THE DEMOCRATIC juggernaut that is UCLU has stalled again. The spanner in the works this time was, for once, down to natural forces. Communications and Services Officer Charlie Clinton stated on the Union website that the AGM, due to be held on 3 February, had been postponed due to “inclement weather conditions, which we believe will restrict students’ movement rendering many unable to attend the meeting”. Presumably the sabbs were worried that the hoards [surely handfuls?– Ed] of students that usually attend Union AGMs might be injured while tobogganing down Gordon Street and acrobatically throwing themselves into the Bloomsbury theatre.
Great expectations
The AGM has been rescheduled for 27 February, amid audible grumbling that this will clash with some students’ religious commitments and prevent any medics on placement from attending. The reschedule was dictated by the availability of the Bloomsbury Theatre, as this is the only venue large enough to accommodate the number of students expected to attend. Odd, since Union AGMs are notoriously badly attended, rarely attracting the one percent of the student body necessary to be quorate and therefore easily accommodated in a standard lecture theatre. However, a new Activities Board policy mandates that Clubs and Societies send at least two representatives to the AGM, and this total alone gives an attendance greater than the capacity of any lecture theatre.
Threatening behaviour
An Activities Board memo sent to society presidents by Student Activities Officer Jen Currigan stated that societies who do not send representatives risk losing fifty percent of their grant allocation or “any other punishment as seen fit by Activities Board”. Democracy enforced by blackmail then - hurrah!
Back in October it was suggested at Activities Board that a “carrot and stick system” was the only way to ensure General Meetings were quorate. This explains the confusing policy of giving drinks vouchers to students who bothered to show up to the Welcome General Meeting while threatening societies who don’t send representatives to the AGM with funding cuts. Fortunately, this policy is not only undemocratic in principle, it is unconstitutional in fact, since it is not confirmed by the Union’s Standing Orders. Unless the Union plans to act outside its constitution, the grant cut is an empty threat.
Believe the hype
The Union seems determined to sustain the hype, and banners and posters advertising the AGM have dominated 25 Gordon Street over the past cou ple of weeks. At least it’s reassuring to see the Union finally admitting that plans are afoot to reduce the much loved Medics’ Union to a pile of snakebite-soaked rubble, even if it came after a kick up the arse from the student media (see Cheese Grater issue 19).
With friends like these
Charlie Clinton has made another Robespierrean attempt to convince UCL students that he’s a man of the people. The C&S Officer has set up a Facebook group, ‘Help Shape UCLU: be a Critical Friend’, apparently as “a forum for commenting on and criticising your Union”. Despite these noble ambitions the group wall has descended into a slanging match with constructive criticisms such as “get rid of Jazz Night! It’s annoyingly loud, and forces people out if they want to talk!” The people have spoken Charlie.
One world what?
It’s that time of the year again when UCLU smugly celebrates being a technicolour smorgasbord of humanity with One World Week. This year’s ingenious theme was ‘London’, suitably vague considering how unrelated most of the events were. But it seemed UCLU was determined to get students involved whether they liked it or not. One event in the OWW guide read, “the Sikh Society will be attempting to tie turbans on passers-by and anyone else who would like to wear one for a day.”