If you are having a guest speaker or visitor at your event (anyone external to the University) you must complete the online guest/speaker request form at least four weeks in advance of your event. This includes speaker events hosted off campus and via online platforms such as Teams or Zoom.

If you are aware of any past controversies surrounding the speaker or the topic of the talk is contentious then approval can take considerably longer as a risk assessment and approval from the University may be required.   

Your room booking request for this event will not be approved until your guest speaker request has been approved and you must not promote the event until the speaker has been approved. please consider this in your planning. 

Lancaster University Students’ Union is required to check external speakers to uphold various legal responsibilities that are explained in more detail in our External Speaker Policy (document attached below).

Briefly, here’s how the process works:

1) You tell us about the speaker and the event, including:

a. Venue

b. Purpose of event

c. Who is the audience

d. Topic the external speaker will present

e. Brief bio of external speaker including affiliations, known previous controversies if any, their website

2) You must send the external speaker the ‘External Speaker Briefing Agreement’ which they must sign and return confirming they understand the responsibility they have to abide by the law and the various policies of the University and the Students’ Union, including that:

a. The speaker must not incite hatred, violence or call for the breaking of the law

b. The speaker is not permitted to encourage, glorify or promote any acts of terrorism including individuals, groups or organisations that support such acts

c. The speaker must not spread hatred and intolerance in the community and thus aid in disrupting social and community harmony

d. The speaker must avoid insulting other faiths, identities or groups

e. The speaker is not permitted to raise or gather funds for any external organisation or cause without express permission of LUSU trustees

3) The Students’ Union may then insist upon measures we believe mitigate any risks we have identified or may even prohibit any event with an external speaker if procedures are not followed or if the relevant health, safety and security criteria cannot be met. Any decision will be communicated back to you within five working days of your request being acknowledged as received.

4) If you disagree with any judgements/decisions made you have the right to appeal to the Appointed Senior Officer of the University if they have not already been involved in the process.