With the ‘Pexit’ referendum underway, Peterhouse becomes only the latest addition to a long line of college JCRs who have contemplated the ever-pressing issue of whether to disaffiliate from CUSU.

From Trinity in 2006 to Fitzwilliam in 2015, the debate has carried on seemingly ad nauseam. But like so many aspects of CUSU, the topic of ‘affiliation’ can appear opaque and irrelevant to the average onlooker.

CUSU is the university-wide organisation whose purpose is to represent students of the University of Cambridge at large. In addition, the JCRs of individual colleges can pay an ‘affiliation’ fee – determined by a fixed cost per undergraduate – in exchange for participation in, and access to, numerous CUSU schemes.

A report produced by Queens’ JCR in May this year outlined the various services provided to colleges through CUSU affiliation, which would have been lost upon ‘Quexit’.

Foremost among them is the ability to vote in CUSU Council, the body composed of student officers from each JCR that convenes two to four times a term. In principle, at least, affiliated JCR representatives have the opportunity to shape CUSU’s budget and agenda with their vote. A move to disaffiliate would mean that the representatives of the particular college would lose their voting seats.

The disaffiliated college would also cease to be a member of specialized committees including the CUSU Academic Affairs Officers’ Meetings and the CUSU Women’s Council, which “allow easy liaison with other colleges”, according to the report.

Additionally, CUSU offers ongoing training for access and welfare officers. As of 2015, this service is no longer available to non-affiliated JCRs. However, sexual health training and free sexual health supplies will continue to be provided to each college, regardless of affiliation status.

To top off the list, disaffiliated colleges are not eligible to use the secure online voting platform provided by CUSU for use in JCR elections (the Queens’ report notes that Moodle could be used as a viable alternative).

From Trinity to Peterhouse: a decade of disaffiliation referenda

In recent years, referendums to disaffiliate have been motivated by financial concerns. Corpus Christi is one of only two colleges currently disaffiliated with CUSU (the other being Gonville & Caius). Following their 2010 referendum, where 71 per cent of students voted to leave, the Corpus JCR issued a statement citing “sizable affiliation fees” which, they argued, would be put to better use if reallocated into their college-specific budget.

Similarly, the Queens’ JCR report states that its £3,336.60 affiliation fee was more than “1.2 times the JCR budget” for the previous year.

CUSU, on the other hand, claims that it charges affiliation fees out of necessity. Its block grant from the University amounts to around £200,000, compared to the hefty £1.5 million national average. Still, the 2016-2017 budget reveals that common room affiliation contributes to just over 10 per cent of CUSU’s income.

It remains up to each JCR to decide if the sometimes hazy benefits of affiliation outweigh the more visible costs.