Downing JCR > The JCR > Minutes > JCR Committee Meeting 13/1/2004

Minutes for JCR Committee Meeting, 13th January 2004

Present:

Apologies Received from:

Summary of Main Points of Meeting:

  1. Welcome
  2. Matters arising
    • Slops open meeting - a worthwhile experiment and useful for forcing through the budget quorately but probably will not repeat it: it didn't allow people to put their views across.
  3. KFC negotiations
    • Rebate for Michaelmas, per head, for students in College amounted to ... 62 pence (general hilarity).
    • College doubled this to £1.22 but both they and the JCRC think this is not a suitable long-term solution to the fact we have a very expensive KFC.
    • Concern applicants may be put off by high fixed charges including KFC.
    • The rebate will be paid as a lump sum to the JCR: ideas to spend it, benefitting all undergraduates? Garden party? Formal (but not all could attend)? Charity (may not be allowed)? Other ideas?
    • Negotiations are ongoing
    • Catering survey should be shown to College
    • Slops problems before term now all fixed; cost covered by insurance
  4. Rooms ballot
    • Changes to room availibility:
      • N staircase will gain 15 rooms with en suite bathrooms, as well as a three room flat with one bathroom. The flat may be inhabited by mixed sex groups. Three fewer people will be able to live in N, although not all of the sets were filled this year.
      • Up to two rooms in Q may be lost to fellows. T9 may be gained.
      • 24 Lensfield Road will, in the future, be used to house sixteen fourth year undergraduates. The house will not be included in the ballot for undergraduates, but fourth years will be able to choose in the ballot order as soon as this house is available.
      • 28 Lensfield Road may be subjected to extensive improvements. A room may be lost.
      • 3 Gonville Place will be offered on the condition that students accept thirty-nine week contracts, with eight rooms being available.
      • 2 Gonville Place will be offered with an optional thirty-nine week contract, with eight rooms being available.
    • Distribution of Rents:
      • Gross rent revenue must increase by 3.00% + RPIX (approximately 2.5% 01.10.02-01.10.03).
      • Rent banding will be reviewed, as will pricing of bands. This will aim to allow students to choose rooms based on cost.
      • Staircases J and M will no longer have gas heating, but rather electric radiators. This will affect their banding.
    • Questions about changes
      • Will retain cheapest and most expensive rooms, squash more rooms into the middle: currently too many cheap rooms are left towards the end of the ballot.
      • Band changes will not affect overall average cost, eg N staircase will go up in bands but other en-suite rooms will move down out of band B to compensate.
      • The 3.0%+RPIX was agreed five years ago, agreement runs out this year so next year's discussions will agree a new deal.
      • Problems with fuseboxes will not be repeated.
    • Rooms ballot 2004
      • To be held Sat 7th and Sun 8th February.
      • Stock list available Wednesday. There will be an online rooms guide. No new rooms survey but allow updates to online version.
  5. Elections
    • To be held Wed 4th February, hustings on Tuesday 3rd Feb
    • Voted to allow online submission of questions for hustings.
    • Decided not to combine dates with rooms ballot, too confusing
  6. Election publicity including JCR forums
    • Decided forums constituted 'written' publicity; don't want electioneering and abuse so... (1) ban all candidates from posting at all after nominations (2) blanket ban on discussing the election (3) close entire forum from hustings to announcement of results, about 24 hours
    • Also reiterate ban on mass emailing, this would be a major nuisance.
    • No online nominations, seems unneccesary, want actual signatures.
    • Reminder to JCRC to send in their JCR guide entries
  7. Ballot paper design
    • Matt is concerned about poor ballot paper design, should be a better explanation of STV. He will design a better ballot paper.
    • Also decided to allow short slogans next to candidates names, as used in CUSU elections: allows faces to be put to names.
  8. Books in the laundry
    • A basket of 27 books (Penguin Sixties) has been placed in a basket in the laundry for people to read while their washing finishes
    • Hopefully people will not steal them! We'll see how they survive the term.
  9. JCR Committee formal hall
    • Friday 23rd January, more details to follow.
  10. Any other business
    • Charity charge account: Cheques for last two years about to be paid out. Remaining balance to be divided up between this year's charities.
    • Top-up fees: Encourage people to write to/fax/email their MPs.
  11. Date of next meeting
    • Next Tuesday at 5. Attendance strongly encouraged.

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