A Week of Student Politics

The Australian reports on responses to the Arts cuts from student and staff organisations: "ABOUT 50 Melbourne University students protesting against academic staff cuts at the arts faculty yesterday [May 12] invaded a building in an attempt to disrupt a university council meeting, trying at one stage to break through security guards blocking a liftwell." First-hand reports tell that rally sat down outside the council chamber during the meeting and held their own, boring the security guards with their commitment to the procedures of consensus decision making.

The latest Honi Soit also tells of some [from a distance] rather amusing election shenanigans. There are now only 6 candidates in the running for Union Board. The Liberal candidate is behaving erratically, after trying to hide her endorsement by the Liberals. As Honi wonders, "Maybe
even the Liberals know that being a Liberal is electoral poison?" A UNSW candidate has also been caught ripping off the policy statement of a USyd candidate on Facebook.

On a non-amusing side of things, one USyd candidate has received death threats.

Which goes to show how nasty student factional politics can get. Student political factions also manage to translate well into federal political factions. The Liberals are whacky. Labor is split between left and right. Independents run with varying success and Socialist Alternative manages to get something occasionally. There is a degree of enmity between all of these factions that can create a whole lot of unpleasantness. Shameless maneouvring and politicking can also do damage within factions.

It's quite a lot to consider and it is good to see a student newspaper covering their elections, which are going to do a lot to determine what campus life is like - who edits the newspaper, the number and nature of protests and the overall political tone.