BREAKING: Warwick SU speaks out over Disband the Tories campaign

Warwick Students’ Union (SU) has addressed recent controversy regarding the All Student Vote (ASV) and sanctions faced by the University of Warwick Conservative Association (UWCA).

In a statement titled ‘A message to our members’, the SU acknowledged concerns from students over the organisation’s transparency, and decisions taken in the Impact Assessment stage of the ASV.

There was previously anger from student groups after this Assessment rejected all eight motions submitted by students, effectively cancelling the vote.

We take feedback and criticism from our members seriously, and we understand that […] a small number of our students feel we’ve not communicated well enough

SU statement

In particular, the dismissal of a motion calling for the dissolution of the Warwick Tories caused discontent amongst many students who felt the SU had failed to adequately protect students from minority backgrounds including Jewish students.

Groups such as Fix the SU saw this as a wider reflection of SU bureaucracy, and called for a boycott of the Societies’ Assembly.

In its statement, the SU noted that: “We take feedback and criticism from our members seriously, and we understand that in some recent interactions on this topic, a small number of our students feel we’ve not communicated well enough.”

It clarified that it was “unable to support use of the Union’s democratic processes” to determine the penalties faced by the group, asserting it would “undermine the investigation and disciplinary process”.

The statement also confirmed the SU had met with representatives involved in the “Fix the SU” campaign

The statement also confirmed the SU had met with representatives involved in the “Fix the SU” campaign criticising perceived SU inaction as well as the submitters of the initial complaint about the playing of WWII German marching song “Erika” at UWCA’s annual Chairman’s Dinner.

The SU’s statement revealed that the independent investigation into the Chairman’s Dinner had produced one singular recommendation for Students’ Union action, for current exec members to undergo Active Bystander Training.

The SU went on to independently include additional measures for students involved in UWCA. Sanctions involve antisemitism training, to be run by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), for all members of UWCA. This came with an attached warning that failure, from any member, to complete this training would lead to the society’s suspension and put the group at risk of SU derecognition.

In addition, the SU will mandate training on Islamophobia and WSU’s own Inclusion and Belonging training for UWCA exec members for the next three years. They have also extended Active Bystander training to 3 years of successive exec committees.

Notably, being placed on a 3-year “probation” period, means that any future SU investigation will consider the findings of this summer’s investigation into the events of the Chairman’s Dinner.

For us to take this statement seriously, the SU needs to commit to an action plan to fix its structural issues

Fix the SU statement

In a response posted to Instagram some 24 hours after the statement, the ‘Fix the SU’ campaign panned what it called “a number of false claims” in the SU’s update.

In particular, the group took issue with the claim that elected officers had been criticised, and attacked the lack of an “action plan” in the response.

The group concluded: “For us to take this statement seriously, the SU needs to commit to an action plan to fix its structural issues.”