Our bars will be closed on Wednesday 27 October in support of Girls Night In
Over the past few days, we’ve listened to student leaders from our clubs and societies and heard testimony from individual students. The rise in spiking cases being reported across the UK has understandably left our student community feeling nervous, unsafe and angry.
To all those who feel this way, we hear you. Our Officers have decided to close our bars on 27 October and send a clear message of support and solidarity to the Girls Night In campaign, and all our clubs planning boycotts of venues across London on 27 October.
The shocking news of increased drink spiking incidents across the UK has led us to review procedures in our own venues – we want our spaces on campus to be the safest in London. Whilst we already have a number of initiatives operating in our spaces, we are always striving to do better. We’re led by you, these are your spaces, and we want to know how we can make you feel safer when you’re with us. Based on your feedback, our Officers will share an action plan with new initiatives over the coming weeks.
If you want to take positive action today:
- Join the boycott of venues in London on 27 October.
- Take the Active Bystander course and learn how to make safe interventions if you witness inappropriate behaviours.
- Report any incidents of sexual misconduct, bullying or harassment using the Report + Support tool.
- If you’re a committee member of a club or society, sign up to our Tackling Sexual Violence training sessions.
We're here to support you.
If you have experienced sexual violence, we’re ready to help you in any way you need. Contact our advisors who will be able to help you find the right support. Our Advice Service has also compiled a comprehensive list of support services accessible to you.
You can also speak to UCL’s Crime Prevention and Personal Safety Advisor by email ([email protected]), or at a weekly drop-in service on Wednesdays - booked by email.
The staff in our bars are students too, and we'll make sure they're paid for their Wednesday night shift as usual.
Thank you for reading, and stay safe