What are your views about CUSU and the work they do for Cambridge students?

Jessica Holland, Caius

Despite being halfway through my degree, I can’t think of a single thing off the top of my head that has been a CUSU exclusive action. I suppose they had a free garden party? -Actually they did organise buses to go to the London NUS march, didn’t they? Perhaps they are quite down with the kids, but the kids just aren’t listening.

Tim Benger, St Johns

CUSU urgently needs to concentrate and clarify the benefits for colleges of affiliation. If not, our student union risks a dire negligence of its responsibility and a potential collapse in the services that are fundamental to student life in Cambridge.

Currently, affiliation with CUSU does not provide colleges with support that merits the fee paid. Affiliation allows a college’s student committee seats on the fortnightly CUSU council, membership of CUSU committees.

However, CUSU council meetings are often dominated by overly politicised discussions of issues that are not reflective of the priorities of students, alienating colleges and their representatives from its activities. Representation is all very well until students are not being represented on the issues that matter to them most.

Students are also unclear of whom amongst a web of Sabbaticals and CUSU committee members to turn to for direct help, and of what help is on offer. The strongly politically minded council meetings are far from a clear medium for the representation of students’ immediate concerns.

This makes disaffiliation an understandable option. If a college feels it is not receiving a satisfactory return on its investment, the significant proportions of college student committee budgets that were being poured into CUSU affiliation are, for the sake of the college’s individual interest, better redirected towards college facilities and societies.

Given that students do not lose out significantly on an individual basis from a college decision to disaffiliate, it is an important component of CUSU’s budgetary considerations that colleges receive satisfactory support in campaigning, welfare and representation. It cannot be expected that colleges will continue to pay money that would be better spent on themselves with the mindset that their contribution benefits the functioning of CUSU as a whole, especially when the college’s own experiences with CUSU are frustrating.

Ciaran McAuley, Trinity

Due to the collegiate system, it is all too easy to become disillusioned with what role CUSU plays in your time here as a student, with CUSU appearing as a somewhat distant entity. However, access-wise, CUSU certainly have a larger role to play than many individual colleges can. While each college picks an area in the UK to concentrate on with regards to access, CUSU run the well-known Shadowing Scheme, bringing disadvantaged 6th formers to Cambridge for a weekend to experience student life. It is hard to be negative about a scheme which will hopefully help dispel the misconceptions of private schools having a monopoly over Cambridge.

Secondly, CUSU hold a significantly more power than each college’s SU. When a dispute arises between a student or JCR/SU and the college, CUSU are consulted and drafted in to provide their support when suitable. This may be something like allowing a student to defer a year due to health reasons.

With regards to issues that affect the whole university, CUSU are undoubtedly the main driving force for change. Perhaps the most recent example was their ‘Degrading is degrading’ campaign, which highlighted one of CUSU’s most important roles: while many welfare issues can be provided by the college, CUSU can help with cases in which the college’s welfare provisions are not enough. Of course, the average student will probably be adequately supported by the college, but just because the average student does not see CUSU providing important welfare support does not mean that we can disaffiliate since not every student is gaining from it. Those who are experiencing the most trouble while being a student here deserve all the support they can have.

Gerard Tully, CUSU President

I was incredibly proud to go to Pembroke’s and Robinson’s recent CUSU affiliation debates, and see CUSU supported at both Colleges.

That, as well as the continued backing of the twenty-eight other affiliated Colleges is a resounding vote of support in what’s been, so far, a great year. We took a funding campaign to the University in Michaelmas and came away with a massive recurrent grant to safeguard CUSU’s nationally-leading Access work. CUSU’s Disabled Students Campaign highlighted issues with degrading, which we carried right up to governing body – but working on that is just the start.

It’s a year when the University followed and echoed our lead on reacting to the Government’s White Paper, and the much-talked about University Sports Centre looks set to finally break ground.

Our victories are big and small – from saving bursaries last year, to giving ongoing individual support to students through the Advice Service.

CUSU is delivering all this while freezing Colleges’ affiliation fees because we know JCR and MCR budgets are too squeezed.

The fair comment is not to decry CUSU for playing our part poorly – when you fairly judge the outcomes, that’s just not true – but to find ways we can communicate that better. It’s up to me to convey what we do and how we do it. It is in everyone’s interest that more students still join the several thousand who already vote in the CUSU elections, and suggest new avenues if we’re not doing enough in a certain area.

CUSU is improving all the time and getting better at delivering its message. We are strongest when we are together, and the recent re-affiliation votes are therefore to be celebrated.