A recent comment on the ‘Yes to the NUS’ Facebook Page has called into question the involvement of Sabbatical Officers in campaigns. This has arisen in the midst of the upcoming National Union of Students affiliation referendum. Many argue the facts about the benefits and drawbacks of affiliation should be presented in a nonaligned manner, separate from the two conflicting campaigns.
Thomas Witherow argues that the ‘No to the NUS’ campaign “has little chance” due to the amount of experience in student politics and administration accrued by the sabbatical officers, especially when, he argues, ordinary students are in the midst of exams and dissertations. Witherow, who himself is “split” on the upcoming vote, predicts that the campaign will be as one-sided on behalf of the YUSU team as the 2013 YE5 Campaign was.
A similar criticism that the YE5 Campaign had been conducted in “a highly undemocratic way” was raised at the time by an anonymous individual in a letter sent to Vision. YUSU President Kallum Taylor responded by saying that YE5 was one-sided, not due to Sabb involvement, but due to the ‘No’ campaign’s lack of effort, dismissing it as a “damp squib at best”.
Taylor, along with his Sabbatical colleagues, barring Daniel Whitmore, all support the ‘Yes’ campaign, as does YUSU President-Elect, Sam Maguire. However, Maguire has responded to the issue of his soon-to-be Union’s accused biased involvement in campaigns, by promising that information referring specifically to York’s NUS involvement will be published in “unbiased reports… every term”.
Maguire goes on to accept that “people may not make informed decisions” and aims to change that in the future with student consultations, which – it must remembered – Taylor also conducted, published financial figures, and a student friendly “factual guide… fully sourced with for and against arguments for each referendum question”. Perhaps most importantly he promised “not to take a leading role in any campaign”, although does not comment on what the other Sabbs might do.
One YUSU Officer said; “I asked Kallum Taylor why he didn’t ask a student to run the YE5 campaign, and he argued that no student at all came forward.”
Voting on disaffiliation or re-affiliation with the NUS opens at midday on the Wednesday Week 7 and closes exactly a week later.
I will vote Yes because I like cheap drinks prices an because it’s better to effect change from within the tent than sit outside in a tantrum.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not completely pissed off and fed up with Kallum and the sabbs. They should not be running the Yes campaign, their ‘personal’ FB influence is unfair and it’s completely taking away from a fair and unbiased debate.
They are entitled to their own opinions but they take away from any illusion of democracy when they present such an overwhelmingly one-sided argument. Kallum, stop engaging in personal arguments and start facilitating a balanced debate. Step down as Yes coordinator. Start persuading me why I should support the NUS in the long term, and stop just trying to force me to vote your way this referendum. Don’t lose your credibility on this. Don’t let another dodgy referendum forced through by YUSU be your legacy.
What about the union of Ducks?
No one seems to give a shit about that eh.
Please install wifi in lake.
Sincerely,
Duck.
We elect these Sabbs to represent us as students and for them to promote. engage and inform us as students. If they didn’t have an opinion on a topic as important as this then they wouldn’t be worth having.
If you think that the sabs should sit back and not have a stance on this then you may as well employ someone to write unbiased leaflets and hand them outinstead.
I commend the sabs for being so passionate about this and fighting for something which they truly believe is best for the students.
At the end of the day you have to remember that it is there JOB to represent us and promote what they think is best for us, if the 4/5 people who have the most to do with the NUS think we should stay then that speaks volumes!
Sabbs SHOULD have a voice and they SHOULD stand up for what they believe is best for students, if they didn’t then they wouldn’t be doing what we voted them to!
Maybe the question isn’t “should Sabbs be involved”, but “Should Sabbs be involved during their working hours?”