EUSA — we’ve all heard the name, but how many of us actually know what we’re talking about when we reference it? And how many of us actually follow EUSA’s various actions and votes, all of which fundamentally alter our student experience?
On 15 October, a Student Voice Referendum run by Edinburgh University Student Association (EUSA) passed with 83.5 per cent of the votes in favour. In total, 3,392 students voted; 2,834 in favour of the proposal, 355 against, and 203 abstained. In my quick and rather unprofessional survey of my contemporaries (all politically engaged, intelligent students, many of whom are studying policy and politics), not a single person had voted in this referendum. The contrast between 3,392 total votes and a student population of approximately 49,000 suggests this political apathy is not just among my friends — less than 10 per cent of students seem to have voted. Is detachment from student life common among the average Edinburgh student?
Despite very few students showing up for the vote, the proposal made by EUSA will have a significant impact on student life. While they will keep the roles of Programme Representatives, there will be new representative roles introduced in larger schools and departments, such as the LLC, ECA and SPS. It’s important to note that these departments are among those impacted most viciously by the cuts, mandatory redundancies and consequent strikes — thereby, these students are among those most needing to be represented.
Additionally, the Programme Representative role will no longer be appointed using an election, but rather a panel made up of students and staff. Though superficially this may seem like an attack on student democracy and voice, the change has come about (among other reasons) as a reaction to a lack of student participation in elections. Multiple School-level roles have been left unfilled because very few students actually vote. The proposal aims not to undermine student voice, but to transform its structures and pathways, as the current model (which is centered around student participation) is not working.
The alterations to the Programme Representatives role are not the only changes EUSA has made in response to a lack of student presence and action in campus politics. The proposal has also changed EUSA’s focus from referendums to acts of campaigning and lobbying — again because very few students were voting. They are recommending a move away from Liberation Officers towards student-led Liberation Networks, whereby relevant societies and interested students will be brought together to represent marginalised students.
Additionally, the proposal reacts to the decline of the student council’s presence in policy making. Currently, the student council is responsible for proposing motions and holding the Sabbatical Officers to account in listening to and serving the student voice — but it’s become more and more inactive in the last decade. EUSA presents an alternative model, with an annual general meeting between staff and students, as well as ‘Accountability Panels’ where students can monitor and contribute to the work of Sabbatical Officers.
In short, many of the referendum’s key discussion points are centered around a student population that doesn’t vote and doesn’t seem particularly interested in campus politics. Our generation has historically been characterised as politically apathetic and disinterested, and it would be easy to view Edinburgh’s student population as a continuation of this. I would argue, however, that this is incredibly reductive to the complex and difficult reality for Edinburgh students right now.
EUSA’s alterations to student councils and associations, though hugely significant, feel comparatively small to the seismic changes happening every day on campus. Strike action, compulsory redundancies, programme cuts, the university’s horrifying financial entanglements; we see and feel the effects of all of this every single day, whereas EUSA’s proposal won’t be put into effect until at least Spring 2027. For the majority of students, this delay means they don’t see the referendums as a quick fix to the urgent crisis our university is in, and thereby don’t view them as important. It seems only those who feel strongly for or against actually vote, the rest being too overwhelmed and distracted by the events unfolding in real time in George Square.
Therefore, it’s not apathy that drives students not to care about campus politics — equally, the detachment many students feel also isn’t rational or good. Real change can only come from thoughtful engagement. However, navigating this is intensely difficult; Edinburgh students must ask themselves how to engage with the important changes EUSA is making, whilst also dealing with the constant battle between the University and its staff and students.
Photo by Max Brown for The Student.
