The University of Hertfordshire Islamic Society would like to bring to the attention of Hertfordshire University Senior Management, the following issues:

• Lack of fair representation within the Chaplaincy Team. We, as a society, find it unfair that there is a lack of urgency by the University to accommodate for chaplains who represent faiths other than Christianity effectively. It is unreasonable for all faiths to have to rely on one individual to look after their needs as they are unlikely to have adequate knowledge of the various faiths on campus and thus will not be able to advise students of faith appropriately. This puts a huge responsibility and pressure on student groups to lobby for and look after the welfare of their peers. When we raised this concern previously it was highlighted by Geraldine Ward (Dean of Students), Alan Smith (former Chaplain) and Fiona Souter (Acting Chaplain) that the University does not have the budget to employ more Chaplaincy staff. This raises concerns for the University’s responsibility to care for student well-being and ability to practice our faith, especially as students are paying £9,250 (or more) a year for the services provided by the University.
• Inadequate Space on ‘DeHavilland’ Campus due to poor student consultation – When the DeHavilland Multi-Faith facilities were being introduced, it would have made sense for the Chaplaincy, the Estates Team and the University to consult with various faith groups to ensure that the space can accommodate for everyone. There is no evidence of students being consulted, specifically those who represent faith groups which highlights a general lack of interest from the University to consult groups that the project would affect. The new facilities which have been introduced again do not take into consideration various faith needs. As Muslims we need ablution facilities, and though this was raised with a previous elected officer and the university – it never materialized. Furthermore, the space is open plan and any use of the communal space can “disrupt” users of the quiet space and vice versa. This becomes very restrictive for our members as we could become “disruptive” during congregational prayers. We have continuously been using classrooms for the last five years on this campus to perform Friday Prayers as there is no space big enough to accommodate for us currently. We were continuously told that the University does not have a budget for any new space which shows little regard for student experience, despite a new build starting besides the LRC on this campus.
• No Improvements to 'The Key' - Since The Key was first built there has been no review or effort to improve the space. The carpet is very old and has become very uncomfortable for the users of the space to pray on. There has been multiple leakages from the ceiling, we have had complaints from students about the insulation of the space. The layout of the space is very inefficient and there are parts of the space that Muslim students are not given access to when not in use. Despite our best efforts to reach an agreement with the Chaplaincy in the past to give us access, this was short-lived (the idea of it becoming a Muslim only area was the fear put across). The ablution facilities have a poor drainage system which makes it very unhygienic and the facilities need refurbishments due to an increase in demand of the space from the rising Muslim Student population. Though the Chaplaincy have given the space a deep clean in 2018, we feel that the space needs extra investment.

As a student group, we often feel that we go above and beyond in our duties and despite our best efforts to raise our concerns with the Chaplaincy and the University, our concerns have gone unanswered and at times not resolved as they should be. We hoped that an alternative could have been reached but now feel a petition is the best cause of action in spreading awareness among our peers, having our voice heard, and establishing accountability for the issues addressed.

This petition has been shown support by members of the Islamic Society, Jewish Society, Ahlul Bait Society, Hindu Society,and the Students Union.