Vladimir Rakhmanin
Deputy Online Editor
A motion calling for Students’ Union representatives to lobby against the Central Societies Committee (CSC)’s rules forbidding societies from political activity is to be debated next Tuesday at the latest meeting of SU Council.
This issue has been raised due to the CSC’s decision in November to forbid the Dublin University Gender Equality Society (DUGES) from organised involvement in a pro-choice campaign, a decision that was cited by many of those arguing in favour of the SU taking a position on the matter prior and subsequent to a recent multiple-choice referendum (preferendum).
The motion has been proposed by Mark O’Meara, 5th Year Computer Science class representative, TCD Young Fine Gael Secrtary and leader of the pro-disaffiliation side of last year’s USI referendum. One of the arguments cited by O’Meara against the rules in question refers to the fact that many Universities and Colleges in Ireland permit societies to have political positions; many even go as far as to allow societies to exist for the sole purpose of campaigning on political issues, including abortion.
O’Meara and seconding proposer Louise Spellacy propose that the President and Education Officer lobby the relevant bodies (the CSC executive) to overturn the policy of not allowing societies to take political positions, including on the issue of abortion. They also suggest that these bodies should allow political societies, such as those described above, to exist.
The decision which sparked the discussion occurred last November. The CSC allowed the Gender Equality society to attend marches as individuals, but did not permit them to express a corporate opinion on the issue of abortion. The CSC also refused to fund the society’s ‘Don’t Be That Guy’ campaign. In a comment made to Trinity News in December, CSC Chairperson Cian McCarthy stated that “the only constraint on Duges in this case is that they are not allowed to explicitly say that all members collectively have a given opinion on the issue.” Outside of this they are “allowed to march and organise a march, poster-making and bring a Duges banner.”
The motion will be debated during the next SU Council, Tuesday the 12th of March in the Biomedical Sciences Institute at 7pm.
