Much of the student press still seems to struggle to resolve its racist assumption that black and Asian students can only cover issues that concern them - as if the colour of their skin immediately unites them and gives them an understanding of the views, aspirations and cultures of a diverse range of ethnic and social groups. It's a problem because we need to represent all views on campus or we become irrelevant, but there's a real sense of a cultural divide. Experiences at other unions, however, suggest it may not simply be a numbers game. The problem of black and Asian students getting involved in student unions is even an issue at the University of East London, where more than half of the student body comes from ethnic minority backgrounds. Even the majority of those who vote are white.
Black students are very disenfranchised.
The university's magazine, Fuel, has spent several years addressing this very issue, and was honoured at the Commission for Racial Equality's Race in the Media Awards two years ago. Chick is careful not to pin the reason for the lack of involvement on anything specific. Partly it's cultural - a lot of black and Asian students come to university and focus on their degrees. I also think it's institutional. Speaking as a gay student, I wouldn't get involved in a sports club because of the overtly heterosexual atmosphere, which I would find very uncomfortable.