Ideas for Change. Student Voice Conference. MDXSU Monday 9 th November 2015

Transcription

1 Ideas for Change Student Voice Conference MDXSU Monday 9 th November 2015 These papers contain all of the things that will be discussed and voted on. All of the contents are Ideas for Change that have been submitted by your Student Officers and other students.

2 Motion: Students not Suspects Submitted by: Sayed Alkadiri (MDXSU Vice President Business & Law) Seconded by: Sulaiman Lkaderi (MDXSU Black Students Assembly) Conference Notes: 1. The government s Counter-Terrorism and Security Act (CTS) 2015 places a statutory requirement on public bodies including universities to prevent people being drawn into terrorism and to implement the Prevent agenda. 2. That academics and campaigners fear that the CTS Act criminalises ideas and creates a culture where students are unwilling to speak out. 3. That the Prevent Strategy Guidance in 2011 stated that university staff, lecturers and chaplains should report to the police any Muslim students who are isolated or depressed. 4. Under Prevent, lecturers across the country have been known to report students as being at risk of radicalisation for merely taking an interest in political affairs in class, or for observing their religion more closely, whilst politically active students have found themselves visited by counter-terrorism officers. 5. That the National Union of Students (NUS) and University and Colleges Union (UCU) have both passed motions at their conferences opposing the Act and Prevent. Conference Believes: 1. As a Charity, we as a Students Union are not legally bound to comply or engage with Prevent. 2. We fundamentally believe that Universities and Colleges are places for education, not surveillance. 3. That any expectation by the state for academic staff to be involved in monitoring their students is deeply worrying, and will have a chilling effect on relations between staff and students. 4. The implementation of the Prevent Strategy on campus will not only isolate Muslim students but undermine the civil liberties of other groups such as environmental, political and humanitarian activists. 5. Islamophobia is massively on the rise across Europe, is state-sponsored and legitimised by the mainstream media. Conference Resolves: 1. To mandate MDXSU and its Student Officers to not support the Prevent strategy unless legally required to do so. 2. That MDXSU should issue a public statement condemning the Prevent strategy for the impact it has on Middlesex students.

3 3. For MDXSU to work with campus trade unions including UCU on combating the Prevent strategy and its implementation on campus. 4. To lobby the university to be more open and transparent about how they are engaging with Prevent and other similar initiatives. This includes demanding publications of how the policy is operating within the university and access to materials used to train staff and students. 5. For the Student Officers to encourage Middlesex students to join the NUS Students not Suspects campaign and raise awareness on campus about the dangers of the Prevent strategy.

4 Motion: Call It Out! Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment at MDX Submitted by: Sayed Alkadiri (MDXSU VP Business & Law) Seconded by: Chaar Yeates (SVL for Media & Cultural Studies, MDXSU Women s Assembly) Conference Notes: 1. That the NUS Hidden Marks report, published in March 2010 by the NUS Women s Campaign, revealed that 68% of women students had experienced sexual harassment while a student at their current university. Many women students reported experiencing persistent harassment in pubs and at club nights of the type held by student unions, both on and off university campuses. 2. The NUS Lad Culture and Sexism Survey revealed that one in four students (26%) - and 37% per cent of women had experienced non-consensual groping and touching. Two thirds of respondents said they had been aware of students putting up with unwanted sexual comments, with just under one third bearing witness to verbal harassment because of a student s gender. 3. That the NUS definition of sexual harassment is as follows: The defining characteristics of sexual harassment are that it is unwanted, persistent and of a sexual nature. Examples of unacceptable behaviour include: (a) Unwanted sexual comments, including comments about someone s body or private life. (b) Unwelcome sexual invitations, innuendoes, and offensive gestures. (c) Wolf whistling, catcalling or offensive sexual noises. (d) Groping, pinching or smacking someone s body. (e) Moving or grabbing someone s clothes without agreement. (f) Exposure of sexual organs without consent. 4. That sexual harassment disproportionately effects women but can happen to anyone of any gender. 5. The Good Night Out Campaign is a national UK and Ireland wide campaign started by street-activist group Hollaback London to end harassment of women and LGBTQ at student venues. It aims to produce innovative zero tolerance-training resources for students union staff as part of NUS national strategy to tackle lad culture on campus. It also is dedicated to raising awareness of the issue of harassment on night out, and aims to help clubs, bars, and pubs tackle and prevent it and deal with it more effectively by training staff, security and management on how best to handle and prevent harassment 6. That MDXSU Vice President Sayed Alkadiri & MDXSU Women s Assembly Convenor Jess Hawke launched the Call It Out Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment Campaign in September The launch of the campaign called on Middlesex students to speak up when they see or experience sexual harassment Conference Believes:

5 1. That all Middlesex students, have the right to live, study, work and relax in an environment where they feel safe and are free from any form of sexual harassment. 2. That no student at Middlesex should be forced to just put up with sexual harassment and that action must be taken to ensure that all students are able to enjoy the University and Students Union without experiencing sexual harassment. 3. That sexual harassment should not be tolerated by MDXSU & Middlesex University, and those who commit acts of sexual harassment should be stopped and disciplined for their actions. 4. That everyone has a responsibility to make our Union and our University a safe space for all students. 5. That current union policy does not adequately reflect the seriousness and of the issue of sexual harassment. 6. That Middlesex University disciplinary procedures for cases of sexual harassment need to be strengthened. Conference Resolves: 1. To support the adoption of a Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment policy that applies to the harassment of any and all genders in accordance to NUS s definition of sexual harassment and extends across all SU activities and events. 2. To mandate and support the MDXSU Call It Out Campaign. And to create an I Will Call It Out pledge as a commitment to act against harassment, available for all students to sign. 3. To review and strengthen disciplinary procedures for acts of sexual harassment at MDXSU events. 4. To mandate the Student Officers to develop a joint policy statement with Middlesex University on Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment. 5. To ensure that MDX Security Staff who work on campus are informed of this policy and are aware that they have the power to remove harassers from our events. 6. To call on the University to collect relevant data by which to measure the scale of the problem and the impact of the University s action 7. To call on the University to develop robust and effective measures to improve the safety of the campus environment and the wellbeing of our students, including issues such as CCTV and security staffing, training and procedures 8. For MDXSU to affiliate to the Good Night Out Campaign. And to mandate the student officers to work with the University, MU contracted security, MU bar staff and local pubs and clubs; to affiliate to the Good Night Out campaign and become an accredited member.

6 Motion: Lad Culture Submitted by: Sayed Alkadiri (MDXSU VP Business & Law) Seconded by: Jess Hawke (MDXSU Women s Assembly Convenor) Conference Notes: 1. That according to the National Union of Students (NUS) lad culture report That s What She Said, lad culture is defined by participants as a group or pack mentality residing in activities such as sports and heavy alcohol consumption, and banter which is often sexist, misogynistic, and homophobic 2. The survey of 2,156 students also revealed that one in four students (26%) and 37% of women have suffered unwelcome sexual advances such as groping and touching at universities 3. In addition, the survey also revealed 62 % of the students had heard jokes being cracked about rape or sexual assault 4. 75% of students were aware of online communities such as UNILAD and LADBIBLE, with almost two-thirds of women students (63 per cent) agreeing that these contribute to an unfair representation of women 5. In October, the LSE Men s Rugby club distributed leaflets which were sexist, homophobic and classist referring to female sports players as slags and beast-like, and King s students as scum who enjoy homosexual humiliation 6. MDXSU Women s Assembly and MDXSU Vice Presidents Sayed Alkadiri & Orla Hillary, are dedicated to working with the NUS Lad Culture Campaign to tackle lad culture on campus effectively 7. The MDXSU Women s Assembly in partnership with the above student officers have already launched a campaign to tackle lad culture at Middlesex. There are three main elements to this campaign; they seek to uncover and suggest improvements to current university policies and procedures relevant to lad culture, will deliver sexual consent workshops to students and also run various social media campaigns on lad culture. Conference Believes: 1. That MDXSU should be committed to providing an inclusive and supportive space for all students. 2. That all students should be free from intimidation or harassment resulting from prejudice or discrimination on ground of age, disability, marital or maternity/ paternity status, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, trans status, socio-economic status, or ideology or culture, or any other form of distinction. 3. Lad culture encourages banter that is sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, racist and classist. 4. Sexism takes a variety of forms in lad culture - in particular the trivialisation of sexual abuse.

7 5. That lad culture is a term attaches a veneer of respectability to what s really sexism with an alibi, and produces the fatalistic boys-will-be-boys dismissal. 6. That sexual harassment and violence are very much related to lad culture - this includes verbal harassment and catcalling, as well as physical harassment and sexual molestation. 7. That LSESU s decision to disband LSE Men s Rugby Club for the rest of the academic year was an appropriate course of action in that it made clear that lad culture promotes sexism, homophobia, racism and classism, and would therefore not be tolerated at a Higher Education Institute (HEI) 8. MDXSU Women s Assembly Lad Culture Campaign will help to make tackling lad culture on campus as effective as possible Conference Resolves: 1. To mandate MDXSU to take a zero tolerance stance towards lad culture. 2. To mandate the Student Officers and the Students Union to fully support the MDXSU Women s Assembly campaign to tackle lad culture at Middlesex. 3. To support the MDXSU Women s Assembly to develop workshops on Lad Culture, and help deliver them to key stakeholders within the university and the students union including University Senior Management, MDXSU Staff & Sports Captains. 4. To develop a joint action plan with the University to tackle lad culture at Middlesex University. This should include, but not limited to, identifying gaps in policy provision, developing complaints and disciplinary policy which adequately addresses cases of sexual harassment and sexual violence. 5. To work with the University to integrate Lad Culture into existing university policies on equality & diversity and bullying and harassment. These policies should clearly define and give examples of sexist behaviour and discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and violence and how this behaviour will not be tolerated. 6. To support the NUS Lad Culture campaign by applying to become a pilot union for their work should the opportunity arise.

8 Motion: #RefugeesWeclome MDXSU Syrian Refugees Campaign Submitted by: Sayed Alkadiri (MDXSU VP Business & Law) Seconded by: Aman Siddiqi (MDXSU President) Conference Notes: 1. That in July 2015, MDXSU Vice President Sayed Alkadiri launched a joint campaign with Citizens UK to convince Barnet council to resettle 50 Syrian refugees. 2. The campaign worked with local residents, synagogues, mosques, churches, schools to guarantee training, job opportunities, housing and education for those resettled in Barnet. 3. That on the 27 th of September, Councillor Richard Cornelius, leader of Barnet Council, accepted the request at the MDXSU/Citizens UK Barnet Day of Action event and pledged to propose a motion to the following full council meeting, for the council to approve the resettlement. 4. That on the 20 th of October, Barnet councillors voted unanimously in favour of a cross party motion to resettle 50 Syrian refugees in Barnet 5. That MDXSU Vice President Sayed Alkadiri sits on the Barnet Citizens Syrian Refugees Board, and is in consultations with Barnet Council officers and the Home Office, on the resettlement process. Conference Further Notes: 1. Since March 2011, an estimated 9 million Syrians have fled their homes to take refuge as internally displaced or in neighbouring countries (over 3 million). These numbers are constantly increasing ,000 Syrians have declared asylum within the EU, and members have pledged to resettle a further 33,000 places. 85% of these have been pledged by Germany. 3. On the 2nd of September 2015, the news of a 3-year old Syrian child found dead on a Turkish shore whilst trying to reach safety was the latest in a series of reports on the deaths of thousands of refugees fleeing oppression and war 4. Neighbouring countries around Syria have absorbed the majority of the refugee influx, the EU is only seeing a fraction. 5. Under pressure from international media attention, the British government has increased the number of refugees it will accept to 20,000 over the next five years. Conference Believes: 1. The UK has a moral obligation to help those fleeing conflict and violence by providing a place for refuge. 2. Accepting 20,000 Syrian refugees over 5 years (5000 annually) is unacceptable, while Germany has announced it will be taking in 500,000 annually.

9 3. Students Unions and institutions are in prime position to offer practical support for refugees already in the country, and to add the voice of 7 million students to the call for the UK to take up its share of the responsibility. 4. From organising resettlement campaigns to organising charity collections, students are leading the way with their response to the refugee crisis. Conference Resolves: 1. To mandate and support the MDXSU Syrian Refugees Campaign, by supporting its development as it goes into the next stages of preparing a welcome for the refugees. 2. To write a letter to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Richard Cornelius, on behalf of this conference, to thank him for his acceptance and to seek to develop a proactive relationship with the council on student issues. 3. To encourage other Student Unions to build links with our partner, Citizens UK, to amplify the call for increasing the number of resettlements and increasing the number of local Councils involved in such schemes. 4. To lobby Middlesex University to provide open classes and lectures (i.e. English language support) for refugees who wish to access educational facilities, as well as facilitating social learning in community environments to welcome refugees and help them access public services. 5. To lobby Middlesex University to look into an annual humanitarian scholarship scheme for refugees. 6. To oppose and condemn the demonisation of innocent refugees coming here for shelter, and ensure the debate around the crisis is not neglected once mainstream media coverage ceases.

10 Motion: Use Your Vote! Submitted by: Aman Siddiqi (MDXSU President) Seconded by: Orla Hillary (MDXSU Deputy President and VP Health & Education and Science & Technology) Facts & Figures: 1. The London Mayoral elections are around the corner and we, as a Students Union, should be doing everything to encourage young people to register to vote and have their say on who should be our next Mayor of London. 2. As you might know, the way we register to vote has changed and students are the first to drop off the electoral register. 3. Furthermore, the Government is bringing forward by 1 year the full transition to Individual Electoral Registration, against the advice of the watchdog, the Electoral Commission. So on this 1 December, when the new nationwide register is published, 1 million young people across the UK will disappear of the register. 4. There are already over 2 million year olds not on the electoral register, but this number could swell to 3 million because of changes to the way we register to vote. 5. Middlesex University students will be part of the 17,000 people in Barnet who will not be registered to vote ,000 across London whom the Electoral Commission are expecting to disappear off the electoral register in 4 weeks. Our Union believes: 1. Every Middlesex Student should have a right to Vote. The Union will: 1. Send out an all student , about the need to register online, now at 2. Run a Voter registration campaign until the 1 st of December, encouraging as many students of Middlesex as possible, to register to vote. 3. Get in touch with External organisations to help us in organising a Voter Registration Day of Action on campus, leafletting halls and spreading the message university wide.

11 Motion: #ThinkBeforeYouPrint Submitted by: Aman Siddiqi (MDXSU President) Seconded by: Orla Hillary (MDXSU Deputy President and VP Health & Education and Science & Technology) Facts & figures: 1. In 2013 Middlesex University moved to free printing, photocopying and scanning services to all our students across campus. 2. It is highly valued by our students (information extracted from the NSS free text comments) and to ensure it remains sustainable the University manage to total cost of this, themselves. 3. The cost of this has grown significantly over the past few years and most of it being in colour. 4. There has been a 69% increase in colour printing in 2014/15 compare to 2013/ Printing overall has increased by 19% and photocopying by 69%. 6. The cost of a colour A4 page is 5.5p. 7. The cost of a black & white page is under 1p. 8. The slightest trace of any letter being in colour is charged as colour output. 9. Over 12.4 million sheets were printed or copied in 2014/15. This is an increase from 9.7 million sheets in 2013/14. Our union thinks: 1. Free printing for students is good but this needs to be balanced with the environmental impact of the current use for the printing services. 2. The SU has a key role in trying to shape student behaviour on this. The union will: 1. Run a campaign to highlight the issues of excessive printing. Alongside our Think before you print videos we will make posters and organise days of action highlighting the problems associated with excessive printing. 2. Support the university with their attempts to combat excessive printing 3. Work with MDXSU staff to ensure that we do not print unnecessarily 4. Send an all staff with DVC corporate services highlighting the importance of our campaign