Friday 8 February 2013

The Madness of the SU

Today you may have got this message from the Nottingham University Students Union:

Dear members
A referendum has called regarding whether the Union should adopt a ‘Support the Right to Choose’ policy. A full copy of the policy that is the subject of the referendum can be found here:
http://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/pageassets/makethechange/elections/The-Right-to-Choose-Policy.pdf
Objections
Objections to this referendum shall be submitted to suelections@nottingham.ac.uk by 6pm on Tuesday 12th February or be brought to the next meeting of Elections Committee. Elections Committee will next meet at 6pm onTuesday 12th February in Committee Room 1, Portland Building, University Park.
Location and Timings of Poll
The poll will open at 12noon on Monday 18th March and close at 3pm on Friday 22nd March.
Voting shall take place on the University of Nottingham Students’ Union’s Website at the following address: http://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/

WHAT!!!!!! The Students Union wants us to have a referendum on whether it should support a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. Why?

Why on Earth does it want to do this? Has the SU suddenly decided that instead of pretending to look after the welfare of students it wants to open up an abortion clinic? Is the SU president and his staff wanting to perform abortions in the Portland Building? Unlikely. So why waste our money on such nonsense.

Is the SU deluded? Do they think themselves a mini-legislature ruling over University Campus where they dictate the rules? Or do they think that Nottingham University SU, a few over paid, unrepresentative and politically motivated students, are so influential that Mr Cameron (who by the way isn’t going to change the Abortion laws) is going to say ‘my God we must not change the Abortion laws a few nobodies in Nottingham say it is wrong’.  

Also why do they wish the whole of the University to be ascribed with a massive tag of we are pro abortion and pro women’s choice? Why bother? The campus has many religions the SU isn't asking the student population to vote on whether the SU is Church of England Christianity. Indeed the SU quite frequently says how this is a multi faith campus so why on abortion do they wish to make Nottingham University speak with one voice on an issue people really care about? Surely this is against people’s freedom of expression. Whatever the result of the referendum we will either support women’s right to abort or not which either way is an attack on the other people’s beliefs.

Sadly the SU are fools. They waste a fair portion of the £9,000 I pay to come here on discussing politically motivated motions like whether we should bring back the death penalty (an idea voted upon in the past) instead of making students lives better. This abortion referendum is more of this same lunacy.

Quite frankly there is only one word to say to the SU. Resign! We are hard working students and we will not pay your near £20,000 a year salary in order for you to be feckless towards your real job. We do not want you to debate your own political beliefs and how they can be applied to the university and waste our money on referendums on issues that students do not want you involved with. You live in Cloud Cuckoo land, you’re not the government, I want my money back!

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2 comments:

  1. Exec Officers don't receive nearly £20,000.
    Nor was it Exec Officers who brought this motion to Council or proposed it went to referendum.
    Oh, and the SU by no stretch of the imagination receives a 'fair proportion' of your £9k fees.

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  2. From The Nottingham University accounts of last year (2011/2012) the ‘Officers’ expenditure (in other words salary and expenses) was £197,749. When divided by 9 (the amount of officers) the expenditure per officer totals as £21,972. Now some of this will be expenses and it would be silly of me to say also that each officer gets paid the same amount. But it would be fair for me to say that the average officer would get paid just less than £20,000. The Women’s network and the Women’s Officer brought forward the motion on abortion and then proposed the referendum, although there is clear links to the Executive Officers from this fact it would also be improbable for a motion like this (especially one of this controversial nature) to go forward without the support of Executive Officers. A fair proportion is obviously a subjective amount and depends on what you view to be a sum of sizeable enough to mention. From my calculations when including the student population last year and income in the 2011/2012 SU accounts each student will pay just less than £200 to the SU. When rounded, this is 2.3% of my university fees and in cash terms enough money for me to live on whilst at university for between 4-5 weeks. I would call that a fair amount.

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