Student Assembly
Ian Gulland Lecture Theatre
Goldsmiths College
5-6.30pm, 10th November 2016

  1. Welcome and Introduction

Chair / Grace See Wen-Ying
Sabbatical Officers present / Daniel Nasr (President), Mollie Kneath (Education), Eva Crossan Jory (Campaigns and Activities), Tara Mariwany (Welfare and Diversity)
Part-time Officers present / Suheda Top (BME), Shona Walne (Disabled), Jun Lim (International), Charlotte Hamilton (LGBTIQ), YuveshTulsiani (Societies), Stefanie Cooper (Women’s), Joseph Tema (JT) (Sports), Yusuf Siddiqui (Ethical and Environmental), Shannon Howard (Housing)…?
Quorum / 33 students present
  1. Apologies

Liam Renouf (Housing), Lynsay Hodges (Campaigns)

Acknowledgement of the Safe Space Policy

Changes to the agenda – motions 5.2 and 5.3 will be swapped

  1. Approval of the minutes from the last meeting
  1. Officer reports

President’s Report – Daniel Nasr

Fee increase: DN reported that on October the university met to discuss a tuition fee increase for the upcoming academic year. DN was involved in the meeting to discuss the implementation of the TEF. DN argued against the TEF and was unsuccessful, however managed to negotiate no fee increases for returning students.

Goldsmiths Rugby Kit: DN spoke about the Goldsmiths RFC and their decision to put the Palestinian flag on their kits which aligned with the Goldsmiths SU Boycott, Divestments, Sanctions (BDS) Policy to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and to give the Goldsmiths sporting platform a political platform as well. The University released a statement in response to media attention that the kit attracted, saying that they were disappointed in the RFC’s decision. DN, GSW, the RFC and the Palestine Society met with the University asking for a public apology for the statement as well as for commenting more than they should, undermining the independence of the SU. Goldsmiths responded that they were disappointed that the SU had politicised sport and that sports should be played without borders, they will not issue a public apology nor retract the statement and admit any wrongdoing. Another open meeting has been called in the next couple of months.

DN said that these open meeting were part of his effort to strike up Accountability Sessions, open to all students, with the Warden and SMT to hold them to account.

New Student Engagement System: DN provided details of the University’s new student engagement system, a central tracking system. The purported benefits are that it monitors students as they use VLE, university services and buildings (using their cards) and that this will give the university a better understanding of student welfare and ‘when to act’ and how to ‘recognise “at risk” students’. DN argued that “at risk” is dangerous rhetoric that echoes the language in the Prevent agenda, which lacks concrete definition and is vulnerable to subjective interpretation. DN also questioned where the data goes and has called for wider student consultation.

Interviews for new Registrar: DN reported that he has been sitting on the interview panels for the new Registrar, who is responsible for all professional services within the university. DN’s questions to the candidates have been: ‘what do you see as the ideal relationship between the university and the Students’ Union, and what does this look like?’ and ‘Goldsmiths always uses the term “radical” to describe it’s student body in prospectuses and at Open Days – but how would you actually make that a reality?’.

Elected to NUS National Executive Committee: DN has elected to the NUS National Executive Committee.

NUS National Demo: Demo on November 19thcalled by the NUS and UCU. Demo will be protesting the Higher Education paper which provides university’s an impetus to raise tuition fees. The Demo will call for the scrapping of the paper as a whole as well as support for international students and the abolishment of Further Education colleges. Goldsmiths SU will be hosting the Demo after-party where Big Narstie will be performing.

DN also flagged that Refugee Awareness Month will be in Januarynext year.

Education Report - Mollie Kneath

Joint Honours Forum: MN reported that 15 people attended the launch of the Joint Honours Forum. Will repeat next term.

Liberate My Degree: MN has presented the Liberate My Degree to several academic departments and the Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre and professional staff. MN reported that there has been a good response, particularly from STEM departments.

Teaching and Learning Strategy: MN has been sitting on six different working groups, one of which is working to incorporate Liberate My Curriculum.

DSC and DDSC meeting: First meeting of all the DSCs and DDSCs and postgraduate DSCs discussing what students’ priorities are and what the annual projects will be.

NUS Regional Networking: Goldsmiths hosted the NUS Regional Networking to plan the Demo and speak about student issues. MN, ECJ and TM all ran sessions.

Race and Racism in the Academy Conference: Hosted the conference in partnership with LSE, high attendance and led to discussions concerning the Teaching and Learning Strategy.

NUS Zones: MN attended

Renaming the Education Building: Meeting with Warden, Head of Education and Head of Estates and Finances to discuss the renaming of the Education Building after a woman who has made significant contribution in the field of education from Goldsmiths.

TEF: MN will be speaking at conferences about TEF

Welfare and Diversity Report – Tara Mariwany

Black History Month: TM facilitated BHM with students, put on a range of events

Islamaphobia Awareness Month: TM has started woek on IAM, there will be an exhibition on next Tuesday in the SU

Disability History Month: TM will be working with Disabled Students Officer for DHM in November

Regional Networks: Co-facilitated session on Sexual Harassment with NUS Women’s Officer

Sexual Harassment Strategy: TM working with Elizabeth Hill and developing a Sexual Harassment Strategy. University is recruiting a new staff member to plan and implement the strategy.

Microaggressions 101: TM organising with Liberation Officers and the head of Faith Groups, next Thursday at 5pm.

Coffee Hours: BME and Disabled Students Coffee Hours – new location TBC

Women’s Forum: starting next week

Part Time Officers: TM and PTO will undergo legal observer training so that they can be legal observers at the Demo and to make accessible demo space more active and engaging.

Free BME Mentoring: TM has organised free mentoring for BME students (particularly queer BME students) soon – the organisation, NAS, is looking for mentors and mentees. Also offer sexual health screenings.

Come Correct: Free condom program through SU and Loring Hall. Students sign up online, get some sexual health and wellbeing training and then receive card which will allow students to get free condoms.

Preventing Prevent: organising training around Prevent

Holocaust Memorial Day and BME Women: TM has started organising events.

Campaigns and Activities Report – Eva Crossan Jory

Campaigns drop-in: next one on the 24th November

Fee strike: ECJ has been supporting the students who voted for the Fee Strike at the last student assembly

Demo preparation: ECJ has been preparing for the Demo

Regional Networks: Ran session on Rent Strike and the cost of housing while at university

Zones: ECJ elected to Society and Citizenship Committee

University Challenge: ECJ has been putting together a team

New Sports and Societies: including women’s rugby

Gold Paper: ECJ has been working with UCU on the Gold Paper

Cut the Rent: ECJ was on a judging panel organised by the National Awarding body for Student Accommodation and refused to vote for any of the halls as they were not affordable. As a result, one of the awards will now be Most Affordable.

Art Gallery Committee: ECJ has been lobbying for more art spaces on campus.

Questions

Are the minutes from the Joint Honours forum going to be distributed?

MK: The minutes have been typed up and they will be sent out to the conveners, however MK will send them to anyone who requests them.

5. Motions

5.1 / Fossil Free Goldsmiths
Proposer / Yusef Siddiqui
Seconder / Eva Crossan Jory

Union Notes

That Goldsmiths has public commitments to tackling Climate change and ensuring investments are ethical. As stated in their ethical investment policy. That Goldsmiths, Although makes no direct investment in fossil fuels, through the long-term investment of their endowments they do hold a small number of units in an equity and corporate bond fund (CCLA) that represents an indirect investment in companies such as Shell and BP. That investing in fossil fuel reserves means that Goldsmiths directly is aiding the destruction of the planet.

Union Believes

That we are running out of time to keep global warming below 2C above pre-industrial levels- the limit for ensuring a safe and stable future for the economy That the fossil fuel industry, by extracting, processing, promoting and facilitating the use of, selling and profiting from fossil fuels, as well as by having a major influence on government policy, is complicit in causing climate change and its catastrophic impacts. That we must do everything in our power to rapidly reduce the global use of fossil fuels and expand clean energy alternatives That our university should be a role model in society, acting responsibly and helping create a safe future that is better for everyone. That Goldsmiths investments in the fossil fuel industry undermine its commitment to tackling change and its Ethical Investment Policy. That Goldsmiths University of London should not have within its investment portfolio any company investing in fossil fuels this includes investments in pensions.

Union Resolves

To mandate the Students’ Union to coordinate a Fossil Free campaign around fossil fuel divestment on campus, including the dissemination of information about Goldsmiths’ investments and the companies it invests in. This includes lobbying the university to be more transparent about its finances. To mandate the Students Union President to lobby for and secure student representation on all university investment committees. For the Campaigns and Activities officer to lobby the university to end all future investments in fossil fuel companies and to divest from fossil fuel industry companies immediately. To mandate the officers to lobby the Careers Service to ensure no fossil fuel companies are allowed to recruit potential graduates onto campus, and to lobby for the provision by the Careers Service of ethical careers advice. To support and encourage other student unions to submit similar policies and launch their own Fossil Free campaigns.

Questions

Comment: Daniel Nasr noted that the motion has been put forward to the Finance and Resources committee who are yet to respond adequately.

Question: A student asked about the point about the Careers Service and what is defined as ethical. YS said that the motion was intended to make sure that the Careers Service did not place any students in unethical companies such as BP or Shell and that students should be offered opportunities in ethical companies. The student suggested that students can and should be able to make their own decisions about with who and where they work or do their internships individually and that the University should not dictate this.

YS and ECJ suggested that in regard to the Careers Service, the SU could focus on companies that have a direct investment in fossil fuels and that it would not be that students would not be allowed to work for those companies.

The Chair asked if the student was seeking clarification or seeking an amendment. The student was seeking clarification.

Another student sought to clarify her point, that how companies are defined as ethical and where lines could be drawn. The student then sought to amend the motion such that the Union would advocate the Careers Service to place students with ethical companies, rather than away from unethical ones.

DN proposed to amend the motion then to read ‘to mandate the Officers of the Union to lobby the Careers Service when necessary and within reason in relation to social structures and privilege’.

TM then suggested that ‘within reason’ is also subjective and open to interpretation.

The student asked for further clarification and then asked if the point regarding the Careers Service could be removed:

To mandate the Students Union President to lobby for and secure student representation on all university investment committees. For the Campaigns and Activities officer to lobby the university to end all future investments in fossil fuel companies and to divest from fossil fuel industry companies immediately… and to lobby for the provision by the Careers Service of ethical careers advice.

Proposer accepts the Amendment

Vote for Amendment 5.1.1

For: 32

Abstained: 0

Against: 0

Amendment passes

5.3 / Boycott Zabludowicz
Proposer / Chris Timms
Seconder / Tara Mariwany

Union Notes

To boycott is to target products, companies and institutions that profit from or are implicated in, the violation of Palestinian rights; to divest is to target corporations complicit in the violation of Palestinian human rights, as enshrined in the Geneva Convention, and ensure that investments or pension funds are not used to finance such companies; to sanction is to ask the global community to recognise Israel's violations of international law and to act accordingly as they do to other member states of the United Nations. That BDS is an effective tactic, which educates society about accountability to international law, economically pressures companies/institutions to change their practices and politically pressures the global community. That Goldsmiths Students’ Union adopted the call by over 170 Palestinian Civil Society organisations, locally and worldwide, to pass the BDS motion at Student Assembly, February 2015. That the Zabludowicz Collection maintains ties to the Arts and Design departments, inviting students to showcase their work through the Collection, e.g. through the post-graduate MFA Curating course, in which “students from the course collaborate on the 'Testing Ground for Art and Education' season of projects, exhibitions and workshops”. That the Zabludowicz Art Trust and Zabludowicz Art Projects were founded by Anita and PojuZabludowicz and financially supported by Tamares, the corporate arm of the Zabludowicz Trust, of which Poju is the Chairman and CEO. That PojuZabludowicz is the Chairman and CEO of Tamares, the corporate arm of The Zabludowicz Trust, which focuses on real estate, technology, and leisure and media. That Tamares is responsible for investments in Knaifaim, an Israeli based company, focused on the aviation industry, with major holdings in several Israel companies including KanfeyTachzuka, which provides maintenance services to the Israeli Air Force. That PojuZabludowicz is the director of the Britain Israel Communications & Research Centre (BICOM), a company dedicated to creating ‘a supportive environment for Israel in Britain’, to which representatives of the Zabludowicz Art Trust have donated millions of British pounds to. That the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott issued a call to Boycott the Zabludowicz Art Trust in October 2015 “until it ends its complicity in violations of human rights and international law”.

Union Believes

That BDS, as passed by the student body, should be reinforced and pushed for on all fronts, in order to support the Palestinian people’s human rights and uphold international law. That the Zabludowicz Art Trust, and by extension, the Zabludowicz Collection, is complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and Israeli Apartheid, by financially associating itself with companies active in Israel, and by providing maintenance and services to the Israeli Air force. That Unions have a moral responsibility to heed the call of oppressed peoples.

Union Resolves

To pressure Goldsmiths University to heed the call of BDS, and to end their complicity in the crimes committed by the Israeli state against the Palestinian people. To call all students and staff, especially of the Design and Art departments, to denounce the cooperation between the University and Zabludowicz until the Zabludowicz Art Trust ends its investments in and ties with all Israeli companies that are complicit in war crimes perpetuated by the Israeli state, and to end its ties with Israel lobby groups that enable Israel’s regime of oppression. To issue a call on the Zabludowicz Art Trust to end its complicity in violations of human rights and international law. To provide modest financial support of £20 towards advertising a meeting with students from the Fine Art and Curating Departments to disseminate information and generate support from students to put pressure on staff to denounce cooperation and links with the Zabludowicz Collection and Trust.