Goldsmiths bans oil, gas and arms recruitment on campus after 18 months of students protests

Goldsmiths has banned recruitment for the oil and gas industries on its campus following an 18-month long campaign by its students.

The university announced it would prohibit oil, gas, mining, arms and tobacco companies from recruiting their students at careers events.

Pressure group People & Planet hailed the victory and told The Independent that it was orchestrated by students at the university who successfully passed a motion for the change earlier this year.

“The Students’ Union negotiated with management and were successful in pushing for the implementation of an Ethical Careers Policy that bans oil, gas, and mining companies from recruiting at the university,” the group said.

The move comes amid actions by other environment groups, including Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, which have instigated widespread campaigns against the use of fossil fuels in society.

Some universities have been criticised for pledging to move away from the use of fossil fuels while also taking no action to prevent recruitment into lucrative industries such as gas and oil on its campuses.

Birkbeck, the University of London, was the first British institution to introduce ban in 2022, telling the Guardian at the time that its students would not be recruited by companies “most responsible for destroying the planet”.

News of the ban at Goldsmiths was shared on X by People & Planet, who said it marked the eighth victory in their Fossil Free Careers campaign, which is encouraging universities in the UK to stop promoting careers in these industries.

A spokesperson for Goldsmiths told The Independent: “We are addressing the climate emergency in a number of ways and believe that a sustainable careers policy is an important step to securing lasting and meaningful change.

“We worked collaboratively with students and campaigners to co-design the new policy so that it reflects the views of our community while continuing to deliver excellent careers opportunities for all students.

“Our experience was of a co-operative process where there was broad agreement from the outset of discussions and in particular on the need to take urgent local action to help avert climate disaster.”

As part of the change, the university has also created a Sustainable Careers Policy, which outlines a commitment to working with sustainable employers and extra-curricular activities.

However, People & Planet said that the institution “now stands at a crossroads” and cited the university’s decision to make key staff redundant, including course leaders on its MA programmes in Queer and Black History.

Dr Justin Bengry, the course director of Queer History, told this publication: “...simply put, no one remaining in the History department has sufficient knowledge of the field to offer even a single module let alone a credible degree in queer history.”

While Goldsmiths told The Independent that it remains committed to still delivering these programmes, students and staff affected by the redundances said they have effectively been rendered obsolete by a lack of qualified staff.

A spokesperson for Goldsmiths explained to The Independent: “Goldsmiths moved its investments to the COIF Ethical Investment Fund in 2019. The fund places restriction on investments in companies with military related activities.

“We reviewed the fund in 2021 and are satisfied that it continues to take a robust approach to reviewing firms, ensuring that they don’t infringe its ethical values.”