Campus politics heats up at Auckland uni

Student politics are heating up at the University of Auckland with its student body putting the fate of one of its fiercely conservative clubs to a vote.

Students gathered in the university quad this week for a public debate on referendum questions ahead of an upcoming annual meeting for the Auckland University Student’s Association (AUSA) and first ever online referenda.

With three questions put to the students, only one divided the crowd of 200. “Should AUSA disaffiliate the Pro Life Club and ban any clubs with similar ideology from affiliating in the future?”

This is the fourth time the anti-abortion group’s affiliation to AUSA has been called to question.

Some in the student body say the group spreads disinformation and propaganda, traumatising people making an already hard choice.

AUSA student engagement officer Penelope Jones said the decision came down to the students.

“AUSA remains impartial and neutral on all referenda questions.”

The question comes less than two weeks after the unaffiliated group Auckland University European Students Association – which displays symbols on its Facebook page that are also used by white supremacist groups and who some believe is itself a white supremacist group – were stopped from entering student bar Shadows by a group of other students, resulting in a heated debate.

While conservative groups on the campus, including Pro Life, say a referendum could affect their freedom of speech, those against the group say this is not about free speech and disaffiliation would not affect its rights. Rather, they claim, the group undermines AUSA’s constitutional commitment to women’s rights and harasses students, using scare tactics on campus.

Disaffiliated groups are still able to book rooms, apply for funds from the university and can meet on campus, distributing flyers as they like. They can still operate as clubs under the Campus Life umbrella.

AUSA president Will Matthews said disaffiliation would prevent a group from accessing funds and equipment through the students’ representative organisation but “more than that, [affiliation] represents a symbolic acceptance from the student community that they want their student representative group to be affiliated with a particular group or body”.

The Pro Life contingent at the debate were supported by conservative Christian groups, including Seeking Truth on Campus.

The Auckland University European Students Association has encouraged its followers to vote on the matter.

Other conservative groups at the debate spoke of unease with the wording “clubs with similar ideology”, which some said was too vague and could potentially threaten their affiliation to AUSA.

Clearly a contentious topic, speakers were continuously added to the list as the debate delved further into the politics of free speech and discrimination.

One member of the Pro Life group paced throughout the crowd demanding “Order”.

These demands were met by chants of, “My body, my choice”.

The Pro Life club advocates for women to carry all unwanted pregnancies to term. A member, Joy, told the crowd the group was a peaceful student group whose “motivation is to aid and support women".

“If we are being honest, this entire situation boils down to the fact that our opinions are not popular,” she said.

Opposing groups, however, said they believed the actions of Pro Life violated the rights and autonomy of people with uteruses.

Fellow student Jasmine, who spoke on behalf of those against the Pro Life group noted that many in the crowd, who were protesting against abortion, didn’t appear to have uteruses and were cis male.

She said the term "pro-life" was inherently violent and came with "a really heavy connotation of a movement that stood against women and their rights over their bodies for decades".

As the referendum draws closer, the debate continues to take place online and on the University of Auckland campus ahead of voting beginning Monday, August 21.