Magdalen joins the rebellion
OUSU is in crisis this week after yet another college voted to disaffiliate. Magdalen JCR joins Trinity and Oriel in its stand against the Student Union. The three colleges are threatening to establish their own student body. Oriel JCR Treasurer said this week, “OUSU needs to die away.” OUSU now fears other JCRs will follow.
The Magdalen vote, which took place on Tuesday, was extremely close, with 70 people voting in favour of disaffiliation, and 63 against. Magdalen JCR President Jess Jones said, “I think this is a fair reflection of the sentiments expressed in the meeting. In theory we are in favour of a central union to represent students, but that is not what OUSU is doing. We’re not attempting to start mass disaffiliation.
However, Magdalen and Trinity have already been approached by Oriel JCR to pool resources. Oriel JCR President Dougall Meston said, “When Oriel disaffiliated in 2001, it was a statement, but we haven’t been able to spur on change that way. Now it is time to start proposing something different, an organic replacement for OUSU.” Oriel JCR Treasurer Cameron Penny said, “We want to create an informal confederation of JCR and MCR Presidents in the near future.
This would help the colleges by bulk-buying welfare provisions like condoms, creating a fresher’s hand- book and maybe even running an alternative fresher’s fair. More colleges set set to join. Penny continued, “I think we will see more disaffiliation in the coming weeks, maybe in Christ Church and Regent’s Park.” Christ Church JCR President Garth Smith said, “Cameron Penny has approached us, but we have no plans to disaffiliate.
I personally am in favour of staying affiliated, but we will have a vote in Michaelmas.” Regent’s Park Vice President Rebekah Clarke said, “We have no plans to disaffiliate. If we were to disaffiliate, we would look into joining the other colleges.” Magdalen JCR Vice President Jon Wright explained some of the reasons behind disaffiliation: “We’re quite well off, so it wasn’t a money problem. But OUSU were extremely bad at listening.
During our rent negotiations, we sent repeated emails which were not replied to.” Magdalen OUSU rep Luke Tryl said, “We came within six votes of disaffiliating last year, and we hoped that would force OUSU to change. But they didn’t. They stayed in their ivory tower in Bonn Square.
Oriel JCR President Dougall Meston has criticized OUSU for being “stuck in the ‘70s and trying to fight for social justice, which is not what Oxford students want; they want welfare provision, rent advice and academic support.” Magdalen students supporting OUSU were also strongly opinionated.
Daniel-Carall Green, a first year classicist, said, “If we think that an organisation of which we are a member is failing, then it is our responsibility to help reform it, not to abandon it. All we’re doing is withdrawing the funding that would allow proper reform.” Alan Strickland, OUSU President, echoed these sentiments. “We are very disappointed that Magdalen have decided to disaffiliate.
There was a sense at the JCR meeting that disaffiliating was a good way to speed up OUSU reform. My clear message now, as then, is that disaffiliations have the opposite effect. It is bad for everyone: less income for student services, and other JCRs will now have to subsidise this provision.” Strickland added that students had expressed concerns that they were unclear as to OUSU’s role. “We run on a very tight budget with £600 annually for publicity.
Divide that by the 17,000 students we need to reach, and you see the huge problem we face. Every disaffiliation re- duces budgets even further, making it more and more impossible to give students what they want.
26th Apr 2007