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Students’ unions, founded by and for students, are fully autonomous organizations governed by democratically elected boards and executives. They are membership-driven organizations funded by their members through dues.
University administrations do not have the authority and cannot justify violating the legal autonomy of students’ unions or any other campus unions.
Regardless of their motives for doing so, university administrations have no right to:
withhold students’ union membership dues;
interfere in students’ union elections or operations; or
attempt to shut down students’ unions (or any other legally autonomous organization).
It is vital that university administrations understand the limits of their authority. As concerned as a university administration might be, they have no right to withhold students’ union membership dues, interfere in a students’ union operations, or dictate the terms by which democratic students’ unions operate on campus.