Leeds Met is currently seeking permission to change its name from to Leeds Beckett University.  If the board of governors is successful the change will cost the uni £250,000. According to Vice Chancellor Professor Susan Price Leeds Met has “outgrown” the Metropolitan name. The other possible names shortlisted were Leeds Headingley University and Leeds Ridings University. The President of the Student Union, David Alcorn, said that he wants to alter “the perception around the country that mets are less of a uni.”

Students against the change argue that it is a waste of money and that it would be better spent improving the university’s facilities. The ‘Save Leeds Met Uni – Don’t change the name’ Facebook group has attracted over 2,500 members within the first 24 hours of its creation and has now grown to nearly 4,000. However, the online petition is about 4,600 signatures short of the minimum 5,000 required to impede the decision.

Carina Derhalli