Wadham SU Minutes 2012 MT6

7/28/2019 Wadham SU Minutes 2012 MT6

1/8

Sunday, 11th

November (MT Wk 6)

4.45pm in the JCR

SU Meeting: Minutes

A: Officers Reports

PRESIDENT

Wadham SU Elections: Academic, Technical and Communications Officers elected

US Election Night event successful

Looking into bike hire scheme la Boris-bikes

Looking into reducing bar prices

Charities concert

Means to improve recycling

Clearing up SU Shop

Campaigning for Living Wage (see below)

TREASURER

Finances

Wadham Society

Money Meeting next Friday

VICE PRESIDENT

Handover to Communications Officer

Website Renovation

Constitution Amendment Mid-term reports

ACADEMIC

Getting started

Tuesday Event Technology Careers

ACCESS

Student Ambassador Training popular

ARTS Queerfest Decorations

Threepenny Opera

BAR & SOCIAL

Boptails

Bar order for queerfest

CHARITIES

Charities Nominations meeting

Event


2/8

COMMUNICATIONS

OUSU Husts, voting on Tuesday

OUSU Council was on Wed, all motions passed

Now minuting first SU meetingENTZ

Queerfest

Tickets info

FOOD & AMENITIES

Wadham Come Dine With Me

Refec shutting early; enquiry

Ping pong balls replacement

HOUSING

Online database photos

INTERNATIONAL

Crew date

International Nights

LGBTQ

Queerweek

SARAH LAWRENCE

SPORTS

Wadham Gym (short on space at the moment)

TECH

Bop

Band room/techroom

WELFARE

Yoga (MCR)

Disability Awareness Week Okinaga room Friday 6.15 talk

Mental Health info

Welfare brunch after queerfest

WOMEN

Wadham knits4tits great success

Bras to Oxfam


3/8

B: Motions

1. LIVING WAGE CAMPAIGN

Proposed by Jahni Emmanuel, SU President

Many Wadham staff (e.g. scouts) are paid 65p less than the living wage

(6.80 average compared to 7.45 living wage)

SU motion to support the Oxford Living Wage Campaign by:

Lobbying for college to become living wage accredited (increase wages)

Increasing the SU levy in students battels

Questions

Q1. How does college justify not being living wage?

A1. Meals and transport are subsidised for all staff.

Claim that if some staffs wages are raised, all other wages must also increase.

Q2. Are scouts unionised?A2. Not sure.

Q3. How much would the battel levy increase?

A3. No more than 1.50.

Q4. Does this apply to Wadham-employed staff only or also to contracted (casual

hire) staff at Wadham?

A4. Just staff employed directly and permanently by Wadham.

Discussion Arent a percentage of scouts/catering team temporary?

Most of them are permanent

Why do they have to have worked 3 months to be permanent?

Standard way of measuring employment permanence

Why only the permanent employees?

They are the main contributors to Wadham

Need to be realistic in order to put forward a strong proposal

Best way to show most college support

How realistic is the motion; will college listen?

SU approval of motion at this stage is just get the campaign started Establish facts and figures

Talk to affected staff/scouts

Mandate SU President to suggest living wage accreditation to college

Eventual outcome not yet guaranteed by motion

Shouldnt it be college who makes up cost difference, not student levy?

Might edit student levy out of motion

But it is a good way to show student dedication to the cause in a small way

Conclusion

Mandate SU President to encourage Living Wage Accreditation to college


4/8

Outcome

No opposition

Motion passes

2. IT BOX

Proposed by John Owen, MCR Social Sec

It box is frequently used but lacks comfortable seating and players lack funds

SU motion to:

Mandate Amenities Officers to purchase comfortable seating for it box

Set up a 100 it box fund maintained by John Owen

Questions

Q1. What is the It Box?

Machine in the corner of the JCR with a variety of quiz games.

Discussion Reason behind fund: Students want to win jackpots

Possibility to set up an It Box club

Money spent on It Box goes quickly

Weekly fund not viable, according to SU Pres

Would It Box fund be self-sustaining?

Student suggests symbolic support for It Box

How does J.O. decide who gets 100 fund?

Distributed through SU

Objection to one random SU member commanding 100

J.O. is already MCR Rep Creation of budget for It Box Officer

More student involvement with It Box

How to approach J.O. for funds

Mandate J.O. to always be in JCR?

Money spent on It Box goes where?

To the company

No SU gain from machine; simply placed here by company

Financial worries of SU mean extra money spent on It Box unhelpful

Suggested amendment to remove introduction of fund from motion

Conclusion

AMENDMENT: Item 2 (It Box fund) removed from motion

Amendment passes

Only mandate SU to purchase barstools for use around It Box

Outcome

Motion passes


5/8

3. NUS DEMONSTRATION

Proposed by Matt Myers

National NUS Demonstration on Friday 21st

November in London

OUSU and several other colleges already supporting, funding and publicising

SU motion to:

Support and publicise NUS demo and related meeting

Donate 250 to OUSU coach fund taking students to London for demo

Questions

Q1. How to publicise?

A1. SU Email

Q2. Is coach travel free?

A2. 3 without college donation

If funded, everyone can go for freeNot same as donating to coach company

Q3. Are we buying OUSU coaches?

A3. No, hiring just for this occasion

Q4. Why 250?

A4. Wadham gave more last time (2010)

Estimated number covers everyone in room for SU meeting

Discussion OUSU supports demonstration

OUSU gives 50% of its full funds to it

In comparison: 250 not as much for Wadham

What is the demo?

Called for by NUS

Against white paper, tuition fee raise and many of the risks attached

its an absolute joke essentially

What does it hope to achieve?

Specification of proposals and demands

Empowerment of students Student mobilisation

Continuation from 2010

Government releases white paper gradually over time so that we cant do

one massive demo.

Conclusion

Mandate SU to publicise demo through communications, posters etc.

Mandate SU to donate 250 as coach fund

OutcomeMotion passes


6/8

4. OUSU MEETINGS

Proposed by Alex Cibulskis, SU Vice President

OUSU council (Wed, odd) and SU meetings (Sun, even) currently out of sync

Agenda for OUSU council released towards the end of even weeks

Currently not possible to get an all-Wadham opinion on OUSU agenda

Wadhams 3rd

OUSU vote currently unassigned

P/VP, OUSU Rep + one more for any relevant student

Week change ideal but constitutional mess bogs down motion

Motion to sync OUSU and SU meetings by:

Mandating VP to fix technical conflict in constitution

Changing Wadham SU meetings to same week as council

Introducing short OUSU-specific section to SU meetings

Questions

Q1. What will OUSU section add to SU meetings?A1. Wont add too much most of the time; occasional significant issue worth

discussing.

Q2. Does this affect whether we agree with OUSU things that have passed?

A2. Not directly, but it enhances communication by being in time with it

Q3. Clash with bop weekend?

A3. To be discussed, but minimal problem

Q4. How important is this?A4. All university-wide matters go through OUSU vote

Q5. Are OUSU meeting polarised?

A5. Depends: some motions pass through easily; some tricky motions to do with

politics more controversial

Q6. Does mandating presence at OUSU council require constitution?

A6. No

Discussion Wadham OUSU Rep should represent Wadham opinion rather than own

Meeting at start of the week = not many opinions developed?

OUSU section wont take long

OUSU council discusses key issues, but only in depth when theyre

particularly important

Agenda always given prior in OUSU email

Will we have to officially mandate the 3rd

Wadham vote?

SU VP to look at constitution

Quick efficient democratic procedure to find out who best for 3rd

person


7/8

Will the week change affect SU meeting attendance?

Mandate someone to take statistics on SU meetings to see difference?

VP offers to do this, but not important

Should be visible from common sense

Other factors contribute to SU meeting attendance

Conclusion

Mandate Vice President to edit constitution to facilitate week change

Starting next term (Hilary), Wadham SU meetings will be Sundays of odd weeks

OUSU section of SU meeting will highlight agenda of OUSU Council

Outcome

Motion passes

C: Matters for Discussion

1. SKY

Does Wadham want to join the campaign to get charitable status from Sky?

Proposed by Jahni Emmanuel, SU President

All JCRs pay for sky, some charitable, some not

Sky changed terms & conditions preventing charitable status for Wadham and

other colleges

Two methods to solve problem:

Possibly buying through college

Campaign to cancel sky and boycott Monetary impact on sky if 10 colleges boycott = 60000

Many other colleges considering joining

Campaign previously discussed in pipeline in Trinity last year; now revisited

Questions

Q1. What is the charities rate?

A1. 600 rather than 6000 (normal rate)

Q2. If we dont get charities rate, what do we do?

A2. Can go back to Sky, but strength of campaigns argument relies on boycott

Q3. Can SU still get charitable status?

A3. Very difficult as Sky still wont support

Discussion

Buying through college not discussed last year?

Would be best and straightforward option

Doubtful about whether college will do it

On account of principles rather than costs

i.e. Wadham College doesnt want to pay Sky


8/8

If college buy, wont Sky also charge them 6000?

No, college has full unquestionable charitable status

What is the likelihood of Sky reacting to this?

In Skys interest, they will simply make changes to their policies, rather than

listen to college campaign?

Sky is based regionally

Not going to affect the national corporation, but regional Sky might react

Factor of cost in the event of a boycott

Other JCR opinions/involvement: Oriel & two others already charitable

Clearer sense that other JCRs Oxford-wide must support and not pay 6000

For every one college that doesnt boycott, nine more colleges need to

Sky doesnt just lose one 6000, future years will affect

Chance that college boycotts one year, but next year wants to go back,

nullifying effect of first boycott.

No scope for negotiation with Sky now?

Definitely no, only options are college or boycott.

Conclusion

PLAN OF ACTION:

President & Treasurer will ask college

JCR Presidents meeting on Tues

Will bring discussion to next SU meeting to gain more opinions

SU agreement to say that Wadham is interested in supporting campaign

Not committing to boycott yet

2. LEAVING PRESENTS FOR STAFFProposed by John Owen

Gary Cook (Head Butler) leaving this term

Jim Doyle (Head Porter) leaving end of this year

MCR and college both buying presents

JCR also wish to show appreciation

What shall we get?

100 budget

Decorate JCR with portraits? Motion to decide gift?

SU can just buy presents

THE END.

Documents

Wadham SU Minutes 2012 MT6