Southern Region Young Nationals "concerned" with OUSA legitimacy

The Southern Young Nationals have come out today "concerned with the legitimacy of the OUSA leading into this new academic year".

Subsequent to two resignations on the OUSA Executive, by-elections were held to fill the Postgraduate and International Reprsentative positions. The Postgraduate Representative, Thomas Koentges, received a total of 83 votes, and the International Student Officer, Art Kojarunchitt received 64 votes. 166 people voted in the by-election for the post graduate officer, and 102 voted in the by-election for the international student officer.

“This number is not at all representative of either the postgraduate or international communities. We are concerned at the legitimacy these two have in making decisions about such a large amount of capital students pay into each year” Liam Kernaghan, Chairman of the Southern Young Nationals said.

“But this goes further than these two elections. OUSA elections, like every other student association around the country, are notoriously unrepresentative of the student body, and for the power which is vested into the elected officials. We don’t think it’s fair the 20,000 students who pay levies to OUSA should be bound to decisions made by less than 0.005% of the campus population.”

“Democracy only works when everyone turns up. When 100 people turn out to vote, you really have to consider the benefits of a ‘democratically elected’ compulsory union.”

The Education (Freedom of Association) Bill is currently due for its third reading, and is expected to pass into law this year.

“OUSA have a real battle on their hands if they do not want to strengthen their mandate. Currently less than 10% of the entire student populace votes at the major elections every year. This says to me either the students don’t care for the OUSA, and in which case the OUSA should recognise the inherent rights to freedom of association, or the students don’t understand what the OUSA provides, and therefore should make a better effort to consolidate student support”.

The Southern Young Nationals are not “against the OUSA. We think they provide some fantastic services which benefit the vast majority of students. We’d just like students to have the choice to be part of it, rather than be made to”

“We strongly encourage OUSA to take proactive steps to building a fantastic organisation that can both better represent the student voice, and that can stand up in a voluntary environment.”

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