Opening up our democracy is the only answer

I like to think I won votes partly because of my ideas. Everyone knows that our Union runs a bar, clubs and societies, but there are other parts that go a-miss. I said that I wanted to see a union that was more transparent, reaching out to its members, and making sure that students know what’s going on at their union council and inside their union offices.

Yet it’s clear after a few weeks of term that we’re not there yet. The Tab’s poll, comments on Facebook, articles in Concrete and face to face conversations are challenging for me, and suggest that too often, students simply feel shut out from the decisions that are made on their behalf every day.

I want to be crystal clear when I say that the Union’s officers have heard this, and understand. The default position for students on any major change in the union needs to be consulted and involved, not ignored and shut out.

We’ve already made changes:

·        Our priority campaigns poll involved thousands of students on the direction our campaigns should go

·         We’ve recruited and trained over 40 students to help lead on campaigns, not just vote for them

·        We’ve hired a social media intern as part of the Union’s intern programme to help get discussions going

·        A massive consultation exercise on the future of Union House and the services in in is coming up in a few weeks

It’s impossible for us to begin a big debate or referendum on every decision, every supplier, every purchase or every development, but what I can say is that we are absolutely committed to the union focussing on and involving its members at every level.

It will take us some time to get there, and the Student Officer Committee will continue this week to consider how best to move things forward. Ideas under current discussion include:

·         Forcing officers to publish termly plans so you can scrutinise and amend what the union will be doing in the future

·         Having union officers report individually on the services and activities they are responsible for so you can hold them directly to account

·         Publishing summaries of proposals ahead of time so you can feed back to your club, soc or course rep or to union officers directly

·         Forming user groups for all of the union’s major services so that you can feed ideas and criticism back directly to staff and managers

·         Having campus wide referendums on the big issues

Of course, we can’t have a referendum every time an issue of debate comes up on campus or within the union- time, money and technology wouldn’t allow it- but with other unions holding referenda automatically when a vote is close, and others holding regular termly referenda to decide issues, the time has come for UEA look at alternatives too. This term we’re evaluating new web providers and seeking a data agreement with the University to make online consultations, polls and referendums less expensive and time consuming, so that you can feed in directly to the developments in your union.

As I mentioned above, a week or so the union will be undertaking two weeks of major consultation called “What if”– focussed on both changes to Union House and potential changes to our shops, bars and ents. I strongly encourage everyone reading this to get involved so we can start to really deliver on my promise when I stood for office.