2018 General Meeting

Date: Sunday 5th week, Michaelmas 2018 (2018-11-04)

Agenda

1. Matters arising

2. Amendments to the Governing Documents

3. Motions relating to financial matters

• i) BME Society - SK
• ii) Funding for Anna Karenina - JW
• iii) Yearbooks AK
• iv) Bar Lithographs - HA/CL
• v) Funding for Taalash - SU

4. Any other motions

• i) Bop Policy - LM

5. Appendices

a) Matters arising

b) Amendments to the Governing Documents

c) Motions relating to financial matters

(i) BME Society - SK passes

This JCR notes:

(a)   That College recently stated (in response to the Admissions Statistical Report) that it is ‘looking to increase the number of students from ethnic groups which are currently under-represented in the University, and  is seeking to recruit  UK-domiciled black students in particular in its  outreach work. We are actively considering new initiatives to help us  further these  aims.’

(b)   That there is demand for a BME society amongst the BME JCR Community.

This JCR believes:

(a)   That a BME Society that is separate from the JCR Committee could significantly improve the experience and wellbeing of students of colour in Balliol.

(b)   That having a separate society would enhance the work of the access committee, with a particular focus on improving access for BME students (without the college restriction of working with a particular region, as this society is not an extension of the JCR Committee).

(c)   That having a budget from the JCR Fund for each term would give the society the opportunity to put on events including but not restricted to termly panel discussions and speaker events, socials, pantry takeovers, and access workshops.

This JCR resolves:

(a)   To pass £50 a term to fund this society.

(a)   To make the society inclusive for all members of the JCR, but recognise that the primary aim is to create a meaningful space for BME students to engage with one another.

(ii) Funding for Anna Karenina JW passes with amendment

This JCR notes:

(a)   That a new student written production of Anna Karenina has been given the opportunity to perform in London on the 24th of November.

(b)   That tickets have been selling very well for the production.

(c)    That the entire cast and creative team are students from the University of Oxford.

(d)   That as a student written musical our only feasible sources of funding are Oxford funding bodies and JCRs.

(e)   That Keble and New College JCRs have already given funding.

(f)   That production costs will be higher than usual because of the performance space (a church) and the travel costs involved in getting to the location. The money would mostly go towards funding technical support for the show, which is essential for it to be a success.

(g)   That costs have been minimised as far as possible, for example by purchasing costumes from charity shops.

(h)   That several cast members have paid money towards this and no cast members will receive any financial reward for taking part.

(i)   That the show’s creative team is exclusively comprised of women.

This JCR believes:

(a)   That drama and extra-curricular activities in general are an essential part of a fulfilling and rounded Oxford experience.

(b)   That JCR support is necessary for smaller productions to go ahead.

(c)   That it would be devastating to the cast and to ticket holders if the show could not go ahead for financial reasons.

(d)   That supporting student creativity is a valuable function of the JCR, and Balliol should be seen to take a leading role in this area.

(e)   That musicals are fun.

This JCR resolves:

(a)   To give £200 in support of this Anna Karenina production.

Amendment

(a)   To give £150 towards the production on the proviso that it applies for a floreat grant, and to increase this amount to £200 should the play not receive funding via a floreat grant.

(iii) Yearbooks - AK passes

This JCR notes:

(a)   That we have been working with the company Yearbook Machine since 2012 to produce our annual yearbook for third-year students.

(b)   That the cost of the yearbook varies according to type of cover, number of profiles, and other factors, usually being £10-30 per copy.

(c)    That the company usually only invoices for the books once they’ve been submitted for the first time due to these fluctuations.

(d)   That last year’s books were priced by the company at £22.37 per copy (for an order of 84 copies).

(e)   That the JCR subsidised them to make it £20 per copy.

(f)   That Yearbook Machine is offering a 10% early bird discount if we pay a deposit of £200 by 30th November.

(g)   That this would have brought the price of last year’s yearbooks down to £20.14 per copy without the subsidy.

(h)   That the number of people who matriculated in 2016 is very similar to that of those who matriculated in 2015, so the yearbook will have roughly the same number of individual profile pages and therefore be roughly the same cost.

This JCR believes:

(a)   That a yearbook is a really lovely souvenir of our time at Balliol, and quite fun to contribute to with your friends.

(b)   That Yearbook Machine has done pretty well for us as far as institutional memory extends.

(c)   That making the yearbook affordable is a good thing, especially if we can do this without dipping into JCR reserves.

This JCR resolves:

(a)   To pass £200 to be paid to Yearbook Machine before 30th November in order to receive the early bird discount.

(iv) Bar Lithographs HA/CL - passes

This JCR notes:

(a)   That the murals in the bar are an essential part of the fabric of the college history and college life today.

(b)   That lithographs of these murals can be produced.

(c)    That these lithographs can then be used to produce new copies of the murals once the renovation is over.

This JCR believes:

(a)   That we should preserve these murals.

(b)   That producing lithographs of these murals is the best way to preserve them.

This JCR resolves:

(a)   To pass as much money as may be necessary produce lithographs, with the proviso that this money should come from the renovation fund.

(v) a) Welfare Week - EC/DN passes

This JCR notes:

(a)   That welfare week is generally held in 5th week.

(b)   That it is now 5th week.

(c)    That money is generally passed to fund fun welfare events that happen throughout the week.

(d)   That many fun events have already been planned that can’t happen without this funding.

This JCR believes:

(a)   That 5th week blues are awful and welfare week helps to make 5th week better.

(b)   That it is in the general interests of the JCR for things to happen that help to keep every member of the JCR as happy and healthy as possible.

(c)   That Happy = Yes, Sad = No.

This JCR resolves:

(a)   To pass up to £150 to run welfare events throughout 5th week.

(b)   To crush 5th week blues.

(vi) Funding for Taalash - SU passes with amendment

This JCR notes:

(a)   That ‘Talaash’ is a new play with dance, live music and spoken word that is being performed by students in Oxford at the Michael Pilch Studio Theatre in 6th Week this term, directed by a national level Indian classical music performer, and by a Balliol JCR member who is a previous director at the Camden People’s Theatre.

(b)   That ‘Talaash’ is among the first student drama projects in Oxford to have a full BME cast and crew, and that previous projects (including ‘Medea’) were widely funded by JCRs, and had a wide positive impact on diversity and access in Oxford drama and to Oxford more widely.

(c)    That ‘Talaash’ is a project in which two Balliol students are involved, as director and lead dancer.

(d)   That ‘Talaash’ explores important themes such as identity and the notion of belonging, and we will be bringing this to life with a specific link to the BME experience.

(e)   That the Balliol Drama Society generally only extends loans rather than grants and that its financial situation is such that it cannot offer large grants.

(f)   That the JCR has given grants to certain dramatic productions before when there are worthy circumstances, including £200 per Balliol member involved in the OUDS Shakespeare tour.

This JCR believes:

(a)   That ‘Talaash’ will help to provoke vital conversation about topics which are too often ignored in Oxford and further the progress and involvement of BME students in drama at Oxford.

(b)   That the Oxford drama scene desperately needs more representation of different communities on its stages, and ‘Talaash is a prime example of a production involving Oxford students who represent minority backgrounds.

(c)   That artistic projects in which Balliol college students are involved should be supported by the JCR.

(d)   That diversity, wider access, and a wide range of stories and narratives should be platformed.

(e)   That these amount to worthy circumstances for a grant.

This JCR resolves:

(a)   To donate £200 pounds per Balliol student involved (£400 total) to the Drama Society that can then be used by the Drama Society to partially fund Talaash.

Amendment

(a)   To give £150 towards the production per Balliol student on the proviso that it applies for a floret grant, and to increase this amount to £200 per Balliol student should the play not receive funding via a floreat grant.

d) Any Other Motions

(iv) Bop Policy LM -does not pass

This JCR notes:

(a)   That bops are a fun way for our community to bond and everyone should feel safe and happy to attend them.

(b)   That the College and JCR Exec agree that there are certain restrictions that we must place on entry to college on bop nights to ensure that the night runs safely and securely.

(c)    That the JCR Exec have released a new bop security policy (seen in Charlotte’s email on Friday 2nd November).

(d)    That we didn’t explain the reasons why we did this, and feel the JCR deserves an explanation.

This JCR believes:

(a)   That transparency is key.

(a)   That bops should continue to be safe and secure.

This JCR resolves:

(a)   To create guidelines for the JCR’s ‘ideal’ bop security policy as outlined below, which will be used by the JCR Exec in conjunction with College authorities such as the Dean to create a policy that everyone understands.

Minutes

Funding for Anna Karenina - JW

Joe noted that he is a member of the cast of a production that is being put on in London in collaboration with the Iris Theatre Company at Convent Garden. It was put on a couple of years ago in Oxford. The high travel costs are such that the play needs particular support. The lack of college support creates particular difficulty. The budget has been lowered as far as possible but it can’t be reduced any further. Joe emphasised that it was almost unprecedented for a play to go outside the Oxford bubble.

Thomas asked whether any JCR members were going. Joe noted that none were. Henrique asked how many individuals were involved. Joe said that there are 12 individuals involved and 5 or 6 auxiliary staff. Ellen asked about how much Corpus Christi had paid. Joe said that he wasn't sure.

Eliza asked if Joe had applied for a floreat grant. Joe said that he had not. Henrique asked how big the venue was. Joe said that he did not know, but 195 tickets had been sold. Henrique asked how much tickets would cost. Joe said that this was set at £15 and that the cost of tickets could not rise much further. Michael asked if Joe was aware that the Balliol Dramatic Society provided funding for plays, although it tends to give loans rather than grants. Charlotte asked if the costs of the play were known. Joe replied that they were not known, but that there was precedent. Amrita asked if a budget was available. Joe said that there was no available budget, though he noted that it would cost several hundred pounds. Charlotte asked why Balliol should fund these extracurricular pursuits, given that we don’t support other students who carry out Oxford-related activities.

Henrique noted that Joe was essentially asking for £200 for his own production and that, without a budget, the cost seemed arbitrary. Amrita suggested that amending the amount to £100. Isis suggested an amendment to the effect that the JCR would give the production £150 as long as Joe also applied for a floreat grant. If a floreat grant was not secured then the JCR would pay out £200, that is an extra £50. Alex said that it was very hard for us to decide on how much to fund the play given the lack of information. Charlotte said that precedent did not support Joe; rowers Jonny had, in the past, gone to rowing championships and received no JCR support. Isis noted that students aren’t expected to buy rowing boats. Jonny noted that individuals are also expected to buy rowing equipment. Mollie asked how much money the JCR had, and hence whether the JCR could afford to pass these sort of motions. Henrique noted that we have 37k in reserves and used to have 60k two years ago.

Motion passes.

Yearbooks - AK

Amrita noted that the JCR does a yearbook. She noted that the JCR subsidised this last year so that the cost was c.£20 per individual. If we apply early then we will get a £200 discount.

Motion passes.

Funding for Taalash - SU

Simran noted that Taalash is a play that is being performed in Oxford at the Pilch studio. It’s only the third fully BME production in Oxford; the cast consists only of BME women. Avnish is in charge of make-up. Charlotte noted that the MCR has a lot of money. Simran noted that the grant is so that ticket prices can be lowered. Simran said that this was essential to ensure that the play is accessible. Simran noted that £400 may be optimistic.

Simran noted that the concessionary tickets would be roughly £9. There are somewhere between 10-15 colleges involved; Wadham are definitely funding £100 or possibly up to £300. Charlotte asked why Simran had not released 30 low-price tickets rather than all of them given that not all of those likely to got the play will be unable to afford tickets. Simran objected that the production should be open to all. He also said that other attempts to widen access have been made. For example, Simran noted that the Pilch usually has plays Wednesday to Saturday. But it has permitted a matinee performance of Taalash.

Henrique asked how Simran had decided on how much money to ask for from the JCR. Simran said that the cost was based on precedent and the fact that the increased sum will all go into reducing ticket costs. Henrique asked whether the Taalash production team had applied to colleges other than Wadham and Balliol for funding. Simran said that other colleges were reluctant to provide such funding.

Motion passes.

BME Society - ABM/AN

Andi noted that she had talked to prospective BME students about Balliol, and noted that the negative newspaper headlines have resulted in negative perceptions of the college. The role of Ethnic Minority Officer is important, but welfare is not the only component of the problem. She would like to set up a BME society that would unify the BME community at Balliol and focus on non-welfare issues. And wants to do a pantry takeover every term and several other events. They’re meeting with RQ and have applied for a floreat grant. Henrique asked whether they had applied to college for funding. It was noted that college only fund sports societies so this would not be possible.

Amrita asked why a new BME society was needed. Couldn't the EM officers do all of this? Safia responded that the EM officers had a welfare role. Amrita also asked why the EM officers' £50 termly budget couldn't be used to fund BME society events. It was suggested that this was too little. Thomas suggested a £0.15 levy every term, but And replied that this would not allow for budgeting in advance as the amount raised from the levy might vary from term to term. Isis noted that the reputation of the committee was such that it would be harder to put on events so having a separate society made sense. She also noted that the number of members would allow the society to run more events. This would also allow the E&M committee members to expand their reach.

Motion passes.

Bop Policy - LM

Leah explained that she hopes to use the GM to agree on a bop security policy that satisfied all JCR members. So her idea was that those present would essentially draw up a motion at the GM. In particular, she wanted to decide on whether the JCR should have a guest list policy, or an official limit on the number of non-Balliol people. Charlotte noted that bop security has been quite intrusive in the past, but security needs to become tighter in future to avoid incidents at bops. Jesse suggested positioning the bouncer outside the JCR to avoid disruption to JCR members not attending the bop. However it was noted that a funnel cannot be used due to fire safety regulations and also the fact that the windows are often open during the bop meaning that people can come in and out without going through the JCR entrance. Staircase 16, too, cannot be secured due to fire regulations. Further, individuals can come in prior to the bop and then remain in college until the beginning of the bop. Jesse asked whether it was possible for people to be prevented from milling around outside the JCR. Joe asked what the point of the motion was. Marianne was asking if there was a way to get friends in from out of college on a bop night without having to go via the bouncers. The answer was that this would not be possible.

Jamie suggested the idea of creating bop angels who could deal with welfare issues at bops, possibly similar to the angel shots policy in the bar. Leah agreed that increased welfare provision would certainly make sense. Marianne suggested that welfare provisions would not avoid future incidents and that the entire security policy would not reduce the chances of such incidents occurring. Leah noted that the policy has to be adapted because incidents have occurred in the past and continue to occur, so we need to set an optimal bop security policy. It became clear that such a policy would not be produced at the GM, so the GM was adjourned.