Yes
First of all, let me be clear, I love the concept of democracy just as much as the next person – that people who are part of any society can have the chance to participate in the way that society is run and to help make the decisions that dictate the course of our lives seems like a fundamental character of any society, whether that be a national state or just a university.
But there comes a point when bureaucracy overburdens the pure principle of democracy. When you get to the point where there are nearly as many committees as members of the union it seems the situation may have gone too far. Yes, students do obviously want a say in how YUSU is run. That is why we have YUSU elections each year to elect six Sabbs to run our union for us for the next year. Surely then we have given them a mandate to get on and run the union in the most efficient way. We knew when we voted for them what they intended to do and in them we placed our trust. This is the whole principle of representative democracy; we give the people we elect the power to act on our behalf because the vast majority of people do not have the time, skills or inclination to get involved in politics.
But it seems that this is not enough. YUSU is also made up of an abundance of committees whose role seems relatively vague. We have NINETEEN of these committees. But it’s not just the number; it appears that many seem to overlap. Is it really necessary to have an ‘Equality, Welfare and Diversity Committee’ as well as individual committees for LGBT, racial equality and women? Currently YUSU are setting up new committees for the ISA and a ‘Societies Committee’. Do societies really need a seperate committee to be able to run effectively? They don’t appear to have suffered in the past without one.
And the question must be asked, what do these committees actually do? Do they implement policy decisions? Surely that is the role of the Sabbs whom we elect each year? So in that case, do they decide on policy? It seems not, as we also have a myriad of procedures for this to happen so that students can ‘get involved’. In the most recent UGM, motions were proposed that included one lobbying the university to improve the ecology of the lake, several pushing York council to open new leisure facilities, and finally one condemning Coca-Cola for being unethical. But what is the relevance of motions such as these? This ‘democracy’ brings with it little tangible benefits for the vast majority of students. Most students do not vote on these motions as they have decided whether rightly or wrongly that they will have little effects on their lives.
When YUSU is clouded in bureaucracy there is a risk that the union is unable to instigate real changes that palpably affect the university lives of students and instead simply become a talking shop. If student democracy is to succeed then the fulfilling of real policies that really make a difference is ultimately more important than constitutional changes or new committees.
No
Like it or not, YUSU does have an impact on pretty much everything you do while at university. Whether it’s to do with your degree, accommodation, social life, sports, societies, careers, security, welfare, or even to do with your position as a student in the wider community then YUSU will have played a part.
YUSU and Students’ Unions in general are pretty unusual in the way they’re structured, and in the way they operate. YUSU is a member led organisation – every single student at the university has the opportunity to say how it’s run, and collectively the student body have the power to overturn decisions, elect officers, sack officers, sack trustees, start projects, stop projects, and even shut the union down altogether. As members of the union, you hold all the power, whether or not you choose to use it.
YUSU then, is a powerful organisation with a pretty complicated management structure. It’s no surprise that things can sometimes seem a little confusing. Aggregating the views of 10000 students into coherent and meaningful actions is no simple process. Fairness, consistency and transparency don’t often sit well with speed or efficiency, but sometimes remaining a genuinely member led organisation requires sacrificing the latter for the former. There are about 20 different policy making committees within, all made up of JCRC representatives, YUSU officers, and people you’ve elected, absolutely it can be slow, but taking things through the committee process means that we come to the right decision, rather than the quickest one.
However – YUSU’s current systems and structures do need to change. At the last Union General meeting I submitted a proposal for us to review our democratic structures. Having opportunities to engage isn’t enough – YUSU needs to ensure that all its processes are clear and accessible enough that people want to take part. It’s been evident recently that not enough of you do – this needs to change. If a perception of ‘bureaucracy’ is discouraging people from engaging, then it’s vital that this is resolved. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in rules and meetings that we lose sight of the bigger picture – for YUSU to be an effective organisation it needs outcomes, not processes. As I said at the YUSU awards last week: YUSU is, and will only ever be, only as strong as the sum of its parts; it’s the membership that give YUSU its strength and power. In the coming months we’ll be trying to find ways to make things simpler and easier while maintaining the core democratic principles that underpin YUSU – if you’ve got some ideas then get in touch.