The number of external speakers that groups are inviting onto campus has increased over the past few years and we must comply with new legal duties and guidance under the PREVENT agenda to ensure our students and the public are safeguarded against any potential issues.

Working with the University Office of the Director of Corporate Governance, Security Team and local Police force the Union has developed the following process for external speakers brought onto campus by students.

What is the Process?

1. All external speaker requests from staff or students should now be submitted through the following External Speaker form 8 weeks prior to the event date. This form is to be completed by the organiser.
2. The organiser will then need to share a separate Declaration form with the speaker for their declaration to confirm that they agree to our values and have familiarised themselves with the Prevent guidance. This form is to be completed by the speaker.
3. All staff are able to view a specific dashboard to view the status of their applications. If staff are working with a speaker who has spoken at a UPSU event this academic year and are on this dashboard, the process should, in theory, be quicker.  

If everything then checks out, the group will be given the go-ahead by the Health and Safety Coordinator.

Please note that external speakers also include NGB’s, political speakers, activist and extremist views, religious and cultural spokespeople, speakers from outside companies offering opportunities and academics discuss topics regarding research and study.

The form is also available here www.upsu.net/externalspeakers and the External Speakers Framework can be found here.

Please feel free to email groups@upsu.net if you have any questions or feedback on the process.