Last week, the ‘YES’ campaign won the Student Union (SU) referendum with an overwhelming 86% majority, meaning the SU will now formally pressure the university to demilitarise.
In response, a spokesperson for the University of Leicester said: “The University acknowledges the referendum result and strength of feeling on the issue. We have been in ongoing dialogue with our students and Students’ Union about the issues for more than a year and we shall continue with this dialogue.
“The University of Leicester values working with a diverse range of employers and remains committed to encouraging a free exchange of ideas at events on campus and online where students and graduates can engage with employers and other organisations.
“As a member of the Association of Graduate Careers and Advisory Services, the University of Leicester operates in accordance with the Code of Ethics and with impartiality to support students and graduates to access careers information, advice, guidance and education to inform their career decisions and to their own values and ethics. As with all University operations, we promote students’ rights to free speech within the law.
“In the best interests of our community and stakeholders, we work with employers and other organisations to provide support to students and graduates through suitable and appropriate experiences, activities and opportunities that matches their career aspirations which could include enabling them to find job opportunities. We will provide support to students and graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in any industry sector which could enable them to find employment opportunities and gain experience, ensuring that they are advised to gather as much information as possible about the organisation and role before submitting an application.
“We expect employers and other organisations to be transparent with our students and graduates with respect to business activity and practices and include this information in the promotion of opportunities to enable students and graduates to make career decisions that work for them.
“We undertake due diligence on the employers and other organisations connecting with students through in person and online events and when promoting opportunities to ensure they are in accordance with our policies and will not affect our reputation or compromise our academic freedom duties or integrity.
“We seek to uphold the highest professional standards in the conduct of our research, at every level and in every discipline. Ethical approval is needed for all research and consultancy undertaken by University staff and students (both undergraduate and postgraduate) wherever it raises ethical issues. We also have robust governance processes for the evaluation of partnerships, both in education and research.”
The student union said it will publish further details in the coming weeks.
For more information on the referendum results, see: ‘Referendum Results are in! Students back ‘Arms Off Campus’ campaign‘.