The Sugarhouse is going to be renamed

Lancaster University Students’ Union’s Executive Committee has voted unanimously to rename its nightclub, The Sugarhouse. This vote follows the campaign and petition initiated by the student group “Why is My Curriculum White?” and a policy paper submitted by the SU’s BAME Students’ Officer, Max Kafula.

Lancaster students will now have the opportunity to be involved in the rebranding of the club, one that the “Why is My Curriculum White?” campaign group believes better represents a “21st century Lancaster”. The BAME Students’ PTO said: “I am so proud that my policy to rename Sugarhouse was passed. I am also pleased that a working group will be set up to help find us a new name for the club.

“I will be working with the ‘Why is My Curriculum White?’ campaign and key stakeholder groups in ensuring that all students will have a voice in finding a brand new name that we can all be proud of. The decision to rename Sugarhouse was the right decision. It is time that we highlight our dark colonial past and educate everyone on it. This is a massive step in the right direction in making sure that we are a committed to be an Anti-Racist organisation. I am very much excited to see what happens next.”

The Rename the Sugarhouse campaign has called attention to Lancaster’s colonial history. To combat this, the Students’ Union has expressed plans to implement educational programmes targeted to both staff and students to highlight the problematic nature of Lancaster’s colonial history. The Union has also revealed that details surrounding the working group which will be created to assist renaming The Sugarhouse are to be released soon.

Lancaster University Students’ Union’s full statement can be found here.

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‘A sign of growth and a show of respect’: BAME students on renaming The Sugarhouse