The LUSU General Meeting has passed by an overwhelming majority the motion to oppose the University’s rise in tuition fees and rent fees. The meeting – which to the relief of the LUSU Full-Time Officers was attended by the 200 students necessary to make the meeting quorate – was aimed to provide momentum for LUSU to continue its campaign against the fees increase.
VP (Campaigns and Communications) Ronnie Rowlands told SCAN that he was “delighted” that the motion had passed. “It shows that students recognise that there are democratic forums available to them,” Rowlands said. “It shows that LUSU is concerned about the things that are screwing them over financially.” Rowlands, who proposed the motion, was given a round of applause by those who attended the meeting for his condemnation of the way the University treated its students and their representatives.
The motion was given two amendments before it was passed. One of these amendments ensured that, if the fee rises go ahead, the money the University gained from the increase would go into funding bursaries for those affected. Some of those who attended the meeting felt that the inclusion of this amendment in the motion would in fact legitimise the fee increases, but Clayson rebutted, arguing that the contingency plan was necessary.
In terms of immediate consequences of the motion, Rowlands told SCAN that students should expect “a strong web presence; further lobbying on committees and posters put out. We will start presenting our financial case and our moral case.”
Also included in the meeting was a discussion of the ongoing Colleges Review, as well as reports by the Full-Time Officers on their activities this term.
