The Prime Minister has written a letter to the Oxford University Student Union, leaked exclusively to The OxStew outlining concerns about OUSU’s finances.
The letter criticises the Student Union’s current financial strategy, and recommends a more “creative” approach to fundraising.
The letter reads, “Dear Rebecca, I wanted to write further to the 2015-16 Budget Briefing that your office kindly sent across. I have a number of suggestions to make that I am surprised you have not considered.
“My advisers tell me that many other student unions raise money through holding ‘club nights’ in the Union building (I hear that Hull has one which is extremely popular). I find it confusing that OUSU does not hold such events, but spends a lot of time and resources on hosting free debates and speaker events. If the Union building is large enough to host these sorts of events, I should think it could be an appropriate venue for some sort of disco.
“In addition, your initial £240 life membership fee might be off-putting to students considering joining the Student Union, and this may be something you wish to reconsider. If you do continue to charge this fee, however, you should make sure it rises in keeping with inflation.
“It is, of course, important to create a sense of community – a ‘big society’, if you like. A good way of doing this might be to introduce some sort of initiation process into the Union (any good butcher’s shop should be able to provide you with all the equipment you need).
“One final point – I would have hoped that the Student Union would have followed Conservative best practice in exploring legal and creative solutions. I note that you have not considered selling off student accommodation, establishing drugs rings or protection rackets. Plain theft is another extremely costeff ective way of raising money.
“I hope that the Union will move cautiously in setting out its budget plans, listening to both public opinion and the views of my fellow Parliamentary colleagues.
“Yours, David Cameron.”
