TAZ RASUL’S CUSU Reps Co-ordinator Manifesto 09/10

Why I want to become Reps Co-ordinator

My desire to join CUSU LBGT as Reps Co-ordinator is bottom-up and organic. It is

contingent on my having become college rep this Lent. As a rep I have promised to
promote inclusivity, awareness and multilaterism – meaning mega communication
between college reps so that everyone can get the most out of their LBGT communities
respectively.

Since taking on this role I have been so passionate about having an open community of reps who work together as
well as working for their own college groups. There seems to be great value in it, and lots of things that can be done
if reps communicate more and work together. For example, I have recently come up with the idea of ‘Officer X’,
whereby college reps opt into a scheme allowing students from other colleges to contact them about welfare issues.
This was based on the thought that students may feel embarrassed talking to their own college reps about certain
issues, and so with barely any more pressure, college reps can also work together to help out students from all
colleges. This also makes college reps more aware of one another.

There are so many more very useful things that can be accomplished, strengthening the role of LBGT reps in their
own college councils, and tapping into a hugely insightful resource for CUSU LBGT too. Being a college rep myself, I
know I would appreciate someone who serves as a two-directional link between university- and college-level LBGT.
I hope to be the link.

Ideas and initiatives

 More reps’ formals and socials, which include more people, including MCR and JCR reps, and reps from
undergrad and postgrad colleges. At the moment there seem to be college clusters/cliques and, though I
certainly do not want to eliminate these positive alliances, I’d like to get all reps on friendly terms so that
more interesting combinations on swaps and socials are possible. Expanding reps’ horizons!
 Consolidation, clarification and standardisation. Each college has its own unique way of organising LBGT but
there are some things that all college reps can do regardless of the constraints and traditions of their
colleges, and these would help to promote more communication and a more regular and known way of
doing things. For example, I created an online calendar for all the reps to use but it’s a chore right now. But it
would be easy for each college rep to set up its own Google events calendar; this way, other colleges can
access your calendar online and see what you’re up to (in terms of swaps, socials, talks etc).
 As well as organising welfare training, work with the Welfare Officer to create welfare packs for new
college reps to keep. College reps are usually LBGTers’ first points of call, and they don’t have all the
answers. However, further than referring all concerned people straight to the Welfare Officer, it would be
handy for reps to have a basic pack of, e.g. sexual health FAQs, questioning FAQs, internet links, charities and
organisations, government policy, information points etc. authorised by the Welfare Officer.
 Be working for the college reps, very visibly. Reps also need support, but might not feel that some of their
concerns or questions are pressing or important enough to go to a lot of the LBGT Exec. I literally want to
represent college reps, so that reps can bring up concerns and ideas at the weekly LBGT meetings, through
me.
 Maybe introduce ‘twinned colleges’. Some college LBGT groups are more active than others, and this
diversity is what gives each college its own character so they aren’t all mini-CUSUs. But I do know that
LBGTers sometimes get frustrated with their own college reps when they hear about other, more active
colleges. Twinning colleges could provide a solution, so that LBGTers at less active/ political/ social colleges
have the option to join in with their twin college’s events. We could get to know the general character of the
 colleges and, e.g. pair up less/more political colleges, less/more social colleges etc. This would be to the
benefit of students on an individual level.
 Promote and inspire passion and innovation at college-level. I want to make sure that there is something
other than top-down bureaucracy, which rests on fatalism and naturally inspires little but complacency in
college reps. There is a structure and hierarchy, but the lower ranks also support the upper ranks of
Cambridge’s LBGT network and I want to make sure that this is remembered; that reps feel they are
empowered, can be creative and inspired, and are not just formal-organisers. This will in turn, I believe,
attract passionate people to run for college reps, and therefore be beneficial to everyone, building a
dynamic LBGT structure within the university.
 Liaise with the no definition editor to make space for college reps to write about their ideas, events and
opinions on behalf of their college LBGT communities. This would promote a multilateral outward-looking
network of college reps who are engaged with not just the things that they organise, but the goings on in
other parts of uni.
 Investigate and detail information on the part that LBGT reps play in every college MCR and JCR. There is
such variation in the way in which college councils think of their LBGT reps – e.g. in Selwyn JCR we are full
democratically-elected officials, whereas at Magdalene the role is co-opted and unofficial. Which reps get to
sit on welfare committees? Which reps get to take part in council votes? I’d like to draw up a document on
this and to campaign for more LBGT gravitas for those colleges that don’t take their LBGT duties seriously.

Why I’d be a lovely Reps Co-ordinator

 I am a friendly and sociable person who is already on good terms with a lot of the community and the
college reps.
 I’m enthusiastic, engaged and innovative with regards to LBGT groups and wider LGBT issues and want to
take part in a board of equally vitalising, passionate and dynamic people. I also think that my almost
excessive excitement and high hopes will inspire and promote enthusiasm, engagement and innovation
amongst college reps.
 I believe I am making the most of what it is to be a college LBGT Officer, breathing life into a previously
marginal role on the JCR. It’s about taking a manageable role and exceeding what is strictly necessary,
showing that there is so much than can be done from the place that you occupy, and setting this example for
college reps too.
 As a recently-elected LBGT Officer I have already gotten going with some quite ambitious plans, going
further than what is necessary. Since Lent I have created the Facebook LBGT reps’ group, created
lbgtcalendar on keepandshare.com, set up the ‘Officer X’ intercollegiate scheme, restructured the mailing
list to make it a huge resource for LBGT information, liaised with Stonewall and promoted inclusiveness with
new “+1” college events. I should at least refine these projects as Reps Co-ordinator. You could hold these
achievements up against my college rep manifesto and also demonstrate how strongwilled and focused I
am, thoroughly tackling tasks that I have set out to do.
 I am very guilty about undermining the role of the Reps Co-ordinator with the work that I have done as
college rep so far, and if you vote me to be your Reps Co-ordinator, the only person whose toes I’ll be
stepping on from now on will be my own!

BIG love,
Taz xXx