OUSU has clashed with the Oxford Union following a financial review that revealed generous subsidies for Union advertising were being paid without OUSU’s knowledge.
Demands for more money were sent to the prestigious debating society, including for a stall at Freshers’ Fair, advertising in The Oxford Student and distributing Union promotional material in freshers’ packs.
The University’s Senior Proctor, Dr James Forder, attempted to pressure OUSU into reducing their demands following a request from Union President Luke Tryl.
OUSU President Martin McCluskey said, "We discovered that the deal the Union were given was not viable, and came up with a new price which was at cost and presented them with a fairly reasonable package.
"We made sure that we’re not subsidising Union services. Our financial advisers from the University were advising us that the cost we were charging was right.
"OUSU hasn’t really had a working relationship with the Union in the past two years," he added.
Union President Luke Tryl denied that OUSU’s offer was fair. "The deal was overpriced given that we’re a student organisation and given that we don’t exist to make a profit," he said.
The Union responded to OUSU’s requests by enlisting the help of the Senior Proctor to moderate the financial demands. "They were called in to get our status within the University clarified," said Tryl. "The University encouraged them [OUSU] to treat us more favourably. From what I gather they [the Senior Proctors] put pressure on OUSU to treat us more favourably."
OUSU Vice-President (Finance) Rich Hardiman said that the toughening of OUSU’s financial demands came after University authorities criticised its management and called for a reordering of its finances. "In the past it was a very generous deal that didn’t treat them [the Union] as a commercial client. We were told by the University to stop making ‘mates rates’ for people.
"As a result, we re-evaluated our relationship with the Union," he said.
He also claims they were advised by the Senior Proctor that "although the Union is not officially part of the University, it is morally". OUSU responded by informing the University authorities that they had no jurisdiction in the matter.
"For the Proctors to lean in and say you can’t charge this much would be like a University department going to a limited company and telling them how to run their business," Hardiman said. "We took on board their concern, but at the same time I had to prioritise running the company."
A compromise was eventually reached, although the Union decided against buying advertising space in The Oxford Student. The Union will continue to pay for a stall at freshers’ fair and for sending out packs to freshers at a rate of £800 a year, well below the initial £1500 demanded by OUSU.
Tryl claimed to be pleased with the outcome, saying, "It was the best deal given the circumstances. In the end we get a deal that, far from being satisfactory, was still pretty good for the Union and its membership."
He also suggested, however, that the dispute had damaged the relationship between the two organisations. "If they treat us in a commercial light then we will be forced to do the same with them," he warned. "This is a step back in our relationship with OUSU. I hadhoped for our two organisations to work much more closely together, and I think this makes us working with them difficult in the future."The Senior Proctor was unavailable for comment.
