Agenda for St Catherines College JCR Open Meeting Sunday 2nd week, HT2013

1. Report from President Questions for President

2. Report from Executive Questions for Executive

3. Report from Committee Questions for Committee

4. Committee Motions 5. JCR Motions Motion 1 Proposed by: Emma James Seconded by: Joel Edmondson

This JCR notes that: Many undergraduate students sitting finals and part-finals pay to stay in college accommodation over the Easter vacation to study. 1. The college library is a crucial college facility, and is widely used over the Easter vacation as a workspace and for access to resources. 2. The college undergoes a closure period over ten days of the Easter Vacation, which prevents access to the library during this time. 3. Central university libraries have poor vacation opening hours, particularly on weekends. 4. The college claim to be trying to improve the academic culture in college. 5. Other college libraries only close for Easter weekend itself. 6. Last year, college agreed to open the fishbowls for a workspace during the closure period. This JCR believes that: 1. The fishbowls do not provide a good working environment, nor enough space for the number of undergraduates who are studying in college during that time. 2. The college library is an important facility that helps promote a positive work ethic and community over times of exam stress. 3. Closing the College Library during these important times is problematic to students who pay to stay here and study over the vacation; particularly those with exams at the very start of Trinity term. 4. The library should restrict its closure to Easter weekend, and otherwise continue to open on a non-loan basis if necessary. 5. The library could be run under graduate supervision, as it is at weekends. This JCR resolves to: 1. Mandate the relevant committee members to:

a. Express the JCRs concerns over the Easter library closure to college. b. Work with college to explore alternative means for running the library during this closure period. Motion 2 Proposed by: Friederike Murach Ward Seconded by: Pablo Simko

This JCR notes that: 1. The Oxford Climate Forum is the largest student run conference on climate change which is open to students from across the UK and Europe. 2. The Oxford Climate Forum provides a useful platform for interest and debate on a number of issues which affect us all. 3. This year the Climate Forum has a particular emphasis on outreach and as such the committee wants to involve as many people across the university as possible. This JCR believes that: 1. This can be facilitated by the participation of our college, especially as it would improve the green credentials of our JCR. 2. The JCR exists in part to support its members welfare and enhance their university experience. One of the ways the JCR does this is by subsidising non-academic activities such as Sky TV, furniture for the common room, bops, games consoles, arcade machines, freshers week events. Many of these events and resources are attended by or used by a minority of members. We regularly use JCR funds to subsidise the activities of a minority of members. We ALL benefit from this because even if we dont make use of some of these subsidies we will make use of others. Everyone benefits from being part of a JCR that will support and subsidise their interests. Some members of the JCR will wish to attend the Oxford Climate Forum they may not watch Sky TV, go to bops or play on the arcade machines but they help fund these events because they are part of a community that they know will support their interests, even if not everyone else in the community shares them. Just as we subsidise Sky Sports 1, we should subsidise OCF tickets This JCR resolves to: 1. Purchase 25 tickets for the Oxford Climate Forum to be made available to college members. 6. AOB Item 1 Security issues. Item 2 Proposed: The JCR committee In line with the constitution (section 07, 1), Saint Catherine's College JCR would like to formally 'activate' the Saint Catherine's College Ball to be held in 2014. The ball shall be underwritten by the JCR and will absorb any losses except where these losses have been incurred through the dishonesty or negligence of the Ball Committee Chairs in which case they will be liable, and they shall sign a declaration to this effect.