Further Education
Labour Students’ Democratic Deficit: Why every student should be concerned
January 8, 2012 | 
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In February 2011 Oxford University Labour Club, the largest and oldest of the university Labour Clubs, disaffiliated from the national organisation Labour Students.
After the motion to disaffiliate had been passed at a General Meeting, a statement was released, saying that ‘we could no longer remain within an institution whose democratic failings we feel increasingly threaten to undermine its positive work’. The statement raised several specific issues, including the way in which ‘one of Labour Students’ worst kept secrets is the prominent role of the outgoing Exec in choosing and encouraging a chosen group of candidates to run for positions, with little to no attention focused on encouraging others to enter the race’, as well as the ‘undemocratic culture’ of having a Constitution which is not available online or at the request of members.
OULC continued, ‘We remain committed to fighting for the values that brought us into Labour Students in Oxford and elsewhere, but these wouldn’t be in keeping with our continued presence in an organisation whose democratic deficit increasingly stifles efforts at meaningful reform and improvement.’
But just under twelve months later, it appears that little has improved. In a recent blog post by Jon Chambers, Chair of Hull University Labour Club, Labour Students is criticised again for its democratic failings. Chambers explains how – with one month to go – a venue is yet to be announced for the Conference at which the Chair, Secretary and Campaigns and Membership Officer – the three paid officers of the organisations – are elected. This, he says, means that ‘Labour Clubs will have to spend over the odds to get there – or worse, won’t go at all’. He goes on to criticise the lack of information that is available to members regarding the elections and poor communication from Labour Students. He also states that ‘uncontested elections every year are no coincidence.’
Those who have spoken out have themselves been attacked. The day after OULC made their decision to disaffiliate, Wes Streeting – a former NUS President – tweeted about his hopes that ‘no Labour MPs will now speak at the club’. Mr Chambers also came under fire, via Twitter, from the Treasurer of Swansea Labour Students, John Bayliss. Bayliss tweeted ‘@jonwillchambers For bringing Labour Students into disrepute through unsubstantiated accusations you should resign as chair! #ShameOnYo’.
Others, however, were more supportive of Chambers’ blog. In an exclusive interview, Kevin Feeney (Co-Chair elect of OULC), yesterday said that ‘Jon makes some good points which echo much of what caused OULC to disaffiliate initially. Clearly there are still issues with Labour Students, and the more widely these are recognised and accepted, the more likely it is that they can be properly addressed’. He went on to say that ‘there needs to be a recognition of past failings on both parts (from Labour Students and Labour Clubs), and then Labour Students should take real, concrete action to rectify the democratic deficit at their heart.’
After reading this, many may begin to ask themselves why. ‘Why should I care about this? I’m not even a member of the Labour Party.’ However, Labour Students’ strong links to the National Union of Students mean the democratic failings spelled out above should concern us all.
The Chair of Labour Students holds a lot of sway within the NUS. Indeed, the job description states that ‘the Chair…works most closely with the NUS Group, holding meetings ahead of NEC meetings and assisting with matters related to HE Funding and other student relevant issues.’
This influence – from a person appointed by questionable means – is serious enough, but the Chair of Labour Students also has a role in selecting those that run the NUS. A significant number of NUS officers are themselves members of the Labour Party, and many of these seek to be official Labour Students’ candidates. The Chair of Labour Students is highly influential in this, as they are part of the three-person team that recommends potential Labour Students’ candidates. As recommendation almost certainly leads to being an official candidate, and being a Labour Students’ candidate leads almost certainly to election, the Chair of Labour Students has a significant role in choosing many of our national student representatives.
So it should concern us all that democracy within Labour Students has been found wanting; more so that, after the publicised disaffiliation of OULC, little seems to have improved. With the influence of those in the highest offices of the organisation so fareaching within the student movement as a whole, we should all be encouraging those we know within Labour to make a stand. The democratic changes needed in Labour Students have been long overdue.
Jack Matthews,
founder and editor of theyworkforstudents.co.uk
Posted in Elections, Further Education, Higher Education, News, Student Activism | 
Tags: Chair of Labour Students, Hull University Labour Club, Jack Matthews, Jon Chambers, Kevin Feeney, Labour Party, Labour Students, Labour Students elections, Labour Students in NUS, Labour Students in Oxford, Labour Students Officers, National Union of Students, NOLS, NUS, OULC, Oxford University Labour Club, Wes Streeting, Young Labour | 
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Student Fuel Poverty
In his recent ‘Fuel Poverty Review’, professor John Hills predicts that by the end of 2011, around 4.1 million homes in Britain will be considered to be living in ‘fuel poverty’. This situation, the review has noted, could directly contribute to the deaths of just under 3,000 people over the coming winter; a toll higher than the average seasonal number of fatalities in road-accidents.
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Students across the UK are attempting to save money at the expense of their own health. Government statistics on fuel poverty indicate that students living in affordable yet energy-inefficient accommodation make up a large percentage of those recognised to be living in ‘fuel poverty’ by the ‘Living in Wales’ report, 2008. Swansea students in private accommodation are being let down by prepayment meters which charge a higher rate for energy than other types of meters, inefficient appliances, and poorly insulated housing. All of these things mean a situation in which keeping warm is an artificially expensive dream for students. There is no doubt that living in fuel poverty is devastating for both physical and mental health.
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There are clear problems with expecting the solution to come from conventional energy-sources. Recent years have seen attempts by many energy companies to repackage old fossil-fuel solutions; i.e. E.ON’s support for ‘New Coal’. However, the appalling efficiency rating of just 45% for these new coal-powered units highlights the urgency with which we need a more sustainable solution.
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To be able to bring about the changes needed to make greener energy solutions, such as the 100% renewable energy tariff provided by the company Ecotricity, more available to financially strained students, what is needed is a strong, eco-conscious current within the students movement. Past and on-going initiatives such Climate Camp, and NUS campaigns such ‘Student Switch Off’, and ‘Green Impact’ demonstrate to us an existing willingness to fight for such changes. It is now necessary, more than ever, for environmentally conscious students to show the rest of the student movement that the commitment to future generations as embodied in the anti-cuts movement should be linked to the commitment to protect the environment we share.
The Freshers Guide To The Student Union – Getting Involved
So, it’s October now. The Freshers’ Week (or Fortnight, you lucky, heavy-drinking lot) fug has risen, even the worst hangovers have succumbed to orange juice and Ibuprofen, and the reason you have someone saved in your phone as “Tall Brown-Eyed Boy” has become a mystery that will never be solved.
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(Unless you only move to uni in October, of course, in which case here’s a free tip for you – make sure you save people’s numbers with their actual names. Seriously).
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Anyway, now you’ve realised that you don’t really want to be a member of those twelve societies you joined because they were giving out free pens/USB drives/pizza at the Freshers’ Fair, one of the things you might be thinking about – alongside how many highlighters you need and the best way to get red-wine stains out of a cream carpet – is how to get involved with the people who make it all happen: the student union.
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“Student politics” is a mystifying topic for a lot of us. I count myself amongst that number; I’m in my fourth year at the University of Edinburgh, and up until I sat down and wrote ‘So, it’s October now’ at the top of this page, I hadn’t ever really thought about how to get involved.
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That’s a mistake, honestly. Edinburgh’s student union, just like most others, is a wonderful, vibrant place. Political students usually come in two clear-cut stereotypes: the left-wing hippie, complete with dreadlocks, clothes that haven’t seen a washing machine since the seventies, and a permanent fug of patchouli and weed, goes up against the right-wing would-be Thatcherite, all sharp suits and impressive CV.
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The problem is, of course, this isn’t true: in fact it’s a stereotype straight out of ‘The Young Ones’. In reality, your student union offers much more than just a collection of outdated archetypes – whether you simply want to take advantage of their cheap pints and free advice services, or actually help out in making the decisions that keep it going.
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Each student union is unique, of course, but most have some things in common. They offer academic support, as well as advice on general issues. They have the ultimate say over what goes on in societies, voting on financial matters as well as, in rare cases, having the power to sanction them. They run campaigns, both individually and alongside the National Union of Students – the protests in London, for example, were organised by student unions.
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It’s easy to think that the student union just sits around all day talking about how to stick it to the man. Indeed, Edinburgh University’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Mike Williamson, says that before he got involved in student politics, he “used to think that the students’ association was a big talking shop that never got anything done” – mind you, he adds, “my mind was changed when, in 2009, the University tried to close the Portuguese department, which was part of my joint degree, and EUSA really stepped up to the plate and ran a hugely successful campaign to keep it open.”
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Because, of course, it isn’t true that your union does nothing. Both in front of and behind the scenes, it works very hard to keep you in the lazy student lifestyle to which you’ll no doubt become accustomed (another free tip – Neighbours starts at half one, and is best enjoyed from the comfort of your bed).
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Of course, even I understood that there’s more to the student union than a yearly election campaign and a number of posters technically known as a “shit-ton”. Where I came unstuck, though, and I don’t think I’m the only one, is in trying to figure out how it all works. There are so many different strands to the union, and in most cases they don’t all fall into a neat pattern! Still, in most cases, it goes something like this:
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- The sabbatical team. A sabbatical student (i.e. someone who has taken a year off, usually after graduation, to focus on student politics.) This team is usually led by a President – this person presides over the rest of the union. A new president is elected yearly, and all sabbatical officers pledge certain things to the student population (more on this later).
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- The executive committee. The president is also technically a part of this committee, alongside several vice presidents who focus on different aspects of student life. The exact titles of the vice presidents differ from university to university, but you’ll generally find someone in charge of academic affairs, communications, societies and activities, campaigns, etc. Again, these are all sabbs who run for election each year.
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- The student body! Membership of your student union is generally considered an automatic part of being enrolled at the university, and there are loads of ways to get involved – from as soon as you start right up until you leave.
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It depends what you want to do! If you’re interested in the academic side of things – you want to help make sure that your courses are properly reflective of your needs, for example – you can become a Course Rep. This is a position which your lecturers ought to mention in the first couple of weeks; each course needs one. The course reps meet towards the beginning of the semester, and can decide to nominate themselves to become year reps, department reps, and faculty reps (some of these may be dependent on individual unions’ policies). This means that if you fancy giving this sort of thing a go, but aren’t quite sure how far you want to take it, you can choose to stop nominating yourself at any point, which makes it a good way to test the water.
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If, on the other hand, you’re more interested in getting your voice heard in terms of campaigning, most universities run forums every few weeks during semester time. These are open meetings which allow any student to share their ideas on a given topic. Forums tend to be split into different areas – for example academic affairs, societies, postgraduate issues – so make sure you go along to the right one; your university union’s website ought to be able to provide you with some more information.
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Also, if the student union decide to hold a protest/campaign at any point during the year, there will undoubtedly be information in your student newspaper or on the website, so make sure you keep checking! You don’t have to be informed on every decision the union makes to get involved with one campaign. Zahid Raja, NUS Wales national executive committee, says that ‘the best place to get up to date information on what your SU does is from social media – you have to remember that these officers are students and 8/10 times, they will update facebook or twitter before they update the Student Union website. Also, be on the lookout for their blogs if you want the real gossip behind SU decisions.’
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What if you’re more of a society person? James Hickie, Activities Officer of USSU, the University of Sussex’s student union, says that he first got involved with USSU through playing for the student orchestra. Even societies that aren’t overtly political have to go through the union for many things, and it’s very easy to be involved in both.
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Finally, every union has an AGM, to which the whole student body is invited. Depressingly, not all of these meetings achieve quorum, meaning that the one opportunity everyone has to vote directly on motions that will affect you can be somewhat wasted – basically a polling exercise. By going along you’ll not only be adding your voice to the pool, you might be making the difference between a motion being passed or not.
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If, like me, you’re jaded and bitter and feel cynical every Freshers’ Week when you see excited freshers queuing up in Tesco, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s too late to get involved in the student union, even if this breathless whistle-stop tour has suggested that it might be something you’re interested in. Or perhaps you are an excited fresher, but you want to spend your first year getting horribly drunk and inventing new cocktails (and I speak as the proud creator of the ‘Manhandler’) without any sort of responsibility to worry your pretty head.
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If this is sounding about right, then never fear: you can get involved with your union at any point during your degree! Edinburgh’s Mike Williamson is a perfect example: he studied for two years at Edinburgh and did a year in Portugal without ever standing for election for a union position. “I got involved in the anti-cuts group, which decided to run a big slate for the EUSA elections. Being in my final year I could only run for a sabbatical position so, after some persuading, that’s what I did! It’s quite strange, particularly because I don’t know all the processes and what’s happened in the past, but I used to do quite a lot of campaigning anyway, so getting paid to do that is my idea of a dream job,” he says.
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So, hopefully, this article’s done its job, and whether or not you decide to put yourself forward to be an active part of the student union you will at least have a better understanding of what’s going on. It simply remains for me to wish you luck, should you decide to nominate yourself to be a course rep, go along to a forum or even stand in an election. In the words of James Hickie: “Over the course of my degree I set up and ran societies, helped out coaching sports teams, attended and organised events, volunteered during Freshers Week, met many of my closest friends and had some of my most memorable University experiences, all through the Students’ Union.” If that’s not a selling point, I don’t know what is.
Edinburgh student? Sussex student? Swansea Student? Intrigued by what you’ve heard? Find out more about EUSA at www.eusa.co.uk and USSU at www.sussexstudent.com. SUSU at www.swansea-union.co.uk
Posted in Elections, Further Education, Higher Education, Student Activism, The Issue | Tags: Edinburgh University Students Union, Ellie Blow, Guide To Student Unions, How To Get Involved with Student Unions, James Hickie, Mike Williamson, Student Elections, Student Politics, Sussex University Students' Union, Swansea University, Swansea University Students' Union, The Freshers' Guide To The Student Union, Zahid Raja | No Comments »
One Member One Vote, NUS Delegates and ‘Student Politics’
Across the country, Student Union officers, sabbatical teams and youth representatives of a thousand organisations are working hard to engage ‘everyday students’ – a dynamic group of people whose passions lie outside of political change making.
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However and all too often, young people (particularly students) who want to make a change are disempowered. For example, the term ‘student politics’ is thrown around when young people try to engage politics through their own means. Connotations about how ineffective and futile it is to make positive or significant changes envelop this ‘student politics’ and it leads to a judgement ridden perception that anyone involved with Student Unions, Student groups or ‘youth politics’ is simply wasting their time.
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Politicians, community leaders and ‘every-day working people’ (possibly the same group of people in the Daily Mail’s ‘silent majority’) harp on about how young people today have become disenfranchised. They talk about how more needs to be done to engage young people. Our alleged apathy is even sometimes linked to the rise in youth unemployment and violence. They often conclude with some statistic on gang culture and how only national service can save the children. SU hacks reading this will have viciously tweeted away about this on #bbcqt , gritted our teeth reading the comments from dodgy facebook acquaintances and carried on the next Morning.
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In the world of Student Unions, you hear phrases like ‘how do we mobilise more students’ and ‘Widening participation outreach’ – ridiculous phrases that show us that we’re looking at the symptoms, whilst ignoring the causes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to engage more people and win them over to whatever we’re campaigning on. However, when we run campaigns, hold debates to try to start discourse – do we seriously mainstream the issues or procedures on engaging the debate so they’re accessible to peers who don’t care for ‘standing orders’? Do we even understand how to?
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On the national scene, the National Union of Students (NUS) is at an interesting place – a debate at National Conference (the top decision making body for the organisation) on One Member One Vote (OMOV) has led to a working group rendering possible solutions in delivering that. Its terms of reference are unclear and the debate here is marred with factional politics and bad blood between groups that mean little outside of the cliques and clichés.
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One of the biggest arguments for OMOV is that it would end factional politics and free up elections – I don’t know about you, but has anyone seen the state of our national politics? Political parties are increasingly viewed as a necessary evil rather than positive change makers. The bigger factions would win out, people with money would get the shiniest leaflets, and everyday student issues would drown in the macro-manoeuvring for the top jobs – much like today but on a ridiculous scale; just think of the #egoparty at the end of those elections? Most of us just shuddered, some of you got excited.
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The argument that more people would feel engaged is also a red herring – yes, the campaigns would become enormous, there would be more stunts and more students would know the name of our national president; but would more students actually engage through active participation? I doubt it. Currently, NUS National Conference Delegates across the UK are meant to be elected from cross-campus ballots. Ask yourself, how seriously does your Students Union take those elections? How many people outside of your SU bubble run for those places and what are their chances? If it’s anything like my SU, a tiny tear probably left your eye. Factions may be able to focus attention on a handful of national candidates, but they can’t control well-contested local delegate elections.
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A few years ago, when I got involved with the National Union of Students, I read an interesting report about the changing landscape of the student world. The trends spoke volumes about the fast paced nature of students and how we’ve organically adapted to the recession through our behaviour. I don’t think we should be looking to the NUS for some grand answer from the all mighty democratic procedures committee. Instead, we should look to our campuses and identify what we’re doing to make the elections of these national representatives bigger and bolder. Figure out how local issues correlate with the motions going to national conference.
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The tools are here to do that…sort of – NUS have a guide near the front of the motions document on how Student Unions should engage that process with debating amendments at student councils. How many of us actually go through this process and how many of our election timetables allow for delegates to go through this process are issues I think that stop most of us going through this.
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I suppose what I’m saying here is that OMOV looks very appealing because we all think it’ll be the quick-fix solution that would bring the national issues home to our campuses. But before we reach for the defibrillator that might have devastating consequences, would it not be healthier to make local changes to the way we elect and treat our delegates for national conference?
Posted in Elections, Further Education, Higher Education, Student Activism, The Issue | 6 Comments »
A Dialogue on Israel-Palestine, or Denying the Occupation?
“A Dialogue on Israel-Palestine” That is the title of a motion proposed to the NEC (click here to download, page 38). Reading through this motion you may think that it is harmless and doesn’t actually do more than shape the dialogue on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unfortunately this motion actively ignores the issues on the ground and promotes an ideal that is literally impossible to implement.
The motion completely ignores the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land (post 1967 armistice line) and Israel’s constant violation of the basic human rights of Palestinians and then goes on to promote peace under a two state solution. A two state solution that is impossible to implement. Israeli settlements in the West Bank, with the help of the separation barrier, have divided it into separate cantons. The “borders” of these cantons are fully controlled by Israel.
These are not areas where we can pretend that freedom of movement exists.
This separation is not like separating England from Wales with a physical border. This is more like separating the different cities that make up greater London into different sections and giving each section different access privileges that are constantly changing. This violates the freedom of movement and directly impacts Palestinian access to healthcare, access to education (which the motion touches on as a vital issue) and access to water (Israel controls most of the water supply even within the Palestinian territory[1][2]).
This division means that the implementation of a two state solution would not create two separate and contiguous states but would instead create one Israeli state which has control over the most valuable natural resources and a highly divided and fragmented Palestinian state. This is the solution that would be produced from a two state agreement without taking into account other issues like refugees, borders, or air space. Israel, using it’s barrier and settlements, has currently engulfed many natural resources including most of the water supply and much of the fertile land. To create a two state solution based on the 1967 armistice line, Israel would have to relocate the settler population of over 300 thousand and move the barrier back to the armistice line.
The motion acknowledges the existence of different narratives and Israel’s occupation of post 1967 Palestinian territory can be considered to fall under the Palestinian narrative. Many people would debate that Israel only reclaimed the land from Jordan and Egypt who were the original occupiers. Even if we take these different arguments into account we cannot deny Israel’s current actions against the Palestinian people.
Israel’s actions are regarded to be as those of an occupier, a coloniser or even an apartheid state.
When the debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is shaped we can almost always see that the Palestinians and Israeli’s are put on an equal footing. As if to say that the entire conflict is actually between two equally powerful states and revolves around an uninhabited piece of land. This is not the case, the Palestinians are not on an equal footing with Israel and the conflict is most definitely not about an uninhabited piece of land. If anything the piece of land that it could be about (and it isn’t, this is an oversimplification) is overcrowded and has become increasingly divided.
How can NUS campaign for children’s right to education when these same children can be held in prison indefinitely without a fair trial or any trial at all?
My main issue with this motion is its support for a two state solution. Although this solution is the one spoken about the most in the media, it remains impossible to implement because of current Israeli practices which this motion completely ignores. Not only does this motion support an unreasonable solution but it also does not set a basis for this solution (eg. the 1967 armistice line) or demand that human rights be upheld in the area. The motion touches on the right to education but still misses the point, how can NUS campaign for children’s right to education when these same children can be held in prison indefinitely without a fair trial or any trial at all? There is no room to pick and choose which issues should be supported, many of the issues impacting Palestinians are related to each other and campaigning to resolve only part of them will not solve the cause of these problems.
Yousef Cisco is a Palestinian who grew up in Palestine and lived there for over 14 years under an Israeli occupation, soldiers have raided his house (three times) with guns pointed at him and has been in the line of fire – he says ‘I know for a fact that most Palestinians have had it worse than me. My family still lives in Ramallah.’ Yousef is currently a student at Bangor University and is part of the NUS Wales Black Students’ Campaign Committee.
Posted in Environment, Further Education, Health, Higher Education, Human Rights, News, Student Activism, The Issue | 1 Comment »
Breaking: Part Time Students Representative Kicked Off NUS National Executive Council
A member of the NUS’s National Executive Committee, the most senior policy making body in the organisation outside of National Conference, has been stripped of his position after a Disciplinary Panel was convened to consider a breach of the NUS Code of Conduct.
Joshua McKenzie was elected to represent part time students at the Mature and Part Time Students Conference in May of this year. Soon after a complaint was raised regarding the veracity of his nomination. This was then referred to the NUS Code of Conduct for investigation.
On the 5th of August, a Disciplinary Panel was formed to consider a contravention of section 9.6 of the Code, which details a breach of discipline to be “acting with dishonesty or intent to defraud”. The Panel upheld the assertion that “Joshua knowingly registered himself at NUS events as a student at Harrow College, when he was not in fact a member of that educational institution”. The Panel believed that he “acted fraudulently in an attempt to gain office on the National Executive Council” and that this action was “very severe and at odds with the values of NUS”.
The Panel, which comprises an NUS Trustee, a student union officer and a student union staff member, levied several sanctions against Mr McKenzie, including the termination of his positions on all committees within NUS and disqualification from standing in NUS elections until July 1st 2011. The decision of the Disciplinary Panel has since been upheld at an appeal.
Discussions are now taking place between the Chief Returning Officer of NUS, and the Mature and Part Time Students Committee to find an appropriate way to fill the vacancy on the National Executive Committee.
Posted in Elections, Further Education, Higher Education, Politics / News, Student Activism | Tags: Disciplinary, Joshua, McKenzie, National Executive Committee, NEC, NUS, Panel | 2 Comments »
Liberation: The argument for a Black Students’ Campaign
Equality is one of those words that are thrown around far too often. When you actually try to look at ‘equality issues’, they span all areas of our work – from anonymous marking in education, impact assessments in welfare to widening access in our sports clubs and societies.
NUS has a proud history in liberation campaigns. Whether it’s a campaign on campus or lobbying the Welsh Assembly – they continue to demolish prejudice and discrimination on every level every day.
Focusing on the liberation campaign I work on – you might have heard of the ‘Black Students’ Officer’ and wondered what it is or why we actually need one. The Black Students’ Officer directs the Students Unions ‘Black Students’ Campaign’. Before we talk about the campaign, you kind of have to understand what ‘politically black’ is. ‘Black’ in this sense includes students of African, Arabian, Asian, Caribbean descent and then those who self-identify as ‘Black’. It’s a political term designed to bring together different groups under one umbrella.
The campaign aims to improve the prospects of black students’ experiences. This isn’t just focused to learning (though we do prioritise it to that effect) we also look at the holistic student experience for black students and try to overcome barriers that limit black students from accessing services and support like any other student.
The campaign exists on the premise that black students generally face more discrimination and prejudice compared to their counterparts. For example evidence shows that black students are affected more greatly in terms of aspiration than white students – thus something like a hike in tuition fees would be more of barrier to a black students’ aspiration than it would to a white students’ aspiration. This coupled with the fact that most black students’ come from the most deprived areas in the country would see less black students’ accessing Higher Education for reasons beyond their control. In terms of Social Justice and social mobility – this is a travesty.
You might wonder why only black students can run for the position of Black Students Officer – surely you don’t have to be ‘black’ to care about Equality? The political leadership for this campaign and thus the reason why only ‘black’ students can run for Black Students’ Officer is because this campaign is about empowerment. The campaign doesn’t exist to tell Black Students how they should deal with these issues but empower them to decide on how to deal with these issues. This is also the reason why we don’t call ourselves the ‘Black & Minority Students’ Campaign’ – we feel the tag of ‘minority’ does not empower the campaign but in fact takes us a step backwards.
It follows the idea of ‘black self-organisation’ – that black students set the agenda on how to best overcome problems that affects them. Look at it this way: black students are like anyone else – rights holders – who, to an extent have had rights taken away from them through discrimination. The campaign therefore, gives black students a safe environment through which to come to terms with this and derive a method of change by which to reclaim those rights.
Notes:
1) This article was originally written for Swansea University Students’ Union.
Posted in Further Education, Higher Education, Human Rights, Student Activism, The Issue | Tags: Black Students' Campaign, Discrimination, Liberation, NUS, Student Unions | 1 Comment »