A Culture Club? :: Wessex Scene Online

A Culture Club?

6th March 2008
Ashleigh Toll

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Mar 07 - The Lost Election
Mar 09 - O’Reilly Wins Presidential Race
Mar 07 - SUSU wanted Moore
Feb 06 - Make your vote count
Nov 07 - The Honeymoon is over

More by Ashleigh Toll

The leading story in this issue of the Wessex Scene is a complex one and is a matter that has, and will continue to elicit questions about what exactly it means these days to be a student, and more significantly, to be a student at Southampton University.

I have recently been thinking about the former particularly, and whether the student culture that prevails today, in this city, in this country, and indeed, across the world, exceeds that common stereotype of getting pissed and living on pot noodles. Is it just the promise of attaining a degree and thus qualifying for higher paid employment prospects that compels us to go to University in the first place? Is the ‘student bubble’ scenario therefore a realistic representation of the supposedly ‘detached’ lives that we lead? Or, does ‘revolution’ still run through our veins; do we still believe we can really make a difference?

The Observer Review recently explored the political and cultural events of forty years ago that ‘shaped an entire generation’ and a comment from Malcolm McLaren, the former manager of the Sex Pistols has made a lasting impression on me. Talking about 1968, when the Situationist International (SI) movement formed revolutionary groups in Paris and Berlin, McLaren recalls how he and his fellow students in Croydon decided to take over their college in sympathy: "I knew we were ultimately going to lose, but it didn’t matter" he said. "It was the attempt I cared about."

Election fever will be rife all over campus throughout February, with candidates embarking on a week of vigorous campaigning to secure votes. Standing for a SUSU sabbatical position is a task that involves a great deal of preparation and dedication, with candidates assembling their individual manifestos long in advance. These manifestos are the result of their experiences as a student at this University and detail the issues that they believe require attention in order for our Union to continue functioning as one of the most democratic and successful in the country. The successful candidates will liaise with the University to ensure that students are entitled to the best education, experience and opportunities possible.

The election candidates are impelled to represent the 22,000 students at Southampton University because of their belief that we deserve a voice, and the 22,000 student voters at Southampton University should all value the opportunity to vote because it is their chance to utilize their voices. However, the University Council’s recent decision to revoke our President’s vote on the panel that will appoint a new Vice Chancellor is a fundamental repudiation of these voices. As SUSU President, Sarah Moore says: "The Vice Chancellor has the capacity to impact on your entire education and University experience...this decision demonstrates that the University does not trust its students, nor does it value the representational role of the Students’ Union." This is why now, more than ever, we need to make ourselves heard.

In these coming weeks, joining the Facebook group and clicking or ticking to cast our election votes, are both opportunities for us to influence how our time at Southampton will be governed. The final decision of the University Council, and the results of the Student Union elections will be revealed in due course, but as McLaren wisely concluded forty years ago, winning is not the fundamental issue, it is about showing that you care.