Minutes

Name of Committee Union Council
Date and time 8th June 2015, 11:00
Place The Cube
Present Members
(voting)
Chair of Council Ben Morton
President David Mendoza-Wolfson
Physical Sciences & Engineering Faculty Officer Giles Howard
Vice President Democracy and Creative Industries Megan Downing
Vice President Student Communities Anjit Aulakh
Wessex Scene Editor Tahlie Cooper
Surge Radio Station Manager Hannah Mylrea Hemmings
Union Councillor Steven Osborn
Post-Graduate (Taught) Students Officer Ed Baird
Engineering and Environment Faculty Officer Shruti Verma
RAG Officer Jenny Bortoluzzi
SUSUtv Station Manager Joanna Sheldon
Intramural Officer Jamie Wilson
Clubs and Societies Officer Chris McGeehan
Ethical and Environmental Officer Lydia Butler
Vice President Welfare Beckie Thomas
The Edge Editor Rebecca James
Vice President Sport Development Katie Lightowler
Union Councillor Umang Rajdev
Equality & Diversity Officer Sam Bailey
Union Councillor Alexander Howard
Union Councillor Catriona Philip
Vice President Engagement Ellie Cawthera
Nightline Officer Luke Hashman
Union Councillor Frazer Delves
Absent with Apologies Student Enterprise Officer Catherine Williams
Vice President Education Sophia D'Angelico
International Students' Officer Shailesh Agarwal
Wellbeing Officer Holley Barclay
Performing Arts Officer Anna Kent - Muller
Southampton General Hospital Officer Leo McCormick Matthews
Team Southampton Sports Officer David Lawrence
Sports Participation Officer Christie Matthews
Social and Human Sciences Faculty Officer Rhys Thomas
Winchester Site Officer Juliette Bijoux
Union Councillor Xiaofan Shao
Absent without Apologies Natural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Officer Lilian Ward
Union Councillor Indrajit Naskar
Humanities Faculty Officer William Cable
Union Councillor David Wikramaratna
Union Films Cinema Manager Sophie Isherwood
Union Councillor Vansha Sethi
Post-Graduate Officer (Research) Ioan Alexandru Barbu
Halls Officer Frankie Mouat
Business and Law Faculty Officer Stephanie Kritikou
Union Councillor Megan Webster
Medicine Faculty Officer Bobby Bullingham
Union Councillor Daniel Browning
Union Councillor Rachel Winter

Actions and Decisions

TypeDescriptionWho
Decision Appointment of 2015's Honorary Life memberships were approved by Council
Decision Appointment of Mark Beattie as External Trustee for a second term was approved by Couincil
Policy Ideas
1. Ideas discussion session
Attached:
Formal Business
2. Welcome and apologies

The Chair welcomed members to the meeting. He read a letter from Juliette Bijoux, Winchester (Site) Officer, regarding Policy Proposal 1415P32 (Condemning the NUS for supporting BDS).

Also present were Jade Head, Darren Richardson, Bruno Russell, Will Yeong, Alex Hovden, Ben Franklin (Union President-elect), Kerry Sclater (Vice-President Democracy & Creative Industries-elect), Amy Paraskeva (Ethics and Environment Officer-elect), Elizabeth Rabett (Sports Participation Officer-elect). Luke Hashman was present as acting Nightline Officer (non-voting).

3. Minutes of the last meeting

The minutes of the last meeting can be found here.

The minutes were approved on an electronic vote (Yes: 23, No: 1).

4. Matters arising from the previous meeting

There were no matters arising from the previous meeting.

Membership and Financial
5. Membership matters

a. Appointment of Honorary Life Members

The appointments of Honorary Life Members were approved on a clear show of voting cards.

b. Appointment of an External Trustee

The appointment of an External Trustee was approved on a clear show of voting cards.

6. Financial matters

a. Approval of capital planning

The two items which required the approval of Council, items C and D, were approved on a clear show of voting cards.

7. Feedback from today's session

1. Ideas and Open Discussion Facebook Page (Megan Downing)

Megan Downing thanked Council for their input, and noted that the next officer team would work on a plan of action and put together some guidelines.

2. Spaces in SUSU (Chris McGeehan)

Chris McGeehan noted that this idea had had good support. It would be coming as a Policy Proposal shortly.

3. Accessible events (Edmund Baird, Samuel Bailey)

Beckie Thomas said there had been general agreement with this, and noted the amendment to the connected Policy Proposal.

4. Grad Ball Committee (Ben Franklin)

David Mendoza-Wolfson noted good support for this idea.

5. Socially Responsible Investment (Lydia Butler)

Beckie Thomas said there had been a positive response in favour of promoting socially responsible investment instead of pushing for divestment.

6. Student consultation on the rebrand (Frazer Delves)

David noted that there had been general agreement on this matter, and that the Proposal would be returning shortly.

7. Rebrand Referendum (Jenny Bortoluzzi)

David noted that this has been referred to the Union President to bring to Trustee Board.

8. Action from previous ideas session

1. Engaging students with the AGM

Megan Downing noted that this had fed into the planning for the Democracy Review, and that Kerry Sclater would be working on this next year.

2. Publicity and advertisement space in the Union and at the University

David Mendoza-Wolfson said that he had spoken to the University about this issue and that he was keen to have more spaces around campus. The guidelines for the Union would be available soon. 

3. Improving our technical offerings and support to societies

Ellie Cawthera reported that work was underway on this.

4. Engagement with Winchester Students

Anjit Aulakh said he would mention this in his Officer Report shortly. 

5. Postgraduate Community

Anjit reported that he was working on a structure with Sophia D'Angelico, and that he hoped to have this ready for next week.

9. Policy proposals

a. Rebrand Student Consultation (1415P24)

Proposed: Frazer Delves, Union Councillor; Seconded: Jenny Bortoluzzi, RAG Officer

Frazer, speaking for, said that the idea had been discussed at the April meeting of Council, and as a major decision, there should be considerable student consultation. 

There were no further speeches.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

b. Rebrand Referendum (1415P25)

Proposed: Jenny Bortoluzzi, RAG Officer; Seconded: Giles Howard, Physical Sciences and Engineering Faculty Offcer

  • This Proposal was not moved, as it had been referred to the Union President to bring to Trustee Board, following the Ideas Discussion session at the start of the meeting.

c. Accessible events (1415P26)

Proposed: Edmund Baird, Postgraduate Students' Officer (Taught); Seconded: Samuel Bailey, Equality and Diversity Officer

Speaking for, Sam said that it was important that our events were inclusive, and this touched upon some issues raised at the Accesibility Forum with disabled students in November. 

Speaking for the amendment, David noted that it was sometimes not physically possible to provide access, and that the proposers supported this amendment.

There were no further speeches.

  • The amendment was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

There were no further speeches on the Proposal, as amended.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

d. Securing Night-time Student Safety (1415P27)

Proposed: Beckie Thomas (Chair), on behalf of Student Life Zone Committee

Speaking for, Beckie stressed that this Proposal was not about cutting the safety bus, depsite reports in student media. There were a number of issues with the current service, and this would allow next year's Student Life Zone to decide how to reform this service.

There were no further speeches.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

e. Spaces in SUSU (1415P28)

Proposed: Chris McGeehan, Student Groups Officer

Speaking for, Chris said that this subject has been generally discussed at length in various forums. This proposal would be a basis for working on space discussions, and we could have individual discussions based on this.

There were no further speeches.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

f. Improving student engagement in our events (1415P29)

Proposed: David Mendoza-Wolfson, Union President; Seconded: Ben Franklin, Union President-elect

Speaking for, Ben said that he believed the Policy was simple, and spoke for itself in encouraging more student involvement in Grad Ball planning in future.

There were no further speeches.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

g. Socially Responsible Investment (1415P30)

Proposed: Lydia Butler, Ethical and Environmental Officer; Seconded: Beckie Thomas, VP Welfare

Speaking for, Lydia said that she thought the timing of this Proposal was important. She believed that this reflected a more positive approach, and that there were campaigns coming up that could target the university negatively. She did not think that that was the right way forward, but that this approach would help us engage with the community.

There were no further speeches.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

h. Amendments to the Complaints Procedure (Rule 8) (1415R3)

Proposed: Megan Downing (Chair), on behalf of Democracy Zone Committee

Megan briefly sumamrised the proposed changes.

There were no further speeches.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

i. Notice and papers for Zone Committees (1415R4)

Proposed: Megan Downing (Chair), on behalf of Democracy Zone Committee

Megan noted that these amendments reflect current practice, but that it was good to put them into the Rules.

There were no further speeches.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

j. Renaming the RAG Officer (1415R5)

Proposed: Megan Downing (Chair), on behalf of Democracy Zone Committee

Megan noted that the current title didn't adequately reflect the role.

There were no further speeches.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

k. Returning & Deputy Returning Officers (1415R6)

Proposed: Megan Downing (Chair), on behalf of Democracy Zone Committee

Megan noted that this would formalise the current process for appointing ROs and DROs.

There were no further speeches.

  • The Proposal was passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

l. Emergency Policy Proposal - Securing the old Union Films office for use by Student Groups (1415P31)

Proposed: Steven Osborn, Union Councillor

  • Jade Head (Chair of Council-elect) took the Chair.

Speaking for, Steven said that he had noticed a related proposal in the papers for Item 6a (Approval of Capital Planning). He believed that as the office was designed as a space for student groups, it should be kept as such. He said that it could be used as storage in the short term, and then for the use of student groups.

  • David Mendoza-Wolfson moved Procedural Motion C (to refer the question to another person or body), namely to refer the question to Trustee Board.

Speaking for the Procedural Motion, David said that he believed that the allocation of space within the Union Building should be a matter for Trustee Board. He stated that the proposer of the Proposal supported this amendment.

There were no further speeches.

  • The Procedural Motion was passed, on a clear show of voting cards. The Proposal was therefore referred to Trustee Board.
  • Ben Morton resumed the Chair.

m. Emergency Policy Proposal - Condemning the NUS for supporting BDS (1415P32)

Proposed: David Mendoza-Wolfson, Union President

Speaking for, David explained the background to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. He noted that BDS was condemned by people from both sides of the Israel-Palestine debate, and that the effect was that BDS would either boycott Israeli Palestinians, or just Jewish Israelis – and that that would be anti-Semitic.

He stated that BDS was not just about the economy of Israel, but also affected academics and cultural performers, and noted that academics were often the most active in supporting a two-state solution in the region.

  • Frazer Delves moved Procedural Motion E (to move to an informal discussion).

He said that he agreed with the Proposal, but that he had questions, and would also like to hear the letter from Juliette Bijoux again. There were no further speeches.

  • The Procedural Motion passed, on a clear show of voting cards.

On Frazer’s request, the Chair read the letter from Juliette again. Frazer said he believed that Council should take her comments into consideration.

Frazer asked David if there was any evidence of increased tensions as a result of BDS being passed at other students' unions? David said that the Union of Jewish Students and the Anti-Defamation League said that they had found that this happened at the University of Sussex.

Frazer asked what form a condemnation of the National Union of Students would take? David said that no money would be spent doing so, but that he would put out a statement. He noted that Universities UK has also put out a statement of condemnation.

Steven Osborn said that his main concern was that Israel-Palestine was a big debate, and that he was not sure whether we should take a firm stance, as it relates to that wider issue. David said that he believed that to condemn an organisation for anti-Semitism was an ok thing to do, and that although he would also support a two-state Proposal, this was about something very specific.

Alex Hovden asked what we could do to persuade NUS to overturn their decision? David said that he believed this was a good way to go about it, and noted that the Union of Jewish Student has already strongly condemned the decision by NUS.

Lydia Butler said that she supported the Proposal, and asked whether, considering the recent proposed conference on Israel-Palestine at the University, we should take any stance, as that had aroused considerable debate and discussion. David said that it was neither here nor there, as the conference did not relate to a proposed boycott.  Lydia noted that it had drawn media attention and prompted student awareness? David said that if we get media attention, this is a good thing.

  • Megan Downing moved Procedural Motion D (to move to the vote).

Megan said that she believed Council should now move onto other items on the agenda. There were no further speeches.

  • On an electronic vote, the votes were tied (Yes: 8, No: 8, Abstain: 4). The Chair used his casting vote to vote against the Procedural Motion, and so it accordingly was not passed.

Jamie Wilson asked if Council could see any statement before it goes out? David said that he would be happy to send it around before it was published.

Ellie Cawthera said that she agreed that the decision by NUS had been bad, but said that as a relatively uninformed student she didn’t know enough to understand why they would have voted that way. David said that, in his opinion, the argument for BDS was that the quickest way to get justice was to stop Israeli people from living their ordinary lives.

Darren Richardson noted that Council had just passed a Policy saying we don’t support divestment as a strategy, and that BDS was very similar to this.

Shruti Verma said that, whilst she was opposed to anti-Semitism, she believed that the issue of BDS presented the same problems as the debate around the industrial action by University staff earlier in the year. She did not believe that Council would be informed enough to make a fair judgement on the issue, and that it was not an issue that we should be getting involved in as a students’ union– [Interruption].

Sam Bailey said it was important to note that we did not take stance against divestment as a tactic, just that it’s use as part of a fossil-free campaign would not be good for the University.

  • Frazer Delves moved Procedural Motion J (that a particular person be excluded from the remainder of the meeting), that David Mendoza-Wolfson be excluded.

Speaking for, Frazer said that he believed the way that David had just spoken to an elected representative was nothing short of disgrace, and that he should be removed from the rest of the meeting.

Speaking against, Chris McGeehan said that this was clearly an emotive issue, and that David had clearly removed himself from the meeting, and should be allowed to continue with the rest of the meeting if and when he returned.

  • On an electronic vote, the votes were tied (Yes: 8, No: 8, Abstain: 7). The Chair used his casting vote to vote against the Procedural Motion, and so it accordingly was not passed.
  • The meeting was suspended for five minutes.

On resuming, David apologised to Council, and explained that this was a very emotive subject for him.

There were no further speeches.

  • On an electronic vote, the Proposal was not passed (Yes: 10, No: 12, Abstain: 4)

 

Attached:
Accountability
10. Zone reports and updates

There were no Zone reports to this meeting. The Spring Elections report was circulated following the meeting, and is attached.

11. Disciplinary and Appeals committee reports
12. Officer reports and questions

a. 14-15 Attendance of Union Council Members, Student Trustees & Reps

b. Officer reports

c. Questions to officers

Ellie Cawthera drew attention to Launch Pad, the General Election campaign and the Big Give, which set a new record (£7,579.05). Ellie thanked the Union for having her as VP Engagement.

Katie Lightowler mentioned work on intra-mural, mental health in sport and capital expenditure confirmations. She also noted the election of the brand new Sports Participation Committee, and that the new Athletic Union Committee.

Megan Downing noted that the Democracy Review timeline had been approved by the Zone Committee, and she was working on the Project Initiation Document for the Student Media Review next year. The Student Leader Conference had had a good discussion around a Student Leader Forum and what that might look like, and she had also attended many celebration events. She thanked her Student Leaders for all their work during the year.

On behalf of Sophia, David said that she had done a tremendous amount of work this year, including work for the QAA review, which had paid off.

Anjit Aulakh thanked his student leaders for their hard work, and informed Council that £65k had been secured for the Winchester shuttle bus to start next year.

Beckie Thomas noted that her Sabb Plan was 100% complete, and mentioned in particular work around mental health, Soton Speak Up and Good Night Out. She thanked the Union for everything, and said that although she didn’t know much about the Union when she started, it had been amazing, and thanked in particular her student leaders.

David Mendoza-Wolfson praised the work of the Student Trustees this year, and noted that a lot of change had been started: on expanding the Team Southampton brand, the General Election campaign, mental health, the Winchester shuttle, and lots of work in Democracy. He thanked everyone for supporting the officers and each other.

Q1: Megan said that she thought that the Summer Elections had gone well, and included the most contested election ever for Student Trustee, and a large number of votes for positions on the Wellbeing Committee.  The processes had all gone smoothly, and we had held the first Results Night for the Summer elections. In the future, there was work to do on increasing nominations, filling all the positions and getting more votes.

Q2: David said that he accepted he had not been particularly good at blogging, but preferred talking to students, and that he hoped Ben Franklin would be able to produce more blogs or vlogs. He noted that generally, drop-in style surgeries haven’t worked well.

Q3: Megan said she thought the responsibility was on the Sabbatical Officers to ensure that Zone Committee meetings are booked well in advance, and that lots are cancelled at the last minute and more needs to be done to ensure they happen.

13. Union Council Stars

Shailesh Agarwal was awarded a Union Council Star for successfully organizing the International Cultural Night on 24th April in Turner Sims. It was an amazing show with various international societies showcasing their culture, and was very well attended. He had put in a lot of effort and time into it. His dedication towards International students is just commendable. He always goes out of his way to help students feel at home.

He also played an important role on making the international citizens of Commonwealth countries aware that they are eligible to vote in General Elections 2015 - a step which definitely would have increased their engagement with society as well as SUSU.

Ben Morton was awarded a Union Council Star for his hard work and dedication as Chair of Union Council over the past year. David Mendoza-Wolfson, thanking him, said he did not think the Union had ever had a better Chair.

14. Any other business

There was no further business. The meeting closed at 1:25pm.

Key: P (Papers Provided), PF (Papers to Follow)