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Students 'cheated' over graduation venue change

Ethan Saunders
BBC Radio Stoke
BBC A young woman with long red hair, who is wearing a beige T-shirt, is looking sad. She is in front of a bar that has been blurred out.BBC
Sophie Grainger-Baird does not know if she will attend her graduation ceremony

More than 1,000 students have signed a petition against a change of venue for their graduation ceremony.

The University of Staffordshire has decided to move the event from the Grade II-listed King's Hall in Stoke-on-Trent to the £40m Catalyst building on campus in the city.

The students against the plan have argued that the university-owned building would not be as prestigious a venue to hold the celebration.

University officials said hosting the graduation on campus would make travel to the event easier and also mean ground-level access for all attendees.

Student Sophie Grainger-Baird said she felt "cheated" by the change from the ornate Victorian building and that the day would not be as special for her in the new venue.

"Graduation has been a motivation for me; the fact that I have an end goal in sight is a reason for me to keep going," she said.

"I feel I have been cheated. I've been tempted to not show up and not graduate."

She believed the university had taken the decision without the students in mind.

"We're just money to them," she added.

A large room with an ornate ceiling with lights hanging from the ceiling with a red backdrop at the end of the room with red seats lining the balcony with stalls and people standing on the floor below.
The ornate Grade II-listed King's Hall has been used for graduation ceremonies and for other events, like trade fairs

Student Amy Fern, who has also signed the petition, recalled her first day at the university.

"They bring everyone into the King's Hall; they say this is where you start and this is where you will graduate in three years time once you have done your degree," she said.

She felt the university had broken that promise that they had made to students on the first day.

"We were sold the promise on our first day that we were going to graduate at the King's Hall, and now the university have gone back on that promise," she added.

A red brick building with a glass windowed base.
The Catalyst Building on the University of Staffordshire campus

A university spokesperson said it had received feedback relating to accessibility and travel and had worked with the Students' Union to improve its graduation events.

And added by hosting graduation on campus, the university was able to remove the need for coaches and ensure ground-level access for all attendees.

"The Catalyst was designed to host major university events, and we are proud to continue using it for that purpose," they said.

"It provides a sustainable, accessible, and fitting venue for one of the most important occasions in the academic calendar."

They said they were confident the decision would enable them to deliver a memorable graduation celebration.

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