Oil advertising necessary for Union’s financial position

Andy Glyde admitted the finances of the Students’ Union were “heading towards an iceberg” as the Union Council passed a motion to ban oil companies from sponsoring the union.

Speaking to RaW News in an interview this month, the Governance and Finance Officer of the Students’ Union insisted the union will be “financially viable for the next fifteen years” in spite of the uncertainty associated with its planned building work.

“The ship may be heading towards an iceberg,” he said, “but this time we have binoculars”.

With a deficit of £750,000 projected for next year, Mr. Glyde revealed that the Union “can’t afford to lose any sort of revenue” while assuring staff their jobs were in safe hands. He refused to go into further specifics, however, stating that the “figures are incredibly sensitive”.

At Union Council last week, a motion was put to floor that proposed the banning of oil companies on the grounds of human rights abuses, environmental exploitation and bad business practice. Following one of the most heated debates in recent years, the motion eventually passed at the hands of the Chairperson who had the final say on the issue due to a tie in the voting.

After Union Council passed the motion, Mr. Glyde told The Boar that “Union Democracy over the past couple of years has become irrelevant to the average student”.

Mr. Glyde said he agreed with the motion in principle, but argued that at a time of global financial crisis, the Union and its societies could not afford to pass the motion.

His opposition marks a shift in the sabbatical officers’ stance regarding ethical financing. In previous years, groups like Nestle, Esso, arms manufacturers and tobacco companies have all been prohibited from advertising and sponsorship within the Union.

Others argued that societies should have the right to choose for themselves. Campaigns society People and Planet stated that they would rather fundraise the money themselves, whilst third-year Theatre and Performance Studies student Jenny Warren said on the issue “I’m not happy about [oil companies] encroaching into an educational institution”. Others expressed their relief at the success of the motion.

Mr. Glyde found Tocqueville instructive in these circumstances: “”Democracy in itself is a risk…The Tyranny of the majority”.

There has been some suggestion of taking the issue to Referendum next term but meanwhile the Union must look elsewhere to fund itself.