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November 4, 2009
By Brittney Meyer
Student Life Reporter
Another new club has made its way to UIS. The Radial Student Union (RSU) was created by junior Brandon Fink in early October.
Fink wanted to “create a space for students whose political views fell outside of the two parties represented on campus.”
“If one identifies as a radical, you run this risk of being stigmatized or misunderstood, so we feel it's very important to have an environment, space that is important for people to connect and relate to each other,” states Fink.
Fink wanted to see a political group on campus that focused less on electoral politics and more on issues of social justice.
“I also want to make radical ideas more visible on campus. In essence, we're carving out a space for our ideas to be generated, disseminated, and received,” states Fink.
Currently the group has about a dozen members and they are currently looking for ways to reach out to Lincoln Land Community College students.
Weekly meetings are held at 5 p.m. in the student center and anyone is welcome to join.
“Our meetings tend to be very informal, and the direction of them is determined by the active participation of members. We don't have any leadership positions, we meet as equals,” said Fink.
At the meetings member discuss upcoming events and future goals. One upcoming event to look for is a get-together for radicals to share ideas and talk.
Fink hopes RSU expands by reaching out to LLCC students as well as Springfield community members. He also has a lot of ideas for the group such as an open soapbox, having programs to encourage people to have anti-consumerist holidays, and bring Democracy Now! to UIS.
If you are interested in becoming a member, or just learning more about this group on campus you can contact Brandon Fink at bfink3@uis.edu or through the facebook groups’ website.
