGBT+ club night, has come under fire this term after a series of homophobic and transpho...
Accessibility
Access denied: UCL fails disabled student on graduation day
At the Faculty of Arts and Humanities graduation on Tuesday (3 September), one student was forced to receive their degree certifi...
Unfair Gordon Square: The Problems with Accessibility at UCL
Finley Littlefair, Yash Zodgekar, Emma Begley-Collier, and Sirjan NarangFrom the picture-perfect Portico to the houses lining...
Leaked recording highlights UCL’s disability discrimination problem
By Rob Davidson & Stephanie Frank“I wasn't expecting just full ableism in front of my face”
The member of staff res...
“If it weren’t for my parents, I would have dropped out.” Deaf first year student left with little support from UCL
Daniel is a deaf first year student who started studying at UCL in September, however by the end of first term he was already clo...
UCL Cares? Disabled Students’ Network report reveals bleak treatment of students
On January 20th, UCL Disabled Students’ Network published a report detailing the issues surrounding disabilities at UCL, containin...
Open Letter From the Disabled Students’ Network
Dear Provost,Six weeks ago the UCL Disabled Students’ Network released a report based on the testimonies of 33 d...
UCL’s ambiguous approach to Disabled Students’ Allowance
In 2014 the minister for Universities and Science, David Willets, announced changes to the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) whic...
Students with disabilities excluded from UCL libraries
It is a commonly acknowledged fact amongst UCL’s student population that library facilities leave a lot to be desired. But, whilst...
Climate crisis
UCL Union resumed banking with Barclays as soon as ban expired
President Danaci refused to say whether she thinks the move is consistent with the Union's sustainability policy
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Globetrotting sabbs to rack up at least 18,500 air miles
The carbon cost of the Union's overseas engagements will be equivalent to burning over 18 barrels of crude oil
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Union President ‘didn’t feel comfortable’ at COP29
Danaci admitted that her “first and likely last” COP experience was more about observation and networking
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No jobs for graduates if Union bans oil and gas sponsorships, engineers warn
Engineers have warned the Union against banning clubs and societies from accepting sponsorships from fossil fuel companies as it w...
Cut ties and divest from genocide, careers fair protesters tell UCL
Pro-Palestine activists have in recent weeks carried out disruptions at UCL careers fairs to highlight the University’s ties to c...
Rep Elections: Vegan campaigners field undercover candidates for NUS rep
At least five candidates running for NUS delegate were part of a secret conspiracy to control the agenda at this year’s National ...
“Painting the Town Orange”: Just Stop Oil, UCL and Fossil Fuel Investment
Paige Johnson, Yash Zodgekar, Ary Ris-Luamhain and Rebekah WrightThis October, Just Stop Oil (JSO) marked another destination...
Academia and air travel: how sustainable is UCL?
By Juliette Grieve & Riddhi KanetkarDespite a growing awareness towards tackling the climate crisis, many UK universitie...
Race
Not a Big Deal – The Plight of an “Oppressed Middle-Eastern Woman”
Mayra NassefAs an immigrant, my existence has always been political. To say where I’m from, or even where I’ve lived my whole...
Decolonising the divided: how anti-racist is UCL?
In January 2018, it was discovered that the (now) ex-Honorary UCL Professor, James Thompson, was holding the controversial London ...
“The risk of internalising your own inferiority”: In conversation with two black female academics at UCL
As of 2016-17, only twenty five black women were documented to be working as professors in the UK. In light of a report published ...
Inheriting Galton: The people working to make UCL less racist
“If we had Muslims or people of colour holding the same conference ... we would have seen counter-terrorism police on our doorstep...
Class
Plight of working students ‘sidelined’ by History Department, campaigners say
A report by the First-in-Family and Working Students Network calling for additional mitigations for working students were brushed ...
Why we need the 93% Club at UCL
It is no secret that state-school students have faced, and continue to face, significant barriers when accessing higher education ...
Has scrapping hardship bursary disadvantaged UCL’s worst-off students?
In a year when UCL accommodations are less accessible to the most financially insecure students due to the scrapping of the Accom...