Following a request by an AberSU Part Time Officer, the showing of the Mayweather v Pacquiao match at the Cwtch Bar was cancelled. The request highlighted a history of domestic abuse associated with Mayweather and called upon the Students’ Union not to show the event.
The request was received on Friday afternoon and the decision was made by the Officer team, who are democratically elected by the student body to represent their views and make decisions on their behalf.
AberSU is a member led organization and our events are run for the enjoyment of the student body and as such any student has the right to complain about upcoming events being organised by the Union. Where a complaint is received your elected officers will consider whether or not there is breach of policy. It was decided unanimously in this case that there was sufficient evidence to warrant cancellation. Each case will be treated separately.
Students are encouraged to send their views & ideas regarding Union events to us via the link below as we are currently undergoing an events consultation.
AberSU President, Jacob Ellis stated;
“The case was presented to us by one of our elected part time Officers, who represents and campaigns for our membership. As an officer team, we are unified in our decision. According to the NHS website ‘One woman in four (and one man in six) in the UK will be a victim of domestic violence during their lifetime, according to research estimates’ and the Union proudly campaigns to end gender based violence.
The Students’ Union operates under policies chosen by the membership and the decision was taken in line with those values. Where there is not policy on a matter the officer team will make a decision based on current policies, experiences and training. There is sometimes not enough time to consult the wider student body as was the case here.”
Our core policies are as follows; Bilingualism, Safe Space, Zero Tolerance towards Sexual Harassment & Abuse, and Green. The case showed a potential breach to two of these policies.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused due to the cancellation, but wish to state that we stand by the decision made.
If anyone wishes to discuss or has any concerns regarding any matters, you are welcome to pop in to the Students’ Union for a chat, attend any of our democratic meetings such as our AGM, Council meetings and zones or drop the Officer team an e-mail.