Round up: Socialist Students at the freshers fairs

Leeds

Once again, Socialist Students has met hundreds of students wanting to join us across the three universities in Leeds.

At Leeds Uni, 187 students signed up to our mailing list with a number of them paying up to join the society too. This was followed up with a well-attended first meeting on 'What is Socialism?' introduced by Claire Laker-Mansfield, Socialist Students national organiser.

At Leeds Beckett and Leeds Trinity we found a good number of people interested in joining Socialist Students, as well as support for our campaigns to kick sexism off campus, for a student union letting agency and for a £10 an hour minimum wage. The latter also had a lot of interest from many of the young workers doing promotional work for various companies at the freshers fairs.

Alongside this, we've also been campaigning at Notre Dame Sixth Form against changes to A-level exams which means students can no longer choose to sit exams or do resits in January. Instead students have to sit their whole year again, at a time when funding has also been cut.

An excellent first meeting of Notre Dame students attracted six people. Our ring round for our next meeting, a skype link up with socialists in Israel/Palestine has us worried the room we've booked will be too small!

Leeds Socialist Students

Aberystwyth

42 signed up to join Aberystwyth Socialist Students. Aberystwyth University is now the worst in Wales according to the latest world university rankings. This is undoubtedly down to the wave of cuts and attacks on staff, which have led to an angry student population and militant workforce. This culminated in a four day strike as term started.

Our first meeting bore witness to an eagerness to fightback on issues such as education cuts, tuition fees and improving the town's poor student accommodation.

Scott Jones

Huddersfield

70 Huddersfield students gave names and contact details to find out more about Socialist Students. We sold 19 copies of Megaphone, the Socialist Students magazine.

Our first meeting on 'what is socialism?' attracted seven new people - all are keen to get active in the society.

Jack McLean

Kingston

150 signed up to find out more about Socialist Students. We sold out of Megaphone magazines - 20 in total - plus 16 copies of the Socialist. We also sold a copy of It Doesn't Have To Be Like This, the Socialist Party's book on the joint struggles for women's liberation and socialism.

James Ivens

UEL

In the first day at the University of East London fresher's fair we sold five copies of Megaphone and a copy of the Socialist. 40 people signed up to join the society. We are planning on holding a meeting to discuss the recent attacks on Palestine, which was a hot topic at all the London freshers fairs.

Helen Pattison

Southbank

In one day at Southbank 50 people signed our petition and we sold four copies of Megaphone. Two people were also interested in joining the Socialist Party and bought copies of the Socialist.

Southbank Socialist Students

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.