Hilary 2004

Postgraduate Assembly
27 January 2004
6.30pm, Dahrendorf Room, St Antony’s College


a. Approval of minutes.
b. Matters arising.
c. Elections in Postgraduate Assembly:
(a) Part-time VP Graduates (subject to motion A passing)
(b) Property and Investment Sub-Committee – which manages graduate accommodation
(c) The Joint Committee of Council with Student Members – the key link between students and University Council – two places
(d) Committee on Student Hardship
(e) Clubs Committee – which oversees university clubs
(f) Advisory Panel on Disabilities
(g) Rules Committee (two places) – which governs regulation of student conduct
d. Motions.
e. A.O.B.

Intention behind motions:
To lay down routine for hiring a VP Grads (co-option by OUSU with MCR input).
Ensure they are better paid.
Where a full-time sabbatical leaves it is currently possible to co-opt on a part-time, paid basis - this should be known.
The department and college should not have to give their permission to run; it is none of their business. The start date should be flexible if candidates indicate they want or need to start earlier or later than September 1st. Former sabs who are now graduate students should be able to act as VP Graduates.
Co-option shall be the norm outside annual elections but involve a presentation made to the other sabbatical officers and MCR Presidents, unless a candidate is elected in PGA.  

A. Job reform
This assembly notes that
1. OUSU provision for graduates is currently insufficient.
2. that the Vice President for Graduates rarely lasts a full term
3. that representation, case work and OUSU management are very time-consuming and too much for one job
4. that the lead-time between Hilary elections and office in September introduces uncertainty – candidates who might run nearer the time don’t stand while successful candidates may resign
5. that many Vice-Presidents for Graduates are co-opted by the OUSU Executive
6. that turn-out in any case is abysmally low
7. that many excellent candidates are not available September-September, because there is no fixed completion date for graduates as a whole

This assembly believes that
1. the job has to be redesigned around the time and income needs of graduate students
2. The Vice-President for Graduates, by virtue of experience and market conditions, needs to be paid a higher full-time salary.
3. the position needs focusing
4. that if the position were to be redesigned as part-time, this would require sufficient income to subsist
5. routine co-option by an extraordinary meeting of the OUSU executive and graduate common room Presidents would ensure more graduate representation on the appointment committee
6. requiring graduate students to have permission to stand or be co-opted from their college or department is unhelpful
7. graduate students who have served as undergraduate sabbatical officers should be enabled to serve as Vice-President Graduates

This assembly resolves to:
1. amend Article C 1.1 of the Constitution, from
‘The Sabbatical Officers shall be paid officers and shall serve full-time for the academic year following that of their election with the exception of the Vice President (Graduates), who shall serve for a year commencing 1st September following their election’
to
‘The Sabbatical Officers shall be paid officers and shall serve full-time for the academic year following that of their election with the exception of the Vice President (Graduates), who may stand to serve full-time or part-time for up to a year commencing the start date determined by the Returning Officer’.

2. Delete Article C2 (c)    ‘The Sabbatical Officers shall each receive the same level of remuneration’ to enable it to be increased.

3. Amend Article D 12.1 of the Constitution, from   
‘No person may stand for, or be co-opted to, any Sabbatical Office unless she or he has obtained in writing the permission of his/her College to hold such office if elected or co-opted as the case may be; and, in the case of a student undertaking postgraduate study, the permission also of her/his Faculty or Department’
to
‘No person may stand for, or be co-opted to, any Sabbatical Office unless she or he has obtained in writing the permission of his/her College to hold such office if elected or co-opted as the case may be, except in the case of students undertaking postgraduate study’.

4. Amend Article 13.1 of the Constitution from
‘No person, having served more than 84 days of term in any Sabbatical Office, shall be eligible to stand for election to the same or any other Sabbatical Office. Any person, having served less than 84 days of term in any Sabbatical Office, shall be eligible to stand for re-election to the same Sabbatical Office, but not for election to any other Sabbatical Office; and, if so re-elected, shall be entitled to serve the full period for which thus elected’.
To
‘No person, having served more than 84 days of term in any Sabbatical Office, shall be eligible to stand for election to the same or any other Sabbatical Office save the VP Graduates post, where they have pursued graduate study following sabbatical office … [….].. thus elected’.

5. Amend Article 14.1 (a) of the Constitution from
‘A vacancy in any Sabbatical Office shall be filled by a by-election, unless the date of the vacancy arising precludes the holding of such a by-election before the last day of full Hilary Term, in which case it shall be filled by an Election in Council’
to
‘A vacancy in any Sabbatical Office shall be filled by a by-election, unless the date of the vacancy arising precludes the holding of such a by-election before the last day of full Hilary Term, in which case it shall be filled by an Election in Council, save in the case of the VP (Graduates) where any vacancy shall be filled by co-option’.

6. Amend Article 14.1 (c) of the Constitution from
‘In the period between a vacancy arising under (a) or (b) and it being filled under the provisions thereof, the Executive may, where it sees fit, co-opt any full member of OUSU to fill that Sabbatical Officer ….’.
To
‘…[ditto] the Executive may, where it sees fit, co-opt any full member of OUSU to fill that Sabbatical Officer, except in the case of the full-time VP Graduates where MCR Presidents shall be invited to the appointment meeting and have a full vote in the co-option choice, or where a part-time VP Graduates can be elected in Postgraduate Assembly [ditto]’

7. Amend Article 14.1 (c) of the Constitution from
‘a person thus co-opted may, with the consent of the Executive, serve as a part-time officer, in which case they may, by resolution of the Executive, be unpaid’
to
‘a person thus co-opted may, with the consent of the Executive, serve as a part-time officer, in which case they must be paid pro rata’.

8. Amend Article D 1.1 of the Standing Orders from
‘OUSU shall have as Sabbatical Officers a President, a Vice President (Finance), a Vice President (Welfare and Equal Opportunity), a Vice President (Women), a Vice President (Graduates), a Vice President (Access and Academic Affairs) and a Vice President (Charities and Community).

To
‘OUSU shall have …… a Vice President (Graduate Academic) and a Vice President (Graduate Student Adviser)….’.

9. Ensure OUSU provides sufficient salary for up to one full-time graduate post and one part-time graduate post, with the work divided up according to their personal choice.

10. Ensure OUSU provides a full-time salary of £18,000 p.a. (£9,000 pa part-time) in order that the officers do not suffer poverty with loss of access to student benefits.

11. Allow the Vice-President Graduates to liase directly with graduate executive officers and MCR officers, attending OUSU Executive Meetings and Council as they see fit but without compulsion.


B: Its remit. Representation to the University and casework

1. This assembly notes that the OUSU VP Graduates post is too wide in coverage.
2. This assembly believes that the priorities are attending University committees and reporting back to MCRs and postgraduate assembly, and casework. It believes that representation work is being hampered by OUSU management.
3. This assembly resolves to notify the OUSU Executive of its support for future office-holders to concentrate on graduate work, rather than OUSU administration.

C. Available funds

1. This assembly notes traditional OUSU affiliation to National Postgraduate Assembly. That the fee for 2004-5 is £734.
2. This assembly believes its work is valuable but that the priority for Oxford graduate students is representation to the University rather than to the government.
3. Resolves to end the subscription but retain the funds to add to the VP Graduates salary. 

D. ‘Graduate Campaign’

1. This assembly notes that the Graduate Campaign in 2004-5 was granted £150 in the OUSU budget
2. and that organising MCR President meetings and Postgraduate Assembly is expensive – suitable room charges, food and drink
3. That while some colleges can subsidise these meetings out of goodwill, this reflects badly on OUSU
4. That MCR subscriptions to OUSU are far larger than OUSU’s spending on graduates
5. Believes that these are valuable occasions and that lunch or drinks should be provided, as funds well spent
6. Resolves to devolve £1000 per annum to the Vice President Graduates to contribute towards the lunch and drinks costs of these meetings

E. Computer
1. This assembly notes that ‘Littlefairy’ does not function.
2. Believes that nobody can do their work without functioning IT, and that budget PCs are sufficient and cheap.
3. Resolves to mandate the OUSU Executive to purchase a new PC.


F. OUSU administration and systems.
This assembly
1. notes that day-to-day OUSU administration is breaking down. That use of physical space and time is abysmal. Procedure to distribute publications and mail is not in place. The server is full with years of material and cannot be navigated. Valuable information resources are available somewhere within the institution, but are lost due to lack of institutional memory, library or databank. There is no standard newsletter or poster template, or system for conveying information to colleges which does not involve reinventing the wheel. Meetings are arranged at the last minute, losing goodwill with volunteers, who can never arrange their timetables, and these meetings are often a poor use of time. This is largely due to OUSU growing very quickly, and because practices laid down in the past were deviated from and then forgotten.

An MBA student team is willing to provide free consulting services to OUSU, and that at the market rate this is a sizeable, expensive resource.

These are extremely experienced and talented people. OUSU would be free to use or ignore their advice. OUSU has been the subject of MBA students’ consulting studies in the past

Students are simply not sufficiently experienced to manage a large and complex organisation, and should accept this advice in the spirit with which it is intended.

Its organisation is under review in any case by the Proctors, due to changes in charity law.

2. Believes that disorganistion means personnel cannot function optimally or within a manageable structure. Officers spend too much time reacting to events and insufficient time to campaigning for and representing students effectively, and providing services sustainably. This project would enable OUSU to provide value for money and its core aims. Having been run down, OUSU will implode with one or two difficult events unless investments are made in its organisation.

3. Resolves to recommend the project to the extent of making its acceptance a condition of PGA’s continued support of OUSU affiliation.

G. Teaching Assistantships
1. This Assembly notes that teaching experience is crucial for pursuit of an academic career. A Graduate Teaching Assistantship is being proposed by EPSC.

2. This Assembly believes that all graduate students should experience training in how to teach, primarily from academic staff in their faculty. This can be taken on to an academic or other career. GTAs will be valuable sources of funding and experience. However, if teaching opportunities are bundled into a few GTAs fewer students can take advantage of tutorial teaching. Furthermore, tutors do not always follow the tutorial register and

3. This Assembly resolves to inform Graham Gibbs of the IAUL and Bill Macmillan, chair of EPSC, that teaching opportunities should be created and spread rather than restricted to a few candidates. 

H. College Allocation
This Assembly
1. notes that colleges provide an academic environment additional to that of the faculty and the supervisor-student relationship. Colleges often step in when relationships with the supervisor break down; they provide libraries and accommodation; and broader academic relationships.
2. Believes that assigning students to the college of the supervisor would not be desirable or practical.
3. Resolves to lobby against this to Bill Macmillan and EPSC.

I. Fourth Year Fees
This Assembly
1. Notes that only between £350,000 and £1.6 million per annum will be generated – most likely at the lower end of the scale, since the target is to harvest Research Council funds. However, the University continues to bicker about what to do with the revenue. This will be a small drop in the £95 million a year deficit in research and teaching. Progress on development of a bursary scheme is painfully slow.
2. Believes that institutions which take several years to make a decision are likely to experience deficits. That the income generated will be diverted to scholarships rather than bursaries, which is undesirable. That income may be lost as self-funded students cannot attend, losing their second and third year fee income, while a small minority may benefit from scholarships. That a University-wide bursary scheme should be worked out – and in the medium term, a sustainable, credible graduate funding scheme is necessary if Oxford is to retain academic credibility as an institution.
3. Resolves to continue to oppose Fourth Year Fees, although recognising that the battle is almost lost, and to push for bursaries to be administered on the basis of need.

J. Charities in OUSU
This Assembly
1. Notes that RAG has worked extremely hard over the past few months, despite intense competition from the Tsunami Appeal and from Student Union-run club nights. RAG events appeal to a diverse range of students and works to develop a systematic approach to fund-raising rather than reacting to volatile public opinion. Charities are the best agents to publicise causes, and groups in need require income – money makes things happen. RAG was brought into OUSU to benefit both organisations which has worked extremely well over the past few years – and benefited people in serious need, raising £60,000 per annum.
2. Believes that RAG, under the leadership of Ian King, should be supported.
3. Resolves to send our thanks for RAG’s hard work and offer our unalloyed support.

K. Staff in OUSU
This Assembly
1. Notes the excellent work of Maria Burgess, Sue Melhuish, Barbara Godfrey and Gill Viner, OUSU’s permanent staff, during a difficult few months, which they have borne with great humour.
2. Believes that the place – and the VP Graduates - will fall apart without them. That appreciation of staff, with tokens of regard, is the norm in the world of work, and good for morale.
3. Resolves to thank them verbally and in the usual fashion, from the Graduate budget.