Students Union

[bezdomni]

Does anybody go to a school with a Student's Union? I am seriously considering organizing one and would like to know how your SU was organized, how it works, and what it does right now...so I can get an idea as to how we should go about it in my area.

Thanks.

[An archist]

I went to a school with a students union, but it didn't do much, it was basically a bunch of friends who sat together every week (or every 2 weeks) to discuss stuff and to help out the shcool administration. No-one likes them, but I wasn't long enough at that school to do something about it, next year, some friends of mine are going to go to the first meeting with about 20 students to elect their own SU president (a stoner) that should be a better year.

Anyway, if you wnat to start one yourself, I suggest you get a group of people together and go your principal to tell him/her you're staring a union, if he/she doesn't agree, get more students and protest.
If you can't get enough students, you're fukked

[loveme4whoiam]

My old school had a administration-set-up College Council, which by all accounts achieved absolutely nowt. It was set up to show the "unprecendented level of student parcipitation in adminstration" or some bollocks. No-one (pupils AND teachers) was ever interested in setting up something more radical, and mainly ignored everything the "legit" council churned out in any case.

[rouchambeau]

If you want to organize, do it around somekind of an issue that students care about and make it about that issue. Otherwise, you have either some bureaucratic organization or you have something that doesn't get anything done.

But if you just want to get students together to hang out that's cool too. I wouldn't know how, though.

[loveme4whoiam]

Well I'm hoping to form a debating society-cum-radical group when I get to Uni, assuming no such group exists already, any tips would be appreciated.

I agree with what you say rouchambeau, having a central issue is important to give the group drive. However, would you say that it'd be better, assuming that its a student-based group, to have a big objective, like promoting class consciousness or something like that, or have a smaller, perhaps more locally achievable goal for the group, for example increasing student rights etc?

[RevolutionaryMarxist]

In suburbs like mine it is harder to organize pro-revolutionary, as everyone in my area has huge 2-story houses and lots of other luxuries,
yet last year I began a small group of about 15-20 people in which we actively discussed various political issues (Conversion).

I'll have to see how that goes next year, I have already compiled material on how to effectively organize, I would post it here but I downloaded it and didn't bookmark it.

Here's one of the PDF Guides, they are only mildly helpful though

EDIT: Apparently the Guides are too big to be loaded so nvm

[rouchambeau]

would you say that it'd be better, assuming that its a student-based group, to have a big objective, like promoting class consciousness or something like that, or have a smaller, perhaps more locally achievable goal for the group, for example increasing student rights etc?

Smaller is better. Just getting people to do SOMETHING is the biggest step, and it's much easier when that something is organizing a recycling campaign, fundraiser, whatever. You know, something that anyone can do and also feel a sense of acomplishment getting it done.

[Lamanov]

I logged on with an idea to start a thread about a students' union, considering it is a very important subject. I can say that I've expected more responces from our rev-left students.

Does anyone go to a
school with a students union?

Well, you should know that all universities, colleges and faculities have organized "student unions" which are, for the most part, officially recognized and elected by the students' body. They take on the role of the mediatory representation of students' interests. My college (fakultet, faculity) has an organized union of students which is connected with other faculity unions into one university - and then - universities into one state union. It's a pyramidal representative structure which looks like a state organization. Central bodies within these unions take high levels of decision making and are elected by the one year mandate, usually with a huge assistence from those already elected, because they themselves oversee the election process. Alot of these bodies are very corrupt and most of them is filled up by careerists who see themselves as the new generation of politicians.

So, we might ask ourselves
- as revolutionary leftists -
that's not something very useful to
the students, right?

Right. From the leftist standpoint - if we seek a direct democracy and control over education by students and education workers - it's not.

Some countries have more than one union of students, and they usually have a political division. In France, i.e., they have two unions - one is leftist (UNEF) and other is on the right (forgot it's name).

So what should we do?

Well, we should organize a students' union which works around these principles:

- struggle against faschism, racism, sexism and state interfierence over the education process in schools
- struggle against promotion of totalitarianism, authoritarianism and discrimination
- for students' and workers' control and direct democracy in schools
- for free education

We should organize it:

- with one logistics central collective - of the members which started it - which would not have any authority over the union, but its responsibility would be promotion of central principles and propaganda
- with direct democratic control of students in branches and faculities and election of deputies by the imperative mandate into executive central collective of the university which would make all decisions
- with free participation of edication workers in the union (professors, assistants)

P.S.

I wish redstar2000 was here, for he could give us some usufull info on SDU back in the sixties.

Please, anyone with ideas on how to organize a students' union, post in this thread!

[afrikaNOW]

Is this different from student government association that alot of universities have?
or do you mean a specific club/org that has a goal.

[loveme4whoiam]

That was an excellent post DJ-TC :D The UK National Student Union is (as far as I know, correct me if I'm wrong) a load of shite, but that's not to say the individual university ones have to be. A bit of radical influence can't hurt, but I'll keep on with my idea for an independent union for student representation because (all together now) Reformism Doesn't Work :D

[Global_Justice]

id be interested in helping out :)

[Morag]

I've got some experience in Student Unions and Councils. So, my advice is:

1) Make sure there isn't already a students union. Two unions set up in opposition are like two Popes, nothing gets done and the population gets angry
2) Find out if there is a national organisation worth a shit. If so, let them know you want to set up a union at your school. National organisations have experience and resources. They aren't necessary, but its way easier and they can be really great. (I had good experiences with my national org while on council)
3) If there isn't, organise a referendum at your school to incorporate a students union. It will take
a) A constitution which includes
i) A structure, with timeline for elections and a description of the role of each member
ii) a definition of the different bodies (ei, student, council member, voting members, ect ect)
iii) a scheme for fees, payments, ect. In Canada, student unions get to charge a fee, fairly small, to help the work of the union
iv) other stuff I don't know about. luckily, you can find every student unions constitution up on the internet, I'm sure. If they aren't posted, ask for a copy.
4). If there is a national organisation you think is good, invite them to hold a referendum (if they don't need, in their constitution, to hold a referendum, back away slowly). The referendum should be necessary to opt in and out of the national organisation. Also note that the organisation can help you set up the union, but the union shouldn't be a member of the organisation until after a referendum.
5). Hold nominations for council. Make sure you run yourself.

In all of this, don't forget to organise the student body around it. Pamphlets are helpful, and organising a meeting can be very simple and effective. Also, having professors announce the push, and later the info about referenda and elections is a good plan. A rally is good, if there are several likeminded students. Also, talk to the administration- if your school doesn't have one, its very likely that there is something in the by-laws about it, but it was never successful. The admin might fund a lot of the work.

Students Unions can be great fun and a really good thing for the students. Depending on where you live and the school, the role will be different, but all in all, the union works to protect student rights. In my days, we worked to lower tuition fees (actually, to eliminate them, though unsuccessfuly [50% decrease for some though!]), sat on boards for cirriculum and staff hiring, opened Resource centres for Women, Aboriginals, Minority, Gay and Lesbian and International Students, increased voter turn-out, founnd better and cheaper health coverage, advocated for low income students/single parent students, and also guided the student population through a tumultuous institutional change. Also, you have a collective voice and a vehicle for politicisation. So, go for it. It isn't nearly as much trouble as it seems.

[Amusing Scrotum]

Originally posted by [email protected] 8 2006, 06:23 PM
Does anybody go to a school with a Student's Union?

I've been a member of the National Students Union in Britain for three years now. Basically, you sign up when you enrol for College and you get a Card which allows you to get discounts for certain shops....though none of those shops are in the geographic area where I live. :(

Other than that, it doesn't do anything. And this is despite the fact that close to 100% of the College pupils are members. I've heard that at University level the Union I'm a "member" of actually does stuff....and I've seen the young woman who's the Head of the Union on the telly a few times. But that's about it.

I mean, basically, the British Student Union is very similar in structure, as far as I can tell, as the Union DJ-TC describes. And been as there's never been a Union meeting or anything Union related at my College, I rather doubt it has any other use than a cosmetic one....at College level that is. Actually, I think loveme4whoiam's phrase fits quite well here, "[it's an organisation] set up to show the "unprecendented level of student parcipitation in adminstration" or some [other] bollocks."

That being said, I don't know whether things work the same way in American Schools....and the potential to have a School Union is certainly there. However, if I were you, instead of just setting up another typical Student Union or a branch of a National Student Union, contact your local Teachers Union. Because, essentially, you're going to have far more affect working in solidarity with striking teachers (and other workers) than a load of ceremonial protests. Plus, I'm pretty sure that the anti-sympathy strike laws don't apply to Students....but don't take my word for that.

[YSR]

I'm pretty sure that we in the U.S. don't have any type of student union on a national level. We use the words "student union" to mean "student activity center" or alternately "student government". I can't dig up anything on a national uniony union of students.

That being said, it's still a great idea.

[violencia.Proletariat]

The French have them and utilize them. I have no clue how they are structured over there though.

[loveme4whoiam]

Originally posted by Amusing Scrotum
Actually, I think loveme4whoiam's phrase fits quite well here, "[it's an organisation] set up to show the "unprecendented level of student parcipitation in adminstration" or some [other] bollocks."
Damn, if I'd known I was going to be quoted I would have spelt it right :P


That being said, I don't know whether things work the same way in American Schools....and the potential to have a School Union is certainly there. However, if I were you, instead of just setting up another typical Student Union or a branch of a National Student Union, contact your local Teachers Union. Because, essentially, you're going to have far more affect working in solidarity with striking teachers (and other workers) than a load of ceremonial protests. Plus, I'm pretty sure that the anti-sympathy strike laws don't apply to Students....but don't take my word for that.

That is an excellent idea - I was very annoyed by the dumb tactics of the recent lecturer's strike over pay - rather than alienating the students, who would have most likely sided with the lecturers on the issue, they should have embraced their support and used it against the purse-string holders. But they went and pissed off the students with that dumb marking stunt, which achieved nothing apart from got a lot of lecturers fired for saying they would do it.
Having ties to an already-established, national union would not hurt a burgeoning student movement in the slightest. I mean, you couldn't really rely on them to be very radical, but still you never know.

I'll not quote your post Morag, because it is all smart and people can see it without me repeating it. So I'll respond to the numbered points you've made:

1. I assume you're talking about the US type of student union rather than NUS of the UK - setting up something on a local lever (for starters :P) which is more radical than that body can't hurt at all IMO.

2. Indeed :D I'm a member of the FPM, which sure as hell is a worthwhile international movement - obviously I'm not speaking for the FM, I'm just agreeing that being an affliate of such a group would be equally good as being an affiliate of the Teacher's Union.

3. A constitution and long-term objectives are very important in a group like this I think - but delivery on those objectives are even more important. Both short-term and long-term goals will be important in order to convince members that the union is worthwhile.

4 and 5 - Indeed :D

I'm exceedly impressed by the list of your acheivements by the way - they are noble goals - hell, cutting the tutiton fees by 50% alone is a massive success :P Thanks for the encouragement :)

[which doctor]

Here's a tip for starting a student union.

DONT AFFILIATE YOURSELF WITH THE ADMINISTRATION. THEY ARE YOUR ENEMIES.

Don't act like a student gov't either because they don't do shit!

Start out by posting up flyers and maybe meet during a homeroom time or something. Talke about your grievances. If it's about bad cafeteria food, then try to have a group of people just bring their lunches until the food is changed. If you're lucky people will start to join and they will bring their own lunches too. That's just one idea.

Or you can roll in old tires and light them on fire in front of the doors and occupy the school.

But I would suggest starting small ;)

[bezdomni]

Awesome, thanks for helping out.

I am going to start asking around if people would be interested in organizing a union sometime this week. Hopefullly after a few meetings, we'll have a solidified core group of people and a constitution drafted.

And, FoB, don't worry. We will organize independent of the administration. Although I like AS' idea of doing solidarity work with the Teacher's Union. The Teacher's Union in Texas SUCKS.

[nightwatchman]

my highschool has a student government and they dont do anything but organize stupid events such as "crazy hair day" and "hat day", nothing that actually benefits the students and they dont deal with any school issues such as uniforms, ssemblies, or prices in the cafe.Oh another thing they are appointed by the principal and the vice principals, so it is not even a true government of the students. which I think is the cause of my schools low morale, everyone hates the school thier is no pride or school spirite but I think if my school were to form a democratic student government that deals with school issues then I think students would have a lot more pride in my school.

[Faceless]

Have you spoken to clenched fist? (he's changed his name to something silly now, I don't know what). I know he has been organising one in Edinburgh for some time now.

[violencia.Proletariat]

If you agree with the principles of SDS, why not start a chapter of it at your school. This chapter can be the basis for a union of students.

[Rawthentic]

Well how the hell do you do that? I signed to make a chapter, but I have no idea what to do now. Do I recieve materials or soomething? I need help to get it started

[which doctor]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24 2006, 08:41 PM
Well how the hell do you do that? I signed to make a chapter, but I have no idea what to do now. Do I recieve materials or soomething? I need help to get it started
You are talking about the SDS, right?
Do you have people who want to be members at your school? because that's something you really need if you want to start a chapter.

[violencia.Proletariat]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24 2006, 09:41 PM
Well how the hell do you do that? I signed to make a chapter, but I have no idea what to do now. Do I recieve materials or soomething? I need help to get it started
Like FOB said, get a few people to agree to start a chapter with you. Get in contact with the closest University/Highschool chapter through the SDS site for organizational help. They should tell you everything you need to do. But after you have a group of people you should sign up your chapter online.