UCL STUDENT LEADERS have begun secretly briefing against the Union’s Education and Welfare Offic- er in a bid to focus attention on a “dire” record of achievement.
David Renton, the former Anti- Racism Officer of UCL Union and current sabbatical officer, has previous- ly been criticised by student represent- atives over his ambiguous stance to- wards membership of the National Union of Students (NUS). But in re- cent days, critics have intensified their anti-Renton rhetoric and alleged that he is “both apathetic and incompetent” in his management of important wel- fare campaigns and duties.
Several senior members of UCL Union Council, including executive officers, have cast aspersions on Rent- on’s attitude to his job, for which Col- lege pays him about £1,000 a month. Speaking anonymously to The Cheese Grater, officers noted Renton’s failure to attend Union meetings, his repeat-ed and unexplained exits from meet- ings of College and Union committees, and his constant absence from the sab- batical office during prescribed hours of work.
“Last year a lot of people knew Alex Coles. It’s not surprising that most students haven’t the foggiest who David is,” said one officer.
Further evidence appears to back up claims about “the ghost officer”, with minutes of Campaigns Commit- tee from September to December showing Renton’s repeated failure to attend or carry out his role of Secre- tary, his early exit from meetings of Executive and even from an NUS brief- ing on the day of the handover from his predecessor. “We were talking with the President of Bristol,” said one former officer. “And then David got up, yawned and said, “Well, I’m off to get drunk.” After he walked out, we were like, ‘What the hell?’”.
Source after source speaks of Renton’s utter silence during most committees, including College ones. At the last meeting of the College Welfare & Equal Opportunities Com- mittee, Renton was distinguished not only for saying nothing during the two- hour session, but for antagonising a staff member before the meeting by claiming he had not been sent a copy of the agenda, and subsequently walk- ing out early. Whilst staff members of the College declined to comment about Renton’s committee style, some offic- ers with college contacts strongly sug- gest that he is widely derided in offi- cial circles. “He doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t put anything on the agen- da, he doesn’t follow anything up with the College. Is it any wonder he’s a joke to them?”
In the last two weeks, there has been increasing speculation as to whether Renton wishes to mount an electoral bid for the National Execu- tive Committee (NEC) of the NUS. The Cheese Grater can state that these rumours are false and in response to an email inquiry, Renton claimed: “I first ‘found out’ that I was standing when a friend of mine told me to look at EdNet.”. Renton’s failure to quick- ly quash these rumours seems to have provoked his domestic critics at UCL Union into acting against him.
A no-confidence procedure is notoriously difficult to carry out against a serving Sabbatical Officer, and thus far no-one has mentioned any attempt to do so. But if criticism of such a high-ranking student union lead- er continues – and he refuses to ad- dress these complaints – then the many critics of UCL Union will continue to delight in attacking the E&W record. And that does not bode well for the next holder of that position.