Student leader told to step down ahead of special USP Council meeting tomorrow – USPSA

Joseph Sua who is the President of the USP Students Association has been told to step down ahead of tomorrow’s special meeting of the USP Council.

The USP Students Association claims that at the direction of the Pro-Chancellor Winston Thompson, the USP Council and Senate Secretariat informed them yesterday that Sua can no longer be part of the USP Council as he has been in the Solomon Islands since December last year.

According to the USP statutes, there have to be two registered students of the university to represent the student body on the council.

There should be one to represent the students based at the Laucala campus and one to represent students at other University campuses in the region.

The USP Students Association says as far as they are concerned, USP is a regional university and the USPSA President can represent them from any one of the member states.

They say if the Pro-Chancellor has realised just now that it cannot happen under the statutes of the USP, they will make immediate arrangements and will have to inform all USP students of the same.

The USP Students Association says this is disturbing because the secretariat knew since January that Sua had gone to the Solomon Islands. Sua was allowed to attend the last two special USP Council meetings this year.

The USP Students Association claims the Pro-Chancellor is working out the votes and wants to hinder USPSA’s participation in tomorrow’s special USP Council meeting.

In a letter sent to members of the USP Council, the USP Students Association says students voices must be heard and the Pro-Chancellor does not have the mandate to silence them.

They have urged the council to stop these intimidating tactics.

The USP Students Association says their executive committee is currently working on getting a student leader from Laucala Campus to represent students voices at the USP Council.

We have asked USP for a response.