Council Agenda Termly Michaelmas 2007

i.    Election of Chair of Council
ii    Election of Returnng Officer
iii.    Termly Reports of the President and Vice-Presidents
iv.    Termly Reports of the Executive and Committee Chairs
v.    Constitutional Business (Second and Final Readings of Motions to Change the Constitution and Standing Orders)
 

iv.    Constitutional Business (Second and Final Readings of Motions to Change the Constitution and Standing Orders)

1.    Abolishing Council Delegates                              FINAL READING

first reading passed 3rd week trinity 2007
second reading passed termly council trinity 2007

Council notes
1.    OUSU used to be centrally affiliated to NUS, and during this time, NUS Delegates were entitled to a vote in OUSU Council.
2.    OUSU subsequently decided not to centrally affiliate, and thus lost its NUS Delegates.
3.    The positions of NUS Delegate were transferred into Council Delegates who retained the vote in OUSU council.
4.    OUSU has recently decide to re-affiliate centrally to NUS again, and the positions of NUS delegates have been reformed without abolishing council delegates.
5.    There are 6 equal opportunities campaign positions who have the right to vote in OUSU council
6.    There can be up to 14 council delegates voting in OUSU council at any one time.
7.    These 14 positions have rarely if ever all been filled, and those who stand almost always do so unopposed.
8.    That any member of OUSU is entitled to speak on a motion.

Council believes
1.    There is a need to represent the minority as well as the majority at OUSU council.
2.    This can be done effectively through the 6 campaign votes and the third vote of JCRs which can be used to represent the minority.
3.    That Common Rooms represent the majority stakeholder in OUSU council.
4.    That Common Room representatives are directly accountable to their common rooms and are mandated to represent the views of their Common Room.
5.    That OUSU’s purpose is to represent the views and best interests of the majority of Oxford Students.
6.    That Council Delegates leave OUSU open to too much influence from minority special interest groups to the extent that OUSU can be forced not to represent the views of the majority of students.
7.    That Council Delegates are an unnecessary anachronism, and should be abolished.

Council resolves
1.    To strike Article B 2.1 (v) from the constitution, thus abolishing Council Delegates as members of OUSU Council
2.    To strike any mention of the term ‘council delegate’ from the constitution and standing orders

Proposed: Garth Smith (Christ Church)  Seconded: Pete Surr (Univ)

 

2.    ‘Oxford Student’ Constitution                          FINAL READING

first reading passed 5th week trinity 2007
second reading passed termly council trinity 2007

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)

 PLEASE PRINT A COPY OF THIS AGENDA AND TAKE IT WITH YOU TO THE MEETING