BY KATHY NEWNAM
NEWCASTLE The Newcastle University Students Association (NUSA) will remain an activist-led organisation after a fierce and political election campaign run September 23-26.
This year, NUSA has been led by a progressive coalition of students, who have supported campaigns for refugees' rights, anti-war actions and helped in the day-to-day defence of student conditions.
These activists ran in the elections on a ticket called Keep Left. Running against them were students, mostly from international student clubs, organised into a "Vote for Change" ticket.
The Keep Left team won all the positions on the NUSA executive. Presidential candidate Vanessa Bowden beat the opposition by some 200 votes. Peter Robson secured education officer, and Adam Wolfenden and Melanie Sadler will share the new welfare officer position. Two students from a ticket called "Voice" were elected as editors of the student newspaper.
"None of the opposition", said Robson, "has really been involved in free education, anti-war or refugees' rights campaigns. They have largely dedicated themselves to holding extremely expensive social functions with no political content.
"In the context of the massive attacks on student rights and the growth of anti-war and pro-refugee movements, it's essential that NUSA remains a body committed to activism and taking to the streets."
From Green Left Weekly, October 16, 2002.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.