After a series of discussions initiated by our Guild of Students in October 2017, we have decided to re-name the former Gladstone Hall of Residence, which has recently been rebuilt as part of our Greenbank Village student accommodation.
The decision to rename the hall has been made in recognition of the strength of feeling evoked in our student community by the Gladstone family’s historic ownership of enslaved people, and their profiting from the transatlantic trade in enslaved people.
It is important that the names used within the University, including our Halls of Residence, reflect the values of openness, transparency and respect that underpin our work.
In order to send a clear message about the commitments we have made to our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students and staff, as summarised by the Vice-Chancellor’s open letter of June 2020 and the Race Equality and Anti-Racism Action Plan resulting from the University’s Equality and Human Right Commission working group, we are now calling on all students and staff at the University to propose potential new names for the hall.
How will Gladstone Hall be renamed?
Gladstone Hall will be renamed using a democratic nomination, shortlisting and voting process. All students and staff at the University will have the opportunity, over the next two weeks, to submit their nomination.
Nominated names should have a connection with Liverpool or the surrounding region and speak to the theme of racial equality. We are seeking nominations for names which refer to non-living people only.
How you can get involved
The nomination process is open now and will remain open until midnight on Friday, 19 March.
SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION
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Nominations will then be considered by our shortlisting committee made up of representatives from the University and Liverpool Guild of Students. The panel will also be joined by Dr Richard Benjamin, Head of the International Slavery Museum for National Museums Liverpool.
Voting on the shortlist will then take place amongst our student body, with the process running alongside the Guild’s Student Officer election process between Monday, 19 April and Friday, 23 April.
The hall will then be renamed as the democratically chosen winner, and a plaque installed to detail the history of the naming journey.
What’s next?
The renaming of Gladstone Hall marks a starting point in a lengthy road, which will see us introduce a new Naming Framework. The Framework, which will launch later this year following the conclusion of a large-scale audit, will ensure that our naming practice is, and remains, fit for purpose, whether that is agreeing new naming opportunities or reviewing existing names. It will help us to create a truly inclusive campus that provides belonging for each and every member of our University community by:
- Celebrating the heritage and current identity of the University and the Liverpool city region
- Representing the society that we serve
- Creating a culture of openness, transparency, and respect