UoL opens nominations to rename Gladstone Halls of Residence

The University of Liverpool has confirmed nominations to rename Gladstone Halls, a part of Greenbank Student Village, are now open and you can vote via a link in the email sent to all students today.

The process of renaming Gladstone Hall began after initial 2017 discussions by the Guild Student Officers, who raised the issue of Gladstone’s participation in the slave trade.

The plea to rename the accommodation was raised again in June 2020 following a student-lead petition and open-letter to Janet Beer, which resulted in the University confirming the name of the accommodation would be changed.

In an email sent to all students, the University said: “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.

“In order to send a clear message about the commitments we have made to our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students and staff, we are now calling on all students and staff at the University to propose potential new names for the hall.”

The email lays out the democratic process of electing a new name for the halls, suggesting that nominations should have a connection to Liverpool or the surrounding region: “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.”

Nominations are open until Friday, 19th March and will be shortlisted by representatives of the University and Liverpool Guild of Students.

Dr Richard Benjamin, head of the International Slavery Museum for National Museums Liverpool, will also be partaking in the name selection process.

Voting on shortlisted nominations will take place amongst the UoL student body between Monday, 19th April and Friday, 23rd April.

The email ends by saying how much the University looks forward to receiving nominations and will be communicating about naming practices in the future.

You can submit your nomination here.

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