2019 Committee Lunch

Date: Wednesday 2nd week, Trinity 2019 (2019-05-08)

Present: Michael O'Connor (President), Thomas Laver (Vice-President (Administrative)), Ethan Stewart (Secretary), Daniel Gonsalezpavesio (Treasurer), Frederick Lynam (Lindsay), Calvin Runnels (Dr. WHO), Joe Stephen (Foody), Anna Brainin (Foody), Jack Briggs (Sports Rep), Francesca Back (Sports Rep), Benjamin Elliott (Academic Affairs and Careers Officer), Leyla Manthorperizatepe (Academic Affairs and Careers Officer), Jamie Barnes (Access and Admissions Officer), Jai Thakrar-Curtis (Access and Admissions Officer), Donghyun Kang (Affiliations Officer), Arun Gharial (Charities and RAG Officer), Conor Callaghan (Charities and RAG Officer), Jake Dealtry (Student Disabilities Officer), Rory Dangelo (Entz Officer), Bruno Atkinson (Entz Officer), Michael Beattie (Environment & Ethics Officer), Beatrice Boileau (Environment & Ethics Officer), Naa Ntodi (Ethnic Minorities Officer), Tanya Wijesekera (Ethnic Minorities Officer), Xinyu Luo (International Students Officer), Jane Ngarmnil (International Students Officer), Thomas Laver (Housing Officer), Josh Willetts (LGBTQ Officer), Leoni Loughlin (LGBTQ Officer), Daniel Rastelli (Website & Computing Officer), Natasha Fisher-Pearson (Women's Officer), Imogen Rivers (Women's Officer)

Agenda

College Parent Reforms (TL)

Minutes

Minutes

College Parent reforms (TL)

Thomas opens the discussion by saying he isn’t trying to railroad this through and wants to encourage a discussion on the subject. He thinks that at the moment there is too weak a connection between freshers and their college parents. His plan is that at least one parent will be from the same subject, in the hopes that this gives freshers an ‘in’ to talk about pastoral issue. Thomas also mentions that subject parents will hopefully replaced by subject reps, responsible for not just the current parental role, but in addition they would be responsible for communication with/running of the subject societies, as per Layla’s plan to encourage.

 

There is disagreement as to how strong the bonds between parents and freshers are at other colleges compared to Balliol, as Tom says he has head they are stronger at other colleges, but Marianne says the opposite.

Conor asks Thomas if he has asked college how feasible the introduction of a questionnaire to determine what things parents and freshers have in common before allocating them. Thomas says he hasn’t and that he doesn’t think he could get a response in time, as action has to be taken very quickly.

Cerian asks Thomas why there might be stronger connections at other colleges between parents and freshers. She says it might be because they have more events with parents and that this is a bigger cause of the stronger bonds than the subject which the parents come from. Thomas responds by saying that there isn’t time to put more events into freshers’ week, and that we can’t get people to participate in college family events after freshers week.

Marianne has a go at Michael for not picking Dan to speak, but Michael explains he has already let Dan speak and is trying to accommodate as many people as possible.

Jamie, and later Arun, say that they think having college parents from different subjects than the one you study helps build connections with people outside of your subject. Thomas argues that his plan balances this with having something to talk about with at least one college parent.  

 

Bruno points out that under the status quo very few people have two college parents from same subject, and wonders if there’s much point in changing the system.  

It is brought up that second year parents are quite far away from freshers in Cowley or even Jowett, and that maybe third year parents would be better as you will see them around college more and have more opportunities to connect with them. Thomas says that he agrees and wants to emphasise to third years that they can and should be college parents of freshers too.

Rory asks how many people are dissatisfied with the current system. There is a show of hands taken and half the room is dissatisfied with current level of contact they have with their parents.

 

Jamie is concerned that some people who want to be college parents won’t be able to under Tom’s system due to logistical difficulties. Tom says that in the worst-case scenario they can still be subject reps if they want to, which can have a pastoral role. Marianne argues that if they call them parents instead of reps then they will take on a more pastoral role. Francesca mentions that some people in the year above her were quite close to freshers despite not being subject or college parents and uses this example to make the point that regardless of what your title is, you can still fulfil a pastoral role.

 

 

Dan thinks that compulsory events with college parents aren’t as important as other stuff in freshers’ weeks. He also thinks that the more compulsory events you have that don’t seem particularly important, the less likely people will be to attend committee lunch.

 

Rory says that when he has encountered difficulties he wants to talk about with a college parent they are often related to his subject and so going to his subject parents is easier. Secondly, he doesn’t think you can force a good relationship between freshers and parents with compulsory events. Thomas thinks that optional events haven’t worked in the past, and points out that under his system you could talk to one of your college parents as they do your subject.

 

 

Cerian thinks we can involve the older years in freshers’ events more, without necessarily creating new compulsory events. She goes on to say something about ‘letting the parents lose’ on the college kids on freshers’ club nights? Everyone feels uncomfortable.

 

Bee thinks that Thomas’ plan would entail forcing people to get married which wouldn’t work well. Thomas thinks this won’t be difficult logistically, but there isn’t agreement either way.

 

Francesca mentions that Brasenose’s college parent system is much tighter knit and people meet their grandparents. She thinks there needs to be a change of culture at Balliol.

Jake thinks that parents should facilitate mingling between freshers as well as having a pastoral role. He says that telling parents ‘you should do x with freshers’ but not making it compulsory for them to do so might change culture. Jake also thinks siblings should be encouraged to go to events together without parents.

Another show of hands is help and almost no one is dissatisfied with their subject parents.

Marianne says that is view of this we shouldn’t alter the current subject parents system.

 

A series of indicative votes is held, results are as follows:

Thomas’ proposal: 3 votes

Encouraging third years to be college parents to freshers: Almost everyone

More events in freshers’ week with college parents that are compulsory: 7

More non-compulsory events in freshers’ week: 4

Additional non-compulsory events after freshers’ week with college parents: 17

Asking college about the feasibility of a questionnaire: 16

(Roughly 23 were in attendance)

 

The meeting ends.