┬áThey are concerned that these societies will become possible recruiting grounds for local lap dancing clubs and claim to be ensuring that studentsÔÇÖ unions are supporting positive values.

Adam Curtis, Cardiff UniversityÔÇÖs Societies Officer, has responded to the campaign, expressing that the StudentsÔÇÖ Union is ÔÇÿcompletely opposedÔÇÖ to the motion. He whole heartedly expressed that ÔÇ£studentsÔÇÖ unions should be standing up for womenÔÇÖs rights and fighting against the recruitment of students within the sex industryÔÇØ, but felt that this campaign was not an effective way of doing so.

The campaign wishes to make clear that they do not intend the debate to turn into a personal attack on the members or organisers; rather, they focus on the positive values that the Union should uphold. They do not condemn the individual choices that students make, but ask what is appropriate for the Union to support. Second year Beth Atkins says, ÔÇ£how can it not be a comment on the girls themselves if the Union does not support the decisions they are making?ÔÇØ

The main claim of the campaign is that the association of pole dancing with the sex industry will make the classes recruiting grounds for lap dancing clubs. Some statistics show that as many as one in 3 dancers in strip clubs are students; however, there is no concrete evidence that pole fitness has been the recruiting ground for these girls. This is something that Adam Curtis criticised the campaign for, as they havenÔÇÖt given any evidence that recruitment from the clubs is happening.

The campaign expresses the opinion that it is impossible for the pole dancing societies to ÔÇÿdivorce the activity from its originsÔÇÖ. In a campaign leaflet, it claims that ÔÇÿpole dancing was created to exploit womenÔÇÖs bodies for financial gain and still does,ÔÇÖ and does not feel that a change of circumstances can alter this. In his response, Adam Curtis disagrees with this, saying that Cardiff UniversityÔÇÖs Pole Dancing Society removes the sport from its origins precisely by changing the circumstances in which it is practiced. Although pole dancing was created by the sex industry to make money, and still regularly features within it, second year student Lydia Hall believes that ÔÇ£by taking control of how pole dancing is presented, with different clothes and out of a sexual situation, women can take control of the sport, instead of allowing men to control itÔÇØ.

The campaign expresses the concern that allowing these societies to exist will increase the objectification of women, and will actively encourage girls to use their skills to make money. These are legitimate problems that unions must face as they have a responsibility to the students that they represent. However, Adam Curtis insists that banning pole dancing within the Union is not the way to tackle this issue. He calls for NUS to directly tackle the student sex trade, ÔÇ£rather than attack innocent individuals and societies who simply wish to remain healthy and have fun.ÔÇØ

Emma Browne