Tab Watch
INVESTIGATIONS IN CAMBRIDGE have revealed that CUSU lost over £31,000 of student money on 'Creation', a festival outside the city last summer. The losses that had been shored up by CUSU had been earmarked for the purchase of a new central student's facility. This has dashed the student body's hope of finally having a central student building.
The Union Building Officer, Thomas Cuckston, resigned on Monday because of the CUSU's failure to buy an old Waterstone's building due to lack of funds. Cuckston, in his resignation letter, claimed that "the position is a joke. It was set up to satisfy a manifesto pledge of getting us a union building when everyone knew that we didn't stand a chance." He continued "There is only £70,000 in the bank and the last time I checked, you'd have trouble buying a small shed in Cambridgefor that much".
ON WEDNESDAY, 'PEOPLE And Planet', a student campaign group, donned wetsuits and swimwear to help "bring the coastline to the heart of Britain" on Wednesday. They were demonstrating against the University's Department of Chemical Engineering, following a £20,000 donation from 'Climate Pirates' Esso.
Student campaigners drew attention to the effects of climate change by wearing wetsuits and bikinis. Sara Muzio, a bikini-clad fresher from Caius, explained that: "Esso are the only major oil company to actually refuse to admit that global warming is happening, and to completely neglect renewable energy".
P&P also hopes to persuade the University, which currently receives only 5% from renewable energy sources, to join Loughborough and Edinburgh in switching 100% of its electricity supply to renewable sources.
IN THE WAKE of three racist attacks in Cambridge in the past week CUSU has launched a new racism awareness campaign.
On Saturday, two white men verbally abused a Sikh student, and on Sunday five white men insulted another Sikh. One of them shouted "do you have a pilot's licence, Osama?"
CUSU President Pav Akhtar said "students should not have to compromise their university life for a few prejudiced people". CUSU passed a series of resolutions to support the racism initiative.
18th Oct 2001