STUDENTS, staff and visitors at the University of Huddersfield now cross the rainbow when they walk to and from its campus.
A traditional black and white zebra crossing close to the University’s main entrance has been repainted in the vibrant colours of the LGBTQ+ movement so that it sends out a permanent message of inclusiveness and tolerance.
“It says ‘everybody is welcome’ and that’s an important thing to say about the University of Huddersfield – that we welcome and embrace everybody,” said the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bob Cryan, after he took part in a special inauguration event, timed to coincide with National Inclusion Week.
It was during a trip to Brussels that Professor Cryan first encountered a pedestrian crossing painted in the LGBTQ+ or Gay Pride colours. He decided that it would be an uplifting feature of his University’s campus, and on his return he set the work in motion.
A group of people representing the University community joined Professor Cryan for the inauguration and “test walked” the repainted crossing.
Afterwards, participants and passers-by tucked into a cake specially baked by the University’s Catering Service, after Professor Cryan sliced it open to reveal the LGBTQ+ colours.
The University is one of only two to achieve a Gold Award in Yorkshire and the Humber
Nearly 70 per cent of Huddersfield staff hold doctorates according to a Higher Education Statistics Agency survey of 164 institutions
…according to figures released recently by the Higher Education Statistics Agency