An editor of The Cambridge Student has resigned as a result of pressure from CUSU after he took over two of its flagship club-nights.

Relations broke down when it emerged that Simon Burdus, who was former Business and Ents Manager of the Student Union, had taken the CUSU nights at Fez on Sunday and Ballare on Tuesday. He is now running them through his own company, Big Fish Ents.

This brought about a breakdown in relations between CUSU President Mark Fletcher and Burdus. “It’s outrageous, his actions have cost CUSU £29,000 a year in lost revenue,” said Fletcher. He also accused Burdus of “stealing” the club nights.

Fez club manager Mark Kingerly, however, claims that it was CUSU incompetence which made them want to leave CUSU for Burdus. He said that the new CUSU Ents Manager Matt Morgan, who came in after Burdus resigned this Easter, did not know enough people in Cambridge and was not right for the job.

“Matt Morgan came in without having done any preparation. He knew nothing about Cambridge nightlife, and his presentation was a scrap of paper. There is no way I would let him run our night. Once the meeting was over I called Simon and asked if he would run the night instead.”

CUSU said that this statement should be “treated with a large pinch of salt” because Burdus and Kingerly are “pals.” Morgan claims that he was not even given the chance to make his pitch to Fez.

Other club managers were similarly exasperated by CUSU’s management of club nights. The Place assistant manager Scott Olson said “CUSU just aren’t prepared to put the work in, all I’ve ever had is trouble from them.”

Not all clubs are unhappy with CUSU’s management of club nights. Andy Clarke, marketing manager of Soul Tree, which is hosting a new CUSU night, said he “would rather work with CUSU for the benefit of the students rather than just profit.”
The loss of these two club nights will cut CUSU’s projected profits by 75%, according to its own estimates. “We are now currently having to review what welfare services we can continue to offer students,” said Fletcher.

Burdus claims that following the row he was effectively forced into resigning as The Cambridge Student (TCS) editor: “I was told that if I didn't step down, CUSU funding for the paper would be withdrawn and it would struggle to survive for long.”

Burdus added that the loss of his job at TCS was nothing to do with his skill as an editor, but was part of a “personal vendetta” CUSU had against him. He denied "stealing" any club nights.

CUSU refuted the accusation that any financial pressure was put on TCS, saying that it was simply impossible to maintain a professional relationship with Burdus after what happened: “the officers had lost all confidence in Simon as a result of his conduct over Ents,” said Fletcher. “A professional working relationship would have been impossible.”

Burdus argues, however, that “there should not need to be a ‘working relationship,’ whatever that means, between TCS and CUSU. It would be ideal to have a dialogue with them in order to get stories, but the idea that the editor of TCS always has to get on with CUSU is ridiculous, and goes against TCS's editorial independence.”

CUSU took the unprecedented step of writing a letter to the TCS directors, signed by the six sabbatical officers, requesting that they ask Burdus to step down. “We are strongly urging the Board of Directors to ask Mr Burdus to step down from the position of co-editor of The Cambridge Student. This request stems from unprecedented circumstances which necessitates unique action,” the letter said.

The editorial independence of TCS is enshrined in the CUSU constitution. However the production costs of the paper are funded by CUSU, and CUSU also have two places on the TCS Board of Directors. It is within the rights of CUSU to put pressure on the board about the choice of editor. Investigations Editor Jonathan Laurence also stepped down soon after Burdus.

Martin McQuade & Michael Stothard