In what has been described as both a resounding victory and a crushing defeat for boring OUSA meetings, 88% of people at a boring OUSA meeting voted against forcing representatives from OUSA Clubs and Societies to attend boring OUSA meetings.
The rejected proposal was to have OUSA grants funding tied to a representative attend boring OUSA meetings, with clubs that didn’t turn up not being able to get grants funding.
The boring meeting, otherwise known as a Student General Meeting (SGM), actually managed to attract close to 100 people without the OUSA Exec needing to go beg people from the food court to come and attend with the promise of free food. Paradoxically pretty much the only reason for this was that all the clubs turned up so they can vote not to have to turn up.
Will Dreyer, OUSA Education Officer, spoke briefly about how the proposal would “increase diversity” of people who attend SGMs (so, more people other than OUSA nerds and cool aloof Critic reporters wearing leather jackets and smoking cigarettes with a little bit of weed in them).
Sudha Kandarpa from the Indian Student Association spoke in favour of the proposal, saying that it’s important for the clubs to be engaged with OUSA. “I know it’s a bit forceful but if it’s not we won’t come,” she said.
John McWatters, the Secretary of the Computer Science Society, disagreed, saying, “I don’t think forced participation is a good way of doing things. Engagement with students should be encouraged but this is not the way to do that.”
Connor Seddon, President of the Debating Society, pointed out that “When clubs have an interest in an SGM they turn up,” pointing to the actual physical people sitting in front of him.
OUSA were testing a fancy new voting system based on clickers. At one point this intrepid Critic reporter went and stood behind them as an independent auditor to make sure they weren’t rigging the vote. There was an impressive amount of numbers on screen, so we assume everything was legit.
Voting opened and 88% voted against. A large procession of people immediately stood up and left the room, even though the meeting wasn’t over yet.