Council Agenda 5th Week Trinity 2007

a.    Minutes of the Previous Meeting
b.    Matters Arising from the Minutes   
c.    Ratifications in Council           
d.    Elections in Council
e.    Reports from the Sabbatical Officers   
f.    Reports from the Executive Officers who wish to make reports
g.    Questions to Members of the Executive   
h.    Emergency Motions           
i.    Passage of Motions Nem Con
j.    Motions of No Confidence or Censure
k.    First readings of Motions to Amend the Constitution or Standing Orders
l.    The Budget or Amended Budget
m.    Motions Authorising Capital Expenditure
n.    Other Motions
i.   motions affecting ousu members as ousu members
ii.  motions affecting ousu members as students at Oxford University
iii. motions affecting ousu members as members of the student movement
iv. motions affecting ousu members as residents of Oxford
v.  motions affecting ousu members as residents of the United Kingdom
vi. motions affecting ousu members as citizens of the world
o.    Any Other Business


k.    First readings of Motions to Amend the Constitution
or Standing Orders


1.    Environment & Ethics Committee

Council notes
1.    That most OUSU Committees are coordinated by a system of Co-Chairs having authority within that committee, these being elected by the committee and ratified by this Council.
2.    That OUSU’s Environment Committee has, in recent years, been one of OUSU’s most active, well attended, and autonomous committees, especially in light of its recent merger with the OUSU Ethics Committee.
3.    That OUSU’s Environment & Ethics Committee has been mostly run this year by four Co-Chairs, who have taken on unofficial portfolio roles within the committee.

Council believes
1.    That while a system of Co-Chairs is a satisfactory way to run a small committee, it is an inefficient way to run a large one.
2.    That OUSU’s Environment & Ethics Committee would be able to make better use of its resources if it were coordinated by a more extensive executive structure.
3.    That this executive would work in partnership with the OUSU Vice President (Charities & Community) and the OUSU Part-time Executive Officer for Environment & Ethics.
4.    That such a system has already been seen to work well for the RAG Committee.

Council resolves
1.    To approve the creation of an executive structure for the Environment & Ethics Committee.
2.    To add clause “7. Environment & Ethics Committee” to schedule “D. The Executive and Committees” of the Standing Orders, which shall read:

D 7. Environment & Ethics Committee

7.1 Environment & Ethics Committee shall be a forum for relevant representatives from Constituent Organisations and open to any member of OUSU, and shall be responsible for campaigning in line with OUSU’s environmental and ethical policies, supporting the aforementioned representatives in their duties, and promoting good environmental and ethical practice within OUSU, the University, and its Colleges.

7.2 Environment & Ethics Committee shall be an open committee, but only certain members shall have voting rights. These shall be:
i. The OUSU Vice President (Charities & Community) and Part-time Executive officer for Environment and Ethics
    ii. The Environment & Ethics committee Executive
iii. Up to two representatives from each constituent organisation (e.g. an Environment and/or Ethics Rep)

Quorum at Environment & Ethics Committee shall be six voting members.

7.3 The Environment & Ethics Executive shall be elected by the Environment & Ethics Committee and ratified by OUSU Council, and the timings of the elections shall be decided by the Vice President (Charities & Community) after consultation with the committee, and with appeal to the OUSU Executive. Any member of OUSU may stand for a position on the Executive. The positions shall be as follows, and their responsibilities shall include:
i. Chair – to chair committee meetings, and to coordinate the executive, campaigns, and the production of the OUSU Environment & Ethics Handbook.
ii. Secretary – to minute meetings, maintain a list of voting members, maintain mailing lists, and assist communication within the committee.
iii. Energy Officer – to lead campaigns on energy efficiency, carbon emissions, and related areas.
iv. Recycling Officer – to lead campaigns on recycling and related areas.
v. Biodiversity Officer – to lead campaigns on conservation, biodiversity, and University and/or College food procurement, and related areas.
vi. Ethics Officer – to lead campaigns on ethics, and to liaise with and support University societies focusing on specific ethical issues.
vii. Publicity & Press Officer – to coordinate publicity and awareness of the committee’s campaigns and events (both on- and offline), to coordinate links with the student media and external organisations, and to maintain the committee’s web presence.
 
Proposed: Imran Khan (Christ Church)  Seconded: Neil Bowerman (Keble)

 
2.    ‘Oxford Student’ Constitution

Council notes
1.    The creation of a working party convened to draw up a constitution for The Oxford Student, consisting of representatives of the OUSU Executive, OUSU Council and the newspaper.
2.    This working party has now completed a draft of the constitution which is now being presented to Council.

Council believes
1.    That the draft constitution drawn up by the working party should be accepted and added to the OUSU Constitution and Standing Orders.

Council resolves
1.    To strike Article F clause 3.1 (d) from the constitution and re-write it as follows, “All Publications shall be bound by OUSU Policy, except for The Oxford Student which shall be exempt from OUSU policy and thus it shall be editorially independent under the rules and provisions of The Oxford Student constitution as laid down in the Standing Orders.”
2.    To strike Standing Orders Article F 7.11 and replace it with the following, “Complaints arising out of any publication, except for The Oxford Student which shall be governed by the complaints procedure outlined in The Oxford Student Constitution as laid down in the Standing Orders, shall be referred to the Chair of the Publications Complaints Committee who shall call a tribunal of three members, not otherwise involved in the matter, elected under 6.8 above. Tribunal shall, at its own discretion, hear evidence, call witnesses & reject, uphold or uphold part of the complaint. It shall reach its decisions by a simple majority of the members of the Tribunal, excluding the chair. The chair shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie. All rulings shall be reported to Council at the earliest opportunity.”
3.    To strike all references to The Oxford Student in the Standing Orders, specifically the entirety of Article F 7.6 and 7.7, except for those pertaining to the conduct of the newspaper in Article C – Elections and Referendums.
4.    To add the attached to the Standing Orders as Article M, entitled “The Oxford Student Constitution”:

Proposed: Ed Mayne (Mansfield)  Seconded: Cat Armitage (St Hugh’s)

 
3.    Oxide Radio

Council notes
1.    Oxide Radio currently does not appear anywhere in the OUSU Constitution, although a constitution for it has been drawn up and proposed to OUSU Council for inclusion in the Standing Orders.

Council believes
1.    Oxide Radio should appear in the OUSU Constitution.

Council resolves
1.    To rename Article F of the Constitution, “Article F – Finance, Publications and the Radio Station”.
2.    To add the following to the Constitution Article F, clause 4, entitled “The Radio Station” renumbering the subsequent clauses according, “4.1 OUSU shall broadcast Oxide Radio, which shall be exempt from OUSU policy and thus it shall be editorially independent under the rules and provisions of The Oxide Radio constitution as laid down in the Standing Orders.”

Proposed: Ed Mayne (Mansfield)  Seconded: Paul Arrich (New)

 
4.    ‘Oxide Radio’ Constitution

Council notes
1.    The creation of a working party convened to draw up a constitution for Oxide Radio, consisting of representatives of the OUSU Executive, OUSU Council and the Radio Station.
2.    This working party has now completed a draft of the constitution which is now being presented to Council.

Council believes
1.    That the draft constitution drawn up by the working party should be accepted and added to the OUSU Constitution and Standing Orders.

Council resolves
1.    To strike Standing Orders Schedule 5 B 1.2 and replace it with, “Oxide Radio Station Manager”.
2.    To add the attached to the Standing Orders as Article N of Schedule One, entitled “The Oxide Radio Constitution.”

Proposed: Ed Mayne (Mansfield)  Seconded: Paul Arrich (New)

 




5.    Publications Complaints

Council notes
1.    The procedure for dealing with complaints relating to publications in the OUSU Standing Orders is to delegate the matter to the Publications Complaints Committee.
2.    This committee is effectively defunct, no new members have stood for election to it in over a year and the committee has not met to resolve any complaints for even longer than that.
3.    In practice, all complaints relating to publications are dealt with by the OSSL Board, which comprises the President, Vice-President (Finance), Business Manager and General Manager ex-officio, and 5 members elected from the OUSU Executive.

Council believes
1.    All complaints relating to publications should be resolved by the OSSL Board.

Council resolves
1.    To strike clause 7.10 and replace it with the following: “Complaints arising out of any publication, except for The Oxford Student which shall be governed by the complaints procedure outlined in The Oxford Student Constitution as laid down in the Standing Orders, shall be referred to the Chairperson of the OSSL Board and subsequently resolved by the OSSL Board.”
2.    To strike from the Standing Orders Schedule One Article F, clauses, 7.11, 7.12 and 7.13, renumbering subsequent clauses accordingly.
3.    To strike Standing Orders Schedule One Article H 3.1 (a) and replace it with the following, “The Complaints Procedure laid down in this sub-section shall not be deemed to apply to any matter within the jurisdiction of the OSSL Board, as specified in Standing Orders Schedule One Article F 7.10.”
4.    To replace the reference to “the Publications Complaints Committee” in Schedule Six A 3.4, with “the OSSL Board”.

Proposed: Ed Mayne (Mansfield)  Seconded: Andrea Miller

 
l.    The Budget or Amended Budget

1.    OUSU Budget and Accounts

Council Notes and Accepts
1.    The Attached OUSU Budget 2007 – 2008 and the OUSU Accounts 2005 – 2006

Proposed: Ed Mayne (Mansfield)  Seconded: Alan Strickland (Merton)

 
n.    Other Motions


1.    Oxbridge Essays

Council notes
1.    Oxbridge Essays, a company which markets itself as “the UK’s leading provider of 1st Class and 2:1 custom-written essays and dissertations […] several of them unique, and all written by Experts from Oxford and Cambridge.”
2.    The recent aggressive marketing strategy used by Oxbridge Essays to recruit Oxford students as essay writers, including mass-pidging and emailing of individual students.
3.    The company’s attempts to advertise in the Oxford Student newspaper, which the OSSL Board rejected.
4.    That it is an offence, under the University's Statute XI Code of Discipline, for any member of the University to provide essay-writing services in circumstances where the work may be used illicitly in examinations at Oxford or elsewhere.

Council believes
1.    That the activities Oxbridge Essays and similar companies promote undermine Higher Education and the honest efforts of students to work hard to achieve a degree.
2.    That OUSU should actively discourage students from taking part in these activities, especially if they are likely to face disciplinary proceedings as a result.
3.    That OUSU should not advertise or promote in any way companies such as Oxbridge Essays.
4.    That if students are taking part in these activities due to lack of money, we need to assess the current financial support system in place and seek to improve it.

Council resolves
1.    To ban Oxbridge Essays and similar companies from advertising in any and all of OUSU and OSSL media.
2.    To support the University and Proctors’ stance with regard to essay-writing services.
3.    To mandate the President to research the current bursary provision and financial support available at Oxford, and to campaign for increased funds if current provisions are judged to be inadequate.

Proposed: Helen Bagshaw (Balliol) Seconded: Imran Khan (Christ Church)

 
2.    OUSY™
 
Council notes
1.    OUSU’s popularity is at a new low with colleges seceding, JCR presidents rebelling against executive, and an apathetic view from most of its own constituent members
2.    Many students are almost completely uninterested in or unaware of what OUSU does; only 38% of those polled by the Cherwell recognized Alan Strickland, while incoming president Martin McCluskey was voted for by a mere 1726 students
3.    Those who do know about OUSU often take a dim view of it due to its high level of bureaucracy, perceived Labour Club bias and financial crisis
 
Council believes
1.    That these existing problems could easily be swept under the rug with a good publicity campaign
2.    Too often OUSU executive members are seen as joyless bureaucrats; they would do well to have a comic foil
3.    Professionally made, custom-designed mascot suits are available for £200-300, around half of the OUSU publicity budget
4.    Ousy™, the OUSU mascot, would raise awareness and appreciation of OUSU, its executive, and the service it provides through his wacky and jovial antics
5.    Students would be more prepared to listen to someone in a fuzzy blue suit talk about and provide student services than members of OUSU executive

Council resolves
1.    To fund an OUSU mascot as per the specifications in the recently published Ousy™ manifesto

Proposed: Max Seddon (Magdalen)  Seconded: James Macadam (Keble)

AMENDMENTS

c.    Ratifications in Council

Assistant Business Managers    Christine Quigley
    Olivia Bailey

Oxford and Cambridge Careers Handbook Editors    Mark Taylor
    Imran Khan

Oxford Handbook Editors    Annie McDermott
    Hannah Kuchler

Freshers Guide and Living Out Guide Editor    Cat Clark

Publications Assistants (to work consecutively)    Rose Goddard
    Kate McMullen
    Gavin Abbs

Photo Editor    Sarah Parlour