Our Approach
Students’ Union UCL aims to be the heart of the student community at UCL, ensuring our college is a place in which a diversity of people and opinions are not only accepted but celebrated. We actively seek to facilitate student led events where speakers are invited to broaden the scope of discussion and debate in order to contribute to the academic and non-academic development of our members. We have a proud record of facilitating a wide range of external speakers covering a diverse range of topics every year.
Each year we support our clubs and societies to facilitate over 1,000 external speaker events and have not rejected a request to run an external speaker event by any of our groups in over 6 years. We believe that where an event can go ahead safely and within the law, we should do everything that we can to make it happen. That’s why we facilitate events where speakers are allowed the right to express their views and experiences, while differing, challenging and antithetical views are also heard and debated in a structured and appropriately controlled environment.
Legal background
Freedom of Speech is enshrined in both Students’ Union UCL’s Memorandum & Articles of Association, Byelaws and in the UCL Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech. Our Parent institution is bound by Section 43 of the Education act 1986, which places a direct obligation on Universities to ‘take such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that freedom of speech within the law is secured for members, students and employees of the establishment and for visiting speakers’. Furthermore, the Human Rights Act 1998 Articles 9, 20 and 11 enshrine the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association.
The objects of the Union, as a Charity, are the advancement of education of Students at UCL for the public benefit by:
- Promoting the interests and welfare of Students at UCL during their course of study and representing, supporting and advising Students;
- Being the recognised representative channel between Students and UCL and any other external bodies;
- Providing social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities and forums for discussions and debate for the personal development of its Students.
It is within this framework that the Union is committed to empower and support our clubs and societies to organise invitations for a variety of speakers that stimulate debate and further the non-academic development of our members.
Limitations and Mitigations
The Union is bound by several different statutes and regulations and must always ensure that freedom of speech is maintained within this legal framework. However, freedom of speech is not an unrestricted right. In order to maintain our duty of care for the health and safety of all staff, students and visitors in particular we:
- Do all that is reasonably practicable to protect our members from unlawful direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
- Will not allow communication which is threatening, abusive or intended to harass, alarm or distress.
- Will not allow communication which targets a person, or group of people based on their skin colour, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender (sexual or identified), age, disability, marriage and civil partnership.
- Reaffirm that it is a criminal offence to incite or encourage others to commit a crime, including acts of terrorism.
For potential ‘high risk’ or controversial events we develop robust risk assessments and put specific mitigations in place which enable us to support events to be run safely and smoothly baring in mind the potential impact on the broader UCL community.
For more information, or if you are a club and society leader looking to arrange an external speaker event please find our page on hosting external speaker events.