Cows and bomb detonations: Looking back at a year of coronavirus at Sussex

373 days since the first national UK lockdown was announced and what can you say you’ve achieved? Although your go to response may be not much at all, there’s been a whole lot of news and events that have happened at Sussex in the past year, bringing a whole host of emotions with them.

No, we’re not talking about your hatred for Zoom or your love for banana bread (tb to lockdown one), we’re talking about the secrets, the scandals and the simple satisfactions of the past year.

So, if you’re looking to relive some of Sussex’s best and worst bits, read on for 50 stories from the past year of lockdowns.

1. Residents relaxed with an unlikely visitor on the beach

2. Brighton showed some community spirit with a mutual aid group

3. A new no detriment policy was implemented 

4. Final year students were angry at their year being cut short

5. Brighton Pride was cancelled 

6. We all missed our familiar campus buildings

7. Students found a secret underground rave room

8. A Brighton University lecturer avoided jail after a scandal

9. Sussex staff became the new Easter bunny to locked-down students

10. The University of Sussex became a temporary morgue for a while

11. Sussex’s online BNOC was announced

12. Fatboy Slim demonstrated his generosity

13. Sussex societies raised loads of money for charity

14. We realised that virtual Brighton is not the same as real life Brighton

15. We tried to impersonate all our favourite clubs, from Pryzm to Concorde 2

16. We crowned Brighton’s best nightclub

17. Brighton residents got sexy with their shopping

18. Graduation ceremonies were postponed

19. Brighton’s music scene nearly lost some gems

20. We all gawked at some fit boys in chains

21. And a couple of girls too

22. An old WW2 bomb was detonated in the centre of town

23. Anti-lockdowners took to the seafront

24. A fox provided some quality lockdown entertainment

25. Sussex students mourned the loss of their years abroad

26. Land Beyond Festival was cancelled

27. BLM came to Brighton

28. Cows took over campus for a day

29. Sussex management faced backlash for their response to BLM

30. Shooshh nightclub was accused of having racist staff

31. EDL members ruined a BLM march

32. We crowned Brighton’s best student pub

33. Boundary Festival was cancelled

34. Sussex Uni was victim to a cyber attack

35. A Sussex graduate was deported despite a 100,000 signature petition

36. Students became a little too close with the natural wildlife

37. Brighton Uni disposed of students’ belongings without permission

38. University management severely overcharged students or welcome packs

39. Students got bored in halls and were pretty creative with their entertainment

40. Happy Maki came under fire after transphobic comments

41. Sussex’s best lecturer was announced

42. Sussex students were slapped with some heavy fines, multiple times with threats of eviction

43. Sussex food staff faced redundancy just before Christmas

44. Sussex Uni’s shambolic health services were exposed again and again

45. Clever Brighton pubs found loopholes in the Government’s system in many different ways

46. A no beef and lamb initiative was suggested on campus

47. We analysed VC Adam Tickell’s bin

48. Sussex management was pictured breaking coronavirus rules

49. Sussex joined the national rent strikes

50. Everyone’s favourite takeaway Buddies closed for good

If you’ve reached the end of this list and it’s made you smile, laugh, or at least look back on some memories from the past year fondly, then we’ve done our job right. Let’s move on to bigger and better things next year.