A statement from your Exec on the recent referendum decision.
LUU will not be allowing the Better University Idea “Should the University cease relationships with any academic institutions that are complicit in breaking International Law?” to go to Referendum.
This relates to an idea proposed at the May 2020 Better Forum.
LUU Executive Officers, as Trustees of LUU are entrusted with ensuring that the Union is mindful of the risks to students of some elements of our work. This is especially true of our political and policy work. We believe that the idea as it stands, because of its reference only to Israel is open to criticism of being anti-Semitic. There is a risk that campaigning around the Referendum would increase this risk and would be unsafe for both the idea holder and for the wider student community. Given this we cannot allow the idea to go to Referendum.
In making decisions of this nature we always consider the published Freedom of Expression protocol and the definitions it prescribes for our work. We seek to work with students to shape ideas that take note of this. Since LUU was first approached with this idea, before the May 2020 Better Forums, we have sought to support the idea holder to broaden the idea to mitigate the risks we believed it posed. However the idea holder has made clear they do not wish to change the focus of the idea and therefore the Student Executive reached a consensus on how this matter should be handled.
Your Student Exec.
