Cambridge Students’ Union

Membership

All Corpus students are automatically members and have and have access to their services: including the Students’ Union’s Advice Service and access to free sexual health supplies.

Corpus JCR had a long history of being disaffiliated from CSU’s predecessor, CUSU, largely due to financial aspects of affiliation. Being disaffiliated became part of Corpus’s identity as a CUSU-sceptic college however, with the creation of the new CSU, affiliation as a mechanism by which JCRs and MCRs are linked with the Union has been removed.

CSU emphasise that the new union is representative of individual students who are ‘affiliated’ rather than their common/combination rooms through Colleges. This means that, under the new system, the relevant JCR and MCR officers are automatically entitled to a vote in CSU Council matters and they cannot formally be disaffiliated.

Instead, Corpus’ ‘boycott’ of the CSU takes the form of the JCR External Officer (the VP) not voting at any SU meetings. Some VPs have also not attended such meetings, but this varies depending on who is in the role.

Contact the Vice-President for more information on Corpus’ position relative to the SU.

Information on the new SU and the JCR’s new relationship can be found here as well as on their website.

Referendum

The JCR Constitution (Section 8 ‘Ballots’ (g)) requires there be a referendum on whether the JCR ‘boycott’ or ‘engage with’ the CSU, which must take place every year in Michaelmsa Term. Prior to this, there must be an Open Meeting where the JCR VP invites the CSU President to argue in favour of ‘engagement’ with JCR members speaking in favour of ‘boycott’ (although others can speak for ‘engage’).

The most recent referendum (Lent Term 2025) saw 75% of votes cast (excluding ‘Abstentions’) in favour of continuing to ‘boycott’ the CSU.

Last edited: March 2025