Minutes
Key
CT = Callum Turnbull
MS = Mukund Soni
EW = Elsa Wester
JB = Jade Bennett
AP = Avrah Pernica
ME = Madeleine Evans
FG = Frederick Goodfellow
HL = Harry Lucas
MK = Malachy King
EC = Eli Cazin
SW = Sarah Webb
Officers' Reports
Quorum is reached.
GM Budget
EW – Every term we have £2000 for GMs. Usually spend more in Michaelmas, less in Trinity. Means roughly £800 per GM, motions that we are voting on today come to £1200. So please think carefully about which motions you support. If we do go over-budget, will mean next Treasurer will have to think more carefully about where they spend money.
Voting on charities for optional levies
CT – Will send a google form on charities. You can vote for however many, top 5 will be chosen for optional levies.
Charity musical
CT – Annual tradition, but didn’t happen last year. Aims to raise money, unserious. Last time was horror themed, had the dean, master, Seamus Perry as characters. Get in touch with CT or Pilch team if you want to get involved. Will run next term.
Other stuff
Adam – Trinity is trying to sell our things from the bar.
Pheobe – yearbook deadline is end of this term for any 3rd years/2023 Matriculants.
Towa – stash is coming next week.
CT – Manifestos in for JCR elections by Wednesday 9pm. Any questions, talk to CT or relevant role.
Questions to Officers
None.
Discussion of motions
Motion: Formalize Housing Priority in the JCR Constitution (CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT)
JB – Looking at formalising housing ballot, currently at discretion of housing officers. Giving more control to college, want Keeley, college housing officer, to run it.
AP – for freshers’, in the past, college accommodation works as follows. Sometime in Hilary, you sign up. JCR Housing officers apply specific priority, e.g., higher for later years, when they have important exams. Enter a random ballot with priority. You get to pick your room depending on where you come up in ballot. Not been formalised in past, so if priority system changes, can screw certain groups over. Putting it in constitution ensures this will remain same every year so you know how it will work.
Factual questions.
Alex – what is current priority list?
JB – there are two. On mainsite – 3rd and 4th years who have never lived on mainsite again, then those who have done that, then 2nd years. Then on Jowett – 3rd and 4th years who didn’t ballot for mainsite, then those who have done, then 2nd years.
AP – typically first and final years live on mainsite. Second years usually live offsite. The above priority is the same as it has been in past.
Points of support or debate.
Elizabeth – is anything going to change about the way that groups work? Issue in past where groups in 1s or 2s higher in ballot have taken spots that mess up a potential group of 7.
AP – have considered this, but don’t want to penalise those who don’t have as many friends. Some people may prioritise the exact room location more than being with friends.
JB – also always have the option to swap rooms afterwards if wanted.
Passes 46-1 (75% needed as constitutional amendment, will need to pass at next GM too.
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Motion: Formalize Housing Timeline into JCR Standing Orders
AP – Separate motion as it relates to Standing Orders. Gives some deadlines for Housing Officers to comply with, better for College and students compared to how this was done last year. These dates will apply from next academic year.
Mainsite ballot has to be completed by end of Michaelmas, Jowett/Masters by end of Hilary, sign-up by 4th Week Hilary. Keeley needs numbers by 4th Week Hilary. Mainsite ballot in Michaelmas as mainsite ballot has to be done before Jowett/Masters one, and the whole sign-up must be done by 4th Week Hilary. And don’t want to put too much pressure on new housing officers elected to start from Hilary term.
JB – College just wants to us to do it all quicker, this does that.
No factual questions.
No points of support or debate.
Passes 43-2 (75% needed as Standing Order amended).
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Motion: Constitutional Amendment to allow for funding for the JCR Balliol Garden Party 2026 (CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT)
ME – Every year Balliol has a ball or garden party. Garden party is much smaller than ball, limit of 500 people, lower budget. Wants to make ticket prices as cheap as possible, most of JCR attends. One thing that has changed this year is lower budget. Previously had JCR funding due to Covid surplus. College has been clear they do not want to carry on providing JCR funding for these events. Have come to an agreement that we can pass a motion to provide some funding for garden
party conditional on a constitutional amendment that formalises that we cannot in the future have any JCR funding on balls or garden parties. In future years for ball or garden parties, no funding from College. College has been clear on that either way, all this does is put it in writing. College will allow us to have one final year of
funding if that happens.
Factual questions.
Arthur – what is the justification for ending funding?
ME – they say they fund the June Jamboree, Week 9 event in Trinity. Want it to be a break-even event, not coming out of JCR budget which is for other things to enrich student life. Also some people in college who do not want to go to these events. Personally has some issues with that, but college has been clear on its stance.
Izzie – what will be the ticket price without this funding?
ME – unsure, right now not asking for material amount, only on constitutional amendment to then allow them to ask for funding in future. If they get enough money to reduce prices, will be great, if not, will just look at improving quality and making it a great event.
Keira – previously money has come from Covid surplus, last time they asked for £15,000, how would it work this time, where would money come from.
ME – will be much less, cap on what we can ask for £1,000.
FG – if we don’t pass this, then does College have the power to stop us from passing a motion to fund the garden party anyway?
ME – in conversations with Elsa, she wouldn’t be comfortable with doing this if college wouldn’t be happy with this. College has view that this is an agreed thing, not something we can go back on. Just that if we don’t pass this, won’t get any money.
Toby – did garden party use to take money from JCR before Covid?
ME – don’t know, doesn’t have access to those records. Other colleges have varying policies – some do fund, others don’t.
Toby – about how much are tickets?
ME – not finalised, but around £60 for regular, £40 for access, due to lack of funding compared to last time, is an increase on last time.
CT – does this affect balls as well?
ME – yes, remembers that Idabell (Ball president) also faced similar issue in getting College funding last year for Ball.
Elizabeth – is there anything we could do where we could transfer funding from June Jamboree to Garden Party in future years if we think that is a better use of money?
CT – no as the June Jamboree is an event for MCR, staff alongside JCR. So we couldn’t do that ourselves.
Freddie – any way to fight this? If we wanted to subsidise an event for JCR members and we think that is the best way to use our funds? Or is this the only option left.
ME – College has been saying this. I would say that if you heavily disagree, don’t vote for it. Not sure what she believes but is supporting purely as a way to get some money for the event this year. Understands College’s perspective to some extent.
Meg – in future years, can also change the constitution to allow JCR funding again.
CT – if it comes out of JCR budget, other things would have to be cut. Would have to accept lower budgets for GM motions, bops, welfare etc.
ME – Elsa has been stressing this point a lot as well.
Phoebe – is there much scope to push back against the June Jamboree event? From own experience running the June Jamboree, not too many staff attended. MCR also comes to garden party or ball.
CT – can definitely explore this more, but doesn’t think college will be too flexible.
Oskar – on the June Jamboree, College has made it clear to us that…
[HL enters and asks – is there a GM going on? CT – you’ve just interrupted. The answer – yes]
…this is entirely within the JCR’s remit and for us to discuss at a GM.
Meg – lack of transparency between what College has told us and conversations with Treasurer. Need to iron this out separately.
CT – surprise to him, made very clearly to him that June Jamboree was an event organised by JCR but for the wider College community.
Phoebe – dates for the event were also restricted by ensuring members from College would come.
Points of support or debate.
Toby – supports it, funding for garden party or ball should be separate to that for GMs. Giving funding for these events has started since Covid, unsustainable to continue in long run. Would also help current garden party but a cut off after would be good.
Does not pass 36-13 (needs 75% support as a constitutional amendment).
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Motion: One-time payment of £500 to support the progression of Oxford University Racing
FG – student society, designs build a racing car every year. Balliol heavily involved in terms of engineers and senior leadership of team. Seeks sponsorships and funding from JCRs. Last year we had funding from Balliol so we had the Balliol Bar logo on the car at Silverstone. Pretty cool, good for outreach too.
AP – how much are you asking for this?
FG – asking for £300 in line with Elsa’s request to reduce compared to original of £500 as GM is over-budget.
Shawn – if JCR does donate, is Balliol logo guaranteed to be on car again?
FG – yes.
Passes 35-5 (requires 60% as over £200).
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Motion: £350 Funding for the Radcliffe
HL – Asking for £200 (also reduced compared to original amount) for Radcliffe, a new student-run business. A lot of top firms in law, consulting etc. want students to have better commercial awareness. If we get JCR funding, allows you all to access the magazine for free. We have law, finance, accounting, biology, consulting, interviews, tips sections. Completely student-run body, trying to get students more commercially aware.
Factual questions.
Phoebe – do you have any plans for future terms?
HL – we have advertisers, see this as a one-off payment so that we can get it off the ground and hopefully can get funding from there in the future.
Angharad – why do you want it printed?
HL – lots of articles, many people involved, rather than having a massive website which people might not fully read, want something people can just pick up and look through.
Passes 26-11.
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Motion: Funding for Oxford Shakespeare Society
MK – Asking for £115 (also reduced to not go over-budget), starting a new Shakespeare society in Oxford. In talks with fight choreographers, trying to organise visits to shows, had a talk on how to speak as they did back in Shakespeare’s time. Hope to get registered by end of the term to get university funding for next term too. Any events at Balliol, can give us discounted tickets, will advertise so accessible for all of JCR members.
Keira – have you asked other colleges?
MK – every member of our committee has asked their colleges. Have around £100 so far, asked at Merton, couple other colleges too.
CT – are you planning on running for Comrade Shakespeare? You have to do this if it passes now.
MK – Ok.
Passes 32-1 (2 abstentions)
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Motion: JCR Motion for ‘Under Milk Wood’, O’Reilly Week 5
EC – Asking for £115 (also reduced), asking for money for production. Really big, building a special roof.
SW – a layer of fabric is suspended in ceiling… (didn’t understand it). Lots of cool technical things, they do require a slightly higher budget.
EC – teaching show, trying to get freshers involved, doing outreach with Welsh schools as it’s a Welsh play.
CT – has it already happened?
EC – was this week.
Points of support or debate.
Angharad – really supports this as a Welsh person who likes theatre.
HL – sounds really cool, we always fund this.
Phoebe – also as a Welsh person who enjoys plays in Oxford, supports.
Passes 30-4 (1 abstention).
CT – next GM is Week 8 Sunday, please get in your motions for then.
GM adjourned.