28.02.2012 minutes

Student Council Minutes Tuesday 28 February 2012 at 6.30pm in the Milton Lecture Theatre, Garrod Building.

Chair: Eleanor Hallam

Mile End Officers present (7): Ben Richardson (Student Representative) Donald MacKinnon (LGBT Officer) Edoardo Palombo (Welfare Officer)

Michael Gilbert (Postgraduate Officer) Ozzy Amir (Campaigns Officer) Tom Voice (Ethical and Environmental Officer

Ellen Kiely (RAG Officer)

Mile End Officers apologies (7): Caz Parra (Secretary) Ciara Squires (Student Representative) Darcie Tyler-Henley (Volunteering Officer) Dominic Todd (Sports Officer)

Shaun Ramanah (Students with Disabilities Officer) Wanda Canton (Women’s Officer) Wilson Wong (Societies’ Officer) - proxy

Barts and The London Officers present (10): Adnan Aslam (Dental Representative) - part Andrew Smith (Student Representative) Aran Ali (RAG Captain) Hannah Downer (Treasurer) Jon Cramphorn (VP Barts)

Mandi Pal (Secretary) Ramey Assaf (External Affairs Officer) Richard Donovan (SSLC Rep) Rob Zabihi (Dental Represenative) Sam Chequer (Welfare Officer)

Barts and the London Officer apologies (5):Amy Coulden (Entertainments Officer) Eva Pathmananthan Jeeves Wijesuriya (VP London) - proxy

Salem Al-Sawaf (Entertainments Officer) Tim Foster (Clubs and Societies’ Officer)

Faculty and Year Representatives present (3):Alex Schpektor (Humanties and Social Sciences Faculty Representative) Karishma Chouglay (Science and Engineering Faculty Representative)

Nicolas Meier (Year One and Foundation Representative)

Faculty and Year Representatives apologies (1):Andrew Williams (Medicine and Dentistry Faculty Representative) - proxy

Executive Officers in attendance: Sophie Richardson (President) Dominic Bell (Vice President Activities) George Ryan (Vice President Association)

Oscar Williamson (Vice President Education and Welfare) Sam Creighton (Vice President Communications)

Union Staff in attendance: Philip Gilks (Student Voice and Development Manager) Sarah Gifford (Volunteering Manger) Tom Sutton (Representation and Democracy Co-ordinator)

1.0 Apologies Apologies were noted and accepted. 2.0 Chair’s Welcome Announcements Chair welcomed members to the second meeting of the semester.

2.0.1 Resignations Noted the resignation of Nicolas Blondel (Barts and The London Campaigns Officer)

2.0.2 Campaigns and Student Council Awards Panel

Student Council nominated members of the Campaigns and Student Council Awards Panel:

- The Barts and The London Part-time Officers nominated were Adnan Aslam, and Rob Zabihi.

- The Mile End Part-time Officers nominated were Ben Richardson and Edoardo Palombo.

3.0 Minutes from the meeting of Student Council held on 31 January 2012

Noted and approved as an accurate record. 4.0 Officer Reports

Noted. 5.0 Executive Action Plan

Student Council received the February update of the Executive Officer Action Plan. 5.0.1 Question

Ozzy Amir asked a question on A Election Turnout - what were the Executive Officers opinions on the fall in overall voter turnout?

- Oscar Williamson replied that a review of the elections was underway. Possible factors included fewer Executive Officer posts, and new and unknown Student Representative and Part-time Officer posts.

- George Ryan added another possible factor may have been a lack of competitive atmosphere among the candidates.

5.0.2 Question

Edoardo Palombo asked a question on A Election Turnout - did a reduction in candidate budget have an impact on election turnout?

- Oscar Williamson replied that because a majority of candidates did not take up training opportunities prior to the close nominations, candidates were largely unaware of the limits of the budget which may have impacted upon their campaigning plans.

5.0.3 Question

Ozzy Amir asked a question on F You Talk. We Listen. - what was the status of You Talk. We Listen?

- Oscar Williamson replied that elections had been the focus of Executive Officer’s work above activities such as You Talk. We Listen.

5.0.4 Question

Edoardo Palombo asked a question on A Election Turnout – how could iPads and mobile polling stations be used more effectively?

- Dominic Bell replied that iPads had been more effective than stationary polling stations in Union outlets and will be included in the election review.

5.2 Vice President Communications Action Plan

Student Council received the February update of the Vice President Communications Action Plan.

5.3 Vice President Student Activities Action Plan Student Council received the February update of the Vice President Student Activities Action Plan.

5.3.1 Question

Ozzy Amir reported that students had found the ticket cost of attending the Club Sport Dinner too high. He asked a question on C3 Focus Sport and D Flagship Events - what was he doing to encourage students from widening participation groups to participate in student activities?

- Dominic Bell replied that the Get Active programme would help encourage students from widening participation groups to participate in sport. He would look at other measures over the summer.

5.4 Vice President Education and Welfare Action Plan Student Council received the February update of the Vice-President Student Education and Welfare Action Plan.

5.5 Vice President Association/BLSA President Action Plan

Student Council received the February update of the Vice President Association/BLSA President Action Plan.

Student Council accepted the report. 6.0 Amendment to the Articles of Association

Dominic Bell spoke for a motion to amend of the Articles of Association on the recommendation of College Council. He argued the changes were not fundamental, but had been sought by College Council to ensure the Union complied with 1994 Education Act. 6.1 Amendment

Noted an amendment proposed and accepted by the proposer of the motion Sophie Richardson.

Dominic Bell waved the summation.

Student Council voted for the motion.

- 21 members voted for - 0 members voted against - 1 member abstained

7.0 Club Sport Bye-Law and Societies Bye-Law

Dominic Bell spoke for a motion to create a separate ‘Societies’ and ‘Club Sport’ Bye-Law outlining the rules for the governance, support development and regulation of Union societies and sports clubs. He argued the bye-law introduced a range of changes, including a tiered funding structure for sports clubs and multiple bidding rounds for societies, that were beneficial to student activities.

7.3 Amendment

Noted an amendment proposed and accepted by the proposer of the motion Dominic Bell.

7.4 Amendment

The amendment was withdrawn. 7.5 Amendment The amendment was withdrawn 7.6 Amendment

George Ryan spoke for an amendment to change the membership and terms of the Societies and Club Sport Committees. He argued the amendment would follow the

same principle of fifty per cent representation for Barts and The London supported by the General Meeting on reforms to Student Council. Dominic Bell spoke against the amendment. He argued the current membership of the sports committees guaranteed the different types of sport representation. The amendment will create a bigger and therefore unworkable societies committee and club sport committee. George Ryan spoke for the amendment. He argued Barts and The London students would not be interested in standing to be a representative for certain types of sports clubs. The amendment, which would remove categorising different types of sports clubs, would allow keen and passionate people regardless of sports club background to take an active role.

Dominic Bell spoke against the amendment. He argued it was more important that different types of sports clubs were guaranteed representation rather than Mile End and Barts and The London sports clubs. Barts and The London students could seek election to be a representative for a certain type of sports club. The amendment could create structure dominated by big, powerful, well-established and well-funded sports clubs. George Ryan spoke for the amendment. He argued because the current membership allowed for cross-campus elections, Barts and The London students had less of an opportunity of winning election to the committee. Well-established sports clubs could not dominate the structure where one sports club had one vote. Dominic Bell spoke against the amendment. He argued representation for both campuses was guaranteed through the attendance of the Sports Officer (Mile End) and Sports Officer (Barts and The London). Student Council voted for the amendment.

- 13 members voted for - 7 members voted against - 2 members abstained

Dominic Bell gave the summation for the motion. He argued despite the adoption of the amendment the bye-laws proposed were a significant improvement.



8.0 Support for the Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) Campaign

Samson Williams spoke for a motion that sought union support for Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) campaign, a campaign aimed a widening international access to medicines and health technologies. He argued he required Union support to lobby the College to adopt an ethical approach to trading research.



9.0 433,000 Students

Dominic Bell spoke for a motion that resolved to propose a NUS National Conference motion to increase NUS support for London unions. He argued the motion would request additional NUS support for London Unions lobbying the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority (GLA) and other London-wide projects.

9.1 Clarification Oscar Williamson and Donald MacKinnon sought clarification over how the proposal related to the University of London Union (ULU).

- Dominic Bell responded that ULU was ineffective supporting London unions and NUS was better placed to deliver this support.

Chair moved to a vote.



10.0 Motion for the Proposal of a Budget reserved for Unfunded Societies and Sports Clubs

Edoardo Palombo spoke for a motion that proposed measures to boost the numbers of students involved in Union societies and sports clubs. He summarised the process outlined in the motion and argued that a new ring-fenced £3,000 budget would help new societies and sports clubs develop. Dominic Bell spoke against the motion. He argued the changes to the societies and sports clubs bye-law allowed new societies and sports clubs to apply for grants. Ring-fencing a £3,000 budget for new societies and sports clubs could lead to money being unspent. Edoardo Palombo spoke for the motion. He argued because of the changes to the membership of the societies committee may lead to big, powerful, well-established and well-funded societies could dominate funding decisions, which societies committee was empowered to make. Dominic Bell spoke against the motion. He argued different types of society were still represented in the societies committee. Edoardo Palombo gave the summation for the motion. He argued that a new ring-fenced £3,000 budget would help new societies and sports develop. Student Council voted against the motion.


11.0 A Motion for the introduction of an All Access Membership

Edoardo Palombo spoke for a motion to create an 'All Access Academia' pass to increase participation in academic-related societies. He argued the pass would help improve relationships students have across departments. Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted for the motion.


12.0 Protecting the teaching of students in SBCS

Oscar Williamson spoke for a motion to oppose and take action against the proposed staffing restructure in the School of Chemical and Biological Sciences (SBCS). He argued the plans to restructure would negatively affect the SBCS student experience. Chair moved to a vote.

Student Council voted for the motion. - 18 members voted for - 1 members voted against - 3 members abstained

13.0 Amendment to NUS National Conference Motion 301 'Postgraduate Funding and

Support' Michael Gilbert spoke for a motion to propose an amendment to a NUS National Conference motion on postgraduate funding. He argued the amendment the motion proposed was in line with current Union policy on free education and NUS should lobby for fully funded postgraduate education and living grants. Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted for the motion.

- 21 members voted for - 0 member voted against - 1 members abstained

14.0 Amendment to NUS National Conference Motion 302 'The Public Role of Higher

Education' Ross Speer spoke for a motion to propose an amendment to a NUS National Conference motion on protecting and promoting the social and economic impact of higher education. He argued the amendment the motion proposed was in line with current Union policy on free education and NUS should work with closely with trade unions and activist organisations. Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted for the motion.


15.0 Amendment to NUS National Conference Motion 305 'Higher Education Bill'

Ross Speer spoke for a motion that resolves to propose an amendment to a NUS National Conference motion on opposing the privatisation of higher education. He argued the amendment the motion proposed strengthened NUS’s opposition to the government’s higher education policy and the withdrawn higher education white paper. 15.1 Clarification

Andy Smith sought clarification on the phrase “indefinite student strike”. - Ross Speer clarified that the amendment the motion proposed that NUS should

call for students to walkout of class indefinitely until the Higher Education bill was dropped.

Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted for the motion.


16.0 Amendment to NUS National Conference Motion 402 'Defending the Right to Protest'

Donald Mackinnon for a motion that resolves to propose an amendment to a NUS National Conference motion on defending the right to protest. He argued the amendment the motion proposed strengthened NUS opposition to harsh policing tactics and added support for imprisoned students.

16.1 Clarification Sam Creighton sought clarification on the phrase “support imprisoned students”.

- Donald Mackinnon clarified that the amendment the motion proposed that NUS support imprisoned students arrested for acts of political protest.

Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted for the motion.

- 9 members voted for - 8 member voted against - 5 members abstained

17.0 Amendment to NUS National Conference Motion 404 'Eden Springs'

Ross Speer spoke for a motion to propose an amendment to a NUS National Conference motion to lobby against the activities of Eden Springs, an Israeli company that has bottling plants in illegally occupied territory. He argued the amendment the motion proposed added NUS opposition to Israeli policy and conduct.

Alex Schpektor spoke against the motion. He argued that Student Council voted against the boycotting of Israeli goods, as the motion proposed, earlier in the year.

Ross Speer spoke for the motion. He argued that Students’ Unions boycott of South African goods contributed to the fall of Apartheid. Students’ Unions should engage in politics and fight against injustices taking place around the world.

Alex Schpektor spoke against the motion. He argued the Palestine-Israeli conflict was so complicated the Union should avoid taking a stance.

Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted against the motion.


18.0 Amendment to NUS National Conference Motion 504 'Building a Generation Ready to

Shout ‘I AM THE CHANGE!’ Ross Speer spoke for a motion that resolves to propose an amendment to a NUS National Conference motion on developing student campaigning and activism. He argued the amendment the motion proposed instructed NUS to work with closely with trade unions and activist organisations and support students in direct action tactics such as occupations and walkouts. Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted for the motion.


19.0 Amendment to NUS National Conference Motion 604 'Prevent’

Ross Speer spoke for a motion that resolves to propose an amendment to a NUS National Conference motion on opposing the government's strategy to tackle extremism. He argued the measures in the Prevent strategy to tackle terrorism and extremism in institutions are unhelpful, inflammatory and discriminatory and the amendment the motion proposed added that NUS should oppose Prevent outright.

Chair moved to a vote.

Student Council voted for the motion. - 16 members voted for - 2 members voted against - 4 member abstained

20.0 Boycott NSS

Ross Speer spoke for a motion that resolves to propose a NUS National Conference motion to boycott the National Student Survey (NSS). He argued the NSS contributed to marketised higher education and cited criticism of the survey from the former Head of the Higher Education Academy. The NUS National Conference motion proposed that NUS should oppose and boycott the NSS. Oscar Williamson spoke against the motion. He argued the NSS provided useful evidence and information for lobbying for in improvement in the College. Ross Speer gave a summation for the motion. He argued the NSS was flawed and was not an appropriate source for measuring institutions’ quality and provision. Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted against the motion.


21.0 Bring Back EMA

Ross Speer spoke for a motion that resolves to propose a NUS National Conference motion to call for the re-instatement of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). He argued government’s cut to EMA was bad for social mobility and effected numbers of students from lower-income backgrounds attending further education. The NUS National Conference motion proposed that NUS call for immediate re-instatement of EMA and support student walkouts. Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted for the motion.


22.0 Twin with Egyptian Universities

Ross Speer spoke for a motion that resolves to propose a NUS National Conference motion to stand in solidarity with Egyptian students. He argued the NUS National Conference motion proposed that NUS should applaud Egyptian students that took action to remove a repressive regime and should support them through organising a twinning programme. Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted for the motion.


23.0 Re-instate Vik Chechi

Ross Speer spoke for a motion to issue support for Vik Chechi, the suspended Queen Mary Branch Secretary of the Trade Union Unison. He argued the union organiser had been suspended four months previous by the College for his Trade Union involvement. The motion called for him to be reinstated.

Student Council voted for the motion. - 10 members voted for - 3 members voted against - 9 member abstained

24.0 Come Clean - National Week of Action

Sophie Richardson spoke for a motion to take part in ‘NUS Come Clean Week’, a week of events including a student walkout on 14 March. She argued the action would show student opposition to the government’s higher education policy and the withdrawn higher education white paper. George Ryan spoke against the motion. He argued a student walkout was not an effective campaigning method. Chair moved to a vote. Student Council voted for the motion.


5.1 President Action Plan

Student Council received the February update of the President Action Plan.

5.1.1 Question Ozzy Amir asked a question on C1 NSS Question 23 - when is the net meeting of the group what is the progress?

- Sophie Richardson replied that the next meeting would take place in early March and would include a discussion on the Union’s potential rebrand.

Student Council accepted the report. 25.0 Time, date and place of next meeting

Tuesday 20 March at 6.30pm in Francis Bancroft Room 1.02.6.

officer: position: 5.0, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 6.0 7.0 7.6 8.0

for against abstain for against abstain for against abstain for against abstain for against abstain

Ben Richardson Student Representative X X X X X

Donald Mackinnon LGBT Officer X X X X X

Edoardo Palombo Welfare Officer X X X X X

Ellen Kiely RAG Officer X X X X X

Michael Gilbert Postgraduate Officer X X X X X

Ozzy Amir Campaigns Officer X X X X X

Tom Voice Ethical and Environmental Officer

X X X X X

Wilson Wong Societies Officer No record X X X X

officer: position: 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0









X X X X X

Wilson Wong Societies Officer X X X X X










X X X X X


officer: position: 24.0 5.1

for against abstain for against abstain

Ben Richardson Student Representative No record X

Donald Mackinnon LGBT Officer X X

Edoardo Palombo Welfare Officer X X

Ellen Kiely RAG Officer X X

Michael Gilbert Postgraduate Officer X X

Ozzy Amir Campaigns Officer X X


X X

Wilson Wong Societies Officer X No record



Andrew Smith Student Representative X X X X X

Aran Ali RAG Captain X X X X X

Hannah Downer Treasurer X X X X X

Jeeves Wijesuriya Vice-President London No record X X X X

Jon Cramphorn Vice-President Barts X X X X X

Mandi Pal Secretary X X X X X

Ramey Assaf External Affairs Officer X X X X X

Richard Donovan SSLC Representative X X X X X

Rob Zabihi Dental Representative X X X X X

Sam Chequer Welfare Officer X X X X X






Jeeves Wijesuriya Vice-President London X X X X X












Jeeves Wijesuriya Vice-President London X X X No record X









Andrew Smith Student Representative X No record

Aran Ali RAG Captain X No record

Hannah Downer Treasurer X No record

Jeeves Wijesuriya Vice-President London X No record

Jon Cramphorn Vice-President Barts X No record

Mandi Pal Secretary X No record

Ramey Assaf External Affairs Officer X No record

Richard Donovan SSLC Representative X X

Rob Zabihi Dental Representative X No record

Sam Chequer Welfare Officer X No record



Alex Schpektor Humanities and Social Sciences Representative

X X X X X

Andrew Williams Medicine and Dental Representative

X X X X X

Karishma Chouglay Science and Engineering Representative X X X X X

Nick Meier Year One and Foundation Representative

No record X X X X




X X X X X

Andrew Williams Medicine and Dental Representative

X X X X X



X X X X X




X X X X X

Andrew McWilliams Medicine and Dental Representative

X X X X X



X X X X X




X X X X X


X X X X X



X X X X X




X No record


X No record

Karishma Chouglay Science and Engineering Representative X No record


X No record

28.02.2012 minutes

Documents

officer reports

london officer apologies

london campaigns officer

societies officer faculty

parttime officer posts

executive officer action

fewer executive officer

unknown student representative