Passed: March 2022 (14th)

What do you want? / Why do you want it? 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, LUU used to provide free breakfasts for students every morning during exams, from Old Bar and Common Ground. 

This was a fantastic initiative - research shows that students who eat breakfast perform better in exams. In fact, research from the University of Leeds itself demonstrated the importance of a morning meal to fuel better academic performance - with GCSE students, they found that students who said they rarely ate breakfast achieved nearly two grades lower than those who rarely missed their morning meal. What’s more, during a time which is incredibly stressful for students, it provided great motivation to get out, and onto campus early, and can fuel them for a full day of revision throughout the entire exam period. 

Since the building has reopened, it seems this initiative has been dropped. Given the recent news about the cost of living crisis, it seems more important than ever to provide all students with extra support. As inflation rises, the cost of food is increasing, leaving everyone with higher grocery bills. This crisis will especially affect already disadvantaged students, and groups at risk of food insecurity, and provide another systematic barrier to academic success and engagement. 

By providing a free breakfast to any student that needs it, LUU could level the playing field, and ensure that all students are as well-equipped as possible during the exam period, looking after their wellbeing, empowering academic achievement, and staying in line with equality and liberation principles. As the building and outlets have now reopened, LUU should commit to providing this service to students again, without risk of it being stopped again at a later date.