2016 General Meeting

Date: Sunday 1st week, Michaelmas 2016 (2016-10-09)

Agenda

a) Matters arising

b) Amendments to the Governing Documents
1. Sanitary fund [Ele Saltmarsh]

c) Motions relating to financial matters
2. Ball loan [Juliet Flamank]

d) Any other motions

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a) Matters arising

b) Amendments to the Governing Documents
1. Sanitary fund [Ele Saltmarsh] Passes
This JCR notes:
1. That there is a sanitary fund collected through a levy, used to provide sanitary products and reimburse menstrual cups.
2. That the women’s officers have access this sanitary fund, in order to stock/reimburse these products.
3. That not all people in need of sanitary items will identify as wholly or partially women.
 
This JCR believes:
1. That these products should be easily and comfortably accessible to whoever requires them, regardless of gender.
 
This JCR resolves:
1. To allow the LGBTQ+ officers to access the sanitary funds.
2. To make provision of sanitary items and reimbursement of menstrual cups the joint responsibility of the women’s and LGBTQ+ officers.

Amendment [Ele] Passes

To add to resolves, “ To amend standing orders appropriately.”

 

c) Motions relating to financial matters
2. Ball loan [Juliet Flamank] Passes
This JCR notes:  
1. That College have told the Balliol Ball Committee that they need £5000 to put into the ball account before they can have access to it so they can start sorting out catering, entertainment, etc. this term.  
2. That Ticket sales can only be opened in Hilary Term.  
3. That College will not loan the Committee the money.  
4. That without the loan from the JCR, the Ball cannot take place, as deposits have to be paid to secure the entertainment and production.  
5. That the JCR has loaned money to previous Balliol Ball Committees.  
  
This JCR believes:  
1. That, for many JCR members, balls are an enjoyable part of college life and many will want to attend the ball itself.  
2. That the JCR should support, and cooperate with the Ball committee, to ensure an enjoyable event for members of the JCR including themselves.  
  
This JCR resolves:  
1. To loan Balliol Ball Committee £5000, to be paid back in full after the ball has taken place in Trinity Term.

Amendment 1 Passes

Add to resolves, “To mandate the Ball President and Treasurer to establish the amount of money in the contingency fund now that the 2010 ball losses have been paid off and clarify the nature of our financial interactions with college in putting on the Ball”

Amendment 2 [James] Passes

Add to resolves “To bring a date for the loan to be repaid in two weeks.”

 

e) Any other motions

Minutes

Annie welcomed the GM. She explained that GM’s are where things that want to be made to happen are made to happen. She noted the shortness of the agenda, attributing it to the Summer break, and encouraged new members to feel comfortable submitting motions to GMs.

She explained that motions can be bought by all ordinary members and can be brought in groups. She described the process of giving a motion; that the motion would be described, short questions would be asked, and then debate would be opened. She told the JCR that the complexity of motions can vary wildly, from simple matters such as charitable donations to discussions on rent negotiations. She encouraged debate during motions, noting the GM as a democratic space. She also noted that those interested in running for Committee should particularly enjoy GMs. She added that voting on a motion occurs only if there is opposition to a motion passing without opposition.

 

Ele noted to the JCR that sanitary items are not gender specific as they will be used by trans-men and others with a complicated LGBTQ identity, and hence it was suitable to accord some responsibility of the fund to the LGBTQ officers.

Annie asked the freshers if they had heard of tampon mountain. No one said anything. At all. Annie asked if that was a yes or a no. People still send literally nothing. Ele explained that tampon mountain is a stock of sanitary products for people to access freely.

Emily noted that previously money had been donated to various causes and asked if the LGBTQ officers and asked if they would have a role in this. Darryl responded that such use of the money would require a vote at a GM, rendering the question somewhat moot.

Daisy asked if the Womens’ Officerss had been consulted; they had, and approved ot the motion. Ele noted that any welfare officer had access to such materials, but thought it was important to have this acknowledgement codified in a more formal way.

Ele proposed the amendment to include a resolves to change the standing orders. Annie explained standing orders as a document that governs the actions of the JCR.

The amendment passes without opposition.

The motion passes without opposition.

 

Juliet introuduced herself as the Ball president, noting the previous term referendum in favour of a Ball, which would be held in second week of Trinity. She introduced Sophie as the Ball treasurer and explained that they assumed full responsibility for the Ball, hence College do not provide the sum required to open the bank account. She noted that the money was needed to meet payment deadlines that occur before revenue comes through in the form of tickets through which the cost of the Ball would paid. She emphasised that the sum was a loan that would be paid back, and that precedent existed in the three previous Balls.

Cealach asked if there was a float from the previous year. Sophie explained it exists as a contingency fund; Juliet offered that they were given the impression that it should not be included in the budgeting of the Ball.

James asked if there would be a deadline for repayment. Sophie explained that it would be repaid after a sufficient sum for the Ball costs had been accrued, but it was difficult to estimate when this would be.

Hugo asked if the College was not allowing us access to money that was the JCR’s. Richard explained that in 2010, a Ball collapsed, the cost or which had been covered by College, established a debt to be repaid. Richard did however agree with Hugo’s point, and suggested that Balls tend to make a profit, and hence suggested chasing this up so that the money was not kept from the JCR. Juliet noted there was a debt to be paid off by the JCR. Daisy Cutts offered her belief that it had been fully paid off; Juliet agreed, and hence agreed that it would be important to discuss access to the money to College. Daisy Cutts suggested it should be phrased in a stronger way, as this is JCR money.

Hugo asked whose name the accounts were in. It was suggested that it was a College staff member.

Darryl explained to the JCR that the College accounts and the JCR accounts are separate and accounted for different aspects of the College.

Hugo offered concerns about the wording of the motion, in that it suggests a control of College over the JCR money. Juliet agreed with the importance of addressing the current attitude of retaining the JCR’s money in the future.

Cealach suggested bringing an amendment to resolve to mandate the Ball committee to discuss this, noting (with Darryl) that the debt had been paid off, and hence should have no control over our access to our funds.

Amendment passes without opposition.

James offered his lack of comfort in the lack of deadline, and suggested that a deadline - that may be long, but must be fixed – be recorded. Juliet suggested the previous Ball president had set a date with the Treasurer after the passage of a similar motion. James asked if this date could be brought back to the JCR at a future GM. Juliet responded that this would be reasonable.

James proposed an amendment to add a resolves to bring this date to the next GM.

Amendment passes without opposition.

Darryl stressed his wariness of allowing College the perception of acceptability of the current situation and the importance of using previous profits to fund these sorts of activities, rather than assuming a dependence on a JCR loan.

Motion passes without opposition.

 

The meeting was adjourned.