ERASMUS POST BREXIT

Aberystwyth Students passed a policy on 27/02/2017 called ‘Erasmus Post Brexit’ which mandates the AberSU Academic Affairs Officer to:

• Lobby at all levels for the UK to maintain access to Erasmus for Aberystwyth University students.
• Be actively involved in any national campaigns run by NUS (Wales/UK) regarding Erasmus.
• Regularly seek assurances from Aberystwyth University on its lobbying activities around Erasmus (and more generally Brexit).

Now that the Brexit draft withdrawal agreement is available, Members of Parliament (MP) will have the opportunity to vote to accept or reject it. This was originally scheduled for today, but has since been deferred giving us more time to lobby for a Brexit that works for Students.

In the run up to the vote, Meg (Academic Affairs Officer) has contacted Ben Lake, MP for Ceredigion, asking him to consider the implications of Brexit on Erasmus when making his vote.

We believe Erasmus is an invaluable scheme for both UK students looking to study abroad, and EU students who come to Aberystwyth. International exchanges and educational collaboration is important to the future of higher education and Aberystwyth prides itself on providing a welcoming environment to students from overseas. We are hopeful that by lobbying our MP and the UK government, we can encourage conversations that result in the continuation of our participation in Erasmus post Brexit.

As this is an important issue, we encourage you to also contact Ben Lake regarding this issue if you wish to do so. Below is a template which you can use and adapt to best suit you.

Letter:

Download the letter as a Word Document (.doc)

Dear Ben Lake,

I am contacting you as a student from Aberystwyth University and a member of Aberystwyth University Students’ Union regarding Erasmus post Brexit.

Aberystwyth students passed a policy on 27/02/2017 called ‘Erasmus Post Brexit’, with the primary mandate to lobby for continued access to Erasmus for Aberystwyth University students. This policy was voted in by students during an AberSU Council meeting demonstrating that all students, whether involved in Erasmus or not, found this to be an important issue. I hope you will consider this in the ongoing Brexit discussions and when casting your vote for the final Withdrawal Agreement.

I believe Erasmus is an invaluable scheme for both UK students looking to study abroad, and EU students who come to Aberystwyth. It attracts students to the area which benefits the community, local economy and cultural diversity. International exchanges and educational collaboration is important to the future of higher education and Aberystwyth prides itself on providing a welcoming environment to students from overseas.

I am hopeful that by contacting you, we can encourage conversations that result in the continuation of our participation in Erasmus post Brexit. The loss of Erasmus would have a negative impact on the University and the town, deterring future UK and EU students from considering courses based in Aber.

I understand that the government will need to reach agreement with the EU for UK organisations to continue participating in Erasmus projects and is seeking to hold these discussions with the EU, so please ensure that the voice of students is heard during these discussions.

Sincerely,