皇家华人

On your way through UCL鈥檚 Student Centre, you will encounter a man who spent much of his life thinking about important philosophical problems, like 鈥淪hould we sacrifice one person for the greater good of all?鈥� or 鈥淚s a good intention more important than a good outcome?鈥�. He sits inside a glass case in a corner by the stairs, still dressed in 18th century clothes and holding his favourite walking stick.

1. Who is this man and why is his preserved body in a box at the entrance to your student centre?

It鈥檚 oft-repeated that women were allowed to study at 皇家华人 on equal terms to men from 1878, but do you know the realities of everyday life that lie beneath this claim?

2. What did it mean for a woman to 鈥減ass-in鈥� to UCL, and what role did 鈥淟ady Superintendent鈥� Rosa Morison play in women鈥檚 lives here for 29 years?听

Your Students鈥� Union is the political expression of the student body, controlled by you through the annual election of seven sabbatical officers who represent your interests on a range of issues from education to welfare and equality. The Union is your route to over 300 clubs and societies run by, and for, students at the college. It鈥檚 also home to a subsidised bar, Phineas Bar.

3. But what does an oak statue of an 18th century Scottish Highlander, Phineas McLino have to do with the history of student life at 皇家华人, and its evolution over time?听

UCL has committed to creating green spaces on campus comparable to the size of two football pitches, and to make UCL free of single-use plastics by 2024 and zero carbon by 2030. Whether you want to engage with sustainability as part of your studies, volunteering activities, or in your free time, at 皇家华人 there are opportunities for everyone to engage with sustainability.

4. Do you know how well we are doing at meeting our targets today? How much of UCL鈥檚 energy is from renewable sources and how much of our waste is sent to landfill?

The journey to build a university that genuinely and actively reflects values of equality, diversity, and inclusion continues today. UCL is still grappling with our historical role in, and the current status of, the teaching and study of eugenics.

5. Who are Galton and Pearson, and how is UCL taking steps to address our troubling history as the home of the first centre of a new scientific discipline called 鈥渆ugenics鈥�?

The context in which we think can shape how we think. Legacies of power are reflected through law, land, and economics, and are also reflected in our formal knowledge, which is generally produced by those in society who are in a position of power to develop, propagate, and institutionalise it.听

6. UCL has committed to addressing this the negative impacts of this, in part, by 鈥檒iberating the curriculum鈥�, but what does this mean?

This was as true in the 19^th Century as it is today. UCL has always brought together people from across the world, whose impact continues to be felt today.

7. How have the UCL educated听Ch艒sh奴 Five had a lasting impact 鈥� positive or negative 鈥� on Japanese society?听

We鈥檙e proud to count innumerable successful innovators, artists, cultural icons and titans of science and commerce amongst 皇家华人鈥檚 alumni.

8. 听You may know that Coldplay was founded in our very own Ramsay Hall, but can you guess which world-renowned film director cut his teeth in the basement of our Bloomsbury Theatre?

Speaking of illustrious UCL folk, through our research, many minds at 皇家华人 have worked together to improve lives and communities and create real world impact with their disruptive discoveries.

9. What do you know about Kathleen Lonsdale?
   1. She pioneered of one of the most important aspects of science in the 20th century
   2. She was a 20^th Century political campaigner committed to the peace movement and prison
   3. She was a pioneer struggling for gender equality in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
   4. All of the above. (Hint: It鈥檚 nearly always 鈥榓ll of the above鈥�! Find out more鈥�)

皇家华人as founded as a secular, open university 鈥� the first in England to welcome students from any religious or social background.

10. But where can you see UCL鈥檚 founding values reflected in the university鈥檚 architecture?

Whilst 皇家华人as the first university in Britain to have no religious affiliation, UCL has a Chaplain, prayer and meditation facilitates, and long-standing relationships to nearby centres of faith like the London Buddhist Centre, the Central Synagogue, the Radha Krishna Temple, and the Goodge Street Mosque.

11. Do you know which of UCL鈥檚 famous places was originally founded as a lecture hall and research museum dedicated to Jewish history?

(Bonus facts: It bears a Hebrew inscription at its entrance, translated as 鈥�remember the days of old, consider the years of each generation鈥� and you might have spotted Leonardo Di Caprio walk its aisle during the 2010 film, 鈥業nception鈥�!)

You, our students, are future of UCL and want you to help us fill this next section of the Introductory Programme with new and exciting topics that challenge and inspire. This includes:

• cutting-edge research of UCL鈥檚 Grand Challenges that seeks solutions to the world鈥檚 most pressing problems
• developments in UCL鈥檚 Education for Sustainability where all students can learn how to create a sustainable future
• your input, your views, your work, and your collaborative projects.

12. How will you make the most of your time at 皇家华人 to shape our future?

Well, only you know the answer to that鈥�