So, that’s it, we had the last ever Union Council Meeting :( During the meeting we wrapped up what the Sabbatical Officers have done this year but most of the meeting centred around changes to the Bye-Laws. These changes affect the way you make your voice heard at the Union and how your ideas become action. Here’s a summary of what was discussed:
New Bye-Laws
After a lot of discussions with students, academic researchers, Camden Council and the Greater London Authority, Mahmud (Democracy, Operations and Community Officer) has worked to change our Bye-Laws so they are functional and easily accessible.
For those a little confused, our Bye-Laws are the rules that we are governed by.
Changes to the Bye-Laws replace Union Council and General Assemblies with more functional bodies that look after different aspects of student life: Welfare and Community, Activities, and Education Zones. Now it’ll be easier to bring your ideas to the table, or to a zone. You can read about the changes we’ve made here and if you’ve got questions then we’ve got a handy FAQ section to answer them.
When it came to voting, Mahmud’s year-long work (plus others’) New Bye-Laws were adopted unanimously.
Transforming our Liberation Networks
Cameron, LGBT+ Officer, proposed that we split our Liberation Networks to have two functions: one for the community (events and gatherings) and the other aspect for advocacy (fighting for the rights of liberation groups on campus). This was to decrease the burden faced by part-time Liberation Officers to build a community and advocate alongside their studies. This split would show itself with the community aspect of Liberation Networks being fulfilled with societies that shared a common identity.
During the meeting, there was a concern raised by Sandra (incoming Black and Minority Ethnic Students’ Officer) about its implementation for Part-Time and Full-Time Officers. She questioned whether people would be restricted with one or two societies, which isn’t feasible, especially when people’s identities are multi-faceted.
This motion was not passed.
Plastic-Free Students Union Venues
Pretty self-explanatory here – no more single-use plastic in Union venues. Next year, Carol (new Democracy, Operations and Community Officer) will work out costs and a timeline for full implementation.
This passed, of course.
What have your Sabbatical Officers been up to?
As the year is drawing to a close, here is what you Sabbatical Officers have done for you this year? Click below to see
Rotha, Welfare and International Officer
Mahmud, Democracy, Operation and Community Officer
Saddiqur, Postgraduate Officer
There were some other FYI matters and that was it. After an hour, we were done with the last ever Union Council meeting.