Guild Council Motions - February 2, 2012

10.
a Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account

GC.2.12.10a
GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

Author Name: Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law Add New Policy/Bye-Law Summary: x x Ben Aylott
To amend Bye-law 11 and add a new Bye-law so as to empower students (through Guild Council) in holding Officers and Trustees to account.
Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law Bye-Law 11 Scrutiny Committee 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) See attached
Section Two: Add New Policy/Bye-Law 2.1. Belief and Commitment Title or Bye Law Removal of Guild Officers by Guild Council 2.2 Proposed Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment)
Attached
Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee
If you have any queries, please e-mail council@guild.bham.ac.uk
10.a Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account

GC.2.12.10a Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) The 'Reclaim the Guild' report (available at http://bit.ly/x1TTLa) makes several recommendations for improving Guild democracy and the accountability of its Officers and Trustees. One of these recommendations is to return the power to remove Guild Trustees and Officers (some of whom are also Trustees) to Guild Council (GC) through motions of no confidence. Currently petitions calling for motion of no confidence must pass a 'Scrutiny Committee' (SC) composed of Trustees and a member of the University nominee who is not one of the trustees. As well as being a bureaucratic obstruction, the SC, as it stands, significantly impedes the ability of GC and students to hold Officers and Trustees to account. It also represents a poor separation of powers as Trustees, not students, get to determine if GC can even debate serious mis-conduct of an Officer or Trustee. As the report makes clear, the Guild is one of only three student unions in the Russell Group universities which have a SC and the problem of the accountability of its TB is compounded by it being the only student union in the Russell Group which does not have a majority of students on its TB. We propose to eliminate the SC for petitions calling for motions of no confidence in Officers. Instead these will go straight to GC by the processes outlined below. To this effect we propose to amend bye-law 11 so that it no longer covers Officers and add a new bye-law which outlines clearly the processes by which Officers can face a motion of no confidence in GC. In summary, these are: By a petition of twenty members of GC submitted at least 7 days prior to a GC meeting. Automatically by receiving three consecutive censures. Guild Officers who are removed from office by this process will be permitted to stand in any subsequent cross-campus election to fill their position. We propose to change the membership of the SC for petitions calling for motions of no confidence in Trustees so that it is an all-student committee. To this effect we propose amendments to bye-law 11 which change the composition of the SC to: Chair of GC (who replaces the role of the Chief Executive) Student Trustee chosen by the Trustees (except the person subject to the petition) Four Guild Councillors elected by GC annually We also make small changes to the time-frames involved in the process to reduce the amount of time necessary to complete it. We believe these changes significantly empower Guild Council and students in holding Officers and Trustees to account whilst retaining sufficient safe-guards to prevent spurious and unreasonable attempts to remove them.
10.a Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account Appendix 1

BYE-LAW 11 Scrutiny Committee 1. Purpose 1.1 In accordance with Article 20.2, a Trustee (except the University Trustee) may be removed from office by a motion of no confidence passed by a two thirds majority vote of Guild Council provided that the motion is triggered by a petition of no confidence signed by a two thirds majority of the Scrutiny Committee. 1.2 The Scrutiny Committee is therefore responsible for deciding whether or not it is appropriate for a motion of no confidence in a Trustee to be put to a vote of Guild Council. 1.3 In this Bye-Law, the Trustee who is the subject of the proposed motion of no confidence shall be referred to as the Relevant Individual. 2. Membership/Composition 2.1 Subject to paragraph 2.2 below, the Scrutiny Committee shall consist of: (a) the Chair of Guild Council (b) a Student Trustee, appointed by the Board of Trustees; and (c) four Guild Councillors elected by Guild Council 2.2 The Trustee who is the subject of the proposed motion of no confidence shall not take part in the appointment of the Student Trustee. 3. Process 3.1 Twenty members of Guild Council may submit a request to the Chair of Guild Council that a motion of no confidence in the Relevant Individual be put to a vote of Guild Council (the Request). 3.2 The Request should contain a statement of the grounds upon which the Request is brought and of the facts and matters relied upon. 3.3 Upon receipt of the Request, the Chair of Guild Council shall arrange for the members of the Scrutiny Committee to be appointed. The Chair of Guild Council shall also notify the Relevant Individual that the Request has been submitted. 3.4 The Scrutiny Committee shall meet within 14 days of the submission of the Request to the Chair of Guild Council. 3.5 The members of the Scrutiny Committee shall elect one of their number to preside as chair of the Scrutiny Committee (the Chair). 4. Notification of Meeting 4.1 The Relevant Individual shall be given at least 10 clear days written notice of the date,
10.a Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account Appendix 1

time and place of the meeting of the Scrutiny Committee and shall be provided with a summary of the matters contained in the Request. 4.2 The Relevant Individual has the right to submit written evidence to the Scrutiny Committee. Such evidence must be submitted to the Scrutiny Committee at least 2 days prior to the date of the meeting. 5. Procedure before the Scrutiny Committee 5.1 The function of the Scrutiny Committee is to review the reasonableness and appropriateness of the Request. 5.2 The Scrutiny Committee will consider the documents, statements and other evidence contained in the Request. 5.3 The Scrutiny Committee will also consider any evidence submitted by the Relevant Individual in response to the Request. 5.4 Where the Chair considers it appropriate or necessary, the Scrutiny Committee may hear submissions from and cross examine the Relevant Individual and the members of Guild Council who submitted the Request. The Scrutiny Committee shall not interview or cross examine any witnesses. 6. Courses of action which the Scrutiny Committee may take 6.1 The courses of action which the Scrutiny Committee may take are: (a) to grant the Request, provided a two thirds majority of the members of the Scrutiny Committee agree; or (b) to reject the Request. 6.2 Within seven days of the Scrutiny Committee deciding on the appropriate course of action, the Chair of Guild Council will notify in writing the decision of the Scrutiny Committee to the Relevant Individual and to the members of Guild Council who submitted the Request.
10a. Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account Appendix 2

Removal of Guild Officers by Guild Council 1. Purpose 1.1 This Bye-Law specifies two processes by which a motion of no confidence in a Guild Officer can be put before Guild Council. 1.2 The motion of no confidence shall require a two thirds majority vote of a quorate Guild Council meeting to pass. 1.3 If a motion of no confidence is passed by Guild Council the Guild Officer shall be removed from their position with immediate effect. 1.4 If the Guild Officer is also a Trustee a successful vote of no confidence shall also serve as a request to the Trustee Board to remove them as a Trustee by the process outlined in Article 22. 1.5 The removal of a Guild Officer by Guild Council shall not affect their eligibility for participating in any subsequent Guild Officer election. 2. Motion of no confidence by petition 2.1 Twenty members of Guild Council may submit a petition to the Chair of Guild Council that a motion of no confidence in the Guild Officer be put to a vote of Guild Council (the Request). 2.2 The Request should contain a statement of the grounds upon which the Request is brought and of the facts and matters relied upon. 2.3 The Chair of Guild Council shall immediately notify the Guild Officer on receipt of the request. 2.4 If the Request is received at least 7 days prior to the next scheduled Guild Council meeting the motion of no confidence shall be considered by that meeting. Otherwise it will be submitted to the next scheduled meeting. 2.5 The Request and any supporting documents, as well as any documents received in defence from the Guild Officer in question, shall be distributed to all Guild Councillors as part of the motion of no confidence. 3. Motion of no confidence by censure 3.1 If a Guild Officer receives three censures during their term in office, either since a previous motion of no confidence in them fell or since the beginning of their term of office, this will automatically introduce a motion of no confidence as the next item on the agenda of the Guild Council meeting in which they receive the censures.
10b. Appointment Panel

GC.2.12.b

Author Name: Tim Lucas Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law x Summary: To amend appointments panel make up and quoracy. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law
Amend appointments panel in by laws.

1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment)
3.2 Membership and Composition 3.2.1 The Appointments Panel will consist of: the President; the Chair of the Trustees; two representatives of the University Section Two: Add New Policy/Bye-Law of Birmingham; Vice President (Democracy and Resources); two members of Guild Council; two members of the Guild Officer Group who are not Trustees; one postgraduate Student;
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) Please explain the rationale for your motion. Please ensure that your statement does not Review August 2012 contain any profane or derogatory language. 3.3 Quorum
3.3.1 No business shall be transacted at an Appointments Panel meeting unless a quorum is present. A quorum will be at least 9 members of the Panel one of whom must be the Chair of the Trustee Board, or the President or a representative of the University of Birmingham.
10b. Appointment Panel
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion
The role of the appointments panel is see below: 3.4 Main Duties 3.4.1 To recruit, shortlist and interview prospective Trustee candidates. 3.4.2 To carry out regular skills, experience and diversity audits of the Board of Trustees and identify the skills, experience, characteristics and backgrounds that are needed to provide high quality effective governance. 3.4.3 To prepare role descriptions, person specifications and an information pack for prospective Trustees and to be realistic about the time commitments involved and what is expected of each Trustee. 3.4.4 To prepare a recruitment plan and timetable, and to consider the most appropriate recruitment mechanisms. 3.4.5 To identify a list of prospective Trustees and develop their interest in the work of the organisation. 3.4.6 To meet the prospective members of the Board of Trustees, to scrutinise their suitability and to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees. 3.4.7 To induct, mentor and involve new members of the Board of Trustees. 3.4.8 To appoint the Chief Executive of the Guild. Given that one of the roles of the trustee board is to hold the chief executive to account, it is clear that any influence of the chief executive on the appointments panel must be avoided at all costs. Recently the role of the chief executive with regards the appointments panel has come into question (whether rightly or wrongly). Currently the chief executive is only meant to be observer and as a result the move to take the Chief Executive out of the process should not any impact on the process. This will hopefully increase confidence in the appointments panel and avoid any controversy in the future, allowing for a truly independent process. Due to the high importance placed on the trustee board in any charity, the process of selecting trustees should be seen as one of the most important in the organisation. Currently quoracy is only 5 members out of the suggested 10. As a result it is my belief that no real effort is ever made to achieve the full 10 members required in the articles of association. The reason why this is important is that the full 10 members are meant to bring a range of views and experiences to contribute to any appointment. Increasing quoracy to 9 will force the organisation to take the requirement to obtain all 10 members seriously and also hopefully reduce conflicts of interest and personal agendas clouding any decision made by the appointments panel. It should be noted that the removal of the chief executive from being an observer may result in the trustee board having to amend the articles of association to accommodate this change in the by-laws. I am more than happy that the trustee board will consider guild councils request to make this amendment and respond to guild council if it is not possible, although they can only reject a motion on set criteria.
10c. Biological Recording

GC.2.12.c

Author Name: Ben Aylott Purpose: Add New Policy Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: x x Guild Support for students campaigning against the closure of the Biological Recording programmes Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline.
Section Two: Add New Policy/Bye-Law 2.1. Belief and Commitment Title or Bye Law Major course changes 2.2 Proposed Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) We believe that the Guild should be consulted at least a month in advance of any consultation (or action) representing major alterations to academic provision. We believe that strategic incompatibility, on its own, is not an acceptable basis on which toThree: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee Section close otherwise popular and financially viable academic programmes.
3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate President Vice-President (Education)
3.2. Completion Date for Mandate February 9th 2012
10c. Biological Recording

3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) Communicate to the Vice-Chancellor, by a letter (which is also to be posted on the Guild website) that the Guild (i) supports the campaign by student representatives of the Biological Recording programmes to achieve at least a full transfer of the academic and administrative functions of the courses to another HEI (ii) believes that recruitment on the MSci programmes needs to resume immediately to ensure the continuing viability of these programmes (iii) believes that incompatibilities with the Universities business strategy, on its own, is not an acceptable basis to close otherwise successful and sustainable courses (iv) protests the lack of communication with the Guild prior to the beginning of the consultation . Pursue the full transfer of the programmes to another HEI by lobbying the University and actively participating in the task force being setup by the University to achieve this. Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) The University is currently consulting on the closure or transfer of the Biological Recording programmes based at the Gateway centre in Shrewsbury. The University regards the courses as being of a 'high quality' and accept that they are cost neutral despite consuming (un-specified) resources on main campus. The University has accepted that it is closing the programmes not for reasons of quality or finances but because they are not compatible with the long-term 'strategy' of the School of Biosciences. These are non-traditional programmes with qualifications offered between UCert and MSc with a diverse intake of recently graduated and mature students. The course is unique in the UK in providing practical unified training in the area of Biological identification, which is essential for fieldwork/data collection in areas ranging from ecology to climate science. It provides certification and training in skills and knowledge of which there is a shortage nationally and graduates from the programme have excellent employment prospects. Students on the programmes are currently mounting a highly organised campaign which has already won the support of several learned societies. The students have already won several concessions from the University, including an extension of the consultation deadline to September 2012 (originally January) and the reopening of recruitment on the UCert programmes. In order for a successful transfer of the of the course to another institution it is essential that pressure is maintained on the University. Particularly important for the continuing viability of the programmes is that applications to the MSc program is re-opened. This motion provides the framework for continuing and extending the support the Guild is providing to the students.
10d. Change to Election Running
GC.2.12.d

Author Name: Simon Furse Purpose: Add New Policy/Bye-Law Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: All major changes in the way we run elections to have to pass through Guild Council Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section Two: Add New Policy/Bye-Law 2.1. Belief and Commitment Title or Bye Law Consultation on Changes in Elections 2.2 Proposed Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) Please Changes inthat the text ofelections work need wide consultation in the student Major remember the way that a Belief and Commitment should establish general beliefsand must pass StudentsGuild Council. medium or long-term concern and any body of the Guild of through on an area of Software that matches voters to commitments necessary to achieve them. Beliefs anddebate and thought before it can candidates is very controversial and needs serious Commitment may not mandate the implemented. be Guild of Students or individual Officers or Committees to carry out specific actions nor should they contain statistics, data or other forms of factual information. Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate VPDR 3.2. Completion Date for Mandate Before the next Guild Council 3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) The VPDR will organize a debate on whether vote match software will improve Guild Elections and submit a motion to the next guild council on whether it is to be implemented.
10d. Change to Election Running
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) The Vote Match software has been announced without any kind of consultation or mandate from students. It has been portrayed as a neutral and obvious way of improving democracy when it actually relies on certain ideas about what politics is and should be. This motion is not against Vote Match (I remain undecided myself) but simply that there are serious questions to be thought about and that we should not rush into anything like this before fully consulting students.
10e. Diverse Food

GC.2.12.e

Author Name: Nicola Levy & Alex Fenton Purpose: Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: Mandate the President, VPDR and VP Sport to look into providing more kosher, halal, vegetarian and vegan food provisions in the guild outlets Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate President, VPDR, VPSport 3.2. Completion Date for Mandate End of Academic Year 3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) To look at the possibility of providing and increasing the availability of Kosher, Halal and vegetarian/vegan options in the Guild to cater for minority groups and their dietary requirements.
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) The University of Birmingham Guild of Students is rightly proud of the many students from religious minorities involved in Guild activities. The Guild should also be rightly proud of the wide-range of tasty delicacies that are currently available through its existing food outlets. The Guild is continuously looking to open its doors to more and more students, often just as a place to meet socially. It is clear that some students from religious communities would feel more comfortable to do so if greater provisions were made to include them. By looking into the possibility of looking into providing and increasing the availability of Kosher, Halal and vegetarian/vegan options in the Guild, we can start the ball rolling on creating an even more inclusive atmosphere for our students. This should be done, where appropriate, both in-house and in conjunction with the university for maximum effect and availability. This is not simply for a short-term benefit. This is an investment in the Guild that will send a clear message to prospective students that their future Union is interested in catering for their individual needs.
10f. Give em the ole heave-ho soldier!

GC.2.12.f

Author Name: Matt Saull and Chris Bates Purpose: Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: Mandate VPAD and VPHC to create a mechanism whereby Society and RA committee members can be removed by their members in the case of their incompetence. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate VPHC and VPAD 3.2. Completion Date for Mandate Next Guild Council 3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) We mandate the VPHC and VPAD to consult their relevant sub-committees to formulate a viable option for the removal of substandard RAs and Committee Members by their constituents.
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) Oh no! The Treasurer of my favourite society isnt doing his/her job! What can I do to get them removed from post, oh wise Guild person? Nothing, now go back to your Chicken Kievs. This hypothetical role play emphasises the lack of accountability which society/Halls of Residence members hold over their elected officials. At the moment, the only mechanism for a removal of a committee member is via SGC and to enforce an EGM, which means that all the committee members have to stand again for re-election, not just the individual concerned. We would like to mandate the VPHC and VPAD to form a working system of no-confidence in a specific committee member which would be a viable system for re-enforcing the democratic values of Student Groups.
10g. Guild Council and The Trustee Board

GC.2.12.g

Author Name: Tim Lucas Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law Summary: x To refine the guild council guidance document with regards the steering committee. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law Edit Section of the By-Laws that outlines the powers of guild council. 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) 1.2.6 From time to time be able to make a request to or provide a steer to the trustee board on an issue. The trustee board is under no obligation to fulfil or respond to any request or abide by any steer. If deemed necessary the trustee board may respond to a steer or request via the trustee board report.
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) Why? To allow guild council to provide direct steers to the trustee board or directly provide information to the trustee board on the opinion of Guild Council. While this is important the legal responsibilities of the trustee board are maintained and they hold the ultimate decision making power within the guild of students.
Communicate.
10h. Injunction Our response

GC.2.12.h

Author Name: Edward Bauer Purpose: Defend the right to protest Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: On the 25th of November the University of Birmingham took out an injunction. This injunction is poorly worded and needs to be withdrawn. It has been widely criticised including by human rights groups namely Amnesty International and Liberty. The Guild has requested it is withdrawn the university has declined. The Guild should now organise a demonstration to defend the right to protest. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate Sabbatical officer team 3.2. Completion Date for Mandate February 15th 3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) The officer team should write a letter to Vice Chancellor requesting a final time the injunction is removed. By February 4th at midday if the university does not pledge to remove the injunction the guild should call a rally to defend the right to protest for 2pm Wednesday Feb 15th. This rally should march from mermaid square to the clock tower for speeches. The Guild should promote the rally heavily on social media and with leaflets and posters around campus. All officers should use social media profiles to promote the rally. x
10h. Injunction Our response
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) An injunction banning occupational protests for persons unknown on a university campus is against the principle of free speech expected. It has be condemned widely even by human rights group like Amnesty International and Liberty. Its continued use is even causing further reputational damage to the university. There is some debate if the university intended this to be against the 58 students who took part the in occupation or all students. A number of prominent lawyers have gone on record as stating the injunction is worded in way that it could be used for both. If this injunction is against all of us or just the 58 people involved it is still abhorrent and should be removed immediately.
10i. Non - Sabbatical Officers and Other Roles
GC.2.12.i

Author Name: Tim Lucas Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law Summary: x To make it so non-sabbs cant sit on any student group committees in order that they can concentrate all of their extracurricular efforts on their remit. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law Edit Section of the By-Laws that outlines that refers to the chairpersons of guild council 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) 7. Restrictions on Officers of the Guild 7.1 Any Member elected to be a Guild Officer or Chair /Deputy Chair of Guild Council shall cease to be a Guild Councillor during his or her term of office. Any Member elected to be a Sabbatical Officer shall cease to be a member of any Guild Committee (other than ex officio). Elected Non-sabbatical officers must cease to be a committee member of any student group. Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) Whats Changed? The policy was altered last year to allow non-sabbs to sit on student group committees. This amendment re-introduces this role. Why? Recently there has been more than one occasion where a non-sabbs lack of work in their remit has been defended by their work load. Not only is this offensive to people who sit on committees it also indicates that the non-sabbatical role can be highly demanding if done correctly. Non-sabbs have a duty to represent 1000s of students and are elected via cross campus election. For this reason their full attention should be given to this role and they should not be allowed to hold several positions within the guild. This will hopefully give more importance to the role and allow for more effective representation of students.
10j. Parking Up the Wrong Tree

GC.2.12.j

Author Name: Zuki Majuqwana Purpose: Approval Add New Policy/Bye-Law
Summary: This motion holds that the Guild of Students opposes all parking schemes that operate to detriment of students in areas where there is a high volume of student residences. This motion mandates the Vice-President (Housing & Community) to actively oppose all parking schemes of this type. Title of Belief and Commitment: Parking Schemes Proposed Text The Guild of Students actively opposes the implementation any sort of parking restriction scheme in student areas if they (a) increase the cost of living for students in that area, (b) will restrict the number of cars that can belong to student households, or (c) will operate in such a way that will prejudice or disadvantage students in some way that an ordinary Two: Add New Policy/Bye-Law to experience. Section household would be less likely Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box)
This is a really good idea.

Background: In March last year a proposal was made by Birmingham City Council to introduce a parking scheme to the Dale Road area of Selly Oak. There were two rounds of resident consultation that followed, both of which were carried out while most students were away from Selly Oak for the holidays. As very, very few students responded to the consultation, the Guild of Students wished to respond on behalf of the students however without a mandate, policy, or any evidence to suggest students would not be in opposition to the scheme it is difficult for the Guild/VPHC to oppose it. This policy will unfortunately not affect the Dale Road scheme as that is too far down the line, but may influence future schemes that the council will inevitably try to introduce to greater Bournbrook.
10k. Tweaking the Presidents Role

GC.2.12.k

Author Name: Tim Lucas Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law Summary: x A motion to improve and add clarity to the presidents role, as described in the by-laws. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law Edit section 8.8.1 of the by-laws 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) 8.8 Duties of Officers 8.8.1 President As Chair and spokesperson of both the Sabbatical Officer Group and the Guild Officer Group the President shall be first amongst equals and act as the lead Officer of the Guild of Two: Addresponsible for supporting each sabbatical officer in their role. The Section Students New Policy/Bye-Law president is also responsible for ensuring the effective co-operation and communication within the officer team, mediating any disputes when they arise. In conjunction with the officer team, liaising with and advising the Chief Executive on matters relating to the Guild. Be ultimately accountable for the Guild of Students complying with the provisions of the Bye-Laws and adhering to guild council motions.
10k. Tweaking the Presidents Role

Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) Whats Changed? Removed the line that says the president is first amongst equals and clarified what the role of a president should actually be. Have included that the president is actually the spokesman for the team (not in charge). Have included that the officer team should be liaising with the chief executive. Made it so there is now accountability for guild council policy/motions being ignored. Why? The phrase first amongst equals is a total contradiction, the president should never be able to make a presidential decision but every decision should be as a result of the whole sabbatical team. The guild itself noted that this could be an issue with student groups and made changes appropriately. It should be noted that the role of the president in a Sabbatical Officer sense is extremely different from Student groups or RAs, but the principle is still sound. Supporting the team and resolving conflicts is perhaps the key role of the president but this isnt actually included in the role description currently. Currently there is zero accountability for motions and policy being ignored. This is ultimately the role of the president so this is now included in their job description. What impact will this have? Essentially none. Any good president will adhere to these principles already so this motion will not significantly alter the role or the presidents day to day duties.
Please submit motion to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Guild of Students Steering Committee reserves the right to amend the text of any proposed Belief and Commitment or Mandate to correct mistakes in spelling, grammar or procedure. This may include removing superfluous text. Such corrections shall not be made to your Written Statement. Should the Steering Committee feel that substantive changes are needed for your motion to fulfil criteria for submission to Guild Council then you will be contacted to discuss the issue.
10l. Questions and Comments on Motions

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Author Name: Tim Lucas Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law x Summary: To allow Guild Council to communicate more freely with the trustee board. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law Edit Section 6.2.1 of the Guild Council Guidance Document 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) 6.2 Order of Debate 6.2.1 After speeches the chair will allow for a number questions. The total number of questions allowed for each motion will be at the discretion of the chair. The chair may allow an individual to comment on what has been said during questions without this comment being in the form of a question.
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) Whats Changed? Added into the guidance documents that people are actually allowed to ask questions on motions (it is not currently allowed). To avoid frustration and to increase debate, people are allowed to make comment on whats been said, that is not necessarily a question. Various parties can then respond to this. Why? We already ask questions on motions, but according to the guidance document we cant, a clear oversight that needs to be rectified. Allow comment to allow for proper debate, reduce frustration in guild council and save time.
10m. We arent Cross with Fliss but the VPAD should attend RAG conference.
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Author Name: Tim Lucas Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law x Summary: To make the Vice President (Activities and Development) attend RAG conference each year to gain valuable knowledge, skills and contacts that will help student groups and the Guild as a whole. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law Amend Section 8.8.6 Vice President (Activities and Development) 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) The Vice President (Activities and Development) shall: If budgets allow, attend the national R.A.G. (raising and giving) Conference every year with at least one member of student development staff. The Vice President (Activities and Development) shall also invite other sabbatical officers Section to attend if they wish. Two: Add New Policy/Bye-Law Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) Rag conference is a large scale conference held by a different RAG society, the union their university each year. It spans roughly 3 days and provides all of the RAGs, Volunteering projects and Unions a chance to meet in a formal organised manner. Over the three days the attendees get a chance to meet each other, engage with many charities and volunteering opportunities in a large fair, and also attend a large selection of seminars and lectures given by highly respected people from the third sector. Last year Carnival attended as the only representative of our guild, they were one of the only Rags to attend without a staff or Sabb presence. The conference provides an opportunity meet with other unions/rags/charities and find out what is going on in the world of student fundraising and volunteering, it would allow the guild to find out what some of the pioneering universities are doing at the moment (loughborough/durham) and learn how we could improve our own efforts. RAG (raising and giving) is carried out by many student groups in the guild and this invaluable experience will benefit a whole range of diverse students. Many of the seminars that are tailored to student fundraising and volunteering in general, the guild currently has over 20 volunteering projects that stand to gain a lot having our guild staff and Sabb more educated about what is happening in this sector currently. A lot of expertise and advice is given out and for the guild miss this opportunity would be a crime. Our Student groups and the Guild itself could benefit massively from having staff that are as informed and connected as possible. Networking is also a great part of RAG conference If you have any queries, please e-mail council@guild.bham.ac.uk
10n. Save the Library

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Author Name: David Franklin Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law Summary: This is an amendment to the Guild beliefs and commitments in recognition that the beauty and architectural quality of our campus is one of the main attractions to prospective and current students and as such, should be maintained at all costs. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment 22. University Services and Facilities 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) The Guild of Students also recognises that one of the most attractive features of the University to Students is the beauty and atmosphere of its Campuses and Redbrick architecture. As such, the Guild of Students is committed to lobbying the University to do its utmost to preserve such heritage when considering the architectural development and construction of its campuses. Section Two: Add New Policy/Bye-Law Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) As has been consistently shown, a significant proportion of the 28,000 students at Birmingham, and the many thousands more that apply each year, chose our institution after having been impressed by its stunning architecture and unparalleled atmosphere. The University of Birmingham is renowned nationally for the architectural heritage, aesthetic appearance and atmosphere which constitute its campus; it stands as one of the foremost examples of Redbrick architecture in the country. Indeed, that the university places such an emphasis on such espousal of our heritage as a selling factor is also indicative of its ability to attract prospective students. Although its clear that development of many parts of the campus is much needed, having seen a computer-generated image of the proposed library construction, modernity, architectural utilitarianism and short-term fashion is overriding traditional and long-term interests. The new Brammall Auditorium stands as testament to what conscientious architectural planning, married with a desire for modernity and efficiency can achieve. It is with these concerns in mind that we urge the Projects Department to reconsider the submitted proposal for the new library (and any future developments or construction) and to encompass a more traditional design into the proceedings or, at least, to not obliterate the front faade which, not only provides useful space, but stands as a monument to our Universitys heritage. If you have any queries, please e-mail council@guild.bham.ac.uk
10o. Solid Solidarity

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Author Name: Edward Bauer Purpose: defending student from political discrimination Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: Whatever our politics or difference we should united to defend a student. A student is being disciplined for his participation in a lawful and peaceful protest. This protest further caused no disruption to any other student. All across the country many thousands of students to part in 21 occupations Simon is the only one to be facing a disciplinary. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law 16. student protests 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) Add. The guild believes in the right to protest as such the guild believes no student should face university disciplinary charges for lawful, non disruptive, peaceful protest. If a student is disciplined for taking part in such a protest the guild should object in the strongest terms. Section Two: Add New Policy/Bye-Law Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate President, VPE 3.2. Completion Date for Mandate February 5th letter to VC and statement on guild website Rest lasts until end of the disciplinary case against the student. x x
10o. Solid Solidarity
3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) The President with the VP Education should write a letter to VC saying the guild objects to disciplinary against the student and call for it to be dropped. This letter should be posted on the guild website by February 5 th. If the student receives punitive action from the university action the guild should organise a large demonstration in protest.
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) The students protest was one Peaceful two Lawful and three Non disruptive to the running of the university. The protest raised a lot of attention for the national campaign against the white paper and at the time the guild said it would protect the rights of the people involved. Simon is committed member of the guild of students and works hard to ensure the university remains accessible to all. We should all unite to protect him for this political disciplinary against him.
10p. SpresExec
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Author Name: Zuki Majuqwana (on behalf of the Residents Executive) Purpose: Approval Add New Policy/Bye-Law Summary: This motion is intended at add a new sub-committee to the Residences Executive (Bye Law 6, Section 8) which will outline the Terms of Reference for the Residences Executive (Sport), or SpresExec. Add New Policy/Bye-Law 2.1. Bye Law Title Residences Executive (Sport): 2.2 Proposed Text 9. Residents Executive (Sport) 9.1 Purpose 9.1.1 The Residents Executive (Sport) shall: Work with the Vice-President (Sport) to co-ordinate activities in relation to sport in University owned and affiliated student accommodation as outlined in the Residents Associations Constitution Provide a support forum and decision making body for all Residents Association Sports Officers Meet at least biweekly to ensure effective communication between Officers 9.2 Membership & Composition 9.2.1 The Residents Executive (Sport) shall consist of: Vice-President (Sport) Vice-President (Housing & Community) The Residents Association Sports Officers (or nominee) from each Residents Association Committee as recognised by the Residents Associations Constitutions. 9.3 Main Duties 9.3.1 Co-ordinate sporting activities to the benefit of the Residents whom the Officers represent 9.3.2 Inform Residents of sporting events and/or issues relevant to them, and to coordinate this publicity. 9.3.3 Be the collective body responsible for encouraging Residents to become involved in sporting activities 9.3.4 To be the collective body responsible for promoting a variety of sports, activities and healthy lifestyles to the Residents they represent.
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Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) This committee has existed for roughly 3 years but never been firmed up in the ByeLaws. This motion seeks to finalise it.
10q. Steering Reform

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Author Name: Tim Lucas Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law Summary: x To refine the guild council guidance document with regards the steering committee. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law Edit Section 5 of the Guild Council Guidance Document 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) 5 Guild Council Motions 5.1 Steering shall be responsible for agreeing the motions that may be heard by Guild Council. Steering shall use a set of criteria to inform their decision (Section 5.5). 5.2 No member of the Senior Management Team may be permitted to view any motion or discuss a motion with any member of the steering committee (or member of staff) until the steering process is complete. 5.3 The Steering Committee shall consist of: The Chair of Guild Council The Deputy Chair of Guild Council The President Vice President (Democracy and Resources) (Chair) Vice President (Housing and Community) Vice President (Activities and Development) Vice President (Education) Vice President (Welfare) Vice President (Sport) 5.4 Steering will be a closed meeting but a secretary may be present to record the minutes.
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5.5 The following criteria shall be employed by Steering when considering the exclusion of a motion from Guild Council: 5.5.1 The motion should not call for action that is clearly illegal under the Laws of the Country. 5.5.1.1 Whenever it is necessary for legal advice to be taken in relation to any guild council activity, this legal advice must be provided to guild council, with both the initial communication with external solicitors and the response. This will be applicable to all guild council business unless: Steering determines that publishing legal advice is likely to prejudice the Guild in a likely legal dispute; Steering determines that publishing legal advice would not be appropriate. 5.5.2 The motion should not discuss any staffing matter that is outside the powers of guild council as outlined point 33 in the articles of association. 5.5.3 The motion should not call for action that is outside the Guild's Charity or Company Objects. 5.5.4 The motion should not include anything that is slanderous of libellous, or information that cannot be substantiated if required. A motion may only be rejected on this basis if an author can not substantiate what is written in the motion. 5.5.5 The motion should not address issues that are best addressed through other democratic structures such as Open Forums, or the Officer Team. 5.5.6 The motion should include the required information on the form and should also include enough information in each section so that guild council is able to debate the motion effectively. 5.5.7 When considering whether a motion should go to GC, steering should bare consideration to if what the motion calls for is financially feasible. 5.5.8 The motion should not discuss the allocation of rooms to student groups/associations within the Guild of Students. 5.6 In the event that Steering feel a motion calls for action that may have a reputational risk to the Guild, or the public hearing of the motion may create a reputational risk for the Guild, they can refer the motion to the Trustee Board for guidance. 5.7 Motions that are rejected by steering will be published in steerings report to Guild Council unless a motion is rejected based on criteria 5.5.4. The reasons for rejection will be clearly outlined in this report. 5.8 Motions will appear on the agenda from earliest to latest submitted. 6 The Guild Council Meeting 6.1 Order of Business Motions Items for discussion which require a formal decision from Guild Council to allow Guild Policy to be set. These must be pre-submitted (by the advertised date for each meeting), and have been seen by Steering prior to any amendments to be discussed. A motion may be amended in guild council but this amendment should be not breech any of the criteria laid out in section 5.5.
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) A summary of what has changed: The guidelines for steering have been tightened up and clarified, allowing for less confusion of the powers of steering. The changes allow steering to be more independent, more accountable and transparent. While still recognising the important role steering plays in the Guild Council Process. Major Changes: 1. The Senior Management Team have been withdrawn from the process of steering. This has been done to increase the independence of steering and ensure that steering decisions are purely based on the criteria laid out in the by-laws. Staff should never (and never do) be giving legal advice to steering and given that there are four trustees on the steering committee the disadvantage of losing staff input should be minimised. The Senior Management Team will no longer be able to view and discuss motions before steering but will be allowed access to these motions when the steering process is complete, increasing the democratic independence of the steering committee. 2. Outlined who actually sits on the committee and removed staff input into the process. 3. Steering will be a closed meeting to allow for legal discussions but a secretary will be present so that the committee can concentrate on discussion. 4. Steering will now be transparent with legal advice and publish this to guild council (apart from in two instances). 5. Motions will no longer be able to allocate rooms to student groups through Guild Council. This has been done to prevent a free for all on bookable rooms within the guild, preventing chaos and to ensure that every group has a chance to book rooms within the guild. Making a judgement on room bookings should be done by student groups through Student Group Committee or Better student group forum. 6. Clarifies that people should be asked to substantiate slander before the motion is rejected (this is essentially already written in the guidance document). 7. Included a section about how much information the motion contains. Currently steering would not be able to reject a blank motion on the current criteria. 8. All rejected motions are now published to steering to help with transparency (apart from motions that are rejected on criteria 5.6.4). I feel that these changes are really important to increase student confidence in the steering process and ensure that the process is transparent as it possible can be. I have personally not had any problems with steering and I am not criticising the current steering committee however, I feel there is definitely room for improvement on how steering runs.
10r. Support Campaign for a General Meeting
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Author Name: Sean Farmelo Purpose: Supporting General Meeting Campaign Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: This motion mandates officers to help the campaign for a student democracy in certain concrete ways. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate VPDR supported by the rest of the sabbatical and non sabbatical officer team. 3.2. Completion Date for Mandate Until enough signatures are gathered to trigger a general meeting or May 20th 2012. 3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) The Guild Officer Group should support the Reclaim the Guild campaign for student democracy. Guild council mandates that all officers actively work towards achieving the goal of 10% of the membership signing the Petition for a General Meeting. To this end these actions should be taken; -The GOG should be involved in door knocking across campus. Guild Officers should utilize their media channels to publicize the campaign. -The petition and the related campaign materials should be placed in key locations in the Guild so that members can learn about it and sign it easily. -An email should be sent to all members informing them of the campaign. This email will include links to reference materials for students including Robert Bradshaws report entitled Better Governance. Links should also be included to the Facebook group, web page and video. -Members of GOG should (timetables permitting) attend the weekly Reclaim the Guild meetings to feed back the progress they are making and help build the campaign. -Provisions should be made so that students studying on satellite sites can also easily sign the petition.
10r. Support Campaign for a General Meeting
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box)
Reclaim the Guild is a campaign for a General Meeting of the Guild of Students. This meeting would be the highest legislative body of the Guild and would be able to make decisions on pieces of legislation Guild Councillors currently cannot, namely the Memorandum and Articles of Association. All full members attending the General Meeting will be able to vote and participate, the collective decisions will become Guild Company Law, and will therefore be placed above decisions of the Trustee Board. The General Meeting presents an opportunity for all 27500 odd students to be directly involved in creating and editing the legislature of their own Student Union. This is an opportunity which presents all students with a chance to have participate in the democratic process and should be wholly supported by the Officer Group, many of whom ran calling for greater student involvement and democracy in the Guild. A General Meeting is automatically triggered when 10% of the membership of the Guild sign a petition calling for one. It should be noted that the collection of these signatures wont impact directly and policy changes, the specific points in the petition are merely those that will have to be debated in the General Meeting. The Officer team has a great deal of media power and hold positions of authority and respectability that would help give the campaign some weight. This motion outlines some specific ways in which the Officer team, spearheaded by VPDR could help collect the signatures.
10s. The Term Ahead White Paper, UCU & NUS
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Author Name: Edward Bauer Purpose: Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: This motion is designed to set clear policy for the likely events in the coming months in terms of higher education campaigning. I set out the events in the motion and what I believe the most appropriate response by the guild would be. However these are not fixed please feel free to amend and to contact me prior to GC so we can make these amendments beforehand to save time. Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate Guild officer team 3.2. Completion Date for Mandate June 2011 3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) For the officer team and guild on occasion of the outlined to events to do as required in this motion : 1. In the event of the white paper being presented to parliament in for either a bill or reading to as follows. a. Join in calls for the NUS to organise a national demonstration against privatisation. b. To organise and participate in mass of lobby of MPs at local surgeries, with lettering writing and at parliament. c. Organise a demonstration on campus calling on the vice chancellor to condemn the white paper. For this demonstration to be done in conjunction with trade unions on campus. If a national of local actions are called then this demonstration should take place on this day so as to better coordinate with the student movement. 2. In the event of UCU or Unison another one day of strike action over the current pensions dispute. a. For the guild to back the strike and continue our position for the last two one day strikes. 3. There will be a wide ranging debate within the student movement about a autumn term 2011 national demonstration in response to the first UK student paying 9000 pounds in fees. a. In this debate the guild should back a national demonstration and release statements to encourage others to back it. If you have any queries, please e-mail council@guild.bham.ac.uk
10s. The Term Ahead White Paper, UCU & NUS
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box)
1. White paper bill to parliament why we should take the outlined action. The guild has taken like most student union a strong stance against the white paper and in favour of public education, accessible to all. If we believe that Education has public as well as private benefits and that public universities have a social mission to help to ameliorate social inequality by widening access. If we believe that public higher education is part of a generational contract in which an older generation invests in the wellbeing of future generations and that as such education cannot be treated as a simple consumer good then we must take action against the white paper. 2. UCU pensions dispute
The attack on academic pension is a disaster of UK higher education that will continue the loss of our brightest and best to better paying institutes overseas. If as students we want to be taught by the best then we must demand fair pay for them. The academic pension fund is perfectly sustainable and these changes are a unnecessary money grab. These pension changes are hitting Women hardest. It is male dominated uniformed services police, armed forces and firefighters who have been exempted from these pensions. While we should applaud decent pensions for police, armed forces and firefighters, we should be concerned that on average these pensions reforms will leave men better off in their retirements. These attacks on pensions affect mainly female dominated professions teachers, cleaners, social workers, cooks and nurse are amongst the hardest hit. Already the average pension for women is 25 pounds lowers than means these changes will widen this gap. This not to mention that this reform will give an estimated 300,000 women just seven years notice that they will have to delay their retirement by two years. The guild has clear policys on both these issues as such we should back any continued strike action on pensions. 3. Debate on national demo We Pay the NUS 49,000 per year to campaign for us and we expect them to use it.
10t. Virgin Media
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Author Name: Zuki Majuqwana Purpose: Approval Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: This motion calls for the Guild of Students to actively avoid engaging in business with Virgin Media, Glide Utilities and other companies that are deemed by students to provide a service that is poor quality/value until such time that they improve the service that they provide to University of Birmingham students. This motion mandates the VicePresident (Housing & Community) to raise awareness of the complaints the Guild has received about Virgin Media and Glide Utilities to further inform students decisions about whether they should choose to use these companies. 2.1. Belief and Commitment Title External Student Services 2.2 Proposed Text The Guild of Students has a duty to protect its students from external service providers who offer a service that is poor value or poor quality. Therefore, the Guild will not engage in business with companies that are deemed by students to offer a service that is poor value or poor quality. Moreover, the Guild will make an asserted effort to raise awareness of any complaints that have been made about these companies or problems that they have caused students. The companies currently falling under this list are: - Glide Utilities (3rd party bills & utilities manager) - Virgin Media (broadband internet provider)
Mandate A Guild Officer 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate Vice-President (Housing & Community)
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3.2. Completion Date for Mandate June 2012 3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) The Vice-President (Housing & Community) shall investigate a mechanism for raising awareness around the issues that students have experienced with Virgin Media and Glide Utilities in order to better inform their decision about which Broadband service provider to use and how they choose to manage their bills.
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) There has been a phenomenal volume of complaints made to the Guild about Virgin Media and Glide Utilities in recent years and it is time the Guild takes assertive action, with a strong mandate from Guild Council to prevent these issues from continuing while students continue to provide a solid source of income to these companies.
10t. Virgin Media Appendix 1
Virgin on Incompetent: Appendix 1 Below are listed the complaints received about Virgin Media by the VPHC so far since July 2011, all received from separate households. All complaints have been made anonymous. Complaint A: Hello, So basically we have a contract for 50mb broadband. On a good day this means in my room (2nd floor, not that far from the router), I get around 1-5mb. At peak times I can just forget about using it, it is so unbelievably slow, well under 1mb. So initially it was even slower, we rang them, they came to fix it, it then sped up a little bit, but not much improvement. They also decided to remove our password to 'speed it up'. I thought this was a bit ridiculous because then anyone on the street or nearby houses could use it...making it much much slower. After a month or so of quite slow internet it stopped working altogether. Our deal was free installation and the 1st month free, so they decided to charge us 100 when our next bill should have been 30. We had no internet for 2 days because of THEIR mistake. They eventually turned it back on, but it was even worse than before and continued to cut out. So we rang them again. They had once again overcharged us. After we had been on the phone to them for a very long time we sorted out the bill and they sent someone to fix it. They put on a password and managed to improve it. So currently our internet is as I described above (1st paragraph). Which is a whole lot better than before but it's still very irritating, and streaming any shows on iplayer or 4od is very very difficult at any time of day. Good luck with sorting Virgin out! Complaint B: Hi, I am a second year student living at the bottom of Selly Oak, in a house of 7 people. We have had endless problems with Virgin internet since we first signed a contract mid september. Despite numerous, futile, time-consuming and very expensive phone conversations, whereby we were handed from call rep to call rep, we are still struggling to gain speeds higher than 2mb out of a promised 30 (which we are paying for!). There have been times where our laptops, some of which are state of the art apple macs, have not even been receiving any kind of wireless. The router has not been recognised on some occasions, and even when it is, there is often a faint signal not reaching to the far rooms. We have been sent three separate routers as Virgin have claimed that the faults were to do with our router and not their connection. None of these have fixed or even improved the problem, in fact, one router destroyed the connection entirely, to which Virgin's If you have any queries, please e-mail council@guild.bham.ac.uk
response was that it was not their concern and that we had to speak to technical specialists, which we then had to pay an extra 60 for. Whilst this temporarily fixed an issue, it is still extremely slow and at times, unusable. Four of us have had no choice but to use ethernet cables, which is less convienient and expensive to purchase, especially as some needed to reach onto the next level, and more importantly, we are still paying for a wireless connection. Virgin have also promised that the internet will be fixed by 20th Nov, a claim they have apparently also made to many others in Selly Oak. Understandbly, Selly Oak is a busy area and there are 7 people in our house, so the connection will be weaker, but we have found web ct and library resources often impossible to use, and frustrating to attempt. After paying a very large installment fee from the beginning, plus additional charges to try and fix problems and also large phone bills, we don't seemed to have gained anything. Thank you for your time, Complaint C: Dear Zuki, I am writing to you to bring up some issues I have faced as a resident of Bournbrook Road and customer of Virgin Media, and would like to ask you to lobby the organisation on behalf of the student body. The first issue is to do with the quality of the internet Virgin have provided us. Our internet is currently running at one tenth of the speed it should be doing, which causes all eight residents issues within our academic endeavours. In addition to this, as a committee member of 2 societies and a Guild Councillor, it has severely affected my ability to work for my members/constituents. With the current internet speed, it is impossible to access the Guild Webmail, which has obvious issues and I have been unable to download the Guild Council bundle for the forthcoming meeting. The second issue is to do with the conduct of their employees. In Fresher's week my housemate answered the door to a Virgin sales representative, who proceeded to try and sell her a Virgin package. My housemate explained that we already had internet (at this time we thought this was from the previous tenants, but it emerged that our Landlady was paying for it as part of our tenancy agreement), but might consider changing. Later that afternoon, the same employee came to the door to talk to another housemate, and told her that the previous housemate had agreed to buy off him. When this housemate told him that she wasn't aware of this, he forcefully tried to get her to sign up. After he left (without success) he proceeded to cut off our internet illegally (our Landlady was still paying for it) until we agreed to buy with him or left Virgin. Our Landlady dealt with Virgin directly from then on, and our internet was restored. I lodged a complaint with Ofcom about his conduct, but haven't followed that up. Thanks for reading, Cheers,
Complaint D: Dear Zuki, After joining the Facebook page The Virgin Media Broadband in Selly Oak needs improving, it's terrible I saw that you were going to look into the issue. My house mates and I have found that the internet connection can be very good early in the morning to around 5pm, merely because this is when students are at university and therefore not using their home internet connections. However, from 5pm until around 1am, the internet is so poor that watching a two minute video on Youtube is a fruitless task. Our contract with them says that we should be getting fast broadband, which for the most part, we really aren't. Hopefully you can help us with this issue. Many Thanks, Complaint E: Hello, I am told from Facebook that you may do something about the Virgin Media situation. So I thought I would email you the issues I have had. Basically we have the 50 mb package but we are lucky to get 1mb! We have rung up so many times but to be honest they just wasted out time first sending a new hub but this made no difference. The next time they said there was a problem with the area and that they would pay us 25 pounds and it would be fixed by 14 October- but no change. I need to ring them again but I know nothing is going to change! It would be great if you could do something about this issue. I know loads of other Birmingham students in the area have the same problem. Complaint F: Just purchased a 100Mb broadband and am paying lots for the privilege. The internet is so poor the broadband speed test crashed when I tried to analyse my pathetic connection. It has literally got worse since the upgrade, I can only get signal in the front room and even then this email is a challenge.
Complaint G: Hi, I saw a message on facebook saying that you are looking into the issues in the selly oak area with virgin media. I am on Hubert road and have been having poor service since the start of term, we are paying for up to 30mb and not getting anything close! It takes over an hour to load a 4 min YouTube video at peak times. The date for sorting this out keeps getting pushed back, from the end of october to the 30th november. It really isn't good enough. Thanks for looking into this issue, I really appreciate it.
Complaint H: Hey Zuki, Just about broadband. We are currently on the 30MB broadband and 9 month contract. We are not receiving this internet speed in the slightest and it is struggling to buffer even the smallest videos. I live in a house of 5 people at 207 Dawlish. We have had the Virgin Media people around 3 times to find the problem and they have replaced some wiring and installed the internet with little improvement. Cheers Complaint I: We we're with Virgin Media for the first semester of year 2. Between 2pm-2am it was like not having internet, simple things like opening an email just wasn't possible. We rang to complain on a regular basis and they promised us it would be fixed 'in the next month' We got so annoyed one night we went round to ask any neighbours if they were with Virgin - one said they had been with them for a year and they kept promising it would be fixed but it never was so they had recently swapped. We rang up and got let out of our contract and spent 80 getting a BT line installed - best money I spent in all of 2nd year!!! Anyone who is having problems with Virgin Media I would encourage to ask to be let out of your contract. If you are getting no service then as long as you are insistent and ask to speak to a manager they will easily give you money back and release you from the contract. Good luck ever trying to sort out the issue! You're gonna need it!!!
Complaint J: Dear VP of Housing, thanks for looking into this. Heres our status. We are 4 people that can all approve of this message: Our Virgin internet is not working the way it is supposed to. During the week, it only works properly from 1am till 5pm. On the weekend, it barely works at all, and if, only from 3am till 8am. If "it works", then only at a slower speed than the 50k we bought. If "it doesnt work", it either does not work at all or it takes multiple minutes to open up a simple page. Watching Youtube-Videos or looking at Facebook-Albums (e.g.) is impossible. Thanks. With regards, Complaint K: Hi, thanks so much for doing this enquiry - the rubbish internet has been driving us mad. In my house we're paying for 50mb wireless broadband, and while sometimes we are able to get fairly decent speeds, a lot of the time it's difficult to get above 1mb. It's not unusual for us to do a speed test and find it's 0.1mb - if the speed test will load at all. We contacted Virgin who said it would be fixed by the 16th October, which didn't happen, but we did get a partial discount for the month. A friend said they did the same and were told the 26th. Obviously it didn't get fixed then either. As a result, we're finding it hard to do the most basic internet tasks (yesterday it took a full two minutes just to load the Google homepage...), and it's impacting some people's work. Hope this helps! Complaint L: Dear Zuki, Basically our problems with Virgin are as follows: - Wi Fi signal not strong enough to reach rooms. - Only get even close to promised 30mb d/l speed for a couple of hours a day, all other times it waivers between about 1 and 3mb - Customer Services are of no use, we've asked for a technician to no avail and all advice they give us seems to be a very temporary fix to our problems.
- Major 'shaping' of the download speeds at peak times to a point which has got to be illegal. - Randomly just cuts out. - We were promised credit from our local rep but he seems to be avoiding the issue. (not ideal customer service) Complaint M: Hi, Just emailing you to let you know how bad virgin media is in the selly oak area. We bought a 50mb package which ran perfectly for the first week before uni started and most the student hadn't moved in yet. After that though, the speeds we were getting during the evening were ridiculous. Our 50mb package got like less than 5MB majority of the time (sometimes less than 1MB and can't even stream/buffer anything) and when we called up, they said they would fix it on the 30th of September. So we waited and after that date noticed it was still terrible so called them up again only for them to say they delayed it till the 2nd of Novemeber. After reading what other people experienced in previous years, we realised its best to just cancel our contract because virgin simply don't care and keep delaying (I hear now they delayed it until the 30th of November). The only good thing is that we were able to cancel our contract without a fee and now going to get o2 broadband for cheaper. I just hope future students are aware of how bad virgin media are so hope you guys warn people off from buying from them or get something done about it. Complaint N: Dear Mr Majuqwana, My name is XXX XXX, I am currently living on Rookery Road and am experiencing appalling internet, which has not improved all year. We are with virgin media on their 50mb package, paying 45.40 a month, but I have been taking speed test over the last few weeks and we have had a minimum of 0.26mbps, not including when it is so bad I can't load the webpage. This is not acceptable, I have rung Virgin several times and yesterday, after promising it would be fixed on the 2nd November, said it is in the hands of the planning authority and there is no fixed repair date. At this point I made a formal complaint, and inquired about reimbursement. They have a standard which I believe is not appropriate considering the level of internet I am receiving. I understand that this is not a problem isolated to myself, and there is a facebook group already set up with over 400 members : http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Virgin-Media-Broadband-in-Selly-Oak-needsimproving-its-terrible/153372131425816 As our housing and communities officer I would be grateful if you could look into this matter as soon as possible. Many Thanks
10u. VolExec
GC.2.12.u

Author Name: Zuki Majuqwana (on behalf of the Residents Executive) Purpose: Approval Add New Policy/Bye-Law Summary: This motion is intended at add a new sub-committee to the Residences Executive (Bye Law 6, Section 8) which will outline the Terms of Reference for the Residences Executive (Volunteering), or VolExec Add New Policy/Bye-Law 2.1. Bye Law Title Residents Executive (Volunteering) 2.2 Proposed Text 9. Residents Executive (Volunteering) 9.2 Purpose 10.1.1 The Residents Executive (Volunteering) shall: Work with the relevant members of the Guild Officer Group to co-ordinate volunteering activities in University owned and affiliated student accommodation as outlined in the Residents Associations Constitution. Provide a support forum and decision making body for all Residents Association Volunteering Officers Meet at least biweekly to ensure effective communication between Officers 10.2 Membership & Composition 10.2.1 The Residents Executive (Volunteering) shall consist of: Vice-President (Housing & Community) [Chair] Vice-President (Activities & Development) [Deputy Chair] The Residents Association Volunteering Officers (or nominee) from each Residents Association Committee as recognised by the Residents Associations Constitutions. Student Led Volunteering Projects, external volunteering organisations and members of the Guild Officer Group will be able to attend meetings to present ideas that the Residents Executive (Volunteering) may wish to support. 9.4 Main Duties 9.3.5 Co-ordinate volunteering activities to the benefit of the Residents whom the Officers represent 9.3.6 Inform Residents of volunteering events and/or issues relevant to them, and to co-ordinate this publicity. 9.3.7 Be the collective body responsible for encouraging Residents to become involved in volunteering activities 9.3.8 To be the collective body responsible for promoting a variety of volunteering and community initiatives to the Residents they represent. If you have any queries, please e-mail council@guild.bham.ac.uk
10u. VolExec
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) Volunteering is a huge part of the Guild of Students and is an important part of what RAs do. This forum will provide greater support for volunteering officers and enhance the experience of Residents.
10v. Provision of WIFI in Accommodation
GC.2.12.v

Author Name: James Bowker Purpose: Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: To mandate the President (Mark Harrop) and VPHC (Zuki Majuqwana) to work with and support RAs or any other students in campaigning for the provision of WIFI in all student accommodation.
Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate President Mark Harrop and VPHC Zuki Majuqwana 3.2. Completion Date for Mandate 31/12/2012 3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) This motion mandates the President and VPHC to officially help, work with and support any students campaigning for the provision of free WIFI in all student accommodation. In particular we mandate them to help the various RA committees to formulate a workable campaign and scheme to provide such a service, and to lend the Guilds support for such a campaign. This would apply to all university owned halls current and future, but also off campus, 3rd party halls that are recurrently used by the University of Birmingham, including but not limited to Hunter Court, Victoria Halls, Queens Hospital Close and The Beeches. This mandate would include but is not limited to helping those involved in discussions with site management and the University and a formal statement from the Guild that backs any campaigns on this issue, as well as their belief that this is an important issue and a service that we should, as a university, provide.
10v. Provision of WIFI in Accommodation
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) This motion is necessary because the failure of the university accommodation to provide free WIFI access for all students in their halls puts us behind the vast majority of universities both locally and nationally and further still behind competing universities of a similar reputation. The ability to use WIFI in student halls would improve the student experience massively, as at current most students are forced to work only at their desk in their bedrooms, rather than being able to work whilst sitting on their sofas or in other communal areas within halls. Not only would the provision of WIFI allow students to be more sociable, but it would increase their accessibility and their ability to work in more situations. In the past, various RA committees have attempted to push their individual halls to provide WIFI, but these attempts have in nearly all cases come to naught. It seems clear that this is an issue that can no longer be ignored, but rather should be approached by the RA committees, Guild and student body as a collective. However, as part of this it is vital that those students campaigning for WIFI have the full support of the Guild Officers, particularly the VPHC and President, because it is an issue that will likely require significant amounts of work and effort that alone the RA committees will not be able to manage. Therefore, the support of those we are mandating to help us will enable any current and future campaigns to be far more successful. In short, WIFI is no longer a luxury: it has become a norm. Thus, by failing at current to provide this service, we are damaging student accessibility and the general student experience, we are limiting the abilities of students both work-related and socially and we are falling behind our competitors on both a local and national level. Therefore we need to change this, but to do so the President, the VPHC and the Guild itself must support any campaigns to provide this service.
10w. Gender Neutral Toilets
GC.2.12.w

Author Name: Rachel Foreman Purpose: Add New Policy/Bye-Law Summary: To ensure gender-neutral toilets are available in the Guild building.
Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section Two: Add New Policy/Bye-Law 2.1. Belief and Commitment Title or Bye Law Gender-Neutral Toilets 2.2 Proposed Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) The Guild believes that all students have the right to live without fear of discrimination or judgement, and as such shall ensure the Guild is an inclusive, safe space, by ensuring gender-neutral toilets are available in the Guild building.
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box I believe that everybody should have the right to the basic rights of life, without fear of discrimination or judgement. I believe that not having gender neutral toilets causes a great deal of discomfort to those who do not wish to use gender specific toilets, particularly trans-gender students. This is a perfectly sustainable idea, calling for the availability of gender-neutral toilets in the Guild, alongside gender-specific toilets. In conclusion, this is mainly about supporting every member of the Guild, and making sure that the mental health of the trans community feel supported, rather than pushed
10x. Liberation Officers as Trustees
GC.2.12.x GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12 Author Name: Kelly Rogers Purpose: Mandate Officer(s) or Committees(s) Summary: To mandate the President to write a letter to the Trustee Board, requesting them to change the role of the Liberation Officers to include a position on the Trustee Board Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee 3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate Guild President 3.2. Completion Date for Mandate Two weeks from Guild Council (16th February).
3.3. Mandate Text (shall normally be no more than 200 words) The President is mandated to write a letter to the Trustee Board, requesting them to change the role of the four Liberation Officers (LGBTQ Student's Officer, Ethnic Minority Student's Officer, Women's Officer and Disabled Student's Officer) to include a position on the Trustee Board. This letter must be written by the end of the working day on the 16th February 2012. This should be done by calling a general meeting under company law by which the topic can be debated and voted upon by full members of the Guild. Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) Over the past few years the power that lies with the Liberation Officers has been significantly reduced, undermining their ability to pursue the interests of their Associations and to effectively 'liberate' their student groups. Being mere Guild Officers, leaves them unable to have a vote in any of the decision-making bodies. Recently, this has involved a whole range of decisions being made, resulting in the removal of the Women's Room and the LGBTQ room, without reference to the Associations or the Officers except for inviting negligible involvement in creating an alternative 'safe space'. Moreover, this is also addresses the fact that currently our highest decision-making body doesn't have a majority students, nor equal weighting between elected and appointed Trustees. Our Guild of Students is the only Union in the country where this is the case. By giving Liberation Officers positions on the Trustee Board, it ensures they have a voice in matters that affect the freedom and potential of their respective groups, whilst also preserving the Guild of Students as a mouth-piece of If you have any queries, please e-mail council@guild.bham.ac.uk the student body in its entirety including those students who have historically lacked 'voice' and empowerment.
10y. Return of Liberation Rooms
GC.2.12.y

Author Name: Kelly Rogers, Claire Lister, Rachel Foreman. Purpose: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law Summary: Providing all Liberation Associations with respective rooms, a Womens room until they express permission to remove them and belief in a wider existence of safe space in the Guild and on campus more generally. Please submit all motions to council@guild.bham.ac.uk by the motions deadline. Section One: Amend Existing Policy/Bye-Law 1.1. Title of Belief and Commitment or Bye-Law Bye Law 9 1.2. Proposed Amended Text (normally no more than 200 words in case of Belief and Commitment) Bye Law 9 Add 4.4 Liberation Rooms 4.4.1 The Liberation Associations will be provided with Association rooms (Women's Room, Disabled Students Room, LGBTQ Student's Room and Ethnic Minority Student's Room) with disabled-access, to act as 'safe space' and to facilitate the objectives of the Associations. 4.4.2. These rooms may only be reallocated for alternative use with the express, written permission of all of the Liberation Association Chairs and the Liberation Officers, with the understanding that a wider 'safe space' in the Guild and on campus has been effectively established. In addition, in the case of the rooms being reallocated, the Student Equality and Diversity Committee must convene, with invitations sent to Liberation Association Committees, to draw up an action plan regarding the improvement and preservation of a campus-wide safe space and the facilitation of continued functioning of all Associations.
10y. Return of Liberation Rooms
Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion (please do not go outside the box) This year has seen the two Liberation rooms that did exist taken away, without asking the Liberation Associations or Liberation Officers. This contravenes any ideas of Liberation autonomy and their right to designate safe space. The Associations that previously did not have rooms have suggested that it would be in their interest, enabling them to work together and empower their Association members. Safe space is a right for all students. It is highly questionable whether the Guild or campus are safe spaces for the Liberation groups, so until it has been accepted by all Associations and Officers that safe space exists, and that they can function effectively without their rooms, the Liberation groups request that their rooms be returned and rooms are provided for the Birmingham Ethnic Minority Association and the Disabled and Mental Health Associaton. Unions countrywide hold the right of their Liberation groups as a necessity and have provided rooms for all their Associations despite having a much more limited space in their Union buildings. The Guild of Students should respect Liberation autonomy and their right to decide how and where space space is created, and ensure their involvement from the beginning and throughout all decision-making processes affecting Liberation groups.

Guild Council Motions - February 2, 2012

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10.

a Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

Section Three: Mandate A Guild Officer(s) or Committee

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10.a Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account

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10.a Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account Appendix 1

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10.a Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account Appendix 1

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10a. Holding Guild Officers and Trustees to Account Appendix 2

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10b. Appointment Panel

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

Amend appointments panel in by laws.

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10b. Appointment Panel

Section Four: Written Statement in Support of Motion

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10c. Biological Recording

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

3.1. Person(s) Responsible For Delivering Mandate President Vice-President (Education)

3.2. Completion Date for Mandate February 9th 2012

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10c. Biological Recording

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10d. Change to Election Running

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

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10d. Change to Election Running

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10e. Diverse Food

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

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10f. Give em the ole heave-ho soldier!

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

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10g. Guild Council and The Trustee Board

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

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10h. Injunction Our response

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

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10h. Injunction Our response

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10i. Non - Sabbatical Officers and Other Roles

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

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10j. Parking Up the Wrong Tree

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

This is a really good idea.

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10k. Tweaking the Presidents Role

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

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10k. Tweaking the Presidents Role

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10l. Questions and Comments on Motions

GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

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GUILD COUNCIL MEETING 2.2.12

10n. Save the Library