LSE Students' Union
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2014) |
Institution | London School of Economics |
---|---|
Location | The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, London, WC2 |
Established | 1897[1] |
General secretary | 2023–24: James Relf [2] |
Sabbatical officers | 2023–24: Joshua Goldman (Education Officer) Chris Adewoye (Activities & Communities Officer) Sarah Onifade (Welfare & Liberation Officer) [3] |
Other officers | 2023–24: Archie Mitchell (Neurodiversity and Disability Officer) 2023–24: Bukky Oseni (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Officer) 2023–24: Himani Isyer (Ethics and Sustainability Advisor) 2023–24: Celine Estebe (International Students Advisor) 2023–24: Hannah Gillott (LGBTQ+ Officer) 2023–24: Tanzila Begum (Class Liberation Officer) 2023–24: Tito Molokwu (Women's Officer) |
Members | 9,914[4] |
Affiliations | National Union of Students National Postgraduate Committee BUC Sport |
Colours | Purple Azure Yellow |
Mascot | Felix the Beaver[5] |
Website | lsesu |
The London School of Economics Students' Union (sometimes referred to as LSESU) is the representative and campaigning body for students at the
The Union is affiliated with the National Union of Students (NUS), as well as being part of the federal Union for University of London students.[6]
History
In 1905, the Students' Union founded the
Activism
LSE Students' Union made international headlines in the late 1960s during the well-documented LSE student riots in 1966–67 and 1968–69,.[7][8] In 1967, David Adelstein, president of the Students' Union, and Marshall Bloom, president of the Graduate Students' Association (that then existed as a parallel Union for postgraduates), were suspended from the School for taking part in a protest against the appointment of Walter Adams as Director of the School, in which a porter died of a heart attack. Adams had previously been in Rhodesia and was accused of complicity in the regime's white minority rule. The suspensions were reversed five days later, after students began a hunger strike in opposition to the move.[9]
The Union once again made the news during 1969 for its student activism when students closed the School for three weeks.[10] The protests were again against the appointment of Walter Adams as Director of the School and his installation of security gates at LSE. These initial security gates were removed by students.[11]
On 24 October 1968, Adams, fearing an occupation and growing support by the students for the anti-Vietnam War demonstration on 27 October, decided to close the LSE for the weekend. As this questioned the right of the administration to close LSE against the wishes of lecturers and students, the move led to 3,000 students occupying. During the occupation, the School was policed against intruders, and cleaned; teach-ins and discussions were organised; and medical services were set up and staffed. The occupation ended that Sunday night.[12]
In 1969, a "Free LSE" was organised at ULU in response to the suspension of lecturers Robin Blackburn and Nick Bateson. The radical tradition of the Union continued in the 1970s. However, in 1971 there was a reaction against the student activism of the previous 5 years. It was seen as a major swing against the student activism of previous years, but after his term ended the Union returned to its previous status albeit far less activist. The banner of the Students' Union in the early 1980s stated "Arm the workers and students – Education is a right not a privilege". Occupations of LSE occurred throughout the 1980s, including the 1983 occupation to secure the LSE Nursery. The name of the lead officer of the Union was changed from 'President' to 'General Secretary' during this period to show solidarity with striking miners. Meanwhile, Raising and Giving (RAG) Week activities were set up by future New Zealand MP Tim Barnett in the same period.[1]
In 1986, LSE students occupied the Old Building for 7 days, to protest against LSE investment in South African companies supporting the apartheid regime, following a decade of earlier such occupations and protests on US campuses.[citation needed] When the riot police attempted to storm the building, the students left immediately en masse without confrontation, marching to South Africa House to protest outside the Embassy, leaving the police at the Old Building in confusion.[citation needed]
In 1989, the Students' Union elected
In 2005, the Athletic Union's 'Barrell' event led to students doing a "fun run" down to King's College London and causing £30,000 of damage to the college's buildings.[1] Historically there is a rivalry between the LSE Students' Union and those at King's College. Students from LSE stopped MP Enoch Powell speaking at Kings by occupying the lecture theatre and blowing whistles, followed by a small section of Kings students retaliating by leading a violent attempt to steal election ballot boxes during the 1983 officer elections.[citation needed]
In 2015 the Vera Anstey Room in the Old Building was occupied for six weeks by "Occupy LSE", an organisation not officially affiliated with the LSESU, in protest against the perceived neo-liberalisation of LSE and the UK Higher Education system. The occupation ended after nine of their demands were met by the LSE management. In this time they also proclaimed the establishment of "The Free University of London" and noted the depoliticised nature of the LSE campus, including the LSESU.[13]
Facilities
Building
In 2009, LSE began a £35m project for to build a new building that would house the Students' Union. Known as the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, it is the second part of LSE's wider estate investment plan, following the opening of the New Academic Building (NAB) in 2008. The centre was the first new structure on the School campus for more than forty years, and aimed to be the "best student building in the world." The building opened in January 2014 and houses the LSE Residences and Careers department. The remaining circa 80% of the new building is Students' Union space, including a 1000-person capacity venue, the Three Tuns bar, gym, aerobics studio, advice centre, media room (with radio booths), 6th floor roof terrace, Union offices (including Sabbatical Officers'), and two cafés.[14] The cafés do not sell beef for environmental reasons.[15]
External sports facilities
Off campus, LSE rents a 25-acre (100,000 m2) sport ground, known as Berrylands, in New Malden, Surrey, where the LSESU Athletics Union (AU) sports clubs play.[1]
Governance
The governance of LSESU has changed little in its history, run by a 12-strong directly elected 'cabinet', known as the Executive Committee ('Exec') who are also the Trustees of the union.
Four of these positions (General Secretary, Education, Welfare & Community, and Activities & Development) are full-time positions, known as
Until 2010, the 'Exec' (except AU President and
Union General Meeting (UGM)
The UGM is the sovereign body of the Union, where motions and ideas are discussed and debated. Any two people can move a motion on any subject, which is then debated at the UGM.[18] Regular meetings are also held with the School's Director, and the heads of both ULU and the NUS.[citation needed]
Notable Sabbatical Officers
- John Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh[19]
- Martin Lewis – General Secretary 1994/5 [20]
- Gary Delaney – Entertainments Officer 1994/5[citation needed]
Recent Campaigns
Ethics
In 2005, the Union campaigned successfully to secure a Living Wage for the cleaners on campus and within the LSE's residences. The campaign was led by students, cleaners, academics and The East London Citizens Organisation (TELCO) and has involved several protests, petitions, motions and lobbying of the School's administration in an effort to lift cleaners out of poverty pay.[21]
In 2006, the Union also voted to divest from fourteen listed arms companies and are currently lobbying the School to do the same.[1] In 2008-9 the priority campaign of the Union was to save the on-campus nursery from closure. In 2009–10 the Union lobbied LSE to allow students to have resits in their examinations.
In protest to LSE's ties to Libya's
Following a motion passed in March 2011, the priority campaign for 2011–12 was The Only Way is Ethics, campaigning for an ethical investment policy after the LSE–Gaddafi affair, as well as a one-person, one vote system for electing a new Director after Howard Davies' resignation.[23]
Palestinian Issue
The LSE Students' Union, and particularly its Palestine Society, has campaigned in solidarity with Palestine and Palestinian students.
In 2007, the Union voted to twin with An-Najah National University Students' Council in Nablus, Palestine, and to affiliate to the Right to Education Campaign in support of the Palestinian Right to Education. In the same year LSE students elected as Honorary Vice President Khaled Al-Mudallal, a Bradford University student of Palestinian origin who was detained in Gaza.[24]
In January 2009, a 40-strong occupation of LSE's Old Theatre by the Union's Palestine Society occurred in protest to the
In late 2009, the LSE Students Union passed a resolution to twin with the Islamic University of Gaza and support the Right to Education for students in Gaza.
At the 2014 Annual General Meeting, the Union departed from this line of activism and affiliated to 'Save a Child's Heart', an Israeli-based international humanitarian project, whose mission is to improve the quality of paediatric cardiac care for children from developing countries who suffer from heart disease. This was seen as a symbolic move by the Union to recognise the importance of coexistence in the region.[29]
Fees and education
The 2010–11 priority campaign was to fight against tuition fee increases in a campaign called Freeze the Fees. The Union's mascot was temporarily altered to a penguin. The LSE Students Union was central in the demonstrations against cuts and a trebling of fees in 2010. The campaign at the LSE was named the "strongest organising drive of any campus in two decades" by the leadership of the National Union of Students (NUS). Students went into occupation for 9 days and were profiled on Newsnight, CNN, Sky News and dozens of other news organisations.[30]
The priority campaign for 2012–13 was entitled 'Defend Education', with a focus on supporting Graduate Teaching Assistants and improving the feedback that students receive.[31]
Activities
The Activities and Development Officer is responsible for ensuring the running of the Athletics Union, Media Group, Raising and Giving (RAG), and societies.[32]
Athletics Union
The LSE Athletics Union (LSEAU) is the body responsible for all sporting activity within the university. It is a member of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). Sports teams are wide-ranging from football to fencing, squash, badminton, aqua-hoc, polo, ultimate Frisbee and racquets. Particular rivalry is found with King's College London and also University College London. The Union operates the Gym in the Old Building, as well as numerous squash courts, badminton courts, a gymnasium, an indoor basketball court and tennis courts at the School's central London location, with ownership of twenty-five acres of playing fields at Berrylands in south London, easily accessible by train and also by coaches which depart each day.[citation needed]
Students are permitted to use the facilities of other University of London colleges and those at Student Central comprising its own sports halls, courts, multigym and swimming pool. LSE's cricketers use the indoor and outdoor facilities at Lord's Cricket Ground year-round. The LSE has a particularly strong association in rowing and has a boat house situated on the River Thames at Chiswick.[citation needed]
In comparison to the 'blues' awarded for sporting excellence at Oxford and Cambridge, London's outstanding athletes are awarded 'purples'.
Media Group
The Beaver
A weekly student newspaper, The Beaver was founded in 1946, and as such is one of the oldest student publications in Britain. It has gained great clout in recent years, investigating campus, national and international issues and stories, including the issue of costly postgraduate degrees, student loans and examination pass rates. It has a weekly readership of approximately 5,000 and is distributed free across campus every Tuesday.[33]
Clare Market Review
The Clare Market Review, established in 1905, is one of the oldest student journals in the UK. It is an interdisciplinary academic journal run by students, providing a critical and free forum for students and faculty. The Clare Market Review takes its name from the location of the LSE in Clare Market.
PuLSE Radio
Pulse! Radio is the School's own radio station.
Raising and Giving (RAG)
Every February, LSESU holds
Societies
The Union is responsible for supporting and funding student societies ('socs') on campus, of which more than 200 are currently enlisted catering to a wide variety of interests.[34] There are over fifty national societies. Additionally, there are societies reflecting the School's background and interests including business, investment banking, NGOs and government organisations, arts societies and political societies.
The oldest society at LSE is the Grimshaw Club which was founded in 1923.[35] It arranges study trips abroad and hosts high-level speakers ranging from politicians, to ambassadors and entrepreneurs. In 2013, it was the centre of a controversy over the BBC Panorama documentary on North Korea, filmed inside the country with LSE students recruited through the society.[36]
Business & Investment Group
The LSESU Business & Investment Group is the largest and most active society at the LSE with more than 1,000 members. It is widely regarded as the leading finance and business society in Europe, having hosted guests including Ken Griffin, Howard Marks, Jean Salata, Harpreet Kaur, Brian Moynihan and Anil Agarwal. It has its own podcast, LSE Focal Point, which features founders and C-suite executives at world-leading corporations and ventures. It also has a consulting arm, London Strategy Group, an M&A arm, LSE M&A Group, and a student-led investment fund, BIG Capital.
Economics Society
The Economics Society is the only society officially supported by the Department of Economics.[37] Membership is open to all students of LSE and is at approximately 800.
The Economics Society Amartya Sen Club, founded in 2015,
The Society's flagship event is the annual Economics Symposium which has hosted a multitude of economic thinkers from academia, government research agencies, think-tanks, NGOs, charities and consultancies. Keynote speeches and panel discussions focus on current economic affairs and latest developments in the field of economic research.
The Society organises the annual Economic Policy Competition for undergraduates, attracting 40 teams internationally in 2021.[41] Its counterpart for pre-tertiary students is the Economics Essay Competition, which is held in association with the Centre for Economic Performance and has attracted submissions from more than 30 countries.
The Economics Society publishes Rationale, an annual peer-reviewed student economic research journal, with Houghton Street Press. Rationale was founded in 2007 as an on-campus economics magazine for £1 per issue. Its creation coincided with the
Grimshaw Club
Founded in 1923, the Grimshaw Club is one of the oldest and most controversial student societies in the UK. The Grimshaw Club has been described by many as a secret society, however the Club has maintained that it is now fully open and transparent. It is affiliated with the Department of International Relations, yet its membership is open to all students of LSE. Every term, the Grimshaw Club hosts a multitude of high-level speakers, politicians, and ambassadors on the LSE campus and organises trips to embassies and other places in and around London. It also organises special Student Delegations for its members to visit and conduct research in hard-to-access places around the world, including Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, Ukraine, Iran, and Serbia.
In 2016, the Grimshaw Club brought US Ambassador
German Society
The German Society is a student society with an annual membership of approximately 500 members. Through organising various social and cultural events, the German Society promotes an interest in German culture, politics, business and language. Its flagship event is the annual German Symposium, welcoming speakers from Germany's business, political and cultural sphere.[60]
The German Symposium is an annual series of roughly 20 lectures and discussions, has been organised on the campus for the past 16 years. In recent years it has attracted renowned German personalities[61] of cultural (Charlotte Knobloch, Berthold Kohler, Robert Zollitsch), political (Angela Merkel, Gerhard Schröder, Wolfgang Schäuble,[62] Peer Steinbrück,[63]), sports (Jens Lehmann[64]) and business (Alexander Dibelius , Jürgen Großmann , August Oetker) spheres.
Initiated in 1998 by German LSE students, the Symposium consists of several public speeches and discussion panels examining current issues relevant to Germany and his role in the global arena.
Hayek Society
The Hayek Society is a student run society established in 1995 with the main aim of promoting and defending libertarian and free market thought on campus. The society was founded in memory of the Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek who taught at the LSE between 1931 and 1950.[65][66]
In July 2021 an anarchist group affiliated with Class War emerged at the London School of Economics called 'LSE Class War' demanding the abolition of the LSESU Hayek Society, a private-school-free LSE and a David Graeber lecture series to commemorate the life of the late academic.[67] The President of the LSESU Hayek Society responding saying they were "totally illegitimate" and have "no affiliation to the Students' Union, no affiliation to the university and they're not an official campaign of the Students' Union".[68]
Issues
Atheist, Secularist, and Humanist Society
The LSESU threatened members of the LSE Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Student Society with physical expulsion from the 2013
2016 General Secretary election crisis
The LSESU Lent term elections witnessed a record number of 2798 votes for the General Secretary position- the highest post in the LSESU. The two running candidates were rejected by the electorate and the position was re-opened for nominations (RON).[citation needed]
Both candidates were accused of breaking several students' union election bye-laws and evidence surfaced indicating that one candidate had expressed anti-semitic sentiments, whilst the other candidate had been accused of bullying. The dirty campaign tactics on both sides resulted in disillusionment and the emergence of a successful grassroots campaign to 'elect' RON. The by-election triggered by this outcome resulted in the election of Busayo Twins to the role of General Secretary for 2016–17.[citation needed]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g "LSE Students' Union Guide 2009 web".
- ^ "General Secretary".
- ^ "LSE Students' Union". www.lsesu.com. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ "Student statistics from the LSE website".
- ^ "LSE Mascot - Felix". 20 June 2017.
- ^ "LSE Students' Union". www.lsesu.com. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ Wilkins, Lucy (31 May 2007). "BBC website: LSE Student Protests". BBC News. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ "BBC website: On This Day – LSE Student Protests". BBC News. 13 March 1967. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ "1967: Protest over student suspensions". BBC News. 13 March 1996. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ "1969: LSE closes over student clashes". BBC News. 24 January 1969. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ "1969: Once a rebel". BBC News. 24 January 1969. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ "1969: LSE closes over student clashes". BBC News. 24 January 1966. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ occupylse. "Occupy LSE - Free University of London". Occupy LSE with us for free education, liberation, workers' rights and an end to unethical investment. Workers and students before profits! Vera Anstey Suite, Old Building, London School of Economics,... Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ "LSE website on the New Students' Centre". .lse.ac.uk. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Passed Student Members' Meeting Motions". LSE Students' Union. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "Democracy and campaigning".
- ^ "Student Representatives".
- ^ "Student Members' Meetings". www.lsesu.com. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "Lord Moore of Lower Marsh obituary". the Guardian. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "LSE Students' Union". www.lsesu.com. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "The Living Wage Campaign". Retrieved 5 June 2008.
- ^ Vasagar, Jeevan; Syal, Rajeev (3 March 2011). "LSE head quits over Gaddafi scandal". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Huge win for The Only Way Is Ethics campaign". LSESU. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Campaign to support Khaled". Archived from the original on 1 December 2007.
- ^ "london-student.net – This website is for sale! – Scholarship Resources and Information". Archived from the original on 30 March 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ "Let Othman Study website". Letothmanstudy.wordpress.com. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ Harris, David (19 January 2010). "Useful Idiots". Huffington Post.
- ^ "Germyx – Tratamente si Remedii Naturiste".
- ^ @stylehatch, Style Hatch – http://stylehatch.co (March 2014). "Students' Union Annual General Meeting 2014".
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|first=
- ^ "Our History". LSESU. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ Peters-Day, Alex (May 2013). "Defend Education Update". Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Activities and Development Officer Role Descriptor" (PDF).
- ^ "Guest Blog: The LSE Beaver". Students@LSE. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ "LSESU Societies".
- ^ "Grimshaw Club".
- ^ "BBC fakes London student credentials to enter North Korea". The Commentator. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Economics". www.lsesu.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Sen club – LSE". Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Sen Club 2020/2021 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Greg Mankiw's Blog: My recent "visit" to the LSE". Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Special Events – LSE". Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Hodgson, Charles (8 September 2009). "Letters from the Editor" (PDF). Rationale. 2009 (2): 4.
- ^ "Charles Hodgson | Department of Economics". economics.yale.edu. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ISSN 2634-7903.
- ISSN 2634-7903.
- ^ "Student Delegations". 19 January 2013.
- ^ "Millennium: Journal of International Studies".
- ^ "Inauguration of Millennium following Grimshaw AGM".
- ^ "Politeϊa Community Members". 17 September 2016.
- ^ "Grimshaw Events Archive". 10 April 2018.
- ^ "BBC Panorama news documentary sent undercover reporter to North Korea with students". NewsComAu. 14 April 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- TheGuardian.com.
- ^ "North Korea sends threats to LSE students – Times of India". The Times of India. 18 April 2013.
- ^ "BBC accused of putting students at risk after journalists infiltrate university trip to North Korea". 14 April 2013.
- TheGuardian.com.
- TheGuardian.com.
- ^ Yoo, Audrey (15 April 2013). "BBC Accused of Endangering Students in North Korea Trip". Time – via newsfeed.time.com.
- TheGuardian.com.
- TheGuardian.com.
- ^ "German Missions in the United Kingdom - Opening Speech of the 2016 German Symposium". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
- ^ Hall of Fame, LSE German Society, archived from the original on 14 October 2010, retrieved 22 October 2011
- ^ "Gastkommentar: Lektionen zum Lernen", Financial Times Deutschland (in German), archived from the original on 6 September 2010, retrieved 22 October 2011
- ^ Former Minister of Finance Peer Steinbrück gives speech at German Symposium at the LSE, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in London, retrieved 22 October 2011[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Fußballstar an Londoner Uni: Jens Lehmann punktet im Hörsaal", Der Spiegel (in German), 2 February 2008, retrieved 22 October 2011
- ^ "LSESU Hayek Society".
- ^ /https://www.lsesu.com/search/?q=hayek
- ^ Steerpike (26 July 2021). "LSE campaign demands Hayek Society abolition". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Jhangiani, Sachin (5 November 2021). "What makes a conservative? Right wing politics at LSE". The Beaver.
- ^ "Dawkins Fury Over 'Jesus And Mo' T-Shirt Censorship at LSE". 5 October 2013.
- ^ "Opinion". Archived from the original on 5 October 2013.
- ^ "Jesus and Mo".
- ^ Mendelsohn, Tom (7 October 2013), "'Sanctimonious little prigs': Richard Dawkins wades into row as LSE atheist society 'banned from wearing satirical Jesus and Prophet Mohamed T-shirts'", The Independent, London
- ^ LSE student Society intimidated at Freshers' Fair over "offensive" t-shirts, 4 October 2013
- ^ "Students clash at Israel Apartheid Week".
- ^ "Jewish LSE Students Clash With Palestinian Protesters". 21 February 2012.