OUSU splashes out nearly £400 on media law courses for OxStu Eds

In an email sent out to students today in response to complaints about the infamous ‘victim blaming’ OxStu article from June, OUSU President Louis Trup announces that the OxStu’s eds are going to be told off… with a £400 CV booster on media law in a London Uni?

In the email, President Trup explains:

“OUSU and the OxStu have this summer begun work to re-evaluate and strengthen this process.  The existing process was formulated for print publications, and is perhaps too slow for the digital age.  At the moment we are looking into a variety of options for improvement, and will release more information as soon as we have it.”

He goes on to explain that “we have booked this terms’ editors on to an external training course on media law, run at the University of the Arts, London, to start these improvements.“

The Tab looked into courses on Media Law at the University of Arts, and we found that the course, starting on the 17th of September, costs an eye-watering £199 per person – coming out of OUSU’s budget.

We should probably be grateful that they didn’t go for the £450 one…

According to OUSU’s 2013/2014 budget, that’s equivalent to 11% of OUSU’s entire budget for “Welfare Supplies”.

In case you’re wondering, £400 would also:

• Pay for 21 hours of counselling at Oxford Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Centre
• Employ a new Director for OSARCC for just under a week
• Pay for 4 people to go through Sexual Violence Awareness Training Courses

A member of Women’s Campaign Committee speaking to the Tab, said: “I was disappointed to hear about OUSU’s decision regarding spending money on sending the Oxstu editors to London.

“I don’t think that this is the correct use of the money, particularly when Oxford University should be spending more on women’s services such as having designated sexual violence councillors and support groups for survivors of sexual violence.”

WomCam campaigns against misogyny in society and Oxford.

“This is particularly disheartening when the article itself re-iterates a number of myths surrounding sexual violence, even worse as a NUS report states that ¼ women will experience sexual violence while at university.”

The email stated OUSU are looking into “a variety of options for improvement”, who knows what could come next.