‘On this week‘ is a new weekly column by our news editor Josh Elgin which offers a window into the past through the pages of The Gryphon archive. Exploring the events and stories that unfolded during the same week in history – enabling a deeper understanding of the context that shapes our present.

24 October 2003

TWENTY YEARS AGO – the halls of residence Eldon Court, which at the start of this year was evacuated and ordered to close after a damning fire report, was still under construction.

Rob Hamblin reports that the developers of Eldon Court received a backlash from residents and were investigated by Leeds City Council after they built more floors than they had been given permission.

A fresh planning application was submitted in December 2003 which was approved the following year, with the building eventually opening in August 2005.

In January, up to 300 students were told to evacuate and the building was ordered to close after a report by the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service found that there were “inadequate means to ensure the means of escape can be safely used in case of fire” and insufficient means to reduce the risk of fire spread.”

Northend Management, the owners of the building, were expelled from the ANUK and Unipol National Code in May 2023. Rooms were advertised for the current academic year, though universities in the city were asked by Unipol to inform students that the hall was no longer certified by the code.

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21 October 1983

FORTY YEARS AGO – the University of Leeds and Leeds University Union created a “positive anti-apartheid” scholarship to pay for all necessary expenses in order for black South African students to study in the city.

In 1983, South Africa was run under apartheid, a system of institutionalised racial segregation and discrimination that was enforced from the white minority population from 1948 to 1994.

The rights and opportunities of black South Africans were severely restricted during this time which led to significant social and political inequalities.

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26 October 2007

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO – the University of Leeds asked Facebook to take a student group down after its members were accused of harassing a lecturer at the University of Leeds.

The anonymous lecturer told Virginia Newman and Charlotte Griffiths that they were subject to “wall to wall” comments by students who were dissatisfied with their module.

After a complaint was made, the University of Leeds asked Facebook and the students to take down the posts.

Facebook, which was created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, had 50 million users in October 2007 and the iconic like button wouldn’t be implemented until two years later.

The platform now has 2.9 billion active users and its moderation policies have been a subject of intense debate and scrutiny, as it attempts to protect users from harassment and stop misinformation from being shared whilst also upholding freedom of expression.

A spokesperson for the University of Leeds clarified that its policy was not to “monitor” students’ social media, but if an issue was raised they said “we have a duty of care to our staff and students and the overall reputation of the University.”

With thanks to Special Collections which is located in Brotherton Library – visit their website to learn more about the collections they hold.