On Monday 19 February, we held our second SUmmit meeting of the year, which was really positive and we had some great Standpoints and engagement – oh and not forgetting some great food, courtesy of Leon!
Our Chair opened the meeting and then we went straight into a discussion of the 4 new Standpoint proposals, which ranged from topics such as exam procedures to maintenance concerns in student housing to financial aid for students from low-income backgrounds. After discussing each Standpoint, members are then asked to vote on the next steps for each.
3 of the 4 Standpoints proceeded to a vote and voting has now closed, and the voting results for the proposed Standpoints of SUmmit for 19 February are as follows:
Standpoint 1: The SU believes that the University should provide more financial assistance to students in the form of bursaries and scholarships, in accordance with the Access and Participation Plan
15 votes cast, 13 for, 2 abstain. Therefore, Standpoint has been adopted.
Standpoint 2: The SU believes that exam procedures should be continuously reviewed to reflect current provision.
15 votes cast, 14 for, 1 abstain. Therefore, Standpoint has been adopted.
Standpoint 3: The SU believes that the University should address maintenance issues in their accommodation efficiently, even when such issues occur during non-working hours and on weekends.
15 votes cast, 14 for, 1 abstain. Therefore, Standpoint has been adopted.
Standpoint 4: The SU believes that ALL students at the university should receive one week of holiday after 6 weeks of teaching in a semester and that this is beneficial to student welfare. For this final Standpoint discussed at the meeting, SUmmit members felt that they needed further information from the student body before making any decisions. We are therefore asking students to provide opinions regarding how the current academic year shape impacts you (either positively or negatively), which will feed into further discussions. To submit your statement, please fill in the form by Sunday 24 March. The statements will be collated anonymously and shared with the SUmmit committee to inform their discussion and agreed outcome at their next meeting. You can read the discussion by SUmmit members about this proposal in the minutes under item 3.5.
Finally, your SU Officers gave updates on what they’ve been up to over the past month, including working on the SU’s new strategy, speaking to local counsellors, helping to run events like the successful Multicultural Fair, hosting VC Breakfasts and looking at improving inclusivity within Sport – plus much more!
Our next SUmmit is on Wednesday 27 March so keep an eye out for all the news from that meeting!