We know that everyone who is part of the Loughborough community remains shocked and dismayed by the continuing violence we see. Together with all members of our community, we continue to call for peace and an end to this violence and the tragic loss of human life. We know some of our staff and students have been directly impacted and lost family members.

Support available for all students 

This support is available for all students, explicitly including all those affected by the conflict in the Middle East and those who have experienced conflict elsewhere in the world.

Student Services (Email: studentwellbeing@lboro.ac.uk, Tel: 01509 222765) offers a range of support, including mental health and wellbeing, and advice specifically for international students. One-to-one support with an advisor is also available. If you would like to access this support, please complete the online referral form or call the number above.

The University Chaplaincy (Email: cfschaplains@lboro.ac.uk, Tel: 01509 223741) offers a space for quiet reflection. University Chaplains are here to listen, here to care, and here to help all staff and students. No appointment is necessary.        

If you feel your studies are being affected, you can contact your Academic School and/or Personal Tutors so that we can provide the right support to you. If you wish, you can also submit an individual Mitigating Circumstances claim to explain how you have been impacted by recent events. More information on this can be found in the Student Handbook.     

Support for all staff 

This support is available for all colleagues, explicitly including all those affected by the conflict in the Middle East and those who have experienced conflict elsewhere in the world.

Colleagues can access emotional support through our Employee Assistance Programme. More information can be found on our People and Organisational Development website.       

Should you need some time away, we would like to draw attention to our compassionate leave arrangements, including our specific policy related to race-based stress, which offers pre-approved compassionate leave for the reason of race-based stress. 

Travel advice

Staff or students planning to travel to these areas are advised to check the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The website has been updated so that anyone who is in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories can register their presence and there are also contact details for those who need help. For those based in the UK concerned about a friend or family member, you can call the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 020 7008 5000.

We will not tolerate hate in our community; whether this is in the form of antisemitism, islamophobia or harassment of any kind. If any member of the community experiences this, we ask you to report it to us; we will support you and deal with it.

We have a responsibility to permit and protect free speech within the law: The University supports everyone’s right to freedom of expression. Free speech within the law is protected. We do however ask that people continue to be considerate to each other given international events and reports of hate speech in the UK, which has made some people feel unsafe. Free speech is not unfettered, and we continue to remind you that hate speech and support for proscribed organisations (such as Hamas) is an offence under UK law.

We restate for clarity that it is not antisemitic for an individual to express support for the Palestinian people or to participate in peaceful protest. This blog post from earlier this year explores how issues of freedom of expression and harassment are context-specific. We have also issued guidance on considerations around academic freedom. The University has previously shared information on the definitions of racism with our community and we take this opportunity to do so again.

The University has established a group to help guide us through this difficult period. It includes our Middle East envoys, colleagues from EDI Services, Legal and Student Services, our London campus, the leadership of our Chaplaincy, as well as the Chief Operating Officer and Pro Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

External Speakers

Students and student groups are reminded of the need to follow the University’s external speaker policy when arranging external speakers.

Colleagues’ attention is drawn to sections 4.2 and 4.6 of the policy when organising speakers.