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?ROEHAMPTON STUDENTS’ UNIONS T U D E N T S’ U N I O N C O U N C I LThe 3rd Students’ Union Council Meeting (SUC) of the 2020/21 Academic YearHeld on Tuesday the 8th of December 2020, 5pm via ZoomA T T E N D A N C EIN ATTENDANCE:Farrah Black (RSU President)Lauryn Fleming (VP Education)Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Mars Nicoli (Trans Students’ Officer)Fabian Jasonson (Froebel College President)Harrison Cohen (Froebel College Deputy President)Jemimah Karungi (BAME Students’ Officer)Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sport President)Raymond Hadnett (Southlands College Deputy President)Libby Spooner (Whitelands College President)Orla O’Flynn (Digby College Deputy President)Sana Siddique (Muslim Students’ Officer)Lynne Wahome (Mature Students’ Officer) Oli Ottaway (Mental Health Officer)Jade Cavanagh (Off Campus and Commuting Students’ Officer)Rasanpreet Kaur Binning (Digby College President)Ethan Thubron (Male Sports President)Sam Laughton (LGBTQ+ Officer)Sabiha Naz Aziz (Gender Equality Officer)Shukhrat Ruziev (Students with Disabilities Officer)Matt Gnanakumar (Southlands College President)APOLOGIES:Dante Thompson (Whitelands Deputy President)Raymond Hadnett (Southlands College Deputy President)Richard Lessy (Postgraduate Students’ Officer)Jake White (Mount Clare Site Rep)Danny Carter (Societies Officer)Kathleen Smith (Students with Caring Responsibilities Officer)Chair: Billy ChurchMinuting Secretary: Kate GriffithsIn attendance: Helena Schofield – Student Voice and Insights CoordinatorABSENCES: ROEHAMPTON STUDENTS’ UNIONS T U D E N T S’ U N I O N C O U N C I LThe 3rd Students’ Union Council Meeting (SUC) of the 2020/21 Academic YearTuesday 8th December, 2020, 5pmF U L L M I N U T E S O F T H E M E E T I N GWelcomeConfirmation of QuoracyMinutes from the Previous MeetingMatters Arising from the Previous MeetingBilly Church(SUC Chair) noted:Welcome, Attendance & Apologies:Welcome to the third SUC meeting of the academic year 2020/21. We are here to hold the monthly Students’ Union Council meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss Officer updates and Students’ Union matters, and today we have a range of items for information and discussion, including a number of items brought forward by SUC members. Apologies received from: Dante Thompson – Whitelands Deputy PresidentRichard Lessy – Postgraduate Students OfficerDanny Carter – Societies OfficerJake White – Mount Clare Site RepKathleen Smith – Students with Caring Responsibilities OfficerBilly Church(SUC Chair) noted:Quoracy: We need over half of the members to be in attendance to make any decisions or vote, this is 15 PTOs with the current membership of 29 elected Part Time Officers. We have 20 Part Time Officers in attendance, meaning we are quorate for voting.Billy Church(SUC Chair) noted:Minutes of the previous meeting The Minutes from the last SUC will be circulated to all officers, as well as added to the Students’ Union website.M A T T E R S A R I S I N G The University Declaring a Climate EmergencyUpdate: Jai and Nicolo meeting with University Comms to discuss thisIN PROCESSMeat free options in the canteenUpdate: There are currently no updates regarding the vegan selections across campus.IN PROCESSSanitisation stations outside of HallsUpdate: Nicolo pitched this idea to the University and there are now stations in PLETEDBAME Officer name change and division of roleUpdate: Nicolo is currently undertaking research and hoping to finalise this ahead of the elections in March.IN PROCESSPolicy ProposalsUpdate: This was brought to the Trustee Board and an additional item will be added to the by-laws as a result.Reminder of the SUC GuidelinesBilly Church(SUC Chair) noted:SUC Guidelines:Due to this meeting being held over Zoom, participants are asked to mute themselves if not speaking. If they’d like to ask a question, or contribute to the discussion, they are asked to use the “reactions” function or the “raise hand” function to alert the Chair they are wanting to speak.I T E M S F O R I N F O R M A T I O NAgenda Item 1:Officer UpdatesHarrison Cohen (Froebel Deputy President)Noted:Has been concentrating on the Froebel Christmas video campaign as well as hoodies and thanksgiving dinners.Libby Spooner (Whitelands College President)Noted:Has had meetings with the Vice Chancellor and Pro Vice Chancellor as well as dealing with the basement flooding in Whitelands – which is the top priority at the moment! Dante is doing really well at engaging students at the start of his role. We are also hosting a carol service.Ethan Thubron(Male Sports President)Noted:No updates as yet as his focus has been outside of University.Sam Laughton (LGBTQ+ Officer)noted:Has been in touch with the Student Engagement team in regards to an inclusivity programme and a 1-1 buddy system for queer students. Is also focussing on LGBT History month in February.Lauryn Fleming (VP Education)Noted:Has been dealing with a lot of department related questions and is planning an even for the new year which will bring all cohorts together for a discussion. Is in talks with the library re: blended learning and has taken feedback to LTQC.Jemimah Karungi (BAME Students Officer)Noted:Is looking to relaunch the BAME Ambassador scheme and is focussing on projects for the new year.Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:Trying to garner engagement with the 24 days of fitness challenge. Is also trying to gather volunteer opportunities in the new year in the local area.Farrah Black (RSU President)Noted:The Progress flag is now up on the flag pole just inside the main gate. Has been part of the Growhampton Project Coordinator interviews and are looking to appoint before Christmas. Is now Mental Health First Aid trained and has also been helping out at the Covid testing site in Monte Hall. Is meeting the VC and the Chair of the University Council next week regarding the cuts to the Humanities and Arts department. Sanitary pads are now available in all toilets throughout the library.Mars Nicoli (Trans Students Officer)Noted:Trans Day of Remembrance saw great engagement. There is now a public message board up as well as a guide for trans students on the RSU website – . Is also working with Sam on LGBT History Month as well as being part of the UR Pride. Orla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)Noted:Is reading out a statement on behalf of Jade Cavanagh. Jade is asking for more clarity as to what the support from the RSU looks like in regards to the Arts and Humanities cuts. Has also pushed for a deep clean to all communal areas at University over Christmas.Orla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)Noted:Working on the Digby Isolation project which encompasses 26 flats as well as working on projects for next year which includes “Roey’s Got Talent.”Shukhrat Ruziev (Students with Disabilities Officer)Noted:Has attended PTO training and is looking to set up meetings with the Disabilities department as well as social media accounts to make things more accessible to studentsFabian Jasonson (Froebel College President)Noted:Has been helping to facilitate students leaving campus and gearing up for events next year. After the Student Senate meetings, things seem to clearer with the University.Ray Hardnett (Southlands Deputy President)Noted:Has had a Southlands meeting with Matt, the notes of which have been published L events have now been posted to the Instagram and Facebook pages and these include a Friday Fun Quiz Winter Wonderland.Matt Gnanakumar (Southlands College President)Noted:There was a Town Hall meeting, from which a report was created with Reggie Blennerhassett. There are now strategies in place regarding accommodation and security and Matt is hoping to get some outdoor food vendors on site in the new year.Rasanpreet Binning (Digby College President)Noted:Planning events with Students Engagement as well as the CCL team. Has started an ugly jumper campaign on social media and is also supporting the chaplaincy.Lynne Wahome (Mature Students Officer)Noted:Hosted a Mature Student event online and is planning more for the new term.Oli Ottaway (Mental Health Officer)Noted:Speaking to struggling student and signposting them to support. Supported Nicolo at the #Alrightmate quiz the other night which went really well.There wasn’t a great turnout at the anxiety workshop, but Oli is hopeful that this can be better attended in the coming months.Sabiha Nas Aziz (Gender Equality Officer)Noted:Has had meetings with Helena and Farrah regarding planning the Women’s Conference for next term. Is hoping to run a library exhibition around equality and if you’re interested in getting involved then drop Sabiha a message. Is currently building content for the upcoming social media pages. Running for the PTO position on the trustee board.Sana Siddique (Muslim Students Officer)Noted:Not much to update, but could everyone make their Instagram handles known so this can be publicised.Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:The #Alrightmate campaign was a huge success and thank you to all those who took part and promoted it. Is looking into working with the Students Minds charity for future events.Is organising a sustainability panel with Jai in January so will update once the event has happened.Is looking to do a Mental Health campaign with the help of the officers and an email has been sent out regarding this.There has been good progress on the climate emergency talks, so is hopeful for more information in January.The accommodation survey is still live and this is the last week, so please fill it out if you haven’t already.Agenda Item 2:Part Time Officer Trustee ElectionBilly Church (SUC Chair)Noted:The candidates running for this role will be given 2 minutes to speak and we will go in alphabetical order.Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:Has been in her current PTO role for 2 years and in that time has been heavily involved in all aspects of the role as well as working at the Union Bar for 3 years, showing dedication. Is used to handling finances at events and earning a profit which has been reinvested to benefit the students. Has continued to represent students in a selfless and compassionate manner and always has the best interests of students at heart. Has campaign experience as well as being a Rep for Student Voice. Wants to work with Communications and amplify the voices of SUC. We are a Community and are therefore stronger together.Dante Thompson (Whitelands Deputy President)Noted:Dante’s statement was read by Billy Church as he was unable to attend the meeting.Dante has worked closely with most members of the Council and has current experience in the charity sector. Has good day to day organisation and wants to make a clear change that will benefit all students at Roehampton.Orla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)noted:Has been at University for 3 years and is the current Deputy President for Digby Stuart College. During lockdown, Orla has been a part of the NHS responder’s team and has built upon her care worker skills, which include accountability and honesty – essential when working with vulnerable adults. Through this, she is also able to identify problems and solve them effectively, meaning she is better equipped to deal with anything the students of Roehampton require.Sabiha Nas Aziz (Gender Equality Officer)noted:Is currently a Programme Rep, a MCL Rep and a Part Time Officer so is clearly dedicated to representing the Student Voice and will give a student perspective on important issues. Currently works at a charity hospital as a Learning and Development coordinator, so is used to dealing with stakeholders and has a broad understanding of how charities work. This experience makes Sabiha a great candidate for this role.Billy Church(SUC Chair)noted:Voting opens at 7pm tonight after this meeting and is only open to SUC elected officers.I T E M S F O R D I S C U S S I O NAgenda Item 1:On Campus Covid Secure Societies from JanuaryPresented by Harrison Cohen – Froebel College Deputy PresidentHarrison Cohen (Froebel Deputy President)noted:Societies have been prepping for Covid secure events from September but then the rule of 6 came in to effect when previously we’ve been told that 15 people would be permitted in a large enough space. For some societies this limit is understandable, but larger rooms mean a larger number of people could safely participate. It is also unfair to cap the numbers at 6 when there is an instructor to be paid, meaning you’re not making any profit for the society from such events. Harrison is proposing that societies should be allowed to continue in a Covid secure manner in January with larger numbers. Guidance should be set for each individual society and those in larger rooms should be taken in to account.Billy Church(SUC Chair) noted:Sana has mentioned that she has also experienced this within the photography societyFarrah Black(RSU President)noted:The Students’ Union is just following the Government and University guidelines and although we are seeming to be over cautious, our main priority is the safety and security of students as well as avoiding any backlash from the media, who seem to attack Universities. We are doing our best but there could be a conversation with our Societies Coordinator in January in terms of categorising societies. Harrison Cohen (Froebel Deputy President)noted:It would be good if groups were given guidance on this in the coming weeks and Harrison wanted to flag this up before Christmas as committees have encountered huge problems telling students they can no longer attend sessions with little notice. If guidance could be set that won’t change that would be ideal, Farrah Black(RSU President)noted:Farrah had written a 5000 word report on what certain things would look like during the current restrictions at the time, then the legislation changed so the report became void. It’s frustrating for all.Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:A practical proposition could be to classify certain societies as “sporting societies.” Maybe come January they can work as “indoor sports” although this is still a grey area.Harrison Cohen (Froebel Deputy President)noted:That’s really useful, thanks. There is no National Governing Body for the dance disciplines, so there’s no support coming from this side of things. Pineapple Dance Studio is open, so why can’t we be? 15 people is a reasonable number in Monte Hall.Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:15 people could easily be separated in to group of 6, but you’d have to speak to Carella to get more clarity.Harrison Cohen (Froebel Deputy President)noted:Has spoken to Carella prior to this meeting as she’s keen for us to continue but her hands are tied.Orla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)noted:If societies were allowed to continue then this would maybe reduce the number of people showing up to flat parties.Mars Nicoli (Trans Students Officer)noted:How do you know that societies aren’t to blame for covid being spread?Harrison Cohen (Froebel Deputy President)noted:Harrison is currently working with the Covid team on campus and he’s aware of the flats that are being asked to quarantine from positive results. There’s also a track and trace function for those wanting to access societies during this time. There are no cases reported within Harrison’s society.Agenda Item 2:Saving the Arts and HumanitiesPresented by Orla O’Flynn on behalf of Jade Cavanagh – Off Campus and Commuting Students OfficerOrla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)noted:Jade is keen to get a better understanding and transparency of exactly what the RSU is going to do in terms of supporting the vote to oppose the cuts to the Arts and Humanities at Roehampton.Farrah Black(RSU President)noted:What would people like to see? We are not allowed to call a meeting as only the Chair of University Council can do this so Farrah is meeting with the VC and the Chair of the University Council on Monday. What would you like this meeting to achieve?Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:Assuming these cuts have to be made, so it would be good to get clarity on where students stand after this.Farrah Black(RSU President)noted:We desperately want this and the UCU actually proposed alternative cuts to the University, which the University rejected.Sabiha Nas Aziz (Gender Equality Officer)noted:Why not a distributed action where the repercussions are felt less? There are some modules that, due to the cuts, will not be taught again and this is so drastic. There’s surely other avenues. Was there no risk management around this? Were they not prepared? The impacts from this are felt in real time.Orla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)noted:Has been speaking to Jade back and forth and she’s also mentioned that there’s a huge potential for strikes in January – are we going to support these as we did in November 2019? Does this require another vote?Billy Church(SUC Chair) noted:We have no position on strike action currently and will review this if and when we come to it.Farrah Black(RSU President)noted:If the UCU do decide to strike again then we will have another vote to determine if we are in support of this or not. We don’t want to see this vote to oppose the cuts to Arts and Humanities be the end of the discussion or our involvement, but what can we physically do? What would you all see as a positive outcome?Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:As PTO’s, is there anything we can do in our roles to actively assist? A positive outcome would be less cuts, so the outcome is less impactful and not as detrimental.Orla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)noted:Don’t think much will change as they’ve made cuts from other areas already and this is a last resort.Sabiha Nas Aziz (Gender Equality Officer)noted:Comforting students to show the impact to them is minimised is almost going behind their backs. How the impact is controlled could be a possible solution.Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:Is there anything as PTO’s that we can’t do?Helena Schofield (Student Voice Coordinator)Noted:Specifically no, but as PTO’s you’re representative of the RSU. If you’d like to talk to us about anything then please do and keep us in the loop.Orla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)noted:Students have been blocked from emailing staff in various departments.Fabian Jasonson(Froebel College President)noted:A tangible outcome could be that we insist on the University reinvesting the money saved when they get a chance.Agenda Item 3:Accommodation Issues and ConcernsPresented by Orla O’Flynn on behalf of Jade Cavanagh – Off Campus and Commuting Students OfficerOrla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)noted:The closure of Lee House has caused massive disruption to not only those students living in the building, but the students in the accommodation blocks they’ve been moved to. Wanted to address the concerns that students have been coming to her with and spoke in Student Senate about these issues. Reggie agreed to clear the common spaces and give them a deep clean during the Christmas break, but Jade wants to know how we can support student moving forward. There are also talks of strike action regarding rent.Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:The accommodation survey only had 150 completions so far, so we would push you to voice your concerns through this so we have tangible evidence to take to the University as a result. Talk to the Sabbs around this too as we need to be kept in the loop.Matt Gnanakumar (Southlands College President)Noted:Matt and Ray have been involved in talks with Reggie and it’s clear that the accommodation team need to see the conditions, and not just third party contractors. Then they’d get a sense of what issues students are facing.Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:Good idea. The Sabbs also need to be part of these discussions so we can help to emphasise your points.Farrah Black(RSU President)noted:We have a good relationship with the University and have gone through training- this is literally our jobs! Work with us to help you. Data and statistics really help, so please do complete the accommodation survey if you haven’t already as this will be really beneficial.Agenda Item 4:RSU Elections 2021Presented by Nicolo Sodaro – VP Community and WelfareNicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:Nicolo, Helena and Mark Gillespie have all been working on elections and as a result have sent through a proposed list of roles prior to the meeting. We would like to open this for a discussion and a vote if possible.Helena Schofield (Student Voice Coordinator)Noted:If everyone is happy to, then we’ll cast the votes by using the chat function.Orla O’Flynn (Digby Deputy President)noted:Are we allowed to endorse certain candidates running?Helena Schofield (Student Voice Coordinator)Noted:You can, but this will need to be separate from your PTO roles.Billy Church(SUC Chair) noted:You can either vote for, against or abstain from voting for the proposed roles and descriptions you’ve been sent.All those present voted in favour of the proposed roles for the 2021 elections.Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:We will now move on to the document that outlines the proposed dates for the election period.Fabian Jasonson(Froebel College President)noted:There is a really long nomination period under the proposed dates and Fabian thinks this should be shorter as it might put people off from running. It would also force people to commit to running if the nomination period was shorter. Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:It’s subject to the individual, so it’s a good idea to have a longer nomination period, especially for the Sabb roles as this is a big decision. Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:It gives people time to make their minds up. This year has been difficult due to Covid and this might impact people’s decisions. Sabiha Nas Aziz (Gender Equality Officer)noted:Worked for “Aim Higher” and as a PTO we have the responsibility to support others and show by example, therefore a longer period would be good in order to get out and talk to people about the importance of running.17 PTO’s voted in favour of the proposed election dates and 1 member voted against this motion.Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:We will now go on to discuss the lowering of campaign expenses. We currently give an allowance of ?25 for those running for the Part Time Officer roles and ?50 to those running for Sabb roles. RSU also give out materials such as t-shirts and banners already. Sana Siddique (Muslim Students Officer)Noted:How much will it be reduced by?Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:Nothing is concrete as yet, but we would love to hear your thoughts on this.Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:Only used what was gifted during her campaign and didn’t touch the allowance. ?25 is a lot if there’s a fair number of candidates; would ?15 be more appropriate? Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:If people vote in favour of us lowering the amount given to candidates then we can bring this back in January with discussions for a definitive amount.Fabian Jasonson(Froebel College President)noted:Agree with Danielle that he didn’t use his budget either and just used what was gifted. The money from this could be saved and used elsewhere. Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:In the future, we’d like to go paperless for campaigns too and hold most of it online, so less money would be used for printing posters. Sabiha Nas Aziz (Gender Equality Officer)noted:We could use this as a back up, but we need to consider accessibility issues when delivering things predominantly online as you could be excluding a number of students this way. All those present voted in favour of lowering the allowances given to candidates.Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:We will bring this to the next SUC meeting in the new year.The next item will be the Inter Faith Officers.There has historically been a lack of engagement in both the female and male roles and we’re looking at getting rid of these completely. Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:Could we combine the two as would hate for a community not to be represented and have no voice. Sana Siddique (Muslim Students Officer)Noted:The role should be available in order for students’ voices to be heard.16 members voted against the motion of getting rid of the roles completely and 1 member abstained from voting.Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:The motion will now be to reduce the two roles to one.All those present voted in favour of this motion.Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:The next item to discuss is the Post Graduate Officer role. Historically, this is never filled in the March elections and is filled in the by-elections in October. It also means that students studying for one year won’t have the opportunity to run so we’re proposing leaving this role until the by-elections in October to elect a candidate.All those present voted in favour of this motion.Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:We now come to the splitting of the BAME Officer role in to two roles; one representing Black students and the other representing Asian and Minority Ethnic students. The only fear is that the roles won’t be filled, then a group isn’t represented.Sabiha Nas Aziz (Gender Equality Officer)noted:Campaigned for the BAME Officer role and this an offensive term in itself as there are so many variations of both Asian and Black people. We want to be progressive surrounding this but to divide the roles doesn’t seem to be the right solution. Maybe we could get the societies involved. Nicolo Sodaro (VP Community and Welfare)Noted:A motion was passed at the previous SUC to divide the role and there is also a BAME society being set up to support this. Jemimah Karungi (BAME Students Officer)Noted:Understands what Sabiha is saying, but personally doesn’t know how to support those student who identify as Asian and minority ethnic. Danielle Chegwidden (Female Sports President)Noted:This is not about segregation; Jemimah’s had an overwhelming term with the amount of time she’s been giving to her role in order to support all students in her remit.Sana Siddique (Muslim Students Officer)Noted:We have a Women’s society so do we need a Women’s officer?Farrah Black(RSU President)noted:It’s always good to have representatives both in societies and as PTO’s. The Gender Equality officer also services all genders. 16 members voted in favour of the motion to separate the BAME role into two roles. 1 member voted against. A. O. BBilly Church (SUC Chair)noted:The vote is now open for the PTO Trustee role so please vote on this.Billy Church (SUC Chair)noted:Members were thanked for their attendance and reminded that the next meeting of SUC will be held on Tuesday the 19th of January, 2021, via ZoomSUC Chair closed the meeting. ................
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