The University of Sussex Students’ Union has expressed disappointment at the result of the United Kingdom’s referendum on its membership of the European Union.
Although the Students’ Union had campaigned to remain in the EU following a student referendum on the matter, the UK voted to leave the European Union last Thursday.
In a statement on its website, the Students’ Union defended its campaign, saying: ‘We felt that it was important to campaign to remain in the EU due to the detrimental impact of Brexit on students, the University of Sussex and beyond.’
The statement, written by the SU’s Full-Time Officers, added: ‘As your elected representatives, we will do as much as we can to prevent all students from being detrimentally impacted by this vote. This will mean working at a both local and national level to represent student views.’
They also called on students not to be discouraged by the result, after more than 75% of young people voted to remain, stating: ‘We should instead take it as an opportunity to recognise that we, as students, should take an active role in our future through engagement in politics. We mustn’t miss the chance to bring people together and have our voices heard. We must stand united and support each other towards a better future that we know is possible.’
The news follows Vice-Chancellor Michael Farthing’s recent remarks, expressing concerns at some of the ‘serious implications’ Brexit will have on the University of Sussex and higher education as a whole.
Although the UK as whole voted for leaving the European Union, 62% of voters in Brighton and Hove voted to remain members of the 28-member organisation. A petition calling for a local referendum on Brightonian independence has reached almost 2,000 signatures.
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