Wednesday 17-09-2025 - 11:54

 

 

On 1st August 2025, Condition E6 was brought into effect by the Office for Students (OfS). 
 

 

E6 sets out requirements for institutions of Higher Education to protect their students from harassment and sexual misconduct. These conditions are a huge step forward for national movements advocating for student wellbeing, particularly for women+ students. 
 
In light of this national victory, we feel it is equally important to reflect on, and celebrate, the work of our own activists and campaigners here at Lancaster. We have an incredible history of student-led campaigns and initiatives tackling issues from sexual harassment to lad culture, to violence against women. Whilst spending hours sifting through the archives of SCAN (one of our student papers) I was struck by a sense of solidarity and pride as I pieced together a narrative of consistent and passionate campaigns over the last 20 years.

 

One of my favourite long-standing campaigns I came across was the yearly production of The Vagina Monologues. Trish McGrath (Education & Wellbeing Officer, 2000-2001; Union President, 2001-2002) recalled her part in putting on the production just after her presidency:

“It hadn’t previously been done in Lancaster and was such as empowering and important event for me personally and the group involved”

The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by playwright and activist Eve Ensler comprised of dozens of stories based on real interviews addressing topics such as sexuality, abuse, and the stigma around rape. The play became a global movement to end violence against women and girls, known as “V-Day”. In Lancaster, The Vagina Monologues was performed annually for over 15 years and raised money for a number of local charities. In 2014 the Vagina Monologues Group raised over £6000 for the Trust House, who offer counselling to survivors of rape, sexual abuse, and domestic abuse. 

McGrath also reminisced on her participation in a Miss World Protest during her time as Education and Wellbeing Officer:

“At the time it was controversial that we went, and me and Naomi Mather (Women’s Officer) faced some internal resistance from the then President and SU CEO.” 

After organising an official NUS women’s meeting in Greenwich as part of the protest and personally fundraising the coach travel costs, McGrath and Mather were able to make their attendance official:

“We managed to fill a coach with keen protestors, many of us in ball gowns with slogan sashes saying things like MissRepresented and Missogyny etc and the whole thing was what pushed me to run for President the following year. I vividly remember that those in the SU that tried to stop us going actually arranged a meeting for 9am the next day so we’d have to be back and myself and Naomi turned up in our protest outfits as we’d only just got back.”

 

 

 

 

Following this, the early 2010’s saw a focus on tackling safety on campus and everyday sexism. ‘Lad mags’ were banned from LUSU shops, the White Ribbon Campaign gained nearly 1000 pledges from male students in support of ending violence against women, and Tom Fox (VP Welfare, 2013) passed an ‘Everyday Sexism’ motion condemning rape culture at Lancaster.

·      In 2011, County College JCR exec ran a campaign inviting students to highlight areas on campus that were poorly lit or felt unsafe. They also made rape alarms available to students.
 
·      In 2012, LUSU’s VP Equality, Welfare and Diversity led a ‘light the way’ campaign to tackle the lack of lighting on campus after the sexual assault of two students raised more concerns about dimly lit areas around campus. 
 
·      2014 saw ‘The Everyday Sexism Project’ highlight how the impact of sexist behaviour and sexual harassment can impact women+ students’ university experience

 

 

Representation of women in LUSU also came to the forefront of campaigns during this time. The 2014 Full-Time Officer elections saw a call for a change in attitude after a number of women expressed that they chose not to run for fear of being harassed during campaigning. In a 2015 article titled ‘Why Lancaster Needs Self-Defining Women in Leadership Positions,’ a number of women+ student officers explained how a lack of representation of women in positions of authority, including in Students’ Unions, directly contributes to the systemic misogyny that is at the root of sexual violence against women and girls. 

·      The ‘She Should Run’ campaign launched in 2014 to encourage women+ students to apply for leadership roles 
 
·      The Women’s Liberation and Campaigns Officer (LCO) was established 
 
·      The Women in Leadership group was set up by a group of LU women

 

 

 

 

More recently, last year saw Women’s+ LCO Millie Ni-Elle Ashton and previous Wellbeing Officer Ella Smith run the ‘Stop Sexual Misconduct Campaign.’ The goal of this campaign was to see the university implement a Zero Tolerance Policy on sexual misconduct and provide mandatory comprehensive consent training for students.

The LU Consent Collective established themselves last year as an innovative and proactive group of students raising awareness and creating a safe space for those affected by sexual assault. They delivered consent training for execs across campus, raised for a number of local and national charities, and hosted socials and events to build their community. 

LU Feminist Society have organised Reclaim the Night marches to stand up to violence against women, hosted talks and run workshops about topics ranging from gender-based violence to period poverty to transfeminism. The work of these groups has made huge waves across campus, and I plan to ensure their campaigns are continued this year.
 

The examples that I have identified here are powerful examples of student activism, but they are by no means the entire story. There will have been an incredible number of women+ representatives at Lancaster who’s work I couldn’t find or hasn’t been recorded. It would be impossible to include a full list of campaigns and protests in a single article, but we can recognise and celebrate those quietly unquiet women by carrying their torch of burning bras forward with us. 

 

Looking towards the future, I feel confident that the legacy of these women is in safe hands. Millie, who was re-elected as our Women’s+ LCO for this year, has no plans to back down. 

“When I first stood in Alexandra Square holding a banner that read “stop protecting my rapist,” I realised I was not alone. Around me, other students carried signs telling their own stories of sexual violence. Together we made visible what the university had long denied: this is not a side issue. It is a defining issue. It is proof that education cannot be safe, equal, or accessible while some students are forced to learn in fear.

That is why I will keep pressing the university to make its misconduct process trauma-informed and survivor-focused. But this year I plan to expand the campaign. This past year in the UK there has been more conversation than ever on restricting womens contraception, leaving students with stigma and without transparency on accessing reproductive health care. Survivors of sexual assault need clear, visible signposting to services and barrier-free routes to STD testing, emergency contraception, abortion care, and long-term options like IUDs. I plan to widen our support by working with sexual health charities and student groups, so no one on campus is left without the care and protection they need.”

We’ve still got a long way to go, but I find myself encouraged and empowered by these women to continue using my voice to shout for safety and equality. The E6 Conditions provide a much needed opportunity to hold the University accountable for the creation of real change.

If you want to get involved with Millie’s campaign and keep up to date with our progress, follow @lusuwomenplusofficer on Instagram and keep an eye out for our Womens+ Network events!