Campaigns

CUSU provides a strong voice and practical support to ensure that the issues you care about are actively pursued. We are currently running a number of exciting campaigns to improve the experience of students in Cambridge. CUSU has fought against tuition fees and fee rises, stood up for equality and diversity, championed environmental sustainability and called for a University sports centre.

Students are most powerful when they organise and co-operate as a collective body, so campaigns are at the centre of CUSU's work. Some campaigns take the form of high visibility public events to draw media attention. Others will involve close engagement with the University through committees and lobbying. Many of our campaigns rely on college and faculty networks to apply pressure on a single issue in many places.

CUSU Campaigns

	Vote for Students Vote for Students is a campaign to encourage as many students as possible to use their vote in the upcoming 2012 local elections, by providing impartial information and organising events like hustings to find out more about what the parties stand for.
	Hidden Costs Hidden costs are the expenses you didn't know you were signing up for. A prime example is the Kitchen Fixed Charge (KFC) that colleges often fail to highlight when they tell you about the remarkably low rent here. Hidden costs like this can add hundreds of pounds to your bills every term. These costs must be prominently disclosed to students and prospective applicants, or they need to go.
	Access CUSU Access aims to increase the proportion of undergraduates coming from state schools/colleges and other non-traditional backgrounds through encouraging more applications Students can help narrow the gap between perception and reality by talking about their own personal experiences.
	Education This section covers past and present education-themed campaigns run by CUSU. This is separate to our section on Academic Affairs resources and support for current students.
	Ethical Affairs CUSU Ethical Affairs campaigns on social and environmental sustainability. The campaign promotes awareness of these issues among students and empowers us to take positive action.
	Right to Light Sign our Right to Light petition to improve lighting in certain areas of Cambridge which have been chronically underlit and unsafe. Join us in asserting our right to light, and demand improvements from our local government.
	Zero tolerance to sexual harassment The zero tolerance to sexual harassment campaign was established with the aim of helping unions create an environment where all students can enjoy their time at university without persistent and unwanted attention of a sexual nature.

Autonomous Campaigns

An important part of CUSU is its autonomous campaigns. These campaigns allow groups who are traditionally disempowered or have specific needs to direct their own activities and represent themselves. Autonomous campaigns play a key role in CUSU's efforts to make the University a more diverse and accessible environment.

	Women students The Women's Campaign comprises a diverse membership of women from all over the university and colleges. We are an autonomous policymaking body, as well as the main representative for women in the university.
	LGBT students CUSU LGBT is a group which aims to support the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students in the University.
	International students CUSU International is a group whose objective is to represent international students in the University.
	Black Students The Black Students' Campaign (BSC) exists to voice the concerns, address the issues, cater to the needs of, and improve the educational and social environment for Ethnic Minority Students in Cambridge at both undergraduate and graduate level.
	Disabled students The Disabled Students' Liberation Campaign is a campaign that brings together all students who self-define as disabled or have personal experience of disability. It seeks to promote positive self identity, advocate disability rights and provide a safe and supportive space for all disabled students.

Older campaigns

Older campaigns are still available as an archive.