JCR President Tom Callard
JCR President Tom Callard has said he will be issuing “a full apology” after members of Oriel’s JCR proposed a motion of censure against him.{nomultithumb}
The motion, proposed by undergraduate Cameron Penny, and due to be brought up at a JCR meeting this Sunday, asserted that Callard had “abused his position […] in allowing the College to book out the Junior Common Room during the Easter vacation”.
It also claims that Callard’s actions “deprived members of the JCR, especially Finalists, from the benefit of the room.”
Penny has accused Callard of “lying” about the communications that passed between him and the college about booking arrangements for the Common Room.
Penny said, “The JCR President was sent an email by the college in January asking if it was OK with the JCR that they book out the common room during the vacation.
“He didn’t bring this to the JCR’s attention, however, and when I returned to the college during the vac itself and was prevented from using my own JCR I asked him about it and was at that stage told he had no knowledge of the situation.
“It’s just a shame when a self-serving CV point hunter with little concern for his responsibilities decides on a course of inaction in defence of JCR interests,” he added.
Since news of the motion has reached Callard, he has stated that he will be apologising to the JCR for what happened.
In a statement he said, “I understand I made a mistake and misunderstood what was being asked in the original email about how the room was to be used.
“I understand that it would have invonvenienced the finalists massively,” he added.
Penny also criticised the JCR President for not being active enough in his role. Callard declined to respond to these accusations.
Dougall Meston, ex-JCR President commented, “I think it was irritating that over the vacation Finalists weren’t allowed to use their own JCR. There was a nasty atmosphere when we were told we weren’t allowed to be in there.”
However one member JCR committee member, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “I think Penny’s behaviour is a clear demonstration of some sort of personal vendetta Penny has had against the JCR (and the President, as its representative).
“Penny’s contributions at JCR meetings have been frequently non-constructive, regularly plainly destructive and almost universally offensive. The situation has been blown completely out of proportion.”
