University of Sheffield's archaeology department must be saved - Yorkshire Post Letters

May 25 will mark one year since the University of Sheffield Executive Board officially announced its intention to close the Department of Archaeology, to the disgust of local, national and international communities.

Following massive pressure from a vibrant campaign of protest, about 1,500 letters of complaint, and more than 48,000 signatures asking for a reversal of the decision, the university management has now somewhat downscaled its initial aggression.

The department will remain open for another two years and the academic staff will be moved to other departments rather than made redundant. Although the intention to close, despite the massive damage to the university’s reputation, is still in place, the University College Union and the #SaveSheffieldArchaeology campaign are still fighting against the decision.

If the Department, one of the most renowned in the world, will close, the city of Sheffield and the overall region will be poorer for it, and local communities will have lost an important asset as well as a place of learning and development.

The city and the region cannot and should not remain silent in the face of such disgrace, which should be interpreted in the context of the war on culture encouraged by the current UK Government.

The two Sheffield universities represent fundamental assets for the city and region and we cannot afford to see them depleted and diminished – we deserve better.