Goldsmiths Students' Union

Goldsmiths Students' Union (GSU) is the students' union for Goldsmiths, University of London. It offers services to students including advice, sports clubs and activities as well as a list of entertainments and events and a 1000 capacity live music venue. It is also a campaigning students' union, with representatives attending many marches throughout the academic year.

Goldsmiths Students' Union (GSU)
InstitutionGoldsmiths, University of London
LocationLondon, SE14
PresidentJoseph Tema
Sabbatical officersJoe Leam (Campaigns & Activities Officer)
Mona Mounir (Welfare & Diversity Officer)
Taylor McGraa (Education Officer)
AffiliationsNational Union of Students of the United Kingdom
Websitewww.goldsmithssu.org

Positions

Recycling and the environment

Since 2005 GSU has recycled all paper waste and since 2007 has recycled all paper, glass and plastic. The union offices also have facilities in place for the recycling of ink and toner cartridges as well as mobile phones and similar devices.

Democracy

Elected positions

GSU is democratically 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 positions that are remunerated and 14 part-time positions. The elections are independently verified by a returning officer from the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom.

Annual report

Each year the students' union publishes its Annual Impact Report which outlines to all stakeholders the work it has been doing throughout the year, its campaigns and its achievements. The document is designed in house and present to the college management board as well as being made available to students.[1]

Student involvement

GSU helps support 50+ student run clubs and societies and over 20 competitive and non-competitive sports teams.[2][3][4]

Commercial services

GSU operates a number of commercial services in order to raise funding for the non-commercial aspects to its function. Without these sources of income the students' union would have to rely solely on the grant provided by Goldsmiths, University of London.

Students' Union Shop

The Students' Union Shop is located in the Richard Hoggart Building of Goldsmiths, University of London. It sells snacks and non-alcoholic beverages as well as arts supplies and materials.

SU Cafe

The Students' Union Cafe is located on the 1st floor of the SU Building and sells hot food, snacks, and beverages.

SU Bar

The SU Bar is the Union's 1000 capacity live music and club venue hosting two licensed bars, a night club, common room and cafe area as well as conference room and multi-faith prayer room. The Students' Union primarily organises student-led events but also hosts big gigs like the Mystery Jets, Metronomy, Late of the Pier, Shy Child all player. Blur played on 22 June 2009.[5] Two of Blur's members, Graham Coxon and Alex James, had previously studied at Goldsmiths before forming the band.

Controversy

In October 2014, the union faced critical coverage 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 Sarah El-alfy describing it as "Eurocentric" and "not broad enough." According to the union, El-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 "Redrafting motions and re-entering them at a later date isn’t unusual in Students’ Unions and shouldn’t be misinterpreted as opposition."[6][7]

In February 2015, feminist comedian Kate Smurthwaite's gig was cancelled after a minority of members from Goldsmith's Feminist society threatened to picket the event over disagreements with her views on decriminalising prostitution.[8]

In 2015, the student union Welfare and Diversity Officer, Bahar Mustafa, sparked a public outcry by banning white people and men from a student union event.[9][10] Mustafa was accused of racism and sexism, which she denied.[11][12] A group of students petitioned for a vote of no confidence in her, but the petition was signed by less than 3% of the student body and therefore failed to trigger a referendum.[13][14]

gollark: Fear it.
gollark: My laptop is just a large heavy cuboid of plastic.
gollark: My laptop has a USB-C port which can do video and it also has USB-A and such.
gollark: You can have USB-C *and* other things.
gollark: It's a big chip on a cutting-edge process with HBM on it.

See also
  • The Leopard

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2009-06-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/01/2009_11_wed.shtml
  3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow
  4. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article5920618.ece
  5. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/apr/17/blur-announce-intimate-gigs
  6. "University union rejects 'eurocentric' Holocaust Memorial Day". Jewish News. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  7. "Goldsmiths University Row As Holocaust Motion Voted Down Over 'Colonial' Fears". Huffington Post UK. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  8. McVeigh, Karen (2 February 2015). "Goldsmiths cancels free speech show by comedian Kate Smurthwaite". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  9. Agency (23 April 2015). "White people and men told 'please don't come' to student protest against inequality". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. "'I can't be racist if I'm from an ethnic minority'. Discuss". BBC. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  13. "We call for a vote of no confidence on the current Welfare and Diversity Officer" (PDF). Goldsmiths Student Union. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  14. 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.
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