2013 Committee Lunch

By admin, 30 March, 2022
Date of Meeting

    2013 Committee Lunch

    Date: Wednesday 5th week, Trinity 2013 (2013-05-22)

    Present: Alex Bartram (President), Hannah Smith (Vice-President (Administrative)), Isaac Rose (Secretary), Emma Livingston (Treasurer), Angus Hawkins (Lindsay), Thomas Wainford (Dr. WHO), Rosie Bettle (Dr. WHO), Max Dalton (Foody), Duncan Shepherd (Foody), Jack Banner (Academic Affairs and Careers Officer), Samuel Atwell (Access and Admissions Officer), Jamie Mawhinney (Access and Admissions Officer), Caitlin Tickell (Affiliations Officer), Anonymous (Affiliations Officer), Alex Copestake (Charities and RAG Officer), Sam Bumby (Charities and RAG Officer), Oliver House (Design & Maintenance Officer), Harry Parkin (Design & Maintenance Officer), Anna Blum (Student Disabilities Officer), Joshua Jones (Entz Officer), Marcus Watson (Entz Officer), James Rainey (Environment & Ethics Officer), Molly Rogers (Environment & Ethics Officer), Ben Crome (John de Balliol), Paul Moroz (John de Balliol), Lukas Freund (Ethnic Minorities Officer), William Toher (Ethnic Minorities Officer), Emily Barradell (LGBTQ Officer), Richard May (LGBTQ Officer), David Janz (Website & Computing Officer), Alice Beech (Women's Officer)

    Agenda


    1. Matters Arising
    2. Veggie Food [Alex Bartram]
    3. Stewarding [Alex Bartram]
    4. Charities GM [Isaac Rose]
    5. June Jamboree [Emma Livingston]
    6. Glasses [Angus Hawkins]
    7. Discussion Forums and Suggestion Boxes [Hannah Smith, Isaac Rose]
    8. Freshers’ Week GM [Hannah Smith]
    9. A gripe [Marcus Watson]
    10. Another gripe [Josh Jones]
    11. Rustications [Isaac Rose]
    12. Welfare Tea [Rosie Bettle]
    13. AOB

    Minutes


    1. Matters Arising
      • Rugby Funding: DS said that the College had agreed to fund the touch rugby trials.
      • OUSU Controversial Motions: IR said that this had been discussed last term but had been forgotten about. He said he would organise a meeting at the weekend to sort out a system to be voted on at the upcoming GM.
      • JCR Laptop: EL said that the budget for the laptop was finalised.
    2. Veggie food [Alex Bartram]
      • AB informed Committee that he and HS had encountered a few difficulties when they took the ‘Less Meat, More Veg’ proposal to Catering Committee. He noted that the MCR were in favour, the finance bursar had had not strong opinion and that James Forder was sympathetic. However he said that the Chef had taken offence to the suggestions. HS said that the Chef had begrudgingly agreed to do a trial run, but said he may need chasing up on this.
      • Both AB and HS suggested that it would be good to take a proposal to College exec, which made the decision; as this was representing the JCR. HS said it was unclear as to what the chef wanted, while MW said that given we were ignorant with regards to mass catering, we should be wary of offending him. AB stressed that the matter would be taken forward, but with sensitivity and care.
    3. Stewarding [Alex Bartram]
      • AB asked whether anybody on the Committee would be willing to steward on the day after the Ball, and on the day of the Ball. Noted that the situation was chaotic as everyone who live in college would be kicked out on the Friday. SB sought clarification—what about those who had exams on the Friday. TW and RB said that this was being sorted out. Nobody volunteered.
    4. Charities GM [Isaac Rose]
      • IR asked the Committee when they wanted to have the Charities GM. It was decided that Sunday of 7th would be good. IR took this opportunity to remind everyone that they would have to submit a report.
    5. June Jamboree [Emma Livingston]
      • EL sought the Committee’s advice on whether to get a hog roast or solicit Mission Burrito. HS asked if people would be able to view the pig at the hog roast, EL said that yes, they would. The Committee decided in favour of the hog roast. WT asked how the demand for the vegetarian option would be estimated, EL said that she was anticipating around a quarter. WT said that there may be more vegetarians than usual, given the nature of the hog roast. AB said that there had been a run on vegetarian options at the Somerville Ball, and suggested that EL erred on the side of caution. MW said that the vegetarian food at Somerville had been really nice, explaining why it had disappeared. IR ask what would happen to the leftover food, saying it would be enormously wasteful if it were thrown away and morally dubious considering the homeless problem in Oxford. EL said she would enquire.
    6. Glasses [Angus Hawkins]
      • AH said that all the glasses had disappeared again. ET said that at Keble there was a 50p deposit on all glasses, and suggested that the Lindsay Bar implemented this.
    7. Discussion Forums and Suggestion Boxes [Hannah Smith, Isaac Rose]
      • HS noted that last year a motion had been brought to the GM which was complaining about the problem of sick on staircases after bops. It wanted merely to instigate discussion, rather than necessarily propose solutions, however it quickly became apparent that the GM was not the forum to do this. This had led her and IR to note that in the JCR there wasn’t really a way of getting people’s ideas in without also requiring them to present a solution. She noted that GMs served a definite purpose—to make decisions and pass resolutions, and said that the format was necessary to ensure that it was effective. Attempting to make the GM a forum where people could chat missed the point of what the GM was about, and risked undermining it. The solution to the problem which she and IR suggested was twofold: a series of suggestion boxes in the Laundry Room/Pidge Room; and a termly/bitermly discussion forum, open to all where the problems raised could be discussed and acted upon. Also noted that these forums would create a structure which could easily be used in the event of a big problem, such as the Domus Charge in 2011.
      • AC liked the idea, saying it identified a real problem—wondering whether there was a similar situation in place elsewhere. HS said not to her knowledge, while AB said that in Queens the President hung around in the bar regularly. MW echoed AC’s approval, saying that GMs had a focus on the motion and not necessarily the issues; and a more committee-like forum could be effective for getting things done. TW felt that the informal discussion groups were unnecessary, as the discussion could be held at Committee lunch, while CT felt that those individuals who put the suggestions in the box should feel welcome at the meeting where the issues were discussed, and questioned whether Committee lunch was indeed welcoming. HS echoed this, saying that a lot of people find Committee lunch intimidating—and the same was felt to GMs. Differentiating the different forums would be a good thing as it would strengthen the purpose of each forum. She said that there were currently lots of ways to fix things in the JCR, but most of them relied on the person with the problem having the confidence either to speak at GMs or approach Committee officers.
      • SB said that the forums could also help people write motions who were unfamiliar with the format, while WT said that while he liked the idea he wondered who would turn up to the discussion forums. AYB echoed this scepticism, adding that she felt issues like sick on the staircause were ones which needed to be sorted quick, and a termly/bitermly meeting would perhaps not suffice. The Committee gave its assent to the idea, and mandated HS and IR to go forward with it.
    8. Freshers’ Week GM [Hannah Smith]
      • HS said she would be sending a timetable out to College Exec regarding Freshers’ Week imminently, but wanted to ask the Committee whether they felt there should be a GM on the Sunday of Freshers week. She felt that there shouldn’t, not only because GMs in Freshers Week had traditionally been an alienating waste of time, but that the evening could be better used to help consolidate Freshers’ Week by having an event in the JCR through the watching of a film and the eating of pizza. CW said that on the Sunday of Freshers’ week the freshers were tired, and not really in the mood for the GM. RM felt it was important that the first GM was a good one. SB echoed this, saying that the most recent GM had been good because there had been really interesting debate; while his Freshers GM had been an example of mindless bureaucracy. PM wondered if there could be a Freshers’ week GM with a joke motion, but IR said that joke motions were never fun; GMs were only worthwhile when either something got done, or there was an interesting debate. He cited the ‘Less Meat, More Veg’ and the Slutwalk GMs as examples of good debate. BC cynically said that we couldn’t escape the fact that GMs were alienating, boring and full of jokes. EL suggested that included into the Pizza night could be a brief introduction to what the GM was, so Freshers’ had a better idea the following week. CW said that good GMs have relevant and important issues to discuss, and it was unlikely that the Freshers’ week GM would have this. The Committee decided to hold the GM at the end of first week, Michaelmas Term.
    9. A gripe [Marcus Watson]
      • MW said he was concerned that Officers were putting events on in the JCR and then expecting the Entz Officers to do all the legwork. He noted that both he and JJ were already busy as it was and didn’t have the time. Also noted that Officers didn’t have to clear putting on events through him and JJ, they should just do it! HP said that generally the task of helping set up non-Entz events was the job of the D&Ms—citing the superbowl. Said he’d be more than happy to do it.
    10. Another gripe [Josh Jones]
      • JJ complained that people had been using the speakers as a matter of course—such as at welfare tea. He noted that they were expensive, and he wanted them safe, so asked the Officers to use them with care, or preferably, not at all.
    11. Rustications (IR)
      • IR wanted to follow up the discussion had at the last Committee lunch, and suggested that a separate panel to discuss the issues surrounding rustications be formed. TW felt that this wasn’t necessary, although he felt it was a good idea to better inform people about the process of rustication, in order to demystify it. He suggested getting Doug involved in a Q&A session, in order to better inform people. AYB felt that the discussion should be postponed until JB could participate, and MD echoed this, stating that these issues came under the remit of AcAf.
      • HS said that the JCR was allowed to hold opinions independently and even contrary to college, and said that it wasn’t necessary to always go through Doug. CT felt that there was a discussion to be had about the College’s policy towards medical and academic rustications, and questioned the utility of getting Doug involved in that. TW and RB said they would go and get information from Doug.
    12. Welfare Tea [Rosie Bettle]
      • RB said that people had been approaching her asking for non-welfare Officers to get involved in Welfare Tea. She said this would be fine, and that it had happened in the past—although stressed that it was important that at least one individual who was welfare trained should be on hand. Asked the Committee for willing voulenteers.
    13. AOB
      • CT notified the Committee about OUSU council.
      • The meeting ended.

    Isaac Rose, Secretary