A University College Student Association Magazine
BUBBLE
7
Yes, Comittees Should Be Political by FemCo
There appears to be some misconception of what being political or apolitical means. Being political is not about supporting a particular party/ideology and campaigning for them. Our daily lives are immersed in politics and our society is built on politiFDO HQJDJHPHQW PDUJLQDOL]HG FRPPXQLties only have basic rights because people engaged in politics. However, FemCo is restricted from holding some events because they may be ‘too political’. The events in question include attending/promoting women’s rights rallies and discussions of government legislation that could deny trans people the right to bodies they are comfortable in or that could prevent people with uteruses having any say over their body. We are called political because we believe that advocacy for basic human rights should be allowed within the framework of the UCSA. It’s a shame that the majority of the campus sees this as an outrageous stance to take. How is it that, in a society that espouses itself to be so open and liberal, people still get weak in the knees when people of marginalized identities say we want to carve out a space for ourselves to talk about our issues without censorship? Just establishing FemCo was a long process and it was only after pointing out that there were equally political committees on campus focused on environmental sustainability, that we were allowed to form. Creating PrideCo was over-compliFDWHG LW ZDV ¿UVW D µSDUW¶ RI )HP&R EHIRUH being permitted to be its own committee, which is ironic given that the Netherlands portrays itself as a paragon of LGBTQ+ rights. RaceCo/ExotiCo are also committees that were deemed too ‘political’/‘divisive’ to be formed. And where did this lead us?
With racialized individuals on this campus holding a protest because we believed the institution was not supportive enough of our identities as people of color. The experiences of people of color at UCU could have been PDGH LQ¿QLWHO\ EHWWHU KDG WKH LQVWLWXWLRQ DOlowed this kind of committee to be formed, by giving us the space to have the conversations that people who believe in ‘apoliticality’ are so uncomfortable with.
DQG IXQQLO\ HQRXJK WKH\ GRQ¶W PHQtion when they actually did start doing so. The point is that politics changes over time. While women and POC weren’t given a seat at the table then, there’s no explicit barriers like that anymore (the issue of the implicit ones is a whole other debacle). So, the institution should situate itself on the right side RI KLVWRU\ E\ VXSSRUWLQJ RXU H̆RUWV WR FODLP the dignity we deserve.
When you're a member of a marginalizedcommunity, your existence is inherently political. As women, as queer people, as POC, as nonbinary and trans folks, our bodies have DOZD\V been politicized. In some cases, our mere existence is resistance. Years of being marginalized have led us to be openly political because it’s the only way we can take the dignity we deserve for ourselves from this world. Why, then, should we censor ourselves because a liberal arts college in the Netherlands tells us to? Last year, when FemCo wrote the letter concerning the sexual misconduct on campus, we had to sign it individually as students because signing it as FemCo was deemed ‘too political’. So, is asking for survivors to be heard and supported ‘too political’? Why are we, as members of this institution, not allowed to question it within the framework of said institution?
Apoliticality is often argued to be maintaining peace by being neutral, but being apolitical is a political choice. You are choosing not to do anything and your silence communicates your privilege and your preference to keep things the way they are as you comfortably live in your secure bubble. Everything is political. There is no neutrality in situations of injustice, and being apolitical just means you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Rather than being ‘without political interest’, you’re just showing your lack of interest in the everyday struggles of your friends of marginalized identities.
7KH GH¿QLWLRQ RI µSROLWLFDO¶ LV HYHU FKDQJing, and as we move forward, the institution tries to bury its past. The UU website proudO\ SURFODLPV WKDW WKH\ DGPLWWHG WKHLU ¿UVW ZRPDQ LQ EHFDXVH IHPLQLVP LV QRW XS for debate, it is fact. However, we all know WKDW WKH 88 GH¿QLWHO\ ZDVQ¶W DGPLWWLQJ EODFN SHRSOH LQ IRU FRQWH[W WKH EHJLQning of the Dutch slave trade can be dated to
"The institution should situate itself on the right side of history: by supportLQJ RXU H̆RUWV WR FODLP WKH GLJQLW\ ZH deserve" So yes, committees should be political because we should be able to raise our voices against injustices and not be apathetic to those around us. We are political because it’s the only way to grant ourselves and othHUV GLJQL¿HG OLYHV 1R PDWWHU KRZ PXFK \RX PD\ ZLVK LW ZRQ¶W D̆HFW \RX RU WKLV FDPSXV politics will always have a major role in your life, well-being, and university.
Illustration © Ida van Zwetselaar
