An update from the latest SUmmit meeting, where members passed for SU standpoints.
On Wednesday 27 March, we held our third SUmmit meeting of the year, which went really well, and we had some great Standpoints and engagement from members and – back by popular demand – some great food from Leon!
Our Chair opened the meeting and gave an update on the standpoint from the last meeting which went to a call for statements from the student body. We received an amazing 94 responses to our call for comments on changes to the academic year structure for future years. Look out for further updates on this next year.
This time, we had another 4 new Standpoint proposals, which ranged from topics such as fees for international students to quiet spaces on campus. After discussing each Standpoint, members are then asked to vote on the next steps for each.
All 4 Standpoints proceeded to a vote. Votes will only pass if: quoracy is met (at least 50%+1 of the total SUmmit committee members needs to cast a vote) and a ‘super majority’ of the votes cast are in favour (super majority means at least 66%+1). Voting has now closed, and the voting results for the proposed Standpoints of SUmmit for 27 March are as follows.
- Standpoint 1: The SU believes that all students must have access to a fair, equitable pathway to participation in all areas of university life in alignment with their gender identity.
14 votes cast, 10 for, 4 abstain. Therefore, Standpoint has not been adopted.
- Standpoint 2: The SU believes that the University should provide model solutions, annotated examples, and official mark schemes for all past exam papers available.
14 votes cast, 14 for. Therefore, Standpoint has been adopted.
- Standpoint 3: The SU believes in reasonable and justified tuition fees for international students on placement.
14 votes cast, 14 for. Therefore, Standpoint has been adopted.
- Standpoint 4: The SU believes that the University should open more safe and quiet spaces on campus and in the city for use by students.
14 votes cast, 12 for, 2 abstain. Therefore, Standpoint has been adopted.
The adopted standpoints join the other Standpoints previously adopted by SUmmit.
Finally, your SU Officers gave updates on what they’ve been up to over the past month, including Officer Elections, working on voter registration, progress with Top Ten items, preparing for SU Awards and Varsity and much more!
Our final SUmmit is on Wednesday 1 May, so keep an eye out for all the news from that meeting!