UCLU want you to bunk off on Wednesdays

Fun-loving union officials scored a 40-yard screamer last night – passing a motion to keep Wednesday afternoons free for extra-curriculars and Sportsnight. 

And after a long and heated debate at Tuesday’s meeting of the UCLU Council, an amendment to the motion that encourages students to skive their Wednesday lectures if they clash with sport or society activities was approved by a single vote.

Where the magic happened

The proposal to “keep Wednesdays free for sport and Sportsnight” was overwhelmingly voted through by a margin of two to one amid stinging criticism for college management – who were accused of treating students like children with “draconian” attendance rules.

Union officials slammed bosses for scheduling more and more lectures on Wednesday afternoons as of this term.

The text of the motion noted that they have traditionally been “free from lectures and seminars for the benefit of students who take part in sports clubs and other activities”.

Part of the motion’s text

Its tubthumping proposer, Halls Accommodation Representative and upwardly-mobile BNOC David Dahlborn, said that UCL’s social contract with its students was “sneakily being dissolved, making it harder for students to participate in clubs and societies”.

“This is what happens when we don’t have democratic influence over timetabling at our university”.

He went on to argue that this was because of a lack of space on campus – a consequence of management’s “excessive recruitment”.

Dahlborn in his element

Speaking in support of Dahlborn’s motion, Activities and Events Officer Sabeeh Imran Rasool said: “If you see the space that’s available now at UCLU, there are about ten societies competing for one space”.

“There is a policy to keep Wednesdays free for the development of the student”.

BME Officer Hajera Begum went on to point out that this was something agreed between universities across the country – and condemned UCL for “sneakily” cramming Wednesdays with classes.

This litany of complaints led Council to narrowly approve sanctioning direct action to force management to reconsider.

The union resolved to encourage you to ditch lectures if they clashed with sport or extra-curriculars… and fight your corner should the uni try and penalise you for doing so.

The pro-truancy amendment passed by the narrowest of margins

Arguing in favour of skiving, Dahlborn said: “at university you should have the freedom to do whatever you like.”

“We are all adults. We are not children. We should not be told by the university ‘go here, go there’. That’s what democracy is about.”

The motion also contained a contentious resolution “to defend the rights of students who decide to seize democratically a space on campus which they believe could be put to better use if run by students rather than management”.

This effectively means that the union have committed to support campus occupations in future – and have no objections to you setting up a five-a-side league in the quad marquee or hosting a house night in the Gustave Tuck lecture theatre.

Speaking at council last night, Postgrad Officer Mariana Ceccotti conceded that: “it’s not ideal to encourage people not to go to lectures, but the university won’t act on anything other than direct action”.