Student union refuses affiliation to political clubs

Student union refuses affiliation to political clubs

CANBERRA — Citing its policy of refusing to affiliate any club deemed
“political”, the University of Canberra Union n(UCU) has rejected an application
for affiliation from the Resistance club.

 Resistance has 25 members on the university and has been active
there for many years, including involvement in a campaign this year against
the introduction of fees for internet use. Many staff members and students
have come to appreciate the socialist youth organisation's activism.

The UCU has been controlled by university management since 1996 and
no elections for positions have been held.

The union “has no right to dictate which clubs students form on UC”,
Resistance club member Marcus Pabian said. “UCU distributes students' money
and should be elected and controlled by students.”

“By refusing to affiliate political clubs which may oppose the views
of university management, the UCU is preventing freedom of speech on campus”,
Pabian argued, promising that the Resistance club will fight “this bureaucratic
censorship”.

The club will run a petition campaign on the campus when studies resume
in July to force a change in the union's affiliation policy and for elections
to be held for union positions.

From GLW issue 409