Dear Mr.

President,
I am writing to inform you of my resignation from my role as Junior
Access Officer of the Oxford Union. Whilst the action itself may be a difficult one,
the decision certainly was not.
As you and most other Committee members are likely aware, my
involvement with this society has been driven by two main factors: my
overwhelming desire to make it a better, kinder place, and my relentless
dedication to the friends and colleagues that I have made during my time here. It
has been incredibly disappointing to see that both of these factors have been, for
the most part, futile.
The culture of elections, animosity, and deceit is unsustainable, not only
for my involvement but for the society itself. I have seen students ostracized and
isolated, bullied and betrayed, to the extent that they have seen it necessary to
retaliate with vitriol and vicissitude. This climate is entirely unsupportable – at
the end of the day, what’s the point in improving access to a society that, when
accessed, has such immense potential to degrade and destroy the self-esteems
and egos of the young people involved?
Each term, I have been persuaded and influenced by the narrative of a
‘good versus evil’ dynamic within the Union – and, due to my willingness to trust
friends and colleagues, each term I have aligned myself with a position in this
dangerous and unnecessary divide. I have advocated for and defended against
people for no reason other than loyalty to my friends, and determination to
believe that they are, in fact, ‘the good side’. It isn’t until this term that I realize
these traits have been abused and taken advantage of.
The majority of the friendships that I have made along the way have
proven themselves to be no such thing; I was left feeling ignored and isolated
during my term as Secretary to the Consultative Committee (perhaps due to my
reluctance to publicly advocate any particular slate in this term’s election), and
following the results of the tribunals which occurred after the fact, was given no
explanation or apology from the friends who, in my opinion, owed their
supporters and peers the truth. Instead of these small, basic gestures of
friendship, I received a favour in the form of an appointed position. I was not
interviewed for a role that I deem to be of immense importance in the Union, and
a role that merits and requires interview. In case it needs any clarification, I feel
it should be noted that nepotism is not a substitute for friendship, nor is it a
substitute for meritocracy. This behaviour, from people that I had previously
held a huge amount of respect for, is the exact kind of behaviour that is rallied
against during elections – and it is this behaviour that has made me realize quite
how futile my initial aim was.
The Union cannot be made a better place if it is full of self-interested
pseudo-politicos and their sycophants. The energy that I’ve expended simply on
trying to convince myself that change is possible, and that optimism is not futile,
could have easily been spent elsewhere on more beneficial things. As a student of
the University of Oxford, I believe that I am immensely privileged. It is therefore
my duty to use that privilege in conjunction with my voice to make the world
better – to minimize the barriers faced by others in the future, and to provide a
voice for those who would otherwise go unheard. I can no longer justify my
involvement with the Union on the basis that I want to change the world after
having experienced how exhausting it can be just to ask for an apology.
 I wish you, and your committee, all the best in the upcoming term, and I
sincerely hope that the Senior Access Officer and the Liberation Officers are able
to affect some real change in the society. It has been a privilege (in the most
literal sense of the word) to be involved.

Sincerely,
Beth Chamberlain