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Exposed: the Union hacks haunted by their history

Cherwell News
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Exposed: the Union hacks haunted by their history

A presidential candidate in today’s Oxford Union elections was alleged to have brought the society into disrepute, with a potential speaker slamming him for “financial carelessness and duplicity”.

Daniel Wilkinson, presidential candidate for the ‘Progress’ slate, found himself under fire following the invite of Professor Judith Buchanan. She claims he informed her that a debate she had been confirmed to speak on had been cancelled when it had, in fact, not.

Wilkinson himself spoke in the debate, taking her potential slot. Buchanan went on to complain about Wilkinson’s behaviour to both the Union and his college.

The society was later forced to pay out £202.90 on her pre-booked travel expenses.

When approached by Cherwell, Wilkinson said that there was a miscommunication between Buchanan’s PA and himself, hence the confusion, and that a panel of the returning officer and their assistants had found that he had not brought disrepute to the Union.

He added: “For the record, I was always in favour of reimbursement and honesty with the speaker, but as you may know the power to authorise such a decision resides only with the President. I informed the speaker, as instructed, that there was no longer a place for her in the debate; this had the unfortunate consequence that she misunderstood, believed me to have lied, and was therefore frustrated.”

“I acted in accordance with my duties and received the brunt of the speaker’s anger for doing so, and to imply that my actions were autonomous and internally aimed at causing a situation such as this with a potential speaker is a fundamental misunderstanding of the facts.”

Cherwell can also reveal that a candidate running on the ‘Refresh’ slate, Musty Kamal, has twice faced allegations of electoral malpractice while running in student societies. In the Union’s Michaelmas elections, Kamal was found guilty of electoral malpractice and stripped of his position on the Secretary’s Committee.

Kamal – who received the most votes in the election – was found to have breached Rule 33(a)(i) by making an “illicit statement” – one that is “untrue or misleading” and is intended to influence the course of the election.

A spokesperson confirmed to Cherwell that the statement in question was Kamal’s claim he was running as an “independent” candidate. Kamal told Cherwell: “I think it is important to remember that in their first term of Oxford not everyone is familiar with the Union rules and, to my mind, I misidentified the definition of the word ‘independent’.

“As such, my naivety led me to believe that my manifesto could incorporate the word. Nevertheless, I have learnt from my technical mistake and if elected look forward to creating a more engaged and inclusive union.”

In addition to this, Kamal was embroiled in further scandal while standing for election as general secretary at the London School of Economics (LSE) student union. In a story making the front page of LSE student newspaper The Beaver, Kamal is accused of breaking electoral rules by beginning his campaign before the official start date.

When approached by Cherwell, Kamal did not address the allegations from his time at LSE.

VC claims £5k on luxury hotels

Fred Dimbleby
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VC claims £5k on luxury hotels

Oxford vice chancellor Louise Richardson claimed stays in five star hotels and private car hire for on campus trips on expenses, Cherwell can reveal.

The data shows that Richardson, who has a salary of £350,000 a year, claimed £1,262 for a stay in the luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hong Kong. She also claimed £145 for a trip to Wimbledon to watch the tennis championships.

The new revelations come after a successful review of a freedom of information (FOI) request sent by Cherwell, which showed that Richardson had claimed £69,000 in expenses since taking up her position in 2016.

The vice chancellor used a private car to travel within Oxford eight times during the period covered by the FOI, which extends to January 2016. In total, she claimed £1,287 for on-campus travel, including one trip in late July around Oxford and then on to London which cost £485.

The new data also shows that the vice chancellor claimed a total of £5,088.19 in hotel accommodation. These included stays in the five star Kerry Hotel in Beijing, China, and the luxury Grand Hotel Karel V in Utrecht, Netherlands.

A University spokesperson told Cherwell: “Professor Richardson instructed that her office change the practice of First Class rail travel shortly after taking office in 2016. The vice chancellor travels in Standard Class and not First Class. The vice chancellor also declined
provision of a University vehicle, which was sold.

“Professor Richardson now travels in private hire vehicles when business requires it. The cost of providing and maintaining a University vehicle greatly exceeds her office’s expenditure on private hire transport for business.

“The vice chancellor always flies economy on short-haul flights to Europe and within the US. Hotels booked for Professor Richardson are usually the venue for the business meeting she is attending and are always the most practical and appropriate option if the vice
chancellor is to meet her scheduled commitments and fulfil her business engagements.”

The FOI was originally sent in September 2017 but Cherwell called for a review of the request after Oxford released far less extensive figures than other universities.

Despite the information office aiming to send a response to the review within 20 working days, the latest figures come almost eight months after the original review was submitted.

Half of colleges fail to provide halal food, says ISoc

Matthew Roller
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Half of colleges fail to provide halal food, says ISoc

Nearly half of undergraduate colleges fail to offer halal food in hall for Muslim students, according to new data released by the University’s Islamic Society (ISoc).

14 of Oxford’s 30 undergraduate colleges (46.7%) – including Balliol, Hertford, and Merton – do not have any provision for halal food, the society claims.

A further three colleges – Magdalen, St John’s, and Univ – only offer halal food at formal hall.

The Islamic Society’s vice president Supti Akhtar told Cherwell: “Eating together with fellow students in Hall is a big part of the Oxford experience, and it’s a shame if anyone feels excluded from that.

“So providing halal food is a simple – but important – way of creating an inclusive environment for Muslim students…it is perfectly feasible for any college to cater for halal.”

Akhtar said that the Society is trying to work with bursars and catering staff to provide clarity as to what food is actually halal.

“Sometimes colleges just don’t declare it,” she told Cherwell.

“We have also found problems around certain colleges not knowing that alcohol is forbidden, and thus students are often not told when alcohol is used within desserts or main meals.

“We hope to resolve these issues in an attempt to make college life that much more inclusive for all our members.”

No evidence of Oxford discrimination, says former admissions chief

Greg Ritchie
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No evidence of Oxford discrimination, says former admissions chief

A former chair of admissions at Oxford University has hit back at criticism of the country’s top universities.

Baroness Deech – a former principal of St Anne’s College – said there was “no evidence of discrimination” by Oxbridge against black students.

Earlier this term, Cherwell analysis showed that more pupils from Westminster school made it into Oxford in 2017 than black British students.

Baroness Deech argued claims of discrimination are not supported by the figures, since the number of black and minority ethnic (BME) students who received offers was proportional to the BME population.

She argued, “the problem is uneven distribution” among prestigious universities, colleges and subjects.

She told Parliament: “There are colleges in London where white students are in the minority. Is anyone going to complain there are too many students of one race or religion?”

She continued: “Impressive, expensive outreach work is damaged by the impression they discriminate against black students.

“In no other country would a senior politician speak like this about a top university, thereby undermining its reputation.”

While not naming David Lammy MP – who has spearheaded a campaign attacking Oxford’s record on access – in her speech, she did observe “how misguided most of that conversation was”.

Responding to her comments, a government spokesperson said the the Office for Students will challenge more selective institutions to make progress in broadening their admissions.

He said the government “shares the concerns” expressed by Baroness Deech that recent media coverage of Oxbridge admissions will undermine their outreach work.

Last year, Baroness Deech faced widespread criticism after describing vegetarians who eat “fake meat” as “transgender vegetarians”.

Colleges under pressure after flooding damage

Daniel Hall
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Colleges under pressure after flooding damage

Oxford suffered from flash flooding last week due to torrential rainfall, causing substantial disruption to students and commuters.

According to the Met Office, Oxfordshire suffered the heaviest rainfall in the UK last Thursday night, as thunderstorms hit the county for five hours from 17:00.

A number of colleges were affected by the flooding, including Magdalen, Mansfield, Pembroke, and Wadham.

Heavy rain caused the guttering at Wadham to overflow, which left the top of the library, the MCR, and five student bedrooms affected.

A spokesperson for Wadham told Cherwell: “Alternative arrangements were put in place for student bedrooms and the top floor of the library was reopened the day after the incident.”

Meanwhile, Mansfield students helped to mop water out of the café area, which had leaked through from the flooded road outside. The rain also came through the roof of Somerville’s college bar, and flooded their patio area. However, the flooding was gone the following
day.

Elsewhere in Oxford, around 100 people had to be evacuated from an Oxford Pride show taking place at the Old Fire Station, after water started leaking through the roof. Botley Road, a main route into Oxford from the west of the city, had to be closed due to several feet of water pooled under a railway bridge. Firefighters attended the affected area and the road was reopened by the next morning.

Commuters experienced delayed trains from Oxford, due to flooding on the line and at nearby station Didcot Parkway.

Wadham SU will fund students’ travel to Gender Identity clinics

Abby Ridsdill-Smith
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Wadham SU will fund students’ travel to Gender Identity clinics

Wadham College SU has passed a motion to cover students’ travel to Gender Identity Clinics.

The SU, which is equavalent to a JCR, is now mandated to introduce a fund for these travel costs, to which £150 will be added every term.

The motion, which passed unanimously, states: “Transgender-related healthcare remains one of the most difficult forms of care to access: there are only eight Gender Identity Clinics (GICs) on the NHS, which cover the whole of the UK.”

GICs provide psychological counselling, speech and language therapy, and hormones, among other services.

The motion noted that waiting times for GICs can be extremely long, the shortest in the UK being at the Sheffield clinic, where the average waiting time is 51 weeks.

In Northamptonshire, the waiting times can range from two to three years.

Furthermore, the motion noted that these waiting lists are often subject to “absurd” rules that can impact a patients’ ranking on them.

The motion stated: “Patients are often not made aware of how their actions affect their place on the waiting list, and actions like seeing a private consultant can result in their being returned to the bottom.

“Because of the extreme length of waiting lists and the absurd bureaucracy involved, patients exercise very little control over the circumstances of their referral, including its date and location.

“[T]he current kafkaesque state of the UK’s trans-related healthcare is unsustainable, and we as an SU should support causes that seek to improve it.”

The students can now use the surplus either “inside or outside of term time.”

Because the fund is limited to £150, the allotment is on a sliding scale. If fewer than three people apply for the fund, each will receive up to £50. If between three and five people apply, each will get up to £30. If over five people apply, each will get up to £30 until the fund is depleted.

The motion also resolved to “donate £100 to the Oxford chapter of Action for Trans Health, in recognition of the work they do to provide trans patients with a voice in the healthcare system.”

Since the motion was passed, the SU trans officer is now mandated to “promote this fund, and to advertise it alongside the College’s own funds for unexpected hardship and travel.”

Wadham College is the first to introduce a fund of this kind. It was also the first college to have a trans officer, a position instituted in the 2016-17 academic year.

The two Wadham students who proposed the motion declined Cherwell’s requests for comment.

Univ JCR votes against motion to limit ‘reckless’ spending

Jeremiah O'Mahony
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Univ JCR votes against motion to limit ‘reckless’ spending

University College JCR has come under fire from members after a motion that would have limited club or society leaders’ ability to spend their budget failed to pass.

It followed a lengthy debate on the motion that was reportedly filled with “vitirol”, with members of the JCR executive having to quiet the room on several occasions. The failure to pass the motion follows bitter criticism on Oxfess, as a ‘meme war’ started between those for and against the spending checks.

Cherwell understands that during a netball social, which took place in second week this term, the Univ netball captain spent £177 on cocktails in All Bar One – using the netball club’s budget. Though the expense did not exceed the club’s budget, some JCR members have used it as an example of how easily Univ’s “rare” system  – which allows each club leader to spend their budget without much oversight – can be abused.

According to JCR meeting minutes obtained by Cherwell, the motion would have introduced several key amendments that would require the reimbursement of club expenditures more than £75 to be unanimously approved by the treasurer, secretary, and president of the JCR.

The amendments further mandated that if the reimbursement wasn’t unanimously approved, it would be voted on as a motion at the next JCR meeting. Previously, the standing order included few limitations on club heads’ spending powers. The most significant was the treasurer’s ability to veto any reimbursement, even if it was agreed upon by the JCR.

A member of the JCR executive explained: “The point [of the motion] is making people aware that they have responsibility when they get specific allocations from the JCR in order to spend that money in an appropriate way.

“If people have a budget of £300 then you find that you don’t need £300, that doesn’t mean you are completely warranted to go and spend it the way you like it.”

As to the practicality of the motion, a member of the JCR executive said: “About 70% of what [the treasurer] has reimbursed this term has been under £75 pounds, so we are actually talking about a very small number of requests.”

However, after considerable dissent by members of the JCR and complaints of “parenting”, the motion was eventually amended to read: “The budget may be reviewed by the VP/treasurer in conjunction with committee members, sports captains, and societies in Hilary term to discuss which allocations need amending. Any proposed changes will be voted on by the JCR.”

A non-binding vote was held on the original motion – which failed 17 votes for and 21 against. A recent case involving a University College netball team social soon came to represent “extreme” and “unnecessary” spending by club leaders. University JCR President Maninder Sachdev told Cherwell that the netball team’s night out was not the direct cause of the motion, rather the motion “arose from wider concerns regarding expenditure.”

Sachdev continued: “The JCR executive committee do not have a problem with societies using their allocated budget on socials. The intention of the motion was to introduce a system which would ensure that the JCR money is not spent in an irresponsible way, and to start a discussion about transparency and accountability for JCR expenditure.”

Nevertheless, the netball team’s spending became the focus of a wider critique of the issue. One of the many subsequent Oxfess comments read:  “That £175 could have gone to better use rather than down the throats of five posh rich girls. #justsaying.” Univ JCR IT Rep, Conrad Will, told Cherwell: “What’s happened today on Oxfess, though, is completely unacceptable on both sides and it brings the whole College into disrepute.”

Quarter of JCRs have transgender rep

Matthew Roller
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Quarter of JCRs have transgender rep

Over a quarter of Oxford’s undergraduate colleges now have a transgender representative on their JCR committee.

Queen’s College became the eighth to introduce the position this week, joining St Hugh’s, Magdalen, Lady Margaret Hall, Jesus, St John’s, Wadham, and St Hilda’s. Wadham SU was the first to introduce a trans rep, in the 2016-17 academic year.

The motion at Queen’s used statistics from the SU’s LGBTQ+ Campaign’s recent survey of transgender students at the University. The survey revealed that 98% of trans students at Oxford have experienced mental health issues, that over 60% say they have experienced transphobia, that half have self-harmed, and that one third have considered suicide.

The motion, proposed by Quin O’Sullivan and seconded by Alice Shepherd, said that “there are issues the transgender community face in the wider world and in university life which an LGBTQ+ rep may not be able to fully provide for.”

O’Sullivan and Shepherd said they hoped the creation of the role would help trans students “feel more comfortable and confident” while studying at Queen’s.

Earlier this academic year, Oxford SU VP Women, Katy Haigh, said: “It is great to see that common rooms are expanding their representative positions to better reflect the demographics and the needs of their students.”

All but two of Oxford’s undergraduate colleges also have an LGBTQ+ rep on their JCR committee: Brasenose and Trinity are the two exceptions. Both colleges have an Equalities Rep, whose constitutional role includes provision for LGBTQ+ students.

According to the University’s Equality Policy, Oxford attempts to create an environment which “promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its staff and students are respected.”

Oxford says it “aims to anticipate and respond positively to the needs of trans and gender variant students, staff and alumni, enabling all members of the University to feel welcome,
safe, valued and supported in achieving their potential and contributing as a member of the University.”

Official policy also notes: “Students and staff come to Oxford from countries round the world, with very different approaches to transgender issues.

“Gender identity interacts with other areas of identity, including ethnicity, culture, religion and disability, and this may sometimes lead to particular issues for individuals, or cause tensions.”

Oxford SU meeting disrupted by anti-abortion protester

Greg Ritchie
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Oxford SU meeting disrupted by anti-abortion protester

An Oxford SU meeting was disrupted last night as an individual attempted to display “distressing content” to the assembled students.

Cherwell understands that the disruption occurred as the SU was in the process of renewing its pro-choice policy.

The individual shouted, trying and failing to instigate a mass exodus, while also displaying graphic pictures of foetuses.

In a mass email, Oxford SU told students: “Some of you may be aware that an incident took place at last night’s student council. An individual student seriously disrupted Council and attempted to display distressing content to the rest of Student Council’s members. This behaviour was deemed unacceptable by the Chair and the individual was therefore removed from the meeting by a member of Oxford SU staff.

“In the interest of ensuring our student members are not affected further by this incident, we have made the decision to remove the imagery of the incident from the recording of Student Council, though it is still referenced in the minutes.”

“We would like to offer our support to students who were in attendance at council who were adversely affected by the incident, and encourage you to seek support through our independent advice service.”

“We have received an apology on behalf of the common room the student is a member of. They have assured Oxford SU that the individual student’s actions are not representative of the common room, and that actions are being taken within the college to hold this individual to account for their behaviour.”

Catz introduces committee expansion rep

Alice Bruce
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Catz introduces committee expansion rep

St Catherine’s College JCR voted on Sunday night to introduce a committee expansion rep whose role would be to “ensure the committee continues to grow.”

The motion, proposed by George Carew-Jones and seconded by James Winder, passed with 38 votes in support. It included the hope for “ultimately every JCR ha[ving] a committee role” and to “rename the ‘JCR Committee’ the ‘JCR’, or rename the ‘JCR’ the ‘JCR Committee’, for matters of harmony.”

In the meeting, Carew-Jones said that JCR committee was big but “not big enough” and that there could even be a “deputy president between president and Vice President.”

Carew-Jones told Cherwell that “the Catz committee has become a lot bigger over the last year, and we thought that under the same rationale there was room for the committee to become even bigger.”

He continued: “It’s not that any of the current committee positions are futile. The motivation was more that we thought there comes a critical mass where so many people are on the committee that everyone may as well be on it.

“I think everyone at the meeting agreed that our vision of every JCR member eventually having some sort of position was inspiring and aspirational.

“The motion will thankfully be enshrined in the constitution, but sadly both of us are graduating from the JCR so someone else will have to take the responsibility on. At least we can graduate confident that our legacy has been assured.”

The JCR committee for 2017 to 2018 has 20 members.

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