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St John’s College: Junior Common Room
The People’s Republic of St Giles
Results for the third meeting of Michaelmas Term 2010
Sunday 21 November, 8.30pm, Larkin Room
i/ Minutes of the previous meeting
ii/ Matters arising from the minutes
iii/ Officers’ reports
iv/ Reps’ reports
v/ Ratifications
e/ The Staggered Elections Motion (Constitutional) (07/11/2010)
No objections: constitutional motion ratified.
vi/ Items for discussion
a/ Format of Student Equality Forum
Raised: Nyasha Weinberg
vii/ Passing of charities motions nem con
a/ OK Club (Oxford Kilburn Club) Motion (Charities)
Proposer: Chris Sykes
Seconded: Ben Butterfield
This JCR notes that:
a. The OK Club is a charitable organization, set up in the 1950s by recently graduated Oxford
Students in Kilburn, North-West London, with the aim of improving the lives of the young people
in the area.
b. The Club is situated on a housing estate which has high levels of unemployment, poverty, social
deprivation and family breakdown, and which has recently seen inter-estate violence resulting in
shootings.
c. The Club's main are of work is personal development, getting people back into employment or
education, liaising with social services, providing training and other activities on site, and
organizing trips and activities out of the local area that would otherwise be impossible for the
young people.
d. Such longevity in social action projects is very rare and has allowed the club to become a highly
respected and trusted organization among the local community.
e. Recent economic and political conditions have lead to a serious reduction in the club's funding,
drawn from both public grants and private donations and trusts.
f. Chris Sykes has been volunteering there for about a year, in the holidays and on some occasions
during term time.
This JCR believes that:
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g. The close nature of the work that the Club does with young people means that they can
intervene very early when problems such as drug use, truancy or family breakdown arise, and
therefore they can be much more successful in sorting them out, which leads to much better
results, and goes on to prevent crime and long term unemployment.
h. The work of the Club is extremely valuable to the local area, encourages community cohesion
and it along with the young people who attend the club's activities would suffer if it were forced
to scale back its activities as a result of financial constraints.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
i.
Donate £300 to the Oxford Kilburn Youth Trust, in the form of a cheque pidged to Chris Sykes.
Motion passed nem con.
b/ Helen and Douglas House (Charities)
Proposer: Jane-Marie Saldanha
Seconded: Adrian Deen
This JCR notes that:
a. Helen and Douglas House is an Oxford Hospice which provides respite and end of life care for
children and young adults up to the age of 40.
b. Helen and Douglas House also help the families of those in their care and have an experienced
Family Support and Bereavement Team, specifically for that purpose.
c. The hospice helps hundreds of families in the UK a year and offers one to one care in a safe,
comfortable environment that is focused on making day to day life as easy and stress free as
possible.
d. The Helen and Douglas House Hospices do not at all feel bleak and they don’t look like hospitals;
they are vibrant spaces, full of sources of entertainment which are just as important as the
palliative care provided.
e. It costs millions of pounds a year to keep running Helen and Douglas House, the vast majority of
which comes from voluntary sources; as such, the Hospice is reliant on donations such as those
that the JCR makes to charitable causes.
This JCR believes that:
f.
Children and young adults with life-shortening illnesses should have the chance to visit a Hopsice
where the focus is on having fun and feeling independent as well as providing wonderful care.
g. The families of these children and young adults also need emotional support and deserve at
occasional break from being 24 hour carers.
h. Helen and Douglas House provide all of these things, making a real difference to many people
and require donations to continue doing so.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
i.
Donate £250 to Helen and Douglas House, making the cheque payable to “Helen & Douglas
House” and pidging it to Jane-Marie Saldanha, St John’s College.
Motion passed nem con.
c/ Kotu-Erenjang Nursery School Motion (Charities)
Proposer: Maija Sequeira
Seconded: Becky Richmond
This JCR notes that:
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a. We have a reasonably large charities budget, and that it must be used for good.
b. The Gambia is a country where many people are in need, and where high child labour rates mean
that many children are missing out on an education.
c. Education is key to giving children a better start in life, and in beating child labour and
exploitation.
d. Community based charities run with and by locals have often proven to be more effective longterm than large organisations who provide less community-specific, culturally attuned help.
This JCR believes that:
e. All children should have access to education, and suitable conditions in which they can learn.
f. The Kotu-Erenjang School in The Gambia is a community-led school devoted to providing
education to children who otherwise would not be educated; however they have a distinct lack
of funds and need money to build a roof in the classroom and buy desks and materials.
g. We the JCR can help through the donation of money to the Kotu-Erenjang School in The Gambia.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
h. Donate £500 to the Kotu-Erenjang School.
Motion passed nem con.
d/ The Tingewick Motion (Charities)
Proposer: Claire Stockdale
Seconded: Robert Gray
This JCR notes that:
a. The Tingewick Society has put on a pantomime extravaganza every year for the past 70 years and
raised an inordinate amount of money for charity - in 2009 it raised over £18000!
b. Tingewick is a registered charity that raises money for nominated charities through audience
donations, and aims to off-set production costs through fundraising and sponsorship so that all
donations can go to charity.
c. This year The Tingewick Society is supporting two charities: Helen & Douglas House and
Sightsavers.
d. The Tingewick Society needs to raise £6000 in order to cover all production costs. Every St John’s
medical student that has gone on to the Oxford Clinical School in the last 70 years will probably
have been involved with Tingewick, this year Claire Stockdale is organising Tingewick, and St
John’s JCR has a long tradition of supporting its members in all of their worthy endeavours.
This JCR believes that:
e. That donating £500 to The Tingewick Society would make a significant contribution towards the
£6000 total required for the production.
f. That for that £500 donation The Tingewick Society could create significant good publicity for St
John’s JCR, including promotional material to be included in the free programme given to all
1800 audience members.
g. That Tingewick amplifies any charity donation: judging by past performances, giving £500 to
Tingewick would be the equivalent of donating £1000 to the charities themselves.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
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h. To donate £500 to The Tingewick Society for the purposes of putting on their annual pantomime
in aid of Helen & Douglas House and Sightsavers.
Motion passed nem con.
viii/ Agenda items
a/ The Praxis Voucher Exchange Scheme Motion (07/11/09) - Review
Proposer: Nyasha Weinberg
Seconded: Caroline Pendleton
This JCR notes that:
a. In the second meeting of Michaelmas Term 2009 (07/11/2009) the Praxis Voucher Exchange
Scheme Motion was passed. This JCR resolved to:
1) Engage in the Praxis Voucher Exchange Scheme for a trial period.
2) Exchange £200 at the beginning of Hilary term for £200 of Tesco vouchers from
Praxis.
3) Use these vouchers when buying food for JCR meetings and to sell to interested
students for their own personal food expenditure. They will pay the JCR back
immediately.
4) Review the scheme mid way through next term and be ready to address any
problems that arise.
5) Mandate the President, Treasurer and Charities Rep. to ensure that that above is
implemented.
b. The scheme is yet to be reviewed.
This JCR believes that:
c.
We should be engaging in charitable schemes other than simple fundraising as this provides
benefits for the recipients at very little cost in time and effort for the JCR.
d. The Praxis Voucher Scheme is a win-win scheme for all involved.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
e. Engage in the Praxis Voucher Exchange Scheme permanently with the entire PRAT budget for
food.
f. Mandate the President, Treasurer and PRAT to ensure that the above is implemented.
No objections: motion passed.
b/ Peer Support Training Motion
Proposer: Charlotte Roberts
Seconded: Tabassum Rasheed
This JCR notes that:
a. The Peer Support team is currently trained during Trinity, along with trainees from Trinity College
b. Trinity College JCR have decreed that Peer Support training should be moved to Hilary term
c. Any candidate elected to the position of male or female welfare and equal opportunities officer
requires peer support training
d. If they do not have this training prior to taking on the role they are unable to fulfil their duties
until after they have been trained in Trinity- more than halfway through their term
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This JCR believes that:
e. The male and female welfare officers should be able to fulfil their roles
f. Training with Trinity College is a good way to build intercollegiate relations, allowing for better
support within the peer support team
This JCR therefore resolves to:
g. Change the training term for Peer Support such that training goes ahead in Trinity 2011 but is
subsequently carried out in Hilary term.
No objections: motion passed.
c/ The Chocolate Faerie Rep Motion (Constitutional)
Proposer: Charlotte Roberts
Seconded: Sarah Wonham
This JCR notes that:
i.
j.
Johanna is a member of the St. John’s JCR Welfare team.
Care of her is currently rather haphazardly allocated to the female welfare officer or a peer
supporter
k. Creating a rep position dedicated to her would allow better care of her and valid use of welfare
budget
This JCR believes that:
l. Johanna vastly improves the welfare of JCR members and deserves our special care and attention
m. She should therefore be able to continue her activities long after the current Welfare team have
moved on.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
n. Amend the constitution as follows to create a position on the JCR for the chocolate faerie rep as
follows:
i.
Amend Part 4- Appendix 1- JCR representatives to include the following paragraph:
JCR Chocolate Faerie Rep
Appointed by the JCR Committee and ratified by a JCR meeting. Responsible
for looking after Johanna, the St. John’s chocolate faerie. Collates nominations
by regularly checking and maintaining Johanna’s e-mail address,
sjc.chocolate.faerie@googlemail.com, and her facebook page. Helps Johanna
to arrange chocolate (or other sugar-based treat, depending on dietary
requirements), deliveries in the pidge room, a minimum of twice per term.
Expenses to be covered by the Welfare budget. Generally responsible for
ensuring Johanna’s health and wellbeing.
Motion failed.
d/ DVD Room Motion Part 2 (Financial)
Proposer: Sophie Graham
Seconded: Mary Renton
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This JCR notes that:
a. A new TV and DVD player have been purchased for the DVD room, and are in need of a speaker
system.
This JCR believes that:
b. An AV receiver and speaker system will be the most practical and efficient way of ensuring a
sound system for the TV, DVD player and other gadgets plugged into the TV.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
c.
Give the domestic secretaries a further £315 (to the £650 given before) to help purchase an AV
Receiver and a speaker system.
No objections: motion passed.
e/ The Edgar Wind Society for Art History Motion (Financial)
Proposer: Katherine Slee
Seconded: Nyasha Weinberg
This JCR notes that:
a. Oxford as a city has many unique resources of visual culture and arts organisations.
b. The student body of Oxford University deserves a platform for the discussion and engagement
with visual culture.
c. The Edgar Wind Society for Art History provides a social base for those interested in the study of
art and visual culture within the University.
d. St John’s College is one of seven Oxford colleges to offer the History of Art as an undergraduate
course.
This JCR believes that:
e. Bringing art history events in the college environment enhances the understanding of a
fascinating discipline and increases accessibility to the arts.
f. In supporting the Edgar Wind Society to run events, the JCR helps to maintain a society that
provides a cultural interface for both St John’s and Oxford University students.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
g. Give £200 to help the Edgar Wind Society to run discussion panels, speaker and social events.
No objections: motion passed.
f/ The Committee Meal Motion (Financial)
Proposer: Caroline Pendleton
Seconded: Martha Mackenzie
This JCR notes that:
a. There is a long-standing tradition for the JCR committee to go for a meal at the end of their term.
b. The current JCR committee will be leaving office at the end of this term.
c. In 2008, the JCR committee, comprising 18 members (including the PRAT and one other), were
granted a budget of £650 for the meal at the end of their tenure.
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d. In 2009, JCR Committee of 17 members (including the PRAT and Returning Officer) the sum of no
more than £510 for a meal at the end of their tenure.
e. This JCR has a first class Discounts Officer who enjoys nothing more than blagging a good deal.
This JCR believes that:
f.
The current committee has done a decent enough job to merit such a meal.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
g. Grant the JCR Committee of 17 members (including the PRAT and Returning Officer) the sum of no
more than £340 for a meal at the end of their tenure.
No objections: motion passed.
g/ JCR Reps Meal Motion (Financial)
Proposer: Maija Sequeira
Seconded: Geraint Jones
This JCR notes that:
a. The JCR Committee (including the PRAT and Returning Officer) are asking for a sum of £20 per
head to spend on their end of tenure meal.
b. We have a substantial number of JCR reps who get very little reward.
c. The JCR Committee are asking for a substantially reduced sum this year which makes their total
expenditure on the meal much lower than usual.
This JCR believes that:
d. There are a large number of reps who have worked very hard this year and deserve to participate
in this meal.
This JCR therefore resolves to:
e. Grant the all those currently in rep positions (10 people) the sum of no more than £200 for a
meal at the end of their tenure to join the JCR Committee on their meal.
No objections: motion passed.
ix/ Any other business