Sunday, 24th February (HT Wk 7) 4.

00pm in the JCR SU Meeting: Minutes A: Officers Reports PRESIDENT Rent Negotiations Gym Bike Scheme Provisions for Tortoise CB Fry Recycling Bins Projector Suitably onesie-clad VICE PRESIDENT Trying to find Entz/Bar Reps (Plz join its rly cool). Email Alex if interested. Nominations due Wed. Finishing work on constitution. Working on Guide to the SU; accessibility to the constitution TREA$URER Money meeting was good Rent Negotiation ACADEMIC Nothing exciting ACCESS 10 more people on ambassador team. Hilary Training. Meeting about roadshow in easter; lots of freshers volunteering. E-mentoring ARTS Tim the librarian has exhibition in Blackwells. ARTS WEEK: Meeting with DB next week. Movie marathons in JCR plans. BAR Pub quiz in 8th Week. Jahni's bday on Thurs 8th week... International dinner on Thurs: Japanese + karaoke after it. Surveying bar prices WADSTOCK

Meeting steward re: drinks. Need 15-20 volunteers for selling cocktails at wadstock. Free drinks & fun for any volunteers Also, college not so happy about yard glasses recently due to vomit CHARITIES Charity ceilidh, possibly early next term: End of 2nd week ENTZ Wadstock. Become an entz rep! FOOD International dinner, Japanese on Thurs HOUSING Room ballot going fine. Photos finished being taken INTERNATIONAL Decorations for int night LGBTQ Fun crewdates COMMUNICATIONS OUSU Council on Wed SPORT CB Fry TECH Games & Controllers bought for Xbox" WELFARE Welfare Week success. Zumba success. Yoga on Friday. Fridge available in Snug. Don't steal mugs. Pidging exam sweets. WOMEN All good. TORTOISE OFFICER DB meeting last week. Allowing it hopefully. Tortoise fact & joke (ask joe)

B: Matters for Discussion 1. RENT NEGOTIATION Proposed by Jahni Emmanuel, SU President Rents will be going up 5% next year Pres & tres trying to keep lowest rents (as we are currently) College have been generous so far. Trying best to negotiate (ask Jahni and Max for further info) Questions Maintenance loan still currently not enough to cover battels College aware of this, trying their best. How much are other colleges raising prices? Hard to work out, but some are freezing. Whats the lowest rent? Ours at 2933 median atm, average is 3000-something With these increases, how will we compare? Still lowest quartile but not sure. College authorities dislike cheapest college reputation Clarification: Wadham is currently the cheapest median college Other colleges split their accommodation into price bands We dont want to do this C: Motions 1. LIVING WAGE Proposed by Mirela Ivanova Wadham gave 2011 of giving 6.90 wage Didnt respond when asked this year Living wage is 7.49 Pushing for Wadham to support it, but dont know figures Mandate Pres to ask college for figures Discussion Living wage particularly relevant in Oxford; most comparable prices to London Good campaign but worth bearing in mind: Wadham provides benefits such as subsidised food & transport Some staff prefer to keep these rather than removing them for higher wages Much better benefits at Wadham than elsewhere. Outcome No opposition Motion passes

Q1. A1. Q2. A2. Q3. A3. Q4. A4.

2. WEEKS OF SU MEETINGS CHANGEOVER Proposed by Alex Cibulskis Officially changing SU meeting schedule to start of odd weeks Relevance with OUSU Council. Discussion Potential Issues: 1st meeting end of 0th week too early Lack of 8th week meeting Solutions: Have an extra 5th meeting in 8th week anyway Also pointed out that it's good to have 0th week meeting (eg freshers week) Since provisional changeover, Wadham has regularly taken 3rd votes to OUSU Worth overriding logistical problems to have opportunity to have this 3rd vote Conclusion No apparent problems. Keeping it as has been during provisional trial period Next meeting likely to be mid-week 8th week (Wednesday) Outcome Motion passes D: OUSU 3. BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT & SANCTIONS Proposal to vote against OUSU Council motion Proposed by Jacob Haddad Motion went to OUSU Council re BDS. Original motion suggests that OUSU vote to support BDS In turn, suggesting BDS motion to be brought to NUS Conference Proposer recognises that a lot of what Israel is doing is wrong But boycotting puts a wedge in. Not realistic, not fair to boycott an entire nation Mandate Wadham's voters to vote against original motion and boycott. Questions What is the boycott about? BDS boycotts various cultural, agricultural etc things inc groups not even tied to government. Radical movement Sometimes extremist, creates a hostile environment Does BDS boycott Israeli academics and students eg coming to Oxford? Not sure, but worth checking Huge step backwards if Oxford were to ban students based on a nation

Q1. A1.

Q2. A2.

Q3. A3. Q4. A4.

Doesnt BDS website say they don't advocate discrimination? How individual people choose to use the boycott is up to themselves Other colleges' decisions? 8 colleges all voting same way mandating JCRs to vote against BDS inc Magdalen and Brasenose Whats OUSU's role in this motion? The motion is a student proposing for OUSU to take the motion to wider NUS conference, voting for/against it to be passed into NUS policy Who votes in the NUS conference? OUSU's NUS delegates, not academics. Are there provisions for individuals takes on NUS motions? If NUS passes it, then it will filter back through universities. Discussion Religious implications Motion means boycott of associated Jewish societies etc Isn't the point of the BDS motion to drive the wedge? Using the bluntest possible instrument to change Israeli policy E.g. same as South African apartheid approach Comparing to apartheid not helpful Not comparable situations Israel likely to get more defensive Reasons it won't work like with apartheid. Ideological: Israel's constitution still implies state equality, even if there is discriminination, unlike apartheid separation. Factual correction: There is definite discrimination regarding number of Arabs stopped vs Israelis stopped. Debate about ineffectuality of boycott BDS worst possible approach to solving the problem. Breaking ties with Israel and all associated quite antisemitic. Maybe not intentional BDS = anti-Israel not anti-jewish Boycott of nationality is fundamentally racist. National identity, racial identity and religious identity all different. Issue of racial and national identity very intertwined in Israel Defined differently there Does this mean that here we can boycott because we DO have the distinction Even if we condemn every action done by Israel, it's still xenophobic even if not necessarily racist/antisemitic Clarification that motion doesn't condone both Israeli and Palestinian violence

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Q6. A6. Q7. A7.

Problem with this motion: Attacks a specific group, regardless of what group has done. Not academic, shouldnt concern OUSU. Academic institutions shouldn't be boycotting other academics. Political issue, not academic. Doing our university a disfavour As a student union, we are a political institution. We have made political affiliations and stances in the past Wadham SU might be political, but OUSU isn't We are a political institution, but also one which represents Israelis Should be open and welcome to everyone. BDS isn't about targeting individuals BUT implication that people are still allowed to target individuals if they want e.g. Galloway Chomsky quote in point 3 should be taken out Historically, boycotts as a concept are an entrenchment of antagonism very much a step back South African boycott is the quintessential boycott instigated social and policy change All points in favour: putting pressure on government etc. However all the paths towards peace so far have been bilateral Bilateral also worked in South Africa. Best way to go BDS also advocates bilateral talks in the end. With this approach we could boycott other nations that discriminate similarly. Politically we CAN say that we condemn Israeli policy But it's unacademic to practically block association with Israel What is the OUSU/NUS Conference process? Long drawn-out process to mandate Wadham students to vote in OUSU to take to NUS, to be taken back to all universities Other universities have also declared stances on BDS eg Sheffield Academic freedom A lot of discussion on Israel, what about Palestine? Boycott of Israeli academic work won't necessarily promote Palestinian work. Sanction will do more harm than good BDS tries to find ways to hit the government in a way that won't harm the people Purely economic boycott of Israel's government in ideal world. But BDS hurts workers not governmentt Palestinian and Israeli economy intrinsically linked. Weve established we're all against the cultural-academic part of original motion This is just about how we should vote at OUSU, so were already against. Ultimate yes-or-no question: support bds? We're not directly boycotting Israel OUSU's motion is to support an organisation which includes boycotting Israel as a policy. Can we amend motions at OUSU?

In this particular case we have no control because it's being taken to NUS. We could suggest amendment changing BDS to just specific form of sanction. OUSU debate will work the same as Wadham SU. Completely separate motion can be proposed to support other sanctions Stricter than we are on how much we can amend a pre-existing motion Misunderstanding of what the motion is about It's not that we're supporting BDS like a political party OUSU motion to support BDS in general, not with specific parts Don't vote for a motion where there are still parts with which you disagree Current case is do we vote for or against at OUSU? We could take a split vote to OUSU Council? AMENDMENT That Wadham votes represent proportional split in decision at OUSU Council Is this worth deciding? Whether vote is proportional could affect peoples decisions Proposer doesn't accept amendment; taken to immediate vote Majority vote against proportional representation Amendment falls Should there have been more official discussion about this amendment? Procedural disagreement Discussion of whether amendment was taken fairly OUSU Council votes should reflect Wadham view in the most democratic fair way However, democratic thing is to vote Our vote was in favour of one-way representation Annulling a vote is unconstitutional Not discussing properly before the vote was also unconstitutional Problem within the constitution Will update constitution next week on how such amendments are dealt with PROPOSED AMENDMENT For a 3rd person to go to OUSU Council voting independently to promote proportionality PROPOSED AMENDMENT That if the Wadham motion falls, the voters at OUSU Council abstain from the motion to reflect opinion PROPOSED AMENDMENT That if the Wadham motion falls, the voters at OUSU Council vote for the OUSU motion, as implied by the vote Conclusion Proposed amendments retracted Some opposition as evident from discussion Motion reverted to straight vote: For or against motion to oppose OUSUs BDS motion Outcome Motion passes

Proportionality was about 90-10 All three Wadham OUSU Reps will vote against the OUSU motion. SU President to take up third vote. THE END.