Columns

I hate the term ‘silent majority’ – especially when used as justification for hating on some minority.
But at university, minorities have it made. Here, the silent majority are students and the minority are attendees of Student General Meetings. The meetings held about twice a year to set the direction of the student association.
Last week’s attempt at an SGM was a total shambles.

According to the OUSA Constitution, one percent of students need to show up for it to be legitimate. One percent. That’s 202 students. They didn’t meet it, but the meeting went ahead anyway, as no one called them on it.
The big item on the agenda was a proposal by OUSA President Harriet Geoghegan to rescind all OUSA policy and start again from scratch. The crux of her argument was that there are a bunch of useless motions on the books, ranging from the stupid (that IBM builds OUSA a penis-shaped Sky Tower) and the irrelevant (that OUSA opposes the Iraq War), to the illegal (OUSA supports the NORML 4.20 protests).
How is Geoghegan supposed to convince the Vice Chancellor that the majority of students want something important, when officially, the majority of students oppose European immigration into the country because they’ve got Nazis there?
The majority of students do not oppose European immigration. The majority of students do not think OUSA’s stance on the Iraq War really holds much sway. And the majority of students do not support the special interest groups that have hijacked this student association and seemingly every other student association in the country.
But the majority of students don't want to waste two hours of their life holed up in a room spelling this out.
I don’t personally have a problem with the groups on campus that have an axe to grind. But what does bother me is when they attach themselves to student associations as some way of attempting to claim legitimacy. They can say they have the weight of the student body behind them, but they know it is a lie. Grind your axe, but don’t attach my name to it – or those of the 19 000-plus students who didn't show up.
Geoghegan knows this, and this is what she was trying to fix. But she went about it all in the wrong way. She totally fucked up. By attempting to throw everything out at once, she galvanised the policy nerds and the groups who would lose their precious OUSA support. If she genuinely wants to change OUSA policy so it reflects what actual students want and need, and doesn’t just jerk off the tiny minority of freaks and geeks that turns up at these things, then she needs to do it properly, thoroughly, and thoughtfully.
One of her motions was to move SGMs online. This failed because it was packaged in with everything else. It was pointed out by someone that the Constitution already allows online referendums to take place on policy. So, why the fuck are they not doing this?
Through an online forum, get students to vote on all the policies on the books. Should they stay, or should they go. Tick one of two boxes. Simple.
Students would actually get behind this.
The argument that one of the reasons that student associations exist is to support and nurture the radical university spirit that sticks it to the man and protests about the big issues is no longer valid. The sad truth is that the majority of people go to University solely with the hopes of getting a job when they leave. They’re not here to kick up a stink. And they’re not here to express their free spirit. They desperately want a job. This is the reality.
If anyone is nostalgic for the good old days of student politics, they’ve been at university too long.
University students, as a bloc, are no longer the critics and conscience of society. There was no memo, unfortunately – you just need to look around. 
During the meeting, the Union Food Court was packed with students eating overpriced food while, in the room next door, a small group was debating the International Socialists’ motion to expel the 2009 President from the association.
OUSA needs to work out what is important.
Students care about issues that affect students, and student associations should reflect that and only that.
If you are passionate about something, it is important that there is an outlet for you to express it, but stop clinging to the antiquated notion that student associations are that outlet. If you can’t, the majority will begin to wonder if maybe Roger Douglas and his ilk are on to something.