Tab Special: Survey Results- Union SOS!

The Tab’s Union Representation survey reveals today that an astonishing 96% of student respondents believe they have been badly represented in at least one major Union decision this year.

64% of students said they were unhappy with the way they had been represented in EVERY major decision made by the Union this year- including decisions to bar non-students from the LCR, evict the Burger Van from campus, change the LCR smoking area and boycott The Sun. A further 32% say they are unhappy with their representation in at least one of those decisions.

Is your voice being heard?

Many students responded in our survey calling the Union a ‘joke’ and ‘too concerned with irrelevant issues’.

One student said ‘Students MUST be asked before the really big decisions are made, especially those that involve great costs alongside debatable benefits (e.g. burgergate)’ and another said ‘I Feel that UEA’s position as top university for student satisfaction is going to drop considerably after these recent changes.’

A huge 80% of students wished that the decision to boycott The Sun, passed on Thursday’s Union Council, had been taken to a referendum, and 73% of students do not trust that Union Council is an effective democracy for all students to get their viewpoint across.

80% want a referendum.

This is backed up by shocking statistics that almost half of students- 48%- have no idea who their Council rep is, and 52% do not believe their Council rep is doing enough to represent constituents at Union Council meetings.

This comes after 57% of Union Councillors voted in favour of The Sun boycott policy on Thursday, after rejecting a call for referendum, a decision that has been both praised and slammed by students.

Thursday’s Union Council agenda contained many controversial motions- yet 62% of students asked said their society was not approached either in a meeting or on social media by their Union representative to discuss the contents of the agenda. This is worrying considering that each rep has a responsibility to represent their club/course/society to the best of their ability.

And 80% of students asked felt councillors had a duty to be transparent towards their constituents and reveal how they voted/plan to vote in key policies.

The survey comes after weeks of controversy for the Union who have been forced to defend themselves following a string of unpopular policies.

Union Communications Officer Rosie Rawle. Pic www.ueastudent.com

Union Communications Officer Rosie Rawle reacted to the survey today. ‘Given I stood for election on a ticket of transparency and getting students involved, The Tab’s survey results are challenging. We have heard the message that students need more of a say loud and clear and will be discussing methods for doing this- that could include referendums, online discussion, and more profile for representatives in the coming days.’

She has also written a comment piece for The Tab discussing how she feels Union democracy needs to improve.

Some students have defended the Union in the survey. One said ‘There are around 300 rep posistions (192 societies, 27 schools with 4 years) and there were only 100 at Union Council. Anyone complaining about lack of representation should stand as a rep.’ Another said ‘I feel that we all need to take a moment and look at all the good things the union does, everyone is complaining about the burger van and The Sun, but nobody moans about the great theme nights, or gigs. The Union staff are all warm and approachable people.’

The survey took place over the weekend and was taken by over 300 UEA students.

What next?

Three of the Tab’s editors serve as Councillors on Union Council, and they are submitting a policy in light of this survey to ensure more students feel that their voice is important in Union decisions. The Union of UEA Students belongs to each of us- all students are members, and all students have the right to question the decisions that are being made in their name. We encourage Tab readers who are shocked by these statistics to contact the Union Officer Team or their Council Rep (if they know who they are!) to discuss ways in which they can become more involved in the democracy of the Union.

Read Union Communications Officer Rosie Rawle’s response piece to the survey here.

Read one student’s defence of his ‘yes’ vote to The Sun boycott here.