University of York Conservative and Unionist Association

The University of York Conservative and Unionist Association, also known as the York Tories, UYCUA, York Campus Tories, York University Conservatives or, within the University of York student media as the Campus Tories [http://www.christis.org.uk/archive/issue66/conservatism.php] are a political association at the University of York, affiliated with the British Conservative Party and noted for their historical advocacy of libertarian causes.

UYCUA is a membership organisation which operates as a society of the University of York Students' Union. Membership in recent years has been consistently around 100 (of whom around 30 could be considered to be highly active), making it the largest political society at the University.

UYCUA activities

The Association regularly engages in a variety of activities for the benefit of its membership and for the Conservative Party locally and nationally.

Weekly meetings

Meeting every week during term time, the weekly meetings are usually debates around political issues. Members are encouraged to propose radical ideas to stimulate discussion on specific subjects. These meetings have always tried to steer clear of administrative and organisational discussions to allow members to have a political forum on a regular basis. The meetings usually take place on campus on a Monday or Wednesday evening depending on room availability. In recent years, meetings have tended to be on a Wednesday.

Following a weekly meeting it is common for members present to visit some bars on campus before heading in to York itself for a curry. Until 2002, the favourite curry house was the Noor Jahan on Fishergate. The Noor Jahan played host to an annual "Phall Challenge" where the newly elected Chairman was expected to eat the hottest type of curry, a Phall. Until recent years this was more of a myth than an actual event but it is now the accepted initiation for all new Chairmen.

Following the last weekly meeting of each term, members have frequently gone to the top of Clifford's Tower to smoke cigars and occasionally engage in the mildly perilous pursuit of racing around the perimeter of the hill in opposite directions.

peaker meetings

Although the University of York is on a major railway line and less than two hours from London, the Association has a chequered history when it comes to attracting politicians on to campus to speak. Most committees have succeeded in getting two or three guest speakers per term to speak to students and the turnout for these meetings has varied considerably over the years.

Campaigning

The Association works closely with neighbouring Conservative Party constituency associations in supporting Conservative candidates at elections. The university campus is currently in the Selby parliamentary constituency and has a long history of supporting both Selby and the City of York in their campaigning activities. This has included a significant number of students standing as candidates at City of York Council elections and organising large teams of students to canvass and deliver areas.

In years when there have been no elections in the immediate vicinity, students from UYCUA have provided support to other Conservative constituency associations that have elections taking place.

tudent Union activities

The University of York Students' Union (YUSU) is one of the few bodies of its type to not run any form of bar and venue. YUSU has therefore often concentrated its activities around political campaigning. For a considerable time, the elected leadership of YUSU consisted of many members of the Labour Party and the Socialist Workers' Student Society (SWSS). This situation led to many members of UYCUA becoming very actively involved in YUSU activities. Since the change of government in 1997, YUSU's elected leadership have been increasingly elected from the pool of Junior Common Room Chairmen rather than from political parties. This gradual process of depoliticisation has led to some members of UYCUA being sabattical officers of YUSU and a decline in formal UYCUA activity with regard to the Students' Union.

While standing for election to YUSU's Executive is supported by the UYCUA leadership and constitution, mass attendance at Union General Meetings, coverage in the campus media and large slates of UYCUA candidates has declined somewhat in recent years.

ocial events

UYCUA organises a range of social events every term. These events may vary considerably depending on the interests of the Events Officer and Chairman.

Ad Hoc social events have included:
* mini breaks to Paris and Amsterdam;
* ten-pin bowling;
* pancake day parties;
* pub crawls;
* trips to York City F.C; and
* drinking games

Christmas Dinner

The Christmas Dinner usually takes place on a Saturday night at the end of November or the beginning of December, depending on when the term begins. This was originally done to avoid clashes with college balls.

The dinner is the flagship event of the UYCUA year and there is usually a high alumni presence every year. In recent years, the dinner has also been seen as the unofficial start of the campaign by members to get elected on to the committee as the Annual General Meeting has taken place within 2 weeks of the dinner.

The current format of the dinner stretches back to 1999 and a series of protocols exist for the event:
* attendees at the dinner should never clap to show approval or boo to show disapproval, instead, attendees should tap their hand on the table saying "hear hear", or proclaim "shame" to show disapproval
* the event is not black tie but it is always encouraged
* the Chairman of the Association must greet all guests on arrival
* the current and all former Chairmen must have a group photo taken
* the table plan is always designed so that people who do not know each other are seated together
* grace is said before people start to eat (this has occasionally been ignored)
* the current and all former Chairmen circulate the room individually over the course of the evening to speak to all guests
* the current Chairman performs the Loyal Toast (the traditional signal that people can now smoke before the smoking ban came in to force in July 2007), speaks and outlines the highlights of the year to date, in recent years this has been seen as a final farewell speech given the timing of the Annual General Meeting
* the current Chairmen presents some awards (the nature of the awards is always at the discretion of the Chairman but has always consisted of 'Committee Member of the Year', 'Fresher of the Year' and 'Alumni of the Year' (the latter was not used in 2007)
* the guest of honour and final speaker is the immediate past-Chairman of the Association (with one exception, 1999 as the immediate past Chairman was unable to attend). This speech usually covers the activities of all members in the year group that finished studying at York the previous summer and has usually included stories about moving to London, the job the former Chairman now has and his or her thoughts on the political landscape (this has obviously varied considerably depending on the circumstances of the speaker). The speech traditionally ends with a rallying call to the current students.
* all attendees rise and sing the national anthem

Consumption of meal choices other than the traditional turkey and trimmings and Christmas pudding is generally frowned upon.

It is common for a variety of other activities to take place at the dinner. This has previously included a roll call of esteemed international conservative figures who have passed away in the past year and the singing of drinking songs.

Following the conclusion of formal dinner proceedings it is usual for a significant contingent of guests to proceed to a local late night establishment such as Toffs nightclub emporium, Ziggy's, the Lowther or the Gallery.

Details of all Christmas Dinners held under the current format:

See also

* Cambridge University Conservative Association
* Oxford University Conservative Association

External links

* [http://www.yorktories.info Official website]