2020 General Meeting

Date: 2nd February 2020 (2020-02-02)

Agenda

Matters Arising

Amendments to Governing Documents

Motions Relating to Financial Matters

a.) Requiring that long-term leases have the required capital in savings (MR)

Any Other Motions

a.) Supporting and showing solidarity with ‘Direct Action for Divestment’ (MB & BB)

Appendices 

1. Matters Arising

2. Amendments to Governing Documents

3. Motions Relating to Financial Matters

a.) Requiring that long-term leases have the required capital in savings (MR)

This JCR notes:

• The vending machine in the TV room is on a 6-year lease, due to run out in January 2021
• 6 years is well beyond the length of the majority of JCR member’s degrees
• Current JCR members cannot know the future financial situation of the JCR 
• The vending machine has been operating at a large loss in the region of £1,000 per term

This JCR believes:

• That the current JCR should look to safeguard the future financial position of the JCR
• That the current JCR should not be able to tie the hands of future JCR members in financial matters

This JCR resolves:

• To prohibit the future signing of long-term leases (more than 3 years) unless the funds required to pay for the lease are kept in reserves

4. Any Other Motions

a.) Supporting and showing solidarity with ‘Direct Action for Divestment’ (MB & BB)

This JCR notes that: 

1. St. John’s College has £8.1 million invested in Shell and BP, which are still starting new fossil fuel exploration projects and financing misinformation campaigns.
2. Both the JCR and MCR of St. John’s have passed motions in favour of divesting the endowment from fossil fuels, and a petition demanding that the college divest has been signed by over a third of the student body of St. John’s. However, over a year since the petition began, the college has yet to divest the endowment.
3. Direct Action for Divestment (DAD), a group of students from St. John’s and the rest of the university, including Balliol) have occupied St. John’s’ front quad, beginning on Wednesday, demanding that the college move its investments out of fossil fuel companies as soon as possible and declare a climate emergency.
4. The action has been peaceful.
5. In response to this action, St John’s has deactivated the keys and solo accounts of several of their students involved in the occupation and cut off supply lines into the college and physically limiting access points to the front quad, making it difficult for the occupants to access food.
6. St. John’s’ principal bursar replied to the demands of activists by saying, “I am not able to arrange divestment at short notice. But I can arrange for the gas central heating to be switched off with immediate effect. Please let me know if you support this proposal.” Later, he said he was being deliberately, “provocative.”
7. Balliol has recently announced it is divesting from fossil fuels, with the pressure for this move coming largely from students.

This JCR believes that: 

1. The climate crisis is a real existential threat - Oxford colleges have a duty not to support companies who largely fuel this crisis and fund misinformation campaigns.
2. St John’s’ punishment of students involved in the action is a reactionary abuse of power.
3. Members of Balliol JCR support participants of the St. John’s DAD action.
4. Balliol JCR and MCR occupy unique positions to continue to add momentum to the divestment movement in Oxford. This is evidenced by student press continually citing our own divestment commitment in articles about DAD’s St. John’s action.

This JCR therefore resolves to: 

1. Mandate the Balliol Divestment Campaign to send a letter addressed to Maggie Snowling, the President of St John’s College, and to Andrew Parker, the Principal Bursar, communicating Balliol JCR’s support of the activists and asking that St. John’s administration cooperate with the activists and make a commitment to divestment just as strong as Balliol’s.

5. Appendices

Minutes

Motions Relating to Financial Matters

a.) Requiring that long-term leases have the required capital in savings (MR)

Maddy introduces the motion. She thinks it’s not right that committees can impose financial burdens on future committees, as they have no way of predicting the financial state of the jcr. The motion stops this without overly limiting the jcr. 

Rory adds that pantry sells most of what is in the vending machine for less, making it redundant. Also the oreos haven’t been restocked in ages. 

Conor suggests that reserves aren’t used as a measure for the jcr’s financial state, as due to the jcr’s financial responsibilities, there can be a lot in reserves even when finances are poor. 

Cerian adds that because of bar and pantry, it’s not really possible to ringfence jcr money. 

Maddy and Conor agree to amend the motion at a later time to make it more feasible. 

Millie asks if we can get out of the current lease contract. 

Maddy explains that we can by paying a settlement figure of £1100. As projected losses are around £3k when the lease ends, she thinks we should pay the settlement now. 

A vote is taken. 

The motion passes. 

Any Other Motions

a.) Supporting and showing solidarity with ‘Direct Action for Divestment’ (MB & BB)

Bea introduces the motion, explains that the main idea is to add momentum to the St John’s divestment campaign. 

Rory asks how it would add momentum. 

Bea explains it would be covered in student newspapers (it’s agreed Cherwell are desperate for stories), and perhaps in wider journalism. 

Maddy asks if this is the right time for the motion, as the occupation is ending. 

Bea thinks that it is, the motion isn’t in support of continuing the occupation, it supports the goal of divestment that hasn’t yet been achieved. 

Millie asks who will send the letter. 

Bea says it will be the divestment campaign, and thus a section of the jcr. 

A vote is taken. 

The motion passes.