BM84: Autonomy of student organisations

ESU deems student organisations in societies across Europe of utmost importance
and their existence is seen as an untouchable asset of every higher education
environment and society itself. Student organisations have for years successfully
executed their invaluable role in securing and evolving student rights, strengthening
academic communities and developing extracurricular activities.
However, all of this could not be achieved without the autonomous status of student
organisations, which is the absolute foundation for carrying out the mission of
student advocacy. Autonomy, the right or condition of self-government, should be
manifested not only politically, but also financially (the source should be independent
of the state), institutionally and from the content point of view, in the way that the
external stakeholders cannot influence the activities of a student organisation.
Hence, it is imperative that all of the states, universities and other institutions or
environments, in which student organisations operate, ensure that the autonomy of
student organisations remains respected and intact. Every attempt with the objective
to influence or intervene in the internal affairs of the organisation is unacceptable
and should be immediately condemned. Self-governance of student organisations,
in relation to the freedom of expression, has displayed many different cases of
improvement of not only higher education environments but also societies across
Europe. The latter would be impossible without the autonomous status of student
organisations and the inclusion of students in all of the decision-making processes,
both on the university and state level, empowering the student body to express
opinions and positively influence the outcomes. Such conditions, in which the student
organisations can successfully execute their roles, should always be protected and
highly valued.

Proposer: ŠOS, Slovenia