Goldsmiths Students' Union (GSU)
InstitutionGoldsmiths, University of London
LocationLondon, SE14
PresidentVictoria Chwa
Sabbatical officersIsabelle Tarran
Gammorah Britton-Gibson
Nour Matar
AffiliationsNational Union of Students of the United Kingdom
Websitewww.goldsmithssu.org

The Goldsmiths Students' Union (GSU) are representatives of the student body of Goldsmiths, University of London, a British higher education institution. Located in New Cross, London, the GSU acts as a bridge between students and the university administration, advocating for their academic, social, and welfare needs. The GSU lobbies to improve campus facilities and organizes events and workshops.[1]

Structure

Elected positions

GSU is run by elected officers. Each spring, Goldsmiths students elect candidates based on submitted manifestos for a variety of positions. These consist of four full-time remunerated positions and fourteen part-time positions. The elections are independently verified by a returning officer from the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom.[2]

Annual report

Each year the GSU publishes its Annual Impact Report, which outlines the work, campaigns, and achievements from the past year. The document is designed in-house, presented to the college management board, and made available to students.[3]

SU Bar

The SU Bar is GSU's 1000-person capacity live music and club venue hosting two licensed bars, a nightclub, a common room, and a cafe area. There is also a conference room and a multi-faith prayer room. The GSU primarily organises student-led events and hosts larger musical acts. Blur played at the SU Bar on 22 June 2009.[4] Two of Blur's members, Graham Coxon and Alex James, studied at Goldsmiths before forming the band.

Controversies

In October 2014, the GSU faced criticism in the student newspaper The Tab after voting down a proposal to commemorate wars and genocides, including Holocaust Memorial Day and Armenian Genocide Day, with Education Officer Sara Alfy describing it as "Eurocentric" and "not broad enough." According to the Union, Alfy offered to help put forward a redrafted version of the motion for the following Student Assembly meeting to ensure it was more inclusive and "not focused on European history." The Union issued a statement claiming that, "Redrafting motions and re-entering them at a later date isn’t unusual in Students’ Unions and shouldn’t be misinterpreted as opposition."[5][6]

In February 2015, feminist comedian Kate Smurthwaite's performance was cancelled after members of Goldsmiths Feminist Society threatened to picket the event over Smurthwaite's views in favour of the Nordic Model of sex work criminalisation.[7]

In 2015, the Union's Welfare and Diversity Officer, Bahar Mustafa, sparked a public outcry by banning white people and men from a student union event.[8][9] Mustafa was accused of racism and sexism, which she denied.[10][11] A group of students petitioned for a vote of no confidence in Mustafa, but the petition was signed by less than 3% of the student body and therefore failed to trigger a referendum.[12][13]

In 2019, Goldsmiths Anti-Racist Action occupied the college's old Deptford Town Hall for 137 days following numerous complaints about racism on campus. GSU officers Mona Mounir and Sara Bafo were critical of the resulting report.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About - Student Government Association". Student Engagement. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Elections - Student Government Association". Student Engagement. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ "Blur announce intimate warm-up gigs". TheGuardian.com. 17 April 2009.
  5. ↑ "University union rejects 'eurocentric' Holocaust Memorial Day". Jewish News. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Goldsmiths University Row As Holocaust Motion Voted Down Over 'Colonial' Fears". Huffington Post UK. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  7. ↑ McVeigh, Karen (2 February 2015). "Goldsmiths cancels free speech show by comedian Kate Smurthwaite". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  8. ↑ Agency (23 April 2015). "White people and men told 'please don't come' to student protest against inequality". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Moyer, Justin Wm. (24 April 2015). "Excluding whites and men from diversity event at British university elicits anger". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  10. ↑ Rush, James (12 May 2015). "Goldsmiths Students' Union diversity officer explains she cannot be racist or sexist because she is an ethnic minority woman". The Independent. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "'I can't be racist if I'm from an ethnic minority'. Discuss". BBC. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "We call for a vote of no confidence on the current Welfare and Diversity Officer" (PDF). Goldsmiths Student Union. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Rush, James (27 May 2015). "Bahar Mustafa: Goldsmiths Students' Union diversity officer to keep her job after vote of no confidence petition fails". The Independent. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  14. ↑ Warner, Tony (2020). Black History Walks. [S.l.]: JACARANDA BOOKS ART MUSIC. pp. 109–110. ISBN 1-913090-26-4. OCLC 1150027373.
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