Blog
"Weekly Info", Autumn Week 8: Union General Meetings
Let's talk about Union General Meetings.
You see, there are less than a dozen Students' Unions in the country that actually hold UGMs any more. In nearly every other union, you'll find that there's one meeting - just one - over the course of the year where students get to put suggestions to their elected officers directly. One the whole, apart from that one meeting, those unions just have a series of committees that appear from outside to be a near-impenetrable bureaucracy.
Here at York, we have a General Meeting twice every term. Many years ago, most of these meetings were inquorate - not enough people showed up to make the meeting count. 2.25% of the student body might not sound much, but it works out at nearly three hundred students: that's a lot of people to get into one hall six times a year. The whole democratic process ground to a halt in a vicious circle of "no-one goes, it won't be quorate, so I won't go either".
That changed a few years back when we took UGM voting online. Now, we still meet six times a year, and we still hold the debates - but we don't need a horde of people to turn up (although they still do for some meetings!). The debates get transcribed and put online: so instead of hundreds of hands in the air, we need hundreds of votes on our online system. Unlike so many other unions that just decided to forget about the whole "involve the students" thing, we moved with the times. And you know what? It only bloody works.
So the next meeting is on Thursday, and it's got two motions up for debate: one about the university's Ethical Investment policy and one to stop the whipping of York's NUS conference delegates. (That last one isn't nearly as exciting as it seems, if I'm honest, but it's still worth coming along to.) We're in L/N/028 from 7:30: it can be a little confusing at first but the Chair of the meeting does a great job of explaining the procedures as it goes along. And if you can't make it, you can go online, read what happened, and still have your say.
If there's something that's particularly bugging you, you can put a motion in for the next meeting - Week 4 of Spring Term. It could be about how the Union works, what the Union does, or it could mandate us to lobby for something on your behalf. And if you're not sure how, head over to www.yusu.org/ugm - there's a guide up there.
I've talked to other presidents from other universities, and many of them have said the students they represent are never anywhere near as involved in what their union gets up to. While it's easy to take Union General Meetings for granted, we shouldn't. They're something that really sets York apart.
Wow, this week's update turned serious. Next week: more appalling puns than ever before.
THE SIDEBAR:
REJECTED IDEAS FOR THE SSHH CAMPAIGN, #2
A large decibel meter mounted outside the end of events telling people how loud they're being. Rejected since it would more than likely bring new meaning to the term "shouting match".
ACCOMMODATION: DON'T RENT YET
Don't look for a shared house yet. Seriously, don't. Instead, go to the Central Hall house hunting talk at 1pm Thursday Week 8 for all the information you need.
Start looking in February, after the Accommodation Office publishes their housing list on their web site. The houses on there conform to the university's Code of Practice, which covers safety, management, facilities, and all the wonderful things that mean you're much less likely to get ripped off.
There is a surplus of student accommodation in York, so it's a renter's market! In July this year -- right at the last minute, at the start of term -- there were still nearly 500 rooms still available around the city.
There is no rush. Don't be pressured. Wait for the housing list in February.
Oh, and if you're an international student, from outside the EU, the University may be able to act as your UK Rent Guarantor. Information about the rent guarantee scheme, the housing list, and everything else can be found at the Accommodation Office's web site: www.york.ac.uk/admin/accom
