OUSU

Greetings! Welcome to the OUSU page which tells you what's been going on in the wonderful world of our Student Union. Here, however, I only provide brief summaries - you can find full information on the OUSU webpage, for example

- the agendas of upcoming and past Council meetings,

- the reports of the members of the OUSU exec that tell you what they have been up to,

- the minutes of Council meetings.

Please get in touch if you have questions about any of these - I will try to answer them or at least point you into the right direction.

The Council meets in odd weeks. Anyone can come along although only JCR and MCR Presidents, OUSU Reps and designated Third Votes can vote. If you'd like to be the third vote then please let me know. Emails will be also be sent out on odd weeks containing agendas, reports and summaries. 

Lastly, if you have any thoughts, views or questions pertaining to OUSU then please don't hesitate to drop me an email at lukas.wallrich <at> merton.ox.ac.uk.

 

 

Michaelmas Term '09: 7th week Council

Much of the council was about changes to the OUSU governing structure and constitutional clean-up. I hope that these changes live up to the high expectations we have of them and actually contribute to making OUSU more efficient and effective. A key change is that political motions will be considered by special committees in the future before they enter council, in order to allow for a more informed discussion. Furthermore, there is a new budget committee that will scrutinise the budget before it is brought before Council and thereby allow for a more informed discussion.

Members for the new committees were elected, while the position of the Returning Officer remains vacant as there was no candidate for it. You can find more on this in the minutes. 

The following motions might be of interest to members of the college:

- a motion was passed to initiate a review of the hustings in the run-up to the OUSU elections, in order to improve the appallingly low turn-out of 15%

- a motion to allow common rooms to opt out of the distribution of unwanted print materials was voted down, as people thought that OUSU should be able to continue receiving the revenues from the commercial publications and that welfare guides should reach every student on paper, as they might otherwise not be available when and where they are needed most

- a motion to start negotiations with Sky over lower subscription rates was passed

- a motion expressing opposition to the potential imposition of a levy on students to finance a development of university sports, while such a development is welcomed in principle, was passed

- a motion allowing the NUS affiliation fee to be divided on the basis of the previous year's student numbers was passed. This will allow for the invoices to be send out much earlier, as they were sometimes send out after the end of the academic year in the past.

- a motion calling on OUSU to make a submission to the hearing on an Oxford City Council Landlord Accreditation Scheme was passed.

- a motion mandating the OUSU Exec to work on obtaining bus discounts for students was passed.

As always, please get in touch with questions.

 

Michaelmas Term '09: 3rd week Council

Minutes:  

The minutes for 3rd Week Council will be up here as soon as I get them. 

Here's a brief summary:- 

Last week Council:


Passed a motion in support of Academic Feedback Sessions, a means of improving the quality of teaching by giving better feedback from students on the quality of their teaching. The motion encouraged common room representatives to raise the idea of academic feedback sessions with their Senior Tutor and to consider introducing the sessions in their colleges. The motion also mandated Jonny Medland, VP (Access and Academic Affairs) to explore the potential for feedback sessions at a departmental and faculty level. 

Passed a motion in support of a minimum standard of sexual health provision across colleges. Provision is currently highly unequal and the motion mandated Dani Quinn, VP (Welfare), and Kat Wall, VP (Women), to draw this fact to the attention to the university's Committee on Student Health and Welfare and to work to improve provision.   

Passed a motion establishing a Strategic Review Group, to looks the role and scope of OUSU's activities, in light of the current unstable and insufficient funding model and the financial difficulties that arise from it.
 
elected Elliott Golend to Complaints Committee for this year, which is the body to which any student can complain about OUSU if they wish to do so.
 
elected Alex Priest to the Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences Divisional Board as a Postgraduate Representative.
 
There remains one place left empty on the OUSU Executive, that of graduate womens' officer.
 

 Trinity term '09: 1st week Council

Minutes: http://www.ousu.org/democracy/ousu-council/minutes/Minutes%201st%20tt09.doc/view

On the Gambling motion, Council resolved:

To allow companies who promote or are associated with gambling to advertise within OUSU media, as long as they are registered with the gambling commission.