2013-02-24 (Open)
JCR/1st Meeting Lent 2013/Minutes
JCR OPEN MEETING
A meeting was held on 24th February 2013 at 18.45 in the Terrace Room. The JCR President (Davina Moss) welcomed everyone to the meeting.
In attendance: 64
1) Sky TV
-Davina Moss (DM) explained briefly how last year Trinity Hall got rid of our subscription of £6000 for Sky TV due to being regarded as a business. Rosalyn Old, the CUSU President, has told the JCR President’s how Oxford have lobbied together so that all the JCRs can be treated at a charity rate. We can join the Cambridge JCRs to fight for this new rate or alternatively, the JCR can buy a new freeview box. The freeview box is a fixed rate of £100 but has a reduced number of channels; a HD box would be £160. Bearing in mind the TV will be fixed, the JCR is proposing a motion to join with the other JCRs to get Sky TV at a lower rate.
– There were no questions or contributions from the floor.
Motion: The JCR will get Sky TV back at the reduced rate
60 For, 4 Against, 0 Abstain
Motion Passed
2) Committee Restructuring
– DM explained the new committee structure that Fiona Shaw has proposed and how it maps onto CUSUs provision better. She explained that this will allow us to connect better to CUSU which has the connections which are far better trained and qualified to support individual needs and it also matches the positions in other college’s JCR committees. It will also provide more accountability and streamlining in the JCR Committee too.
– Ryan Howard (RH) explained that Fiona’s job this year was very difficult having to encompass both Women’s Officer and Welfare and attending all the meetings offered at CUSU, hence splitting the position into the Welfare Committee.
– DM said there was a particular situation recently where the JCR Welfare team could not represent a student with a disability so we could definitely benefit from expanding our representatives. This has also been raised with women’s issues being raised in college too.
– Claire Peet (CP) wanted to clarify whether LGBT officer would no longer be on JCR Committee
– DM said no they’ll be in the Welfare subcommittee but represented on the JCR by the Welfare Officers in meetings
– RH further confirmed they’ll just be a different level in the committee
– Kerry Corley (KC) asked does International Officer stay in the JCR Committee
– DM said they stay on the JCR Committee as this reflects CUSU’s separate ICUSU branch and the roles will also be co-opted like LGBT and international currently are as you have to self define as the role.
Motion: To restructure the Committee to include a Welfare-Subcommittee of Women’s Officer, Black and Ethnic Minorities Officer, LGBT+ Officer and Special Considerations Officer. Green will also include Green and Ethical Officer
64 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain
Motion Passed
3) Ents President Payment for Superhall
– DM explained that currently the Ents Presidents have to attend and have to pay full price each week. We think this is unfair and so we propose that the Presidents should get 50% off the price which can be paid for by the JCR budget that will start this term but also be reimbursed to the previous Presidents (as this initiative was new for them)
– KC mentioned the 30% second/third year additional charge and asked if this will be tackled and accounted for. She also checked that she can vote in this motion.
– DM said she is dealing with that extra charge separately and that at present it is just the current price halved and that motions are to the whole JCR (so yes!)
– Eliot Hearson (EH) confirmed if it was compulsory for the presidents to attend
– This was confirmed as compulsory
Motion: The JCR will subsidise 50% of the Ents Presidents cost for Superhalls
63 For, 1 Against, 0 Abstain
Motion Passed
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The Open Meeting for Lent Term was held on the 24th February 2013 and finished at 19.00 and was followed by Election Hustings.
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Samantha Johnson
JCR Secretary
sjj38@cam.ac.uk